8Rider6

Seems fairly simple. I think I'll give that a go when I get a chance.

I'd love to but it's a little cost prohibitive... Unless you go military. Grew up playing flight simulators and one of my dad's friends let me take the controls of a twin prop Piper (don't remember the exact model) for a few minutes when I was 12. May be something I want to invest in if/when I could afford to.

Since this has been post poned... I'm definitely interested after posting about my suspension on my 919... Any Saturday or Sunday would probably work for me if you're still thinking about holding it, even if waiting a month or two for a bit warmer weather.

Alright, so it looks like that's a "no go" with the CBR1000 shock... That leaves the F3, or getting a Penske or Ohlins for the rear, F3 definitely appeals more price wise and I *won't* be racing this bike, but I would like it to be able to hold a line on "aggressive" cornering on the street, my '96 Bandit 600 did it well enough for me, I don't see why this couldn't with a bit of modding. I do already have the OEM Honda manual for my bike the previous owner gave me when I purchased it. I do find it lacking in detail in some areas though. Things like changing the oil, adjusting the chain, taking the rear wheel off for tire changes, etc I'm not finicky about doing, but I feel like I'm in uncharted territory when it comes to much more than that (have bled and refilled the front brake lines too). At the same time though, I would like to learn as much as possible working on my own bikes. I suppose the next 2-3 months is the best time to do it while it's still Winter, only problem is I've done all the work on my bike at my brother in laws place since he has a garage, I don't (keep it in a Cycleshell). I'm not sure if he'd be ok with keeping it there possibly weeks at a time during this process. As far as: Once you do that, get whatever fork you can afford. Penske would be the best, but if you can't afford one, find something you can. The F3 fork may not be perfect, but going by what everyone is saying, it's better than what you have now. You mean fork internals or replace them completely? I'd like to keep things "as cheap as possibly" because I was planning on picking up a second bike around April for track days at Mid Ohio, but my tax refund should help quite a bit... I suppose I could budget $1,000 to taking care of both the front and rear suspension, but keeping it to around $500 would help (so obviously going with an F3 rear shock at over an Ohlins or Penske). As far as fork internals, what's most important, and what's going to make the biggest difference: springs and fluid vs. emulator kits vs. cartridge kits, and how are each set up for the riding once installed? Do you need special equipment to have it configured/set up according to your weight, etc?

Hmmm, how would either of these do? http://www.ebay.com/itm/2010-10-Honda-CBR1000RR-Rear-Shock-at-LKQ-MotorSports-/150978057036?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2326fe534c&vxp=mtr http://www.ebay.com/itm/06-07-HONDA-CBR1000RR-REAR-SHOCK-suspension-spring-damper-CBR-1000rr-2006-2007-/290809805295?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3ACBR&hash=item43b59d79ef&vxp=mtr Looks like they don't include the reservoir... Could I use one from my stock shock or is that not an option? What used Penske's would work besides the 8900E? Doesn't seem like I can find a used 8900. Is the F3 shock really that bad? If it would be a fair improvement over what I've got it may be worth it, but if I could get a used 1000RR for not much more, or a Penske for not much more than that...

Argh, I find it hard to believe they would have put suspension this bad in a bike like the 919. The rear shock I'm moderately confident I can handle, but when it comes to the fronts, I feel like I'd be hesitant to attempt since you'd have to take all the controls off, take the forks off, etc, or am I thinking this is more difficult to do than it is? How much would it cost to have that done (new springs, cartridge kit and fluids)? I'm almost debating if it'd be better to sell the bike and get something with better suspension than put that much time/money into it, but at the same time, it is "mine" and I've already put quite a bit into it, enjoy it, plus they're fairly rare.

If this is in the wrong section, feel free to move it, wasn't sure if it should go here or Tech and Tips, or Part Shop. So, even since I got my '02 919, I've been a little disappointed in the handling, and that's coming from a Bandit 600 which isn't exactly the sharpest handling bike. The first corner I took hard (in my neighborhood after getting back from WV where I bought it) caught me a little off guard, felt like the rear end bounced some, and the rear end has seemed uneasy ever since if I take a corner a bit aggressively, never felt that with the Bandit. Now, I can adjust the suspension (pre-load only I believe) with a spanner wrench. It's currently on the 2nd to last position (#4), stock is #2, so it may be too stiff. I am heavier than most (I assume) riders though, 220lbs no gear, with my riding gear around 225-230, so I would almost think having it on the #4 position would make sense for me. I've been looking into aftermarket shocks and the Penske 8900E looks like a good option. However, this is $500-650 new... I really don't want to spend that on a shock, so I'm looking to see if I can find a decent one used, at least that will be a big improvement over the stock. Ohlin would be nice, but those are something like $1,200 to $1,400 new... Not gonna happen, lol. I don't really want to spend more than $200ish. This is my street/commuting/touring/all rounder bike. I'm possibly going to get another bike to track with, so I don't want to put a ton into the shock on this one. I will be doing all new tires, and chain & sprockets relatively soon (next 2-3 months probably), so it may make sense to do the shock at the same time while I have the rear wheel off. I don't really know about about how shocks fit from one bike to another. I hear about people taking shocks from GSX-R 1000's and using them on other bikes, etc, but I don't know what to look out for and how to tell if it will work in a 919.

My Bell RS-1 arrived today from Riders Discount... I couldn't resist taking a ride and trying it out so I bundled up and took a short 25 min ride tonight (hippo hands, jeans under mercury 2 pants, balaclava, etc). Awesome helmet at a great price. The only negative thing I can say was at the temperature, it did "fog" up... I have the photochromatic lens on it, so I'm not sure if it's different but it didn't really seem to fog up in a traditional sense, it looked more like everything would defocus instead of the visor clouding up if that makes sense. Didn't try the standard visor yet. Unless I can find (or possibly make my own) a pinlock visor for the RS-1, I may be more likely to use the CL-16 for colder weather, but the RS-1 overall I definitely like much more... I think it's the first helmet where I could almost forget I was wearing one. Very comfortable, amazing visibility... At one point when I came to a stop a questioned if I had the visor down because it was that clear.

Price... lol

Shipped it back for a refund. They should receive it tomorrow, hopefully I'll be getting my refund without a hassle... In the meantime, I went to Iron Pony over the weekend to look at and try on some other helmets... Their helmet guy was very helpful. Ended up walking out with an HJC CL-16 in matte black. I knew I was probably going to order something online through a board sponsor, but figured for the convenience they provided for being able to try things on and their staff helping me, I should get something, and you can't get a CL-16 much cheaper online (maybe $20-30 less). The pinlock anti-fog system on the CL-16 is pretty awesome. Took a ride Saturday and enjoyed the helmet much more than my Sy-Max II. While I was there I also tried on some others and I loved the Bell RS-1. When I tried that on, I felt like it fit perfectly... I contact Nathan at Riders Discount and just placed an order for one along with the transition visor. One of the guys at Iron Pony said the Bells fit more round shape heads, but I definitely have more of an oval shape and the RS-1 felt great... The Nolan N-85 and RF-1100 did not fit my head at all.

Hmm, I think I tried sending a PM.... Not sure if it worked. It's not in my sent box, but then I tried to send another and it says I can only send 1 every 120 minutes. Do I need more posts before I can actually PM? I would have though I'd have received a notification if that were the case.

Yeah, I'm definitely pretty angry about it. You mean demand store credit WITHOUT returning it? I'm a little doubtful they'd do that. I know... The 1000 is Snell 2005. I'm thinking I'll probably return it, then either get an EXO-500, or 1100 for the street, and something like a BELL Vortex for the track, or maybe just get a BELL Vortex now, the Vortex is Snell M2010.

So, I'd been hunting for EXO 1000 helmets I could still pick up new. I found one on "closeout" in stock on their website (last one left) and ordered it Sunday... "It" arrived today. It was in an EXO-1000 box, but the box looked a little old... Opened it, it was inside the Scorpion bag. Inside was an EXO-500... However, the sticker on the back is curled up along the edges and it says EXO-1000 with the 1000's SNELL and DOT approvals... So, it's obvious they purposely tried to "hide" an EXO-500 as an EXO-1000 which I paid $270 for... The 500's are $200 new, WITHOUT the seller tampering with them... I called and they said return it, include the shipping receipt and they'll refund me the purchase price as well as shipping... Now I've done a little research and it looks like the EXO-500 is actually a better version of the 1000, better ventilation, lighter weight... However it's just ECE and DOT approved... I wanted to the EXO-1000 to double as my street and track helmet if/when I get into track days. Now I'm thinking I'll just get the 500 and get another helmet specifically for tracking. So, do I call and say "refund me $100 and I'll keep it." ? They're $200 retail, I feel like it should be at least $20 less since I don't even have the right box, they messed up the sticker etc, OR should I say fuck it, get my refund and buy the EXO-500 elsewhere? After this, I feel like I really shouldn't give them any of my money, but it's just a PITA having to ship it back and wait for a refund.

I've only got what you have, but I just got them around late October (only wore jeans til then... I know, bad), so haven't experienced them in hot weather yet. For cold weather, they've been awesome though...

Does Racers Edge have a bad rep here? I know they're pretty much all salvage bikes, but could get things cheaper as long as it's in good working order. If it's already been wrecked/dropped, then I'd care even less about it being dropped. http://www.racersedge411.com/ They have a 2008 KLR650 for $2200 Also a 2004 cleared EX500 for $1400

I'm curious why the KZ550 would high higher thefts than Nighthawks, honda CBs, etc. Jbot, your Evil Cookie Monster avatar is pretty kickass.

That grabs my interest some... Can they be had at $1500 or less though?

This thing looks pretty sweet: http://columbus.craigslist.org/mcy/3452061457.html

Seriously though, scooter's not really an option. Only way I would consider it is if they could park where bicycles could. However, I've noticed at OSU most buildings have dedicated motorcycle parking right in front. I still need something that could work at freeway speeds, more than 30-40mph.

Lol, never.

So, I may be going back to school and may be living in housing around OSU (not a great area). So, I really don't want to keep my 919 there to commute with. Even if I lived in a better area, I'm not sure I'd want to commute with it there either since a lot of students are idiots and think it's funny to vandalize bikes, push them over, etc... Because of that, I'm looking into getting a bike that is cheap and I won't really care about *if* something happened to it. Key factors would be cheap to maintain and reliable (also relatively small and light for urban environment/parking). So far, it seems like Honda Nighthawks, Honda CBs, Suzuki GS, etc from the 80's might be a fair choice, but I don't know tons about them... They can be had very cheap it looks like: http://columbus.craigslist.org/mcy/3385759396.html Though, I'd rather pay $1000 for one with tires, chain, transmission, carbs etc in good shape than $600 for one that needs work. I did find a GS500E on there for $1450 OBO and a 1997 Bandit 600 for $1500 OBO. Though they're slightly more expensive, I think I'd sooner go for one of those as they're more modern. I'd guess they're easier to get parts for and thus easier to maintain, but again I don't know as much about the older 80's bikes, so if I'm wrong at that, please let me know. Plus I've owned a Bandit before and it was a great bike that I have some familiarity with. I was planning on getting a 2003-2007 SV650S in the Spring for track days, but if I'm going back to school, then I'll need to change priorities. I wouldn't really be looking to purchase until around July/August though, so I've got a good bit of time.

Well, any of you want to head out to Hocking or Cochocton tomorrow? It's supposed to be nice all day... I'm planning on hitting Iron Pony early and getting a tank bag.