The Motorcycle Discussion Thread

[Dayze]

I figure there are some motorcycle guys/gals on CP, so I thought we could have a place to talk all things Motorcycles.

Tire Mount and Balance Prices (as of 10/29/16)

Prices based on if you remove the wheels yourself and bring the wheels and new tires with you:

Cycle Gear - $35 per wheel if you buy tires from them. $58 per wheel if you buy tires elsewhere
Rawhide - $65 per wheel (assuming it would be the same at other HD dealers. they book it at 1/2 hr per wheel)
C R Cycle Tires (DeSoto) - $30 per wheel

Cheapest I've found my Michelin Commander II's. Seem like they have good prices on other brands too.
http://www.jakewilson.com - Free 3 day shipping on orders over $75

[TheUte]

Originally Posted by mac459

I'm looking into getting a Harley or a Victory..I know enough about Victory to be comfortable buying one..I don't know that much about Harley tho..what bikes are good..what years are good..what should I avoid..I think the Electra Glides look sweet but I want to be sure they aren't breakdown prone or uncomfortable

I'm a Harley guy, I love my Street Glide and My wife loves her Road King. Personally I don't like Road King's very much, but a bike is so much about how it fits you. Go drive a bunch and see what feels good.

One to look at may be the new Indians. We saw a couple of the new ones in Sturgis this year and they are nice. The are made by Victory so the should be good.

[Dayze]

One of these days I'm going to test ride a Street Glide......but I'm worried I'll want one soon after lol

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by Dayze

I had been a sportbike guy my entire life. Old age, and fear of going to jail moved me on from them.

Heh, old age, bad knees, having a kid.

[BIG_DADDY]

Originally Posted by Radar Chief

Heh, old age, bad knees, having a kid.

I have to admit the thought of going down at top speed bothers me now. Still isn't keeping me off yet. I love, I mean really love the zx14. For anyone who is bigger it is the perfect bike for rides 4 hours or less.

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by BIG_DADDY

I have to admit the thought of going down at top speed bothers me now. Still isn't keeping me off yet. I love, I mean really love the zx14. For anyone who is bigger it is the perfect bike for rides 4 hours or less.

My ZX-9 is a big guys bike too. Still got it, sitting in storage.
Age is a factor but mostly what keeps me from riding it is if I go down I’m risking more than just my own hide.
Besides, my Jeep fulfills my gear heading / adrenalin needs and I can take my son along knowing that when I do I’m strapping him into a 6 point roll cage with a 4 point harness all tied back into the frame.

[Dayze]

another reason I stopped the sport-bike scene was here locally, there is (or, at least 'was' back around '09-'10 etc) a huge focus on them by LEOs. Not only from a speeding standpoint, but there is also a large theft factor as well. I got pulled over one day because the cope said "my exhaust was too loud' and wanted to see my registration etc. I sort of laughed and said "Sure, here you go. Odd that you think it's loud considering it's stock". I was pulled over for doing 41 in a 35 when I was at the tail end of a line of cars all doing the same speed. I asked for a little leniency since I hadn't had a ticket since 1994. No dice. Of course, it was a Lenexa cop, and having grown up in this city my entire life, Lenexa cops are collassal dicks.

At that time, my brother-in-law who is a MO Trooper, said they got more money in the budget to fly the helicopter for 'aggressive drivers' over the course of June/July that particular year. But he said it was actually a plan to put in place to catch sport-bike riders who were big time speeding. rather than chase on the ground, they would simply follow the rider to his next stop from the air, and greet him there/arrest on the him on the ground depending on the severity of speed.

Tons of squids in the area. no 'fun' roads in the immediate area. At the time, and it may/may not still be this way, but there is a huge black eye on sport-bike riders by the public around here (probably other areas as well).

One day, however, I will be a cheap SV or older sportbike and simply turn it into a track bike. track days can be relatively cheap after the cost of the bike, maybe a trailer, etc. I did a track day at Heartland a while back, and it was ****ing awesome. No sand on the road. no deer. no cops. no curbs. no soccer moms. Pace rider etc.

but damn, sport-bikes are fun. lol. 'Too' much fun at times.

[BIG_DADDY]

Originally Posted by Radar Chief

My ZX-9 is a big guys bike too. Still got it, sitting in storage.
Age is a factor but mostly what keeps me from riding it is if I go down I’m risking more than just my own hide.
Besides, my Jeep fulfills my gear heading / adrenalin needs and I can take my son along knowing that when I do I’m strapping him into a 6 point roll cage with a 4 point harness all tied back into the frame.

I am just riding at risk, as you know I have a son as well who is absolutely obsessed with motorcycles at 6. I am having a motocross track put on the property as we speak and it will be ready in a few days. Time for him to learn. My dad rode hard till he got cancer in his 70's. I don't know if I will go that long but maybe. If things keep going the way they are now my family should be taken care of financially so I figure this is a side benefit.

[Craash]

Originally Posted by Dayze

I wish I could hear that thing with either of them on it.
there's local shop here where the owner drags a handful of 'Busas. also one of the best small shops in town to get 'Busa (or otherwise) work done.

you should ride out to get it worked on and so I can hear it. Bring plenty of Ibuprofen along for the ride, however.

He might be good at the small stuff, but he was out of his league on the bike he build me. It ended up burning down, partially due to the methane injection he set at way to high a rate and then reduced fuel pressure to compensate for the A/F. His 'lead' tech left to go work at a Toyota dealer. Talk about a TON of money down the drain. Then he had the balls to say it would be winter before they could look at it (this was early spring). luckily I found a TRUE builder who is very familiar with the high end, high tech route I wanted to go.

[Dayze]

Originally Posted by Craash

He might be good at the small stuff, but he was out of his league on the bike he build me. It ended up burning down, partially due to the methane injection he set at way to high a rate and then reduced fuel pressure to compensate for the A/F. His 'lead' tech left to go work at a Toyota dealer. Talk about a TON of money down the drain. Then he had the balls to say it would be winter before they could look at it (this was early spring). luckily I found a TRUE builder who is very familiar with the high end, high tech route I wanted to go.

interesting. I think the last time I had my bike there was in probably '09-ish.
of course, it was for just routine stuff (small stuff you like said).

[Fansy the Famous Bard]

Originally Posted by BIG_DADDY

I am just riding at risk, as you know I have a son as well who is absolutely obsessed with motorcycles at 6. I am having a motocross track put on the property as we speak and it will be ready in a few days. Time for him to learn. My dad rode hard till he got cancer in his 70's. I don't know if I will go that long but maybe. If things keep going the way they are now my family should be taken care of financially so I figure this is a side benefit.

Ya, my 15 year old has been riding his mother's sportster and loves it. he says he wants a motorcycle and not a car.... A part of me is like "**** ya!" and then the other part of me is "**** no!"

[Dayze]

Originally Posted by Zeke

Ya, my 15 year old has been riding his mother's sportster and loves it. he says he wants a motorcycle and not a car.... A part of me is like "**** ya!" and then the other part of me is "**** no!"

my first bike I bought for $300 bucks lol. back when I was like 13.
I saved up some money from babysitting my nephew that summer. I asked my dad and he said 'it's your money'.

I don't even remember the designator of the bike. it was an old dirtbike; I want to say an '82 Honda (I'm sure of the Honda part); 4 stroker. heavy as shit. I want to say it was a 185? ...if there is such a thing. I literally rode that until it just finally died. lol

nothing like having a dirtbike to buzz around the house in suburbia lol. we have a small small field in back so I chopped away some brush and trees and made a small track that ran through it.....as well as around the house.

Anyway...been in love with the bastards ever since.

[Dayze]

Originally Posted by Craash

He might be good at the small stuff, but he was out of his league on the bike he build me. It ended up burning down, partially due to the methane injection he set at way to high a rate and then reduced fuel pressure to compensate for the A/F. His 'lead' tech left to go work at a Toyota dealer. Talk about a TON of money down the drain. Then he had the balls to say it would be winter before they could look at it (this was early spring). luckily I found a TRUE builder who is very familiar with the high end, high tech route I wanted to go.

noice.

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by BIG_DADDY

I am just riding at risk, as you know I have a son as well who is absolutely obsessed with motorcycles at 6. I am having a motocross track put on the property as we speak and it will be ready in a few days. Time for him to learn. My dad rode hard till he got cancer in his 70's. I don't know if I will go that long but maybe. If things keep going the way they are now my family should be taken care of financially so I figure this is a side benefit.

I couldn’t get my little guy interested. I bought a Suzuki Jr. 50 off of Motorcycle Drag Racing Buddy when his son outgrew it, and MiniRadar rode it a few times but just wasn’t that interested. He was a little upset that I sold it back to MDRB’s younger brother but got over it quickly when I told him I would renew his X-Box Live for a year with the money I got back out of it.

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by Dayze

another reason I stopped the sport-bike scene was here locally, there is (or, at least 'was' back around '09-'10 etc) a huge focus on them by LEOs. Not only from a speeding standpoint, but there is also a large theft factor as well. I got pulled over one day because the cope said "my exhaust was too loud' and wanted to see my registration etc. I sort of laughed and said "Sure, here you go. Odd that you think it's loud considering it's stock". I was pulled over for doing 41 in a 35 when I was at the tail end of a line of cars all doing the same speed. I asked for a little leniency since I hadn't had a ticket since 1994. No dice. Of course, it was a Lenexa cop, and having grown up in this city my entire life, Lenexa cops are collassal dicks.

At that time, my brother-in-law who is a MO Trooper, said they got more money in the budget to fly the helicopter for 'aggressive drivers' over the course of June/July that particular year. But he said it was actually a plan to put in place to catch sport-bike riders who were big time speeding. rather than chase on the ground, they would simply follow the rider to his next stop from the air, and greet him there/arrest on the him on the ground depending on the severity of speed.

Tons of squids in the area. no 'fun' roads in the immediate area. At the time, and it may/may not still be this way, but there is a huge black eye on sport-bike riders by the public around here (probably other areas as well).

One day, however, I will be a cheap SV or older sportbike and simply turn it into a track bike. track days can be relatively cheap after the cost of the bike, maybe a trailer, etc. I did a track day at Heartland a while back, and it was ****ing awesome. No sand on the road. no deer. no cops. no curbs. no soccer moms. Pace rider etc.

but damn, sport-bikes are fun. lol. 'Too' much fun at times.

You also had an illegal drag racing scene going on that was getting big and out of hand last time I was in the KC area checking it out.
The sport bike guys were flagrantly breaking laws (speeding, wheelies, burnouts, hooliganism in general) and completely disregarding cops. Doesn't surprise me they had their fill and started using helicopters to crack down on it.

[Dayze]

Originally Posted by Radar Chief

You also had an illegal drag racing scene going on that was getting big and out of hand last time I was in the KC area checking it out.
The sport bike guys were flagrantly breaking laws (speeding, wheelies, burnouts, hooliganism in general) and completely disregarding cops. Doesn't surprise me they had their fill and started using helicopters to crack down on it.

yep .pretty much. I was a responsible rider probably 99% of the time in the city. only time I got a little squirrely was on the alphabet highways outside of town.
all that street racing, stunting etc, made it almost unbearable for those who didn't.

...this is why we can have nice things.