Any Motörbike riders here?

AK99

AIUI the aftermarket ones you mention are so expensive because the market for them is actually really small, and once you factor in the variations in individual spring rates, lengths and damping rates for them, they're probably much more expensive to design manufacture and distribute than the car versions.

Fwiw - a set of Ohlins for my Exige was about 2 grand back in the day, with a rebuild charge of about £400 every 2-3 years  

AK99

Dominic said:

I actually think a C90 looks very cool these days........they make new retro versions as a 125
I used to tease anybody who had a 'step-through' when I was ultra laddish at 16 on my FS1E

They're a cult thing here:



Goes back to the days when just about every small-hold farmer had one, used them as a replacement for the donkey (seriously). There's old postcard pictures of them loaded to the gills with creels (wicker baskets) of turf, and the farmer and his missus aboard coming back from the bog.

They've even done a few LeMans style Nifty Fifty 8 hour endurance races at Mondello with grids full of the damn things. Cheating was rife - allegedly - with hand cut slicks and full race 125cc kart engines shoed in below the fairing not unknown. In later years they had to run separate 'street' and open classes  

TheBigDipper

Telelever - for ordinary road riding it's pretty good. For racing it's a bit heavy and they spend a lot more on standard front forks, so it never gets a look-in. When you apply the brakes, the steering geometry of the bike doesn't change (unlike standard forks) but there is still weight transfer to the front tyre. 

I once had an RG500 with "anti dive" forks and that was a nightmare.

I rode GSs as my primary bike for 18 years (with others alongside and the school bikes I also owned and rode). The swap back to standard forks when I switched to the F900 XR a couple of years ago took a little bit of getting used to. 

thebreeze

This “sunny southern weather” + my bike = very happy.

Saw a really hot blonde on her Harley today at the garage.  Are we allowed to say that kind of thing anymore?  Anyway, improved the ride out even more.

@Dominic it’s reassuring that seasoned and experienced bikers can still drop their bikes from time to time.  

Speaking of seasoned and experienced bikers, here’s a couple of questions from a novice:

My front tyre seems to lose air quicker than the back tyre.  Is that because I use the centre stand all the time and should use the side stand more?  The front tyre is older than the back one though, so could be just that?

Do any of you listen to music whilst you’re riding or is that just foolish and idiotic?

Kittyfrisk

thebreeze said:

This “sunny southern weather” + my bike = very happy.

Saw a really hot blonde on her Harley today at the garage.  Are we allowed to say that kind of thing anymore?  Anyway, improved the ride out even more.

@Dominic it’s reassuring that seasoned and experienced bikers can still drop their bikes from time to time.  

Speaking of seasoned and experienced bikers, here’s a couple of questions from a novice:

My front tyre seems to lose air quicker than the back tyre.  Is that because I use the centre stand all the time and should use the side stand more?  The front tyre is older than the back one though, so could be just that?

Do any of you listen to music whilst you’re riding or is that just foolish and idiotic?

"My front tyre seems to lose air quicker than the back tyre"  sounds like a slow/micro puncture, bad valve or poor tyre seating on the rim.
Also, if you are using a centre stand, there is less weight on the front tyre so it should lose less pressure.

Music is a distraction that you don't need. Listen to the engine, the road and the Universe... man 

Haych

thebreeze said:

This “sunny southern weather” + my bike = very happy.

Saw a really hot blonde on her Harley today at the garage.  Are we allowed to say that kind of thing anymore?  Anyway, improved the ride out even more.

@Dominic it’s reassuring that seasoned and experienced bikers can still drop their bikes from time to time.  

Speaking of seasoned and experienced bikers, here’s a couple of questions from a novice:

My front tyre seems to lose air quicker than the back tyre.  Is that because I use the centre stand all the time and should use the side stand more?  The front tyre is older than the back one though, so could be just that?

Do any of you listen to music whilst you’re riding or is that just foolish and idiotic?

I think I know of the girl to whom you refer. She’s on Instagram as lady.harley.883 and yes she’s very easy on the eye. She was at the Baffle Haus for some event, the Petrolettes or something. 

The front shouldn’t lose air just because you’re using a centre stand, at least mine doesn’t and I mainly used the centre stand. 

I do sometimes listen to music but it’s bad for other people who can hear me singing at the lights. 

ALR

I had a very nice ride yesterday, went to Sleap airifeld in Shropshire with a couple of mates and watched people practicing aerobatics and soaked up the sun for a bit. Great ride too, just happily cruising at 50-60mph in sixth gear and enjoying every minute. Hadn't been to that airfield before, but it's joined my gorwing list of 'Happy Places' where I can go and dissapear for a few hours and read a book.

I'm also a relative novice (passed my test a year ago) I don't listen to music while I'm riding - just enjoy the sound of the engine as others say :-)

Kittyfrisk

Haych said:

thebreeze said:

This “sunny southern weather” + my bike = very happy.

Saw a really hot blonde on her Harley today at the garage.  Are we allowed to say that kind of thing anymore?  Anyway, improved the ride out even more.

@Dominic it’s reassuring that seasoned and experienced bikers can still drop their bikes from time to time.  

Speaking of seasoned and experienced bikers, here’s a couple of questions from a novice:

My front tyre seems to lose air quicker than the back tyre.  Is that because I use the centre stand all the time and should use the side stand more?  The front tyre is older than the back one though, so could be just that?

Do any of you listen to music whilst you’re riding or is that just foolish and idiotic?

I think I know of the girl to whom you refer. She’s on Instagram as lady.harley.883 and yes she’s very easy on the eye. She was at the Baffle Haus for some event, the Petrolettes or something. 

The front shouldn’t lose air just because you’re using a centre stand, at least mine doesn’t and I mainly used the centre stand. 

I do sometimes listen to music but it’s bad for other people who can hear me singing at the lights. 

@thebreeze   Having searched her username, I get the distinct impression that if you hadn't noticed lady.harley.883 then she would be rather disappointed in her efforts to appear hot & blonde & seen  
https://www.instagram.com/lady.harley.883/

Dominic

I used to see Jodie Marsh out on her Harley( not a Sportster ) quite  a bit ....she got it from the old Stadium showroom in Chingford and genuinely rode it a lot.

Dominic

I listen to music on long rides through in-ear plugs ....I can't stand the on-board 16 speaker Cruiser mega sound system things .......really cheesy

TheBigDipper

I've got an intercom, but it's just to hear the SatNav. I don't like listening to music when I'm riding, nor chatting to my mates. I like being in the flow and can chat when we stop for a cuppa. Occasionally I'll do a commentary-based demo ride for someone I'm helping with the advanced riding thing, but that's it. 

p90fool

Dominic said:

I listen to music on long rides through in-ear plugs ....I can't stand the on-board 16 speaker Cruiser mega sound system things .......really cheesy

I did have an Aspencade as a winter hack a few years ago (it required 11 matt black rattlecans!) and loved the onboard stereo, especially blasting out the Chemical Brothers. 

The only problem was it adjusted the volume in relation to your speed in 10mph increments, which meant if you were doing 78 on a twisty B-road you'd end up trying to hold 80 so the music didn't drop in level, which is scary on something which corners like a camel going down on one knee. 

Haych

I have a neighbour who is a bit of a character. He used to ride a Yamaha Harley-a-like which was just as noisy as an open piped HD. 

He fitted it with outriggers to which he attached massive HiFi speakers so he could listen to AC/DC and Motörhead etc at full volume while cruising down the road wherever he went. 

Now he’s got an Indian Roadking (I think) which has an equally loud stereo built in. 

I do wish he’d just get a Cardo and not inflict everyone with his taste in music!

I do find the Cardo incredibly useful for listening to Sat-Nav directions.

Sometimes I’ll put some music on but I haven’t got the hang of the voice control thing, so I either end up listening to the same album over and over or I get all sorts of bollocks with no say over what iTunes throws at me. So it never stays on very long. 

I don’t have any mates who ride so I don’t use the comms feature. I did use it when I went on an organised tour earlier this year, mind.  It was very useful and some of the banter among the lads was very funny.

thebreeze

Haych said:

I have a neighbour who is a bit of a character. He used to ride a Yamaha Harley-a-like which was just as noisy as an open piped HD. 

He fitted it with outriggers to which he attached massive HiFi speakers so he could listen to AC/DC and Motörhead etc at full volume while cruising down the road wherever he went. 

Now he’s got an Indian Roadking (I think) which has an equally loud stereo built in. 

I do wish he’d just get a Cardo and not inflict everyone with his taste in music!

I do find the Cardo incredibly useful for listening to Sat-Nav directions.

Sometimes I’ll put some music on but I haven’t got the hang of the voice control thing, so I either end up listening to the same album over and over or I get all sorts of bollocks with no say over what iTunes throws at me. So it never stays on very long. 

I don’t have any mates who ride so I don’t use the comms feature. I did use it when I went on an organised tour earlier this year, mind.  It was very useful and some of the banter among the lads was very funny.

You'll have to show me the Cardo/Sat Nav stuff when we meet at the Baffle House (I wonder when the Petrolettes are next passing by?  )  I kind of think all that stuff is bound to be really useful for touring, although my bike, like most things in my life, are deliberately analogue/simple and I'd stubbornly imagined I'd be struggling with maps blowing in the wind at the side of the road.

Haych

thebreeze said:

You'll have to show me the Cardo/Sat Nav stuff when we meet at the Baffle House (I wonder when the Petrolettes are next passing by?  )  I kind of think all that stuff is bound to be really useful for touring, although my bike, like most things in my life, are deliberately analogue/simple and I'd stubbornly imagined I'd be struggling with maps blowing in the wind at the side of the road.

Gladly, although it's not difficult at all.  The Cardo pairs to your phone or sat-nav device via Bluetooth and it then just behaves like any Bluetooth audio device and when the sat-nav lady speaks (I have the sexy Irish lady telling me where to go) it comes though into your helmet speakers.

I only use it, though, if I want to be somewhere specific and don't know how to get there - I'd get lost in a cupboard!  I used it on the weekend to get to Diddly Squat, but yesterday when I went out trying to remember my way up Sugarloaf I didn't bother (and got lost, twice).

AK99

TheBigDipper said:

Telelever - for ordinary road riding it's pretty good. For racing it's a bit heavy and they spend a lot more on standard front forks, so it never gets a look-in. When you apply the brakes, the steering geometry of the bike doesn't change (unlike standard forks) but there is still weight transfer to the front tyre. 

I once had an RG500 with "anti dive" forks and that was a nightmare.

I rode GSs as my primary bike for 18 years (with others alongside and the school bikes I also owned and rode). The swap back to standard forks when I switched to the F900 XR a couple of years ago took a little bit of getting used to. 

Thanks TBD. I've long considered trying something with one of the different front ends - even looked at a Yamaha GTS that came up for sale here in Ireland a while back.



I remember Mark Williams writing about a somewhat 'chemically enhanced' ride round the streets of New York on one back in the day in Bike (and also coincidentally reading in the same mag. later that when they were testing the concept of 'stealth mods' to bikes to lessen the chances of a pull by the Federales with a radar gun - the GTS for some reason never bounced a clear usable signal back to the gun).

Maybe the latter appealed more than the fancy front-end - but somehow can't see me ever getting round to buying a big old (extra) heavyweight four like that now.

AK99

Apologies - I seem to be hogging this thread of late, but I have another question.

I bought a set of baffles off fleaBay and bolted them into the silencers of the FXR to tame the noise a bit. These are they:

 

and installed and viewed from the back:



There's six rows of those little dragons' teeth folded-down tabs all the way up to the back of each silencer,  with an open end on each baffle where the silencer bolts to the downpipes,   I didn't wrap the baffles with fibreglass for extra noise-reduction, wanting to see what they sounded like first. Only needed a small adjustment to the carb, and seems to have helped eliminate the worst of the flat-spot I felt it had before .

You guys on here will get this in a way that many others won't - I have a real problem with the new sound.

The overall volume has dropped for sure - at 70mph ish in the cruise, the wind-noise through my crappy fitting open-face helmet is possibly slightly louder than the pipes  - but, it sounds quite frankly, Sh1te.  The volume has gone down, but the big deep bass rumble has disappeared, and the bloody thing is all mids / treble now. Quite a raspy 'blat' alas

Sounds like one of those 'Voice' presets on the audio settings for your tv. Not sure what to do now really, but I would really like to recover some of the bass frequencies back, if I could.

I know this is hardly likely to be familiar ground to many ... but bugger it, I'll ask anyway:

- I was wondering if it would be worth wrapping the baffles to see if it changes things (although I suspect that might be a move further in the wrong direction), or perhaps taking the baffles out and shortening them, or alternatively driving a rod up the middle of those little teeth to bend them back and let more of the main flow from the primary pipe come straight through the middle ?

Anybody any thoughts ?

p90fool

Wrapping the baffles won't do much, and poking a hole up the middle will take away the rasp but make it sound flappy, like a playing card in bicycle spokes.

There comes a point where you need to bite the bullet and buy some silencers with decent internal volume (same principle as a 4x12 cab).

You should be able to find something used that isn't too quiet or hasn't too much back pressure, people have a habit of getting rid of stuff with the tiniest of cosmetic tarnishing in the H-D world. 

Dominic

I've got Rhinehardt exhausts .....they are possibly the loudest of all ....I don't like to be stupidly noisy but I like a bit of rumble
I wrapped the silencers in baffle wrap which I change every 3000 miles . They sound a lot deeper and more rumbly ;overall they are more quiet but not a huge difference .......just deeper and less 'metallic' sounding

AK99

p90fool said:

Wrapping the baffles won't do much, and poking a hole up the middle will take away the rasp but make it sound flappy, like a playing card in bicycle spokes.

There comes a point where you need to bite the bullet and buy some silencers with decent internal volume (same principle as a 4x12 cab).

You should be able to find something used that isn't too quiet or hasn't too much back pressure, people have a habit of getting rid of stuff with the tiniest of cosmetic tarnishing in the H-D world. 

Ah that makes sense. There's a lad locally with a later model softail with Supertrapp pipes on it, which makes a really nice rumble - quieter than mine with the open pipes was, but still the all-important bear-with-a-sore-ass growl.

I think I know the kind of direction I need to go now - thx P90F