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frozenphil posted:I got my first taste of riding in heavy traffic. Stop and go sucks cocks. Well, at least you're not riding an air-cooled bike in heavy traffic. 
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Aug 11, 2009 22:09
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| # ? May 11, 2024 23:19 |
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I put a good sized screw right through the middle of the rear tyre. Poor thing was as flat as a pancake when I went to start it this morning. I've been wanting to get a new rear, but that wasn't quite the way I had planned. So I'll have to take the rear wheel off and drop it over to the local shop to get a new one. Might give the rim a bit of a clean up while I'm on the go.
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Aug 12, 2009 01:12
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 Snapped the frame, so i tore it down and now the frame is in my car untill i find a good welder to repair it 
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Aug 12, 2009 02:01
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CSi-NA-EJ7 posted:Snapped the frame, so i tore it down and now the frame is in my car untill i find a good welder to repair it How the gently caress did you do that?
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Aug 12, 2009 03:45
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What's your location? I know of a good welder but he's in Merced, CA.
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Aug 12, 2009 03:46
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bung posted:How the gently caress did you do that? Stuntin  But I live in NE, and once it gets welded it will go in for powdercoating too.
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Aug 12, 2009 13:48
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CSi-NA-EJ7 posted:Stuntin Ok, explicate.
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Aug 12, 2009 15:35
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Phy posted:Ok, explicate. If I'm guessing the bike right, older Ducati frames are a little...questionable sometimes. That looks like one of the older air cooled bikes, and I'm not super surprised that it cracked the frame if he was playing rough with it. Looking forward to the story though 
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Aug 12, 2009 16:52
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I was cleaning my bike today and before I started took the time to strip some bodywork off. I heard some scratching behind me so turned and caught a brown blur in the corner of my eye, as I lifted up my foot to stamp on it incase it was a rat I noticed it was a hedgehog slowly ambling around my tools so I left him be and watched it for a while. He sniffed around the bike, stopped under it and looked at me, and then carried on down the side of my shed. 
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Aug 12, 2009 23:26
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I reinforced my theory that I can get anywhere in LA within 30 minutes regardless of traffic. Took it to SMC to test/interview for a sweet position. *crosses fingers*
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Aug 13, 2009 00:50
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Got some Luggage for the Ninjette, put it on under the seat. Then couldn't get the seat back off and bent a key in the process. Luckily I have a spare and got the luggage out, looks like it'll be sitting on top of the seat whenever I use it.
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Aug 13, 2009 02:59
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Cleaned and lubed mah chain Also replaced my jankity rear end clutch lever. Only now the new one wobbles up and down a little bit. I guess the old one did too, but its still annoying
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Aug 13, 2009 04:14
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I went for a ride down some road I have never been down (IT'S A BITTERSWEET SYMPHONY THAT'S LIIIIIIFE). How in the gently caress do people ride with an open face helmet? My face shield was nearly completely obscured inside of 30 miles.
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Aug 13, 2009 04:45
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BlueBayou posted:Cleaned and lubed mah chain That'll happen, because when you crash a bike and damage a lever, it almost always tweaks the clutch perch slightly.
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Aug 13, 2009 04:49
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Yes, 95 aircooled 2v (torquey thing really) Been doing loads of wheelies and a few stoppies over the past month and a half since I've gotten really comfortable with the bike as a whole. A few of them come down hard because its hard to negotiate all the engine braking it has. I didn't notice it break until I just happened to look down while I was out with some friends and saw the break. Limped it home and noted that the bars wobbled when I let go which it hadn't done even to that very afternoon. Bonus picture, Not the cause but certainly didn't help 
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Aug 13, 2009 05:05
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frozenphil posted:I went for a ride down some road I have never been down (IT'S A BITTERSWEET SYMPHONY THAT'S LIIIIIIFE) Richard Ashcroft sighs and hits the button on his iphone that sends Mick Jagger another 50p One bad thing I've found about owning two bikes, one of which I'm working on - it's much easier to find time to ride the bike with the tank and all the plastic bits on rather than work on the other one Phy fucked around with this message at 05:46 on Aug 13, 2009 |
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Aug 13, 2009 05:13
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Phy posted:Richard Ashcroft sighs and hits the button on his iphone that sends Mick Jagger another 50p Having just one isn't a lot better: once mine was commuting worthy, my list of things to do got a lot shorter.
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Aug 13, 2009 06:20
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Picked it up and rode it home in the rain    Exhaust and rejet are on the way.
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Aug 13, 2009 11:35
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I went out to the garage with the intention of safety wiring the wingnuts that hold the license plate on the Hypermotard. But when I installed the plate a few weeks ago I put blue loctite on the screws. I couldn't get the wingnuts off so I guess there is no need to safety wire.
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Aug 13, 2009 16:41
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Cleaned & lubed the chain, checked the tire pressure, filled 'er up with gas. Am now printing up maps for a trip up to a friend's cottage, GoogleMaps says 237km, so I'm leaving before rush hour starts.
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Aug 13, 2009 17:11
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sirbeefalot posted:I reinforced my theory that I can get anywhere in LA within 30 minutes regardless of traffic. Took it to SMC to test/interview for a sweet position. *crosses fingers* As a fellow Angelino, it's true. ANYWHERE within 30 min.
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Aug 13, 2009 19:49
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the letter b posted:Sweet barbwire tat! I kid. Welcome to the sumo-club. Should crosspost yourself into the sumo-thread. DRz's are so much fun. Start modding and find yourself a local sumo track day. It'll change your life. EDIT: Sumo sumo sumo
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Aug 13, 2009 22:10
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I managed to find the rear wheel coupling I needed to finish assembling the rest of my bike. All I'm waiting on now is my new gas cap to be mailed. After 3 months of tear-down and repair, I'll finally be able to ride my first motorcycle by next week 
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Aug 14, 2009 00:08
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Put on the new oil seal, spread a little sealant over the edges, put a quart and a little more in to check for leaks and found none. Was happy for a little while until I realized the clutch was loose and nothing I did changed that. so I held a little temper tantrum and went to have a beer and play a violent video game and tell you all I despise old bikes about as much as I love them but i really hate them
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Aug 14, 2009 00:26
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Got stir crazy waiting for new tires and my license next week, ended up doing some maneuvers in the parking lot across the street. The ninja is waaaay more responsive than the yamaha xt225's (i think it was xt) at the msf course. I like it. I like it a lot. I want to find downed trees and swerve around them. I want to swerve around scantily clad women (and spank them) Oh god this is going to be the longest weekend. I hope I can make it....
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Aug 14, 2009 01:21
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Did a pre-flight check, including adjusting chain tension, scrubbed the gunk off of it and re-lubing. Checked over last weekend's suspension work. Made sure I can strap 2.5 days of camping to my bike. Replaced a wonky visor baseplate, and cleaned up my clear shield from this week's bugs. Indiana dunes, here I come!
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Aug 14, 2009 05:17
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Went out for the first ride on my new bike (and first street ride ever, actually) last night. It took me 30 seconds of being on the street to know I love it. There were a lot of other bikes out last night as well, seeing as it was hovering around 65-70 until almost midnight. Managed to be sitting behind or next to bikes at almost all stops I made. Everyone said hey and we're pretty cool. I was going to ride it to work today, but when I stopped for a break at my brother's factory last night, I couldn't get the bike started again. Thankfully, he works with a guy that used to be a bike mechanic (and still does side work). He came out after 8 or 9 other guys couldn't get it figured out and wiggled the cables leading from the clutch and it fired right up. He told me Suzuki is one of the few manufacturers that still use clutch-in safety switches, and mine had worked itself loose on the rough streets around here. He said it's easiest to just disconnect the lines from the clutch and wire them together to make the series completion permanent and not have to worry about dicking with it again. So that's what I'll be doing tonight so I can ride all day tomorrow.
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Aug 14, 2009 16:15
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Bought a large windshield for the runner, and in the course of adjusting it for height, promptly dropped it and shattered a looney-sized patch. I'mma chop half that windscreen off sometime and see if a small screen is better.
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Aug 15, 2009 04:59
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 re-installed the pipes, tighten all the screws, polished up the pipes a little, fine tuned the clutch adjustment nut, and wiped up some little minor leaks. Started up easy and nice, ran it a little, and got the clutch working just as it did. I took it out for a little spin and it was running great.  I feel like im entitled to a little ADV style food shots. Man, my Impala rear deck is my main workbench/dinner table/hangout spot.
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Aug 16, 2009 20:43
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UserNotFound posted:Did a pre-flight check, including adjusting chain tension, scrubbed the gunk off of it and re-lubing. Checked over last weekend's suspension work. Made sure I can strap 2.5 days of camping to my bike. Replaced a wonky visor baseplate, and cleaned up my clear shield from this week's bugs. Got back from my trip today, learned a few things: -my 1982 GS550L's speedo stops at 85, but the bike will do 105mph. -passing 9 cars at once on a country road is quite fun. -I like teasing the sport bike riders about their sore wrists/hands (135 miles, one stop) -Standing up on the pegs gets a lot of funny looks (hands on bars) -No using both or either hand at any time gets your lots of varied looks. (disdain/amazement=mother/child) -Modular helmets are awesome for those 40mph towns and a bottle of gatorade w/ a twist top, as well as park and campground gates. -A sticking float sucks. -Need to check my petcock. -Gas tastes really bad, and requires at least 40 ounces of Cherry Coke to eliminate the taste. I filled my airbox with gas when the vacuum petcock failed while I was inside getting drinks before the return trip started. Gave the float bowls a tap to stop the leak, but then had to take off all my camping luggage to soak up the gas outta the intake. By then, the engine was completely seized. Borrowed a socket from a big rig mechanic, pulled the plugs, siphoned out what I could (it was FULL) and cranked it to spit out the rest. Bought some lunch while it evaporated, and chatted with some BMW and sport bike riders who razzed me about riding such a "problematic old bike". Put the plugs back in and it started up on the first crank. I then razzed them about what they would do if their engine had apparently seized, and they said they'd call AAA for a tow. I felt smug about fixing it in front of them, and reminded them I only paid $400 for it and had it going again in under 30 minutes:D Also, my apologies to the car behind me on HWY421 right in front of Purdue North Central: I was doing the Boiler Up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsGJyUAp9O0 and looking back at my fellow riders, when my exhaust pipe shield fell off, got run over by my buddy, and kicked up into your bumper. We pulled over but you drove by and didn't even glance at us.... (I had previously tried removing this, as it was buzzing at about 4,000 rpm, but thought it was impossible to take off without bending). All in all an excellent trip, and some very good riding experience, including ~20 miles on a fresh chip/seal road with big "LOOSE ROCK" warning signs that led to the camp ground, the dirt/sandy roads of my 'rustic' camp site, and the sand covered parking lots at the Warren Dunes beach. Not a single incident or scare in ~300 miles. Practiced locking up the rear break at every stop in the camp site just because it was fun. I can now bring the bike to a hault, keeping the rear under control, and take off again without putting my feet down. What a blast!!
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Aug 17, 2009 04:29
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Sourced everything I need to get the VFR back on the road for under $400. She won't be pretty, but I can look for deals on the cosmetic stuff later. If I buy one anniversary edition fairing, is that a good enough excuse to get the whole bike painted?
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Aug 17, 2009 23:54
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Applied for the title and registered it in the grand state of Texas! Now I can ride around! $223 more in the governments pocket. 
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Aug 19, 2009 00:29
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 Its PAINTIN TIME. Thin Primer coat before I packed it all up. Tomorrow: installing the new headlight unit, applying final paint coats. I really should have made a thread about this, but its a little late to be thinking about making a thread about a bike that'll be up for sale once the pink slip comes in the mail.
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Aug 19, 2009 03:51
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Dropped my bike off for its (free) 600 mile service at the dealership I bought it from. I'd like to give a huge Internet shout out to Mike Upchurch, co-owner of Talladega Cycle Sales. I wasn't able to get to the shop before they closed, so Mike told me to just stop by his house and he'd take it to the shop with him in the morning. Talk about going above and loving beyond! While at his house I noticed a lot of motorcycle trophies and such and I asked him if he had a show bike or something since he's an older dude, looks like your typical Harley owner. Mike looked at me, scoffed, and then took me into his "trophy room". He's won races in just about every amateur, and some professional, motorcycle road racing series there is. That evening I found out that Mike is also co-owner of another business, Talladega Gran Prix Raceway. Yeah, homie owns his own race track.  I love finding a shop with competent mechanics, even if I did find them out of pure chance.
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Aug 20, 2009 20:31
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Installed crashbars (which don't vibrate a jot, despite their reputation. Awesome) and tightened my chain, which was loose by like 3/4" of travel. Jesus Phy, keep on top of this poo poo, eh?
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Aug 21, 2009 06:40
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The Hypermotard has been in the shop for the last few days for a front brake problem. Hopefully I can pick it up tomorrow.
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Aug 22, 2009 06:01
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Yesterday I gave the state of Texas $120, and in return I got a shiny new license place to put on the rear fender
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Aug 22, 2009 19:57
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Mmmm, new tires. Didn't take as long as I thought, nor was it as hard. I had to take the wheels off one at a time, and god drat, Delta Tire was a pain in the rear end. I brought in my rear and some guy just came up to me, took it and put that poo poo right on. Bam, I was out in 5 minutes. I go back with the front, and they keep blithering about needing a ticket and they gotta find someone and blah blah. Oh, and I guess they broke the loving valve stem (replaced it for free, at least) But gently caress, I got my loving tires on and they rock. Riding feels completely different. Oh, my buddy also gave me his old 2nd gen ipod. It's old as poo poo, but 20 gigs and totally awesome. I picked up some Koss KE29E in ear 'phones, and they're amazing. They have a volume slider built in that makes them loud as gently caress, and they block the wind noise at least as well as 32db foam ear plugs. Good buy, and only 30 bucks. Wire seems kind of thin and cheap, but hey, they're a drat good price.
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Aug 22, 2009 23:23
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Changed the oil and adjusted the balancer chain on the KLR650. Recovered the seat on the EX250.
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Aug 22, 2009 23:24
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Last week I switched to a 1 tooth smaller front sprocket on my KDX. Now I feel the front wheel floating up through 3rd gear.  But I had to park that and my Blast today because I have no place to put them on my campus. The Adirondack Park would have been a great ride today too.
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Aug 23, 2009 04:31
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