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Jeff in KentuckyParticipant
A tip for the Sea Foam- unhook the gas line to the carbs, drain the float bowls, and fill them with pure Sea Foam. Then tap on the carbs with the plastic handle of a screwdriver for a few minutes, to try to jar loose any crud. Then let the carbs soak for a couple of days, tap on them some more, and drain the float bowls again, then ride the bike very hard for 100 miles with half a can of Sea Foam in the gas tank, using lots of throttle in the straights. Also, the bottom of the gas tank for a bike that was parked a long time may have some old fuel in it that mixes with the better fuel added new above it.
If this does not work, try cleaning or replacing the float valves and removable jets first, then look up how to boil the carb aluminum parts to clean them, after removing all of the gaskets and other rubber and plastic parts.
I add some Sea Foam to the gas tanks of my vehicles every winter, to preserve the older fuel and to clean parts. My little lawnmower started on the first pull two days ago, with Sea Foam in the gas tank and the engine ran enough in the fall to get the Sea Foam into the carb, after changing the oil and cleaning the air filter- the spark plug was new last spring.
I also took a long break from street riding, from 1985 until 2002, then got back into the motorcycle addiction. I went from a 3.5 horsepower Briggs & Stratton to a 60cc 2-stroke to a 100cc 2-stroke to a 650cc 4-stroke (45 horsepower) to a 600cc 4-stroke with 30 stock horsepower at the back tire, bumped up a little by me later. My next bike will probably also be 600cc, but with 3 times the power and requiring higher octane fuel (Kawasaki ZZR 600).
Jeff in KentuckyParticipantThe 250cc Kawasaki Ninja will go about 110 mph, and the newest one looks like a 600cc supersport with narrower tires.
The Ninja 500 costs less than the SV650 and has an older look, and the lower power is safer for a beginner. Both of these bikes are heavier and faster than a 250, which makes them less safe for a beginner, but they are more comfortable at 75 miles per hour.
Take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation class, and buy the oldest, smallest bike you can stand to save money and save your life. Look at every slower bike sold in the US to start with, and narrow your choices later, after sitting on many of them.
Jeff in KentuckyParticipantI started out riding a dirt bike, so I was used to falling about once a week, usually with no injuries- I learned to get away from the bike as we were going down. I broke my toe first- I kept riding but with steel toed boots, and limped for a few months. The two broken lower leg bones put me on crutches for 3 months, and not walking very well for 6 months. I rode very little after that, and sold the dirt bike when I was 16 to buy my first car.
Some people never get back on a motorcycle after a serious crash, but almost everyone drives a car again if they are physically able after a serious car accident- the cage is safer, and there is no bus or train to everywhere people need or want to go. We all weigh the risks and benefits, and make our choices.
Jeff in KentuckyParticipantThe article about braking here is very good, just below where it says braking is vital in red:
Jeff in KentuckyParticipantIf you are taking Vicodin pills for the pain, buy lots of Miralax laxative, unless you like the idea of giving birth to a softball covered with sandpaper, then using Preparation H cream for the next 4 months. Been there, done that about two years ago, when I fell off my son’s bicycle while doing a wheelie and messed up my back- stretching exercises helped speed the healing.
Breaking a couple of bones made me a much more careful rider. I broke two leg bones (tib and fib) in 1974 on a dirt bike, sold the bike afterwards, then did not buy another bike until 1980 for the street. I scared myself a bunch of times during the next five years with close calls, and did one high side with a big slide on my back for a few hundred feet on a very wet road, then quit riding from 1985 until 2002 (college and getting settled in my first permanent job and getting a wife and two kids and a home mortgage kept me saving money for a few years). I plan to keep riding into my 70s now, but at 50 years old I only ride 2,500 miles a year, mostly country roads with very few cars.
Jeff in KentuckyParticipantMotorcyclist Magazine rated the Kawasaki Versys the best new bike for 2008. It is a little tall- when I sat on it with my 36 inch inseam, just my toes were touching the floor.
The same magazine rated the Kawasaki ER6N (pretty much the same engine as the Versys) as a best budget bike for 2009.
Cycle Magazine will have their best of 2010 list out soon, and Motorcyclist magazine waits until the fall for their list of best bikes for 2010.
Jeff in KentuckyParticipantI have found it is better to not go into a turn too fast, by braking early. If I mess up and go too fast anyways, taking the turn a little wider and leaning far enough to scrape something seems to work the best for me. Braking in the middle of a corner upsets the suspension, and can cause one of the tires to slide. Another tip is to start from the outside of the beginning of the corner, so you can see farther into the corner and look for cars crossing the center line or potholes and other pavement problems.
Jeff in KentuckyParticipantTo change the fork oil the best way, you take the forks off and hold them upside down to drain the oil, and some rinse them out with kerosene. My quicker method not quite as good is to buy a long piece of clear plastic tubing, wrap some wire around the first foot to make it stiffer and go into the forks easier, and put it down into the forks after removing the springs, then use mouth suction to get the old fork oil out. You can get most of the old oil out this way, and you can add more new oil to dilute what oil is left to get more of the old oil out. The clear hose keeps you from sucking the oil into your mouth. My repair manual has both a distance from the top and a volume measurement for the fork oil- with this method you have to go by distance. I found adding a little more fork oil than stock makes the forks stiffer, and after a few thousand miles the extra oil has not blown out the fork seals.
Jeff in KentuckyParticipantMine is also red but with no custom paint added, and it needs a new front fender because I ride in the winter when it is at least 40 degrees F and it gets covered with salt and is rusty. The single-pin crankshaft gives it more vibration and less power, but a better sound. My favorite modifications are thicker fork oil and a gel seat pad, along with rejetting and more airflow for a little more power when taking off from a stoplight. I also added a 110 width front tire on the stock rim, for a little better cornering, and raised up the front fender a little so the tire fits. The VLX is styled like a Harley Softail, but with half the engine size and one third the price.
Jeff in KentuckyParticipantThe 650cc single cylinder Suzuki S40 is not the best on the fastest interstates, and there is no coolant to change or chain to maintain. The other two (Triumph, Moto Guzzi) are more expensive to buy and are better for interstate highways, with higher insurance costs.
A beginner would probably be safer with the smaller Suzuki, but you may get tired of it after a year and want something bigger, especially at your height and weight. If you buy used, you will not lose as much money if you ride it for a year and then sell it for a bigger bike. Sit on all of them and others, do a computer search for all of them, and see which one seems the best to you.
March 24, 2010 at 11:09 am in reply to: Hello, no experience at all, looking to learn a lot from you guys/girls #25134Jeff in KentuckyParticipantThis article is a pdf file from SVRider.com, and is difficult to find on your own. It is controversial, which makes people think. Other people have posted references to the more typical, tame writing, no sense in repeating them by me.
I may post more of my experiences later- I am off to work now.
Jeff in KentuckyParticipantLike everything, watching an expert do their work is best, asking them questions, then doing it yourself. I would bring your bike to Ohio or near Niagara Falls, Canada and have one of these guys work on your bike and show you some of the little tricks they have learned over the years, or ask around for the pros in your area:
smaller shop in Canada:
Steve Leigh at Hardlydangerous Motorsports, phone 905-228-3167 in Canada near Niagara Falls.
bigger shop in Ohio:
March 24, 2010 at 12:41 am in reply to: Where does one go who isnt a fan of cruisers or sport bikes? #25118Jeff in KentuckyParticipantRoyal Enfield has 500cc bikes with an older look, made in India.
You might want to check out one of these, some think they are very ugly, but they have a taller suspension, better seat, and a fairly good windshield compared to the SV650 or Gladius:
Jeff in KentuckyParticipantIf the idle adjuster screw is messed up, try starting the bike with the choke full on if it has one, and the throttle set at half or full. After you get it running, then adjust the idle.
Another tip- even if the spark plugs look perfect, a bike that will not start can have hidden spark plug problems- add new spark plugs, then keep the old ones as spares if they turn out to be still good.
Also, many cheap bikes come with cheap spark plug wires- the aftermarket NGK race wires (red in color) are considered the best by some, and are what I am using after I trashed the original wires.
Jeff in KentuckyParticipantI think it is best to ride the Rebel for at least a year, and I know of older riders that went back to the smaller 250cc Rebel as they got older- it is fast enough for 55 mph roads, and light enough to be easy to back up in parking lots and hold up at stoplights.
My last bike was air cooled, and it got quite hot at stoplights in the summer, but it had 650cc and 45 horsepower to generate a lot more heat. I would start a new bike bank account, and spend this spring’s bike fever studying what to get maybe next spring.
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