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Go test ride a 1190. You won't regret it. The new Capo is a big bike, I haven't dragged out one for a test ride yet.
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Jul 24, 2014 15:24
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A Capo 1200 in white is really, really pretty.
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Jul 24, 2014 16:32
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Of the sport touring bikes I've seen so far on my trip, it's been split between Connie 14s and big BMWs on the highway and Sprints on the city streets. A few FJRs here and there.
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Jul 25, 2014 01:12
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M. Night Skymall posted:I also have an 8 mile commute to work everyday and the 1200 seems like it'd be a ridiculous pig for that. They didn't have an 800 to look at while I was there but at least spec wise it still seems like a pretty heavy bike, how nimble is it going to feel for commuting on surface streets and wrestling for spaces in parking lots? What do you ride now? I can't quite remember. :-( I ride one of the biggest ST bikes (1300cc and nearly 800 lbs), and like Sidebite said, it's really not as bad as you would think. Yes, most all of the Super Size ST's will feel top-heavy at stops and while doing slow speed parking lot stuff, but like anything else, you get used to it. I spent several hours on the local MSF range with my ST1300 just for that reason, and now it's not a big deal. The heavy feel goes away once you get moving, and while it will never be as nimble as an outright sports bike, it will surprise you... And other riders who don't know any better. With luggage, power and comfortable ergonomics, I would argue that sport tourers make excellent commuters for experienced riders.
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Jul 25, 2014 06:46
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Raven457 posted:What do you ride now? I can't quite remember. :-( I'm still on my first year of riding so I'm on an SV650, just kind of vaguely shopping around for next season. I really enjoy touring but don't think I'll be able to do enough of it to get a dedicated bike, would have to work as a commuter and around town thing also. I'm also not very tall so the VFR800's appealing for its low seat height. I'm also thinking of getting an FZ-09 and just loading it up with bags. I've done a 1000 mile weekend on my 650 and I'm doing a 3000 mile round trip out to the dragon in august but I'm pretty far from an experienced rider still.
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Jul 25, 2014 14:44
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M. Night Skymall posted:I'm also not very tall so the VFR800's appealing for its low seat height. I'm also thinking of getting an FZ-09 and just loading it up with bags. I've done a 1000 mile weekend on my 650 and I'm doing a 3000 mile round trip out to the dragon in august but I'm pretty far from an experienced rider still. The VFR or the FZ-09 would be great options. The FZ might be cheaper, but you then have to add bags... So it might be a wash financially. Hard to go wrong either way.
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Jul 25, 2014 15:37
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Raven457 posted:The VFR or the FZ-09 would be great options. The FZ might be cheaper, but you then have to add bags... So it might be a wash financially. Hard to go wrong either way. Keep in mind that bag mounting can be a hilarious pain in the rear end. The SW-Motech racks required that I drop the fender, disconnect a bunch of wiring, solder in extra lengths of wire for the turn signals, etc. I'm very happy with the final results but it did feel extremely nerve racking to do the work to a brand new FZ1.  Area man drills holes into brand new luggage for backrest! Amazingly, it does not end in tears!  Now I have to splice into the brake light wiring for the four lights in the back. There is a neat wiring connector on the Givi adapter plate that allows you to remove the bag and leave the wiring there, but I want to be able to remove the adapter plate as well. I'll need some sort of quick disconnect system. I guess I have to visit the local Radio Shack. Crayvex fucked around with this message at 01:40 on Jul 26, 2014 |
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Jul 26, 2014 01:36
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I just learned that these will fit on Givi side racks with a slight mod. They'd be laughably huge, but for that price it might be worth getting just for long trips and use the E21's for every day stuff.
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Jul 26, 2014 03:27
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kuffs posted:I've seen those in person and they look like dogshit. The sleeve comes as one square piece that you have to wrap around the grip. BlackLaser posted:Bad URL. http://www.amazon.com/Grab-On-Grips-Grip-Cover/dp/B000WJAH5M Thanks for the heads up on these. Got them installed and they fell great. Really increases the diameter of the grips so not for small hands. I usually wear an XL glove and they fit great.
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Jul 31, 2014 13:52
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Can I join you guys yet?  VFR1200fd by sildargod, on FlickrApologies for the lovely cell-phone quality image, it was all a bit sudden and I didn't think to bring my actual camera with when I picked it up.
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Aug 1, 2014 08:59
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Tell me everything about the paddle shifters. I like a lot of Honda models but to go ABS you have to go DCT and automatic just sounds so boring to me. How do you like it? How is it going from stopped to first? Is it as remotely satisfying as a proper clutch? Does it still engine brake worth a drat? Reveal your secrets!
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Aug 1, 2014 13:54
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I honestly haven't played with the paddle shift yet, my winter gloves don't give me even the tiniest bit of finesse, so I can well imagine buggering it up at entirely the wrong time. Not having a clutch and gear shift is ... weird. My whole left side feels like it's being neglected and missing something to do. Take off is snatchy, but I'll get used to that and will be able to modulate the throttle accordingly soon enough, it's helluva comfy past second gear, shifts are totally seamless and it shifts 6th-4th if you grab a handful of throttle as fast as gearing down on a conventional system. Upshifts are seamless, there's a clunk from first to second, but after that I only pick up the change in the engine noise. There's plenty of engine braking and it works a treat in traffic. It's different to a conventional bike, but not bad. That said, I was tempted to sell my speed triple, but I'm keeping it because it's just so much more manic than the Honda. EDIT: An update! The paddle shift is fantastic, took all of 5 seconds to become second nature. Fuel consumption is abysmal, but that may have something to do with my running past 6kRPM as often as possible because Gods, it pulls in the most terrifying, addictive way. sildargod fucked around with this message at 08:55 on Aug 4, 2014 |
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Aug 1, 2014 14:41
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sildargod posted:Can I join you guys yet? Welcome to the fold.
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Aug 7, 2014 10:25
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Just got back from Deals Gap. 1600 miles over four days. 615 Miles one way from Tampa to Robbinsville. I made no reservations and stayed at the Microtel in town. Won't win any awards but the price was right. The weather was not perfect so it scared a bunch of people off. A couple small showers during the day, no big deal. Roads were not busy at all. Two days spent riding around a bunch of great roads in the area. 129 is cool, but maybe too tight for my couch on wheels. Probably way more fun on a light bike, or maybe if I was a better rider. Cherohala skyway owns if you are on a bigger bike. I would ride that road everyday and never get tired of it. Much more open with faster turns. Moonshiner 28 was fine, but nothing special compared to any other local road. The boring highways there are better than any road I've been on in FL though. You would have a tough time finding a lovely road there. Awesome riding, and I didn't eat poo poo at the sight of a bending road. Good trip.  Put a set of these on before leaving: http://www.murphskits.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=130_133&products_id=282 Massive increase in long distance riding. I will probably purchase a couple pictures from the pro photographers when they all finish uploading to the web. Killboy is slacking. I'll post some if anyone wants to see my goony rear end riding my bike. For now two lovely iphone pics.  
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Aug 12, 2014 23:11
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Your black rims. Give them to me. My C14 came with risers and I took them off. They killed my back and I seem far more comfortable now that they're gone  Looking forward to seeing some pics of that big thing being tossed around some corners. I was going to ride down to Southern Utah in a couple weeks (Zion/Bryce/Moab area) but Mrs. Slidebite wants to come and do some stuff the Subaru is getting broken out for the trip instead.
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Aug 13, 2014 02:39
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Cherohala had fast sweepers so long I would have sworn I'd looped back around the road again but overall I'd call it the harley road. 129 has a nice smooth 45mph line i think a capable rider could do on about any bike once you got comfortable with it. I only ran the road 4 times maybe each way (and a few of those with luggage) but I even surprise scraped a peg on my last run headed east.slidebite posted:Your black rims. Give them to me. Sever. nsaP fucked around with this message at 06:48 on Aug 14, 2014 |
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Aug 14, 2014 06:46
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nsaP posted:Cherohala had fast sweepers so long I would have sworn I'd looped back around the road again but overall I'd call it the harley road. 129 has a nice smooth 45mph line i think a capable rider could do on about any bike once you got comfortable with it. I only ran the road 4 times maybe each way (and a few of those with luggage) but I even surprise scraped a peg on my last run headed east. Those sweepers were a ton of fun for me at about double the recommended speed. I only ran 129 twice and I would say I was around 35-40mph most of the time. Maybe I needed more time on it to be more familiar. It's a fun road no doubt, but I wouldn't go back for just 129 on this particular bike. It probably weighs 700 pounds with the luggage on. I liked being able to take in the scenery on Cherohala better. I'm old I guess    
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Aug 14, 2014 13:07
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Concours people: Murph's kits hosed up and sent me a concours petcock rebuild kit (#18-2704) instead of the MC rebuild kit for the ninjette that I ordered, and they're letting me keep it. If anyone wants it, lemme know, you can have it for the shipping to your place.
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Aug 16, 2014 02:08
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That's a generous offer. I think Ought Ten is the only one with an old one that would be able to use it.
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Aug 16, 2014 02:17
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Thanks for thinking of me slidebite. My petcock's working just fine these days but maybe we can do a handoff sometime this fall if I ever manage to go riding.
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Aug 16, 2014 03:14
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Sure!
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Aug 16, 2014 05:23
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Pope Mobile posted:I have the long skinny Crampbuster and it's great. A cruise control would be nice but it's definitely better than nothing. I took the Dremel to my 'wide' Crampbuster to trim the lower wide bit before my trip up north last weekend, and it worked great! For anyone with big hands, it's the perfect solution.
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Aug 16, 2014 17:24
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Vistacruise is far better than any cramp buster.
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Aug 17, 2014 14:08
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Is it possible to get a Givi compatible side mount bag system for bikes with a fender eliminator? The dude I bought my '02 VFR from eliminated the fender. The license plate itself is jammed up between the two exhaust pipes, leaving no room for the stock mount to attach to the rear fender. Pic of said fender eliminator install 
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Aug 18, 2014 03:50
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BlackLaser posted:Those sweepers were a ton of fun for me at about double the recommended speed. I only ran 129 twice and I would say I was around 35-40mph most of the time. Maybe I needed more time on it to be more familiar. It's a fun road no doubt, but I wouldn't go back for just 129 on this particular bike. It probably weighs 700 pounds with the luggage on. I liked being able to take in the scenery on Cherohala better. I'm old I guess Yeah that's probably about what I'm talking about...a bit slower for the tight hairpins but mostly sticking around 40mph or so. I had a lot of fun and can't wait for the next time riding around the mountains. As I was packing up from camping off of the BRP my neighbor started chatting me up, he was a miata guy. He told me about a 'mini dragon' road off of the BRP on the way to Asheville but I was running late to meet my friends so I had to pass on it even though it looked like it was only 4 miles down the mountain or so. Something to go to next time I guess, I gotta look up what road it was again. edit: Here it is, looks alright https://www.google.com/maps/dir/35.4340161,-82.730566/35.4618355,-82.7375232/@35.4342166,-82.7646457,13z/data=!4m3!4m2!1m0!1m0 nsaP fucked around with this message at 04:05 on Aug 18, 2014 |
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Aug 18, 2014 04:03
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Being as I bought the stupidest bike for fuel economy, I have decided to try a hypermiling experiment. Anyone up for joining me on this?
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Aug 19, 2014 09:14
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Most bikes depend on the engine running and turning the oil pump to get lubrication to the gearbox. Hypermiling sounds like a recipe for a broken bike.
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Aug 19, 2014 16:19
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n8r posted:Vistacruise is far better than any cramp buster. Run what ya brung.
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Aug 19, 2014 16:26
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BlackLaser posted:Those sweepers were a ton of fun for me at about double the recommended speed. I only ran 129 twice and I would say I was around 35-40mph most of the time. Maybe I needed more time on it to be more familiar. It's a fun road no doubt, but I wouldn't go back for just 129 on this particular bike. It probably weighs 700 pounds with the luggage on. I liked being able to take in the scenery on Cherohala better. I'm old I guess When I did 129, the weather was mostly decent, so there were a few Harleys I had to pass, a few motards I had to let pass me, and some sports cars that I let around. I mostly stayed in 3rd gear, slowed way down for the turns the first run through, and then after I realized it wasn't too bad I was able to keep up a much better pace and actually had to pass some lovely sports riders. I enjoyed the Cherohala a lot more... Less traffic, faster road overall, amazing views.
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Aug 23, 2014 08:01
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Rumor has it that a redesigned (or at least refreshed) C14 is going to be announced next week.
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Sep 27, 2014 17:08
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It's time for new tires. I've got PR3s on, and I really like them. However, I now live in a place that has both weather and turns. Also, I do a ton of miles a year. This set of tires has north of 12k and is squared off like a bitch because I had a total of six turns on my 75mi daily commute. That said, I love the way they start to whine and complain before starting to slide; it really lets me know when the tar snakes are slippery or the chipseal I'm looking for a tire that
I figure the S/T guys would know something that fits #1 pretty well. babyeatingpsychopath fucked around with this message at 20:41 on Sep 27, 2014 |
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Sep 27, 2014 20:38
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:I'm looking for a tire that Good luck with this. I got around 8,000 from my last Bridgestone BT-023GT rear, and may get 9500 - 10000 from the BT-023GT front that is on there now. Wear varies from rider to rider and bike to bike, largely based on the size and weight of the bike and the riding style of the rider. Bridgestone T30 GT's, or Pilot Road 4s would be my recommendation, assuming they come in your sizes. PR4s are supposed to last longer than the PR3s, but any extended straight lining is gonna square off a tire.
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Sep 28, 2014 01:41
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PR4s.
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Sep 28, 2014 02:45
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Raven457 posted:Good luck with this. I got around 8,000 from my last Bridgestone BT-023GT rear, and may get 9500 - 10000 from the BT-023GT front that is on there now. I'm gonna ride these pr3s to the cords. 75mi commute does not lend itself to twists. And any curves I find, I'll be on fresh rubber, right? So PR4s. Ok. Time to shop.
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Sep 28, 2014 03:18
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Seriously I haven't heard of any tire with the stick and the life of the PR3/PR4s. They're no street-legal-track-tire but they're drat decent.
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Sep 28, 2014 05:11
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The dunlop Roadsmart 2's that came stock on my ninja 650 are in that range as well,. Original front just replaced at 14k due to hitting wear bars. Rear was replaced at 2k due to a screw, and it's a bit squared off but still probably has another couple thousand miles left in it. Tires used in rain almost as much as dry, and at temperatures down to 15 degrees F. For some reason they're almost unheard of but they're similarly reviewed to the pilot roads as the tires Jesus would put on his sport touring motorcycle
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Sep 28, 2014 15:27
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:I'm gonna ride these pr3s to the cords. 75mi commute does not lend itself to twists. And any curves I find, I'll be on fresh rubber, right? PR4 is the best bet for wet weather. A Pirelli Angel or Dunlop Roadsmart 2 would be good, but not as reliable in the wet. You're looking at about $160 for a front and (in a 120/70) and $205-$230 for the rear depending on if you've got a 180/55 or a 190/50-55.
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Sep 29, 2014 14:53
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Is there any technical basis or objective metric backing a claim of one tire in that class having a superior property over the others or is that merely marketing speaking? I stayed with the roadsmart 2 because I've had no problem with it in some relatively extreme conditions (ranging from significantly sub freezing temperatures and 95+ MPH in heavy rain) and the perfect reviews indicate apparently no one else has either, but if there is an actual comparison between the various brands I'd be interested in seeing it.
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Oct 2, 2014 05:23
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There really are no apples to apples scientific comparisons for motorcycle tires. That being said, a Ninja 650 is a more forgiving platform for tires than a heavier litre+ class sport-tourer.
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Oct 2, 2014 05:49
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Test rode a 2013 FJR today. Very nice bike. Not too heavy for what it is. Absolutely everything on it felt perfectly smooth, except the surging idle. One of the easiest oil changes on any modern bike. But what's with the 5 speed gearbox?
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Oct 3, 2014 02:58
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