How do you guys do it?

[Motu]

I've had this thing lying around my shop for a couple years - sometimes the owner rings up and say 'hey you still got my bike?' ''oh yeah,um,ah,I'll get it going tomorrow ok?'' then we both promptly forget about it.'It needs a bloody good thrash,why don't you take it away for a weekend?' I've got it going a few times,but as you know,leave them to sit for a few weeks and it's a major effort to get them up and running again.Anyway,he says he really wants it now,and I'm a bit quiet,so I put some effort into getting it going.Plugs again,clean the carbs,again,charge the battery,again,free up the brakes and take it for a few spins around the area to clean out the bugs,then dump it at his place - storage $400,repairs $50.

How the hell do you sports bike riders put up with these things? It's fucking horrible! .Cramped riding position,I can't move around on the bike,ok,side to side,but I can't get forward,the steering heads way out there,I can't get up onto it,there's a petrol tank in the way,can't weight the pegs properly - my feet are too far back to be any use.The motor just screams,13,000rpm red line,my XLV750 is 1000rpm past max power and into the rev limiter and this thing just goes duuuuhhhh! Ok,so I can do some pretty quick shifts - neeeyit,neeeyit,neeeyit,brake hard and flick it into a corner and come out screaming like a banshee,but somethings missing - my enthusiasim!!!

I came back and sat on my bikes - the XLV750,XT400 and my old friend the XS1....aahhhhh,bliss,this is how a bike should feel,like home.

[wkid_one]

I saw the pic - when are you going to post the one of the sports bike you are talking about?

[Motu]

Oh yeah,it's old,like me - but the concept hasn't changed....my cafe racer in the early 70s wasn't a hell of a lot away in basic layout than what's being sold today.Suspn and brakes have changed no matter what we ride,although on a dirt bike we can get a lot further forward.

[moko]

Fazer`s got "traditional" riding position but does all the stuff you talk of Motu,R1 brakes,give just about any other 600 a bloody good go on the road,cruise at 120 m.p.h and all the bike mags still rave over them,and quite rightly.BUT,much as I love it,it`s a real blast e.t.c. I still find myself thinking of going back to a old plodder like the XT600,when I`m on a slow bike I`m quite happy going slow and while zapping every car in sight with ease is great fun in it`s own way I`ve more than pushed my luck with traffic cameras and police cars.On my XT I`d happily chug around the country lanes taking in the view,now it`s flat-out bursts and near misses with tractors when I catch up with them after taking a corner at well over the national speed limit let alone a sensible speed for out in the sticks,waiting to see if the postman brings a fine after the latest "shit,did that police car have a camera" episode,kind of takes the fun out of it sometimes.Last time I was sure I`d been caught on camera would have been really serious and probably got me a short ban,not to mention stiff fine and massive(compulsory in this country)insurance hike for years down the line,made me think long and hard though,un-deservedly,I got away with it.Just isnt worth the hassle so will be back to "slow and simple" for me next time.As for out and out Sports bikes,no way could I live with that riding position,what you`re used to I suppose.

[toads]

I know just what you mean Motu, I can't cope with the tank trying to get inside my ribcage on a sports bike, and the high rev's make me keep looking for another gear, it just doesn't seem right for something to be screaming away at 18,000rpm the way these racing type bikes do, I really like the comfortable thudding of our old cruisers, and while others may scoff at lack of performance, I'll settle for comfort and the feeling that the bike is alive and sort of has a mind of it's own, not just a performance based machine.
Sports bikes are pretty scary really.

[matthewt]

What did you expect ??

You rode a style of bike you've not riden much of recently. If I jumped on a XLV750 I'd probably hate it. It would handle poorly, have no power, be uncomfortable and all the rest. Then after a few days I might realise it doesn't handle poorly just differently and I might even enjoy it... ever think if you rode a sports bike for more than just one ride you could come to like it and that while it's not your cup of tea, perhaps they aren't that bad.

[James Deuce]

Nice Lime Green touring bike.

[F5 Dave]

I’ve ridden one of those things & they are a nasty pile of poo. No wonder he didn’t pick it up for so long.

Get a ride on a modern CBR or GSXR & they are a world apart.

As for the XLV, I have a friend (Jim will know who I’m talking about) who went from an RZ500 to a GS850, then an XLV, then later on in life to an R1. Fairly big lad too. Bikes are bikes but have different bents.

When I jump on my dirtbike or Trials bike it feels weird for a short while but it comes back. After riding the S.Island on a borrowed XJ I got on my YZF & promptly pulled over convinced the forks had collapsed, so low were the bars!

10 min later I was revelling in a position which gave so much control & wondered why any bike was different. The YZF is a single seat no compromise sportsbike, but I’ve ridden it Wgtn to Auckland in a day & still been keen enough to go out on it that night & the next day.

[Posh Tourer :P]

I'll settle for comfort and the feeling that the bike is alive and sort of has a mind of it's own, not just a performance based machine.
Sports bikes are pretty scary really.

I know exactly what you mean, but I've also ridden sportsbikes enough with an open mind to say that there is plenty exciting there, especially in the cornering.

BUT

While it may be quick and exciting, the acceleration just doesnt have soul....

[Two Smoker]

While it may be quick and exciting, the acceleration just doesnt have soul....
Maybe you need to ride a 600 or 1000, or a VTR or SV thou...... i think they have plenty of soul with acceleration lol....

[Jackrat]

Yeah like most sports bikes,It's an ugly bloody thing. :moon:
I've got a light if you want to burn it. :laugh:

[Posh Tourer :P]

Maybe you need to ride a 600 or 1000, or a VTR or SV thou...... i think they have plenty of soul with acceleration lol....

Probably true.....

[Badcat]

How the hell do you sports bike riders put up with these things? It's fucking horrible! .Cramped riding position,I can't move around on the bike,ok,side to side,but I can't get forward,the steering heads way out there,I can't get up onto it,there's a petrol tank in the way,can't weight the pegs properly - my feet are too far back to be any use.The motor just screams,13,000rpm red line,my XLV750 is 1000rpm past max power and into the rev limiter and this thing just goes duuuuhhhh! Ok,so I can do some pretty quick shifts - neeeyit,neeeyit,neeeyit,brake hard and flick it into a corner and come out screaming like a banshee,but somethings missing - my enthusiasim!!!

I came back and sat on my bikes - the XLV750,XT400 and my old friend the XS1....aahhhhh,bliss,this is how a bike should feel,like home.[/QUOTE]

SURELY you're not serious judging sportsbikes by that retched assembly of corrosion and wear?

i can't help thinking you're looking at a 76 honda civic and saying "jap cars are shit"....

Come on now - if you want to piss off sportsbike owners - you're frankly gonna have to try harder.

ken

[F5 Dave]

Hey don’t diss it, my mum had one of those Honda Civics of that vintage, it had some torque converter auto, a heater that worked, lights behind the instruments & didn’t require splash guard modifications & a can of CRC everytime it rained. Unlike the mini that preceded it. :2guns:

But well put. As I said, get a ride on a modern (like made in this century so you don't find an abused one) CBR or GSXR or R1/6 etc & you will find a superb handling user friendly bike.