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Speaking of challenging yourself: It finally finally finally meaningfully properly rained here for the first time in 3 months so I went out and rode in the rain for 3 hours and the whole experience was kinda miserable to be honest. Found my grip limit a couple of times but stayed upright (according to plan!) Got pulled out on and locked the front wheel for a fraction of a second and managed to stop with maybe a bike length to spare (not according to plan, but I feel like it's a good result.) Got soaked, didn't get too cold, but it was way less fun that riding in dry weather. Only real question I have is: Is there a way to improve rainy day visibility at the speeds between "can have visor up a little without rain smashing face" (< ~15km/h) and "rain beads off to the sides quickly" (> ~60km/h)? Not fogging, just the water on the visor obscuring vision somewhat. Other than that I think I'll be able to solve most of the suck with some waterproofs. Also, the bike's loving filthy and I'm not sure my usual 2 bucket wash is gonna cut it. Can I use a self-serve pressure wash car wash place without wrecking anything, or do I just scrub and scrub? Elector_Nerdlingen fucked around with this message at 07:21 on Jan 5, 2020 |
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Jan 5, 2020 07:18
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You can use a pressure washer, just stay away from wheel bearings, switch blocks, clocks basically anything that moves or has electricity inside and keep it a few inches away so you don't strip anything.
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Jan 5, 2020 07:29
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And steering head bearings, you'll strip the grease out of those in seconds
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Jan 5, 2020 09:42
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RainX will reduce the speeds at which the rain will bead off your visor, although it's a spray so you kinda have to apply it repeatedly, and it's also some pretty nasty crap.
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Jan 5, 2020 16:00
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Slavvy posted:You can use a pressure washer, just stay away from wheel bearings, switch blocks, clocks basically anything that moves or has electricity inside and keep it a few inches away so you don't strip anything. Engine parts that have seals or gaskets too.
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Jan 5, 2020 17:32
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Mirconium posted:RainX will reduce the speeds at which the rain will bead off your visor, although it's a spray so you kinda have to apply it repeatedly, and it's also some pretty nasty crap. I’ve read mixed reviews on using RainX on a visor. They have a special plastic-safe version, but I couldn’t find the exact plastic my visor is made of, has any coatings, etc., and don’t want to risk making it brittle and shatter-prone. It’s a clear CWR-1, for what it’s worth. I feel like it should be safe as that’s probably a common visor, but I’m neurotic. I haven’t ridden in any rain yet, but I’ve been in thick enough fog that I had to wipe my visor every 30 seconds or so. It worked for that, but probably not really what I want to rely on if it’s actually raining.
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Jan 5, 2020 18:24
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Mix dish soap or simple green and water. Spray, wait 10m, wash.
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Jan 5, 2020 18:24
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Toe Rag posted:I’ve read mixed reviews on using RainX on a visor. They have a special plastic-safe version, but I couldn’t find the exact plastic my visor is made of, has any coatings, etc., and don’t want to risk making it brittle and shatter-prone. It’s a clear CWR-1, for what it’s worth. I feel like it should be safe as that’s probably a common visor, but I’m neurotic. Edit: I'm an idiot, helmet visors are polycarbonate or acrylic. Should still be safe though. DearSirXNORMadam fucked around with this message at 18:59 on Jan 5, 2020 |
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Jan 5, 2020 18:55
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I use RainX on the outside of my visor, it works great and I have zero issues with rain making my visor unusable in Scotland (and it rains here a lot).
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Jan 5, 2020 22:53
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Mirconium posted:Edit: I'm an idiot, helmet visors are polycarbonate or acrylic. Should still be safe though. Any decent visor will be PC, acrylic shatters very easily
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Jan 5, 2020 23:51
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Gonna try the dish soap thing first. Ended up washing the bike by hand as normal, just took a bit longer and more bucket refills. Any tips for cleaning what I assume is chain gunk off the rear wheel? It's stuck on there real hard.
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Jan 6, 2020 05:05
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Elector_Nerdlingen posted:Gonna try the dish soap thing first. Any sort of solvent. Easiest to get your hands on would be gasoline, but like mineral spirits / paint stripper / gun cleaner / etc
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Jan 6, 2020 05:25
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Elector_Nerdlingen posted:Gonna try the dish soap thing first. Simple Green, Pine Sol, or whatever the slightly more natural floor cleaners are in your region. You’re in the home of Start, Ya Bastard starter fluid, right? Surely there’s some all purpose degreaser called poo poo’s Gunked, Mate! Also try switching to a less waxy chain lube if it’s really bad. HenryJLittlefinger fucked around with this message at 05:52 on Jan 6, 2020 |
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Jan 6, 2020 05:45
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derp
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Jan 6, 2020 05:51
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If you dislike chain gunk, may I recommend an automatic chain oiler. Chain grease is some of the nastiest poo poo ever invented and even strong solvents don't really loosen it up when it's caked on there, you usually have to scrape/brush with some effort. But if you're just dripping oil on the chain it cleans off the rest of the bike easily. All the cool bros have chain oilers.
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Jan 6, 2020 05:56
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Is installing a chain oiler a massive gently caress-around? Because I've got the "go for a ride and spray the grease on" down to like 10 minute's work without much mess. Also, if I wanted to make sure my idle speed was actually to spec, would something like this be the right tool or do I need to look at something else? https://www.mxstore.com.au/p/Works-Connection-Tach-Hour-Meter/37-200
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Jan 6, 2020 13:21
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It isn't a gently caress around but it depends on how it operates, the hardest part is usually routing the little hoses and finding somewhere to stick the bottle. That tacho would work fine. I wouldn't get too fussy about getting the idle right to the last 100rpm, if it runs smoothly and isn't noticeably idling high it'll be fine. Small air cooled engines tend to fluctuate so much with minor environmental changes, you'll likely end up playing with it every day because it won't be the same two days in a row.
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Jan 6, 2020 18:08
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Yeah, not gonna stress about it but I'm still new to loving around with this kind of thing and my "I guess that's about right" isn't worth poo poo. New question. Today I rode a couple hundred km, filled tank, rode another km or so, left the bike off for 5 minutes, and then it wouldn't start. Lights on, nothing at all from the starter, not even a noise. Visually checked the kickstand switch (it's moving), tried in neutral and in 1st with the clutch in, checked the kill switch, nothing. Thought about what to do next, got a screwdriver out, and was gonna disassemble the kill switch and check it, but noticed that the screws on the bottom of the switch block were loose so I tightened them up and... the bike started. So my two stupid questions are: Could it have been anything other than the switch, and what should I check to make sure I don't get stranded? Nope, it's the clutch position switch, because if I pull the clutch in real hard it starts every time, but if I just pull it in like normal, it doesn't start. Found out because the way I'm gripping the bar/lever when I'm standing up trying to figure out wtf is wrong is different from sitting on the bike. And when I got it to start again while I was out, I was standing up next to it. Can't figure out how to adjust it though. e: Sorted. The switch pin thing had slipped kinda beside the lever and was permanently pressed "in" (clutch out), presumably because the bolt that holds the lever in was loose and so everything was slightly shaky. Sorted that, but then clutch play was hosed, so sorted that, and now I think everything's fine. gently caress, though. Gonna go over the bike and just tighten everything up. Elector_Nerdlingen fucked around with this message at 05:39 on Jan 7, 2020 |
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Jan 7, 2020 04:31
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Slavvy do you ever do wheelies?
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Jan 7, 2020 05:14
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Elector_Nerdlingen posted:Clutch switch You don't need a clutch switch, nobody does, just join the two wires together and make your bike that tiny bit more reliable. Rolo posted:Slavvy do you ever do wheelies? Only on the bikes grunty enough to do it on their own, I've yet to be in a situation where I have a disposable enough bike to try learning clutch-ups. I don't know why barreling into a turn at 150kmh is just dandy but making a 250cc shitbike pop the front wheel is terrifying. I think it's cause I'm insanely clumsy and you're expected to do like three things at the same time really quickly and also have some sense of balance or whatever I dunno. Basically nobody has taught me and I haven't got the sack to try it alone. Slavvy fucked around with this message at 07:21 on Jan 7, 2020 |
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Jan 7, 2020 07:18
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Clutch up wheelies are weird voodoo devil magic. Power wheelies feel like they take a poo poo ton of throttle and speed. Clutch ups make the bike feel unnaturally light.
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Jan 7, 2020 07:25
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Slavvy posted:You don't need a clutch switch, nobody does, just join the two wires together and make your bike that tiny bit more reliable. We all know what you do with that red dirtbike 
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Jan 7, 2020 08:25
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Goddamn even here 
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Jan 7, 2020 08:52
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Elector_Nerdlingen posted:
My coworker had a real fun experience with his riding buddy related to that. Turns out you can get aftermarket levers for some years of gsx 1000 that it had an extra adjustment screw for the travel of the part that engages the plunger at the front brake master cylinder, not just the normal lever distance adjustment with a dial/lever. This screw does not have locktite on it by default. It could then unwind itself and result in a front brake that you could press, the lever itself would return to normal position, but the brake would still be full on. And it would stay locked up until it sloowly loosened pressure.
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Jan 7, 2020 09:01
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Slavvy posted:Only on the bikes grunty enough to do it on their own, I've yet to be in a situation where I have a disposable enough bike to try learning clutch-ups. Verman posted:Clutch up wheelies are weird voodoo devil magic. Power wheelies feel like they take a poo poo ton of throttle and speed. Clutch ups make the bike feel unnaturally light. I think I want to tape a bunch of pillows to myself and try this in a parking lot. I’ll wear a GoPro if I do.
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Jan 7, 2020 20:47
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Slavvy posted:You don't need a clutch switch, nobody does, just join the two wires together and make your bike that tiny bit more reliable.
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Jan 8, 2020 23:17
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The Daytonas newer than mine (I believe it starts in 2009) are supposed to run in some kind of limp mode if you bypass the clutch switch
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Jan 9, 2020 01:13
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Got my license test tomorrow. I'm pretty confident, but once again the weather looks beyond hosed. Scorching hot with bushfire smoke, then a cool change with high wind and rain somewhere around the time I'll be actually testing. Given that it was similar last time except with dust instead of smoke, I'm taking it as a good omen.
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Jan 9, 2020 11:09
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Good luck, you got this!
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Jan 9, 2020 13:04
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Please don't die in a fire. ^^^ the first and probably last time I've ever said that on the internet
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Jan 9, 2020 19:41
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Flawless victory.
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Jan 10, 2020 03:48
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Congrats! Now get out there! Watch out for flames though and stay safe
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Jan 10, 2020 08:24
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Turns out I'm gonna need a new rear tyre before I get very far out there, it's down to the indicators. Tyres are way more expensive than I thought. Are there any low cost but worthwhile brands or types I should be looking for? Also I'm nowhere near any major fires (like, >400km away), it's just that the smoke's loving everywhere. I was out the other day and it was like medium fog where it'd blown in overnight and kind of settled in low areas. My jeans smelled like I'd been sitting around a wet camp fire after riding for an hour.
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Jan 10, 2020 10:40
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Man, I was super worried my constant nervousness before I got on my bike wasn't going to go away, and that I bought too big of a bike for my first one. -- Weirdly enough road cycling and mountain biking has made me a really solid motorcyclist. I'll still ride like everyone is blind though.
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Jan 10, 2020 11:32
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Elector_Nerdlingen posted:Turns out I'm gonna need a new rear tyre before I get very far out there, it's down to the indicators. Tyres are way more expensive than I thought. Are there any low cost but worthwhile brands or types I should be looking for? Try not to cheap out on tires too much, they're one of the most important safety features. That said, I got some really good life out of a set of Kenda K671 Kruisers a few years back, and they're fairly inexpensive. They wore pretty uniformly and I only ever had a couple moments of lost traction which were all more my fault than the tires'. Bridgestone BT45s are pretty decent, but they have a tendency to square off and wear poorly if you're not on top of your pressure.
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Jan 10, 2020 15:47
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Elector_Nerdlingen posted:Turns out I'm gonna need a new rear tyre before I get very far out there, it's down to the indicators. Tyres are way more expensive than I thought. Are there any low cost but worthwhile brands or types I should be looking for? If you want cheapo BRANDS, Shinkos generally have a reputation for being remarkably good for being absolutely bargain-basement priced. (Kinda like HJC, great helmets, very cheap) But yeah, buy good tires, they make an amazing amount of difference.
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Jan 10, 2020 17:33
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Elector_Nerdlingen posted:Turns out I'm gonna need a new rear tyre before I get very far out there, it's down to the indicators. Tyres are way more expensive than I thought. Are there any low cost but worthwhile brands or types I should be looking for? Yeah cheap isn't really what you want to judge tyres by. On a car they just need to be black and round and keep the rims off the ground and driver skill can make the difference, but on a bike talent is irrelevant if you have tyres that don't work, because the tyres have a far more critical role in the turning and suspension of the bike then they do on a car. Good cruiser tyres with the better ones at the top imo: Michelin Continental Bridgestone Metzler Dunlop Shinko SirLeigh posted:Man, I was super worried my constant nervousness before I got on my bike wasn't going to go away, and that I bought too big of a bike for my first one. -- Weirdly enough road cycling and mountain biking has made me a really solid motorcyclist. I'll still ride like everyone is blind though. You are wrong, it didn't, you're feeling the confidence of the soon-to-be-down.
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Jan 10, 2020 18:34
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SirLeigh posted:Man, I was super worried my constant nervousness before I got on my bike wasn't going to go away, and that I bought too big of a bike for my first one. -- Weirdly enough road cycling and mountain biking has made me a really solid motorcyclist. I'll still ride like everyone is blind though. Did you self-evaluate as a really strong motorcyclist, or did someone with a lot of experience tell you that you are? How many miles do you currently have on the motorcycle? Is it about 2,000-3,000? Check out the first couple of posts in this thread again.
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Jan 10, 2020 18:41
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Years of motorcycles has given me a definite edge in mountain bikes. Not target fixating, looking where I want to go, weight and brake control. All that fun stuff. I still suck with mtb. The inverse will probably help a lot going to motorcycles, but you are going way faster, sitting on way more weight, and the injuries are much more extreme if you botch it. Please be careful.
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Jan 10, 2020 19:37
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Bicycling only really helps with steering/balance (if you can’t ride a bicycle, you can’t ride a motorcycle) and maybe vision, but that’s about it IMO. The huge differences in weight, speed, and power make motorcycling very different.
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Jan 10, 2020 19:41
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