Motorcycle Thread

[Herrick]

Thanks

And honestly, despite doing 130 miles yesterday, I woke up today feeling great. When I try and do that with the supersport, I can barley walk the next day and am aching bad 

I can finally start planning some longer distance trips 

Just need to get some highway pegs and some saddle bags and then its giddy up.

What are some things I can expect when I test ride one of these things? The only bike I've ridden for the past 10 months is my Honda so I'm not used to trying out different bikes. I'm a bit apprehensive about riding a heavier bike and getting used to a new clutch...and it'll be even more weird because I'll have to keep up with the salesmang or whoever rides along for the test ride.

[Phoenix87x]

All around, its not too bad at all. I'm 5' 10'' and 160 pounds and the weight of the bike is no problem. Feels just right actually, and once you start moving it maneuvers great.

Throttle and clutch are very smooth and easy to use. Acceleration is smooth as well. The gears are pretty short, so you can shift into 2nd pretty much right after you get moving. Low end power is very manageable and it doesn't really start to pull until around 3500 RPM and redlines at 5500 RPM. So you can run through the gears quick as you are getting used to it and its a very easy ride. Also, its a 6 gear transmission.

Both bikes have mid controls like your Honda, so riding position should feel about the same. Also, the turn signals are self canceling, one on each bar so one on the left you hit and one on the right bar handle. Its pretty nice to have.

If they happen to have one like mine (2014 to 2017) it might be worth test riding that one as well to get some comparison and just to break down the differences to the new ones (2018 and up):


(2014 to 2017)-  Dyna frame. The engine is rubber mounted so it will be shaking as its sitting there     Some people don't like it, but I get a kick out of it. Its like getting a massage and actually feels a little theraputic, but once you start moving the shake/vibration disappears and then its a smooth ride.  103 cubic inch twin cam engine. Its air cooled with no radiator, so if you are stuck in dead stop traffic, you can start to feel the heat, but when you are moving, its no problem at all. They are also Cheaper, but are still truly excellent imo. 

(2018 and up)- Softail frame. Very smooth ride. Counter balanced Milwaukee 8 107 engine. No shake at all really and more pep to the engine, but nothing too wild. One really nice thing about the Milwaukee 8 is they are now liquid cooled with a radiator, so the engine will always stay cool, which is nice.

Both are great in my opinion

Between 2010 and 2014, the low rider was on hiatus, but they may even have a 2009 and earlier and you can score those for a real decent price. I would have gotten one of those, but I like the paint scheme and styling on the one I got.

Oh, and one more thing. All low riders have a built in Tachometer right below the speedometer, so you can see your RPMs, which is very nice/helpful.

[Herrick]

Cool thanks for the breakdown. I'm more interested in the Softail Low Riders. I don't want air-cooling. I heard a rumor on the Harley forums that the 2020s will no longer have 107s. Everything will be 114. Hopefully, I can get a decent deal on a 2019!

[Phoenix87x]

Oh, I totally understand. I'm sort of kicking myself for not going with a newer one since they really did do an excellent job modernizing them, but whatever. I'm sure I'll get one at some point down the road 

And man, that would be awesome if the 114 engine became standard. It kicks major ass.

[Herrick]

Do you mangs rev match? I've tried it a few times but I don't know if I'm doing it right because it doesn't feel any smoother than just letting out the clutch at the appropriate speeds while downshifting. For example, 5th gear is the top gear on my bike. If I'm in 5th gear and slow down to below 40mph then I can smoothly downshift to 4th gear, then under 30mph to 3rd gear, & under 20mph to 2nd gear. 

Initially I thought the benefit to rev matching would be to downshift smoothly without having to look at my speed but now I'm at the point (at least on this bike) where I don't have to glance at the speedometer to figure out when I can smoothly downshift. I go by the feelz.

Rev matching seems like it would be useful for me if I'm doing a high speed like 70mph and need to downshift to pass. So far when I need to pass, I've just cranked on the throttle in top gear. I seem to pass quickly enough but maybe I should keep practicing rev matching for this purpose? What say ye?

One more question: I've seen some people on YouTube rev match when coming to a stop. What is the benefit of this compared to just holding in the clutch and downshifting to first gear?

[ReaperKK]

I rev match but it's just a habit I got into early on. I think it comes in handy more on performance bikes as they can be a bit more high strung and can cause a lurching feeling if you just down shift. My routine is clutch in - blip throttle - shift - clutch out.

The benefits of doing it while breaking is you're in a proper gear if you for some reason need to pull away. If you're in 5th gear and your coming to a stop and clutch and start clicking to 1st and for some reason you need to pull away you might need to click up a few gears to be in the proper gear otherwise you'd clutch out and its take a mlm moment for the engine to rev up.

[Phoenix87x]

I've tried to, but suck at it 

Honestly, most of the time I just pull the clutch in and use the breaks to slow down. Then shift into neutral or first.

[Herrick]

I rev match but it's just a habit I got into early on. I think it comes in handy more on performance bikes as they can be a bit more high strung and can cause a lurching feeling if you just down shift. My routine is clutch in - blip throttle - shift - clutch out.

The benefits of doing it while breaking is you're in a proper gear if you for some reason need to pull away. If you're in 5th gear and your coming to a stop and clutch and start clicking to 1st and for some reason you need to pull away you might need to click up a few gears to be in the proper gear otherwise you'd clutch out and its take a mlm moment for the engine to rev up.

That's the kind of situation I try to use rev matching in...like coming to a gradual slow down where the traffic might start moving again. Or if I'm doing 55mph and have to slow down to 30mph. I pull in the clutch, shift down & blip, then smoothly let the clutch out. I do this twice until I'm in 3rd gear. I try to be in the right gear for my speed. It felt super awkward at first but now it doesn't. I'm still not sure if I'm doing it right I don't get that lurch like when I was first learning to downshift and I was doing it at the wrong speeds. I do get a lot of engine breaking. I think that's normal.

[Phoenix87x]

Ordered some saddlebags and they came today





I like them a lot. They have a leather bag look, but are a hardshell water proof case that locks as well.

[ReaperKK]

That's a really nice bag. How tough were they to install?

[Phoenix87x]

Haven't put them on yet 

But it doesn't look all that bad. I have to relocate the tail lights, which will probably be the worst part but it comes with all the tools/parts to do so, which is nice. The main install seems really straitforward and its even set up to do just throw over if I want. 

[Phoenix87x]

What do you guys think about these?

Apparently, they make Motorcycle airbag riding vests. When I went down I kinda wish I would of had one of these, lol.

[Herrick]

I would consider getting one when I have the extra funds.

[Phoenix87x]

Rode up to the Pocono mountains today to Bushkill falls. This place was really amazing. There's a bunch of waterfalls, but the true highlight is one that is like 100 foot tall. The picture really doesn't do it justice. There's wooden bridges built into the cliffs and the whole experience was breathtaking. 






Had about 5 hours on the Harley total and did like 300 miles. As far as comfort goes, I couldn't be happier, its really great for long distance.
And on one take of gas I got about a 250 mile range (and it has a digital mile range on it as well) which I was very happy with.

[ReaperKK]

Dang I've never seen those vests before, I do know they have airbag 1 piece vests for track racing; not sure how I feel about it. I'm sure it's great when you go down but what is it like to wear.

[Phoenix87x]

So for the hotter temps like 85 and up, what are you guys using for riding jacket?

I have always used a First brand Leather jacket and having it half zipped it ventilates pretty well, but I'm thinking about getting something mesh since its been ass hot this summer and its starting to get to me.

[ReaperKK]

I have a mesh Joe Rocket that is getting replaced this year with a mesh Dainese jacket. Fortunately I have a work laptop for home so when I ride into work I don't carry anything on my back which is a huge help. Pants are riding Jeans. Do you plan on having pads in your jacket, I have a back pad in mine.

We have been hitting temps of about 95+ here but I'm lucky enough that only the first 4 miles of my commute home is slow moving traffic, after that I have about 8 miles of 60+ mph riding so it doesn't become an issue.

Honestly I stay away from riding a lot in this type of heat unless its an early morning ride.

[Herrick]

I have a Joe Rocket jacket...but I haven't been wearing it when it's very hot out.

[Phoenix87x]

Thanks guys

I just checked out that mesh Dainese and that looks like it might do the trick and the price point is decent as well. I'll have to think about adding a back pad. As long as its not really noticeable as far as feeling it goes, then I'm down.

Yeah, this excessively hot weather probably isn't the best idea to ride in, but being on the bikes keeps me sane, so I pick and choose my weather battles. 

[ReaperKK]

You get used to the back pad IMO.

I can understand about the feeling sane part, that's how I feel in winter when it's below freezing, the heat doesn't bother me too much, it just reminds me of riding in florida . The worst is I would have to cross a draw bridge to go anywhere and in the summer time there was a 50/50 shot I'd get stuck with the bridge up which meant sitting on my bike and waiting 10-15 minutes until it was done and we could start moving.

[Phoenix87x]

Revisiting the throttle hand fatigue subject again, on the 300 mile trip I just had it was fairly manageable.

But for super crazy long trips, like overnight ones or an eventual grand canyon marathon ride, I was thinking about getting one of these Kaoko throttle locks




It basically screws onto the bar end of the throttle and you just click it into place and you stay at the speed you want. And if you want to unlock it you just turn it slightly to the right. I also like that you can barely notice its there.

[Herrick]

I went to the closest HD dealership today and they didn't have any Low Riders. Well, no new ones. There was a 2007 with about 10K miles and they were selling it for a little cheaper than the one Phoenix got. So again I say to Phoenix, you got a good deal on yours, mang

I'm going to call the other dealership tomorrow (or Thursday) and see if they have anything in stock.

[Phoenix87x]

Yeah, the HD dealerships are a lot higher in price which is part of the reason it took me so long to get one.

It might be worth checking out what's on https://www.cycletrader.com/  Every motorcycle that I every bought I found on that website.

[Herrick]

Yeah, the HD dealerships are a lot higher in price which is part of the reason it took me so long to get one.

It might be worth checking out what's on https://www.cycletrader.com/  Every motorcycle that I every bought I found on that website.

Part of my problem is I'm trading in my Honda.

[Phoenix87x]

Yeah, the HD dealerships are a lot higher in price which is part of the reason it took me so long to get one.

It might be worth checking out what's on https://www.cycletrader.com/  Every motorcycle that I every bought I found on that website.

Part of my problem is I'm trading in my Honda.

Oh yeah, I forgot about that 

One thing that is nice about cycle trader is that most of it is dealers. I was able to trade my first bike to get the CBR since I found it available at a small dealer.
Its a shame that demo day truck didn't have a 18/19 Low rider. I would like to try one myself.

[Phoenix87x]

Had a good time today.  Went to the Yamaha Demo day




First I rode the MT-09 and I am shocked that I didn't like it. First of all, that engine is an untamed beast and I thought i was gonna die.
(A) -mode is like a nuclear bomb exploding in your face. TONS of power, but its so raw. The Ergos were surprisingly not that comfortable either. It felt sooo awkward to ride. I went there ready to love that bike, but left losing all interest.





Next up is the new love of my life. I get down on my hands and knees and worship the R6. It made my CBR 600 feel like a babies toy seriously. Immense power, but controlled and precise. It cut through corners like a hot knife through butter. People were giving me funny looks because I was screaming with joy as we rode and wouldn't shut the fuck up about it after getting off. I will be trading my CBR toward an R6 at some point absolutely 





And finally I rode the XSR 900. Decent ride. Didn't love it. Didn't hate it. Lots of good power. Comfortable, but not as comfortable as it looks.






I would have ridden more but they only allowed you 3 riders per day, which was not said to me until AFTER my 3rd ride... What the fuck. There were rides where there were only 4 or 5 people because people were told they were done their 3 rides, but whatever Yamaha. If that's how you want to run it, then its you business. Luckily I got to ride the 3 that I wanted to ride, so it was a good day.

[Herrick]

Yikes, that's shitty they told you about the 3-bike limit at the end.

[Phoenix87x]

Yeah, that was super annoying. And I am sooo glad I picked the ones I actually wanted to ride.

Honestly it got even dumber then that. They would only let you sign up for one bike at a time, so because there were 3 people in front of me signed up to ride the R6, I got to sit on the curb from 11am to 12:30pm and watched 3 rides go out and come back, because I wasn't allow to ride something I wasn't signed up for, despite bikes being available...

80% of people that came there, came specifically for the R6. Yet they only had one 

I don't know what was up with the gestapo rules. Every other Demo day I've been to was super chill, friendly and encouraged you to ride as many bikes as you wanted for as long as you wanted. They seriously said to people today "if you want to ride a 4th bike, you can come back tomorrow  "

[Herrick]

Yeah, that was super annoying. And I am sooo glad I picked the ones I actually wanted to ride.

Honestly it got even dumber then that. They would only let you sign up for one bike at a time, so because there were 3 people in front of me signed up to ride the R6, I got to sit on the curb from 11am to 12:30pm and watched 3 rides go out and come back, because I wasn't allow to ride something I wasn't signed up for, despite bikes being available...

80% of people that came there, came specifically for the R6. Yet they only had one 

I don't know what was up with the gestapo rules. Every other Demo day I've been to was super chill, friendly and encouraged you to ride as many bikes as you wanted for as long as you wanted. They seriously said to people today "if you want to ride a 4th bike, you can come back tomorrow  "

Have you done demo days at this same dealer before? I would've left if I had to sit around for a fuckin hour & a half watching other people ride.

[ReaperKK]

Beautiful bikes. How is the power band of the R6 compared to your cbr? One complaint I've had with my R6 is that peak power comes very late in the rpm range which is perfect for track days but not much for city riding. That said I also have an older R6 so things gave changed since my bike was new.

[Phoenix87x]

Have you done demo days at this same dealer before? I would've left if I had to sit around for a fuckin hour & a half watching other people ride.

First time at this dealer, but they themselves were actually very cool. The issue is with the Yamaha company people that were completely independent of the dealer. A Yamaha truck just roles in and they work out of the parking lot. A Kawasaki truck could roll in the next week and have completely different rules.

I did find out around 11:45am that the dealer had free drinks and snacks inside for us, so I was able to go inside and get refreshed a little bit which was very nice. 

Overall I learned some valuable lessons today, and if I didn't have a massive hard on for the R6, I would have definitely left. But even though it was a long wait, the R6 was absolutely worth it. My heart is still beating heavy just thinking about it.

Beautiful bikes. How is the power band of the R6 compared to your cbr? One complaint I've had with my R6 is that peak power comes very late in the rpm range which is perfect for track days but not much for city riding. That said I also have an older R6 so things gave changed since my bike was new.

Oh my god Reaper, the R6 made my CBR feel like a 250cc. From what I looked up, it has about 20 more horsepower than the CBR and man can you feel it. I can confirm that the true power is up past 8grand, but it definitely had some solid power down low, definitely more so than the CBR. The R6 felt like it was ready to go right off the bat and I LOVED it.

Apparently its essentially the same engine as yours, except they put on traction control, standard ABS and power modes. I went right for A-mode and it was dead sexy.

I don't know when, but I swear I will buy that bike.

[ReaperKK]

Oh man drivers aids finally lol. I remember going to a bike dealer a while back and the yamahas were the only bikes with no TC or ABS

[Phoenix87x]

Now can we just get a fuel gauge? 

[ReaperKK]

I think it'll be an option at 2024

I remember when I first got my R6 and I drove until the fuel light came on, I remember reading on the R6 forums that once it's one you have about 30 miles left, nope it was 26 and I ran out of gas .

On the highway cursing it's almost 40

Have you ever taken an R1 for a spin?

[Phoenix87x]

Haven't gotten a chance to ride the R1 yet 

I was hoping they would have had it at the demo day, but sadly no.

** here's what I'm thinking. I am seeing 2017 and up R6's for as low as $8500. If I can trade the CBR in for like $6500, then I don't really mind paying the difference. That's where my head is at, but I will try my best to hold off until at least spring (I haven't even transferred the title on the Harley yet  ). Help me Reaper, I have motorcycle madness.