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Z3n posted:Schwantz recommends lifting your hand off the bar while braking and using your thumb and other 2 fingers to blip the throttle. I could never make that work and now I run the Jason pridmore style of a lot of playing with the clutch. It just feels more natural. I used to blip but it only seemed necessary on my two stroke. The KZ seems to work best when I drop a few gears and slowly let out the clutch to run the engine up to speed and slow down.
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May 5, 2009 02:37
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I've lowered my want/expectations as far as bikes go. I am now looking used due to my boss wanting me to commute farther sooner than expected. I'm not quite ready to buy but in the next 45-60 days I will be. Would this bike be a bad idea? http://slo.craigslist.org/mcy/1153257919.html
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May 5, 2009 03:06
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Ponies ate my Bagel posted:I've lowered my want/expectations as far as bikes go. I am now looking used due to my boss wanting me to commute farther sooner than expected. I'm not quite ready to buy but in the next 45-60 days I will be. That's a lot of bike to learn on. I tend not to jump on the "OMG more than 25cc is suicide without 10 years experience" bandwagon, but that's a lot of bike. The benefit of starting with it is that you're unlikely to outgrow it in a few years. The drawback is sudden death do to dramatic, unexpected outpourings of power. If you decide to go with that be very cautious until you know what you're doing. When you think you know what you're doing, you don't, so remain very careful.
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May 5, 2009 03:40
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OrangeFurious posted:That's a lot of bike to learn on. I tend not to jump on the "OMG more than 25cc is suicide without 10 years experience" bandwagon, but that's a lot of bike. The benefit of starting with it is that you're unlikely to outgrow it in a few years. The drawback is sudden death do to dramatic, unexpected outpourings of power. If you decide to go with that be very cautious until you know what you're doing. I've got 14 yrs of bike experience dirtbike/streetbike. I just have never owned my own bike. I'm more looking for purchasing advice. not a lot of experience there.
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May 5, 2009 04:13
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Ponies ate my Bagel posted:I've got 14 yrs of bike experience dirtbike/streetbike. I just have never owned my own bike. I'm more looking for purchasing advice. not a lot of experience there. That does change things. 
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May 5, 2009 06:07
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OrangeFurious posted:That does change things. Yes, it really means he doesn't know jack about riding.
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May 5, 2009 06:08
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^^ He likes riding bent over, that's gotta count for something. 
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May 5, 2009 06:17
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Ponies ate my Bagel posted:I've lowered my want/expectations as far as bikes go. I am now looking used due to my boss wanting me to commute farther sooner than expected. I'm not quite ready to buy but in the next 45-60 days I will be. Little expensive for a salvage title bike. My friend was selling his 05 for 5k flat, clean title and 9k miles and he didn't any any reasonable interest on it, so...I'd say that that is worth closer to 3500$ with the salvage title.
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May 5, 2009 06:20
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A friend of mine is asking why motorcycles generally run higher pressure in the rear tire than the front, when it seems in cars that people generally run higher pressure in the front than the rear.
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May 5, 2009 14:09
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Is there an equation for comfort on a bike? I realize this is more complicated than it seems, but here's the scenario: My '79 CB750k is standard as far as riding position and such go, with the exception that the bars are swept back more. This is because I'm 5'8", which is about the minimum height for this bike, and the only way to remain sort of upright is to pull the bars back. Naturally, this looks doofy as hell, and I don't feel all that connected to the road. Now, I've tried supersport bars, and those were fun for 20 minutes before the wrist pain set in; I was bent over, sure, but you can feel each twitch of the bike will lead somewhere, and it's all very good. Next, to alleviate that pain, I tried upside-down clubmans, which are close to okay, but angled a little weird and cause a different sort of wrist pain. My next project is CB550 bars, as they're an inch or two shorter than the current bars and shouldn't look as completely weird swept back a bit. I also obtained some rearsets for cheap, in case I want to go full tilt or perhaps they might help in tilting me over the bars a bit better. In any case, here's my question: Given what I have here to make adjustments, what's the safest bet as to a good balance between sporty and comfortable? Will installing rearsets actually cause more harm regardless? Should I look into shaving the seat? Essentially, I'm going for sporty/connected without the numb wrists and backpain. Is such a thing possible on an old standard? Should I just do more situps and be a man? George RR Fartin fucked around with this message at 15:34 on May 5, 2009 |
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May 5, 2009 15:31
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You're going about it all the wrong way. Rearsets will just put more weight on your wrists. Standard UJM bars are pretty tall and far back. I tend to run superbike bars on my UJM's as they fit me fairly well. If you check out: http://www.crc2onlinecatalog.com/handlebars.htm they list the rise and reach of all the bars. Sit on your bike, lean forward a little, see where your hands are. Buy bars that will fit. Clubmans are NEVER the recipe for comfort.
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May 5, 2009 15:34
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Nerobro posted:You're going about it all the wrong way. Rearsets will just put more weight on your wrists. That's the thing, I have supersport bars, and they were pretty cool with the exception of the extreme wrist pain. The clubmans were upside-down, so they were 2-inches rising rather than falling; if they weren't angled at like 45 degrees, they'd be close to perfect. This is why I think the 550 bars might be right on; they're similar to the stock bars but shorter by maybe two inches. I'm glad to know about the rearsets; I've been under the impression that comfort would improve with those and lower bars, but it seems they'll just sort of tilt me forward even more.
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May 5, 2009 15:37
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Try as much stuff as you can reasonably get your hands on. I couldn't ride my trackbike with the "high" pegs, I had to use the high pegs + risers to get something that was comfortable. On streetbikes, I've ridden all sorts, and some of the strangest combinations end up being comfortable. Just give it a shot and see where it goes.
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May 5, 2009 15:42
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Ponies ate my Bagel posted:I've lowered my want/expectations as far as bikes go. I am now looking used due to my boss wanting me to commute farther sooner than expected. I'm not quite ready to buy but in the next 45-60 days I will be. Be very wary of salvage titled vehicles. 1) it's hard to know what was really wrong with it. It could have just been a lot of plastic. It could have been something really bad, and fixed shoddily. Not all states make you list everything done to the bike to get it back up to riding condition. 2) salvage titles don't ever disappear. Ever. You can't "launder" one away. It will be a bitch to resell the bike with a salvage title. I'm not saying don't buy it, but go in cautiously.
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May 5, 2009 16:16
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Shlomo Palestein posted:That's the thing, I have supersport bars, and they were pretty cool with the exception of the extreme wrist pain. Making a bike fit you is a lot of guess and check. I went from the stock bars on my 550 to drag bars, then superbike bars... before I found my happy medium.
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May 5, 2009 16:18
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I've been trying to google an acceptable answer to this to no avail: why is it that dirt helmets are the way they are? Why have separate goggles, a huge chinbar and a brim? Every reason I can come up with isn't compelling. I was thinking dirt has a tougher time getting into goggles, which may make sense, but some manufacturers put visors on their moto helmets. I could see the brim again keeping out dirt/the sun, but goggles/visors can block the sun and the dirt would just fall down anyway-- it's not like it would stay in front of your eyes suspended by gravity. Is it more of a style/tradition thing or is there a more compelling reason dirt helmets have remained considerably more unwieldy, less aerodynamic and more structurally bulging than their street brethren?
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May 5, 2009 16:27
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The goggles seal your eyes from dirt/mud/other poo poo. The chinbar saves your face. The open front allows airflow. The visor is partially for sun protection, but more for the deflection of brush.
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May 5, 2009 16:40
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Whoa. Wife Turds posted:I've been trying to google an acceptable answer to this to no avail: why is it that dirt helmets are the way they are? Why have separate goggles, a huge chinbar and a brim? Every reason I can come up with isn't compelling. I was thinking dirt has a tougher time getting into goggles, which may make sense, but some manufacturers put visors on their moto helmets. I could see the brim again keeping out dirt/the sun, but goggles/visors can block the sun and the dirt would just fall down anyway-- it's not like it would stay in front of your eyes suspended by gravity. Is it more of a style/tradition thing or is there a more compelling reason dirt helmets have remained considerably more unwieldy, less aerodynamic and more structurally bulging than their street brethren? You've obviously never been offroad with a street helmet. It's really annoying when you get dust in your eyes while riding between trees at 60km/h.
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May 5, 2009 16:42
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Nerobro posted:I said superbike. There's a difference. ;-) The "euro" bars have more pullback. I don't know what the 550 bars are in relation. The "550 bars" I mention are stock CB550F bars. Think about midway between CB400F (similar to your superbike bars) and normal UJM bars, slightly biased towards the latter. I'm thinking they might resolve things, but I figured I'd pose the question in case there's a formula. I meant superbike bars, not supersport; I just like putting "super" before things, I guess. When are you getting that moped running fast again? Get on it! :P
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May 5, 2009 16:45
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Nerobro posted:The goggles seal your eyes from dirt/mud/other poo poo. Again, goggles I can wrap my head around, but if a street chinbar doesn't save your face then what good is it? I understand that you're not typically falling from a 20 foot jump on a streetbike, but what about impacts? It doesn't add up for me. And a brim for deflecting brush? I mean, you already have a helmet all over your head, do you really need another chunk of helmet sticking in the wind to keep it away from the rest of the rest of the helmet where it would be deflected anyway? I guess the open face makes pieces of poo poo falling in your helmet more irritating. Regardless, it seems to make helmets like the Arai and others with built in visors kind of completely useless since apparently most of the technology is based around having to wear goggles. Charun posted:You've obviously never been offroad with a street helmet. It's really annoying when you get dust in your eyes while riding between trees at 60km/h. I obviously haven't or I probably wouldn't have asked. 
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May 5, 2009 16:45
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Quick question. Is it possible to make a more modern bike (say a gs500 or nighthawk 750) look like a cafe bike? Or because the way the tanks and frames are now is it a ludicrous amount of work?
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May 5, 2009 16:46
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Bob Morales posted:A friend of mine is asking why motorcycles generally run higher pressure in the rear tire than the front, when it seems in cars that people generally run higher pressure in the front than the rear. Because the front of a car is heavier due to the engine being there, so you put in more air to compensate. On a motorcycle, the rear is generally heavier.
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May 5, 2009 16:57
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AkrisD posted:Quick question. Is it possible to make a more modern bike (say a gs500 or nighthawk 750) look like a cafe bike? Or because the way the tanks and frames are now is it a ludicrous amount of work? I'm not sure why you think it wouldn't work. The tanks on more modern bikes are less round-breadboxy tanks, but a cafe bike is pretty much just a set of clubman bars, cutdown (usually single) seat, rearsets, and sometimes a little round fairing. The two bikes you mention would be perfectly fine for that, they just won't look "period" because they have more modern elements to their styling. If you've got it and you feel like making those changes, there's no real reason not to.
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May 5, 2009 17:01
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Thanks for the advice concerning the slavage title. I'll probably steer clear of that unless he wants to cut a grand or so off his price. As far as riding bent over.... That's just because im FABULOUS!!!! All joking aside I hurt my back several years back and even slightly upright seating positions cause extremem pain for me. Besides MY BOYFRIEND is letting me have the bike! Wait I did that wrong...
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May 5, 2009 17:03
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Bob Morales posted:A friend of mine is asking why motorcycles generally run higher pressure in the rear tire than the front, when it seems in cars that people generally run higher pressure in the front than the rear. It's also worth noting that besides the issues of weight distribution, you see a lot more deflection (and thusly heat) on the rear tire than you do on the front. The higher pressure in the rear helps prevent the tire from overheating and getting greasy. There are some track designed tires that run at pressures like 31F/26R, but those are tires that are designed with a very stiff sidewall so that they can run lower pressures to get more contact patch on the ground under load. A lot of the michelin race/track tires are like that.
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May 5, 2009 17:29
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AkrisD posted:Quick question. Is it possible to make a more modern bike (say a gs500 or nighthawk 750) look like a cafe bike? Or because the way the tanks and frames are now is it a ludicrous amount of work? My bike is an '04 250 ex and looks like this:  Not a brilliant cafe racer, but still not bad.
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May 5, 2009 17:56
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Ponies ate my Bagel posted:All joking aside I hurt my back several years back and even slightly upright seating positions cause extremem pain for me. Besides MY BOYFRIEND is letting me have the bike! Wait I did that wrong... Well, if it's just the seating position you're after, why not look at something that would be a little more learner friendly? (yes, I know, you've ridden other people's bikes, but never owned your own) Standards, like a GS500 (or even an SV650) can be fitted with rearsets and handlebars such that you're leaned over the tank like a supersport, and will likely have a seat that doesn't hurt as much after a long ride, either.
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May 5, 2009 18:05
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Simkin posted:Well, if it's just the seating position you're after, why not look at something that would be a little more learner friendly? (yes, I know, you've ridden other people's bikes, but never owned your own) Standards, like a GS500 (or even an SV650) can be fitted with rearsets and handlebars such that you're leaned over the tank like a supersport, and will likely have a seat that doesn't hurt as much after a long ride, either. I hand't considered that honestly. I was more looking at something I thought was more my seating style off the bat that I don't have to modify. If the mods aren't too expensive then it's not a big deal. I'll look into it, it also has to do with what in/around my area. All the SV650's and such that I've seen are about 1-2k more expensive than the cheaper older supersports.
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May 5, 2009 18:18
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Simkin posted:Well, if it's just the seating position you're after, why not look at something that would be a little more learner friendly? (yes, I know, you've ridden other people's bikes, but never owned your own) Standards, like a GS500 (or even an SV650) can be fitted with rearsets and handlebars such that you're leaned over the tank like a supersport, and will likely have a seat that doesn't hurt as much after a long ride, either. Or just go with the SV650S which has the ridiculous SS seating position already.
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May 5, 2009 18:32
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Ponies ate my Bagel posted:If the mods aren't too expensive then it's not a big deal. I'll look into it. Well, I can't speak for rearsets specifically, but bars shouldn't run you more than $30.
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May 5, 2009 18:39
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I'm leaving next month for 5 months, back for 2-3 weeks, then gone off for about 2 months, back for a week, gone for 4-5 months. Should I just get a non-op on my bike? My registration is due next month. There's no possibility of anyone else riding it. It'll be garage stored. I definitely want to keep it. What do I need to know about bike storage? Change the oil, unplug the battery, get some sta-bil? Is that it? Thanks!
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May 5, 2009 18:51
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AkrisD posted:Quick question. Is it possible to make a more modern bike (say a gs500 or nighthawk 750) look like a cafe bike? Or because the way the tanks and frames are now is it a ludicrous amount of work? Im starting to get the feeling that making a "cafe" bike out of standards is the motorcycle equivalent of taking a decent bike and making it a fixed gear. If you know what the point of a cafe bike is, the answer to the question is glaringly obvious. Just beause the education is obviously needed, here's the idea behind a cafe bike. Take your run of the mill bike, and make it faster. Take that run of the mill bike, and make it handle better. To that end, the young british men who built those cafe bikes, would strip the excess weight off the bike. They'd fit larger brakes (bigass drums in this case), they'd overbore, they'd shave heads, they'd swap for better powerplants. They also put a lot of work into the suspension. Read up on the tricks they'd use to keep their shocks working right. And what they'd do to make the rear suspension work right. The low bars were not to look cool going around town. They were there to reduce drag. No, they weren't ever comfortable. The little hump type seats were copies from the days GP bikes, and were there to cover exposed frame ends. The bikes were also ridden differently. There wasn't a lot of sliding around. The tires sucked, and corners weren't squared off. If you want to do cafe racers justice, and absolutely can't handle the idea of using a modern style bike to do it. Do the research, figure out what makes MODERN bikes fast, and make that happen on the bike of your choice. It's not that hard, and cafe bars have nothing to do with it.
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May 5, 2009 18:59
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Christoff posted:I'm leaving next month for 5 months, back for 2-3 weeks, then gone off for about 2 months, back for a week, gone for 4-5 months. Not sure what you mean by non-op. If you mean insurance, then, yeah, that might save you some scratch. Ask your company though. If you mean registration, I'd check with your state. In Michigan it wasn't a big deal to let the registration expire and then renew it when you're going to ride it again. Some states might give you a hassle, I don't know. For storage, you've got it but I'd add that you should cover it with an old sheet or something, if nothing else than to keep the dust off. The battery should be put on a trickle or smart charger. Barring that, see if you can get someone to charge it every month or so. Fill up your tank to full first. This will help with keeping your tank from rusting inside from moisture. Don't forget to mix up the stabil in the tank (rock the bike a while) and then run the bike for a couple minutes to get it through the carbs. Then drain the carbs to make sure the float bowls are empty (if your bike has FI then ignore that part). Might not be a bad idea to lube the chain if you have one also.
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May 5, 2009 19:24
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Nerobro posted:A modern GS500 will never look like a cafe bike. Square tubing double cradle frames just aren't the part. I'm counting down until Nero gets into Bobbers and we get a rant about how the old school bobbers were set up to strip off all of the extraneous parts to make the bikes faster, and how stretched front ends are a monstrosity.
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May 5, 2009 19:42
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Doctor Zero posted:If you mean registration, I'd check with your state. In Michigan it wasn't a big deal to let the registration expire and then renew it when you're going to ride it again. They hosed it up now. Thanks Granholm! 
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May 5, 2009 20:21
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Z3n posted:I'm counting down until Nero gets into Bobbers and we get a rant about how the old school bobbers were set up to strip off all of the extraneous parts to make the bikes faster, and how stretched front ends are a monstrosity. He is right about the history; I think it's a matter of whether you want something to serve a purpose or simply to look a particular way. The initial question: quote:Is it possible to make a more modern bike (say a gs500 or nighthawk 750) look like a cafe bike? ...seems to be more the latter than the former. It's good to know your roots though, and I can see why people get upset when people ape styles without any knowledge of what they're really doing. I'm becoming more of the mind that since we're all out of context with this sort of thing anyway, just do what you want and people will judge if they like it or not, but maybe call it something more appropriate to what it is, like "my take on a modern cafe bike" or something rather than just appropriating a title that no longer really applies. I dunno why the new "Custom Chopper" trend hasn't been given its own name anyhow (I guess "Custom" takes it, but that's too broad for me), given how far it falls from what it claims to be. Don't be ashamed of it*, just name it something more appropriate, if that makes sense. Long point short, people should be less lazy and just give new names to new things. *don't get me wrong; I think they're ugly as sin, but to each his own.
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May 5, 2009 21:20
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Bobbers were utilitarian customs of harleys. Modern bobbers are about the same, both in utility and design. And really, I've just given up on customs. They do everything you can possibly do right to make a bike less functional as a bike.Shlomo Palestein posted:*MOPED*
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May 5, 2009 21:32
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Shlomo Palestein posted:He is right about the history; I think it's a matter of whether you want something to serve a purpose or simply to look a particular way. The initial question: Yeah, I've read about the history of cafe racers and old school bobbers, I was just giving nero poo poo about his rant.  Honestly, the entire "cafe racer" scene is dead. Today your cafe racer bike is a supersport and you can't improve it by hacking off random parts and adding rearsets and pipes that don't scrape the ground. That's probably why we've seen such a big move towards other "customs". The best way to upgrade your motorcycle these days isn't getting rid of the pipes that drag or the low pegs, but learning to ride, and most people don't want to learn to ride, they want to just have something that'll do it for them. Me, eventually I'll chop up my street SV and turn it into something that's lighter and has better suspension/etc than stock, but I don't think that it makes it a cafe racer or a bobber or anything else like that, it's just taking something that I like and making it better for me. People can call it whatever they want, I want mods that I'll recognize the gain from when I ride the bike, that's all. Why spend all this time labeling when you could be out riding? 
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May 5, 2009 21:36
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Doctor Zero posted:Not sure what you mean by non-op. If you mean insurance, then, yeah, that might save you some scratch. Ask your company though. Sorry, non-op = non-operational. Not sure if it's just California but you just pay $17 and the vehicle can't be driven or parked on public roads until you re-register it. I'll definitely cancel/postpone my insurance. Is it bad if just simply leave the battery unplugged? How much are trickle chargers? The rest all sounds great. Thanks for the help! - edit Also - If I change the oil just before I store it do I need to change it again before I ride it? Would it be a bad idea to not change the oil in there now and change it when I get back? It has about 1,000 miles or so on it and the filte.r Nostalgia4Dogges fucked around with this message at 22:47 on May 5, 2009 |
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May 5, 2009 22:40
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Christoff posted:Is it bad if just simply leave the battery unplugged? How much are trickle chargers? If it's not going to be freezing where you live, it'll be fine. In the winter I bring my batteries in the house over the winter. Trickle chargers are cheap, from $10-$100 depending on which one you get. Christoff posted:- edit Also - If I change the oil just before I store it do I need to change it again before I ride it? Would it be a bad idea to not change the oil in there now and change it when I get back? It has about 1,000 miles or so on it and the filte.r Personally, I'd just change it once.
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May 5, 2009 23:08
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