Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted
On 9/14/2024 at 4:28 PM, Handcruser said:

Cbr500r
Ninja 500
Zx4r
Rs 457
Ninja 650

Anything Honda or Kawasaki is going to be great with reliability and pretty easy on the service intervals. My Eliminator and the Ninja 500 share the 451 engine.  That Aprilla is not going to be reliable. 650 a tad big for a fist bike IMO.  I'd go with one of the first two.  The Zx4r is a lot of bike for a fist time rider as well. 

Posted
Anything Honda or Kawasaki is going to be great with reliability and pretty easy on the service intervals. My Eliminator and the Ninja 500 share the 451 engine.  That Aprilla is not going to be reliable. 650 a tad big for a fist bike IMO.  I'd go with one of the first two.  The Zx4r is a lot of bike for a fist time rider as well. 

The zx-4r is delayed to 56hp instead of the usual 80. It also has lots of features like traction control that are appealing.

But it’s $$$$$$$.
  • Hook 'Em 1
Posted
49 minutes ago, midtown said:

Anything Honda or Kawasaki is going to be great with reliability and pretty easy on the service intervals. My Eliminator and the Ninja 500 share the 451 engine.  That Aprilla is not going to be reliable. 650 a tad big for a fist bike IMO.  I'd go with one of the first two.  The Zx4r is a lot of bike for a fist time rider as well. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • 7 months later...
Posted (edited)

Jumping back in here.  Been riding about a year now.  Still enjoying it.  Its definitely dangerous out there.  Cars just do not look for motorcycles.  Defensive riding, head on a swivel.  My son just sold his KTM 390 and is headed to Louisiana to pick up a 2006 Ducati 740 or something.  Looks pretty awesome. Kid saves his money workign at Pizza hut to pay for his motorcycle habit

I am about to go ahead with the newest Triumph Trident.  Lots of new features.  Haven't decide if IM keeping my Eliminator esp with the upgrades I did with the slip on exhaust and tidy tail. Still a great bike

At this point as far as gear I have:

2 Shoei helmets.  RF SR and a GT Air 2

3 Riding pants, 3 jackets. 2 boots and a reflective back pack for any night rides related to bike nights but generally I do not ride at night at all

Edited by midtown
Posted
17 hours ago, midtown said:

Jumping back in here.  Been riding about a year now.  Still enjoying it.  Its definitely dangerous out there.  Cars just do not look for motorcycles.  Defensive riding, head on a swivel.  My son just sold his KTM 390 and is headed to Louisiana to pick up a 2006 Ducati 740 or something.  Looks pretty awesome. Kid saves his money workign at Pizza hut to pay for his motorcycle habit

I am about to go ahead with the newest Triumph Trident.  Lots of new features.  Haven't decide if IM keeping my Eliminator esp with the upgrades I did with the slip on exhaust and tidy tail. Still a great bike

At this point as far as gear I have:

2 Shoei helmets.  RF SR and a GT Air 2

3 Riding pants, 3 jackets. 2 boots and a reflective back pack for any night rides related to bike nights but generally I do not ride at night at all

I like the new Trident 660 a lot.  Saw it the first time at the big Triumph event a few months back, where they unveiled the 2025 lineup.  If you're in Austin, AF1 has been such a massive improvement over the last shitty dealership that had Triumphs (and had them taken away by the manufacturer).  If you change your mind and go the modern classic route, it's not too late for the Distinguished Gentleman's ride this year. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Posted

My son picked up his 2006 Ducati today in Monroe LA
The shipper should have it here by Tues

Kid works hard to save the money IMG_20250502_115941.jpgIMG_20250502_091325.jpgIMG_20250502_091329.jpg

  • Hook 'Em 4
Posted
On 5/2/2025 at 12:23 PM, midtown said:

My son picked up his 2006 Ducati today in Monroe LA
The shipper should have it here by Tues

Kid works hard to save the money IMG_20250502_115941.jpgIMG_20250502_091325.jpgIMG_20250502_091329.jpg

749/999 is a beautiful bike that is starting to gain the following that it deserves. Congrats to your son on his new bike and hard work!

Posted
On 5/5/2025 at 12:54 AM, AnotherUTFan said:

Just stumbled on this thread. Looking forward to following it.

I just picked this up a few weeks ago and having a ton of fun with it. Loving the DCT.

20250427_152609.thumb.jpg.5bf161b6e0e7ac63818fa702b941134b.jpg

Give us a ride report on the DCT.  Don't know why this hasn't been done up to now on motorcycles.  Really intrigued by the idea of automatic transmission.

  • Hook 'Em 1
Posted

Honda has been offering the DCT since 2010 or so on a few models.  I wish other manufacturers would do likewise.   It would open up riding to many more people, which is a good thing for all of us.   Triumph kicked ass in 2024 by offering up small displacement bikes and making things easier and more affordable for new riders.  I hope they realize they can double down on that success by coming up with an automatic platform of their own.  BMW has its ASA options on bikes such as their new 1300 GS, and Yamaha is coming out with its Y-AMT system this year.  Harley decided to ride the nostalgia train almost into the ground, but who knows? With what's going on now with their CEO getting the boot and their sales in the toilet, they may decide to finally start offering bikes other than oversized and overpriced machines with dated tech.  Their demographic is aging out of riding by the second, and they forgot to build interest among the younger generations. 

My wife has a 300cc Vespa GTS that she loves riding, and though it can go 90 on the highway if need be and easily keep up with my 1200cc Bonnie, she wants something that won't get blown around so much at higher speeds, especially when the wind is blowing.  Using a clutch has held her back from trying a lot of bikes, but I'm going to get her on a few of the Honda DCT models to see if one will work for her.  I suspect the Rebel 1100 will win out, given the lower seat height, but I'm secretly hoping she goes for the Africa Twin so I can ride it some too. :)  Of course lots of bikes come with quick shifters and auto blippers these days, but that's not quite the same for someone who is either afraid of a clutch or can't use one due to physical limitations. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Posted

I agree that any tech that gets more people on bikes the better. Personally I'll always prefer a clutch and clutch lever but I also own a three pedal car. The Trident I'm buying has a quick shifter so half way to auto but it's going to be odd for me to use it.

I just hope manufactures don't phase out clutches bikes like auto manufacturers have

  • Hook 'Em 2
Posted
51 minutes ago, midtown said:

I agree that any tech that gets more people on bikes the better. Personally I'll always prefer a clutch and clutch lever but I also own a three pedal car. The Trident I'm buying has a quick shifter so half way to auto but it's going to be odd for me to use it.

I just hope manufactures don't phase out clutches bikes like auto manufacturers have

I don't think there is any risk of that, at least not in our lifetimes.

Posted
On 5/7/2025 at 11:35 AM, CycleTex87 said:

Give us a ride report on the DCT.  Don't know why this hasn't been done up to now on motorcycles.  Really intrigued by the idea of automatic transmission.

The DCT is incredible. I was skeptical cause I always think of shifting as part of the joy of riding. That said, I'm starting to get a little arthritis and I live in San Francisco where I have to work the clutch constantly and sometimes my  hand aches to the point it isn't really safe. In fact, put a kit on my last bike to make the clutch softer.

It took me about 15 minutes to be a full convert to the DCT. I think it more as an automatic clutch with electronic shifting than as an automatic transmission because I'm still very engaged in gear selection. The bike itself shift so smoothly you don't even feel the changes, but its terrible at knowing what you want to do next. I can be on the highway chugging along in 6th at low RPM. If I just increase the throttle to pass somebody it will bog down for a second before it realizes what I'm doing and down shift, so I'll down shift a gear just as I'm twisting the throttle. Likewise, if I'm going down hill in 4th at a high RPM, im gonna upshift a gear before letting off the throttle so the engine braking doesn't throw me toward the handlebars. You can also put it in full manual mode where you shift and it works the clutch. 

It's paddle shifting with your left thumb and pointy finger. They sell a foot shifter that I thought I might add, but have decided its unnecessary. My left boot still has wear from the shifter on my last bike, so i do feel like a bit of a poseur when I look at my feet.

I added side cases today. We are gonna make the fist weekend getaway "adventure" trip in a couple weeks. Monterrey and Big Sur. It'll be a rough one!

My other bike is a Vespa GTS 300 twost and go. It's great for running errands around the city, but its suddenly feeling tiny.

20250508_173837.jpg

20250506_182335.jpg

  • Hook 'Em 2
Posted

Put the deposit down on the Trident last Saturday and got a sold sign put on it.  Didn't have time to finish the deal and now out of town until tomorrow on business.  Will finish up when I get back and get it home even if i have to ride it naked in the 100 degree heat

PXL_20250510_185140500.jpg

  • Hook 'Em 2
Posted
On 5/8/2025 at 9:35 PM, AnotherUTFan said:

The DCT is incredible. I was skeptical cause I always think of shifting as part of the joy of riding. That said, I'm starting to get a little arthritis and I live in San Francisco where I have to work the clutch constantly and sometimes my  hand aches to the point it isn't really safe. In fact, put a kit on my last bike to make the clutch softer.

It took me about 15 minutes to be a full convert to the DCT. I think it more as an automatic clutch with electronic shifting than as an automatic transmission because I'm still very engaged in gear selection. The bike itself shift so smoothly you don't even feel the changes, but its terrible at knowing what you want to do next. I can be on the highway chugging along in 6th at low RPM. If I just increase the throttle to pass somebody it will bog down for a second before it realizes what I'm doing and down shift, so I'll down shift a gear just as I'm twisting the throttle. Likewise, if I'm going down hill in 4th at a high RPM, im gonna upshift a gear before letting off the throttle so the engine braking doesn't throw me toward the handlebars. You can also put it in full manual mode where you shift and it works the clutch. 

It's paddle shifting with your left thumb and pointy finger. They sell a foot shifter that I thought I might add, but have decided its unnecessary. My left boot still has wear from the shifter on my last bike, so i do feel like a bit of a poseur when I look at my feet.

I added side cases today. We are gonna make the fist weekend getaway "adventure" trip in a couple weeks. Monterrey and Big Sur. It'll be a rough one!

My other bike is a Vespa GTS 300 twost and go. It's great for running errands around the city, but its suddenly feeling tiny.

20250508_173837.jpg

20250506_182335.jpg

We've got a Vespa GTS 300 in the garage too, along with a 150.  My wife rides them more than I do, but I love the 300 for running errands around town. 

If Austin took the money and energy it spends on cyclists and spent it on encouraging scooter riding, or even motorcycles in general, we might actually do something about traffic and environmental impact.  Alas, we'll continue placating the insignificant number of people willing to commute on bicycles to our collective detriment. 

 

 

IMG_5653.jpeg

IMG_5789.jpeg

  • Hook 'Em 2
  • 1 month later...
Posted (edited)

When I travel for work or for my daughters soccer games and I have time to kill I usually find a bike shop.  So I am going to dump a crap load of bike pictures on here now. The first are from Memphis and the rest are from CA. I found what must be the biggest freaking motorcycle dealer on the planet.  I've never seen so many bikes. Chaparral Motorsports in San Bernadino. Its the size of freaking Walmart.  The Triumph Speed twins are in here because I am highly considering one.  Probably go 900.  Esp if I can get my hand on that green stealth.  Or  That one was out in CA.  I'd love that organe Ninja 650 but not sure my back would appreicate it and I only have room for 4 total bikes in my garage.  Oh and the K6 S in in here because I tried it on in Memphis and ended up ordering one online.  Delivered yesterday.  Crazy light helmet. 


fdc1a59efcf422d0b6b2a85f8e1801d8.jpg5bec3421226f40771f068c5ca0f6b827.jpg72d9bd27b501196c2fcb7e0a94a09b71.jpg4b24e28cc91fc36c47e0e6cb0b1d67f8.jpg436150b72824dc78204a71439753050f.jpg1c3f7b465d6fe4e0b7a56c4fa9a9b6d8.jpg464459f3d7802ce103c5a658828e72f8.jpgPXL_20250621_201422196.thumb.jpg.41d51a43cbbbb1e118a7e123cd7b47fe.jpg1f8d683ec85ea1e0301c2b5243094435.jpg

92a89fee3ddfa3dbeedeb70634300b58.jpg

Edited by midtown
  • Like 1
Posted

My torque converter on my truck bit the dust a couple weeks ago, so I've been spending a bit of time getting the Sportster back into proper shape. Had to pull the starter to clean up/rebuild the starter solenoid. To get to the bolts that mount the starter you have to pull the primary cover. The get the starter out you have to pull the rear exhaust. So I got all that done...and transmission fluid is leaking out of the adjustment on the clutch cable. The adjustment is well above the primary, which means there is pressure building up in there when it heats up, driving oil up the clutch cable. Some sort of bug must have decided to make nest inside my vent tube. Which is wedged between the starter and the rear cylinder, so you have to pull the starter to get to it...

  • Like 1

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...