- This topic has 33 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 8 months ago by CBBaron.
First bike advice
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August 25, 2010 at 7:25 pm #28303Gary856Participant
Most people feel the freeway is safer than surface streets, because everyone goes in the same direction and no intersections, so less chance to get cut off. It’s hard to beat the convenience and time saving of hopping onto the freeway, even if the distance is only a few miles, so don’t rule out riding the freeway if it’s an option.
GS500, Ninja 500R, 650R, SV650, etc., are all good all-purpose bikes. The two 500s are little small physically for a tall guy, but that maybe a good thing for a beginner. The two 650s are a little more powerful than ideal for a beginner. Since you’re tall with long legs, I’d also check out a DR650 or a KLR650.
August 25, 2010 at 10:18 pm #28307droesParticipantPower isn’t a problem, we’re limited to a 25kw (about 33hp) license for our first two years, so whatever I’ll get will have to be restricted to 25 kw anyway.
August 26, 2010 at 1:24 am #28310TrialsRiderParticipantThe distance to travel the entire length of Belgium from it’s coast to it’s furthest inland city would be about 200 miles and require about 3 hours by highway. We here in North America have a very different concept of long distant travel, super-highways and open country, than would someone from a country of that scale.
I’ve ridden my 500cc single cylinder Honda Ascot further than that, stopping only to fuel up and pee, so to buy a 650cc twin or i4 and put restrictors in the intake and exhaust manifolds to kill it’s power while learning, makes no sense whatsoever.…that’s why Euros can get those cool 1/8th. liter sportbikes and we don’t
August 26, 2010 at 3:23 am #28311eternal05ParticipantDude, looks are the reason that everybody prematurely jumps to supersports. That’s the reason I almost did. I know that other bikes just don’t look the same, but trust me, it’s better to tolerate a less-sexy bike and really get good than it is to have a formerly beautiful bike lying in pieces in a parking lot.
August 26, 2010 at 3:31 am #28312megaspazParticipantpffft… duct tape and zip ties… works every time… ;-P
August 26, 2010 at 4:48 am #28252Gary856ParticipantEU (European Union) states have open borders, so one can ride/drive across the entire Europe if he wants. The urban centers are pretty congested, old towns have narrow/rough roads, but the freeways there look and feel about the same as here in the US.
I still find it hard to believe that EU became a reality, Euro became a common currency, and all those different countries can agree on anything…
August 26, 2010 at 11:44 am #28315TrialsRiderParticipantWhen I bought my Montesa it came with the restrictors in and foolishly I rode it that way for all of 30 minutes, 4 hours of dismantling to remove the restrictors and a week or more to sort out the EFI and it started to run as it was originally designed. Imagine your GS500 with one carb completely blocked off, tons of brake, but no less weight than it has now and that is what a restricted bike is like to ride.
August 26, 2010 at 2:00 pm #28316TrialsRiderParticipantHere is an example of an intake restrictor plate from a 250cc intake, the penny is shown for comparison. The exhaust restrictor rings of which mine had 3, were of a similarly reduced dimension (same inside dimension as a size 8 finger ring)
The restricted performance and sound was roughly the same as a 125cc or smaller engine.August 27, 2010 at 1:06 am #28314eternal05ParticipantMy last set of bodywork was so shitty that the pointy-side-bits on the upper fairing (i.e., where the fairing gets closest to your knees) didn’t even attach to the rubber grommets they were supposed to. I had to zip-tie them to the chassis. I also tried to use duct-tape to “fix” the kickstand sensor after I thoughtlessly removed my kickstand mid-trackday. Worked great! Until 3/4 of the way down the 0.9 mile front straight at PIR the duct tape stretched out, the sensor’s piston got loose, and my engine cut out at 150mph
Ahhh, the lessons learned.
August 27, 2010 at 2:51 am #28317megaspazParticipantoh the kickstand thing… that’s easy… there’s 2 wires that go to that kickstand switch, let’s say green and black. Get your self some male and female connectors. Cut those 2 wires. for the black wire closest to the kickstand, put on a female connector. The other black wire, put on a male connector. For the green wire closest to the kickstand put on a male connector. The other green wire put on a female connector. With your kickstand off, plug the wires farthest from the kickstand into each other. Let the other wires just hang there. When you put the kickstand back on, plug the green wires together and do the same with the black wires.
August 27, 2010 at 3:59 am #28318RabParticipantI haven’t met anyone yet who can ride a motorcycle over the English Channel (unless it’s on a boat), and the “Chunnel” is only for trains.
Actually, the E.U. is a turning into a dictatorship (widely known in Europe as the EUSSR), and a great many Europeans desperately want out of it. However, just like here in the U.S.A., the so-called governments stopped representing the people long ago…
August 27, 2010 at 7:02 am #28320droesParticipantAllright, that means Brits will have to take the ferry rather than drive.. Apart from that, you can just travel to most countries in the EU.
A great many seems an exaggeration, as I’ve met few people that aren’t content with the current situation.
August 27, 2010 at 11:41 am #28321TrialsRiderParticipantRemove all non-essential bits including the entire wiring harnesses and store in a box, where eventually the entire motorcycle will end up, prior to restoration by the next owner. Zip ties are standard equipment spares and should be carried on all motorcycles, all the time. With a Swiss Army Knife reamer & zip ties a cracked fender or body part can be ‘stitched’ together, until proper medical attention can be obtained.
August 28, 2010 at 7:31 am #28343RabParticipant“A great many seems an exaggeration, as I’ve met few people that aren’t content with the current situation”.
Then you should get out more often…
France, Germany and the the dirt-poor former USSR countries are the beneficiaries of the other countries’ largesse.
Wait until Turkey joins and watch the whole house of cards fall apart…
August 28, 2010 at 9:34 am #28344droesParticipantFirst off, do you actually live here?
As for France and Germany being beneficiaries:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)_per_capita
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)As you can see, they are some of the largest countries in the EU, both by GDP and by population.
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