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2 wheel GAF UNITE!

nico1982

Member
XSR700 finally coming over to the USA. Will definitely probably get it but its $8500 for some crazy reason and I'm not crazy about the color or signals.
The only thing I don't like about the XSR700 are those fugly conventional forks. Granted: a good traditional fork is still better than a mediocre USD, but I can't stand the look.
 

OraleeWey

Member
So yesterday after work I took the bike for a spin and rode to work after traffic quieted down to familiarize myself with the distance and ride (it's 1.7 miles aka very close).

Today I finally rode on the bike to work! Every day I feel more confident stopping, shifting, maneuvering, etc, the bike. I've also felt more comfortable in traffic (but never enough to stop looking at everything all the time).

One question about parking etiquette tho. We have some motorcycle only parking spots, it's pretty much a regular parking spot in depth but split in two. I've seen people park 3-4 bikes in there. I parked behind one fellow as far away as I could and a little bit to the side so he could have some space to move it out. Is this okay? I should take a picture and post it. I really don't want to inconvenience someone.

Edit: picture, mine is the blue vstrom



Oh and I've got a new Givi box otw today, the Trekker Dolomiti 46L. I didn't like the old plastic one.



Me, personally, I'll take up an entire spot. Marked motorcycle or not. If someone wants to give me shit for it I'll deal with them. I pay my taxes and all that good stuff too so I'm just as entitled as any other small or big vehicle. I'll try not to park on any lines. A little while back another Kawasaki owner parked in a small-ish spot next to my bike and inconvenienced me just a little tiny bit. With my bike upright, my right pannier almost touched his bike. So getting out was a little more extra effort than usual. But... I do not mind if someone parks next to me as long as I'm not completely blocked off.

3otv60h.jpg

BTW, I'm only parked there because the boss said I should park there... Also, your bike is looking really nice too! I'm wondering if that's the stock seat. That looks like quite an angle.
 

Ocho

Member
Also, your bike is looking really nice too! I'm wondering if that's the stock seat. That looks like quite an angle.

Thanks! It’s not stock, the stock one looked a tad bit used so I decided to get a new seat to spiff the bike up. I like the new one even more. I think I’ll remove the paddings in the tank tho, not feeling them. Need to look up how to do it. I’m still looking for detailing to get it to look shinier, might look for something next weekend.
 

Dougald

Member
Got absolutely soaked this morning riding to work, but it probably cut an hour off my travel time given the traffic. My poor Monster was not built for those conditions!

My two top tips for rain are
- use Mr Sheen or another spray furniture polish, makes the water bead and roll off much easier
- if you manage to get over 60mph, tilt your head gently side to side and let the wind blast clear the visor a bit
 

OraleeWey

Member
I think this guy basically has the best points when it comes to some myths. He is a car based channel but I'm assuming it can be applied to motorcycles as well.

Should You Warm Up Your Car Before Driving?

Short answer is no for fuel injected vehicles. Let the vehicle run for a little while and then drive lightly until vehicle is at operating temperature.

5 Things You Should Never Do In A Brand New Car

This one is more to do with engine break in. Short answer is follow the manufacturer recommended instructions. He goes into great detail and explains very well why. Much better than I can. He also goes into why not to do a hard break in.
 

Ocho

Member
It turns out my bike has HID lights, and that's the reason why there's no high beam/low beams. What bothers me is that one bulb looks yellow while the other looks blue. Any idea what might be going on? Should I revert the mod and go back to default? I remember someone mentioned HID lights not being a good idea? Could it be the previous owner installed two different colored lights?

New rider update: This weekend I got bored and went back to the local training school and did an hour and a half extra riding time with my own bike. It was eye opening. I definitely needed to do some weaves and tight u turns with my bigger bike, I failed miserably the first couple of times but got the hang of it after some tries. I still need to practice. Emergency braking was fine. Swerving though, I couldn't get to do it right 100% of the times, even when I could with the dual sport they lent me when I took the basic course. Ran out of time.

Riding all the way to the college (where they do the classes) was a good experience as well, farthest I've ridden.
 
Anybody wrapped their bike? I'm thinking of wrapping my Ninja 400 with VViViD Pro XPO vinyl. Anybody got any experience in doing this instead of paying for a professional to do it. If so, do you have any tips for me?
 
Anybody wrapped their bike? I'm thinking of wrapping my Ninja 400 with VViViD Pro XPO vinyl. Anybody got any experience in doing this instead of paying for a professional to do it. If so, do you have any tips for me?

I have no experience doing it but Ive watch it get done....it looks hard, and that was on a car that has large, fairly uncomplicated shaped panels. I would not want to attempt on a bike with lots of little swoops and lines in the bodywork....but then again, I totally suck at applying decals too so maybe Im just not very good at such things.
 

Dougald

Member
3 days of commuting done. I have no idea why some people get their kicks from delaying me 30 seconds by trying to block my bike in. Enjoy your two miles of stationary traffic I guess.

The Monster is near-perfect for filtering, I think it could probably turn on a penny. If ony I didn't have to work the clutch so hard at low speeds...
 

Scotch

Member
3 days of commuting done. I have no idea why some people get their kicks from delaying me 30 seconds by trying to block my bike in. Enjoy your two miles of stationary traffic I guess.

The Monster is near-perfect for filtering, I think it could probably turn on a penny. If ony I didn't have to work the clutch so hard at low speeds...
Damn, what a bunch of sad cunts. I'm glad Dutch motorists are on average pretty nice to me when filtering during busy traffic, even getting out of the way. I wonder what made the British so salty.
 

Ocho

Member
Dropped my bike, AGAIN. I was rushing to get some things from home and forgot to put the kickstand down (I think... I might have put it down but not properly?). Live and learn.

Good thing nothing that had broken the first time had been replaced so the same pieces got damaged again (no big deal).

I was able to pick up the bike by myself this time, though. Damn, that thing is heavy. Took me a couple of tries.

Crash bars are doing their job, but I am getting a little bit paranoid that maybe something is messed this time. The forks? The handlebar? No spills or anything.
 
Hey all. Sorry for the shitty quality of this pic, but I need to drain the carbs on my XV535 and the only pic I can find is an exploded diagram. Going by that, I'm guessing these are the drain screws?

Bhs5bQV.jpg


Is that right, or am I way off?

Edit: They were. Problem solved!
 

Dougald

Member
Damn, what a bunch of sad cunts. I'm glad Dutch motorists are on average pretty nice to me when filtering during busy traffic, even getting out of the way. I wonder what made the British so salty.

Normally the British are alright, in that people neither make accommodations for you or move out of the way. When I was in Belgium stuck in traffic I felt like bloody moses though, everyone got out of the way (except for, sadly, British tourists). I think a lot of people take the American view that it's not "fair"


Dropped my bike, AGAIN. I was rushing to get some things from home and forgot to put the kickstand down (I think... I might have put it down but not properly?). Live and learn.

Rolled off the kickstand eh? Happened to me before. If it worries you, you can always leave the bike in-gear
 

Dougald

Member
Really makes the difference. That sort of bike is the only one that really looks good with lots of custom graphics

I still love your spokes!
 

Stevey

Member
Owner's manual says check chain slack with center stand (rear wheel lifted) but swingarm says while on kickstand... I don't know what to follow

Normally, sit on the bike off the stand, (get someone to hold you up) and you want an inch of slack at the tightest point.
At least thats the rule I've followed for the last 15 or so years.
 

OraleeWey

Member
Normally, sit on the bike off the stand, (get someone to hold you up) and you want an inch of slack at the tightest point.
At least thats the rule I've followed for the last 15 or so years.

You mean 2 people job? One thing for sure though, I'm out of spec.
 

OraleeWey

Member
Wellp, couldn't do it because I didn't have the right tool. I'll have to put riding on a hiatus until I can get that done. Soon though. But the contradicting instructions are confusing...
 

OraleeWey

Member
The 36mm sockets I have for working on the VStrom are hilariously heavy. I measure/change mine with the bike up on a rear stand.

I think I'll just do it while on the center stand, I'll just follow the Clymer instructions.



......
This is some rust I found on the chain. Is this going to be a problem? I used chain wax before storing it away. I need the right size socket so I can remove the axle nut for the chain slack adjustment.

 

Watevaman

Member
You want to check the slack with a load on the suspension/wheel/swingarm. The chain will tighten up and the suspension compresses (typically) so if you tighten it to spec without a load on the wheel, then go and bottom out your suspension, the chain will be too tight.
 

OraleeWey

Member
You want to check the slack with a load on the suspension/wheel/swingarm. The chain will tighten up and the suspension compresses (typically) so if you tighten it to spec without a load on the wheel, then go and bottom out your suspension, the chain will be too tight.

This makes sense. I think I know what to do, I just need that 27mm socket first. Also, doing things for the first time suck, especially when you don't have anyone to help you there and then. But once you've done it once or twice, easy from there on out.
 

Ocho

Member
Is it normal that when I go from N to 1st gear, there's an audible clunk/feedback compared to shifting up and down on higher gears? This happens mostly when I'm stopped.
 

SatansReverence

Hipster Princess
Really makes the difference. That sort of bike is the only one that really looks good with lots of custom graphics

I still love your spokes!

Not wrong but some sports bikes can rock some custom graphics pretty well, not as good as dirt bikes though.

And those spoke skins were the best $20 I spent on it!

Is it normal that when I go from N to 1st gear, there's an audible clunk/feedback compared to shifting up and down on higher gears? This happens mostly when I'm stopped.

This is normal.

Being a multiplate wet clutch design there is still drag when the clutch is disengaged meaning there will be some rotation in the gearbox. If it gets really bad try adjusting the clutch out a bit for better disengagement when you pull the lever.
 

Ocho

Member
Sounds like one of your bulbs has been replaced with an HID-type and the other hasn't, maybe?

What color is your low beam? What color is your high beam? Are both lights on at the same time or just one (low beam)?

No high beams, high beams shut lights off. I'm almost certain guy went HID but I'll take a look after work to be 100% sure. I also looked at some replacement HID bulbs and looks like some have high/low beams, like this: Amazon

Mine don't have the 'high beam' bulb.
 

OraleeWey

Member
No high beams, high beams shut lights off. I'm almost certain guy went HID but I'll take a look after work to be 100% sure. I also looked at some replacement HID bulbs and looks like some have high/low beams, like this: Amazon

Mine don't have the 'high beam' bulb.


I was going to say that maybe he wanted a different light for different conditions. Like clear vs rainy day. But I'm not sure that makes sense. I honestly don't know what the reason was. The only way to get the answer is probably by asking the previous owner.



.....
Anyway I was able to find a 27mm socket at Lowe's. It was hard to find... My chain is now adjusted to the best of my abilities! I left it on the kickstand so the suspension can be compressed a little. Not that hard of a job. 1 less thing to not take it to a shop for!
 

OraleeWey

Member
Verified and it's got these things installed: Xentec Slim HID Ballast

Looks like it's single bulb which would explain why there are no high beams.

Edit: Would it be worth to upgrade to LED?

It's worth it as long as the bulb is aimed correctly. Otherwise, good ole halogen bulbs are your friends. I tried LED's once and the bad aim just wasn't worth it. Only half the reflector was reflecting the beam.

Edit: This is what it looked like
FpFC8yJl.jpg
 

Ocho

Member
I'll try the halogen bulbs I bought before I realized I had HIDs.

Edit: installed, they work fine, high/low beam, but yeah, HID for sure looked brighter. Might look into LEDs, although that ^ looks kinda bad, lol.
 
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