The General Motorbikers Discussion Thread

Heh, if you actually want to go offroad, my F650 is probably even worse for that. :lol:
From what I've learned so far, for offroad riding lighter really is better, especially since you can't make use of the same sort of power that you could on the street, so having a bigger bike is just a hindrance.
 
Blind_Io said:
Now THAT is what I call a backup plan!

https://pic.armedcats.net/b/bl/blind_io/2010/12/10/funny-car-photos-always-have-a-plan-c.jpg
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Honda did that first - the City minicar could be had with the Motocompo folding scooter for backup or to supplement/replace the spare. In fact, the car was designed to carry it, with the cargo bay rigged especially for the Motocompo.

motocompo-02.jpg


A brief look at it featuring awful 80sness and Madness. No, really, it has the Brit band Madness: http://www.banpei.net/blog/hilarious-1981-honda-city-and-motocompo

And someone found one in Japan:

There's one for sale on my local CL, actually: http://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/mcy/2101213895.html
 
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shad_68 said:
Heh, if you actually want to go offroad, my F650 is probably even worse for that. :lol:
From what I've learned so far, for offroad riding lighter really is better, especially since you can't make use of the same sort of power that you could on the street, so having a bigger bike is just a hindrance.
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That makes sense - as you see, I really need to up my riding repertoire since I have absolutely no dirt experience at all. :lol:

Hm, I wonder how the Triumph Scrambler does off pavement...? :hmm: It's around 450 lbs though.
 
Scramblers weren't all that great offroad. Mostly they were good for fire roads and the like, but real offroad they couldn't do. The Tiger is the offroader Triumph.
 
Ahh, d'accord - the Tiger! I used to park near my friend's... sitting straight up, I swear it was almost twice as high as the Ninjette. Well, being a short asian also helps with that perspective too.

The Scrambler looks oh so good though. It's a nice change from all plastic full/half fairings that I'm used to.

I don't think the roads on the backside of the canyons will need anything too capable (they're just grated dirt roads)... man, I love winter theoretical bike picking for the Spring.
 
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Shutup, Spectre! I want her to get the Scambler so I can steal it and go play.
 
Spectre said:
The Tiger is the offroader Triumph.
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The Tiger's even more road focused than my F though. And in pretty much every comparison between big duals, the Tiger comes out as being the least capable offroad.
I was thinking more of something smaller and more focused, along the lines of an XR or DR.


Kiki said:
I don't think the roads on the backside of the canyons will need anything too capable (they're just grated dirt roads)... man, I love winter theoretical bike picking for the Spring.
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... if you're just talking about dirt roads (I'm thinking something like this) though, most of the above deliberations become a bit moot. :lol:
 
Sort of like the above post, but more mountainous. Steeper, a bit more rocky, and probably washboard, but still graded dirt.

Spectre said:
You like having a burned inner thigh???
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I've ridden the scrambler, the heat shield works fine and my leg never even got warm.
 
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Spectre said:
You like having a burned inner thigh???
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I'd imagine he's used to getting his legs burned. As, IIRC Blind also owned a VT500c. :p
 
That was years ago, so I don't really remember. The Scrambler, though, was very comfortable. I was worried about the pipes getting hot, but even when I was getting my ass off the seat on corners I never felt any heat on my leg.

Maybe the fact that I was doing 80 mph+ had something to do with it.

When I got back the guy asked what I thought of the bike. I told him that I loved it, but the knobby tires got a little loose in the corners above 70 mph, but with a bit of throttle I was able to slide it through. The Triumph rep's eyes got really wide for a second and he said, "I really don't need to know that." A few minutes later he asked what I wanted to ride next, I said, "I was thinking something faster, how about the Sprint GT." He just put his head in his hands and pointed to the sign-up sheet.

I think I may have cost him a few gray hairs that day. :cool:
 
I was thinking about making a comment like that, but I decided not to.

Nice to see that Kiki and I think so much alike.
 
Spectre said:
Scooters tend to be wobbly to begin with (small wheels + terrain irregularities = all over the place) so no real shame there.

Also, girls on two wheels are unfortunately rare in most Western Bloc countries. It's why I encourage it. :D
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Fortunately my parents had the foresight to think of the crappy roads aound here, so my scooter at least runs 15" wheels instead of dinner plates! :lol: Main reason it would put both feet down is because (even with my long legs) I have to hold the scooter on the front half of my foot only, unless I lean quite a bit (which I don't like doing, tend to veer to the left when I take off again then). The reason my parents don't like it is because that was how they were taught (and myself to an extent) when we did our pre-learners course.

But when I went for a ride again today, was only putting my left foot down most of the time. Getting a lot more confident in the corners too, which is good, and traffic isn't bothering me at all (even when they sit right on my rear tyre). Went along some roads I have never been on before, car, bike or otherwise! Like I said, I'm improving hugely each time I go out, and my dad felt confident enough to take me out on a stretch of road where I could go 80km/h (max speed I can do on my learner's licence), which felt pretty damn awesome!!!!

And to everybody welcoming me to the club, thanks! Have- embarassingly- been in said club for nearly a year now actually, and have about 20-25 hours of riding experience, which isn't much, but the scooter I ride is shared with other family members, so i didn't get much use of it until recently. Most of my experience is in my local area doing what you guys have said- practising the basics as much as possible, learning to do turns, cornering, etc. My skills could have gotten me out on the main roads a lot earlier than this IMO, but my confidence is always one or two steps behind with these sorts of things!
 
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I may have just figured something, but it might be either obvious or absurd.

When your having one foot on the peg you just get more input from your bike. The hands on the handlebars tell you what the front is doing, your backside gets only sort of cushioned feedback, so the only direkt information you get from the frame is through the footrests.
The feeling between foot and bum tells you a lot about the situation of your vehicle. It might be even better with the large surface on a scooter compared to a peg on a motorcycle.

Don't drive with only that input though.

So, to get as much info as possible, especially in those low speed areas, stay on the pegs as long as reasonable.

Btw: the (missing) tank between my knees always prevented me from fully embracing scooters in general.
 
lamborghini made a bike???

lamborghini-motorcycle.jpg

lamborghini-motorcycle-1.jpg


can't say i particularly like it :unsure:
 
bone said:
lamborghini made a bike???

lamborghini-motorcycle.jpg

lamborghini-motorcycle-1.jpg


can't say i particularly like it :unsure:
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Kill it with fire thread is thatta way. :p


In other news, I went out for a ride today. It was 20 degrees out (Fahrenheit). You know you're in for a cold ride when the bikes ignition is frozen stuck.
 
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Don't think I'll be riding much until 2011 the way the weather is going here. Tried to go out on Friday but my road and the road leading to the main one was all ice.

Wish I had a lake to hone my skills like this guy

 
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