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Can bike kickstands be adjusted for torque? My Ninja 300 kickstand likes to knock backward which if I wasn't paying attention could cause me to drop the bike. There's not enough stiffness holding it down in place. My scooter on the other hand has a nice stiff kickstand and I've never seen it kick backwards. It seems odd to me that a bike with double the weight would have such a weak kickstand. Is there any way to adjust it?
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Apr 20, 2015 20:12
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I'd say definitely yes (I hope) because my 300's kickstand doesn't do that at all.
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Apr 20, 2015 20:46
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revmoo posted:Can bike kickstands be adjusted for torque? My Ninja 300 kickstand likes to knock backward which if I wasn't paying attention could cause me to drop the bike. There's not enough stiffness holding it down in place. My scooter on the other hand has a nice stiff kickstand and I've never seen it kick backwards. It seems odd to me that a bike with double the weight would have such a weak kickstand. Is there any way to adjust it? Depends on the design, but generally no it's not adjustable because the bike weight is what's actually holding it in place when it's in down - the spring holding it there is only to make it easier to use (some side stands don't even have that and the spring literally pulls it up the moment you lift the bike up). It's a goodidea to hold the stand forwards with your heel as you put the bike onto it anyway, so just make that a habit.
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Apr 20, 2015 21:10
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Tire chat: Those look like the OEM SD ones - the sidewall is about half the size of normal. But those aren't SD rims, as the rear has a Cush drive/isn't for a SSA. Maybe the OEM ones are the same as the road ones? I know there just a long and storied history of OEM tires being different from the rubber you buy off the shelf. I know I didn't expect to get 5k miles plus track use out of a sport/track tire, considering I'm limping my PR4 through at 5k miles more. Z3n fucked around with this message at 22:28 on Apr 20, 2015 |
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Apr 20, 2015 22:24
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Hey again, thread! Had a few buying options I'm looking at and I was curious what everyone thought: http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/nvn/mcy/4983837924.html http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/rds/mcy/4987131084.html http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/van/mcy/4987806896.html http://victoria.craigslist.ca/mcy/4985630582.html I like all these bikes, but I don't know enough about them yet to decide whether or not they're good deals. I love everything about Honda Shadows, but this would be my first bike and I hear getting a big bike first off isn't the best idea (although I do know a tiny girl who bought one first and she was fine, so I dunno). Don't feel like crashing anytime soon. My price range is $~3000 so any help would be greatly appreciated!
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Apr 20, 2015 22:46
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Shadows are good bikes. A 750 will be fine. I can't speak to whether they're priced ok though.
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Apr 20, 2015 22:56
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ceaselessfuture posted:Hey again, thread! Had a few buying options I'm looking at and I was curious what everyone thought: I am always baffled at the American used bike range from $1500-ish to $3500-ish. So very different bikes all of them, yet all in the same (sort of) price bracket. I think you are on the right track but I would hold out for a Virago/Shadow/Eliminator/Whateverator 750-1000 2000-2005 around or slightly sub the 3000 mark. The 06 Shadow seems to be a bit above your budget, but it wouldn't be a bad idea if you stretched for it. They might listen to an offer as well. Of the examples you posted, I'd go for newer and higher capacity. The older ones will always have problems that you can otherwise do without given the choice in the same price class, the 250s etc are a bit too small...they might not be as slow as you'd think, but everything is quite small. The brakes, the suspension etc. A 750-1000 cc cruiser will not be a crazy powerful bike. It will have plenty of grunt, sure, but it won't snap at your hand when you give it a tiny cookie.
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Apr 20, 2015 23:45
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The boulevard is fuel injected which is a huge plus in my book.
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Apr 20, 2015 23:53
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ceaselessfuture posted:Hey again, thread! Had a few buying options I'm looking at and I was curious what everyone thought: It looks like you're dealing with a pretty tough market, but I did find this: http://bellingham.craigslist.org/mcy/4972821682.html For the US audience, this would be $2800/15,000 miles, which is the sweet spot for this bike. He'd probably take $2500 US/$3000 CDN loonies or whatever they are these days. Also: http://abbotsford.craigslist.ca/mcy/4961162871.html Honestly, if (like me) your total prior exposure to motorcycling was a couple hours power walking and weaving on a 125cc safety course trainer, anything with a roadworthy displacement is going to scare the bejesus out of you for the first few hundred miles. So you might as well make the leap to mid-size, especially considering the BC used market.
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Apr 21, 2015 00:17
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Great, thanks for the input guys!Marv Hushman posted:It looks like you're dealing with a pretty tough market, but I did find this: I won't be able to go to the states, I don't think, but for the Abbotsford bike, is there much difference between it and: http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/nvn/mcy/4983837924.html ? I'm glad to hear that these guys aren't too big! I've always wanted a cruiser like this.
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Apr 21, 2015 01:06
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ceaselessfuture posted:I won't be able to go to the states, I don't think Ah, didn't realize that was across the border, I suppose all the ads get mixed together. And it's probably additional expense getting a bike across the border in either direction. I'd love to hear from someone who's actually pulled it off and navigated through the red tape. Yes, the 2000+ Shadows are essentially equivalent bikes with incremental styling and feature enhancements. Take care of the fundamentals and you can't go wrong. You will have to make a decision regarding forward controls and if they're for you. They're not insane gyno exam forward, but they are forward, and I don't recall there being options for mids on these. The ergos have to work for you, or it won't matter how much you saved or how beautiful it looks. Honda designs these things to sell thousands of units, so the layout is going to be dead center Average Joe.
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Apr 21, 2015 01:31
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Why is Rotella T a good bike oil? It's meant for diesel, but it seems every motorcyclist on the internet swears by the stuff for motorbikes. I'm just curious, if anyone knows, what's the deal with that. For the record, I use Rotella T myself based on many recommendations, I just have no idea why it's good.
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Apr 21, 2015 02:34
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Diesel additives are pretty similar to the ideal additive for motorcycles, basically.
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Apr 21, 2015 02:39
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alnilam posted:Why is Rotella T a good bike oil? It's meant for diesel, but it seems every motorcyclist on the internet swears by the stuff for motorbikes. I'm just curious, if anyone knows, what's the deal with that. zddp. Cams love that poo poo.
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Apr 21, 2015 02:49
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cursedshitbox posted:zddp. Cams love that poo poo.
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Apr 21, 2015 03:27
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Also helps that car oils have friction modifiers and poo poo that make clutches stop working whereas diesel oils don't tend to have that poo poo.
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Apr 21, 2015 04:10
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A question for California goons: I've been riding for a couple months now and seem to have figured out filtering comfortably, but, is filtering in single turn lanes fine (with the intention of turning with that lane)? I've only ever done it in between two turn lanes / straight lanes, and haven't seen any other bikers here do it. Asking as there's a freeway on ramp I take on my way home from work and 20+ cars stack up waiting to turn left on it. There seems to be room for me to ride alongside it and jump in next to the first car in line, but, I've just followed by example and have never seen anyone do it.
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Apr 21, 2015 06:23
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PhoenixWing posted:A question for California goons:
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Apr 21, 2015 16:36
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I do it but generally in a fashion where if traffic starts moving I don't have to be in line to make the corner, or I do my best to make sure the light stays red until I'm out in front.
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Apr 21, 2015 16:43
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alnilam posted:Why is Rotella T a good bike oil? It's meant for diesel, but it seems every motorcyclist on the internet swears by the stuff for motorbikes. I'm just curious, if anyone knows, what's the deal with that. It's the cheapest widely available oil I can find that's listed to be compliant with JASO-MA, in addition to having proven itself in my cars.
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Apr 21, 2015 16:51
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I think my front wheel bearing may be going, but I'm not sure. As you can kind of see in this photo, there is quite a lot of grease and dirt built up around the spindle, especially against fork itself (hard to see in the photo due to the angle).  There's no noise or shaking yet that I can tell, and I can't tell if there's any vibration because my front tire is pretty badly cupped. Anyway, I've had advice from "change it right away" to "don't worry about it, it will be fine for a year or more" but none of this is advice from people I really trust so I thought I'd ask here.
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Apr 21, 2015 20:14
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No way of telling without removing the front wheel and seeing if it clicks or grinds when rotated by hand. That doesn't look like anything but normal dirt buildup though, modern bearings are almost always sealed/shielded units.
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Apr 21, 2015 20:31
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I guess what's throwing me off is that there's no grease buildup on the other side - it's clean as a whistle.
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Apr 21, 2015 20:34
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Does the axle have a shoulder on the other side? Could be grease from installing the axle / spacer collecting dirt.
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Apr 21, 2015 21:36
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Ah, yeah, could be.
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Apr 21, 2015 21:41
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Could wipe it off and see if it comes back 
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Apr 21, 2015 21:50
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z3n did you make a riding challenge yet
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Apr 21, 2015 21:51
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Z3n posted:Could wipe it off and see if it comes back Yeah, I'll do that. I suppose I'm more in danger of imminent demise from the tires than from a bearing going out that I can't feel or hear yet.
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Apr 21, 2015 22:04
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Hey moto goons. A question: I've recently bought a brand new MT 125 ABS (UK goon on an L-Plate). It's had it's 600 mile service, no problem. So I'm up to 750 miles, and there's a really audible rattle coming from somewhere around the front end at virtually any point whilst I'm moving. I can't tell exactly where it's coming from, and it doesn't do it on the side stand if I just rev it in neutral. Is this potentially something simple, or do I take it back to the garage? I don't want to waste cash if it's something stupid that I could fix myself, but on the other hand it's under warranty still, so now's the time to get anything major sorted. Any ideas, or is "rattles whilst moving" way too vague?
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Apr 22, 2015 19:26
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Warranty. All questions stop with warranty. Take it to the garage.
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Apr 22, 2015 19:53
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Slavvy posted:Warranty. All questions stop with warranty. Take it to the garage. Cool. I didn't want to be one of those guys that wastes their time with trivial poo poo, I'm hosed if I know what a 125 is supposed to sound like after a while, but, like I say, it sounds 'off'. So yeah. I'll get it booked in. Thanks.
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Apr 22, 2015 22:06
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de la peche posted:Cool. I didn't want to be one of those guys that wastes their time with trivial poo poo, I'm hosed if I know what a 125 is supposed to sound like after a while, but, like I say, it sounds 'off'. So yeah. I'll get it booked in. Thanks. Nice bike. Before you deal with the downtime, inconvenience, and almost certain response "cannot reproduce," have you done a walkaround? My first suspect would be the bodywork/prettification covers, etc., which I'm guessing are some form of plastic. Maybe a loose fastener or ill-mating surface, and the wind's getting under it at speed. It's a habit you should form anyway, regardless of the bike's age.
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Apr 23, 2015 00:19
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de la peche posted:Any ideas, or is "rattles whilst moving" way too vague? Could you describe the rattle a bit more? Does it sound like a socket wrench turning, is it metallic, is it more of a plastic buzz, does it change with speed or with bumps etc? Not saying you should fix it yourself, definitely take it to the garage, but if you can help them pinpoint it = less downtime.
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Apr 23, 2015 08:49
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Sounds like a plastic kind of buzz, like when you put something in the spokes of your bike as a kid. I've checked the wheels, there's nothing there, and all the plastics seem to be tight.
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Apr 23, 2015 12:56
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I had a similar one coming from my headlight. It's metal, so the buzz was higher pitched than plastic, but was a bit tricky to solve. If you try pressing on the bodywork while the buzz is there, you can hear if it changes noise or disappears.
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Apr 23, 2015 13:25
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This reminds me that something is rattling around on the back of my bike and it's driving me up the wall. Sounds exactly like the slapping noise you get at low revs when your chain is loose, but it's only on bumps, not speed/revs related (and yeah, the chain tension is fine). The annoyance is that whatever it is, it only happens on a big bump so I can't really replicate it on the stand to work out what it is. I might just dig out a camera mount and see if I can capture it on film.
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Apr 23, 2015 13:30
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Kickstand or center stand.
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Apr 23, 2015 14:24
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Bike's at the shop now, the nice mechanic is taking it round the block so he can see what it is. It's probably just me being paranoid, but I use it to commute, don't like the idea of something going wrong whilst I'm on it...
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Apr 23, 2015 15:07
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de la peche posted:Bike's at the shop now, the nice mechanic is taking it round the block so he can see what it is. It's probably just me being paranoid, but I use it to commute, don't like the idea of something going wrong whilst I'm on it... Probably just some plastic that's rubbing/vibrating in the bodywork or console. I'd still want to get it fixed, new bike and all. Not sure how they do warranty fixes for those, particularly if it's coming from the speedo. The last solution: 
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Apr 23, 2015 15:22
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Ola posted:Probably just some plastic that's rubbing/vibrating in the bodywork or console. I'd still want to get it fixed, new bike and all. Not sure how they do warranty fixes for those, particularly if it's coming from the speedo. The last solution: As long as you actually put them in your ears, instead of whatever that bullshit the guy in the picture is doing. Protip: if the tragus doesn't protrude over the end of the earplug, then you've done it wrong.
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Apr 23, 2015 17:03
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