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I'm considering a Suzuki RV200 / vanvan for a daily commuter, and could use some input on the actual practical implications of part availability. This bike apparently has 125cc versions stretching way back in other countries, but this 200cc model was only available in the U.S. from 2017-2019. So 5, 10 years down the road if something breaks, does that generally mean the part is just expensive or 3rd party, or does it sometimes actually lead to an irreparable bike unless I get lucky finding the part used on ebay or something?
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Nov 19, 2021 16:21
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:The VanVan is based on the TW200 platform, so there is likely some parts sharing. Maybe someone here can speak to that, or check the TW200 forums. If parts availability is a concern to you, maybe look at just getting a TW instead. They are a hoot and a holler, ergos are the same, and they're a dead simple bike. Thanks for that, dunno why it didn't cross my mind that they might even use the same parts being the same manufacturer and engine size. I'm a returning rider, but I've been poking around that beginner thread to refresh and remind myself of good habits. My last bike was a '98 Suzuki GS500e, this'd definitely be less bike, but I haven't ridden for 10 years. I'm not quite sure I need to be worried about parts availability, it's going to be almost entirely a street commuter. I'm hoping to sit on both this weekend, but what has me leaning toward the vanvan is the EFI- my old bike had some quirky behavior surrounding fuel delivery.
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Nov 19, 2021 21:27
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When you say it's more bike than the GS500, are you talking twitchier throttle response, less forgiving shifting, or...? Sorry my words for describing the handling aren't good. Can an RV200 lift its front end on flat ground? I can see weight mattering but I've been assuming these would be tame bikes. I get that carbs aren't inherently evil, strictly speaking my old bike had fuel delivery issues that made it stall out above highway speeds that a full teardown by me and then 2 separate mechanics failed to diagnose, until one day I stumbled on the fact that moving the petcock to reserve remedied it. My only theory since it was 100% based on real physical speed was that wind speed was making the petcock's vacuum seal fail, reserve forced it open. I'm old and lazy now and would rather my bike either run, or I haul it in for service on the magic electronic box.
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Nov 20, 2021 00:19
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I think you were right the first time that the internet doesn't need another carb vs EFI discussion. My assumption is that the more modern and costly technology that is increasingly and universally adopted is such for a reason, maybe that's purely environmental, but that puts the burden on "why not EFI". The usual reasons I hear like compatibility with aftermarket mods, the ability to self-service or address issues in the field don't really apply to me. But I take your point on part availability and appreciate the input, and fuel injection doesn't need to be a dealbreaker. "More bike" to me either means bigger engine or better able to get yourself into trouble with sloppy inputs. I could still see the latter being the case, the GS500 was very mellow. Remy Marathe fucked around with this message at 01:59 on Nov 20, 2021 |
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Nov 20, 2021 01:19
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I've got FJR1300 on the brain now after a brief and low-speed test ride, but am wondering what else I should keep an eye out for on the California used market. The Priority stack: #1 ABS or otherwise Very Good Brakes #2 Passenger comfort #3 Responsive handling and fun to ride Other specs: -$5k target budget, could stretch up slightly -Standard riding position or in that ballpark. My lower back can't have a pillion on it. -Usable by short folk That passenger comfort bit is key; we won't be touring, this is one-hour freeway rides for two up the coast or tooling around back roads in the foothills. That said I've had two smallish bikes now and want something kinda sporty or fun for me for the next one. I can accept riding a fast bike slow as long as the bike's awesomeness can be appreciated and used in the 30-70mph range too. What bike should I buy? Will I be happier with a V-twin than an inline 4 in back roads with 10-40mph curves? Most of my experience is with a parallel twin.
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Feb 16, 2022 18:35
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Would it be fair to say that bandits are motorcycles of contrasts?
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Feb 18, 2022 02:27
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I sat on some more bikes today including a '14 FJR1300, and my better half prevailed on me to accept that the FJR is in fact too tall for me (if only just). I've been telling myself I can deal with being on tiptoes through smart planning and bike placement, but yeah I'm human and she could totally get hurt if I recover awkwardly from a quick stop and drop it, it's a beast for me at a standstill. After ruling out the bikes that are even taller than that (the FJR's 31.7" with a wide stance), my idea list is down to just three: Bandit 1200 ZRX 1200 XJR1300 After today's excursion I'm considering expanding the search to include cruisers, given our heights and the use case. I can let the sportbiek dream go for now but I'm honestly having a hard time getting excited about that, I've only briefly ridden a couple cruisers of unremembered HD make owned by my uncle and cousin, and I didn't care for the boat-like steering compared to my GS500e at the time. I remember the bikes being a lot of noise to no real effect. That said, I imagine there is fun to be had in cruiserville beyond titillating vibrations so there's a thread here I need to check out.
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Feb 20, 2022 04:49
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Yeah I think the ST class might be out for me for 2-up. I'm okay with not flat-footing a bike either way, but as it's become more relevant I'm seeing a huge difference between bikes I can get the balls of my feet down on, and bikes where I'm just on the tiptoes. Translate that difference to one planted foot: on a "tiptoe bike" there's a big enough change in angle from upright that a big bike has already started feeling heavy for me with 30" inseam and withered cosmonaut arms on one foot. I don't just push the FJR to upright with one leg, I haul it upright with everything at my disposal. So when I'm falling from the sorta weightlessness of a hard stop, I can't guarantee I can catch the weight of me, the bike and passenger at that angle without throwing my lower back way the gently caress out. And I know I will try and we'll have two broken-rear end old dorks on the ground.
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Feb 20, 2022 06:34
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Captain McAllister posted:What about something like an F800GS for mild touring two up? The BMWs I've seen have skewed pretty tall for me, that one's unlikely to work at 34.6". I do see a lot of BMW on the streets and market around here, but it also seems like prevailing opinion is they have lower reliability and higher TCO than kawi/yamaha/suzuki, maybe that's overblown. I hadn't considered the passenger weight buying me clearance, so that and custom seats are definitely going in the back pocket.
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Feb 20, 2022 18:50
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Let's say I wanted to try cruiser ownership for the very first time to see if I enjoy pooting about in semi-retirement, but can't afford the Harley tax, and my desire to accessorize begins and ends with some luggage and a good seat. There's an '06 Yamaha Roadliner with 8k miles near us that caught my eye. Any experiences with these?
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Feb 21, 2022 18:59
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Awesome, I'm on a unicorn hunt now (thanks slavvy). The rebel 500 definitely meets my minimum specifications (standard with ABS capable of hauling a passenger), but I feel like that would just be re-buying my old '98 Suzuki GS500e in an updated and slightly different shape. I might end up there when it's all said and done, but I'm hoping for something with a little new character for me, maybe get to learn what a V-twin or an I4 feels like. Remy Marathe fucked around with this message at 19:58 on Feb 21, 2022 |
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Feb 21, 2022 19:36
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Oldwings definitely remain on the table, as do ZRX & XJR- I guess here's where I need to be patient and watch craigslist/fb. There's an '02 ZRX on the facebook right now but it's simultaneously older and more expensive than I'm aiming for (though also absurdly unused for its age at 12k miles): https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1264051757431998
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Feb 21, 2022 22:09
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After a sadly brief* test ride on an '03 ZRX1200R today, I've learned that what I thought I wanted is not what I want. The ZRX's specific ergos aren't quite for me with the pegs as high and back as they were, but more importantly I think I do not actually want that much bike for the short backroad and highway rides I have in mind. I'd be delicately rotating the throttle about 5 degrees most of the time. Really glad I rode one as it seemed to get something out of my system, and I've now got a tactile sense of what the upper end of sportbikes feel like at around-town speeds. *"Brief" meaning we drove 2 hours into L.A. to ride a pretty blue ZRX with a dent in the tank, 32k miles at $4500, which ostensibly needed nothing but tires. The owner runs a Yamaha shop, listed the things that were serviced and it all sounded good though it hadn't been ridden more than 80 miles in the past 5 years. Anyway I got there, and he gave me the keys right away without hesitation (which seems crazy but maybe the bike is peanuts to him). A few miles in, at a stoplight the idle speed wobbled, dropped really low, and stalled out. The starter button did absolutely nothing. Waved traffic by, pushed it to the side of the road. In neutral, check, kill switch on, check, just dead. I called the owner, he drove up and it started right up for him, but then it stalled out again and wouldn't start for him either. Wires were wiggled. It magically started after nothing in particular. In the course of limping it back to the shop with him following in his car, we found that it would start reliably as long as the clutch was out in neutral, he seemed to understand why but I don't yet. Since I'm not accustomed to holding throttle while braking, the low idle speed meant I was killing it every stoplight and restarting before enjoying that satisfying kerchunk into 1st that slavvy earlier described as a hammer dropped in a metal sink. Pictured below is the bike while I waited for the owner to arrive! It's still very pretty, but the ZRX is not for me. I'm going to start looking closer at standards that are available 2012+ and see what a budget adjustment can do. Not bought: Remy Marathe fucked around with this message at 04:48 on Feb 27, 2022 |
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Feb 27, 2022 03:56
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That was another thing I'm surprised by, photos at that range really don't show a lot of relevant details. There were homegrown taped wires at the console, in addition to the tank dent there was clear scraping on the crankase, muffler etc. indicating it having been down in motion on both sides at some point in its life, calipers corroded (no more than could be expected on a 20yo bike). I zoomed those pics in on facebook as close as I could and saw none of this, and my photo from today looks just as clean.
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Feb 27, 2022 07:45
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I had a ride today that helped reframe my needs- our best local rides are in the foothills with a lot of blind turns, occasional switchbacks and single-lane bits that are shared by cars, bicycles and motorcycles. Much of the time is spent moving between 5-35mph, particularly for me as conservative as I am about sight lines. Solo on the vanvan 200 was perfect for the ride excepting it lacks a certain... stability? while heeled over that my gs500e had. So: -soft seat with un-cramped peg position for passengers -Good power in the low-to-mid rpm range -light and nimble, course corrections are commonly needed -more power than the 45hp gs500e -less power than a ZRX =Ducati Scrambler Icon with comfort seat? Remy Marathe fucked around with this message at 06:56 on Feb 28, 2022 |
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Feb 28, 2022 06:53
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Got it, thanks again everyone. I can see we're going to need to decide where we fit between duration & comfort vs zip and simplicity. The furthest we're ever likely to go in a single run without stopping is about an hour, Mrs. Marathe is determinedly against the larger beasts and not at all interested in longer tours. This is half unfair because she doesn't know how the weight comes off when motion, but half fair due to her short height and leg strength issues that make mounting anything vaguely tall difficult. She actually likes the banana seat of the vanvan, much of the drive for this upgrade is coming from me because I don't like my stopping distance and the way the shocks will bottom out when a pothole takes me by surprise. Adding a number of those mentioned to the list; and poo poo maybe it IS burgman 650 territory, but I don't know if I could get used to my knees touching.
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Feb 28, 2022 18:56
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Yeah I think recent-ish Bonneville and Moto Guzzi V7's are looking like the current likeliest fits. I also like that the passenger is on nearer the same level so when I brake her weight hits more toward my hips than lower back. This does mean we'd continue to clank helmets, maybe I put a bumper on the back of mine...
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Feb 28, 2022 20:51
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Slavvy posted:See this is where the whole 'bike actually made for passengers' thing comes in because those have grab handles for the pillion so their weight never crashes into you at all.
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Mar 1, 2022 03:14
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Those protruding cyclinders do worry me a bit, person who has crashed his bike on the streets several times and ways on the learning curve, and came out of the office once to find that someone had knocked my bike on its side somehow despite it being parked in a dedicated motorcycle lot.
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Mar 1, 2022 17:30
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I only recently learned what it means for an engine to be a "fully stressed member", maybe with such engineering miracles in the world that does double duty as a frame slider?
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Mar 1, 2022 18:58
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Oh yeah I was totally kidding. I'd like to think my bike-dropping days are behind me, but poo poo definitely happens and I'd like to not total the bike if it does.
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Mar 1, 2022 19:18
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e; who am I kidding, there's no more questions now- I'll now be fully fixated on the Triumph T120 until next week's test ride either dispels it, or sells me on it.
Remy Marathe fucked around with this message at 07:29 on Mar 5, 2022 |
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Mar 5, 2022 02:36
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Will you ever need sustained speeds or passing power above 55? If not, and if no ABS isn't a dealbreaker, a VanVan200 is pretty fun to commute or tool around town on, and can do dirt roads in a modicum of comfort. Drawbacks in addition to the low power: small gas tank, and it's awkward to ride standing up.
Remy Marathe fucked around with this message at 03:25 on Mar 6, 2022 |
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Mar 6, 2022 02:56
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Thanks again everyone for all the info and ideas, which ultimately led me to the Triumph Bonneville T120 I bought this weekend! It ticks almost every box really, really well and seems to be the dream bike I didn't know was out there. It might be a bit big for some of the narrower mountain switchbacks, but my passenger probably shouldn't be subjected to those anyway; I'll see how nimble I feel on it after I've had more time on it.tyrelhill posted:pls post your experience, i am probably going the same route later this year So you know where I'm coming from: the vast majority of my saddle time has been spent on a Suzuki GS500e (~45hp) which I rode quite a bit over 7 years before taking a decade off. I loved the poo poo out of that orange bike. Returned to riding 3 months ago with a vanvan200 which has been a blast within its limitations and a good reintroduction to riding. OKAY THE TRIUMPH T120! Fit: I'm short with about a 29" inseam, as previously posted I'm comfortable with a bike as long as I can touch with the balls of my feet. The T120 fits great with the stock seat, I'm able to balance and plant a foot without any real thought. Coming from the Vanvan, it's really nice to be able to squeeze a tank with my knees again in turns. The knees touch at the lower part of the T120's tank guards still within the useful zone. The weight is more than I'm used to, it's a bit of a beast for me to put onto the center stand or walk it, but the second it's moving it's light as a feather. It's also super planted when in motion and the weight seems to be down low; I was in high winds yesterday going freeway speeds and didn't get so much as nudged by the gusts. Passenger comfort seems to be very good so far, Mrs. Marathe who is even shorter than me is able to board it with minimal gymnastics, and says the pegs are slightly roomier than that of the vanvan, which she also considers comfy enough. The PO installed a rack that doesn't really give her grab rails, so I'm looking at remedying that even though she doesn't feel like she needs them. Most importantly the power delivery which I'm about to get to is very smooth including at low speeds, so for cruising around town there's way less hurk and jerk than one experiences 2up on a vanvan, and so fewer helmet clunkings. "Grunt" has become my favorite new word (maybe because I don't get the intricacies of "power" vs "torque"). Whatever it is the T120 has it everywhere in the power band, all the time, it's the most mind-blowing and awesome thing about this bike IMO. Bear in mind I'm coming from a vanvan that needs to shift out of 1st halfway through turns from a standstill. But you get a choice of gears at a given speed. At highway speeds I can be in 4th, 5th, or 6th, and the difference is basically in how you want the bike to sound (and eat gas), because no matter where I find myself in the RPM range I can rapidly and smoothly gain the same essential amount of speed with the same little twist of the throttle. That's the most interesting part of this to me, despite the absurd abundance and readiness of (power?), a sneeze isn't going to launch me into the rear of the car I'm following (I felt that way on the ZRX, but to be fair to it I'd only ridden all of a couple miles before it had issues. Likewise the brakes are firm and do their job, but aren't hair triggers. The whole experience is extremely mellow when I want it to be, it's perfectly happy lumbering along in town like a cruiser. I expected a longer adjustment period but this bike just feels right for me, responds predictably, is plenty responsive in turns. The main part of the learning curve for me so far has been that if I'm not careful I find myself going about 20mph faster than I think I am. On my first post-purchase ride, to my shame (and the terror of the friend riding behind me), I hit a roundabout going what I thought was a civilized if confident speed, but apparently was going well beyond that and took a little bite out of my left "lean angle indicator" as a result. Can't say I have to check the speedometer on the vanvan much.
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Mar 15, 2022 02:45
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Yeah that assessment of the rex is totally unfair, at that point I was on a very powerful bike for all of 2 miles in my life, in L.A. street traffic, and terrified I might gently caress up someone else's bike. I did not yet know that its fuel delivery was pre-hosed up for me.
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Mar 15, 2022 19:07
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That exhaust on the Honda was a bridge too far IMO. Maybe it's shaped that way for good reasons it's just really goofy looking to me.
Remy Marathe fucked around with this message at 01:52 on Mar 26, 2022 |
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Mar 26, 2022 01:47
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I'm a bad rider so take this with salt, but the on/off switch might actually be a good analogy here with the addition of a third setting- irrespective of RPM you're also either decelerating, holding steady, or accelerating. If your hand's not developed fine control, you might always be accelerating a little or decelerating. And transitioning between those states is inherently unsettling because they're accompanied by suspension changes I'm unqualified to detail. So if that's what you're actually talking about, it's not the throttle itself that's troubling you, but moving back and forth between these modes. So:KillHour posted:keep a steady distance to the vehicle in front of me
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Apr 3, 2022 04:00
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Is there a downside to not blipping the throttle when downshifting on such bikes, apart from forming bad habits for unassisted bikes? While totally unaware of this technology my downshifting on the Triumph T120 has become just a gradual letting-out of the clutch with a random bit of extra gas. I genuinely thought my downshifting game had improved.
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Apr 24, 2022 19:30
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Lungboy posted:So my saga of "which bike to buy for an x mile commute" has finally come to an end. Offered a new post at a measly 3 mile commute each way. It's hard to look past an electric scooter for that kind of distance, and am going to sit on a Piaggio One Active soon, but it feels like part of me will die if I buy that. VanVan (also filed under Americans can't have nice things).
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Apr 26, 2022 15:04
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In case it helps the decision-making process, I can share my state of mind given a 4-mile commute the option of 2 bikes. Specifically, every morning when I go to work I have a choice between VanVan 200 or the larger Triumph T120. The VanVan wins most days because: -It's a more "active" riding experience given a brief jaunt on side streets. More shifting, throttle twisting, squeezing of brake levers, these are barely-conscious things but it really does have an effect for me. -If I get a bug up my rear end from work frustrations and want to ride home like a hooligan, I can do that and still generally be within legal boundaries and reason. -When it's drizzling I don't want to subject the nicer bike to corrosion. -I've got it in my head that short runs are fundamentally harder on a large bike's engine because they're designed around an assumption of longer rides. -I can cover it right away when I get home because it runs cool -Miniscule but dily risk of damage to a vehicle or theft while parked in the wild, I'd rather it not be the more expensive one. The T120 wins on occasion because: -I didn't get a decent ride in on it during the weekend. -I'm tired and just want to roll in to work like the cars do, but with heated grips. When my wife can no longer climb onto the T120 I'll have a conundrum. Short commutes aside I enjoy riding the larger bike more, it's not limited in terms of range, so maybe it'd be best to accept "abusing" the T120 as a daily commuter and also have it available for my practically nonexistent solo weekend time. On the other hand, the VanVan keeps me at safe speeds most of the time, is more fun for that commute, is simple and easier to service, and loving shines when it comes to navigating parking lots.
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May 27, 2022 21:09
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Yeah you’re doing ok there, guy at the trumph/Yamaha dealership I visited last weekend said it’d be September before they had one to sell and I wasn’t even looking to buy one, it’s just the poster child for supply shortage right now.
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Jun 8, 2022 20:43
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Ways in which the Bonneville makes me sad: -The FSM is a digital-only monthly subscription at $8.33/mo -There's a maintenance reminder light that will prompt you every 1 year or 4k miles to bring your motorcycle to a Triumph dealership and spend ~$600 USD for an all-day service that probably includes mostly things you can do yourself (Oil change, coolant, brake fluid, fastener tightening, spark plug checks etc. ), plus hooking it up to an expensive proprietary machine that goes bing. The interval can be changed by the shop I believe. -The chain is a pain in the rear end to clean & wax with the exhaust in the way. -Do you hate cleaning rims? How about rims with spokes? -Don't even get me started on the turn signal button. -The wrong sorts of people will approach you to talk about your motorcycle. -It's not what I'd call nimble in the twisties, which is OK by me at the moment -Fake Carb Shame Otherwise I have zero regrets on the T120, and there's nothing I've read or watched that would make me consider a T100 over the T120 once you're preparing to pay the Triumph fancy lad tax. I will say if I was riding the longer distances and twisties that I used to on the GS500, I'd be migrating toward trying something with a slightly more aggressive riding position with more nimble handling and hard side luggage, yeah FJR, I'm comin' for you when I'm 60.
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Aug 30, 2022 02:22
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The Bonneville stock pipes are peerless for triggering dogs.
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Aug 30, 2022 05:59
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Fats posted:Unless it's different from the Street Triple, you can reset that with an OBD2 reader and a cheap android phone/tablet. I never once took mine to the dealer. Also works for stuff like cycling the ABS pump for a brake flush. Is there a trick to telling whether a specific OBD2 reader might be able to activate the ABS, or is that something most modern OBD2 readers with smartphone apps will do? I had assumed the software side would either need to be Triumph-proprietary or some bespoke gadget like this one: http://dealertoolcouk.ipage.com/. Triumph forums referenced that one a few times but I wasn't about to give credit card info on a site from the 80's.
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Oct 19, 2022 15:58
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Geekboy posted:I got to do a test ride on a Bonneville T120 today and I'm absolutely in love. What's your use case, are you after a standard position chill cruising bike with some power that gets grandpas and boomers hot and gross? Or do you enjoy/want to do more technical curvy routes or long rides? I love my T120 but it's a bit of a lumbering beast, 2k miles in on it and still don't really trust myself with it in turns. I would love to compare it to like an sv650 or FJR or something now that I've put some time in on it and got my sea legs back, though at this point in my life the Bonnie's exactly what I want and need (no recs for me).
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Oct 29, 2022 03:18
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Slavvy posted:His use case is trying to square the circle of learning to ride proper while not not having a small uncool bike I think about all the squirrely things I did practicing or screwing up on the GS500e that have contributed to my modest understanding of motorcycles and not dying. I would not have experienced half of them on the T120, not if I owned it 2000 years. It's too pretty to drop and heavy when mishandled, therefore I still can't ride a tight figure 8 on it and occasionally dip in u-turns.
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Oct 29, 2022 04:21
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My money's on rank stupidity.
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Mar 25, 2023 02:14
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Edit; ^^ that explains it.
Remy Marathe fucked around with this message at 20:39 on Apr 29, 2023 |
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Apr 29, 2023 20:36
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Scramblers look both rad and comfortable, but in practice I suspect I would have a very hard time beating up a $10k+ bike on anything but the safest of trails. I don't even like putting the vanvan away wet when I can help it.
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May 6, 2023 22:16
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The difference between bikes that live along the coast and bikes in the deserts on the other side of coastal foothills is stark. I'm 3/3 on buying unridden bikes from desert garages and watching them decay before my eyes. The T120's VIN stamp rusted over in a matter of like 6 months. I kinda hit things with ACF-50 sometimes but I'm too sparing because i don't want them to just start soaking up grit, and we don't hose off engines in these parts.
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May 7, 2023 03:18
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