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[JustHadToJoin]

I guess my decision comes down to this: Theres two bikes that are pretty much the same. The private seller's bike comes with more stuff (cover, chain maintenance items, saddle bags, and 3K more miles), but is $700 cheaper and that's before dealer fees. So, for a 2012 bike, after a really basic eval of the bike to an untrained eye, do you think the chance is high that I'll end up needed to do $1K in repairs within the first 30 days (that's how long the dealer warranty would be)?

Because if not, I'm going private. But if so, I'll just get the dealer bike.

 

[Dougald]

The warranty is only 30 days over there? No contest, I'd buy privately as long as it hasn't clearly been in an accident or anything. You're getting more for less!

 

[Scotch]

I guess my decision comes down to this: Theres two bikes that are pretty much the same. The private seller's bike comes with more stuff (cover, chain maintenance items, saddle bags, and 3K more miles), but is $700 cheaper and that's before dealer fees. So, for a 2012 bike, after a really basic eval of the bike to an untrained eye, do you think the chance is high that I'll end up needed to do $1K in repairs within the first 30 days (that's how long the dealer warranty would be)?

Because if not, I'm going private. But if so, I'll just get the dealer bike.

I think those chances are very very slim. $1000 in repairs would be a lot of money for such a new bike.

Try to gauge if the private seller took good care of the bike. Does he have receipts of any maintenance? Look for some guides on the internet on what to watch out for when buying second hand bikes. Even when you're untrained, if anything major is wrong with it you'll notice soon enough on your testdrive.

Remember that dealers can sell duds too, and that warranty isn't always a magic fix.

 

[maxheadwound]

See I'm really unsure of mounting anything on a helmet, all I can see is a massive potential pressure spot in the event of an off. I know the chest mount isn't any better really but it doesn't worry me as much for some reason.

I do get that too... I had a fall on my mountain bike way back and had keys in my pocket en it jammed into my leg when I had a off. So not to keen to have stuff on myself. It would be ideal if you can mount it on the handle bar but the shaking is just way to much. The best gimbal is your head to keep the video as smooth as possible

 

[Dougald]

Remember that dealers can sell duds too, and that warranty isn't always a magic fix.

My last car can attest to that

 

[blackprophesy]

Harley Street 750 to be £5795 in the UK. That's a pretty good entry level price.
http://bit.ly/1SjCKe4

By comparison the Vulcan S is £5949

 

[Dougald]

That's unbelievably cheap, a full £1200 less than a base model Scrambler or Bonneville. I might have to test one

 

[maxheadwound]

That's unbelievably cheap, a full £1300 less than a base model Scrambler or Bonneville. I might have to test one

make sure you don't have fillings.... hehe

 

[Dougald]

Will it shake my contact lenses right off my eyeballs?

 

[aygomyownroad]

Harley Street 750 to be £5795 in the UK. That's a pretty good entry level price.
http://bit.ly/1SjCKe4

By comparison the Vulcan S is £5949

I sat on the Vulcan S today. My feet touched the ground no problem at all and was very light feeling and easy to keep up.

It is too of my list as my first bike.

This has thrown a bit of a spanner in the works as I am interested in how this bike is. Heard though gear change is poor ... Its the name more than anything although its a bit ugly

 

[blackprophesy]

Although I've got and love my Iron I'm definitely going to go give this a bash when it's out.

 

[Damaged]

Harley Street 750 to be £5795 in the UK. That's a pretty good entry level price.
http://bit.ly/1SjCKe4

By comparison the Vulcan S is £5949

Christ, thats cheap,... I can see them shifting an awful lot of those at that price

 

[Dougald]

God I hate riding in London

 

[maxheadwound]

God I hate riding in London

at least its a nice sunny day with no wind

 

[blackprophesy]

God I hate riding in London

I'm just glad where I have to ride (Blackwall to Aldgate) it's mostly bus lanes.

 

[Dougald]

Believe it or not I did actually just about get through that gap

So... why have I never seen an MT-01 before today? It looks awesome!

 

[maxheadwound]

Believe it or not I did actually just about get through that gap

So... why have I never seen an MT-01 before today? It looks awesome!

the back looks like two cannons... nice looking machine

 

[Watevaman]

Also as heavy as it looks: 580+ lbs wet.

Speaking of heavy, having some issues with the ABBA stand. I was thinking it would be easy, especially based on the videos I've seen online, but I'm either doing something wrong or the ZRX is just too damn heavy, as I needed another set of hands to actually get the bike on the stand. I think I need to bulk up a bit or just buy a lighter bike.

 

[maxheadwound]

boom boom, no place to pillions on this ride

 

[JustHadToJoin]

that looks amazing

 

[Dougald]

My bike dumped coolant all over the car park yesterday...

I traced the leak to an improperly re-fitted seal in the overflow tank, obviously whoever changed the coolant last was completely incompetent

Spoiler

it was me

 

[Fallout-NL]

Haha, feels much better than if it had been someone else's doing, does it not?

boom boom, no place to pillions on this ride

My next bike, should the Buells ever permanently die on me.

 

[maxheadwound]

My bike dumped coolant all over the car park yesterday...

I traced the leak to an improperly re-fitted seal in the overflow tank, obviously whoever changed the coolant last was completely incompetent

Spoiler

it was me

oh no man... hope you did not have any damage to the bike with heating

 

[maxheadwound]

Haha, feels much better than if it had been someone else's doing, does it not?



My next bike, should the Buells ever permanently die on me.

You should get this.... MT01 is nice but this is just as raw as the Buell

 

[Dougald]

Damn my tiny hands, after visiting several bike shops I ended up having to order my new gloves online... which have a 2 week lead time because nowhere seems to keep smaller sizes in stock

oh no man... hope you did not have any damage to the bike with heating

Nah, it only dumped most of the overflow tank, so the radiator was still full. Just rode it home (whilte staring intently at the temperature gauge) and let it cool down then topped up the coolant and fixed the sealant washer.

I think that overflow tank being under the seat is actually why the seat gets so hot, not the underseat exhaust. That coolant is pretty warm on a hot day.

 

[senahorse]

Riding on water https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDi9uFcD7XI

 

[Fallout-NL]

You should get this.... MT01 is nice but this is just as raw as the Buell

I admit, that is the other bike I have been looking at as a possible replacement. Though I would get one in black, no doubt.

Riding on water https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDi9uFcD7XI

Holy shit.

Spoiler

That salt water is going to do some damage.

Seriously though, that is incredible.

 

[Flo_Evans]

That guy is insane love this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VHaQeY88po

 

[Fallout-NL]

Yeah, that one definitely deserves the word 'epic'.

 

[JustHadToJoin]

What's the verdict on wearing ear plugs while riding?

 

[Watevaman]

What's the verdict on wearing ear plugs while riding?

Just a page or so back I answered with "not currently" since I was waiting to see if a sound popped up after my accident, but my last ride I stuck a pair in and I don't think I'll go back to none. It's just so much quieter with ear plugs in and it doesn't feel like my ears are being hammered. Really anything above 40 or so and the wind noise is terrible, so unless you're gonna be riding below those speeds, I'd recommend it.

 

[senahorse]

What's the verdict on wearing ear plugs while riding?

I got some custom ones made, they basically inject this rubber into both ears then set it and apply a coating. They cost about $120 (Australia) and the guy did it all at my house in under an hour. On long rides they are amazing, it's amazing how much less fatigued you get just from protecting your ears, also I can still use the Sena headset with them, in fact I can hear my gf's voice much clearer with them as it eliminates most of the wind noise etc.

That guy is insane love this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VHaQeY88po

Also amazing, guy is crazy haha.

 

[Fallout-NL]

What's the verdict on wearing ear plugs while riding?

Definitely a good idea when your trip is going to take you on the highway for extended periods of time. The wind noise can damage your hearing. And like ParityClaws and Watevaman have said, you get less fatigued if you're not constantly being subjected to massive amounts of noise.

------------------------------------------------------------

Took the Ulysses to Limburg this weekend (the southern most province in the Netherlands). We did 800 km in three days, not bad I think. Nothing broke , though at times it did seem like the heat would be too much for the Uly. The fan (for the rear cylinder) was on pretty much all the time.

I really *really* need to swap my navigation from the Ducati over the Ulysses though. We had to navigate by stopping and looking at our phones every now and then, but that was less than ideal to say the least. We did manage to find some nice roads however. Once we got past Monschau (Germany, I think?) the roads opened up nicely. Little traffic, lots of corners, very good fun.

 

[Dougald]

Looks great fun!

For navigation I really recommend getting a clear map holder for your tankpad and a paper map. GPS is obviously better for A>B, but with the map you get to see all the nice twisty backroads

 

[blackprophesy]

Looks great fun!

For navigation I really recommend getting a clear map holder for your tankpad and a paper map. GPS is obviously better for A>B, but with the map you get to see all the nice twisty backroads

The new TomTom Rider lets you choose the "level of twistyness". Great feature. I'm yet to try it in practice but we're planning a ride out next weekend so will report back.

 

[Dougald]

What's the verdict on wearing ear plugs while riding?

I always wear them for any journey > 10 mins where I'll be going more than 30mph or so. Your ears will thank you.

I could get away without plugs when I first got my helmet, but I took the ear padding out when I installed my intercom headphones.

 

[maxheadwound]

What's the verdict on wearing ear plugs while riding?

To work and back where its pretty much max of 50mph and most of it 30mph I don't wear. But for longer rides on weekends I do wear them. Like D said your ear will thank you

 

[richardhawk]

Starting the disassemble. Wish me luck guys. I still need to order new tires and figure out what I'm going to do for signals. I also might switch to a 19' front and a 17' rear if I can find wheels for a decent enough price.

Bars done. Those Mirrors are for sure gonna go.

 

[senahorse]

The price gouging in Australia for bike gear is insane. Looking at a new of Sidi Crossfires. In Australia $650, or, I can order a pair from Europe for $389 delivered to my door...

 

[maxheadwound]

The price gouging in Australia for bike gear is insane. Looking at a new of Sidi Crossfires. In Australia $650, or, I can order a pair from Europe for $389 delivered to my door...

My mate has moved there and he said if they can charge you for the use of the air around you they would. Weird. Hope you find a pair for a decent price

 

[maxheadwound]

Was reading the article about this bike in MCN last night... this is going to good. It looks good and it looks like Honda pulled out all the stops to make it compete with the BMW GS. I hope they get it right as constant innovation and competition is good for all of us end users.

 

[Dougald]

Was reading the article about this bike in MCN last night... this is going to good. It looks good and it looks like Honda pulled out all the stops to make it compete with the BMW GS. I hope they get it right as constant innovation and competition is good for all of us end users.

The best thing is that they did so without just copying the GS like every other manufacturer. It's a fantastic looking machine in its own right

 

[Fallout-NL]

The best thing is that they did so without just copying the GS like every other manufacturer. It's a fantastic looking machine in its own right

I was a reading a Dutch article that expressed some disappointment with the weight though, arguing that it would be useless off-road for all but the most gifted riders (with the ability to mitigate the troubles caused by said weight).


/edit: oh snap, new page. Brb, posting a pic I took yesterday evening

 

[Dougald]

I was a reading a Dutch article that expressed some disappointment with the weight though, arguing that it would be useless off-road for all but the most gifted riders (with the ability to mitigate the troubles caused by said weight).

So it does have some things in common with the R1200GS, then ;-)

 

[nico1982]

I was a reading a Dutch article that expressed some disappointment with the weight though, arguing that it would be useless off-road for all but the most gifted riders (with the ability to mitigate the troubles caused by said weight).

Eh, they told the target weight was 199 kg dry. They missed it by a small amount. Honda is head and shoulder above everyone else in mass centralization. I wouldn't be surprised if it will handle way much better than both the old Africa Twin and the KTM990 which are about the same weight and were extensively used off-road.

However, if someone expected a CRF500X Rally on steroid, well, it was just being delusional.

Edit: nice pic by the way.

 

[maxheadwound]

So it does have some things in common with the R1200GS, then ;-)

Most of the bikes sold will most be used on the road... its the idea that it can go where you dream of going and not sitting in a office lol

 

[blackprophesy]

My mate has moved there and he said if they can charge you for the use of the air around you they would. Weird. Hope you find a pair for a decent price

In UK I've seen so many service stations where you have to pay for air for tyres! For air! I'll ride/drive 20 miles to not pay for air on a matter of principle.

 

[Dougald]

Most of the bikes sold will most be used on the road... its the idea that it can go where you dream of going and not sitting in a office lol

It's like a Range Rover... sure it can go off road but you wouldn't buy one if you were serious about doing it you'd buy a Defender. No slight against the R1200GS though, I'd love one, and its lack of offroading ability isn't really an issue as, like you say, most of them will never see more than a gravel car park.

 

[Wolfe]

In UK I've seen so many service stations where you have to pay for air for tyres! For air! I'll ride/drive 20 miles to not pay for air on a matter of principle.

Yeah unfortunately that's fairly common in the US as well but there are plenty of places with free air if you look.

 

[blackprophesy]

Not sure on the new green ER-6F colour. The grey and red look good though. No white in UK for 2016