Motorcycle-Era |OT| Two are better than four

Microsoft · Jul 16, 2019

Only problem with modern dual sport motorcycles is that regulations are sorta killing them. It's making them heavy, underpowered, and pricy.

That Tenere 700 though. From what I understand, it's barebones, meaning very little technology and the suspension could be a bit better. That's what reviewers usually complain about. Me personally, I don't care about having technological aids and the suspension could easily be upgraded.

I would really love to own one but I feel like a crazy cat person, instead of cats it's motorcycles. I've owned 3 different ones in the span of 3 years. Plus a Grom and an SV650 which belong to my cousin. However, the chances of me owning a Tenere 700 are high, tbh. Not gonna lie. I need a dual sport or a supermoto in my life.

Deleted member 15497 · Jul 16, 2019

More shinyness

also got the front wheel disc bolts but need to borrow a smaller torque wrench so not done them yet.

All titanium, it's surprising how much you can feel the weight difference on things that dont weigh a lot to start with.

Microsoft · Jul 16, 2019

Stevey said:
More shinyness

also got the front wheel disc bolts but need to borrow a smaller torque wrench so not done them yet.

All titanium, it's surprising how much you can feel the weight difference on things that dont weigh a lot to start with.

You mean like on the bike or if you weight them by hand?

Deleted member 15497 · Jul 17, 2019

Yeah just in your hand

Rotkehle · Jul 17, 2019

Fallout-NL praise the 🌞 finally arrived from Moldova.

Lol the two cats from our neighborbelow us photobombed the picture :D

Microsoft · Jul 17, 2019

Axelotl said:
Fallout-NL praise the 🌞 finally arrived from Moldova.

Lol the two cats from our neighborbelow us photobombed the picture :D

Nice. Looks nice.

Fallout-NL · Jul 17, 2019

Axelotl said:
praise the 🌞 finally arrived from Moldova.

Love it! Looks great on the Yamaha.

/edit: was that the smallest size available or did you go one bigger?

Dougald · Jul 18, 2019

Looks great. I keep thinking I should get something to put on my panniers, but I've not seen anything I really like yet

The 1150 has a giant Pikachu on the side but I'm just convinced that my wife uses it as a deterrent to prevent me riding her bike.

Rotkehle · Jul 18, 2019

Fallout-NL said:
Love it! Looks great on the Yamaha.

/edit: was that the smallest size available or did you go one bigger?

I think there are smaller versions available.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/499058...3560b583130e534863a076fb2a7a9:499058180&col=1

I think I bought the 3inch version.

opticalmace · Jul 19, 2019

Hey 2 wheel era, I'm thinking about getting my first dirt bike. Was wondering about some suggestions.

I've done a few years of road motorcycling (ninja 250, sv650s) but dirt bikes are new to me. Rode an old 100cc 2-stroke suzuki last weekend and it was soo fun. Reminded me of downhill mountain biking, except we were going up (lol).

I was thinking about maybe a used TTR 230 or CRF230F? If it matters, I'm about 5'8/190. My father in likes the new Honda CRF250F.

Might also consider a dual sport (CRF250L?) but mostly interested in trail riding, as a bunch of my family just got into quadding and camping. They have trailers and trucks.

Would prefer to keep it under $4k USD if possible.

Thanks!

Microsoft · Jul 19, 2019

opticalmace said:
Hey 2 wheel era, I'm thinking about getting my first dirt bike. Was wondering about some suggestions.

I've done a few years of road motorcycling (ninja 250, sv650s) but dirt bikes are new to me. Rode an old 100cc 2-stroke suzuki last weekend and it was soo fun. Reminded me of downhill mountain biking, except we were going up (lol).

I was thinking about maybe a used TTR 230 or CRF230F? If it matters, I'm about 5'8/190. My father in likes the new Honda CRF250F.

Might also consider a dual sport (CRF250L?) but mostly interested in trail riding, as a bunch of my family just got into quadding and camping. They have trailers and trucks.

Would prefer to keep it under $4k USD if possible.

Thanks!

I was doing a little bit of research a little while back for dirt bikes. I came up with a good all around beginner to novice dirtbike motorcycle. The Honda CRF230F. Single cylinder, 4 stroke, reasonably low maintenance. Downsides is that it's a little heavy and has a rear drum brake. You might remedy the weight by saving wherever you can (lighter battery, aftermarket exhaust). The trade off is that it is easy to maintain.

Edit: When it comes to dualsports, it is my strong opinion that the best one for its size is the Yamaha WR250R. Not entirely sure it can be had for under 4k used. Its baby brother would be the XT250. A little less HP, air cooled, worse suspension, less ground clearance, but shorter seat height. However, the XT250 is still a very capable off roader.

HardTimesFamilyPride · Jul 19, 2019

Finally getting a car/license again so per my agreement with my parents they're taking my scooter back.... I'm gonna miss the hell out of it. If it weren't for the convenience of the safety/speed/storage of a car I would have just kept it. Here's hoping I can move up to a big boi bike in the future!

turbobrick · Jul 19, 2019

opticalmace said:
Hey 2 wheel era, I'm thinking about getting my first dirt bike. Was wondering about some suggestions.

I've done a few years of road motorcycling (ninja 250, sv650s) but dirt bikes are new to me. Rode an old 100cc 2-stroke suzuki last weekend and it was soo fun. Reminded me of downhill mountain biking, except we were going up (lol).

I was thinking about maybe a used TTR 230 or CRF230F? If it matters, I'm about 5'8/190. My father in likes the new Honda CRF250F.

Might also consider a dual sport (CRF250L?) but mostly interested in trail riding, as a bunch of my family just got into quadding and camping. They have trailers and trucks.

Would prefer to keep it under $4k USD if possible.

Thanks!

Would you be buying new or used? Because used you can get almost any dual sport or small engined dirt bike for that much. I bought and sold my Suzuki DR350 for under $1k. Though it was from 1990. Also was kickstart only, which is one reason I got rid of it.

My suggestion would be a lightly used Yamaha XT250, but that's also because I want to buy one myself. I've also thought about the Kawasaki KLX230 or KLX250 dual sports.

Rotkehle · Jul 20, 2019

Yerba_Sutra said:
Finally getting a car/license again so per my agreement with my parents they're taking my scooter back.... I'm gonna miss the hell out of it. If it weren't for the convenience of the safety/speed/storage of a car I would have just kept it. Here's hoping I can move up to a big boi bike in the future!

typical fearful parents. I'm glad that my step father was the one who introduced me to bikes. So I had never to fight this fight with them.

HardTimesFamilyPride · Jul 20, 2019

Axelotl said:
typical fearful parents. I'm glad that my step father was the one who introduced me to bikes. So I had never to fight this fight with them.

Surprisingly, this wasn't the case. My stepdad (who sounds like yours haha) found my scooter and bought it up-front so I wouldn't spend another three years walking everywhere, with the understanding that the money I paid them for it would be set aside for when I decided to get a car. So this was all part of the deal. Mom keeps talking like this is a big thing in my life cause she's definitely the paranoid one; I'm just tired of driving it in the winter and not being able to transport large items. My stepdad wanted it for himself all this time 🤣

Dougald · Jul 20, 2019

My Dad actually was desperate to buy me a scooter when I turned 16, but I didn't want one because it was "too dangerous, what idiot would want one of those"

...yeah. Turns out, Adult me wanted one. Adult me had to fork out the £1200+ it cost to get a license too!

Rotkehle · Jul 20, 2019

I had the chance to get the A license free when I would have done the upgrade with my step father in 2007. (we both had A1 at this point) But I didn't wanted to do the full license stuff the third time.
I was stupid and had to upgrade from A1 to A2 to A much later and had to pay 1300€ for both upgrades.
I should have Taken the chance but I was a complicated and lazy 20 something.

Microsoft · Jul 20, 2019

No one in my family was supportive of me buying a first motorcycle. What I had to do was ignore them all and purchase one anyway. Only then were they O.K with it... The perks of making your own decisions, income, and being an adult.

Zojirushi · Jul 20, 2019

Fun little ride today through the "Donautal". Maybe I need to start taking pics but I just never feel like getting off the bike or go hunting for scenic spots lol

Deleted member 15497 · Jul 21, 2019

Washed the VFR today,

Rotkehle · Jul 21, 2019

Awesome bike! I really love the 80s and 90s supersport style.

my best friend finally finished his license and he borrowed the ER5 from the mother of my other beast friend (20 years of trio friendship).

It was a fun ride. And I hope we find him a good bike for his height (1.98m) that he can afford.
I got some flashback in every roundabout but my stress level is getting slowly lower on wet surfaces. After a nice calm ride through the RuhrArea coal Revier we stopped a the local famos "Schanzenbach"-Diner to eat some awesome Currywursts with fries and Mayonnaise.

the ER5 is totally underpowered in comparison and he looked like a grown man on a pocket bike.

In the end of the day i finally got a trashy beer without alcohol...

Microsoft · Jul 22, 2019

Stevey said:
Washed the VFR today,

Looking good. Those colors really pop nicely. Certainly brighter than my millennial future.

Axelotl said:
Awesome bike! I really love the 80s and 90s supersport style.

my best friend finally finished his license and he borrowed the ER5 from the mother of my other beast friend (20 years of trio friendship).

It was a fun ride. And I hope we find him a good bike for his height (1.98m) that he can afford.
I got some flashback in every roundabout but my stress level is getting slowly lower on wet surfaces. After a nice calm ride through the RuhrArea coal Revier we stopped a the local famos "Schanzenbach"-Diner to eat some awesome Currywursts with fries and Mayonnaise.

the ER5 is totally underpowered in comparison and he looked like a grown man on a pocket bike.

In the end of the day i finally got a trashy beer without alcohol...

Looks like it's got less than 0.5% alcohol, but it has got alcohol!

Dougald · Jul 22, 2019

Microsoft said:
Looking good. Those colors really pop nicely. Certainly brighter than my millennial future.

Looks like it's got less than 0.5% alcohol, but it has got alcohol!

"Alkoholfrei" means, obviously, Alcohol Free! Well, I learned that the hard way when I was 19 and bought a few beers in Germany and wondered why I was still stone-cold sober....

To be honest the Brew Dog alcohol free beer is the only one I've tried so far that doesn't just taste like soggy cornflakes....

Microsoft · Jul 22, 2019

Dougald said:
"Alkoholfrei" means, obviously, Alcohol Free! Well, I learned that the hard way when I was 19 and bought a few beers in Germany and wondered why I was still stone-cold sober....

To be honest the Brew Dog alcohol free beer is the only one I've tried so far that doesn't just taste like soggy cornflakes....

Rotkehle · Jul 22, 2019

Microsoft said:

Dougald said:
"Alkoholfrei" means, obviously, Alcohol Free! Well, I learned that the hard way when I was 19 and bought a few beers in Germany and wondered why I was still stone-cold sober....

To be honest the Brew Dog alcohol free beer is the only one I've tried so far that doesn't just taste like soggy cornflakes....

This was alcohol free hobo beer. Oettinger buys different beers to create a usable cheap blend. But it's still better than Bud light :D

Dougald damn that' sad 😢 so much money wasted.

Dougald · Jul 22, 2019

Microsoft said:

You 'muricans and your unnecessarily high drinking age

Rotkehle · Jul 22, 2019

Haha 16 it is :D

Mengy · Jul 22, 2019

A few weekends ago my brother and I went to ride around West Virginia for a few days. There are some really incredible mountain and valley roads in WV. Didn't stop to take too many pics, we spent most of our time riding, but here are a few:

Rotkehle · Jul 22, 2019

Awesome nature! Looks like the Harz, Eifel or Sauerland. The landscapes of the USA are truly amazing!

HellforLeather · Jul 22, 2019

Thats so green that I feel like the colors on my monitor are off. Very nice scenery!

Mengy · Jul 22, 2019

Yeah WV is really lovely. Nice combination of mountains, rolling hills, and lazy farmer fields. I'd love to go down for a few days with my good camera and just take tons of photographs as a good excuse for a very relaxed and easy going motorcycle vacation.

Maybe I'll do that next weekend, just go riding as a reason to do some photography and sightsee, lol.

Microsoft · Jul 22, 2019

West VA is underrated. It's just as if not better than California for motorcyclists. Especially for dualsports/adventure. Only reason it doesn't get mentioned a lot is because West VA isn't a great place to live in. Usually always found on "worst places to live in" lists.

chirt · Jul 24, 2019

Axelotl said:
That's really a nice bike. Stay safe. 90nm are very high for a first bike. And please make pictures 😁

Just got back from the trip, huge success apart from ~3 hrs or so of torrential downpour at one point. Was a good experience though.

Rode through the Tunnel of Trees in Northern Michigan which was such a treat. Here's me just after completing it;

A bit rough at high winds with essentially no fairing, but so much fun to ride.

My dad was big chillin on his K1600 though haha

Rotkehle · Jul 24, 2019

Damn the k1600 is a beast.

chirt · Jul 24, 2019

Axelotl said:
Damn the k1600 is a beast.

Yea he could ride all day. Much bigger gas tank as well. Had to stop every 100 miles or so for mine.

I bet he wishes he had the handguards though, at one point a hubcap came flying at us like a death frisbee.
Missed me, but smacked him right on the hand. Had to pull over and ice it for a while before continuing on.

Rotkehle · Jul 24, 2019

That's a problem I never had but I can imagine the pain.
This comfort is something that keeps me away from bikes like the K1600.
100 Miles is not much was the reserve at this point already activated? Even my thirsty XSR allows me 140 miles untold the gallon big reserve is triggered.

Dougald · Jul 24, 2019

100 miles was the reserve limit on my old Bonneville

That K is a real beast, it makes my 1200RS look like a scooter by comparison.

Briareos · Jul 24, 2019

My DL1000 gets around 200mi before I refill (no reserve, electronic indicator), the SV650 around 150mi (no reserve, indicator light is broken!) and the DRZ400SM around 110mi (manual reserve, no indicator at all).

Deleted member 15497 · Jul 24, 2019

Started to notice my VFR was getting hot, like the temp gauge was way past halfweay.

Due to it being a replica fairing the V piece just had some holes drilled in it which was restriciting airflow to the bottom radiator.

Roughly cut it out and went for a 20 mile ride, couldnt get the temp gauge to go above 90C, so I'd say it was a success.

Going to tidy it up and fit this mesh.

Also, bonus shot of new rear wheel pin.

Dougald · Jul 25, 2019

Triumph are building a new Daytona!... sort of

Limited to 765 units, according to my Dealer. So not really the comeback everyone was hoping for

Rotkehle · Jul 25, 2019

Fuck. This is something I waited for. Guys this engine... I can only repeat myself, is:

sehr gut mit Prädikat!

one dayI will own a STR765 RS again! One day...

Dougald · Jul 25, 2019

Better get your name down on the list....

Rotkehle · Jul 25, 2019

Dougald said:
Better get your name down on the list....

no money :( help my best friend with his soon toown BMW F650 CS.
And me and my wife are gathering food for the down payment of a hypothetical house.

Fallout-NL · Jul 28, 2019

Missed a bunch of posts I see. Great to see everyone's riding and posting pictures. Love it.

This one's from last Monday:

Still some kinks to iron out (some of which will be a bit of work), but the S1's a lot of fun to ride.

Dougald · Jul 28, 2019

Starting my new job + commute next week, but I've been ill and poor and haven't actually got around to buying a car with which to get to work, so I'll be putting the RS through its paces over the summer. What a shame....

Plus I can't work out what four-wheeler to buy. Seems the British public have fallen out of love with estate cars, but that's probably what I need.

Microsoft · Jul 28, 2019

Dougald said:
Starting my new job + commute next week, but I've been ill and poor and haven't actually got around to buying a car with which to get to work, so I'll be putting the RS through its paces over the summer. What a shame....

Plus I can't work out what four-wheeler to buy. Seems the British public have fallen out of love with estate cars, but that's probably what I need.

I personally like the budget friendly cars. Like the Nissan versa, versa note, Chevy spark, Mitsubishi mirage, etc. I'd probably get any one of them with a manual transmission simply because CVTs are trash. I'm trying to convince my cousin to get a Chevy spark for his first car because it is affordable but he's still young and stupid and apparently wants a WRX. He'll soon learn that some things aren't possible as a young'un.

The cars I mentioned above can be had for 10k in USA, I'm not sure about the UK though. Example

Dougald · Jul 28, 2019

Chevy for better or worse pulled out of the UK market a little while back

I've been looking at the VW Golf GTD Estate and its cheaper Skoda brother, or maybe a ford Mondeo Estate. All around 13-15k GBP. Need the luggage space for my Bernese Mountain dog but I'm not a huge SUV guy

Fallout-NL · Jul 28, 2019

Subaru Legacy! Or an Outback.

Rotkehle · Jul 28, 2019

The Golf VII range are good everyday cars. I believe that the estate version could fit your needs. But keep in mind that I always had Golfs and that I could be a little biased.

turbobrick · Jul 28, 2019

Dougald said:
Chevy for better or worse pulled out of the UK market a little while back

I've been looking at the VW Golf GTD Estate and its cheaper Skoda brother, or maybe a ford Mondeo Estate. All around 13-15k GBP. Need the luggage space for my Bernese Mountain dog but I'm not a huge SUV guy

Just curious, but how are Japanese car prices compared to European? If it were me I'd get a Toyota wagon, but not sure how prices compare. In the US the Golf wagon is the only cheap wagon we even have, which is $22k USD.

Motorcycle-Era |OT| Two are better than four

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