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So, I bought a 2002 Buell Blast from my girlfriend last summer. I know that CA hates this bike, but it is my first and it has been quite a lot of fun. My car conveniently took a poo poo at the same time I bought the bike last summer, and I ended up putting about 4,000 miles on it. I never rode it longer than 120 miles at a time. I had a plan of buying a Volvo 240 last year for a cross-country trip, but I decided I wanted the bike more. I'm in the middle of an Ohio winter, with my wanderlust getting the best of me. So I'm thinking I want to take my bike to California and back. A Buell Blast is obviously a poor choice for this type of scenario, but there are several pros. Ease of maintenance, mileage, and reliability. Plus I know the bike's history. Plus it's in my driveway right now. I can do daytrips with it, and I've taken it camping loaded up with saddlebags, a framepack strapped to the back, and a backpack strapped to my back. I can pack lighter than that though and drop the frampack. The bike can do interstate speeds just fine, but it's rather annoying. I don't plan on being on interstates anyways. Is there anything glaringly wrong with this? Other than comfort, I'm not seeing it. I would like to upgrade, but I'm not sure what I can budget out for a new bike. Maybe $2k, $3k if I sell the Blast. A dual sport would be great, but I'm not seeing many for sale around here. Especially for under $3k. Ideally I'd like to have a Ulysses but I haven't seen one for sale since last spring. astrollinthepork fucked around with this message at 04:39 on Dec 27, 2011 |
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Dec 27, 2011 04:15
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Well hey, if no one else sees a problem neither do I! I had a route planned up that was essentially based on avoiding Texas and hitting up RT 50 in Nevada. I have had this fantasy of taking an old car down a desert road for a long time, and that was basically the start of it all. A desert highway on a blast sounds less than appealing however so I'm going to need to redo my route. I think the only trouble I'm going to run into is when the tires go bald somewhere around Nevada. Other than that, sleeping and shelter will be accomplished by a single person tent and bag, camping stove, and couch surfing. Motels if it comes to that, and it will on occasion. I'm not really thinking this through but that's gotta be the best way right? Blasts need fuckall for maintenance, and mine is at about 7500 miles. Definitely going to replace the drivebelt and rear pulley (sprocket?) if I can find one though. I've got head to toe gear, pretty much Joe Rocket Atomic everything. It served me well in the Ohio summer and the fall if I layered up. I guess the only question I have left is when I should do it. What month do you think would be best for me to go through the Dakotas and the Southwest while being comfortable? I'm pretty much good to leave in May, maybe March if the temps get above 60. As a side note, what is the opinion on a Buell XB? Specifically an XB9. I think that might be a good step up in my motorcycle career at 80 HP coming from all of 34 raging ponies on the Blast. Am I crazy? They seem to be plentiful and and cheap. I drawn to this cursed company for some reason! astrollinthepork fucked around with this message at 14:40 on Dec 27, 2011 |
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Dec 27, 2011 10:06
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the walkin dude posted:Grand idea. It was the first bigger bike I tried when I had my Ninja 500. I think those things have closer to 100 horsepower. It's a torque beast, and I lusted heavily after it. The XB9s is a beaut. Lust is one way to describe it. Did you have much experience with it? What did you buy instead? How does it compare? The current pros for me are the belt drive, looks, low end, and seating position. It appears as if it's a slightly bigger, more refined Blast and I love that. It doesn't sound like a lawnmower either! Also, does anybody's idea of a dream bike change as much as it does for me? I went from a Monster, to an FS800, and now I'm dying for an XB. Maybe summer will bring lust for Tiger or something. If anyone sees a Ulysses for sale around Ohio, I'd love to know. What the gently caress are you people doing to me!? "So I'm thinking of taking a 34 HP thumper cross country. Thoughts?" "DO IT" I love it though. My life has taken quite an insane turn and I have CA and my obsessive lurking to thank!
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Dec 28, 2011 02:56
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I've got loads of camping gear, including a decent sleeping bag and Eureka 1 person tent. The tent is mind blowningly light and small. I haven't had the chance to use it yet. When I went I took my bike on long distances last year, I had two small saddlebags and a backpack strapped to the back like a tail bag. It worked out, and I think I have more than enough room for clothes and camping gear. I think I'm going to need to get better saddle bags though. The ones I have now are the cheap-wal*mart ones. They're pretty flimsy. It'd be okay if I could fab up a support but you know, effort. The question about the XB9 was more of a sidenote. I'm not thinking of holding off on the trip because of the Blast. But hey, if I can get an XB9 by the time I leave I'll be all over it. The trip is definitely on for sure.
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Dec 28, 2011 08:57
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Gnaghi posted:As a former XB9 owner the one thing I'd be concerned about is the belt. Unlike a chain or shaft they can easily break, especially on the older models and carrying an extra can be a pain since folding it up weakens it. Replacing it on the road is a real task as well due to all the guards and removing the rear wheel took me half a day. On every other bike I've owned it's a 15 minute job. From what I know about belts and chains along with my experience with my Blast, I think that I would vastly prefer belts. The maintenance factor is big, I would gently caress up chains like nobody's business. The belt drive is actually one of the biggest pros about the XB9. Do they really break that often? I've never heard of a Blast belt snapping unless you get behind on the 15k change interval. If a half day belt change is the worst that happens on this trip I'll be thankful.
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Dec 28, 2011 13:56
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Raven457 posted:I run a Garmin Nuvi 765 using these RAM mount pieces What kind of bike is that?
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Jan 2, 2012 22:15
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I found a rather nice Buell XB12r in my area, and I'm pretty sure that I'm going to bite the bullet and get it. I noticed that no one suggested I get something a bit more tame when I mentioned wanting an XB9s, and even got a suggestion to look for an XB12. Is this too much bike for someone coming off a Blast? A little bit of history about me: I bought the Blast from my girlfriend (lol) last March. We had rain nearly every single day until mid May here in Ohio so my riding experience consisted of last year's season of May-October. Before I bought the bike, I took an MSF class but missed out on the riding portion. I've practiced everything that the MSF makes you do on the riding day though and I'm pretty much the boss at u-turns now. I put about 4,000 miles on the bike that ranged from commuting in my small town, twisty adventures in the country, and multiple trips on I70 up to Cleveland. Also one trip in a downpour, which was probably the most fun I've ever had in my life. I'm feeling pretty confident on the Blast, but I'm getting rather bored with it. So, I believe that I'm ready for it. I'm going to throw myself at the collective wisdom of CA, make an offering to the safety gods, and yield to whatever opinion you guys have.
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Jan 7, 2012 20:39
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Cops could cruise around in freaking Metros. You can't outrun a radio.
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Mar 20, 2012 03:22
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FormatAmerica posted:I'm considering purchasing a Buell Blast in near-new condition for cheap a first bike for someone else. Ponies ate my Bagel posted:I don't know about tires for the buell, but my recommendation is to threadlock the poo poo out of every single bolt on that bike. They are notorious for rattling poo poo off, up to and including the entire exhaust on the freeway. Your pre-ride check needs to include checking as many fasteners as you can. I've never heard of any situation like this and after 10 years and 5k of my own miles on mine in the past year, nothing like this has ever happened to me. The blast doesn't vibrate as much as people make it out to. I have never once thought "God drat, I wish this thing would calm down!" And I've been in the seat for 200 mile rides multiple times. astrollinthepork fucked around with this message at 04:21 on Mar 27, 2012 |
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Mar 27, 2012 04:14
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Ponies ate my Bagel posted:The Blast is vibey on a whole other level. It has no counterbalancer and will completely numb your hands in under an hour. Some of the later year Buell Blasts aren't as bad, but the early models had major issues due to vibration. If you look online they sell anti vibration mounts and parts aftermarket to help with it. The vibration is really overstated, I just got back from a 6 hour round trip to Cincy and back. I feel fine, and my hands are good to go to type on a little Droid 4 keyboard. astrollinthepork fucked around with this message at 18:54 on Mar 28, 2012 |
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Mar 28, 2012 18:52
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What the gently caress? That's not what I typed at all. Must be the awful app.astrollinthepork posted:The vibration is really overstated, I just got back from a 6 hour round trip to Cincy. I feel fine, and my hands are good to go to type on a little Droid 4 keyboard. *edit* My post looks fine on the browser soooo
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Mar 28, 2012 19:32
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Ola posted:Hehe I pranked you with a gibberish generator.  Seriously though if your only experience with a blast is at an MSF course then you're really not experiencing what it's like when it's not lugging around at slightly above idle speed. My first thoughts upon riding it were "This is what people are complaining about?" It's fine. I don't recommend two up riding at all though. Good god my arms are tired.
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Mar 28, 2012 19:42
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MotoMind posted:Pinlock. Pinlock is the answer.
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Apr 6, 2012 07:04
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SimplyCosmic posted:If you do come across a goon-friendly riding group that welcomes 25+ year old bikes in NE Ohio, let me know, I'll join up with my 1978 Kawasaki KZ650.
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Apr 9, 2012 05:18
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Personally, I do the Ocelot hands. 
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Jun 21, 2012 05:52
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I'm looking to identify the following bike: *pics removed* All I know is that it's a BMW. astrollinthepork fucked around with this message at 20:41 on Oct 25, 2012 |
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Oct 25, 2012 13:31
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Nah, much older than that. I don't have an exact year, but it's something like 1996-2002.
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Oct 25, 2012 13:41
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Shimrod posted:An older K bike then? K100 or something? That was my first thought but Wikipedia didn't look exactly like it. After finding a somewhat decent resource, it looks like a 99 R1100RT. 
astrollinthepork fucked around with this message at 14:31 on Oct 25, 2012 |
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Oct 25, 2012 14:27
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Well seeing as how a R1100RT weighs something like 620 lbs (among other things), he's going to be in trouble for worker's comp fraud. astrollinthepork fucked around with this message at 20:42 on Oct 25, 2012 |
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Oct 25, 2012 15:30
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Splizwarf posted:Definitely gonna need more details. *edit* I'm rolling the dice with the pics enough as it is. Splizwarf posted:It doesn't take much lifting to ride a well-balanced bike around no matter what it weighs. astrollinthepork fucked around with this message at 16:52 on Oct 25, 2012 |
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Oct 25, 2012 15:51
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clutchpuck posted:Like letting out the clutch? Well that and hiking a leg up, maneuvering the bike around with one's legs, and other various wrist and hand movements. I'm not a doctor, prosecutor, or lawyer so it's not really up to me to decide these sorts of things. Those stills are just one example of many of things that aren't really consistent with his injury. The client is happy with the video and that's telling me that they're gonna nail him.
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Oct 25, 2012 20:38
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Wulframn posted:
It's really, really not interesting in any way. I wish I could say it was. The luggage may or may not be filled with cocaine.
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Oct 25, 2012 21:07
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Splizwarf posted:The thing is, this sounds like it's in "You can't park there, you don't look handicapped!" territory. Being able to walk a little isn't the same as being able to walk a lot etc etc. The client may get reamed on this one and I'd like to think part of our interest here is in helping you make sure your rear end is well-covered, astrollinthepork. Clients want video of every single individual action a person takes in a day. Even stuff as simple as opening a mailbox. It's up to them what happens, and it's up to doctors and attorneys to interpret the video. I don't say "Well I have this video of him doing this and that is definitely not consistent with the injury." It's not my job to interpret those actions in relation to injuries, just to hand it over. Like I said, I'm not a doctor so those calls aren't up to me. What happens 99% of the time is that the video is sent to the claimant's doctor without any sort of legal involvement unless the claimant has already lawyered up. In both cases, the doctor and or attorney will review the video with the claimant and they'll make a choice to either drop the claim or fight it out. Outright fraud is rare. Injuries usually start out as genuine, but sometimes take longer to recover than they should. There's no interest in litigation or prosecution, just stopping the claim. In this particular case, the client has interpreted the video as good news.
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Oct 25, 2012 21:52
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Splizwarf posted:Oh ok, you're good. Is it legal to stalk a dude and videotape him without his knowledge, or does he know? Or did he waive his privacy rights in his claim paperwork (which wouldn't shocking)? It's legal to the point of someone feeling as if they're harassed. So discretion is the name of the game. Some of it is a gray (civil) area though, but unless I do something blatantly illegal nothing will happen. I can't do things like, videotape people through windows or go on private property. There may be some small print in claim paperwork as well, but I'm not privy to such things. I'm dying to add a motorcycle related question here but I got nothin'!
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Oct 25, 2012 22:19
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alnilam posted:More long trip questions! I'm almost certain the vast majority of posters here do. At least I do. If I'm not wearing earbuds I'm wearing ear plugs.
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May 9, 2013 20:04
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Pham Nuwen posted:Ok, I called the dealer and asked about just labor, they said $170 if I bring in the bike and the tires. I could get a pair of Pirelli Sport Demons (pretty well-regarded for the Bonneville, apparently) for $275 from Revzilla. That's more reasonable, I guess, and I'd rather have a Triumph dealer working on it than the random Harley shop down the street. I'm going to go double check my tire sizes and then may just go ahead and order. There's nothing specific about Triumphs that would make tire changes any different from a Harley or 90% of bikes. Go to the cheapest place you can find.
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May 30, 2013 23:50
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I'm having some trouble with my chain. I've never had a bike with a chain before, so I decided to try to learn a bit about it. I degreased it with DuPont chain degreaser, lubed it up, and adjusted the tension. Things seemed fine until I was pushing it with the engine off. I heard a ticking coming from the front sprocket. I guess I don't have the wheel aligned correctly. Last night, I screwed around trying to align it for an hour or two and no matter what I did, I was still getting that ticking. I went as far as spinning the wheel and adjusting the right side, trying to find a spot where the ticking would stop. It didn't, no matter what position it was in. The alignment marks are lined up as well as I can get them and I'm still not having any luck. Other than getting a chain alignment tool (which will probably net me the same results), what do I need to do? Trying to measure from the swingarm pivot to the rear axle isn't going to work either. It seems as if the tolerances are too tight to be measured by a tape measre.The chain and sprocket appear to be somewhat fresh and was probably replaced in the past 5k miles. Also, the chain play should be 35mm or 1 3/8 in. That's measured by pulling the chain down and then pushing it back up, measuring from the bottom edge of the chain right? astrollinthepork fucked around with this message at 18:25 on Jul 1, 2013 |
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Jul 1, 2013 18:22
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clutchpuck posted:How old is the chain, is it kinking? Did you clean a bunch of orange/brown dust off it? Z3n posted:A well lubed chain will click a bit as it hits the sprocket teeth. tranten posted:This. A clean and lubed chain is actually kinda noisy. As long as there's no kinks and you've done your best to align it correctly, I'm betting the sound you're hearing is SUPPOSED to be there. I'm gonna try the string idea and go from there. Thanks guys.
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Jul 1, 2013 18:52
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Going back to the tingling thing, it is 100% how you are holding the grips. The first time I rode a bike with clipons for an extended amount of time I ended up with what's called cyclist's palsy for a week. My hands were so weak that I couldn't grip doorknobs hard enough to turn them.
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Jul 17, 2013 15:55
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It sounds exactly like what I went through, especially the weak hand. Mention cyclist's palsy to your Doc, which is a form of nerve damage that can take anywhere from a week (me) to months to heal.
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Jul 17, 2013 19:10
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kid sinister posted:The DIY guys sent me over here to get some 2-stroke help. My string trimmer is giving me fits. Would this even be the right thread to ask? Is it gas or diesel?
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Jul 25, 2013 21:43
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Geirskogul posted:I get a new helmet every year. I notice that, as the year goes on, that the helmet loosens quite a bit as the foam compresses from me wearing it. The foam is what saves your life in a crash, so replacement is certainly warranted. It's the lining that's compressing, not the foam.
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Jul 28, 2013 00:41
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alnilam posted:Finally installed a tachometer on my bike! It's so beautifully simple that it takes its signal from the ignition circuit. It's just verifying that it's functioning.
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Aug 4, 2013 17:56
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Out of the 5-10 times I've done it to an old Fiero, I noticed the oil coming out was noticeably darker than if I had just drained it without adding anything. The engine was still running strong at 180k when I junked it due to rust.
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Aug 20, 2013 21:41
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mainks posted:I'm taking off on this 4 day tour from NYC - Iowa on Saturday. Anything I should see along the way? Any specific highways/roads to avoid? It will all be new territory for me. Nothing specific, but if you can, avoid everything in Ohio north of say Circleville. Southern Ohio has great riding. The northern half, not so much. Definitely take US30 through and west of Chambersburg, PA. 30ish miles of road ascending and descending two mountains. Best road I've every been on. If you can, go through early early morning or late night. The road is completely deserted then.
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Aug 21, 2013 16:00
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mainks posted:Good thing I'm staying right next to Cleveland that night In that case, try to avoid Cleveland and Cuyahoga county altogether. There are good roads, but the amount of traffic will kill any enjoyment you have. Cleveland also had the worst drivers I've ever seen. I promise that you will have several close calls with idiots. Go around to the south and then come back up and stick to the coast. The riding will still be boring as hell, but at least you'll have the lake. Try to avoid Toledo too. Also for the love of God stay off interstates. astrollinthepork fucked around with this message at 18:26 on Aug 21, 2013 |
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Aug 21, 2013 18:22
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mainks posted:Day one (NYC to Cleveland, OH) is done. I'm still alive. Ribsauce posted:What exactly is an italian tune up? I just redline it for a few miles? I'm desperately looking to ride today. I spent Friday and Saturday backpacking in the Marietta portion of the Wayne NF in Ohio.. Beautiful roads, beautiful area, and next to no traffic. Unfortunately I was sitting shotgun in a GMC Canyon. I'm jonesin hard for some curves, but Wayne is like 3.5 hours away from me and I'm not in the mood to put in 10 hours of seat time today. astrollinthepork fucked around with this message at 16:06 on Aug 25, 2013 |
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Aug 25, 2013 15:51
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I'm deep into winter and thinking about getting back on my bike and realized I don't know how to say the model name. I have a Honda 919. I say nine one nine, but is nine nineteen the correct way?
astrollinthepork fucked around with this message at 01:36 on Jan 10, 2014 |
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Jan 10, 2014 01:03
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Hornet is the weakest name for a bike though.
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Jan 11, 2014 09:07
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Slavvy posted:Ditch the entire hideous numberplate holder/indicators/reflectors tail section and get an integrated LED taillight+indicators like I did and it looks positively wasp-like, trust me. What did you end up using? PO did mine, but I'm really not a big fan of how the turn signals work. One half of the tail light will basically get slightly brighter. Also not a fan of my plate being tucked in front of the rear wheel.
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Jan 11, 2014 09:52
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