What Kind of Motorcycle

[3RRL]

Thanks Paul,
I know, I know, there were a bunch of guys who want to be adopted ... hahaha.
I thought the bikes would be better off being used by the sons rather than sitting around in the garage for years. They are very appreciative and will take good care of them, I know.
Rob-

[stumppuller]

We are all just a bunch of motor heads at heart. I bought a brand new 750cc Norton Atlas in 1967 and kept it for 30 years before I sold it. A wonderful handling machine and tremendously fast for the time. It was also the safest motorcycle in the world at the time since it was near impossible to start and would overheat in traffic and stall, stranding me in the most remote places.

I should have read the tea leaves when taking it home frome the dealer for the first time, it stopped running in the middle of the 300 mile trip home. The only way to restart when it over-heated was to swap out the plugs. (try doing that on the freeway during commute hours)

It had under 4,000 miles on it when I sold it & it looked, & handled great, but jus too unreliable.

In the mid-80's I bought a new V50 Moto Guzzi that I really loved . Handled so easily, electric start, smooth motor, reliable, great looks, but sold that after 5,000 miles as I didn't have anyone to ride with.

Replaced that with a 350cc Suzuki Dual sport. My buddy & I road a weekend a month off-road in the Sierras, in the Lake Tahoe area. These were 2 day, 250 mile, strip-chart trips which were mostly off-road trails, firebreaks & the like. Great fun & condidence booster (& sometimes destroyer). I cracked ribs on one ride & my tailbone on another and decided that I'm not up to the tricky stuff anymore (at 64) so I've stopped riding it. My riding buddy & best friend died of cancer 2 months ago so my off-road mount is now a Jinma. Still keeping the dual sport though; there are trails on my property.

[jimmyt]

I don't ride nearly as much as I used to, or as much as I'd like to anymore. I was planning to ride to Big Bear this weekend for a friend's wedding, but his fiance developed runaway bride syndrome, so the trip was cancelled. Good omen, in my opinion.

Those fat-tired dual-sport bikes look good to me. Does anyone still make them? My last enduro was a Honda XL 600R, way more bike than I could properly use, and a real bear to start warm. Broke my foot once when it threw me over the bars, so I sold it. Next one has to have electric start!

I really wish I could live in those Santa Cruz Mountains too, Bruce. Grew up 60 miles north of there, and whenever we could afford the $3 to fill a gas tank back then, we'd be there. I probably have the only Chinese tractor in southern Nevada with a KPIG sticker on it... ;D

[oleblu72]

I know what your talking about Nortons & other British bikes not being to reliable Stumppuller I have a 64 Atlas and it like to break my foot a couple of time just trying to start it. It always started for me ok just didn't want to keep running sometimes. Went to Niagara Falls back in 72 on my 67 BSA Lightning, coming home one of the set of points self destructed and she started running on one cylinder, got her about 20 miles from home when I figured I better park it before she blows but it survived the ride ok. I bet that was a nice Atlas with only 4K miles on it. You remember who you sold it to for when the day comes you want to buy it back?

Mark

[3RRL]

Reminds me of a story too.
I had a '65 Triumph TR 6 and my buddy had a chopped Bonneville. In 1972, we rode those bikes from Southern Cal along the coast through Pismo, Big Sur, Carmel, San Francisco then inland up to somewhere close to Eureka and back down to Lake Tahoe, Reno and Yosemite before riding back to Whittier. We tent camped the whole way for 8 days and I think I brought a hundred bucks with me. Coming home somewhere around Bakersfield, my heat sink rectifier broke off and his instrument panel broke of from vibration.
lol ... They were hanging from the cables and wires when we pulled into the driveway. Fortunately, no motor trouble. I did throw a chain coming back from Phoenix one time and fixed it with a bobby pin for the remaining 70 miles.
Forgot to take it out and a buddy borrowed my Triumph and rode it to Las Vegas and back that way!
Rob-

[bracabric]

Jimmyt, I bought a Lifan G200-5 enduro some 5 odd months back,it's a Chinese made Honda using the old molds they bought off Honda, the 200 cc engine is near bullet proof, the welding very good and it's plenty powerful enough yet economical, I understand you can get them in the USA for around USD$1,200 new. I like mine very much and have just driven to the Farm and back on it and it never missed a beat. Just a thought.

Dick

[jimmyt]

Looks like an interesting possibility, if one could be made street-legal. I only found one website in the USA, all the rest were either Chinese or Russian. The one in the US was in Chicago, and it was about $1800...

[stumppuller]

Nothing beats a Norton for vibration, Rob. My fingers would tingle after a few hours of riding. Once, while commuting to work waiting at a stop light, a fellow techie commutor on a new Yamaha 750 double overhead cam (triple ?) pulled up beside me. The damn car in front of us pulled over to the next lane so we could pull up and have a go when the light changed. Techie looked over at me with a sly smile, blasting the throttle a couple of times. he wanted a drag race. I looked back, blipped the throttle a couple of quick ones, showing him how menacing my vibarting fender could look. Light changes and we were off. Well he was off. My motor died. Pulled it off to the side of the road for some diagnosis and found...... that the fuel petcock had vibrated shut. (He would have blown my socks off anyway)

[bracabric]

Jimmyt, I believe they are street legal (EPA and stuff) if bought from Lifan America, there are some "Grey" imports as well at less money but without the dealer support. Try "Thumpertalk" for more info,
www.thumpertalk.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-365287.html

Dick

[linus69]

I got this as an email, it`s pretty good.

"JUST A BIKER"

I saw you; hug your purse closer to you in the grocery store line. But you didn't see me put an extra $10.00 in the collection plate last Sunday.

I saw you pull your child closer when we passed each other on the sidewalk. But you didn't see me playing Santa at the local Mall.

I saw you change your mind about going into the restaurant when you saw my bike parked out front. But you didn't see me attending a meeting to raise more money for the hurricane relief.

I saw you roll up your window and shake your head when I rode by. But you didn't see me riding behind you when you flicked your cigarette butt out the car window.

I saw you frown at me when I smiled at your children. But you didn't see me, when I took time off from work to run toys to the homeless.

I saw you stare at my long hair. But you didn't see me and my friends cut ten inches off for Locks of Love.

I saw you roll your eyes at our Leather jackets and gloves. But you didn't see me and my brothers donate our old ones to those that had none.

I saw you look in fright at my tattoos. But you didn't see me cry as my children where born or have their name written over and in my heart.

I saw you change lanes while rushing off to go somewhere. But you didn't see me going home to be with my family.

I saw you, complain about how loud and noisy our bikes can be. But you didn't see me when you were changing the CD and drifted into my lane.

I saw you yelling at your kids in the car. But you didn't see me pat my child's hands knowing she was safe behind me.

I saw you reading the newspaper or map as you drove down the road. But you didn't see me squeeze my wife's leg when she told me to take the next turn.

I saw you race down the road in the rain. But you didn't see me get soaked to the skin so my son could have the car to go on his date.

I saw you run the yellow light just to save a few minutes of time. But you didn't see me trying to turn right.

I saw you cut me off because you needed to be in the lane I was in. But you didn't see me leave the road.

I saw you, waiting impatiently for my friends to pass. But you didn't see me. I wasn't there.

I saw you go home to your family. But you didn't see me. Because I died that day you cut me off.

I was just a biker. A person with friends and a family. But you didn't see me.


EVEN IF YOU DON'T LIKE US, RESPECT OUR RIGHTS TO RIDE WHAT WE CHOOSE AND TAKE A FEW EXTRA SECONDS TO BE SURE WE ARE NOT IN 'YOUR' WAY!

[red]

Paul-
Kinda reminds me of when I was with my youngest brother and we're on the parkway and he moves over to let the guy coming up the ramp merge and then the guy he just let in won't let him back in the lane from the passing lane. I start ranting and my brother starts laughing! And he saiz the guy is in another ZONE and is totally clueless. .

I love motorcycles but instinctively knew I would have been dead decades ago So I always try to watchout for the guys on bikes but there are two problems First it's my crappy vision and second that fact that the motorcycles are so fast. . Been may a time that I saw a motorcyle in my rearview (several hundred ft back) and had to move over to make a left and the guy is now in my blind spot or along side of me Has to be doing double the speed limit.

Best part is after 30yrs of marriage the better half just told me she would love to go riding (again) Traffic is the worst it's ever been and my skill set has to be at all time low -Ed

[linus69]

I hear you about the skill set Ed, I almost killed myself twice just running down to the hardware store. My vision is not what it used to be apparently, I didn`t see the white pickup I almost became a hood ornament on as I made a right too wide.
Luckily my reflexes were there for me this time and I just missed him but it wasn`t pretty, if I had a passenger onboard I don`t know how it would have went.
I don`t have a problem with loud pipes, I really do believe they save lives, I also use a lot of lights front and rear. But sometimes people just don`t see you, and sometimes they do,... but want to get even for something some asshole biker did to them recently.

Paul

[bracabric]

Quick update on the Lifan Enduro GY 200-5, I've now done a little over 5000 Kms. and it's going very well. Other than the clutch trouble when it was nearly new I've really had no trouble with it to speak of. It's very economical and quite powerful although I am set to improve that (breath on it), I've put a much better air cleaner on with a much freer passage of air and am having a couple of larger carb jets sent over from the UK. Supposed to add about 5 BHP to the output (around 18/20 at the moment), we shall see....
Dick

[bracabric]

Update on the Lifan GY5-200 Duel sport. I've done just over 15,000 Kms. now and it goes well, I change the oil every 2000Kms. and such and just don't have problems. The Battery is as good today as when I bought the bike ( unlike the one on the Jinma ).
I had a smaller chain sprocket ( to give it longer legs ) made by a company in Texas and shipped down here and I changed the air filter that was a bit restrictive for a cone shaped one that fits on the carb and rejeted giving a usefull gain in bhp.
The one thing I have now done is to change both the front and rear tyres for ones a tad wider, the origional chinese tyres ( Kingstone, sic ) were very poor and both wore down unevenly causing vibracion and poor adhesion. I said to my suplier that I did not want Chinese tyres at any price and would rather have chewing gum on the rims instead, he sold me, and I'm sure no humour was intended tyres fron Tiawan and they are much,much better.
All in all it's been a remarkably trouble free experience and buying Chinese has not been the trouble many said it would be. Not that I want them but spares are readily available in Santiago and well priced.
I would recomend ¨Lifan¨to any one !

Dick