They are mildly annoying but despite being maintainance heavy, the maintenance is easy. And being able to change your final drive ratio for basically nothing is a blessing.
I usually use Dupont Chain Saver dry lube, and it seems to work well.
I've tried so many lube types and I just keep going through chains, did maintenance upto twice a week, even tried some new dry chain lube (wurth high performance dry lube) that seemed to top the reviews and the chain arguably got worse, although yeah the final drive ratio change is a blessing and has made my inazuma much, much nicer on the motorways, still would rather a shaft or belt drive imo
I wont get a license in at least 6 months because of the coming winter, and it's tearing me apart.
For example I really want a duke 790, as I practice on a 690 and it's such a fun bike, while the 790 has more hp and all electronics as standard.
I can't stop thinking about this stuff, and I've just spent my 11 hour shift looking at and thinking about motorcycles and what I want to do. My girlfriend has also put a daily quota on talk about motorcycles.
Send help. And please tell me how you manage through winter.
warm thoughts and looking at lots of MotoGP recaps over the years
I ride through winter. Having said that though I live in Australia so it still stays pretty dry and doesn't get that cold here.
I ride through winter, layers apon layers and making sure to have a hot drink at the destination. Riding into work in -10c was pretty cold earlier this year.
I miss Aussie winters and riding, sure the rain was heavy but at least they were mild
Picked the bike up on Monday. Absolutely love it. The dash is really nice too. Haven't taken many pictures yet. Could do with a tail tidy though it's like a spaceship hanging off the back.
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/1055/c5d15a63-d536-482e-87d8-9695915ff891/400 2.jpg
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/1055/213f86b5-1b32-4c27-b79b-2119610445c5/400 1.jpg
I get a chance every month or so in the winter where it goes above freezing, but usually if its not -25C, there's too much ice and snow.
So unless its sunny and snow is melting, I don't bother.
Honestly if it snows here there's no way to get to work other than the bike, fucking sucks riding in the snow tho
I've been eyeing up the Ninja 400 on kawasaki's site lately is it a good bike?
https://i.imgur.com/X9lcVaN.jpg
bois
bois
it's done the moment. sorry for the shitty snap line, forgot to save before doing that.
The fuel pump turned out to be plugged in but jammed up. few taps of a hammer and it started spinning just fine. That did mean it got to spend some time in its natural state though:
https://i.imgur.com/HrAyENh.jpg
I've only had it a few days now but from my riding so far it's great. Everything's pretty smooth. The clutch leaver is super light. Bike feels very lightweight and seems more than happy to lean over when going into a turn. It's been very windy here the past few days but I can happily say I have hardly felt it on this bike. I know for sure on the old Honda it would of been pushing me around. If you'r short like I am you wont find the height a problem the seat seems reasonably narrow at the tank to me so you can get your feet down. If you'r tall they sell a higher seat for the bike. The seating position on this bike is very upright for a sporty looking bike it functions more like a sports touring bike than anything else as the handle bars are high up and reasonably close to you. It isn't quite as upright as my previous bike you are still leaned over a bit but still very comfortable to commute on. One thing you will probably notice straight away is the mirrors are very far away from you so even if you have long arms you might not be able to adjust them unless your stopped and learning over the tank. The mirrors do function pretty well though and aren't super vibey.
In my mind I am mostly comparing it to my old 125 so naturally just about everything feels superior apart from the turning circle. If I was to compare it to the Z650 I did my test on I would say it feels less jerky in the lower gears particularly 3rd gear which is nice around town. A little bit harder to find neutral on the 400 than the 650 but still leagues easier than trying to find neutral on the 125. Even after a year with the 125 I was always missing neutral once or twice but the 400 can go into neutral without a second thought if I want it to. Can't think of anything to fault it over at the moment but time will tell the niggles.
Update for new bike.
My old bike had a center stand so I never had a need for a rear stand. Fitted some cotton reels and it seems to work nicely.
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/1055/9b592c97-87d5-44ec-ac01-508bf0a3b94c/Bike stand resize.jpg
Bike didn't have anything to protect the radiator so I bought and fitted a radiator guard.
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/1055/484ac9c3-796f-44b0-8a85-e45875ee26dc/Radiator Guard resize.jpg
Fitted a tail tidy. Was a nightmare getting the original wiring out of the old frame as there wasn't enough space for even a small screwdriver to fit in the space and they had tightened the screws to an unbelievable degree. Got there eventually. Didn't have any daylight left to take pictures in but the rear end looks so much better now that spaceship is gone.
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/1055/2b9fe204-3d54-4f2f-9fa9-2a20b7e37665/tail tidy 1 edit resize.jpg
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/1055/d2be643c-8868-4de1-b13f-db59c8fbc5ca/tail tidy 2 resize.jpg
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/1055/1e0ece2e-5fad-440a-8eb7-fff028134e04/tail tidy 3 edit resize.jpg
I see more motorcycles with one seat than I see with two, wether they're built that way or modded. Why?
I've carried passengers on every bike I've ever owned, men and women.
It just seems like a waste to own a motor vehicle that can only carry one person IMHO.
Bit of both? Just like you can buy a car with 2 or 5 or 7 seats bikes come in different flavours?
A lot of modern "premium" (I use the word lightly) bike brands (ducati, BMW, kawasaki, yamaha, triumph) offer a wide range of optional dealer fitted parts to make your bike "unique", often different seat options are available. In some countries license restrictions prevent you carrying a passenger (eg the UK when you've only passed your CBT) so replacing the rear seat with something more useful might be a good idea. Bobbers are usually single seat from the off, along with anything that is pretending to be a race bike. There are a lot of possible reasons to have a single seat.
Personally I like regularly carrying passengers, but I can see why you might not and I also regularly ride alone.
I do have the pillion seat for my bike and my insurance does cover me to ride with a passenger but the likelihood of me ever having a passenger is very slim. Part of the reason I don't want a passenger is because i'm a very small and light weight person even many woman are taller and heavier than I am. I can't say I would feel particularly comfortable riding with someone much larger than me right behind me. I don't know many people who have any interest in bikes either. The green seat cowl replacement came along with the Akrapovic exhaust and I prefer the look so the pillion seat can sit in the garage for now. Never say never but for me having a passenger is unlikely.
I would say a good chunk of the motorcycling population will rarely, if ever, carry a passenger. And if they do, its their significant other, so they already know if they will. At least that is the case in the US.
I ride a 1000cc adventure bike. I have full capability to carry a passenger comfortably, but I have never done so.
i had my ex ONCE on the back of my S1000RR and after 10 kilometers shes had enough, but i dont feel comfortable having someone on the back of the bike anyway, so i got a cover for the rear seat and put things like my papers under it usually, also took off the rear pedals/brackets
I thought getting a motorbike would get rid of me needing to play taxi for people, turns out people in both the UK and Australia are as willing to hop on the back and ask me to taxi them anyway because it's quicker and more exciting than the train or a car
Some wheel painting
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