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Well, I did it, I bought my first road bike. I grew up on 3 and 4 wheelers and dirt bikes, but this is nothing like that! I've had it about a week and I've come to a strange point in new bike ownership. I've only ridden it once! And that was just around my neighborhood. It has straight pipes, which I removed in order to measure and get inserts for. Sounds like rear end. But what is everyone else doing because of covid? I messaged my local sheriffs department because the DMV is appointment only and I don't feel comfortable riding on the thrashed tires. They said as long as it's insured (it is, first thing I did), to just write covid on a piece of cardboard and kinda stick it on the back. They're just trolling me for an easy ticket, right? Aside from that, I have an appointment with the DMV for September. I check daily to see if there is an opening so I can reschedule. NO MSF either! I just wanna go to the local high school parking lot and practice! Other randoms. Motor oil. Yes, I know. It's an older bike, but "the forums" say anything that meets or exceeds the parameters in the manual will work, as long as it doesn't have friction modifier. Is this so? My dad swears I should only get motorcycle specific oil and I love him..but.. I know I bought the wrong bike, it's old, slow and heavy, but I wanted something specific and kept out feelers and lucked into this one. I won't feel like walking backwards into traffic WHEN I drop it or it falls over of its own volition and it's comfy I can flatfoot it, insurance is laughably cheap. I could go on and on, but I won't. I'm satisfied with my old bike, it needs a few things and it's not the prettiest, but I have a motorcycle. It's great!
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Jul 25, 2020 06:59
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gileadexile posted:Well, I did it, I bought my first road bike. I grew up on 3 and 4 wheelers and dirt bikes, but this is nothing like that! It's hard to tell by your description but I'm going to take a stab and assume you have a 1950's Vincent Black Shadow You're going to need something on the order of 30wt to 50wt depending on conditions, preferably in conjunction with an ultra high octane castor laced fuel for maximum detonation resistance. Remember: cylinder head temperature is key - what you lose in combustion goes into the heads, so get those pipes sorted!
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Jul 25, 2020 07:48
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Hahahaah, no. 1983 Honda Sabre 750. My dad bike game was weak, was close to pulling the trigger on an '83 Goldwing, but the seller flaked. I was pretty disappointed. Got it for a song, guy who owned it before the guy I bought it from was an MSF instructor in Tennessee! Came with lots of cool stuff, I'm having as much fun wrenching and polishing as I am riding. (guess which one I've done more of) Has LOTS of previous documentation, a shop manual in a binder with notes in the margin. I got in contact with the MSF guy over Facebook after I found his name in the documentation. Great guy, bought the bike brand new and rode it all over the place. I showed him what the guy I bought it from had done to it and we both comforted each other and laughed at his lack of taste. Luckily, I had all the stuff he removed and I'm in the process of returning it back to it's stock look. It had speakers mounted onto the handlebars and the original exhaust was taken off and replaced by Screaming Eagle straight pipes of all things. For now I'm just going to put baffles in those and enjoy it while the weather is good, then do something more permanent and classy next spring. It's just been such a strange week and it was worth the purchase price just for the experience of meeting this awesome oldster and learning about this bikes history. Weird saying that about a bike only one year younger than myself! And it's also amazing that so much wrong happened to a bike that was bought by the clown previous owner in January of this year! Old biker and myself agree, if he wanted a Harley, that's what he should have bought, instead of trying to turn this into one! This is just such a cool experience and I'd absolutely love to get it back to what it was like when he had to let it go and take a road trip down there and show him what I did. Whatever I end up doing, the thread title definitely is definitely right!
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Jul 25, 2020 08:06
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Booked my CBT for next Sunday, can't wait 
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Jul 25, 2020 13:11
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cock and ball torture
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Jul 25, 2020 13:55
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right arm posted:cock and ball torture cognitive behavioral torture
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Jul 25, 2020 14:13
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Crappy bike tutorial My cbt bike would indicate right when full lock left.
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Jul 25, 2020 14:20
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Cock'n'bike therapy.
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Jul 25, 2020 15:04
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right arm posted:cock and ball torture Horse Clocks posted:My cbt bike would indicate right when full cock left. What is happening to this forum
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Jul 25, 2020 20:10
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Slavvy posted:What is happening to this forum Butt thread and cock thread. What more do you need?
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Jul 26, 2020 08:06
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cakesmith handyman posted:Booked my CBT for next Sunday, can't wait I have fond memories of the guy who turned up to the one I did in a blue and white one piece racing suit. He was also on my direct access course and catapulted himself through a hedge halfway through the week.
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Jul 26, 2020 10:08
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My enabling neighbor (eneighborler?) gave me a couple of his old buffalo jackets and some boots that are snug but okay, I just bought a plain black helmet and gloves, where the line between "nob" and "prepared"?
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Jul 26, 2020 14:45
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cakesmith handyman posted:My enabling neighbor (eneighborler?) gave me a couple of his old buffalo jackets and some boots that are snug but okay, I just bought a plain black helmet and gloves, where the line between "nob" and "prepared"? You are fine, this is perfectly acceptable attire for CBT. Wear jeans.
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Jul 26, 2020 14:56
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My DAS (full license) tests are booked. MOD1 is on 12 August, MOD2 is on 19 August. Just had 3 lessons this week, my instructor is very happy with me. Rode a 600CC Bandit for the MOD2 on the road lesson. I liked that it was easier to accelerate on it, it handled fine and I was taking corners at the speedlimit of the roads we were on. He said my shoulder checks and lane discipline were good and handling of the bigger bike was great, and that I was confident and didn't hesitate. He also said I need to slow down before roundabouts a little bit earlier and don't do any filtering on the test (I had filtered by a stopped bus, and there was an incoming car; instructor said I should have waited a few seconds instead). Re Bandit 600: I think that an inline 4 is not for me after trying the Bandit out. I don't like the noise of it, and it's really... uninteresting? Regarding the tests, I can't wait, really looking forward to passing, selling the CBF for probably £1000 more than I bought it for (a silver lining from COVID), and then buying a bigger bike (probably a Yamaha XSR 700, which uses the MT-07's engine).
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Jul 26, 2020 15:04
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiOGAYOXN8U My favourite bit is the Alberta plate 
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Jul 26, 2020 17:50
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Elector_Nerdlingen posted:You're about to have so much fun. After doing all the maintenance and rolling around the hills a bit, can confirm fun was had.
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Jul 26, 2020 20:15
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Steakandchips posted:My DAS (full license) tests are booked. MOD1 is on 12 August, MOD2 is on 19 August. Writing off inline fours after riding a bandit 600 is like writing off burgers after having McDonald's, I honestly struggle to think of a more boring and miserable i4. They make the cb650 feel like a GP bike. I'm of the (correct) opinion that twins are ideal for the street and nobody really needs a four, but they can be very fun and have loads to offer just like any other decent bike. That just isn't a decent bike.
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Jul 26, 2020 20:36
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ImplicitAssembler posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiOGAYOXN8U Yuns fucked around with this message at 03:27 on Jul 27, 2020 |
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Jul 27, 2020 03:16
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DR seat turns out to suck after maybe an 1-1.5 hours at a stretch, I'm gonna think about replacing it. The bike just floats over bits of road that were super unpleasant on the intruder, so it doesn't seem that bad but I can see it being pretty horrible if I did 5+ hours in a day. Did about 10km of dry tracks today. I have no idea what I'm doing off asphalt and I've got road tires on so I didn't get up out of second but I did ride through ruts and soft dirt and sandy ground, and up and down small berms and stuff and it was heaps of fun. 
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Jul 27, 2020 06:00
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Yuns posted:I like most of the fortnine advice but I don't agree with some of his points about snow riding. I ride all 4 seasons including through the winter in the U.S. northeast and have ridden through a lot of snow. Most tires especially modern performance tires have very little grip in true snow and ice conditions and you'll get slides even when you are loose and fluid on the bike. I end up riding like a motocrosser on snow and do not recommend it in any way for a new rider or anyone who can't deal with a sliding bike. His claim that motorcycle tires have enough grip in snow is in my opinion false (maybe for knobby dualsport tires or m/s marked winter tires). I do agree with him on rain in that modern street tires especially those with a good amount of silica do quite well in rain. Even with knobbies, snow feels like slippery sand. It’s fun, but I also would strongly recommend against it for anyone new. You can also get little spikes to put in your knobbies. That changes the traction quite a bit but they make it worse on asphalt and you still stop super slowly and it’s still slippery.
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Jul 27, 2020 13:03
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If you had bought that Goldwing as a first bike we would have acclaimed you idiot king of the newbies. Alas.
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Jul 29, 2020 14:32
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Oh yeah, and: look for the words “JASO MA2” on your oil specification, that’s what makes it motorcycle oil. You’ll find this anywhere.
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Jul 29, 2020 14:34
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Well, I have an appointment at the DMV to get my title and plates. Have to set another one for my motorcycle endorsement though. In other news, I went on my first ride today! Bike ran pretty well, I mostly stayed on a back road, but then got on the highway to get gas, but switched back onto the back road to get home. Smiled most of the ride, had a grand time, didn't even meet any traffic! However, I dropped the bike in the yard when I got home. Was going too slow and the motor cut out and down I went. Backs a little sore now, but no damage to the bike or myself, except bruised pride. Stopped at a turnout and took a pic, so here's my 37 year old pile! 
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Jul 30, 2020 03:58
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No damage to you or the bike is all you can ask for. Before I learned to feather the clutch I had a couple of nice stalls that resulted in me smashing my nuts against the gas tank. The good thing is you learn quick that way.
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Jul 30, 2020 06:44
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Personally, as soon as I am coming to a stop, clutch in and light pressure on the brakes, left leg out to hold the bike up. Clutch is either covered or coming in when going slow, to prevent stalls. You will learn by sound alone when you need to clutch in to prevent stalls.
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Jul 30, 2020 13:25
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cakesmith handyman posted:Booked my CBT for next Sunday, can't wait Did this yesterday, thought I was never going to get the hang of clutch and throttle by hand then suddenly we're out on the road and behaving like real traffic. I passed, couple of stalls but nothing dangerous. Had so much fun, going to go look at bikes later this week. cakesmith handyman fucked around with this message at 16:58 on Aug 3, 2020 |
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Aug 3, 2020 16:50
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cakesmith handyman posted:Did this yesterday, thought I was never going to get the hang of clutch and throttle by hand then suddenly we're out on the road and behaving like real traffic. I passed, couple of stalls but nothing dangerous. Had so much fun, going to go look at bikes later this week. Congratulations! Now go get a 125 and ride every day.
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Aug 3, 2020 19:21
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Passed my Mod1 on Monday  !1 fault for not giving it enough beans on the first attempt on the hazard avoidance. I guess the examiner missed me putting it in gear with the kickstand down right at the begining of the test... I did it in a 2 day session on a Z650. The first day was getting used to the bike on the roads, then practising manouvers in the afternoon. The bike was great, I liked having a larger tank to grip with my knees than my WR125x, and the power of course, but missed the cushy suspension. The training was with Phoenix MCT in Croydon, I would use them again for the Mod2 if I need to travel to find a test available. As it is I have one booked more locally for the 24th, so esxcitied
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Aug 6, 2020 09:18
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cakesmith handyman posted:Did this yesterday, thought I was never going to get the hang of clutch and throttle by hand then suddenly we're out on the road and behaving like real traffic. I passed, couple of stalls but nothing dangerous. Had so much fun, going to go look at bikes later this week. Yeah it's quite a surprise to go from knocking over cones in a playground to suddenly being in traffic. I did my CBT in Vauxhall so my first time riding on road was on the massive roundabout / one way system there by MI6. Bit of a baptism of fire.
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Aug 6, 2020 09:38
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I can literally count the number of times I ever stalled my bike on one hand, and yet somehow I did a shameful stall in traffic while waiting for a green light on an uphill incline. Didn't balance brake throttle and clutch, had a brain fart and chonk'd it. I've been having a real bad time of it lately. I've been so busy at work that I'm just exhausted by the end of the day and I'm usually too zoned out to go riding, and when I do I tend to favour bland city streets where I'm not really practicing anything of value other than going in a straight line. When I do get out to do anything technical or try to practice my turns I'm really timid and gunshy and just feel like dogshit. My head's just not in the game right now, hopefully it's just a funk that I can get past because it's feeling like a chore rather than a fun pasttime. Thanks for reading my livejournal.
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Aug 6, 2020 13:55
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Martytoof posted:I can literally count the number of times I ever stalled my bike on one hand, and yet somehow I did a shameful stall in traffic while waiting for a green light on an uphill incline. Didn't balance brake throttle and clutch, had a brain fart and chonk'd it. I hadn't stalled this year until this week. I took the intruder out for a run to keep everything moving while I'm trying to sell it, and stalled at the end of the driveway because I was riding it like the DR. Probably a good thing because it brought "this is a different bike" right to the front of my mind where it should have been already.
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Aug 6, 2020 14:11
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For the first year I rode I stalled at pretty much every intersection I stopped at. Having my left blinker on as a light turned green, seeing the car on the opposite side wave me to go first, and immediately stalling my bike is a horrifying memory that will live with me forever.
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Aug 6, 2020 14:21
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For the first few months of riding I was terrified of making a left turn against traffic (right against, for you brits/aussies I guess) — despite being good at cluck control the thought of trying to get my bike going without stalling while making the gap between oncoming traffic was just something that mentally kicked my butt. Even now I’m still probably too conservative in deciding which gaps to turn into. I’ve annoyed a lot of drivers behind me who were probably thinking “GO, THERE’S PLENTY OF SPACE” by being too conservative but — gently caress it, they’d be more annoyed if I lowsided because I panicked during the turn and gave it the beans at the wrong time.
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Aug 6, 2020 14:54
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Martytoof posted:despite being good at cluck control Just don't get cocky or chicken out.
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Aug 6, 2020 15:12
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Martytoof posted:
Man is this familiar to read. Right there with you man.
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Aug 6, 2020 15:26
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cakesmith handyman posted:Just don't get cocky or chicken out. Wow I really laid an egg here.
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Aug 6, 2020 15:29
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I’ve been almost exclusively riding the DRZ recently, to the point of needing to jumpstart the XSR every time I take it out. Took the XSR out the other day for an hour and stalled it 3 times.
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Aug 6, 2020 18:33
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Martytoof posted:I can literally count the number of times I ever stalled my bike on one hand, and yet somehow I did a shameful stall in traffic while waiting for a green light on an uphill incline. Didn't balance brake throttle and clutch, had a brain fart and chonk'd it. Yeah I think everyone goes through a stage where they enjoy riding, but really don’t want to go for a ride. It happens to all of us eventually. Honestly, and I get that this isn’t an option for everyone, the thing that fixed it for me was realizing that I didn’t always feel like taking my SV or DRZSM or whatever to work or the grocery store because the ride was boring and it felt like a waste. I just needed a bike that excelled in those areas. The Elite 250 and now my Goldwing have solved those problems. They are both bikes whose primary selling point is going extremely smoothly in extremely straight lines forever and now I don’t feel like I’m wasting time or the bikes capability by doing it. When I commuted 45 minutes through mega twisty country roads, you couldn’t pay me to take anything but the DRZ or, later the SV. Now that I commute 35 minutes on two extremely straight pieces of freeway, the SV just became a chore and I didn’t really want to ride to work. Then I got the Goldwing and the Goldwing is all I want to take now. Different bikes for different jobs. Not saying that’s a silver bullet but sometimes the thought of doing something on a bike that the particular bike isn’t good at or fun for is enough to make people just not want to ride.
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Aug 7, 2020 14:32
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Well at the very least it’s nice to know this happens to others. This time last year you couldn’t pay me to go a day without getting on the bike for 45+ minutes. Now I’m the opposite, even though I’m still firmly within the first 12mo of my riding “career” and I should be taking every opportunity to get out and practice. On the flipside, I live in a tiny village so when I’m not feeling too adventurous I just go for a quick 5K loop through “downtown” just to get the wind under my arms and it’s as close to a “mindless” ride as you can get which is still nice to clear the stress of the day. It just feels like nothing’s been accomplished, but then again not every day has to be an accomplishment. I just realized that I think part of it is COVID. Last year I was doing 45 minute rides to go have brunch with friends, or to go sit at a patio somewhere. Now my rides all feel like A->B->A for the sake of riding. Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely times that I ride just because I like being on the bike, but I think the reason I got a bike in the first place was because it was more fun to go see friends and do stuff on two wheels than it was on four and that’s kind of missing right now. Sorry to turn this into a psych session but it’s good to get that out 
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Aug 7, 2020 14:44
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Horse Clocks posted:I’ve been almost exclusively riding the DRZ recently, to the point of needing to jumpstart the XSR every time I take it out. That neglected XSR battery sounds toast. Get a fresh battery, and slap a battery tender on that fresh battery as well!
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Aug 7, 2020 14:46
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