The General Motorbikers Discussion Thread

@Blind_Io the versys, the 300R and the MT-03 look just the business. we'll see. This is long term.

Also on the first bike talk...the one that seems to be the default honda now locally, meet the NAVI!

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It's a 110cc, 70" long, 232lb bike...scooter thing that's kinda like a cheap grom. Cheap as in, 10" wheels, carburated and with drum brakes only. It's only redeeming feature is that it's twist-and-go and cheap as fuck.
 
You would think that wouldn't you. Navi is actually locked out for most of the fight with Ganon which meant you can't Z-Target him.
 
I pass a Benelli dealership on my way to the supermarket and they have a few TNT 125's for sale...the asking price of 3K Euros for a brand new bike is tempting, but I would probably look ridiculous riding it with my 6'1" frame...
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TFL Bike spent $2k on a Chinese bike. Here is the unboxing video.


Will be interesting to see them assemble it and ride it.
 
Ran into my first thankfully minor issue already. The seat lock wouldn't work. Couldn't turn it. I thought it would have to be checked by the dealer, but it turns out that an electrical connection had gotten lodged between the battery compartment wall and the lock barrel, so the mechanism didn't have the space to rotate. Pried the connection out of that jam and the lock now rotates correctly.

How did I get the seat off to discover this? The pillion seat can be pulled off without working the lock. From a quick google, it seems to be a common issue with new Dukes. Remedies vary from working the mechanism to break it in, to reworking the pin/latch to get it to catch properly. I can hear the latch engage when I push the pillion seat down, but nevertheless I can pull it back off without touching the lock.
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I pass a Benelli dealership on my way to the supermarket and they have a few TNT 125's for sale...the asking price of 3K Euros for a brand new bike is tempting, but I would probably look ridiculous riding it with my 6'1" frame...
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Go and test, if the place is nearby. Also, photo proof needed. :mrgreen:
 
Weather's now uneven enough here that the bike is put away for the season.

Ran through a tank and about 120 miles. Quite enjoyable. Already looking at adding some cargo to it.
 
It's slowly getting warmer, so the battery went back in the bike and I took it for a short ride.

Pretty soon, I'm going to get a top case for it so I have somewhere to put my helmet when I stop somewhere for a bit. But before that, anyone have recommendations on smartphone holders? I've so far been riding to places I already know so navigating wasn't much of a concern, but that won't hold true for long, so I need a way to have my phone visible. I prefer larger smartphones (my current one is a Samsung S8 with an Otterbox) if that changes things.
 

I'm going to move from RAM to these.
 
So, as I wrote in my bike's thread, I had to take my bike back to the dealership so they could fix a little fuck-up from the yearly service. As this was clearly their fault, I asked for and got without hassle a cost-free loaner bike for the day to get home. I told them I didn't care what model as long as I could fit on it I would have taken a scooter, for a short city ride it would be enough.

So.... what did they give me? This:

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Yes, the goddamn weird Yamaha Niken 900! Of course, my curiosity was sparked. The guy told me it rides just like a normal motorcyle and you just have to forget that it has two front wheels in order to ride it properly.

And you know what? That's exactly right. It does ride like a normal bike - I needed exactly one corner to be convinced of that - and it will also fall over if you don't put your foot on the ground upon stopping. If it weren't for the giganticly wide front clearly visible from the rider's perspective, you could easily forget it.
Because of cold weather and timing constraints, I really only rode across town from the dealership home yesterday and then the return trip today, managed to get a bit of Autobahn in it, but no proper country roads.
It rides very well. Cornering is charaterized by the front end being extremely stable due to the increased grip. At least riding at moderate speeds, I didn't notice it to be front-heavy, but of course it is. It weighs about 50 kg more than my own bike, with the same engine, and basically all of that excess weight is far forward and relatively high up. Nevertheless, roundabouts (with an extra round to see what it can do), sweeping Autobahn entry/exits, normal cornering... it just felt normal, but extremely trust inducing especially in less than ideal conditions. The front suspension setup - basically a parallelogram mount that ensures the outer wheel going down when the inner wheel goes up due to leaning - allows plenty of lean angle, I'm quite sure more than I'm comfortable with on any bike. ;)
What astounded me the most is that even if you hit a pothole with one front wheel (aiming past is when you have to remember the unusual setup :D), it's far less noticeable than I would have thought.

Some more pictures:

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I even treated it to a night under a roof:
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Apart from the weird three-wheel setup, how is it generally? Well, for one thing, it's not exactly small, and the wide front doesn't really help with parking in tight spaces (like my garage, I'm glad I didn't try to put it in properly). Maneuvering it around came surprisingly eay considering it weighs over 260 kg. Riding position is not ideal for me and my 1.90 m, the knee and ankle angles are too tight. Smaller people should be fine. And I missed wind guards and grip heaters in the cold weather, but I guess those can be had as an option. It has the same engine as my own bike, but it's more civilized when it comes to sound. And the clutch was adjusted way more to my liking. I think I have to do something about that on my Tracer...

Verdict: Everyone is sceptical when they see the Niken. But if you have the opportunity, try it out. It's brillant. But also, the effect does not really justify the additional weight and cost.
 
Holy shit, that front really is wide! Though it totally makes sense that the front end handles well - I mean, essentially, the front end has a huge steering damper built in. :p

Can you imagine how much it costs to replace fork seals on that thing? :oops:
 
Tire budget suddenly increased.
 
If it rides like a regular motorcycle and is more expensive to own while being heavier, I'm a little confused why I would buy this over a traditional configuration.
 
If it rides like a regular motorcycle and is more expensive to own while being heavier, I'm a little confused why I would buy this over a traditional configuration.
Supposedly it really shines in less than ideal conditions. Faster and safer cornering.

To me, it felt just... easy. But I also still wouldn't buy one.
 
does anyone here have an account on 4-stroke.net?
i want to download this, but you need an account:

i created one, but the confirmation email doesn't seem to arrive, and i can't login as long as the activtion link hasn't been clicked...

thanks!



UPDATE: never mind, if you forgot the g in gmail, the mail will never arrive... :idiot:
 
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WTF?


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I installed a USB power adapter on my Duke, communicator on my helmet, and promptly rode 160 miles away for work. I'm pleased I can hear music on my rides now and won't kill my battery, but that combined 2.5 hours on the interstate increased my desire for a big tourer with a comfy seat and windshield.

I've wanted a BMW K1600 since they were unveiled, but now that I'm actually riding, I really want one. Can't get to any good riding roads here in a reasonable time without taking an interstate.
 
A big sport tourer that's a bit more to the "touring" end o the spectrum would be perfect for those situations. My ST1300 could eat up a canyon road, but also cruise the Interstate in comfort.
 
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