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A month prior to my 35th birthday, I finally decided to get a bike. Got my permit last week and brought this into the garage earlier this week. Picked up an 18k mile 05 FZ6 for 3k. One year old tires, fresh oil and coolant. Guy before owned it from 17-25; he got a brand new MT-09 to replace this. Really nice condition, a single very small dent on top of the tank, and a very minor crack in the fairing where the windscreen meets it from what he says was the only drop it had. Having minimal experience riding before, the clutch has been easy enough to modulate and the throttle doesn't feel too twitchy. Grabbed an Arai Quantum-X in XXL to fit my big dumb round head, got a half leather/mesh jacket with shoulder, elbow, and back pads, some solid AlpineStars gloves, boots are on the way, and I'll get some pants early next year after maybe losing a few more pounds. Signed up for PA's basic riders course in November, so until then I'm only planning on brief quiet neighborhood rides as I'm still not confident in low speed turns. Even then I don't expect much riding time to take place until winter comes and goes.
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Oct 1, 2021 15:36
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MomJeans420 posted:I was waiting until I dropped some covid weight to get a pair of pants I would wear on non-track days (Tobacco pants most likely) when I crashed in regular pants earlier this year and let me tell you I would have gladly paid $300 to avoid that road rash, and that was only at 30mph. Also, contusions on your knees really suck and armor would have helped that a lot too. I just saw an ad from Tobacco today and I like what they offer. I busted up my knee on my bicycle a month ago, and that was just simply falling over in some gravel after getting the front tire stuck in some mud during a slow turn and unable to clip out in time, doing enough damage to get blood down into my sock by the time I could ride back. I can't imagine what a 30mph drag would feel like. I think I've got a lot of the dumb poo poo out of my system in my early 20s with fast cars, so I fully intend on keeping the RPMs down in the four digits for some time. I think this bike is only a few HP short of my Civic now haha, but yeah I know the risks. My father and a few uncles have all been riding for decades, so they've been giving me their (better or worse) wisdom and two cents.
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Oct 1, 2021 19:01
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Sagebrush posted:Yep, if you have a similar directional pattern on both tires, they should be facing opposite directions. This is because the rear tire is loaded most heavily under acceleration but the front tire is loaded under braking. Oh wow, alright, thank you. Just checked the tires and they're Pirelli Angel ST without any directional markings, but the tread direction is going the same on both so I'll look up a shop. I live within walking distance of these fairgrounds, so I more or less crossed the street from the alley and went in there for about a half hour yesterday, going from doing laps around the drive outside of that track in both directions, to various turns around the lamp posts in the large parking area in the back. Briefly touching 35mph felt like twice that pace. Turning felt familiar at speed, I was able to follow my desired line and look through turns. I felt way more comfortable after a while with low speed, tight turns and felt good counterbalancing my body and getting reasonably smooth with modulating the clutch and throttle. Left handed turns felt better than right, I dunno what it is but I seemed consistent looking through turns when going left but noticed needing to stay more focused on it in right hand turns to avoid looking more immediately in front of me. metallicaeg fucked around with this message at 04:47 on Oct 3, 2021 |
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Oct 3, 2021 04:35
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Catching up on the last 30 pages of this thread has made me more comfortable with my current level of being uncomfortable. Went out yesterday around the neighborhood again. Clutch modulation continues to feel better, I'm getting a feel for the weight balance transfer during braking, and in general my inputs across the board were smoother. It was the first time pulling back into the garage that I didn't have the feeling of "okay, that's enough excitement for now" but instead "that felt good, I want to go out longer" Also listened to my derpy but well meaning neighbor talk about how he had to Layer Dan decades ago while talking about the dangers of riding, before admitting he had a drinking problem back then as he cracked open a second can of Miller Lite during our brief conversation.
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Oct 6, 2021 16:34
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After a few half-hour each times around in that big lot across the street from me, I was low on fuel and went to the nearest station. I did the wave to a Harley and he waved back! Also my backwards rear end front tire and the rear were low by about ~10psi each, but the chain looks to be in good shape and has a desired amount of tension and there's life left in both the rotors and pads. Had my first somewhat close call, turning into the alley to get back to the garage one time there was a car approaching the stop from in the alleyway. I was already committed into the turn when I saw them, but I was doing adequate speed and snapped right into looking to the right of them and did a little swerve right around. Also getting used to low speed u-turns in the lot with smoother clutch modulation and counter-lean. Riding jeans came in too so now I'm fully geared up as well.
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Oct 15, 2021 01:25
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Already rambled on in the slack, posting here too: After the BRC sessions I went to ride again but found my rear was all but flat, and then discovered the nail when it wouldn't hold air. Rather than plug it with my 300lb self, and still aware that the front tire was mounted backwards by the PO, I decided to just get two new tires, and then decided I might as well do them myself. So after receiving various irons, expensive as poo poo but sweet rear end Pit Bull front and rear stands, a tire stand with a bead breaker, rim/tire lube, right angle valve stems because why not, a balancing stand, and a fresh set of Michelin Road 5s, I got to it. Started with the rear, and removing the wheel from the bike took all of a few minutes. Breaking the bead was no trouble with that stand as well. Removing the tire was a pain, because at first I forgot to actually use the lube, and then wasn't lining up the tire in the center of the wheel to make it easier on myself. After finally realizing both of those, it finally was freed. Popping the new tire on was very easy in comparison, then that left me with trying to inflate it. So the small AC powered portable compressor wasn't doing it as expected, then went to the more powerful DC powered VIAIR unit in the car, but that wasn't enough either. Took the whole drat wheel to the closest gas station but that pump seemed to cycle off and on and I wasn't getting anywhere there, either. So then I got a small, but still proper 3 gallon pancake compressor, hose, and chuck, and that finally did it. Greased up all the axle stuff and got it back together and went on a short ride for the first time since November 13th. Still haven't done the front, as the fork socket doesn't arrive until tonight, but from the experience of changing the rear I'm hoping to do the front in half the time now. And actually have it mounted in the correct direction.
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Dec 6, 2021 21:15
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Gorson posted:When removing and installing the front wheel it is easier (sometimes necessary) to remove the calipers first since this usually comes down to a couple bolts. Make sure you don't pump the brakes when the calipers are not in contact with the rotors or you'll have to figure out a way to push the pistons back out (hint: it involves the right size C clamp). You also might want to think about removing said rotors when doing the tire install because it's not hard to bend them.
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Dec 7, 2021 04:13
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Did the front one last night in about half the time as it took for the rear, avoiding the mistakes I made on that one. Balancing was easy. I made the mistake in the rear on not putting the barcode on the tire opposite the valve stem, so I ended up using 4 or 5 weights until it was good enough. Front tire I mounted properly and only needed a pair of weights to get that one set. I found mounting the new tires was significantly less of a pain in the rear end than getting the old ones off. Only real struggle I had with the front was that it stubbornly did not want the bead to pop in. A few more sprays from the bottle, and the PSI knob cranked on the compressor was enough to finally get them to seat in. Needing to grease the axles and wheel bearings made me realize I should finally get a good grease gun and a resupply of nitrile gloves to cut down on the mess. After all this was done, sprayed down all three brake discs with cleaner and gave them a wipe, cleaned up the wheels, felt satisfied that I didn't really cause more damage to the wheel paint than what was already there, cleaned and re-lubed the chain, and found that my method of drawing an outline around the rear axle washers with a pen on the swingarm and then lining it up when putting it back together worked fine for the chain tension as it was within spec before tearing into it. Also, while I'm sure cheaper stands suffice just fine, these Pit Bull ones are really really nice.
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Dec 8, 2021 17:03
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MSPain posted:Is that so? I'm about to buy my first bike and the Internet at large seems to think their newer 650s are pretty solid. I like the vibe of the continental gt and there is a triumph/re dealer just down the street. If something like that fits what you want, then go for it. The 650 in either the Continental or Interceptor isn't putting down a lot of power and if you're that close to a dealer for if there are warranty needs then that covers that well enough. If you're looking at a heavy bias toward in-city riding, then starting out on one of their 350s will be a bit easier to manage with being lighter in weight, though really the riding position of the 650s (especially the Interceptor with proper bars instead of the elevated clip-ons on the Continental) doesn't mean it's going to be particularly challenging to control. You'll be pretty excited no matter what you're on though, but I wouldn't count on carrying around a passenger for a while. MSPain posted:what's the opinion around here on the vitpilen and svartpilen 400 for newbs? If I remember right they have a rather high seat height and I think you'd actually get better reliability from Enfield, lols metallicaeg fucked around with this message at 23:46 on Jun 19, 2022 |
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Jun 19, 2022 23:18
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Since starting riding late last year, all I've been doing is going out on various loops, not really stopping anywhere except for gas. Decided to finally change that today.
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Jun 26, 2022 16:13
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Dog Case posted:
The clutch is so nice and easy on these that after the BRC I thought something was wrong with the clutch on my bike until I learned mine is just ~*sporty*~ and ~*unforgiving*~ or in the words of Slavvy "I told you it would suck to learn on you dumb gently caress"
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Jun 28, 2022 00:43
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Jowj posted:
I also recommend firing up an FB account for buying to expand your options.
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Jun 28, 2022 13:32
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Mmhmm, next thing you'll tell me is that it's bad to cut the engine with the kill switch rather than the key ignition
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Jun 29, 2022 01:35
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Steakandchips posted:Round here, on country roads, at the national speed limit of 60mph, being on the throttle for more than 3 seconds will result in speed limits being broken, and that too by a wide margin. Being on throttle isn't the same as being wide open on throttle
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Jun 29, 2022 20:21
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PA is split between the old MSF and the newer Total Control BRC, and I was in a TC/BRC class. They wanted the clutch covered at all times, but not the brake. Trail braking was not talked about at all other than basically telling me it's not covered during the BRC, but I think I remember the instructor duo saying it's in the intermediate course. I didn't get knocked (that I know of anyway) for riding the rear brake during the cones though.
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Jun 30, 2022 02:39
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Slavvy posted:I'll bet you're leaning on a shut throttle. That is what makes the rear feel loose and funny. You need to be on a steady throttle (not accelerating) so the weight is rearward and the front tire isn't overworked. Past that, on a bike like yours, the limit is when the pegs start to scrape. Most of the issue will be in your head, everyone experiences this, the tyres and bike will handle it.
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Sep 2, 2022 02:55
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numberoneposter posted:he makes click bait listicles and uses stock footage for the visuals, its so bad I used to watch YN before I just realized there's nothing to gain and I was just wasting time while high. DDFM videos were nice to watch being a new rider and getting his take on rider safety and awareness, but after you've seen a few videos you've pretty much seen them all. Daily Rider videos are great, and the other stuff that Revzilla puts out with both Ari and Zach are good to fantastic. Spite seems like the kind of guy that I'd go out on a ride and hang out with, but he's a bit too monotone to carry on for longer videos.
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Sep 16, 2022 02:19
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Well I've hit a year of riding now. Time to upgrade from my 100hp beginner 600 to something bigger. Should have known I was going to outgrow this bike so quickly.
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Oct 8, 2022 00:58
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Slavvy posted:I thought there was no sarcasm itt? Is that an actual rule? Oops
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Oct 8, 2022 19:31
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Invalido posted:I'm a bit over a year into being a licenced rider as well. 9000km or so on my 30hp first bike and while I'm still learning plenty on it I'm starting to wish at times I had a bit more power. SV650 seems highly likely for next season. I have no idea what to do with 75hp let alone 100+ but you gotta have it to learn using it i suppose. Now there's fallen leaves everywhere and the streets are mostly cold and wet so all my riding is pretty sedate anyway. Aside from goofing around and/or immediately going into license suspension/arrest territory, I still don't have any idea what to do with 100hp. Really at this point I think my ideal bike is a Tiger 660 - quick enough, triple sound, sport touring ergos, and paint matched factory luggage. I certainly don't have a desire for more power anytime soon. In fact, when I was recently on a lighter and more powerful bike (Street Triple), there still wasn't any point in time on that where I was like "yes, this extra power is beneficial to me", though I did appreciate the 15 year newer suspension, brakes, and sportier rubber on that Triumph as it was a huge boost to my cornering confidence. e: also I've no ragrets considering the FZ6 was $2900 last year with 17k miles right in the middle of the insanity of the used market, though a smaller bike would still have been a smarter choice metallicaeg fucked around with this message at 00:08 on Oct 10, 2022 |
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Oct 9, 2022 23:57
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Fallen leaves are no joke. Front end started to slip coming to a stop today on some leaves. I saw them there and was at an elevated level of awareness, and was able to catch the fall before it got too far to hold it.
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Nov 6, 2022 01:05
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Sagebrush posted:I don't believe that motorists pay any attention to motorcycle taillights anyway so worst case is the housing melts or the bulbs burn out, yeah. and here I just used store credit from STG to get a bright LED taillight for the FZ6 for more visibility
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Nov 11, 2022 14:29
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I'd love to say I could save money with my bike, but my otherwise 1.5mi distance going home from work turns into a minimum of 30 miles when I ride in. Also I've amassed 6 pairs of boots, 5 gloves, 8 jackets, and 6 pants.
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Jan 4, 2023 20:31
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~*MY GIRLFRIEND*~ got a helmet a week or so ago and today was the first time riding two up. She kept herself quite neutral and I got used to the extra weight rather quickly. Covered 60 miles around town, grabbed some ice cream, and rode along the river. Then stopped in the large lot near the house as she wanted to give it a go. Had her do some of the same initial first lessons in the BRC that I took two years ago; she made some wide turns and kept in first gear and was really excited to get her feet up and give it a bit of throttle. Cranked the preload up on the rear shock, but given how fat I remain, even after our combined weight loss of 120+ pounds at this point, we still add up together to nearly 5 big ones and that's a lot for a 20 year old FZ6, lmao But, she wants to get her own permit and go through the BRC herself and assuming all that happens, likely to want to get her own this year.
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May 15, 2023 00:27
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Yeah if there's one item I wish my bike had it would be ABS. Supradog posted:I'd really recommend getting some kinda communication system asap. It's a totally different experience when riding together to be able to talk about things you see and situations that occur when you ride rather than being alone in your helmet and not know. Ofc its real nice to be alone in your helmet and ride around at times too. or putting some music on. I just got a close out Cardo for myself; I'll have to get a second set sometime
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May 15, 2023 13:37
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My year two of riding: Covered around 6k miles in year one Greatly increased confidence and sense of control Gained ability to do tight, low speed turns First two-up rides Two-up rides turned into her wanting her own bike Gave brief lessons to her on my bike, replicated the same starting lessons that I remembered from taking the BRC First long-distance rides across the state Said long-distance rides now make me want to get a bigger sport-tourer from my current naked/kinda ST Taking intermediate course this summer Likely advanced course in fall Self-promise to not buy more gear until I lose more weight to justify it
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Jun 14, 2023 16:19
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You can also spend too much time in the upper temp ranges if you're like me and neglected to check the coolant level from the prior owner and spent a year riding with the reservoir tank dry.
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Jul 11, 2023 13:11
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Signed up for the Total Control's Intermediate class on the 11th. Hoping it won't be warmer than 85 out. I was just going to jump into the advanced class, but I'm guessing the local spot has stopped running that one for the year.
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Aug 1, 2023 15:01
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I really enjoyed the Total Control intermediate course the other week. I seemed to gain a lot out of it based on how I felt riding after. Probably will take it again early next year since it's free for PA residents and take the advanced sometime later in the year when I make a trip out of it. Instructor had a Tiger with head to toe matching Klim outfit, I was on my old FZ6, and the two other learners were a guy getting back on a bike after an extended time away from moving from the UK on an old Bandit 1200 and the other guy was getting back on a bike after taking some time off from a crash. He was on a big Yamaha cruiser of some sort but in spite of surviving through a bad crash before was only wearing a brain bucket. Shockingly, tall rear end ape hangers and the most forward of forward controls suck poo poo for doing anything remotely technical.
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Aug 21, 2023 20:29
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knox_harrington posted:What does the Total Control Intermediate course consist of? Throttle Control - smooth, gradual throttle roll off to stop Brake Control - 20mph emergency stops, both brakes, avoid locking up rear Vision - basically a shitload of visible head and shoulder movement in any turn Line Selection - various turns with cones to reinforce line selection Low Speed Turns - a figure 8-ish to enter, loop around, and exit; clutch modulation and counter lean Evasive Maneuvers - left and right cone swerves Road Speed Cornering - road speed being 20-25mph, various turns with more vision enforcement and upper body positioning for less bike lean From what the instructor said, the advanced is basically the same drills but at higher speeds It was a real nice day compared to the beginner one, as you weren't waiting around for people who have never sat on a bike stall it endlessly in a line of 6 people doing the same drills at the same time. Everyone goes individually and the feedback you get is much more direct. Also it's nice to do the drills on your own bike instead of a busted up 250.
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Aug 23, 2023 17:56
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Slavvy posted:Eventually you do that without even thinking and develop a sixth sense where subconscious micro cues alert you to someone trying to kill you without you even realizing what's happening and you take evasive action automatically, it feels like you're psychic I felt like I was good at this in a car prior to riding, but after riding it's elevated more than I'd have imagined it would
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Aug 28, 2023 19:20
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I've done as much of my own wrenching on my cars as possible, but I've also been fortunate to not drive any real clunkers that have needed much beyond routine work and I think the most labor intensive thing I've done was a wheel bearing replacement. On the FZ6 though, man the kid I bought it off of I don't think did much of anything. I bought it two years ago when it had 14k miles and have put about 10k on it myself. Front tire was backwards, the coolant was more rust than water, one of the front calipers was stuck to where the one pad was down to the backing plate while the other pair looked barely worn in, the air filter was lmao levels of dirty, and it's got a new battery in now as well. I've overhauled the front brakes with caliper rebuilds, new EBC rotors and sintered pads, Galfer braided lines, and they still feel almost a bit mushy, but I guess that's as good as I'm gonna get with the old school twin piston sliders. The clutch pull was agonizingly lovely, but since it was my first bike I didn't realize how bad it actually was until the cable snapped and I replaced that with a new line. I think my favorite remark I remember from him was "when it warms up it idles with a cool lopey sound", completely unaware that no you goof rear end, that's because the idle was way below spec. I've dumped a lot of money in poo poo for changing my own tires, front and rear Pit Bull stands, but all that will work for other bikes for years to come. Was thinking of selling and buying a proper sport tourer, but I'm already mostly there - the half fairing and windscreen, rubber pegs, aftermarket luggage, and the fenders that are twice as big than what comes on modern naked bikes.
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Sep 22, 2023 15:29
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cursedshitbox posted:No modern bike will ever live up even to a boomerang era gixxer or an old rear end carbed sv650, nevermind the litany of historical greats like the vfr400 and such. There are fewer and fewer places willing to deal with non efi motos. The 600 and 750 gixxers you can buy on the showroom floor today are identical to what they were 10 years ago and are barely different from what they were 20 years ago
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Oct 12, 2023 18:19
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Alright apparently we're now calling virtually anything made after the Clinton years boring and uninteresting, while forgetting that in those past decades, most bikes on the road were "uninteresting" with a few gems here and there - same as it is today.
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Oct 12, 2023 20:48
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3 close calls in 10k miles - kickstand that wasn't down, a stall at a right hand intersection with bars turned, and coming to a stop with the bars turned right while at a riders course of all places.
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Oct 19, 2023 13:13
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A third of my mirrors are occupied by my body just due to their position on the bike, but being large OEM mirrors there was plenty of room to slap on some convex mirrors. I've had them on my cars for at least the past decade and don't think I'll ever own a vehicle, two wheels or four, that I don't stick a set on to. They virtually eliminate blind spots and/or the need to physically turn your head.
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Nov 10, 2023 16:03
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I'm often in a battle between riding at a slow pace to enjoy the scenery, or riding at a quicker pace that I can't afford to pay attention to anything aside from what's ahead
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Nov 15, 2023 19:37
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Signed up for the Total Control advanced course to take place in the last week of June on Pittsburgh's race track
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Apr 21, 2024 00:31
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opengl posted:I’ll be there! Look out for the banana yellow SV. Tuesday? I'll be on an FZ6 I took the intermediate last year. I'm guessing this is more of the same just maybe at higher speeds or tighter cones
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Apr 26, 2024 01:20
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