Forum Replies Created
5 Common Wear and Tear Items on Motorcycles
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madjak30Participant
eon has been riding a couple of years longer than me (I started in May 2010), so I would listen to him…but I don’t think you “messed up big time”, I think you gave up a chunk of your control but not all of it…you still had your brakes and steering, but being on the throttle slightly throughout the corner does settle the bike down and it seems to “hook up” when you do it right. Just using your steering and brakes through a corner makes the bike feel a little unsettled with more weight on the front tire…that makes the front pull double duty (kinda) and it doesn’t respond to your inputs quite as easily, when you are on the throttle more weight is transfered to the back wheel and leaves a lighter feel to the steering and takes away the wobbly or jello feel (less spooky).
As for the BRC, he is dead on…I remember the same thing, I thought there was more to it…but really, the parking lot stuff is the hard stuff…riding down the road, is the same as driving except you are at a huge safety disadvantage so you need to pay more attention…but the rules of the road are the same, and once underway the bikes are pretty stable (as I’m sure you have noticed by now)…so the hard stuff is the parking lot, or slow stuff…and having the experienced eyes watching you and letting you know when you are not doing something right does really help…they must have told me 50 times to look at the horizon…they never said it, but they were trying to drill into me that I need to be set up for the corner before I got there…if I wasn’t set up right, just forget that corner and plan the next one (in the parking lot of course, not on the road…that’s why we practice in the parking lot)…if I was trying to steer through the corner while I was in it, I was too late and I was doing it wrong…I know I said that retarded, but hopefully you can understand what I am trying to say…?? Pretty much you should be looking and thinking about the next corner or transition point, where you are at the moment should have been planned already not at the last second…
Anyway, I have babbled enough…just pay attention to what they are trying to teach you during the course…don’t over think what they are telling you (especially counter steering…think of it as push steering), just practice and listen…then practice some more…
Good Luck!!
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madjak30ParticipantThat’s the whole point of all of the parking lot stuff…practice and get your confidence up before you go out into traffic…
As for the shifting into 1st…I always start my bike out in first gear…but I only slow down using engine braking into 2nd gear…when I feel it is time to shift into first for engine braking, I pull in the clutch and use the brakes only for the last bit…and put it into 1st at around 10kph (5-6mph)…it is always smoother to shift while moving, and you want to be in 1st gear to be able to move out of the way if someone isn’t paying attention…you do not want to be the meat in the sandwich…very bad…always check your mirrors when you come to a stop…and keep checking them until you see a vehicle pull up behind you and come to a complete stop…no one else is going to watch you back, so use the mirrors…
And about filling the tank…I hear ya…my bike takes 12-14 liters (3-4gal) and @ $1.28/liter that’s $16-18 to fill…much better than the 124.5 liters it took to fill my truck today…$159.25 to fill…and I have to have a truck for work…
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madjak30ParticipantDamn CAPTCHA…I hit save and my computer doesn’t seem to do anything…so I hit stop…save, still nothing…stop, save…then I give up and just hit forum again…then I notice that I have the last three posts…all the same…awesome!! And there is no way to delete a post…I can edit it, but it won’t let you remove it…
Oh well, it really got my point across…hehehe…
Yup, his vids are excellent…and entertaining as well…
I hope I can get out for a ride this evening…we are going camping this weekend, so I won’t be able to get out on the weekend…should be a good weekend (even if there is a fireban in place) and the kids always love camping…but no riding…oh well…
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madjak30ParticipantGo back to Jeff’s advice in the first respose to this thread…check out Captain Crash Idaho’s video’s on motorcycle safety…
http://www.motorcycleforums.net/forum/captain-crashs-pad/31656-howzit-done-practice.html
He makes great videos with a little tongue in cheek to keep them entertaining…if you practice what he shows in his videos, you will be at the head of the class in your BRC…watch a video a few times, then go out and practice what was in the vid for about 30mins to an hour…then come back and watch another one and so on, and so on…
I’m going to have to take that advice myself since I bought a new bike, and that is almost like starting over again…the balance points of each bike are different…so you have to become familliar with each bike you ride…not so bad if the bikes are similar weight and power, but my new bike is 150lbs heavier and has more than double the power…so practice, practice, practice…
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madjak30ParticipantKawasaki Ninja 650R, Yamaha FZ6R, Suzuki GSX650F & Honda CBF600SA (I don’t think the Honda is available in the States though)
They are all more of an intermediate bike…more of a standard riding position and enough power to be fun, but still realatively friendly bikes…but they should all be pretty good for longer rides. The Suzuki will have the most room for taller riders, but any of them will do fine…there are more adventure friendly bikes like the Versys & V-Strom, but you said that you wanted a sport bike…these aren’t full on super sport bikes, but are a step down the sport bike path…
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madjak30ParticipantYou just have to accept the unsecure info on the site to get the CAPTCHA to work…pain in the ass, but it works…
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madjak30ParticipantChain lubing…well, every 1000kms (600miles) is the norm…but if you ride in the rain, or very dusty & dirty conditions I would clean/lube the chain after each fill of the tank…
Keeping the bike clean is another good one that people miss…as you are cleaning you may notice things that need to be adressed…an oil leak before it drips on the floor, a frayed cable, etc…
I usually lube my cables every 5000kms (3000miles), check the hoses for cracking and change your oil and filter around that time as well…if you don’t ride that much in a year, I would do those things atleast once per year.
Check the electrolite level in your battery once per year…there is usually a line on the battery to show where the liquid should be (above the line)…but if not, just make sure the plates inside the battery are covered by about 5mm (1/4″)
I was going to mention valve adjustment intervals, but I really don’t know that much about the Kawi’s…best advice is to pick up a Clymer or Haynes manual for your bike…they have a maintenance section that will give you an outline to follow…and explain in plain terms how to perform the work…
Good Luck!!
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madjak30ParticipantTheir average consumption was 7.5L/100kms (31mpg)…you would do better than that in a Honda Accord sedan…but even when I was playing alot with the torque, the worst tank I had was 7L/100kms (34mpg)…the best I have done yet is 6.1L/100kms (39mpg), not incredible but decent for what it is…a muscle bike…
The average right now is 6.5L/100kms (36mpg), which I can live with…fuel light comes on around 185kms (115miles)…pretty much ready for a break at that point anyway…just a little off what I am used to with my GS500 @ 4.9L/100kms (48mpg) and a 20L tank…I usually hit reserve at 300kms (188miles)…but what do you expect on a bike that has a big motor and a small tank…??
But there is no comparisson in the fun quotient…
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madjak30ParticipantYou just have to allow you browser to display the unsecure data…if you trust the site, it’s okay…atleast that is how I am going to proceed…
I now have over 1300kms (800miles) on the new bike…I have sorted out some fuel consumption issues and added a windscreen…
Here’s some new pics of the bike…
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madjak30ParticipantBut not if you rev the crap out of it all the time…same as the Ninja…super efficient if you are just riding around normal, but if you need to move quickly…you drop a couple of gears and buzz off…but just shift back to the relaxed ride and it shouldn’t effect the overall efficiency of the bike…
I think it would be an excellent first bike option if you prefered the cruiser style and didn’t want a beast (I mean heavy bike)…the Hp rating is very similar to the Ninja 250, so it should provide the same amount of fun without being in the sportier position…
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madjak30ParticipantEnough speed to do secondary hiway and excellent fuel consumption…she would probably think it is “cute”…just have to get her on one and practice before getting her bike license…she doesn’t want to take the BRC because she has no interest in learning how to use a clutch…??
I know there is a dealer about an hour and a half away…road trip…hehehe
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madjak30ParticipantSounds like the cruiser version of the Ninja 250…10,500rpm on a cruiser…HOLY CRAP!!
So, Jeff…are we the only ones still in here…almost seems like everyone else has jumped ship…I hope it is just a lull…but last year at this time this site was pretty active…??
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madjak30ParticipantCongrats man…and it’s the right colour…love the Kawi Green…
One tip for ya…practice all the slow stuff…see how slow you can ride the bike in a straight line without putting your feet down…practice slow full lock u turns (they are harder than you think)…as slow and as tight as you can, practice figure 8…start with slow circles, left then right and then try the figure 8…all as slow as you can…honest, if you can master the slow stuff the fast stuff is easy…
It’s fun to practice the fast stuff, shifting, emergency stops…but it is usually the slow stuff that bites us, especially when you are first starting (or when you get a new bike…I need to do this stuff again).
Good luck, and have a blast learning your new skills!!
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madjak30ParticipantWell, it is much heavier…570ish lbs…compared to the 420ish lbs of my GS500…riding position is very similar, but more leg room (was on it for 5 ish hours today, no sore knees…WOO HOO)
The torque of the engine takes some getting used to…twist the throttle and it reacts…RIGHT NOW…and the engine braking is just as abrupt…so it is a good measure of your throttle control (I need practice)
Another thing to get used to is the redline…at 5500rpm the rev limiter kicks in, and after riding the GS500 with a redline @ 11,000rpm…it will take some getting used to…
The ride is better for me…no bottoming out of suspension…but it doesn’t turn as easily…partially the weight and partially due to the way wider profile tires…190’s on this thing…
Engine vibration…well, 1670cc V-Twin…it’s what you expect…the mirrors tell you there is something back there, but you have no idea what it is…the seat and pegs smooth out around 2500rpm, but the mirrors just get a little less vibey…not the end of the world…
Seat height is perfect for me @ 32.5″
And the bikes looks are not for everyone…I really like it, but others…well, let’s just say they don’t really care for the look…
You really have to look at the bike as a cruiser…a cruiser that turns and stops really, really well…and if you close your eyes and just listen to the bike, that is not hard…the sound is awesome if you enjoy the sound of a V-Twin (not the straight pipe obnoxios sound)…
So here are a few pics of the bike and some of the ride today…
Saturday afternoon after picking it up…
From the ride…
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madjak30ParticipantLooks like an after thought…??…but your link to you pic isn’t showing up for me…broken link?
Later.
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