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you’ll likely be stuck with liability only for insurance and I’d really recommend against it unless you’re mechanically inclined and enjoy working on bikes
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Aug 27, 2022 00:42
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I was planning on having liability-only insurance anyway; I’m a beginner and I’ll probably gently caress it up. That’s another point in its favor, since it’s obviously not pristine. I am mechanically inclined; my cars are all classics and I do all my own work. I don’t really know bikes too well, though, and honestly I am looking at modern fuel injected Japanese bikes because I don’t really want to gently caress with it. I’m hoping the seller is telling the truth that there is no mechanical damage, so we’ll see. It’s a CBR500 that’s now dressed up (or rather down) as a CB500F. I’m hoping to see what that legendary Honda reliability is about. E: eh what the hell, it’s this one: https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/mcy/7521824041.html Feel free to tell me how bad it is. I’ll probably go take a look at it this weekend, with intentionally no money with me so I don’t do anything rash. Raluek fucked around with this message at 01:28 on Aug 27, 2022 |
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Aug 27, 2022 01:23
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I have no idea what the implications of a salvage title are because I'm not American, but a quick look at that bike makes me nervous. It will probably have an ok engine etc but it will also have a neverending series of irritating issues introduced by the PO. You can't really learn to ride AND learn to work on bikes at the same time, in fact one usually precludes the other because owning a broken turd is not good for teaching you to ride properly and not knowing how to ride gives you no context for what's hosed and what isn't. My advice is the same as always: adjust your size expectation down until you find something very tidy for the same budget you've got now, learn how to not die, then get a project. What does a cbr250/300 cost in your area? The 500 is by no means too much for a learner but I'm assuming they go for a lot more when they're intact.
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Aug 27, 2022 01:56
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Raluek posted:I was planning on having liability-only insurance anyway; I’m a beginner and I’ll probably gently caress it up. That’s another point in its favor, since it’s obviously not pristine. I think this will be more trouble than it's worth, but if you're up for a salvage title, what about this one? https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/mcy/7525107168.html Cheaper, newer, better condition, and it seems to have all the original parts.
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Aug 27, 2022 03:08
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I promise you if you are patient and wait to buy a bike in good condition with a clear title, in a few months you will look back and be relieved and grateful you didn't buy the salvage title bike just cause you saw it first.
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Aug 27, 2022 04:42
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Raluek posted:Feel free to tell me how bad it is. I’ll probably go take a look at it this weekend, with intentionally no money with me so I don’t do anything rash. This thread is also full of people that'll give you opinions on bikes for sale in exchange for shopping vicariously through you: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3255021
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Aug 27, 2022 06:01
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Slavvy posted:I have no idea what the implications of a salvage title are because I'm not American, but a quick look at that bike makes me nervous. It will probably have an ok engine etc but it will also have a neverending series of irritating issues introduced by the PO. You can't really learn to ride AND learn to work on bikes at the same time, in fact one usually precludes the other because owning a broken turd is not good for teaching you to ride properly and not knowing how to ride gives you no context for what's hosed and what isn't. My advice is the same as always: adjust your size expectation down until you find something very tidy for the same budget you've got now, learn how to not die, then get a project. looks like the smaller bikes are around $3300. i was looking at the bigger bike because i am somewhat tall, so i thought the ergo would work out better. plus, having abs for under $3k is pretty attractive. T Zero posted:I think this will be more trouble than it's worth, but if you're up for a salvage title, what about this one? https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/mcy/7525107168.html yeah i saw that one. the text of the ad is similar, and it's in the same city, so i am sort of expecting them to both be sold by the same guy. im thinking he probably bought a few crashed bikes to fix and flip. you all are probably right, though, i should probably just wait for something nicer. Remy Marathe posted:This is a good strategy for dealerships, but with private party sales the good deals don't stick around very long right now. You're better off with the aforementioned patience, but being ready to pull the trigger on the right bike when you see it. i was hoping that everyone was avoiding it because of the cosmetic roughness and its history, and it might actually be fine for learning on and not feeling bad if i gently caress up and drop it. i was also hoping that because the ad has been up for over a week, that would give me some negotiating leverage. but, you're right, it's probably too good to be true, and i can hope all i want and it won't change reality. i still might go take a look at it, as a point of reference if nothing else; certainly with a lack of enthusiasm.
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Aug 27, 2022 08:55
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Raluek posted:looks like the smaller bikes are around $3300. i was looking at the bigger bike because i am somewhat tall, so i thought the ergo would work out better. plus, having abs for under $3k is pretty attractive.
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Aug 27, 2022 11:29
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I can meet you at city college, and you can ride my CB300R if you want. It’s a smaller bike (think 7/8 scale), so may help you get an idea of what is or is not comfortable.
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Aug 27, 2022 14:37
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I’m 6’4 and ride an MT03. The peg to seat distance is a little short and I’m told I look huge on the bike but hasn’t bothered me enough to buy a taller seat yet.
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Aug 27, 2022 17:40
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Russian Bear posted:I’m 6’4 and ride an MT03. The peg to seat distance is a little short and I’m told I look huge on the bike but hasn’t bothered me enough to buy a taller seat yet.  holy poo pooI'm 6ft and they feel quite cramped but so does every Yamaha cause I have bad knees. Never experienced a Honda that felt too small, and I've owned a cbr125. Suzuki and Kawasaki always feel super roomy.
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Aug 27, 2022 21:33
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Slavvy posted:
I keep strong and supple but I also have been blessed with a mostly healthy and able body to begin with. 
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Aug 28, 2022 01:13
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A lean question - how do I know what the lean limit is on a Z400? I’ve been getting more confident leaning into turns but the sensation still feels so new to me and in the back of my mind, it feels like I’m about to low side every time. I also have no idea if the tires/suspension setup will allow me to do it, it’s genuinely unsettling feeling the back end dance/wiggle during turns. Do I just need to find a big parking lot, make a cone circle and keep leaning at 20+ mph until I scrape a peg or something?
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Aug 29, 2022 18:24
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The lean limit and the traction limit are two different things, although they are related. With regards to lean - on a bike like the z400 you usually won't run out of available lean that quickly. At some point you will scrape your pegs or toes (good boots have a replacable toe slider), and that can be a bit startling the first time, but that does not mean that you will suddenly lowside (just don't increase lean any further, rather if the situation allows try to decrease lean). Do anticipate the odd scraping feeling and sound, you don't wanna get startled and do a weird weight shift or snap the throttle closed or whatever. I can't say much about the wiggle/traction side of things. Some other folks will chime in about that who probably spent more time riding at the limits of traction and know better how to explain or interpret what you're saying. Whether you can run out of lean angle depends on the available traction. Scraping pegs in cold rainy weather is pretty hard, if not impossible to do before running out of traction. LimaBiker fucked around with this message at 19:49 on Aug 29, 2022 |
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Aug 29, 2022 19:46
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You can do the parking lot parts scraping song and dance, but its not representative of what you'll see out on the street because you'll be forcing the bike down to try to scrape. I'd argue under normal riding circumstances on the street, you shouldnt be scraping stuff on a Z400 anyway The tires, unless icy cold and wet, will grip far more than you think anyway. Take this example: A couple weeks ago, I learned the hard way that my highway pegs were mounted too low on the goldwing. I went around a roundabout, scraped the hard part of the highway peg, and the front end literally levered up off the ground and let go for a split second. Those old Dunlops handled having a 900LB bike plus rider dropped down on them at an angle, at speed and handled it fine. Multiple times! The tire sort of skipped outwards towards the outer side of the roundabout. I just kept going, pants thoroughly shat, but otherwise fine. Is it possible to outdo the tires and lowside on the street? Absolutely. Is it likely? Not really unless there are extenuating circumstances. In general, the tires can be pushed harder than you think they can
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Aug 29, 2022 19:47
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dk2m posted:A lean question - how do I know what the lean limit is on a Z400? I’ve been getting more confident leaning into turns but the sensation still feels so new to me and in the back of my mind, it feels like I’m about to low side every time. I also have no idea if the tires/suspension setup will allow me to do it, it’s genuinely unsettling feeling the back end dance/wiggle during turns. I'll bet you're leaning on a shut throttle. That is what makes the rear feel loose and funny. You need to be on a steady throttle (not accelerating) so the weight is rearward and the front tire isn't overworked. Past that, on a bike like yours, the limit is when the pegs start to scrape. Most of the issue will be in your head, everyone experiences this, the tyres and bike will handle it. Oh and make sure your pressures are right.
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Aug 29, 2022 20:01
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Slavvy posted:Oh and make sure your pressures are right. Every day before you get on, and multiple times if you're doing a long ride in a single day.
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Aug 30, 2022 00:05
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Invalido posted:FWIW I bought a CBR300R with ABS as my first bike for right around 3K. Im 6'1" and while it's a small bike to be sure the ergos are fine for me, especially after losing some weight and doing some core strengthening since the riding position is a little forward of neutral. I still ride it a year and 8000km later and I'm in no real hurry to replace it with that SV650 which will likely happen eventually. A CBR300F would probably have been even better in hindsight, but it's been a very Good Bike for me. yeah this is why i was looking at the F. seems like a more "standard" posture than "sport". doesn't sound like it's too bad, though. Toe Rag posted:I can meet you at city college, and you can ride my CB300R if you want. It’s a smaller bike (think 7/8 scale), so may help you get an idea of what is or is not comfortable. this is a generous offer, and i may take you up on it as i continue to narrow my search. it might be pretty valuable to see how much the size and posture is a problem, or not. might not be right away, though, since I am still waiting for my DL389 to arrive and don't even have gear yet  you're talking about CCSF? im down in the south bay, but sf ain't too far.
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Aug 30, 2022 04:46
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Raluek posted:yeah this is why i was looking at the F. seems like a more "standard" posture than "sport". doesn't sound like it's too bad, though. Rest assured there is nothing 'sport' about any of those bikes, compared to the naked they have slightly narrower bars and are slightly more leaned forward but it is negligible and nowhere near an actual sport anything. Basically don't let that influence your decision, the fairings mostly do nothing except look cool (or not) and keep a little buffeting off of you on the motorway, at the expense of being an expense when you fall over.
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Aug 30, 2022 05:32
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Yeah like Slavvy wrote the riding position isn't sporty, it's just ever so slightly forward. Just enough that I actively have to work on my posture not to put weight on my arms. This is a good skill to learn, but for me it took a while to automate it and before this happened I had to remind myself a bunch of times to sit right. I'm thinking maybe this is suboptimal in the ideal learner bike since you have all the other things to learn as well. I've never even seen a 300F in the flesh - 300cc class bikes are very uncommon here - so I'm just assuming I would probably have liked it even better. It's just some small annoyances related to the fairing really. Sport bike style mirrors kinda suck. There's no place to mount a phone that doesn't foul the fairing or ignition lock. You have to remove some plastic to change the oil - those kinds of things. All in all it's been a great learner bike though and I'm really glad I bought it.
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Aug 30, 2022 06:59
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Slavvy posted:Oh and make sure your pressures are right. Y'know I occasionally get a little loose feeling going around certain curves on my Rebel and it just occurred to me reading this that I haven't checked tire pressure in a few months. Welp I know what I need to do now at least.
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Aug 30, 2022 07:04
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Invalido posted:There's no place to mount a phone that doesn't foul the fairing or ignition lock. You should be able to do something like this 
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Aug 30, 2022 07:29
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Slavvy posted:Rest assured there is nothing 'sport' about any of those bikes, compared to the naked they have slightly narrower bars and are slightly more leaned forward but it is negligible and nowhere near an actual sport anything. Basically don't let that influence your decision, the fairings mostly do nothing except look cool (or not) and keep a little buffeting off of you on the motorway, at the expense of being an expense when you fall over. It's "sporty" like sitting on a stool at your local sports bar.
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Aug 30, 2022 07:31
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Russian Bear posted:It's "sporty" like sitting on a stool at your local sports bar. Lol so a loose proximity to an image of something sport-like, bang on really.
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Aug 30, 2022 07:40
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knox_harrington posted:You should be able to do something like this I probably could - I've been getting away with the Google lady giving directions through the helmet speakers which has been mostly good enough. Next bike won't have a fairing so I'll just clamp a phone mount to the handlebar somewhere and call it good.
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Aug 30, 2022 07:53
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Slavvy posted:Lol so a loose proximity to an image of something sport-like, bang on really. haha ok ok, i guess i thought the bars made a bigger difference than that looking at cycle-ergo, the venerable ninja 300 is even more forward of a position than the CBR, and thats the prototypical starter bike. it also says the SV650 is in this ballpark, too 
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Aug 30, 2022 08:32
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Yeah all of these fall into 'sport touring' which is pretty much what you get when you start with wanting fairings, then needing narrower bars so it doesn't look stupid and defeat the point, then a slightly more leaned forward posture to take advantage of the fairings' wind deflection. But you're still solidly in the middle of the bike and it's perfectly comfortable. A true sport bike has you very low and forward to reduce wheelie tendency, as well as having the pegs really far back and high to maximize ground clearance and make hanging off easier.
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Aug 30, 2022 08:46
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Newbie bike review - Part: whatever Ducati 696 Monster -- I liked a lot about this. The engine provided reasonable and accessible power, it sounded nice, and it felt well-balanced, with very little vibration at all through the handlebars (at idle and at speed). The riding ergos were a bit more crouched than I was used to, but felt fine when I relaxed a bit, bent my elbows, and took the weight off my wrists. Having my feet further back though took some adjustment because I felt I couldn't get enough leverage on the rear brake, although the brake may have just felt mushy because it was poorly adjusted or worn on my bike. Cornering required a bit more deliberate effort than I anticipated. The front tire is a bit wider than my own bike and when I first took the Monster out, the turning radius was surprisingly wide. I had to make more effort to get it to lean. I wasn't flogging the bike aggressively, but it was manageable. I did manage to break traction with the rear on acceleration, something I never managed before. I appreciated that the bike was light and nimble. It handled well running errands around town. The air cooled engine was hot as balls though - the air coming off of it felt scalding when idling in traffic and I melted my pant leg to the exhaust header. I filtered more than I usually do just to keep the air off me. The bike also had bar-end mirrors, which I didn't like as much compared to stalk mirrors. I could totally see myself owning a bike like this EXCEPT right before I was supposed to return the bike, it wouldn't start. The tail light and license plate light came on, but the dash was off and the starter was unresponsive. I called for a jump start, but apparently you have to REMOVE THE WHOLE GAS TANK ASSEMBLY JUST TO GET AT THE BATTERY WTF?! ( I was watching this video in a dim parking garage to see how it's done: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWQz9PsUPAc) I had to remove 15 screws just to get the plastics off, and then I physically held up the gas tank while someone else jumped the battery. The bike started up, but while I was putting my gear on, the bike suddenly stopped again and wouldn't start. I called the owner and told him I would probably have it towed the next morning. The next day, the bike started right back up with no trouble. My guess is there was some sort of heat-related electrical fault (the battery is directly above the engine) so cooling down let it start again. On the plus side, I did get over some of my trepidation of doing work on my own bike. In conclusion, Honda is waifu and I'm going to buy a CBR body pillow.
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Sep 1, 2022 03:57
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That is totally normal Ducati rear brake behavior just fyi
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Sep 1, 2022 04:55
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The full Ducati experience.
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Sep 1, 2022 05:21
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Try a Scrambler 800 and a SV650. The small Monster always looks a bit weird to me.
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Sep 1, 2022 13:57
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Slavvy posted:I'll bet you're leaning on a shut throttle. That is what makes the rear feel loose and funny. You need to be on a steady throttle (not accelerating) so the weight is rearward and the front tire isn't overworked. Past that, on a bike like yours, the limit is when the pegs start to scrape. Most of the issue will be in your head, everyone experiences this, the tyres and bike will handle it.
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Sep 2, 2022 02:55
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Raluek posted:yeah this is why i was looking at the F. seems like a more "standard" posture than "sport". doesn't sound like it's too bad, though. yeah I meant CCSF but I'm fine with meeting somewhere on the peninsula if you know a reliably empty parking lot. CCSF is nice because that's one of the MSF training lots and has paint down for brake tests, figure eights, etc. Anyway you can post in this thread or PM me or whatever.
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Sep 2, 2022 03:41
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So I finally did the training wheel course today. First order of business was chalk across the wheel on our own bikes and go around the circle and see how far we reach. Actually got fairly far down straight away, only a few centimeters left on each site, slight bias towards the left. Did several exercises with gradually more possible lean by adjusting the training wheels. I mostly struggled with the KTM's (790) throttle, really made me appreciate Honda once more. On the later stages it was also really noticeable that you need a lot more force to push the bike down compared to my bikes geometry, so had to struggle with that a bit as well. Still managed good lean and on the final rounds of "pretend there is headon traffic cutting in" I did much better than I expected and gained at least a bit of "just push it down further" confidence. Final exercise was to chalk the wheels again and go around on our own bikes, and that went really well, scraped my pegs on both sides quickly and worked very well. My pegs are a perfect indicator, because I had about 5mm of untouched wheel left after that, so I can reference them as the absolute limit in the future. Also learned that my hesitation this season was more than well-founded, because I am absolutely riding at the maximum lean angles possible at times and am right to not push things further anymore. I think that alone was a good thing to test out. Means I also know how to give myself some reserves if I need them. My next focus is gonna be better lines and consistency.
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Sep 3, 2022 19:21
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Had my second track day. There is one turn that is giving me problems. There's a downhill right hairpin followed immediately by a left. The first turn I got real good and it feels amazing, the second turn I keep going wide and slow. I tried to push it. Was leaning kinda deep, the bike wobbled funny and I was kinda going wide again. I stood the bike up, didnt force recovery. Very uneventful, some speed bled off, used the rear brake in the grass. I am on an adv bike so no big deal. Was talking w a coach who saw it, I followed him after. He said that turn is the hardest on the track, and my suspension is soft so I am bottoming out. I can take the apex a bit later but I am going to have to take that slower than I think I should on my bike.
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Sep 4, 2022 00:00
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For most people running wide is because they turned in too early. Was this at NYST? I'm having trouble identifying the corner! I've never ridden a Versys 300, but if you're bottoming out at track only (ie fine on the street), I feel like you're probably braking too hard. Ideally you brake lighter for longer, but that can be a little scary. Are you also letting off the brake lever smoothly? When you release the brakes the fork starts to rebound, so if you dump the brakes right as you are turning in, it's not going to be great.
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Sep 4, 2022 00:21
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Toe Rag posted:For most people running wide is because they turned in too early. Was this at NYST? I'm having trouble identifying the corner! I've never ridden a Versys 300, but if you're bottoming out at track only (ie fine on the street), I feel like you're probably braking too hard. Ideally you brake lighter for longer, but that can be a little scary. Are you also letting off the brake lever smoothly? When you release the brakes the fork starts to rebound, so if you dump the brakes right as you are turning in, it's not going to be great. NYST, yeah. I'm not using any brake around that area. It's the one after 12, helicopter, turn 13 into 14. I was talking to guys in intermediate and expert, as well as some of the coaches, apparently I need to brake after 12 significantly, I'm going 50mph around there. Coach said I'm bottoming out solely from the forces of the prior turn because of squishy suspension. I tried it twice more, braking before the turn does help, but I'm doing it at like 35mph which is really slow. I can delay the apex more, absolutely. I've tried a few lines. Everyone said it's the hardest turn. If I follow a coach's line, they actually go wide and kiss the apex of the next turn. I've managed to follow that line exactly once and I hate it because there's 0 tolerance for like...anything. Debatable if starting it on the inside vs outside is better. Been doing a lot of outside inside outside, that turn is so tough. Talking with people, some people take it on the inside corner after 12, some people go wide and then in, some people pass on the inside there because they can cut it short. I finally nailed 12, feels great, but I'm going faster there and it messed up my 13 seriously. Lots of time to point the bike wherever I want after 12. I can't figure out what line to take nor the speed. I'm hanging off the bike some, need to work on doing that more which means less lean too. My buddy was moved up to intermediate at the end of today. I am in novice, from rookie. Definitely not the slowest one there which is good. Need to get better and faster though. Massive improvement already from the first track day. Was getting 3-4 laps on the first day in my session, now I'm getting consistently 5 and only getting lapped by the first group of litre bikes on my 4th lol. SSH IT ZOMBIE fucked around with this message at 05:30 on Sep 4, 2022 |
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Sep 4, 2022 05:19
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Looking at photos of the corner and your description and honestly that may just be the limit of your bike with your current body position and suspension. You could ameliorate this by cutting up some piping to make longer preload spacers in your fork tubes, this would come with drawbacks elsewhere though. Realistically the bike is not make for what you're doing and you are hitting the practical mechanical limits because of the particularly unusual combination of corner and bike. Better skills might make a small difference but you ultimately can't avoid the fork bottoming at the highest point of load in that corner without modifying the machine in some way.
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Sep 4, 2022 05:30
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Could I like gently get on the rear brake alone a bit to deload the front after turn 12 - and maybe ever so slightly accelerate into the corner? I'm tempted to just like give up that corner. I can take it at a comfortable slowish speed. Every other corner I still have room to grow on the bike I'm on...and I'm like argh I want to track it for one more year. I can absolutely keep up in most corners, have passed a few people, and chased others in corners. It's the drag strip part I'm like drat. I still have like way more room to grow on the bike it feels. The other part of me is like get an SV650, they are cheap and lots of parts, who cares if I drop it. Track bike. Even like salvage title or titleless track only bike. I'm not opposed to like different forks or springs or like anything really, especially if it means getting more out of the bike. I see like this stuff..hrm. https://epmperf.com/product/fork-spring-kit-kawasaki-versys-x-300 Edit: I see people putting zip ties on their front forks at a height an inch or two before bottom. If it slides down, you know you are bottoming out. I am going to do that before any investment, make sure that's what it is. Based on Slavy's feedback here, online, other descriptions and what the coach said, it probably is the case. When I went wide, before it happened I noticed a super weird wobble, the bike dipped and the back of my bike felt like it chased the front. I had some lean, but like leaned harder elsewhere, faster. It didn't feel like it came from the tires. I was already kinda wide, felt safest to stand the bike up and go into the grass as I didn't understand what happened, didn't want to brake heavily or try to lean hard and get low to recover it. If I have space next track day I'll try to run some zip ties and push that corner again. The speed I am going is like not so fast that I don't have time to figure out what I'm doing - I can go off track, brake, or try to recover. Doesn't feel dangerous....? SSH IT ZOMBIE fucked around with this message at 06:22 on Sep 4, 2022 |
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Sep 4, 2022 05:44
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You'll be bottoming the cable tie for certain. Springs rated to your weight would be ideal, racetech is the go-to for those. You'll probably fine the problem then migrates to the rear as you're able to accelerate earlier and the bike will wallow and bounce from the increased load. It's a neverending thing. Experimenting with braking technique might make you faster overall but it can't surmount the fundamental problem of running out of suspension in the middle of the corner, all you can do with technique is make the bit right before and after that less bad. Slavvy fucked around with this message at 06:41 on Sep 4, 2022 |
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Sep 4, 2022 06:36
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