Question Thread: Apply throttle directly to forehead

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Cycle Asylum > Question Thread: Apply throttle directly to forehead

«‹›5 »

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Would a Kawasaki ER-5 around '02 to '05 be a good beginner bike? Anything in particular to watch out for that likes to break and/or be expensive to replace?

# ¿ Jun 14, 2012 13:38

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 30, 2024 00:05

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

the walkin dude posted:

Ok, I just sprayed WD-40 around the edges of the bolt head, dug through my toolkit and found a 6-point 8mm socket, hammered it onto the bolt, and forced it loose with a ratchet wrench. Thanks guys loving 12 pointers, cluttering up my toolkit.

Now that you have the bolts off you can throw them away. Replace them with allen head bolts and never have an issue with rounded bolt heads again.

# ¿ Jun 15, 2012 21:04

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Z3n posted:

This sounds like more of a tool quality issue than a bolt type issue.

Yup, but a shoddy allen key won't destroy the bolt.

# ¿ Jun 15, 2012 22:10

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

What does it need 5 buttons for?

I've only used one wireless helmet headset, and it had no buttons meant to be used while riding. It had on/off and a channel switch. While riding it would disconnect to save power if you hadn't talked for about a minute, and to turn it on you just made a sharpish noise into the microphone.

# ¿ Jun 16, 2012 13:09

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Shimrod posted:

My last set lasted me about 3 years, and they still work, only reason I replaced them was I lost my last set of silicone ear piece things so they got kind of annoying to wear and I couldn't order the ear parts separately. Current set is at a little over a year now and still like new.

FYI, you can get third party silicone buds on amazon and probably in any electronics store, that fit just about any in-ear headphones that normally have simple round buds.

# ¿ Jul 12, 2012 15:22

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Given equal price and mileage, 2007 CBF600 ABS or 2007 Bandit 650 ABS?

# ¿ Aug 3, 2012 18:21

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

It's a CBF600 SA. No idea if it's EFI or Carb actually, the ad didn't say.

I'm discussing with the world slowest email replyer about an ER-6f which is �500 cheaper, but if that falls through the CBF is my next target. I think the ER-6f looks better though.

# ¿ Aug 5, 2012 11:16

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Sagebrush posted:

This is apparently an ice racer of some kind:

That rear sprocket. :stare:

# ¿ Aug 17, 2012 15:03

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

XYLOPAGUS posted:

I feel like I need to be convinced away from this and just stick with the 250. I commute to work 20 miles each way and I do mountain/twisties rides on Sundays, if that changes anything.

I own a 650R and I just returned a DL650 I had rented for 3 days. I found the DL650 a much better bike at low speeds, with tons of low-rev torque. The 650R really isn't happy below 3k rpm. If your commute involves a fair bit of puttering around in the city, I'd go with the DL.

On the other hand the DL650 felt a bit unstable at highway speeds, where the 650R just cuts through wind and turbulence like a hot knife through butter. For 30-45mph twisties they both do a fine job of it.

# ¿ Aug 22, 2012 11:53

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

KozmoNaut posted:

I don't really get this. If the bike isn't happy below 3K RPM, can't you just use a lower gear? vv

Of course, but it means a lot of shifting between first and second gear when in the city traffic molasses, and first gear is pretty twitchy.

# ¿ Aug 22, 2012 14:26

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Guinness posted:

Anyone use a wheel roller thingamajig for chain lubing, wheel cleaning, etc. before? Something along the lines of this:

I'd just get a normal pit stand. It serves the same purpose as far as chain maintainence is concerned, but since it lifts the wheel completely off the ground you can use it if you ever need to unmount the wheel or work on the brake as well. It's probably more stable than the rollers as well.

Example: http://www.harborfreight.com/motorcycle-swingarm-rear-stand-65620.html

# ¿ Sep 5, 2012 12:50

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

JP Money posted:

http://www.magnum1.com/Ninja-650/650_Pages/Modification-Pages/Arrow-Exhast-Install.html

That Arrow exhaust sounds awesome. I know what I want for xmas now.

# ¿ Sep 6, 2012 22:56

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

I just take spare pants, a shirt and a deoderant stick along and change clothes if possible. The boots are comfortable enough to wear off the bike as well.

# ¿ Sep 7, 2012 14:08

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

goddamnedtwisto posted:

Surely an attachment for towing the car behind the 'Wing would be more effective and useful?

When not in use, the dolly folds up into the "egg".

http://www.comingthrough.se/main.php?lang=UK&page=pro

# ¿ Oct 1, 2012 19:39

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

The dolly is permanently attached to the bike, so I guess the dolly brakes are connected to the bike's regular brakes. The web site doesn't go into specifics, just mentions a "patented braking system".

# ¿ Oct 1, 2012 19:54

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Stupid question time.

What's the best way to get a bike up and down on a rear stand on your own? I picked one up yesterday for winter storage and realized it was kind of a pain in the rear end to get it up on the stand without someone holding the bike, but I'm pretty sure it just comes down to technique.

When taking the bike off the stand I just put a foot in front of the stand's wheels and pushed the bike forward, but that made the stand bounce off the ground and scrape the swingarm, so I guess I did that wrong. :saddowns:

# ¿ Oct 2, 2012 10:11

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

JP Money posted:

Do you have spools? I'm guessing not but that makes it easier. Also, you shouldn't be stopping the stand from moving. Pushing the bike forward isn't the right motion - you should be lifting up the tail of the stand and letting the bike do its thing. The bike will naturally roll forward and kick the stand out at the same time.

If you can, I can't recommend adding spools enough. It makes it so much easier than dealing with the rubber swingarm mounts and it feels much more solid. Another tip is to have a block of wood under the kickstand to keep the bike a bit more vertical but still secure while you go to put it up on the stand. Eventually you'll be comfortable enough to not need this but it's nice because the first few times you put your bike up it's going to feel like it'll fall over.

Yeah I have bobbins on the swingarm and the stand has the appropriate hooks. I guess my problem is I'm not yet comfortable holding the bike just by its rear while trying to get the stand into the right spot.

Once I have the stand hooked under the bobbins (after some awkward fumbling with my foot to get it into position) and some weight on it I feel comfortable letting go because it feels steady enough. The wooden block under the side stand is a good idea, I'll try that next time.

For pushing it back off the stand I was afraid that the bike would violently kick the stand backwards. I tell myself that there's enough leverage that I should be able to keep it under control with my hand, but I didn't dare trying it without someone to catch the bike if I was wrong.

e: And yeah, I'm talking about a pit stand. If the bike had a center stand I wouldn't be having this problem. :v:

Collateral Damage fucked around with this message at 20:14 on Oct 2, 2012

# ¿ Oct 2, 2012 20:10

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

I just use lukewarm water and soft soap. I also have some Novus (plastic clean and polish/scratch remover) that I use occasionally.

# ¿ Oct 7, 2012 13:13

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

I cut my head off to save weight. I save tons on no longer needing a helmet.

# ¿ Oct 10, 2012 09:21

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Check the switches at both brake levers so they're not stuck. Also check the return spring on the rear brake lever so it lifts the pedal all the way up and isn't hanging on the switch.

# ¿ Dec 11, 2012 00:50

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

I'm just going to live with my glasses until I can afford to have lasers shot into my eyes. :science:

# ¿ Dec 12, 2012 22:31

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

goddamnedtwisto posted:

anything's possible with enough bungees.

New subforum title.

# ¿ Dec 31, 2012 15:55

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Add more throttle to keep the rear loose, lean way over and drift out of the curve while throwing the horns to people in the other lane who can only dream to be as awesome as you. :black101:

# ¿ Jan 2, 2013 08:37

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

As the others have said, it's a F800GS with modified (or old?) fairings, headlight and a missing brake disc.

I like the Autobot symbol on the instrument housing.

Geirskogul posted:

Edit: He lists his bike as an R1200R, but it doesn't look right at all.

Definitely not. The R1200 has a boxer engine, shaft drive and looks nothing like that.

# ¿ Jan 9, 2013 00:00

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Jim Silly-Balls posted:

Hey is there any interest in starting the biek wiki back up? I have a site that has been around for 5 years and isn't going anywhere in the near future, so I can host something if need be.

As long as people are interested in contributing to the content. Hosting it is the easy part.

e: The only bike wiki I know of is http://motorcycles.wikia.com/wiki/Special:AllPages, which is pretty spartan. And it's on wikia.

ee: Also, biekwiki dot com is available. :toot:

Collateral Damage fucked around with this message at 17:14 on Jan 17, 2013

# ¿ Jan 17, 2013 16:57

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

JP Money posted:

I think it mostly stems from people on the internet feeling like there's no possible way someone else less experienced could possibly be accident free or start out and do better than them.

Or from a less cynical point of view, they don't want to be the guy who recommends a bike that turns out to be too much for the newbie and causes him or her to hurt themselves.

# ¿ Jan 17, 2013 23:24

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Jim Silly-Balls posted:

OK, I'll get it set up

You should start a thread for it as well.

# ¿ Jan 18, 2013 00:22

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

BlackMK4 posted:

Which could they be?

Which one is most expensive and/or annoying to change? That's the one.

# ¿ Jan 25, 2013 01:11

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

goddamnedtwisto posted:

The standard answer is a paddock stand and fork stand. If your bike doesn't already have bobbins for a paddock stand then you might want to invest in then because it makes life a lot easier. Fork stands are an even bigger pain to use (and if you cock it up you risk damaging your front brakes.

There are front stands that hook into the steering head instead of under the forks. They're more expensive, but they let you remove the front wheel and seem much easier to use than fork stands.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2013 14:37

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

SI supremacy.

# ¿ Feb 8, 2013 14:33

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Shimrod posted:

Couldn't you poke it with a multimeter rather than shocking yourself multiple times? As amusing as the image is I can't imagine its overly fun / healthy...

We don't judge people here just because they're into erotic electrostimulation.

# ¿ Feb 20, 2013 11:06

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Metal covered by gas doesn't rust. Metal exposed to air rusts.

If you have a plstic tank you can drain it, otherwise it's better to leave it topped up. Gas doesn't go bad in that short time.

# ¿ Mar 6, 2013 20:25

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Ponies ate my Bagel posted:

Keep your tools organized.

"No job is done until the tools are back in their place."

# ¿ Mar 13, 2013 23:45

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Pompous Rhombus posted:

I'm on the taller side (6'1") but also ride a tallish bike, the topcase made it a little awkward to mount at first, but not really once I got used to it. I either grab my right leg and pull it the rest of the way over the seat (I think this is more because I'm wearing sorta skinny jeans under my riding pants that limit my range of motion), or I get up on the left footpeg first and swing my right leg over from there. I was a little skeptical of the kickstand taking all that extra weight, but as long as you stay properly balanced it's rock solid.

When I have the tailbag on my bike I just lean way forward over the tank and swing my leg over it as normal, then slide back into the proper position. Basically mount the bike as if you were going to sit on the tank.

# ¿ Mar 21, 2013 23:24

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Has anyone tried the Corbin modular seat for the ER-6? The bike has literally zero storage space and I'm allergic to top boxes, but the smuggler trunk looks fairly okay.

# ¿ Mar 26, 2013 14:27

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

BlackMK4 posted:

That was very obvious - did you see the fluid spill starting from way back on the road?

I'm always extremely suspicious of darker areas on roads that are supposed to be dry. Better to slow down a bit and change the line to avoid it than wiping out because someone has a leaky engine.

# ¿ Apr 16, 2013 22:51

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Most plastics fade with exposure to sunlight. You can sand it down to bring out an undamaged layer of plastic and them cover them in an UV protecting clearcoat, but for stock parts like switchblocks it's probably easier to replace them or just give them a lick of paint.

# ¿ Apr 19, 2013 08:58

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

I just ride 5-6 blocks down to the gas station and use the automatic air pump there. :effort:

# ¿ May 4, 2013 11:41

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

goddamnedtwisto posted:

On a related note - someone, I think it was here, posted a little circuit suitable for underseat mounting that you could use for charging a phone, but I can't find it any more - anyone remember who and where it was?

I bought this, http://www.amazon.com/USB-Weather-Power-Outlet-Charger/dp/B003TVDVO4/ and it's worked fine so far. It's really basic though, there are no mounting brackets or anything, so you just have to zip tie it to whatever part of the bike is handy, and crimp a suitable connector to the end of the wires.

# ¿ May 10, 2013 10:27

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 30, 2024 00:05

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

http://www.lunasee.com/for-motorcycles/ obviously.

# ¿ May 21, 2013 08:23

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Cycle Asylum > Question Thread: Apply throttle directly to forehead

«‹›5 »