Ouch, how'd you do that?
This might be a bit of a dumb question, but I don't really see what's so badly damaged?
For some reason I like this. Old-style bikes are my "thing" for motorcycling, but I never really cared for sidecars. But this one pulls it off nicely.Originally Posted by jetsetter
EDIT: Okay, okay... unquoted... but it's just pictures mate.
) Black 1990 Miata 1st Gen. Restored and partially weight-stripped w/6-Speed transmission, CD stereo, short-throw shifter and billet knob, HID headlights, Hydra Nemesis ECU, tuned exhaust pipe, toolkit and vinyl top. Urals certainly have a very strong whiff of coolness about them, and I'd even consider getting one at some point. But in my eyes you'd have to be mad to buy one new, they're terribly overpriced for what they really are - a not terribly well made reverse-engineered Russian copy of a now 70(!) years old German design.
I'd rather take one like this or this.
There's a guy a few towns away from me who imports and builds Chang Jiang motorcycles, they're licensed Chinese copies of licensed Russian copies of the venerable BMW R71. I think I'll stop by sometime this week and get pictures of some vintage WWII-style goodness.
Boston Vintage Sidecar: if you want an ex-People's Liberation Army sidecar outfit, Mr. Lee's your man. (And i know I want one!)
Also, this is awesome:
Mmmmmmm I dunno about that... while I agree that the latest '09 model bikes from all four of the Japanese manufacturers are all stunningly hideous, there are some jewels released as recently as a year ago. Take a look at this '08 ZX6R:
It is subjective as always though. Fans of naked bikes will probably scoff at this ZX6R, but I think it's absolutely beautiful to look at. I loved it so much I ended up buying one and it's as wonderful to ride as it is to look at. (Unfortunately after 2008 Kawasaki was stricken with polygon syndrome and completely redesigned this perfectly good looking bike into something of a mess)
The '08 ZX6R doesn't have so many untidy zig-zag lines like the suzis or this new bmw supersport, but I don't think its a beauty either... don't like the front with the ram air intake in the top middle and the "chubby" back.
The only new japanese supersport bikes i like, concerning looks, are the two yamahas and the cbr600rr.
That´s why I said MOST bikes look like origami.
The R1, for instance, looks better then ever (in my opinion).
You're kidding, right? Please tell me you're fucking with me. The R1 is quite possibly the most hideous bike I've ever seen. It looks like a B-movie prop of a giant evil-spirit-possessed zombie insect that's about to be killed by Bruce Campbell.
/nothing against Bruce.
That actually sounds rather awesome.
Yeah, for a monster destined to be slain by Bruce Campbell, it doesn't mean I want to jump on the back of it and go for a ride.
I do agree with you on the looks of the damn thing, but the sheer awesomeness of that R1's crossplane crankshaft more than makes up for it!
However the R1 must be blue or red/white...
Wow, they managed to invent a complicated engineering solution for something 90 degree V-configuration motors have been doing for decades. Go Yamaha. Wooo.
^If you would have any experience with proper superbikes you wouldn't say that. It's epic, and that says alot since i'm a die hard Suzuki-rider
Don't get me wrong, it's huge leap forward in inline 4 design, but it's all to give the smooth power delivery of a V-configuration engine. There's a reason I love my V4 motors. Sure my bike is older and can be out-run by a modern 600cc machine, but the power delivery is outstanding.
Also, I've ridden a good chunk of the Ducati and Aprilia lines, as well as a host of Japanese inline 4's and parallel twins. The complex engineering on the R1 is a thing to behold, but you can do the same job by turning two cylinders 90 degrees and making it a V4. Same result, easier solution.
^According to the guys over at Öhlins racing, Yamaha abandoned the v4 for the same reason Honda scrapped their plans for a v4 in the CBR1000RR: lack of top end power..
Odd, Ducati doesn't seem to have any problem making a championship-winning V4, of course they changed the firing order. Also, the Honda NR had a V4, had they run down that road I bet motorcycles would look very different today. It was a V4 with oval pistons and 8 valves per cylinder - and to think people claim the Japanese have no passion.
I've also never heard that reasoning before. Can you link me? I'd like to read what they said (if it's in Uh-merican).
Fine, fine. I'll give you that the V4s tend to have less at the top, but unlike so many race-ready I4s, they have more grunt at the bottom. If you ride it correctly to make use of that low-end power then you can really surprise some CBR riders. There's not really a good V4 sportbike in production right now. The VFR has the V-TEC which, in my opinion, was a stupid thing to do to a motorcycle motor. The VMAX is a 1800cc V4 that puts out about 175 bhp and enough torque to move continents, but it's a power-cruiser, not a sport bike. The Desmosedici costs more than many cars and requires proof of clinical insanity to ride.
I just want more research and development on my VFR to bring the power up to what it should be. I know it's a bigger, heavier machine, but there is no good reason for it not to pull as hard as a 600cc bike.
/I want that supercharger kit.
^I had red Honda NR 750 on my wall when i was younger, the stuff dreams are made off..
I can't link it because it was a conversation that took place over a couple of beers, I lived next door to a guy that works for Öhlins, with the Yamaha MotoGP team (during races he does the suspension work for Colin Edwards)...
And Ducati only wins races because of Casey Stoner, no-one else can get that bike to work..
The other three (four with Sete) Ducati riders are usually coming in right at the bottom...
Yamaha has managed to capture some of that low end grunt from a v4 while not losing any on top. Which pretty much makes them the kings right now, the other are standing still or even moving backwards (I'm looking at you Suzuki)...
Well, to Stoner's credit, he can ride the snot out of that thing, mainly because he's never really ridden anything else in the class. The Desmo is a real handfull and most people who ride more conventional bikes can't adapt to it. It's not a problem with the bike, it's a problem with the rider.
I know that Yamaha has gotten more low-end out of the new crossfire crank, but I still think that if someone would put that kind of R&D into a street V4 you could get something that would give the R1 a run for the money. The problem is that for the last decade everything has been driven by racing and building bikes to win on the track and meet the rules of the various race leagues. That means we are getting fantastic track bikes on the showroom floor, but for those of us wanting a good all-round motorcycle that can be used for canyon carving, touring or even around town commuting there's not much out there. Development just kind of stopped on those bikes and there aren't many to choose from. Sure there are the Touring bikes that are good just for touring, or the sport bikes that are good just for the track or balls-out canyon chases, but there's not much that is just a good all-around motorbike.
^That's why i have 3 bikes! My Gixxer aint a bad cruiser either, keep it off the power band and cruise at about 140km/h and it is a pretty comfy ride. But I'm a short bloke...
And most ppl me included would be faster around the track with a v4, most ppl me included would even be faster around a track with a 600 than with a liter bike...
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