How many of you ride Motorcycles/Scooters?

[RaulTheUCSCSlug]

Hey, I've been lurking in the forums for a while and would still consider myself pretty new to the forums. I just want to know how many of you guys ride a motorcycle? What is your favorite style?

How many of you know too much kinematics in order to ride a motorcycle safely?
Also how many of you just don't/do like them in general?

Personally I ride a Yamaha Vino 125. I get around 80 mpg, and it is a great commuter!

 

[Drakkith]

I used to ride a 2008 Harley Davidson Night Rod Special. I sold it when I left active duty, as I didn't have the financial stability to keep it.

 

[RaulTheUCSCSlug]

I used to ride a 2008 Harley Davidson Night Rod Special. I sold it when I left active duty, as I didn't have the financial stability to keep it.

Damn, my brother rides a HD 883 Iron Horse, love the big ol' "clunk" when you change gears on that thing. Will you ever get another motorcycle? Have you seen the new HD streets? They are fairly cheap to finance, provided you have good credit.

 

[Drakkith]

. Will you ever get another motorcycle?

Not sure. I like riding it, but I'm not someone who just goes out for a ride just because I enjoy it. Plus all that safety gear is a pain to get into and out of all the time.

Have you seen the new HD streets?

I have not, but I may look them up now.

They are fairly cheap to finance, provided you have good credit.

Credit's great, monthly income is poor. I'm just a college student living off of his Post 911 GI Bill and a little bit of disability. I make about a third to a fourth of what I used to make when I was active duty.

 

[RaulTheUCSCSlug]

I am currently a college student living off of FAFSA , but my brother is going to school right now (the one with the HD) with the GI bill, and he has enough to be paying off the bike and go to school. But then again he also lives at home and pays no rent. But I think HD was having a deal, like no money down and 99/pr month, I also know they were having a free riding course for veterans this month. http://www.harley-davidson.com/content/h-d/en_US/home/community/military-riders.html

But yeah, the gear can be a pain, but I think there are certain benefits that come with commuting solely on a bike. (cheaper insurance, cheaper on gas, maybe split a lane or two if you feel like you are up for it)

Also on a side note, I want to thank you for your service in the military.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Many years ago during summer break from college I had the use of a peppy little 50cc bike. I loved it!

My father fell in love with motorcycles circa age 40 and always had one after that in addition to his car. He, however, had three separate and increasingly severe accidents, all cause by the other driver and all occurring at under 30mph. The last required him to get pins to hold his leg bone together. That pretty much killed my interest in bikes. What's a mere fender-bender in a car can put you in the hospital if you're on a motorcycle.

Note that this didn't kill his interest in them, just mine.

 

[RaulTheUCSCSlug]

Yeah, they say that most motorcycle accidents occur under 30 mph, during the day, and in a street. When I would think that motorcycle accidents occur at higher speeds, at night on the highway. But I guess they are more visible during the night, and at faster speeds may be more cautious?

A 50cc moped type of bike or what? Sounds pretty awesome. I know that the Honda Ruckus has picked up some speed in the young community and have seen more scooters and mopeds then motorcycles here on campus.

 

[zoobyshoe]

A 50cc moped type of bike or what?

This was a little motorcycle, and it was great fun on the windy rural roads in my small hometown. This would have been about 40 years ago, so I don't remember the make for sure, but I think it was a Honda.

 

[RaulTheUCSCSlug]

http://globalcarslist.com/data_images/gallery/01/honda-cb-50/honda-cb-50-04.jpg

You mean like this? What ever happened to it? They seem like ton of fun to ride around town or in a farm setting!

 

[Mark44]

Here are three of my stable of four, with all of them being Harleys. On the left is a 2000 FXD Dyna Superglide, about 95ci (1550 cc). That's the one I take on distance rides to other states here in the Northwest. In the middle is my 1948-ish FL "panhead" (the motor is from '55 so my state calls it a '55 motorcycle) - 74 ci or about 1200 cc. On the right is a 1946 WL "flathead" of 45 ci or about 750cc. In the shed at the rear is a 1984 FXSB "shovelhead" of 80 ci or 1320 cc.

All four are in running condition, and I take them out pretty often. I just got the yellow bike running after a hiatus of about four years, and I have been riding it and the panhead (middle) regularly since the new year, generally at least once a week, and more often since the weather has warmed up.

The two oldest bikes would be very unfamiliar to most riders - the clutch is a pedal and you shift gears with a lever on the left side of the tank. The throttles are on the right handgrip, the usual place, but both of these bikes have another twist grip on the left handgrip that retards or advances the spark timing. Both bikes have keys for the ignition, but I never use them - I just turn off the ignition. I doubt that 99 out of a 100 people would be able to get them started, or could even get the motorcycles to move with the engine running. Needless to say, both of the old bikes are kick-only for starting.

Neither of the two old bikes has any rear suspension, but the seat (AKA "pogo seat") goes up and down, and has a fair bit of travel.

 

[Mark44]

I used to ride a 2008 Harley Davidson Night Rod Special. I sold it when I left active duty, as I didn't have the financial stability to keep it.

Didn't realize you were a vet, @Drakkith - thanks for your service. I was in the Army Reserves, but was active duty between July of '68 and March of '70.

 

[Mark44]

I think this one (the Panhead, so called because the valve covers looked to someone like cake pans) is the most fun to ride, especially on the back roads around my house, which is out in the sticks. I took this picture on a beautiful day in April of last year, with some of the Washington Cascade mountains in the background.

There are lots of windy roads where I live, with no traffic. The area has lots of woods, pastures, rivers and creeks, and views of the nearby mountains.

 

[RaulTheUCSCSlug]

Mark44 those are some nice bikes! I always liked kick start bikes rather than electrical start. (I prefer to kick start my scooter) Those bikes look bad! Not sure what you mean about how the left handle grip times the spark. I'll have to look into that.

The two older bikes are "hard" tails right? Hence the springs under the seat? How many miles have you logged in each one? And how often or how many times have you had to rebuild the engine? (I want to get an older motorcycle, but know that with high miles, they may need a rebuild.

 

[zoobyshoe]

http://globalcarslist.com/data_images/gallery/01/honda-cb-50/honda-cb-50-04.jpg

You mean like this? What ever happened to it? They seem like ton of fun to ride around town or in a farm setting!

That's definitely the right idea. I have no idea what happened to the one I was riding. I didn't own it, just had the use of it for a few weeks. It belonged to my best friend's family.

 

[RaulTheUCSCSlug]

View attachment 83530

That bike is B-E-A-UTIFUL! And thank you for your service as well Mark44.

 

[RaulTheUCSCSlug]

Zoobyshoe I'm curious on whether or not you would be okay with letting your children get motorcycles? You seem like you are okay with them, and just acknowledge that perhaps the risk isn't worth the reward for you.

 

[Mark44]

Mark44 those are some nice bikes! I always liked kick start bikes rather than electrical start. (I prefer to kick start my scooter) Those bikes look bad! Not sure what you mean about how the left handle grip times the spark. I'll have to look into that.

Both of the older bikes started life with points ignitions, with no auto-advance. What this means is that you retard the spark timing a bit when you start the motor, and when it catches, you twist the grip to fully advance the timing. I took the points out of the panhead (center bike) and am now running an electronic ignition, so instead of points opening and closing to induce a current in the secondary winding of the coil, a magnet spins around inside the spark timer and induces a Hall effect (I think) current in the coil. Points used to be used in cars, but I doubt that any use this technology any more.

The two older bikes are "hard" tails right? Hence the springs under the seat?

Yep. They're also called "rigid". The tires are fairly low pressure (~18 psi), so there's some give there that you wouldn't have on newer bikes. The springer front suspension only gives you about 2 inches of travel, so if you hit a pothole at about 50, you really know it. The pogo seat has about 6" of travel, so it can soak up a lot of road bumps. The panhead is surprisingly comfortable on a ride.

How many miles have you logged in each one?

About 3000 mi on the panhead, but only about 1000 mi on the flathead (yellow bike), since I had it apart for so long. I've put around 45,000 mi on the Superglide. The '84 shovelhead I've had for the least time, so not many miles on it.

And how often or how many times have you had to rebuild the engine?

Panhead - none, although I have done a lot of work on other parts of the bike. A year ago I had it down to the motor in the frame and front end, and everything else off - tanks, dash, oil tank, transmission, rear wheel, seat, carb and manifold. I bought it from a guy several years ago who had put it together from a motor that he said was rebuilt. When I got it, it was hard to start, ran terrible, didn't get all four gears, and wasn't charging. In short, it needed a lot of relatively minor TLC to make it dependable. It now runs very strong and is a lot of fun to ride. Almost every time I ride the older bikes, someone will come up and comment on them.
WL - (yellow bike) - I did a top-end overhaul after I determined that the compression was very low. That wound up entailing getting the cylinders sleeved, plus new pistons and rings. I sent the cylinders off for the resleeving work, but everything else I did myself. I'm just now breaking it in, and am up to 300 miles on this overhaul. I took it for a ride today, and I finally seem to be getting it to run right - there's a bit of tinkering with the carburetor to get the jet dialed in.

(I want to get an older motorcycle, but know that with high miles, they may need a rebuild.

I don't know what years you're considering, but a lot of older bikes have already been rebuilt, some more than once.

 

[Graeme M]

Interesting question. I have ridden motorcycles of all sorts for over 40 years - street bikes, dual purpose bikes and offroad. My personal preference is offroad - I have ridden and raced in motocross, enduro and flat track. These days I mostly ride for fun in what is known as vintage motocross and also regularly race flat track here in Canberra Australia. Although I rode on the street a lot back in the 70s and 80s I haven't owned a streetbike since 1992. My stepson has a Triumph 675 Daytona which I occasionally take for a spin - pretty formidable power on these things but great fun. Can't imagine what a modern 1000cc sportbike might be like to ride... Anyone who has an interest in vintage motocross is welcome to visit my site http://www.ozvmx.com.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Zoobyshoe I'm curious on whether or not you would be okay with letting your children get motorcycles? You seem like you are okay with them, and just acknowledge that perhaps the risk isn't worth the reward for you.

Let's see, how can I weasel out of answering this. I don't have any kids, but if a kid asked me if they should get a motorcycle, I guess I would want to observe how they ride a bicycle in city traffic before I gave an opinion.

 

[berkeman]

Can't imagine what a modern 1000cc sportbike might be like to ride...

Kind of like my YZF-R1 below (180 horsepower...)!

berkeboy and I used to ride MX practice almost every weekend, but he's grown up now and living in the big city. He's 21 now and rides (very well on) a Triumph Daytona 675 sportbike. I feel pretty good about his riding, since we have ridden so much together. Young riders really do need a responsible mentor to help them learn the ropes and safety tricks. I used to ride a lot of track days with my Honda CBR600F4 sportbike, and hope to do some track days with berkeboy at some point.

 

[at94official]

Hey, I've been lurking in the forums for a while and would still consider myself pretty new to the forums. I just want to know how many of you guys ride a motorcycle? What is your favorite style?

How many of you know too much kinematics in order to ride a motorcycle safely?
Also how many of you just don't/do like them in general?

Personally I ride a Yamaha Vino 125. I get around 80 mpg, and it is a great commuter!

HI, I love riding a motorcycle and I Own Yamaha FZ 16 153 CC. It is a superb bike for a 150cc gen. I got maximum speed for stock engine was 123 km/h

 

[Muti]

I have rode Honda 100cc for so many years and still. Only once fallen from motorcycle when learning to ride (some scrathes on knees and palm). The longest continuous ride I made on it is around 250 km and that took 7.5 hours with small breaks on gas stations. Actually I filled only few liters at each station so I can again stop at next gas station.

 

[Mark44]

Kind of like my YZF-R1 below (180 horsepower...)!

Pretty impressive, Mike. That's a lot of power, period, let alone for a bike weighing less than 400 lb. Per wikipedia there were only 1000 of these made, with 500 for the US and 500 for Europe. They must have been a little on the pricey side.

berkeboy and I used to ride MX practice almost every weekend, but he's grown up now and living in the big city. He's 21 now and rides (very well on) a Triumph Daytona 675 sportbike. I feel pretty good about his riding, since we have ridden so much together. Young riders really do need a responsible mentor to help them learn the ropes and safety tricks. I used to ride a lot of track days with my Honda CBR600F4 sportbike, and hope to do some track days with berkeboy at some point.

 

[berkeman]

Yeah, they say that most motorcycle accidents occur under 30 mph, during the day, and in a street. When I would think that motorcycle accidents occur at higher speeds, at night on the highway. But I guess they are more visible during the night, and at faster speeds may be more cautious?

There was a landmark study and report done between 1976-1981 in the US called the Hurt Report. It looked at the causes and outcomes of accidents involving motorcycles, and listed the most common causes of the accidents:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurt_Report

Most of the accidents happened at intersections, and a large majority of them happened because the driver of the car did not see the rider and turned directly in front of them or otherwise hit them. A more modern study and report is the MAIDS Report:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAIDS_report

The MAIDS report also included scooters ("L1" vehicles), and found that accidents with scooters were more prevalent than with motorcycles.

These studies and reports have led to certain riding strategies and techniques to minimize your chance of being taken out by a car (or "cage" as we sometimes call them). There are some passive and active strategies and techniques that make a very big difference in your safety margin when you ride. And certainly riding defensively and with total concentration also help with your safety margin.

In the US, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) offers classes for beginners and for experienced riders (two different versions of similar material). This includes classroom sessions and riding practice and instruction in a parking lot. For young riders in many states, they are required to pass the beginner MSF class in order to get their motorcycle enhancement to their driver's license. I took the experienced course about 25 years ago when I got back into street riding, and the strategies they teach have paid off very well for me time after time.

http://www.msf-usa.org/

.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Captain Kirk is not a member of PF, but those posting might be interested in his current motorcycle project:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...rivet-a-custom-steampunk-motorcycle-1.2894168

 

[Graeme M]

Kind of like my YZF-R1 below (180 horsepower...)!

That's a nice looking R1. I've never seen one in the yellow paint scheme. Must be way fun to ride that! I spent my youth in Queensland Australia - warm and sunny place, so rode a lot as a kid. Mostly dirt but got into road later in a big way. Did many track days starting out on my '82 KZ750 and finishing in 1992 on my '91 RGV250 - last street bike I owned. Only have a couple of bikes now, a 1980 IT175 for vintage enduro events and a 2008 YZF250 for flat track racing. But I still recall fondly my street riding days...

https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10399447_710009882420024_867967175546902441_n.jpg?oh=13fa0dc238ab79e5d4074e65c5254a6f&oe=55C9BB33