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I’m 1000% kidding Unless one becomes available in which case I’m not kidding
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Sep 12, 2019 09:45
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| # ? May 22, 2024 12:24 |
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Sagebrush posted:A good starter bike should be describable as "forgiving." That's the operating term. Completely agreed on "forgiving" and my advice to stray from getting a 250 / 300 as a starter bike only applies to the poster who said he was 265lbs. Still buy forgiving, but the lowest HP / displacement bikes may be too small. As a big dude, that was my experience, YMMV.
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Sep 12, 2019 15:59
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This further reinforces my decision to get a 650CC SV or CB, given that I’m 257lb.
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Sep 12, 2019 16:25
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Nooooo please let's just expunge this whole weight bullshit. If you want to get a 650 cause it'll make you feel good or whatever that's fine, but please don't go talking poo poo about what a big unit you are that a 250 is too slow, it's post-fact justification nonsense sorry. The only time, and I mean only time, being heavy matters is on sub-250 midget machines. Let's say your hypothetical learner bike has 30hp and a wet weight of 160kg. You weigh 120kg so with you on it, it has 107hp/ton. That's about the same as an old Miata or a small hatchback. I weigh 70kg so with me on it that figure rises to 130hp/ton, or about the same as a Mazda 6 or similar 4 cylinder saloon. Not a huge difference and certainly not debilitatingly slow. Sagebrush please double check my maths, I know I'm right but numbers are effort, TIA! Standard boilerplate: I think small bikes' skinny tires are a lot more critical for learning than all the other stuff. An SV or similar is certainly ok, but you'll learn really slowly and haltingly because they still have big bike tires that are really difficult to interpret, and the engine makes it possible to park it in the corners while whacking it open on the straights and telling yourself you're riding gud.
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Sep 12, 2019 20:53
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I appreciate the effort-post Slavvy, thank you.
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Sep 12, 2019 21:04
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Also, an overwhelming amount of the minibike community are fat fucks and they manage it ok on 125cc.
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Sep 12, 2019 21:09
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Coydog posted:Also, an overwhelming amount of the minibike community are fat fucks and they manage it ok on 125cc. I'm not surprised but the mental image of this is priceless.
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Sep 12, 2019 22:06
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Steakandchips posted:This further reinforces my decision to get a 650CC SV or CB, given that I’m 257lb. good , you'll be far happier on a 650 
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Sep 12, 2019 23:00
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I kind of pieced together what about highway riding wasn’t clicking for me. I wasn’t gripping the tank with my legs. Overall once I started doing that today I felt MUCH more confident. I’m not going to say I love highway riding because I was still stiffarming it between reminding myself not to, and still just touching the speed limit rather than doing the 10 over that everyone was hanging at but I finally didn’t feel like I was in imminent danger of being busted off my seat. Generally much calmer and I came out of the ride with a “hey, I could probably do that again without too much fuss” feeling rather than my typical “christ, never again” nervous sweats. Gripping the tank was one of those skills I was told to do, but I didn’t really employ until today. Made all my riding much more pleasant tbh. I wonder if all newbies forget this one. Just going to have to remember to keep it going forward.
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Sep 12, 2019 23:05
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Yeah always remember that the bars are a control system, not a handhold. The only forces you should be putting into the bars are steering inputs. Placing your body weight on the bars should be considered as foolish as trying to drive while lifting your butt out of your car seat by hanging on the steering wheel.
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Sep 12, 2019 23:15
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I think the stiffarming is coming from an erroneous place of hoping that keeping my arms still will keep from inputting any unwarranted steering, which is actually the exact opposite of what is going to happen but it’s hard to tell my lizard brain to chill the gently caress out and take a backseat. I’m pretty happy that I at least realized what I was doing wrong. Not really that scared of getting back onto the highway now, and in fact I’m kind of itching to get back out there right now.
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Sep 12, 2019 23:20
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Slavvy posted:Standard boilerplate: I think small bikes' skinny tires are a lot more critical for learning than all the other stuff. An SV or similar is certainly ok, but you'll learn really slowly and haltingly because they still have big bike tires that are really difficult to interpret, and the engine makes it possible to park it in the corners while whacking it open on the straights and telling yourself you're riding gud. Maybe I'm just weird and it's been a long time now so the memory might be fuzzy, but IIRC the skinny tires was one of the more annoying things about my first bike. I felt like if I exhaled more forcefully out of one nostril than the other the thing would change direction. And baby Odin help me on grooved pavement or metal bridges. One of my first highway rides had like 5 miles of grooved pavement that felt like 30. Just curious, why do you think skinny tires better for learning? Mid-corner direction changes? Also, Martytoof good for you on the highway riding.
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Sep 12, 2019 23:55
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For a given corner speed, the fatter the tyres the more lean angle you need. Lean angle = risk. With skinny tires you can go loving fast in the corners with relatively low risk. With fat tyres you have to be leaning a lot further for a lot less speed but with a lot more risk. It's also much easier to perceive the grip limit and you don't need to be going stupid fast to feel it at all. But like everything with bikes, it's about the holistic sum of the whole, not individual attributes. Skinny tires tend to come on small light bikes. Locking or washing out a skinny tyre is very easy to come back from, especially when they're on a small bike that hasn't got a lot of momentum to continue the slide. Am SV isn't that fast, but it's still a 180-190kg bike with a 120 section front; if it lets go you won't have a hope of catching it. It doesn't matter if it has 100 or 70 or 50 or 30hp, it still has the weight and front tire of a sportbike. Likewise the bike wanting to change direction with a sneeze is a GOOD THING because it teaches you not to death grip the bars over every bump. A small bike ridden well draws on all the skills a good rider needs and riding one for a while forges you into a proper rider. The flightiness makes you smooth, the lack of power punishes crap lines, the skinny tires let you push yourself and the bike without enormous risks. Basically skinny bikes let you do stuff slowly and 'manually' without throwing you off when you gently caress things up, this lets you develop the automatic responses and techniques that are simply not optional on bigger bikes. I'm exposed to a huge number and variety of riders and riding behavior because of a government program I'm involved in and honestly the absolute biggest problem area is people not knowing how to enter corners properly and crashing as a result; horsepower is almost never a direct factor. There's a lot of stuff happening on corner entry and the last thing you need is more power and weight forcing you to do things faster than you're able. It's literally trying to run before you can walk and breaking your legs in the process. One final note: why can't I just go slow on my sv? You can, but you'll learn extremely slowly. The nature of suspension and chassis are such that a bike can only really work well in a particular goldilocks zone of speed, grip and bumps. So a bike designed for low speeds will offer excellent feedback until you start going fast enough that you exit the operating window, at which point I'll become increasingly vague and unstable. A sportbike offers zero feedback and gently caress all grip at low speed and the situation only improves when you start going very, very fast. I ride like an rear end in a top hat maniac and I still think most sportbikes are simply no good on the street because most corners are too slow to get the bike working. The goldilocks window on even a humble SV is totally out of the reach of novice riders. You'll spend years puttering around slowly, whacking the throttle on the straights and having no loving clue what the tires or chassis are doing, because you haven't got the skill to go fast enough to put the bike in it's window. On a small bike it's much easier to gradually get into this window and start getting an understanding of bike dynamics, on a big bike you're pretty much just blindly diverolling through the window and it straight out the back door labelled lowside.
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Sep 13, 2019 01:48
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Martytoof posted:I think the stiffarming is coming from an erroneous place of hoping that keeping my arms still will keep from inputting any unwarranted steering, which is actually the exact opposite of what is going to happen but it’s hard to tell my lizard brain to chill the gently caress out and take a backseat. I’m pretty happy that I at least realized what I was doing wrong. Not really that scared of getting back onto the highway now, and in fact I’m kind of itching to get back out there right now. It’s important to remember that as a general rule motorcycles want to stay upright and in a straight line. Remove your inputs (take your hands off the bars) and that’s what they’ll do. Anyway, good for you for keeping at it. It’ll get easier and in a month or two you’ll be like “I think I need a super duke.”
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Sep 13, 2019 14:06
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After reading about the handling differences between bike size and suspension/tires, I’m personally glad I waited on the 650 and got my R3 instead as a first motorcycle. I now think I’m going to have this bike a long time. I’ve started really connecting with it when I do something. Every little flick and bit of lean responds immediately and it’s intoxicating. I found some great country roads just out of the city and I’ve been having a blast practicing my entry and exit into curves over and over. Steering this thing is so fun and I can tell it can do much more than what I’m comfortable doing on public roads. I think I want to learn about track stuff?
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Sep 13, 2019 16:08
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Rolo posted:
Yes, yes you do.
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Sep 13, 2019 18:53
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Rolo posted:I now think I’m going to have this bike a long time. I’ve started really connecting with it when I do something. Every little flick and bit of lean responds immediately and it’s intoxicating. I found some great country roads just out of the city and I’ve been having a blast practicing my entry and exit into curves over and over. Steering this thing is so fun and I can tell it can do much more than what I’m comfortable doing on public roads. I have an R3, was my first bike around 4 years ago. I'll have it until it dies, it's real good for commuting/filtering and country roads where I live. I originally wanted a naked bike like an MT-09/Street Triple etc after a couple of years of riding, but now it's not so much the power I want but a different experience. My next bike will be a 790 ADV or Tenere 700 because I'm sick of limping down all the unpaved poo poo that shows up after an hour away from my house. Definitely do the track instruction stuff, it's fun and you'll learn a lot
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Sep 14, 2019 08:36
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Learned a valuable lesson about super sketchy dirt roads after the rain. Next time gps directs me to one imma peace out. Super slow so no serious damage, just my pride.  Also peep that “quality” eBay frame slider at what, now, appears to be a 45 degree angle.
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Sep 14, 2019 16:59
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Aren't you glad you got a used bike? poo poo happens. Incidentally you can ride on wet dirt roads just fine with that bike and tires; you just need to be way more aware of your traction situation and, not unexpectedly, you just haven't figured out what that point is yet. Bend the pieces back and keep riding.
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Sep 14, 2019 17:06
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I was just about to edit my post to say “imagine if I had bought a new bike??” Literally took some pliers to the bent brake pedal and I’ll keep at it 
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Sep 14, 2019 17:08
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I feel better about my spill now. Condolences though, glad you're not hurt. Every ride a lesson.
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Sep 14, 2019 17:19
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Martytoof posted:Learned a valuable lesson about super sketchy dirt roads after the rain. Next time gps directs me to one imma peace out. Dirt and mud suck with a sporty layout a slick tires. Way back when, I was going on my first big ride, from Upstate NY to Boston, and back the next day, a few hundred miles. I navigated back roads and city traffic flawlessly, I was super stoked by my awesome newby riding prowess... until I turned into my dirt driveway and immediately dumped the bike at 2mph. Years later I dropped my FZ6 in the post-rainstorm Texas mud after getting gas, poo poo happens. When you're due for tires next, I'd recommend a "sport touring" style tire instead of the sport tires you have on now, something like the Michelin Pilot Road series, they'll give you better grip on lovely surfaces, and really you won't even notice any dry grip loss compared to your current tires.
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Sep 14, 2019 18:26
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Martytoof posted:I was just about to edit my post to say “imagine if I had bought a new bike??” Might want to replace the bent frame slider bolt too cause it looks like it might go through an engine mount? Hard to tell. Elviscat posted:When you're due for tires next, I'd recommend a "sport touring" style tire instead of the sport tires you have on now, something like the Michelin Pilot Road series, they'll give you better grip on lovely surfaces, and really you won't even notice any dry grip loss compared to your current tires. You're not wrong, but I also can't think of a better way of ruining an r3 than putting pilot trucks on it.
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Sep 14, 2019 19:43
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Slavvy posted:Might want to replace the bent frame slider bolt too cause it looks like it might go through an engine mount? Hard to tell The slider bolt connects to a plate that is mounted to a few mounting holes on the engine, but not the engine mount itself. I’m just going to source a new bolt since the mount plate itself looks fine.
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Sep 14, 2019 19:55
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Ok sweet! I'd suggest getting the lowest grade bolt you can, so if you fall again, it safely bends like the old one instead of potentially snapping the engine casing where the plate bolts on.
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Sep 14, 2019 20:00
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Slavvy posted:You're not wrong, but I also can't think of a better way of ruining an r3 than putting pilot trucks on it. Oh god, I had forgotten that round profile tires are on the list of "bizarre poo poo everyone likes but Slavvy hates" I know a few years ago the Pilot Road series was just leagues ahead of everyone in terms of compounds and grip, but since then all the other manufacturers have come out with good triple-compound touring tires, and everything I've heard about the Road 5 is that it's not as good as the PR3 or PR4, and I really don't like the look of the tread, it lacks the big sipes that are so effective at gripping on wet/slippery surfaces. What other good sport-touring tires are offered?
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Sep 14, 2019 20:30
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I actually have a pilot street radial on the rear, the front is .. something I can’t remember.
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Sep 14, 2019 21:37
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Pilot streets are a cheap sport tire that slots somewhere between the Pilot Power and Pilot Road. Yes this is confusing, including to the pos shop that put the wrong one on my bike, and made me stop for tires on a 6000mi trip.
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Sep 14, 2019 21:40
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For other sport touring offers, I've been running Angel GT 2 tires on my fz6 for 2500 miles atm. They've been good in the wet and cold up here, not noticed any loss of traction. Not too much of a difference from the road 5 tires i had before. Both handle rain and cold just fine, tons of grip. Even on hard pack dirt/gravel they behave. I've run both of them down to 40f temp, no problems.
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Sep 14, 2019 21:50
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Elviscat posted:Oh god, I had forgotten that round profile tires are on the list of "bizarre poo poo everyone likes but Slavvy hates" They make the bike like a truck, I don't know what to tell you but I don't like tires that try to fight me from leaning the bike. It isn't round profile tyres in general because sporty Michelins are fine, the pilot road is just particularly blunt feeling. The best ST tyre by miles is the angel GT imo. Dunlop whatevers are also pretty good.
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Sep 14, 2019 21:54
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Martytoof posted:I actually have a pilot street radial on the rear, the front is .. something I can’t remember. I had pilot streets on one of my supermotos and to this day it's the worst most dangerous tire I've ever run. Wobbles on the highway and sketchy grip in the twisties. I just got used to losing the rear on hard corners (which was fun on a sumo but still). Pilot roads are god and I'll put PR3 on every motorcycle that can take them.
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Sep 15, 2019 17:50
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10 days until I get my learner's permit. I've been to a couple of different places and looked at gear, and I'm going to a bunch more when I go to the city next week. Three more questions: I tried on a couple of kevlar lined flannel "shirts" that were extremely comfortable to wear. They've got elbow/shoulder/back pockets for armor, and even with the armor in they're more comfortable than any leather jacket I've tried. Are they worth anything in a crash? If so, why doesn't everyone wear them? I've never seen one on the road. Still looking around at V Star 650s and getting a handle on prices and so on. What's high mileage for these bikes? What's high mileage for bikes in general? I'm used to 150-200 thousand kms on a new-to-me car as a kind of "getting highish but not too high", but bikes seem to have much lower mileage, and I saw some guy referring to 80,000kms on a VTR 250 as "high mileage". Are there any helmet brands known for being better for larger sized heads? I wear 62-64cm hats but some of the helmets that say they're that size won't even go over my head. Elector_Nerdlingen fucked around with this message at 10:25 on Sep 17, 2019 |
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Sep 17, 2019 10:19
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What's your climate like? Unless it's really warm, I'm betting anyone with those flannel "shirts" will wear a windbreaker over top, because wind chill from riding is real. For helmets, that's probably a lot to do with head shape. If your head is too wide for the helmet you won't be able to put the helmet on. Someone with a round head shape should be able to help you there. The answer to helmet fitting is almost always "try helmets until you find one that fits".
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Sep 17, 2019 14:43
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Elector_Nerdlingen posted:helmets for fatheads I have a huge noggin (62+ also) and the most comfortable, best-built feeling by far for me are Shoei; I now have an Mx and road helmet by them both bought after an hour trying everything on on in the shop rather than seeking out the brand specifically. I bought a GT Air II yesterday and it is wonderful. Elector_Nerdlingen posted:Vinyl record jackets These always look like they'll just ride up in a slide and you'll get rash anyway? I feel like bulkier jackets have a stiffness that's intentional to keep them closer to your vulnerable pink bits. I guess they'd be fine for sub-30 crashes when you don't slide for ages.
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Sep 17, 2019 19:22
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Elector_Nerdlingen posted:
Depends on manufacturer and headshape. Looking at size info, I should be wearing XL-XXL for most, but ended up with HJC RPHA70 at size L. I cannot repeat enough that you need to find a store that will help you get a helmet that fits. I would easily have ordered a size or 2 too big had I been shopping online (or without help in the store). Also try out all the brands...even if they're stupidly priced. It will help you narrow down what shape that works best and then you can (probably) find a cheaper option with the same shape/fit.
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Sep 17, 2019 19:33
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pun pundit posted:For helmets, that's probably a lot to do with head shape. If your head is too wide for the helmet you won't be able to put the helmet on. Someone with a round head shape should be able to help you there. The answer to helmet fitting is almost always "try helmets until you find one that fits". Agreed - I have a long oval head, and a lot of helmets that are supposedly a long oval internal shape still don't fit. Only Arais have ever fit me properly, which I never would have learned if I hadn't just tried on a shitload of helmets. The price point would've kept me away.
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Sep 17, 2019 19:35
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Elector_Nerdlingen posted:Still looking around at V Star 650s and getting a handle on prices and so on. What's high mileage for these bikes? What's high mileage for bikes in general? I'm used to 150-200 thousand kms on a new-to-me car as a kind of "getting highish but not too high", but bikes seem to have much lower mileage, and I saw some guy referring to 80,000kms on a VTR 250 as "high mileage". It's like dog years, the smaller you go the shorter they last. 80kkm is a lot for a 250, like analogous to 250,000km on a car. Being a Honda it'll probably still run mint and last fine, if it's been taken care of, but the shock and cosmetic bits will be pretty tired by then. Otoh a 80k on a goldwing is exactly like 80k on a car, so pretty insignificant, because those have a huge lazy engine pretty much like a car. If you're looking at vstar 650's I'd aim for less than 60-70k. They are fairly resilient and don't have any major weak points, on the down side most people just don't take care of cruisers so the higher the mileage the higher the probability there was a neglectful dumbass in it's past.
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Sep 17, 2019 19:36
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Slavvy posted:It's like dog years, the smaller you go the shorter they last. 80kkm is a lot for a 250, like analogous to 250,000km on a car. Being a Honda it'll probably still run mint and last fine, if it's been taken care of, but the shock and cosmetic bits will be pretty tired by then. Adding onto this, I think the ideal bike is one that's been ridden regularly but not a ton every year since it was made. You should be just as cautious of a 15 year old bike that has 1k km as of the same bike that has 80k. Because not being ridden means it mostly just say and all the gaskets and such didn't get any of that sweet sweet oil circulating around and the carb (if it has one) is probably all gummed up and gross.
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Sep 17, 2019 20:56
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Slavvy posted:It's like dog years, the smaller you go the shorter they last. Except opposite. (Smaller dogs will in general live longer).
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Sep 17, 2019 21:16
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| # ? May 22, 2024 12:24 |
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ImplicitAssembler posted:Except opposite. (Smaller dogs will in general live longer). Genuinely didn't know this!
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Sep 17, 2019 21:34
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