Motorcycles Chat - Life's pretty cheap to that type

[Uomo Senza Nome]

Sadly the day of the horse has gone the way of the passenger train. The man with no name needs a steed though. How else can Blondie best travel alone from town to town and village to village looking for trouble to find him?

I've ridden now for 31 years, although there was a break of nearly eight years when I rode very little. Currently I own two Motorcycles. An HD Road Glide Custom and a KLR 650 (the prepper-cycle).

The KLR doesn't see much use. I often ride with a group and the KLR is slow and has poor relative acceleration making it difficult to keep up. If I run it max revs it will run a solid 75-80MPH under most conditions but that will likely shorten engine life. I added some 25MM ammo can saddle bags to put my small amount of stuff in. When I go camping I throw an old Army Duffle Bag across the back and strap it down tight. At about 50MPG it has range of about 225 miles if the throttle is kept under control. It's lightweight and feels and handles like a bicycle with a big motor. I don't care if I ride it through gravel or even light off road use. I don't mind riding it in any kind of weather when geared up, so if I have to ride and it looks like rain then the KLR wins.

The Road Glide OTOH, that is the good stuff. I've added the SC I&II mods and the roll on power is phenomenal. HD got rid of 75% of the washing machine rattle a few years ago in their line up so it is smooth and yet still provides plenty of feedback. It is speed limited to 115MPH but I can't think of any reason to ride that fast. At nearly a grand in curb weight it is as stable as a Buddhist Monk, if occasionally tough to park. At 43 MPG it has a practical range of 200 miles even at top highway speeds. Those little places where the KLR can jump off to the side of the road or down a goat path the RG isn't well suited for. And I don't want to anyway. It used to be called the "Road King" not the off road king.

The helmet box is the perfect size for an entire bailout kid including body armor and an AR pistol (sans sig brace these days of course) and is kept locked up. That leaves the saddle bags for other items and when the couch is unoccupied I can throw an aviator kit bag there for my travel needs, when needed.

If you ride or are interested in riding feel free to chat.

[roadart]

I feel you on the bikes.  50+ years riding.  My favs were the 1980s xl250 enduro I used for canyon carving on tiny cliff trails out west and in the desert.  I have had dozens, literally, from 2 strokes, one lungers (bsa victors) Harley, and a virago. The virago was good for a sportster size bike, sold it with a 100k on the clock. I just bought an fxrp for my last big ride, and with a little adjustment and removal of some custom items I am enjoying it.  But being old and recently decrepit, (some mystery ailment)  I seldom ride with others, but I see how old guys get in trouble.  The weight is real. Up until a few months ago it wouldn't have been an issue, but that was then and this is now.  
     Realizing my limitations is now making me review all the rest of the preps stuffing the garage and cellar.  Starting to figure out how to sell thing that are now, or in the future ,not going to see the light of day.  For some reason selling is NOT as much fun as acquiring. 
   You know, I like your tag line about being sensible. I am the opposite. find it hard  to be sensible

[Uomo Senza Nome]

I ended up trading in the KLR for a 2022 Pan America. It's been a great bike. It provides all the missing pieces of the KLR.

[majorhavoc]

I tool around on a Honda CB500X, which replaced a KLR650.  Less displacement but lighter and snappier.  Part of me misses the idea of the nigh-near bombproof, post-apocalyptic, go-anywhere Kawaski with impact wrench-like torque.  But not enough to give up the relative smoothness and comfort of the Honda. 

[Beowolf]

My current ride is a 2017 HD Dyna Fat Bob. Rode it to work today, actually. I've been riding for 18 years now, though I've been struggling to rediscover my love of two wheels over the past few years.

So I built a motorcycle garage (12x14 shed) to give me a place to tinker and work out of the elements since I don't have a proper garage.

It's helped. I'm also planning on riding down to NC later this year. I haven't been on anything more than a ~140 ride in over 12 years, so that's exciting.

[Uomo Senza Nome]

I am planning on a ride in May up to Virginia through the Smokies, a little bit of Blue Ridge Parkway and then on to NOVA to the SO's house. Probably be about 1.5k, not including riding around while there. I've gone back and forth on which one to take and decided that the Pan America needs a good shakedown cruise and will be better in the mountains since it handles like a BMX bike.

[MacWa77ace]

I have a motorcycle also certification on my License. But don't have a bike anymore.

My '88 FZR1000

Seat cowl and smoked windscreen add ons.
Custom Paint. Done by yours truly, lacquer w/ no clearcoat, sanded to a wet gloss look. Matching Shoei helmet w/ smoked visor add-on.
K&N racing jet kit, and intake.
Lowered front end for tighter turns, and upgraded the front springs.
SuperTrapp Superlight headers and tunable exhaust; 11 lbs total. Reduced the bike weight by 47 lbs over stock exhaust system. Jet/exhaust combo increased HP from 175 to 185 on a wet weight bike of 473 lbs. [stock wet weight 520]

I did all the work. Fun hobby. Except for when you get caught in the rain.

Stolen in 1994. R.I.P.

[Uomo Senza Nome]

Fun hobby. Except for when you get caught in the rain.

I spent the Easter Holidays in Paris and Rome. About 10% of the vehicles on the road were two wheelers. During the rain they have a variety of ways to avoid getting wet including riding suits and lap aprons (never seen one used in the US). Two wheels is so much lower environmental impact and cost that they are very popular. For us in the US, the problem is shitty, intoxicated drivers who run people over without repercussions.



https://www.skirtex.fr/scooter-leg-cover-shopping-skirtex.htm

[MacWa77ace]

Fun hobby. Except for when you get caught in the rain.

I spent the Easter Holidays in Paris and Rome. About 10% of the vehicles on the road were two wheelers. During the rain they have a variety of ways to avoid getting wet including riding suits and lap aprons (never seen one used in the US). Two wheels is so much lower environmental impact and cost that they are very popular. For us in the US, the problem is shitty, intoxicated drivers who run people over without repercussions.



https://www.skirtex.fr/scooter-leg-cover-shopping-skirtex.htm

I had a full rainsuit that folded up small enough to fit under the seat. But I lived in Florida and sometimes you just couldn't stop and put that on in time with the isolated pop up showers around here. My POS rainsuit had a seam right in the crotch that would leak and so I'd look like I pissed myself if I had to ride too long in the rain.

[Uomo Senza Nome]

The riding apron was quite popular. Everybody kind of looked like a granny with a blanket but they stayed completely dry. Some of them snapped to the bike and looked more or less like a semi-permanent mount.

[MacWa77ace]

LOL
Last night on the way home from work, as I was driving I was watching this ominus storm cloud out west and was trying to guesstimate if I was going to run into it. I had just gotten off the turnpike and was on the main side street to my house, about 5 miles long, when it started blowing and drizzling.

Well there was this guy on a 'Vespa' riding with me. Looked like he already put on a rain jacket with a hoodie, but it started pouring and really blowing sideways.

Poor guy. 

ETA: I was in my car.

[EBuff75]

One of my possible summer projects is to try to get my bike (1986 Yamaha XJ700 Maxim) back up and running.  It's been about 10 or 12 years since it last ran (I'd have to check my records), but at least it's been stored indoors that whole time.  The big issue is that it's a quad-carb, one per cylinder, and the whole mess needs to be cleaned / rebuilt.  Finding a mechanic who can tune a bike like that isn't an easy job (although my regular car mechanic said he might know a guy) and my old mechanic retired years ago (which is a big part of why the bike has been sitting around). 

I'm not much of a mechanic myself, but a mid-80s "naked cruiser" is probably about as easy to work on as they come, so I might try to do some of the work on it.  I'd have to make space in my garage, but could probably squeeze it into the area in front of my car and still be able to fit the car inside. 

Mostly what's needed is maintenance / simple update sort of stuff - oil change, new battery, replace the grips, replace the clutch cable, new air filter.  The carbs are beyond my abilities, as is replacing the tires (good tread, but really, really old/hard).  It also needs to have the tank stripped and repainted.  That's obviously been done before, as it doesn't quite match the rest of the bike, but some of the old gas in it leaked out and really messed up the paint. 

There are probably other things that will come up, likely around fuel lines, petcock, etc., but I have a decent idea of what to expect overall.  It's just a question of getting around to it!

It would be another excuse to buy tools though... Hmmm... 

[MacWa77ace]

@EBuff75
I put racing jets in my 88 Yamaha  FZR1000, and having never done that before at the time, it was pretty easy.  Your's sound the same as mine, 4 carbs, 4 cylinders. So putting in a carb kit you might want to think about doing the work yourself. I didn't need any special tools and I had that bike completely apart at one point using just a set of metric wrenches and sockets IIRC. There may have been a star head bolt or two. Bet you could do it.  I'll see if I can find any photos.

The other thing you want to check is if there is rust in the gas tank, and sludge or glazing in the gas lines if the gas totally evaporated. Do you know if the pistons are seized or not? Make sure they turn before trying to start.

[majorhavoc]

The first bike I ever owned was a 1983 Yamaha XJ650 I bought for $200 and fixed up myself. It had been sitting outside for 2 years leaning up against this woman's house. Her son was in the military and told her to just unload it - it didn't even come with a key.  I ended up pushing it back to my apartment, pulled the ignition lock and had a locksmith re-key it for something like $20. It needed other work including new tires but I can't remember specifically what.

Rode that thing all over creation. After work some summer evenings, I'd ride it over to New Hampshire and up to the gap on the Kancamangus Highway in the White Mountains to watch the sunset. Quality entertainment for a couple bucks worth of gas. I felt truly blessed to be alive.

It wasn't until years later I began to appreciate how spoiled I was with the Maxim's shaft drive.  Never even attempted to balance the 4 carbs, yet it was the smoothest running bike I've ever owned.

Best of luck to you and if you get it running, I want to see pictures! 

[MacWa77ace]