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Geekboy posted:I watched that video series while I was working on some stuff yesterday and yeah, I think a VSTROM or something similar is way closer to what I want. I can fix things, but I’m not a mechanic. I’ve changed a good number of starters in my life, but always years apart and it took me all day. The DR650 looks like an amazing bike, but I’ve got no interest in a project. I want to buy something, maybe change the oil and add a few quality of life accessories, and ride it to Mount Hood (but not necessarily all the way up it). Maybe those videos aren’t the best ones to show a DR-curious type. I posted them more to illustrate “here’s what a DR is capable of because it’s a great inexpensive platform to begin with.” My takeaway from those is not “here’s what you have to do to make it rideable.” For what you describe, they’re good to go from the factory floor but you can dig so much deeper if you get the desire. They’re not an automatic project bike. As said, yeah don’t let carbs scare you away. A carb that is sorted out well once and then taken care of needs no maintenance for years unless you start dicking around with exhaust, airbox, and jetting. But if a Vstrom sounds like more of what you want, have at it. They’re one of those platonic ideal of a motorcycle bikes. Fine for what you probably need, amazing at nothing. Capable and maintenance free.
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Sep 4, 2021 20:03
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In doing a little looking around, it's hilarious how many of them are out there in impeccable shape with, like, 1000 miles or less on them. I thought it was pandemic pricing, but it's really just a lot of dudes who thought they wanted an ADV a lot more than they actually did. (Which is part of the reason I'm going to take some time and think about it while I pay some stuff off. I don't wanna be that guy.)
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Sep 4, 2021 21:44
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Carbs have a shorter rebuild interval than efi but you can do it with a screwdriver on your kitchen bench. EFI is neither maintenance free nor is it a lifetime system, things just take much longer to gently caress out and being resistant to tampering is one of the ways it achieves that. You do not want to deal with a 20yo efi system playing up trust me.
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Sep 4, 2021 21:48
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Carbed singles are a joy to work on. Multi carbed bikes generally get a bad rap because they're so old now that they're neglected, leaking, and the diaphragms aren't holding vacuum. The cost in parts and labor to rebuild a rack of 4 makes it not worth the effort. I also wonder how many carb problems get blamed on cheap aftermarket rebuild kits. My advice for racks of 2 or more: 1. Do not gently caress with or replace the air intake. Exhaust changes, especially slip-ons, are (generally) ok. 2. OEM parts only, always. 3. Go with stock jetting and starting settings. Seriously you're not going to gain noticeable power by a re-jet. A size over to cure a lean condition is fine. 4. Bench test! Hook them up to a fuel source and check for leaks on the bench. Having to take them back out because of a leak is the worst. In a multi carb rack there are o rings between the carbs for the fuel inlets, and they are just as likely to leak as the bowl gaskets. This will require at least partially un-racking them. $$$ and time. 5. Do not gently caress with or replace the air intake
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Sep 4, 2021 21:49
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Gorson posted:1. Do not gently caress with or replace the air intake Just to elaborate on this: DO NOT gently caress WITH THE INTAKE!!
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Sep 4, 2021 21:54
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b-b-but m'pod filters
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Sep 4, 2021 22:27
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Gorson posted:Carbed singles are a joy to work on. Multi carbed bikes generally get a bad rap because they're so old now that they're neglected, leaking, and the diaphragms aren't holding vacuum. 100% this It only took me rebuilding carbs on one 80s CB750 to nope out of ever doing that again But I just rebuilt the single carb on my 25+ year old DR350SE with very little effort, for like $30 of parts, and that fucker started right up way easier than any day since I bought it
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Sep 4, 2021 22:55
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I unracked and rebuilt the carbs on my 96 XJ600 and then later on did some jet tinkering. My takeaway was “yes, I am capable of doing this successfully and no I will not be doing t again if I can avoid it.” I also rebuilt the TM33 carb from my DR350 and it was a pleasant afternoon at the kitchen table.
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Sep 5, 2021 01:36
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Slavvy posted:Just to elaborate on this: Most carb problems stem from one of two things. This is one. The other? Sitting full of fuel. Slavvy posted:Carbs have a shorter rebuild interval than efi but you can do it with a screwdriver on your kitchen bench. EFI is neither maintenance free nor is it a lifetime system, things just take much longer to gently caress out and being resistant to tampering is one of the ways it achieves that. You do not want to deal with a 20yo efi system playing up trust me. CIS-E and mershitties early LFM enters the chat. Got good at translating German, rebuilding mercedes biodegradable wiring era dbw throttle bodies and harnesses. Or worse yet. Feedback carbs. All of the downsides of both worlds.
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Sep 5, 2021 15:46
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Of all the EFI vehicles I've ever owned, never a problem. Even after sitting in the field for a few years. Carbs, always some kind of issue. Even if it's easy fix, why subject yourself to the unnecessary bullshit?
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Sep 5, 2021 18:24
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Nitrox posted:Of all the EFI vehicles I've ever owned, never a problem. Even after sitting in the field for a few years. Carbs, always some kind of issue. Even if it's easy fix, why subject yourself to the unnecessary bullshit? I know this is going to sound weird, but some people need unnecessary bullshit in their lives. I don't know why. But there are definitely people who see the easy life and say "this would be better if it were more difficult".
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Sep 5, 2021 18:58
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Finger Prince posted:I know this is going to sound weird, but some people need unnecessary bullshit in their lives. I don't know why. But there are definitely people who see the easy life and say "this would be better if it were more difficult".
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Sep 5, 2021 19:02
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Nitrox posted:I have a friend who rides maybe a thousand miles a year. But he's in the garage every other evening, tinkering with four bikes he owns. He loves that part more than he likes being on the road. And that's just fine I totally understand this mindset but I also know it’s definitely not me.
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Sep 5, 2021 19:33
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cursedshitbox posted:Most carb problems stem from one of two things. This is one. Heh, I've had the exact same experience but on the bmw variation aka K-jetronic with the giant paddle airflow thingy attached to the fuel pump throttle, as well as the dual-system m70 V12 DBW system and the early L-jet with the stupid flap meter that always jams.
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Sep 5, 2021 20:07
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Slavvy posted:Just to elaborate on this: n-thing this. Being the gullible noob I am, I bought a Yamaha XJ550 project from a guy. He turned it into some kind of scrambler/cafe racer thing which looked pretty cool tbh. It was also a lot of fun to ride - until it started shutting of at idle. And then having problems starting again. OFC the carbs were pods instead of the factory air box. Reading up on those carbs, I learned that putting pods on those carbs was a good way to gently caress up the bike. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only thing he hosed up on the bike. Lesson learned right there.
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Sep 6, 2021 08:03
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Slavvy posted:Heavily babied engines get diseases like: heavy carbon deposits on the valves and in the chamber, accelerated cam lobe wear, warpage/leakage from uneven cooling, severe needle/emulsion tube wear in the carbs, sludge buildup in the clutch and stator, gearbox bearing failure, stator overheating. There's a reason the Italian Tune-Up is a thing. Some diesels even have it as an actual requirement to burn off carbon in the particulate filters.
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Sep 6, 2021 09:12
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Finger Prince posted:I know this is going to sound weird, but some people need unnecessary bullshit in their lives. I don't know why. But there are definitely people who see the easy life and say "this would be better if it were more difficult". And we call them BMW.
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Sep 6, 2021 09:14
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goddamnedtwisto posted:There's a reason the Italian Tune-Up is a thing. Some diesels even have it as an actual requirement to burn off carbon in the particulate filters. Most common rail diesels now integrate the dpf burn into motorway driving, they quietly add more fuel and raise exhaust temp that way. That doesn't stop people from loving it up and having to do it manually. It's really fun trying to explain to a boomer who bought a Lexus new that their weekly journey to the supermarket 5km away isn't far enough for this to happen and the CEL will keep coming back and we'll have to keep doing a manual burn at the dealer. Just taking the car for a longer drive once in a while was beyond the pale.
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Sep 6, 2021 09:32
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Slavvy posted:Most common rail diesels now integrate the dpf burn into motorway driving, they quietly add more fuel and raise exhaust temp that way. That doesn't stop people from loving it up and having to do it manually. Every Friday evening the drivers for Cribb's (a chain of undertakers in east London) take the hearses out for a burn down the M11 for exactly this reason and I often wonder if the sight of a dozen or so hearses in convoy has any effect on accident rates (or conspiracy theories).
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Sep 6, 2021 10:15
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goddamnedtwisto posted:Every Friday evening the drivers for Cribb's (a chain of undertakers in east London) take the hearses out for a burn down the M11 for exactly this reason and I often wonder if the sight of a dozen or so hearses in convoy has any effect on accident rates (or conspiracy theories). The image of this combined with the sound it must make is just metal as hell
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Sep 6, 2021 10:35
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Nitrox posted:Of all the EFI vehicles I've ever owned, never a problem. Even after sitting in the field for a few years. Carbs, always some kind of issue. Even if it's easy fix, why subject yourself to the unnecessary bullshit? I've had a lot of automotive efi eat the fuel pump while sitting. Doesn't help with ethanol blends absorbing moisture. No big deal s you're pumping out old fuel anyway. OFC tanks don't always have an access hatch and the pump is 100% guaranteed to be hosed if the tank is full. The one old efi bike i've bought sat in a storage unit for 2.5 years. Jumped it off the truck and took it for a ride. Never had a carb bike do this. Now when I'm back to my bike in 2ish months which would be right at a year of sitting... I know the battery is hosed and I think it was stored with stabil in it... there's not really any fuel in it anyway. I expect to pull the carbs out anyway as I'm not tolerant of carbs running lovely. Takes less than 10 minutes because its a ktm and they're known for turning riders into mechanics and engineers. Adding to the fun it'll be a fun high-stakes can't-be-towed-fix since I just broke my f350's frame on American highways.
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Sep 6, 2021 19:54
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Is that an indictment of American highways or the f350 I can't tell
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Sep 6, 2021 20:11
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Slavvy posted:Is that an indictment of American highways or the f350 I can't tell we'll know the answer if i break the frame on the ktm. details soon.
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Sep 6, 2021 20:12
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I had a '94 Grand Marquis for a while. A huge V8 boat with marshmallow suspension that could plow over speed bumps full speed no problem. When I drove down to visit family in California, I80 took 3 hubcaps and rattled a connector for the headlight switch to death
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Sep 7, 2021 18:31
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Yeah the pavement quality on I-80 through the Donner Pass is absolutely terrible. I think all the chained up semis through the winter really just wreak havoc on it.
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Sep 7, 2021 19:36
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Is this why Americans buy a lot of SUVs, to cope with the shite roads by using taller suspension?
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Sep 7, 2021 20:38
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Toe Rag posted:Yeah the pavement quality on I-80 through the Donner Pass is absolutely terrible. I think all the chained up semis through the winter really just wreak havoc on it. Lol, this was just from I505 to CA12 by Fairfield. To be fair they've done some work since then and it was a lot better the last time I went in like 2019
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Sep 7, 2021 20:53
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Steakandchips posted:Is this why Americans buy a lot of SUVs, to cope with the shite roads by using taller suspension? I think it's just more lifestyle/image than anything. SUVs don't necessarily have good ride quality, especially the body-on-frame ones that are still around like a 4Runner. However, the US car market kind of sucks and you're pretty much pushed into buying an SUV if you want any one of these, and especially if you want them all: 1.) AWD/4WD 2.) towing capacity 3.) usable cargo space. Consider a Subaru Impreza vs Crosstrek. These are, as far as I can tell, exactly the same with the exception of their ride height and whatever necessary springs/damping changes go along with that. Per Subaru, the Impreza is not rated for towing while the Crosstrek is rated for 1500lbs/680kg. The Crosstrek also cost $1700 more and has worse financing options (from the dealer, which usually offers the best rates). You could just install a hitch on the Impreza anyway, but if your CVT has problems, and the chances are high it will, I think you're gonna have a lot of headache trying to get any in-warranty repair if they see a hitch. Audi A4 Allroad in UK, 750kg unbraked tow capacity Audi A4 Allroad in US, sorry, no towing. Try a Q5! I kind of harp on the towing because I want to be able to tow my motorcycle without having to rent a van/truck  Renting a motorcycle trailer is super cheap ($15/day) whereas renting a van/truck is easily 10x that.
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Sep 7, 2021 22:00
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goddamnedtwisto posted:There's a reason the Italian Tune-Up is a thing. Some diesels even have it as an actual requirement to burn off carbon in the particulate filters. I "love" how certain automakers fell in love with direct injection and forgot that washing the valves with gas was a good idea So long as it gets past the warranty, right?
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Sep 7, 2021 22:04
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Phy posted:I "love" how certain automakers fell in love with direct injection and forgot that washing the valves with gas was a good idea As usual Toyota have the answer: gdi AND port injection, use the ports injectors for cold starts and WOT, run gdi only when cruising for efficiency.
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Sep 7, 2021 22:40
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Toe Rag posted:I think it's just more lifestyle/image than anything. SUVs don't necessarily have good ride quality, especially the body-on-frame ones that are still around like a 4Runner. However, the US car market kind of sucks and you're pretty much pushed into buying an SUV if you want any one of these, and especially if you want them all: 1.) AWD/4WD 2.) towing capacity 3.) usable cargo space. Consider a Subaru Impreza vs Crosstrek. These are, as far as I can tell, exactly the same with the exception of their ride height and whatever necessary springs/damping changes go along with that. Per Subaru, the Impreza is not rated for towing while the Crosstrek is rated for 1500lbs/680kg. The Crosstrek also cost $1700 more and has worse financing options (from the dealer, which usually offers the best rates). You could just install a hitch on the Impreza anyway, but if your CVT has problems, and the chances are high it will, I think you're gonna have a lot of headache trying to get any in-warranty repair if they see a hitch. I can confirm my wife hates my body on frame SUV and her car rides significantly nicer than my SUV on our lovely roads. If you want to see just how bad our roads are I recommend taking the 5 from Downtown LA to Bakersfield on a sportbike. I had the same problem and was looking at Outbacks but they didn't quite meet my needs so now I'm full American with a huge SUV that somehow only seats 4 because I have captain's chairs in the middle and leave the back row folded down permanently. Tows a bike like a champ though, and with the roof rack I can fit two adults, a baby, a great dane + pit bull, and all associated baby crap in the car.
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Sep 7, 2021 23:01
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Slavvy posted:K-jetronic I think I saw them open for KMFDM. sixth and maimed posted:n-thing this. Being the gullible noob I am, I bought a Yamaha XJ550 project from a guy. He turned it into some kind of scrambler/cafe racer thing which looked pretty cool tbh. It was also a lot of fun to ride - until it started shutting of at idle. And then having problems starting again. OFC the carbs were pods instead of the factory air box. Reading up on those carbs, I learned that putting pods on those carbs was a good way to gently caress up the bike. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only thing he hosed up on the bike. Lesson learned right there. There's a double effect. First it wildly changes the main jetting, needle size/taper, and idle screw settings. Second, most of the time (single, ptwin, inline triple, i4) the airbox is the rear support for the carb rack. Removing it makes the carbs more likely to bounce with the motor and create air leaks which will no doubt be wrongly attributed to incorrect carb jets or settings. The tail chasing is never ending. Vtwins and V-4's don't need to worry about supporting the rack but still face the same issues with jets and settings and are even more of a pain to remove than an inline rack.
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Sep 7, 2021 23:18
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MomJeans420 posted:I can confirm my wife hates my body on frame SUV and her car rides significantly nicer than my SUV on our lovely roads. If you want to see just how bad our roads are I recommend taking the 5 from Downtown LA to Bakersfield on a sportbike. Yeah honestly if one would fit in my parking spot, I'd probably have a 4Runner as well, or a Tacoma. I live in central SF, and my parking spot is not big. My Impreza barely fits, which is why dumb towing poo poo is doubly annoying! I couldn't even have a Crosstrek. At least I have off-street parking... 
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Sep 7, 2021 23:24
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Hey remind me again which KTM/Husqvarna engine is horrible poo poo that will break always and cost shitloads to repair? The 390/401, or the 690/701? Or is it both? I'm eyeing up svartpilen 701s and I'm wondering if they're the kind of bad decision I'm in to.
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Sep 11, 2021 04:17
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Both, but the 390 is worse. It's not put together well, poo poo will break, and KTM considers major components like the cases to be disposable items (ask Slavvy). The 690 is also unreliable but it can actually be fixed when it breaks if you think it's worth it. Rule of thumb w/ KTM - if it's not a dirt bike or an LC8, ownership will be painful
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Sep 11, 2021 05:03
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Finger Prince posted:Hey remind me again which KTM/Husqvarna engine is horrible poo poo that will break always and cost shitloads to repair? The 390/401, or the 690/701? Or is it both? I'm eyeing up svartpilen 701s and I'm wondering if they're the kind of bad decision I'm in to. The 390 is an unfixable piece of poo poo. The 690 gets between 20-50kkm out of a top end depending on which revision you have, how it's been looked after, whether a butterfly flapped it's wings in mattinghofen. It costs a lot, does nothing to prevent problems arising again because they're built into the design, and may or may not last longer than the previous top end. Burning about a liter of oil in 2/3rds the span of the service intervals, on an engine with a 1.7L oil capacity, is 'normal'. The best light I can look at them in: in the 60's/70's, any kind of performance came with an unspoken agreement that you'll be rebuilding it once a year, sometimes more, sometimes for clear reasons sometimes for no reason at all. If you want that experience but applied to a modern bike, get one. If you want a bike that will function to the same level that modern Japanese bikes have accustomed you to, look very far elsewhere.
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Sep 11, 2021 05:18
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Finger Prince posted:Hey remind me again which KTM/Husqvarna engine is horrible poo poo that will break always and cost shitloads to repair? The 390/401, or the 690/701? Or is it both? I'm eyeing up svartpilen 701s and I'm wondering if they're the kind of bad decision I'm in to. Get almost literally anything else and then buy a bike cover with a svartpilen printed on it.
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Sep 11, 2021 12:47
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Here for a good time, not for a long time then. If you're still that particular brand of stupid, buy one with some warranty and sell it before the next service interval, got it.Carth Dookie posted:Get almost literally anything else and then buy a bike cover with a svartpilen printed on it. Lol
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Sep 11, 2021 13:18
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The pilens are so pretty. But no.
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Sep 11, 2021 14:26
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One of these days I'll stop being such a snob and accept that an sv650 is actually what I'm looking for, but until then, I'll keep looking. I want something fun, that's under 750cc, that's comfortable enough for 800km days into the BC interior, but more at home on surface streets around greater Vancouver and trips up the sea-to-sky highway or to Vancouver Island. Top speed is not a priority. Also it has to look at least kinda cool. Have some kind of stylistic flair. Street Triple Rs fit the bill, though they aren't great for long multi day rides. Knees get pretty cramped on them. I'm thinking maybe an Aprilia Dosoduro 750 would get pretty close to what I have in mind, but I've never ridden one. All/most of the good Ducatis are over 750cc so I'm ruling them out. If KTMs 690s didn't have such an abysmal reputation, that's kind of a sweet spot in performance. There's always the Moto Guzzi v7, but the old engine was always written off as a bit of a dog, and the new one that is supposed to be much better is over 750cc. Honda CB650Rs are very pretty bikes, but they'd better be as revvy and playful as a street triple. Another one to test ride. MT07? Ehh I'd probably just spend the whole time wishing it was an MT09. I'd test ride one just to rule it in or out of contention though. What else should be in contention? Tenere 700s might be a good one, if not a pretty one, but they're a bit too pricy at the moment.
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Sep 12, 2021 02:05
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