|
TapTheForwardAssist posted:I'm really enjoying whatever type of bike it is, maybe will have to look into getting a nicer bike of similar type in a year or so after I move. I too am a fan on the UJM position. Sport feels too far forward and cruisers feel like I'm lying back in an easy chair. If you like older looking UJM's then I suggest getting exactly that. There were a lot of good bikes made in the 60's/70's that with a little work will be just as good as a modern bike. I've got a 60's Yamaha and now a 70's Kawasaki and I love them both dearly. If you're handy they're also fun in that "watch me strip down and reassemble my bike in 10 minutes with just a pair of pliers" way. 8ender fucked around with this message at 17:19 on Dec 5, 2008 |
#
¿
Dec 5, 2008 17:14
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 24, 2024 19:30 |
|
|
Ghost of Razgriz posted:Mostly cruisers though, I think all of my fellow sport bike riders are still on winter break (I live in a college town). No, thats normal. You will be wading in a sea of cruisers come summer.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 4, 2009 07:27
|
|
|
Christoff posted:If I go any higher though I can definitely feel the air hitting my helmet hard at freeway speeds. Like Krakkles said just relax and let the wind hit you. You'll get used to it eventually and it wont bother you anymore except when its cold. My bike doesn't have a windshield or fairings and 65mph was overwhelming at first. Now that I'm used to it I have to be careful not to go faster. Relaxing is important for another reason as well. On long rides you'll seize up and hurt all over really quick if you're tense on the bike.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 29, 2009 13:05
|
|
|
I blow out huge clouds of two stroke oil in school zones.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 30, 2009 04:09
|
|
|
RacerHD12 posted:Angling your hand or finger towards the ground is clearly more aerodynamic. You joke but I started waving like that myself because its much easier on a bike without a windshield or fairing.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 1, 2009 04:46
|
|
|
Gnaghi posted:I've been wondering about something lately. I'm getting a lot more comfortable with my bike and find myself going closer to the 100mph mark on highways, whipping down twisty roads over the speed limit, and sometimes even passing cars on one-lane roads (when there is plenty of room to do so). I tend to keep this behavior to mid-day weekdays (I'm unemployed now) or after 10pm weekdays, when the roads are fairly empty. This is common behavior, right? Or does it make me a squid? I really just want to enjoy my bike, but I don't want to look like a jackass, either. I too found myself doing this. Its a weird thing when 70mph on a frame and two wheels doesn't feel fast anymore. What I ended up discovering is that if I force myself to relax and ease off the throttle I actually enjoy the ride and scenery more than when I'm tearing up miles full tilt.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 3, 2009 18:00
|
|
|
Trintintin posted:You know your bike is too old when you get denied by 3 shops and have to sign a book of release of liability forms from dealership just so they can do basic maintenance. The mechanic at the dealership said he had never even seen an 88' ex500, yet alone worked on one. Sounds like a lovely dealership. The Suzuki dealer near me happily worked on my 66' Yamaha when it needed a rear tire put on and a safety check. The mechanic was really excited about it and asked if he could take it for a spin around the parking lot.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 5, 2009 14:52
|
|
|
Phat_Albert posted:If your dealership is blown away by an 88 anything, they are loving scrubs. A 68 Kawi? Yeah, thats oldschool. Nothing from the 80's should be that baffling to anyone in a dealership. Other than fuel injection, bikes havent changed too awfully much from the 80's. Hell even from the 70's to the 80's not too much changed aside from points type ignition going by the wayside and CV carbs becoming more common.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 5, 2009 15:50
|
|
|
CSi-NA-EJ7 posted:How do you guys stay warm on long trips? I am planning to do a 3 hour trek in 30 degree weather on saturday to bring a bike home. As mentioned, layers. Also put your gear on and wave your arms and legs around outside. Anywhere you can feel wind is going to get really, really cold.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 10, 2009 03:18
|
|
|
TapTheForwardAssist posted:Quick question: I have a 250cc Honda Nighthawk, and about 3mo of riding. Just two weeks ago I finally tried driving on the highway, and it went just fine (to my pleasant surprise). So I've done some basic 5-10mi trips in the Austin area. Speed limit is 55 in the city portions of I-35, and I've hit 65 when passing, etc. Interstate riding isn't very much fun in my opinion and better left to cars. If its possible to find an alternate route through the back roads I'd highly recommend it. The wind against you will get better with more time at high speeds on the bike. Some sort of bike muscles grow in your neck and back and after a while the wind doesn't bother you at all. I can happily cruise all day long at 75mph and not notice the wind at all but I remember it bothering me a lot when I first started riding. The Nighthawk will get you to 65mph on the highway, but it doesn't have much to give after that, especially on an incline. Personally I wouldn't feel all that comfortable with my own 250 in an Interstate situation, and its a two stroke with more power than your Nighthawk. Again, the back roads will be a much better trip. Plan your route to take you through a few small towns so you can fuel up and eat some beef jerky. Leave early so you don't have to rush, enjoy the sights. Find some twisty roads and plan a longer, funnner route for the way back. Taking the back roads isn't fun on a car but its some of the most enjoyable riding you'll ever do on a bike. Trust me you will not be disappointed. 8ender fucked around with this message at 05:53 on Feb 10, 2009 |
|
#
¿
Feb 10, 2009 05:50
|
|
|
Phat_Albert posted:Wow, I never thought I'd say this, but thank you Harley. Well to be fair, judging by the absolute glut of used Harleys floating around right now I'd say their sales are hurting pretty bad. I would argue that Harleys are probably the most likely to be bought as a luxury item or recreational bike so a downturn like this would hurt them pretty bad. 8ender fucked around with this message at 16:59 on Feb 17, 2009 |
|
#
¿
Feb 17, 2009 16:48
|
|
|
Z3n posted:The thing about the older Japanese bikes is they're hilariously overbuilt. They understood the basics behind building a motorcycle, but the major stuff got industrial strength components to avoid any reliability issues, and what you end up with is a bike that doesn't have a electrical system worth a drat but as long as you can get spark to the cylinders, it'll run until the world ends. Yes, god yes. There are so many things on my 67' Yamaha that are absurdly overbuilt. Take for example the generator cover. Its a lightweight aluminum cover that sits over the points/generator and drive sprocket. A few bolts would be fine to hold this on. No sir, says Mr. Japanese motorcycle designer, circa 1963. Nothing less than 9 stainless steel screws, each around 5cm long, would be fit to fix such a critical item to the bike. We also can't take a chance on all 9 screws possibly coming loose at the same time so we'll use a locking washer on each one. Its a completely different era but my 67' sat in a garage with a full tank of gas for 24 years and it fired right up with a new battery, carb clean, and a temporary fuel tank. Hell I once rode to the store and back after working on the bike and upon pulling it into the garage to investigate a significant lack of power on the ride noticed that I had forgotten to put the right spark plug back in.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 20, 2009 18:41
|
|
|
LastCaress posted:The difficulty starting the engine yes, not the sound (it's hard to hear, they showed it to me). Even though I make all the revisions on time and never push the bike (well it's a 250 anyway) I'm not the most careful owner and I knew about the trouble starting the engine. Sounds to me like you just needed a valve adjustment and a carb clean. I don't know why they felt the need to crack the engine open unless they were talking about popping the valve cover off the inspect the tolerances.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 5, 2009 14:33
|
|
|
Simkin posted:The next ride I'm actually going to have functional heated grips, damnit. Those will sure come in handy with spring coming 
|
|
#
¿
Mar 6, 2009 13:04
|
|
|
I wave at everyone and always get waves back. Everyone loves a vintage bike. My bike also establishes immediate dominance over the Harley's with its insane noise.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 10, 2009 00:50
|
|
|
Twenty-Seven posted:I say the correct spelling is wringing, as in you're wringing out every ounce of power the bike has. My buddy thinks it's ringing, like you're making the exhaust note ring or something I don't know his argument is stupid and he's wrong and I'm right ... right? Wringing, as in wringing the towel. The term comes from how you operate a bike. When you let the clutch out with your left hand and turn the throttle with your right you're "wringing the towel". The same term applies to the opposite motion of pulling in the clutch and turning back the throttle when you come to a stop.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 10, 2009 05:34
|
|
|
Phat_Albert posted:Ha, it got above 40 here in Milwaukee, and there were bikes everywhere. It was 50F here in Ontario last Friday and it turned into super fun start of season bike day for everyone. I saw over ten bikes while rushing home to put the exhaust back on my bike and ride. It started raining before I finished and continued raining throughout the weekend. Now its cold again. 
|
|
#
¿
Mar 11, 2009 04:04
|
|
|
Trintintin posted:I've found a lot of girls actually strongly dislike motorcycles do to the whole "You're an idiot for riding one it is a death machine" stigma. Riding 2 up is fun, but on the 500 the power loss due to extra weight is certainly felt under acceleration. Haha, you should see me on my 250 two stroke with a passenger. I have to ring it up to 8500 rpm every shift complete with smoke show and popping. My fiance likes to ride on her dads Goldwing when we go out because of this
8ender fucked around with this message at 14:23 on Mar 13, 2009 |
|
#
¿
Mar 13, 2009 14:21
|
|
|
Weird, I had a similar situation today and my awesome boots saved me as well. I was riding though the local park (it has a through road) and figured I'd park the bike and check out a bridge that had been washed out by flooding. Stupid me I forgot that spring=really loving soft ground and rode down a grass embankment on an angle. The rear tire immediately slipped out and I started to low side. I stuck my foot out and saved the bike but at the same time accidentally gunned the throttle while the bike was still at a 45 degree angle. The bike started spinning around throwing mud in all directions with my leg as the pivot and me holding on for dear life. I finally figured out the problem and pulled the front brake while letting off the throttle. Somehow I came to a stop upright at the bottom of the embankment. The only thing broken was my pride. A family was in the park watching this and the dad clapped when he saw I was alright. 
|
|
#
¿
Mar 15, 2009 03:33
|
|
|
dietcokefiend posted:I came from lots of car work experience and this bike crap still kicks my rear end. Small clearances are always tough to work with and you always manage to find something else that is broken; always I still prefer bike work over car work despite the clearances. Its much more civilized to sit on a stool smoking a cigarette with the bike on a centre stand in the middle of the garage than stuck under a dark car thats dripping fluids and dropping grit into your eyes.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 22, 2009 17:13
|
|
|
Orange Someone posted:I can't imagine not wearing kit. I mean, we don't have the temperatures that you guys can have, but it's bleeding windy at speed, and the jacket and gloves make it comfortable. I don't understand this either. Maybe I ride too fast but at my regular speeds my eyes would be watering from the wind and I'd be deaf from the wind noise. A nice full-face makes riding so much more civilized.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 23, 2009 17:08
|
|
|
I posted some questions about this bike in the questions thread. Today my father-in-law picked it up and my god is it massive. He had a Goldwing before but apparently that was was too small and didn't have enough 1970's styling. I plan on drafting this bike on my KZ650 to stay warm in the coming month. Behold, El Monstro, king of the UJMs: 8ender fucked around with this message at 18:37 on Mar 24, 2009 |
|
#
¿
Mar 24, 2009 18:32
|
|
|
Z3n posted:Remove hoses, but no fuel comes out! You wont believe how nice this is. My YDS3 is gravity fed, manual petcock, and the petcock has a siamesed banjo at the bottom that delivers fuel to two separate hoses. Removing the tank is a guaranteed fuel loving everywhere procedure, even with clamps on the fuel lines.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 25, 2009 12:17
|
|
|
My only beef with this cold is that I think I'm starting to yellow the pipes a little on my newly finished 77 KZ650 because the bike is running so drat lean.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 1, 2009 05:05
|
|
|
VTNewb posted:It yielded under the power of the 440. Do the coil mod, it makes things much easier to start. I'm doing a write up on the process for my project thread soon.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 5, 2009 02:26
|
|
|
Nerobro posted:The bike has CDI, not battery powered coils. If the coil mod is what I think you're talking about, it would not be possible on a dirtbike such as the 440. Whoops, read that as KZ440 and figured he was dealing with old wiring like I am.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 5, 2009 06:29
|
|
|
Simkin posted:Edit: There's just too many goddamn He must be a Highlander. No one else would be that reckless. Any other explanation makes my brain hurt.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 13, 2009 07:11
|
|
things in that picture. Why the gently caress would you ever, in a million years, put your kickstand down at a set of lights? How does one continue to ride around on a tyre worn through to the cords and not notice? What kind of retarded do you have to be to pull a wheelie, in traffic, with no helmet on? 
|
God-damned Pilates posted:If you've ever tried to approach such a group of insular morons to talk them into any semblance of sense, you're a braver man than I. They tend to respond to the unfamiliar with violence and further ignorance, since it's all they really know. It'll take a shocking thing to make one of these people think, and unfortunately, that shock will likely come in the form of one of their friends being torn apart in a crash. They also don't wave back when you ride past 
|
|
#
¿
Apr 13, 2009 16:39
|
|
|
Z3n posted:You should really try a true standard, something like a Versys, SV650N, most of the BMW line, etc. For me, the best ones have a slightly forward lean to reach the bars, with your pegs directly below you or slightly back. Yes. If the seat is right you really can't beat a standard for all day riding. Also you can pretend to be a sport bike rider by putting your feet on the passenger pegs.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 17, 2009 18:56
|
|
|
Kids love my really old 1960's bike. I honk and rev the engine to make clouds of smoke and they go loving crazy.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 18, 2009 02:34
|
|
|
Did the same thing trying to get my KZ on the centre stand. Caught it just before it hit the ground. Filled with piss and vinegar from almost being crushed I lifted it back up and heaved it onto the centre stand like it weighed nothing. I hurt everywhere for a week after that.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 18, 2009 05:26
|
|
|
Boy did I feel like a fool yesterday. I was wrestling with the KZ trying to get it on its centre stand. When I was painting the tail piece it was easy because I could get a good grip on the frame but now that the piece is back on I just couldn't get the leverage I needed without breaking something. Then I realized if I backed the rear tire onto an old brake rotor I had lying around I could get it on the stand in seconds with nearly no effort at all. I've been strong arming the stupid thing onto its stand since I bought it last fall. 
|
|
#
¿
Apr 30, 2009 12:09
|
|
|
Ugh, ran out of gas today and it turns out my reserve pickup is clogged. Luckily I was riding with my father-in-law so I got to suntan and smoke cigarettes on the shoulder while he found a gas can and a gas station on his Goldwing. Just a warning to everyone else: switch to reserve for a bit and make sure it works once in a while.
|
|
#
¿
May 2, 2009 01:40
|
|
|
I gently dropped mine the other day after some rear end in a top hat parked next to me funny and blocked me in. I felt it going over and managed to ever so softly lay it down on the right crash bar. That technique Doctor Zero linked to (the first one) works really well. Even though it was embarrassing one good thing was that I found out my bike can rest completely on its crash bars without anything else touching the pavement.
|
|
#
¿
May 6, 2009 20:43
|
|
|
Ponies ate my Bagel posted:I've got to take the wheels off my R1 when I get it tomorrow. How hard of a process is this? Also how much should I look at paying to have a set of tires mounted on the wheel and balanced? Does it need to be safetied and certified before you register it? I've had good luck in the past swinging deals with the shops safetying my bikes to get them to put a tire or two on for only $40 or so over the cost of the safety.
|
|
#
¿
May 9, 2009 03:31
|
|
|
Z3n posted:500$ RD350, with spares, complete, wouldn't spark. Son of a bitch. I'm sorry man
|
|
#
¿
May 18, 2009 04:57
|
|
|
Ola posted:Woop! Three weeks from now I'll be doing a proof-of-concept run to see if I can make it through Europe in a tent. Stop posting your beautiful vistas. It killing me knowing I'm going to ride home from work tonight on a straight, flat farm road
|
|
#
¿
May 20, 2009 15:11
|
|
|
wormil posted:What the hell are these bikes? Wow thats really weird because I just saw one of these on the street at lunch and couldn't figure out what the hell it was. Turns out its made by Hyosung, a Korean bike. I have no idea on the build/ride quality.
|
|
#
¿
May 21, 2009 19:05
|
|
|
Chris Knight posted:And I need map bag/luggage/noise blocking earbuds if I'm going to to it. If you need a great set of saddlebags and tank bag at a cheap price check these out at Canadian Tire: http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brow...Combo%2BSet.jsp I just bought the set on sale for $62 and I'm really impressed with the quality for the price.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 4, 2009 00:15
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 24, 2024 19:30 |
|
|
Phat_Albert posted:Carbs are the poo poo son Carbs are frustrating sometimes because there is this big area between "runs" and "runs awesome" that is completely dependent on cleanliness, jetting, exhaust, intake, and numerous other variables. Depending on the bike "runs awesome" can take forever to get right. My YDS3 ran great, or so I thought, until I decided to try to fix the hard starting problems with some new pilot jets. Now it runs like a raped ape. Similarly new exhaust gaskets magically added a million horsepower as well.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 4, 2009 15:07
|
|