|
Quick dumb question: what family of bikes does my Honda Nighthawk fall into? Is it just called "standard" or "traditional" or what? Though I was looking at cruisers at first, I'm really enjoying whatever type of bike it is, maybe will have to look into getting a nicer bike of similar type in a year or so after I move. Just curious what the type of bike is called, and how I go about feeling out similar bikes. I like bikes that look as non-flashy as possible, with the ideal being "something kinda WWII-esque". Kind of the antithesis of purple/lime crotchrocket. I also like bikes smaller rather than larger.
|
#
¿
Dec 5, 2008 04:56
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 4, 2024 23:46 |
|
|
Completely random point, but does anyone favor any term of pronunciation other than the standard "motorcycle"? I somehow never really dug the word, so just for the sake of it I tend to refer to it as either a "motor-sickle" or "motorbike". Anyone else? I blame the motor-sickle pronunciation on Arlo Guthrie.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 6, 2008 02:39
|
|
|
Got a Pay it Forward: anygoon need a handlebar-mounted fold-up cupholder? It was on my Nighthawk when I bought it, and I don't need it, so PM me or let me know your email or AIM to let me know where to mail it to.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 1, 2009 23:25
|
|
|
Zool posted:A cup holder is exactly what I need for my morning commute on the zx6r. Don't know what clip-ons are. It just literally bolts onto the bent pipe of the handlebar. It works just fine on a Standard bike because there's plenty of bar, no idea how it works with those little things you have on crotch-rockets. I'm happy to send it to whoever thinks they can actually use it, but if it doesn't fit I guess you'd have to mail it to someone with a Standard or Cruiser.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 3, 2009 04:18
|
|
|
Krakkles posted:TTFA I tried to PM you but your mailbox is full or something Gimme a minute, I'll go free up space. I got a ton of PMs during the SA trollfest on a Palin forum. The main thread is hidden to keep Palinites from mining it to uncover our trolls, but there's a "troll freak-out" thread in LF about the ongoing fallout. We've got it mentioned on Michelle Malkin already. PM me in about an hour.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 4, 2009 02:47
|
|
|
Dammit, I laid my Nighthawk down today, and caused some minor damage I'm still sorting out. It was silly: I was parked in a steeply sloping parking lot (like ski-slope steep). I've gone in and out of there tons of times, but as I was shifting into 2d gear on a steep part to shoot up the hill, I somehow hit neutral. Neutral is a tiny notch that's really hard to hit on this bike even when I'm trying, but somehow I hit it accidentally. It was a real pain because, due to the hill, I was having a hell of a time lifting that bike back up, small though it is, and a passing driver gave me a hand. At first it wouldn't start at all, then after some coaxing in neutral I got it running fine, engine sounds normal, etc. I bent a mirror and scuffed a turn signal, bent the shift lever slightly, and snapped the clutch lever. I was still able to get it home by very carefully holding the clutch together when I pulled it. Most of it seems pretty straightforward: unbend a few things and get a new clutch lever. However, one point of concern: my bike always started just fine in any gear (with clutch held in) before, but now it won't turn over in the slightest unless it's in neutral. Any ideas? Everything seems just fine except that hitting the starter in 1st or whatever does absolutely nothing, and previously it started fine in 1st, and I bascially never used Neutral because it's hard to hit without deliberate effort.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 13, 2009 17:56
|
|
|
echomadman posted:your clutch switch may be damaged, the bent lever mightn't be actuating it or the wires have pulled out of it, should be a simple fix. I feel dumb that this didn't occur to me immediately, but a similar idea hit me while I was out driving (my car) around, and I checked on it when I got back to the house. Note again the the clutch lever was snapped, not just bent like the mirror and shifter. I looked closer, and though I can still engage the clutch if I "fulcrum" it against the broken area (where it secures to the bars), the actual attachment-point itself doesn't swivel. So it appears that the above are spot-on, and the bike "thinks" the clutch isn't engaged because it's not really measuring clutch per-se, it's measuring swivel at the attachment, which isn't occurring due to the break. Should be a really easy fix, just need to buy a new clutch lever and put it in, back in business. I needed to buy a new left peg and passenger peg anyway (both of which bent before I bought it), so just a minor annoyance. Yet another reason I'm glad I bought a used bike which has been dropped a few times before. One other slight mystery: Neutral is usually really hard to get to on this bike. I basically think of Neutral as "that little blip of green on my dial when I shift from 1st to 2d." The guy who did the vehicle inspection on my bike mentioned it as well, not as a huge problem but as a quirk, especially since I don't really use Neutral (just hold the clutch at lights, while coasting, while pushing, etc). However, it went solidly into Neutral when I had my spill, and it also goes solidly into Neutral now. Maybe there was some grit or gunk clogging the Neutral spot in the transmission, it worked itself out somehow, and I screwed myself up by under-tapping the transition to 2nd? I feel dumb since it's such a minor reason for a spill, but going into Neutral on a steep hill at low speed will apparently do that. TapTheForwardAssist fucked around with this message at 21:59 on Jan 13, 2009 |
|
#
¿
Jan 13, 2009 21:56
|
|
|
Phat_Albert posted:Dont know if anyone was reading it or not, but Motorcyclist Retro is coming back from the grave!! Quick retarded 2-stroke question: I vaguely understand 2 vs. 4-stroke from the diagrams, but so far as advantages/disadvantages: 2-stroke *puts out a lot more power for the same cc's due to how it pumps *runs dirty as gently caress because the oil is mixed with the gas *clogs up and dies faster than 4 due to above, needs to be regularly diassembled and cleaned *very basic and crude *relatively shorter lifespan because the tiny little thing is beating itself apart as it works. Is that more or less an accurate summarization? EDIT: Oh, and what's CA's preferred site to purchase Honda parts? As mentioned, need to get new peg, passenger peg, and clutch for my Nighthawk.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 14, 2009 22:27
|
|
|
Nerobro posted:You're both right and wrong. Everything you said "could" be true. But isn't necessarily. I'll happily go into detail on all of that when I get home. That'll be great to read. You've done some great breakdowns of tech stuff before (though I'm still waiting with bated breath for your opinions of the Hobbit in the moped thread). I've heard of "oil injected" 2s before, and see how that would solve the "filthy" aspect pretty well, and presumably the clogging. I am still unclear as to how the engine isn't "overworking" itself by firing so fast. Especially on single-gear mopeds where it needs to hit presumably ridiculous rpms to hit top speed. All I really know is what I read from a few websites of noob-level 2-stroke info, and the Wikipedia article goes briefly into the prons and cons, with the main pro being "puts out a lot of energy in a small package". Looking forward to it. In the meantime, I suppose I should work on my Hobbit while I'm waiting for the parts to fix my Nighthawk. I have the gas tank cleaned, exhaust sort cleaned (tried the "bake on hot coals" technique, not sure how to tell if it worked), and now I just need to take out and clean the carb. Not sure if I have a compression issue as well, but will cross that when I come to it. The screw holding the throttle cable to the carb-lever is stripped too, so I might need to cut the throttle cable just to get it out so I can tap the screw and remove it and replace it with a hex-head for future ease of removal. The throttle cable housing is falling apart anyway, and I had major trouble with the throttle failing to close when released, so it probably needs to be replaced anyway, so might as well cut it to get it out of the way. Thanks much for all the advice, this forum has been a huge influence in my getting into bikes, and getting my gear running well (aside from that 5mph clutch-shattering spill).
|
|
#
¿
Jan 14, 2009 23:12
|
|
|
Thanks for the referral to Service Honda, I the schematics and ordering system were quite easy to use. So I just blew $71 on the parts I need to replace after dropping my Nighthawk (hit netural vice 2d climbing a steep hill). On the bright side, the left peg was a little bent and the left passenger-peg missing when I bought it, so really I'm mostly fixing prior damage (that I later worsened) except for the $13 clutch lever, so really not too bad. Now I just need to get cracking on that Honda PA50 moped, though it's vaguely intimidating to remove and clean a carb for the first time. There are still externally-visible parts that I can't figure out for the life of me what they are. There's a little spring-loaded lever on the back-top of the carb, that doesn't appear to have anything to pull on it (or any missing items that would attach) that perplexes me. That and not totally sure how to get into the wires/cables on the handlebars, though I'm starting to figure "if it has a screw on it, I probably can't do too much damage unscrewing it and looking inside." I'll definitely start doing that whole "digital pics of how it looked before I took it apart" thing to compare to later.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 16, 2009 06:07
|
|
|
Real noob question: took the bike out today, and in the first half-mile I ran across two other riders, both of whom, as they approached me, angled out their left arms and pointed their index finger at the ground. I pulled my bike over and checked it for any visible problems, wondering if it was some signal for "dude, you're bike's hosed up." But I couldn't see any notable problem; no hanging cables, kickstand not down, etc. The bike did feel a little wobbly that time out though, compared to yesterday, so I'll check the tires and see if they're low or whatnot. What does that signal mean? How can they visually tell that I need to fix something?
|
|
#
¿
Jan 31, 2009 23:46
|
|
|
Gnaghi posted:Wow that seems kinda odd and I can see how it can be pretty confusing or throw people off. If someone ever does that to me I'm going to respond with a quacking duck hand figure. Again, I'm pretty noob, but I don't think I've seen that in my 3 months of riding. I've just had folks lift their hands off the bars and give a little wave. Having two people, one helmetless dude on a cruiser (very common in Austin) and one guy in proper gear on a crotchrocket, do the exact same thing two blocks apart from each other made me wonder why it was happening all of a sudden. Oh well, it gave me a good reminder to do a thorough once-over of my bike when I get on it.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 1, 2009 00:32
|
|
|
Quick question: I have a 250cc Honda Nighthawk, and about 3mo of riding. Just two weeks ago I finally tried driving on the highway, and it went just fine (to my pleasant surprise). So I've done some basic 5-10mi trips in the Austin area. Speed limit is 55 in the city portions of I-35, and I've hit 65 when passing, etc. Tomorrow I have an appointment about 60mi north of Austin on I-35. I was thinking to take the bike up, since it's pretty much just a straight interstate shot, so once I get and hold 55-65mph it should be pretty boring and easy. Does this sound like a bad idea? Is a 250cc Nighthawk just really not a bike for taking onto the interstate between cities? The main downside I've noticed is that I really feel the wind pushing me hard up around 60+mph, and if I tilt my head much at all to head-check the drag increases considerably. So, first-time 60 mile trip (and first time driving 60+mph for an extended period) tomorrow morning, or just take the car?
|
|
#
¿
Feb 10, 2009 05:36
|
|
|
UPDATE: weather was bad anyway, so just took my car. But when I went back I went for an evening ride up into the Hill Country west of Austin for a few hours. Got some really good practice on sharp turns and steep hills, some practically vertigo inducing. It did, however, really hammer home the limitations of the bike. I hasten to point out that this little 250cc is totally fine for all urban tasks I forsee ever doing, but it took most of my throttle to get up some of those really steep little hills on the backroads. On a good straightaway I can hit 65 reasonably quickly, but to hit the 80mph nominal top speed I'd need a pretty good stretch of clear road. Further, as mentioned above, right around 60mph the wind resistance really starts affecting me, it feels like someone is just steadily pushing on my head and chest. Tucking helps a fair bit, but not perfect. The lightness of the bike is probably a factor there. More reasons to get something with a little more guts when I upgrade, though again it is 100% acceptable for "drive down to campus, then hop on I-35 and go five exits south to visit a buddy" urban-type stuff.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 12, 2009 02:55
|
|
|
At the risk of sounding like a total wuss: are highway cloverleafs pretty freaky until you get used to them? I've been expanding my comfort zone over three months of riding, and now feel fine taking my 250cc Nighthawk onto I-35, running with traffic at 65mph, etc. Feel pretty good taking it on curvy rural backroads, etc. However, the thing that still freaks me the gently caress out is those high cloverleaf ramps. You know, these things:  Here in Austin, some of those are about the height of a five-story building. And given my height on a bike, if I hit the guardrail there's a good chance I'm going over it. I've tried warming up to it by doing some really low (like 1 story) ramps with not too much curve, and doing it in light traffic with my brake lights flashing as I take the curve sloooowly. Is this a normal thing to be concerned about until you get accustomed to it, or is it a weird fixation?
|
|
#
¿
Feb 15, 2009 08:03
|
|
|
At the risk of this turning up in my next Helldump callout: Has anyone offered a ride to a total stranger and had them accept? Minor anecdotal bit: I'd only been riding for a month, and was stopped at a stoplight by the UT Austin campus around 11PM. Really cute indie chick in a short skirt was at the crosswalk. She made some comment, I said "I'd offer you a ride, but you're wearing a skirt." She replied "oh, I wish!" Probably good she didn't take it, since I was barely confident in my ability to not kill myself at 30mph, much less another person. Plus I'd bought my bike well-beaten, and missing the passenger footpeg on the left side from when it was dropped. At the risk of inviting bragging and bullshit: anyone offered a cute girl/guy a ride out of the blue and had them accept?
|
|
#
¿
Mar 12, 2009 06:41
|
|
|
In case anyone is as noob as I, or is amused by noob idiocy: Left my lights on, drained my battery. So I'm sitting on a dead bike in a parking lot 2mi from home by myself. Called my brother and asked "can you google up 'push start motorcycle'?" He reads the instructions, I think I got it, and I've got a nice long stretch of 75m of gradual slope, and 50m of relatively steep downhill. Perfect. Get on, start riding it down, can't get the barest whimper from the engine. Get all the way to the bottom of the hill. gently caress it, guess I'll have to walk home, drive me car here, and jump start it. I hop off and start to push it to the side to park it, and as I do so get a little rumble in the engine. Hold up... did I just ride down the entire hill with the clutch engaged?. Yep. So I pushed it uphill about 10m, left it in second, released the clutch, and the engine kicked in before it rolled even 10ft. Worked out okay, but drat did I feel retarded.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 25, 2009 04:04
|
|
|
Trintintin posted:Also....don't forget to turn the killswitch to the on position Yeah, I've made like 5 short trips today, and none long enough to fully recharge the batt, so I'm getting good at this. The Nighthawk is pretty light, so I can shove it forward with the clutch in, let go after maybe five feet, and throttle in at that first rumble. Really pretty quick and easy. Of course, my last push-start tonight I forgot to turn the petcock, so had to pull over and check/switch it a couple blocks down... and push-start again.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 25, 2009 05:54
|
|
. Don't worry I'm a pro at it now though.
|
Has there been any survey done of CA preferences? Just from my basic browsing, it seems like 80% or better of the forum is into Sport bikes, a small smattering into Standards, and practically nobody intro Cruisers. I'm not big into cruisers myself, partially due to comfort/manuverability and partially because the whole "ZOMG OC CHOPPERZ im gonna get a harley someday!!!" trendiness. Is it just that goons into cruisers don't post much, or is the forum just heavily sporter-oriented? Just wondering if it's kinda like Musicians' Lounge, where if you're not into Metal or Indie, or maybe electronica, you're pretty much in an ignored minority. I do acoustic folk/traditional, so I pretty much might as well post my musical threads in GBS since ML will get them about 20 views and no replies.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 17, 2009 07:28
|
|
|
Speaking of cruisers and foot forward: I saw a parked bike recently, some sort of cruiser, that had the big pipe "engine guard" or whatever, huge loop of pipe that stuck out a foot on either side of the frame just behind the front wheel. There were pegs on said loop, a good foot ahead of even the forward driver pegs. What in the hell are those pegs for? Do people actually prop their feet up like they're resting them on their office desk? I'd think you'd be almost Barca-lounger kicked back if you used those pegs. Or do they have some other use I'm missing?
|
|
#
¿
Apr 17, 2009 22:39
|
|
|
OrangeFurious posted:Highways pegs are also pretty comfy, if you've got the seat and handlebars to go with it. I know the vast majority of braking power is in the hand-brake, but still I'd be uncomfortable having my foot that far from the brake. Not to mention being nowhere near the clutch on the left. Whilst on the subject of weird cruisers, and stereotypes vs. reality and all that: what do actual no-poo poo criminal biker gangs ride? Do they actually ride Harleys and view anyone riding non-US bikes with contempt? I'm kinda curious about the whole thing, but not sure if my wider interest is more an A/T issue. I'm just confused on what's Hollywood and what's actual reality. Kinda along those lines, and about the practicality of the bike aspect vice the bikes just being an identifiying feature of an otherwise pretty standard criminal organization: I found it most amusing when I read that when the various Quebecois gangs affiliated with motorcycle gangs to shore up their strength, the gangs actually required them to start riding bikes. So you get a bunch of middleaged Quebecois liquor smugglers and heroin dealers out tooling around in a parking lot trying not to drop their bike for a few weeks.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 17, 2009 23:12
|
|
|
Ola posted:Excellent idea! If only the printer would take gasket material... We have the technology... Ran across this recently, thought it was a really cool contrast to MCs focusing on Harleys, Brit bikes, etc: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madras_Bulls Madras Bulls of Tamil Nadu, for riders of Royal Enfield Bullet motorbikes. Basically, a pre-WWII design that they're still cranking out in India. They're awesome-looking bikes:  drat, but I wish the US still made/imported <500cc Standards.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 19, 2009 19:55
|
|
|
I'll keep it short since it's less interesting as a story than a learning experience. Was riding in the boondock back farm-roads about an hour east of Austin, lovely scenic area with woods and little creeks, farmland, small towns with barbecue shacks, etc. Suddenly the rear tyre of my Honda CB250 starts swinging wildly, so I pull over, and can see the tyre deflating before my very eyes. I get a flashback to months ago when I told Progressive "nah, I'll skip the Roadside Assistance, I'll just get Triple A or whatever." Called them to check, and indeed I'm not covered. I'm a good 10mi from anything, so figure I'll thumb a ride into town and ask some unemployed hick to haul me 50mi for a wad of cash in his folksy pickup truck, since that's got to be cheaper than a tow truck. As luck would have it, the guy I flagged down for a ride had a big mechanic's van that was just big enough to squeeze the bike into, so I spend an hour in the back keeping the bike from sliding around. The most annoying part was that I was planning to sell the bike that evening, so had to push back the sale until I could fix the tyre. I'd never swapped a tube before, so that 20min job took me about three hours, a good hour of that figuring how to tuck the bead in without tearing the tyre or popping the tube (popped the first one, but fortunately had a second backup). Oh, when I, as the manual recommended "feel inside for any foreign objects" I found a nail sticking literally almost two inches into the tube. That was probably the culprit... Lessons learned: -A Honda CB250 does the little backroads just fine, but on Highway 290 at 75mph with heavy winds and light rain it was really not the ideal choice of biek -Roadside Assistance is a very, very good thing if you wander the boondocks -When doing basic procedures, if you're a mechanically incompetent, as I am, it helps to follow the manual to the letter. I wasted far too much time trying to get clever with three tyre irons when I could've just used one and kept the tucked parts from coming loose by kneeling on the tyre to stabilise it.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 28, 2009 23:41
|
|
|
Skier posted:Did you end up making the sale ok? Yeah, the guy was cool about it, so I finally got it to him Tuesday. With the weather being lovely it took a while to get around to it, and even then I was laying in a soaking-wet driveway covered in leaves and pollen for a couple hours. I definitely learned a lot about rear brakes, suspension, tyre/tube, etc. though. Plus I knocked the kickstand spring loose loading it into the back of that dude's truck, and lacking a centrestand or proper gear I had the fun of trying to stabilise the bike between two large recycling bins so I could pry on the spring/kickstand without it toppling down onto me. It took a good 20min of prying and pulling until I got a brainstorm and just put the spring's loop around a cheap screwdriver, put the tip of the screwdriver by the other attachment point, levered it up and just slid the whole spring down the screwdriver until it popped right onto the peg. I need to shop around a bit, figure out if I get the best roadside from AMA, through my cellphone company, or through USAA (my insurance). In whatever case, I definitely need to do so before I try and take my new bike (Bonneville) up from Charlottesville to DC through the sideroads.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 29, 2009 17:33
|
|
|
Just picked up my new-to-me 2001 Triumph Bonneville today. Man, I have learned a lot of things today: - The Bonneville apparently has ON-OFF-LIGHTS settings, so when I thought I turned it off the head and tail lights were glowing dimly all day. - Connected to the above, I recalled that it's way easier to push-start in 2d than in 1st. I figured this out after becoming coated in sweat and pushing a 400lb bike up a moderate hill multiple times. - I learned that Bonnevilles like to have some choke on starting, even if the weather is temperate. Knowing this, I should've thought to apply the choke before pushing the Bonnie down a steep hill, getting to the bottom, and realising that "almost started" would probably have been "actually started" if I'd used the choke. - Since I was at the bottom of a very steep hill, with the only other way to go being a major highway, I learned how to take the seat off to access the battery, and how to jump a bike using a car. Thankfully, since I read up, I didn't have to learn any hard lessons about don't actually start the car, just let the juice flow from the turned-off car. Yeah, several hours of frustration this evening, but once I got it going again and cruised from Arlington up and down the National Mall in DC past all the monuments lit up at midnight, I was feeling pretty good.
|
|
#
¿
May 14, 2009 06:24
|
|
|
Anyone got a good breakdown (or link thereof) for the basic UJM traditional bikes? I'm looking to get a basic UJM, ideally under 400lbs and with at least 40hp (450-550cc?), so something nimble enough to be a fun city bike in DC but with enough move to be able to hold 70mph on the highway without straining. I don't have any need to go faster than that except brief bursts for passing. Thing is, such bikes are a maze of two-letter prefixes for Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki. Does the following cover most such bikes? -Honda: CB (CB450, CB500, etc) -Suzuki: GS -Yamaha: XS -Kawasaki: KZ Of such bikes, if I get one in running condition from mid-70s to mid-80s, will I generally do fine, or are there certain "OMG do not get an XS from 1978-1981 since the electrical is almost assuredly shot and impossible to re-harness."?
|
|
#
¿
Feb 23, 2010 18:18
|
|
|
I know very little about tech stuff, aside from basic maintenance, so don't even quite know what terms to even google to start looking into this question. Can one take a smaller bike, in my case a Honda CB250, and mess with various engine parts, increasing cc's or whichever, in order to get notably more horsepower? That is, can I take a CB250 and turn it into a 350cc bike? Reason I ask: I started on a CB250, using it mostly for urban driving and on some 55-60mph arterials. I had an awesome time on it, it was cheap but reliable, and it was light and nimble. Sold it when I moved and bought a Triumph Bonneville 790cc, which is notably smoother on the highways (where I seldom ride), but finnickier and far heavier. Like from 290lbs to 430lbs. I really like the small/light frame of the CB250, and the 20hp it puts out is sufficient for 80% of the riding I do (gets a bit twitchy over 75mph or in heavy wind), and getting it up to, say, 25hp would cover all my needs in a small, light bike. Is this even slightly feasible?
|
|
#
¿
Jul 12, 2010 17:34
|
|
|
Ola posted:You're basically getting into what is an expensive hit-and-miss for experienced hobby mechanics, which makes it a daunting, frustrating and very time consuming undertaking for a mechanical newbie. Yeah, that's about what I guessed. My mechanical aptitude at this point is limited to being able to maintain small arms and crew-served weapons, and I brought a Honda moped back to life by taking it all the way apart and reassembling. But those are pretty basic ops: the first gained through repetition and the second by assiduously following a printed out instruction sheet and turning a 20min procedure into multiple hours. quote:You can tune the CB250 (is it the one that looks a bit like a Triumph?) Here's me on AYB:  quote:Maybe a DRZ400? maybe a naked SV? Maybe a Ducati Monster? Those are what the CA hivemind usually recommends anyway, but there's tons of other options of course. The only downside is that most bikes that weigh where I'm hoping for ~<370lbs dry, and have enough HP (ideally 30-50), are sport bikes. I'm just rather fond of sitting straight up vice bending forward over the tank. The DRZ seemed pretty cool at first glance, and it's light and has a rep for being agile. But I'm not sure how I feel about thumpers, and when I saw the 35" seat height I knew I was hosed. I have a 30" inseam, so a Bonneville is right at the limit of what I can keep upright, and that's not even totally flatfooted. The naked SV650 is a bike I've always admired in terms of cool lines, seems to have a good rep, light weight, etc. It is a little swoopier-looking than I'd prefer, though some people apparently manage to make them look a little more retro. EDIT: Huh, apparently this is a niche group of folks building "modern cafe racer" retro-hybrid bikes onto SV650s. Again, I would like to sit up a little higher, and I could use a bit longer of a back seat for easier 2-up riding (is that stock or aftermarket on the above pic), but I can shop around and see what parts are about. At the risk of, yet again, asking a really dumb question, can you put slightly higher bars on an SV650 to get a more erect posture without it looking like some bastard mutant? In all honesty, I really like the looks of the old 1970s UJMs, and those were all the rage in Austin when I lived there (my CB250 actually got a lot of compliments for a beater, tiny bike), but I hold back from those due to the maintenance issues, and 400ccs that weight as much as modern 800cc bikes. I love the looks of the Bonnie, but it's heavy and takes some babying. At this point my gut response is to either look into getting a beater SV650 and doing a few mods to "de-swoopify" it, or just getting a CB250, doing a few minor mods to maybe slightly improve performance, and just knowing that I shouldn't go anywhere where I have to run with big trucks or hold over 65mph for long. EDIT2: What model of bike is this? It seems to say "YX" and "400" or similar, but I'm not finding that on Google. EDIT3: Ah, it's a "V". VX800? Probably more weight and muscle than I need. Looks comfier than the SV650 though. 
TapTheForwardAssist fucked around with this message at 21:41 on Jul 12, 2010 |
|
#
¿
Jul 12, 2010 21:36
|
|
|
Retarded Pimp posted:I don't know about comfier, but it'll be a lot harder to find than a SV naked. A streetfightered (streetfought?) Ninja 500 seems rather similar:  Pretty cool aesthetic, and the position is a little more upright, and more level seat.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 12, 2010 22:41
|
|
|
I took the goofy noisy Vance & Hines pipes off of my Ninja 500, bought an OEM set, the centrestand (which the PO had to remove to install the V&H), and the various little bolts and springs to secure them. I was pleased at first, since a quick-sale price for the V&H more or less comes out to what restoring OEM cost me. Then I realised: whoever buys this aftermarket from me is presumably getting them to replace his OEM cans, so I should've just saved a step and proposed a trade. 
|
|
#
¿
Feb 27, 2013 05:16
|
|
|
Still no motorbike for me here in West Africa since we're still running a major project on a shoestring budget. But I am spending lots of time riding on the back of hired motorbikes; getting a ride to the nearby market town is about $1.75 per trip. And yesterday I hired a bike to carry me to the main regional town, so a really unpleasant four hours on a dirt road riding two-up. And they don't like having passengers hold on to the driver, so my only support was putting my hands behind me on the grab bars, and pressing my calves and heels into the frame, so really not DoT-approved safe riding. They have one habit here in Liberia that I'm pretty sure is counterproductive: they use the engine shutoff switch *all the time* while riding. Like if they see 50 meters of downhill ahead of them, they'll kill the engine, coast down it, and fire up the engine as the ground levels out. They're not just holding the clutch and coasting ungeared, they're full-on shutting off the engine. And not to coast for ten minutes of huge downhill, even 30 seconds of coasting they think justifies killing the engine. I was watching the driver today and for most of that four hour ride his right thumb was riding the kill switch since he was using it so much. Is that actually some kind of smart energy-saving technique, or is is just wasting fuel and putting unneeded wear on their engine for some misunderstanding of how engines work? If it makes a difference, these are all little 100-150cc Indian made Boxer or Bajaj four-stroke single-cylinder bikes.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 15, 2015 09:49
|
|
|
I have a friend in Paris who wants a motorbike but doesn't want anything large (petite girl, and just wants to ride quiet city streets), so I encouraged her to consider a pedal moped. Anyone have advice on getting linked into the Paris moped scene?
|
|
#
¿
May 8, 2016 16:03
|
|
|
DEUCE SLUICE posted:Does she want something funky that's part of a "scene" or does she just want to get around easily? Valid question; she kinda wants a proper motorcycle but doesn't need the speed and is concerned about the size/weight (really petite) and extra schooling required. Not necessarily a "scene" thing but since it isn't vital to be commuting since she uses the Metro, I think hipness/funkiness is a factor, and she's a bicyclist so up to do some basic 2-stroke wrenching. I don't think there are too many true motorcycles falling in the <50cc special category, but scooters and mopeds yes. Is a 49cc scooter that much more advantageous than a 49cc moped? I'm trying to google around in English for info on French licensing for small motos; my vague impression is that even <49cc bikes need a tag and insurance, and some kind of license. But I'm unclear if it's a special license, or if (like in parts of the US) a driver's license for a car allows you to ride small motos with no changes, so her regular US driver's license might work but not sure. But it's not totally "<49cc is like a bicycle with nothing required" like a few US states. Re <50cc motos: quote:Mopeds must be registered and riders without a full licence must take a test ( brevet de sécurité routière/BSR) consisting of a theory paper ( attestation scolaire de sécurité routière/ ASSR1), taken at school, and five hours of practical training, four and a half of which must be on public roads, with a driving school (at a cost of around €75). Third-party insurance is necessary, and a metal tab with the owner’s name ( plaque de nom) must be attached to the handlebars. TapTheForwardAssist fucked around with this message at 20:09 on May 8, 2016 |
|
#
¿
May 8, 2016 20:06
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 4, 2024 23:46 |
|
|
I think I'm gonna get crazy and put down $500 deposit (against $5k) to get in line for a Bolt e-moto to keep at my house in Austin. They say it's easy to "winterize" so I can park it in my garage for months while overseas.
|
|
#
¿
May 10, 2016 12:50
|
|