Half a Car: The Motorbike Thread
- Barnes93cb
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What did I learn today. Listen to your body when it says that you’re cold. My desire to get home outweighed my common sense. What should have been a 7 hour ride took almost 11 due to me being unprepared to ride in the rain. Today I soaked through my riding jacket, vest, three shirts, my jeans, and had boots full of water that I dumped out multiple times. I managed to make it home at 1am. And promptly got under 4 blankets and colder than I have ever been in my life. I should have pulled off hours before for a hotel instead of riding through multiple storms. It was stupid and reckless. I fully regret my decision in this moment. I am so thankful that I made it back without any injury.
Last edited by Barnes93cb on Mon Aug 13, 2018 8:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
- goIftdibrad
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sounds like you were lucky. next time listen to yourself. Take care.Barnes93cb wrote: ↑Sun Aug 12, 2018 4:16 pm What did I learn today. Listen to your body when it says that you’re cold. My desire to get home outweighed my common sense. What should have been a 7 hour ride took almost 11 due to me being unprepared to ride in the rain. Today I soaked through my riding jacket, vest, three shirts, my jeans, and had boots full of water that I dumped out multiple times. I managed to make it home at 1am. And promptly got under 4 blankets and colder than I have ever been in my life. I should have pulled off hours before for a hotel instead of riding through multiple storms. It was stupid and reckless. I fully regret my decision in this moment. I am so thankful that I made it back without and injury.
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- Barnes93cb
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Yes very lucky. Ill have to plan a bit better for next time.Big Brain Bradley wrote: ↑Mon Aug 13, 2018 8:15 amsounds like you were lucky. next time listen to yourself. Take care.Barnes93cb wrote: ↑Sun Aug 12, 2018 4:16 pm What did I learn today. Listen to your body when it says that you’re cold. My desire to get home outweighed my common sense. What should have been a 7 hour ride took almost 11 due to me being unprepared to ride in the rain. Today I soaked through my riding jacket, vest, three shirts, my jeans, and had boots full of water that I dumped out multiple times. I managed to make it home at 1am. And promptly got under 4 blankets and colder than I have ever been in my life. I should have pulled off hours before for a hotel instead of riding through multiple storms. It was stupid and reckless. I fully regret my decision in this moment. I am so thankful that I made it back without and injury.
- wap
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Big Brain Bradley wrote: ↑Mon Aug 13, 2018 8:15 amsounds like you were lucky. next time listen to yourself. Take care.Barnes93cb wrote: ↑Sun Aug 12, 2018 4:16 pm What did I learn today. Listen to your body when it says that you’re cold. My desire to get home outweighed my common sense. What should have been a 7 hour ride took almost 11 due to me being unprepared to ride in the rain. Today I soaked through my riding jacket, vest, three shirts, my jeans, and had boots full of water that I dumped out multiple times. I managed to make it home at 1am. And promptly got under 4 blankets and colder than I have ever been in my life. I should have pulled off hours before for a hotel instead of riding through multiple storms. It was stupid and reckless. I fully regret my decision in this moment. I am so thankful that I made it back without and injury.
- goIftdibrad
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- Barnes93cb
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Got caught in the rain again. This time it was lighter and a short ride. But sadly nothing to waterproof my phone. Its sitting in rice but I think a new phone is on the horizon. FML I needed to back it up.
- 4zilch
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Do you have a weather app?Barnes93cb wrote:Got caught in the rain again. This time it was lighter and a short ride. But sadly nothing to waterproof my phone. Its sitting in rice but I think a new phone is on the horizon. FML I needed to back it up.
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- 4zilch
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Test rode an Aprilia Tuono 1100 today. The wants are real. Buttery smooth power and fantastic electronics. The up and down quickshifter feels like cheating.
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- CorvetteWaxer
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- 4zilch
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Expanding my thoughts slightly.
Ohlins are better than expected on the road. Stiff, but compliant? Is the way id explain it, sharp edges are rounded off, the suspension compresses, rebounds, and settles. I couldn’t detect a hint of bounciness.
The engine note, even with stock exhaust, is Sounds like an F1 car.
Brakes are good, no better or worse than anything with a Brembo MC and monoblocs. This is the norm on euro performance bikes these days. I’d still probably swap the MC and pads to the setup I currently have on the KTM.
Riding position will take some getting used to compared to the KTM. The Aprilia is more committed, pegs higher and further back, bar is lower relative to seat height so there’s more weight on your arms and wrists. Not as committed as a superbike with clipons, but not as relaxed as the KTM...which admittedly I had to do a fair amount of geometry work to get gain some weight and confidence on the front. The Ape riding position seems to be a good balance between comfort and performance.
Niggles, fit and finish is as good as KTM, but Aprilia uses a lot of philips head fasteners in the body work which is annoying. 98% of KTM fasteners are dual drive torx + hex which is ideal. I suspect the Ape is more difficult to work on whereas the KTM was designed with serviceability in mind (dat off-road heritage).
By the way, someone should buy this. https://indianapolis.craigslist.org/mcy ... 34254.html
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- Barnes93cb
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Yes I do. And every day it calls for rain in SC. Summer here is like Florida. Expect it to rain and take your chances when you can.4zilch wrote: ↑Sat Aug 25, 2018 5:53 pmDo you have a weather app?Barnes93cb wrote:Got caught in the rain again. This time it was lighter and a short ride. But sadly nothing to waterproof my phone. Its sitting in rice but I think a new phone is on the horizon. FML I needed to back it up.
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- goIftdibrad
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Sounds awesome. you gonna ?4zilch wrote: ↑Sun Aug 26, 2018 7:03 amExpanding my thoughts slightly.
Ohlins are better than expected on the road. Stiff, but compliant? Is the way id explain it, sharp edges are rounded off, the suspension compresses, rebounds, and settles. I couldn’t detect a hint of bounciness.
The engine note, even with stock exhaust, is Sounds like an F1 car.
Brakes are good, no better or worse than anything with a Brembo MC and monoblocs. This is the norm on euro performance bikes these days. I’d still probably swap the MC and pads to the setup I currently have on the KTM.
Riding position will take some getting used to compared to the KTM. The Aprilia is more committed, pegs higher and further back, bar is lower relative to seat height so there’s more weight on your arms and wrists. Not as committed as a superbike with clipons, but not as relaxed as the KTM...which admittedly I had to do a fair amount of geometry work to get gain some weight and confidence on the front. The Ape riding position seems to be a good balance between comfort and performance.
Niggles, fit and finish is as good as KTM, but Aprilia uses a lot of philips head fasteners in the body work which is annoying. 98% of KTM fasteners are dual drive torx + hex which is ideal. I suspect the Ape is more difficult to work on whereas the KTM was designed with serviceability in mind (dat off-road heritage).
By the way, someone should buy this. https://indianapolis.craigslist.org/mcy ... 34254.html
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- goIftdibrad
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So, I took my first longish ride on a bike for a quick minute last friday. I got some tightness in my upper back between my shoulder blades. The bars felt a little low. Is this a conditioning thing that will get better as i ride a bit more? should i adjust bars? get bar risers?
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- 4zilch
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You'll likely get used to it, and you could be riding tensed up. I used to have a similar bit of discomfort on my multistrada and it was largely due to me riding tense with a death-grip on the handlebars. So pay attention to that stuff first, make sure your grip is relaxed, elbows bent, etc. After some time you'll figure out what you do or don't like about the bars. Too high, too low, too much or too little pullback, etc, then adjust accordingly.Big Brain Bradley wrote: ↑Mon Aug 27, 2018 7:35 am So, I took my first longish ride on a bike for a quick minute last friday. I got some tightness in my upper back between my shoulder blades. The bars felt a little low. Is this a conditioning thing that will get better as i ride a bit more? should i adjust bars? get bar risers?
If you make any adjustments, be patient and give yourself some time to get used to them before making additional changes. I'm hyper picky about bar position and used to go through lots of different bars, positions, and risers with a lot of frustration not being able to find the "right" combination.
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- 4zilch
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More than likely. A potential buyer for the KTM reached out to me last night and is gonna come look at it this weekend. Once it sells, it starts opening up options.Big Brain Bradley wrote: ↑Mon Aug 27, 2018 7:32 amSounds awesome. you gonna ?4zilch wrote: ↑Sun Aug 26, 2018 7:03 am
Expanding my thoughts slightly.
Ohlins are better than expected on the road. Stiff, but compliant? Is the way id explain it, sharp edges are rounded off, the suspension compresses, rebounds, and settles. I couldn’t detect a hint of bounciness.
The engine note, even with stock exhaust, is Sounds like an F1 car.
Brakes are good, no better or worse than anything with a Brembo MC and monoblocs. This is the norm on euro performance bikes these days. I’d still probably swap the MC and pads to the setup I currently have on the KTM.
Riding position will take some getting used to compared to the KTM. The Aprilia is more committed, pegs higher and further back, bar is lower relative to seat height so there’s more weight on your arms and wrists. Not as committed as a superbike with clipons, but not as relaxed as the KTM...which admittedly I had to do a fair amount of geometry work to get gain some weight and confidence on the front. The Ape riding position seems to be a good balance between comfort and performance.
Niggles, fit and finish is as good as KTM, but Aprilia uses a lot of philips head fasteners in the body work which is annoying. 98% of KTM fasteners are dual drive torx + hex which is ideal. I suspect the Ape is more difficult to work on whereas the KTM was designed with serviceability in mind (dat off-road heritage).
By the way, someone should buy this. https://indianapolis.craigslist.org/mcy ... 34254.html
As the only published author in a well-known motorcycle publication in the room...
- goIftdibrad
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Thanks for the feedback.4zilch wrote: ↑Mon Aug 27, 2018 8:57 amYou'll likely get used to it, and you could be riding tensed up. I used to have a similar bit of discomfort on my multistrada and it was largely due to me riding tense with a death-grip on the handlebars. So pay attention to that stuff first, make sure your grip is relaxed, elbows bent, etc. After some time you'll figure out what you do or don't like about the bars. Too high, too low, too much or too little pullback, etc, then adjust accordingly.Big Brain Bradley wrote: ↑Mon Aug 27, 2018 7:35 am So, I took my first longish ride on a bike for a quick minute last friday. I got some tightness in my upper back between my shoulder blades. The bars felt a little low. Is this a conditioning thing that will get better as i ride a bit more? should i adjust bars? get bar risers?
If you make any adjustments, be patient and give yourself some time to get used to them before making additional changes. I'm hyper picky about bar position and used to go through lots of different bars, positions, and risers with a lot of frustration not being able to find the "right" combination.
brain go brrrrrr
- Devilchrono
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I've been poking around bike sites and reading about various sportster style bikes as a first bike, if I could get the wife to agree to it, and I'm digging the HD Iron 883. Anyone have any thoughts on these? Also, yes I'm considering used first if at all possible, but haven't ruled out new either. https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/m ... n-883.html
- goIftdibrad
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Have you taken an MSF basic course? Ever ridden? what kind of riding do you plan to do? Dont forget to budget ~2k for good gear.Devilchrono wrote: ↑Mon Aug 27, 2018 9:37 am I've been poking around bike sites and reading about various sportster style bikes as a first bike, if I could get the wife to agree to it, and I'm digging the HD Iron 883. Anyone have any thoughts on these? Also, yes I'm considering used first if at all possible, but haven't ruled out new either. https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/m ... n-883.html
Harleys.'....are expensive for what they are. The new honda rebel (300?) will be better in every way for a new rider, and cost half as much new.
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- CorvetteWaxer
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Bolded the points I would make here from this post.Big Brain Bradley wrote: ↑Mon Aug 27, 2018 10:55 amHave you taken an MSF basic course? Ever ridden? what kind of riding do you plan to do? Dont forget to budget ~2k for good gear.Devilchrono wrote: ↑Mon Aug 27, 2018 9:37 am I've been poking around bike sites and reading about various sportster style bikes as a first bike, if I could get the wife to agree to it, and I'm digging the HD Iron 883. Anyone have any thoughts on these? Also, yes I'm considering used first if at all possible, but haven't ruled out new either. https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/m ... n-883.html
Harleys.'....are expensive for what they are. The new honda rebel (300?) will be better in every way for a new rider, and cost half as much new.
Harley's are expensive, but if you really want one, there's a 99% chance a Honda won't make you happy.
I personally would avoid a Sportster just because probably it won't be long before you want something different. The Sportsters only have a 5 speed transmission, so they kinda suck if you get on the freeway. Plus, how tall are you? Most of the Sportsters get small for guys in the 6 foot range.. Even at 5'11" I feel cramped on them. If you really want a Harley I would personally try to spend more (I know it is quite a bit more than the Iron) and get into a new Softail. The new 2018+ Softail bikes have the 107 cubic inch motor and a very nice new frame design that rides WAY, WAY, WAY better than the Sportster or a pre-2018 Softail.
If you haven't really ridden before, grab a used something or other that you won't care too much about to get some miles on, then buy the bike you really want in a year. You might not like riding as much as you think if you have little/no experience and this will save you some money.
- Barnes93cb
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Do not waste your money on an 883. The sportster will be a decent starter bike for most. And some stick on the bike.Devilchrono wrote: ↑Mon Aug 27, 2018 9:37 am I've been poking around bike sites and reading about various sportster style bikes as a first bike, if I could get the wife to agree to it, and I'm digging the HD Iron 883. Anyone have any thoughts on these? Also, yes I'm considering used first if at all possible, but haven't ruled out new either. https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/m ... n-883.html
But the 883 is too small for regular use. I suggest getting a sportster 1200 if your heart is set on that bike. But honestly I would recommend going to a larger bike. Maybe a used dyna of some sort. There are so many options that you will be hard pressed to outgrow in 3 months. But I can assure you an 883 will get boring quick.
- Desertbreh
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That's a cool looking bike.
- 4zilch
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- 4zilch
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You'll get no shortage of opinions around here on what is and isn't a good first bike.Big Brain Bradley wrote: ↑Mon Aug 27, 2018 10:55 amHave you taken an MSF basic course? Ever ridden? what kind of riding do you plan to do? Dont forget to budget ~2k for good gear.Devilchrono wrote: ↑Mon Aug 27, 2018 9:37 am I've been poking around bike sites and reading about various sportster style bikes as a first bike, if I could get the wife to agree to it, and I'm digging the HD Iron 883. Anyone have any thoughts on these? Also, yes I'm considering used first if at all possible, but haven't ruled out new either. https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/m ... n-883.html
Harleys.'....are expensive for what they are. The new honda rebel (300?) will be better in every way for a new rider, and cost half as much new.
But to 's questions, have you ridden, what kind of riding do you want to do, what experience do you have with motorcycles? Budget for gear, absolutely, you could probably get by with $1000 pretty well.
If you're inexperienced, sign up for an MSF course. Go to dealers, sit on bikes, see what you like. I'd shy away from new bikes, go cheap and see if you're even going to like riding and upgrade from there. Buying a used $2000 ninja 250 that you can't resell a few months later for $2000 is a good way to go.
PS, you'll probably tip over at some point, so buying something pre-crashed isn't necessarily a bad thing starting out.
PPS, I followed none of my own advise starting out and lived to tell the tail.
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- goIftdibrad
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