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That + the newbie tax, wherein you drop your shiny dream bike (possibly multiple times). Might not matter if you're swimming in cash, I guess. I don't see a point to getting a dream bike for a first, but that's just me. I just noticed it doesn't have a tach 
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Nov 13, 2014 22:23
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M42 posted:That + the newbie tax, wherein you drop your shiny dream bike (possibly multiple times). Might not matter if you're swimming in cash, I guess. I don't see a point to getting a dream bike for a first, but that's just me. Lumpy, moderate-revving twin with no tacho: barrel of laughs. Peaky, smooth four cylinder with no tacho: infinite frustration.
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Nov 13, 2014 22:53
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When does anybody have time to look at a tach? Don't you shift more by sound anyways? Maybe it's because my first bike didn't have one, but the only time I ever look at it is while cruising on the highway and I'm curious what it is. I guess it could also be that the only bikes I've ridden have a seating position such that I have to look way down away from the road to look at the dash and I'm not too comfortable doing that. TL/DR: Tachs are overrated.
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Nov 14, 2014 00:02
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Tach's are much, much more useful on a car, but even then you can usually tell when to shift. With a bike I always just feel it out unless I'm really screaming towards 14K+ at WOT and do a quick glance to get a perfect shift.
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Nov 14, 2014 00:12
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They're useful if you're thrashing the poo poo out of the bike; not so much for normal riding. I find two cylinder engines with a big swell of midrange torque are easy to ride without a tacho. With fours, if I don't look at the tach, I'm usually either shifting too early or bumping into the redline. Shift lights are way more useful TBH. edited for clarity Slavvy fucked around with this message at 01:07 on Nov 14, 2014 |
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Nov 14, 2014 01:04
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Koruthaiolos posted:When does anybody have time to look at a tach? Don't you shift more by sound anyways? Maybe it's because my first bike didn't have one, but the only time I ever look at it is while cruising on the highway and I'm curious what it is. I guess it could also be that the only bikes I've ridden have a seating position such that I have to look way down away from the road to look at the dash and I'm not too comfortable doing that. I was actually going to make this point a week or two ago after someone mentioned having a close call with a panic braker. It depends on your instrumentation, but in my case there's just not enough useful data there to risk taking my eyes out of the game for even a second. That's generally enough for some idiot ahead to figure out he'd rather have a KFC Double Down. Maybe the trip odo for fuel tracking on the highway if I have the space, or the speedometer if Roscoe P. Coltrane is up ahead and ready to pounce.
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Nov 14, 2014 02:22
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Koruthaiolos posted:When does anybody have time to look at a tach? Don't you shift more by sound anyways? Maybe it's because my first bike didn't have one, but the only time I ever look at it is while cruising on the highway and I'm curious what it is. I guess it could also be that the only bikes I've ridden have a seating position such that I have to look way down away from the road to look at the dash and I'm not too comfortable doing that. Useful for getting a feeling for what that sound means, though. Starting out, I'd have been shifting at <2k RPMs just because a motorcycle engine sounds so much louder than a car. This on a bike that tops out at 13,000. Also it satisfies my paranoid need to know what the engine is doing at all times.
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Nov 14, 2014 03:07
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Nitrox posted:Other than the outrageous hipster tax M42 posted:That + the newbie tax,
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Nov 14, 2014 03:39
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http://mobile.craigslist.org/mcy/4755844937.html Thoughts on this CBR250 with ABS? Looking for my first bike. Is 3k a good price for this?
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Nov 16, 2014 00:22
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So I bought that CB500f out of pocket, and rode it to work in the wind and cold wet. Utter. Blast. Hope that the lack of ABS doesn't bite me too hard this winter 
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Nov 16, 2014 00:43
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AuxiliaryPatroller posted:http://mobile.craigslist.org/mcy/4755844937.html I love mine. Find some twisty roads and have a blast. Not sure about the price, US always looks cheap to me.
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Nov 16, 2014 00:44
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AuxiliaryPatroller posted:http://mobile.craigslist.org/mcy/4755844937.html I don't know about pricing for that bike in particular (I'm in Australia), but the CBR250 is probably the cheapest first bike you'll get with ABS. FWIW, I started out on that model and the brakes probably saved me from a spill or two -- as evidenced by my immediately dumping my first bike without ABS. (Your level of competence may vary). You'll probably want to upgrade within a year, but it's not the worst idea to spend your first twelve months on something that's both relatively safe and cheap.
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Nov 16, 2014 03:42
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Barnsy posted:I love mine. Find some twisty roads and have a blast. Fair price with ABS. It is a good starter bike and is a great commuter too.
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Nov 16, 2014 03:47
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M42 posted:Good, now put it on your list for your 2nd or 3rd bike and get something else for your first. Why? It's a cheap-ish bonneville. They've got a low center of gravity, no real power, soft handling and nothing to bite a new rider. It's a great beginner bike.
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Nov 16, 2014 12:56
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ThatCguy posted:Why? It's a cheap-ish bonneville. They've got a low center of gravity, no real power, soft handling and nothing to bite a new rider. It's a great beginner bike. I think they meant that it's a nicer bike than you generally want to start with because of the odds that you'll drop or something, not that it's too much bike.
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Nov 16, 2014 19:35
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You can get engine guards for the bonneville if you're that worried about dropping it, saves most of the nice stuff from getting damaged. My friend who is an awful rider kept dropping his bonnie at low speed turns and the only thing that broke after like 5 of these incidents was the shift lever snapping off. Guards protected all the chrome and stuff. He's selling the bike now. 
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Nov 16, 2014 20:45
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If you can afford to destroy a slightly more expensive bike then good for you, do it. The Bonnie is still a good starter bike.
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Nov 16, 2014 20:58
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Razzled posted:You can get engine guards for the bonneville if you're that worried about dropping it, saves most of the nice stuff from getting damaged. My friend who is an awful rider kept dropping his bonnie at low speed turns and the only thing that broke after like 5 of these incidents was the shift lever snapping off. Guards protected all the chrome and stuff. He's selling the bike now. Sounds like he should've gotten a DRZ.
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Nov 16, 2014 22:11
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What do you guys think of this for a first motorcycle: http://slo.craigslist.org/mcy/4757824326.html I wanna get a cheap 80s beater, but I don't know about that price. My friend who is pretty knowledgeable about motorcycles is going with me to check it out tomorrow. What little research I've done about the bike says its pretty reliable but the dual carburators are a nightmare to work on. a grand is probably too much for that thing right? I was thinking somewhere around 7-800 would be more reasonable depending on its mechanical condition. I'm not in a hurry to buy a bike so I can wait until I find something for the right price
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Nov 20, 2014 06:45
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SLAMMYsosa posted:a cheap 80s beater There is no such bike, anywhere, for any price and of any make. As a first bike, that one will teach you a lot about : A. breaking down B. not finding parts anywhere
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Nov 20, 2014 07:38
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SLAMMYsosa posted:What do you guys think of this for a first motorcycle: http://slo.craigslist.org/mcy/4757824326.html What you really want is a DRZ
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Nov 20, 2014 16:43
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A 30+ year old beater bike for a first is a terrible idea. Buy a beater that's like 15 years old max.
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Nov 20, 2014 17:16
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Honestly if you can afford it, avoid carburetors at all costs, for real. Even my '07 Ninja 250 had carbs and it was an absolute bitch to get started every single day, especially when it was cold. fiddling with the choke and petcock is complete bullshit in TYOOL 2014. Don't get anything from the 80's either unless it's a second bike you can deal being broken down some of the time.
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Nov 20, 2014 18:35
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I don't get the carburetor hate, especially if you are anywhere remotely handy yourself. synching carbs, clearning and cleaning a carb isn't that hard. I mean, messing with a choke is somewhat regressive, but maybe it's just me, but I actually LIKE the simplicity.
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Nov 20, 2014 19:29
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Voltage posted:Honestly if you can afford it, avoid carburetors at all costs, for real. Even my '07 Ninja 250 had carbs and it was an absolute bitch to get started every single day, especially when it was cold. fiddling with the choke and petcock is complete bullshit in TYOOL 2014. My DRZ has a carbs and even though weather is hitting the 40s and 50s it starts right up without any choke. When I first bought it it would usually take several minutes to get going in cold weather. After months of being ridden every single day it now fires up immediately unless I left the petcock open. Ride every day.
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Nov 20, 2014 19:36
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nitrogen posted:synching carbs, clearning and cleaning a carb isn't that hard. No it isn't, at all. The problem is getting the sons a bitches off/on the bike in the first place. A dismal slog through loosening like ninety trillion bolts, 6 hours spent wriggling the rear end in a top hat carb boots sideways, punching yourself in the face when they suddenly let go and your arm flies back, gas permeating every molecule of your being. A few moments of calm while you clean the entire carb in <20 minutes while wishing for sudden death to free you from having to do everything in reverse. Afterwards, reducing your thumbs to pulp from trying, in vain, to move the carb slide over so you can put the cable back on. Finally getting the airbox boots attached, only to have them pop off if you even think about wriggling the assembly forward into the head boots. The world's sharpest screwdriver slipping off the boot clamp screw and filleting your finger open, because clearly two usable hands is an unnecessary luxury for carb work. 
M42 fucked around with this message at 19:55 on Nov 20, 2014 |
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Nov 20, 2014 19:53
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nitrogen posted:I don't get the carburetor hate, especially if you are anywhere remotely handy yourself. They're fine. Sort of sucky if you or the PO neglects them and you have to either spend a weekend cleaning them up or pay somebody to. For me, I have the same rule for carbs as for throttle bodies: the fewer the better. 1-2 is good. 3+ start getting progressively hard for me to want. A CBX would be cool to ride, but I don't want to be in charge of syncing a rack of 6.
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Nov 20, 2014 20:09
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I just think if it's a daily/commuter/only bike, absolutely go FI, if its a second, fuckaround bike, carbs are fine. But if I need to get to work, and my bike won't start right and I have to fiddle with the choke the entire ride to work on a cold day, thats not a fun time. Buying an FI bike has been amazing, literally just like a car in its ease of use.
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Nov 20, 2014 21:02
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The main criticisms of EFI seem to stem from the rideability of the earlier systems and from people who have never daily ridden an injected bike.
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Nov 20, 2014 22:14
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Slavvy posted:The main criticisms of EFI seem to stem from the rideability of the earlier systems and from people who have never daily ridden an injected bike. I don't get why you wouldn't want one. When I was looking around for bikes and saw that on one hand you had to gently caress around with a choke and let the bike warm up, and on the other you just hit a button, it was a no-brainer.
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Nov 20, 2014 22:19
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Slavvy posted:The main criticisms of EFI seem to stem from the rideability of the earlier systems and from people who have never daily ridden an injected bike. Even contemporary EFI can be annoyingly snatchy.
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Nov 20, 2014 22:21
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clutchpuck posted:Even contemporary EFI can be annoyingly snatchy. 'Contemporary' EFI is fly by wire which pretty much eliminates snatchyness unless the bike is extremely high-strung or the manufacturer is super cheap/lazy. Cable throttlebodies are essentially obsolete now like they were in cars ten years ago.
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Nov 20, 2014 22:24
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Slavvy posted:the manufacturer is super cheap/lazy I had the only EFI bike in my whole MSF class the first day. It was annoying as poo poo and I swapped it out for a carbed NIGHTHAWK the second day. The first bike was something I actually was interested in buying, a TU250. I'm sure now I wouldn't even notice.
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Nov 20, 2014 22:27
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someone in Dallas should snatch this up as long as you don't mind getting a bonded title! http://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/mcy/4727570378.html
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Nov 20, 2014 22:48
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M42 posted:No it isn't, at all. The problem is getting the sons a bitches off/on the bike in the first place. A dismal slog through loosening like ninety trillion bolts, 6 hours spent wriggling the rear end in a top hat carb boots sideways, punching yourself in the face when they suddenly let go and your arm flies back, gas permeating every molecule of your being. A few moments of calm while you clean the entire carb in <20 minutes while wishing for sudden death to free you from having to do everything in reverse. Afterwards, reducing your thumbs to pulp from trying, in vain, to move the carb slide over so you can put the cable back on. Finally getting the airbox boots attached, only to have them pop off if you even think about wriggling the assembly forward into the head boots. The world's sharpest screwdriver slipping off the boot clamp screw and filleting your finger open, because clearly two usable hands is an unnecessary luxury for carb work. A song of jets and slides.
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Nov 21, 2014 00:12
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captainOrbital posted:I had the only EFI bike in my whole MSF class the first day. It was annoying as poo poo and I swapped it out for a carbed NIGHTHAWK the second day. That's less 'efi problems' and more 'it's a TU250'. Z3n posted:A song of jets and slides. I forgot to mention: slide carbs are exempt from my carb hate.
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Nov 21, 2014 00:29
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nitrogen posted:someone in Dallas should snatch this up as long as you don't mind getting a bonded title! Thats exactly the same bike I have - excellent machine, 18K miles and I've never had an issue with it, runs perfect. If anyone wants mine with a clean title and not a single scratch for 3K lemme know….
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Nov 21, 2014 00:30
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Voltage posted:Thats exactly the same bike I have - excellent machine, 18K miles and I've never had an issue with it, runs perfect. I'm interested, whereabouts are you located?
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Nov 21, 2014 01:40
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Sportster carburetors are especially difficult: remove ham can, filter, backplate - 3 mins look at carburetor - 1 min say yeah, that's a carburetor alright - 0.1 minutes pop it off the manifold if it makes you happy - 0.1 minutes hit it with cleaner to make it cosmetically appealing - .5 minutes pretend there's more than one, perform an imaginary synch - 0 mins reassemble - 3 mins
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Nov 21, 2014 01:41
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Marv Hushman posted:Sportster carburetors are especially difficult: Get back to me when your final drive chain fails 
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Nov 21, 2014 03:15
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