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Are there any decent motorcycle magazines out there? Like ones with articles about riding, technique tips, history lessons, maintenance tips, trip reports, etc. Cycle World, Sport Rider, Motorcyclist, all those other newsstand rags are poo poo. It's pages of reviews of bikes I'll never own interspersed with two page ads for poo poo I'll never own. Some of the more subculture specific ones like Vintage Motorcycle are ok, but I don't own one. I'm looking for good writing about bikes and riding, not the motorcycle equivalent of Maxim.
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Sep 16, 2013 22:01
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| # ? May 16, 2024 05:09 |
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Motorcyclist is pretty good but I see it in your bad list. I like their reviews, they do all sorts of bikes. And the Keith Code column is usually at least interesting. Gonna be hard to find a mag without too many ads.
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Sep 16, 2013 22:05
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:Are there any decent motorcycle magazines out there? Like ones with articles about riding, technique tips, history lessons, maintenance tips, trip reports, etc. Cycle World, Sport Rider, Motorcyclist, all those other newsstand rags are poo poo. It's pages of reviews of bikes I'll never own interspersed with two page ads for poo poo I'll never own. Some of the more subculture specific ones like Vintage Motorcycle are ok, but I don't own one. I'm looking for good writing about bikes and riding, not the motorcycle equivalent of Maxim. Uk's Superbike is the best bike mag out there, hands down. Depends on what 'bikes I'll never own' means I guess. They have articles on tyres, they have articles on old sportsbikes, riding trips, racing, track riding and instruction, they do articles on things like crash protectors and ownership statistics, bike technology (they had an article on the crossplane r1 engine, and the history of two strokes) and so on.
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Sep 16, 2013 22:05
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The Brit mags do seem to be better. The American ones long since fell into the "reviews are thinly veiled ads for products with actual ads two pages later" trap.
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Sep 16, 2013 22:06
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Uk mag performance bikes is my favorite. Theyre loveable wankers who do pretty honest reviews and cool projects.
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Sep 16, 2013 22:13
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Now that you mention it, I've noticed that the UK mags are generally better. I'll look into them, as Superbike sounds like what I'm looking for. Motorcyclist is better than Sportrider and Cycle World, but I have zero interest in that many reviews of new bikes. There's a lot of that here in CA and it's actually usually better content than magazine reviews, ntm free. It still has an enormous volume of ads.
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Sep 16, 2013 22:30
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Superbike made their new guy ride through Scotland in the middle of winter on an inazuma 250 wearing a kilt. They also decided to endurance race an old r1, crashed three times and bodged it back together with increasingly backyard fixes every time, in the pit lane, using tools and parts borrowed from professional teams.
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Sep 16, 2013 22:36
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Bike is pretty good in a tweedy sort of way (and I'm not just saying that because they gave me 50 quid of vouchers for writing a hundred words about my old Mille for a used bike guide). I still miss Colin Schiller-era Fast Bikes though. Any magazine that would test dual sports by driving them along a closed underground station platform and down the tracks, or do road tests like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF0Ec7AWE9c is alright by me. Schiller was an utter prick, but he knew what made a good bike magazine. Oh and he's also responsible for the racing careers of Shakey Byrne and Rob Frost, both of whom started as testers for FB.
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Sep 16, 2013 23:55
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I want to do something with LEDs in my tail lights. I've got a $6 junkyard pulled fixture ('01 GS 500 by the crayon) and a Competition Werkes Assimilator II making the tail work now. I want to send the 'tail light' signal from the harness to a few LEDs bright enough to be considered "tail lights" and leave the dual-filament incandescents as my signals/brake lights. Is there a go-to 12V LED module that works for around $10? I can get three red LEDs from Radio Shack for about $10 and hot glue them in there, but I feel I should be able to buy an assload of LEDs for that price instead.
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Sep 17, 2013 00:01
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I use a 36-LED panel from superbrightleds.com. It has lasted me three years, and two of them side-by-side is a drat sight brighter than the spider LEDs you see for $40 on ebay.
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Sep 17, 2013 00:20
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Anyone ever delt with feet falling asleep? I got new boots a while back and my middle toes on my right foot keep falling asleep on longer rides. I ignored it at first thinking that it'd work out when I got used to the boots but it's still around. No problem on the left and I don't seem to be doing anything different with that foot so I'm a bit confused.
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Sep 17, 2013 00:37
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A common thing you'll see with the issued US military boots is that they cause the big toes to fall asleep until well after they're broken in, and even then sometimes forever. I have a pair that does it, and a pair that doesn't do it, both equal wear. I've learned that some boots just "do it."
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Sep 17, 2013 00:50
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Geirskogul posted:I use a 36-LED panel from superbrightleds.com. It has lasted me three years, and two of them side-by-side is a drat sight brighter than the spider LEDs you see for $40 on ebay. In your professional opinion, will this base with this lamp work as a single DRL for the rear? Or should I just go with two of these, one in white and one in red (white for the plate light)?
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Sep 17, 2013 01:30
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I have two of these side-by-side and they are bright as hell. Your first two links were the best bed (the red is wide angled enough to fully light the license plate), and cheaper. I do have a single BA9S white LED pointed downwards for the license plate light, but before I did that (my taillight went through a few revisions) the two panels were enough to fully illuminate it alone. My tail light assembly has a clear plastic bit under the red lens to let light leak through. The light you linked is a bit weak. Look into the 1157 (dual intensity) or 1156 (single intensity, "single filament") bulbs. There are a ton more offerings, as they're the most popular tail and brake lights around.
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Sep 17, 2013 01:34
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Anyone know if motostance front/rear stands are good? Motorcycle superstore has a coupon that brings em down to 55 each.
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Sep 17, 2013 13:46
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Is there some sort of coating I can spray on my bike to stop people letting their kids climb on it?
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Sep 17, 2013 17:11
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I explained to one parent that while I am not a violent person myself, people do get hurt touching other peoples' bikes and that he should keep that in mind for future ad-hoc jungle gyms. e: I'll probably get sued one day when some little monster burns their fingers off on my header. clutchpuck fucked around with this message at 17:22 on Sep 17, 2013 |
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Sep 17, 2013 17:16
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Glue a dildo to the backseat. ed: case in point: 
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Sep 17, 2013 17:19
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NSFW tag perhaps? Just looking out for fellow corporate folk. Or just a timg would work as well
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Sep 17, 2013 17:26
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Times like this, I'm glad I have embedded images disabled. Tag that.
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Sep 17, 2013 17:41
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Do you guys work in pre-schools?
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Sep 17, 2013 18:05
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nsaP posted:Glue a dildo to the backseat. That, combined with his lack of plate, suggests a reading of about 0 on the Like-I-give-a-gently caress-ometer.
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Sep 17, 2013 19:20
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Shelvocke posted:Is there some sort of coating I can spray on my bike to stop people letting their kids climb on it? I'd say poop but I've never met a child that was deterred by that.
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Sep 17, 2013 19:54
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Geirskogul posted:I have two of these side-by-side and they are bright as hell. Your first two links were the best bed (the red is wide angled enough to fully light the license plate), and cheaper. I'm not trying to replace my tail. I just need a single lamp that would be bright enough to be considered a running light at night and also light up the plate. The incandescent bulbs are still going to be there for brake lights and signals.
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Sep 17, 2013 21:03
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I sealed my new Yuasa battery immediately after adding the acid, forgetting that you are supposed to leave the cap on loosely for the first charge so gas can escape. There is no way that I'll be able to loosen the cap on the battery. Is it going to explode if I try and charge it for the first time while sealed?
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Sep 17, 2013 21:13
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I bet you can sneak a flathead screwdriver in there and lift it up without doing too much damage. If not just roll the dice and charge it (I've never heard this and I'm sure I've just charged every sealed battery I've ever bought.)
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Sep 17, 2013 21:16
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Flathead worked with minimal marring.
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Sep 17, 2013 22:08
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So I went on a long ride on the FZR on Sunday. Two things I noticed on the ride: 1. Most concerning: Clutch slipping in the powerband. Disheartening considering the PO just changed the clutch (and had the receipt to prove it). 2. Oil light coming on briefly when leaving a stoplight. 3. The bike lugs anywhere near 3,000 RPM. That's pretty annoying, especially for commuting or riding in parking garages. Note that this is also my first i4. Is there some kind of trick for riding at low speed? The PO made the bike stop and handle loving beautifully, so I'm considering taking it off of insurance and using it as a track machine. Weird thought considering I've only been to the track once. I checked the oil today and it's low as hell. Couldn't even see it in the sight glass until the bike was perfectly vertical if not leaning slightly toward the glass. Could this be my clutch culprit (I know this is why the light comes on periodically)? The PO suggested adjusting the clutch as it grabs right at the end of the handle, so I'm going to look into that as well. I already picked up some oil and a filter on the way home from work today. I'm going to change it tomorrow with Rotella T 15W40 and a highly recommended Bosch filter. I've never had to adjust a clutch.  EDIT: added point 3. XYLOPAGUS fucked around with this message at 02:53 on Sep 18, 2013 |
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Sep 18, 2013 02:46
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Your clutch adjustment is probably out. Do you have any slack in the lever? You should have about a half inch of movement before it starts to engage. Do not ride the bike until you top off the oil, oil light coming on is very very bad. May have already lunched the bearings, maybe not. Oil is checked with the bike upright though.
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Sep 18, 2013 02:56
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XYLOPAGUS posted:So I went on a long ride on the FZR on Sunday. Two things I noticed on the ride: What z3n said. Regarding point 2, yes just rev it more/slip the clutch at low speed. I4's have to be very big to match the kind of low-range you're used to if you've only ridden singles/twins.
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Sep 18, 2013 03:02
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Z3n posted:Your clutch adjustment is probably out. Do you have any slack in the lever? You should have about a half inch of movement before it starts to engage. Do not ride the bike until you top off the oil, oil light coming on is very very bad. May have already lunched the bearings, maybe not. Oil is checked with the bike upright though. When you say half inch of movement before starting to engage, is that from clutch handle closest to grip or furthest away? If I'm idling and I start to let go of the clutch, it grabs almost at the very end of the lever travel. I was planning on topping it off just to warm it up and change the oil tomorrow. The light coming on was intermittent and no longer than a few seconds. Hopefully I haven't hosed it up royally. Slavvy posted:What z3n said. Regarding point 2, yes just rev it more/slip the clutch at low speed. I4's have to be very big to match the kind of low-range you're used to if you've only ridden singles/twins. Yeah, I'm coming from my SV650.
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Sep 18, 2013 03:25
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Check the cable routing, I had that exact problem when my clutch cable slipped over the ignition barrel instead of being under the way it usually was.
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Sep 18, 2013 03:34
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XYLOPAGUS posted:When you say half inch of movement before starting to engage, is that from clutch handle closest to grip or furthest away? If I'm idling and I start to let go of the clutch, it grabs almost at the very end of the lever travel. When you pull the lever in, it should not start to have resistance until it's at least an inch in (travel at the end of the bar). If it does, the clutch cable is too tight.
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Sep 18, 2013 04:40
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Hmm I will have to investigate. The adjuster at the lever is almost all the way loose, too.
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Sep 18, 2013 04:44
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XYLOPAGUS posted:Hmm I will have to investigate. The adjuster at the lever is almost all the way loose, too. Yeah run it in a bit and see if the slipping goes away. If it doesn't, the clutch plates are probably glazed, you might be able to sand them down but might also just need to replace them.
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Sep 18, 2013 04:49
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When you guys say "top off" the oil, do you mean to "full" or somewhere around 1/3 of the way from the bottom "needs oil"? Came across that this morning when looking up info for the oil change I'm going to do this week, wondering if I've been doing it wrong these 9 months (this will be my first oil change, just as far as making sure there was enough in it). Here's what I've written up for myself (also to bounce off my friend/the PO, but would like other input too). Hoping I don't need to order a new crush washer, as was planning a ~1000km-ish ride over the long weekend coming up  quote:Sources:
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Sep 18, 2013 05:08
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XYLOPAGUS posted:Yeah, I'm coming from my SV650. Wait, you would ride with the SV at 3,000 rpms? Mine begins to lug around 4000-4500 rpm.
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Sep 18, 2013 06:23
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Coredump posted:Wait, you would ride with the SV at 3,000 rpms? Mine begins to lug around 4000-4500 rpm. I don't think that word means what you think it means. Pompous, fill it to the upper hashmark next near the sightglass. Clean up the surface and take a picture if you have difficulty finding it.
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Sep 18, 2013 08:03
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Z3n posted:I don't think that word means what you think it means. What you mean that word? I used a lot of them... Z3n!
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Sep 18, 2013 13:18
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| # ? May 16, 2024 05:09 |
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If your twin engine lugs at 4k rpm there's something wrong with it. Lugging means that feeling where you can hear and feel it just barely make the next revolution, on the verge of stalling.
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Sep 18, 2013 13:30
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