A Motorcycle Thread About Absolutely Nothing!

[TinCanSailor]

My thrill was short lived. High of only 49 tomorrow with rain. Slowing increasing back up into the 60's by Monday.

 

[Jiro]

Many people cannot afford BMW R1200GS so the most popular "Poor Man's R1200GS" is Kawasaki KLX-650 because it's a $6,000 bike. It's as capable as BMW bike but it's just not quite the same. It looks cheap, feels cheap, and tastes cheap .... and it's not attractive.

KLX-650 is the only Japanese bike in Adventure Touring class aka Dual Purpose that competes against BMW R1200GS and F650GS/F800GS but it is not well-respected by many and it doesn't even come close. Yamaha and Honda have dominated super-bike and dirt-bike markets for decades. I suppose Yamaha wants to step up its plate and revive its old glory from 80's.

People have said that one can buy KLX-650 and just soup it up to R1200GS's standard like luggage rack, tires, heated components, etc. and it still would be a lot cheaper than R1200GS. However... by doing that - it makes KLX-650 so heavy & bulky that it severely affects its performance and rideability. Remember - KLX is 650cc and R1200GS is 1200cc.

It's exactly same principle as "Ricer Car"... trying to soup up a cheap Honda car to make it like BMW M3. It can be achieved to a certain degree but it's still lacking what BMW M3 has.

Both Tenere and R1200GS have the luxuries and bells n' whistles that Adventure Tourer wants - 6-speeds transmission, 1200cc, Riding Mode, ABS Brake, adjustable suspension, Chassis & Suspension system specifically designed for abuse and heavy weight, etc. KLX does not have half of what R1200GS & Tenere have unless you install the kits.

 

[Jiro]

oh btw - I tried to test-drive KLX-650 and my feet were several inches above the ground

that's how it led me to pick BMW F650GS

I forgot to add one more thing - Kawasaki did come up with a new model couple years ago... Versys but it did not gain the popularity as they expected. It was a failure. They tried again and second version came out. It was a good improvement but still did not gain the popularity. how sad....

 

[TinCanSailor]

Many people cannot afford BMW R1200GS so the most popular "Poor Man's R1200GS" is Kawasaki KLX-650 because it's a $6,000 bike. It's as capable as BMW bike but it's just not quite the same. It looks cheap, feels cheap, and tastes cheap .... and it's not attractive.

KLX-650 is the only Japanese bike in Adventure Touring class aka Dual Purpose that competes against BMW R1200GS and F650GS/F800GS but it is not well-respected by many and it doesn't even come close. Yamaha and Honda have dominated super-bike and dirt-bike markets for decades. I suppose Yamaha wants to step up its plate and revive its old glory from 80's.

People have said that one can buy KLX-650 and just soup it up to R1200GS's standard like luggage rack, tires, heated components, etc. and it still would be a lot cheaper than R1200GS. However... by doing that - it makes KLX-650 so heavy & bulky that it severely affects its performance and rideability. Remember - KLX is 650cc and R1200GS is 1200cc.

It's exactly same principle as "Ricer Car"... trying to soup up a cheap Honda car to make it like BMW M3. It can be achieved to a certain degree but it's still lacking what BMW M3 has.

Both Tenere and R1200GS have the luxuries and bells n' whistles that Adventure Tourer wants - 6-speeds transmission, 1200cc, Riding Mode, ABS Brake, adjustable suspension, Chassis & Suspension system specifically designed for abuse and heavy weight, etc. KLX does not have half of what R1200GS & Tenere have unless you install the kits.

Thanks. You made it very clear for me.

 

[Jiro]

Thanks. You made it very clear for me.

You're welcome

what's ironic and funny is that while KLX-650 is not well-respected by many for Dual Purpose class because it's so cheap... and yet... BMW G450X is not well-respected by many for Dirt Bike purpose because people considered G450X riders as "Snobby Rich Boy with fancy toy".

BMW G450X = $8,200 dirt bike

and for same thing.... you can get Honda/Yamaha/Kawasaki bike for a lot cheaper.

 

[TinCanSailor]

You're welcome

what's ironic and funny is that while KLX-650 is not well-respected by many for Dual Purpose class because it's so cheap... and yet... BMW G450X is not well-respected by many for Dirt Bike purpose because people considered G450X riders as "Snobby Rich Boy with fancy toy".

BMW G450X = $8,200 dirt bike

and for same thing.... you can get Honda/Yamaha/Kawasaki bike for a lot cheaper.

This is true.

 

[purplecatty]

I am about 5'10" and wear 32 inseam pants. I was able to flatfoot my V-Strom, and it is roughly the same height as the Tenere.

My only issue with the Tenere is the massive 1200cc engine, do we reeeallllyyyy need that much? I think 800 would be ideal, like the upcoming Triumph Tiger Adventure.

I like the idea of having a shaft drive and backroad capability. Not sure if I am keen on the throttle-by-wire system...more electronics to break if you are in the middle of Death Valley and drop it.

Don't get peewee 500cc or 600cc bike (they're ugly little sisters!!, good for beginner rider). Get 800cc or bigger. Bigger, the better means bigger Ego!! It doesn't matter if you get 1200cc, you will handle its power just like the way you do to 800cc but only faster. It all depends on how you open up throttle and upshift gears. If you go easy on 1200cc, It won't be problem at all. As for fuel economy, depends on how you ride. Some bike safe gas better than other so you use your judgment.

Throttle by wire system, this get me leery too because electronics breaks and you get sucked. I prefer cable better cuz it's more reliable.

I have 805cc Suzuki Volusia with shaft drive.. It runs strong and its worth it. I haven't raced with anyone with 1300cc. It depends on how good you shift. There are 1800cc Suzuki Boulevard C109RT that I wanted. It's a big fat brother of Suzuki Volusia (both had same body but bigger engine). I would love to have 1800cc and it's like riding Caddy and I know it'll go really smooth if you ride over 75mph or over. Rear tire size 240 and front size 150. I was at Suzuki showroom last month and its seat is hard, If I bought that, I would have swapped to softer seat.

Suzuki Cycles - Product Lines - Cycles - Products - Boulevard C109 - 2009 - C109RT

My bike engine have long powerband and I didn't need to downshift to go up hill or passing cars. It growls when I twist the throttle. Engine sure does vibrate if goes over 75mph and up but it's not bad at all, Soft seat absorbs vibration and on handlebar, it's minor. .

Catty

 

[Smithtr]

I notice my caffience not good health risk serious!

 

[purplecatty]

I notice my caffience not good health risk serious!

What are you talking about? You're in wrong Thread

Catty

 

[green427]

Catty

Nice bike, but would you pack camping gear and ride it for 2-3 days on this road?

That is my kind of riding.

 

[Jiro]

Nice bike, but would you pack camping gear and ride it for 2-3 days on this road?

lol it's a wrong bike for that

 

[purplecatty]

Nice bike, but would you pack camping gear and ride it for 2-3 days on this road

Yes, I can pack camping gears and ride it. Cuz it have soft seat and cruise control installed. I don't have extra bags for sissy bar and handle bar.

Catty

 

[purplecatty]

lol it's a wrong bike for that

Huh!! It have radiator. Runs long and doesn't overheat. Not like Harley's air cooled engine.

My bike seat is soft and I have cruise control installed. I haven't had problem with long ride. I rode it all day long last Dec when weather was warm. My butt not even sore. There are gel padded seat cover as an option that you can buy from Ebay for $20 and take out seat and send it to shop and have them redo the seat for you. So your butt would be "gelled"

This bike can be use for long trip cuz it's pretty big bike tho.

Catty

 

[Jiro]

Huh!! It have radiator. Runs long and doesn't overheat. Not like Harley's air cooled engine.

My bike seat is soft and I have cruise control installed. I haven't had problem with long ride. I rode it all day long last Dec when weather was warm. My butt not even sore ect.

This bike can be use for long trip cuz it's pretty big bike tho.

Catty

Ever seen Harley or cruiser bikes on that kind of terrain plus river crossing? I guess it COULD be done but.... do you really wanna bet on it?

btw - in that pix, it's not a paved road.

 

[purplecatty]

Ever seen Harley or cruiser bikes on that kind of terrain plus river crossing? I guess it COULD be done but.... do you really wanna bet on it?

btw - in that pix, it's not a paved road.

Ahh I didn't see that closely. I've seen Harley or cruiser bike ridden on gravel road in Rural area. It's common in Kansas tho. I went to Reading, KS (about 30 min from Emporia, KS.) and There is Tallgrass Prairie National Park. There are lot of gravel road there and I've seen several Harleys and Cruisers riding on it. They're not going fast on that tho, they go easy on that road. Common sense. Also last year, I visited seller's home in Smithville, MO (rural town). I drove my truck on long gravel road for nearly 30 min and got to his place. He have 2004 Suzuki Volusia (looks exactly mine but tan/white color) that he was parting out accessories on it. I bought saddle bags from him and had to remove it myself. His bike wheel well was pretty dusty with gravel dust.

Catty

 

[Jiro]

Ahh I didn't see that closely. I've seen Harley or cruiser bike ridden on gravel road in Rural area. It's common in Kansas tho. I went to Reading, KS (about 30 min from Emporia, KS.) and There is Tallgrass Prairie National Park. There are lot of gravel road there and I've seen several Harleys and Cruisers riding on it. They're not going fast on that tho, they go easy on that road. Common sense. Also last year, I visited seller's home in Smithville, MO (rural town). I drove my truck on long gravel road for nearly 30 min and got to his place. He have 2004 Suzuki Volusia (looks exactly mine but tan/white color) that he was parting out accessories on it. I bought saddle bags from him and had to remove it myself. His bike wheel well was pretty dusty with gravel dust.

Catty

it's not gravel either. it's just a very long wind of dusty sandy road. here's a closer look of the terrain. the biggest nightmare is loose sand. You can get seriously injured from it. the worst part is when riding at low speed and your front tire gave away cuz of loose sand and then you fell on your side with bike pinning down on your foot/leg. Your friend can't quickly get you out cuz of all the weight especially with luggage. Another case - I've seen a pix where front fork was literally ripped out cuz his front tire dug into very loose sand and the rider superman'ed. He sustained broken ribs and arm.

Some portion of terrain can change to gravel. Riding on gravel road for a prolonged period of time is pretty risk especially for a belt-driven bike because a pebble can get into between sprocket and belt and you can imagine what kind of mess it could cause.

Trail can change to river crossing too depending on weather so I don't know how cruiser bike would fare in that kind of situation. I imagine not so pretty since it's low-riding bike.

If it did rain, the terrain would be muddy like below. Poor guy

But does this mean it's impossible to do whole journey on Suzuki Volusia? Absolutely not! It's doable! As long as you got the right tires, parts and skill to tackle tough situation, you can do it! but will it be dang hard? yup lol. It might be a good idea to slap on knobbies? who knows?

All kinds of terrains mentioned above - there's a reason why there's a category called "Dual Sport" (or Adventure Touring). Dual Sport's suspensions are tall and bouncy... which is why we can handle NYC potholes like a Cadillac but on cruiser bikes... you can definitely feel the jolt from pothole. Soft cushion seat helps absorb the impact but not always.

Some people just like to chill on long stretch for hours and hours like in Midwest so cruiser bikes are perfect for that. Plenty of power. Plenty of air. Plenty of comfortable space for you to stretch your legs out while riding

Riding Dual Sport bike for that long road is... bit hard on us. The rideability is not as comfortable as cruiser bike and it is bit crampy cuz we can't stretch out our legs and the knobbies are not very road friendly. I'm envious of some cruiser bike's seat with backrest!

Don't forget that when doing offroad.... it's wise to wear pressure suit but I can't imagine wearing all these kind of hard armors on cruiser bike. Doesn't look quite comfortable!

 

[purplecatty]

it's not gravel either. it's just a very long wind of dusty sandy road. here's a closer look of the terrain. the biggest nightmare is loose sand. You can get seriously injured from it. the worst part is when riding at low speed and your front tire gave away cuz of loose sand and then you fell on your side with bike pinning down on your foot/leg. Your friend can't quickly get you out cuz of all the weight especially with luggage. Another case - I've seen a pix where front fork was literally ripped out cuz his front tire dug into very loose sand and the rider superman'ed. He sustained broken ribs and arm.

Some portion of terrain can change to gravel. Riding on gravel road for a prolonged period of time is pretty risk especially for a belt-driven bike because a pebble can get into between sprocket and belt and you can imagine what kind of mess it could cause.

Trail can change to river crossing too depending on weather so I don't know how cruiser bike would fare in that kind of situation. I imagine not so pretty since it's low-riding bike.

If it did rain, the terrain would be muddy like below. Poor guy

But does this mean it's impossible to do whole journey on Suzuki Volusia? Absolutely not! It's doable! As long as you got the right tires, parts and skill to tackle tough situation, you can do it! but will it be dang hard? yup lol. It might be a good idea to slap on knobbies? who knows?

All kinds of terrains mentioned above - there's a reason why there's a category called "Dual Sport" (or Adventure Touring). Dual Sport's suspensions are tall and bouncy... which is why we can handle NYC potholes like a Cadillac but on cruiser bikes... you can definitely feel the jolt from pothole. Soft cushion seat helps absorb the impact but not always.

Some people just like to chill on long stretch for hours and hours like in Midwest so cruiser bikes are perfect for that. Plenty of power. Plenty of air. Plenty of comfortable space for you to stretch your legs out while riding

Riding Dual Sport bike for that long road is... bit hard on us. The rideability is not as comfortable as cruiser bike and it is bit crampy cuz we can't stretch out our legs and the knobbies are not very road friendly. I'm envious of some cruiser bike's seat with backrest!

Don't forget that when doing offroad.... it's wise to wear pressure suit but I can't imagine wearing all these kind of hard armors on cruiser bike. Doesn't look quite comfortable!

Yeah, I understand what you mean riding on loose sands, mud and stream crossing. I doubt I would go through that Unless I lost my way and if that's the only way to go through, I would but with care!! Mine is shaft drive, no worries

Yes, about tires, I know knobby are'nt road friendly. I've seen guy riding his dirt bike on road and it look kinda risky. But I found out that there are knobby tires that are designed for both on and off road. As for tire pressure, Yes it's a must that it be check fequently or otherwise tires wears out or lose tractions on certain terrian.

As for suspension. I have adjustable rear suspension. I can adjust shock to soft and bouncy or stiff and hard. My shock is set to midrange. I just only need to lift rear wheel off the ground then adjust shock by twisting it. Front fork aren't adjustable but it's soft when it hit small pothole.

If I get dirt bike, I would use it off road I've ridden dirt motorcycle before. I rode up on 2 stories tall cliff on 2nd gear. Daring but Fun!!

I can't imagine wearing all these kind of hard armors on cruiser bike. Doesn't look quite comfortable!
I bet it wont be comfortable. How about off road hard armor sold in motorcycle store??

Catty

 

[Jiro]

Yeah, I understand what you mean riding on loose sands, mud and stream crossing. I doubt I would go through that Unless I lost my way and if that's the only way to go through, I would but with care!! Mine is shaft drive, no worries

Yes, about tires, I know knobby are'nt road friendly. I've seen guy riding his dirt bike on road and it look kinda risky. But I found out that there are knobby tires that are designed for both on and off road. As for tire pressure, Yes it's a must that it be check fequently or otherwise tires wears out or lose tractions on certain terrian.

As for suspension. I have adjustable rear suspension. I can adjust shock to soft and bouncy or stiff and hard. My shock is set to midrange. I just only need to lift rear wheel off the ground then adjust shock by twisting it. Front fork aren't adjustable but it's soft when it hit small pothole.

If I get dirt bike, I would use it off road

I can't imagine wearing all these kind of hard armors on cruiser bike. Doesn't look quite comfortable!
I bet it wont be comfortable. How about off road hard armor sold in motorcycle store??

Catty

about suspension & forks - cruiser is hugely different from dual sport because of several things especially length of springs, sag range, dive, compression, damping, etc. I never really understood the need for adjustable rear suspension. IMO - it's useless. My bike has one and I hardly feel any difference

Bottom Line - Suspension Travel is the most important specification to look at. Cruiser version has a much shorter length than Dual Sport because it has a small dive length which is why riders always feel a jolt whenever they go over potholes. Repeated vibrations will burn out the oil inside due to rapid compressions and that will blow out the seal. Some bikes use spring only and that spring (not rated for where you're riding on for prolonged period of time) can snap from repeated, abusive vibrations.

But!!!! that is easily upgradeable (but pricey of course). Some cruisers have very nice, expensive version and it dives gracefully especially upon braking while absorbing heavy weight. If you recall any scenes in Terminator 2 where Arnold Schwarzenegger rode a Harley and braked... its dive was graceful! I likey! That means a very very comfortable ride like a Cadillac!

Skip to 0:15 where you will see Arnold's Harley coming to stop. ain't it nice!?!?
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY2_IiZb4ys]YouTube - Terminator 2 in one minute[/ame]

For dual sport - Öhlins (top of the line. expensive) is ooooohhhh yyyyyeeeeeeaaaaa My dream goal is to get Öhlins parts for my bike but it's $$$$. It's at least $1,000 upgrade

just to give you some idea how much Harley Sportster's suspension travel differs from BMW F650GS (Dual Sport).

Harley's Suspension Travel is 92mm (3.6") Front and 41mm (1.6") Rear.
F650GS's Suspension Travel is 180mm (7.1") Front and 170mm (6.7") Rear.

You see that both bikes differ by 5.1" in rear (most important since jolt hurts your backbone & butt the most, not your arms). This means - my bike has 6.7" Rear to spare if I hit a pothole... while Harley has only 1.6" to spare... all I can think of is... "OH MY COCCYX!!!"

Sportbike is even worse... its suspension is very tight. ugh! I really thought I broke my coccyx when I rode my friend's sportbike home

 

[TinCanSailor]

Just a couple of questions?

I have tried making various videos with my helmet cam. Still trying to make one interesting to all. Do you have to use Youtube only? Are there any other ways to post?

I have tried to video my LEDs after dark. They only look strange. Would it be better to video at dusk to outline the bike?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[green427]

Just a couple of questions?

I have tried making various videos with my helmet cam. Still trying to make one interesting to all. Do you have to use Youtube only? Are there any other ways to post?

I have tried to video my LEDs after dark. They only look strange. Would it be better to video at dusk to outline the bike?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Youtube is free, but has limited options. If you have more than one video, you can buy video editing software and combine them into one.

I have an account with smugmug.com since they are spam-free and easy to use, no bullshit involved, but if I want to store videos more than 4 minutes long, I have to pay a premium membership. Other sites like imageshack.com, photobucket.com have similar setups.

I did a test run with a $20 video camera in the spring. Yes, twenty dollars. Posted it on youtube.com. I bolted it to the engine guard of my wife's Rebel 250. It is about 12 inches from the road. The vibrations caused the picture to have waves, so I will have to move the cam up to my gas tank.

This is the raw, unedited feed uploaded directly from the camera:


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo5pCbwC1RE]YouTube - Chesapeake, MD on a Rebel 250[/ame]




Notice at 5:00 the lady on the horse asked me to stop, apparently I scared the horse. Not bad for a $20 cam.The 'jumping' is annoying though.