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Slavvy posted:Ok so every dealer is pretty much obliged (not by law but by general expectation) to be a member of a certain trade association and carry it's branding. Most independent workshops are, some aren't. To be a member you need to meet certain standards wrt premises, customer care, work standards etc as well as pay a nominal fee. You are doing good work here.
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Oct 26, 2022 15:40
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| # ? May 14, 2024 08:38 |
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Is this the proper time to get a bigger bike? I took the advice of this thread and bought a 30hp 300cc honda as my learner bike. I've had it for over a year and put about 9000km on it. Riding it was a revelation at first since it didn't scare me like the middleweights I learned on for the licence exam. I've become a much less lovely rider than I was a year ago for sure, but I'm not "good" by any means. At this time (and possibly for the rest of my riding life) I'm okay with settling for "smooth" and "safe" - I'll probably never become a speed demon and that's fine. These last two weeks I've had my very generous brother's sv650 on loan since he's been traveling. Yesterday when I returned bro's bike and got on the honda again my main impressions were that I like the feel of the narrower tires and lower weight but it just feels anemic and not very exciting anymore. The SV is a fine motorcycle. Not scary, but fun. Less nimble than the honda for sure but still plenty nimble for what it is. Nicer ergos - even the seat feels good for an hour at least after some getting used to it. Really nice engine. Suspension is a bit soft for my liking maybe at least when cornering at speed but also pretty comfy. I know I don't need one but it feels like I'm gonna get one anyways. I don't know if I've learned to ride "properly" yet according to the Slavvy definition of ridership but I feel I've at least become competent enough not to kill myself immediately on a middleweight.
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Oct 29, 2022 10:26
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Invalido posted:Is this the proper time to get a bigger bike? I guess it boils down to what you want to do with your bike? If you want to do longer trips then absolutely you would benefit from a bigger bike. If you want to get "better" then getting a bigger engine probably isn't going to help vs either a dirt bike or a track oriented smaller capacity bike. Depending where you live a nicer bike is more likely to get stolen, and more complicated = harder to work on. But for general purpose utility biking it's totally fine to go up to a midsize engine.
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Oct 29, 2022 10:58
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knox_harrington posted:I guess it boils down to what you want to do with your bike? If you want to do longer trips then absolutely you would benefit from a bigger bike. If you want to get "better" then getting a bigger engine probably isn't going to help vs either a dirt bike or a track oriented smaller capacity bike. I live in Stockholm. It's not a huge city but it's 1M+ and it's by far the asphaltiest part of the country so it makes sense to have a bike that's fun on pavement. There are no paved tracks nearby. There's some dirt tracks and a few enduro trails semi-locally I guess, but off-roading is illegal generally. I've used my bike for about equal parts transport and joyriding (mainly rural twisties where I can find them), though I want to go on a multi-day moto camping trip when the opportunity arises - Norway is within striking distance after all. I had a trip planned on the Honda in september but the weather forecast was abysmal so that didn't happen. Given these things and my parking situation (I have indoor parking for exactly one motorcycle, no wider than 80 cm unless I change the door and not so heavy that I can't muscle the rear wheel around a little) a small japanese middleweight seems like the logical next step for me. I don't want fairings. In my mind it boils down to MT07 or SV650 pretty much. Haven't tried the yamaha but it felt kind of chintzy when I sat on it. Lighter though. Also kind of ugly. I'm not ruling out getting into some form of dirt riding at some point but there's no room in the shed or the budget for multiple bikes right now.
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Oct 29, 2022 12:50
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I think you will be absolutely fine on any of the naked middleweights like the SV650, MT-07 or Trident. I know you can learn forever on a 300 but this is meant to be a fun mode of transport.
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Oct 29, 2022 16:19
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I got my second bike after about 6000 miles on my first, which is not far off from your 9000 km. It also was a transition from a 30hp 350 to a moderately powered 650. It's not like you're jumping to a supersport after less than 1000 km as a couple of dumbass posters have done. You'll be fine. (I kept the first bike though and they're both equally fun in different ways)
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Oct 29, 2022 16:31
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I absolutely agree that a SV or a MT-07 would be a great choice. knox_harrington posted:But for general purpose utility biking it's totally fine to go up to a midsize engine.
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Oct 29, 2022 16:51
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Yeah get an sv or MT, you will be fine. I would avoid the trident on the general principles of it being a first gen model of a European brand with not a particularly great mechanical reputation.
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Oct 29, 2022 19:03
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if you got the cash now is the time to get one. Fall is buyers market here in the nordics on used bikes. If people cant move em now they're stuck with the bike until february/march. example: https://www.blocket.se/annons/stockholm/suzuki_sv650x_till_hostpris/104136607
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Oct 30, 2022 16:09
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I don't want the x model, but the price and location is right. E: I have to go out of town for a week but after that I might get lucky. There's this one but it's priced too high: https://www.blocket.se/annons/stockholm/suzuki_sv_650/102824835 If that dude holds firm I might as well get this one https://www.blocket.se/annons/uppsala/suzuki_sv_650__unik_fargkombo_1_agare/104666900 I don't care for any farkles other than heated grips and a luggage rack which I'll get ASAP unless already installed, but I think I read somewhere that the later models have slightly better calipers up front or something to that effect. Regardless of the truth of this it's not a dealbreaker for me, bro's older SV brakes plenty good IMO. Invalido fucked around with this message at 16:40 on Oct 30, 2022 |
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Oct 30, 2022 16:14
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Fallen leaves are no joke. Front end started to slip coming to a stop today on some leaves. I saw them there and was at an elevated level of awareness, and was able to catch the fall before it got too far to hold it.
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Nov 6, 2022 01:05
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Agreed. One of the landscaping carts at work dropped a heap of compressed leaf a few weeks back, right dead center of the exit branch of the roundabout I hit on the way home. I've been side-eyeing it daily as it passes from being the equivalent of an oil slick to regular old dried road crust.
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Nov 6, 2022 01:29
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Leafes, gras cutting or any plant matter on the road is extremely dangerous. If also wet, consider walking. Not a joke.
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Nov 6, 2022 20:45
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I'm so annoyed. I changed the oil in my rebel this last weekend. It was the first time I have changed the oil in any vehicle and it was pretty easy. Felt good to accomplish a regular maintenance task like that on my own. I took the bike out today to drop off my ballot and when I got back I found a little spring on the floor of the garage. After some further review I am 99% sure it is a little spring that goes on the oil filter cover that helps hold the oil filter in place. It must have fallen out when I took the cover off before I turned it over and saw it in place. Guess I get to change the oil again now so I can put it back in there. When I empty the oil out this time can I just pour it back in or should I do another complete oil change?
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Nov 8, 2022 21:27
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Why drain the oil? Some will leak out when you take the filter off, sure, but not all of it. Most of the oil is down in the sump at the bottom and the filter is higher up than that. According to the parts fiche (I assume you have a Rebel 300), it is on the right side, which means when the bike is on the sidestand the oil will be sloshed over to the opposite side as well. I bet not very much will come out at all. Just put a clean pan underneath while fixing the filter, catch whatever comes out, and pour that back in afterwards.
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Nov 8, 2022 21:36
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Sagebrush posted:Why drain the oil? Some will leak out when you take the filter off, sure, but not all of it. Most of the oil is down in the sump at the bottom and the filter is higher up than that. According to the parts fiche (I assume you have a Rebel 300), it is on the right side, which means when the bike is on the sidestand the oil will be sloshed over to the opposite side as well. I bet not very much will come out at all. oh good to know, thanks. I figured if I took the cover off that most of the oil would spill out. I still have like half a quart of new oil left over from the change so as long as it is less than that I will just put in fresh stuff.
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Nov 8, 2022 21:41
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tilt the bike over so the filter housing is mostly facing upward.
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Nov 8, 2022 21:43
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Had my first little kid yell that they liked my bike from a school bus today. Also found a parking lot not filled with leaves and did some figure 8’s and emergency stops. I need to be sure I do that more often, especially since I’ve switched to my winter boots and am kinda stomping on the controls while I get used to them again. Felt myself over-do the back brake on the first one, which is a little funny because coming from scooters I felt like I had to train myself to use it more when I first got the Harley.
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Nov 9, 2022 02:16
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The "HEY MAN NICE BIKE!"s never stop coming around here. It is kind of fun when it's like little kids or something. Less so when it's some old dude with opinions about bike brands.
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Nov 9, 2022 04:20
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Geekboy posted:Felt myself over-do the back brake on the first one, which is a little funny because coming from scooters I felt like I had to train myself to use it more when I first got the Harley. I've done a bunch of brake drills recently because it's cold, wet and leafy so I figure its good practice. Not riding a harley, still on my little honda, but not overdoing the rear brake is really hard for me. When braking hard it's like I can only give it a little kiss at first to load up the front, once I get on the handle for real it feels like I can't touch it at all without triggering the ABS. I'm gonna try adjust the pedal position a bit and see if that improves the feel somewhat. Braking felt easier on bro's sv650 I had on loan for a while so I'm thinking ergos might be at least part of the problem for me.
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Nov 9, 2022 06:32
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Invalido posted:I've done a bunch of brake drills recently because it's cold, wet and leafy so I figure its good practice. Not riding a harley, still on my little honda, but not overdoing the rear brake is really hard for me. When braking hard it's like I can only give it a little kiss at first to load up the front, once I get on the handle for real it feels like I can't touch it at all without triggering the ABS. I'm gonna try adjust the pedal position a bit and see if that improves the feel somewhat. Braking felt easier on bro's sv650 I had on loan for a while so I'm thinking ergos might be at least part of the problem for me. Short wheelbase, soft springs = the rear will lift really easily, you won't gain much playing with the pedal because the grip fundamentally is not there. Also abs on japanese bikes is notoriously conservative, pull the fuse and try it then.
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Nov 9, 2022 06:46
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Yeah the rear brake on my MY03 is laughable. I have to lightly kiss it and then lift slightly off as all the weight transfers forward.
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Nov 9, 2022 07:07
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Slavvy posted:Short wheelbase, soft springs = the rear will lift really easily, you won't gain much playing with the pedal because the grip fundamentally is not there. Also abs on japanese bikes is notoriously conservative, pull the fuse and try it then. Pulling the fuse for learning is a good suggestion, but I think it will have to wait until spring unless some freakishly good weather should come my way. Streets are slick and grip is hard to predict right now and the road salt could come any day, effectively ending my season. Thinking some more about the brake pedal on my way to work this morning it's obviously too high up for me though and I'll crank it down a bit for comfort if nothing else. But yeah, can't brake with a tire that has no grip obviously.
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Nov 9, 2022 08:14
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Try practicing using only the rear brake to help with the feel for it. I used to not use my rear except in slow, heavy traffic, but I use it a lot more now, and I've only locked it up once in the last year (when I had to emergency brake while going downhill). Obviously the front brake is where your stopping power is, and the rear is limited because of the weight transfer, but you can use it more than I would have initially thought. On my bike, anyway, but probably yours as well since likely very similar! With regards to pedals, I have my brake pedal approximately 1" lower than I have my gear pedal (with the gear pedal being relatively high and the brake relatively low). I have the gear pedal higher to make shifting easier, and the brake lower to reduce some of the leverage into the rear, as well as make it easier and more comfortable to cover in traffic.
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Nov 9, 2022 17:55
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The only thing I used the rear brake for was minor speed checks in traffic. I really don't think it's worth practicing and I would focus your effort on the front brake instead.
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Nov 9, 2022 18:38
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ImplicitAssembler posted:The only thing I used the rear brake for was minor speed checks in traffic. I really don't think it's worth practicing and I would focus your effort on the front brake instead. Wrong.
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Nov 9, 2022 18:56
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I am an equal opportunity brakist and use either or both brakes as the situation requires.
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Nov 9, 2022 19:07
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Toe Rag posted:Try practicing using only the rear brake to help with the feel for it. Imma do that, good suggestion. I suppose I can even practice in traffic as long as I keep the front covered in case I need stopping. I cranked the pedal down a bit, will see how it feels tomorrow morning. The forecast for the rest of the week is good, maybe I'll even see some more dry asphalt in 2022, who knows?
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Nov 9, 2022 19:38
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I panic mash without discrimination
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Nov 9, 2022 19:39
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A good drill is setting up cones and seeing how far it takes you to stop using only front brake, only rear brake, and both front and rear combined, without locking up (or triggering ABS). Find that point with both brakes and practice it a lot, the results may surprise you! If you have MSF type courses nearby they may do skills practice series individual courses for cheap, where they work on something like that the whole time. I did the braking practice one recently, it was $40 and really helpful. Invalido posted:Imma do that, good suggestion. I suppose I can even practice in traffic as long as I keep the front covered in case I need stopping. I cranked the pedal down a bit, will see how it feels tomorrow morning. The forecast for the rest of the week is good, maybe I'll even see some more dry asphalt in 2022, who knows?
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Nov 9, 2022 19:49
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I bought cones and still do that weekly and I live by one of the MSF courses so I actually practice in that lot. I will say practicing the limits of the front and rear with no ABS is actually pretty fun. I can slide in to a turn pretty well (in a lot) and also do stoppies using the front consistently now. And agreed on the MSF courses (ride Oregon in my case), I did the brake one and the turn one this summer.
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Nov 9, 2022 20:51
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Invalido posted:I cranked the pedal down a bit, will see how it feels tomorrow morning. It felt real good, except I managed to botch such a simple job and rode to and from work with the brake light permanently lit. 
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Nov 10, 2022 17:43
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Invalido posted:It felt real good, except I managed to botch such a simple job and rode to and from work with the brake light permanently lit. I melted a taillight housing when I did this accidentally once on my own bike, only took a couple of days
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Nov 10, 2022 17:50
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I had to go take a look, it seems fine. Maybe I was saved by relatively short rides and cold weather. Man that was dumb, the switch is right there but I didn't even think about it or test that it worked. Lesson learned.
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Nov 10, 2022 17:57
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I don't believe that motorists pay any attention to motorcycle taillights anyway so worst case is the housing melts or the bulbs burn out, yeah.
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Nov 10, 2022 17:58
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Sagebrush posted:I don't believe that motorists pay any attention to motorcycle taillights anyway so worst case is the housing melts or the bulbs burn out, yeah. and here I just used store credit from STG to get a bright LED taillight for the FZ6 for more visibility
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Nov 11, 2022 14:29
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Can't hurt. I wear ugly neon yellow gear. I'm well aware that it's probably not a big deal for my own safety but maybe it brings a small stats buff so might as well. It seems reasonable that higher visibility means at least some drivers notice us better. I'll take that.
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Nov 11, 2022 15:55
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It lowers your encounter rate with women My goldwing has the same stat buff, turns out
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Nov 11, 2022 19:15
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Some might call it a debuff
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Nov 11, 2022 19:30
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Jim Silly-Balls posted:It lowers your encounter rate with women
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Nov 11, 2022 20:16
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