|
Avocados posted:This is a newbie question but, out of pure curiosity...what do you guys do about potholes? My town is full of them yet a sizable amount of people have motorbikes. Is avoiding them the only protection against them? Beefy, long travel suspension helps. My enduros are awesome urban bikes for that reason. Usually you'll see them enough to get in the right spot to avoid them. If you don't see them until too late, you're probably following too close.
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2012 00:53
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 21, 2024 12:39 |
|
|
I aim for them. It's not every day that I get to collect data on my suspension compression and rebound settings in a controlled environment.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2012 00:55
|
|
|
Avocados posted:This is a newbie question but, out of pure curiosity...what do you guys do about potholes? My town is full of them yet a sizable amount of people have motorbikes. Is avoiding them the only protection against them? Depending on the pothole and your suspension, you can just give it some gas to unweight the front tire and plow over it.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2012 01:22
|
|
|
How hard would it be to buy, title, insure, and register a bike in North Carolina while having a license from Ohio?
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2012 01:58
|
|
|
Avocados posted:This is a newbie question but, out of pure curiosity...what do you guys do about potholes? My town is full of them yet a sizable amount of people have motorbikes. Is avoiding them the only protection against them? I swerve to avoid them but if I don't see it coming until it's too late I just gas it a little.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2012 02:45
|
|
|
Thanks for the responses guys. My friend and I were discussing it the other day, we thought hitting ones would generally end in you being bucked off into the road. Glad to see that isn't the case.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2012 06:19
|
|
|
Avocados posted:Thanks for the responses guys. My friend and I were discussing it the other day, we thought hitting ones would generally end in you being bucked off into the road. Glad to see that isn't the case. I live in Pennsylvania, and it drives me crazy because we have tons of potholes and it seems every time I go out I see a large SUV make a huge looping swerve into the other lane to avoid one that my little sport bike just bounces right over. I mean, use your judgement but unless it's wide and deep you shouldn't have a problem. Also they're very easy to avoid on a bike, and it's important as a motorcyclist to be able to quickly identify road hazards a lot less obvious than a big ol pothole anyway.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2012 06:40
|
|
|
It's fun to avoid potholes, feels like playing Wipeout or Mariokart or something similar. But it sucks when they are too tight and/or wide and you can't pick good lines past them, i.e. the highest difficulty level. I've always liked playing on the easier settings. And yes, if you hit one hard it can result in a bad accident.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2012 09:31
|
|
|
MonkeyNutZ posted:How hard would it be to buy, title, insure, and register a bike in North Carolina while having a license from Ohio? They might be trying to coerce you into transferring your license over. In New York I had a Washington DC license and registered 2 motorcycles with it. But during each registration, the DMV tried to force me into transferring over but they couldn't because I had some old traffic ticket from my old Illinois license that was barricading them from doing the transfer in their system. They just went ahead and let me register and told me to come back and transfer the license. I didn't until a year later.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2012 14:45
|
|
|
I only run over potholes I've seen before. Sometimes it's tough to gauge their depth when you're moving, and there are definitely potholes big enough to ruin your day (at least here in Denver).
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2012 17:06
|
|
|
Can anyone tell me about Ktm superdukes? I have an opportunity to buy one from a guy at work's son. It's a 2005 with 8600 miles, fair weather ridden. Price would be £3800. How are they for all weather riding? Would it be foolish for commuting? I understand the early ones have a small tank, is it something that can be swapped for a later model tank without much bother? Cheers
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2012 17:21
|
|
|
Radbot posted:I only run over potholes I've seen before. Sometimes it's tough to gauge their depth when you're moving, and there are definitely potholes big enough to ruin your day (at least here in Denver). Much like pilots, there are old riders and bold riders, but no old and bold riders. I'm 46, so I guess you can call me a pussy. Riding a sports-bike or a tourer, I'd just a) pick a different road, 2) ride through it at 5-10 mph, 3) find somebody to mug and steal his enduro or 4) most likely, park it, place my old tired back against a tree, state "goddamn gently caress it" and fade away. Potholes sucks.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2012 17:27
|
|
|
What are these so called "pot-holes"? 
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2012 18:21
|
|
|
KARMA! posted:What are these so called "pot-holes"?  What do you call them?
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2012 19:05
|
|
|
Gah, are those cobblestones in there? Asphalt over cobbles: destined for failure. 
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2012 19:12
|
|
|
Linedance posted:Can anyone tell me about Ktm superdukes? I have an opportunity to buy one from a guy at work's son. It's a 2005 with 8600 miles, fair weather ridden. Price would be £3800. How are they for all weather riding? Would it be foolish for commuting? I understand the early ones have a small tank, is it something that can be swapped for a later model tank without much bother? They are terrible awesome. Dunno about the tank swap, maybe Spiff does. Buy it, that seems like a killer price.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2012 19:48
|
|
|
Ughhh I'm an idiot and I ordered 110/70 R17s for my DRZ400Sm instead of 120/70. Are these going to fit or am I going to have to send them back?
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2012 20:34
|
|
|
I haven't heard the small tank complaints, but it's a pretty standard KTM issue. You're going to be refilling every 100 miles no matter how big the tank is because of how you're going to abuse that bikes throttle at every possibility. Go ride it, buy it, and give us the full report on it's awesomeness.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2012 20:49
|
|
|
Synonamess Botch posted:Ughhh I'm an idiot and I ordered 110/70 R17s for my DRZ400Sm instead of 120/70. Are these going to fit or am I going to have to send them back? You'll want to send them back. They'll fit, but they wont be the right size.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2012 21:01
|
|
|
Splizwarf posted:Gah, are those cobblestones in there? So, so many of the roads in Seattle are asphalt-over-cobblestone. We have truly hellacious roads here. I ride a scooter with 10" wheels, snappy handling, and poo poo suspension over these crumbling roads. Let's just say I've gotten good at getting my rear end off the seat and letting the bike bounce around underneath me. (and looking well ahead in corners)
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2012 21:51
|
|
|
Spiffness posted:I haven't heard the small tank complaints, but it's a pretty standard KTM issue. You're going to be refilling every 100 miles no matter how big the tank is because of how you're going to abuse that bikes throttle at every possibility. Go ride it, buy it, and give us the full report on it's awesomeness. just something I read on the MCN review of it. It doesn't seem like something you'd change mid-model, but I know nearly nothing about Superdukes other than they look pretty sweet and have a big twin. If insurance isn't stupid I might take your advice.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2012 23:37
|
|
|
Synonamess Botch posted:Ughhh I'm an idiot and I ordered 110/70 R17s for my DRZ400Sm instead of 120/70. Are these going to fit or am I going to have to send them back? Unlike Olde, I don't see an issue.  If you can seat the bead, who cares.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2012 23:48
|
|
|
It'll fit, you'll lose a bit of contact patch leaned over.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2012 01:12
|
|
|
Z3n posted:It'll fit, you'll lose a bit of contact patch leaned over. I didn't think of that but it makes sense. My experience with my old FZR was the 110s turned in quicker and the 120s stood up faster if you hit the brakes in a lean. Either way I've sent it back already and ordered a replacement, because I like the way the DRZ handles as is.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2012 01:42
|
|
|
Sheesh. This week, a brake line sprung a leak. Specifically the brake "pipe" going from the lever to the ABS junction. I know I should've ordered braided lines (instead pay $60 for 1 stupid OEM BMW hose.) One of the advertisements for braided steel said "little known fact that you should change your rubber brake lines every 4 years." Fact or fiction? I'm lucky it didn't catastrophically fail and, instead, just slowly became squishy until I noticed it squirting out on the fork. Bad moto luck lately!
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2012 01:46
|
|
|
MotoMind posted:Unlike Olde, I don't see an issue. They'll certainly fit fine, but the 110 will be flatter on the wheel than the 120. It will make a difference in the handling department, maybe not anything you can't live with on the street, but it will be different. thylacine posted:
I'd say every 4 years for rubber lines is overkill, but they do deteriorate over time. Beve Stuscemi fucked around with this message at 02:01 on Apr 28, 2012 |
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2012 01:59
|
|
|
Does anyone know how much it might cost to have a broken valve replaced (inside the engine cylinder head)? I went into the engine trying to figure out why my motorcycle wouldn't start and quickly found a valve spring, spring retainer, and broken valve stem just chillin in there unattached.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2012 04:49
|
|
|
Sagebrush posted:
God I should be so lucky...Some time I'll record some video on a stock ninjette around here and maybe people will understand why I think they could be terrifying to a new rider. The potholes on parts of the highway here are bad on a cheap yamaha suspension, on the 250 with the skinny tires @ 70 mph or more they are loving terrifying. Good for me and everyone else, the awful highway section I hate here is getting its first major fix up since it was built in the early 80s. It convenient but sometimes cars ignore the 65mph limit and go 75 or 80, and trying to flip around lanes and merge at that speed around the city is stressful to say the least. For a bit of clarifying...i'd call those holes in the picture "bumps". nsaP fucked around with this message at 09:19 on Apr 28, 2012 |
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2012 09:15
|
|
|
Potholes are the worst. Especially around corners because when the bike goes over (and inside!) them, the whole bike wobbles and suspension groans like a little bitch. I remember being absolutely petrified of them as a newbie rider. 
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2012 09:23
|
|
|
I finally got my service manual from eBay for my F11, and using its troubleshooting info, I have determined that my regulator is shot. Do I have any options for an aftermarket regulator with this 6v system? I really don't want to get a used one off eBay since thats such a crapshoot.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2012 23:24
|
|
|
Float needles are just supposed to slide out- yeah? I'm cleaning some ninja 250 carbs that have been sitting for years & I can't get the float needles to budge from the carb body. Suggestions on getting them unstuck?
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2012 01:23
|
|
|
FormatAmerica posted:Float needles are just supposed to slide out- yeah? I'm cleaning some ninja 250 carbs that have been sitting for years & I can't get the float needles to budge from the carb body. Just replace them, easier than dealing with tearing them apart when they're still screwed up later.
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2012 02:12
|
|
|
I also have a ninja 250 carbs problem. I took mine out and cleaned them up all nice. I put them back in using ninja250.org for reference. Now my bike barely starts and if I give and throttle it dies. If I manually move the choke slide on the front nothing seems to happen. Did I just cross some tubes? Is it possible I didn't clean them out good enough?
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2012 04:57
|
|
|
I was doing some maintenance on my '98 Bandit 600 this weekend (oil change, spot checks, gap valves, etc.) and when I went to put the cylinder head cover back on I did something really stupid. I set my shiny new torque wrench to 16 ft-lbs instead of the 11 ft-lbs I meant to, and annihilated the four banjo bolts (the little guys that have a couple holes drilled in them, I think to circulate oil up to the cams). They're totally destroyed and so I need to get a new set of 4 before I can even finish reassembling the bike and finish the work I was in the middle of. Is there a good place to source them from? There's a Suzuki dealership very close to me so I'll be checking with them come Monday, but I wanted to check to see if y'all had a better source for random stuff like that.
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2012 19:32
|
|
|
Bike Bandit or Ron Ayers. Why'd you keep going after you snapped the first?
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2012 20:01
|
|
|
AncientTV posted:Bike Bandit or Ron Ayers. Why'd you keep going after you snapped the first? It was the first time I'd used this torque wrench, and I only actually broke 2 of the 4. The other two just got bent as gently caress, so they're trash anyway. The first one I broke felt about like what the wrench's mechanism feels like too. Since they're hollow it doesn't take that much torque to pop them.
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2012 03:30
|
|
|
oXDemosthenesXo posted:It was the first time I'd used this torque wrench, and I only actually broke 2 of the 4. The other two just got bent as gently caress, so they're trash anyway. The first one I broke felt about like what the wrench's mechanism feels like too. Since they're hollow it doesn't take that much torque to pop them. I think what he's asking is how do you make the same mistake four times in a row without changing something about how you're approaching the problem.
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2012 03:36
|
|
|
front wing flexing posted:I think what he's asking is how do you make the same mistake four times in a row without changing something about how you're approaching the problem. #1 Didn't break, the thin part of the banjo bolt twisting felt like the torque wrench's snap. #2 Broke, but I thought the light pop was just the torque wrench doing its thing again. #3 Didn't break, same as #1. #4 Broke, and this time it was obvious from feel that I'd just sheared the thing apart. When I went back and inspected the rest it was clear they were broken or so deformed they'd be useless. Don't get me wrong I hosed it up pretty bad and feel stupid but it wasn't like "oh, I shattered this bolt, maybe I should try it again on the next one". I severely underestimated how much extra torque the long arm of the torque wrench applies, and those small bolts with a hole drilled in them don't take much to twist apart.
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2012 04:09
|
|
|
So I had my front brake pads replaced last year at 37,500km and I'm approaching 44,000km and a motorcycle mechanic friend commented on them the other day, "dude these are pretty low, keep an eye on them." I do approximately 12,000km a year in a lot of lovely start/stop traffic & I'm pretty paranoid about cagers being dicks so I might just be a tad overzealous with the front brakes. Does 12,000km sound ... low? To me, it kinda does. Also, my manual recommends 25/29 psi of air for tyres, yet the same friend is like "you can crank them up to 30/34" but I don't like doing this because I fill up at a service station and their tyre pressure gauges aren't exactly known for being accurate. I probably should just buy some pressure gauge and carry it around in my motorbike, right? 
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2012 04:33
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 21, 2024 12:39 |
|
|
12K sounds low to me too unless you're a really aggressive rider. Also keep in mind bike pads when new have less meat on them than a car/truck pad. My STs looked low so I changed them, but when I compared them to the new ones they were probably still at least 50%.
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2012 05:07
|
|
