Hey, LATS... (and some others on here)


Hammurabi
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Hammurabi
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09/21/2005 10:41 pm
England probably has different laws regarding such things than we do here in America.
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# 1
6strngs_2hmbkrs
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6strngs_2hmbkrs
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09/21/2005 10:44 pm
Originally Posted by: HammurabiEngland probably has different laws regarding such things than we do here in America.

well, in america, the law varys by state, for example, in california there is such a problem with street racing that there are very strict laws on what you can do to a car. you cannot lower your car more then a certain height, you can not produce too much exhaust, it cannot be too loud (or you'll disturb the peace!) etc. etc. I'm sure there are hundreds of laws... but no one listens to them anyway
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Lordathestrings
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09/23/2005 3:25 am
[font=trebuchet ms]I can't claim to know the law in the UK, but usually the reason for banning racing exhaust systems for street use is the noise levels. Less restrictive exhaust pipes are often quite a bit louder than factory stock pipes, which have to meet serious legal requirements before the bike can be sold.

By 'chipped' he means that the PROM IC chip that controls the fuel injection and igintion systems has been replaced with an after-market unit that provides better throttle response and more power. These are usually illegal because the exhaust emissions no longer meet the spec.

It's a measure of the engineering improvements over the years that her 750 turns in numbers close to my 1986 Yamaha FJ1200S. 0 - 60 mph. in 2.8 seconds, 75 mph. in 1st gear. I don't know what the top end is. The speedo only reads up to 265 kph (165 mph.) At that speed, it was still accelerating strongly. The road looked like it was about 1/2" wide, and I decided that I really didn't need to know. I would guess that I was doing something over 270 kph. (168 mph.) by the time I backed off. That was in stock trim. Since then, I've installed .020" oversize pistons, a Stage III Dyna-jet kit in the carburetors, a Dyna ignition system, and done some minor tweaking on the exhaust system. After the rebuild, it dyno'd at 140 horsepower at the rear wheel. So it's probably a bit faster than it was.[/font] :D
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# 3
6strngs_2hmbkrs
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6strngs_2hmbkrs
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09/23/2005 4:30 am
Originally Posted by: Lordathestrings[font=trebuchet ms]It's a measure of the engineering improvements over the years that her 750 turns in numbers close to my 1986 Yamaha FJ1200S. 0 - 60 mph. in 2.8 seconds, 75 mph. in 1st gear. I don't know what the top end is. The speedo only reads up to 265 kph (165 mph.) At that speed, it was still accelerating strongly. The road looked like it was about 1/2" wide, and I decided that I really didn't need to know. I would guess that I was doing something over 270 kph. (168 mph.) by the time I backed off. That was in stock trim. Since then, I've installed .020" oversize pistons, a Stage III Dyna-jet kit in the carburetors, a Dyna ignition system, and done some minor tweaking on the exhaust system. After the rebuild, it dyno'd at 140 horsepower at the rear wheel. So it's probably a bit faster than it was.[/font] :D

:eek: dude... that's pretty fricken fast! (how did you go from 0-60 in 2.8 seconds without the g-forces throwing you off the bike? or did you dyno it to figure this out?)
needless to say... I want one!!!
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Lordathestrings
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Lordathestrings
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09/23/2005 4:44 am
[font=trebuchet ms]0 - 60 mph in 2.8 seconds was a published analysis of data taken at a drag strip by Cycle Canada when they reviewed the bike back in 1986. With my fat ass in the saddle, it wouldn't likely do that, even if my reflexes were up to the task. The top-end trial was something I did when I picked it up from the shop after the 5,000 km tuneup.

I think the dragstrip stuff calculates out to something over 1 G. I know I sometimes think I should cover the seat with Velcro. :eek: The bike has a long wheelbase by modern standards, so it's not very wheelie-prone, but it pulls hard![/font]
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# 5
Lordathestrings
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09/23/2005 9:15 pm
[font=trebuchet ms]You may wanna consider putting it away when...

The attached pic shows the 1/4" of frost I found when I headed to work this morning. I chose the car. I'll be bringing the bike out to my workplace this weekend to put it away for the winter. ~sigh~[/font] :(
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# 6
Lordathestrings
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09/23/2005 9:56 pm
[font=trebuchet ms]It occures to me...





... this was a frosty frickin' Friday![/font] :rolleyes:
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# 7
Leedogg
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09/23/2005 10:05 pm
Glad I moved to the South :D

It was 91 today.
Blues is easy to play, but hard to feel.
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Raskolnikov
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09/24/2005 1:46 am
Today, I took my motorcyle learner's permit test, registered the bike and went for a ride.



I discovered that hocking a huge gob of lung butter over your shoulder is a great way to get the stupid, Volvo driving hippy the **** off your ass.
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# 9
6strngs_2hmbkrs
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6strngs_2hmbkrs
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09/24/2005 3:29 am
Originally Posted by: Lordathestrings[font=trebuchet ms]You may wanna consider putting it away when...

The attached pic shows the 1/4" of frost I found when I headed to work this morning. I chose the car. I'll be bringing the bike out to my workplace this weekend to put it away for the winter. ~sigh~[/font] :(

hee hee... sitting on that may cause a little... shrinkage... if you know what I mean! ;)
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Lordathestrings
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Lordathestrings
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09/24/2005 5:14 pm
[font=trebuchet ms]Well, it does seriously test your resolve...

As I said, I decided to take the car that day. It's nice today, and supposed to be even better tomorrow, but it still dips down near the freezing point at night, so I'm putting the bike away until next year. The risk of finding black ice on the road in the morning outweighs the joy of riding. I may still get in some short afternoon rides on warm weekends like this one, but riding to work in the morning ain't gonna happen again 'til next year.[/font] :p
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# 11
Lordathestrings
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09/24/2005 5:27 pm
Originally Posted by: RaskolnikovToday, I took my motorcyle learner's permit test, registered the bike and went for a ride. [/QUOTE][font=trebuchet ms]Good on yer!

As I said, you're gonna find that you Jones for 'gettin' yer knees in da breeze' as much as you dig playing your bass. The psych profiles for bikers and rad musicians are very similar.[/font]

[QUOTE=Raskolnikov]I discovered that hocking a huge gob of lung butter over your shoulder is a great way to get the stupid, Volvo driving hippy the **** off your ass.
[font=trebuchet ms]Uhn-uhn. There's some things I just don't wanna try while I'm wearing my full-face skid-lid![/font] :eek:
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# 12
Raskolnikov
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09/25/2005 2:18 am
Originally Posted by: Lordathestrings[font=trebuchet ms]Uhn-uhn. There's some things I just don't wanna try while I'm wearing my full-face skid-lid![/font] :eek:

Well, that would be the nice thing about a bike that tops out a 65 and a half helmet with goggles (working on a white scarf to go with that).


I was out riding in a wife beater with my leather and "cold" stuff in a backpack on the back of my bike today.

Of course, the minute the sun went down, it COLD and in a hurry.

All in all, though, I can't wait for next summer.
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# 13
Hammurabi
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09/25/2005 4:51 am
Originally Posted by: Raskolnikovhalf helmet with goggles (working on a white scarf to go with that).


Going for the ww1 aviator look?
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# 14
Lordathestrings
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09/25/2005 4:12 pm
Originally Posted by: Raskolnikov... and a half helmet with goggles (working on a white scarf to go with that)...
[font=trebuchet ms]Not so long that it gets tangled in the rear wheel![/font] :eek:
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# 15
Lordathestrings
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09/26/2005 12:20 am
[font=trebuchet ms]See if you can find a late-80's Kawasaki EX500. It was a nice-handling sport twin with decent power, but no quirkiness. All the Jap bike builders were frothing at the mouth in yet another horsepower war, and a lot of the mid-size bikes suffered for it. Really peaky motors that had to be kept at the upper end of the tach to be useful. Fortunately for real-world beginners, the EX was kept in a mild state of tune so that it was actually easy to ride. And the handling was good enough that a lot of riders never bothered to upgrade from their 500's.[/font]
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# 16
Lordathestrings
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09/26/2005 12:48 am
Originally Posted by: PonyOne...Those old Yamaha FJ's are pretty slick, I just don't know if I want anything that powerful to start with. ...
[font=trebuchet ms]Not unless you have a death-wish!! :eek:

Maybe an FJ600. Or, IIRC, a Honda 550 Interceptor might work well for you. Given your proclivity for pushing the limits on four wheels you're likely to want something with more 'urge' after a year or so, but you should start with something light and easy to ride. A big, heavy, powerful bike is not a good tool for learning the necessary skills. And your survival depends on learning those skills well.

A mid-size bike is capable of out-accelerating and out-braking any car on the road. I haven't looked at bike reviews in a long time, but they used to routinely take a selection of bikes to a drag strip to compare their performance. Even 20 years ago, stock 500's were running 13-second quarter-miles. And for the first 50 feet, there's still nothing on four wheels that could touch 'em. Look at the braking distances in the comparison write-ups and match those numbers against new car reviews. Don't feel that you're settling for less by starting with a half-litre bike.

As the Midas ads used to say: "First you get good - Then you get fast!"[/font]
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# 17

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