Any Motörbike riders here?

boogieman · November 2013

Not my cuppa but still deserves a wow

chillidoggy · November 2013

Now that is cool!

Jaden · November 2013

I didnt own a car until I was in my 30's, I only rode bikes but then I had kids... and already having experienced my fair share of crashes, I chose to quit and nowadays, its strictly off road only

My ride ! its actually road legal but seeing as it dont have an ignition key or steering lock etc, I only use it to go from green lane to green lane etc..

luscombe · November 2013

Thanks for the positive comments regarding my Easy Rider Harley. it really is a fantastic bike, and it's the only motorcycle I've ever owned that attracts non-biker women, who seem to desperately want a ride on it. However it is kickstart only (with an engine close to 1400cc!) and this does cause some problems. Here's a post I posted on facebook describing my problems:

Christine the Harley?

As some of you know, I have been having hours of fun trying to start my Easy Rider replica Harley Davidson. Like the bike in the film, it is kick-start only and is not fitted with one of those new fangled electric sta...rters. This is all well and good, but unfortunately Harley's are made for your typical, 16 stone, Big Mac loving American. I weigh 12.5 stone and to frank, the harley laughs at me when I try to start it!

I was watching the classic Stephen King film, Christine ,the other night. You know the one - the 1950's car that is possessed by evil spirits and does all sorts of dasterdly deeds while its speedometer runs backwards and the car gets newer the more it is driven. In one part of the film Christine won't start and is sulking because the hero has a new girlfriend. In the end Arnie talks sweetly to Christine and strokes the dashboard and Christine promptly starts!

Hmmm interesting... Christine is a 1958 Plymouth Fury. My Harley was made in 1958. Christine is bright red. My Harley is bright red. I bet you know where this is going! So this afternoon I started the bike and rode it down to Eccleshall. I should point out it will always start at home in the garage, but always refuses to start when it is warm - particulary if there is an audience. I parked outside the Bell in Eccleshall and sat at the bar and had a few pints of Peroni (my favourite drink at the moment!).

After a couple of hours in the pub I finally plucked up courage to go out to the bike and try and start it. Sure enough everyone in the pub came out to watch me (it's just that sort of bike). I did all the normal things, primed the carb by kicking it through with the ignition off, set the choke just right, set the throttle just open by one eigth, and finally brought the engine over to top dead cente with the kickstart. These are the things I always do, and the Harley normally refuses to start until I have sweated blood, swear & tears for half an hour and the audience is falling about laughing at me. This time I did something different.. As I was going through the usuall pre-starting ritual I was whispering to the Harley under my breath, telling it how much I loved it and how I was going to polish it when we got home. While I was saying these things I was lovingly stroking it's petrol tank. Well the big moment came and what do you think happened? It started!!! Oh joy - I can't tell you how pleased I was!

If the film is to be believed I guess that means my soul is lost forever. A small price to pay for looking cool when I come out of the pub methinks. In the film Christine also goes out on it's own to kill and maime the people that have wronged Arnie. Perhaps the Harley will go on a little ride tonight? I hope it goes looking for Simon Cowell?

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m199/jeffsilvaire/100_1231_zps38d57a06.jpg

p90fool · November 2013

I don't think your bike is haunted, i think you may've just been mislead a little, the starting can be sorted, trust me

There's certainly not much from 1958 on it, maybe the rear hub? H-D stopped making wishbone frames in late '54, a '58 would have a swingarm with straight legs. That's not to say yours is an earlier frame, it's far more likely to be a recent replica by Paughco or someone similar, check the top motormount stamps.

The transmission maybe be a much later ratchet top, though the mousetrap is a good sign.

The engine is an '84-'99 Evolution engine, or possibly even a later crate motor from the factory. There's nothing 50s about it, it has Xzotic Cycle fake Panhead generator and rocker covers.

This is probably the crux of your starting issue. Evo motors are soft starters, but the stock electronic ignition needs a fast spin before it even triggers, and a kicker will barely do it. If it's not a stock module find out what it is, it may have a kicker setting on a micro switch.
If not, the cheapest way to sort it is with a '70-up points conversion, you'd need a new coil too.

I can't see what carb is on it, if it's a Keihin CV you might get away with kick-only, but they still need a tweak or two.

Unless you've built some kind of monster, most H-Ds (except magneto XLCHs) are pretty easy starters, if yours isn't, get it fixed, or you'll forever be cursed by the "same number of kicks as spectators" rule!

luscombe · November 2013

luscombe said:

Thanks for the positive comments regarding my Easy Rider Harley. it really is a fantastic bike, and it's the only motorcycle I've ever owned that attracts non-biker women, who seem to desperately want a ride on it. However it is kickstart only (with an engine close to 1400cc!) and this does cause some problems. Here's a post I posted on facebook describibing my problems:
Christine the Harley?

As some of you know, I have been having hours of fun trying to start my Easy Rider replica Harley Davidson. Like the bike in the film, it is kick-start only and is not fitted with one of those new fangled electric sta...rters. This is all well and good, but unfortunately Harley's are made for your typical, 16 stone, Big Mac loving American. I weigh 12.5 stone and to frank, the harley laughs at me when I try to start it!

I was watching the classic Stephen King film, Christine ,the other night. You know the one - the 1950's car that is possessed by evil spirits and does all sorts of dasterdly deeds while its speedometer runs backwards and the car gets newer the more it is driven. In one part of the film Christine won't start because it is sulking because the hero has a new girlfriend. In the end Arnie talks sweetly to Christine and strokes the dashboard and Christine promptly starts!

Hmmm interesting... Christine is a 1958 Plymouth Fury. My Harley was made in 1958. Christine is bright red. My Harley is bright red. I bet you know where this is going! So this afternoon I started the bike and rode it down to Eccleshall. I should point out it will always start at home in the garage, but always refuses to start when it is warm - particulary if there is an audience. I parked outside the Bell in Eccleshall and sat at the bar and had a few pints of Peroni (my favourite drink at the moment!).

After a couple of hours in the pub I finally plucked up courage to go out to the bike and try and start it. Sure enough everyone in the pub came out to watch me (it's just that sort of bike). I did all the normal things, primed the carb by kicking it through with the ignition off, set the choke just right, set the throttle just open by one eigth, and finally brought the engine over to top dead cente with the kickstart. These are the things I always do, and the Harley normally refuses to start until I have sweated blood, swear & tears for half an hour and the audience is falling about laughing at me. This time I did something different.. As I was going through the usuall pre-starting ritual I was whispering to the Harley under my breath, telling it how much I loved it and how I was going to polish it when we got home. While I was saying these things I was lovingly stroking it's petrol tank. Well the big moment came and what do you think happened? It started!!! Oh joy - I can't tell you how pleased I was!

If the film is to be believed I guess that means my soul is lost forever. A small price to pay for looking cool when I come out of the pub methinks. In the film Christine also goes out on it's own to kill and maime the people that have wronged Arnie. Perhaps the Harley will go on a little ride tonight? I hope it goes looking for Simon Cowell?

Hi

I realise it's not really a '58 (this was just a little poetic licence to make the Facebook post more amusing!), although the frame is definitely a genuine HD wishbone frame. The bike was built to duplicate the Billy Bike used in Easy Rider - which was itself a collection of parts from many different bikes and also some custom made parts. The builders had to study stills from the film to obtain all the details.

The engine was a brand new Evo unit with a Panhead dress up kit. The ignition system is electronic, but is designed to function with a kickstart.

In truth, I though all these details would be a little too deep (possibly even boring!) for a guitar forum.

The bike is hard to start. I have owned many kickstart bikes in the past, including Triumph's, Norton's & BSA's, but the Billy Bike is definitely the hardest. The biggest issue is that I have had to learn to start it with my left leg as my right leg was injured twice in motorcycle accidents and is not strong enough.

p90fool · November 2013

Lol that's a relief, I bet we've both seen this sort of bike in the hands of people who have never owned a "proper" before!
Left leg starting is an art in itself isn't it?I've had to start practising that myself as my right knee is pretty well knackered from 30 winters on bikes. If yours is ok when cold though I'd imagine a few carb tweaks should make it easier when hot.
Whatchya got on it? It is a cool bike btw, always preferred the Billy bike, that was the one which grabbed me when I first saw the movie too

luscombe · November 2013

The carb is the standard Evo CV carb. The problem as I see it is the gearing of the kickstart means that each cylinder only comes on to compression once when you operate the kickstart, so You have to everything right (or be lucky!) to stand a chance of starting the engine. It's very satisfying when you get it right. (hence my tongue in cheek Christine story. Despite the problems, I know it just wouldn't be the same with an electric starter installed.

octatonic · November 2013

Went to the UK bike show in Brum today.

Man alive- it was amazing.

Highlights: Triumph & Harley Davidson stands. I was mightily impressed with the finish on the Yamaha cruisers though as well as the girls on the Dunlop stand.

I can has a new helmet:

https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1487428_427179660745154_717964284_n.jpg

littlegreenman · November 2013

octatonic said:
I can has a new helmet:

I can has NHD also, just not quite the same type

http://www.sportsdirect.com/images/products/75203701_l.jpg

octatonic · November 2013

Some pics of the show:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/q71/s720x720/1475920_427179160745204_1405898792_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/q71/s720x720/1459143_427179580745162_1596751560_n.jpg

https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/q71/s720x720/1480576_427179377411849_763767265_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/q71/s720x720/1452435_427179214078532_961018636_n.jpg

https://scontent-a-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/q77/s720x720/1450703_427178960745224_1559151067_n.jpg

https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/q74/s720x720/1424308_427179077411879_1969923345_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/q71/s720x720/1459821_665684063463226_1773921209_n.jpg

littlegreenman · November 2013

Indian is very nice, a few of the others look to have quite odd geometry (for good reason no doubt, the 2nd pic looks like having knobbly off-road tyres but you would surely die if you tried riding that on a dirt trail!).

Dunlop girl needs to eat a few pies IMO

octatonic · November 2013

She smelled very nice.

(sigh)

Back to bikes- I got on a Triumph America and a Speedmaster.

It has made it a bit complicated actually- I'd love a T100, or a Speedmaster or an America.

They are all lovely.

octatonic · November 2013

The HMC Classic here is pretty interesting:

https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/q74/s720x720/1424308_427179077411879_1969923345_n.jpg

It is basically a 125cc Chinese-made cafe-racer/Bonneville rip off.

A bit different to the rest of the Chinese bikes and it was advertised for £1500 + on-road costs NEW!

If I wasn't heading towards a bigger bike quite soon then I would be very tempted- they looked great.

Emp_Fab · November 2013

Let's see if I can remember all of mine... I started out on a Yamaha TY50M when I was 16, then a Honda XL185SA that I passed my bike test on, then a big jump to a Honda CB550K4 that I stuck a Piper 4-into-1 short pipe on (God, that sounded divine up near the redline), back down to a Kawasaki KL250 motocross that stood about five feet off the floor !, then a beautiful Honda VF500FII V4 that handled like a dream (no, not the shit-ugly predecessor to the SuperDream !). I think that's all of them (that I owned anyway). The last bike I rode regularly was a mate's CB650 Nighthawk that he lent me to get back and fore to work in when my car got nicked and torched.

That one ended up buried in the front of a VW Polo and put me in hospital.

Misterg · December 2013

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh143/werdnayarg/VFR/chrome_zps3ab9803a.jpg

octatonic · December 2013

LOL.

Misterg · December 2013

My appetite was whetted when my little brother got a little Suzuki TS50(!) - like this:

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/8116/prylbankenseimgmopederstd1.jpg

Then I acquired this Suzuki TS185 field bike:

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh143/werdnayarg/VFR/TS185-1_zpscac89c1a.jpg

And my brother got a Honda CR250R motocrosser that we used as a field bike. It was absolutely nuts to ride, and launched many unsuspecting pilots off the back or through hedges. He got it cheap because the gearbox was shot - we rebuilt it on the kitchen table using the Rayburn and the deep freeze to shrink-fit new bearings to the casings (we were both in our teens). Something like this, but in similar cosmetic condition to the 185:

http://images.australialisted.com/nlarge/honda_cr250_cr250_nbsp_1979_19461531.jpg

then a Suzuki A100 owned briefly in Aberdeeen to practice on, and I passed my test (pre CBT, etc.) on a borrowed Yamaha something-or-other and set out on the road with my Kawasaki Z400J (the 4 cylinder one) with an 'Alpha' 4 into 1 (about the cheapest exhaust you could get which, with the folly of youth, I proceeded to rip all the baffles out of).

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh143/werdnayarg/VFR/Z400J-1_zpsf8e11df5.jpg

This was my only transport for 4 years and took me the width of the UK on a regular basis, and was my daily commuter when I started work. I resprayed it in my bedroom at University which improved the looks a little. Never let me down.

Then I started getting respectable and got a nice GPz550:

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh143/werdnayarg/VFR/gpx550-2_zps7572f0b6.jpg

This was my only transport for another few years, and took me all over France and Northern Spain. Then I got my 'dream' bike (one that I had lusted after in my teens) a gorgeous white VFR750 - identical to this picture, and in pretty much the same nick:

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh143/werdnayarg/VFR/21118742_zpsd7c65533.jpg

...Then we had kids, and it meant that I needed to use a car every day, so the bike got stuck in the garage for a few years, until I eventually faced up to the fact that years were going by without the prospect of me using it, so I reluctantly sold it last year.

Now no bikes.

holnrew · December 2013

octatonic said:

The HMC Classic here is pretty interesting:

https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/q74/s720x720/1424308_427179077411879_1969923345_n.jpg

It is basically a 125cc Chinese-made cafe-racer/Bonneville rip off.
A bit different to the rest of the Chinese bikes and it was advertised for £1500 + on-road costs NEW!

If I wasn't heading towards a bigger bike quite soon then I would be very tempted- they looked great.

That could very well tempt me...

I like the bike in the third picture.

IanSavage · December 2013

octatonic said:

https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/q71/s720x720/1480576_427179377411849_763767265_n.jpg

*swoon* GORGEOUS!!!!

cruxiform · December 2013

I've got a Y2K Honda Fireblade 929 which is my baby. Been to the Isle of Man TT( TT 2014 is already booked and paid for, yay!), 2 euro tours including riding the nurburgring and lots of ride outs all over the country. I've ridden bikes for over 25 years, they're a passion a bit like playing the guitar. Good on the OP for getting into biking and good luck. You WILL love it. The sense of freedom it gives just can't be acheived in a car. For example, touring Europe on your lonesome and doing some camping:

Anybody considering a bike, if you can do it. Life's too short etc. Enjoy it while it lasts.

holnrew · December 2013

cruxiform said:

I've got a Y2K Honda Fireblade 929 which is my baby. Been to the Isle of Man TT( TT 2014 is already booked and paid for, yay!), 2 euro tours including riding the nurburgring and lots of ride outs all over the country. I've ridden bikes for over 25 years, they're a passion a bit like playing the guitar. Good on the OP for getting into biking and good luck. You WILL love it. The sense of freedom it gives just can't be acheived in a car. For example, touring Europe on your lonesome and doing some camping:

Anybody considering a bike, if you can do it. Life's too short etc. Enjoy it while it lasts.

OK, that's me convinced.

octatonic · December 2013

Me too- but no camping.

I'm sure they have hotels now in Europe.

cruxiform · December 2013

Of course and they're a lot cheaper than the UK but I like camping too. I go to the Eifel region in Germany and stay in a hotel there for about £35 a night half board. Amazing value. However, when I did my tour in September the weather was 28-30 degrees every day and camping was a pleasure. Waking up in the Black Forest and breathing in the mountain air was wonderful.

octatonic · December 2013

Hehe- just joking.

I can't wait to get my bike and the summer to arrive.

cruxiform · December 2013

I'm excited for you

littlegreenman · December 2013

Very tempted to hire a nice bike next time I go across the pond to Canadia. I imagine riding along roads like this would be rather nice (was ace enough in a car!).

https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/166939_2189457128190_1216590785_n.jpg

cruxiform · December 2013

Looks nice but where's the bends?

littlegreenman · December 2013

cruxiform said:

Looks nice but where's the bends?

About 200 miles up the road, when you hit the mountains

Misterg · December 2013

Trouble with roads like that on a bike is that there is only one thing to do - nail it. That gets very illegal very quickly, and the novelty doesn't last for long. Otherwise they are boring as hell.

What you want is miles and miles of this:

http://www.bestbikingroads.com/route_images/916_DSCF0081.jpg

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