Tell me what bike to buy-I wanted something that didnt empower me to be such a dong

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Cycle Asylum > Tell me what bike to buy-I wanted something that didnt empower me to be such a dong

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Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

this is a good excuse to share what i just bought!

it doesn't run but all it needs is a piston and a cylinder repair! minor stuff.

it's got a big tube on it for some reason

and had a little problem here

got it for $350.

yes, it's a 440. i just sat on it last night and it killed me.

# ¿ Oct 2, 2008 12:53

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 14:46

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Carbon-12 posted:

Please Rev make that bike mad max style with the flat black and such.

are you gonna be my blond twink sitting on the back cause i can't do it if i don't have one of those

# ¿ Oct 2, 2008 18:58

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

F650 is most certainly not a wheelie machine of death. i'm not sure about freeway passing power, i assume it would do ok around the speed limit. just watch out your front wheel doesn't fly off!

# ¿ Oct 6, 2008 02:39

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

600cc i4 sport bike. most people here are gonna tell you no.

edit: 100hp. that's a lot.

# ¿ Oct 28, 2008 00:17

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

kdc67 posted:

Side question, what happened to the wiki?

site down, looks like. it was hosted by uh... i forgot his name. i remember he owned a porsche! have to find out where he is, i guess.

# ¿ Oct 28, 2008 05:18

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

if it were something big and badass like an SV1k that would be kinda cool. it would be like a haunted evil ghost bike and poo poo. but a ninja 250?

# ¿ Nov 10, 2008 08:04

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Z3n posted:

The issue with a new rider is almost always low speed stuff, or running wide in a corner.

and your height or weight will have virtually nothing to do with this. it only matters when you have to pick it back up after falling over. controlling the bike so that you don't lose traction while at speed has to do with knowledge and skill and not your body size.

# ¿ Jan 22, 2009 18:16

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

kdc67 posted:

That sportster also has a DRY weight of 557 lbs.

do they cast the crankcase out of lead or something?

# ¿ Jan 26, 2009 22:51

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Z3n posted:

I'd say that even the 750 is probably ok..it's a cruiser, so it's not going to wheelie or pull anything really stupid on you.

didn't he link to a magna? aren't those like a 700+cc v4 that was the most powerful production bike at the time?

# ¿ Feb 11, 2009 12:43

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

quote:

Model: Honda VF 750 C
Year: 1984
Power: 82.00 HP (59.9 kW)) @ 9500 RPM

too much.

# ¿ Feb 12, 2009 00:00

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

8ender posted:

Well sweet, between this and the KZ440 guy we're building a geriatric KZ army here in AI.

sup bros i got an 81 kz440ltd i'm refurbishing too :wotwot:

# ¿ Feb 21, 2009 05:31

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

ain't no ducati i ever seen.

# ¿ Feb 25, 2009 05:03

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Agent Adam posted:

It's got a big tube on it for some reason??? I think you're refering to the exhaust pipe or "expansion chamber." They're very cool in that they use sound and energy waves to gain massive amount of power over a regular straight pipe, like those seen on four stroke engines. Those little dents in it shouldn't be much of a problem for you, especially since you're a beginner level rider, or at least I'm assuming you are one. I can tell you that I've ridden on that very bike and it's got a crazy hard hit in the mid-rpms and can pretty much tear your arms apart at every joint and then require you to buy a new "big tube" because you just crashed into the one and only bolder in the area that you're riding in. Proper technique and body position will help to negate the difficulty in handling that mid-range hit so read up on riding technique and enjoy!

yeah when i ordered a new piston from z-racing, the guy on the phone said he owned a 440 and used it for riding dunes with a paddlewheel on the back. he said he sold it because it was so insane. i'm stoked :rock:

# ¿ Mar 8, 2009 13:26

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

VTNewb posted:

http://burlington.craigslist.org/mcy/1133767268.html

Not running for 6 years, what do I offer.

buy that asap. but don't pay anywhere near what that guy is asking.

# ¿ Apr 23, 2009 01:34

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Nerobro posted:

I wouldn't go over $1500 in it's current state.

even that seems high to me. i'm not familiar with those models though.

# ¿ May 25, 2009 11:37

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

100 Years in Iraq posted:

Max Preload

ahahahha yes

i never see those people
vermont is too thin

# ¿ Jun 8, 2009 02:17

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

BlueBayou posted:

Namely that is it naked and has an old fashioned look to it.

as a BMW owner let me suggest any number of naked BMWs made from 1975 until the mid 80s. /6, /7, R65... they look old fashioned cause they are, and will last a long time if not totally abused. they take longer to find on craigslist, but i see them with some frequency even in my rural area, at prices between what japs and a harley would cost. plus then you can join the BMWMOA and go to the BMWMOA international rally where you'll meet lots of nice old folks. :tipshat:

# ¿ Jun 29, 2009 07:32

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

i'm no harley fan, but that is pretty cool looking. that tank must have a range measured in feet, though.

# ¿ Jun 29, 2009 12:31

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

infraboy posted:

Anyone have knowledge about the early BMW K75 bikes? I came upon this and am seriously tempted to pick it up. I've always wanted a K75/K100 bike, I dig their boxy looks. I sent an email asking about the registration and title and stuff, anything else that I should look for? The bike is in the same town as me too so it's real close.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/mcy/2197445958.html

I know a little about the early Ks, I just got a K100RS and I did some minor work on a K75 and test rode it a bit. My background is in vintage bikes and anything modern generally doesn't impress me, so the k100 I have now doesn't strike me as the bee's knees (as compared to my /2) but overall I think it's pretty nice for 1985. They were pretty high tech for their day.

Generally speaking I think the k75s are nicer. The one I tested made a real positive impression on me. Decent power, very smooth, not too heavy, felt good at high speed. The george jetsony exhaust note might take some getting used to, if it's stock, depending on your taste.

All the early Ks have niggling maintenance issues. My k100 has a dying radiator fan, it needs its driveshaft spline lube checked (kind of a big job) and the odometer ate itself. Most issues are addressed here: http://www.ibmwr.org/ktech.shtml

That one looks like a very good price though, if it doesn't have hidden issues, I'd jump on it.

And this year it's old enough to qualify for membership in the Vintage BMW Motorcycle Owners club, along with my air cooled R50 with magneto ignition, 6v charging and no return spring on the throttle. So, by that I mean, you'll be officially allowed to join but never really accepted as legitimate. Sorry. Take your fuel injection and get out.

# ¿ Feb 6, 2011 20:59

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Dr. Brule posted:

It needs both Ignition Control Boxes, found for 50 apiece in Michigan. It won't start without those, obviously, so I don't get to hear it run. He says he rode it last spring before the boxes got water inside of them.
Stupid idea? Awful bike?

I'm always weary of any bike that won't run, no matter how bad. Will it crank over with just the starter motor? At least you can tell something from that. If you can't get it to crank or run, it could be it just needs some new $5 wiring, or it could be the dogs on some transmission gears are rounded off, it won't stay in gear, and a piston is seized along with ruined crank bearings and probably water pumps and head gaskets and who knows what. Worst case, $550 might be really overpaying if you can't learn a little more about it.

FuzzyWuzzyBear posted:

Also, there is such a huge array of modern bikes that I find it hard to believe you hate all of them.

I don't! I pretty much hate everything made after 1969. This guy's standards are just a little lower. Plebs.

# ¿ Feb 28, 2011 23:14

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Scope posted:

http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/mcy/3060233292.html

Are these models decent? Is this a reasonable price? I'm looking at it for city riding, mostly.

*edit* I am a new rider.

Great old bikes. But I'd run from that one. Dirty, crappy rattle can paint job, "Starts and runs but needs coils." If it starts and runs fine, why does it need coils? Very likely that it starts but runs like poo poo, which could be one of a dozen things, and could be expensive to fix, and you don't want that for a first bike. And if it doesn't run good, it's not worth $1000.

# ¿ Jun 16, 2012 09:34

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

F800, ST especially, is a fairly nice middleweight bike, I hear. Haven't ridden one yet, but spent that last 12 weeks working on them off and on, and they seemed decent, weight and size wise. I think the engine will be less entertaining than the SV650 though. And they are a fully modern BMW, in the sense of the electronics design, which means they'll be fairly expensive to mess with if anything goes wrong on them.

One cool thing I recently learned about that generation of BMWs is that the RF chip in the ignition key works in such a way with the engine computer that it's effectively impossible to hotwire and steal the bike without your key. The engine computer comes preprogrammed at the factory with 10 separate codes and like 3 keys that match 3 of those codes. The only way to get keys with codes that match your individual engine computer is to have BMW make you one at the factory in Berlin. And if you throw another engine computer into the bike, it won't work either, because the engine computer has to communicate using another set of individualized codes with all the other computers on the bike.

Although I suppose that's standard on a lot of modern motor vehicles. It sounded like Star Trek to me cause my BMW can literally be started and driven off by shoving twigs into the ignition switch or cutting all the wires that come out of the engine in one bundle.

# ¿ Jun 23, 2012 07:52

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

oh em gee bee ess posted:

Thinking about buying a motorbike for the first time however I've never ridden before, can someone explain to me how the experience of the MSF course is? Do they charge you if you drop the bike they provide?

No. It goes all weekend including friday night, there are a couple hours of "class" time each day where they teach you various concepts, and saturday and sunday you ride around a parking lot in mapped-out maneuvers with cones. At the end of sunday, they run you through another cone course that tests all the poo poo they just taught you, and if you get under X points wrong in it, you pass. They will fail you if you drop the bike during the test, though. You need long sleeves and pants and gloves of some kind, and they usually provide helmets.

# ¿ Jun 25, 2012 07:26

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Abe Froman posted:

Thanks for the response. I'll probably change my mind about freeways eventually, but right now it seems like a scary proposition.

Seconding the freeways. They are pretty much the safest of roads. The most dangerous thing to you as a biker (aside from your own mistakes) is cross-traffic and stops. There are virtually none of those on freeways. Once you get over the fear of speed, it's the way to go.

# ¿ Jul 2, 2012 05:28

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Sixty-Proof posted:

An old acquaintance got in touch with me about his Honda Nighthawk 650 85', he's selling it for $800. It's only got 16000 miles on it, and he's willing to get it inspected before selling it. Besides the muffler looking pretty rusty, some cosmetic rust, and not starting it up in a year, what do you guys think as a starter bike? I have never been riding before, but I am taking my MSC in this upcoming month. If for some reason I don't like it, I have a friend I told about the bike who will buy it on the spot.

Not a bad starter bike, a bit on the topheavy side, but good. Sounds like it's been neglected a bit, so I would predict needing a bunch of maintenance items done on it in the first couple years of riding it. Fork seals, brake work, battery, chain, carbs, something like that. Just be ready for that when it hits your wallet. If it's inspectable and rideable for $800, that's a good price.

# ¿ Jul 10, 2012 04:54

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

If you get anything but the Ducati you'll be missing out.

# ¿ Jul 14, 2012 04:55

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Safety Dance posted:

The repair shop near me has an older ('04? '05?) Multistrada 1000. I was chatting with the owner, and he let it be known that the bike would probably be coming up for sale in a couple of weeks, probably around $5000. Is this a deal, or should I bide my time and make a move on a more recent V-Strom 1000 when the time is right?

That sounds a little cheap actually. Get that Multi. Don't you dare get a V-strom. Budget for some electrical failures, though.

# ¿ Jul 19, 2012 04:19

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Safety Dance posted:

Why the Multistrada so strongly over a V-Strom 1000 or a Buell Ulysses? General Ducati-ness?

Because if you get one, then you can start every post with "As a Ducati owner," and make mootmoot mad.

# ¿ Jul 19, 2012 14:48

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Abe Froman posted:

Today I finally got the Ninja 250 I posted about few pages ago...and it had this wonderful surprise courtesy of the PO:

Need some spinnaz or something to complete that look. Maybe those valve stem caps that light up.

# ¿ Jul 21, 2012 05:12

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

alnilam posted:

And does this seem like a good beginner motorcycle?

Good beginner bike as long as it doesn't need any work. Decent price.

# ¿ Jul 23, 2012 02:25

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Xovaan posted:

Yeah, absolutely. I love the look of the Sprint and if he goes that route in his riding I'm sure he'd love it too.

I'm not familiar with the newer VFRs, so I can't compare, but the Sprints are heavy as gently caress. Topheavy too. Just FYI.

# ¿ Jul 28, 2012 00:21

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Xovaan posted:

Actually, I'm curious. I have a Bandit 1200-- how do the Sprints compare, top-heaviness-wise?

Been a while since I pushed a Bandit 1200 around, but I think the Sprint was a little topheavier than that.

# ¿ Jul 28, 2012 13:37

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

HornyBoy123 posted:

I'll be going on a riding trip across the US for a month and a half or so in with the purpose of self-discovery and am wondering from those with any experience on the subject, of the beginner bikes goons generally recommend, are there any that especially stand out as a good choice for my needs? I'd especially appreciate advice from someone who has done long tours as mentioned above.

And would a budget for a bike of $1500 be too low when asking it to do 9K miles+? Of course making sure to do any necessary maintenance before setting out of course. I'm unemployed so I'm on a budget without a doubt but I probably won't be able to spend upwards of $2,500.

As Sagebrush the wise said, 2500 is probably more realistic. A $1500 bike will probably need a bunch of poo poo done to it to make it really solid and reliable. Any UJM like your CB would probably be fine for the trip. You will want to budget for luggage and maybe a windscreen. Also, before you do the big trip, do some test rides to figure out how many miles you can comfortably go in a day. Helps with trip planning.

# ¿ Jul 30, 2012 15:33

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

clutchpuck posted:

The demo bike had a Termi pipe - it did sound good, but still had the it-sounds-broken thing going on.

Not sure what you're referring to here. Only engines with evenly spaced firing orders sound right to you?

# ¿ Aug 1, 2012 01:04

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Bloody Queef posted:

I was worried about riding my father in law's 800lb Goldwing due to it's weight and he looked at me like I was nuts and said "Are you carrying it or riding it?" If a bike is well designed, you only really notice weight at parking lot speeds. After that, it disappears.

Parking lot maneuvering is a concern, though. I'm 5'8" 150 or so, and I test ride a wide range of bikes, and I've yet to drop one during a ride, but there are a bunch that I really don't enjoy riding because of their weight or height. The larger Triumph triples, Goldwings, bagger Harleys, and the larger BMW GSes come to mind. A Bandit 1200 isn't as bad as those, but it's up there a bit.

# ¿ Aug 5, 2012 20:57

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Bloody Queef posted:

Yeah, the parking lot thing is only a concern for the first few times you ride the bike. Like on a test ride in your case. If you're buying this bike you'll get comfortable with it at parking lot speeds. The Goldwing was the first bike I rode that wasn't my cb350 or cx500. You'll be fine.

There's a difference between "learning to deal with it" and it being easy to deal with. A 5' tall woman could in theory ride an R1200GSA by hopping off the 34" seat on one foot at every stop and holding the 600lb bike up from the side. That's pretty far from an ideal way to ride. My point is just to really see how you fit on it before committing to buying it. Don't be afraid to reject something that feels too big, it's a legitimate consideration.

# ¿ Aug 6, 2012 00:52

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Safety Dance posted:

Noomi Rapace rode a Husqvarna.

I thought it was a KX?

# ¿ Aug 10, 2012 23:48

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

MonkeyNutZ posted:

Welp, I got it and it's bloody fantastic

, bro. High fuckin five.

Backov posted:

He was telling me that when he needs a valve job it's usually $1500-1700. No idea the accuracy of that. I still want one.

That's about what it would have cost me on my 2v if you factored in my labor time spent rubbing the closer shims on 600 grit sandpaper for 8 hours because I ordered the wrong size.

# ¿ Aug 12, 2012 03:06

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Wulframn posted:

Seriously, whoever started the "motorcycling is not cheaper" thing needs to look at some real numbers.

If you have no other vehicle to pay for and you really can ride year round and you never need to carry moving boxes around in your vehicle and poo poo, yeah, a bike is cheaper. Very few people in the USA fit in those categories.

# ¿ Aug 27, 2012 04:13

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 14:46

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

The Royal Nonesuch posted:

1985 K100 ~5000 original miles. $5500. Obviously heavily modified and a terrible idea but... it looks so nice... and I could have it repainted to match my 330ci

Not actually that heavily modded from what I can see. Mostly bodywork. Maybe the instruments have been dicked with but the original instruments were kind of a weak point anyway. Solid bikes, but that price is a bit high.

# ¿ Aug 28, 2012 04:21

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Cycle Asylum > Tell me what bike to buy-I wanted something that didnt empower me to be such a dong

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