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Even though I can pass in 4th (usually between 35-45 mph on my commute) it's fun to tap it down to 2nd, give it a big fat blip and smooth clutch release, ease out in the next lane sitting right in the powerband, then twist and finish passing before you even noticed it started. Quick safe fun passing. The mid range on my '86 GSX is a tad anemic and I don't like being in the opposite lane too long. I'm having serious BMW lust these days. The F800ST seems like so much bike for the money, while my penis thinks I should announce its proud size to the world by resting it against an R1200R. My GPS device says I should consider the R1200GS, my brain says I should consider the F650GS but my wallet says I should stop being a moron and stick with the Suzuki one more season. A month ago I tried the R1200GS, R1200S, K1200GT and R1200RT. All amazing bikes on their own, the big tourers are obviously just that, the S was a kick in the nuts from Mr Newton and the GS is just a fantastic ride. Shut up wallet, what do you know?! 
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Oct 21, 2008 23:02
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^^ Dooooo itttttt...... Find an R1150GS and save yourself a bit of cash over a new 1200. Before you know it, you'll have ridden all the way to the south of Italy, and run out of land. 
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Oct 22, 2008 00:23
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Z3n posted:
I do that with the Bandit sometimes, and its only a 5 speed, and already geared fairly low. You just dont notice it.
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Oct 22, 2008 04:01
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Or when you're riding around in 4th gear on the freeway.
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Simkin posted:^^ Dooooo itttttt...... I second this motion. I've never had a bike that feasts on miles like the GS. As electronic as the 1150 is, it's nothing compared to the technical madness of the R1200GS, it is a better bike, sure, but the 1150 won't leave you stranded in BFE due to the EWS antenna failure. The 12 is somewhat overengineered for it's purported purpose. I hear lots of good stuff about the F800GS, but it's not a boxer. There is something so satisfying about riding a boxer and I can't put my finger on it. Logically they aren't really a good choice but riding is more than just logic.
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Oct 22, 2008 04:55
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Phat_Albert posted:I do that with the Bandit sometimes, and its only a 5 speed, and already geared fairly low. You just dont notice it. I keep forgetting that my drat bike only has five speeds, and will quite often find myself trying to reach sixth gear. It's not even like the engine revs at highway speeds dictate it, it's just that one-down-five-up is so loving ingrained in whatever center of my brain unconsciously deals with things like shifting, that it sometimes has lapses.
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Oct 22, 2008 05:56
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The GS is amazing for sure, even with looks only a mother can love. But c'mon, this is pretty mean. 
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Oct 22, 2008 09:13
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Z3n posted:The thing that really mystifies you on a literbike is when you're doing 150mph and you grab a gear and then you're doing 170 and you have ANOTHER loving GEAR. Best description of a liter bike ever. With the previous owner's RK SPEED KIT  7k rpm in 6th was 130, so 4th gear around town it is.
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Oct 22, 2008 09:57
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Awwww /me feels left out I still forget that I don't have an extra gear, but I run into this at 45mph if I've been enthusiastic in my acclerating. I do wish I had a tacho though, even if it were just to see how badly I'm raping the bike. Overtaking though, whole new ball game, dropping the gear, backing off a car length to get the runup for the speed to actually overtake. I have honed my skills on many a long trip. Having a top speed of between 55 and 60 means you really do hoarde each and every one of those miles-per-hour, thus anyone slowing me down is A: driving really slowly and B: going to get passed as soon as I can see what the gently caress is coming.
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Oct 22, 2008 11:30
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Orange Someone posted:Having a top speed of between 55 and 60 means you really do hoarde each and every one of those miles-per-hour, thus anyone slowing me down is A: driving really slowly and B: going to get passed as soon as I can see what the gently caress is coming. This. So this. This is one of the reasons riding a slow bike is so much of a ball.
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Oct 22, 2008 15:13
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Have any of you gone to Kieth Code's schools? I want to here about what sounds to be the most amazing school ever.
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Oct 23, 2008 08:26
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Well i posted this once before but I'll post it again. On Saturday Cycle gear is having a sale on Pirelli Diablos for 179 bucks a pair. They're taking pre-orders now. They're not the best tires but for 179 bucks a pair who cares.
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Oct 23, 2008 17:38
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Does anyone still have a link to the ABS study that was linked in the previous megathread? It covered ABS braking in wet and dry compared to non-ABS braking in wet and dry. Edit: Found it. Z3n fucked around with this message at 17:01 on Oct 24, 2008 |
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Oct 23, 2008 18:30
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Argh, I'm having one of those days. Took the DRZ-SM out for the first time to the local lake because it has some longer sweepers compared to all the roads near me. On the way out it was fine, had an awesome time, tried some counterleaning, Good times. Then after i spin it around for the i blow one of the corners really loving wide, like dead if a car was there wide, Then keep it slow for a while then as I'm getting some confidence back i get to a corner, grab brake a bit , go down a gear, get ready to lean and then ...-nothing. no power. A first i thought that i had just blown a gear box or something but i have a feeling it was the side stand switch that people talk about. At this point i just want to get off. So cruising home at the 100kph a bird fly out of some trees and i smack it with my forks.  Then i spilt fuel on my corbin. Good day so far, Parked it for the night.
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Oct 24, 2008 09:29
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Dubs posted:Argh, I'm having one of those days. When I had my DRZ I found it really easy to hit the kickstand standing up while riding offroad, never really had a problem on road. Definitely a possibility, if I had kept the bike much longer I would have disabled the killswitch. Slow the gently caress down on the streets before you kill yourself. Get yourself to the local kart track for that sort of stuff.
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Oct 24, 2008 18:42
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Gnomad posted:So since we're discussing putting bikes together from crashed bikes, other bikes, etc, let's see some FrankenBikes! thats amazing, great job man
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Oct 28, 2008 00:58
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philkop posted:thats amazing, great job man Yeah, great job quoting an entire post with pictures, just to say "great job" 
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Oct 28, 2008 01:07
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Someone hit my loving bike and knocked it over or something today when I was out to eat. I don't even understand what or how whatever happened did but I came out to this damage. Firstly, not a single scratch on any of the plastics or crack that wasn't their before. The left passenger peg is bent forward a bit, instead of sitting at a 90 degree angle to the bike, it sits at like a 45 degree angle. The rear brake and front brake are bent in ways I don't understand at all. The rear brake got pushed inward and the front brake is bent down and away from the bars. Also the front grip is slightly scraped up on the brake side. My only thought is somehow someone hit the left hand passenger peg with their car (it was out because I rode two up) and pushed the bike over to its right hand side, which somehow bent the brakes and nothing else. I am more confused than pissed, and sadly I need a vice of some sort to bend everything back, so I think I'm just going to ride with everything bent.
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Oct 28, 2008 04:15
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I'd been telling myself if the company I work for hired me full time (I'm currently a contractor) I'd allow myself to upgrade to a nicer bike and not let my stupid girlfriend talk me into selling it this time (really miss that CBR). Seeing as there was talk today at work of that happening, its time to start shopping. So the question is, Suzuki DRZ400SM, KTM 690SM-R, or comedy Hypermotard option?
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Oct 29, 2008 01:51
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pr0zac posted:I'd been telling myself if the company I work for hired me full time (I'm currently a contractor) I'd allow myself to upgrade to a nicer bike and not let my stupid girlfriend talk me into selling it this time (really miss that CBR). Seeing as there was talk today at work of that happening, its time to start shopping. So the question is, Suzuki DRZ400SM, KTM 690SM-R, or comedy Hypermotard option? KTM 990 adventure. Do it. That's what I'm getting next summer and a used R6 for the track.
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Oct 29, 2008 05:54
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pr0zac posted:I'd been telling myself if the company I work for hired me full time (I'm currently a contractor) I'd allow myself to upgrade to a nicer bike and not let my stupid girlfriend talk me into selling it this time (really miss that CBR). Seeing as there was talk today at work of that happening, its time to start shopping. So the question is, Suzuki DRZ400SM, KTM 690SM-R, or comedy Hypermotard option? What sort of riding? I'd take the KTM, and spend my days pulling wheelies and stoppies until they arrested me for trying to minimize wear on my tires.
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Oct 29, 2008 06:18
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pr0zac posted:I'd been telling myself if the company I work for hired me full time (I'm currently a contractor) I'd allow myself to upgrade to a nicer bike and not let my stupid girlfriend talk me into selling it this time (really miss that CBR). Seeing as there was talk today at work of that happening, its time to start shopping. So the question is, Suzuki DRZ400SM, KTM 690SM-R, or comedy Hypermotard option? Do you guys get the Husky 610?
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Oct 29, 2008 08:37
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If I were going to kill myself, it would likely involve the purchasing of this: http://www.usedvictoria.com/classified-ad/7401531 Just think, it's almost old enough to import to the states now.    
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Oct 29, 2008 09:07
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pr0zac posted:I'd been telling myself if the company I work for hired me full time (I'm currently a contractor) I'd allow myself to upgrade to a nicer bike and not let my stupid girlfriend talk me into selling it this time (really miss that CBR). Seeing as there was talk today at work of that happening, its time to start shopping. So the question is, Suzuki DRZ400SM, KTM 690SM-R, or comedy Hypermotard option? Go with the Austrian option. The KTM 690 series is immense fun. SM, SMR and SMC are all pretty much the same bike with different tinsel as far as I can tell. If you're shopping for a 2008 model now, you may get some pretty good deals. Love my SMC, just wish the weather hadn't closed in and the clocks hadn't gone back. Now I get out of work onto slick roads, pissing rain and darkness. I want sun and dry asphalt again.
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Oct 29, 2008 12:11
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ReelBigLizard posted:Love my SMC, just wish the weather hadn't closed in and the clocks hadn't gone back. Now I get out of work onto slick roads, pissing rain and darkness. I want sun and dry asphalt again. See, now, I love the clocks going back. I leave work at 6am and now I get to ride home just as the sun is rising through a crisp wonderland and the silent stillness, only broken by the brapp of a holey 125 exhaust revving it's heart out. . . . Apart from when it's pissing it down, like sunday morning. Then I just wrap up warm, hope my bike starts and laugh merrily at the crazy crazy world. I may be a touch insane, but then motorbikes will do that to you.
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Oct 29, 2008 12:41
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Simkin posted:*500cc 2 stroke goodness* I'd be looking for the suzuki. Strangely enough, suzuki did import a good number.
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Oct 29, 2008 14:08
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It strikes me that you'd have to be some sort of broken in the head to consider a 500cc two stroke a sport tourer, but then again, the closest to riding it I've been is a 77 RD400. I've not seen an RG500 for sale around here... ever, but there's been a few RZ500s. Did one just sell a lot better than the other, or were the Suzukis just stuffed into hedgerows at a much greater pace?
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Oct 29, 2008 16:53
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Simkin posted:It strikes me that you'd have to be some sort of broken in the head to consider a 500cc two stroke a sport tourer, but then again, the closest to riding it I've been is a 77 RD400. I've not seen an RG500 for sale around here... ever, but there's been a few RZ500s. Did one just sell a lot better than the other, or were the Suzukis just stuffed into hedgerows at a much greater pace? I'm going by the in depth review that TWO made of the RG and RZ500's a few months back. The RZ was a "made for the street" bike. It's got reed valves, gentle pipes, a longer wheelbase.. all sorts of things aimed at the street rider. The RG500 is, in essence, a clone of suzuki's then current square four GP500 bike. The frame design is the same. The motor is the same square four with carbs sticking out the sides. The RG uses disk valves, so it makes very little power at the bottom, however being disk valves, there's essentially no intake resistance when they're open. Making much more power up top. If you need a direct example of the sort of difference this makes, Phat Alberts RV90 makes 8hp. My TC90 makes 11hp, with the same displacement. Same air cooled motor. Same port designs. Same company made them for the same years. The only other difference is the RV is reed valve, the TC is disk valve. If you really want a mind bender. Suzuki made a 750cc 3 cylinder 2 stroke "big" bike. By my estimation, it would have best been called a sport tourer in todays market. But back in 1973, they just had motorcycles. :-) The thing had no powerband, just a wide spread of torque. It made roughly 75hp. Though 150hp was within reason on the street. 200 in race trim. Excepting the RG500, H1 and H2, the rule of thumb is: The bigger the 2 stroke, the more mild the motor. As for finding them, I see more RG's for sale than RZ's.
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Oct 29, 2008 18:49
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Cool, I had no idea. I guess it must be the market, as I can't find a single RG within reasonable distance on any of the online listing services (including Seattle in my search didn't help either). None of the pictures that I've seen of the RG really show the carbs that well - by sticking out the side, how visible do you mean?
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Oct 29, 2008 19:29
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They're contained within the fairing. But they quite litterally stick out the sides of the motor. I can't be bothered to host it: http://www.allensperformance.co.uk/images/gallery/rg500race03.jpg Those are carbs sticking out the sides.
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Oct 29, 2008 20:12
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drat, that's pretty awesome. I guess there's no airbox for them, or maybe a small one on each side that's built into the fairing?
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Oct 29, 2008 20:15
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The airbox was a large spider like thing that came down from the headstock down to the mouth on each carb. It's ugly, and nasty. Yet it worked. Going to individual filters doesn't help the situation that much. Also, airflow in that part of the fairing does one thing well, and that's make the carburetors meter funny. Completely stock, they're good for 90-95hp. With proper jetting they're in the ballpark of 105hp. If you ask me, that's something to write home about. I've always wanted to hotrod a GT750 motor.
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Oct 29, 2008 20:28
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snail posted:I don't disagree with your comments that they don't fit into the superbike classification. Based on my experience of using one daily, I just said I reject your labels The point I'm trying to make here is: It takes more skill to get a busa around a track quickly than it does a supersport, because it's bigger, heavier, and more limited in terms of cornering clearence than a sportbike. Furthermore, if the rider doesn't have the level of skill where they're grounding out pegs on every (appropriate) corner on a supersport, then a well ridden busa won't have any real limitations compared to the bike. Most supersport riders aren't at that level. Most A group riders aren't at that level. It's going to be basically only the top 30 guys you see in a 60 man 600 class that are riding a supersport in such a way as to exploit the advantages of a supersport over a busa. If you assumed that a busa has, say, 52 degrees of lean, and a supersport has 58 degrees of lean, if the supersport rider isn't using from 53 to 58 degrees of lean through the corner, than a busa would be able to keep up, no problem. It's when you actually reach the hard limits of the bike that it'll end up getting left behind, and as I said...most riders simply cannot do that. Most club racers still cannot do that. It does have some advantages, though, like HP. There is one config of buttonwillow where a friend of mine who is a fair bit slower through the corners on a literbike will stay just in front of me because there's just not enough bends in the track for me to make up time, no matter how much cornerspeed I carry. I wasn't aware there were any tracks where the fastest GP rider lapped slower than the fastest WSBK bike...do you have a link? I was refering to general road courses, and yeah, a busa would be a bit of a handful on a kart track  But I still hold that a well ridden literbike (with a rider daft enough to do it) would leave you on the streets. Less weight to deal with, about the same HP, and an easier time through the tight stuff due to a more aggressive setup on the bike. The real reason that you see literbikes get eaten alive is because the riders usually can't exploit the engine the way they should be able to, so a skilled 600 rider can carry more cornerspeed, get on the gas earlier, brake later, and end up pulling a faster lap. I see that every time I go to the track on my SV650...there's a lot of riders who I will pull down the front straight before the HP kicks in because they're not maximizing drive on exit because it's difficult and they're not comfortable lighting the rear as needed. It goes double for the literbike riders, who need to park it and get it sliding and pointed and upright to maximize drive. Watching a real pro do that in front of you is absolutely astounding, and you typically only get to watch them for about 2 corners. 
Z3n fucked around with this message at 15:44 on Oct 30, 2008 |
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Oct 30, 2008 15:41
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The hayabusa has essentially no power advantage over modern 1000cc bikes. This wasn't the case when the bike was released in 2000 or whatever. The hayabusa can accelerate harder due to a longer wheelbase and lower CG. It also has a higher top speed due to slick aerodynamics being a design consideration. Modern supersports aim for some front downforce, and that's about it.
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Oct 30, 2008 16:19
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Z3n posted:Does anyone still have a link to the ABS study that was linked in the previous megathread? It covered ABS braking in wet and dry compared to non-ABS braking in wet and dry. I assume you are talking about one of Promocycle's reports. For future reference.
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Oct 30, 2008 17:45
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Skier posted:I assume you are talking about one of Promocycle's reports. Was actually refering to this one: http://www.ibmwr.org/prodreview/abstests.html Those ones as well though.
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Oct 30, 2008 18:10
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Z3n posted:Was actually refering to this one: The Promocycle one is quite a bit newer and shows much improved dry pavement stopping with ABS. Comparing new non-ABS brakes against ABS-equipped bikes from almost 20 years ago is a bit silly. Like comparing the carbs on a new motorcycle to the very first generation of electronic fuel injection and claiming all EFI sucks. I see a lot of folks doing this. I've changed my view of ABS on motorcycle and if it's an option on my next one, I'll buy it.
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Oct 30, 2008 18:24
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Skier posted:The Promocycle one is quite a bit newer and shows much improved dry pavement stopping with ABS. It was more to show the difference between even a very skilled rider in the wet and a complete novice just trusting the ABS. I want ABS for a street bike, bad.
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Oct 30, 2008 18:35
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bung posted:John Britten I'm so confused by this. I guess I can understand not having a frame, but how does the rear suspension being in the front help? How does it even work? And what's going on with the front suspension? Is that a telelever?
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Oct 30, 2008 19:11
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Z3n posted:What sort of riding? I'd take the KTM, and spend my days pulling wheelies and stoppies until they arrested me for trying to minimize wear on my tires. Yeah this is pretty much the plan. I expect to be limited to a 49cc scooter this time next year. Whats the maintenance like on the KTM? It would definitely be my immediate choice but I'm almost leaning toward the 400SM simply for the gas and forget factor. The 400SM and KTM should be able to do 50 or so miles on the highway without complaining right? I don't care about comfort or wind protection or anything, just that it will do it without dying.
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Oct 30, 2008 19:23
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Zenaida posted:I'm so confused by this. I guess I can understand not having a frame, but how does the rear suspension being in the front help? How does it even work? And what's going on with the front suspension? Is that a telelever? it does have a frame. The frame just happens to be the shape of a motorcycle engine. The fairing, tank, and tail are bolted to the top of the cylinder heads. They're one piece IIRC, and also contain the radiator. The front suspension is called hossak. In essence it's a double a arm suspension pointing out the front of the bike. BMW uses a bastaradization of it as the telelever, and on the K1200 bikes it's now a true hossak design. The rear shock up front is done for cooling. Shocks get hot as they do their job. Putting the shock there both keeps it cool, and moves the weight somewhere benificial to the bike. Weight low, and up front helps keep the front end down. the arrangement was managed with a few bellcranks and pushrods.
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Oct 30, 2008 19:29
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