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clutchpuck posted:Ooh that sounds like fun. I love almost any live music, and it's really fun to see the big iconic acts that play the Chip at Sturgis. SLO Brew is an awesome little place to see live music. We got to see the English Beat there last year. It was pretty awesome.
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Mar 15, 2012 22:14
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GnarlyCharlie4u posted:No, that thing is perfect.
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Mar 15, 2012 23:09
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Let me tell you guys about my friend. Let's call him Al. We work together. Al got a bike. His first bike. A gixxer 600 with a 14" extended swingarm, lowered down to less than 2 inches of clearance. It's been painted with a white / flat black color scheme and has spike things all over it. On his way home from purchasing the bike, he bottomed out on a bridge. It tore a hole in his oil pan and dumped all his oil. He still tried riding for an undetermined amount of time. He seized the engine. It's been in my garage for 2 weeks now while he tries to come up with a plan. (of course he rode it before getting it insured). I feel bad for the guy, but he's kind of an idiot. There's more backstory to this guy but I'll leave it at that for now. Also, I recently got my first bike (yellow ducati monster posted in the other thread). I've rode just twice so far, put about 110 miles on it. I have my BRC set up for 2 weeks from now and don't plan on doing much riding until after I get that done. Anyways, Al and I were talking about bike stuff. I was talking about getting used to the throttle and clutch.  "So how's the throttle on it? Really jumpy or smooth?" "Oh it's not bad, pretty smooth I guess, it won't get away from me." "You know what I'm getting at right?" (blank stare...) "Since my bike's hosed up let me learn on yours!" "uhhh... no dude. Sorry man nothing personal..." I don't know I guess I just needed to share that tidbit with some people who might understand.
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Mar 16, 2012 08:30
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^ Relevant: "I feel kind of bad about not having Mickey's (wife's uncle) bike done, I was thinking about fixing the Intruder real quick and loaning it to him." "You know he drinks and rides...right?" "Ummmm...never mind."
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Mar 16, 2012 08:49
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There's only 1 person I'd ever let ride my bike (even though it's old and not that expensive) and that's my Dad, primarily because I trust him with it and he taught me how to ride. I'm not even that keen on riding other peoples bikes even if I was sure I wouldn't drop it :/
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Mar 16, 2012 09:14
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I did something rather dumb. I ordered a new set of tires a few days ago and they just arrived yesterday morning. I had some stuff to do throughout the day so I timed the day out so I can get my wheels and tires to a shop, back on the bike, and my bike moved to my new place. When I go to pick up the wheels, the dude didn't even start mounting my tires. So I dick around at this shop for 30 minutes. That 30 minutes of wasted time shat all over my tight schedule for the day. I get the wheels back on and try to get the bike moving. There's a horrible squeak/scrape sound coming from the rear and it immediately stalls. My friend gives it a cursory glance and doesn't see anything wrong. I decide to take it out in front of my house for a little bit of a spin to see if I can detect anything wrong. I'm really having to roll the throttle to keep it from stalling when starting from a stop. My top speed is 40 mph. Something is definitely wrong. When I pull the bike back into my driveway, I see what appears to be SMEARED ALUMINUM all over my brake disc. It turns out that I lost/forgot an axle spacer during the rush of reassembly. The caliper bracket had nothing to keep the brake disc from eating into it. Thankfully, it didn't eat into it too deeply. I still can't find that drat spacer. 
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Mar 16, 2012 11:20
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Fiendish Dr. Wu posted:Let me tell you guys about my friend. Let's call him Al. We work together. I too was in the military and have tons of these stories
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Mar 16, 2012 11:44
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Linedance posted:edit: That is a phenomenal helmet. With a dark black jacket on you could get a bootleg Daft Punk look going.
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Mar 16, 2012 13:17
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On the note of looking like things due to helmet, I have a jet black helmet and got a tinted visor today because I hate (and that's an understatement) wearing sunglasses in my helmet (uncomfortable/paranoid they'll impale my eyes and I'll go blind if I ever go down) and was playing around with seeing how easy it was to swap from my clear one to my tinted one while I was at the pub chatting to my oldschool pub buddies who are taking me under their wing regarding motorcycling. Anyway, back to the topic, I put the new visor on and put the helmet on to see how the world looked through my shiny new eyepiece and this 76yr old lady who hangs out with us sometimes pipes up instantly and tells me I look like Darth Vader in all my leathers (which are black) and this now pure black helmet. I thought it was the most amusing thing in the world that a 75 yr old lady made that connection in about 3 seconds flat 
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Mar 16, 2012 13:22
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astrollinthepork posted:replaced wheel, missing spacer, horrible things If something feels off or weird about your bike after doing work on it, don't proceed to say "gently caress it" and ride anyway. Be absolutely sure it's good. In this case I would have tested by spinning the rear wheel while on a stand to test for alignment.
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Mar 16, 2012 13:47
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Crayvex posted:Thank you! That picture was before I ran several tanks of sea foam through it as well as the other upgrades. (Thanks again for the shocks a coils!! ) Oh yeah I forgot about that! I had a lot of fun cleaning those shocks up at 3am. Indulging my insomnia is never disappointing. Two things I'd change about that bike if I were riding it: (and this is strictly personal comfort not style preference) 1)I'd put a different seat on there - no passengers ever means I can get a comfy 1up that puts me a bit lower on the bike, and gently caresses my testicles. Something like a corbin gunslinger or a custom sargent seat. 2)I'd put some of the low rise bars on there. The ones you have aren't QUITE Goldwing bars, but they're not CB750F bars either. Get a set of F bars with a lowered seat and you feel like part of the bike as opposed to a giant towering over it. A couple of other suggestions for ride comfort and stability: tapered steering head bearings and schrader valves on the fork caps to allow you to pressurize them. The tapered steering bearings make the bike feel less heavy and awkward at low speeds and the air caps improve the front fork's dampening and response. If you put air caps on there you have to play around with pressures and oils a lot. The funny thing was, one of the best setups I had on there was accidental. I was using ATF+Acetone (or MEK, I can't remember which) to clean up the inside and break free that bolt in the bottom. Well, I forgot it was in there and the bike rode SOOO nice with about 10psi in the forks until the old seals failed from the pressure+solvent. GnarlyCharlie4u fucked around with this message at 15:45 on Mar 16, 2012 |
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Mar 16, 2012 15:28
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Shimrod posted:There's only 1 person I'd ever let ride my bike (even though it's old and not that expensive) and that's my Dad, primarily because I trust him with it and he taught me how to ride. z3n wheelied my daytona 675 before I did.. I never did it 
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Mar 16, 2012 18:52
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please kill me to ellen fry of bedford, ohio fry.ellen@gmail.com OMD UUYAN 216-470-8984 omduuyan@gmail.com jeremy holmes 88 avalon dr. bedford, OHIO 44146 works at progressive. vera ellen fry astrollinthepork fucked around with this message at 03:02 on Jun 12, 2014 |
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Mar 16, 2012 19:48
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Nobody wants to ride my bikes...
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Mar 16, 2012 19:52
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I'm guilty of swinging a leg over and just going for a ride. We probably all are, for given stretches of time. Which important components will degrade without me noticing? For example, I'm NOT talking about brakes, because as the brakes wear out, I will find it harder and harder to brake. There's some tactile feedback there for me to notice, as they go from good to fair to poor to bad. Maybe what I'm asking is a little silly. Does this question make sense? I realize it's a little too open-ended. It's just...everything seems* to be working well on my bike, and I don't want end up stranded somewhere because I didn't eyeball something before going for a ride. Maybe someone can recommend a good, dumbed-down guide containing "at least check x, y, z". *I'm not a mechanic, so I wouldn't even really know, which is itself the problem I'm trying to solve, without becoming a mechanic epswing fucked around with this message at 20:01 on Mar 16, 2012 |
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Mar 16, 2012 19:58
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epswing posted:I'm guilty of swinging a leg over and just going for a ride. We probably all are, for given stretches of time. Tire pressure, do they look flat? Oil, is your sightglass half full / dipstick moist? Brake Fluid, does it look like maple syrup? That's about as basic as it gets, but also practical.
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Mar 16, 2012 20:06
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epswing posted:I'm guilty of swinging a leg over and just going for a ride. We probably all are, for given stretches of time. It sounds like you're asking how to look at the bike and determine what maintenance needs to be done. It's not quite that simple but there are some good pointers we can lay out. A motorcycle is a bit like a plane in that it's hard to get the entire bike "operating" unless it's in use. A lot of your diagnosis will depend on what you feel, smell, hear and see while you're riding. Listen for changes like little bits of popping, vibrations rattling etc. That's the bike telling you something is out of whack, and it's important to pay attention to them. Otherwise the rest is pretty simple: Oil changes at regular service intervals Clean and lube your chain every 250-500 miles Check your air filter every 500 miles, more if you're doing any riding in dusty/offroad areas. Check the tread and air pressure on your tires regularly. check your fork seals for leaking oil. Check your oil before every ride. Squeeze and feels rubber hoses occasionally to make sure they aren't becoming brittle. KEEP A MAINTENANCE LOG - it will help you and should increase the sale ability of the bike when it comes time to unload it. When I go to look at a bike I really like and someone tells me they did a regular check before every ride and has maintenance records for all their services it's just gazmic! 
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Mar 16, 2012 20:09
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SaNChEzZ posted:Tire pressure, do they look flat? He's a pessimist so I believe the sightglass is half empty...
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Mar 16, 2012 20:42
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SaNChEzZ posted:Tire pressure, do they look flat? All good, but I would note that I've had alarmingly low tire pressure with no obvious visual signs that something was amiss. Typical symptoms include TERRIBLE handling in the wet and a tendency to misbehave around pavement seams. Find a local gas station or car wash that has a programmable air unit with digital display, and not those POS things with the disfigured and illegible brass gauges. Once a week should suffice, and if a radical dropoff in pressure occurs, repair/replace. Not something you want to figure out the hard way, trust me on this.
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Mar 17, 2012 00:35
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I've trained myself to check by feel. Like manually giving the tires a firm squish with my hands. More than 3 PSI low and I can definitely tell, and I routinely get over 10k out of my tires; works well enough.
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Mar 17, 2012 00:39
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Just found out today that clear visor + polarized sunglasses = trippy rainbowy highlights. It was kinda cool, but a little distracting.
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Mar 17, 2012 02:54
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My VFR just does not like to play. After months and months, I was finally able to say I had replaced drat near every part of the bike. Then of course as soon as I do my chain adjustment, lube the chain, and put the bike to sleep. I wake up in the morning and it won't start. No power, no turning over, no lights. Turning the key does literally nothing. Now, in 2012 alone, I have replaced the rectifier/regulator, stator, neutral switch, clutch switch, and kickstand switch. The wiring harness isn't even 2 years old and all the fuses are looking good. Now, the battery has been perfect thus far but it seemed to be the only logical thing to replace. I tried a brand new battery and still nothing. What could cause a motorcycle to just up and die out of the blue? Again, 1990 Honda VFR750F
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Mar 17, 2012 08:23
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EvilCrayon posted:My VFR just does not like to play. After months and months, I was finally able to say I had replaced drat near every part of the bike. Then of course as soon as I do my chain adjustment, lube the chain, and put the bike to sleep. I wake up in the morning and it won't start. No power, no turning over, no lights. Turning the key does literally nothing. Poor contact in the ignition. Flush it out with WD40. If that doesn't work, check the wiring.
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Mar 17, 2012 08:44
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EvilCrayon posted:My VFR just does not like to play. After months and months, I was finally able to say I had replaced drat near every part of the bike. Then of course as soon as I do my chain adjustment, lube the chain, and put the bike to sleep. I wake up in the morning and it won't start. No power, no turning over, no lights. Turning the key does literally nothing. check the main start relay and base. Check for melting/burning/corrosion on the base especially.
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Mar 17, 2012 13:15
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GnarlyCharlie4u posted:Oh yeah I forgot about that! I had a lot of fun cleaning those shocks up at 3am. Indulging my insomnia is never disappointing. These sound like cool upgrades. To be honest my biggest complaint about the bike is the lovely front brake. The single disc, single piston caliper doesn't stop the bike easily. I've rebuilt it and the master cylinder and I still require a lot of rear brake to get the bike stopped. Am I just spoiled by modern bikes or is something still wrong?
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Mar 17, 2012 14:48
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http://www.visordown.com/features/how-to-really-ride-any-kind-of-bike/10458.html Here is a really cool Visor Down article where pros give you simple tips and an insight on how to ride each style of bike, Superbikes, big twins, good launches, 600's, touring bikes, supermoto & 2 strokes. The supermoto section is especially awesome as backing it in is justified and explained through a racers eye.
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Mar 17, 2012 19:21
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Crayvex posted:These sound like cool upgrades. To be honest my biggest complaint about the bike is the lovely front brake. The single disc, single piston caliper doesn't stop the bike easily. I've rebuilt it and the master cylinder and I still require a lot of rear brake to get the bike stopped. Am I just spoiled by modern bikes or is something still wrong? Does the brake action feel nice and firm and which kind of pads are you running? You've rebuilt the master cylinder and caliper, but the brake hoses could be old and squishy or you could have air trapped somewhere tricky, but if the lever is nice and firm and you're running good pads (EBC, Brembo, Lucas, TRW or the like), then your brakes are probably as good as they're gonna get.
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Mar 17, 2012 21:20
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As much as I'm not impressed with lower Alabama, it does have a lot of twisty country roads. An advantage to buying a bike is the encouragement to explore the surrounding countryside. It's just a lot more enjoyable than driving around. Also, I find myself humming/singing the tune to "Take on me" a lot when I ride my Triumph. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914&ob=av3e Armyman25 fucked around with this message at 07:39 on Mar 18, 2012 |
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Mar 18, 2012 07:06
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KozmoNaut posted:Does the brake action feel nice and firm and which kind of pads are you running? Considering this is a 1977 bike, I didn't have much choice in regards to the pads. I've bled the brakes and made sure there was no air trapped anywhere which is no small feat because the bike uses a brake fluid pressure switch for the brake light. I guess I should replace the lines as well but it isn't going to overcome the physics issues of having a first generation disc brake system on a 550 lb bike.
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Mar 18, 2012 12:40
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Crayvex posted:this is a 1977 bike Then "bad" is as good as they'll ever get. My bike is from 1986 and I have to use both brakes to get decent results.
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Mar 18, 2012 14:00
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Ola posted:My bike is from 1986 and I have to use both brakes to get decent results. If your bike is still the 750 Katana, you're doing something wrong.
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Mar 18, 2012 15:06
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Never had a Katana and no I'm not doing anything wrong. 1986 has poorer brakes than 2012.
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Mar 18, 2012 15:37
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Ola posted:Then "bad" is as good as they'll ever get. My bike is from 1986 and I have to use both brakes to get decent results. Many owners of these old CB's replace the stock K braking system with the F's dual disc system.
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Mar 18, 2012 18:57
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First riding day of the year/my life today! I took the MSF last October, bought a Bandit 600 and promptly stored it. It's finally nice-ish enough to ride, so I pulled it out and tooled around. Found the closest school parking lot to brush up on my skills. I definitely need to keep focus on my posture. About 30 minutes in and my hands were aching. Can't wait to ride again!
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Mar 19, 2012 03:53
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Welcome to the Bandit club! There are more than a few of us here.
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Mar 19, 2012 03:55
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Welcome to the Club, good sir. Drinks are over here, various papers and gentleman's literature over there and the rosy-cheeked women are over there in the lounge area. Have fun!
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Mar 19, 2012 09:38
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Posted in another thread to no avail, so I'll try it here. Someone on the Versys forums posted about a straight up trade for a 2004 Multistrada 1000 DS with 20k miles. I know the bikes worth a few hundred more than my V. Aside from it being beautiful, anyone have any input on this bike? I'm really tempted to look into it. My main concern is maintenance... I prefer to do my own for the most part, but if I need a mechanic, am I gonna pay out the rear end to have work done on a Duc?
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Mar 19, 2012 12:45
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Beautiful? A Multistrada has a face that only a Versys-owner can love.  The maintenance on it is perhaps worse than on the Versys, doing the desmodromic valves can be quite costly, either in your money or your time. But it's not bad, modern Ducatis might require more maintenance than an equivalent Japanese bike but it's well within the DIYers reach.
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Mar 19, 2012 12:52
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Ola posted:Beautiful? A Multistrada has a face that only a Versys-owner can love. Yes, I have a thing for goofy rear end looking front ends. Is there a meeting for that?
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Mar 19, 2012 13:06
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Down the street at your local dive bar.
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Mar 19, 2012 17:21
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