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Redacted. I found a better bike.
Loucks fucked around with this message at 04:30 on Aug 9, 2010 |
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Aug 8, 2010 02:30
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infraboy posted:
I'm 6'2", have the same inseam you do, and have owned and raced various sportbikes exclusively with the exception of my first couple of bikes. A good aftermarket seat will help immensely, and gives you room to move around on long highway trips. The OE seat on my FZR1000 could have been used to extract information from spies, but the Corbin I bought made touring a blast. CA to FL for Bike Week? Let's go! Also, you will need some time to get used to the riding position. That will come with time and mileage.
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Aug 8, 2010 02:51
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Flint Ironstag posted:I'm 6'2", have the same inseam you do, and have owned and raced various sportbikes exclusively with the exception of my first couple of bikes. I need to actually ride one, I feel kinda like a jerk going into the dealers just trying to sit on one, obviously they wont let me take it on a short run  I wish they would.Moneys been pretty good lately, I may just end up biting the bullet and add another bike to the stable around winter time... I'm kind of torn between the 05-06 ZX6R, 08-09 GSR600/750s, and the 07+ CBR 600. For the most part, naked bikes just don't do it for me, I rather like having fairings/windshield for my commute. I love the seating on my CBR F2, the only thing that makes it uncomfortable is me wearing a backpack stuffed with my workshoes/uniform.
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Aug 8, 2010 07:51
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http://albany.craigslist.org/mcy/1887764569.html If this starts with a jump I'm assuming getting it fully working can't be too bad right? It would be my first time actually working on a bike so someone tell me if this is a stupid idea or not. Would finding parts be a problem?
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Aug 8, 2010 23:17
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Bike opportunity ahoy. A guy I know is selling his F650 Dakar ('02 or '03, not sure yet). I haven't seen it in person, but what I do know is this. It runs fine, 2 months ago he rode it from GA to WA, then ferried it up here to AK. He says he doesn't pamper it, but basic maintenance stuff like oil changes and whatnot gets done regularly. He never rode it a lot because he had a dirt bike for work (tree cop) and a Buell 11somethingorother for street. Here's where it gets tricky. The PO he bought it from "raced it". I honestly don't know to what extent and neither does he. The PO kitted it out with a bunch of Touratech stuff like kevlar-fibre engine and brake cylinder guards as well as the aluminum chain and sprocket guards. It's not known how much he really rode it and how hard. Here's the only pic of it I had, probably a year old.  I haven't seen it yet, but I will be able to before I make a decision. The guy said he'd sell it to me for $2500. What all should I be looking out for with the bike when I go look at it? Any instant deal-killers? I'm willing to spend some dollars if needed to get it into tip-top shape, but I'd like to keep it under $1k additional. Aside from that $1k I'm willing to redo the front suspension if it needs it, and will probably anyways. FWIW, this is the perfect bike for where I live, we have ~50 miles of pavement on the island, and a few hundred miles of logging roads.
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Aug 10, 2010 14:49
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Jaros posted:http://albany.craigslist.org/mcy/1887764569.html Replacing a battery is one of the easiest things one can do on most bikes*, so if the seller isn't willing to do this, I'd be wary of what else he never bothered to do. *unless it's really hard to get to the battery on this model or something.
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Aug 10, 2010 15:21
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Jaros posted:http://albany.craigslist.org/mcy/1887764569.html Starts with a jump is code for "the charging system is jacked, and I'm NOT buying another battery." Haven't tried starting it this season is code for "isn't it ironic that I have the energy to create an ad and wax philosophic about this bike yet can't be bothered to step into the garage and press a button?" We really should compile a list of these...
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Aug 10, 2010 15:36
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Marv Hushman posted:Haven't tried starting it this season is code for "isn't it ironic that I have the energy to create an ad and wax philosophic about this bike yet can't be bothered to step into the garage and press a button?" I always figured "haven't tried starting it this season" is code for "I'm pretty god drat sure it won't start but I'm going to play ignorant here," or even "I'd actually be surprised if it started when you came to see it."
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Aug 10, 2010 15:38
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SeamusMcPhisticuffs posted:Bike opportunity ahoy. Just as a bit of warning I bought one of these (03 Dakar) for a song with a bunch of TT bits on it as well thinking it was a sweet deal. My previous owner also "didn't baby it" and as a result I ended up replacing the motor at 50K. That said, with the newer engine and some more attentive maintenance we're taking the bike south for a year. While these bikes are called the "Dakar" a real race version would have beefier forks, suspension, engine protection and quite a bit of weight savings. If someone raced the bike as it's pictured in your photo they're likely an amateur racer which can be even harder on bikes. Redoing the front suspension with new parts from WP will run you $2300+ but progressive fork springs can be added to stiffen up the front. The rear suspension is what you'd really want to upgrade if you're over 200lbs. Stuff I'd do to it would be: replace fuel filter (150 (integrated into fuel pump), fluid and filter change (80), full 12 K service will include valve job, checking bearings, etc (750ish at a dealer or about half that at an independent shop), I'd likely replace the swing arm bearings, and if it's been raced the steering bearings will likely be impacted a bit, put gaiters on the forks and change out the seals, double check the chain and sprockets, tires might need to be changed as well. If all of that needs to be done you're looking at closer to 2K for getting it straight rather than 1K, before upgrading the front end.
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Aug 10, 2010 15:41
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PlasticSun posted:Just as a bit of warning I bought one of these (03 Dakar) for a song with a bunch of TT bits on it as well thinking it was a sweet deal. My previous owner also "didn't baby it" and as a result I ended up replacing the motor at 50K. That said, with the newer engine and some more attentive maintenance we're taking the bike south for a year. Thanks for the info, I'll definitely keep it all in mind. Reading more I guess I should definitely replace the rear shock since I'm a fatass (working on becoming less of one). $1k for the Ohlins is a lot, but my thinking at this point is that if it is in good enough shape to tear around the logging roads I can do everything else bit by bit, especially since winter is on it's way and the logging roads don't get plowed or anything. No dealership within a few thousand miles but there is a motorcycle mechanic around here, so it might be worth the 50 or so bucks to have him look it over and let me know of any red flags.
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Aug 10, 2010 16:06
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SeamusMcPhisticuffs posted:Thanks for the info, I'll definitely keep it all in mind. Reading more I guess I should definitely replace the rear shock since I'm a fatass (working on becoming less of one). $1k for the Ohlins is a lot, but my thinking at this point is that if it is in good enough shape to tear around the logging roads I can do everything else bit by bit, especially since winter is on it's way and the logging roads don't get plowed or anything. No dealership within a few thousand miles but there is a motorcycle mechanic around here, so it might be worth the 50 or so bucks to have him look it over and let me know of any red flags. I have an Ohilns on mine and it's an amazing improvement. If you like riding fast on dirt roads upgrade the front fork springs as well to the progressive ones and add a bit extra fork oil. For the price you can certainly afford to run it into the ground then sell off what isn't ruined. Stock rear suspension tends to for 2-300 on adv, and the TT bits are worth about 70% of their MSRP. Best of luck!
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Aug 10, 2010 16:22
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I might decide to sell my GS500E because I'm not sure it's worth the money to bring it up to shape and I don't really have the time to do that much work myself when I don't know what I'm doing. As a possible replacement, I've just discovered this 2009 Triumph Bonneville: http://baltimore.craigslist.org/mcy/1891657860.html $5,000 is a lot, but the bike seems well worth it since it's practically new. The only real problem is that I've only been riding for a couple weeks now. Is buying something so shiny and fancy stupid for a more or less first bike? It's a little powerful at 865cc, but I have heard them mentioned as acceptable starter bikes. SlightlyMadman fucked around with this message at 03:58 on Aug 11, 2010 |
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Aug 11, 2010 03:50
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SlightlyMadman posted:I might decide to sell my GS500E because I'm not sure it's worth the money to bring it up to shape and I don't really have the time to do that much work myself when I don't know what I'm doing. Yes, they are lovely street bikes for mild to not-very-wild street riding. They stop, go and turn corners, unlike certain American motorcycles. But you don't need to buy a 2009. The thing about the Bonne is that they're basically all the same. Yes, when they first came out they had a smaller capacity and they mess with the trim options every year, but still 99% the same. They appeal to middle-aged accountants who ride only on sunny sundays in summer. For about 10 miles. So there are a poo poo-ton of garage queens out there that have done 500 miles in 5 years. Although they hold their value very well (for reasons above), you will save money buying an older bike. They are not something to buy if you want to start doing track days and getting your knee down everywhere. But they will cruise and commute quite happily, and are quite capable of being fun and confidence-inspiring down a twisty road if you anticipate their limitations. Only reason not to have one as a beginner is the weight and amount of shiny poo poo to break when you drop it (i.e. at 5 mph). Saga fucked around with this message at 12:18 on Aug 11, 2010 |
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Aug 11, 2010 12:16
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If you had the opportunity to buy a kickass bike that you'd basically only own for a year, but it costs hypothetically 2000 units of currency/year to insure, or a "better" in every other way bike that is maybe slightly more expensive but only 1300 units of currency/year to insure, what do you do? The second bike would be kept for longer so may eventually depreciate more than the difference in insurance rates. The first bike probably won't drop that much in value over one year. Basically what I'm trying to do here is justify getting boned hard over insurance just to have a pretty plaything to commute to work on. edit: just had a chat with my insurance co; looks like the best plan is to wait until my policy comes for renewal in October, that way I have a 1yr UK no claims bonus which significantly reduces all my quotes. No more browsing autotrader! Finger Prince fucked around with this message at 14:46 on Aug 11, 2010 |
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Aug 11, 2010 13:57
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Saga posted:They are not something to buy if you want to start doing track days and getting your knee down everywhere. But they will cruise and commute quite happily, and are quite capable of being fun and confidence-inspiring down a twisty road if you anticipate their limitations. Obviously on a GS500, I'm not going to be doing many track days either. I basically just ride it to and from work and around town, so that's basically what they're meant for? I definitely was looking for something a bit older, but I've been watching CL for a good two months, and have yet to see a Bonnie in good condition for much cheaper than this. The next most tempting one I'd seen was one from 1979 for $3,000 and the owner wouldn't have it inspected first.
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Aug 11, 2010 16:03
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SlightlyMadman posted:Obviously on a GS500, I'm not going to be doing many track days either. I basically just ride it to and from work and around town, so that's basically what they're meant for? Well, a GS would probably work better than a stock Bonne on a trackday! The 1979 bike's not a Hinkley triumph - don't touch them if you like your oil to stay inside the cases, electrics to work etc. That aside, the bike you linked to will do what you're asking very well and has a real feel-good factor to it. Sounds great with aftermarket silencers on it as well. At least where I am, they lose value slowly, so if you have the money to spend, it shouldn't be too painful.
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Aug 11, 2010 20:04
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Anyone got an opinion of the BMW R1150R? My local dealer has a 2002 with 30k/mi on it and they want $6k. I want a commuter bike that has some real power and can be ridden for long distances.
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Aug 12, 2010 00:11
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I think that on the R1150r 85hp isn't a lot of power. When they switch to DOHC on the R1200r they were upped to 109.
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Aug 12, 2010 00:19
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Raw_Beef posted:Anyone got an opinion of the BMW R1150R? My local dealer has a 2002 with 30k/mi on it and they want $6k. I want a commuter bike that has some real power and can be ridden for long distances. I've got a 2003 that runs like a champ with 50K for 4500! It's a great bike (even if you don't buy mine) we've used it for two up touring all over the US and it has never skipped a beat. But a 700 mile day is really nothing for a bike like this and it has plenty of torque all over the range for easy passing. It's not as balls out fast as a modern 600 but the suspension handles a wide variety of road conditions really well and with the wider bars improved gravel roads are no trouble two up. As with any euro bike services are more pricey than japanese models but the engine can go for a very very very long time without any serious work.
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Aug 12, 2010 07:40
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CSi-NA-EJ7 posted:I think that on the R1150r 85hp isn't a lot of power. When they switch to DOHC on the R1200r they were upped to 109. The 1200 does make more power but they made a couple of odd decisions with that model. They replaced the really nice gauges of the 1150 with the same plastic/led combo that they use on all their current models. They also relocated the oil cooler from the sides of the tank to directly behind the front wheel making it far easier to damage.
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Aug 12, 2010 07:42
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Raw_Beef posted:Anyone got an opinion of the BMW R1150R? My local dealer has a 2002 with 30k/mi on it and they want $6k. I want a commuter bike that has some real power and can be ridden for long distances. I had one for a week once. I found it a complete PITA for town riding - it's a heavy bike and you're a long way from the front wheel. Once you get it going above 30 and out of town, it's a very decent distance bike and a surprising amount of fun on a twisty road - stable and with sufficient front end grip to push the front, unlike some skinny-tired competitors of the same period. The 1200GS is significantly lighter, not to mention more powerful, but of course also more expensive. Personally, if I wanted want a long distance commuter bike with "sufficient" power, I'd go straight to the R1100 and R1150 RT, which gets you a full fairing, integrated luggage and fairing storage for random poo poo, adjustable screen, and potentially cool touring poo poo like a radio/cd player, heated grips etc. To me, they are easier to ride in town and better at distance - you just sacrifice a bit of 40-80mph agility and corner speed. If you can stretch to a 1200RT, they go round corners shockingly well for what looks like a beluga whale.
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Aug 12, 2010 09:18
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Im drooling over this: 2004 BMW 1150 GS Adventure - $9500 http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/mcy/1889631992.html
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Aug 12, 2010 17:03
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Raw_Beef posted:Im drooling over this: 2004 BMW 1150 GS Adventure - $9500 http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/mcy/1889631992.html Having once been a GS owner, I can comfortably say that the BMW GS is 20 pounds of bullshit in a 10 pound bag. Unless you regularly carry 2 people down rough roads (and don't think off road, seriously) any number of bikes will do what the GS can do for less and without wondering if the final drive will poo poo out the bearings 200 miles from home with no warning whatsoever.
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Aug 12, 2010 18:16
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You could help me out by listing some of those bikes. I've only owned and ridden one bike for years now, and its a 75 HD sportster, a wicked vibrating oil puking 600lb 60 hp hog. My personal taste wont let me buy a jap sport or cruiser. Ive owned smaller Hondas in the past and seen enough up close to be uninspired by them. The GS series and the r1150R caught my eye for being a little different. 2000 BMW R1200C cruiser with ABS - $5000 http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/mcy/1891322481.html This bike looks good and the price is low, but i've read they're anemic at the top end, being a down-tuned motor for the cruiser model. Lets just say price isnt really a problem for me, I have the chance to buy a bike now that i hope will last for the next decade of riding hard and often. If i cant find a BMW that i like, Im probably going HD. Yeah you can laugh.
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Aug 12, 2010 18:32
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Raw_Beef posted:This bike looks good and the price is low, but i've read they're anemic at the top end, being a down-tuned motor for the cruiser model. There's a solution though: http://www.rhinewestperformance.com/r1200c.html 
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Aug 12, 2010 19:00
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Raw_Beef posted:You could help me out by listing some of those bikes. The R1150R will do most of what the GS does for a few thousand less. You'll lose a bit of suspension travel and there's fewer shiny overpriced aluminium bits for the 1150R. The main reason to buy R bikes is not because they're crazy good at what they are marketed as (go-anywhere Jeep / Land Cruiser on two wheels) but because the engines will run drat near forever if you maintain them. The GS final drive is more prone to failure mostly because people overload it but that's easy to do on a GS. The R1200C is really the bastard of the R series bikes, I've ridden it and found the ergos to be really strange. Of all the bikes I've seen at BMW rallys and events the R1200C is never around. Also never seen one advertised with more than 20K miles on it. That said I'm not a cruiser rider but the ergos felt far stranger to me than that of a Sportser Other bikes that are good off road/touring bikes would be the V-Strom, KTM 950, Transalp (newer models), Super Tenere, Multistrada 1200, Aprilia Campo Nord, Moto Guzzi Norge and a few other models that we don't get in the US like the Africa Twin. What make these bikes superior to say a CB750 Nighthawk is an extra couple of inches of suspension travel and wheels with a wider choice of knobby and semi knobby tires some of which also have spoked rims as well. Most of these are not going to be a lot of fun to ride down anything rougher than a graded dirt road. They're very heavy and tend to have tall seat heights just as the GS does. If I were looking to spend about 5-7K on a big adv touring bike I think I'd look at the capo nord. It's not as good off road as the KTM and it's got a shorter ranger than the BMW but it looks funky, has a great motor, and is a few grand cheaper than the GS and will likely have cheaper maintenance. If money is really no object then do something fun like import a Yamaha Tenere, buy a Ducati Multistrada 1200 or bring over a Transalp or Africa Twin. They'll all have good euro aftermarket support and they're a bit different and have their own strengths.
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Aug 12, 2010 19:22
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PlasticSun posted:buy a Ducati Multistrada 1200 Fixed. Seriously amazing bikes. If you want a unique, go anywhere, do anything bike, with traction control, ABS, 150 (crank) hp, electronic adjustable suspension, 8 levels of traction control, and the ability to rip up a track and down a dirt road, buy one of the new multis. The bike is expensive but it's not overpriced, and in terms of what you get, it's truly unbelievable. Tack on 15k maintenance intervals, and if it's a bike that you are going to have to ride for the next decade, then you should buy it. If I could only have one motorcycle to do it all, it would be, without a doubt, the new Multi...it'll absolutely stomp anything else out there in the corners or urban environment, and it'd still be as good offroad as a GS. Besides, 95% of ADV bikes put all their miles in on pavement anyways, if you were serious about ripping offroad, you'd look at singles and something that was lighter. Go test ride one, play with the electronics. You'll see.
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Aug 12, 2010 19:56
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I ended up picking up the Bonneville and I'm really glad I did. Having so far only ridden a Buell Blast at the Rider's Edge course, and a poorly maintained 1993 GS500, hopping on a 2009 Bonneville with 1200 miles on it was like my first time all over again. I road around the neighborhood on 25mph residential roads in 1st gear mostly to get a feel for it, picked up some gas, then rode back on in to work. I was having a bit of trouble with getting the clutch and throttle just right on the GS500 and stalling coming out of red lights, which was scary because I'd worry about getting rear-ended. On the Bonneville, it's not nearly as sensitive and I only did it once because I was in 2nd (oops). I'm pretty grateful though, that I got some experience on a run-down bike, since it made me really learn some things right that I might not have noticed hopping on the Bonnie straight off. Really loving beautiful bike though, and it feels like it fits me perfectly. Only problem is there's no tachometer, so I'll have to pick up when to shift by feel I guess.
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Aug 12, 2010 21:47
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SlightlyMadman posted:Only problem is there's no tachometer, so I'll have to pick up when to shift by feel I guess. Why? You can get a kit, you know? Here: http://www.sonofthewind.net/ (Beware, the site itself will burn your retinas)
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Aug 12, 2010 22:17
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SlightlyMadman posted:Really loving beautiful bike though, and it feels like it fits me perfectly. Only problem is there's no tachometer, so I'll have to pick up when to shift by feel I guess. You'd only look at a tach for a couple weeks until you get used to your bike anyway. I can't think of the last time I looked at mine.
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Aug 12, 2010 22:22
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Yeah, I figure learning to do it by feel and sound will save me from having to look down as much anyways. The only big thing I need to get soon is a locking gas cap, since I don't have a garage to keep it in. edit: and while I appreciate the smoothness of the design, there's barely anything to hook a cargo net to, so I need to figure out some sort of luggage solution.
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Aug 12, 2010 22:36
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SlightlyMadman posted:edit: and while I appreciate the smoothness of the design, there's barely anything to hook a cargo net to, so I need to figure out some sort of luggage solution. The solution is called Renntec: http://www.newbonneville.com/html/renntec_sports_rack.html
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Aug 12, 2010 22:43
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Awesome, although I may need to ease off buying new poo poo for a while considering how much I just spent on this bike. Looks perfect, though.
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Aug 12, 2010 23:07
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I'm shopping around for my first bike right now, was looking for something like a 10-15 year old shadow or v-star. Saw this tho: http://kansascity.craigslist.org/mcy/1878303695.html Any thoughts?
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Aug 13, 2010 01:44
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Dutymode posted:I'm shopping around for my first bike right now, was looking for something like a 10-15 year old shadow or v-star. Saw this tho: It a rock solid bike. No racer, but a great low-maintenance beginners classic. It handles decently for a 30 y.o. bike.
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Aug 13, 2010 08:26
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If money's not an issue and you want a commuter bike, what's wrong with an R1200RT? They do handle. Or a 1200R. Basically, the 1200 motor bikes are lighter (check) and make better power (check). On the RT at least this doesn't hurt economy in any appreciable way. e: if you don't need integrated luggage or weather protection, I agree with Plastic Sun that the vanilla "R" is the pick of the bunch, whether 11, 1150 or 12 engined. Raw_Beef posted:You could help me out by listing some of those bikes. Saga fucked around with this message at 11:21 on Aug 13, 2010 |
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Aug 13, 2010 11:16
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Dutymode posted:I'm shopping around for my first bike right now, was looking for something like a 10-15 year old shadow or v-star. Saw this tho: Great price, but I'm a little concerned there isn't an actual picture posted. It'd make a great first bike if it turns out to be good, though.
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Aug 13, 2010 15:07
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Raw_Beef posted:You could help me out by listing some of those bikes. V-Strom? Availible for very cheap with a very extensive aftermarket. Will do everything the BMWs will do, for about half the price. Or even less. Availible in 650cc and 1000cc flavors, although the 650 is better in every regard with the exception of straight-line acceleration. (I'm also biased, I ride one)
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Aug 13, 2010 20:11
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Doctor Zero posted:Great price, but I'm a little concerned there isn't an actual picture posted. It'd make a great first bike if it turns out to be good, though. Well with CL I always assume it's crap until I see it. Still haven't heard back from the poster, but I'm going to see this on Sunday: http://kansascity.craigslist.org/mcy/1880527310.html
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Aug 13, 2010 22:17
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Went and looked at the F650 Dakar today (see posts above). 20k miles, chain and rotors are new, engine is in great shape, lots of TT bling. The bad things: right turn signal broken off, the plate that holds the left footpeg is bent a bit (still usable)and the PO lightened the bike by removing the right side exhaust can. The bike is mine tomorrow. I've got a full set of Baja Designs LED signals on order, and I'm going to try to rebend the footpeg plate before I try replacing it. Exhaust will have to be replaced in a couple months. Buy yay, first running bike! 
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Aug 16, 2010 09:20
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