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mincedgarlic posted:That was all really good advice and this part ^^^ could probably be a thread title somewhere. Can't recommend the SV though, if you don't have the euro style >20 hours of on road riding lessons. Too powerful. Those CB500 things are just perfect, though. Power is way up high in the rev range, you can do stupid things without crashing. They're cheap and very upgradable if you want better handling. Get one with ABS. I do have to say - my ex-riding school runs 125cc ktm supermotos for the euro a1 (max 11kw) license class. If they still have the ktm supermoto, they must hold up to getting dropped by learners all the time and not cost too much in maintenance. I'll see if they still have them. . I also see tons of new riders ride around on Duke 390s. It's one of the most popular bikes for the 35kw class. Anyway, go try out the bikes you like. That's the only way to find out what's the best bike for you. Test ride. If the duke 390 is anything like the 790 (don't get a 790, way too quick), it's a great, nimble, easy to handle bike. But the seat is super hard and it's easy to bottom out the suspension on a speed bump. One thing that i don't completely agree with, is buying something that's not exactly what you want, with the expectation that you will drop it. When doing the tests and practice at the driving school, you'll definitely drop it a few times but you should do those on the school's bike anyway. But after that, my experience is that you're gonna drop a bike some day, regardless of your level of experience. In my case i dropped my SV when lubing the chain. Sigh... Oh well.
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Dec 13, 2020 02:32
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Re: riding schools in the USA - i know they don't offer the 20ish hours of horribly expensive on road training you get in western europe, but i was aiming for the MSF courses. Crash their bikes and snap off their clutch levers, not your own  There were quite a few welded back on pieces on the bikes that i rode on, despite the crash bars. The MSF closed course exercises are almost the same as 'vehicle control' in western europe, except they're condensed to a weekend instead of spread out between on-road lessons. Oibignose posted:My favourite memories of motorcycling all come from the first few years of progression. First time hitting 90mph down a hill, driving it home at 0 centigrade and having to stop and be sick through pain and stomach bug, trying to bump start it and dropping it in a petrol station. For me, it includes the first 'oh poo poo i actually fixed my own bike' stuff, like finding naaaasty intermittent short circuit in the wiring loom of my SV. Sometimes i get the impression that the electric system was designed by a guy who was fired by Citroen and then moved to Japan... Also the first rain ride while wearing a rain suit. Riding in the rain sucks if you get wet, but it's actually super calming [if the roads aren't covered in oil slicks] to ride in the rain when lots of people stay home, and hear the gentle patter of the rain on your helmet. E: and the first time getting air. Wheeee [clunk]. Let's not do that again... LimaBiker fucked around with this message at 12:56 on Dec 13, 2020 |
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Dec 13, 2020 12:30
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On my second lesson ever, my instructor took me onto the highway. I was scared shitless. We were riding towards an intersection that has an exit towards the highway. I thought 'surely he wouldn't take us there' but he did. A few lessons later i was catapulting myself on onramps
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Dec 13, 2020 22:40
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Martytoof posted:I feel like I can lug the twin 250s and 650s at ridiculously low RPMs without stalling so I think thats a bonus Yup. Can confirm, at least for the SV's. It will happily roll up to a que of cars, stay in gear, and gently accelerate away from 1500rpm if you don't ham fist the throttle. If you want, you can keep up with cars in city traffic, while keeping revs below 2500. But in general i keep revs between 2500 and 4000 in the city. It's just a bit smoother that way. The newest SV makes it even easier, it has a low rpm anti stall system that quietly gives a bit of extra throttle if you are close to stalling.
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Dec 14, 2020 16:06
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If temperature allowed, i would just wear my office clothes under my leathers. Walk to desk in gear. Strip down there - first time got some weird looks because they weren't aware i was wearing normal clothes underneath. After that, it was just two ladies who really liked bikers who looked at me when i doing that. In summer or winter when i'd need to wear something hotter or cooler than my office clothes under my leathers, i'd go change at the toilets. There was one big wheel chair accessible one where i had all the space to change. Once i barged into a meeting because i was late, still wearing leather pants. They didn't give a gently caress but in general i would just change quickly at my desk and try to not be the weird guy.
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Dec 18, 2020 01:17
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One of the CB500's did it. It was fun. My SV650s is carb'd but doesn't do it at all. It has some kind of coasting system built in. It does give a seriously loud bang if i ride normally, hit the killswitch and immediately switch it on again. Sheesh.
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Dec 22, 2020 12:52
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Ooh, interesting. I'll study the workshop manual and see if i can fool around with it without screwing up my carb settings.
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Dec 24, 2020 03:03
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re: helmets - get one that's quite a bit too tight. Otherwise you'll be replacing it in one year because after a year, it gets a lot looser. For instance, if it pushes onto your forehead just a bit annoyingly, it will generally be perfect after a few dozen hours of riding. I bought an XL HJC is-17 helmet first going by the advice of the shop clerk, but 1,5 years later (when finances allowed) i still had to buy a new one in size L. I did try the size L in the shop too, but back then i thought it was too tight. Right now, it's okay, but i'd still rather have it a bit tighter. LimaBiker fucked around with this message at 19:17 on Feb 13, 2021 |
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Feb 13, 2021 19:14
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Either my head got smaller or the helmet got slightly looser. Since my head is unlikely to change size and most bike gear does, i'm gonna assume it's the helmet 
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Feb 13, 2021 23:10
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For an *average* person, SV's are not that great of a first bike, because they are properly fast (4 second 0-100km/h). But your weight does make a significant difference, so i'd say it should be fine. In fact, i'd avoid the 250cc class. Something between 45 and 70hp would probably be the sweet spot for you. The older SV's are a decent size. The newest one is quite small. For me it felt really tiny and i'm an average 180cm 75kg guy. Great fun, though! With a pillion, you're gonna be right at the maximum allowed load the 1999 SV (no idea how much the newer ones can handle) is allowed to carry. I did load it to its absolute maximum (possibly slightly over) by taking a guy your size on the back. Fun to do once or twice, can't recommend for actual comfortable riding. It cornered fine, but i had to squeeze the living hell out of the brakes and bottomed out on speed humps a few times. Perhaps take a look at all those scrambler-y bikes. If you feel particularly masochistic, check out the royal enfield, or an ural solo. LimaBiker fucked around with this message at 20:10 on Mar 1, 2021 |
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Mar 1, 2021 20:04
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Carth Dookie posted:Often restraint doesn't even enter into it: New rider going over a pothole causing a significant throttle increase. On a small bike that's a significant increase in noise and relatively slight increase in speed. A nice warning/learning experience about posture and grip. On a moderate bike that's brown pants and maybe a big ol' accident. Regarding this - this is even more apparent when riding older bikes. New throttle by wire stuff tends to smooth out such sudden inputs - at least in my limited experience with modern bikes and cars. The old stuff does not have anything to prevent rider accidents. Old bikes are fun, but not always the best choice for a learner.
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Mar 2, 2021 12:08
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KTM/Husky has nice test ride events. You sign a waiver, then you're given the bike with the note 'Hey, sooo this little tea garden along road X doesn't like it when they get a lot of riders from the dealership past their doorstep, please avoid that road'. And then you have an hour to fool around on them any way you want. I braaped around on an industrial estate on an smcr and pulled what felt like the dankest woolies. No, an smcr is not a good beginners' bike. Yes i shat myself when i saw a cop. Also got hopelessly lost on a duke (that 700ish CC one) and concluded that they are kinda crap for normal public roads, but probably really good on track. Too fast to ever be able to pin the throttle for more than 3 seconds, quite literally. They actually do that throughout the whole of europe, the test ride bikes are all on Austrian plates, even though i live in the Netherlands. Ducati sort of did the same, but also offered guided test rides. So come to Yurp if you wanna test ride
LimaBiker fucked around with this message at 11:07 on Mar 6, 2021 |
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Mar 6, 2021 11:03
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I wouldn't recommend a 125 to learn on, if you are in Europe or the USA. You can go on the highway with them, but it makes it unnecessarily hard to merge in faster traffic. Top speeds are between 100km/h and 120km/h in general. Unless you get one of those crazy two stroke things. Learner bikes here have always been either 25kw or 35kw. Anything between 25hp and 50hp should be fine, perhaps maybe for those race replicas. There's this new 11kw class (mostly 125cc's) but that class only exists for the sake of european bureaucracy because some other countries allow car drivers to ride an 125 on their car license. Re: ABS Get it if you can afford it. Don't fret if you can't. While it absolutely is a very good system, and it saves people from a crash, with proper tires you have a decent amount of grip even in the wet. But if you don't have ABS, really continue those braking exercises like HenryJLittlefinger says. I once attracted the attention of a cop, when i was testing grip levels on a rainy day on a highway off ramp lol.
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Mar 14, 2021 22:14
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Re: levertalk on the road, i see no reason to not use all fingers. Rev matching while braking i mostly do with the bit of my hand between thumb and index finger. If you have small hands, you may adjust your brake lever to sit closer to the bar. If you have light brakes and use three fingers, you may end up squeezing the lever all the way against your pinky that remains on the bar, which now hinders your ability to brake. I absent mindedly did that once (E: with my clutch, that is, i don't absentmindedly brake that hard) But in the end, i think it's 90% personal preference and if you manage to ride safely with 2 fingers, it's all fine. On my SV i really need all of my fingers to operate the controls, but on the Duke i tried i really only needed two fingers for a serious amount of brake force. LimaBiker fucked around with this message at 19:28 on Apr 1, 2021 |
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Apr 1, 2021 19:07
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Top boxes can be taken off, the shelf that remains is not that annoying to look at and in itself also convenient to strap stuff to, if you don't wanna ride around with the top box. If i'd be really annoyed, i could take the shelf off in less than 15 minutes. Gotta say, to me they're not worth the 200ish euro that they cost new. I got a 2nd hand one for 20 from a person who got into an accident.
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Apr 27, 2021 15:47
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Russian Bear posted:Finally got everything legal with the bike, so I took it out this morning to a school parking lot in my neighborhood and practiced smooth starts, emergency stops, weaves etc all the basic msf things. Rode around the neighborhood and down dirt alleys to get a feel of how the ABS feels when you lock up the brakes. For a small bike, you need to rev it around 3000-5000rpm when pulling away briskly. Varies per bike, it can be even more but it is rarely less than 3000. Take an average car's usable rev range, multiply it by 2, ride the bike approximately in that rev range. Emergency braking - i wouldn't use just two fingers for a full emergency stop. First do the standard thing (use your whole hand), and once you master that, go see if there are other ways that suit you better than the conventional way. Learning to give it gas while braking is also a useful skill btw, but that's definitely a higher skill level and you don't have to be concerned about that yet. Braking and revving at the same time is useful for rev matching/blipping while down shifting for a traffic light. LimaBiker fucked around with this message at 21:58 on May 1, 2021 |
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May 1, 2021 21:55
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Getting a bike is genuinely the best material thing i ever did in my entire life. Go take some courses and see if you like it. Gear can be relatively affordable. LS2 makes decent but cheap helmets that start around 100 new, suits can safely be bought 2nd hand as long as you check out the protection and stitching, new gloves can be had for around 50 bux, and underneath you can wear some cheap lycra running gear. The cost of boots varies wildly but i started out with some heavy leather army boots that i got 2nd hand for not too much money. IDK how the 2nd hand market is at your place, but i managed to snag one free 2pc leather suit and one for 50 from a biker forum. Both were around 15 years old but still just fine for me when i started riding, until i decided that ohfuck this is awesome and i dumped a lot more money into a new suit. The main issue right now is the ridiculous 2nd hand market. Before c19 i could get an old Yamaha XT600 brapmobile for between 1000 and 2000, today they're exclusively above 2000. There is normally enough to find for about one monthly wage that maybe isn't the prettiest bike but will run fine, as long as it's japanese. If you aren't opposed to wrenching yourself and don't have to rely on the bike, you can consider the bottom range of 'monthly wage'. But fixing up a non-running bike is generally a bad plan, it rarely is cheaper than buying something that runs well right away. LimaBiker fucked around with this message at 17:47 on May 22, 2021 |
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May 22, 2021 17:41
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There's one more important thing to know about shifting, and that's to do it *before* you need to do it. Give yourself the time to prepare for corners, overtaking and such, by shifting down well before you need the control or the power.
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Jun 1, 2021 19:57
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I mostly use the front brake for holding it on hills. Either brake has pros and cons. Pro of using front brake: you can keep your left foot on the peg, so you can leave the bike in neutral and not switch the foot you're leaning on to kick it into gear quickly. Con: requires more skill to gently hold the brake, and roll on throttle in a controlled way. Pro of using rear brake: easier to control the throttle. Con: you have to switch the foot you lean on to put the bike in gear, or you have to hold the clutch all the time. LimaBiker fucked around with this message at 20:20 on Jun 3, 2021 |
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Jun 3, 2021 20:08
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MV Agustas are loving sexy. No judgment here except positive judgment!
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Jun 24, 2021 21:50
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As a pillion, try and anticipate traffic like you would when you're riding. It's really important to try and anticipate when the rider's gonna shift and brake, because it's quite annoying if your helmet smacks into the other person's helmet with each gear shift. Doesn't hurt or something, but it's jarring/distracting. On approaching an intersection or traffic light, grab the hand rail behind you. Otherwise, if the rider brakes hard, you will slide forward and push the rider's balls right into the tank and that really loving hurts. Happened to me twice when i had to brake unexpectedly when the pillion was just holding my body. When accelerating or when hard braking is unlikely to happen, it's fine to put your hands somewhere else. Cuddling while riding is loving awesome :3 i absolutely love riding with pillions who are also very close friends or dates. On quite a few sports bikes, your pillion may be sticking out higher than yourself. If you're cornering quite aggressively, keep in mind that leaned over your pillion will be a lot closer to the people on the other side of the road when leaned over heavily. With heavy people on the back, understeer is a definite possibility. Also you gotta brake considerably harder. If you bottom out the suspension already on small bumps, you may wanna adjust the preload on the rear suspension. LimaBiker fucked around with this message at 18:03 on Jul 1, 2021 |
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Jul 1, 2021 17:55
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As a rider you can try to grab the tank with your knees/thighs and brace. It will help a bit, but it's kinda the pillion's job to look ahead with you and not smash into you.
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Jul 1, 2021 21:28
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Have you ever tried doing highway speeds as a pillion? Perhaps that will help you over that imaginary, but still very real wall that blocks your progress. I know the first time i went 100km/h i was scared shitless. That was actually the 2nd time i ever rode a bike. I had no choice, the instructor made our group get onto the highway. Well, i could have refused and just stopped at the highway entrance but that would probably result in me never getting my motorcycle driver's license.
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Jul 11, 2021 20:36
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Somehow i really wanna ride that TU. IDK why, i'm sure there are objectively better bikes, but that thing just looks like fun to ride.
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Jul 18, 2021 13:22
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When i was shopping around for bikes, i was contemplating an old CBR600. Like, proper old, one of the jellybean types. Luckily i ended up with my SV650s. I would actually have gotten the CBR, if the seller would have been prepared to keep it for me while i was getting my license. Another bike, a Fazer 600, i didn't bother with cause it wasn't insured and i didn't wanna do the test ride without insurance. 4 years later, i bought my screaming inline 4 sportbiek anyway - a Yamaha FZR600, and god i'm happy i didn't buy such a thing as my first bike. The sensation of keeping the throttle half open to get away somewhat quickly from a traffic light, and then 'somewhat quick' suddenly turning into 'seriously quick' when the revs climb past 6500 just keeps surprising me and giving me a big grin. 'It will bite your head off' is no joke, at least with the old carbureted stuff. No idea how much modern electronics influence the throttle response of modern 600cc inline 4s. The FZR is a bitey little machine, much more than the SV650s is, which in itself is already quite fast and more aggro than the CB500f that i did my training (euro style, 30ish hours) on. If there was one for as cheap as the FZR, i would've gotten a 400cc bike like that. The FZR is really on the high end of how much power is still fun and usable on public roads. Ah, that bloody N+1 rule is no joke either. I survived with one bike for years, but now i have two and instantly want a third. LimaBiker fucked around with this message at 20:28 on Jul 18, 2021 |
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Jul 18, 2021 20:02
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:I'm reminded of the possibly apocryphal story of the dude who was riding along a straight road at night in full tuck at like 150 mph and suddenly sat up when he realized he missed his turn, got plucked off the bike by the sudden force of the wind, and later found his bike a half mile down the road, where it had finally encountered a curve, hopped the ditch, and went into a field before it got tired and lay down. After doing 210km/h on the autobahn, i can fully believe that story. The wind is intense. When i got my head out of tuck when looking at my blind spots (remember, the average family sedan can reach 200km/h just fine, they might just have crept up on you) the wind really snapped it backwards. Got a sore neck the next day! I did kinda enjoy the feeling of the various bubbles of air that exist on the road. Lorries have this thick wall of air you bust through if you fly past them. Overtake a row of them and you're spending not a second completely upright, instead constantly re-balancing for the varying crosswinds and air bubbles. Things start to look a bit like cockpit footage of an airplane on final approach, constantly making little bank angle adjustments. Also bloody weird that i have to put in a bit of effort to overtake modern Sprinter or Transporter vans. Christ, they've gotten fast. I wouldn't exactly call my SV650 slow... It was the most visceral riding experience ever. From the intense reactions of the bike on the wind and pressure waves from the lorries, to the high pitched roar of the engine, to the heat bubbles rising into the fairing, to the intense radiant heat from the exhaust that's even noticeable with a hurricane force air blast cooling them down. God i need to do that again. Every force imaginable you can feel with your body. Keep in mind, the average speed on the autobahn is barely above 100km/h and people WILL overtake and not see you coming because you're a dot in the mirror approaching way faster than people expect. Drive responsibly. LimaBiker fucked around with this message at 12:37 on Aug 10, 2021 |
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Aug 10, 2021 12:34
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The dog clutches in a bike gearbox indeed make a loud rattling noise when you misshift. If you're high in the revs in 2nd gear, and you kick it into first somehow, then you will first have the loud rattling noise, until the dogs engage, and then your rear wheel will lock up. But tbh, that's not something that happens on the regular. Chain failure is a scary one, as said by others. Don't skimp on tires. Blowouts have bigger consequences on bikes than in cars. I really can't understand why - but a coworker of mine went on a group ride with a rear tire so worn out, that you could see the fabric/weaving/threads. When i checked out his bike before the ride, i literally did not believe what i saw. Because it's so stupid that i couldn't imagine that someone would ride like that. But halfway through i rode behind him and it was clear that along 75% of the circumference, the threads were visible. I asked if he knew - he was fully aware of it but went riding regardless  And this is the 2nd time someone i knew, rides with tires worn to the threads. It's not a money thing, just lazyness and complacency. Never let 'omg i want to ride so bad' let you make bad decisions. Tank slappers/speed wobbles are a thing if you ride really fast. At low-ish speeds they dissipate very quickly. On my SV650s, i had a very mild one hitting a bump in the road on hard acceleration out of a corner, but that was just one single oscillation cycle. At higher speeds, they're nearly unavoidable, which is why many sports bikes of today have a steering damper. If they happen, get your centre of gravity as low as possible (chest on the tank) and do not use the brake. For some reason, no one ever taught me that during riding lessons. I'd assume this guy's doing 90ish MPH over a hump in the road, causing the front to get light and to get into a pretty bad tank slapper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU8NZoOrFHI LimaBiker fucked around with this message at 19:39 on Aug 12, 2021 |
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Aug 12, 2021 19:35
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An FZ6 is not a good beginners bike imho. If it's anything like my own fzr600 (they sound quite similar, though the old thing has carbs and the new one doesn't), they will pop power wheelies happily without much provocation. Although at 'car revs' it's a gentle as gently caress bike, if you happen to stray beyond that, it takes off way quicker than at least i myself would have been able to handle after getting my lessons on a CB500f which felt really fast at the time. I think you'll have more fun with a less powerful bike. Did you try any of the 300cc or 500cc class bikes? Tire discussions are a big can of worms to open. Soooo i have pilot road 3 front, 4 back on my sv650s. They last about 20.000km if you ride like a beginning motorcyclist, which i was when i got them. They are truly amazing in the wet and in weird conditions. I never knew why people were so bothered by dirty roads until i rode another bike with more sport-oriented tires. HOWEVER i can see the tiniest amount of dryness appear in my own pilot road 3 (storage condition: 50% inside, 50% outside). The faintest little hairline cracks in the 'walls' of the profile grooves are starting to appear. Not enough to worry about especially since it's close to being worn out, and it absolutely is still soft and grippy enough. But this does mean that if you get them now you really kinda wanna wear them out within 2 or 3 years. It varies per tire compound how well they age. A car driving friend of mine swears by michelin tires, but also notices that within 5 years you can see the first hairline cracks appear. The tires my bike came with when i bought them, were 10 and 15 years old, and those were absolutely not good anymore. Some people would still ride on them because they didn't have any cracks, but they had gotten very hard. So i'd say that between 5 and 10 years, there'll be a moment when you want to replace the tires just because of old age. Finally, pilot roads are the thing you buy when you have to ride in the rain. They're forgiving tires, quite good for a beginning rider, but at the same time i think if you get a sport bike, some slightly less commuter-oriented tires may be more fun. I think i'm gonna throw some Battlax's on my SV when the Pilots Roads are done. LimaBiker fucked around with this message at 16:12 on Aug 15, 2021 |
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Aug 15, 2021 15:56
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Perhaps try to find something dualsport-y? Or the aforementioned CB(f)500. Maybe do a cursory search for a Hyosung? The ER6 is already a slightly better plan than the FZ6, because the 2 cylinder engine will likely be much less peaky. 90ish versus 70ish HP also makes a significant difference. However, it is still a bike that gets from 0 to 100km/h in around 4 seconds. ER6 (the ones without fairing) and SV650 are used as riding school bikes these days, for the full power license tier. But that means you'll be doing about 30 hours of training on them, including hard acceleration and braking drills. Take your time to search for something that fits you. I love my fzr600, but if i had the choice i would've gotten a 400cc bike LimaBiker fucked around with this message at 20:03 on Aug 15, 2021 |
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Aug 15, 2021 19:52
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If you can get a 300-400-500cc bike with ABS, but have to save up for that for a year, i would recommend doing that. I absolutely prefer having ABS. It is much easier to learn to properly brake, if you have no risk of wiping out when you 'lock up' (read: make ABS work) the front. If the ABS engages, then you know you haven't been subtle enough. I don't have ABS and i'm still alive, but doing my training on a bike with ABS made it easier to learn how weight transfer (and the time that it costs) influences the grip and the available brake force. I have no idea how powerful those bmw f650 things are. I'd wager that those aren't too bad, especially if you've done your lessons on a powerful-ish bike. But i have never been on one so ymmv. I'd shy away from the 1982 bike. Handling and braking wise, it may be too far away from the sort of bikes you plan to spend most of your life on. It would absolutely be a lot of fun, but only get it if it's cheap enough to still be able to get the bike you actually wanted later. LimaBiker fucked around with this message at 23:30 on Aug 15, 2021 |
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Aug 15, 2021 23:21
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50hp is a reasonable amount for an inexperienced rider, i'd say. The A2 class are considered ideal learner bikes and they have just 5hp less. I have no idea at all if the bmw is any good fun/quality/handling wise, but at least power wise it won't get you in trouble.
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Aug 16, 2021 16:21
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When i was doing my lessons, i did them on a cb500f with abs. The instructor didn't mind if you made the ABS actuate, but he did pay very close attention to the way you get on the brakes. Just squeezing the poo poo out of them and letting the bike figure it out was a fail. Letting the frony wheel take up the load, and then squeezing as hard as needed or until the ABS dtarts working, is how i learned it. On tarmac, the ABS didn't often actuate, but on a parking lot with some sand and paved with stones it was quite easy to trigger it. LimaBiker fucked around with this message at 12:19 on Aug 17, 2021 |
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Aug 17, 2021 12:16
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Firstly, if it's just run in, it sounds like it's brand new. First try and claim warranty. If that's not applicable, get a can of carburetor or (flamable) brake cleaner, and puff it around gaskets, air hoses etc. If revs go up, you found an air leak. It might be that two mating surfaces are warping when hot, and then start leaking. Before you do all that, take out the spark plug and see what it looks like. It should be a light brown color. If it's wet and/or sooty, the bike is running rich. If the electrodes have a white sheen, it may be running way too lean. It could also be a sensor issue, but that's a whole other can of worms.
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Aug 18, 2021 19:41
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I find the jolt/shock from dumping the clutch a bit too strong for comfort. It's not the kind of shock load i typically put onto my transmission and chain. For the engine it doesn't matter at all, like the others already said. If you have a bike with a small displacement per cylinder, it's probably no big deal, but it feels like a bad thing to do on my SV. Even in 2nd gear it's easy to lock up the rear wheel. Haven't tried it on my FZR yet. I'd say 'just use the starter' unless your bike starts really easily and the stress on chain and transmission aren't too high.
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Aug 24, 2021 20:56
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Mouzer posted:Thanks everyone for the advice. No, but i do occasionally subconciously make that little 'unf' noise if i catapulted myself towards non-legal speeds in a particularly satisfying way. Rolo posted:When I get home I walk 10 feet, turn around and look at it for a few minutes. That counts right. My bike is sitting in front of my house, and when it's not under a cover, i'll sometimes just stare out of the kitchen window, looking at it. I hate that i gotta put it under an ugly cover, but otherwise i gotta wash it every week. Washing it once a quarter suits me more. I'd probably park it in my living room if we ever reach the point at which gasoline bikes become illegal. (then distill my own gasoline and sneak out for rides a few times a year)
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Sep 1, 2021 16:20
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Highway on ramps are lots of fun and are generally not speed trapped. Practically any 600cc bike can swiftly overtake without bothering with downshifting. Lower engine load on the highway makes for relaxed cruising. Riders who aren't that great at cornering, can compensate their low corner speed with high acceleration. That said, i wish my FZR600 was a 400cc machine, because the 90hp 600cc engine is just at the edge of what's completely pointless on public roads. 400cc 4 cylinder engines are quite rare where i live, and i absolutely wanted a high revving 4 cylinder bike.
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Sep 2, 2021 17:17
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Slavvy, i think you read the question wrong. Zombie was asking about 'big bikes' in general, not just 600cc supersports with super peaky power curves. Most big bikes today are not supersports anymore. For big bikes in general, i've experienced it as very relaxing if the engine is just humming along on the highway or provincial road at less than half the redline revs. All 600cc and bigger bikes i tried, *except* for the Ducati Supersport with the new parallel twin and maybe my FZR, are totally happy to slow down to 80km/h on the highway, and then smoothly pick up speed again to overtake whatever driver felt it was necessary to go 80km/h on the highway. Without unhappy engine noises, of course. The Ducati SS doesn't have a very impressive power:displacement ratio, but it absolutely is not a relaxed engine. It's nothing like their V-twins, or like KTM's parallel twins with similar displacement. You need to flog it to keep going, it will complain if you don't, it does not belong in the section of chill/restrained big bikes. Don't get me wrong, revs can be hella fun and are just fine for an engine. My SV sat at 9000rpm at 90% throttle for an hour or so on the autobahn without any troubles. The FZR screams deliciously when i get a shift on. But it's just very nice sometimes, to just trundle along, forget about the bike, and just enjoy the surroundings. Having enough power outside of the 'power band' to just open the throttle and go, is definitely a selling point for bikes. Do you need such power? gently caress no! I used to drive a car that had a 0 to 100km/h time of 15 seconds and still i could manage to move faster through traffic than others, if i wanted. Even uphill, with it's little 4 cylinder engine note resounding through the tunnel. But is it nice to not *always* have to rev it to hell and back? I think it is. And having a big engine is one way to reach that goal. I was joking about compensating a lack of cornering ability with power. That's not a healthy philosophy to have, but it is actually also a reason why some lesser skilled riders want big engines... We've all seen the videos of some local biker in the Alps on a smaller bike absolutely flying past some tourists on 600cc or 1000cc supersports in the corners, only to be overtaken again on the straights. Also, check your local onramps for speed traps. They don't put them on the onramps over here but perhaps they do where you live. Catapulting yourself onto the onramp gets old :3 On track, big bikes make no sense until you are really good at track riding, which will take many years. LimaBiker fucked around with this message at 22:18 on Sep 2, 2021 |
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Sep 2, 2021 22:01
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Jazzzzz posted:This is the second post you've made about Ducati's new parallel twin - THEY DON'T loving MAKE A PARALLEL TWIN. The SuperSport 950 uses the Testastretta 11 which is still a 90-deg V twin (or L twin, take your pick), same as in the Multi 950. The 11 degrees refers to camshaft rotation/overlap. Also, that motor is not new, it's been around for 10-odd years My bad! In any case, it's not a great engine imho, and it's still the only 'big bike' i've ever ridden that can't be ridden like scooter on the highway. LimaBiker fucked around with this message at 18:29 on Sep 3, 2021 |
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Sep 3, 2021 18:19
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Dressing in layers can help. When i go for a ride and depart in the morning it'll be pretty cold, and i need a sweater underneath my leathers. Around noon, i'll take off the sweater and only wear a lycra base layer. Sometimes i have a rain suit in my backpack. You either look like a gimp in one of the track suits, or like a bin bag in the standard ones, but they are a godsend if the wind is cutting through your suit. LimaBiker fucked around with this message at 19:08 on Sep 3, 2021 |
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Sep 3, 2021 18:42
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ImplicitAssembler posted:Wouldn't the flapping and fluttering of the jacket drive you nuts?. Wearing it over leathers will make it flap around quite a bit on the highway, and you really feel the drag at higher speeds. But stretchy, form fitting rain suits also exist: https://respro.com/store/product/carbon-slick-road-race-wet-suit These really work well. They fit snugly over a leather suit while being stretchy enough to not limit movement - if you get the right size. Make sure you don't need to swap them for another size because they have the worst customer service ever. I did everything to be elegible for free exchange for another size (meaning you gotta send them your measurements) and still i got a size too small. They tried to convince me it's normal if the knee slider holes creep up all the way to where my actual knees are, well above the sliders. I got the size they recommend for people up to 180cm. I'm 177cm and it didn't fit properly, length wise. Then i wanted to use their free exchange, but they didn't want to accept it unless i pay postage both ways, which is not what their website said. After a month of very intermittent e-mail contact i gave up. LimaBiker fucked around with this message at 20:13 on Sep 3, 2021 |
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Sep 3, 2021 20:11
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