Why do we buy new modern bikes?

[bikehunter]

Started up the Strada this evening to go home from work and letting her rumble a bit before setting off!
Select first gear and pulled away across the car park, got to 2000 rpm and wollop bike died and I nearly fell off!
Had to reset the computer on the bike and start again, once started I raggged the bike as it does annoy me that designers make a bike and get nearly to the end and have a problem with the emissions and blag it to sell the dam things. Happens to nearly all new machines this day and age and the poor customer has to either enrichen it at their expense to make it safe or keep taken it back to the stealer to complain and in the end it boils down to the problem that emissions are the problem and they can't do anything to solve it and its tuff that you are left with the problem of putting your life at risk for some burocrat that says 0.5% mixture or nothing.
(now gets off the soap box and returns to his comfy arm chair and watches tv)!

 

[Ignaciob]

Then you should probably sell your bike, go pick up an early 1970's UJM, push in the choke on the cabr, kick it about 87 times because starters are so often optional on older bikes, have it die once or twice before it finally settles into a rough idle, and then ride it around getting about 3/4 the fuel economy of a modern bike. Oh, and make sure to get out your feeler gauges and tools for maintenance more often and probably a rebuild every 25,000 or so since it will probably be air-cooled. Occascional carb rebuild because they gunk up regularly.

Speed won't be much of an issue though since the headlights are fairly anemic anyway and electrical output a bit iffy. And the tires will probably take your almost half as far as a modern tire. Again, not an issue since suspension was pretty marginal in those days as well as understanding of steering geometry and those disc brakes were just plain over the top compared to brake shoes.

Call me one of those that's a wee bit annoyed with the lean condition of our bike too......HOWEVER it's one point on a MUCH larger list of other amenities that are truly phenomenal. There's a reason I seem to be going yet another season without restoring my 1975 CB400F and gathering dust in the corner....because the Husky is light years ahead of it and more fun to ride.

 

[Motosportz]

I have a CX500 that runs perfectly I'll sell you.

 

[bikehunter]

Then you should probably sell your bike, go pick up an early 1970's UJM, push in the choke on the cabr, kick it about 87 times because starters are so often optional on older bikes, have it die once or twice before it finally settles into a rough idle, and then ride it around getting about 3/4 the fuel economy of a modern bike. Oh, and make sure to get out your feeler gauges and tools for maintenance more often and probably a rebuild every 25,000 or so since it will probably be air-cooled. Occascional carb rebuild because they gunk up regularly.

Speed won't be much of an issue though since the headlights are fairly anemic anyway and electrical output a bit iffy. And the tires will probably take your almost half as far as a modern tire. Again, not an issue since suspension was pretty marginal in those days as well as understanding of steering geometry and those disc brakes were just plain over the top compared to brake shoes.

Call me one of those that's a wee bit annoyed with the lean condition of our bike too......HOWEVER it's one point on a MUCH larger list of other amenities that are truly phenomenal. There's a reason I seem to be going yet another season without restoring my 1975 CB400F and gathering dust in the corner....because the Husky is light years ahead of it and more fun to ride.

Holy crap! didn't you have fun with the bikes from the 70'S

 

[RidingDonkeys]

I have a bunch of old bikes. I bought the Husky as my first "modern" bike. Luckily, I haven't had any real issues.

 

[bikehunter]

I have a CX500 that runs perfectly I'll sell you.

now there's a bike you shouldn't take the piss out of, most couriers in the UK had those and they were bullet proof machines and still have a following!

 

[Ignaciob]

Holy crap! didn't you have fun with the bikes from the 70'S

Totally had fun! A 70's XR75 was in my top 3 bikes of all time.

I've just had even more fun generally with bikes from the 00's and 10's because you don't have to work on them as much and they're generally better performing.

 

[bikehunter]

The reason I write this about the fuel injection bikes is the fact that if you are used to carb bikes, you do not get the issues of fi bikes and they seem to make you compromise that all is well apart from the fuel injection!
Sure the bikes are supposibly well put together but I have never had a carb bike give me this much grief, many riders today are the type that put their bike into shops for service and only ride them not get involved in the mechanics and how they tick. So I will stick with the carb bikes and good luck with the FI.
Even my Guzzi sport Corsa of 1998 which I still own had injection issues until I got the mixture to run at 6% instead of 1.5% which is the euro emissions.

 

[Motosportz]

The reason I write this about the fuel injection bikes is the fact that if you are used to carb bikes, you do not get the issues of fi bikes and they seem to make you compromise that all is well apart from the fuel injection!
Sure the bikes are supposibly well put together but I have never had a carb bike give me this much grief, many riders today are the type that put their bike into shops for service and only ride them not get involved in the mechanics and how they tick. So I will stick with the carb bikes and good luck with the FI.
Even my Guzzi sport Corsa of 1998 which I still own had injection issues until I got the mixture to run at 6% instead of 1.5% which is the euro emissions.

The issue is not EFI but regulations hampering it. All the MX bikes have moved to EFI and those guys love the instant response and ability to change powerbands. So we buy EFI bikes and spend a bunch of time and money making them work like they should. Additionally EFI is hard on single cylinder bikes where the multi cylinder street bikes seem to run great.

 

[visegrip]

Honda 400F is my favourite bike. I rode that that bike from Toronto to Newfoundland .Newfoundland to Vancouver Island from the island to Dawson City and back to Toronto replaced a chain a rear tire and blew a fuse in Winnipeg. Always kicked it over refused to use the electric start . Restore that bike Ignaciob

 

[Johnrg]

Did you say 400F

 

[RidingDonkeys]

Then you should probably sell your bike, go pick up an early 1970's UJM, push in the choke on the cabr, kick it about 87 times because starters are so often optional on older bikes, have it die once or twice before it finally settles into a rough idle, and then ride it around getting about 3/4 the fuel economy of a modern bike. Oh, and make sure to get out your feeler gauges and tools for maintenance more often and probably a rebuild every 25,000 or so since it will probably be air-cooled. Occascional carb rebuild because they gunk up regularly.

Speed won't be much of an issue though since the headlights are fairly anemic anyway and electrical output a bit iffy. And the tires will probably take your almost half as far as a modern tire. Again, not an issue since suspension was pretty marginal in those days as well as understanding of steering geometry and those disc brakes were just plain over the top compared to brake shoes.

Call me one of those that's a wee bit annoyed with the lean condition of our bike too......HOWEVER it's one point on a MUCH larger list of other amenities that are truly phenomenal. There's a reason I seem to be going yet another season without restoring my 1975 CB400F and gathering dust in the corner....because the Husky is light years ahead of it and more fun to ride.

You must have owned a Meriden Triumph. You haven't lived until you've spent days chasing down gremlins in a 6v electrical system.

I love old motorcycles. Working on old technology is just fun. However, there are times where I'm literally working on something in everything in the garage. That is when having a Husky comes in handy. On the TR, I just push the button and ride.

I've had two SOHC CB750's. I loved the first one. I only got the second one because I couldn't find a CB400 for the project. I'll likely never have another 750, but I would LOVE to have a 400 in my garage.

 

[Norman Foley]

I have a CX500 that runs perfectly I'll sell you.

In the UK they call them "Plastic Maggots", because you can't kill them!

 

[Motosportz]

In the UK they call them "Plastic Maggots", because you can't kill them!

Green maggot, I like it. Still customizing it...

 

[Norman Foley]

Green maggot, I like it. Still customizing it...

GB500 Twin!

 

[Motosportz]

British racing green with CF inserts. Did not turn out exactly like I wanted but looks OK. Going top bob the seat and rear fender next. Got some cool grips and mirrors coming. Remove the buddy pegs and maybe put some piggyback reservoir shocks on it. Wish I had a nice pipe for it but not going to shell the coin out for that. Only has 6800 miles on it. Was a custom (longer forks and stuff) but a guy hit a dear so i got it cheap and put the shorter front end on it and painted it (different tank to that he included).

 

[RidingDonkeys]

Funny thing, I just got a line on a CX500 for about $400 bucks in NC. No room in my garage though. An inmate on ADV just bought a DR350 from the seller.

 

[Xcuvator]

I especially like the NS/RS 750cc Harley smoken version:

 

[Motosportz]

Now thats a muffler. Seems like there would be better motors to use for racing but it is cool looking. Like this motor in my sweet GT650...

Man that was a fun little bike but built for a person 3/4ths my size. I could back that thing into corners without trying. Loved that little bike.

 

[Greg Jetnikoff]

Cb400F and CX500. interesting to of the best bikes I have ever owned in one post.
CB400F were weird. some would barely pull 150kph stock and others would do 210kph off the showroom floor. And boy could you mod em. Shocks were aweful but good ones were cheap in those days ( read Koni or S&w) and the infamous Trickit valving for the front end and you had a stunning handler for the day. The rd350 would eat it for breakfast though, in every way.
I toured all over Australia on my CX500. It showed me that you do NOT need huge capacity to tour comfortably. VERY comfortably. Even on the inland highways, only once felt like I needed more ponies .That was following a friend of mine across the Hay plains ( dead straight flat road for over 100km) on his GS1000S at 160kph. And with longer S&W's on the rear and S&W valves and springs in the forks it handles way better than it should have.
They were bustable though. The first models had a self destructing cam chain tensioner. First Honda I ever knew of with an endemic mechanical problem.
Still even though all the bikes have got ridiculously heavier pretty much everything works better. Hondas , at least in Australia ALL came jetted WAY to RICH. They started first time no choke but got fluffy at the top. And you could NOT get jets for Keihins , at all. No internet then. If the Australian dustributor didn't stock anything ( and they didn't) you couldn't get it. Even for their performance bikes. The ONLY way I could get my CR125M to run at correct mix was to add some alcohol to the fuel, which was legal in those days, cause alcohol runs leaner for the same jet size.
Now if you race bike is running lean. You pull out you lap top. Open the Power commander app. ( or eqivalent). Attach to the sensor and the PC module and change the injector at whichever revs for whichever throttle opening. And soon the same for you suspension. Unless you have some of the new BM's . Then you can do it now.
PS don't ever sell the CX. You will miss it