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Strife posted:Given the street experience I'd probably be fine, but the cost is something else. Historically buying these things used is probably the way to go, but there's no secondhand market here currently. It all fundamentally depends on what you want to do. If you just want to cruise dirt roads and have a camp/farm bike that just runs, those entry level bikes will do the trick, hell maybe a TW200 might even be a good option. Back in the day I would have suggested a honda XR250 but thats basically the CRFF now. You can start to do trails and stuff but yeah they just won't have the same performance as the bigger 250/450 full size bikes will, but those are also 2x the price. In my experience with my WR250, I haven't once needed the added power of a 450 but I also live in a part of the country (washington state) where we have incredibly varied terrain and altitudes from open rolling desert to tight technical mountain single track trails and the advantages of a lighter bike with more controllable power is the better option. I will say though, If you're starting to look at full size bikes for trail riding, unless you plan to ride motocross tracks, dont buy a motocross/supercross bike for the trails, its just not what they're meant to do. A lot of people will do it because of the lower price, but will spend more trying to convert it for trails only to end up not being satisfied with it in the end. The suspension will be incredibly harsh and not fun on trails as well as most of the flywheels will be too light for slow chugging. This is where the WR/CrRx/KxX come in. They use the frame and engine (and a lot of other features) of the supercross bikes but with more trail oriented systems like a heavier flywheel, wider transmission, softer suspension, electric start, smaller rear wheel etc.
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Apr 12, 2021 20:17
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Verman posted:It all fundamentally depends on what you want to do. If you just want to cruise dirt roads and have a camp/farm bike that just runs, those entry level bikes will do the trick, hell maybe a TW200 might even be a good option. Back in the day I would have suggested a honda XR250 but thats basically the CRFF now. You can start to do trails and stuff but yeah they just won't have the same performance as the bigger 250/450 full size bikes will, but those are also 2x the price. Yeah, exactly this. I would still prefer knowing exactly what you want to do with the bike before recommending anything. You're not exactly trail riding with most SxS - they tend to be more just fire roads and the like, for which you can buy basically any dual sport bike and be just fine. If you're ripping down fire roads at 45mph that's one thing. If you want to just cruise around the forest with quads and also go off and do some single track or more gnarly terrain then that's another. Anyway, also agree 100% on not getting an MX bike.
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Apr 12, 2021 21:22
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builds character posted:Yeah, exactly this. I would still prefer knowing exactly what you want to do with the bike before recommending anything. You're not exactly trail riding with most SxS - they tend to be more just fire roads and the like, for which you can buy basically any dual sport bike and be just fine. If you're ripping down fire roads at 45mph that's one thing. If you want to just cruise around the forest with quads and also go off and do some single track or more gnarly terrain then that's another. Anyway, also agree 100% on not getting an MX bike. I don't really have a specific use-case for it yet because I've never done any dirt riding beyond "hey I wonder what's at the end of this dirt road." Beyond going to offroad parks with my brother in law, I just want to be able to go places my Ducati Scrambler can't without worrying about breaking a $9,000 Italian motorcycle. Now, whether that's going to turn into wanting to do more than an entry-level bike is capable of is TBD, but since it's only a difference of about $1,000 it isn't a big deal to avoid a 125 in favor of a 230/250.
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Apr 12, 2021 21:46
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Strife posted:I don't really have a specific use-case for it yet because I've never done any dirt riding beyond "hey I wonder what's at the end of this dirt road." Beyond going to offroad parks with my brother in law, I just want to be able to go places my Ducati Scrambler can't without worrying about breaking a $9,000 Italian motorcycle. Now, whether that's going to turn into wanting to do more than an entry-level bike is capable of is TBD, but since it's only a difference of about $1,000 it isn't a big deal to avoid a 125 in favor of a 230/250. Does it need to be street legal or just offroad parks only?
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Apr 12, 2021 22:45
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builds character posted:Does it need to be street legal or just offroad parks only? I'd kind of prefer it not be street legal. I pay enough excise tax each year.
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Apr 12, 2021 22:46
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Strife posted:I'd kind of prefer it not be street legal. I pay enough excise tax each year. Consider: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/140236168045403 and offer $2500.
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Apr 12, 2021 22:55
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Strife posted:Oh sweet. For some reason they didn't show up on Kawasaki's website. I might just not have searched east enough. But yeah, Bettencourts told me they had 2 CRF230s last month and they were gone within a day. Funnily enough I'm going down there today. The Z400 has a recall on the cam chain tensioner, ugh.
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Apr 14, 2021 13:30
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A Proper Uppercut posted:Funnily enough I'm going down there today. The Z400 has a recall on the cam chain tensioner, ugh. The KLX230 with the SOLD sign on it is mine.  After thinking about it I'd rather have a bike I can ride to trails or across public streets without riding dirty, as dealing with a trailer every time I want to go bomb around somewhere nearby would be a pain in the rear end. And the KLX230 is less of a dual sport and more of a dirt bike with lights. If I find out the bike is too much for what I'm doing, or it's limiting me somehow, I'll just trade it in when the market isn't so crazy.
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Apr 14, 2021 16:21
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Strife posted:The KLX230 with the SOLD sign on it is mine. Nice man, glad I could help!
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Apr 14, 2021 17:14
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A Proper Uppercut posted:Nice man, glad I could help! Actually really glad you did. The sales dude said he had a two page list of people he was supposed to call about that bike, but he forgot about it when I called in first thing and said I was gonna come buy it. So thanks!
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Apr 14, 2021 19:33
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Here it is
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Apr 14, 2021 20:07
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Strife posted:The KLX230 with the SOLD sign on it is mine. A Proper Uppercut posted:Here it is Looks good. Does it come with a skid plate? If not, consider getting one and maybe some hand guards. More than either of those, get new tires. Real knobby tires make such a huge difference. GT333 is a really solid rear tire and street legal and the fatty front is also good and street legal but fat and sadly the other fronts I like are all not street legal. Maybe pirelli's xc-mh.
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Apr 14, 2021 20:56
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A Proper Uppercut posted:Here it is There it is! I dropped the registration paperwork off with the title this morning, so once I get the plate I can go get it. builds character posted:Looks good. Does it come with a skid plate? If not, consider getting one and maybe some hand guards. More than either of those, get new tires. Real knobby tires make such a huge difference. GT333 is a really solid rear tire and street legal and the fatty front is also good and street legal but fat and sadly the other fronts I like are all not street legal. Maybe pirelli's xc-mh. I don't think it comes with a skid plate; certainly doesn't come with hand guards, and I already ordered those. I'll grab a skid plate too. I'll pick up some tires too. I feel like all OEM tires for everything are always poo poo.
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Apr 14, 2021 21:42
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make sure you do a sick burn out before swapping tires. it is a requirement that you bring them to whoever installs your tires that they look torched
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Apr 14, 2021 21:42
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Strife posted:There it is! I dropped the registration paperwork off with the title this morning, so once I get the plate I can go get it. You're not wrong, at least in the lower half of the market. And even on fancy bikes they are never the best or most suitable tyre for the bike.
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Apr 14, 2021 23:00
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Even in other market segments the OEM tire is sometimes a version of a tire with less rubber on it to bring official weight down.
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Apr 15, 2021 07:53
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pun pundit posted:Even in other market segments the OEM tire is sometimes a version of a tire with less rubber on it to bring official weight down.
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Apr 15, 2021 19:38
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Page 701... I'll tell you what bike not to buy, as fun as it was
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Apr 15, 2021 21:44
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too awesome? Thats how I felt on a hypermotard. This bike is way too extreme for me and I know im not responsible enough to operate it safely.
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Apr 15, 2021 22:06
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LC4s are fun as gently caress when they run which is why they're best experienced through friends that own them.
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Apr 15, 2021 22:09
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High Protein posted:Page 701... I'll tell you what bike not to buy, as fun as it was Finally got to ride one the other day and yeah, super fun and the head-mounted balance shaft and different rocker design seems to have fixed most of the engine's terribleness. But I also had to do valve clearances and it took longer than the Hayabusa I had to do the same day. Fauxtool posted:too awesome? Thats how I felt on a hypermotard. This bike is way too extreme for me and I know im not responsible enough to operate it safely. I also rode one of those a few weeks ago! I thought it was much better than the 701, you didn't notice the extra weight, the suspension was much better optimized for tarmac, the front end feel was the best of any bike I've ridden, and obviously big v-twin grunt. It has rocketed to the top of my wishlist at it's perfect in all the ways I care about and none of the drawbacks are relevant to me.
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Apr 15, 2021 22:56
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Slavvy posted:and none of the drawbacks are relevant to me. don't buy one that hasn't had the ECU update / CANbus filter done that keeps it from frying coil packs https://www.ducati.ms/threads/recall-vs-tsb.719921/
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Apr 15, 2021 23:57
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Jazzzzz posted:don't buy one that hasn't had the ECU update / CANbus filter done that keeps it from frying coil packs even if you were to buy one, cant you just take it in to have it done since its a recall?
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Apr 16, 2021 00:16
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Jazzzzz posted:don't buy one that hasn't had the ECU update / CANbus filter done that keeps it from frying coil packs That seems to be for the water cooled kind, I want the 1100cc air cooled kind.
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Apr 16, 2021 00:57
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Slavvy posted:There is such a thing as a dr230, it's even road legal and can barely pull the skin off a pudding. Idk if they're available in the US though. We get the DR200 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwjVUwXYXl0
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Apr 16, 2021 04:03
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Slavvy posted:I also rode one of those a few weeks ago! I thought it was much better than the 701, you didn't notice the extra weight, the suspension was much better optimized for tarmac, the front end feel was the best of any bike I've ridden, and obviously big v-twin grunt. It has rocketed to the top of my wishlist at it's perfect in all the ways I care about and none of the drawbacks are relevant to me. I test rode one before getting the 701, in the end I wanted the purity of the 1cyl engine but yeah the extra power in the hypermotard does make it a more insane bike, it was difficult not to do power wheelies. The seat was bad though, not because of it being a plank, but because it forced you into a single position, apparently the SP seat is better though. What do you mean about the suspension?
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Apr 16, 2021 07:52
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The 701 is a 'proper' motard so it's super tall and pitchy as it's basically a fancy dirt bike, which is necessary because real motards need to do things like jumps and dirt. They are great at slow bumpy corners but that isn't the only thing they're good for. The hyper as far as I can tell was an effort to capture the motard's superiority in slow corners without the compromise of a bike that can do other stuff ie it's focused purely on tarmac. So it's lower and stiffer than a real motard, but still tall and super front-biased compared to a normal road bike. I like the weird riding position, I thought it let me do both knee-down style and leg hanging out style equally well which was fun. Mainly I loved the sensation of feeling like the handlebar was joined directly to the front axle. Also weirdly I found the trusty old desmodue much easier to judge traction with than the big single.
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Apr 16, 2021 08:11
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Ah ok! I liked the 701's suspension, but then at least on paper it was better than that of most bikes I've owned. Sure, maybe a bit soft, but great for bad roads and flying over speed bumps while also feeling planted enough on good roads. Basically the opposite of something like the original MT07, where going over a speed bump at speed would slam your balls into the tank whilst also feeling wobbly in corners. The 701's front was quite harsh for really fast irregularities like big tar snakes though. High Protein fucked around with this message at 09:59 on Apr 16, 2021 |
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Apr 16, 2021 08:40
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That's largely the result of basic damping rod forks and a simple gas shock, yeah. Mt-07 follows the traditional japanese pattern of great chassis, great motor, budget suspension. The best feature on the 701 was the abs off button, brilliant idea. Oh and I forgot: HenryJLittlefinger posted:We get the DR200 and This is fantastic, and basically the dirt version of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz03sQeX02c
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Apr 16, 2021 09:14
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:We get the DR200 and
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Apr 16, 2021 09:55
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Slavvy posted:That's largely the result of basic damping rod forks and a simple gas shock, yeah. Mt-07 follows the traditional japanese pattern of great chassis, great motor, budget suspension. The best feature on the 701 was the abs off button, brilliant idea. Yet you have to buy a $100 dongle for supermoto abs, while this comes for free on the 390 Duke iirc.
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Apr 16, 2021 09:59
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High Protein posted:Ah ok! I liked the 701's suspension, but then at least on paper it was better than that of most bikes I've owned. Sure, maybe a bit soft, but great for bad roads and flying over speed bumps while also feeling planted enough on good roads. Basically the opposite of something like the original MT07, where going over a speed bump at speed would slam your balls into the tank whilst also feeling wobbly in corners. Malcolm Smith said something like “if you have $100 to spend on your motorcycle, spend $90 on suspension.” What I’m saying is, this is nothing that can’t be solved by $4,000 cone valves. For real though, suspension is important. Step 1. Get appropriate springs for your weight. Most bikes are sprung for ~150-160lbs. I can’t speak for everyone but uh, that ain’t me. Step 2. Set your sag. Step 3. Seriously, set your sag. Step 4. Play with your clickers on a closed course/the same open course over and over. You have compression and rebound and you can start out with both in the recommended position. Then, turn only one 3-4 clicks in one direction or the other and see how it feels. Keep doing this until you have the suspension doing what you want. It’s difficult to get stock suspension that is both good for fast and slow and big and small hits all at once but you can really improve your suspension from just having done nothing by doing these four things. Step 5. gently caress it, send that poo poo out to get revalved.
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Apr 16, 2021 12:10
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builds character posted:Malcolm Smith said something like “if you have $100 to spend on your motorcycle, spend $90 on suspension.” What I’m saying is, this is nothing that can’t be solved by $4,000 cone valves. You're missing a step here that should say 'form some basic understanding of what you and the bike are trying to do' as playing with suspension without that understanding just gets your a hosed setup. I've said this before but generic complaints about it being bad or bumpy are generally a sign of lack of skill not technology. Good riders have specific complaints; if the suspension is generally bad they'll still have specific complaints, just a whole bunch of them.
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Apr 16, 2021 20:16
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My favorite thing about that DR200 video is the amount of fun the guy is clearly having. He’s just wringing the poo poo out of it and loving how ridiculous it is.
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Apr 17, 2021 01:23
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Good looking Goldwing GL1500 here, seems in decent nick, and for £4500 it's basically a steal... https://www.autotrader.co.uk/bike-details/202104171495483 
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Apr 18, 2021 13:54
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Steakandchips posted:This FJR1300 is looking pretty great. It's still available, I messaged the guy and it's still there! I'll be going to take a look soon.
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Apr 18, 2021 14:58
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Not sure if I should ask this here or in the new rider thread, figured this is the right one. My Mazda 3 is starting to get long in the tooth and require more and more maintenance each year to be drivable under Pennsylvania road laws, so I'm starting to consider a possible replacement. I've been looking at electric cars, and other smaller vehicles since I live in Philadelphia, but electric is... challenging with street parking like I have in this city. Hadn't really considered a scooter/motorcycle since I'd originally come from the Midwest with big beefy winters, but here in Philly we've generally had pretty mild winters (the very tail end of this last one excepting) so snow would be much less of a concern. Considering how Philly is probably one of the most european of American cities, I've generally been able to get by with a bicycle for a surprising number of errands, but would still need a motor vehicle because I like to hike, and for VERY occasional trips to the midwest to visit family (talking about 1-2 times a year) Just considering my options right now. Don't have a motorcycle endorsement for my license ATM, but thought considering all options when the car's replacement was up should be worthwhile. I see something like a Super Cub or the Trail 125 might be good candidates for my use case, especially since probably 60% of my car's current use is going to/from places to hike which are about 1-1.5 hours away by car. They seem to be affordable and have a decent dealer network to service them and are wildly used around the world, so parts should be common. The extremely good gas milage seems appealing, the additional cargo carrying capacity of the Trail 125 seems like it might make it more practical as a car replacement, though maybe the Super Cub has rear rack options? Are there other options I should be considering from other manufactuers?
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Apr 18, 2021 21:08
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Imo learn to ride first, work out practicalities later. Nobody who has ever ridden a grom or other cub derived bike like the trail 125 would consider them for going anywhere, let alone on a hiking trip a couple of hours away. Because you are operating in an information vacuum, you have (reasonably) concluded that those bikes tick all your boxes, but then a modicum of riding experience would reveal they're absolutely hopeless for the task. If you have any intention of doing any highway riding ever, a 250 is pretty much the minimum. Happily for you that is also the ideal starting motorcycle in the form of a kawasaki ninja 250 or light enduro like the wr250. Cargo capacity is something that can be expanded cheaply and easily with aftermarket parts; I assure you the carrying capacity of a ninja 250 far exceeds that of a trail 125. Off road capacity for a learner is pretty much entirely down to ground clearance and wheel size: the trail 125 is basically a paddock toy and not really capable at all. Buying a brand new bike is a terrible idea even if it's small and cheap, always start with a used one as then you won't take a massive wallet and ego hit the first time you drop it. Plus learner bikes basically don't depreciate past a certain point so you can learn largely for the cost of maintenance and tyres.
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Apr 18, 2021 21:25
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Slavvy posted:Imo learn to ride first, work out practicalities later. Nobody who has ever ridden a grom or other cub derived bike like the trail 125 would consider them for going anywhere, let alone on a hiking trip a couple of hours away. Because you are operating in an information vacuum, you have (reasonably) concluded that those bikes tick all your boxes, but then a modicum of riding experience would reveal they're absolutely hopeless for the task. Oh I'm definitely not going to go out and buy a bike without even getting the endorsement on my licence. I'm just trying to consider if getting the endorsement is worth it and what types of bikes I should be considering to meet my needs. If there aren't bikes that do what I need than obviously I shouldn't bother. With street parking a motor vehicle isn't a hobby device and it needs to be practical for me. I'll take a look at those 250cc ones you mentioned.
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Apr 18, 2021 21:34
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If you only have street parking in Philly, how are you going to park/protect your bike? What's to stop someone from chucking it into a van or the bed of a pickup?
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Apr 18, 2021 21:45
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