The General Motorbikers Discussion Thread

[BlaRo]

I sat on a Triumph Bonneville today and was surprised. My XJ600S already has a low, comfortable upright standard seating position, but the Triumph felt like sitting on a high chair in comparison. I never even thought of my Seca II as "sporty" or anything.

I still want a Bonneville T100, however.

[shad_68]

I still want a Bonneville T100, however.

And yeah, the seat's very low. Maybe even a bit too cruiser-ish for my liking, although I must admit I haven't sat on one yet, the dealer I got to for oggling Triumphs doesn't allow you to take a seat on the bikes.
But anyway, ultimately, when it looks that stunning, everything is fine.

[Censport]

I got bummed. Found out that Moto guzzi isn't selling the V7 Classic in the U.S. Everywhere but the U.S., in fact. I've got a pal in Toronto, and Guzzi has a dealership there. I could buy it there, but how would I get it back to the states to enjoy it here?

[Spectre]

The problem isn't getting it here (you can get the unassembled bike here pretty easily) but getting it registered.

Also, do you mean the Classic or Café Classic?

[Censport]

Straight Classic. Which is now offered in black with gold tank stripes.

Yeah, the registration bit has me stumped. It won't be in the computers. I could try registering it at my friend's place, but then the insurance...?

Another option is to use the same lady at the DMV that the Lane Motor Museum uses. They've registered all kinds of strangeness with her help.

[Spectre]

That's possible. What you might want to do is write Moto Guzzi and ask what the difference between the Cafe Classic and the Classic is in terms of parts (I suspect it's just cosmetic bits) and see if they'll make you a package deal for that. Or better yet, just send you an unassembled Classic as a kit (someone got one of the last original Minis into the US that way) without a VIN and with the engine sent separately.

[Censport]

I don't think the Cafe Classic is coming to the U.S. either. But the 750 Breva (on which both bikes' drivetrains are based) has been here since 2004. Or I guess I could just buy another 750 Breva and pretend I'm riding a V7 Classic.

Nah.

[Jon]

I've just fitted a Scorpion can to my bike and it sounds fantastic..

With the baffle out at 9k+ ..Oh my..

[Spectre]

Good news everyone! No, not the Dacia Sandero; Buell has finallydecided to upgrade the Blast!

http://www.buell.com/en_us/bikes/blast/#

Quite a huge improvement!

Good riddance. Also, I like Buell's definition of "reliable."

[Karoug]

I've put up the Gixxer for sale..





*Please hold me*

[Bubs360]

Good news everyone! No, not the Dacia Sandero; Buell has finallydecided to upgrade the Blast!

http://www.buell.com/en_us/bikes/blast/#

Quite a huge improvement!

Good riddance. Also, I like Buell's definition of "reliable."

So, I'm taking it they aren't going to produce that god-awful piece of crap anymore? You know it's bad when the company itself denounces that it wasn't all that great.

[Spectre]

Nope, 2010 is the last year for it. And the 2010s aren't bikes, but "sculpture".

[Bubs360]

Good, that's about all they are good for. Seriously, I think they figured that the average Buell Blast owner is a learner and is going to stuff the bike within the year anyway. After 6,000 miles, the whole damn bike just falls to pieces.

Odometer went from 5,000 to 10,000 during my ownership. Bought it in the fall, stored for the winter and out the next summer. No wheelies, no beat runs and no wrecks. For the record, it tipped over once, parked, onto grass during a windstorm.

Here's my final inventory of everything that went wrong with that bike during that period:
Front motor mount broke in half twice.
Motor mount bolts broke three times, shearing themselves and requiring extraction from the engine.
All the gaskets went, including the rocker box, cylinder head, o-rings, "gas leaking from carb boot through air cleaner". Turn signal relay as well. All of this cost me $700.
Intake boot went, stranded on road. (Actually called "Coupler Manfold")
Front and rear isolaters went, had to wait a month for the parts, then charged $250 to install.
Coupler manifold broke again.
Noticed a small oil weep from around the shifter. Apparently the gasket in there went, "Yeah, it'll be fine for now. Whenever you have, like, five hundred bucks, just bring it back in."
Manifold coupler broke again. Got it back from the shop and it was vibrating my whole body numb. They refused to accept that it was not running like that when I brought it in. I simply gave up on the bike and sold it over the winter.

I wrote a very nasty email to the dealership. The dealership went under new ownership a few months later.

While looking for a job/internship for my college program, I wound up in a local GM dealer service department. A man kept looking at me, and I thought he looked familiar. Finally he asked, "Did you own a Buell Blast?" Finally, I realized I was looking at one of the guys that screwed around with me at the dealership.

It came up in conversation that the day the dealership changed hands, the owner walked in and fired the whole service department on the spot. I almost laughed in his face.

[shad_68]

I've put up the Gixxer for sale..
*Please hold me*

Awwwww.
Still got the 'berg at least.

[Spectre]

While looking for a job/internship for my college program, I wound up in a local GM dealer service department. A man kept looking at me, and I thought he looked familiar. Finally he asked, "Did you own a Buell Blast?" Finally, I realized I was looking at one of the guys that screwed around with me at the dealership.

It came up in conversation that the day the dealership changed hands, the owner walked in and fired the whole service department on the spot. I almost laughed in his face.

The irony, of course, is that he ended up working in the service department of a GM dealer... which is like a Harley service department, with the same bad customer service and the same bad product, only less attitude.

IIRC, you bought something Japanese to replace it - I'm guessing it hasn't fallen apart yet...

[Karoug]

Awwwww.
Still got the 'berg at least.

Thanx for the sympathy.
Yes, the Husa is quite cheap to own so there's no need to get rid of it!!

[Bubs360]

The irony, of course, is that he ended up working in the service department of a GM dealer... which is like a Harley service department, with the same bad customer service and the same bad product, only less attitude.

IIRC, you bought something Japanese to replace it - I'm guessing it hasn't fallen apart yet...

Yeah, unfortunately I am stuck working for GM for two years, as a paid intern. Whatever it takes to get my education, I guess.

That being said, I have driven some downright lousy cars in the past two months. Now I have experienced the reasons why GM is bankrupt. But, that is beside the point. I'll save that rant for another day.

Well, I have the Zuma 125 and still own that Kawasaki Triple, not too sure which one you were mentioning. The Triple needs an engine rebuild, because my dad ran the thing absolutely balls-to-the-wall every time he took it out - which is about the only way you can ride a two-stroke triple. Ride the piss out of it, blow it up and rebuild it. Repeat. Otherwise, you are just fouling the plugs nonstop and building up carbon and then you're fucked.

However, before that happened, I had rode it every day for a month straight because the Buell was out of commission. Other than getting 15mpg, it had absolutely no problems taking whatever was thrown at it. Two hail storms, several severe thunderstorms, and the other mayhem that consists of the work commute. This was also with a two-stroke triple motor that had gone at least four years of hard riding without a rebuild - about four times the average lifespan of a triple motor. Not too shabby for a bike that is a good twenty six years older than the Buell.

[Spectre]

It's quite funny to see former Buell/Harley owners on the Honda forums.

"I just completed a really long trip of 500 miles, what maintenance should I perform or what parts should I replace to prevent problems? I mean, this bike is over 5 years old, something needs to be done right?"

"... No. Just ride it some more."

"You mean nothing's going to break? This can't be right, my old bike needed a lot after every trip."

"It's Japanese. More important, it's a Honda. Motorcycles aren't supposed to break down or need parts replacement every time you ride them. These don't."

"..."



Also, I suspect you have also discovered the reason why I've got a sneaky suspicion as to why Harley is going to be in trouble in the next decade. You can only get away with this sort of idiocy for so long.

[hansvonaxion]

What's up with the crushed Buells? Is it a joke? Perhaps some kind of whacky marketing - our standards are so high we crush anything sub-par?

Pretty funny stuff.

I kind of like Buell, at least the concept. They provide something different. Shame they aren't better quality.

[GRtak]

Well, I have the Zuma 125 and still own that Kawasaki Triple, not too sure which one you were mentioning. The Triple needs an engine rebuild, because my dad ran the thing absolutely balls-to-the-wall every time he took it out - which is about the only way you can ride a two-stroke triple. Ride the piss out of it, blow it up and rebuild it. Repeat. Otherwise, you are just fouling the plugs nonstop and building up carbon and then you're fucked.

I had an early 70s Suzuki GT550(2stroke triple) and it never had that problem. You must be running it very rich on oil. I know I put over 20k miles one summer and all I ever did was replace the tires and normal maintanence. Although, if your Kaw is oil injected (My Zuki was)that could have a problem.