The General Motorbikers Discussion Thread

Over here you learn emergency braking using both brakes both with and without evasive maneuvering as part of basic training in driving school, and you have to demonstrate your skills in the riding exam.

Coming from a bicycle, I'm used to always using both brakes. The worse ergonomics of a foot pedal versus a hand-operated lever makes using the rear brake less natural, unfortunately: moving my foot off the peg doesn't come natural to me when sitting on a bike. My CBF tries to help me overcome this eight the combined brake, though: using the rear brake partly applies the front brake, too, so using only your foot to do normal, traffic-related braking seems reasonable. But there is the downside of uneven brake pad wear, still. I had to change the rear one while the fronts are still good.
 
There really isn't a standard in the US. In PA, I had two choices to get my license: take the free MSF class or have just a random M-licensed buddy teach me and then do a skills test in front of a state trooper. The MSF course covered emergency braking and proper use of both brakes, the Skills Test doesn't do that.
 
The MSF test has a benefit in regards to insurance.
 
ScarFace88 said:
Anyone have any opinions regarding the KTM Duke 640?
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Not exactly the 640, but having ridden a duke 690 it at least was fun, easy to handle and the seating position was good(for me at least)
 
ScarFace88 said:
Anyone have any opinions regarding the KTM Duke 640?
Click to expand...

Generally a solid bike. The LC4 engine has proven to be pretty good, some variant of it has been in production for a long time and continues today in the 690. Only thing I would make sure is that you can handle the level of vibration. I rode a KTM 640 Adventure and it vibrated like no other bike I've ridden including a Harley-Davidson. In fact the vibration is one of the reasons I ended up with a Honda XR650L instead.
 
After years of on-and-off passively / actively searching for a Honda CT70, I finally found one last week! As you know, they're tricky to acquire as they get snapped up FAST as investment pieces by people that want to flip them for profit. I simply wanted one to fix up and use for fun around town and light trail use, and this purchase worked out perfectly! I had just sold my winter-beater car for $750 and this popped up for $750 two days later. Somebody already tried to offer me $3000 for it! I doubt they would follow through with that offer, but still pretty funny.

I was looking for a CT70H for the manual clutch but this does the job just fine - it was originally a three-speed automatic but was converted with a Lifan 110cc four-speed manual clutch. It wasn't too difficult to get it running properly, but it was the previous owner's "around the yard and trails toy" so it needs some work. The kickstart lever was missing and was the first thing I replaced. Currently have a speedometer and cable on the way. After that, I just need to install a taillight / license plate bracket (all the wiring is there), front brake lever and cable, and it will be street legal. My state doesn't require blinkers on this one as it was built before 1973.

I'll be installing a new seat, but that will be the one aesthetic fix for the time being.

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streets are littered with those POS
i hate them! they're slow, loud and ugly!
most are chinese knock-offs though

(and they're called honda dax over here!)
 
I had a trail 50 as a kid that was passed down and I have lost track of it. But my uncle and cousins had the 70 and I think a 90 that are still around that are great fun.
 
Bought a new toy today; a 1998 Honda CB600F Hornet which will mainly be used for gymkhana, because I don't want to drop my Tiger, also the Hornet is much more nimble which is exactly what I need if I want to compete with the big guys. :)

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To-Do:
- Maintenance: change oil & filter, air filter, clean chain and adjust chain tension.
- Probably will have to replace brake pads front & rear quite soon.
- Tyres front & rear will need replacing as well, although that's not really a priority at the moment, there's still thread on them but they're 9 and 7 years old.
- Will have install bar end weights as they are missing, probably will end up replacing the grips as well, they look very worn and old.
- Since I'll be using this bike for gymkhana I will need fall protection, so will have to install a crash cage. I found one from renntec, although I would prefer a proper stunt cage, but I can't find one anywhere for a CB600F, they are easy to find for a CBR600 though. Unfortunately although the mounting points on the engine block are the same, the frame of the CB600F is different so a stunt cage for a CBR600 won't fit on a CB600F.
- Would like to replace brake & clutch lever with shorter race levers, but that will have to wait a bit as they're quite expensive. (?99 a piece) Tyres and crash cage have priority.

I did notice something when I did a little test run after I came home with it which I didn't notice during the test drive.
With the engine warmed up, gearbox in neutral and clutch pulled in everything is ok. But when I release the clutch it seems I can hear the gears in the gearbox move and engine RPM seems to drop a bit. At one point the engine even stalled, although I should mention it idles a bit low, just below 1000 RPM, I believe it should idle at about 1400. (I tried to adjust idle, but the adjuster knob is buried between the engine block and air filter housing, nearly impossible to reach.)
I'm not sure if this is actually a problem but I would like to get to the bottom of this. For now I'll just assume it might be due to some old oil and hope the situation will improve after I perform an oil change.
 
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Hornet 600, old model. Love those!
:thumbsup:
 
Break a leg. :)
 
I thought it was scratch a helmet for riders? Lol
 
Go get 'em!!

I just booked a hotel stay in red rock country for our first multi day moto mini vacation. *excited panda is excited*
 
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