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Snowdens Secret posted:But yeah, if you can find someone with a garage corner, storage unit, dry basement Getting my bike down the stairs would be hard 
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Dec 14, 2012 15:32
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| # ¿ May 17, 2024 18:42 |
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KozmoNaut posted:Not really. What's the problem? http://youtu.be/kPl-obEPl8k?t=35s epswing fucked around with this message at 17:37 on Dec 14, 2012 |
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Dec 14, 2012 17:35
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M42 posted:Does anyone here live in an apartment and also do their own bike work/repairs? Where do you do it? I won't be settling down for a looong time, so my only choice for wrenching would be at the curb in front of the building. Don't know how feasible that is. Recently changed oil and pads in my parking garage (5th level). Won't be doing that again, it was a major hassle shuffling the tools back and forth. I'm only now understanding the benefit of having your own garage.
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Dec 18, 2012 21:55
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Seems to me that all helmets with integrated 'slide-down' visors have a weak spot right in the forehead area. Confirm/deny?
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Dec 20, 2012 17:56
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What are the pros/cons of lithium/ion batteries? The marketing dept says -Up to 80% smaller than the stock battery -Up to 10lbs Lighter than the stock battery -Service life of over twice a lead acid in similar conditions -Industry leading 3 year warranty -Designed, developed, and assembled in the USA -Completely “dry” technology so batteries can be mounted in any direction -Non-toxic, recyclable, and can be air shipped -Applications for powersports vehicles from 50cc - 2300cc -Tested extensively by professional race teams -Impact and water resistant -Works with the original equipment charging system -No trickle charger required, loses only 10% of charge over a year of static
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Dec 23, 2012 01:22
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Snowdens Secret posted:The general gist seems to be, for track bikes and summer toy stuff like that, they're great. For regular bikes, if you need your bike to start without hassle below about 50F, don't bother. They very much do not like the cold. I live in the great white north, so much for that
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Dec 23, 2012 03:12
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I admit, I don't know how batteries work. They're basically containers of magic that make things light up and move. I let my DL650's battery die completely, no lights when I turn the key. I've hooked it up to a battery tender, which I should have done in the first place. Have I done irreparable damage to the battery? When the battery tender puts the magic back in, will the battery will work like new?
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Dec 23, 2012 21:34
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I've had some gas sitting in a red plastic jerrycan for let's say over 2 months. Is the gas bad? It wasn't until I started reading CA that I realized there was such a thing as "bad gas".
epswing fucked around with this message at 18:00 on Dec 29, 2012 |
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Dec 29, 2012 17:56
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Ponies ate my Bagel posted:Check out: http://www.dansmc.com/MC_repaircourse.htm Take your time with it, if there is a goon nearby from CA that can just hang out and explain some things it will seriously open your mind. I started reading this website last year, but couldn't get past the "jesus god lord savior bible" stuff, randomly interspersed through the topics. quote:Use a factory shop manual and you will never go wrong. quote:If the valves are tight, they could be leaking compression. If the valves are tight, reset them to the proper clearance and test again. if your compression comes back don't thank your luck, thank Jesus ! He just saved you an engine rebuild. 
epswing fucked around with this message at 05:38 on Dec 30, 2012 |
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Dec 30, 2012 05:26
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I have a cheap throttle lock on the DL650. I must admit, it was really nice (although the feeling of controlling the bike with just your left arm/hand is a little weird) to give my right arm a break. Until I accidentally clutched and redlined because the throttle was still locked.
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Jan 6, 2013 20:22
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Yes. Edit: Well, before I say yes, does anyone know of a really good existing generic bike wiki which pretty much has most if not all the content CA would dish out anyways? epswing fucked around with this message at 16:51 on Jan 17, 2013 |
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Jan 17, 2013 16:49
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Guinness posted:for certain types of beginners that "get it" pretty quickly. It was interesting to see which groups different people fell into, in the MSF class. I think there was 12 of us. Me and another guy just "got it" immediately, every exercise was challenging but fun. About 8 others in the middle were hesitant, wobbly, but could keep up and by the end of each exercise could sorta kinda do it. And the final 2 were just basket cases, could not reliably finish any exercise, ended up dropping the bikes a couple of times, didn't even complete (let alone pass) the final test. Looking back, I feel like you could have handed me or that other guy a 650 twin, and we'd have probably been fine. But that group in the middle, 250 or bust. Edit: My unfair advantages: manual transmission car driver, casual scooter renter. epswing fucked around with this message at 20:27 on Jan 17, 2013 |
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Jan 17, 2013 20:20
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Sagebrush posted:I had like seven years of manual driving experience before I got on a motorcycle, only stalled the bike at the MSF once or twice, but that certainly didn't give me any knowledge of safe riding techniques whatsoever. The point he is (we are) making here is that, while you are correct that knowledge of a manual transmission doesn't not magically give you knowledge of safe riding techniques, it does allow you to gain knowledge of safe riding techniques faster because you're not wasting any time understanding how a clutch works. So if you connect the dots, yeah, the guy who drives a manual car is probably a slightly safer motorcycle rider, right off the bat. (And I'm not saying this doesn't completely even out given enough time.)
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Jan 17, 2013 22:24
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Here's a video of my vstrom trying to start up. First time it almost starts, then dies. Second time it starts. What the video doesn't include are the 4 or 5 previous failed startups (which all sound similar to the first one in the video) before I thought to record it. http://epswing.com/shared/bike/startup_DL650.mov (3mb) (it's upside down and I don't know why  the video orients properly on my phone  )At the time of the recording, the bike had been sitting for a couple of months. What might be the cause of the failed startups? The fact that it eventually does start leads me to believe it's not a weak battery...right? Should I be taking my battery off the tender, slapping it into the bike, and starting 'er up once a week, just to move the fluids? epswing fucked around with this message at 18:34 on Jan 18, 2013 |
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Jan 18, 2013 18:30
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I really need to take a beginners mechanics or somesuch course, I hate not knowing/understanding things. I change my own oil and pads, and such, but I want to break into the level above that. So while the bike is sitting, should I be taking my battery off the tender, slapping it into the bike, and starting 'er up once a week/month/etc, just to move the fluids?
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Jan 18, 2013 18:38
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Z3n posted:you should put some stabil in the tank, ride it to the gas station, top it off, and then put it in storage clutchpuck posted:Did you put any fuel stabilizer in it before it sat? Did that before it sat. front wing flexing posted:If it has carburetors It doesn't. High Protein posted:Synthetic oil won't go bad from just sitting in the bike over the winter. I changed the oil before it sat, used synthetic oil.
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Jan 18, 2013 19:38
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CA really wants you to fix your bike, man
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Jan 19, 2013 03:31
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Maybe this will peg me as a new rider (only a couple bikes and a couple years of experience), but, aside from high-performance situations (racing), what is the motivation for separating front and rear braking? Everyone says and everyone knows, the front has ~80% of your braking power, the rear has more like ~20%. Why not have one brake lever than distributes braking power to the wheels in that ratio? I guess I can start to answer my own question by saying I've been in situations where I know I don't even want to touch the rear brake at all. Is that it?
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Jan 22, 2013 03:10
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Nerobro posted:Anyone who gives a fixed percentage is wrong. the "proper" ratio for braking effort depends on how fast you're accelerating. I agree (hence my liberal use of the tilde ~ character). I must point out that acceleration is calculable and could be used to produce exactly the required ratio.
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Jan 22, 2013 18:02
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:I've got one of those "get a farmer, chicken, fox, and bag of grain across the river in a boat" kind of puzzle going on
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Jan 30, 2013 03:41
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Sagebrush posted:Take the tank off, put the new one on, ride out to the scrapyard and scrap the old one I'm assuming he doesn't have the ability to transport a gas tank with his motorcycle...
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Jan 30, 2013 04:53
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In the middle-weight category (400-800cc), how would the CA hivemind rank Yamaha/Honda/Suzuki/Kawasaki these days?
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Jan 30, 2013 15:16
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Z3n posted:Rank...what? Their cruisers, their standards, their sportbikes? I was aiming at standards, but why not all three, if there is significant variance. Edit: To clarify, what I'm really asking about is overall build quality. I should have stated this earlier. I'm wondering if all 4 manufacturers are pretty much neck and neck, or if these days one or two are pulling away from the others. epswing fucked around with this message at 16:43 on Jan 30, 2013 |
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Jan 30, 2013 16:40
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spixxor posted:Basically how do I get over the feeling that the bike is going to topple over at any given second? Squeeze the tank with your knees and/or go faster.
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Feb 15, 2013 00:35
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echomadman posted:Drum or disk brakes? Wait so that squealing is the vibration between the pistons and the back of the pads?? Neato burrito!
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Feb 18, 2013 01:17
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JP Money posted:On a motorcycle? For liability only with minimum limits you're looking at maybe 150-200 bucks a year for even sportbikes. I think my DRZ was like 80 bucks a year.... My R6 would've been like 160 I think. It's practically nothing. Again I must chime in that I'm 29, and LIABILITY INSURANCE ONLY is ~$2000/yr for my V-Strom 650. 
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Feb 21, 2013 22:30
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What?
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Mar 5, 2013 16:02
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Ponies ate my Bagel posted:I live in a college town so slightly butterfaced 600's are super common and cheap. I've been thinking of maybe buying a beater ~600 and heading to a nearby track (for the first time!). Are there CA-approved ~600s for new track riders that easy to find, have availability of parts, are easy to work on, won't totally break the bank, etc? Edit: Also, for a first time track rider, is a 250 a better option for the first season? My first bike was a GS500, and my current ride is a DL650. I'm not looking for anything bigger, and in fact I think I might like the idea of "riding a slow bike fast" (riding the piss out of a 250 sounds appealing). epswing fucked around with this message at 18:13 on Mar 20, 2013 |
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Mar 20, 2013 18:11
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JP Money posted:In my experience r6's are the most popular and around here zx's are incredibly popular. JP Money posted:It likely won't have a title though.
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Mar 20, 2013 18:23
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Anyone used this type of over-glove for keeping rain out? Do they work as advertised? Is it awkward to work the levers through normal gloves plus these? http://www.motorcyclegear.com/browse/view_product_images/3761
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Mar 21, 2013 16:51
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I pulled my bike out of the garage finally, and I'm hearing some strange high-pitched metallic chirping. I don't hear it when I pull in the clutch and coast, and I don't hear it when I pull in the clutch and hold the rpm at say ~3k, but I do hear it when the clutch is engaged and I'm cruising at ~3k rpm. What should I be looking for?
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Mar 30, 2013 20:46
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Question 2: I think I put too much oil in the bike, it's above the F line. How bad is this? Should I drain some oil ASAP? Question 3: Are question 1 and question 2 related? Have I broken my v-strom? epswing fucked around with this message at 21:48 on Mar 30, 2013 |
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Mar 30, 2013 20:49
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Sagebrush posted:I don't know about V-stroms in particular, but in most motor vehicles if the oil is too high it just leaks out of breather hoses and overflows and stuff like that. It's best to drain it to the proper level, but too much is definitely better than too little. Upon further inspection the level is just over F in the sight glass. It's really awkward trying to hold the bike upright from the right side and trying to look in the sight glass at the same time. I know I should just get someone to sit on the bike but Sagebrush posted:No idea about your pinging noise. It's less of a ping and more of a chirp or squeak. Definitely metal on metal. I can't seem to locate the source.
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Mar 30, 2013 22:44
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As my experience increases, so does my lean angle. I have k60_scout tires on my vstrom. I'd say I've been a cautious rider so far (when it comes to speed + turning), but leaning more is starting to feel better instead of scarier. Then again my tires look like they are less street and more offroad. I don't know anything about tires and they came with the bike. Someone tell me they're fine and I can lean away with abandon. When I say lean, I'm far from dragging a knee, but the bike is banked around 45 degrees over at low to moderate speed (say around 50mph), and slightly sticking my shoulder and hip out to absorb some lateral force just feels really, really good.
epswing fucked around with this message at 04:59 on Apr 16, 2013 |
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Apr 16, 2013 04:54
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clutchpuck posted:If it feels good, you aren't leaning too far. It'd be a good plan to back off when they feel squirmy. This vstrom crash is exactly what I'm afraid of. This guy is just cruising along, not doing anything wrong as far as I can see, and the bike just falls over. Bad tires? Something slippery on the road? I want to start pushing my personal limits, leaning further while traveling faster, while staying mostly within posted speed limits of course, but if the drat thing is just going to fall over :/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzM3SDrueH0  E: I guess it looks like there was some liquid on the road. So basically this could have happened to anyone? epswing fucked around with this message at 17:16 on Apr 16, 2013 |
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Apr 16, 2013 17:08
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Well this leads me to another question I've had on my mind. I'm very attuned to what's on the road immediately in front of me, just as a reflex due to many years skateboarding, longboarding, and rollerblading on lovely pavement (even the smallest crack can wreck your day with wheels that small). On the other hand, conventional motorcycle riding wisdom (which I fully subscribe to) says I'm supposed to look where I'm going, so in that situation my head would have been cocked almost fully to the right.BlackMK4 posted:That was very obvious - did you see the fluid spill starting from way back on the road? So in that video, yep, I can definitely see the spill before the turn, no problem. But if something is on the road mid-turn, I guess there's pretty much no avoiding it. I find my eyes bouncing from what's in front of my front tire to the end of the turn ahead, is this normal and/or recommended?
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Apr 16, 2013 17:52
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JP Money posted:The best thing I've ever learned is to stop taking loving shortcuts. If you think there's an easier way you can accomplish a job, you probably shouldn't do that thing. For instance, if you think you can get to a bolt without taking fairings off you'll probably be able to do it but you're stuck turning it in like 1/16 rotation increments. Take the drat fairings off and get it quick and it'll take way less time than trying to shortcut things. Do it right, do it once and it'll still probably take less time than the hairbrained shortcut. I used to try to do this poo poo when I first started working on stuff. It's hard to overcome the feeling like you're doing a bunch more work but in the end you'll probably save time and a lot of frustration. This isn't a blanket rule for all things obviously but always take a second to think "is this a waste of my time" with whatever it is you're doing. Interestingly enough, this applies directly to software development as well.
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Apr 25, 2013 21:45
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Ashex posted:Was lubing the chain yesterday when I noticed the chain was being a little jumpy, I just had it tightened about a month ago too. Shouldn't you never, ever run the engine when the bike is on a stand and you're monkeying with the chain?
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Apr 26, 2013 21:28
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Bubbles in my sight glass. Problem?
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May 7, 2013 15:02
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| # ¿ May 17, 2024 18:42 |
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In Ontario, you first get an M1 (written test, lasts 90 days, no pillion, no nighttime, 0.0 BAC), then an M2 (parking lot test, lasts 18 months, 0.0 BAC), then you can get you M (full road test, lasts forever, and I think you can have some amount of booze without the cops throwing you directly into jail, not that I would drink and ride a motorcycle). I'm taking my full M license test next week. One thing I'm not clear on is lane blocking on a road with more than 2 lanes. 1 lane road: Ride in the left tire track, to prevent cars from sneaking past as if you were a bicycle. 2 lane road: If you're in the right lane, see above. Left lane, stay in the right tire track for similar reasons. 3+ lane road (highway): I get the leftmost and rightmost lanes, see above. But when you're in a lane which also has lanes on either side, which tire track are you "supposed" to ride in?
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May 8, 2013 05:45
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