The General Motorbikers Discussion Thread

Spectre said:
You're doing it wrong.

30534603_6491c70285.jpg





It is an institution for those who ride motorcycles to rib those on scooters. Also, GRtak: What I said was really mild compared to what I've heard some motorcyclists dishing out in jest, so if you can't even take that, perhaps a scooter is not for you. :p
Click to expand...

How is that doing it wrong?

The MP3 has some 40 degrees of avaliable lean angle while that little honda has what 15 or 25?

If I am riding a three wheeler I would much rather have the two wheels up front for better stability and braking. Also the MP3 looks pretty fucking badass for a scooter. In black with some headlight guards I could see that thing in the new Mad Max movie.
 
Those Honda Gyros are everywhere around here. They're quite popular as small delivery vehicles and most of them I see have a basket or a cargo box on the back. They even make a coupe version:

https://pic.armedcats.net/k/ka/kajun/2010/04/28/471284495_b204773bab.jpg

As for the scooter hate, hell, I catch all kinds of crap for my 50cc Honda and it isn't a scooter. But hey, I have fun with it. Haters gonna hate. The best one I've heard so far was "Is your sister pissed off that you brought here motorcycle here?" :lol:
 
British_Rover said:
How is that doing it wrong?

The MP3 has some 40 degrees of avaliable lean angle while that little honda has what 15 or 25?
Click to expand...

Gyros can have 45+ degrees of lean. Also, if your front tire washes out, the Gyro won't dump you off like the MP3 will. Neither will it dump you if you lose rear traction.

[video=youtube;_70-jBCyNVQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_70-jBCyNVQ&feature=related[/video]




If I am riding a three wheeler I would much rather have the two wheels up front for better stability and braking. Also the MP3 looks pretty fucking badass for a scooter. In black with some headlight guards I could see that thing in the new Mad Max movie.
Click to expand...

Lose traction while turning and you get a lowside on that MP3. Not on the Gyro, and isn't that the point of a 3 wheeled banking scooter? If so, then the MP3 is doing it wrong.
 
Last edited:
KaJuN said:
As for the scooter hate, hell, I catch all kinds of crap for my 50cc Honda and it isn't a scooter. But hey, I have fun with it. Haters gonna hate. The best one I've heard so far was "Is your sister pissed off that you brought here motorcycle here?" :lol:
Click to expand...

lol.

I was going to ask you about your helmet but not sure where to do it. Just wondering how it goes down in Okinawa. When I went there with a mate we were refused entry to a couple of restaurants. Do you notice any reaction to the Captain America helmet?

For those who don't know, Okinawans are proud of their culture as being distinct and separate from the mainland (as s lot of regional areas are proud of their local culture) and were caught in the middle of WWII and now the US military controls a lot of the land with tens of thousands of personnel living there. There have been some high profile cases of underage girls being raped by US military (of course it's more sensational so reporting is mandatory) and other cases such as when there was a crash on an air force base, entry was refused to police yet the pizza delivery guy was allowed through. Right now there's a bit of controversy over the relocation of a base, with the Gov renegging on a deal made by the prev. Gov. While most of Japan is actually very welcoming and friendly towards foreigners, Okinawa sees some resentment - first they were nearly wiped out and now they have to deal with the bases.
 
Other than the occasional person pointing and laughing I haven't gotten much reaction to my America Fuck Yeah Limited Gold Signature Edition helmet. Overall the people here have been very friendly. Once I was out on the Honda and while I stopped for some photos this old man came over to say "nice bike!". He didn't speak much English and I speak almost no Japanese but we still managed to talk for a few moments. If anything the locals are more friendly to Americans than other Americans are.
 
KaJuN said:
Other than the occasional person pointing and laughing I haven't gotten much reaction to my America Fuck Yeah Limited Gold Signature Edition helmet. Overall the people here have been very friendly. Once I was out on the Honda and while I stopped for some photos this old man came over to say "nice bike!". He didn't speak much English and I speak almost no Japanese but we still managed to talk for a few moments. If anything the locals are more friendly to Americans than other Americans are.
Click to expand...

"You meet the nicest people on a...."

<waits for groans to end>

Anyway, I went on the Internet, and I found this! /clarkson
234280112_1a87d054fa_o.jpg


What, you thought it'd be someone having exhaust intercourse with a vehicle?
 
Honda: Anything less would question your manhood.

I think I have a new signature quote. :cool:

And the colors on my bike are so cool and make me feel all groovy. That's like seriously freaked up, man.
 
KaJuN said:
Other than the occasional person pointing and laughing I haven't gotten much reaction to my America Fuck Yeah Limited Gold Signature Edition helmet. Overall the people here have been very friendly. Once I was out on the Honda and while I stopped for some photos this old man came over to say "nice bike!". He didn't speak much English and I speak almost no Japanese but we still managed to talk for a few moments. If anything the locals are more friendly to Americans than other Americans are.
Click to expand...

Yeah, Japan is generally very America friendly (especially compared to SE Asia) and even those who resent the military presence will most likely be civil on a personal level. Those who make an effort to talk to you are probably going to be the folk who have no problem with the bases. Having only visited for a few days I was wondering what the general feeling is like from someone who lives there and seems to get around a bit.
 
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/04/29/...campaign=Feed:+weblogsinc/autoblog+(Autoblog)

NHTSA orders manufacturer to stop selling helmets. Our heads thank them
by Jeremy Korzeniewski (RSS feed) on Apr 29th 2010 at 9:00AM

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. And again. And again. Until the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tells you that your company is no longer allowed to make helmets and sell them in the United States. Or something like that.

Specifically, we're talking about a Florida-based company called Advanced Carbon Composites. Apparently, the helmet manufacturer's first product was called the EXT001, and it failed to meet the safety agency's standards. So, it was recalled, and the new model was the EXT002. Sadly, the revised helmet still wasn't safe enough.

And so the EXT003 was created. Guess what? It too failed the required safety standards. And so did the latest helmet, the EXT004. For those keeping track of such things, Advanced Carbon Composites built and sold some 17,000 helmets from 2005, none of which was ever deemed safe. What to do?

How about a cease and desist order. The NHTSA ordered Advanced Carbon Composites to "stop designing, selling or manufacturing motorcycle helmets." Company president Kim L. Davis has agreed to the NHTSA's demands and is not allowed to own more than three percent of any company that has anything to do with motorcycle helmets.

Case closed? Perhaps. Perusing the company's product portfolio indicates that it still offering helmets for kayaking and other whitewater sports. Remember... use your brain the next time you decide to make a helmet purchase.

[Source: New York Times]
Click to expand...


I have seen a few of the Harley guys wearing these. If you know somebody with one, let them know it is a POS.
 
Wow, how crappy does a helmet have to be to not pass DOT certification?????
 
People who have a greater knowledge about bikes than me:
Is there a reason for a CB550 Four to cost more than a CBX750F or is it just a local market distortion?
I think it looks cooler, but is it a better bike in some way?
 
The 550 Four is one of the original SOHC/4 Honda family developed directly from the world-shattering 1969 CB750 and is considered a classic motorcycle in its own right. The CBX is just another DOHC I4 that came along later.

Think of it this way; the 550 is to the famous SOHC/4 750 as the 190SL was to the 300SL Gullwing, i.e., a close relative. In that relationship, the CBX750F would be a SLK320 - same idea, but not related at all and not considered a classic (and therefore not commanding the same sort of prices.)

bone said:
Click to expand...

That's Snell, not DOT.

DOT certification is known to be very, very loose. The joke is that a hulled and dried watermelon will pass the DOT test.

So if these things can't pass DOT, I shudder at how bad they must be.
 
Last edited:
Spectre said:
The 550 Four is one of the original SOHC/4 Honda family developed directly from the world-shattering 1969 CB750 and is considered a classic motorcycle in its own right. The CBX is just another DOHC I4 that came along later.

Think of it this way; the 550 is to the famous SOHC/4 750 as the 190SL was to the 300SL Gullwing, i.e., a close relative. In that relationship, the CBX750F would be a SLK320 - same idea, but not related at all and not considered a classic (and therefore not commanding the same sort of prices.)
Click to expand...

Oh, no doubt about it, I understand that perfectly! I would prefer a classic CB550 (or CB750F) over the CBX750, but comparing them by their own mechanical merits, is the CBX better, worse or ths same as the CB?
 
Just on the mechanical merits, the CBX is technically superior. I don't know what year CBX750F you're looking at there, but chances are that the CBX750F has TRAC forks, triple disc brakes, CDI ignition and better tire fitment (it's essentially a half-faired chain drive version of my Nighthawk in some years).
 
 
Spectre said:
Just on the mechanical merits, the CBX is technically superior. I don't know what year CBX750F you're looking at there, but chances are that the CBX750F has TRAC forks, triple disc brakes, CDI ignition and better tire fitment (it's essentially a half-faired chain drive version of my Nighthawk in some years).
Click to expand...

It was sold here between 1986 and 1994 and yes, it had all those things you mentioned.
Thanks for all the info!
 
Frankenbike time - the Kawabusa II.

9htoug.jpg


Apparently, it's an 03 ZRX1200R, with a Busa motor, forks, swingarm, and brakes.
 
Oh wow! Daddy like!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top