Discussion - always find my self ridding in motorcycle

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Cycle Asylum > Discussion - always find my self ridding in motorcycle

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Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

i thought LWR rocked and LWD sucked.

# ¿ Oct 16, 2008 18:46

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# ¿ Apr 30, 2024 15:51

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Rekinom posted:

Question: does anyone either own, have ridden, or know anyone that rides a Guzzi? I've been lusting after them for years, and I'm moving to a town with a Guzzi dealership, and I'm drat near sure that I'm going to buy one. I think they're perfect in every single way, but I was wondering if anyone had any personal experiences with them.

i've still yet to sit on mine because i'm waiting for parts to put it back together. there is in fact one (only one) guy in AI who has a new guzzi and rides it. but i can't remember his name. maybe he posted in my thread? check hnasty's link.

# ¿ Dec 5, 2008 04:51

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

i will say though that i've only seen a guzzi on the road up close once, and it sounded absolutely awesome. like a more refined luxurious ducati. i think it was one of these.

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# ¿ Dec 5, 2008 06:33

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

yeah i've never seen a finger at the ground like that.

# ¿ Feb 1, 2009 00:35

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

i put my palm out so i can high five them as they go past hell yeah

# ¿ Feb 3, 2009 02:36

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

redscare posted:

Here's question that came up on my ride home from work today in the rain: how are you supposed to deal with the whole not having a wiper thing?

get a wiper!

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# ¿ Feb 7, 2009 17:41

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

last time i was at a local bike shop for tires, they were unloading a semi packed full of used bikes they had just bought at an auction somewhere. i mean a lot of drat bikes. talking to the service manager he was saying they were expecting good sales come spring, because people will buy a bike with the intent of saving money on gas and poo poo.

i'm skeptical, we'll see. i hope they're right cause i like them and that could be a really big bad investment for a small local shop.

# ¿ Feb 17, 2009 21:36

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

we had a whole faq on "saving money riding a bike" that i wrote up, but the wiki host went down so it's all gone. the tl;dr is that unless you cut a lot of corners, you're not going to save money.

# ¿ Feb 18, 2009 06:41

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

my bmw and guzzi both have a "park" mode on the ignition too. turns all the lights on but the headlight. i dunno who the hell can't walk their bike backwards in a parking lot with the headlight on.

# ¿ Mar 19, 2009 04:14

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Christoff posted:

Jesus, who said working on bikes was easy?

i did. it's fun! :buddy:

# ¿ Mar 21, 2009 11:26

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Valfar posted:

Take one beefy carb:

what the hell does one carb need so many tubes for

# ¿ Mar 22, 2009 01:25

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Ola posted:

Wearing a helmet in a no-helmet state is a much better statement about freedom and self responsibility.

i rode my bmw to a rally in wisconsin in 07 (harley HQ is in wisconsin - ergo, no helmet laws in wisconsin - ergo, freedom) and it was a funny contrast between the rally and the rest of the state. when i was at the [bmw] rally, nearly every single biker wore helmet, jacket, boots, pants and gloves. as soon as i rode more than 10 miles from the rally, literally not a single biker i saw had any gear at all. i only saw one exception to this in the week or so i was in the state.

# ¿ Mar 23, 2009 18:43

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

so i got my ktm 440 running today and it was pretty fun as long as i never opened the throttle at all. but then i was riding up a dirt road and the chain flew off. how the hell does a chain fly off?

# ¿ Apr 4, 2009 22:35

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

VTNewb posted:

It's also worth saying that I almost died when It decided to start.

440 2t + coasting downhill at a decent speed + 1st gear + throttle open + no clutch

i don't think i ever opened up more than a third of its power and it still scared me.

# ¿ Apr 5, 2009 23:50

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

laymil posted:

Whoever decided to design my bike with a circuit breaker was a smart man. I accidentally put my new battery in backwards this weekend, realized my mistake, and looked for a blown fuse. Surprise, surprise, no blown fuses, but the bike wasn't working - one quick search later and I find there's a circuit breaker.

Is this a common feature on bikes?

never heard of it. what kinda bike? are you sure it's not some custom addon?

# ¿ Apr 7, 2009 11:28

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

mutt2jeff posted:

Everybody drops their bike at some point.

most people don't drop it on an electric fence in snow, though

# ¿ Apr 18, 2009 11:13

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

man, a rebel 250 (i think) rode by my car this morning and that was the least appealing motorcycle noise i've ever heard. an uneven wheezy putt-putt noise that makes my lawnmower sound sexy. if any of you own one, you have my pity.

# ¿ Apr 26, 2009 13:35

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

my ktm threw a chain too! but the sprocket was ok.

# ¿ Apr 26, 2009 21:46

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

kdc67 posted:

On the bright side, you'll start meeting a lot more people who have chopped off fingers.

like when you buy a different car and all of a sudden you start noticing other people with that car and waving to them!

# ¿ May 2, 2009 11:16

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Simkin posted:

No way is a petrol tank worth $2500. Not even if it gently massages your balls while you ride.

original mint condition aftermarket "sport" oversized tanks for my 50 year old BMW don't cost this much. but they don't massage balls.

# ¿ May 3, 2009 17:24

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

100 Years in Iraq posted:

That's why I buy Chen Shins.

they're not making street tires anymore

but we still have kenda and shinko!

# ¿ May 10, 2009 00:54

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

chinese. run.

# ¿ May 21, 2009 19:02

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

just thought i'd share some KTM :hellyeah:

s with everybody.

a while ago i got a 1995 ktm 440 2-stroke.

yes, 440cc.

and then later i got a 1985 ninja 900.

got em both running, rode em around a bit. the ninja isn't exactly a busa, but it's supposed to have 115hp which is a new record for my lovely bikes. i took it out the other day and got it to the redline WOT in 2nd gear.

it was exciting, no doubt, but let me tell you it was not that big a deal compared to 3/4 throttle on the 440. that thing is totally nuts. the guy i got it from, when the engine was blown, is a dirt bike dealer guy. so he's like an expert dirt rider and poo poo. and even he said it scared him when he rode it once after i fixed it.

so if you ever have the chance to buy a big bore 2 stroke, don't. it'll just kill you.

# ¿ Jun 18, 2009 12:26

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Simkin posted:

Daaamn, you have any videos of that ~~fire~~smoke breathing dragon, Rev. Dr.?

not one that shows how stupid it is, (accidental 12 oclock wheelies etc) just a simple jump or two

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPJyw79kvuE

# ¿ Jun 19, 2009 02:51

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

that's right, no more XV750! i'm freeeee!!! :holy:

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# ¿ Jun 21, 2009 04:15

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

8ender posted:

But BMW riders are always kind, white haired, older men that just want to ride for a couple thousand miles to some obscure vineyard. They're hard to hate.

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# ¿ Jun 23, 2009 04:09

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Z3n posted:

Hondas are great because it seems like there's absolutely no communication between the engineers and anyone who ever works on the bikes. For example, on my 929: They obviously wanted more stiffness across the front of the frame, behind the headstock. No big deal, just weld in a supporting crossmember.

Right across the loving top of the spark plugs. You have to split your extension, drop the spark plug socket down the hole, attach the extension to the spark plug socket, attach the ratchet to the extension, and then when you pull the plug you have to carefully seperate each one as you pull them out or risk getting them jammed between the top of the engine and the crossmember. Don't have a 3 inch extension? Good luck ever getting those fuckers out!

as if i didn't hate japs enough already.

# ¿ Jun 23, 2009 22:58

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

i noticed a strange thing since i got my /6 BMW and joined a related mailing list. there are actually different subgroups of BMW riders who don't like each other. BMW accounts for like 3% of bike sales in america, so the idea of that tiny group of people balkanizing and shaking fists at each other seems just a little goddamn silly to me.

there are at least 3 subgroups:

1. vintage/antique. this would be my group. almost everyone in this group is a rich son of a bitch who also owns a modern expensive touring BMW.

2. modern. overlaps with #1. these are the typical BMW owners who have the ewan mcgregor model with 8 headlights, gps, and an aerostich suit. they ride their ewan mcgregor bikes to the annual rally and discuss their GPS software with the other moderns. they only know groups 1 and 3 by the BMW logo on their bikes.

3. airheads. this is the official name for the most budget friendly BMWs, made from 1970 to mid 80s or so. and people in this group apparently don't like the modernites with their dealer-serviced rides. and they don't like the rally because they don't have a garmin zumo to show off to the other moderners. i just got one of these bikes, and i think they'd like me because i got the bike in 40 pieces. but they wouldn't like me because i'm going to the rally. but they might like me because i have no gps...

4. i think there might be another group for the people who ride the non-boxer twin bikes but i'm not sure. these bikes of course have no soul, especially the inline 4s.

# ¿ Jul 4, 2009 17:58

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

constant gulping posted:

One group you forgot to mention are the purists, they scare me, I'm afraid to post that I put electronic ignition on my /5. I would hate to feel the wrath of the points and condenser gods.

i consider myself a purist. in that if someone takes a 1955 BMW and puts 8 foot long forks on it to make a chopper, i'd wish he were dead. but i don't see that things like electronic ignition are a problem. that just improves reliability and rideability.

# ¿ Jul 5, 2009 08:09

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

constant gulping posted:

What's that?

yes i saw that on advrider and i wish that guy were dead.

# ¿ Jul 5, 2009 16:19

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

i like it.
"centralized mass," i laughed out loud at that.

TheCosmicMuffet posted:

jesus. Destroying perfectly good fun little bikes. Why don't the assholes donate them to an MSF.

perfectly good? i heard they sucked, vibrated like poo poo, weren't good for msf use because they were too heavy with too much torque (500cc single? most of their bikes are like 250 twins and poo poo)

# ¿ Jul 26, 2009 19:59

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Gnomad posted:

A lot of BMW chauvinists are in denial over this very real problem.

even the BMWMOA magazine has acknowledged the issue and almost came around to criticizing BMW for it. they said it was something about the pressure put on the bearing. but they also implied the pressure was adjustable, making it really just an assembly issue, which it doesnt really look like it would be in that picture. but then i'm not familiar with those single sided swingarm contraptions.

# ¿ Aug 7, 2009 20:04

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

i noticed from looking at photos that that main bearing in the final drive looks about the same size (maybe same type even) as the one in my 1955 model.

# ¿ Aug 11, 2009 20:33

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

autozone had a relay that looks like it will precisely fit the connector and mounting bolt for the old starter relay on my 1984 moto guzzi. and it was $6. i'm floored.

# ¿ Aug 11, 2009 23:35

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Christoff posted:

What's the most ridiculous thing you guys have transported/done on your bike?

not really that weird but it looks kinda weird.

bmw /2 (1955-69) transmission on a 1984 moto-guzzi.

# ¿ Aug 30, 2009 18:40

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

flipping through a manual that came with my bmw /6 and came upon this gem. this is the emissions control circuit for gas tank vapors. this isn't for crankcase gases or catalytic converters or anything, all it does is prevent fuel vapors from venting into the atmosphere when the tank is hot.

and this is from a late 80s motorcycle. i don't even want to think what modern cars are like.

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# ¿ Sep 3, 2009 12:59

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Oakey posted:

I've only had the new bike for a bit over a week and my rear brake is out. It was working fine on the test ride. People weren't kidding about these issues on Aprilias, I guess I am going to get very good at bleeding brakes .

At least the AF1 forums have a pretty good walkthrough for it.