|
Coydog posted: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. I think mountain biking skills could definitely help with off-road motorcycling skills, but mtb and road cycling skills don't translate in any meaningful way to road motorcycle skills beyond understanding how to stay upright the first few times you ride. Sample size of one, but I was road and mountain biking (serious training and occasional racing) for at least a decade before I picked up motorcycles, and the only way it helped was I didn't crash on my first ride on my first bike.
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2020 20:04
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 4, 2024 13:20 |
|
|
Depends on how you learned to ride. I spent 10 years riding in London traffic and it definitely helps with situational awareness and positioning. If you're an average North American, who only rode on sidewalks and MUP, yeah, probably not.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2020 20:11
|
|
|
ImplicitAssembler posted:Depends on how you learned to ride. I spent 10 years riding in London traffic and it definitely helps with situational awareness and positioning. Yeah, that's a good point, I only started bicycle commuting in the last 6 years, and it was a few years of moto commuting before that that helped with bicycle-automobile situational awareness.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2020 20:14
|
|
|
My road cycling commuting in Chicago for 10 years taught me a lot about driving/riding other vehicles because it taught me to be defensive and always assume everybody on the road is unlicensed, new to driving, not paying attention, on their phone, and actively trying to kill you. While the fundamentals of riding motorcycles vs bicycles are different, there are some that carry over like balance and target fixation. Another is paying attention to road hazards and planning accordingly like potholes/manhole covers/metal plates/railroad grooves etc. My BMX/MTB background definitely gave me an edge in learning how to ride a dirt bike for offroad uses. I felt much more comfortable in an attack riding position, was used to riding standing up, getting air over obstacles, skidding my back tire, and bailing off a bike. When I was road cycling, my group did a coached day where we spend a few minutes learning how to fall. Due to BMX and MTB, I had a lot of experience crashing and having to bail but it has paid off a lot in moto as well. In one of my road cycling clinics, we learned to weight the outside pedal and bars in corners to keep the weight balanced over the tires vs bringing the center line towards the inside and sliding out. There is definitely some overlap, and obviously a lot of differences but just being used to being on two wheels helps a lot. Practicing static and slow balance drills on a bicycle or motorcycle can really improve one's riding. Out of all my riding, I learned a lot about going slow. Practicing riding painfully slow can actually benefit you greatly because you learn more about weight transfer and balance. You have so much more control over these machines than you think and they can end up feeling very nimble. I would suggest anybody practice new skills. Get coached. Attend a clinic. It helps out a lot. The biggest downside of BMX and MTB is I always want to use my right hand for rear brake. Old habits die hard.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2020 21:05
|
|
|
After I started riding motorcycles I swapped the brakes on all my bicycles so I wouldn't be confusing my muscle memory.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2020 21:11
|
|
|
Sagebrush posted:After I started riding motorcycles I swapped the brakes on all my bicycles so I wouldn't be confusing my muscle memory. lol same
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2020 22:00
|
|
|
Same but I switched them all back after the third time that grabbing the right brake dumped me in the ice. Best for right brake to be the safest in an emergency and in my conditions that can’t be the front, since that’s an instadown on ice. Anyway one more vote for 10 years of road cycling giving me paranoia that carried to motorcycling, but the dangers are still different. For example on a bicycle your biggest out-of-nowhere risk is right hooks, on a motorcycle it’s oncoming left turners. You still need to retrain that danger sense.
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2020 18:14
|
|
|
Putting this in its own post because it’s important to hear it as often as possible: If you are starting to feel confident in your skills and are in your first year / 10,000 miles of riding then you are actually at your riskiest point. Stats bear this out. Newbies in their first miles crash a lot but in relatively safe and embarrassing ways, but a new rider with six months experience is riding at the most dangerous part of their riding career. So stay alert and keep it well within your limits.
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2020 18:20
|
|
|
I'm glad I did my first 10,000 miles on a 300. I got to the point where I was feeling like it was too slow but still wasn't using near the full capabilities of the bike, especially when it came to cornering and stuff, so it definitely kept me out of trouble. What does everyone generally do for bike insurance? I know a lot of people here are UK and other countries, so it probably varies a lot, but just in general with injury coverage? I'm reviewing all mine now, I haven't had to use it yet thankfully, but I'm looking over the medical and uninsured/underinsured options. I've been thinking, even more than I usually do, about crashes lately, and I don't want to be like one of the jokers on youtube posting a crash video with a link "please donate to my GoFundMe for medical expenses". If I live but get hosed up I'd rather not be in debt to the garbage US medical system for the rest of my life. I've always kept Total Loss coverage for theft and damage to the bike, but carried the lower end of medical coverage and uninsured/underinsured, as those are where the premiums get real pricey.
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2020 23:36
|
|
|
I'm currently have this policy on my bike, with an umbrella policy on top of all my auto, bike, and renter's insurance. My umbrella policy recently went up a decent amount though, so I have to figure out if I want to keep it or if it will go back down when I get rid of my third car.
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2020 23:52
|
|
|
Yeah, I got comprehensive insurance on the bike but it costs gently caress all (190/year Australian) because my house, my van, and my wife's car are with the same company and we've made one small not-at-fault claim between us in 15 years. I figured it's way more likely to be stolen or crashed by me than crashed into by someone else. e: Huh, looking at latest policy document they sent me they'll pay me up to 2k total for helmet/jacket/pants/boots/gloves wrecked in a crash, to a max of 1000k/item. My premium stayed the same but they added that since last time I looked. Elector_Nerdlingen fucked around with this message at 01:04 on Jan 12, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2020 23:59
|
|
|
MomJeans420 posted:I'm currently have this policy on my bike, with an umbrella policy on top of all my auto, bike, and renter's insurance. My umbrella policy recently went up a decent amount though, so I have to figure out if I want to keep it or if it will go back down when I get rid of my third car. The liability seems low?. What country is this?
|
|
#
?
Jan 12, 2020 00:05
|
|
|
US liability coverages are lower than EU (I'm guessing that's a US policy) IANAL, but I think most US states place an upper limit on amounts that you can reclaim via torts for property damage in an accident, the theory being, if you decide to keep a 500k faberge egg in your car that's you being unreasonable even if someone hits you and breaks it so get your own drat faberge egg insurance.
|
|
#
?
Jan 12, 2020 00:18
|
|
|
I noticed my oil is low. It was changed, along with the filter, about 1000mi ago, and isn't due to be changed for nearly another 6k. Through the site glass, the oil looks cloudy to me, but I don't necessarily know what I am looking at. The sheen it leaves looks clean. I haven't noticed any color to the exhaust. Should I just top it off and keep an eye on it?
|
|
#
?
Jan 12, 2020 02:02
|
|
|
MomJeans420 posted:I'm currently have this policy on my bike, with an umbrella policy on top of all my auto, bike, and renter's insurance. My umbrella policy recently went up a decent amount though, so I have to figure out if I want to keep it or if it will go back down when I get rid of my third car. This is what I have currently through Progressive, bundled with my car, there are also some ABS/safety course discounts thrown in there somewhere. I really need to add un/underinsured and medical, I didn't realized I'd waived it completely, yikes: 
|
|
#
?
Jan 12, 2020 02:27
|
|
|
Here's what I ended up with for a standalone policy [Allstate] since the companies that sold both my auto and renter's insurance each wanted more than twice this for a new MT-07. Quotes for that bike are all over the place. Medical payments and personal injury payments both seemed really expensive for what you get but I made sure to pick up uninsured coverage.
|
|
#
?
Jan 12, 2020 02:38
|
|
|
Mirconium posted:US liability coverages are lower than EU (I'm guessing that's a US policy) European states place a high lower limit on what liability coverage insurers are allowed to offer, because they don't want insured people to go bankrupt and become a liability to the state.
|
|
#
?
Jan 12, 2020 03:23
|
|
|
Toe Rag posted:I noticed my oil is low. It was changed, along with the filter, about 1000mi ago, and isn't due to be changed for nearly another 6k. Through the site glass, the oil looks cloudy to me, but I don't necessarily know what I am looking at. The sheen it leaves looks clean. I haven't noticed any color to the exhaust. Should I just top it off and keep an eye on it? I'm going to assume you're running a 1963 Norton featherbed 500 GP bike. The first thing you need to do is select which viscosity best suits the ambient conditions you're expecting in the race. Then you need to preheat the oil to about 80°c before filling. Warm up the engine, careful not to let it stall whilst cold in case it won't start again, then check your oil level. Oh and if you've done 1000mi your oil is all gone cause those things are total loss afaik. You're probably due for a valve spring swap too. Crap choice for a street bike tbh. E2: just realised what thread this is Ok real advice warm up the bike, turn it off then stand it dead upright for 2-3 minutes, then check while still upright. If it's a Japanese bike, usually the difference between the low and high marks is about 1L and you're safe anywhere in-between. The capacity is often written on the engine somewhere nearby. I'd advise against topping it up unless you know to the letter what the shop put in there in order to avoid mixing oils, but I'm a superstitious bike whisperer sometimes. Slavvy fucked around with this message at 05:05 on Jan 12, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jan 12, 2020 04:51
|
|
|
Toe Rag posted:I noticed my oil is low. It was changed, along with the filter, about 1000mi ago, and isn't due to be changed for nearly another 6k. Through the site glass, the oil looks cloudy to me, but I don't necessarily know what I am looking at. The sheen it leaves looks clean. I haven't noticed any color to the exhaust. Should I just top it off and keep an eye on it? You're running the Honda 286CC single. Assuming you take it on the highway or into other situations where it sits at high RPM, it supposedly burns minute amounts of oil above 8k or something like that. Keep an eye on it and top it off. Not an indicator of significant engine issues, as far as rando forums people can tell. Mine does the same thing, although not super consistently. PS: https://www.cbr300forum.com/forum/warranty-service-issues/23298-my-bike-losing-engine-oil-4.html There is no real consensus on what is up, but it's happened to several people and nobody's run in yelling that their engine exploded (yet) But last page highlights an important aspect of the problem: 286 honda singles don't have an oil pressure sensor of any kind, and certainly no warning light. So, check your oil level, because yes, you can run the engine dry and it absolutely will not warn you about it. DearSirXNORMadam fucked around with this message at 06:01 on Jan 12, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jan 12, 2020 05:33
|
|
|
My NT650 burns oil at a fairly regular rate when I do a lot of freeway riding. I just check it and top it up when needed. If that's good enough for an airplane engine, it's good enough for my motorcycle.
|
|
#
?
Jan 12, 2020 05:37
|
|
|
Slavvy posted:E2: just realised what thread this is Sorry, I suppose I should have said! It's a Honda CB300R. I did let it warm up and cool down as you describe. The oil doesn't even come into the sightglass while upright. This is the best picture I could manage to take while leaning it onto my leg and holding a flashlight and phone:  It appears to me to be cloudy/murky, but I'm not sure if that's an actual normal appearance or just distortion from shining a bright light through a sightglass into a shallow liquid (eg light reflecting back through the oil). Mirconium posted:You're running the Honda 286CC single. Assuming you take it on the highway or into other situations where it sits at high RPM, it supposedly burns minute amounts of oil above 8k or something like that. Keep an eye on it and top it off. Not an indicator of significant engine issues, as far as rando forums people can tell. Thanks! If I am on the freeway, then yeah I'm at 9k+ most of the time, but I don't really do that much freeway riding. Of the last 1000 miles, probably 300 of it was on the freeway. Off freeway I feel like my revs are usually between 5-8k Unless that picture is alarming, I'll probably just confirm with the shop the oil type and top it off.
|
|
#
?
Jan 12, 2020 06:24
|
|
|
Yeah I'd get what they used and top it up. Wouldn't ride it in the meantime as there's a starvation risk and as mentioned the engine anecdotally burns oil and that isn't that unusual.
|
|
#
?
Jan 12, 2020 06:28
|
|
|
Finally dropped the bike. Pulled into a dirt car park at the edge of town that I've stopped at a hundred times before, and just as I was applying the brake from walking pace to actually stop, the front slipped and the bike just kinda... fell to the right. I realised I wasn't going to be able to catch it so I just put my foot down/out and let it fall under me while awkwardly hopping away but not actually falling myself. Should have paid closer attention to the ground, there's about 4 inches of loose dust/dirt that's blown in since last time I went past, and piled up a little on that side of the lot, so while it's usually like riding on a hard-packed dirt road, today it was like riding in soft sand. Fortunately, the soft dirt and slow(almost no) speed means that there's a couple of extra tiny scratches on the chrome and no actual damage to anything. Took longer than I thought it would before it happened, tbh. I was expecting to drop it in the driveway in the first couple of weeks.
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2020 00:57
|
|
|
Elector_Nerdlingen posted:Finally dropped the bike. Still riding the intruder? It's good you didn't have plastics to get damaged
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2020 01:05
|
|
|
Elector_Nerdlingen posted:Finally dropped the bike. 1. Light, cheap, rugged bike 2. Big easy handlebars and geometry 3. Low to the ground I couldn't write a better text book example of why you should learn on learner bikes. You are proving the OP right in real time, but in a good way for once! Imagine the opposite situation: a sportbike with tiny bars, brutal geometry, very tall seat and covered in fairings worth thousands of dollars.
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2020 01:18
|
|
|
Yep, still on the intruder, and doing my best to follow the advice here because gently caress if I know what I'm doing. The intruder's great but it quite literally will not sit on a 100km/h speed limit in a >moderate headwind or up a >moderate incline. If I lived in the city it'd meet all my needs, but I literally can't leave Melbourne (closest major city) towards my town without dealing with hills that the intruder is barely hitting 85-90 on, with the speed limit 110 and everyone driving 120+. Also my region's pretty windy and in a ~40km/h headwind I'm juuuust able to sit on 100 while farm utes do the "creep up as close as possible, sit there for 1-5 minutes, and then violently swing out and floor it" overtakes that everyone here does. It'll do about 130km/h on a flat road on a still day, but it doesn't have the spare power for the riding I have to do to get anywhere. I mean it when I say I love my bike, but I'm keeping an eye out for something that'll get me up hills at the speed limit. Looking towards Vstar 650s at the moment and I'm gonna have some specific questions about those pretty soon I think. E: For real, I don't even want to go faster or accelerate harder, I just want to be able to keep up with traffic. If the intruder had maybe 10% more go I'd be keeping it forever. e2: Just went out to a short-ish section of road with actual bends near here and it turns out I can now reliably just barely touch the rubber peg cover to the ground at ~80km/h. Elector_Nerdlingen fucked around with this message at 04:13 on Jan 19, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2020 01:53
|
|
|
I pay 7 euros a month for the absolute minimum legally required liability insurance. Apparently it covers about 6 million euros in personal and 1 million in material damages. The bike itself I bought for 800 euros and is probably worth even less, so no point insuring that. AlexanderCA fucked around with this message at 17:05 on Jan 19, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2020 17:01
|
|
|
I passed 1,000 miles on the MT-07 today  e: since November 2nd I dug out my old records from ten years ago and I put 1,553 on the GS500 in about six months before it got totaled. This time around I'm hoping to reach that distance a couple months early and go at least several times farther than that without another accident. FBS fucked around with this message at 03:20 on Jan 20, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jan 20, 2020 03:18
|
|
|
Finally looking at picking up a bike of my own. After my husband picked up a klr 650 in the summer, I've been wanting one myself. On his, I'm on my tip toes and I've found an older one locally for 2k that's already lowered but is in good shape. Is this a bad idea?
|
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2020 14:22
|
|
|
KLRs are incredibly slow and also you only need to be able to get one foot down. you'll be fine
|
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2020 15:15
|
|
|
I finally bit the bullet, signed up for a MSF course in April and got all the gear I need as well. As far as a bike goes, I've put my butt on a lot in the last two years and (illegally I know) rode a few around a block for a bit to see what I liked. I ended up liking the more cruiser-style position, and have narrowed things down to what I want while resisting the idiot urge to buy something that will overwhelm me. Anyone willing to give me some input on a 2020 Kawasaki Vulcan S Cafe and a 2019 HD Iron 883?
|
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2020 16:08
|
|
|
The 883 is about as quick as a Ninja 250, but hates any sort of corner (I scraped leaving the parking lot on one). You'll get royally ripped off buying new on one, but it won't kill you with power as a new rider. I'm sure used 883 are cheap as chips and very common. Edit- if you like cruisers you'd be better off getting a cheap used Honda Shadow for your first bike. Coydog fucked around with this message at 16:18 on Jan 21, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2020 16:15
|
|
|
Alternately, if you’re ok buying new, which it seems you are, the Rebel 500 has been getting very good reviews and appears to be a very sensibly built bike. Vulcans as well, but they’re a bit bigger and spendier. The new ones have a lot of adjustability to seat and foot control ergos. A little Googling says ABS showed up on the Vulcan S last year, and you can probably find one for half the price of a new one. But yeah, don't buy a new HD for a first bike. HenryJLittlefinger fucked around with this message at 17:07 on Jan 21, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2020 16:55
|
|
|
Pine Cone Jones posted:Finally looking at picking up a bike of my own. After my husband picked up a klr 650 in the summer, I've been wanting one myself. On his, I'm on my tip toes and I've found an older one locally for 2k that's already lowered but is in good shape. Is this a bad idea? What kind of riding do you want to do?
|
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2020 18:49
|
|
|
builds character posted:What kind of riding do you want to do? Mostly street stuff with some off road. I had looked at the versys 300, but I don't know if I want to spend that much on my first bike.
|
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2020 19:33
|
|
|
Pine Cone Jones posted:Mostly street stuff with some off road. I had looked at the versys 300, but I don't know if I want to spend that much on my first bike. If you're only going to do gravel roads and the like then it seems like a fine choice to me. It'll be super heavy for an offroad bike but, again, just gravel roads. And it's nice to have two of the same bike when you're learning so you don't have to learn how to fix two different bikes. Plus you can steal parts from his bike if you crash.
|
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2020 19:37
|
|
|
Pine Cone Jones posted:Finally looking at picking up a bike of my own. After my husband picked up a klr 650 in the summer, I've been wanting one myself. On his, I'm on my tip toes and I've found an older one locally for 2k that's already lowered but is in good shape. Is this a bad idea? That's fine but you'd be better off with a dr650, drz400 or wr250. Dr650's in particular have an exceptionally low seat height out of the box. You can ignore the cc differences, all these bikes have roughly equal straight line performance (rubbish) and the engine capacity is more about how much crap/passengers you intend to carry than horsepower. If you aren't rolling 2up with luggage everywhere there's nothing to recommend a klr for you. They are the heaviest, shittest bike in that category and you can honestly do much better, there isn't anything notable about them besides cost and ubiquity. That being said if price is a major factor, there isn't anything particularly wrong with them and they won't let you down. But get a DR. Coydog posted:Edit- if you like cruisers you'd be better off getting a cheap used Honda Shadow for your first bike. Honda shadows have the least ground clearance of any cruiser I've ridden and make the sportster feel like a superbike both in corners and straight lines. Both are awful first bikes IMO. HenryJLittlefinger posted:Alternately, if you’re ok buying new, which it seems you are, the Rebel 500 has been getting very good reviews and appears to be a very sensibly built bike. Vulcans as well, but they’re a bit bigger and spendier. The new ones have a lot of adjustability to seat and foot control ergos. This is more like it. The rebel 500 is fantastic to learn on but has pretty out there styling that most normal cruiser fans baulk at. I'll throw the Yamaha bolt into the mix: looks pretty much like a Sportster but rides like a normal japanese bike, and they're very high quality items in a touchy feely sense compared to every other not-Harley cruiser. But in a general sense: a brand new cruiser is a terrible, terrible idea for a first bike for a bunch of reasons. Feel free to post any reasons you think it's a good idea and we'll explain why you're wrong. I'm not saying start on a $1500 ex250 (though ideally you should) but just remember your first bike isn't your last bike and that first fall in the car park is gonna sting.
|
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2020 19:40
|
|
|
Plus, it's already lowered a bit and that's a fair price for a old. It will be a heavy pig, but that's perfect for what you are using it for. Put a top box on it and really lean into the utility vehicle aspect. Plus when you drop it a bunch it won't matter. Dual sports are like the perfect beginner bike, outside of supermoto.
|
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2020 19:42
|
|
|
Slavvy posted:Feel free to post any reasons you think it's a good idea and we'll explain why you're wrong. I think it's a good idea because it's what I'm interested in, I don't know what else to say really. I'm not committed to buying new, but as someone who isn't mechanically inclined yet getting something that is at most a couple of years old is appealing as my time available to ride might be limited. I'm not against a more standard motorcycle, just haven't fallen in love with what I've gone and sat on really. Really not trying to be bull-headed at all about it! I figure there is a comfortable middle-ground that is a good "starter" bike that I'm also excited about spending  dollars on.Edit: I love the Yamaha Bolt, but was going to steer clear of it as a starter bike since its performance is a bit more powerful than the bikes I mentioned above.
|
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2020 20:00
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 4, 2024 13:20 |
|
|
I will say a WR250F has a pretty tall seat height (38-40in) as the bike in general is based on a high clearance motocross YZ. I'm 5'10 and I can only get toes to the ground. The more dual sport/road based WR250R is slightly better at 36 inches. DRZs seem to be around 35. If height is a big issue, its worth the investment to look into proper suspension setup for being a shorter rider. They can lower a bike while keeping the integrity of the suspension set up for your weight but also accommodating for your height or lack thereof.
|
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2020 20:02
|
|