The General Motorbikers Discussion Thread

I took a little ride on Spectre's 919 tonight. Holy crap that thing is fast. Like, so fast I can't imagine you can ever use that much speed. I just thought about accelerating and I was doing 60 down a side street. It also had a nearly dead battery, so when I killed it at a stop sign I had to push start it, which was interesting. It also didn't help that the adjustable brake lever is broken, so it wasn't allowing me to brake properly, the rear brake lever was bent in so I couldn't find it with my boot and the shift lever is loose and in the wrong position for me. Oh, and the clutch pivots on more axis than it should. Short version: Probably the scariest thing I've ever ridden combining the power with the faults. I am looking forward to trying it again once it has been all fixed though.

I also am starting to actually like my Nighthawk 750, which means I need to sell it ASAP.

Now that it's fixed, someone asked to borrow my 919 again to see what he thought of it.

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He did get togged up before actually riding it, though.

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I'll let him post his opinion of the repaired motorcycle. :D
 
Hah, wow, CJ - you make a lot of bikes look small. :D And wow, Spectre, that 919 is lookin' great!
 
Hah, wow, CJ - you make a lot of bikes look small. :D And wow, Spectre, that 919 is lookin' great!

Yeah, that is partly why I've bought so many. I'm trying to get something that fits.

About the only thing I've tried that I don't look rediculously big on is the GL1000.



That is my newly acquired 1979 parts bike.

I'll let him post his opinion of the repaired motorcycle. :D

Well, it is about 500% improved, but I still don't think I'd buy one.

First, the one part that didn't seem broken the first time, the power. It just has so much power it is hilarious. I was accelerating at what should have been a slow clip, and when I changed into third, I was already doing 50. I was cruising on the highway in 6th around 70. Twist the throttle and the needle just sweeps towards triple digits. Get on the power in any gear and the front end gets a little light. Never before have I had to be so mindful about carefully feeding it tiny amounts of throttle. I wouldn't say the whole bike is scary anymore though, because of the other fixes which Spectre has done. Having properly functional clutch, brakes, shifter and tires makes all the difference. Yes, the power delivery is still brutal and instant, but it is a whole lot less scary when you are confident the brakes will work and that the clutch lever is not about to fall off. It also helped that the new tire had a nice parabolic arc to it, rather than tread shaped like a pyramid with its head chopped off. The one thing that spoiled it all though, was the buzzing. Just trundling around town between 3 and 4 thousand rpm, and the whole bike is buzzing like my 2 stroke gas weed whacker. After I got off the bike after about a 30 minute ride, my 'gentleman's region' was a bit sore for 15 minutes because of the buzzing, and because of that, I will probably not be buying on any time soon.

Now, apparently buzzing at lower rpms is common among sportbikes, which is rather surprisng to me, since neither of my previous two runners, nor anything else I've ridden has exhibited that characteristic. It really spoiled the experience. I think I will be sticking with my standard type motorcycles which have crazy luxuries like rubber mounted engines or handlebars.
 
I think I will be sticking with my standard type motorcycles which have crazy luxuries like rubber mounted engines or handlebars.
Fine then. More unrefined, brutal motorcycles for the rest of us! :D

I'm surprised the 919 is "buzzy" though. I'd only really experienced that on the few 600 supersports I've ridden.
 
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Fine then. More unrefined, brutal motorcycles for the rest of us! :D

If you want them, you can have them. Screw being uncomfortable for the sake of style, or 'manliness'. :mrgreen:

I'm surprised the 919 is "buzzy" though. I'd only really experienced that on the few 600 supersports I've ridden.

I was also pretty surprised, since that is the only Honda I've ridden that has exhibited that characteristic. It is clearly showing its CBR900RR roots.
 
Fine then. More unrefined, brutal motorcycles for the rest of us! :D

I'm surprised the 919 is "buzzy" though. I'd only really experienced that on the few 600 supersports I've ridden.

Yeah, it's buzzy if you keep it in the 3000-4000 range. Some people change gearing so their local highway cruising speed is above or below their bike's buzz point - which seems to vary between individual examples.

That said, I need to replace the plugs and run some Seafoam through the tank to see if the injectors could do with some cleaning.
 
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It just has so much power it is hilarious. I was accelerating at what should have been a slow clip, and when I changed into third, I was already doing 50. I was cruising on the highway in 6th around 70. Twist the throttle and the needle just sweeps towards triple digits. Get on the power in any gear and the front end gets a little light. Never before have I had to be so mindful about carefully feeding it tiny amounts of throttle.

Yeah I always find it a little funny when journalists (or even the public) say any bike is "lacking power", especially for a beginner. Even my 400cc bikes and perhaps even the Hornet 250 had enough to outrun or keep up with most sports cars on the street. It shows when you get up to highway speeds but here in the city it's difficult to get over 60mph.
 
My 2000 Bandit had the same problem with buzzing. Another problem I had was that I was too short and pressed up against the gas tank. The buzzing sucks, but hitting a pothole when you're up against the tank sucks worse.
 
Sneezing on a closed visor also sucks. :lol:
 
Every time I see that 919 I love it more. I must have one, even if it means not getting the Triumph. Maybe.
 
If you want them, you can have them. Screw being uncomfortable for the sake of style, or 'manliness'. :mrgreen:
:lol: I just think they're more fun.

That said, I don't plan on ever buying anything faster than my VFR. I'd actually really like something like the Suzuki DR-Z400SM. A sub-600cc supermoto sounds about perfect to me.

Yeah, it's buzzy if you keep it in the 3000-4000 range. Some people change gearing so their local highway cruising speed is above or below their bike's buzz point - which seems to vary between individual examples.
I can definitely see how that could be annoying if it occurs at cruising rpm. Since you're replacing the sprocket/chain anyway are you going to change the gearing?
 
I was really torn between the VFR and a 919, but I fell in love with the V4 motor when I had a succession of three Magnas so the VFR won out. I would love to have a 919 to park next to the VFR to use around town since it's more upright and takes some of the stress off my broken elbows and shoulder.

I would love to get another bike at some point, but I am torn about which direction to go. The Hypermotard sure sounds nice and it's a Ducati (I don't care what anyone says about people buying Ducati just for the name, they are great bikes and owning one gets you a ton of perks at races). But I also like the Triumph Scrambler. The Multistrada is a great bike and the geometry makes it more forgiving for long distances and it can be ridden on dirt roads more easily than the VFR.

When I was looking for the VFR, I knew exactly what I wanted. It's not as if I have the money for a new bike right now, but it's nice to have a goal.
 
My 2000 Bandit had the same problem with buzzing. Another problem I had was that I was too short and pressed up against the gas tank. The buzzing sucks, but hitting a pothole when you're up against the tank sucks worse.

I hate potholes with a passion. I don't have to worry about hurting my crotch as much as the guys, but when I'm leaning on the tank or hanging off, and the bike rebounds on the suspension... ouch.

Speaking of which, I really need to get my suspension dialed in (well, if I can) and get a new chain installed. Funnn.
 
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I'm going to speculate that the failure is probably more related to trying to make the wheel too light rather than the engine being too powerful.
 
Toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe.

One was too light or the other was too powerful, six of one, half a dozen of another.
 
Was that Berger's wheel?
 
Yes, it was.

Spectre, I know several people with Ducatis ranging from 1098s to Multistradas and none of them have experienced a mechanical or electrical problem in the time I have known them. One couple has ridden their Multistradas all over North America - as long as you do the maintenance they are pretty solid machines.

And I will give them this, they are MUCH easier to work on than my VFR. Honda seems to assume that once they nail it together it will never need repair ever again.
 
All I have to say is to go to ducati-superbikes.com and search for 'failure'. You'll get all sorts of weird stuff blowing up.

The V4's are the only Hondas that are a pain to service, really, with the GL15/1800 a close second. And even at that they aren't so bad. The rest of the line is easier - my 919 is very easy to service, for example.
 
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