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How often are sprockets still good while the chain needs to be replaced? The chain on my bike is pretty old (17k miles, 14 years) and seems to have stretched out and has rust in parts, but the rear sprocket still looks good. Is it worth saving money to keep a sprocket if it looks good, or do most of you generally just replace it all at once regardless of how worn the sprockets are?
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Jan 9, 2009 03:03
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| # ? May 15, 2024 17:32 |
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Lawn posted:How often are sprockets still good while the chain needs to be replaced? The chain on my bike is pretty old (17k miles, 14 years) and seems to have stretched out and has rust in parts, but the rear sprocket still looks good. Is it worth saving money to keep a sprocket if it looks good, or do most of you generally just replace it all at once regardless of how worn the sprockets are? You should replace them both. It's not gonna be a lot more expensive, and it will improve the life of the chain, as chains and sprockets wear together, so you can get excessive wear if you replace chains but don't replace sprockets. Simkin posted:I'm seriously considering making my next set of riding gear the "HOLY poo poo MY RETINAS ARE MELTING" yellow Aerostich Roadcrafter one piece, especially for riding around in inclement weather/night. Sure, I might look like I'm directing air traffic on a runway in a hurricane, but nobody is going to fail to notice something that goddamn visible. Incidentally, if you bought anything from them in the last year in that high-vis yellow, it's subject to a recall. The newer colour starts fading, apparently, whereas the old one doesn't. I want a 'stitch really badly, but can't justify it. I think I've had my current A* jacket for 3 years now through all kinds of weather and it's still fine. Correctly adjusted and in normal daylight, brights shouldn't be blinding or even anything more than "hey, there's a motorcycle!". Maybe mine are just particularly feeble 
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Jan 9, 2009 03:33
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 'stich suit (or a BMW one) will be mine at the end of grad school.Does anyone know what type of carbs I will encounter on a 1987 CB450S? Is that type covered in the CV carb cleaning thread? If not, I guess I may have to add to it soon-ish.
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Jan 9, 2009 03:39
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Can anyone recommend a good pair of noise-attenuating earphones as well as those earplugs ail asked about?
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Jan 9, 2009 05:12
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Is there really much of a difference going from a 530 chain to a 520 for street use? I've seen people talk about getting a 520 conversion to accelerate faster, but it seems like the weight change would be negligible. What about going from an O-Ring chain to an X-Ring? Do they really last that much longer?
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Jan 9, 2009 05:34
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I would think the change from a 530 to 520 would only be noticeable if you were trying to shave hundredths off your ET or lap time.
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Jan 9, 2009 06:07
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Phy posted:Can anyone recommend a good pair of noise-attenuating earphones as well as those earplugs ail asked about? I like my Etymotic ER6is. They're relatively cheap (60-80$ on ebay, etc), and they seal out a good amount of noise, have nice sound quality, and come with a bunch of earplugs so that you can find one that fits you just right. Only downside is after about 40k of constant use, I ended up accidentally ripping out one of the wires on one I've owned a couple of pairs now, and they've all been great. Lawn posted:Is there really much of a difference going from a 530 chain to a 520 for street use? I've seen people talk about getting a 520 conversion to accelerate faster, but it seems like the weight change would be negligible. No. Don't bother with the 520. Stick with the 530, it'll last longer. Only place I'll put a 520 on my bikes is on the track. O-ring chains use an O-ring to seal in factory pin lubricant, and x-ring chains use x-rings. Clear as mud, right?  X rings use a different design that's supposed to avoid the x-rings being damaged. All i know is that with any o-ring chain and proper care, it'll last forever. I go with the xrings because I only change them once every 40k or so, so...why not spend the extra  over that kind of mileage?The people who are talking about 520 "acceleration kits" are going down a tooth on the front sprocket to change where the bike makes power in relation to road speed. Gear down means better acceleration but lower top speed, and if your speedo is driven off of anything but the front wheel, will mean speedo error (it'll read high).
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Jan 9, 2009 06:50
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ail posted:A while ago someone mentioned wearing earplugs that only filter noise above a certain dB level and were remarkably cheap. Anyone have a link? Yeah, I'm quoting myself. No one reads the last post in threads. :x I used to use Sony Fontopia earbuds but they get pressed too deep into my ear when I wear my ski-mask for warmth during the winter. I actually think I damaged my right eardrum
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Jan 9, 2009 08:57
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ail posted:A while ago someone mentioned wearing earplugs that only filter noise above a certain dB level and were remarkably cheap. Anyone have a link? http://www.lapolicegear.com/suep3sodeear.html I have a set but haven't worn them on my bike.
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Jan 9, 2009 09:46
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So I just found my perfect bike, an '81 BMW R65 in great condition (its the largest capacity I can ride on my license). I spent 20 mins talking to the guy making sure it was all good, and then called the next day to confirm I would be coming over to get it. He said he would pick me up at the train station closest since he lives out of town. I ask him if its ok to come in the morning instead of this evening, and he confirms noone is coming to look tonight so its going to be be fine for me to come in the morning. Since I don't have any gear I leave work early to buy a new Shoei helmet and gloves in preperation for bringing it back, and I'm just about to settle down to sleep (since I need to get up early to catch the train) when I get this email:quote:HI the bike sold tonight first person to look at it just thought i would let you know it's gone i do have a cb400 that needs work if you are interested what the loving gently caress? what the gently caress is wrong with people?
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Jan 9, 2009 13:08
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Prince posted:what the loving gently caress? what the gently caress is wrong with people? Thats the breaks man, the learner bike market in Australia is dog eat dog sometimes. I had 3 separate sellers sell bikes out from under me because people just show up out of nowhere and pay cash and ride them off. The annoying bit was I would tell them I had the cash waiting and they would tell me " No sorry I won't deal in cash " then the next day ring me and say " Some dude offered me cash so I took it ". Keep trying, you will find another bike eventually.
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Jan 9, 2009 13:27
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Who the gently caress doesnt deal in cash?
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Jan 9, 2009 15:55
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Prince posted:So I just found my perfect bike, an '81 BMW R65 in great condition (its the largest capacity I can ride on my license).
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Jan 9, 2009 16:29
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Phat_Albert posted:Who the gently caress doesnt deal in cash? Seriously. When it comes to bikes, there is no "let me pick it up later", there is no "oh, I'll just arrange for blah blah blah to come by and pick it up", if you want the bike, show up with cash. That goes triple if you're buying a bike that's a good deal. The problem is: I've seen people who have said "yes, I want a bike" and then disappeared/no showed. If you're serious about buying, have money available. Cash in hand is king, no matter who is "in line". People are flaky, cash is not.
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Jan 9, 2009 16:31
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I've had way too many "buyers" who have never shown up again, sometimes they do call but usually you just never see them again. If it's the bike and you have the cash on hand, make the transaction then, don't gripe if someone buys it out from under you. Out of all the times this has happened I've only had one person show up later with the money. I did have one guy show up 2 years after showing him a bike and he seemed honestly surprised it had been sold-maybe he was in a coma or suspended animation?
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Jan 9, 2009 17:32
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Cash in hand has a weird way of changing what price people are willing to take for a bike as well. The 77 Kawasaki I picked up was listed at $500 and even after seeing it the guy was dead set on $500 over the phone. I showed up with $300 and a trailer and it was a done deal.
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Jan 9, 2009 17:54
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8ender posted:Cash in hand has a weird way of changing what price people are willing to take for a bike as well. The 77 Kawasaki I picked up was listed at $500 and even after seeing it the guy was dead set on $500 over the phone. I showed up with $300 and a trailer and it was a done deal. No one likes to negotiate over the phone. But if you show up in person, people get to the point where they'd rather have cash in hand then you leaving and them still with a bike. I've gotten to the point where I hate showing up to look at a bike unless I have access to a reasonable amount of cash. Why waste their time and mine if I'm not serious?
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Jan 9, 2009 18:05
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Same here. I won't discuss any major purchase until I have the money in my hand. This includes setting foot on a dealer's lot without financing already arranged and approved.
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Jan 9, 2009 19:07
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That sucks that the guy sold it out from under you, but what everyone is saying is very true. If you are serious about buying something, find a way to be there with cash in hand right now. As a seller I have waited weekends away for some jackass who "definitely wanted the bike/car, I'm on my way now!". As a buyer I have gotten great deals by totally disenfranchised sellers who heard the same thing over and over with no one ever showing. It's just hard to turn away a buyer in front of you making a reasonable offer with cash in hand regardless of what anyone else is saying.
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Jan 9, 2009 22:39
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So I may go buy a bike this weekend, but I don't particularly want my first ride to be the hour long drive back home through rain and snow. If I buy it, I need to haul a motorcycle in a pickup. I don't have a long bed. Is this even feasible, or do I need to figure out another way?
basx fucked around with this message at 00:49 on Mar 8, 2013 |
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Jan 9, 2009 22:54
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If you have tie-down points on all 4 corners of the bed, you're fine. Just bring a plank to use as a ramp and some ratcheting straps.
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Jan 9, 2009 23:15
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An F150 should be able to haul that no problem. I have had countless bikes in the back of my Ranger. If the beds too short just leave the gate open. Remember not to crank the front forks down to the stops with ratchet straps. That's a good way to gently caress up your fork seals. It should be snug, but still have suspension travel left.
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Jan 10, 2009 01:28
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I have to contradict that advice. Compress the forks as far as you dare. If your bike can bounce, and develop slack, it can come undone and suddenly you have 600lbs of harley bouncing around your truck. For an hour trip? Whatever, compress the forks all the way. For longer trips, unscrew the the fork tops a little, and relieve the pressure. Most of the bikes I've transported have had air forks, so I was just able to open the valves and release the pressure. $1000+ of damage to the bike and truck ain't worth the $30 forkseals even if you do screw them up. And i'm yet to hear of someone actually HURTING their forks cranking them down when transporting a bike.
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Jan 10, 2009 03:06
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ATV ramps work pretty well, just be sure to grab a couple guys to help you, more depending on the weight of the bike.
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Jan 10, 2009 03:48
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So what's the deal with helmet shields/visors? My two shoei ones both have clear shields. Amber, reflective, tinted, clear? It's pretty sunny here all the time but I'm never a big fan of wearing dark sunglasses when I'm doing something where I really need to concentrate (riding). I know some people wear glasses under their helmets and that seems like the best way. Since you don't to swap out shields. But what's the general concise? It would be quite a pain to swap them out for day/night riding. I'm new to this whole thing so open to all suggestions.
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Jan 10, 2009 04:13
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Christoff posted:So what's the deal with helmet shields/visors? My two shoei ones both have clear shields. If I'm heading to work I wear my clear shield since it's 5am and still dark. On the way home I either just tough it out or bring some shades in my backpack. I have a tinted shield, but only use it if I'm planning to ride around for a while during the day. If you didn't mind keeping your tinted shield with you, it's very easy to swap them out...well if your helmet doesn't suck. I would keep mine in my backpack, but it seems kind of fragile...
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Jan 10, 2009 04:23
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Christoff posted:But what's the general concise? It would be quite a pain to swap them out for day/night riding. I'm new to this whole thing so open to all suggestions. Tinted visors are a royal pain in the rear end. Even when swapping the visor is easy it's annoying to carry an extra. I typically ride over an extended period of time (e.g., commuting or afternoon canyon runs), but even if I know the entire trip will be sunny the constant tint is a distraction.
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Jan 10, 2009 04:25
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Nerobro posted:I have to contradict that advice. Compress the forks as far as you dare. If your bike can bounce, and develop slack, it can come undone and suddenly you have 600lbs of harley bouncing around your truck.
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Jan 10, 2009 05:31
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Phat_Albert posted:Who the gently caress doesnt deal in cash? When I finally got to purchase a bike after all the hassle the buyer would not deal in cash, or bank check. He would only accept bank transfer so I had to wait 3-4 days for it the transfer to go through, mainly due to sending it on the weekend and having to wait till a few business days went past. He did not want to have to go to the bank and deposit cash or check, and he felt that EFT was the safest payment method. At least I managed to talk him down a thousand bucks for loving me around.
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Jan 10, 2009 05:51
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Prince posted:I'm not personally experienced with such things, but from the advice I have from people who do have experience, as well as the web, you should be pushing the suspension down about halfway -- not too much and not too little. Then secure with fastening straps which have rachets (ie, the type which you can get very tight and won't come undone). You need four ideally, one for each handlebar, and one for each wheel. Maybe on sportbikes? Where the suspension travel is a mere 4". You do not want to strap your bike down in any way that any sort of suspension movement could let it fall. I'm known to leave an inch of suspension travel left... Also keep in mind, that while cornering, the straps multiply the force the bike has leaning. That puts lot of tension on the straps. That tension almost directly translates into vertical force on the forks. Always attach the straps as close to the center of the bike as you can. The steeper the angle of the straps, the less cornering force translates into tension on the straps. If it comes down to it, and I've had to, I've strapped the bike from left to right. Or from the bottom of the triple tree to make the angle greater. I tend not to strap down the front wheel. The front straps pull forward. I then put two straps to locate the back of the bike. For "short" travel bikes. For long travel bikes, I put a strap pulling the dirtbike forward, and one through the back tire, holding it down, and pulling the bike rearward. I prefer more straps to less. You'll typically find five or six on a bike I actually value. An entire package of straps is cheaper than any body panel. On ANY of my bikes, and I own some frighteningly cheap rides. Under no circumstances will I strap the bike down in a way that suspension movement will be enough for me to release the strap. The only way I an have a "strap come lose" is for it to break, or have the carrying device break. (I had the front wheel chock break once..) I stopped trusting chocks after that... As for credentials, I have never had a bike I strapped down fall over. Ever. I've seen bikes fall over though. I've strapped down 700lb behemoths, and loaded 100lb mopeds. The only forkseals I've had fail, were forkseals we'd already determine to be leaky or bad before we got the bike on the trailer. Saving two $15 seals, is absolutely no reason to risk having a whole bike fall over. Strap the fork down tight. I don't believe it's even a risk on seal failure. After dozens of bikes strapped down in that way, I've had zero forkseal failures. Nerobro fucked around with this message at 06:52 on Jan 10, 2009 |
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Jan 10, 2009 06:40
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Christoff posted:So what's the deal with helmet shields/visors? My two shoei ones both have clear shields. DiZ and I both have Shoei helmets, and tinted visors to go with our clear ones. Sunglasses underneath a clear visor can work, but the arms on my Oakleys are too round to fit comfortably inside my helmet, plus the polarised lenses make everything look trippy through the plastic visor. And you feel dumb when you try to remove your helmet without taking off your sunglasses. I'd recommend the darkest tinted visor, I have been told that the light tint is pointless, Iridium looks nice but is more expensive and scratches very easily. Shoei helmets have such an easy-to-use visor swap system that you needn't worry about inconvenience in this area. I can literally swap visors in 15 seconds. Carrying the other visor around, I recommend keeping it inside the fabric bag that comes with your helmet, then you can put this in your backpack, or (if you're not a fatty) sling the bag under your shoulder so that the visor is around your torso. This can look a bit odd, but you can have it underneath your jacket. I have heard of people with leathers carrying them in this fashion just between the leathers and their body, but you can't do this with just a jacket since it's liable to fall out the bottom.
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Jan 10, 2009 07:20
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Thanks for the replies. I think I'll look into a dark tinted visor then. I was going to get some light or medium type tinted one but you guys are recommending against 'em. Are the Shoei ones all universal? I don't recall my exact model right now (at work). Where should I purchase them? Newenough? Anything in particular to look for or is it pretty straight forward? I assume Iridium is the reflective tint? Is that just the same thing as a tinted visor + the badass factor of being reflective?
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Jan 10, 2009 09:05
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Shoei visors are not universal, although there is some crossover between helmet models. Look on your visor, the model should be printed on there, right hand side on mine. Iridium is the reflective finish, but it scratches really easily, and I think it doesn't block as much light, but not sure on that. But I guess it does look pretty cool. Just buy it from wherever is cheapest, probably a good chance of that being New Enough if you're in the US.
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Jan 10, 2009 11:21
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Nerobro posted:If your bike can bounce, and develop slack, it can come undone and suddenly you have 600lbs of harley bouncing around your truck. Which is why I say ratchet straps to unsprung parts. The suspension is free to absorb the car's motion to bike's main mass and it won't develop a slack, ever. You can safely roll the truck in a ditch, then ride the bike home. (edit: this works best with a center stand, which the Harley doesn't have)
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Jan 10, 2009 18:56
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when that's an option, that's a wonderful thing. :-) I do that too.
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Jan 10, 2009 19:18
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My strapdown advice is from riding lots of dirtbikes and doing a fair number of track days and strapping down streetbikes: Ratcheting tiedowns blow rear end. I actually just use the standard pull straps. I believe they are more reliable and a hell of a lot easier to make sure the strap is nice and tight. I've had ratcheting tiedowns be real finicky and a royal pain in the rear end to make sure the mechanism is locked in properly. Any bike dealership will sell really nice tiedowns for probably $20 a set if you want some really wide webbing non-ratcheting straps. If you are strapping down a sportbike, buy a canyondancer. If you don't you either spend tons of time making sure you don't scratch up your plastics, or you end up scratching them up anyway. I find that using a sewn loop of webbing to loop around the bars instead of putting the hook onto the bars. It gets the metal buckle portion further away from the bike, and the hooks won't bang up or scratch your bars. Also if you have fatbars you don't have issues with the hooks not fitting around the bars. I normally compress the forks about 3/4 of the way down. It just seems that in my experience the forks having some travel left actually helps the bike not shift around when you go over bumps. I would disagree with Neroboro in that you should have the tiedowns hooked nice and far from the bottom of the bike. It's just a hell of a lot more stable to have them nice and wide from the bottom of the bike. You really shouldn't need to use more then the two tiedowns to the bars to properly secure a bike.
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Jan 11, 2009 06:07
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What's the best radio-broadcasted intercom to use on a bike? My buddy and I are planning on going on a roadtrip this summer but we'd like to use intercoms so we can talk to eachother if need be, instead of yelling all the time. One that is preferrably hard-wired into the bike's own 12v system, but batteries would be fine if that's the only way. It would also need to be push button activated. Edit: After some quick looking around I happened onto the Chatterbox X2 (http://www.amazon.com/ChatterBox-FRS-X2-Noise-Reducing-Communicator/dp/B001DDQER6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1231652767&sr=8-1) Anyone had any experience with it? It seems like a very good one, although a little expensive, it's a good investment and I will be able to use it in my future rally car as well. 2 mile range, battery or 12VDC supply, push button or voice activated, can play music that gets muted when you talk or someone else is talking, etc. Seems very good. MrZig fucked around with this message at 07:03 on Jan 11, 2009 |
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Jan 11, 2009 06:15
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n8r posted:I would disagree with Neroboro in that you should have the tiedowns hooked nice and far from the bottom of the bike. It's just a hell of a lot more stable to have them nice and wide from the bottom of the bike. As for disagreeing with me.. I don't think you're actually disagreeing with me. You want the tiedowns to have a good angle from where they attach to the bike to where they attach to the trailer. If they're vertical, they aren't doing jack poo poo to keep the bike vertical. They need to be at an angle. The wider the better. If the straps are near vertical, I will either cross the strap to the other side of the bike, or go to the bottom of the triples. Protecting the plastic on bikes is easy. Buy clear packing tape. Apply the tape anywhere things will rub.
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Jan 11, 2009 09:35
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Nerobro posted:If you have trouble with ratchet straps, the ratchets are just smarter than you are. I'd imagine you have a problem with people not liking you IRL.
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Jan 11, 2009 15:50
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I use ratcheting tiedowns. I go through about half of the suspension travel for transporting trackbikes. Any more and they tend to puke oil all over the fork tubes, plus if I hit a big bump, I don't want the suspension to bottom out hard. I tend to use 4 tiedowns...2 at the front on the forks/bars, and 2 at the back, up on the subframe or to the pegs. If I shake the bike and the truck wobbles and the bike stays still, then it's secure. Ratcheting it down until it's bottomed is just overkill.
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Jan 11, 2009 21:54
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