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Yeah the OCC episode of bikes and beards is good content, but the clickbaityness of the channel is terrible. Also the fact that the sunglasses on all the time dude can't wrench. Like not at all. My favorite wrenching channel is Watch Wes Work. Really good, smart mechanic, great at diagnostics. Funny in a grumpy understated way. He has a dog, a wife and a son who all seem to like him. Has an oldwing. Never mentions politics or religion, no clickbait. He fixes mostly cars but anything from ancient bulldozers to quads really, though I don't think I've ever seen the man work on a motorcycle. I guess what I want from the internet for my personal entertainment is a Wes but with motorcycles.
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Dec 20, 2022 06:59
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If you've been meaning to buy a dremel then you should definitely get one ASAP. Not necessarily that particular brand mind you, when my 29 year old dremel finally dies I'll replace it with a proxxon, they're nicer IMO (the dremel branded cutting discs/spindles are the only ones worth having though). Whatever. Get a rotary tool and then get some nylon bristle brushes for it if you're worried about aluminium scoring. Then find out the myriad of little jobs the thing is useful for.
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Jan 5, 2023 09:32
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MetaJew posted:Two people mentioning Proxxon-- a brand I think I only learned about a week ago. Is that the product to buy? Or should I get some deluxe dremel accessory combo? Dremel makes nice spinny bits though (and their cutting disc-to-spindle interface is superior), but you can get various assortment packages of dremel brand spinny things without buying the machine if you choose. I did own one of those dremel flex-shaft extension thingies once upon a time but that was a piece of poo poo that broke after very little usage even though I treated it gently so I'd stay clear of those. In fact dremel makes a bunch of what I'd call gimmick attachments that might all be worthless for all I know (I've tried the tile cutter and the chainsaw sharpener and they were both poo poo).
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Jan 5, 2023 19:42
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I've encountered sticky hydraulic brake levers too recently, both on my brother's SV when I had it on loan and on bicycles. I've never done anything as ambitous about it as disassembly+clean+grease though, just half-assedly applied some light oil to see if it would help, which it did (no doubt only short term, I should do something about that)
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Jan 20, 2023 08:02
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Jim Silly-Balls posted:my wifes bike (bicycle) has cable operated disk brakes, and all I know about them is they are loud as hell. On my two bicycles with hydraulic brakes one squeals when it's wet and the other when it's dry.  Last set of pads (on the former bike) that got contaminated from a leaky caliper (replaced now) were hilariously loud though, there was chatter to the point that the brake didn't work well at all unless it was raining. The struggle is real, at least for me. I do ride about 200km/week this time of year on roads that are usually covered in salt though which might have something to do with it.Wife's bike is also cable discs and they're fine but yeah hydro is superior when they work right.
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Jan 21, 2023 07:49
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Geekboy posted:Ebikes really rule. I love scooters, but you might be able to do everything you want on an ebike.
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Feb 13, 2023 10:02
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2015 Honda CBR300R Rode it to work today (very nice after a month long weather hiatus) and noticed there's condensation on the inside of the instrument cluster glass. It doesn't prevent me from reading the display or tach. The bike has been sitting in cold storage all winter so things have been pretty damp. After any riding this winter I've washed it because road salt and put it in the ambient temp shed with a cold fan on it to help drying out before putting the cover back on. This seems to have kept any rust at bay but I think this condensation is how I'm paying the price for not heating the (insulated) shed since electricity in Europe has been hella expensive this winter. Is this something I should do anything about right now or can I just leave the bike as is and assume the water will eventually evaporate with spring, warmth and sunlight? I plan on putting this bike up for sale around April-May when it's had its periodic mandatory inspection and people are in a motorcycle buying mood and I want it to look as good as possible before then for financial reasons if nothing else.
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Feb 14, 2023 17:37
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My new-to-me 2020 sv650 is missing a rubber nubbin under the seat: I can see this has been missing for a while, there's some paint that's rubbed off the frame which I guess the nubbin is supposed to protect. I put a few layers of electrical tape on the frame but I'd rather have all four nubbins if it's possible to get as a spare part for a not unreasonable sum. Does anyone know a parts number or the proper name of the nubbin? I don't have a workshop manual for this thing yet since it's not available as a pdf at the usual getting places in a decent searchable form, though I realise I'll probably have to pony up and buy the thing on paper eventually.
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Mar 1, 2023 18:39
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Slavvy posted:Interesting to see someone posting from prison just prior to shivving a guy I should have pointed out the problem with a #2 JIS screwdriver in retrospect
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Mar 1, 2023 19:19
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That's the prying knife. Good for opening paint cans and scraping filth off of sewer pipes and such. Thanks for the parts number though! I can order the part for 3 eurobucks with another 20 in shipping. Lol. It might be time to call the local suzuki people, if they don't come through maybe time to see if hockey puck rubber can be turned in the lathe.
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Mar 1, 2023 19:57
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TotalLossBrain posted:I'm a sucker for OEM parts so I'd just deal with the outrageous shipping charges
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Mar 1, 2023 20:35
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Slavvy posted:You'll find that the ones still on there will be heavily compacted from use and the asymmetry will drive you mad alright. Four nubbins it is then. That means that cost of nubbins actually exceeds freight cost which feels better for some reason  E: FIVE WHOLE NUBBINS! I had to reach €20 including freight or they wouldn't let me order. Anyways, thanks for the help thread! Invalido fucked around with this message at 20:53 on Mar 1, 2023 |
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Mar 1, 2023 20:44
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I gave my learner bike (2016 Honda CBR300R, 13000km) some maintenance today after a long hard winter out in a cold shipping container. It needs to be inspected before I put it up for sale. The chain seems hosed - there's a few binding links that didn't loosen up with cleaning, lubrication and rotation. It's also on the limit of being too long according to the sticker on the swing arm. New chain time, which I've never done on a motorcycle before since I'm a newbie. (The sprockets seem plenty good enough to use with another chain) The manual says to use either DID520VF-108LE or RK520KLO-108LE. These particular chains aren't super easily available. I want to buy and install the cheapest chain that's good enough so I can pass inspection and also sell the bike with a clear conscience. Will any 520 o-ring or x-ring chain with at least 108 links from a reputable manufacturer do or is there anything else I should think about when shopping? Bro has a riveting tool if that matters.
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Mar 21, 2023 19:56
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I have never sold a motorcycle before. I feel sad about selling my learner bike and I kind of don't want to do it because it's a nice motorcycle and I like it. Is this a normal feeling? Will I miss this bike for the rest of my life once it's gone? (I only have space for one bike so keeping it around isn't a good option and I'd rather ride the new SV650 but I rode the little Honda today and it's just nice. Also so very familiar).
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Apr 10, 2023 13:14
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As long as we're on the subject of Slavvy recommending tires, what should I upgrade the three year old stock tires on my SV650 with? I don't want rain optimised hard wearing Michelins, nor super sticky track day rubber but something sensible in between. Tippy is good, confidence inspiring levels of grip for fun in dry weather is good.
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Apr 11, 2023 06:00
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Slavvy posted:You have described the pirelli angel gt Good to know. This information will be stored for later use
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Apr 11, 2023 06:23
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Yeah I mean I'll ride in rain or cold or dust and dirt, but I do so cautiously and without gusto. I'd rather have tires that come into their own when conditions are good which is the only time I feel frisky than live with a set of the very best foul weather tires that also make the bike less fun. E: the little Honda just passed inspection with flying colors so it's going up for sale. It's OK, I hope it finds a good home.
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Apr 11, 2023 13:21
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Alright so tickets are about to be released for the annual test-ride-all-the-bikes event arranged by the local moto businesspeople bigwigs. You buy a ticket for like  and book a bunch of bikes you want to try on this "track": I had a ticket for last year but got sick with the flu so I've never been, but as bro told it it was like ten minutes of seat time per test ride, pretty low speeds and a bunch of cones everywhere. Here's a list of the bikes that you can ride: https://mcbranschen.se/wp/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Forteckning-provfordon-Start2Ride.pdf I'm not looking to purchase another bike right now but I figure I'd be a dumbass not to go and test a bunch of different things just to expand my horizons a bit. I think maybe I want to try a maxiscooter, something electric, something small and fun, something very German/Austrian, something very English, something very American, something Italian with passione, something with three wheels and something completely and utterly dumb. I think I get to book like ten bikes (or twice that if I attend both days) and I have next to no clue what to go for. Suggestions are welcome. (I don't know what most of these bikes on the list even are)
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Apr 13, 2023 05:32
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Toe Rag posted:Aprilia 660 (Tuono or RS) Good list. The Aprilia is passione, the ninja 400 seems small and fun. I have an SV650 so that's out (although I guess it's maybe the new one with a parallell twin but meh), but the MT-09 is a strong candidate for "next bike eventually" ambitions, though I honestly have some growing up to do that will take years. The street triple seems kinda cool but man that front end is ugly. Holy moly. I just googled BMW CE 04 and man it's both electric and super dumb looking and maybe a scooter I guess so It's on the short list. Deeters posted:Either the Road Glide or Street Glide 114 are the biggest Harleys on that list. Pick one, turn on the radio, and feel the freedom as you duck walk around the parking lot. Regarding speeds, bro says last year it was like 50mph tops and just momentarily but mostly well below that, so trying to experience a fast bike going fast doesn't seem to be what this event is about at all it's all about selling motorcycles Xakura posted:690 SMC
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Apr 13, 2023 16:48
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TotalLossBrain posted:BMW and electric sounds exciting More or less so than Italian and electric? I really want to ride an attempt at making a good electric bike just to see what it's like. Energica EVA Ribelle is 10 kgs lighter than the EsseEsse9 so I guess I'll go for that one if I can book it. It has absolutely bananas power figures but it's probably put in some nerfed mode for the unwashed masses (I hope).
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Apr 13, 2023 18:14
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You could expand that statement to "all EV's capable of high speed for any meaningful distance are heavy as poo poo". Whenever I get to drive an electric car I think "pretty nice, but man it feels heavy". On a bike that mass is way more apparent just standing still, also bikes have poo poo aero and therefore poo poo range at speed if battery powered. Doesn't mean I don't want to try one if I get the chance. Would I buy one could I afford it? Highly doubtful at this time. If any of the hyped next gen battery techs actually deliver and you can get the same current flow from a pack with half the mass I'm sure you could build some really entertaining bikes though, albeit still with poo poo range at speed.
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Apr 14, 2023 04:52
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I turned the key too far counterclockwise again and left the sv650 with the parking light lit for a few hours. Bike still starts but it's probably just a matter of time before this feature leaves me stranded with a dead battery in an inconvenient place. Is there a known non-destructive way to disable this function?
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Apr 21, 2023 18:58
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Yeah I know how to do that already but if it's flat I can't bump start it alone.
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Apr 21, 2023 19:05
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Toe Rag posted:You can also use a bicycle pump. Seriously, do this. They're fantastic, cost like €25 for a good enough floor pump with a nice big gauge that will work forever with no cables or batteries or anything. Works great for cars too but inflating a car tire 0.2 bar is like 20 pumps while on a bike it's four or five. Bike pumps can do at least 8 bars so the much lower pressures of moto tires means you don't even have to push hard.
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Apr 22, 2023 23:10
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Something that almost always improves things is to chase the iffy threads with a tap. The tap is way less likely to follow the crossed thread than a bolt and it will clean up the damage without cutting much material at all to the point where a bolt is likely to run true afterwards.
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Apr 23, 2023 06:22
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A small set of the most common metric taps with corresponding drill bits and a lovely handle is like 20 moneys on Amazon, and quite useful when you least expect it. Dies for cutting threads on cylinders isn't nearly as useful.
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Apr 23, 2023 18:52
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Sure, I use dies occasionally, but not nearly as often as taps. Unlike threaded holes in Things, bolts are often very easily replaced with other bolts if damaged, and easy to clean with other tools like a wire brush or something if the thread is rusty or covered in paint or whatever. Same goes for making a threaded something where there isn't one at all, I've done it before and I'll do it again using dies but taps in holes are a way more common need in my life at least.
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Apr 23, 2023 19:42
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SSH IT ZOMBIE posted:valves on the versys. My only experience with motorcycle valve checking was in helping bro do that on his SV650 this winter, and honestly it wasn't difficult at all, we were in and out in like an hour tops, going slow. The bike was obviously designed for this inspection to be performed without it being a big deal, and it wouldn't surprise me if your bike is similar what with being japanese and all. Like the experienced people in this subforum predicted everything was within spec, so no need to order any shims. Still a good idea to do it over the winter hiatus IMO if you end up having to order parts. There are youtubes available for seeing step by step instructions for doing these things, including taking off all the plastic and fuel tank and so on, I usually like to watch a few of those before doing something intimidating or just unfamiliar. I wouldn't worry about cheap sockets, those can be an issue with rusty and stuck nuts and bolts but in all likelyhood you won't run into any of those on the valve cover on your motorcycle.
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Apr 25, 2023 07:48
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Slavvy posted:This often gives an inaccurate reading because the bike isn't level but it varies from bike to bike How super duper accurate does it really need to be though? The volume difference between the bottom and the top of the sight glass on my bike is a few percent (like 5% tops?) of the total oil volume, significantly less between the lines on it, and while the surface has a lean to it compared to the lines in the glass if I look at it while the bike is on a pit stand it's still in or at least close to that interval. Sure all bikes aren't all the same, but I can't imagine that you risk bad things happening until you're way further off in either direction. My car has more like 25% difference in oil volume between the bottom and the top lines on the dipstick for example. You obviously know way, waay more about bikes than I do but I'd assume that there might be a real value in having a highly consistent method of checking oil level that's accurate from time to the next so you'd know if you're burning oil, and how fast. A center or pit stand on a level floor would do this (on at least some bikes), while I'm crouching beside my bike like an ape trying to feel when it's exactly level, watching the oil in the glass go up and down by a noticeable amount from tiny movements of the bike side to side as I'm looking for the balance point.
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Apr 28, 2023 05:37
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Yeah I check my oil at home where it's flat as a pancake so no brake needed, I'm not worried about dropping the bike. My current pit stand is poo poo though and needs to be replaced - it actually makes me worried I might drop the bike using it. It was fine for the little Honda but lacking in rigidity for the heavier SV. Once I get that sorted I might put a marking of some type on the sight glass to get a good idea of the oil consumption on this bike. On the honda it wasn't an issue but yeah, checking oil, air and chain weekly is a good habit even if they tend to stay within spec for way longer than that.
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Apr 28, 2023 20:16
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I'm still eagerly waiting for my angel gt rear tire which is seemingly moving north through Germany on an oxcart or something. I've had the front for well over a week. Can't wait to get rid of the stock Dunlop sportsmax roadsmart 3's I got now. This is something I should have done over the winter but I didn't know how bad they were.
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May 11, 2023 06:59
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Yeah the sporty pirellis I put on the the little honda to replace the stock road winner something-or-others profoundly changed the bike and how confident I felt in riding it in very good ways. I like tippy, tippy is good - why else would I ride motorcycles?
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May 11, 2023 10:14
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Vino posted:The question is: how should I prepare/practice to avoid this? Feet on pegs and knees agains the tank is how you anchor yourself to the bike, not with your hands and arms. Foot position is important. Pegs go under the balls of your feet, feet are tucked as tight against the center of the bike as they will go, toes and heels both. This means you need to move the foot forward to reach the controls in order to shift or brake (or cover the brake in anticipation that you might need to use it) and then move the foot back again when you're done shifting/braking - this is OK, it's not laborious and becomes second nature in short order. Proper foot position anchors you better to the bike and prevents injury since your feet/lower legs are in the safest place they can be. It also allows you to better stand on the pegs and ride over a speed bump or something. Pressure against the tank is your upper point of contact with the bike. When you need more secure seating (like when braking firmly, or if you're like me when you're getting a little scared) you press harder against the tank. You can't do this all the time because it's tiring so you'll have to relax the squeeze when you don't need it but the area of inner leg around the knees should always be in contact with the bike. You sit in the saddle where you need to sit to facilitate anchoring your lower body to the bike. Right up against the tank is a common seating position, and means you can't slide forward and crush sensitive body parts with momentum, which is good. Now that you're properly sitting on the bike you need to set the angle of your spine to what it needs to be in order to reach the handlebars without locking your elbows straight. This angle depends on the bike, how tall you are, how long your arms are and so on. Try not to hunch your back. The goal is to have your shoulders and arms relaxed and your grip as loose as possible at all times, which you need to finely control steering, front brak, throttle and clutch, blinker switch and whatever else. This means using your core strength to stabilize your torso when accelerating or braking so it isn't tugging on your arms, pulling or pushing on the bars, which is bad. On acceleration or with a strong headwind trying to blow you off your bike you can lean forward a bit to relieve strain on the muscles and balance the forces out, but you will inevitably need to work your core. When braking you can't lean back a whole lot without letting go of the bars so the only way to keep from putting weight on the bars through your arms (which is bad) is your back muscles and squeezing the tank harder with your legs. When braking hard (which you should practice a lot) you'll really need to strain with your back muscles, a lot. You'll soon learn to anticipate what forces you'll experience in the very near future as a result of the inputs you're giving your bike and brace for them before they move your upper body around, which is the short answer to the question, IMHO. Invalido fucked around with this message at 14:13 on May 19, 2023 |
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May 19, 2023 14:07
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Those of us who ride in countries where you do so on the right side of the road seem to greet riders we meet with our left hand with some kind of wave or salute, this seems to be common practice internationally. What about other hand signals? When I started practice riding my amateur tutor taught me two additional hand signals (at least that I remember): -There's cops around (tapping palm on top of one's helmet, supposed to be reminiscent of flashing roof lights I was told ) -You left your blinkers on (opening and closing your outstretched fingers and thumb, like the "this person is talking too much"-gesture) I don't know how widespread or true my tutor's statement is, but I've been signalled that my blinker was on by another rider and also given the sign and been understood at least once, so using hand signals seems to be a thing for some riders at least. It's not covered in the licence theory course, so insofar as it exists it's by word of mouth/cultural, and it's clearly not universally used or understood where I live at least. If there's anything written about this on the internet I haven't found it except for a youtube video that mentioned the cop warning signal, which included this still graphic of the signal:  Is any of this or anything similar a thing where you live, and if so how did you hear about it?
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May 21, 2023 07:33
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Toe Rag posted:I was told both of these as well (California). I mostly ride alone so the blinker thing doesn't really come up, but the tapping your helmet is definitely in use. Yeah, I found this image of signs that could be used in group rides:  Many of these are the same or similar as what I learned in the military for communicating with vehicle drivers, except we had two hands available for signalling and also had signs for forward/reverse, steering, applying neutral+parking brake and the like when guiding a tank or something into a tight spot for example, also some formation/tactical stuff if the radios were not to be used for some reason. What I meant was meeting some random rider going the opposite direction on the road and communicating by signs, not group ride situations. I guess there's not much apart from "cops" or "blinkers" that can be usefully conveyed in a situation like that. Maybe there are situations where conveying "hazard" or "slow down" would be useful I guess?
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May 21, 2023 09:28
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On my little Honda learner bike oil changes were a treat since the gear shifts were so incredibly smooth with fresh oil on that thing. Also it took just a liter so I changed oil pretty frequently just for the shifter feel. Filters were a bit involved to change though what with fairings and so on so I kept those for the entire book interval. The current Suzuki isn't as nice shifting so I don't feel like there's any point to changing oil any more frequent than what the book says. On my shitbox of a car I change oil in the winter since it normally rolls a bit less than 10 megameters anually so it turns out about right and it's easy to remember. "It's christmas again, oh yeah car needs new oil about now".
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Jul 6, 2023 08:46
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morothar posted:Strongly disagree. Texting one or two specific questions is my way of checking if the seller is worth dealing with. If they “don’t know” or “have to check” and never get back to me, they can go and jump in a fire. The actual transfer of money and title is totally painless where I live, provided both parties have the proper phone apps and a valid driver's licence, so those things are also prerequisites for any vehicle business involving myself to take place.
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Jul 9, 2023 08:33
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I don't know where to buy kerosene so I've been using lamp oil which is pretty much the same thing but less smelly, more or less straight paraffin I think. And one of those three-sided chain brushes. No paper towels though, I use compressed air. Aerosolized dirty lamp oil goes flying everywhere (but mostly where I aim it) so I've started wearing a respirator. Maybe paper is better but air is definitely faster and really good at getting rid of all the solvent hiding in nooks and crannies before re-lubing.
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Aug 8, 2023 18:16
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Yeah kerosene is obtainable in my northern european hellhole too, just not readily so. Or rather, it's all variously well-refined paraffin oil but it's sometimes sold as "fotogen" which is what we call kerosene. Also I don't want a a big jug, a liter will last me years and years. Whatever, the stuff I use is fine and the low smell is a bonus since I spread it everywhere with the air blast anyways.
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Aug 8, 2023 18:25
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| # ¿ May 16, 2024 10:32 |
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The lowest I can get is E5. E10 is the norm. The first time I winterized my learner bike I filled it with E5 to the brim, the second time I just parked it with whatever was in the tank (i.e. E10, about half full)in cold storage, and it ran a bit rough come spring and even stalled once until I topped it up with fresh gas. Ethanol has all sorts of nasty side effects.
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Aug 8, 2023 18:32
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