Motorcycles BS Thread 2.0

The best part of riding is talking to yourself in the helmet.

 

yeah I almost always have music playing during regular commuting/weekend rides. Even though when it comes to more technical riding like canyons, my brain completely tunes it out lol

 

The bike makes all the music I need

When I'm driving music is a must. When I'm riding it's like I'm naturally in my happy place and fully engaged... also I wear ear plugs to cut down wind noise so don't want to add anything else that would make me less aware of surroundings

 

No music, just wanna hear the engine as I go thru the gears and wind up the canyon.

 

Yeah not a chance. I have a hard time with background noise as is (ie a loud environment and someone is trying to talk to me). I wear very light earplugs when riding to reduce noise fatigue but still be fully aware of my surroundings and what the bike is doing. I also talk to myself a lot while riding, id record it but probably would end up in a mental asylum.

 

I wear earplugs but do sometimes have music playing on long rides depending on my mood. On some IBA rides I'll also phone friends I don't talk to very often and catch up with them.

 

I almost always have music, unless my com units battery died on me.

On the topic, the sound quality level going from a 7 or 8 year old model SMH-10R to a modern cardo near top of the line model was SURPRISING to say the least. So much nicer to listen to than my older stuff. Same size speaker just different bluetooth versions and processing, I'm guessing.

 

I gotta have music I can’t listen to nothing. Podcasts and audio books I listen to while driving but not riding I’ll focus to much on a story lol

I do that anyways lmao

Ya same I gotta have music even if I tone it out it’s gotta be there haha

Ya my bike is extremely loud and a single tone so after about 30mins I’m like nope music please! I’m aware of my surroundings since I’m always looking and I’m more aggressive so I’m normally away from others

same on the asylum part I’ve been told when I’m on the bike I have gremlin energy lmao which makes sense because I’m very active when riding I don’t just sit there

 

hahaha. Yeah, My thing like what @but why tho stated, I ABSOLUTELY notice a change in riding aggressiveness depending on the music. Chill n mellow leads to well chill n mellow riding.... throw on some good heavy rock/death metal and im front wheel off the ground every chance I get doing 20+ over the speedlimit (in mexico of course)... and whats funny is the big heavy ass super tenere already has me riding MORE aggressively than the honda 919 ever did on the average. Something about the S10's stupid grunt and presence.

 

XT225 update. (sorry for the long read, 2 whiskey drinks gets me to rambling, in person or online haha)

Its jetting.... Went up to a 135 main jet and like expected if the issue was fueling the issue of cutting out became consistent at WOT at high rpms the richer I went. HMMM not what I expected as I last was thinking something ignition related with how rare the cutouts were with the previous carb settings. But OK GOOD wiring gremlins arent a thing with this bike *knocks on wood* with this issue- I still might replace the main spark plug wire as its just a screw into the coil/cap wire that likely has some corrosion on the ends.

I have struggled with getting fuel level height down within spec in the carb even with float level heights set well past (lean side) of spec. Carb float height spec is 14-15mm above (when carb is upside down) the mating surface of the carb, fuel level is 11-12mm below mating surface of the carb bowl with the main carb body perfectly vertical (which is rather hard to measure as the carb has a slanted bowl mating surface.... sits in the bike tilted to the side... ANNND tilted forward). Higher the fuel level in the bowl of a carb the richer running a carb'd bike will be as there is less distance upward the fuel has to be pulled by venturi/vacuum.

I have come to the conclusion that going from a ~2.3 to 4.1 gallon aftermarket tank increases the fuel pressure at the carb to the point of messing with those factory specs as more fuel is held higher up. So right now as it sits im around a fuel level of 5-6mm below the mating surface of the front edge of the carb bowl (where manual indicates to measure - this is 6-7 mm RICH of spec) but at a float height of ~3.5mm above the high (lean) end of spec at 18.5mm.

An opened up stock exhuast, but moreover an Epstein island molested air box has made things a bit harder to sort proper jetting... damned previous owners. The air box has gone through extensive therapy (sorry not sorry I couldn't resist a current happenings reference) and from everything I have been able to gather online I have reduced the main opening of the airbox closeish to the stock opening size, but without the stock snorkle / velocity stack (which right there creates a different air box harmonic).

So after going OK, richer on the main makes the problem worse (which is the safe way to figure out things). I went back to the slightly larger than stock main jet of 127.5 (stock is 125) as its the smallest proper main jet i have, reduced the richening shim of the carb needle from +0.75mm down to +0.25mm from stock to lean out that area of the fueling and turned in the idle mixture screw by half a turn to lean out that area ever so slightly (every single setting plays a role in carb tuning).

I THINK I HAVE IT.

I need to do some more riding but she seems to wind out without any minor hickups. I Do want to try emptying out almost all the fuel of the tank and see how that plays in fuel level in carb bowl height and running. Like stated on the rich side of the fueling fence is a much better cheaper place to experiment than the lean side. So id be fine with going OK, we run a smidge rich when tank is full as long as we are OK when we are on reserve.

The funniest part of all this is... the damned bike was running literally 98% flawless BUT I WANT PERFECTION DAMNIT! Hell a coworker of mine borrowed the bike around new years for 5 days put 100mi on it and went "I have never ridden a carbureted bike that ran so good cold/hot lightly ridden or flogged on"

 

Back to back to back posts, sue me..... but this popped up in my FB feed.

12 years ago to the day on a VERY similar to this years socal winter (colder but minimal precipitation) I set out to ride my newer to me at the time honda 919 through some world class twisties via highway 2 "the angeles crest highway" peaking at 7903ft to snow ski for a few hours at Mt high as I had a college season pass, and ride home in a day. Mission completed. I believe if memory serves me right I ended up at the beach surfing late afternoon to complete the trifecta of socal.

Kitted up ski blades strapped to the back.


Neat ski hill closer to LA that rarely opens


In the parking lot ready to hit the slopes


View from the top. Yes those are the channel islands off the coast of California visible (mainly Catalina) with clouds over the ocean as I skid on snow at 8k ft. Quite a trip..


I wonder where my ole 919 is these days.

 

seee im always riding in that manor thou the super moto kinda makes me want to be a bit of a hooligan haha but music doesnt change how i drive since i listen to so many different styles of music lol

 

Music while riding, absolutely.
Ear plugs, yes.

Selection of music doesn’t change riding style for me.


I feel like podcasts would lull me to sleep.

 

One of my favorite motorcycle brands, PNW Dual Sport, (I guess brand? It's one dude in Western WA lol) came out with more states for their treebike shirts, if anyones interested:

I think I have two of their shirts and two hats from them and I don't even know how many of their tree bike and shield stickers.



https://jessefelker.com/collections/regions

 

I feel like a podcast or audiobook would distract me more than I would like. Music is largely just background noise for me so not a big issue. I like to make playlists before a trip with appropriate tunes for the ride.

Carefree Highway by Gordon Lightfoot
Highway Song by Blackfoot
Highway to Hell by AC/DC
Every Day is a Winding Road by Sheryl Crow
Willin' by Little Feat
Against the Wind by Bob Seger
Amarillo by Morning by George Strait
Caravan by Van Morrison
Copperhead Road by Steve Earle
Dirt Road Anthem by Jason Aldean
Every Mile a Memory by Dierks Bentley
Fast Car by Tracy Chapman
Fire and Rain by Jame Taylor


You get the idea. Traveling music.

 

is the design at least on the back of the shirt? i cant stand it when they are on the front haha

 

Same here. When i first started riding, the songs would definitely affect my riding...nothing like hitting a wide open freeway with Show Me How To Live by Audioslave blasting in your ear lol...

but now I've kinda diversified my listening to include all sorts of genres, and it no longer affects my riding. hell I can't even really hear it when I'm on the freeways or in the canyons wringing it out, it's mostly for city streets and stoplights.

You podcast people are something else. I simply can't absorb spoken word like that, or audiobooks. In one ear, out the other immediately.

 

is @fatfurious2 okay? Feel like we haven't heard from him in a while...

 

Im on winter break

 

He still sends me reels every couple of days, he's kickin'