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2 wheel GAF UNITE!
- Thread starter Flo_Evans
- Start date
maxheadwound
Member
I was at the Reading Duc dealer two weekends ago with my dad to show him the ducati diavel and to also look at the Monsters. The bikes just looks great in red. That scrambler is going to sell like hot cakes
maxheadwound
Member
No scramblers yet... The guy was a bit faigue about when they are going to get them. They do have Monsters and a sweet Carbon diavel in store
maxheadwound
Member
Just got an email from them
DEMONSTRATOR NOW HERE, CALL TO BOOK YOUR DEMO RIDE
Blade Motorcycles
0118 931 5048
Prosper Park, Bennett Road, Reading, RG2 0QX
How weird is that
DEMONSTRATOR NOW HERE, CALL TO BOOK YOUR DEMO RIDE
Blade Motorcycles
0118 931 5048
Prosper Park, Bennett Road, Reading, RG2 0QX
How weird is that
blackprophesy
Member
They've apparently got a demo Scrambler at Laguna Performance Centre in Ashford.
https://www.facebook.com/lagunaperformance
Love the Full Throttle version
https://www.facebook.com/lagunaperformance
Love the Full Throttle version
maxheadwound
Member
They've apparently got a demo Scrambler at Laguna Performance Centre in Ashford.
https://www.facebook.com/lagunaperformance
Love the Full Throttle version
Wonder what the waiting list is going to be... its going to be mates first then the public haha
opticalmace
Member
Is it easy to make the ergos of a bike a little bit more forward-leaning? Handlebars seem pretty easy, but I'm not sure how easy it would be to adjust the seat?
I just added clubmans to my GS500 and that made it much more aggressive. If I had thrown aftermarket rearsets on it would've made it even moreso.
Nice leisurely ride this morning, we didn't do very much single track and primarily stuck to forest roads and 4WD tracks as we wanted to do a longer distance ride (single track can get very physically draining). It has rained a bit recently and as expected it wasn't dusty at all, just muddy 
. Also saw a bunch of wildlife, including about 4 bilbys (think mini kangaroos), unfortunately I didn't have my gopro so I didn't catch those unfortunately. Ended up doing about 200km's before stopping at our favourite mountain top cafe for breakfast, as did about 20 other bikers. Also, protip, always make sure when you put your GPS in its cradle you ensure it's locked in, it popped out doing about 80km/h and wacked me in the balls, ouch, luckily I saved it
Anyway, I did snap a few dodgy phone pics:
That's my gf on her XT in the background, looking at some birds.
. Also saw a bunch of wildlife, including about 4 bilbys (think mini kangaroos), unfortunately I didn't have my gopro so I didn't catch those unfortunately. Ended up doing about 200km's before stopping at our favourite mountain top cafe for breakfast, as did about 20 other bikers. Also, protip, always make sure when you put your GPS in its cradle you ensure it's locked in, it popped out doing about 80km/h and wacked me in the balls, ouch, luckily I saved it Anyway, I did snap a few dodgy phone pics:
That's my gf on her XT in the background, looking at some birds.
maxheadwound
Member
How was the seating position?
Very comfortable if you like sit up and beg. The controls are really low down though, I imagine there is a hell of a lot of wind blast at speed. The seat is quite hard too, it's clearly built for running around town rather than long distance
Drinky Crow
Banned
your messenger bag is awesome. what brand?
Fallout-NL
Member
Looking good, Doug. The bike suits you!
Hey guys, do any of you have experience shopping with or would know if http://www.motoin.de/?language=en&tpl=mobile is a legit site to shop at and have shipped to the US? They have a couple Spidi jackets I am interested in but their prices seem crazy low compared to others
QualityPixel
Banned
I got my DR650 out of storage today. Boy does that bike need some love. Battery didn't have enough juice to start and the choke cable had seized up. Once those were taken care of and I finally had the bike running I found that it didn't want to shift into neutral and the clutch cable needs adjusting... Time to make a list of things that needs cleaning, adjusting, and tightening and replacing.
Poindexter
Member
Completed my stage 1 upgrade...
Also met a guy today that has my exact same bike, all the upgrades I currently have and the future ones I want. I heard my future exhaust and it sounded glorious.
Time for a wash tomorrow.
Also met a guy today that has my exact same bike, all the upgrades I currently have and the future ones I want. I heard my future exhaust and it sounded glorious.
Time for a wash tomorrow.
Poindexter
Member
I've got some pretty bad oil blow by now after my stage 1 air cleaner installation. Reading around it seems like its a common issue on stage 1 Harleys.
The solution is to ride in higher rpm's or change the cam. That just moves up the timeline for installing my woods cam. *shrug*
Its honestly not too bad. I did a 100 mile run today after installation and it was like maybe half a tablespoon. I was also gunning it a lot to feel the new power so I'm sure that didn't help. I'll see how bad it is on a normal day though since my regular day is usually around 100 miles.
Aaaaaand on that note, I realized that at this pace I am on target to get 24000 miles this year. That's assuming I dont pick up the length of my recreational rides when riding season really kicks into gear. Lol. Fat chance.
The solution is to ride in higher rpm's or change the cam. That just moves up the timeline for installing my woods cam. *shrug*
Its honestly not too bad. I did a 100 mile run today after installation and it was like maybe half a tablespoon. I was also gunning it a lot to feel the new power so I'm sure that didn't help. I'll see how bad it is on a normal day though since my regular day is usually around 100 miles.
Aaaaaand on that note, I realized that at this pace I am on target to get 24000 miles this year. That's assuming I dont pick up the length of my recreational rides when riding season really kicks into gear. Lol. Fat chance.
maxheadwound
Member
Went to the bike expo in Belfast last week, the Ducati stand was amazing and I also got a good look at the new R1. Sex.
Also got a sit on the new scrambler, like Dougald said the seat is a bit hard and the riding position is odd with the high bars but I love it.
Damn man you look super focused on that R1. Thanks for sharing the photos.
lol yeah my brother caught that pic at just the right time.
The R1 is by far my favourite of the new bikes. I'd love a Ducati 899 but the seat is so narrow, kinda like the Triumph 675 and I reckon I'd be sore after about 20 mins riding on it.
The R1 has a nice seat (for a super sports) and the riding position isn't like the Duc where you are basically on the tank.
The R1 is by far my favourite of the new bikes. I'd love a Ducati 899 but the seat is so narrow, kinda like the Triumph 675 and I reckon I'd be sore after about 20 mins riding on it.
The R1 has a nice seat (for a super sports) and the riding position isn't like the Duc where you are basically on the tank.
blackprophesy
Member
That black scrambler looks so good. I want it.
thesoapster
Member
Did you sit on the 1299? If so, how did it feel compared to the 899? I found the 1199 to be comfortable ergonomically except for whatever seat was on it (bit too hard).
The 1299 was wider at the seat yeah, you could ride it for a little longer than the 899. The seat was softer than the 1199 as well, they've learnt well lol.
thesoapster
Member
I wonder if the mirrors work. The 1199 at highway speed in 6th produced vibrations that made the mirrors unusable! It's an interesting bike, sounds pretty good (...I'm a crossplane/V4 whore, though), looks great...just doesn't seem to completely work. I feel like every Superbike they've made since I started riding has pretty much been that way.
Got On Any Sunday playing tonight while I take some notes for class. If you haven't seen it, you should check it out. I know there's the new one coming out (or maybe already out?), but it's a cool look back on motorcycling.
At 6'4" you'll be big for a lot of bikes regardless of it being a starter bike or not. Weight is never an issue (unless you're 300+ lbs) for pretty much any bike, so we're only talking about the height here. Do you have a particular style of bike more than another? Like, would you want a sportbike with full plastics or would you be ok learning on something that looks like a dirtbike for the street? Sportbikes will make you feel a bit more hunched over, standards (pretty much sportbikes without plastics) are more relaxed and provide an upright seating position, cruisers will let you stretch your legs a bit more and have you sitting back, and dualsports are pretty much gonna make you feel like you're sitting on on a stool with your feet resting on the frame.
A standard would be a bit easier to control imo. Cruisers are fine for learning as well, but they lend themselves to at speed riding more than slow speed maneuvers. A standard provides clearance for lock to lock handlebar movements without crushing your wrists and is more than enough for just everyday riding. Of course, I'm biased as I ride a standard and can't stand cruisers.
If you want to go with standards, there are a few bikes that fall in the beginner category (I'm assuming you're in the US/someplace without restrictions). The main one is gonna be the Suzuki GS500. It was my first bike and it's perfect for pretty much everything. They're easy to find, easy to fix (barely anything changed in the 20 years they made it), and easy to ride without feeling like you're over your head. They make enough power to get you up to highway speeds just fine and are great fun on twisty roads. The equivalent of the GS500 is the Kawasaki Ninja 500 (EX500), but that has a slightly more aggressive (still not pure sportbike) position and may be harder to find, or at least it was in my area.
Depending on how you wanted to proceed, you could also look at the Suzuki SV650, which is significantly more powerful than the GS500, but not to the point that it should scare you. It's a bike that's generally regarded as one of the best all around bikes. It's got a great engine, it's available in fuel injection (the GS500 is only carbureted), and it's got a relaxed position compared to sportbikes if you can find one of the naked ones.
A couple more standard bikes that are praised, but I can't really comment on would be the Triumph Street Triple and the Ducati Monster (there are different versions, whichever has the lowest displacement).
However, before you look at bikes, and once again assuming you're in the US, you should look into taking the MSF Basic Rider Course. It's a three day, 15 hour course that teaches you everything you need to know about riding a motorcycle along with giving you a chance to get out on a bike that they provide to see how you handle it. Depending where you live it could be free or up to a few hundred bucks, but it's well worth it if you're serious about getting into motorcycles. Also, varying from state to state, it may give you a waiver for the DMV test, so you could just walk into the DMV and walk out with your license without needing to take their test. It also provides an insurance discount for most carriers.
If you want to go with standards, there are a few bikes that fall in the beginner category (I'm assuming you're in the US/someplace without restrictions). The main one is gonna be the Suzuki GS500. It was my first bike and it's perfect for pretty much everything. They're easy to find, easy to fix (barely anything changed in the 20 years they made it), and easy to ride without feeling like you're over your head. They make enough power to get you up to highway speeds just fine and are great fun on twisty roads. The equivalent of the GS500 is the Kawasaki Ninja 500 (EX500), but that has a slightly more aggressive (still not pure sportbike) position and may be harder to find, or at least it was in my area.
Depending on how you wanted to proceed, you could also look at the Suzuki SV650, which is significantly more powerful than the GS500, but not to the point that it should scare you. It's a bike that's generally regarded as one of the best all around bikes. It's got a great engine, it's available in fuel injection (the GS500 is only carbureted), and it's got a relaxed position compared to sportbikes if you can find one of the naked ones.
A couple more standard bikes that are praised, but I can't really comment on would be the Triumph Street Triple and the Ducati Monster (there are different versions, whichever has the lowest displacement).
However, before you look at bikes, and once again assuming you're in the US, you should look into taking the MSF Basic Rider Course. It's a three day, 15 hour course that teaches you everything you need to know about riding a motorcycle along with giving you a chance to get out on a bike that they provide to see how you handle it. Depending where you live it could be free or up to a few hundred bucks, but it's well worth it if you're serious about getting into motorcycles. Also, varying from state to state, it may give you a waiver for the DMV test, so you could just walk into the DMV and walk out with your license without needing to take their test. It also provides an insurance discount for most carriers.
Oh yeah, sorry, I am in the US. No restrictions that I know of. Thanks for the suggestions, I'll check them out. I actually start the MSF Basic Rider Course tomorrow. I assume they will be able to let me try out/suggest bikes for me, but it is also at a Harley Davidson dealership so I also assume that is what they will try and sell me those exclusively.
Love that movie, quite possibly the best film about motorbikes ever.
I think they may have Buell Blasts in their program, unless they stopped that when Buells stopped being made. The Blast is a good standard to learn on.
QualityPixel
Banned
I'm 5'11" and the Harley Sportster is really cramped for me if it doesn't have forward controls (foot pegs and foot controls moved forward). All the other Harleys and cruisers I've ridden and sat on have been fine. A friend of mine who is close to your height had a Honda Shadow 750 and it was perfect for him on a 2000 mile road-trip we went on.
Fallout-NL
Member
I have this sudden urge to buy a classic Vmax.
maxheadwound
Member
Its a Beast
Fallout-NL
Member
Yeah, beautiful, that new type is well out of my reach though .
.maxheadwound
Member
I dont see the velcro seat and pants as standard lol
Fallout-NL
Member
I don't know, but it looks the business.
Fallout-NL
Member
Speaking of which, that thing Kirk rode in Star Trek '09 was apparently a modified Buell XB9: http://www.buellxb.com/buell_images/7297_20101017093357_L.jpg
opticalmace
Member
Its a Beast
Looks like a little freight train.
Its a Beast
Goddam, that's a big bug catcher, the perfect bike for the budding entomologist.