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Honda sees what’s happening with their 125s, especially the Trail, and figures the US market is good for another small displacement town bike that conforms closer to norms for frame size and shift-pattern.
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May 27, 2023 01:33
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Toe Rag posted:Yes, it's "new" for 2023, which is sort of amazing. Or is it recognition of America's third world status? this is basically me. the area all around me is rural and my area used to be such. the "big city" (or cities as it were) are accessible via two lane highways with 55mph speed limits and i frequently have to take dirt roads to visit friends/family or do activities of one kind or another. no trails really but i think this is going to be a perfect first bike. i don't think i can bring myself to sell my ruckus, though, so i guess i'll just use it for shorter trips. it's too drat fun. televiper posted:Honda sees what’s happening with their 125s, especially the Trail, and figures the US market is good for another small displacement town bike that conforms closer to norms for frame size and shift-pattern. i wanted a trail 125 so bad until i sat on one and ended up just getting the ruckus instead. i'm just too tall for the drat thing, which really sucks because it's 2qt4me.
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May 27, 2023 02:51
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Went out to ride my bike around the neighborhood but something felt weird or foreign, like i hadn't ridden in a month. It wasn't the bike, it was me, something was off today. So I made four rights and went home. Guess today's lesson is don't ride if you don't feel comfortable.
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May 27, 2023 05:43
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Vino posted:Went out to ride my bike around the neighborhood but something felt weird or foreign, like i hadn't ridden in a month. It wasn't the bike, it was me, something was off today. So I made four rights and went home. Guess today's lesson is don't ride if you don't feel comfortable. That's really great advice. Good to listen to your gut. Even of it's not a woowoo thing, your mental or emotional state can affect your riding.
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May 27, 2023 06:09
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Yep. Pushed the Vee out of the garage today, got ready to head in to work. Then I get a call from a manager to discuss some technical problem and so I sit in the garage in full gear while this is taking place. When the call was finally over 25 minutes later I said gently caress IT, pushed the bike back in the garage, and peeled out of my gear. Sometimes you gotta know when not to ride in to work. took a nap instead
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May 27, 2023 06:16
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Yeah, that's an important lesson, good for you that you learned it. If your head isn't fully in it, motorcycles are bad and dangerous. I can usually will my full concentration into the task pretty easily and do so habitually when I start a ride, but sometimes it doesn't work and if so I don't ride if I have a choice. I got rapidly ill once at work last year and felt fever chills coming on, so I hurried into the gear and rushed to the bike to make it home before becoming bedridden. That was a terrifying ride, fighting the shakes to stay in control of the bike and feeling my mind going as the fever was rising. I made it but it was real dumb and I should have just left the bike at work and accepted the offer from a colleague to drive me home instead obviously.
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May 27, 2023 06:22
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televiper posted:Honda sees what’s happening with their 125s, especially the Trail, and figures the US market is good for another small displacement town bike that conforms closer to norms for frame size and shift-pattern. Unironically this has been my sales pitch for getting friends on bikes. We're basically becoming like Vietnam or Thailand, everyone has bikes there. Get ahead of the curve. Pretty evident with the hyperinflated car prices. It's definitely a way to get ahead financially.
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May 27, 2023 16:37
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SSH IT ZOMBIE posted:Unironically this has been my sales pitch for getting friends on bikes. We're basically becoming like Vietnam or Thailand, everyone has bikes there. Get ahead of the curve. I definitely prefer it to a car. I wish bicycles were more viable in my area but the little motorcycle is a good compromise for me. I'm sure I'll get a bigger one, though. I'll occasionally need to drag my teenage son around and the two of us combined exceed the max weight capacity of the xr150l by about 80lbs.
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May 27, 2023 16:46
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Went riding today. No problems like yesterday, but different problems. The empty parking lot I found last time was chained off this time. I’m going to guess that I’m at the mercy of someone forgetting to chain that thing up every so often. Not many better options around here. So I’m not sure where I’m going to be able to reliably do drills. There are some shopping center parking lots but they are likely to only be empty after dark, and then I’m sure there will be private security patrols. I mostly ride in one lane roads but there is one two lane road and coming back home I was making a right onto it and I saw no cars in the right lane so I decided to turn into that. I was looking right while turning right, which is good, but as I was completing the turn a car appeared in the right lane right next to me. No idea how it go there, my guess is it changed lanes? I had to swerve into the turning lane that was thankfully there. So that’s the most eventful thing that’s happened in my bike journey so far. I’m much more confident than before but for as long as I still have moments of having to remind myself which control is what I’m looking for I’m definitely not ready to graduate to anything more than neighborhood driving.
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May 27, 2023 23:08
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I have fewer close calls in the car than I used to since I started riding because you’re so vulnerable that you really have to be certain you’re safe and have an escape plan if things go awry. Think back to the intersection and try to remember what you saw and how you could have reacted differently. Be sure you’re not just planning what to do, but what to do if something goes wrong. At this stage, that mostly means doing things slower but eventually you’ll be able to maximize your bike’s size and ability to accelerate really quickly relative to most cars to create those escape paths. But don’t rush that. It sounds like you’re doing a great job at taking things slow and learning from your mistakes and challenges. Ignore any pressure to speed up that process and keep going slow and steady. Don’t get cocky, but you’re making a lot smarter decisions than most beginner riders (myself included). An old friend in his mid-40’s from back east inherited his Dad’s Street Glide and posted on April 29th that he had taken his first ride and loved it. This week he posted that he’d dropped the bike and twisted and broken his leg. Motorcycles are dangerous, but a lot of that is exacerbated by people making bad, bad choices. On a more personal note, I’m planning my first multi-day trip on my Bonneville. I’m aiming for around 300 miles most days but will probably do about 550 the first day. What advice do you wish you’d gotten before your first roughly 2,000 mile type ride?
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May 28, 2023 02:17
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Vino posted:No idea how it go there, my guess is it changed lanes?
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May 28, 2023 03:25
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Geekboy posted:I have fewer close calls in the car than I used to since I started riding because you’re so vulnerable that you really have to be certain you’re safe and have an escape plan if things go awry. i'm new to motorcycling but i've been riding bicycles in an urban environment for years and i can confirm it definitely made me a more aware and cautious driver
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May 28, 2023 04:55
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My own bicycle riding didn't adapt a lot, but my partner (who admittedly has ridden a lot more than I have) found a lot of things way easier than a lot of people at her level of experience.
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May 28, 2023 05:01
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the internalized zen of "nobody sees me and every parked car is about to pull out" has definitely translated well to both driving and motorcycling for me
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May 28, 2023 05:06
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Geekboy posted:What advice do you wish you’d gotten before your first roughly 2,000 mile type ride? 1. get a tank bag and map, you can't memorise enough of the directions (or GPS/ phone nowadays) 2. Going really really fast means you have to stop at every service station and is slower overall 3. Going to a ski resort on a sports bike isn't really the best idea 4. It was super fun
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May 28, 2023 06:40
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This was the intersection https://www.google.com/maps/@34.048...i8192?entry=ttu  I was making the right turn represented by the red arrow. Now that I look at it I think maybe it wasn't that the car was too far right but rather I was too far left because I remember swerving right into the turning lane and the only way I could have done that is if I was too far left. Seems like a very dumb mistake to make, the sort of mistake I would never make in a car. But when I'm on a bike everything's different and I have less muscle memory to rely on and more controls to think about and I suppose it makes even simple things like turning into the correct lane harder.
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May 28, 2023 20:53
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Turning a bike can take a surprising amount of lane if you’re not paying attention on where you are going to put the bike in the lane you’re turning into. Did you look through the turn and think “I’m going to put my wheels in position 1/2/3 of the lane where I’m turning”? Everything needs to be intentional. The car “surprising” you is something you should really try to make sure almost never happens. Your 6th sense on the road will sharpen as you ride more and you will be able to predict most things that might potentially happen and nothing should surprise you.
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May 28, 2023 23:42
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Yes I will chalk that one up to my own dumb fault. Went out riding today and I paid more attention to proper turning speed and ending up in the right place after the turn. The one parking lot was open so I did some quick stops, counterturning, 3m 5mph slalom, and tight circles. Engaged my ABS for the first time on the quick stops, only on the back brake though. For some reason I could never brake hard enough to engage it in the front brake. Didn’t want to try too hard because I prefer being behind the hand bars. The tight circles were maybe 4 m radius, and for some reason were way harder turning right than turning left. It made my right hand sore making so many micro adjustments in the throttle. The slalom was kinda easy actually, so easy I wondered whether I was doing it wrong. After that I went out on some city roads to get more practice maneuvering around cars. Skipped to the head of a line of cars waiting at a light because the path was very wide and the light had only just turned, so I knew it wouldn’t start up again as I was trying to go up. And nothing bad happened! So that’s good.
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May 29, 2023 21:31
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Don't make micro throttle adjustments when you're doing ultra low speed poo poo, instead keep the throttle steady and adjust speed by continually slipping the clutch less or more and steadying everything with the rear brake
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May 29, 2023 21:43
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Vino posted:Engaged my ABS for the first time on the quick stops, only on the back brake though. For some reason I could never brake hard enough to engage it in the front brake. Didn’t want to try too hard because I prefer being behind the hand bars. The rear brake is the opposite, the forces of braking will unload this tire, decreasing the grip until it's almost or actually lifted up into the air, at that point you have no working rear brake at all the the front brake is doing all the work. The rear brake does very useful things during in the initial part of the braking though so keep using that pedal together with the handle.
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May 30, 2023 06:27
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Invalido posted:The rear brake is the opposite, the forces of braking will unload this tire, decreasing the grip until it's almost or actually lifted up into the air, at that point you have no working rear brake at all the the front brake is doing all the work. The rear brake does very useful things during in the initial part of the braking though so keep using that pedal together with the handle. Actually, what is going on here? I upgraded my front suspension and have been doing some brake drills. Mostly just because I love how the front feels now, it is very predictable, doesn't buck at all, compresses according to the level of brake I am using. I notice just using the back brake actually deloads the back and the front compression digs in a lil, not as much as front. I always just use both brakes. But why doesn't the back compress when using the back brake? Triangles? It feels like the front SHOULD unload instead of the back. Before the suspension upgrade the entire bike would buck around on heavy braking, couldn't get a feel for it.
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May 30, 2023 07:08
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You are a giant weight atop a giant pendulum, when you try to decelerate the bike, that weight swings forward and compresses the front while unloading the rear. The rear brake DOES make the rear of the bike squat, which makes it change shape by getting longer and lower, but that doesn't mean it isn't also pitching forward at the same time. The squatting effect is the product of rear suspension geometry, it is both independent of the bike pitching and varies in magnitude from bike to bike. Using the rear brake early in braking is really helpful because the bike being longer and lower aids stability; as you brake harder or deeper into the turn it becomes a liability because there's not enough grip back there to sustain even a mild amount of braking force. The particulars of geometry and suspension and setup dictate how these sorts of forces balance against one another, it's likely that on your particular bike the tendency to squat from the rear brake is very mild while the tendency to pitch forward from deceleration is comparatively strong. This lines up pretty well with what I would expect a vstrom 300 to behave like just based on my heuristic meat experience (meatsperience?).
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May 30, 2023 07:15
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My xr150 was delivered today. I had to sit in the living room working knowing it was in the garage. Oddly when I went to the gym, I took the ruckus instead. It's a very short (almost walkable) trip but the ruckus always feels like I'm getting away with something. Side note: I should ride my bicycle to the gym but my legs are usually toast after. Anyway, I took it on its maiden voyage after I cleaned up after the gym. Beautiful night, clear skies, 77F. It ran like a dream. I stalled it once while futzing about in the driveway before I left and once when I was trying to open the garage door but not in traffic. First and second gear feel like they have a fair amount of pull so I'm no longer too worried about the big uphill spot on the main dirt road I have to travel sometimes. I did get it up to 45-50 but I didn't want to push it given it's brand new. The bike really feels like it wants to be in 4th gear most of the time in town (30mph-ish streets) but that seemed high to me. No tach so I'm just going by feel. I made my first bonehead mistake with it tonight, however. My kid wanted some chocolate milk at around 11pm and far be it for me to deprive him when I have prime transportation on hand! Fired the motorcycle back up and headed to the store. On the way home it was performing like buttcheeks and I was certain I'd hosed it up somehow. Turns out I had the choke half on all the way home. Lesson learned. I need to spend some parking lot time with it to figure out where its friction zone is and to get used to turning it. It's far more upright than the sport/standard bikes we did the MSF class on, so tight turns are a little different. Feels way more comfy than those things, though. Love this thing.
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May 31, 2023 06:23
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Congrats on the bike!knuthgrush posted:
Going by feel is a decent heuristic (staying between lugging and redlining), though small displacement bikes tend to have shorter gears so you have to upshift earlier than you would on a larger bike. Check your manual and you might be surprised just how quickly it tells you to shift up. This is from the manual for my 250:  I don't actually upshift this this aggressively. I only shift into 4th above 30 mph and don't get to top gear unless I'm on the highway. But it shows how the people who designed the bike think about it and how much tolerance there is.
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May 31, 2023 15:59
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Yeah I would uh not look at the manual shift points for anything, someone needs to post that ninja 250/300 one. They are often totally preposterous and barely manageable at all if you're not on level ground.
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May 31, 2023 18:18
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My 300 has basically the same chart, I ignore it and use the rule of thumb from when I drove a car that 10 mph = 1 gear. The manual also says I can use the entire RPM range as long as I don't go red. But I believe the recommended is for the first 1000 miles while you're breaking in the bike, my bike is only 900 miles so I haven't gone above 6k rpm.
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May 31, 2023 18:26
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Vino posted:My 300 has basically the same chart, I ignore it and use the rule of thumb from when I drove a car that 10 mph = 1 gear. Even this is way too slow and luggy
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May 31, 2023 18:37
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Don't use any charts or rules or numbers or metrics. You shift up when the engine is getting buzzy and wheezy, and you shift down when it's bogging and about to start lugging. The specific numbers where this happens will depend on how fast you're going, how hard you're accelerating or decelerating, whether you're going up or down a hill, if you have a passenger, a headwind, etc. I suggest putting a piece of tape over the tachometer while you're learning to ride and just going by feel. You'll figure it out quickly. Sagebrush fucked around with this message at 18:42 on May 31, 2023 |
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May 31, 2023 18:40
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The ideal bike has no instruments whatsoever, we have speedos as a compromise with the law and other stuff as a compromise with marketing and ownership practicality Knowing what speed you're doing, what rpm you're doing, what gear you're in is totally useless information from a riding standpoint
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May 31, 2023 18:46
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I think an oil pressure gauge and an ammeter (or idiot lights for the same) are nice to have
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May 31, 2023 18:56
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Riding with a goon who doesn’t post here anymore really expanded my idea of what was possible in the rev range. Following the “shift every 10 mph” on the Bonneville would have me shifting around 2.5-3K RPM but the red line isn’t until I think 7K and the limiter is 2K or 3K above that. He’s bad for my gas mileage, but I’m a better rider after figuring out how much less shifting I need to do. Being at 5K in a curve gives me options to accelerate or decelerate without having to engage the clutch or brakes at all. If it’s a new bike then be reasonable about your break-in period and do what helps you feel safe and comfortable but you did buy the whole rev range. The occasional freeway ride shouldn’t be the only time a bike ever gets above halfway to the red line. It’s also really fun to flip back and forth between a polite, quiet gentleman to a loud(ish) torque machine just by changing up how aggressively I shift and accelerate.
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May 31, 2023 19:22
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For me, it's loudness control on the Monkey with a Yoshi pipe and non OEM air intake system. 2nd gear in town - loud, lots of deceleration pops. 3rd gear - you probably won't hear me.
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May 31, 2023 19:39
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Sagebrush posted:I think an oil pressure gauge and an ammeter (or idiot lights for the same) are nice to have My first car was a '90 Ford Probe, and high up on the list of things I genuinely miss about it is the console  (The binnacle moved up and down when you adjusted the steering wheel, which was cool, and unlike my brother's car with the digital dash, the analogue gauges just fuckin worked)
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May 31, 2023 22:50
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i did look in my manual and thought its shifting range was a little sluggish but maybe i'll keep it there at least in the break-in period. i also did another idiot move today, i suspect this'll be another in a long string of them. i was crossing a sleepy intersection from a full stop. in first gear, about to shift up to second gear and a harley bro started to pass me in the oncoming lane. he waved at me and in my social panic, i started to wave back but lost track of what my hands/feet were doing and kicked the bike into neutral on accident. gave it some throttle and it revved super loud. i went ahead and upshifted and got the gently caress out of there real quick in a heap of embarrassment. fortunately he doesn't know i'm a functional idiot because he let out a loud "HELL YEAH!", revved real loud, and gave me a thumbs up. this memory will wake me from a dead sleep multiple times several years from now i'm sure. it's filed away with stupid things i did as a kid or that time when someone went to fist-bump me and i confidently shook their fist instead. if you'll excuse me, i'm going to go scream into a paper bag. EDIT: from now on waving motorcycles just get a nod. sorry if i pass you and seem rude.
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Jun 1, 2023 03:40
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Nodding is a perfectly acceptable wave alternative
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Jun 1, 2023 03:56
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Geekboy posted:Riding with a goon who doesn’t post here anymore Who is it!? Is it Mapless? Is it le Tron fu?! Who is it!?!?
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Jun 1, 2023 08:40
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I am too old to ask someone their username for these forums in real life without shriveling into nothingness. I asked if he was protected, but that’s as far as I can go. I’m not strong enough. Forgive me.
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Jun 1, 2023 17:12
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“Hey before we ride, I’m gonna need you to text me a link to your post history, make sure you weren’t one of those Coupons posters” Easy
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Jun 1, 2023 20:11
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Slavvy posted:Ok so if you're actually taking up the cable slack there then you don't have anywhere near enough slack, you should be able to make at least a 5mm gap between the lever and the perch, in the picture that gap is currently zero. So undo the large knurled ring (you may need pliers to initially break it loose) and wind the barrel adjuster inwards until you have the slack you need, then tighten the ring again. If you go too far you will not be able to select neutral with the bike running and it will probably creep forward/stall when in gear. From a few pages back but I did this and it worked like a charm. I put about a pencil eraserhead's worth of slack at the clutch perch and now I have no problems with the clutch and the bike is infinitely more rideable. Thank you.
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Jun 2, 2023 02:59
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Yep, that's the correct way. It feels weird at first cause you're like huh? This lever feels like it's just flopping around and is about to fall off??? But that's correct.
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Jun 2, 2023 03:29
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