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Collateral Damage posted:The advantage of going to a riding school with learner bikes, you can get the bike-dropping out of your system with someone else's bike. I've never dropped my own bike. *knock on wood* Same, kinda. Folded the front halfway through a figure 8, stopped the bike, couldn't hold it up and it went over underneath me while I just sort of stood there. My first non-drop was my own 125 first time I put fuel in it; I must have bumped it forward on the kickstand or something when putting the filler cap back on, because I went to grab the handlebars and the drat thing just fell on me. Didn't actually go over, but it was pretty tense being half pinned for a minute (because I still had weedy boy muscles from too many video games and not enough biek)
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Mar 17, 2016 18:58
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Wee, awesome shop fixed my shifter for free this morning. The guy took a torch to it and straightened it out.darth cookie posted:I hope you didn't crush the indicator. On my 2010 Ninja I discovered that Kawasaki had made the brilliant decision to use an unusual OEM bulb rather than just any loving yellow globe you might pick up from an auto shop. You may also wish to look into getting some oggy knobs or equivalent fitted. Ain't no shame in it and it'll be cheaper than replacement fairings. Nope, just scuff marks on left handle, clutch lever, mirror corner and fairing. I talked to the shop people about the knobs, and their opinion was that they do not help for low speed crashes like this and could in fact damage the frame, but are valuable for high speed situations. I think I will refrain from buying them now barring better information. Speaking of shame, I am wearing a neon worker vest over my jacket at all times, so I have no problem with that.
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Mar 17, 2016 20:18
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Nah, frame sliders or equivalent are really really nice for low speed and no speed drops. The other thing that helps is having sidecases or a big topcase. I say this because those probably saved me a ton of money by not having to replace/repair parts. However bar ends and levers seems to always get it though, so consider them consumables. The mushroom type frame sliders are pretty bad for high speed crashes because they have a tendency to grab scenery and bent/rip the engine mounting bracket it's bolted on, transforming a pricely repair job to a search for a new bike. My current bike came with those, though I'm too lazy to change 'em.  But i've got full coverage anyway so I'm sorted either way.
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Mar 17, 2016 21:28
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Get a sumo, start pulling away by getting on the bike, start the engine, counterweight it so it balances up off the kickstand, kick the kickstand up and ride away without ever putting your foot down. You can train this by getting a bike with a center stand and rocking it off the stand and pulling away all in one motion.
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Mar 17, 2016 21:37
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KARMA! posted:However bar ends and levers seems to always get it though, so consider them consumables. These are not consumables. If you drop it and break them, learn from that experience and don't do it again. Cases are good though. They've kept the bike off me a few times. 
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Mar 17, 2016 21:39
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Z3n posted:Get a sumo, start pulling away by getting on the bike, start the engine, counterweight it so it balances up off the kickstand, kick the kickstand up and ride away without ever putting your foot down. I like to get it up into 2nd gear while on the centerstand, get the rpms to about 6000, and then lean back till the rear wheel touches the ground.
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Mar 17, 2016 21:44
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Nothing retracts a center stand like a wheelie!
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Mar 17, 2016 21:53
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Z3n posted:Get a sumo, start pulling away by getting on the bike, start the engine, counterweight it so it balances up off the kickstand, kick the kickstand up and ride away without ever putting your foot down. I always feel a little weird about sitting on the bike while it's on the kickstand. I wouldn't put it past a bike manufacturer to design the kickstand to support only the bike's weight, so that if you hopped on and hung off the left side you'd risk bending the mount. Was it Ducati that mounted the stand directly to the engine, so applying too much force to it meant you'd punch a hole in the crankcase?
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Mar 17, 2016 21:56
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Z3n posted:Get a sumo, start pulling away by getting on the bike, start the engine, counterweight it so it balances up off the kickstand, kick the kickstand up and ride away without ever putting your foot down. I find it easier to just start the bike, put the kickstand up, bike into gear, and then hop onto it as I ride away. With your method you have to get the bike into gear after putting the kickstand up before it can actually move, seems like a pain in the rear end. Or do you have the kickstand switch disabled?
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Mar 17, 2016 21:59
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I imagine it's super common with stressed-member engines.
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Mar 17, 2016 22:00
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Sagebrush posted:Was it Ducati that mounted the stand directly to the engine, so applying too much force to it meant you'd punch a hole in the crankcase? Yes it was. The guy who towed my bike mentioned this fact as well.
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Mar 17, 2016 22:13
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clutchpuck posted:These are not consumables. If you drop it and break them, learn from that experience and don't do it again. Tell that to my brake lever that broke in half because I parked my bike in a windy spot on a stormy night, and tell that to my clutch lever that liberated itself when I ... okay yeah I shouldn't have been riding so close on cold wet cobblestones to that lady that stopped in a panic over nothing but it was still less than 5mph so it counts. 
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Mar 17, 2016 22:43
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Let me guess, you learned about parking in a windy spot and haven't done it again?
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Mar 17, 2016 22:56
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Does anyone know anything about Honda Trail 90s? They seem to be common as hell out here (Portland OR area) and it seems like it could be a fun second bike to take out on back roads or trails and mess around on.
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Mar 17, 2016 23:32
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M. Night Skymall posted:I find it easier to just start the bike, put the kickstand up, bike into gear, and then hop onto it as I ride away. With your method you have to get the bike into gear after putting the kickstand up before it can actually move, seems like a pain in the rear end. Or do you have the kickstand switch disabled? The point is that making easy things hard is clearly the domain of only the most grizzled badasses of bikes. See also: kick starting old, lovely bikes.
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Mar 18, 2016 00:17
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SquadronROE posted:Does anyone know anything about Honda Trail 90s? They seem to be common as hell out here (Portland OR area) and it seems like it could be a fun second bike to take out on back roads or trails and mess around on. All I know about those is that there's a version with a ten-speed transmission (5 speed + hi/low range selector), that in Australia they use them to deliver the mail, and that a Chinese woman has ridden one around the world twice.
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Mar 18, 2016 00:23
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Sagebrush posted:All I know about those is that there's a version with a ten-speed transmission (5 speed + hi/low range selector), that in Australia they use them to deliver the mail, and that a Chinese woman has ridden one around the world twice. All of those facts are hilarious.
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Mar 18, 2016 00:24
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There is an epic trip report on ADV of a couple (Aussies?) who did AK to the east coast and then back to the west cost on the TAT on a couple C90s. I kinda want one now.
HenryJLittlefinger fucked around with this message at 05:31 on Mar 18, 2016 |
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Mar 18, 2016 02:31
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BMW F800 parallel twins. Are they OK? Or are they cursed to be awful on account of being the devil's engine configuration? Looking at an R with an Akra pipe. Can get a '04 Duc Multi 1k with Termis for the same money, which is a known quantity for me. BMW has ABS which is nice though. Outliers are the occasional previous generation Duke 690 which comes up for the same money, which I think I'd like, but not for the price they go for. Present bike: 07 Versys Previous bike: 03 Multi
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Mar 18, 2016 16:31
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builds character posted:bike fell on you, huh? It fell away from me. I was standing on the right side.
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Mar 19, 2016 03:49
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SquadronROE posted:Does anyone know anything about Honda Trail 90s? They seem to be common as hell out here (Portland OR area) and it seems like it could be a fun second bike to take out on back roads or trails and mess around on. They are awesome. That's pretty much all you need to know.
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Mar 19, 2016 03:51
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opengl128 posted:Anybody have experience with Aprilias? I've had an SV650 for 8 years and I'm looking for something a little wilder. I do love the torque so I feel like a 4cyl wouldn't be for me, so I've been looking at 2004-2010 RSV-R's. Terrible idea? Any other bikes I should consider? Followup. Between the two, assuming a test ride is not going to happen realistically, would you go for an RSVR/Tuono, or a Speed Triple? If I'm after torque I'm assuming the Ape is the answer, but the Triumph doesn't seem to be a slouch either.
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Mar 20, 2016 17:31
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Linedance posted:BMW F800 parallel twins. Are they OK? Or are they cursed to be awful on account of being the devil's engine configuration?
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Mar 20, 2016 18:00
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GnarlyCharlie4u posted:They are awesome. That's pretty much all you need to know. What do you do with them, they look a little small to be a trail bike? Are they hard to get parts for?
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Mar 21, 2016 20:07
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You do anything with them that you can do under 35mph. You can trail ride them but prepare to have to lift them over obstacles. Toss a pair in the back of the truck for when you go camping. Ride them to the beach. Ride them to get coffee. I'm sure you can still get parts. Will probably be easier than getting Aprilia parts.
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Mar 21, 2016 20:50
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SquadronROE posted:What do you do with them, they look a little small to be a trail bike? Are they hard to get parts for? If you can't immediately think of a billion things to do with a tiny motorcycle then I don't know what to tell you 
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Mar 22, 2016 03:46
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Jim Silly-Balls posted:If you can't immediately think of a billion things to do with a tiny motorcycle then I don't know what to tell you Lunch break hallway races. Protip, they don't handle stairs as well as you'd hope.
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Mar 22, 2016 20:50
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Maybe looking at two bikes later this week, 2014 ninja 300 for $3500, and a 2013 cbr500r for $3750 (asking prices). Those sound like at least ballpark good prices? Buying bikes is hard, prices seem to vary tremendously and the only used bike dealers around here are bait and switch scumbags who list the same bike multiple times on craigslist with 20% price variation between listings.
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Mar 23, 2016 00:51
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Sounds about right but I bike prices differ a lot depending on your area.
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Mar 23, 2016 00:55
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GnarlyCharlie4u posted:Lunch break hallway races.
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Mar 23, 2016 12:07
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Collateral Damage posted:Spoken like someone who has experience with such things. I'll say it's more fun than racing motorcycle frames strapped to skateboards.
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Mar 23, 2016 13:27
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PaintVagrant posted:Maybe looking at two bikes later this week, 2014 ninja 300 for $3500, and a 2013 cbr500r for $3750 (asking prices). Those sound like at least ballpark good prices? Buying bikes is hard, prices seem to vary tremendously and the only used bike dealers around here are bait and switch scumbags who list the same bike multiple times on craigslist with 20% price variation between listings. Those are probably really good prices if either has ABS. If they don't, I personally would pass. I turned down a deal on a 2013 CBR500R for $3000 with 14k miles and all maintenance receipts because it didn't have ABS. Even if it's a good deal, I'd have buyer's remorse pretty much right away. If a bike has an ABS option I wouldn't go without it.
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Mar 23, 2016 14:37
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No abs on either. I think I could shave 10-15% of those asking prices. I'm leaning towards the ninja 300 if I could get it for 3k or so. Cbr seems cool but it's lack of revs is disturbing
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Mar 23, 2016 17:29
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It's totally personal opinion, and maybe someone else will disagree, but I just don't think it's worth it to get those bikes without ABS. You can get a decent condition, ready to ride pregen 250 for $1,500-1700 Even if you get the 300 for $3,000 (the most I'd pay), what's that extra money getting you? The 250 does highway speeds all day just fine. The 300 is probably not world changing in comparison. If the 250 gets boring, then the 300 probably would, too. The 300 has FI, but I've owned 30+ year old bikes and never touched a carb. If it runs well when you buy it, and you don't leave it sitting for months, you'll probably never need to mess with them. Even if you did, a professional carb clean and sync is cheaper than a fuel pump. If you pay the extra cash for an ABS model, no one will say you made the wrong choice.
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Mar 23, 2016 18:50
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Dutymode posted:The 300 has FI, but I've owned 30+ year old bikes and never touched a carb. If it runs well when you buy it, and you don't leave it sitting for months, you'll probably never need to mess with them. Even if you did, a professional carb clean and sync is cheaper than a fuel pump. As a man who has fiddled with carbs on a Ninjette and is currently fiddling with carbs on an inline 4, I would personally pay extra for a fuel-injected bike. But then again, I am a relative n00b when it comes to the dark mysteries of The Carburetor. You should know, however, that the carbs on the EX250 are a bastard whore to put back on the bike. Also I have never sunch my carbs because the bike ran OK and I kept putting it off and putting it off and then some lady was like "oh I may as well turn left, nobody is coming" and all my work was for naught. captainOrbital fucked around with this message at 19:13 on Mar 23, 2016 |
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Mar 23, 2016 19:11
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People tend to forget EFI needs fiddling, too. Those throttle bodies need to be vacuum synced just like carburetors; every oil change on my wife's bike.
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Mar 23, 2016 19:21
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captainOrbital posted:You should know, however, that the carbs on the EX250 are a bastard whore to put back on the bike. Oh god don't remind me. I filleted my finger open with a flathead trying to get those sonsabitches back on. Had to remove/install them like three times, too...
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Mar 23, 2016 19:26
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captainOrbital posted:sunch
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Mar 23, 2016 19:27
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Is there really a wrong way to conjugate an abbreviation?
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Mar 23, 2016 19:29
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clutchpuck posted:vacuum sync I can't even begin to picture what this means.
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Mar 23, 2016 19:30
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