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^^^ Crashing always sucks. 
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Oct 16, 2008 01:59
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So since we're discussing putting bikes together from crashed bikes, other bikes, etc, let's see some FrankenBikes! The FrankenBeezer!  This was a BSA 650 unit twin in a Yamaha XS500 frame, built by a guy who teaches aircraft wrencing at the local college. It actually went through several phases during the time it spent at the Gnomestead. As purchased.  I thought the paint job was a bit dowdy so I redded it up a notch.  Changed the seat to the one in the first pic after that, in that guise it really gave me wood-  hey, that counts as a prize winning show bike, right? I'm abuilder, w3rd! Regis, this was my final answer.  That FrankenBike is BSA, Yamaha, Honda, Ducati, Home Depot and Sportmans Warehouse.
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Oct 16, 2008 02:15
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I always figure ifit's a Frankenbike when I get it, it's fair game to do whatever I please. This was such a beast, a mid 90's Ducati 900SS, done up to look like the original SS series. Well, I guess that was the effect they were going for but as cool as this bike looked, it was not much fun to ride. Actually, darn near painful for an old pharte such as myself. See those pipes? Just looking at them woke up your baby and set off your car alarm.  I took liberties with this over the winter, since I wanted to actually ride the thing without whimpering. Ebay and fiberglass were my companions over the winter, and in the spring I rolled out in this.  Some will revile this bike as an abomination, in some ways I would agree, but this bike would ride along all day like nobodies business and it was drat comfortable at speed or in town. So, that bike is Ducati/Moto Guzzi(the wheels are apparently Guzzi spoke rims)/Buell/6 roblees/homebrewed fiberglass. I sold the Duck and the Beezer to help finance the GS, which probably means I have no soul at all. 
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Oct 16, 2008 02:36
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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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I usually wave to anyone on 2 wheels-scooters, even bicyclists. The bicyclists usually don't wave back, I don't think they can spare the energy!
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Dec 7, 2008 01:08
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I wish they had that sort of aftermarket back when I was a pimply faced skinny kid riding my old CT90 and its single-digit horsepower. That low range covered a lot of low power sins, if the bike just couldn't climb it or muck through it, you could put in in 1st/low, get off and push. See the mountain off to the left? It's in Eagle River, AK, and I took a CT 90 to the top of that mountain....in October-ish. There was one snowfield that I tried to ride across and failed, so i ended up kicking a little trail across the snowfield, put it in 1st/low and pushed it across. That mountain is also part of Chugach State PArk where even back then motorized vehicles were strongly discouraged, OK, prohibited, on the way down off the mountain a friendly park ranger was waving to me. I waved back. He started waving harder, almost beckoning, I waved back again and rode a bit faster. He started pointing and running, so I figured that there must be some sort of danger and rode as fast as I could out of there. You know, I never did figure out what he wanted. Must have been warning me bout a  Edit-of course you don't see that mountain! Maybe you can now! 
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Jan 6, 2009 04:14
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Well, Bombardier owns Rotax, and Rotax has always done amazing things to 2 cycle engines. I owned a Can Am 250cc MX bike, loud as the thundering fury of 10,000 caged bumblebees and able to jump tall buildings in a single bound. BTW, if you guys ever find yourselves with the opportunity to buy a decent CanAM dooooooo eeeeett! Also had a SkiDoo Citation sled with a 260cc single that would get up to around 60mph-doesn't sound like much for a 260cc but remember that a snowmobile track is a large horsepower robbing rubber flap. Most sled makers are going with diesel (4 stroke) to beat emissions and noise regulations but BRP is using a fair amount of e-tech. Snowmobil;es with 4 strokes make me sad.
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Jan 15, 2009 06:14
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Nerobro posted:That's a good question. I know it's done. It's a "common" thing on snowmobiles. I could see some real problems developing if you have radically different pressure on either side of the motor. And yes, if you can't feed it the precious juice quickly enough it will melt the pistons in record time. I actually haven't heard of a turbo'd sled and I live where they get run snowmobies in the street. You can do much better with a tuned pipe and tuning the clutching as needed to keep the engine boiling in the powerband. Find the sweet spot of the engine, hold it at that RPM and let the clutching (it's all CVT on a sled) do the hard work of varying the speed, and when you get it right it is so absofucking outrageous you think it's a jet pack strapped to your rear end. It's been a while but some of the car companies were toying with bringing back 2 strokers for the street, these were not the usual piston ported engines. The problem they were trying to overcome was the oil, you can't keep the emissions to anything approaching legal when you burn oil, but if you seal the oil off in the crankcase you can't use the crankcase to draw the A/F mix into the cylinders and the cylinders aren't able to create vacuum to do it without the crankcase. IIRC, Suburu had the idea of using a supercharger for the scavenging (air flow) and a rotating shaft with holes to open and close the exhaust ports. Now I can't speak for everyone but if Subie had managed to put a supercharged 2 stroke of meaningful displacement in a street legal car I'd say sign me up! And there is that e-tech engine. Put a V8 e-tech in a GM car and that'll save the company, guaranteed.
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Jan 16, 2009 04:11
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I spend a fair amount of time over at maximumbikes, a board that has a majority of UK riders, from which I have learned at least 2 very important things. The Welsh are not English. And the UK may be damp but they have some of the best riding available anywhere. Here in the US we have been building roads since the 1800's, in Alaska we've been building roads since the turn of the last century and in the UK they have been building roads since Roman days, do the math, it adds up to some bukkit list riding. Now, the important question-did you beat up any mods?
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Jan 17, 2009 04:16
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The last time I was attending a training class in Kali I tried to rent a bike, Eaglerider took my reservation and then  they said "so sorry no Sportster for you!"Bastards. I was looking forward to a ride through wine country. I did get to wander around Ness cycles in Dublin, well, it was within walking distance of the hotel. I should have checked to see if they had a rental fleet. I did rent a Neon. Enterprise, $12.59 a day, unlimited mileage, flogged the crap out of it, 850 miles worth. Kali is a fine place to visit but I don't know how anyone affords to live there.
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Feb 10, 2009 05:32
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blugu64 posted:I've always wanted to try lutefisk; but alas it's not to be found in Texas. Americans of Norwegian/Swedish heritage eat lutefisk once a year to remind themselves of the reason their ancestors left Scandanavia in the first place. And being one of those Americans of Scandanavian extraction I have done my lutefisk duty once and from this day forward will accept the ancient viking castration by timberwolf challenge rather that eat it again. Now, as the Scnadies whine about import duties on the bikes they lust for, they should keep in mind that at least they can get those bikes in Europe. Here in the US, land of the freak and home of the gay, such bikes are unobtanium, the Japanese won't bother with the testing and certifications needed to bring bikes THAT HAVE ALREADY PASSED THE ULTIMATE NANNY STATE TESTING cuz they don't think a fuckoff big standard will sell here. To test that theory they bring us the B-KING and when it doesn't sell becuase it is Japanese analouge of a full-dressed with conchos and everything Harley they'll point their pointy little fingers and say "AH SO! We told you round eye no buy mans bike". And that will be the end of that until the next time.
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Feb 21, 2009 05:10
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I had similar sorta starting problems with my project XT250. I had good spark, maybe too good, the kickback was really ugly, in fact I think it broke something internally as the kickstart lever will sometimes jam up solid. I got so disgusted with it that I rolled it outside. The ground thawedm the bike fell over and is now frozen to the ground and I can hardly be bothered to care at this point. I actually very tempted to call up the local small engine class at the Tech high school and have them come get it.
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Feb 25, 2009 05:46
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8ender posted:Those will sure come in handy with spring coming I usually ride with the GS grip heaters on low in the summer (as we call that short season up here). Lessens the tendency of my hands to cramp. In the winter, they get turned to high and between the heaters and the handguards, my hands stay reasonably warm right down to 0ºF. I recommend them for any bike that can support them power-wise. edit for "I can sure speak me some good English!"
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Mar 7, 2009 03:37
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Simkin posted:There was some guy standing at a bus stop, about 10m away, and I'm pretty sure he saw the whole incident, from the way that he looked at me, afterwards. You're thinking "Oh poo poo I'm going in shriek like a schoolgirl oh no!!" and the guy watching is like "Holy crap that guy is a diety among men, I was not worthy to watch such a display of skill". For those watching this at home who don't have the mad riding skills and the magical riding boots-keep in mind that saving yourself from a lowside can turn into a highside. You start to slide out, you keep the bike upright-ish, the wheels suddenly hook up and the bike catapults you over the other side. I'm not saying give in and fall down but try to remember the possible downside. If our hero hadn't let go of the front brake, poo poo could have got real.
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Mar 15, 2009 01:56
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Nerobro posted:The aprilia's run very, very tight piston clearances. If the barrel isn't warm, and the piston is, the motor WILL soft seize. A couple of RS50's have come up for sale here in southcentral AK-and I have been tempted. I'm surprised that the local youths never picked up on the RS50 or the Derbi, 50cc counts as a "scooter" in Alaska and a 14yo can get a permit to ride legally on the street. There was an ebay auction where a guy was selling a RS250 "frame" with a US legal 17 digit VIN which went for some ridiculous sum. Lots of fun I'm sure but it would have worked out to about $12.5K for a 250cc street bike. For that much you could get a really nice RZ350 and a lifetime supply of rings.
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Mar 15, 2009 17:20
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Christoff posted:"Is that your crotch rocket outside? "Cuz I could only afford one of them, a real bike, or a Harley. Not both."
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Mar 19, 2009 07:27
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I don't know about the plastic, but I do know that if you put too long of a screw in a certain spot on an Aprilia Pegaso, said Pegaso will puke out coolant through a hole rubbed in the radiator, cutting short a planned trip to Dawson. Fortunately, some epoxy putty will get the bike back home, 350 miles worth. Nothing registered as overheating, I only noticed as the boy and I were stopped for road construction and I looked over and saw a puddle forming. As for the spark plug smashed, chances are pretty good that the piston melted or pieces broke off. Those lumps will thrash around inside the cylinder destroying everything in their path, and melted aluminum is extra fun. It tends to condense on the end of the spark plug and can just about braze the plug to the head. I'll have to dig up my own melted pistons, I have several. That might be a fun thread. Gnomad fucked around with this message at 03:13 on Mar 25, 2009 |
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Mar 25, 2009 03:05
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And then, I find this madness on the net. http://www.gasbike.net/ Hmmmm, I have an old bike that I've been to lazy to pedal. And I'm sure that the brakes on that bike are up to the task of stopping the bike at 40 mph. Although I must confess to a certain intruige with the idea.
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Mar 25, 2009 03:08
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I've usually done well with buying and selling of used bikes. Buy them new and the depreciation kicks in, but a good deal of that is the instant drove it off the lot depreciation. The best I did on a bike in recent memory was a BMW K75 that I bought stripped for $800. I spent $500 on tires, bodywork, paint, etc, and sold it a year later for $2500. I did put a lot of hours into it, and my labor rate worked out to be pretty low, but still, done right it can be profitable. I can't see buying a new bike again unless it's a bike I really really want, and thus far the '09 lineup leaves me very underwhelmed. Nothing that I have seen is worth stimulating the economy, excpet the BMW F800GS, and even then, I'm not paying the roundel tax for it new.
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Mar 29, 2009 19:01
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If I waited until it was 15C to ride, my season would be about a month long. I also ride for pleasure and see no reason to deny myself that pleasure just because it isn't 70º and sunny out. There's also the no bugs factor, and dammit I just get the urge to roll on 2 and I'm willing to scratch it all year. In fact, I'm going to gear up and take the GS for a bath. It's drat grubby after a winter of riding and it's finally warm enough for the brakes not to freeze up after a trip to the carwash. Let me tell you, when the calipers freeze up after a wash, it's a bit exciting....
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Apr 3, 2009 03:13
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Now this was a lot of fun to deal with. Bike heavy, Triumph Sprint 900, a good 500lbs or so. Ground covered in slippery snow. Fell over right next to the electric fence. I didn't even attempt this one without assistance, and still managed to take a coule good whacks from the fence.
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Apr 18, 2009 06:55
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Z3n posted:Wow, that is a fantastic idea. I need to scan some gaskets myself now... A common mistake is that people use the glossy photo inkjet gasket material in a laser printer or color copier, that always ends in tears. Not only does it damage the printer but the gaskets always leak.
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Apr 20, 2009 06:32
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Phat_Albert posted:If only it was closer, AND I didnt have 9 other bike projects going on. Yep. There are many trails I would tackle on a Fat Cat. Most of the trails around here are peat over glacier silt, it's great for burying equipment but so so good for trail riding. I know, Rokon. 
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Apr 21, 2009 16:02
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Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester posted:man, a rebel 250 (i think) rode by my car this morning and that was the least appealing motorcycle noise i've ever heard. an uneven wheezy putt-putt noise that makes my lawnmower sound sexy. if any of you own one, you have my pity. The 400 twin is about the same, it makes kind of a "pffff-pffff" sound through the stock pipes. You'd think it would sound a bit better as the pipes are actually almost a straight through design, I can hold them up and see dayight, but the holes are really choked off. I swapped out the originals and used a set of stock Sportster take-offs. It sounds like a bike now but isn't at all loud, a deeper boomier note. And the take-offs cost me all of $5 at a swap meet.
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Apr 26, 2009 20:27
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Loose links/tight links. When lubing a chain, see how it rolls over the sprockets. Some areas will be tighter than others, when it's the danger zone is when the wheel doesn't roll freely, it binds on the chain. The other test is to try to pull the chain off the sprocket. If you can expose more than half of a tooth, you need to gather up a new chain and sprockets. Losing the countershaft sprocket bolt is an ususual occurance, what can bite you on other bikes is if the lock tabs on the CS sprocket fail and the bolts back out. Bad news, as always. Chains and sprockets can be expensive but so can bodywork and emergency room deductibles.
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Apr 27, 2009 04:33
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dietcokefiend posted:How can 2 fenders and a fuel tank retail for $4800? Harley custom shop stuff is what I'm guessing. That can get very spendy, depending on the design amd execution. I believe you get a factory warranty but other than that, I can't imagine it costing that much from a local custom paint shop.
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May 4, 2009 03:35
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Phy posted:I talked to one of the senior salesmen in the Eurobike section of the local giga-dealer, he says he's planning on setting up a V7 Classic for demo rides. Should I sign up, or should I really sign up? Only sign up if you have the money or are prepared to spend years pining for the V7 that got away.
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May 9, 2009 18:40
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A rider at the Dust 2 Dawson had a Tenere and everyone who saw it said the same thing- "Why doesn't Yamaha bring these here?" Of course we know why-the riders who would buy one already have BMW GS's or KLR's, depending on which way the bank account turns. Americans treat bikes like weekend toys and there isn't much poseur value in a lanky V Twin with knobbies. Now if Yamaha marketed them as SUV's, I think they might do well.
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Jul 1, 2009 19:05
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Phy posted:The Tenere's a thump, like the rest of the 660's? Single cylinder. OK, I coulda swore that Yamaha had a 750 twin dualsport...... I do know they brought the TDM here for a couple years but the motorcycle press did not approve and they sold poorly. For the riding I do a fair amount of the TDM would ne a great bike, I almost bought one but the seller got a bit flaky on me. Fake edit-this was the bike I was thinking of and figured that the new Tenere was an evolution of this. 750cc twin dualsport. http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/Gallery%20C/Yamaha%20XTZ750%2089%20%201.jpg And after all, why research a bike you'll never see in the US?
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Jul 4, 2009 16:48
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Phat_Albert posted:SUB's maybe? Sport Utility Bike kinda has a ring to it. Buell sort of marketed the Ulysses as such. It is a nice bike, insurance costs ruled it out for me. For dirt roading it's a bit short and tall, OTOH it's easy to pick up again. I've seen it done a couple times. They are prone to falling over in the dirt.
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Jul 4, 2009 16:52
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I attended a function at the local BMW club (this was before I owned one) and we went for a ride. Fully half of the riders were on other brands. Even the BMW club here doesn't like BMW's.
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Jul 4, 2009 23:30
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laymil posted:I'm heading on a 10 day tour from NJ to Atlanta, up to Johnson City, TN for the BMW MOA rally, back to Atlanta, and then back to NJ. If anyone is in those areas and wants to head out for a ride in that timeframe, feel free to PM me for contact info. Nice job on the streetfighter, seriously.
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Jul 13, 2009 02:18
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I find it preferable to have discord among the ranks. otherwise, it is likely that the bikes will conspire against you. Once you are gone, they can get arrange for an accident involving the car and then they have the whole garage.
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Jul 20, 2009 04:58
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blugu64 posted:I can't wait for the trip report! I hope I can make it to europe for a stupid adventure in the next few years. I was planning to do Sturgis for my half century natal anniversary, but now I keep thinking Europe might be a better alternative. A lot more expensive, but dammit it's Europe! Every ride report I see from Europe is drat fabulous. And Condor flies from Anchorage to Dusseldorf, which makes it easy-ish to get there. I mean, gently caress it. That's what HELOCs and pre=approved credit cards are for, right?
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Jul 24, 2009 15:53
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blugu64 posted:Would you ship your bike/rent/buy over there? My preference would be to ship. Ideally, I'd like to ship it over on the plane as excess baggage....it's possible but expensive. It would be cooler to me to ride my own bike over there-and I think I could collect bonus chicks with the Alaska plate.
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Jul 25, 2009 02:18
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Just for giggles, I checked on bike rentals and flights. Condor flies from Anchorage direct to Frankfurt and other places in Europe, 10 hour + or - air time, not really so bad, and depending on dates I could round trip for as little  as $900 or so. It costs more than that to fly to Alaska bush communities!Bike rentals, found a place with K75's, $700 a week. I'd want 2 weeks to make it worthwhile, so if I plan far enough ahead I may be able to get the bike over there for roughly that much, it's be worth it to me to take my own though. I have a year to plan this, right? That's 9 months to say "I have plenty of time", 2 months of "I should get moving on this" and a month of frantic effort.
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Jul 25, 2009 05:25
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Would this be an inappropriate time to mention just how drat fabulous the summer had been in Alaska this year? OK, we had some odd days, like coming back from Dawson and finding snow on the side of the road in Mentasta pass-but it's been dry and hot (by our standards) and we're actually happy that it's raining a bit. I'm thinking that there is only so much good weather available omn the planet at any given time and this year is our turn. We're owed it after last summer (Skier can just STFU about how he managed to not drown during his trip up here last season that was nominally summer).
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Jul 28, 2009 02:31
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Retarded Pimp posted:Yea, final drive failure seems to be a big issue over at advrider.   A lot of BMW chauvinists are in denial over this very real problem. Of all the bikes I have owned, and there have been a bunch, only 2 have ever needed to be carried home. One was a BSA that I ran out of gas, and the go-to bike of the wannabe world traveler BMW GS was the other. It's not a horribly difficult repair but I am pretty loving tired of having to do it.
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Aug 7, 2009 03:15
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PlasticSun posted:2 BMW master mechanics I've talked to say the issue is using 1 part for nearly all the bikes. GS bikes tend to fail if the bike is commonly overloaded (BMW spec for overloading is very very low, the load that my rear rack is rated to is 5lbs.) I have to wonder if the environment the bike gets used in adds to the trouble. I know that I rode my GS like a dirt bike on the unpaved Taylor highway and on the Klondike loop. My bike has Ohlins and while they do a wonderful job of smoothing out the ride, they may be masking the pounding the final is getting from the raod. But come on dammit, it's adverteased as an adventure bike. It should have somewhat more robust assemblies.
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Aug 11, 2009 06:59
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| # ¿ Apr 26, 2024 00:06 |
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The Sprint and VFR are going to be really close in riding position-if those 2 were your choices you'd really want to try both to see which you prefer. I do love that anniversary VFR, as i did have a couple of the first gen Interceptors. The 83 I had was my first "good" bike and the 84 was the bike that got me back into riding after a few years away.
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Aug 16, 2009 03:58
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