Motorcycle Enthusiasts

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cherryapplemilk

Member
I have to admit, they sort of intrigue me (fun + gas saver even though my little Civic does pretty well anyway), but I'm not convinced I wouldn't kill myself. Doesn't seem like a very forgiving vehicle? in my car if I don't see a huge pothole in time, I might say "AGH my suspension" (or at worst, "AGH my tire"), or I can swerve suddenly to avoid it, but doing so is not going to send me flying if I hit it or make me lose control if I swerve. I don't know if I trust my driving enough to ride one...I think I'd have to feel I were a near-perfect driver, who keeps my eyes on the road 100% and never gets momentarily distracted by other traffic and such, to feel confident enough.

Plus, as a beginner learning to drive a car if I screwed up the worst that happened was that I stalled out the car or took a turn too sharp and made my mom shriek. On a bike I could go skidding down the road shedding my skin at the rate of 40+ mph...ow. Since I'm not real coordinated, that could be happening to me a lot until I got the hang of it, armor or no. I'm not sure how I feel about that....

If I lived somewhere warm I might give it a shot anyway (and if my partner ever gets another bike I'll probably learn to ride it), but not in a place where I would own/be paying for a vehicle that would spend at least half the year in storage; for the hardship of the added expense I'd want to be able to use the thing any time the mood struck me rather than staring at snow and ice saying "a few more months..."

Ah, hell, let's face it guys...I'm probably just a wuss (you can say it too). My partner says it's not as hard as I think, and I suppose I can't possibly be as much of an idiot as I think I am, but I'd sure hate to find out the hard way. But I've been loving all the pictures/eyecandy anyway.

Gotta say I like some of the vintage Hondas...
 
Q

q97dot9

New member
I've always ridden dirt, but had a few street legal bikes in my time. Because I love the dirt so much, I've always chosen the dualsport rout. Plus I don't think I could trust myself with a rice rocket. Ha ha, I'm pretty sure I'd kill myself, or others. As far as the street goes, in the past I've had a 1986 Yamaha XT350, '87 Yamaha XT600, and now a 2011 Suzuki DRZ400s, that I picked up a few weeks ago. Here are some pics!

A pic I took while signing papers:


It looking better, now that it's parked in my garage...


Pic from a trail ride I went on the other day:


So far it's been an amazing bike for me. It could use some more power, but all in all, very well rounded. 65MPG is pretty incredible, compared to my truck (10-12) Ha ha!
 
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MarkAnthony

New member
I like the DRZ400, a mate of mine used to run an off road school that used them. I don't know if Suzuki stil do the DRZ400E rather than S? If so it had enough extra power to make it more interesting on full knobblies off road, but was visually identical so I guess they share many parts and so keep spares cheap.

Looks like you've got some nice trails to ride that kind of bike on over there, enjoy!

Mitch
 
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Phenom93

New member
Thanks Mitch! The trails around here are great. If you're a off road junkie, the Pacific NorthWest is a great place to live.

There are actually quite a few differences between the E and S models.

1. S model has a lower compression ratio, in order to make it run leaner, enabling it to run on 87 octane.

2. E model has a Keihin FCR39mm carb that dumps a lot more fuel than the S's Mikuni BSR36.

3. Different weighted flywheels, and balancing.

4. The S has the added weight of the rear pegs,blinkers, horn, ect ect.

5. The E has a more aggressive cam

The list goes on and on. The cool part is, you can bolt on all the E model parts for weight reduction, and HP gains. It's about $1500 USD worth of goodies, but well worth it.

So far I haven't been able to find any 2011 E models, but I'm positive they offer them somewhere.
 
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HorseWhispa

New member
Lovely super slow mo footage of Stoner mid corner

http://www.redbullusa.com/cs/Satellite/en_US/Video/moments-casey-stoner-moto-gp-021243047212056

Mitch
 
A

aprils

Member
The making of the Rocket III is a stunning process . . .
YouTube - ‪TRIUMPH ROCKET III - 21ST CENTURY MOTORCYCLE MANUFACTURE‬‏
 
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idtapthat

Member
For my next bike (after my ordeal with a mobility van), I intend to purchase a Honda NXR. Which is a dual sport with a 125cc engine, a reasonable sized tank (so its economical) and can survive on both the farm and the motorway. Not only that, its the right height for me and perfect price for a student, in both purchase and maintenance. Also it comes with the word 'BROS' which where I come from, is pure win.
 
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randellw

Member
hi fouks
I rid a suzuki rf900 and it's a blast, it's fun, it's fast and get me where i'm going. only problem is when i'm riding to the dojo with my weapon bag ( with the bo it looks like i'm going fishing with big fishingrood across my back)

I also have 2 other bikes but they need some work to be ready for a drive it's a honda rb450 and a suzuki gt 550cc from 1976 ;o)

i've been riding for 10 years now.
 
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JackDupp

New member
Terrible news from MotoGP today with the death of a real rising star, Marco Simoncelli. He'd just started to show the promise that would have surely lead to race wins and, at least in my opinion, maybe a championship.

Always aggressive, always spectacular and with a larger than life presence in the paddock, MotoGP will greatly miss him.

My thoughts go to his family and friends and to Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi who were unavoidably involved in the accident.

RIP Marco.
 
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Thugnificent

Member
It's so tragic, but that's racing. If it wasn't dangerous, it probably wouldn't be as popular.

We should all be so lucky as to live our dreams, if only for a little while.
 
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taraespencer

New member
Sometimes the tracks that don't host international races throw up some brilliant racing. This is from Cadwell Park in the UK, and demonstrates the appeal quite nicely

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy4bZF6p04c

Mitch
 
C

CjSm

Member
A mate of mine was on the first session of a trackday there with me and thought, "I wonder what happens if I take the mountain a gear lower?"

The answer is you flip your bike so it lands upside down before sliding down the track, still upside down, whilst you slide along behind it on your arse watching the expensive damage in slow motion horror.

Then you look at the newly created bike-pancake hybrid in the paddock and try and persuade yourself it's fixable, whilst Mitch stands next to you, gently but regularly interjecting, "No mate, it's stuffed*"

Then you get me to phone Mrs Mitch and get her to hire a van, (on a Saturday morning), to drive from Nottingham to Cadwell (in the Bank Holiday traffic heading for Skeggy), to collect the remains of your bike.

Amazing how a simple question can lead to such a convoluted answer

Mitch

*other words may have been used.
 
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