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The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
I managed to get out the first week in March for some chilly rides, and last week was gorgeous. Unfortunately, looking at clouds and rain / snow mixes all this week. Considering I live in Vermont, I'm just happy I was able to get out at all this early. Now I've got some time to consider what upgrades I want to look into.
There are some unbelievable videos of dudes in full on racing kit just fucking skittering along the pavement at 200mph then getting up, dusting themselves off, and walking away (or surviving, at least). That is, unfortunately, the exception rather than the rule, I'm sure. But it is definitely very impressive what good protective gear can do!
Losing control on a bike is one of my greatest fears. Wearing full gear- yeah, but I hope to god the guy behind me doesn't run me over or the bike cripples my legs or something. Not to mention (if I survive) I'll have to get a new bike, new gear, etc..
Past the possibility of death/injury, I fear the hassle involved with simply going down or even dropping the bike.
Losing control on a bike is one of my greatest fears. Wearing full gear- yeah, but I hope to god the guy behind me doesn't run me over or the bike cripples my legs or something. Not to mention (if I survive) I'll have to get a new bike, new gear, etc..
Past the possibility of death/injury, I fear the hassle involved with simply going down or even dropping the bike.
Proper motorcycle safety education for squids is a priority. When I first bought my bike, I would cruise down the freeway at 80mph in shorts and a t-shirt.
My crash on my first bike was coming off a highway roundabout, its was a LONG sweeping 270 degree turn I was taking at about 140km/h, it was dark, halfway through the turn I hit a small rock in the middle of the street and kicked out the back of the bike, panic braked on rode straight into the curb which I hit at an angle and it knocked out the front tire from under me which sent the bike sliding down the road, I went straight and rolled twice on the grass between the two streets then landed on the oncoming traffics onramp to the highway and slid a bit. I was up and walking around almost instantly, but it hurt like a kick to the wang. Jacket did well, but it was too loose and the pads shifted so my elbow took a strong hit, I was wearing jeans and skate shoes, both shoes were gone about 100ft down the road, the jeans were undamaged but without the padding I took a bruised pelvis and scarring on my thigh. My helmet has large chunks missing out of it, but I had no damage. That night sucked, but considering what it was I consider myself lucky.
Before I bought my new bike I upgraded to the high end gear I talked about in my first post here.
Thankfully it was deserted, out of my mass amounts of stupidity the one thing I did right was to not push myself where other people were around, my flipping bike could have easily hit a car with someone in it.
A friend of mine is trying to sell me on the SV650. Any opinions? Seems similar to the GS500F, but it's a twin, more torque, slightly less fuel efficiency.
A friend of mine is trying to sell me on the SV650. Any opinions? Seems similar to the GS500F, but it's a twin, more torque, slightly less fuel efficiency.
How tall are you? The SV is the closest thing you're going to get to a sports bike if you're a very tall person.
If that's not true, I'd love to be corrected. I'm 6'6" and it's a pain to find things that don't make me look like an idiot.
Now I've got some time to consider what upgrades I want to look into.
That exhaust needs to be the very first thing. Other than that, I got no suggestions unless you want to make a FZ1-N out of it. My buddy has a FZ6, it's a nice bike. I rode it home when he bought it because he hadn't been through the MSF course yet...it's gutless compared to mine, but the FZ1 fixes that problem and then some!
There are some unbelievable videos of dudes in full on racing kit just fucking skittering along the pavement at 200mph then getting up, dusting themselves off, and walking away (or surviving, at least). That is, unfortunately, the exception rather than the rule, I'm sure. But it is definitely very impressive what good protective gear can do!
Wow, could someone explain what the hell happened that caused the crash? He just went down immediately. I always thought bikes were designed to want to stabilize at high speeds....
And speaking of stabilization, how well do bikes handle such things as damaged roads/potholes or just small bumps, dips or deformities in roads? When I ride a mountain bike, I don't really think twice about such things unless its a seriously deep pothole, but I don't know how well that translates to a motorcycle.
Now I've got some time to consider what upgrades I want to look into.
That exhaust needs to be the very first thing. Other than that, I got no suggestions unless you want to make a FZ1-N out of it. My buddy has a FZ6, it's a nice bike. I rode it home when he bought it because he hadn't been through the MSF course yet...it's gutless compared to mine, but the FZ1 fixes that problem and then some!
the exhaust is up high on the to do list, still deciding between Two Brothers and Yoshimura. I'm going to have to do some research, as Yamaha has an "EXUP" system in the exhaust (basically, a servo controls the exhaust diameter based upon RPMs) and I'll need to find out what exactly will have to be done if this servo were to be removed.
The N conversion is sexy as hell, and I'll very likely do it in the future. Initially, I think I'll just get a smaller windscreen until the weather gets warmer. Competition Werkes makes a nice rear fender eliminator, and Clear Alternatives has a nice taillight with integrated blinkers. I'd post links to pictures, but I'm posting from cellphone at which males it a bit of a hassle.
My boss has a z1000, and a friend of mine a CB919. We ought to get our own MC going
A tip to anyone buying a brand new bike: if you do intend to have your dealer do your initial 500-ish mile tuneup/check, schedule it the day you buy the bike. I learned this the hard way with my V-Strom when I called to schedule an appointment, and the closest opening was over a month out with my odometer reading 480 miles.
It looks like he locked the front brake, on a bike that heavy, and under such a hard deceleration after a high speed run sliding the front tire would put hundreds of pounds of force on a single tire that has no traction already and pushes it in the direction its sliding that much faster
Now I've got some time to consider what upgrades I want to look into.
That exhaust needs to be the very first thing. Other than that, I got no suggestions unless you want to make a FZ1-N out of it. My buddy has a FZ6, it's a nice bike. I rode it home when he bought it because he hadn't been through the MSF course yet...it's gutless compared to mine, but the FZ1 fixes that problem and then some!
the exhaust is up high on the to do list, still deciding between Two Brothers and Yoshimura. I'm going to have to do some research, as Yamaha has an "EXUP" system in the exhaust (basically, a servo controls the exhaust diameter based upon RPMs) and I'll need to find out what exactly will have to be done if this servo were to be removed.
The N conversion is sexy as hell, and I'll very likely do it in the future. Initially, I think I'll just get a smaller windscreen until the weather gets warmer. Competition Werkes makes a nice rear fender eliminator, and Clear Alternatives has a nice taillight with integrated blinkers. I'd post links to pictures, but I'm posting from cellphone at which males it a bit of a hassle.
My boss has a z1000, and a friend of mine a CB919. We ought to get our own MC going
A tip to anyone buying a brand new bike: if you do intend to have your dealer do your initial 500-ish mile tuneup/check, schedule it the day you buy the bike. I learned this the hard way with my V-Strom when I called to schedule an appointment, and the closest opening was over a month out with my odometer reading 480 miles.
Slip-ons won't affect the EXUP, generally. It's further up in the exhaust, in the collector area.
I appreciate that tip wallaka, I just assumed it was in the can, and simply disconnecting it would probably give me a dummy light. Knowing that, a new slip on may very well happen sooner then I expected.
There are some unbelievable videos of dudes in full on racing kit just fucking skittering along the pavement at 200mph then getting up, dusting themselves off, and walking away (or surviving, at least). That is, unfortunately, the exception rather than the rule, I'm sure. But it is definitely very impressive what good protective gear can do!
Wow, could someone explain what the hell happened that caused the crash? He just went down immediately. I always thought bikes were designed to want to stabilize at high speeds....
And speaking of stabilization, how well do bikes handle such things as damaged roads/potholes or just small bumps, dips or deformities in roads? When I ride a mountain bike, I don't really think twice about such things unless its a seriously deep pothole, but I don't know how well that translates to a motorcycle.
There are some unbelievable videos of dudes in full on racing kit just fucking skittering along the pavement at 200mph then getting up, dusting themselves off, and walking away (or surviving, at least). That is, unfortunately, the exception rather than the rule, I'm sure. But it is definitely very impressive what good protective gear can do!
Wow, could someone explain what the hell happened that caused the crash? He just went down immediately. I always thought bikes were designed to want to stabilize at high speeds....
And speaking of stabilization, how well do bikes handle such things as damaged roads/potholes or just small bumps, dips or deformities in roads? When I ride a mountain bike, I don't really think twice about such things unless its a seriously deep pothole, but I don't know how well that translates to a motorcycle.
blew out his rear tire, most likely.
Oh yeah you're totally right, teach me to not actually WATCH the video before throwing down a theory, TOTAL back end
Hey I've done that rock back and forth thing for a long time at intersections. Not quite as drastic but a couple tilts left and right make me feel much better about approaching an intersection. The other thing I do (besides curse to myself "don't you fucking do it") is watch the car's rims to see if they're moving. Even a little bit of motion gets me rocking and looking for outs, either in the other lane or if I have time to brake.
I've avoided just a couple dicey situations, but as Gary Player said "the more I practice, the luckier I get"
Hey I've done that rock back and forth thing for a long time at intersections. Not quite as drastic but a couple tilts left and right make me feel much better about approaching an intersection. The other thing I do (besides curse to myself "don't you fucking do it") is watch the car's rims to see if they're moving. Even a little bit of motion gets me rocking and looking for outs, either in the other lane or if I have time to brake.
I've avoided just a couple dicey situations, but as Gary Player said "the more I practice, the luckier I get"
I look at rims, too. I fucking hate spinners with a passion. I used to just regular hate them.
Having a carbed bike and living in the hinterlands can be rough.
Spring is starting and the weather's been up to the mid 40's here so I wanted to take the bike out on the clean, if somewhat sandy, roads. My bike's always been cold blooded, but this year was even worse with me not being able to start it at all - it would taunt me but never quite fire up.
In the fall my bike had been acting oddly, it seemed to be dropping a cylinder or two on idle. I figured it was some clogged pilot jets and although I've done some wrenching I wasn't feeling confident enough to rip a set of four carbs apart so I've been setting aside some money to take it in first thing in the spring. I wanted to ride it in though, not get it trailered to the shop.
The shop picked up the bike this morning, and about four hours later get a call that the mechanic is done, he cleaned the carbs and all four pilot jets were clogged. It fires right up now and ran great when he took it for a test ride.
Can a skilled mechanic really rip through a set of carbs that fast? I expected them to soak things overnight from what I've read when I was looking into doing it myself.
Yep. I know from experience that I can totally rebuild an Autolite 1100 in less than an hour, and I am far from a super-skilled mechanic. Bike carbs are pretty simple, too.
Yep. I know from experience that I can totally rebuild an Autolite 1100 in less than an hour, and I am far from a super-skilled mechanic. Bike carbs are pretty simple, too.
What's your normal process when cleaning carbs, with compressed air can you circumvent having to rip everything apart?
Sometimes it cuts down on the total amount of disassembly, yes. It also means that you can really blast the solvent through the passages instead of waiting for it to soak. Also, familiarity and the correct tools count for a lot, speedwise.
Yeah if you're familiar with carbs at all (which a shop mechanic sure should be), it really doesn't take any time at all. My first attempt at disassembling a carb was last summer. Took me a few hours to do my dual-carb set up. This winter I did the same thing again (although it involved less cleaning this time), and it took me less than an hour from removal to installation, with a complete disassembly in between. When you know what you're doing, where to clean and what you're looking for, its easy.
Clogged pilot jets in particular are easy. Unscrew the jet, soak it in carb cleaner for a few minutes while you work on something else, come back and force compressed air through it. Problem solved.
I got a question, I ran into this problem a couple times tonight...
What is the protocol for being stuck at a red light because the bike isn't triggering the sensor?
I was stuck a couple times waiting to make a left turn cause I was the only one in the lane until a car finally showed up to trigger the light to change. Must have gone through a couple cycles at each light patiently waiting for my turn.
I got a question, I ran into this problem a couple times tonight...
What is the protocol for being stuck at a red light because the bike isn't triggering the sensor?
I was stuck a couple times waiting to make a left turn cause I was the only one in the lane until a car finally showed up to trigger the light to change. Must have gone through a couple cycles at each light patiently waiting for my turn.
I know it's not legal, but I've run several lights for this reason. Usually they're turn only lanes that have their own signal instead of being a part of the main traffic, and when I should be going but my signal doesn't flip it's about that time.
They make magnets you can put on the bottom, and some people say if you put your kickstand down and let the bike hit the ground on that it will trigger it but I don't know how effective any of that is.
I got a question, I ran into this problem a couple times tonight...
What is the protocol for being stuck at a red light because the bike isn't triggering the sensor?
I was stuck a couple times waiting to make a left turn cause I was the only one in the lane until a car finally showed up to trigger the light to change. Must have gone through a couple cycles at each light patiently waiting for my turn.
I know it's not legal, but I've run several lights for this reason. Usually they're turn only lanes that have their own signal instead of being a part of the main traffic, and when I should be going but my signal doesn't flip it's about that time.
They make magnets you can put on the bottom, and some people say if you put your kickstand down and let the bike hit the ground on that it will trigger it but I don't know how effective any of that is.
It's not, and I do the "right on red, (il)legal U-turn, straight on green."
I'm opting to try the magnet approach, so I ordered a couple rubber coated grade N52 neodymium bricks to put on the bottom. With 12lbs of pull force, they should stick to the frame and stay put by themselves.
I got a question, I ran into this problem a couple times tonight...
What is the protocol for being stuck at a red light because the bike isn't triggering the sensor?
I was stuck a couple times waiting to make a left turn cause I was the only one in the lane until a car finally showed up to trigger the light to change. Must have gone through a couple cycles at each light patiently waiting for my turn.
I know it's not legal, but I've run several lights for this reason. Usually they're turn only lanes that have their own signal instead of being a part of the main traffic, and when I should be going but my signal doesn't flip it's about that time.
They make magnets you can put on the bottom, and some people say if you put your kickstand down and let the bike hit the ground on that it will trigger it but I don't know how effective any of that is.
It actually is legal in a few states to treat the red as a stop sign after waiting X number of cycles if the light isn't working. Check your state law.
You're a vehicle; if the light isn't changing for you, that's a malfunction. The sensitivity of the sensors is adjustable, so if it's a light you have to go through every day, complain to your town/city and they can fix it.
I got a question, I ran into this problem a couple times tonight...
What is the protocol for being stuck at a red light because the bike isn't triggering the sensor?
I was stuck a couple times waiting to make a left turn cause I was the only one in the lane until a car finally showed up to trigger the light to change. Must have gone through a couple cycles at each light patiently waiting for my turn.
I know it's not legal, but I've run several lights for this reason. Usually they're turn only lanes that have their own signal instead of being a part of the main traffic, and when I should be going but my signal doesn't flip it's about that time.
They make magnets you can put on the bottom, and some people say if you put your kickstand down and let the bike hit the ground on that it will trigger it but I don't know how effective any of that is.
It actually is legal in a few states to treat the red as a stop sign after waiting X number of cycles if the light isn't working. Check your state law.
You're a vehicle; if the light isn't changing for you, that's a malfunction. The sensitivity of the sensors is adjustable, so if it's a light you have to go through every day, complain to your town/city and they can fix it.
It's usually just on early sunday mornings when I'm on my way to golf (have somebody else bring my clubs). At 6 am on a Sunday there are literally zero cars in sight...I don't care that much it's just annoying.
So I assume nobody is posting because we're all riding!
I've put about 1500 miles on my bike in the past 3 weeks, I had to get new tires because I wore the rear down to the band. $300 for 2 sport touring tires including having them put on, great price!
So I assume nobody is posting because we're all riding!
I've put about 1500 miles on my bike in the past 3 weeks, I had to get new tires because I wore the rear down to the band. $300 for 2 sport touring tires including having them put on, great price!
Did you install the new tires yourself? I'm debating whether or not to get professional help for new tires, because I heard it can be a real pain in the ass.
So I assume nobody is posting because we're all riding!
I've put about 1500 miles on my bike in the past 3 weeks, I had to get new tires because I wore the rear down to the band. $300 for 2 sport touring tires including having them put on, great price!
Did you install the new tires yourself? I'm debating whether or not to get professional help for new tires, because I heard it can be a real pain in the ass.
No that was why I said "including having them put on "
I watched him do it, and yeah unless you have the right tools it will be a pain in the ass.
I hate you all for being able to ride already. I'm out of town right now, but I'm hoping when I get back home in 3 weeks it'll be rideable weather out.
Oh, and about the tire discussion, it's really not worth doing it yourself. Not unless it's a dirt bike and you want to know how to do it because you'll be doing it lots. It requires some specialty tools, and lots of patience until you learn the tricks. Most places will install new tires for pretty cheap too, especially if you take your wheel/rims off yourself, which is pretty easy on most bikes.
I'll put it this way, I've completely disassembled everything (engine included) on my bike without hesitation, but when I replaced my tires this winter, I gladly paid the $50 to get someone else to do it.
the past 3 days here in georgia have had nearly pristine weather. Days like that make me sad that I don't have a bike to be riding.
I hope to remedy this very soon, I'm on the verge of selling my car to buy a bike, I miss it so much.
Assuming I did so, I'd have around $3000 to spend on a bike. I like small bikes, so I'd likely stick to a Ninja 250 ('08-'10) or a Ninja 500 / GS500. I think the biggest bike I'd consider is a SV650, but finding a SV650N in good shape for $3000 or less is tough to do.
the past 3 days here in georgia have had nearly pristine weather. Days like that make me sad that I don't have a bike to be riding.
I hope to remedy this very soon, I'm on the verge of selling my car to buy a bike, I miss it so much.
Assuming I did so, I'd have around $3000 to spend on a bike. I like small bikes, so I'd likely stick to a Ninja 250 ('08-'10) or a Ninja 500 / GS500. I think the biggest bike I'd consider is a SV650, but finding a SV650N in good shape for $3000 or less is tough to do.
I've helped a few of my buddies buy bikes lately and two of them have ended up with a Ninja 650r. It's a totally decent motorcycle in the same power range as the sv. The FZ6r is also tuned down and is very beginner friendly. I've ridden a GS500 and a 650r and honestly the 650r isn't going to do much the GS500 can't except for get up to highway speed and not feel like the motor is going to explode.
I say this because those things are going like hotcakes right now and newer models are close to 4k.
the past 3 days here in georgia have had nearly pristine weather. Days like that make me sad that I don't have a bike to be riding.
I hope to remedy this very soon, I'm on the verge of selling my car to buy a bike, I miss it so much.
Assuming I did so, I'd have around $3000 to spend on a bike. I like small bikes, so I'd likely stick to a Ninja 250 ('08-'10) or a Ninja 500 / GS500. I think the biggest bike I'd consider is a SV650, but finding a SV650N in good shape for $3000 or less is tough to do.
I've helped a few of my buddies buy bikes lately and two of them have ended up with a Ninja 650r. It's a totally decent motorcycle in the same power range as the sv. The FZ6r is also tuned down and is very beginner friendly. I've ridden a GS500 and a 650r and honestly the 650r isn't going to do much the GS500 can't except for get up to highway speed and not feel like the motor is going to explode.
I say this because those things are going like hotcakes right now and newer models are close to 4k.
The Honda 599 (Hornet) is pretty similar to a SV650N, but I think the last production year was 2008. There are a few '04s and '05s for ~3k on Craigslist. I had the opportunity to try out the naked bike but the lack of a top fairing was pretty rough even off the freeway.
the past 3 days here in georgia have had nearly pristine weather. Days like that make me sad that I don't have a bike to be riding.
I hope to remedy this very soon, I'm on the verge of selling my car to buy a bike, I miss it so much.
Assuming I did so, I'd have around $3000 to spend on a bike. I like small bikes, so I'd likely stick to a Ninja 250 ('08-'10) or a Ninja 500 / GS500. I think the biggest bike I'd consider is a SV650, but finding a SV650N in good shape for $3000 or less is tough to do.
I've helped a few of my buddies buy bikes lately and two of them have ended up with a Ninja 650r. It's a totally decent motorcycle in the same power range as the sv. The FZ6r is also tuned down and is very beginner friendly. I've ridden a GS500 and a 650r and honestly the 650r isn't going to do much the GS500 can't except for get up to highway speed and not feel like the motor is going to explode.
I say this because those things are going like hotcakes right now and newer models are close to 4k.
The Honda 599 (Hornet) is pretty similar to a SV650N, but I think the last production year was 2008. There are a few '04s and '05s for ~3k on Craigslist. I had the opportunity to try out the naked bike but the lack of a top fairing was pretty rough even off the freeway.
Ya my GS500 is comfortable up to 80km/h but past that you get buffetted pretty good, doing the bobble head thing not as bad if you tuck down a bit, but that position is a little uncomfortable on that bike.
Posts
I just upgraded last week from my Wee Strom
to an FZ1
Set Fazer to sexy, baby.
I managed to get out the first week in March for some chilly rides, and last week was gorgeous. Unfortunately, looking at clouds and rain / snow mixes all this week. Considering I live in Vermont, I'm just happy I was able to get out at all this early. Now I've got some time to consider what upgrades I want to look into.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=13b_1216810946
Past the possibility of death/injury, I fear the hassle involved with simply going down or even dropping the bike.
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
Proper motorcycle safety education for squids is a priority. When I first bought my bike, I would cruise down the freeway at 80mph in shorts and a t-shirt.
Before I bought my new bike I upgraded to the high end gear I talked about in my first post here.
Thankfully it was deserted, out of my mass amounts of stupidity the one thing I did right was to not push myself where other people were around, my flipping bike could have easily hit a car with someone in it.
Googlemap of the offramp
How tall are you? The SV is the closest thing you're going to get to a sports bike if you're a very tall person.
If that's not true, I'd love to be corrected. I'm 6'6" and it's a pain to find things that don't make me look like an idiot.
That exhaust needs to be the very first thing. Other than that, I got no suggestions unless you want to make a FZ1-N out of it. My buddy has a FZ6, it's a nice bike. I rode it home when he bought it because he hadn't been through the MSF course yet...it's gutless compared to mine, but the FZ1 fixes that problem and then some!
Wow, could someone explain what the hell happened that caused the crash? He just went down immediately. I always thought bikes were designed to want to stabilize at high speeds....
And speaking of stabilization, how well do bikes handle such things as damaged roads/potholes or just small bumps, dips or deformities in roads? When I ride a mountain bike, I don't really think twice about such things unless its a seriously deep pothole, but I don't know how well that translates to a motorcycle.
the exhaust is up high on the to do list, still deciding between Two Brothers and Yoshimura. I'm going to have to do some research, as Yamaha has an "EXUP" system in the exhaust (basically, a servo controls the exhaust diameter based upon RPMs) and I'll need to find out what exactly will have to be done if this servo were to be removed.
The N conversion is sexy as hell, and I'll very likely do it in the future. Initially, I think I'll just get a smaller windscreen until the weather gets warmer. Competition Werkes makes a nice rear fender eliminator, and Clear Alternatives has a nice taillight with integrated blinkers. I'd post links to pictures, but I'm posting from cellphone at which males it a bit of a hassle.
My boss has a z1000, and a friend of mine a CB919. We ought to get our own MC going
A tip to anyone buying a brand new bike: if you do intend to have your dealer do your initial 500-ish mile tuneup/check, schedule it the day you buy the bike. I learned this the hard way with my V-Strom when I called to schedule an appointment, and the closest opening was over a month out with my odometer reading 480 miles.
Slip-ons won't affect the EXUP, generally. It's further up in the exhaust, in the collector area.
blew out his rear tire, most likely.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqQBubilSXU
I don't know about the weaving, but the stuff about seeing the background moving relative to the car at the junction is very interesting.
I've avoided just a couple dicey situations, but as Gary Player said "the more I practice, the luckier I get"
I look at rims, too. I fucking hate spinners with a passion. I used to just regular hate them.
Spring is starting and the weather's been up to the mid 40's here so I wanted to take the bike out on the clean, if somewhat sandy, roads. My bike's always been cold blooded, but this year was even worse with me not being able to start it at all - it would taunt me but never quite fire up.
In the fall my bike had been acting oddly, it seemed to be dropping a cylinder or two on idle. I figured it was some clogged pilot jets and although I've done some wrenching I wasn't feeling confident enough to rip a set of four carbs apart so I've been setting aside some money to take it in first thing in the spring. I wanted to ride it in though, not get it trailered to the shop.
The shop picked up the bike this morning, and about four hours later get a call that the mechanic is done, he cleaned the carbs and all four pilot jets were clogged. It fires right up now and ran great when he took it for a test ride.
Can a skilled mechanic really rip through a set of carbs that fast? I expected them to soak things overnight from what I've read when I was looking into doing it myself.
Compressed air speeds cleaning by a lot.
I worked in a bike shop (pedals, not motors) for a while and I'm now totally spoiled from the easy availability of compressed air.
What's your normal process when cleaning carbs, with compressed air can you circumvent having to rip everything apart?
Clogged pilot jets in particular are easy. Unscrew the jet, soak it in carb cleaner for a few minutes while you work on something else, come back and force compressed air through it. Problem solved.
What is the protocol for being stuck at a red light because the bike isn't triggering the sensor?
I was stuck a couple times waiting to make a left turn cause I was the only one in the lane until a car finally showed up to trigger the light to change. Must have gone through a couple cycles at each light patiently waiting for my turn.
I know it's not legal, but I've run several lights for this reason. Usually they're turn only lanes that have their own signal instead of being a part of the main traffic, and when I should be going but my signal doesn't flip it's about that time.
They make magnets you can put on the bottom, and some people say if you put your kickstand down and let the bike hit the ground on that it will trigger it but I don't know how effective any of that is.
It's not, and I do the "right on red, (il)legal U-turn, straight on green."
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
It actually is legal in a few states to treat the red as a stop sign after waiting X number of cycles if the light isn't working. Check your state law.
You're a vehicle; if the light isn't changing for you, that's a malfunction. The sensitivity of the sensors is adjustable, so if it's a light you have to go through every day, complain to your town/city and they can fix it.
It's usually just on early sunday mornings when I'm on my way to golf (have somebody else bring my clubs). At 6 am on a Sunday there are literally zero cars in sight...I don't care that much it's just annoying.
I've put about 1500 miles on my bike in the past 3 weeks, I had to get new tires because I wore the rear down to the band. $300 for 2 sport touring tires including having them put on, great price!
Did you install the new tires yourself? I'm debating whether or not to get professional help for new tires, because I heard it can be a real pain in the ass.
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
No that was why I said "including having them put on
I watched him do it, and yeah unless you have the right tools it will be a pain in the ass.
Oh, and about the tire discussion, it's really not worth doing it yourself. Not unless it's a dirt bike and you want to know how to do it because you'll be doing it lots. It requires some specialty tools, and lots of patience until you learn the tricks. Most places will install new tires for pretty cheap too, especially if you take your wheel/rims off yourself, which is pretty easy on most bikes.
I'll put it this way, I've completely disassembled everything (engine included) on my bike without hesitation, but when I replaced my tires this winter, I gladly paid the $50 to get someone else to do it.
I hope to remedy this very soon, I'm on the verge of selling my car to buy a bike, I miss it so much.
Assuming I did so, I'd have around $3000 to spend on a bike. I like small bikes, so I'd likely stick to a Ninja 250 ('08-'10) or a Ninja 500 / GS500. I think the biggest bike I'd consider is a SV650, but finding a SV650N in good shape for $3000 or less is tough to do.
I've helped a few of my buddies buy bikes lately and two of them have ended up with a Ninja 650r. It's a totally decent motorcycle in the same power range as the sv. The FZ6r is also tuned down and is very beginner friendly. I've ridden a GS500 and a 650r and honestly the 650r isn't going to do much the GS500 can't except for get up to highway speed and not feel like the motor is going to explode.
I say this because those things are going like hotcakes right now and newer models are close to 4k.
The Honda 599 (Hornet) is pretty similar to a SV650N, but I think the last production year was 2008. There are a few '04s and '05s for ~3k on Craigslist. I had the opportunity to try out the naked bike but the lack of a top fairing was pretty rough even off the freeway.
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
Ya my GS500 is comfortable up to 80km/h but past that you get buffetted pretty good, doing the bobble head thing not as bad if you tuck down a bit, but that position is a little uncomfortable on that bike.