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Elector_Nerdlingen posted:I still don't know enough about bikes to talk about this properly, hence the question. The kwaka w800 definitely counts. Let's say the cb1100 counts and so does the z900rs. Classic/retro/throwback looking bikes. Aesthetically, my favorite bike of all time is the one I'm lucky enough to own (and not shut up about), the Kawasaki ZRX1100/1200. It's a callback to Eddie Lawson's KZ1000 from the 1981-82 AMA Superbike series, but with modernized proportions that make it more compact and muscular looking. I'm pretty sure my tastes tend to run 80s and early 90s cause while I love that the Z900RS exists, I still think the Rex looks better. The new Katana as well. It's in a weird position for a "retrobike" because it definitely was concocted as a deliberate retrobike, but it's also old enough to actually be retro. Mine has been able to drink legally in the states for a year now. Mechanically it's still old fashioned, the smartest thing on it is, horrifyingly, me. (Next is the electronic ignition and the ignition control that slavvy keeps telling me to unplug.) It's carbureted, twin rear shock, steel cradle frame. Slavvy once described it as 1980's idea of the ultimate sportbike, before ideas like single shocks and actual fairings and EFI were ever considered. It's a lot of fun to ride, so long as you take it for what it is. 
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Aug 13, 2021 17:33
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Elector_Nerdlingen posted:Are there any of those much funner bikes with similar looks? "I specifically want a retro [1960s-70s standard] looking motorcycle" is a small but consistent part of the market and I dunno why more manufacturers don't make those. Harley-Davidson sells the crap out of bikes that look pretty much exactly like they did fifty years ago. Other companies could certainly do the same. The only new options that are truly styled like a 70s standard are the Triumph Bonnevilles, Royal Enfields, Kawasaki W800, and Yamaha SR400. Those are large and heavy, apparently unreliable, impossible to find in the USA, and small and overpriced, respectively. If you're willing to go with a slightly more modern interpretation of the idea, there's stuff like the XSR700, Ducati Scrambler, and CB1100. The Scrambler is extremely popular. Maybe that'll wake up some of the other companies. Honda recently re-introduced the CB350 in India and I wish they would bring it to the states because it looks like the perfect starter bike for the newbie who wants something retro.  Also here is a photoshopped scrambler version that makes me MAD AS HELL  because every true Honda rider knows that Honda scramblers have the pipe on the LEFT side, not the right like some goddamned euro bike 
Sagebrush fucked around with this message at 18:05 on Aug 13, 2021 |
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Aug 13, 2021 18:03
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My N650 definitely looks heaps more aggressive than it actually is with the cool side shock, sharp fairings and angry headlights, I dig the look. I didn't really know what 650's were as a category of bikes until I started shopping for bikes. It's a pretty vanilla bike but I'm enjoying it's ease of rideability and hopefully no-brainer reliability and maintenance as I get learn the ropes. Plus it's plenty quick for me and the roads around here.
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Aug 13, 2021 18:44
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Is the yamaha XSR too modern looking for this discussion?
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Aug 13, 2021 18:59
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Phy posted:Aesthetically, my favorite bike of all time is the one I'm lucky enough to own (and not shut up about), the Kawasaki ZRX1100/1200. Oh gently caress yes. That thing is beautiful. I saw one a few years ago at a diy store, and i spent a solid couple of minutes staring at it, trying to decypher how old it its. They're quite rare over here.
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Aug 13, 2021 19:06
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Russian Bear posted:Is the yamaha XSR too modern looking for this discussion? The XSR is in the modern re-interpretation category, like a new beetle or mini cooper. I think it looks generally nice (except for the exhaust blob), but it isn't bang-on ~vintage~ like the CB350 is.
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Aug 13, 2021 19:22
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Elector_Nerdlingen posted:I still don't know enough about bikes to talk about this properly, hence the question. The kwaka w800 definitely counts. Let's say the cb1100 counts and so does the z900rs. Classic/retro/throwback looking bikes. There's a slight but significant difference between something like a Bonnie, guzzi, sportster or cb1100, which are architecturally old fashioned, and something like a z900rs or xsr900, which are poorly disguised modern bikes with some vaguely retro looking crap bolted on. Then there's the bikes that may or may not be retro deliberately, but are simply old fashioned from longevity and model persistence, like the bandit 1200 or monster or xj1300, I tend to think of these as anachronistic more than actually retro because they don't really resemble any specific thing from the past (except for the rex which is an Eddie Lawson tribute like mentioned), but are more than just focus grouped lip service for clueless hipsters. Basically forget what the bike looks like and look at what it actually is. Sportster, cb1100: air cooled engine with a totally 70's design, steel perimeter frame, conventional suspension, very tail-heavy, long traditional driveline with a primary drive and gearbox way out the back, lazy old school geometry. EFI and wiring aside they would be totally familiar, albeit blingy and light as gently caress, to a mechanic from the seventies. Zrx, xj1300: cutting edge 1980's engine - still a large chonky traditional i4 but built with newer understanding so it's lighter and stronger and more efficient, steel perimeter frame but with modern geometry and weight distribution, modern suspension in a traditional layout. A bit fancy and out there, but still broadly recognizable to boomer slavvy the way a motogp bike still makes sense to me. Z900rs/xsr: compact water cooled mass centralized engine, stacked gearbox shafts, linkage monoshock out back, fully/partially alloy frame with the engine as a structural member, super steep front heavy modern chassis layout. I've just described a supersport by modern standards and a spaceship from zeta reticulum by 70's standards. Then they glued some half assed retro looking stuff on. Then there's the bikes that are genuinely just loving old. There are only a few, sportster is one of them but it's been updated so much I don't know if it counts anymore. The quintessential example is the aforementioned sr400 - literally an 80's bike in every way just with an updated electrical system. The gn250 is the same, as are the older style enfields. These sorts of bikes give a very particular and authentic experience but they also mostly suck rear end and are to be avoided.
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Aug 13, 2021 20:20
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Oops wrong thread
Rolo fucked around with this message at 20:32 on Aug 13, 2021 |
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Aug 13, 2021 20:29
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If you don't mind going slow there's the TU250.
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Aug 13, 2021 20:54
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There's an XSR125 now, great for learning on (probably).
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Aug 13, 2021 21:22
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Modern retro bike chat, I almost bought a BWM R Nine T yesterday. I've been infatuated with them since the day they came out. Ended up with the Super Duke R because I knew deep down in my heart, I had to have bonkers power. Even if I use it less than 1% of the time. But, I'll always love the way the drive shaft on a BWM boxer makes the bike torque when you accelerate off the line. So good. Had a 2000 R1100R for a minute. Crazy how well that bike handled for how heavy it was. It just tracked. Too bad this example needed more work than I was willing it put into it. Sold it for what I bought it for. edit; because I have spammed the forum enough yet: 
dema fucked around with this message at 05:09 on Aug 14, 2021 |
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Aug 14, 2021 04:57
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For shaft driven retro-bikes, I've been fascinated by the bike Indian developed to sell the the US Army in WWII. It had a cross mounted v-twin and shaft drive. Unfortunately they are rare, old and expensive. Would any model of Moto-Guzzi be a decent replacement? 
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Aug 14, 2021 15:25
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TerraCat posted:Would any model of Moto-Guzzi be a decent replacement?
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Aug 14, 2021 15:33
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Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester posted:Definitely not any Guzzi, no. If you get a pre-1980s one you're probably good. They're built like airhead BMWs, they're beefy and simple and easy to work on. And I think parts are kinda available if you're not talking about side covers and trim stuff like that. I've worked on a few and I like them. The newer ones suffer from exotic Italian vehicle issues, the build quality is not great, there are electrical gremlins. And the modern ones don't even have the nice tradeoff of being light and powerful and fun to ride like Ducatis. quote:other old bike chat I've owned a few of the bikes being considered here, I don't have a quarter of the technical knowledge Slavvy has but I'll weigh in since I've owned a few, especially in some areas I don't see mentioned here. My main takeaway from the Guzzi V7 (one, not a II or III) was the transmission. God that loving transmission. No feedback whatsoever on shifts, tons of false neutrals, and when the bike heated up (and it will! because its air cooled) it was impossible to find neutral. I read online this could have been adjusted and the main culprit is that the clutch cable runs right in between those (longitudinally mounted) cylinders. I never bothered though because that was one of several problems, it had already left me stranded once due to some electrical issue and it was giving me issues starting up. This was on a brand new bike so, idk, gorgeous bike but fix your poo poo Guzzi, you've been making this thing for years swap a modern transmission into it. I had a z900 for awhile and as others have pointed out, this is in the "looks old" not "actually old" category of bikes. I wouldn't say its got things "bolted on" to make it look old, they do a better job of it then that. But you'll never stop noticing the newer bits: The tires are small and look "squat" to me, compared to classic bikes, this helps with its great handling but will always clash with the styling. The radiator clashes as well, just sort of lazily sticking out from the (already wide) bike... I doubt they could have made it any smaller since the bike already runs incredibly hot with the stock tune, get used to that radiator fan noise cause you'll be hearing it a lot in traffic. As I mentioned, its WIDE, I never stopped noticing how wide it was. Amazing engine noises they did a great job tuning that exhaust note, to me its in the "arbitrarily fast" range at 100 or so horsepower, where I can't understand why you'd want or need to go faster, but that insane (compared to the other bikes on this list) power sort of reminds you its a modern bike as well. Finally my current bike is an interceptor 650. I'll be keeping this bike for awhile it really ticks a lot of boxes for me. Its one of the prettiest motorcycles I've ever had, with a two tone paint option (that I have, red and white) and just really classic proportions and profile. 40ish horsepower is perfect for around town and adequate on the highway, and the skinny tires (something I haven't seen talked about too much, they're crazy skinny tires) make it easy to flick around. When I bought it it was between it and a T100, I found the T100 Bonne engine really anemic feeling and I didn't like the throttle by wire, idk, its hard to describe but the T100 didn't feel like it liked to rev, while the interceptor happily tacs up to 7500 rpm and feels slow bike fast. It starts up effortlessly every time, rides and shifts smoothly and predictably and idk, I just like it. Fortnine has a video on the continental GT (same bike but with clubman bars) that really sold me on it if you wanna know more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6qXM_N34TI Drawbacks are a really narrow seat which gets uncomfortable, the fuel pump (I think?) is pretty loud and sort of ruins the exhaust note at low speeds and a lack of easy to get spare parts and options. Its a really popular bike in India so a lot of the aftermarket stuff is gonna come from there, but the flip side is its pretty reasonably priced, I got some AEW mufflers for a few hundred dollars that look and sound great.
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Aug 14, 2021 15:57
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TerraCat posted:For shaft driven retro-bikes, I've been fascinated by the bike Indian developed to sell the the US Army in WWII. It had a cross mounted v-twin and shaft drive.  When I was looking at cruisers a few years ago to enjoy the best of both worlds this is exactly what I had in mind. My own Cpt. America bike.
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Aug 14, 2021 16:42
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My bike wouldn't start after filling up with petrol this afternoon. I had forgotten to plug it in to the charger and the battery was dead when I went to use it on Sunday. I did a few short trips to a couple of shops, and then no go after filling up. The dash said 11.5V, it would turn over once but not start. A nice if toothless old man at a used car lot lent me a starter, though it was almost impossible to attach the jumper cables. So should I just swap out the battery? Is there any benefit to getting a lithium one like the SP1 has? As I understand it the bike will charge it OK and I have a charger that will do lithium or lead-acid. A dead Fireblade: 
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Aug 14, 2021 17:45
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Lithium if you forget to plug it in often.. Lead acid if you remember to plug it in when you put it away for a few weeks. Looks like you'd benefit from lithium.
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Aug 14, 2021 18:37
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I also had battery problems today. I went for a ride and stopped for a few minutes just to look at the map. Bike wouldn't crank after, any attempt would just reset the electrical stuff. I had stopped at the bottom of a little hill so after failing repeatedly on flat ground I hiked the bike up hill for a bit and bump started it going down and got home that way. Once home the multimeter showed a good resting voltage but it dropped down to 7.5V or so while attempting to crank. The bike started fine when given jumper cables and charges like it should. New battery was gotten from the getting place. The old battery has no date information so no idea when the PO or PPO or whomever put it in there.
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Aug 14, 2021 18:48
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knox_harrington posted:So should I just swap out the battery? Is there any benefit to getting a lithium one like the SP1 has? As I understand it the bike will charge it OK and I have a charger that will do lithium or lead-acid. Well it's one of the cheapest ways to decrease bike weight.
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Aug 14, 2021 18:51
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High Protein posted:Well it's one of the cheapest ways to decrease bike weight. Not ride it goon friend 
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Aug 14, 2021 19:01
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Thanks for this! I can tell you the interceptor wants to spin up quickly because the Bonneville is a 900cc engine with flywheels like a 1700cc Harley. The skinny tire thing is a huge deal for me, the moment you put fat 17's on something it's basically a modern era bike irrespective of what it looks like. knox_harrington posted:My bike wouldn't start after filling up with petrol this afternoon. I had forgotten to plug it in to the charger and the battery was dead when I went to use it on Sunday. Some people will evangelize them but my experience with lithiums is that they solve an extremely narrow problem while creating a handful of new problems you never had before. Much easier to get a high quality maintenance free or AGM and just fit a trickle dongle.
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Aug 14, 2021 20:09
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Slavvy posted:Some people will evangelize them but my experience with lithiums is that they solve an extremely narrow problem while creating a handful of new problems you never had before. Much easier to get a high quality maintenance free or AGM and just fit a trickle dongle. Thanks yeah I'll do that. Of course, the proper Yuasa AGM battery is 3x as expensive as a normal one. https://pilesbatteries.ch/fr/yuasa-ytz/881-batterie-moto-yuasa-ytz7s-12v-6ah-4906958001525.html
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Aug 15, 2021 00:48
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Anita Dickinme posted:
Yeah, there's something about this and the HD military bikes that are like the platonic ideal of a motorcycle to me. I know that modern bikes probably outclass them in every respect, but they look like they could just go everywhere.
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Aug 15, 2021 05:03
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Got a bit of a squeeze when I replaced my tyres because the supplier sent the garage Diablo 4s by mistake, meaning I got them for the price of 3s, and *holy poo poo* these might be the best tyres I've ever had on a bike. I've given them a decent day in court, just in case it was the normal shock of going from squared-off PR3s to something much sharper and stickier, but 750 miles later - 250 of them belting around Cornish back roads - and I'm still coming out of every corner thinking "Could have taken that 20mph quicker". It's hard to put my finger on exactly *why* they're so good, just that they're effectively invisible - the bike goes exactly where you want to go with zero drama and no thought required. (Decided to go back to OE Pirelli rather than the Michelin because it's looking increasingly unlikely I'm going to be commuting any time this year so might as well have sticky dry tyres for weekend fun than solid long-life good-in-the-wet commuter rubber)
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Aug 15, 2021 17:02
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goddamnedtwisto posted:Got a bit of a squeeze when I replaced my tyres because the supplier sent the garage Diablo 4s by mistake, meaning I got them for the price of 3s, and *holy poo poo* these might be the best tyres I've ever had on a bike. I've given them a decent day in court, just in case it was the normal shock of going from squared-off PR3s to something much sharper and stickier, but 750 miles later - 250 of them belting around Cornish back roads - and I'm still coming out of every corner thinking "Could have taken that 20mph quicker". It's hard to put my finger on exactly *why* they're so good, just that they're effectively invisible - the bike goes exactly where you want to go with zero drama and no thought required. This is literally any pirelli after riding on pilot roads. I've actually ridden the Diablo 4 not that long ago and it felt identical to the 3 and the GT and the demon and the... You get what I mean. Bathtub shaped tyres ruin your brain.
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Aug 15, 2021 19:44
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Slavvy posted:This is literally any pirelli after riding on pilot roads. I've actually ridden the Diablo 4 not that long ago and it felt identical to the 3 and the GT and the demon and the... Maybe, but it's more than just the faster steering - I remember the D3s it came with being a bit wooden-feeling and twitchy mid-corner, especially on slightly dodgy surfaces, something the PR3s were much better about - it feels like they've somehow kept the stability of the Michelins while retaining the "change direction by lifting an eyebrow" character of the older Pirellis. Anyway I'm well pleased with the results (and also not having to care about wet weather performance because I can choose just not to go somewhere if it's raining)
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Aug 15, 2021 22:42
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Coincidentally, I got Diablo 3s today because the supplier didn’t have what I wanted, and didn’t send what I bought. Did like, 15km in them, in the rain, in 50km/h crosswinds. But oh Jesus I forgot what a DRZ can feel like. Miles better than the miserable, sadness inducing, Dunlops Suzuki put on there from the factory. Have done 4 different tyres in as many months. It’s annoying I can’t remember what the first two felt like other than “they were not miserable like these”. But the D3s are probably the best yet.
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Aug 16, 2021 11:27
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Can't wait to wear out the stock Dunlops(?) on the MT03 and get a nice sticky tire. I love geeking out about tire differences on bicycles, so looking forward to trying different tires on the moto.
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Aug 16, 2021 17:25
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Russian Bear posted:Can't wait to wear out the stock Dunlops(?) on the MT03 and get a nice sticky tire. I love geeking out about tire differences on bicycles, so looking forward to trying different tires on the moto. I'm currently doing the exact opposite and honestly, the difference is much bigger with motorbikes on the road. It'll blow your mind. Having said that, I'm finding different mtb tyres have a massive effect on handling, much bigger than the differences between dirt bike tires. I guess cause camber thrust/turning force is so weak on road bicycles, whereas on dirt, bicycles are so much lighter and more sensitive that small tread differences can have a huge effect cause you aren't just smashing the load on with throttle and brakes and 100kg's of chonk.
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Aug 16, 2021 21:51
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Slavvy posted:I'm currently doing the exact opposite and honestly, the difference is much bigger with motorbikes on the road. It'll blow your mind. One of the best things about working in a bicycle shop was you got to do side by side comparos pretty easily. Like the mechanic had a different tire on his bike and we just swapped front wheels for a day and you get instant feedback next time out on the trail especially if you're doing the same mountain bike trail that you know well. Tires are so often overlooked on bicycles (just get me the cheap one!) when it can have a profound effect on how much fun you're having, ESPECIALLY with MTB tires as you're finding out, not only the knob design, but also the rubber compound and things like casing stiffness can change things quite a bit.
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Aug 17, 2021 00:46
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Russian Bear posted:One of the best things about working in a bicycle shop was you got to do side by side comparos pretty easily. Like the mechanic had a different tire on his bike and we just swapped front wheels for a day and you get instant feedback next time out on the trail especially if you're doing the same mountain bike trail that you know well. Tires are so often overlooked on bicycles (just get me the cheap one!) when it can have a profound effect on how much fun you're having, ESPECIALLY with MTB tires as you're finding out, not only the knob design, but also the rubber compound and things like casing stiffness can change things quite a bit. Yeah the MTB situation is very very similar to the street motorbike situation, tiny tire differences can have huge and unpredictable effects. I get to do exactly what you're describing but with motorbikes, my test route is like 6km of pure twisty goodness and you get a very good idea of what sorts of combinations work best, especially when you have two bikes of the same model with wildly different setups. E: while I'm here, watching the MTB industry discover functioning suspension and geometry, then immediately going down the alternative fork culdesac thinking they're geniuses, is loving hilarious. Almost as adorable as reading the MTB thread vigorously debate body posture poo poo that MX figured out several decades ago. It's like watching your kid grow up and learn to shave the first time Slavvy fucked around with this message at 01:15 on Aug 17, 2021 |
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Aug 17, 2021 01:02
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For some reason youtube recommend me mountain biking videos last night and I went down that rabbit hole, but I didn't know they rode foot out style like dirt bikes. Or at least they did for a little bit of this video, I don't know if that's normal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nhLNBKHjUM&t=1651s
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Aug 17, 2021 01:49
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Cutting a motorcycle chain down to length is loving hard. After 3 test runs I figured out something that worked. Makes me want to jump off a bridge though. Chain breaker would like basically get stuck pushing the link pin out. And it doesn't like remove the bevel so even if it doesn't get stuck the link gets stuck on the other end. Grinding the outer link out with the pin bevel and using the chain breaker and a center punch and vice did the trick. SSH IT ZOMBIE fucked around with this message at 01:54 on Aug 17, 2021 |
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Aug 17, 2021 01:51
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MomJeans420 posted:For some reason youtube recommend me mountain biking videos last night and I went down that rabbit hole, but I didn't know they rode foot out style like dirt bikes. Or at least they did for a little bit of this video, I don't know if that's normal. I think that's a downhill specific thing, never done it just guessing. I've always been clipped in for normal mtb stuff
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Aug 17, 2021 02:00
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I took my comfy step through cruiser bike on a pretty technical single track MTB trail a while back and it was fun as hell, I could definitely see myself getting into it once I move out west to where there's proper trails and stuff. There's just so much toxic bullshit surrounding pushbike culture (especially road racing bikes), I hope MTB people are a lot more chilled out.
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Aug 17, 2021 03:14
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Those videos make it look like a lot of fun, then I remember everyone I know who mountain bikes has been significantly more injured than my friends who ride motorcycles.
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Aug 17, 2021 18:59
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MomJeans420 posted:Those videos make it look like a lot of fun, then I remember everyone I know who mountain bikes has been significantly more injured than my friends who ride motorcycles. My immediate thought was "oh man, those dudes aren't wearing nearly enough gear.."
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Aug 17, 2021 19:26
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99% of people don't have trails like that available to them and won't ride that fast and you don't really need much gear except a helmet and gloves for falling down at 10 to 12 mph on some dirt.
Russian Bear fucked around with this message at 21:22 on Aug 17, 2021 |
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Aug 17, 2021 21:19
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Speaking of which, I work as an air ambulance pilot. We've transported 5 motorcycle accidents and 1 UTV accident in the past two weeks. None of them were wearing helmets, most of them had been drinking. It makes my wife want to get out of motorcycling all together, but I try to explain to her that it's never the people wearing helmets and commuting to work. I'm always surprised how people have a motorcycle accident and have relatively little damage, other than the massive head trauma. I think the one that was the worst for me was a man and his wife hit a car that pulled out in front of them. All kinds of HD stuff littering the highway, things like poker chips from dealerships they'd visited and the like. That was rough. So, wear your gear, be sober, and ride defensively!
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Aug 18, 2021 02:27
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I will never understand the reasoning of not wearing AT LEAST a helmet and gloves. Those are like pretty much guaranteed to be impact spots when you go down. I had to yell at my coworker while we were riding home at a stop light when I noticed he didn't have his gloves on.
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Aug 18, 2021 02:50
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