Motorcycle-Era |OT| Two are better than four

HellforLeather · Jan 23, 2020

Fallout-NL said:
Yeah, makes sense. The 890r has something like 120hp and 99nm, which seems plenty to have a good time on the street with. I hold similar beliefs myself, which is why I ride air cooled, high displacement, modest hp, high torque bikes. The purchase of that liquid cooled 1125r (which is kind of the opposite) a few months back confirmed this. It's 'just' 150 or 155 hp or so, but I already feel it's just too quick. There's just no way to use all that power responsibly and it's significantly less fun to be on a bike where, the entire time, you feel like you're holding it back, not using what it has on tap.

I dont mind the high HP bikes but yeah, they just feel like a total waste on the street...especially with the ridiculous bikes that OEMs are cranking out these days. I cant imagine buying a Panigale V4 and only riding street....what is the point?

This is also why I really dont understand who the new V4 Streetfighter is for except dick-wagging spreadsheet warriors. 208HP in a bike that they claim is designed for the street, with no wind protection is just dumb. They should have put the V2 engine in it and even that would have been overkill.

I'm pretty much set on the Street Triple RS though but now I am agonizing if I should grab a discounted 2019 or just wait and go for a new 2020. Its not that much different, the auto blipper is nice but not a deal breaker, what really interests me is the increased midrange but im not sure if thats worth essentially $2k more when all is said and done.

Astronut325 · Jan 24, 2020

Anyone here do track days? Looking for recommendations on tires for newbie track riders. Bike is a '05 Kai 636.

Fallout-NL · Jan 24, 2020

Bridgestone S22's.

HellforLeather · Jan 24, 2020

Astronut325 said:
Anyone here do track days? Looking for recommendations on tires for newbie track riders. Bike is a '05 Kai 636.

I always liked the Pirelli Diablos. They never had the most outright grip but were predictable and hugely fun when they slide.

Fallout-NL · Feb 3, 2020

Start of M2 project few weekends ago (hosing it down and giving it a good wash before the tear down).

Current state. Need to clean this up further before new cylinders are installed. Also, some work needs to be done on the heads, or valves rather. It appears that the valves weren't properly machined (from the factory) meaning they don't seat very well, which explains some of the intermittent misfiring this bike was experiencing.

Cool shot of my dad.

S1 hibernating.

And the trusty Uly <3 which I have been using off and on.

Sporadic enough that it's not too much of a chore to hose it down after every ride. Still low key the best bike I own probably. Hope it doesn't resent me for using it in winter.

I shall treat it to a new battery come spring. This one's on its way out. Making that dreaded clicking noise if I fire it up without having spent the night on the tender...

HellforLeather · Feb 3, 2020

That orange frame/wheels with the grey tank/fairing looks fantastic! I always thought KTM should do something like that instead of the black and orange.

So I think I've made a deal with my local dealer for a new 2020 Street Triple RS. Going to head down there after work to seal the deal! Super excited to get getting back on a proper sporty machine.

Fallout-NL · Feb 3, 2020

HellforLeather said:
That orange frame/wheels with the grey tank/fairing looks fantastic!

Yeah, it's beautiful. If we're out on a ride and my dad's on that M2, it doesn't matter what bike I'm on, that thing will grab all the attention with ease.

HellforLeather said:
So I think I've made a deal with my local dealer for a new 2020 Street Triple RS. Going to head down there after work to seal the deal! Super excited to get getting back on a proper sporty machine.

Ah, the new model. Very nice :)

Arucardo · Feb 4, 2020

I'm supposed to go have a look at a 2008 Kawasaki ZX-10R tomorrow. Based on the ad it's almost too good to be true (he's asking around 1000eur less than he should for it), but the ad is only 3 days old so it might just be someone wanting to get rid of it as fast as possible. The history of the bike checks out too, so if there's no nasty surprises I'm probably buying it.

Microsoft · Feb 4, 2020

Wow, great pics fallout! Very nice.

Fallout-NL · Feb 5, 2020

Thanks :)

Arucardo said:
I'm supposed to go have a look at a 2008 Kawasaki ZX-10R tomorrow

Nice, let us know how it went.

HellforLeather · Feb 5, 2020

Well I got my Street Triple RS last night. I dont have any pictures to share just yet but I have some impressions so far. Im just copy pasting them from another forum I post on:

Picked up my RS last night and rode it 3 miles home. I wasnt going to take it to work today because its been pretty damn cold lately but...screw it. Have you ever ridden a bike with zero wind protection in 35 degree weather? neither had I until this morning...🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶.

Anyway, digging the bike in my whole 20 miles of riding it so far. Mid range does seem better than I remember on my short test ride of the 2019, but again, way early in the break in process and it was freezing cold so take all of my impressions with a big ol' grain of salt.

Suspension feels very very plush...much more plush than any other bike I've owned. Partially this is due to the suspension not being sorted in anyway and partially due because its hauling around my 220lbs fat ass, but it does feels more progressive than other bikes I've owned. It seems to stiffen up nicely the deeper you get into the stroke, but I know I will more than likely need to get a heavier duty spring (or lose some damn weight). The front end felt pretty sorted right out of the box despite my hefty load.

As for the graphics on the dash, I dont think they are quite the deal breaker that some are making it out to be. I find that unless you are in a race tuck, you cant see the dash anyway and style 1 isnt too horrible for reading the revs. Its not as good as the previous gen, but its more of a minor annoyance to me.

The exhaust sound is just lovely. I'm not sure if I will mess with the stock exhaust at all. Weight savings would be nice but I think it looks pretty good and sounds good even without being able to rev it out just yet.

The motor even at this early stage of break in is just refined as hell. To steal a Jeremy Clarkson quote "its like spreading honey on Keira Knightley".

One negative is I did hit a bit of weirdness with the auto blipper where it didnt downshift but I had the throttle slightly cracked open. Not sure if that makes a difference or not, this is the first quick shifter/auto blipper bike I've ever owned.

Anyway, glad to be joining the Triumph family. I've been a big Ducati guy in the past but they just dont offer anything quite like the Street Triple RS and if first impressions are anything to go by, I will be very happy with this bike in the long term.

Fallout-NL · Feb 5, 2020

HellforLeather said:
Have you ever ridden a bike with zero wind protection in 35 degree weather? neither had I until this morning...🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶.

I have. On quite a few occasions actually. It's doable for 30 or 40 minutes, and hell for every minute after.

HellforLeather said:
its like spreading honey on Keira Knightley

I think he said 'into' actually, which makes that even more obscene sounding :P. It sounds good though, the bike that is. Thanks for the impressions! Looking forward to the pictures.

Speaking of which. It was so nice out today that I suspended the S1's hibernation and took it for a ride to get the spare ignition key made. Now that that's done. It is oh-ficially done. So to celebrate, Imma spam y'all with some more pictures. Taken with a new to me 30mm f/1.4 l lens. I think they came out quite nice.

HellforLeather · Feb 5, 2020

Fallout-NL said:
I have. On quite a few occasions actually. It's doable for 30 or 40 minutes, and hell for every minute after.

I think he said 'into' actually, which makes that even more obscene sounding :P. It sounds good though, the bike that is. Thanks for the impressions! Looking forward to the pictures.

Speaking of which. It was so nice out today that I suspended the S1's hibernation and took it for a ride to get the spare ignition key made. Now that that's done. It is oh-ficially done. So to celebrate, Imma spam y'all with some more pictures. Taken with a new to me 30mm f/1.4 l lens. I think they came out quite nice.

Arucardo · Feb 5, 2020

That bike is gorgeous and it's been a pleasure to follow along with the project.

Went to see that ZX-10R yesterday and it was as good as I'd hoped. The previous owner dropped the bike from a slow speed (or according to him a "friend" dropped it, classic) so the current owner bought it from him for a low price and fixed everything but the engine casings that have some scratches on it.

Already shook on it and if all goes well I'll go bring it home next week. 5400e for a 2008 10R with 25 000km on it and some minor cosmetic damage is a pretty good deal if you ask me.

Fallout-NL · Feb 6, 2020

HellforLeather said:

Arucardo said:
That bike is gorgeous and it's been a pleasure to follow along with the project.

Cheers fellas.

Arucardo said:
Already shook on it and if all goes well I'll go bring it home next week. 5400e for a 2008 10R with 25 000km on it and some minor cosmetic damage is a pretty good deal if you ask me.

Very cool! That sounds like a pretty great deal. Is it possible to simply change out (for instance) a clutch cover to fix the cosmetic damage?

Arucardo · Feb 6, 2020

Fallout-NL said:
Cheers fellas.

Very cool! That sounds like a pretty great deal. Is it possible to simply change out (for instance) a clutch cover to fix the cosmetic damage?

Yes, from what I remember it had scratches on the pulse, clutch and generator cover but nothing major that would make me worried about the structural integrity of them. Maybe I'll look in to getting new covers or just get some R&G or GB Racing protectors on those parts. No leaks or strange noises either when I fired it up and let it run for a while.

Also, for reference a bone stock '08 10R with 21 000km is being sold for 7900eur over here.

Definitely getting new tires for it too, the Pirelli Supercorsas it had on had plenty of thread left on them but the manufacturing dates were pretty old, think the rear tire was 2016 and the front was even older, not sure they're going to work well, especially in cold weather. I'll probably order some S22's to put on, those are apparently quite good for general road use and work fine even in colder weather.

Fallout-NL · Feb 6, 2020

Arucardo said:
I'll probably order some S22's to put on, those are apparently quite good for general road use and work fine even in colder weather.

That would be a great choice. We picked S21s for our project XB (as those where the latest at the time) and they are indeed phenomenal. Even when barely warmed up, in low temps, they are incredibly communicative and confidence inspiring.

Deleted member 15497 · Feb 7, 2020

NC30 stuff I've been doing-

New stainless pillion peg pins - old ones were a nightmare to get out.

New nylon inserts to cover up the swingarm pivot and nut - was gonna get stainless nuts, but the pivot is pretty rough so just hid them.

Original gold calipers overhauled and fitted- cleaned up pretty good for 30 year old calipers.

HRC brake reservoir sock :p

Polished up the brake torqe arm best I could - new DID X Ring gold chain.

Old tank pad came off nicely, gonna wait til its a bit warmer to fit my new HRC one.

xxracerxx · Feb 7, 2020

Anyone in the PNW going to the One Moto Show this weekend in PDX?

I have gone since one of the first ones and there are always some beautiful bikes there.

https://www.seeseemotorcycles.com/pages/the-one-moto-show

HellforLeather · Feb 7, 2020

Heres my new lovely.....the break in period is really killing me.

Briareos · Feb 7, 2020

So many pretty new and old bikes, you guys are killing me.

Fallout-NL · Feb 8, 2020

Slow day in terms of work yesterday, so I changed the oil on the S1. Messy. I think I overfilled it slightly, draining the oil tank (which is at an elevated position) does not drain all of the oil sadly. I'll take out the excess when my syringe arrives Monday.

HellforLeather said:
Heres my new lovely.....the break in period is really killing me.

Oh man, very nice. Those tires look sexy too. Love that they went with that level of tire :P

xxracerxx said:
Anyone in the PNW going to the One Moto Show this weekend in PDX?

I see Red Fang's coming. That's awesome. They play a great show. I would come, but I don't live (anywhere near) the area.

Stevey said:
Original gold calipers overhauled and fitted- cleaned up pretty good for 30 year old calipers.

Pretty nuts. We're getting kinda old.

The Firebolt and NC go absolutely great together when you see em side by side like that by the way.

Rotkehle · Feb 9, 2020

HellforLeather said:
That orange frame/wheels with the grey tank/fairing looks fantastic! I always thought KTM should do something like that instead of the black and orange.

So I think I've made a deal with my local dealer for a new 2020 Street Triple RS. Going to head down there after work to seal the deal! Super excited to get getting back on a proper sporty machine.

You will love the 765.

soooo I bought some new stuff for my XSR

new mirrors, new license plate holder from Rizima, new led signals and some other minor stuff. Now looking for some Motodemic 7" headlight replacement.
Can't wait

I also want to change the colour from silver to petrol.

I planed a tour to Scotland with some friends in the first week of August. 2020 will be awesome.

Dougald · Feb 9, 2020

Axelotl said:
I planed a tour to Scotland with some friends in the first week of August. 2020 will be awesome.

It'll be incredibly ironic if you bike up to Scotland before I bother to!

Sounds like an awesome trip mate. Highlands?

Rotkehle · Feb 9, 2020

Dougald said:
It'll be incredibly ironic if you bike up to Scotland before I bother to!

Sounds like an awesome trip mate. Highlands?

Day 1: Hamm to Amsterdam - In the Night between day one and two we take a ferry to Newcastle upon tyne.
Day 2: Newcastle to base in Scottland
Day 3, Day 4 and Day 5:Fun Fun Fun in the highlands!
Day 6: back to Newcastle upon tyne. At night back to Amsterdam
Day 7: From Amsterdam to home

That's the timetable.

Dougald · Feb 9, 2020

Taking the Ferry to Newcastle is a great shout. You'll miss a lot of boring motorway riding.

Rotkehle · Feb 9, 2020

Dougald said:
Taking the Ferry to Newcastle is a great shout. You'll miss a lot of boring motorway riding.

Got the tip from a client of mine. This will save so much time. Especially the nightly ferry.

HellforLeather · Feb 10, 2020

Axelotl said:
You will love the 765.

So this weekend I took it to a local wrench and had my suspension set...confirmed one of my fears that I will need a new spring to get it properly set up. Its not that big of a deal (guy quoted me $200 for the spring and installation) and I was anticipating this. But I finally got out on some twisties....oh yes, this bike is good.

The faster I rode it, the better it felt...this damn break in period is going to kill me!

prophetvx · Feb 10, 2020

Damn, I'm jealous. Those new RS' are the business, I love the headlight change they did this year. I miss having a Triumph triple, did you notice much of a difference with the increase in mid-range torque over last years model?

HellforLeather · Feb 10, 2020

prophetvx said:
Damn, I'm jealous. Those new RS' are the business, I love the headlight change they did this year. I miss having a Triumph triple, did you notice much of a difference with the increase in mid-range torque over last years model?

The only comparison that I really have is a 5 mile test rode I took on a 2019. Also the RPM limits that Triumph says you should abide by during break in seem to keep you out of the meat of the midrange so its really hard to give a solid comparison. I will say that it feels like its got more poke than the 2019 but how much more is difficult to quantify at this point.

I did test ride a 2014 Speed Triple the same day I test rode the 2019 Street and I will say that the 2020 is much closer to the Speed engine in terms of torque according to my butt dyno.

My last sportbike was a Ducati 1098 so Im stepping down in terms of raw power and torque but its still got more than enough to put a big stupid grin on my face. It feels like exactly what I was looking for: a proper sport bike that was much more comfortable than a supersport and wasnt completely overkill for the street.

Rotkehle · Feb 10, 2020

And the sound of a triple... the Sound...

HellforLeather · Feb 10, 2020

Axelotl said:
And the sound of a triple... the Sound...

I never really knew what the big deal about triples were before I bought this bike but yeah, once you get them on the boil, they sound fantastic. That raspiness is really great and I cannot wait to hear it at full chat. BTW, the stock exhaust sounds surprisingly great, I wish it were lighter but beyond that I am totally happy with leaving the exhaust alone which is something I've never said before about any other bike. I rode with my dad and he confirmed that it sounded good at a distance as well.

Rotkehle · Feb 10, 2020

Yep that's my experience as well. Good friend of mine suddenly started to talk about the sound of my bike through our Senas. Damn I miss this bike.

prophetvx · Feb 10, 2020

HellforLeather said:
I never really knew what the big deal about triples were before I bought this bike but yeah, once you get them on the boil, they sound fantastic. That raspiness is really great and I cannot wait to hear it at full chat. BTW, the stock exhaust sounds surprisingly great, I wish it were lighter but beyond that I am totally happy with leaving the exhaust alone which is something I've never said before about any other bike. I rode with my dad and he confirmed that it sounded good at a distance as well.

Honestly, the triple is what cured me from sports bikes in general. Once you go to a bike that is just as fun riding in the middle of the rev range but equally at home screaming, it's hard to ever go back to an inline 4 (obviously a 1098 doesn't have that issue). Torque is way more fun over top end power for the street (not that the 765 is lacking there either).

I'm eagerly awaiting the announcement of the new speed triple and hopefully convince my wife on the second bike in a year or two.

Rotkehle · Feb 10, 2020

V2 are the only ones that come close to that in my opinion.

Fallout-NL · Feb 10, 2020

HellforLeather said:
I wish it were lighter but beyond that I am totally happy with leaving the exhaust alone which is something I've never said before about any other bike.

I'm still suspecting some well placed bribes by Triumph officials. Hard to figure how else they could've gotten away with such great stock sound.

Love reading the impressions btw.

HellforLeather · Feb 10, 2020

Axelotl said:
V2 are the only ones that come close to that in my opinion.

Historically being a Ducati guy...I still get tingles with Duc twin sound at full revs

Fallout-NL said:
I'm still suspecting some well placed bribes by Triumph officials. Hard to figure how else they could've gotten away with such great stock sound.

Love reading the impressions btw.

Yeah its very strange, it seemed like a couple years ago all the new bikes were producing less power and less noise due to Euro regulations...now you have louder bikes producing better power...yet still Euro compliant? The Street Triple claims better midrange, better exhaust flow, etc, etc than the previous gen but still meets more strict regulations. I just dont understand how.

Rotkehle · Feb 10, 2020

It's all about the frequency of noise and how you... perceive it.

Scotch · Feb 11, 2020

Sometimes I feel like, if I'm ever tired of my Buell, I should just get it over with and get a Street Triple. It just seems like such a great overall package.

Rotkehle · Feb 11, 2020

Sooo I cchecked my banking account and thought I should use my 2019 Bonus for something dumb.

So I went for a new Alrapovic exhaust and the matching catalyst

A little bit titanium here and a little bit better sound and look there. With the soon to be shorter heck and better looking indicators, the bike should look so much better. I'm stillon the verge about getting a motodemic headlight.

I'm happy :)

Fallout-NL · Feb 11, 2020

Scotch said:
Sometimes I feel like, if I'm ever tired of my Buell, I should just get it over with and get a Street Triple. It just seems like such a great overall package.

Ha, posted this not two weeks ago on the Buell forum:

OP made the right call. If I were to ever sell my Buells (no chance), I'd switch over to a Speed Twin or something similar.

--------

Axelotl said:
A little bit titanium here and a little bit better sound and look there.

TUV?

Rotkehle · Feb 12, 2020

Fallout-NL said:
TUV?

It's compliant. With the extra catalyst.

Fallout-NL · Feb 12, 2020

Oh man, you know how you change a 5 minute job into an afternoon filled with frustration and despair?

You do it by dropping this fucking thing into the oil tank:

Managed to extract it eventually by draining the tank and hunting around for it with a flashlight and a screwdriver I could wedge in its opening. (That's the hose part of the syringe I was using to remove some of the excess oil by the way. It detached from the syringe a little more easily than I had accounted for.)

Sigh, sometimes I think you shouldn't let me handle a tool at all, but I think I redeemed myself by solving the problem sans outside assistance :P.

Axelotl said:
It's compliant. With the extra catalyst.

Nice, I figured it would be.

HellforLeather said:
Yeah its very strange, it seemed like a couple years ago all the new bikes were producing less power and less noise due to Euro regulations...now you have louder bikes producing better power...yet still Euro compliant? The Street Triple claims better midrange, better exhaust flow, etc, etc than the previous gen but still meets more strict regulations. I just dont understand how.

Maybe it has something to do with the slowly increasing displacements over the years?

Deleted member 15497 · Feb 12, 2020

Fallout-NL said:
I shall treat it to a new battery come spring. This one's on its way out. Making that dreaded clicking noise if I fire it up without having spent the night on the tender...

I'm in the same position.
Is there a particular battery you use on your Buells?
Last battery I bought was an "OEM" one from a Harley dealer, but it was like £150.
It's lasted a good while TBF, but that's a lot of money for a battery.

Rotkehle · Feb 12, 2020

Fallout-NL said:
Nice, I figured it would be.

As a law abiding German I wasn't able to do otherwise. :D especially after the Sauerland fiasco.

Fallout-NL · Feb 12, 2020

Stevey said:
I'm in the same position.
Is there a particular battery you use on your Buells?
Last battery I bought was an "OEM" one from a Harley dealer, but it was like £150.
It's lasted a good while TBF, but that's a lot of money for a battery.

Good question. Here are my recent battery decisions:

For my X1 I bought a new battery from Twin Motorcycles two years ago. The brand is 'SVR' and it's an AGM type battery (like the OEM batteries), apparently due to their construction they stand up better to vibrations... (a good thing given - you know). Not cheap, I paid 178 back then (without taxes). Though the XB variant seems a bit cheaper thankfully (around the same as your 150):

TWIN Motorcycles - Buell parts

www.twinmotorcycles.nl

Starts like a champ with that though.

For my S1 I used the new battery the previous owner bought as part of the deal. Some no brand thing that is not AGM. It will be interesting to see if it will indeed not last as long as the SVR battery in my X1. I think it starts with less enthusiasm.

Last summer when we were getting the 1125r up and running we went with a Shido lithium ion battery:

TWIN Motorcycles - Buell parts

www.twinmotorcycles.nl

Not sure what to think of that yet. The first two (!) died, but that was probably due to the a parasitic drain issue common to '08 1125r's. Something to do with the dashboard drawing an abnormal amount of power constantly, and li-ion batteries apparently don't respond well to being drained completely. So maybe not the fault of the Shido battery. Fixed that by installing a switch that physically cuts power without having to detach the battery.

I have another one of those li-ions set apart which I might use for the Ulysses, though like you I have an OEM battery (also AGM?) in there now that's probably lasted since the bike was built, 14 years ago... So worth the extra money maybe? Though over on the BWB forums some have expressed doubts whether those HD batteries are still as good as they used to be. Some users are reporting just two years of use from newer HD batteries.

/edit: after some more digging: apparently Deka makes or made the HD batteries. A simple search reveals this battery for 145 including vat

DEKA Sports Power Accu AGM 12V 10Ah

Deka Powersports AGM accu's zijn ontworpen voor de meest veeleisende toepassingen in de motorsport en zijn daarom bijzonder geliefd door Harley Davidson liefhebber. Ook voor ATV, PWC en sneeuwscooters. De serie Deka Sports Power is een absoluut topproduct. Niet voor niets zeggen ze bij Deka...

www.accu.nl

So I'd go for either SVR or Deka in the interest of longevity or try my luck with something half the price to see how long it'll hold.

Deleted member 15497 · Feb 12, 2020

Nice, thanks.
I'll check them out.
Looking at the front brake disc next week, then gonna do the battery.
I feel like the fan running for a few minutes after you turn the ignition off is killing them.

Fallout-NL said:
Oh man, you know how you change a 5 minute job into an afternoon filled with frustration and despair?

You do it by dropping this fucking thing into the oil tank:

I dropped a tube off a syringe in the Firebolt oil tank/swingarm a couple of years ago, had to get a boroscope from work to get it out.

Fallout-NL · Feb 13, 2020

Stevey said:
I feel like the fan running for a few minutes after you turn the ignition off is killing them.

Not unlikely.

Stevey said:
I dropped a tube off a syringe in the Firebolt oil tank/swingarm a couple of years ago, had to get a boroscope from work to get it out.

So I'm not alone on that one. Thanks for sharing :P

Rotkehle · Feb 13, 2020

Woohoo, the package is here, the package is here! Pictures Tomorrow!

Fallout-NL · Feb 13, 2020

Awww yisss.

Motorcycle-Era |OT| Two are better than four

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