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Ola
Jul 19, 2004

Today I washed globs of cow manure off my bike. Went for a 200 mile ride yesterday in the mountains, drove over plenty of tractor tracks which came from freshly fertilized fields. It was funny coming home from the trip, parking in the city and still smelling the countryside.

The tops of the mountain road had like three feet of snow piled next to the road, but the roads themselves were dry as a bone. Not funny to try attacking a switchback and finding it covered in gravel.

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8ender
Sep 24, 2003

clown is watching you sleep
Put new rear shocks/springs on the KZ. Those old rusted stock springs from the 70's were soft as hell due to the worn out piston. Nothing like going over a set of railroad tracks and having the bike slowly lurch up and down for a few seconds after the tracks to kill your confidence in corners.

sectoidman
Aug 21, 2006
Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes hurtling down the highway.
Got new tires and put them on the bike! I ordered some MT75s on Saturday of last week, got them on Monday, and had them put on the bike yesterday. As celebration, I took the bike on a long ride up in the twistier portions of the hill roads above Portland. I was in the area surrounding Council Crest park, mostly. I noticed the tires seemed a bit grippier, a bit easier to turn in, and were generally more stable and confidence-inspiring than the old and busted stock Dunlops.

Synonamess Botch
Jun 5, 2006

dicks are for my cat
Bought it. Then rode it home some 400 miles in the cold-rear end nighttime to bring it to its new home.

'76 CB550f supersport. I'm in love.

dietcokefiend
Apr 28, 2004
HEY ILL HAV 2 TXT U L8TR I JUST DROVE IN 2 A DAYCARE AND SCRATCHED MY RAZR

8ender posted:

Put new rear shocks/springs on the KZ. Those old rusted stock springs from the 70's were soft as hell due to the worn out piston. Nothing like going over a set of railroad tracks and having the bike slowly lurch up and down for a few seconds after the tracks to kill your confidence in corners.

After rebuilding the forks on my bike I think the coolest thing was going over this section of raised highway where my car usually took one full compression, one rebound and a partial compression of the shocks to absorb. Going over it on my bike the bump was captured in a slight compress and mild rebound and nothing more. Another fun thing was reconnecting the electronic brake circuit valve, which before took the fork to the bumpstops and now it barely goes down an inch under full braking.

Endless Mike
Aug 13, 2003



Got it inspected and registered. Yay for being legal!

Although I think I have to pay county taxes now.

Orange Someone
Aug 20, 2007
Hmmm
Got new bars. Very surprised that they arrived less than a day after I ordered them. Not quite the same as my old ones, but here's hoping that the brake lines are long enough. Seems the previous owner installed braided brake lines, but cut the lines rather short. They're at full stretch when the forks are uncompressed. No wheelies for me then.

Gnaghi
Jan 25, 2008

Is this a good first bike?
Dropped off my Husky at the dealer yesterday and picked it up today. I get the first service done when I buy a bike just so I know everything is well with it. Now I'm all ready to rip with it and it is supposed to rain practically all week. Also these things were everywhere. The manager owns one, as did a customer who was taking his to Costa Rica.

Simkin
May 18, 2007

"He says he's going to be number one!"
It's because BMW sells them cheap they're bikes for awesome old guys that haven't bought into the 'I'm old therefore I must buy a Harley' mentality.

Also, they're pretty fun to ride, for a gigantic bike, and are more comfortable than anything else that I've ridden, ever.

Z3n
Jul 21, 2007

I think the point is Z3n is a space cowboy on the edge of a frontier unknown to man, he's out there pushing the limits, trail braking into the abyss. Finding out where the edge of the razor is, turning to face the darkness and revving his 690 into it's vast gaze. You gotta live this to learn it bro.

dietcokefiend posted:

After rebuilding the forks on my bike I think the coolest thing was going over this section of raised highway where my car usually took one full compression, one rebound and a partial compression of the shocks to absorb. Going over it on my bike the bump was captured in a slight compress and mild rebound and nothing more. Another fun thing was reconnecting the electronic brake circuit valve, which before took the fork to the bumpstops and now it barely goes down an inch under full braking.

Don't use the Kawasaki Anti-dive. You want compliance under braking, your forks do no good if they just lock up an inch through their travel. Crank down some more preload or swap to stiffer springs. That system is one of the dumber things ever put on a motorcycle.

an actual frog
Mar 1, 2007


HEH, HEH, HEH!
-

an actual frog fucked around with this message at 22:12 on Jun 24, 2020

dietcokefiend
Apr 28, 2004
HEY ILL HAV 2 TXT U L8TR I JUST DROVE IN 2 A DAYCARE AND SCRATCHED MY RAZR

Z3n posted:

Don't use the Kawasaki Anti-dive. You want compliance under braking, your forks do no good if they just lock up an inch through their travel. Crank down some more preload or swap to stiffer springs. That system is one of the dumber things ever put on a motorcycle.

Well it is variable, restricting the oil flow in 3 different levels. Perhaps lowering it from max to min? The problem with stiffer springs is all of the ones (well can only find one) are designed for use with the system and making me need to go for something custom based off width, length, and rate which I dont really know what to aim for. That or swapping in different forks and praying they fit.

MrZig
Aug 13, 2005
I exist onl because of Parias'
LEGENDARY GENEROSITY.
Well it wasn't exactly today, it was the past 3 days, but I painted the back plastic piece, painted random pieces here and there, and put touchup paint on/polished the tank.

(Click for huge)

Before:


After:




Not too bad I think eh?

MrZig fucked around with this message at 02:44 on May 3, 2009

CSi-NA-EJ7
Feb 21, 2007
That looks like some crazy lean angle there on the kickstand

MrZig
Aug 13, 2005
I exist onl because of Parias'
LEGENDARY GENEROSITY.

CSi-NA-EJ7 posted:

That looks like some crazy lean angle there on the kickstand

Yeah the kickstand is bent. Been meaning to take a torch to it and straighten it out.

Z3n
Jul 21, 2007

I think the point is Z3n is a space cowboy on the edge of a frontier unknown to man, he's out there pushing the limits, trail braking into the abyss. Finding out where the edge of the razor is, turning to face the darkness and revving his 690 into it's vast gaze. You gotta live this to learn it bro.

dietcokefiend posted:

Well it is variable, restricting the oil flow in 3 different levels. Perhaps lowering it from max to min? The problem with stiffer springs is all of the ones (well can only find one) are designed for use with the system and making me need to go for something custom based off width, length, and rate which I dont really know what to aim for. That or swapping in different forks and praying they fit.

You should be able to disconnect it but leave it intact on maximum flow settings. Then it just becomes what amounts to a massive preload spacer. You should be using roughly 1/2->2/3rds of your travel under hard braking on a smooth surface. Over a rough surface, you should be using the majority of the travel with just a little left over after you hit the biggest bumps.

If it's working for you, then by all means, leave it, but from friends who have owned the bike and my experiences with one on a short test ride, the forks just stop working once the system kicks in, and that's a bad thing.

rifles
Oct 8, 2007
is this thing working
I took it out with my brother and his IT200 and rode the poo poo out of it with him

20 miles in fields that were half flooded, and in very wet grass, super fun!

darknrgy
Jul 26, 2003

...wait come back
I finished adjusting my valves on my EX500 today for the first time. I had a lot of valve noise at idle which is now much quieter. Little bit more ticking during revs, but I think that is the correct behavior post valve adjustment. Seems like I have more power now too :) might just be by imagination. Engine also seems more willing to be at higher revs - little bit smoother. Exhaust valves were both 0.003" out of spec. ~0.002" out of spec on a few others. Learned a lot overall. Remember to be careful about dropping the little coolant collars down in the engine, they are just kind of hanging out once you pull the cover off.



engine are neat!

Phy
Jun 27, 2008



Fun Shoe
Chopped a notch in my metal skidplate so I can access the balancer chain tensioning bolt, and bolted the plate back on after re-tapping the threads on the clamps. I swear the nuts were squashed. Also installed the new fork brace. Don't think it'll actually do a heck of a lot but it looks pretty nice and it's good machining.

Phy fucked around with this message at 18:28 on May 4, 2009

GabbiLB
Jul 14, 2004

~toot~
I made a tail tidy for my bike. Just need to get a little led light for license plate so it passes inspection. It's nice saving money by doing it yourself.


Click here for the full 700x525 image.

Z3n
Jul 21, 2007

I think the point is Z3n is a space cowboy on the edge of a frontier unknown to man, he's out there pushing the limits, trail braking into the abyss. Finding out where the edge of the razor is, turning to face the darkness and revving his 690 into it's vast gaze. You gotta live this to learn it bro.
Got my street plate back for the streetbike. :woop:

Drunk Pledge Driver
Nov 10, 2004

Buhbuhj posted:

I made a tail tidy for my bike. Just need to get a little led light for license plate so it passes inspection. It's nice saving money by doing it yourself.


Click here for the full 700x525 image.


Is that the new Ninja 250? My friend's dad has one and my god that rear fender is horrendous.

GabbiLB
Jul 14, 2004

~toot~

Drunk Pledge Driver posted:

Is that the new Ninja 250? My friend's dad has one and my god that rear fender is horrendous.

It's a 650 but it's the same fender. Thing was ginormous.

Phy
Jun 27, 2008



Fun Shoe
4/5/9: Installed the beefy-rear end crash bars, put the tank and seat back on. Somewhere in there I shimmed the muffler out to the side a bit so it's close but not rubbing. e: Testing tonight! I almost like it better with most of the plastics off.

5/5/9: Tried to start it. It wouldn't. Hooked the fuel lines back up. Tried to start it. Ran it. Rode it. Man that's good, it's been like 7 months. Also, had to move the chain guard over because the tire was rubbing on that side as well. It's still held, but not as firmly. Shouldn't go into the chain barring someone yanking on it. Tomorrow night: Go over the poo poo I did with a fine tooth comb, check tightnesses, put the plastics on, air the tires properly, 100kph commute simulation run.

Phy fucked around with this message at 04:28 on May 6, 2009

Bob Morales
Aug 18, 2006


Just wear the fucking mask, Bob

I don't care how many people I probably infected with COVID-19 while refusing to wear a mask, my comfort is far more important than the health and safety of everyone around me!

Discovered Sportsters don't have a neutral-safety switch, or mine's broken. Oops.

Checked my tire pressures, finally. Something like the low 20's for both, inflated to the proper 40 rear/36 front. Rides much better.

Also, jump-started my uncles CHOP-CHOP-CHOPPER with an HHR. Time to go battery shopping.

Mr. Eric Praline
Aug 13, 2004
I didn't like the others, they were all too flat.
I wasn't planning on doing any mods, cause mods aren't really my thing. Plus I like a lot of the stock weirdness on the Gladius. Course, once I saw pics of the options, my mind changed pretty quick.

Today I went from this:


Click here for the full 1280x960 image.


to these:


Click here for the full 960x1280 image.



Click here for the full 1280x960 image.


I actually did the exhaust last week, but I just finished with the fender eliminator.

sirbeefalot
Aug 24, 2004
Fast Learner.
Fun Shoe
I haven't done poo poo since Monday, because it's been stuck at the shop waiting for a new cam chain tensioner that must've shipped from loving Japan or something. Supposed to be here today, and when I called I got a new estimate of Friday. Fuuuuck.

Phy
Jun 27, 2008



Fun Shoe
spent most of the evening trying to line up the bolt holes on the left front fairing. Mother pus bucket.

Next bike's naked.

Synonamess Botch
Jun 5, 2006

dicks are for my cat
Completely rounded the hex screw on my oil filter cover and gave up cracking open the crank case on this scooter because all the Phillip's screws started to strip :sigh:

gently caress bolts that strip gently caress gently caress gently caress them!

Bob Morales
Aug 18, 2006


Just wear the fucking mask, Bob

I don't care how many people I probably infected with COVID-19 while refusing to wear a mask, my comfort is far more important than the health and safety of everyone around me!

Found out you can wheelie a Harley. Passenger on the back, full-power 1-2 shift. Wheel came WAY up, I stayed on the gas and it came down nice and slow. Holy poo poo.

dietcokefiend
Apr 28, 2004
HEY ILL HAV 2 TXT U L8TR I JUST DROVE IN 2 A DAYCARE AND SCRATCHED MY RAZR
Was midnight and I figured what better time to remove my rear shock and do drain/replace the oil. Had about an hour before I went to bed, and got it off and done surprisingly quick. Old stuff was like runny black snot, new stuff is red and purty :)

dietcokefiend
Apr 28, 2004
HEY ILL HAV 2 TXT U L8TR I JUST DROVE IN 2 A DAYCARE AND SCRATCHED MY RAZR

Synonamess Botch posted:

Completely rounded the hex screw on my oil filter cover and gave up cracking open the crank case on this scooter because all the Phillip's screws started to strip :sigh:

gently caress bolts that strip gently caress gently caress gently caress them!

When you eventually get them out, you need to measure those bitches down and order some high quality bolts and screws from McMaster or a local Fastenal. ;)

Ola
Jul 19, 2004

darknrgy posted:

I finished adjusting my valves on my EX500 today for the first time.


Congrats!

I did it too today, my second time and got them done in just over an hour. All 16 of them. :c00l: Well, only one needed a bit of tightening, it might be because I left it slightly loose when I did it last year. Didn't really need to do it, but I'm doing a carb sync soon and wanted to make sure the valves were spot on.

I also took some pics of my beautiful cylinder head garden but don't think they came out as good as your pic.

Bike not put back together as I cleaned and replaced a gasket in the petcock and emptied some sediment from the tank. Tomorrow, put it back together, fill up with gas, change oil and filter and then hopefully I'll have time to get one of the luggage rack brackets welded before I have to go to work. So much done this spring, I feel so fullfilled!

Herr Doktor
Apr 9, 2009

A screaming comes across the sky.
Dropped my Honda Shadow off at inspection today. I did have some problems with the ignition and was hoping to have it fixed. Also, I was not sure if something was wrong with the back tire. It seemed kind of scratched on the side. Rather weird.

The nice mechanic told me that obviously the frame was scraping against the tire. All the time. And that I was lucky that it had not exploded on the open road doing 100 km/h.

Whew. Left the bike, walked the bikers' walk of shame (you know, with full gear in public transportation) and am now awaiting a cost-estimate.

slowspeedracer
Oct 6, 2007

Decided to change my chain and sprockets.

Cut the old chain with a dremel, and am going to make my own riveter out of a c-clamp and a pipe flare tool to put the new one on.


gently caress that was big.

slowspeedracer fucked around with this message at 18:21 on May 7, 2009

Drunk Pledge Driver
Nov 10, 2004

slowspeedracer posted:

going to make my own riveter out of a c-clamp and a pipe flare tool to put the new one on.

Good luck with that. I broke down and bought a chain tool.

Dagen H
Mar 19, 2009

Hogertrafikomlaggningen
Rode to work misfiring on 1 cylinder until the engine got hot enough to boil the rainwater out from around the spark plug. Man, I gotta get a cover.

Also, tried out my $21.50 ebay Nolan helmet.:c00l:

Chris Knight
Jun 5, 2002

me @ ur posts


Fun Shoe
Took various parts off and put them back on again, discovering a nicely bent bolt holding the right exhaust on. gently caress, have to go get a replacement and also check the left side just in case I need 2.

Drained the Reserve to check the condition of the gas, looked fine to me, then put it back in. Then finally got the cover out and covered 'er up for the inevitable rain that's coming. Grabbed the left side body cover to re-glue the peg that's been broken since forever.

Crayvex
Dec 15, 2005

Morons! I have morons on my payroll!
Took the cover off the Kawasaki Police 1000. I just have to put the battery in, fire it up, and change the oil. Then there is the other 1,000 things I need to do it. Kid, wife and work eat up all my time

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Z3n
Jul 21, 2007

I think the point is Z3n is a space cowboy on the edge of a frontier unknown to man, he's out there pushing the limits, trail braking into the abyss. Finding out where the edge of the razor is, turning to face the darkness and revving his 690 into it's vast gaze. You gotta live this to learn it bro.
Installed the stock exhausts on the g/f's Z1000, got the headlight wired on the SV, took it for a test drive, and took care of some odds and ends.

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