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pokie posted:How? Extremely good question.
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Apr 30, 2017 14:15
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| # ? May 6, 2024 03:19 |
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So, my first bike (ninja 500r) came to me with Michelin Pilot Activ tires. These are bias ply tires, not radials, and 95% of the reviews for them are on goldwings and older bikes, not a starter sportbike from 2007. So, dumb dumb question: They have plenty of tread, and seem well reviewed, but I'm not sure where these tires fall in terms of what I should expect in terms of mileage/performance.
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May 2, 2017 06:07
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Pilot activs last a loving long time but have garbage grip if you're really pushing it. They're like the definition of a solid commuter tyre with no sporting aspirations. Much more important is if they're square or not and their age.
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May 2, 2017 06:12
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So if I'm brand new to this, taking it easy and won't be bombing corners like crazy, this is a solid choice for now? From what I can see from maintenance records, they've got less than 200 miles on them and were put on around september of 2015. Don't look squared off at all from what I can see. edit: Now they have 450 miles on them, thanks to me 
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May 2, 2017 06:18
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I don't know the intricacies of pilot activ grip limits vs a ninja 500's potential mechanical grip, but I can safely say if you're brand new to this the only thing you're likely to overwhelm in a corner is yourself. Even a mediocre bike with mediocre tyres will corner way, way faster than you think is even possible. Keep them pumped up to the right pressure and look where you want to go, if you fall over there is 0% chance that the tyres will be to blame.
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May 2, 2017 07:31
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Don't go by when they were put on, they can sit in a shelf for years before that. The manufacturing date is on the tire. This guy seems to describe it: https://youtu.be/JM37mo9p90k
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May 2, 2017 13:08
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When I bought my 2004 Ninja 250 a year and a half ago, I discovered that it was still shod in the OEM tires. Instant replace. Tires are one of the best maintenance items to replace, because a new set so dramatically alters the feel of your ride, for the better.
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May 2, 2017 19:52
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Slide Hammer posted:Tires are one of the best maintenance items to replace, because a new set so dramatically alters the feel of your ride, for the better. Seriously, new tires feel so great. There's a kid at work who rides in every day (mad props to him) on his first bike, but the tires are bald & squared-off as gently caress. I gave him some friendly ribbing like four months ago when I noticed and hoped he'd sort it, but just a few days ago I saw he hadn't changed them... I don't know how they're still going. I cringed when I saw them. I found him later that day and told him those things skeevy as hell and needed replacing asap, especially considering his commute involves SoCal freeway at 65+. Told him what local store pricematched the web and would mount for really cheap. He seemed surprised, because you could "still see the wear-bars" (due to chickenstrips). I tried to tell him that's now how wear-bars worked, but he seemed unimpressed and said he's planning on selling it soon. He rides "really carefully" in the rain though, so 
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May 3, 2017 02:20
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Jack B Nimble posted:Don't go by when they were put on, they can sit in a shelf for years before that. The manufacturing date is on the tire. This guy seems to describe it: I looked it up. Aww poo poo, it was manufactured end of 2009, which puts them at 7.5 years old. I checked with Michelin, they said "inspect after 5 years, definitely replace after 10". So I'm not terrified to ride it, but I went ahead and ordered some Pilot Street tires for it, since they're also well reviewed, but a little softer than the activs as I've read.
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May 3, 2017 12:59
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I'm looking to take the msf in the next month or so, and after nosing around for a bit (~5 months) I've become enamored with a white/red cb500f. How stupid would it be to get something with a bit more power than a ninja 300 and what looks like a ruler flat torque curve for a new rider? I daily drive a manual so I'm used to thinking about a clutch all the time, but I know that's not the same at all as a motorcycle.
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May 8, 2017 23:33
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The CB500F is a fine beginner bike. It's not really much more powerful than the Ninja and if it's a bike you think is cool go for it.
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May 8, 2017 23:45
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The Honda 500s are friendly little appliances. If customisation appeals to you the Ninja might be better though. There's just a bit more available for the Ninja as it sells in first world markets better than the 500s, which sell at their best in lower end markets as their "big" bikes.
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May 9, 2017 00:26
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SeaGoatSupreme posted:I'm looking to take the msf in the next month or so, and after nosing around for a bit (~5 months) I've become enamored with a white/red cb500f. How stupid would it be to get something with a bit more power than a ninja 300 and what looks like a ruler flat torque curve for a new rider? I daily drive a manual so I'm used to thinking about a clutch all the time, but I know that's not the same at all as a motorcycle. You'll be fine, just be aware that the 500 is a lot heavier and this may or may not matter to you depending on how big/strong/tall you are.
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May 9, 2017 02:33
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There's definitely something to be said for power, but an extremely lightweight motorcycle is a charm all unto itself. When you're not riding the motorcycle, you're parking it, pushing it, maneuvering it onto sidewalks, maneuvering it into the garage, out of the garage, putting it on a stand, etc... Light weight makes all the not-riding stuff a lot easier. A lightweight motorcycle is also more responsive to steering input and weight shifting.
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May 9, 2017 04:05
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I'm only 5'6" but I'm pretty beefy at ~210. I spent a good portion of my younger teen years sitting on the back of/moving around the yard a shadow spirit 750, which is a good 100lbs heavier and a fuckton denser than the cb500f. I'm not worried at all about the non-riding portion of having the bike, I just needed reassurance that the second I got on it I wouldn't screw up and wheelie into a semi because the power would be inadvisable for a new rider. Thanks for the help everyone, I'll come back with a bunch of gear questions once I take the msf and go to a few shops to see what they have. also that shadow spirit's passenger seat is only there to make lawyers happy. I swear there's still a rectangular dent in my rear end a decade later. No one should subject someone to that drat seat unless they know what they are getting into. SeaGoatSupreme fucked around with this message at 06:41 on May 9, 2017 |
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May 9, 2017 06:39
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SeaGoatSupreme posted:also that shadow spirit's passenger seat is only there to make lawyers happy. I swear there's still a rectangular dent in my rear end a decade later. No one should subject someone to that drat seat unless they know what they are getting into. Let me tell you about a little something called italy.  Note the passenger pegs.
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May 9, 2017 09:34
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Slavvy posted:Let me tell you about a little something called italy. I can tell you from a 5 minute ride on the back the Tuono pillion seat is Abso-loving-Lutely HORRIBLE, the only consolation was I got to ride it properly on the way to the fuel station.
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May 9, 2017 10:20
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la puttana fell off
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May 9, 2017 15:29
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SeaGoatSupreme posted:I'm looking to take the msf in the next month or so, and after nosing around for a bit (~5 months) I've become enamored with a white/red cb500f. How stupid would it be to get something with a bit more power than a ninja 300 and what looks like a ruler flat torque curve for a new rider? I daily drive a manual so I'm used to thinking about a clutch all the time, but I know that's not the same at all as a motorcycle. The 500 isn't trying to kill you like a 600 is, so buy away.
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May 9, 2017 21:04
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Pulling the trigger on the EX300->EX650 swap. Dealer doesn't have one in stock, so they are ordering from Kawasaki. Will update when the new bike arrives.
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May 20, 2017 22:54
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I'd like to get into a beginner bike, but I don't have indoor or even covered storage. Is that basically a requirement to avoid thieves, bad weather, etc. or are those covers pretty much good enough?
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May 20, 2017 23:55
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Covers are fine for dealing with three-season weather. I'd look for a spot with a roof to keep the bike if you get a lot of snow in the winter. As to theft protection...it really depends on your area and what you've got. Some areas I'd be fine leaving my bike outside at night, others I feel uncomfortable when I walk away from it for half an hour. For the record I live in a pretty sleepy residential part of San Francisco, and the one night I left my bike outside and uncovered (usually it's in a breezeway behind a locked floor-to-ceiling gate) some rear end in a top hat poured a red slurpee all over the seat. Unfortunately, if someone wants your bike badly enough and they know where it is, they'll get it. Keeping it out of sight (and indoors, where the charge would shift from grand theft to burglary/home invasion) is the best deterrent. A cover will discourage opportunistic thieves, and solid locks and chains will turn away others. And, of course, having a bike that no one wants to steal is also a huge benefit. The most commonly stolen bikes are apparently recent-model supersports, both because they're desirable to the kind of person who'd buy a stolen motorcycle, and because there's a neverending supply of crashed squids to sell the parts to. So basically if you follow all the thread recommendations and get a used Ninja 250, put a cover over it, and chain it up good, you're unlikely to have any problems.
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May 21, 2017 00:20
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I mean... theft insurance, no matter what. If this is on the street, is there a convenient lamp-post to chain it to? Is it close enough to alarm and be able to hear? What else is in your area? Thieves mostly go for sportbikes, so if there are some of those around you'll probably be ok by law of the bear.
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May 21, 2017 17:05
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Quoting myself:-Inu- posted:Get a 14-16mm hardened chain. If you have a telephone pole or something else that can't be moved, lock it there. Anything like a sign post, handrail, or similar takes 10 seconds to cut through or remove. If you don't have that, the right way to do it would be to deface part of your complex and install a ground anchor. That's probably not a realistic option though, since the bolts expand under the masonry and the heads either snap off, are countersunk, or are plugged with a ball bearing or similar. In other words, they're a huge pain to remove. But yes, the only way to truly protect a bike is full coverage. I literally just had two R6's stolen from my carport a few weeks ago, so I'd be superfucked without theft insurance.
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May 21, 2017 23:13
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heyyyyy ^ that's what you said to me. I bought that big fuckoff kryptonite chain and a disc lock for my ex500, and I have a cover for it, but to be honest there's a brand new FZ-09 right next to it with nothing but a thin bicycle cable (think walmart Bell accessories) tying it up, and a CBR-300F with absolutely nothing but I assume the fork lock, so I'm guessing I'm going to be ignored completely. Newb question for content: I rode through the rain on my way back from the beach and got soaked to the bones today. Best way to dry leathers without ruining them? I'm just air drying now under a fan, and I figure I'll pick up some leather conditioner tomorrow.
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May 22, 2017 06:40
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spouse posted:heyyyyy ^ that's what you said to me. I bought that big fuckoff kryptonite chain and a disc lock for my ex500, and I have a cover for it, but to be honest there's a brand new FZ-09 right next to it with nothing but a thin bicycle cable (think walmart Bell accessories) tying it up, and a CBR-300F with absolutely nothing but I assume the fork lock, so I'm guessing I'm going to be ignored completely. Just don't use heat. If they're really soaked and you have a fan, I'd point the fan in the neck and leave it there, like those blowers they put under carpets. Then, just condition after dry.
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May 22, 2017 13:06
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No heat, got it. luckily the jacket is fine (it's mesh, left the leather at home), just boots and gloves are soaked through. Pants are kevlar jeans, so no worry there 
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May 22, 2017 16:35
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spouse posted:No heat, got it. I have found this invaluable for drying gloves and boots https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004MYF7WG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It's $90 and takes up a bit of space, so certainly not a mandatory purchase, but having gloves dry overnight is nice.
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May 22, 2017 17:08
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oh my god that's amazing. I don't know that I'll snag one of those just now, but it's tremendous that such a thing exists... and the hand addon is so creepy! :O
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May 22, 2017 17:25
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After putting on about 750 miles on my '17 SV650 I'm still clearly seeing the outermost stripes on the right sides of both the front and rear tires (whereas the ones on the opposite side were gone before I noticed). Some quick research indicates that this is normal and a result of the shape of the road itself in addition to the tendency for riders to play it safer when cornering right as opposed to left due to less visibility (which I totally do - especially early in the season when there's still sand, debris, and potholes all over). So, is this considered unavoidable for typical commuting and street riding and just something to be expected or is there anything I should be doing in particular when riding to prevent the asymmetrical wear?
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May 23, 2017 15:40
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You are always going to have some strips on the front no matter what you do. If you tend to push harder in one direction over the other then you are gonna have assymetrical wear, it's nothing to worry about.
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May 23, 2017 16:07
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Buhbuhj posted:You are always going to have some strips on the front no matter what you do. If you tend to push harder in one direction over the other then you are gonna have assymetrical wear, it's nothing to worry about. Sweet, thanks!
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May 23, 2017 17:22
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You'll also rarely see the entire front tyre used unless you're on a race bike pushing it to the very limits. The rear however will go to the edge easily. I've got tiny strips on the front and nothing on the rear and being asymmetrical as mentioned isn't uncommon. I use more right than left of the rear because I don't have the stones to hang off the bike as much in right handers.
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May 23, 2017 18:16
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RE: keeping your bikes yours and not stolen, I swear he monitors these forums. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQHFK4WLBl0
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May 23, 2017 18:46
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I have strips on both sides front and rear because I ride like an old man
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May 23, 2017 19:24
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Keket posted:RE: keeping your bikes yours and not stolen, I swear he monitors these forums. Was there a reference to concrete?
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May 24, 2017 00:24
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He shows off a ground anchor you can install into thin concrete or thick concrete.
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May 24, 2017 15:00
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how many pounds of concrete, though?
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May 24, 2017 18:15
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Fanelien posted:You'll also rarely see the entire front tyre used unless you're on a race bike pushing it to the very limits. 
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May 26, 2017 08:20
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| # ? May 6, 2024 03:19 |
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I did another training day, this time on an ER6N, this week and the instructor kept trying to get me to not cover the front brake, or to cover it with my index and middle finger. I've basically, sans any previous knowledge, gotten in the habit of doing this, but usually with just my ring and little finger. Am I doing something stupid? I get that they don't want someone to accidentally pin the throttle when braking suddenly, so they teach releasing the throttle and pulling with the whole hand, but it seems to me that it's still very possible to get some inadvertent acceleration this way, and covering with index makes it even more likely, since you're pulling closer to the fulcrum of the lever and have to work harder. I've tried to put myself in the habit of rolling my hand forward and raising my elbow when I brake so that the lever rests further from the fingertip - moving from the first joint to the second - as I brake harder. Am I missing something here, or just go with what works?
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May 26, 2017 14:06
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