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So I've started thinking about what I should eventually upgrade to from my current little Ninja 250. My top two choices were a Yamaha FZ6 or Suzuki SV650/SV650S (I don't really get the look of the Gladius). I ran those bikes by my insurance, State Farm. For kicks I also had them quote me on a 600cc sportbike - using a 2009 Honda CBR600RR, in this case. I was expecting something outrageous ($1000+) to insure the supersport so I was pretty surprised to see them quote me $365/yr, versus $411/yr for a SV650S. This is full coverage w/ $500 deductibles. Now I'm tempted...
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Jul 13, 2009 17:36
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taketheshot posted:I ran those bikes by my insurance, State Farm. If what my State Farm agent tells me is true, aside from a few high profile bikes State Farm tends to insure almost entirely on displacement and value. I was on the other end of this when I went to renew this year and they wanted almost twice as much money for a 650cc KZ650 despite it being over 30 years old and much slower than a 600cc supersport.
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Jul 13, 2009 17:47
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I'm thinking about picking up state farm the closer I get to my potential MV. From what I've heard you have to have a car insured through them to get them to insure a motorcycle, but I'd be willing to switch car insurance over for it. That said, I've been shopping around for MV's as of lately, and even though the market is small, I've noticed the f4 750's happen to be massively cheaper then the 1000's. I assume this is due to the 'If I'm spending big bucks on a super-machine, I want it to be the fastest super-machine' type logic. For people who have ridden both 750cc and 1000cc sportbikes, is there any reason I would want a liter bike over the 750? Previous riding experience is almost 10k miles on a Ninja 500. Trintintin fucked around with this message at 01:13 on Jul 15, 2009 |
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Jul 15, 2009 01:10
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Trintintin posted:I'm thinking about picking up state farm the closer I get to my potential MV. From what I've heard you have to have a car insured through them to get them to insure a motorcycle, but I'd be willing to switch car insurance over for it. Liters have more power, everywhere. 750s will have a nice spread of power plus a power hit. Liter will feel like this: OH gently caress OH GOD GOING TO DIE from about 5k on. 750 will feel like this: Going fast...faster...OH GOD GOING TO DIE. All else equal, I like 750s for the track, liters for the street. Both will be plenty loving fast. My 2c. Z3n fucked around with this message at 05:43 on Jul 15, 2009 |
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Jul 15, 2009 05:33
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Ive been looking for a new bike recently, and think I have narrowed it down to two that I would like. The first is a 1985 BMW K100 I found on craigslist. The add says that it has under 20k miles and has been garaged mostly. I was going to try and take a look at it soon, so I should have better info in a few days. The other is a 2005 Kawasaki Ninja 500. Both seem to be in decent condition, but since I havent bought a used bike before, Im not quite sure what I should be looking for. Ive done some research and I think Im leaning towards the BMW, but I would appreciate any advise CA may have. Both are going for about $3000.
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Jul 15, 2009 11:01
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Having ridden a K75 (pretty sure it's nearly the same as the K100, minus a cylinder), I say go for the Bimmer - well, that is, if you're built for it - they're tall bikes. I test rode a K75, and it felt incredibly smooth, predictable, and solid. Plus, it'll be a million times more comfortable than the Kawi.
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Jul 15, 2009 17:42
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Alright, think I've finally got it narrowed down. Don't want an elderbike as my primary because I'm just not very motivated in the garage. Kinda want a Bandit/ZRX but if i'm being objective I just don't have the chops to do it justice. Do want something that's a few years old, common as cow farts, and can handle light touring duty with aplomb (planning on getting a hardcase setup). So I figure it's either the SV650N or the FZ6. I'm leaning towards the Yamaha.
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Jul 15, 2009 19:19
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Suzuki also sold a Bandit with a 600cc engine... Maybe try to find a 5th gen VFR?
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Jul 15, 2009 19:36
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Phy posted:Alright, think I've finally got it narrowed down. Don't want an elderbike as my primary because I'm just not very motivated in the garage. Kinda want a Bandit/ZRX but if i'm being objective I just don't have the chops to do it justice. Do want something that's a few years old, common as cow farts, and can handle light touring duty with aplomb (planning on getting a hardcase setup). I wouldn't worry about doing a bike justice. Buy what you like because it's what you want, not because you're concerned about some golden ratio of performance and skill that needs to be attained before you "deserve" a bike. That is, of course, given that you can handle one safely  "Doing a bike justice" is all relative anyways
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Jul 15, 2009 19:52
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Well, to be more accurate, they kinda scare the bejesus out of me.  My skills are good enough for going from point to point without murdering myself but I've got a strong hunch that on one of those I'd be crawling through corners like the chumpiest guy. Whereas I feel pretty confident about being able to learn from a midrange. I figure I'll get insurance quotes on the big guns, just for kicks.I'm also keeping my eyes out for 599s, ZR7Ses, and maybe a bandit 650. Is there any reason not to go with the FZ6 other than "it's peaky"? Simkin, there's been a few VFR750s pop up local but I'd prefer to go naked (or upper-faired, at most). Although i do love that the 95-97s had great whopping NACA ducts Phy fucked around with this message at 21:04 on Jul 15, 2009 |
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Jul 15, 2009 21:00
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Yeah, I hear ya. I will never willingly own a bike (for use on the street, anyhow) with more than a bikini fairing. Wrt the ZR-7/S, Kawi replaced it with the Z750/1000, which looks kind of similar, has pretty reasonable ergos, but uses a new (water cooled) engine. They also suffered from the same problem as the ZR7 - people just didn't want to buy them/dealers didn't know how to sell them - so they should be relatively affordable by now. Hell, you may even still be able to find a brand new one (a 2007  ) on the showroom floor.
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Jul 15, 2009 21:05
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Phy posted:Well, to be more accurate, they kinda scare the bejesus out of me. Honestly, I adore my g/f's Z1000, although it might be on the block soon. The big guns, especially the standards, can be suprisingly easy on insurance. The Z is also great fun in the lower RPM range because it makes such a nice spread of power...not all literbikes are top end monsters, you can loaf around on any curvy road in 2nd gear on the Z1000 and have a great time without ever worrying about shifting, just in and out of the throttle. Maybe see if you can bag a test ride on one? Also, consider the SV1000, SV650, DL650/1k?
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Jul 15, 2009 23:25
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Any thoughts on this? http://providence.craigslist.org/mcy/1271842993.html Honda CB360, 1974. Old, but only 8k miles. Only problem is, it's about an hour and a half away (all the bikes in my area get snatched up quick or are a lot more expensive, or are dirt bikes). I take the MSF this weekend, and I definitely don't think an hour and a half trip fresh out of MSF is the best thing to do...
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Jul 16, 2009 16:53
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Offer the owner $50 to ride it over to you, or trailer it up and drive it home.
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Jul 16, 2009 17:07
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teknicolor posted:Offer the owner $50 to ride it over to you, or trailer it up and drive it home. Yeah, I was considering trailer (assuming it's a good bike, I just don't really know enough to make the call, but the price seemed fair, low mileage, etc), but I'd have to rent something capable of even pulling a trailer.
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Jul 16, 2009 17:13
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"Needs carbs cleaned". Ideal translation: Doesn't hold an idle but runs ok everywhere else. Much more probable translation: Does not run. May have run at some point in the last 30 years.
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Jul 16, 2009 17:46
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Z3n posted:"Needs carbs cleaned". Almost every older bike seems to say that, too  edit: I am open to suggestion for bikes, I'll be a totally green MSF graduate (hopefully) and definitely prefer the more classic styles over sportsbikes. In the Boston area, in between Boston and Worcester, so either way is fine. I am having the damndest time finding something. Myrddin Emrys fucked around with this message at 18:08 on Jul 16, 2009 |
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Jul 16, 2009 17:49
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Myrddin Emrys posted:Only problem is, it's about an hour and a half away (all the bikes in my area get snatched up quick or are a lot more expensive, or are dirt bikes). I'm pretty much in your shoes as everything is an hour away from me and I just finished the BRC, but I plan on riding mine home. You have to learn some time and what better way than on some backroads?
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Jul 16, 2009 18:31
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frozenphil posted:I'm pretty much in your shoes as everything is an hour away from me and I just finished the BRC, but I plan on riding mine home. You have to learn some time and what better way than on some backroads? Yeah, unfortunately I plotted the route where most of these are located. My choice is either an hour and a half on expressway (!!!) or almost two hours on highways. Backroads in eastern MA are tough to find and when you find them they go in random directions, so it would be curvy as hell, and would probably take like 3 hours. If I could find something in a place that's less intimidating (say, out west) that would be one thing.
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Jul 16, 2009 18:34
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Myrddin Emrys posted:so it would be curvy as hell, and would probably take like 3 hours You... say that like it's a bad thing. 
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Jul 16, 2009 20:22
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Simkin posted:You... say that like it's a bad thing. Having never ridden a bike before, that's a bit intimidating Maybe I'll feel differently after MSF.
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Jul 16, 2009 20:46
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I can bet you anything that once you get the hang of it, you won't want to get off, especially with a new (to you) bike. Longer trips just mean that you need to take more rest stops.
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Jul 16, 2009 21:02
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Myrddin Emrys posted:Yeah, unfortunately I plotted the route where most of these are located. My choice is either an hour and a half on expressway (!!!) or almost two hours on highways. Backroads in eastern MA are tough to find and when you find them they go in random directions, so it would be curvy as hell, and would probably take like 3 hours. Where are you in Eastern MA? I'm in Norwood; if you wanna go this Sunday, I could probably come out, drive it back for you, and go on my merry way (though I have been putting off an oil change, so if you're bored, you can help with that). I have three years (ok, two and a month, given that my bike hated me the first year) experience on a bigger CB750, so if the 360 can even remotely pull highways, I could get it up wherever. Assuming you're not in like, Dighton or some stupid place, but an hour and a half is an hour and a half. This is all pending approval from my schedule (girlfriend), but I'm pretty sure Sunday's free. Possibly Friday night, but I have a feeling I'm forgetting something I shouldn't. This also assumes the thing runs. I've got a moped, so I'm plenty full of stalling out in intersections, thank you very much.
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Jul 16, 2009 21:44
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Shlomo Palestein posted:Where are you in Eastern MA? I'm in Norwood; if you wanna go this Sunday, I could probably come out, drive it back for you, and go on my merry way (though I have been putting off an oil change, so if you're bored, you can help with that). I have three years (ok, two and a month, given that my bike hated me the first year) experience on a bigger CB750, so if the 360 can even remotely pull highways, I could get it up wherever. Assuming you're not in like, Dighton or some stupid place, but an hour and a half is an hour and a half. That's a very kind offer (I'm in Framingham btw), but this weekend is my MSF course so it's no good for me anyway I also haven't committed to buying it yet. For some reason I am skittish about buying something before I get my license. Maybe when I get a license we could go riding somewhere though?I did find another bike closer that seems good (except it has a minor mechanical issue, I'll link the craigslist posting). I dunno if the bike is good for a beginner or not, though. He said he delivers, too. Also, he wrote a novel in that freakin' posting. http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/mcy/1272878577.html
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Jul 16, 2009 21:52
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Myrddin Emrys posted:That's a very kind offer (I'm in Framingham btw), but this weekend is my MSF course so it's no good for me anyway You ain't kiddin'. I'm gonna parse this and tell you what I'd do; the CB550 is a better all arounder than the 360, though the 360 has a neat "I'm almost a scooter" factor that makes it a bit more fun in town. EDIT quote:4. The rubber boots between the air filter and carburetors were rotted, so I removed the old air box and replaced it with aftermarket foam cartridge filters. blech. I like leaving the airbox on; less to worry about. quote:7. When trying to bleed the front brake, I snapped off the bleeder valve which was stuck with rust. I purchased a replacement caliper on eBay which will go with the bike. I did this on my 750. You can bleed with the banjo bolts if you don't feel like adding the new caliper, but it's not too hard to do. quote:9. On July 03rd, I gassed the bike and started it for the first time in ten years. It ran for about ten minutes...very roughly, and would stall immediately if I backed off the choke. I noticed that only two of the exhaust headers got hot during that ten minute running. I diagnosed the problem as being a bad ignition coil. This bike has two coils, firing two cylinders each. I have twice bid on ignition coils on eBay, but have been outbid at the last minute. (They both sold for $31.00 and my max bid was $30.00.) Needs coils, valve lash adjust, carb sync. In other words, it's an old bike. quote:15. The tires are in great condition, as they were replaced less than 200 miles before the bike went into storage. They show no cracking or dry-rot. They're still ten year old tires. They may be ok, but I'd get new ones. quote:At first, I thought it might be the low speed jets on the carbs, but I cleaned them pretty well. The reason I suspect the coils, is that cylinders one and three were firing, and two and four were not. The left coil controls spark for cylinders one and three, and the right for two and four. According to the repair manual, there should be a complete circuit across the coils when putting an Ohm meter to the two spark plug wires. I was able to detect impedance across the left coil, but not the right. In addition, I was able to detect unburned fuel at the exhaust for the two non-firing cylinders, so there was definitely fuel being delivered. Most likely coils, but he's also had the carbs out to clean, so DEFINITELY a sync, if only for piece of mind. In all, this is pretty par for the course for an older bike, and it's a CB550, which is pretty much perfect in my mind as a mid-range beginner bike. EDIT EDIT: Though working on a CB vs. working on a GS or KZ of the same era WILL be slightly more frustrating. Honda engineered the bike for tiny monkey people to work on, not you. George RR Fartin fucked around with this message at 22:10 on Jul 16, 2009 |
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Jul 16, 2009 21:58
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Shlomo Palestein posted:You ain't kiddin'. I'm gonna parse this and tell you what I'd do; the CB550 is a better all arounder than the 360, though the 360 has a neat "I'm almost a scooter" factor that makes it a bit more fun in town. Thanks for the assessment. Unfortunately I'm a little  when it comes to bike repairs. What sort of effort/price are these repairs? I have no clue how to do any of them at this point. I don't mind (and actually would like) to learn but I don't have a decent place to do these kinds of learning repairs. That said, I did contact this guy. I emailed his reply-to email address on craigslist. I am most concerned about #9 on his list, which you mentioned needs coils, carb sync, etc. That seems like a lot?
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Jul 16, 2009 22:11
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Myrddin Emrys posted:Thanks for the assessment. Unfortunately I'm a little The coil is a wear item..sort of. I mean, they don't last forever. You can generally get lucky and get one (which it sounds like you only need one; this and similar bikes of the era use 2 coils, with 2 cylinders per coil) for $40-80. Partsnmore will probably have one. The valve lash check and carb sync are perfectly normal; old bikes need more attention than newer ones (for the most part). In short, the valve lash (clearance checn) is making sure you have the right clearance between the cam lobes and the valves. If there is no (or negative, but you can't really read negative) clearance, your valves may be slightly open when they shouldn't be. This will drastically shorten their lives. Conversely, if the lash is too wide, valves will slam closed very quickly and make the clickyclicky valve noise. Not as terrible, but they're not as efficient if they're too loose either. Your bike probably uses locknuts for valve clearance. Remove valve cover, check clearance, adjust. Not too bad. I tend to do my bike on the high side of clearance, because I'm not racing it, so I don't care if it's as efficient as can possibly be, and because my engine is known for overheating the valves very, very easily if the clearance goes to 0. The carb sync is just making sure each butterfly (if it's a CV carb, which it probably is) opens at exactly the right ratio with regard to the other cylinders. This doesn't necessarily mean it will LOOK the same. Differences in valve clearance among other little things will cause one carb or another to need infinitismal tweaks to function identically to the others. The carb sync requires a manometer. You can buy them for $80-120 or borrow them from friends. You MUST do the clearance before the sync. If you do the sync first, you're gonna do it again once the clearance is done. Anderson Cycle Works, who're in your town, will charge you $400-600 to do the clearance and sync. And when they did mine, they didn't do a particularly good job. They seem like nice guys, so I don't know what the deal was. Do it yourself, and you'll figure it out pretty quick.
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Jul 16, 2009 22:31
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Just exchanged emails with the CB550 owner. He confirmed it's not currently running. I think I'm going to pass on it because I would prefer a bike capable of running, even if I do want to learn how to fix them up. I mentioned that, actually, and he said the extent of the repairs would probably require a mechanic. Pity too, because it sounded like a good bike/model for my height and level.
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Jul 17, 2009 00:12
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Okay this is more promising: http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/mcy/1273345923.html Yamaha XJ650 Maxim. I don't know anything about this but it looks decent, runs, and very reasonably priced. Is that a good bike for someone 5'6"?
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Jul 17, 2009 00:16
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Myrddin Emrys posted:Okay this is more promising: It'll fit you fine, but those handlebars are super uncomfortable, at least to me. I'd make an offer and take Shlomo with you to make sure its ok. Its a shaftie too so uh I hear those are low maintenance? No experience there personally though.
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Jul 17, 2009 00:43
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teknicolor posted:It'll fit you fine, but those handlebars are super uncomfortable, at least to me. I'd make an offer and take Shlomo with you to make sure its ok. Its a shaftie too so uh I hear those are low maintenance? No experience there personally though. I sent him an email expressing interest and asking for more pics. If I do go to check it out I might ask Schlomo if he can go with me, that's a good idea (I only have one motorcycling friend and he lives in RI, not MA and is married with kids and has no life). I don't really know the process of buying a used vehicle from craigslist - insurance I can throw on any old time, but what about plates? How does that work? God I am such an annoying loving noob, sorry guys.
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Jul 17, 2009 00:49
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Myrddin Emrys posted:I sent him an email expressing interest and asking for more pics. If I do go to check it out I might ask Schlomo if he can go with me, that's a good idea (I only have one motorcycling friend and he lives in RI, not MA and is married with kids and has no life). Well I don't know MA law so take this with a hunk of salt, but you can't plate a bike til you have the title (or a bill of sale) and register it. SO, either the PO loans you his license plate and you ride it home, or else you have to remove the old plate and trailer it, or remove the old plate and have a car follow you all the way home. I have no idea about the legality of any of the above, I'm not a lawyer or a cop.
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Jul 17, 2009 01:11
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teknicolor posted:It'll fit you fine, but those handlebars are super uncomfortable, at least to me. I rode a nighthawk in the MSF and bought a Bandit, and when I tried out my friends Maxim the bars made me want to kill myself. I wanted to try out a new bike but Jesus it was no fun. Sit down on it and grab on to the bars and even take it for a spin if you are confident enough. Last thing you want to do is buy a bike that you want to get off of as soon as you head on the street.
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Jul 17, 2009 02:44
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Crazyweasel posted:I rode a nighthawk in the MSF and bought a Bandit, and when I tried out my friends Maxim the bars made me want to kill myself. I wanted to try out a new bike but Jesus it was no fun. Oh, yeah, definitely. I'm waiting until after MSF where I'll get to try a different bike, the Rebel or whatever.
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Jul 17, 2009 03:18
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I'm about to take my MSF next weekend, and I was talking to a guy at my local shop about potential bikes. He said that the KLR650 (I think) might be good for me. comfort-wise. I'm looking for something I can ride around town for a bit (to get my riding chops) and then take on trips eventually. I'm 6'5" and 285. Is he feeding me crap? Any particular bikes I should look at? Anything I should definitely avoid (other than the obvious like GSXRs and Hayabusas, etc.)? I'd like to keep it newer, as I don't yet have the time to put into maintaining an older bike.
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Jul 17, 2009 06:31
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Just cuz it has to be said. Coils are NOT wear items. They're wear items on the same level as wristpins and pistons are. Most bikes will go their entire lifetime on the same set of coils. If you are burning out coils, you're doing something else very wrong.
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Jul 17, 2009 06:37
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Nerobro posted:Just cuz it has to be said. Coils are NOT wear items. They're wear items on the same level as wristpins and pistons are. Most bikes will go their entire lifetime on the same set of coils. If you are burning out coils, you're doing something else very wrong. I agree, but I think it should be noted that age and weather (particularly if the bike has been stored outside) does awful things to old bikes and its not uncommon for an old coil to poo poo the bed. That said both my 66' Yamaha and 77' Kawasaki are still on their original coils and producing excellent spark.
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Jul 17, 2009 07:02
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Pvt. Public posted:I'm 6'5" and 285. Is he feeding me crap? Nope. It's almost as much of a pain in the rear end finding a bike to fit big bastards as it is for the midgets - except that where they only have wee little things like the 250 ninja and CBR125 to lust after, the whole spectrum of gigantic dual sport/adventure bikes is opened to you. The KLR would definitely be a good starting point, though - just don't buy a new one, for obvious reasons.
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Jul 17, 2009 07:26
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8ender posted:I agree, but I think it should be noted that age and weather (particularly if the bike has been stored outside) does awful things to old bikes and its not uncommon for an old coil to poo poo the bed. That said both my 66' Yamaha and 77' Kawasaki are still on their original coils and producing excellent spark. This was kinda my point. Nothing in the electrical system should technically be a wear item (except anything attached to a mechanical part: the stator or points if you've got 'em), but older bikes like these are exposed to the elements usually, and the normally reliable components sort of lose it. Not to mention that when the stator goes (at least on the Hondas with which I'm familiar), the reg/rec tend to go with it, but we're not talking about those, so I'll return to my point: Yes, technically they're not "wear items" such as brake pads or chains; that's why I said "sort of." I don't think they're on par with pistons, as Nerobro said, because the pistons should at least be protected by being surrounded by the case. That said, I appreciate the clarification.
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Jul 17, 2009 12:32
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Myrddin Emrys posted:Okay this is more promising: When you check it out, pull the seat off and look at the wiring harness. If it looks like a hack-job rats nest, save your money. Unless, of course, you enjoy fixing electrical problems.
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Jul 17, 2009 12:46
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