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DrankSinatra posted:all that styling stuff is some retro-hipster-fetish bullshit now? That more or less sums it up accurately. If you want a vintagey looking bike, a Triumph Bonneville is a much better (and actually modern and reliable underneath the looks) choice.
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Feb 7, 2015 08:09
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HotCanadianChick posted:That more or less sums it up accurately. It is also literally the dullest bike I have ever ridden. I mean I get that they wanted to make it as unintimidating as possible for newbie riders/born agains, but gently caress me the motor might as well be electric for all the character it has.
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Feb 7, 2015 12:46
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nitrogen posted:While I understand your stance, replacing the front shocks with something stiffer is a really worthwhile upgrade, and will really increase your enjoyment of the bike. I think it *IS* worth spending some coin on, even on a GS500. The stock shocks are really WAY too gooey. Springs are a worth while upgrade because they are less than 70 bucks, a fork brace (20 bucks) and even a rear katana shock, but anything really beyond this is overkill. As far as the brakes are concerned I have no idea what you guys are talking about when it comes to the brakes being too gooey and the bike dipping when you brake. Have you ever ridden a Ninja 250r? If you want to talk about some dipping that is where we should start talking. I don't seem to be suffering from most of these gs500 woes and I own a 94 gs500e. It might come down to maintenance, the care of the PO, and the age of the parts on the bike. My bike had the forks seals redone with newer heavier fork oil when I got it which solves most of these dipping problems without having to replace the front end or get new springs. Seriously just consider heavier fork oil if you are that concerned about it before wasting money on progressive springs.
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Feb 7, 2015 13:40
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Minkee posted:Springs are a worth while upgrade Have you ever ridden a Ninja 250r? If you want to talk about some dipping that is where we should start talking. Qft, it was like a pogo stick.
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Feb 7, 2015 14:30
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It's about time for my 12,5000mile service. I've noticed that occasionally I get a clicking/clacking sound from what I think is my chain. It only happens at low speeds (in 1st only, maybe up to 15 or 20 mph). Does that sound like a sprocket/chain thing or something else? I thought it was just that my chain was filthy and I'd gone longer than I should have to clean and lube it. Cleaning and lubing it did help, but that was a couple weeks ago and it's clicking a bit again.
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Feb 7, 2015 19:33
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Did you set the tension? Either way, it's probably a few nearly seized links and it's time for a new chain.
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Feb 7, 2015 20:33
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M42 posted:Qft, it was like a pogo stick. Try riding a Hyosung. You can bottom the forks using the rear brake.
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Feb 7, 2015 22:12
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Slavvy posted:Try riding a Hyosung. You can bottom the forks using the rear brake. What the gently caress? Are the forks super springy or something? Cause I can't do poo poo with my forks if I use the rear brake.
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Feb 7, 2015 23:24
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Slavvy posted:Try riding a Hyosung. You can bottom the forks using the rear brake. Do your forks have springs in them? Or anything at all?
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Feb 7, 2015 23:49
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Slavvy posted:Try riding a Hyosung. You can bottom the forks using the rear brake. Can confirm. Have a Hyosung GT-650R. Super springy.
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Feb 7, 2015 23:59
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Y'all should change your fork oil.
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Feb 8, 2015 00:16
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Marxalot posted:Do your forks have springs in them? Or anything at all? Pretty sure there's just two used toilet paper rolls and a pez dispenser in there. EZipperelli posted:Can confirm. Have a Hyosung GT-650R. Super springy. The GT650 I rode had a decent front end but may have been hosed with. This is a 250 with the vastly inferior non-adjustable forks. BlackMK4 posted:Y'all should change your fork oil. Already done, the spring rates are just hilariously light and have no preload adjustment. Next step is cutting up some preload spacers to try and rectify things a little bit. I am not forking out the dosh for aftermarket springs for the stupid thing, that's what the Hornet is for.
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Feb 8, 2015 05:35
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I hope this is the correct thread for this. I really didn't want to start a new thread. I'm having issues starting my bike. It's a 2005 Honda Shadow Aero 750. I've had it since June, and it's performed wonderfully...but when I went to ride it yesterday after ~2 months of storage, it wouldn't start. When I press the starter button, the lights dim but nothing happens...no starter motor trying to turn over, or clicks from a relay of any kind. If I put my kickstand up and down three or four times, I can usually get it to start...but then I have to do the same thing next time I go to start it. I did some troubleshooting, and also discovered that the bike only shuts off when I lower the kickstand intermittently. 2 out of the 7 attempts, to be exact. I checked the battery, and it was at 97% charge. I also checked the fuses, they looked fine and show continuity when checked with a DMM. I'm pretty sure it's the kickstand switch, but I'm very new to motorcycle (or automotive) maintenance, and would like to get the opinion of people a bit more experienced than myself.
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Feb 8, 2015 20:16
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Sounds like the stand switch. Assuming you tested the battery with a multimeter? Do a continuity test on the switch.
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Feb 8, 2015 20:46
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Marxalot posted:This. Getting new rubber will make it feel like an entirely different bike. Replace both tires now. To bring this up again, the rear is new, but cheap and apparently bias-ply (IRC Road Winner). It doesn't look like the Michelin Pilot Road 3 is available in the rear size (130-70/17) anyway. Would it be OK to use the PR3 on the front, and keep the rear until it wears out or I sell the bike? I'm not even sure if any good tires come in that size for the rear. Anyway, I'm definitely replacing the front (haven't ridden the bike since it's been raining), and I'll probably replace the fork oil and see how things are after that. If I replace the fork springs, am I going to want to replace the rear shock as well? I wasn't planning on putting much into this bike besides taking care of basic safety issues. Of which tires and sorted suspension definitely count.
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Feb 8, 2015 23:00
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Devorum posted:I hope this is the correct thread for this. I really didn't want to start a new thread. If you can find the switch, take the harness off, jam a paperclip or something in to short the wires and do some testing with it shorted and without. Should tell you if the switch is bad, but from the sound of it, it is. Also sounds like a dead battery, which 2 months of sitting may very well cause.
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Feb 8, 2015 23:56
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SaNChEzZ posted:If you can find the switch, take the harness off, jam a paperclip or something in to short the wires and do some testing with it shorted and without. Should tell you if the switch is bad, but from the sound of it, it is. Also sounds like a dead battery, which 2 months of sitting may very well cause. I tested the battery with my battery tester, and it's OK and fully charged. It was bought brand new in September, so it's still pretty fresh. I got the switch disconnected at the big bundle of connectors under the seat and checked it for continuity, and it checks out. My bike started every time after I reconnected it. Maybe it was a loose connection. I doubt it, but we'll see if it keeps acting up. I have a copy of the service manual, which is helpful in locating everything.
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Feb 9, 2015 01:07
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evensevenone posted:To bring this up again, the rear is new, but cheap and apparently bias-ply (IRC Road Winner). It doesn't look like the Michelin Pilot Road 3 is available in the rear size (130-70/17) anyway. Would it be OK to use the PR3 on the front, and keep the rear until it wears out or I sell the bike? I'm not even sure if any good tires come in that size for the rear. I would not worry about the suspension at all. If you replace fork springs you theoretically need to do the shock and then do bushes and then do valving and blah blah blah there is no hard 'stop' point until you end up riding a WSBK. Just don't worry about it. Get decent tyres on there, get decent brake pads, learn to ride without falling off then buy a better bike. As for the tyre, you can sneak a 140 section on there to open up your possibilities. Won't affect the way the bike rides in any meaningful way.
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Feb 9, 2015 03:11
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Devorum posted:I tested the battery with my battery tester, and it's OK and fully charged. It was bought brand new in September, so it's still pretty fresh. I got the switch disconnected at the big bundle of connectors under the seat and checked it for continuity, and it checks out. My bike started every time after I reconnected it. Maybe it was a loose connection. I doubt it, but we'll see if it keeps acting up. You should check the switch itself too. The switch on my Daytona poo poo the bed while Z3n's wife was riding it causing the bike to shut off, she was going down the driveway so it wasn't catastrophic, but that happening would not be a fun scenario at speed.
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Feb 9, 2015 03:52
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Slavvy posted:I would not worry about the suspension at all. If you replace fork springs you theoretically need to do the shock and then do bushes and then do valving and blah blah blah there is no hard 'stop' point until you end up riding a WSBK. Just don't worry about it. Get decent tyres on there, get decent brake pads, learn to ride without falling off then buy a better bike. Just springs is pretty essential to the bike feeling halfway decent - it'll get the bike operating in the range of having "suspension". So much of what people bitch about from bikes like the Ninja 250/GS500 is down to really, really, really soft springs. The frame, swingarm, etc, are usually fine, the shittyness is just a function of terrible springing. For about 180 bucks, you can do the front and rear springs and it'll really transform the bike.
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Feb 9, 2015 06:20
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I know. I'm saying for zero bucks he can continue to have a GS500 and just get another bike later.
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Feb 9, 2015 06:37
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Mine's a newer one which supposedly had stiffer springs although who the gently caress knows.
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Feb 9, 2015 17:01
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Slavvy posted:I know. I'm saying for zero bucks he can continue to have a GS500 and just get another bike later. If he keeps the bike for a year, he's paying the equivalent of 50c a day for a vastly superior riding experience. And he'll get that money back if the buyer knows what they're getting.
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Feb 9, 2015 19:07
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Does anyone know about a motorcycle organization called CBA / ABATE? Is it a bunch of racist tea party folks who like to ride, or am I being paranoid? Their website had some tea party-ish lines on it. I just moved and am looking for a group that rides down here.
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Feb 10, 2015 16:38
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gently caress gathering with other people, regardless of what they might believe. Riding alone is a thousand times more enjoyable than being part of a bike herd.
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Feb 10, 2015 17:12
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All I know about ABATE (from this forum) is their stance of "Grr helmet laws".
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Feb 10, 2015 17:33
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Abate is a bunch of mouth breathing idiots who think helmet laws are another example of Big Government crushing Are Freedom. They're also the idiots you read/hear about going on "protest ride" and dying from injuries a helmet would have prevented.
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Feb 10, 2015 17:36
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Pope Mobile posted:Abate is a bunch of mouth breathing idiots who think helmet laws are another example of Big Government crushing Are Freedom. They're also the idiots you read/hear about going on "protest ride" and dying from injuries a helmet would have prevented. Sounds like a self correcting problem.
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Feb 10, 2015 18:05
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Frosty- posted:gently caress gathering with other people, regardless of what they might believe. Riding alone is a thousand times more enjoyable than being part of a bike herd. Still probably worth looking, if only so you can find out if they have any preferred routes/times that you can try to avoid.
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Feb 10, 2015 18:09
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Frosty- posted:gently caress gathering with other people, regardless of what they might believe. Riding alone is a thousand times more enjoyable than being part of a bike herd.  Whatever you say, guy. Some of the best times I've ever had was riding cross country in a group of 6ish.
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Feb 10, 2015 18:11
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Frosty- posted:gently caress gathering with other people, regardless of what they might believe. Riding alone is a thousand times more enjoyable than being part of a bike herd. Meeting new people/riding with friends is a great part of riding. There is a big difference between a 100 person group ride and riding with 2-3 of your friends.
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Feb 10, 2015 18:22
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Zeris posted:Does anyone know about a motorcycle organization called CBA / ABATE? Is it a bunch of racist tea party folks who like to ride, or am I being paranoid? Their website had some tea party-ish lines on it. I just moved and am looking for a group that rides down here. Yeah it's your typical group of anti-helmet morons. Finding good riding buddies is like panning for gold, takes a long while to find the right people.
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Feb 10, 2015 20:20
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Considering I wear all my poo poo, all the time, I'm glad I asked. Thank you.
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Feb 10, 2015 21:00
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Z3n posted:Yeah it's your typical group of anti-helmet morons. Finding good riding buddies is like panning for gold, takes a long while to find the right people. I guess I feel lucky to sort have fallen into a group I enjoy riding with. Even luckier: my wife is part of that group.
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Feb 10, 2015 21:31
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clutchpuck posted:I guess I feel lucky to sort have fallen into a group I enjoy riding with. Even luckier: my wife is part of that group. Most of the SOs in my group of friends ride or want to ride. Opposition to it is pretty rare. My wife likes the SuperDuke but claims that "no one needs that much power". If they make a 1050SD (or better yet, SM) I'd be strongly tempted to snag one for her. I think it's just part of people realizing that gender has pretty much zero bearing on ability to ride bikes (or do most things) and bikes are cool.
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Feb 11, 2015 00:37
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Any good motorcycling riding books I should keep an eye open for while I am in an area with amazing used book stores?
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Feb 12, 2015 02:42
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Proficient Motorcycling (updated version, if you can).
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Feb 12, 2015 02:45
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I have a highlighted copy of A Twist of the Wrist 2 that I give to new riders. There's lots of track stuff in it but also a lot that applies for street riding.
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Feb 12, 2015 02:46
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nsaP posted:I have a highlighted copy of A Twist of the Wrist 2 that I give to new riders. There's lots of track stuff in it but also a lot that applies for street riding. I saw Twist of the Wrist 1, but not 2. Dismissed it because of all the track stuff, but found a super discounted Motorcycling Excellence book. Basically a super version of the MSF book.
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Feb 12, 2015 02:56
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M42 posted:Proficient Motorcycling (updated version, if you can). This is a great book. Best recommendation CA ever gave me was this book. Whether you just took your MSF or you have been riding for years this is a great read and you will certainly learn something about motorcycling you didn't know.
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Feb 12, 2015 04:51
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