Nothing wrong with that Brian. You probably wouldn't get to work a lot quicker if you had a Firestorm, and it must be costing you a whole lot less.
Sorry to hear the 2-stroke news, although that's hardly surprising from this lot. BTW, if passive smoking is so bad, what about passive motoring?
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Two strokes are not illegal, they are still available new. Yamaha's long running DT125 is still popular with the off road crowd. They are not made in the larger engine sizes anymore because they have trouble meeting US emmision laws. Bimoto brought out a high performance 500cc two stroke in recent years, unfortunately it died an early death because the engine was dire owing to fueling problems IIRC.
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Re tyres, my newly aquired ZRX1100 (mentioned at the beginning of the thread) has a Dunlop D204F 120/70 on the front and, just fitted when I got it, a Bridgestone BT020 180/55 on the rear.
I have always had matched sets on bikes before and have always tried to do so on cars however thinking about it the two tyres on a bike are doing a very different job therefore as long as each tyre is doing it's job well and the bike feels well balanced I guess there should be no problem.
Any thoughts?
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>>Any thoughts?
I take the point about performing two different jobs, but..(bearing in mind that I know nothing about tyres and haven't ridden bikes for some time).....
I would have thought that the rubber compound would make a difference to behaviour. If you have matched tyres I would assume that wouldn't hurt, but is there not a possibility that two different tyres might behave slightly difference on temperature/surface ?
Secondly, I would have thought that a manufacturer would have designed each of their tyres to behave at its best with another of their tyres. Would that mean that they would behave at less than their best with another ? ?
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Mark is right. On a bike of that size and power the tyres should be matched. You just don't know how a non-matched pair will behave e.g. in the wet. Junk them and fit Metzlers. The difference in handling is astounding.
Dunlops tend to run with a fairly hard compound. Bridgestones I don't know although they are not rated very highly for grip amongst my local bike community.
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The 020 is a sports/ touring type tyre I think, and as long as the Dunlop is not an out and out sports, I can't see a problem personally.
I used to mix and match for years with no problems, although I have to say that I now change the tyres in pairs, and have beautiful handling for the first 3000 miles or so as the tyres are matched for wear. It usually looks like you are throwing a decent front away doing this, but the side walls on the front are usually quite badly stepped by the time the back is worn out.
Reggie
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Hi Guys,
I had Dunlops on my ZX7R with no probs, the D204F is a sports tyre where as the Bridgestone BT020 is a sports/touring tyre, the 020 has had excellent reports (as had the 014 supersports tyre).
Reckon I might get a new 020 front to match the rear, thanks for the thoughts.
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I've also never had a problem mixing tyre makes. Fronts always last longer so get used with whatever reasonably priced rear I can get at the time.
Have even used Tomahawk re-treads. You can specify the carcas they come on ie Michelin/Dunlop etc if you like the charecteristic of a particular make. The sport compound they do are really sticky but rears wear out in 2000 miles on my TL1000. The last Avon rear only lasted 2500 so no a lot in it.
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I have to agree with Growler here - as that little footprint of rubber is all that is keeping you on the road you need the best and matched tyres.
I always fitted Metzlers - as he says , the difference in handling was astonishing . I always found them reasonable on price as well.
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Although of course it is "better" and "lower risk" to fit a matched pair manufactured from the same range, fitting tyres from different ranges, perhaps from different manufacturers, is not always "wrong" or illadvised. I used to work with a guy who did exactly this on on his early eighties Honda CBX 1000 six cylinder machine because there was a particular "unmatched" combination that he found actually aided handling. BTW he has owned this machine from new, and still has it today.
A lot of factors affect behaviour, and rubber compound isn't the only important one. Especially on a bike, tyre profile (and by this I mean the radius and rate of change of curvature across the tread) is another one that is especially important.
Me? I indeed play safe and run a matched pair of Michelin Pilot Sports on my Hornet. 130/17x16 on the front and 180/55x17 on the rear. Many Hornet 600 riders (both >2000 like mine on 16 inch front rims and 2000+ on 17 inch front rims) replace these OEM tyres with Bridgestone 014s, but as always I speak as I find; the Pilot Sports are a brilliant tyre thats suits my riding style and usage of the bike perfectly, and which cost and wear out in a manner acceptable to my wallet!
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You are right JBJ.
The bike will top 70mph but the only place I could (legally) do that is on a 2 mile stretch of the M11 where 4 days out of 5 the traffic is nose to tail at 20 anyway.
Otherwise it's 30, 40, 50 and 60 limits.
And I get 90mpg, four litres for a day.
By the way, missed the CB200 Benly from the list. Smashing little bike but with 6 volt electrics and a 35 watt headlamp the technique for travelling down the A12 from Colchester to Chelmsford in the winter evenings was to wait to be overtaken by something doing around 50mph and follow their tail lights.
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Thanks to a little help from some Backroom friends, I am now registered to post within the HJ group at MSN.
Promised Harley photos now published at groups.msn.com/honestjohn/harleysmorethanjustabike...w
Enjoy!
Growler - I hope the bikes are up to scratch!
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Growler,
Interested to read the comments.
I've always had Metzelers on my BMWs but just got a pair of Bridgestone Battlax BT020 to replace the Metzeler MEZ04s on my R1150R. Was happy with the old tyres but swapped on recommendation from other owners.
--
I wasna fu but just had plenty.
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As SJB says, it is the mismatching of profiles that cause the main problems on a bike. The more sports orientated a tyre is, the sharper the profile to allow it to bank into a turn quicker. If you put a sharply profiled sports tyre on the rear and a less aggressive sports touring on the front you risk inducing a dangerous degree of understeer.
My last pair were the oft used Brdgestone BT 010/020 combination which I never liked. The stickier 010 on the front caused the rear to step out a few times when I hit a corner a little too hot. Tyres are carefully matched by the manufacturer, the front being stickier than the rear but only by enough so as not to unbalance the bike. Mismatching is not a problem in normal riding, but when you corner a little more aggressively than you intended that's when it may bite.
I've just done 300 miles on a pair of Continental Road Attacks, and they are the best tyre I have ever used. They were confidence inspiring even during the running in period and bank into turns beautifully, sticking like glue. In magazine tests they have come out on a par with sports tyres for grip and sports touring for wear resistance, outlasting all the other makes on test. Continental claim to have achieved this by giving the tyre a larger footprint than their rivals, allowing them to use a softer compound without compromising wear.
Best bit was £134 the pair plus £15 for fitting locally. A hell of a lot cheaper than anything else.
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The more sports orientated a tyre is, the sharper the profile to allow it to bank into a turn quicker.
Hi Tom, not sure that I agree entirely, take the Bridgstones, the 014 super sticky supersport tyre is available in, for instance, a 190/50 rear though the 020 sports touring tyre is available in a sharper profiled 180/55. And of course visa versa, it is more the characteristics of the bike that lead to the ideal profile. The ZX7R for instance has a 190/50 as standard and is a superbly stable neutral steering bike however it will turn a bit quicker with a 180/55 fitted.
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Hi again Tom, meant to say that your comments re Contis are intersting, what bike (and tyre sizes) have you tried them on, also the £149 fitted is good, where was this?
Regards.
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Cheddar,
The bike is a GSX 750 Inazuma, not made since 03 and not widely sold in the UK. It is very similar to the Bandit, same wheels and many common cycle parts. The tyre sizes are 120/70 and 170/60, both ZR rated 17 inches.
I got the tyres from Busters, actually £138 including delivery. Had them fitted to loose wheels at the local ATS where they have the machine to balance bike wheels. I have heard some very favourable comments from other bikers about these tyres, which along with the magazine tests persuaded me to try them. If you find the continental website (I have lost the link) they have reprinted the reviews and they are very impressive. These are the first tyres I have ever used that felt ok from new, normally I am very nervous till I have about 100 miles under the wheels.
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Very tasty SjB. I like the one without mufflers. All the Harleys I know run muffler-less (the Philippine government has more pressing things on its mind than to worry about that) and as we know anyway "Loud Pipes Save Lives" and they really help to get you noticed in the maniac traffic.
Someone has just lent me a monster (it weighs 8kg!) history of HD written by the company's official historian and the richness of the company's history is amazing. We learn that both H & D were sons of British migrants and started their enterprise in a 5' X 10' foot shed loaned by one of their fathers, of the company's progress right through both WW years, the Depression and also what really happened at Hollister on July 4, 1947. As many of us know, LIFE magazine faked photographs of that affair for sensational purposes which have dogged bikers ever since and inspired the movie the Wild One. I haven't been able to get my head out of the book for 2 days!
Glad you enjoyed your trip.
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- We learn that both H & D were sons of British migrants and started their enterprise in a 5' X 10' foot shed loaned by one of their fathers -
So Harleys are really a British Bike then and not an American icon after all.....
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"So Harleys are really a British Bike.."
No wonder they vibrate, then! :-)
BTW, what did (allegedly) happen at Hollister, Growler? Pardon ignorance...
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JBJ - See thar attached link
www.cestcop.com/Holl.htm
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Re Harleys, should a bike be better to look at than to ride?, for me no, the ride is the main thing. However with a Harley it is style over function, dynamics take a back seat, they look great though a Yamaukiondasakucatprilla runs rings around them, then again maybe I just don't get it.
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No, Cheddar I am afraid you don't, but take comfort in knowing that I don't either. I have ridden countless "different" Harleys and while I do believe they are good at what they were designed to do (slow, laid-back cruising) almost all the other bikes in its segment can do the very same thing...for a lot less money.
What can't be accounted for is soul, or mystique or character or whatever one wants to call it. Some say that one can only get it from a Harley and that the extra cost is worth it. If you don't find the same "soul" or "character" in Harleys then you will never understand why people love them as much as they do.
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Not really my kind of bike, either, but I have to say that I'm glad they exist. It's very hard not to be impressed by the V-Rod (or the love and attention that some owners lavish on their Hogs).
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Ummm, don't mention the V-rod in the presense of other Harley owners. They don't consider it a Harley and wouldn't be seen dead on one. Figures that it would be the best performing (and best looking) street legal Harley ever produced.
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Oh, dear, Harleys have crept in and guess who started it? Sorry, all. Just a final blast from those unsilenced pipes then in all conscience I should retreat to my burrow.
Well I wouldn't write the V-Rod off quite in those terms. HD has to make strides towards diversification. Emissions and noise (sniff) regulations are catching up. It also needs to attract new market segments (it is not a high volume producer) who perhpas pass it by because of perceived outdated engineering (though it says something about a company that can be so successful selling "out-of-date" engineering!). My Harley tech is a good friend of mine, a Filipino is is factory trained and is the service manager for the UAE for the last 14 years. Twice annually he comes home and works over my group's bikes. I value his comments therefore. They include: electronics problems with the V-Rod, the marketing issue (someone with enough money for a Hog wants a "real" Hog, not this prissy-looking thing - his words), radiator road clearance, abnormal tyre wear. Undoubtedly all of these will get fixed with the passage of time, except the last and perhaps the most damning - "it doesn't sound like a Harley".
I have ridden a V-Rod briefly. It handled well, had loads of power, but when I got off I was left with that "so what"? feeling. By contrast today I'm riding downtown to watch the Lions get thrashed by the All-Blacks (?!). My departure is 2 hours away. I have already uncovered the Softail, polished up a few dull bits and I have, as I always have ahead of a ride on her, a tummy full of butterflies of expectation. No other bike made me feel like that.
Defining or crystallising all this into some form of logice for the innocent bystander has been oft attempted unsuccessfully by better than I, however I have two quotes I especially like, each end-of-the-spectrum.
1) A Harley is far more than a motorcycle in the usual sense. While others are regarded as devices for transportation, or for sports or leisure, or even as vehicles for displaying the latest technogical refinements, a Harley is a deeply emotional phenomenon, end quote. And not just for me. Every time we park up or get gas we have to allow "gawk-time" where we have to be nice to all sorts of people who come up just wanting to have a look and ask questions;
2) It has been said that the V-Twin's booming exhaust note at idle -- the result of both cylinders firing simultaneously -- replicates the human heartbeat and that's where the affinity comes from. Make of that what you will.
As for being slow, don't be so sure. My 88 cu in has the Screamin Eagle Stage 1 kit and goes respectably fast enough for me. Maybe I simply want to enjoy the ride anyway. Although I've revised my ambitions down a bit and the safer 95 cu in after-market cylinder kit is on its way from CA I hope next week as opposed to the 103.
The other great thing is the resale value. Hogs never go out of date, they seem to mature with age. A beautifully made chopper based on a 70's Shovelhead put together by a top-rate US mechanic pal just went for the equiv of about 17,000 pounds. I've been offered 95% of the price I paid for mine 3 years ago, admittedly with a a few extra $$ I've put into it. That's better than my stupid endowment policy has done! If evolution does eventually force the V-Twin production down, I'm going to buy up every one I can find! Better than the stock market.
Growler out (finally)
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Gee, after all that I think I might have to go out and buy one of the dame beasts ........ no, non, nicht, hope there is a Yamaha dealer on the way, or Ducati, or Kawasaki, or .......... BMW !
Every time we park up or get gas we have to allow "gawk-time" where we have to be nice to all sorts of people who come up just wanting to have a look and ask questions;
I had that with my just sold ZX7R (RR replica) Kawasaki green, classic superbike, don't reckon I would have got more attention if i had ridden up to the filling station on a V Rossi's Yam M1 Moto GP bike.
It has been said that the V-Twin's booming exhaust note at idle -- the result of both cylinders firing simultaneously -- replicates the human heartbeat and that's where the affinity comes from. Make of that what you will.
Reckon the old US v-twin would shake itself apart if it beat as fast as the heart of the guy gving an RI, 10R, 999, F1000 etc it's head.
That being said the ZRX is enough for me now days (the radical sports bikes need radical riding, I guess I am past that), it starts and runs as sweetly from cold on carbs as any fuel injected car, pulls like a train from 1500 in top though runs to 10500 if the need be and nearly rips your arms off around 8000.
As for being slow, don't be so sure. My 88 cu in has the Screamin Eagle Stage 1 kit and goes respectably fast enough for me.
True, warp factor by car standards.
Regards.
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"..a few dull bits"
That sounds improbable.
"Growler out (finally)"
And so does that!
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