Motorcycles BS Thread 2.0

I always catch flack for liking a lower seat with “you can just put one foot down!” but I’ll be honest, I’ll never feel wrong for simply not wanting to. I’ve ridden bikes with 36” seat heights just fine. Doesn’t mean I want to commute daily on one. Wish more bikes came with lower seating! I’ll give up some deep cornering that I don’t do on my jaunts around town for some simple ease of life

 

I tend to agree, and that's the appeal of the cruisers, but their low height also leads to the forward controls and it just feels sketch to lean when seated that way. I really love the Pan America, but the price is just too much. Maybe in a few years I could snag a used one, but the boogeyman of HD maintenance costs is always looming in my mind as well.

Even with the air filter being a bitch, the battery being behind fairing, and it being heavy, I keep going back to the Tenere. Shaft drive is a major plus for me, and you just can't find that in a lightweight bike, or in something sub 20 grand. The BMWs are reviewed by "journalists" as being so good that the only thing they don't do is walk on water, and they shit on the S10 pretty regularly. I don't get it. The BMWs are over $20K(I'll never pay that for a bike) and have way higher cost of ownership. Sure, the Yamaha doesn't have the fancy TFT, class leading power numbers, or all the high end whizbangs and dodads, but it is $10K cheaper. I like the simplicity of the Yamaha. Wouldn't complain if they gave it a brighter/better display without tacking on more features, but the S10 looks like the best option for a shaft drive for me in the future.

Now, if somebody comes out with a reliable 800 ADV bike with a shaft drive.... That would be my unicorn. As it stands, it looks like the price of shaft drive is getting into the liter bike class. To not have a chain, I think I'll wind up doing it someday.

 

What’s the problem with chains? A little bit of upkeep required but there’s nothing wrong with them.

 

I just don't like cleaning/lubing them. It's messy and I can't manage it without getting it everywhere. I don't trucks myself adjusting the slack either. Always afraid I'm gonna get the rear wheel cockeyed. That's the nit pick, but the primary thing is that if I decide I want to do a 1000+ miles I don't have to take lube, cleaner, brush, rags, etc. to do the cleaning along the way. It's just easier, and that appeals because I like my hobbies to not be work.

 

Pick up one of these chain cleaners and this brand of cleaner/lube. Lift the rear tire so it spins free and run the chain brush up to the sprocket. Then all you have to do is spray the lube and spin the rear tire by hand to clean and protect the chain. There’s pretty much no mess to worry about, especially on a road trip when you can just let it drip on a parking lot. As for the cockeyed wheel, just run the same number of turns in and out on both sides of the tensioner and it will be close enough. If you don’t have a center stand on the bike I use a Snap Jack.

TIROX 360 degree Brush for Chain (Original Version)

https://www.amazon.com/Tirox-degree-Brush-Chain-80354/dp/B00AC85QRC



https://www.walmart.com/ip/DuPont-M...sed-Self-Cleaning-Dry-Lubricant-11oz/16672659



https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle...atP-I2A-EieYvG68oH2fBR1yI5GJa69xoCZcUQAvD_BwE

 

Still don't like it. LOL

I realize a chain isn't anything hard to deal with. For the most part the chain is just clean, lube, tension, type stuff, but eventually you get to sprocket replacements. I hate being a mechanic. I'd like to make enough money that I never have to work on my own vehicles or home. I'm not there yet, so I do what I have to. Doesn't mean I enjoy it. To that end, I prefer the ease of the shaft drive as it's just an extra step with an oil change once in a while.

 

Trail cleaning day.




Also took desperate measures after my seat yeeted itself twice.

 

I believe Moto Guzzi has a mid size shaft drive option for ya (V85TT). Not “reliable” though ha. There are also some Suzuki and Honda cruisers with shaft drive in smaller displacements I believe.

But when it comes to highway distance the S10 will serve you well! Reliable and inexpensive compared to most other options.

One of my greatest memories overseas is negotiating to ride a guy’s XT660Z Tenere for a bit. Man do I wish we had them here. Chain drive, but what a perfect bike

I’m torn between a few bikes for my next whip but I’m leaning pretty hard on Suzi’s GSX-S1000-GT+ right now… not a long distance comfort machine like the Goldwing. But for few hundred mile fast jaunts… just worried I’ll lose my license and or freedom/life haha. There’s a reason I avoid fast cars and bikes. Too fun not to ride them the way they’re designed to be ridden

 

That's my favorite lube, but I'm not a fan of the Tirox. I much prefer a grungebrush myself.

 

The brush does do a better job but seems to spray a mess around a lot more.

 

That sounds terrible! I don’t trust other people working on my stuff.

 

Yeah, I'm not on the bike for adrenaline. I'm the odd man out on that one. I ride for the pleasure of it, so easy cruising is plenty, and the S10 (apparently that's what lots call the Super Tenere) fits that to a T. The fortnine video makes me want it. Basically, it's boring. It just goes. It does everything easily and without excitement. Sign me up. LOL

 

Definitely a catch 22, because I don't either. Trouble is that I'm inept as fuck with anything to do with home repair/maintenance and only capable of basic vehicles stuff like oil changes, filters, and spark plugs. I have jack shit for tools, and no shop/garage. Hell, I don't even have pavement to work on my stuff. It's an uneven gravel/grass field of mud and weeds.

 

Thanks! Haven't ridden it other than the test ride but definitely need to do a little bit of tweaking. Levers and shifter are a little high so it makes shifting odd.

Initial impression though is it's miles better than the Navi (obviously). I think on paper it's only got 1-2 more hp but having a manual transmission and being able to shift vs waiting for the CVT to do its thing makes it feel much faster/snappier. Brakes are also much better (no surprise there, discs vs dual drums). I haven't had the opportunity to try it through corners yet, but am hoping to ride it up through the twisties at some point. The seller was telling me the bike is a monster on the downhill and he keeps up with bigger bikes.

Plan is to get some crash protection on before I learn wheelies or push it too hard.

 

Upgrade your oil pump if you’re planning wheelie it. Maybe the previous owner did that? I don’t recall all the mods.

 

Basically the only mods it has are the oil pump and clutch cover so all set there!

Other mods are OTB chain adjusters, Protaper bars and ASV levers.

I already ordered the OTB spools to go in the adjusters as well.

 

Chain adjusters are on my winter mod list. I have my provincial safety booked for Tuesday morning. The previous owner of my Grom hacked off part of the plastic under the tail to mount a TST tail tidy and integrated light. No plate light. You need a tail light, separate signals, and plate light to pass inspection. The original mounting location for the oem tail light was cut away, so I cut the TST tidy so I could use it as my brake light, fit the vagabond tidy with some LED signals and then the Honda plate light, and made a filler plate to close things aff underneath as best I could. It’s not perfect, but doesn’t stand out like a sore thumb.

 

No quoting because I’m lazy and on my phone, not comp. Sorry lol.

yes Yamaha is great. I’ve had a good amount of bikes and my 09 r6 and 16 wr have been absolutely bullet proof.

that 2019 for 5500 is a great price you won’t regret it, do it like a bandaid don’t think!

Just bought that spiral brush you linked, we’ll see. No prob with regular brush other than mess, worst case it’ll get me out in the garage cleaning.

 

I’m getting ready to pull the trigger on a BMW Grand America moving up from an FJR, which I love, but isn’t that comfortable for two and is a little too aggressive for me. I don’t miss a chain at all. Outside of the electronic suspension, my Yamaha is pretty simple in comparison.

 

What LED signals are those? They look way better than stock