The General Motorbikers Discussion Thread

It's gonna be the parts issue. Bearings and things of that nature. I'm a big dude so i look at like fork seals and things that wear.
It looks cool, but if you want a four stroke with a clutch buy something like i ride and put a manual clutch engine on it. The engines are cheap!
All the engines they sell at this place bolt on in about and hour or two. The clutch lever isn't a big deal at all and it would make a bike like mine that tops at 45 stock, do 65+
http://www.dratv.com/index.html
I have always stuck with honda or yamaha. The Chinese shit will put you into an issue. If you snap a cable or a seal go's bad. Your up shits creek.
 
zookiemike said:
It's gonna be the parts issue. Bearings and things of that nature. I'm a big dude so i look at like fork seals and things that wear.
It looks cool, but if you want a four stroke with a clutch buy something like i ride and put a manual clutch engine on it. The engines are cheap!
All the engines they sell at this place bolt on in about and hour or two. The clutch lever isn't a big deal at all and it would make a bike like mine that tops at 45 stock, do 65+
http://www.dratv.com/index.html
I have always stuck with honda or yamaha. The Chinese shit will put you into an issue. If you snap a cable or a seal go's bad. Your up shits creek.
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What I would do in that case is buy a Honda Mini Trail 70 (CT70) and put one of that company's larger engines on it.
Honda_DT_50_red_vr.jpg

Only problem is that those motors being sold on that site are Lifan, which is a Chinese Honda clone.
 
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I had one of the MT 50s as a kid. It was in the family until my nephew dunked the hot engine into a pond and killed it after 40 years of service.
 
The lifan engines aren't far off from the honda. They bolt into the ct's and C70 style frames with no issue. I do know that the keyway for the flywheel is a bit different, But those engines are so readily available that the parts are easy. Now for the sachs mad ass. The chassis looks sweet! But i can put money that it's going to be a bitch to get stuff for. Buy the ct70 man. I loved mine. Rugged, rode ok, Cheap and easy for parts. The mad ass has a Lifan engine or a derivative of them. I say a honda with the same is still better.
I have had a ton of honda Horizontal stuff man. they are very hard to beat. They are in my mind some of the most well engineered bikes in the world.
 
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Blind_Io said:
http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/news/nissan-responds-juke-commercial-controversy/

Apparently Nissan's mail server caught fire from all the hate mail and the ad was pulled. Still it leaves me wondering what the fuck they were thinking in the first place?

Fortunately, someone saved the ad and re-uploaded it for your viewing displeasure.

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I know it's CG but still I find it amusing that the commercial portrays a melted sh!tbox being able to catch up to motorcycles...
 
And it?s not even a well made CGI.
 
Went with a friend to a local bike dealer and test rode some bikes. The manager was super nice and basically let us test ride all we want. Time really flies. Only had time to ride a Rebel 250 and a Sportster 883 and also rode the Shadow for a few min when I traded bikes with my friend for a bit. Otherwise a few lessons already learned on test riding...left turn onto a large/busy road can be intimidating....and was quite embarrassing when I stalled the Sportster while trying to make that left.

Also, making tight right turns out of small side street onto a larger street is a bit challenging...especially when you have a car coming the other way on the other lane!

Here's my friend on a Honda Shadow 750:
IMG_1894.JPG

250 does seem a bit small and weed-wackery sounding. I can see how people start a bit bigger cruisers. They didn't have any beginner standard/sporty bikes (ZRX1100, R1, R6, a V-MAX) so I'm guessing the 250 sport bikes are probably bit more quicker getup than the 250 cruisers.
 
Don't feel bad about stalling the Hardley Ableson. I was behind a couple coming down a canyon yesterday in the friggin' Taurus and was being held up by those clowns doing 10 under the limit trailing a cloud of unburned fuel and backfiring the whole way. We had to roll up the windows and set the climate control to recirculate just to avoid passing out from the fumes.
 
Blind_Io said:
Don't feel bad about stalling the Hardley Ableson. I was behind a couple coming down a canyon yesterday in the friggin' Taurus and was being held up by those clowns doing 10 under the limit trailing a cloud of unburned fuel and backfiring the whole way. We had to roll up the windows and set the climate control to recirculate just to avoid passing out from the fumes.
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Haha, and I've definitely heard of the less than optimal build quality in the HD. My friend (who is supremely addicted to motorcycles right now) tells me that the clutch especially is not nearly as smoothly in engaging as the Honda and so he also said not to worry too much about stalling it. Otherwise it was more pain to the ego than the bike..heh. It had started raining just as I was starting to test ride the HD so didn't really get a good ride in. Will try again later this week and compare to the Japanese cruisers.

Not to mention reading about how HD is focused on selling the image/lifestyle of having an HD rather than having a good bike itself.

Oh but a really cool thing that did happen was when I was on my Rebel 250 and on our way back to the dealer, passed another fellow rider on a big cruiser (no idea, might've been a HD with a head bandana) and I waved while lifting up my left fingers while keeping the palm on the grip as I was still super new to riding. He definitely acknolwedge and put out his left arm low to return the wave. Now that was cool! It's amazing to see such a different contrast in people coming together no matter what bike you ride (even a HD). Me a skinny asian dude on a Rebel 250 and a big American on a big Harley...haha
 
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Bubs360 said:
Honda_DT_50_red_vr.jpg
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Just recently I saw a guy who must've weighed at least 350lbs riding one of those. Not sure if it was a 50cc or what, but it looked stock and it was moving. Color me impressed.
 
tigger said:
Just recently I saw a guy who must've weighed at least 350lbs riding one of those. Not sure if it was a 50cc or what, but it looked stock and it was moving. Color me impressed.
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Yeah, I'd love me a CT70! I'm still considering the MadAss 125, the Chinese-built discouraged me at first but there's a HUGE American community online for them, which is highly uncommon with typical Chinese throwaway scooters. I'm still doing my research, but thus far it seems like it might be a pretty solid bike. They don't seem to have any more problems than my year Zuma has been reported of experiencing. As with any new vehicular purchase, I'm waiting to get all the information I need before deciding. I'm intending to either buy one within the next month, or not at all depending on what I learn.

What I have learned is that there is a documented cross-country ride on one without any issues, and they have gotten very good reviews. Some reviews report the front ride being a little soft, which can be remedied with higher viscosity fork oil, but other than that nothing major. We shall see!
 
I forget if I mentioned this before, but the local Marathon/Bell Store gas stations are giving away a HD Sporster 883L. What's funny about this, are the misprinted signs that say it's a 883 Liter bike. Most of the signs just say 883L (which from the dealer tag is obviously the model designation), but a few have 'Liter' spelt out in place of 'L'. First time I saw this, I pointed it out to the counter clerk, who had a good laugh about it.

Yesterday, I see it again in a different store, but this time the signs that say 'Liter' are removed, and only 883L are printed. So, jokingly I say to the (older, female) clerk "So that's the 883 Liter bike?", which she flatly states 'Yes.' I tell her the Sportser 883 had 883 c.c., but she "corrects" me saying it states it's 883 Liters. I realize she's serious about this. So I tell her that my car has a physically larger engine, a 1.8L, that this bike is 883 cc. She argues saying "it says 'Liters'". I then point out that 883 Liters is probably larger than what a cargo ship uses, and reminder her that the Sporster is a "beginner bike" and is in fact 883 cc. She stands her ground that the bike has a 883 Liter engine. So, I take my soda a go on my way, realizing the futility of the arguement (and the queue forming behind me).
 
Bubs360 said:
Yeah, I'd love me a CT70! I'm still considering the MadAss 125, the Chinese-built discouraged me at first but there's a HUGE American community online for them, which is highly uncommon with typical Chinese throwaway scooters. I'm still doing my research, but thus far it seems like it might be a pretty solid bike. They don't seem to have any more problems than my year Zuma has been reported of experiencing. As with any new vehicular purchase, I'm waiting to get all the information I need before deciding. I'm intending to either buy one within the next month, or not at all depending on what I learn.

What I have learned is that there is a documented cross-country ride on one without any issues, and they have gotten very good reviews. Some reviews report the front ride being a little soft, which can be remedied with higher viscosity fork oil, but other than that nothing major. We shall see!
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A CT70 would definitely be fun, but I'd get another XL250 before any scooter. As for the MadAss, one of my co-workers has one. As far as I know he hasn't had any major problems with it and he's been riding it practically year round.

YF19, you should've gone and grabbed a liter of soda and hit her with it. :?
 
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tigger said:
A CT70 would definitely be fun, but I'd get another XL250 before any scooter. As for the MadAss, one of my co-workers has one. As far as I know he hasn't had any major problems with it and he's been riding it practically year round.
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That's good to hear, I love my Zuma 125 but definitely could not do any CVT/Automatic scooter again. That's why I'm so interested in the MadAss, so thanks for the info about your co-worker's bike. Definitely let me know if he has any complaints/concerns with his!
 
Sure man. I'll pick his brain the next time we're working together. And is the Zuma that bad? One of my neighbors has one that hasn't run in months that I was thinking about buying. Or convincing him to give me. :D
 
tigger said:
Sure man. I'll pick his brain the next time we're working together. And is the Zuma that bad? One of my neighbors has one that hasn't run in months that I was thinking about buying. Or convincing him to give me. :D
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Bad? Absolutely not, the Zuma 50 and Zuma 125 are fantastic scooters - I would highly recommend the 125 - I've put 4,700 miles on it without issues over the past three years. It's solid, reliable, handles great and gets 85-100mpg consistently. I just tire of not having a manual transmission and, although overall very light, for such a small bike it's actually fairly heavy. I could go on for days about the pros of the 125, I'm just bored of CVT scooters in general and want something new. Edit: Also, Yamaha is now releasing a new Zuma 50 with a fuel injected, four-stroke engine that looks pretty cool. I can't do a 50cc myself because of my rural location - otherwise I would have probably got a Ruckus or Zuma 50.

The MadAss 125 seems like a good choice despite its questionable name, it's exactly what I've always wanted - scooter size, lightness and maneuverability paired with a manual gearbox.

Also, I have researched parts availability and alongside the aftermarket I would have no issue sourcing any parts I need.
 
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I want another dual sport bike. I always liked honda's And i miss my xr600. I was thinking about looking for a xr650L or something. But, I found a really nice xr200 thats legal and ready. I just got called back to work so i was looking at that. Uhmmm. I want to sell the c70 passport. I love the little thing to death but i feel like i'm riding an antiuqe everywhere i go. I also found a yamaha tw200 for cheap! I loved those things with that big goofy rear tire but how would that do in the wet? I had Pirellis on the xr600 and it rode sweet in the wet.
Heres a pic i dug up thats about 6years old in front of my parents old garage before we lost the house..:cry:. Very basic. Fast as hell.
6115075429_df8d668e89_b.jpg
 
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So friend and I are seriously looking into getting our first bikes (Shadow 750 and similar medium sized cruisers) and we were wondering if there is still a yearly vehicle property tax that you have to pay for similar to the cars you own? Like how they mail a piece of paper out every year that lists all your assets/property.

Also I'm guessing to renew the registration/plate sticker, it's similar to a car where it's every year or two. I live in Missouri where we have the option of getting our plates renewed for 2 years at a time.

Also in Missouri I know they do not require any emissions inspection on bikes but do most states require safety inspections at every plate renewal as they do for cars?
 
nist7 said:
So friend and I are seriously looking into getting our first bikes (Shadow 750 and similar medium sized cruisers) and we were wondering if there is still a yearly vehicle property tax that you have to pay for similar to the cars you own? Like how they mail a piece of paper out every year that lists all your assets/property.

Also I'm guessing to renew the registration/plate sticker, it's similar to a car where it's every year or two. I live in Missouri where we have the option of getting our plates renewed for 2 years at a time.

Also in Missouri I know they do not require any emissions inspection on bikes but do most states require safety inspections at every plate renewal as they do for cars?
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Motorcycles generally have to be licensed, registered, inspected, and yes, taxed, just like cars in the same jurisdiction. Just the dollar amount is (often) less.

However, in most states, you only pay property or sales tax on your motor vehicle when you buy it. After that, you just pay registration and road taxes, that sort of thing. Usually it's only real estate you have to pay property tax on every year.

In my case, I pay ~$14 per year for safety inspection but no emissions, $52.80 for road taxes/registration, and that's all. My cars have to have the same safety inspection, but emissions testing cranks the price up to about $40.
 
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