off topic/ place to chat version 1.2

It's easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission. ;)

I'm excited for you!

really? heh. :) While ago I had the "dangers of riding" conversation with my father, and I couldn't give much of a consoling answer, because he used to ride motorcycles 15 years ago. Who would I be fooling? He's accepting my decision because of his old times and my age and nature as a person, but I think he's also afraid of my decision because of his old times. He got into pretty dangerous situations back then, and had to lay the bike down few times. Bruises and scrapes aren't fun, neither is the bill or time spent in hospital. And now the bikes are faster, so are the people on the road, not to mention they're dumber as well. So Tangie, I know your dad and brother rides too, but did he come to terms with your decision easily? what do you ride now? and what's your strategy on returning home safely?

I wonder what happend to Lyndon, did I end up getting a bike before him... hmmmm

So Tangie, I know your dad and brother rides too, but did he come to terms with your decision easily? what do you ride now? and what's your strategy on returning home safely?

My situation is a STRANGE one... When I was 16, my dad wanted me to get a bike as a "daily driver". I didn't like the idea. I didn't get my motorcycle license til I was 19. My dad (obviously) rode a lot, and still does. My mom rode her own bike, and wants to get back into it with a scooter (she's had 2 hip replacements, so swinging her leg over a real bike is not gonna happen).

My parents didn't really think much of it when I got my M-class license. My brother and I took the safety course together, both passed, and we both love to ride. Granted, he's FAR stupider than I am on the bikes, but what more can you expect from a 19 y/o male? I have a 600cc Yam (XJ600S aka Seca II aka Diversion) and my brother has an F3 CBR600.

As for returning home safely... I pretty much ride like a paranoid schizo. I envision scenarios in my head and plan my way out of them. You learn to anticipate what people are doing. It doesn't work ALL the time... sometimes people do stupid shit that I couldn't even dream up in a million years. You just have to make safety something that works on autopilot. It's there when you need it.

hey z when your explaining your actions to your mum (mom he he), highlight the safety aspects of the bike.

my dad shit bricks when i bought mine because of his past too.
BUT work the conversation in your favour
1) i said i wanted to get a good mountain bike instead. bad idea due to the roads i need to ride on

2) spent top dollar on safety gear. good thinking on my part and not just another dumb idea of mine

3) bought a bike with twin discs therefore good brakes. SAFETY FIRST!!!! more good thinking

4) cheap to run

5) old second hand bike....... not expensive to repair when dropped

but never ever refer to the power. "its ONLY a 600" is your best defense. also mum's (mom's) don't usually know shit about bikes (always exceptions like tange) so really push the safety side.

I've been having great success at finding parts on E-bay for my xs1100.

I found this mixed in with my search and thought you might like to see this.

Goto Ebay and find item #6354982334
if this link does not work
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=617&item=6354982334&rd=1
scroll down to the black area and under the orange picture look for the demo link....Enjoy!
Happy Next Year!

Hey all you two wheelie scoundrals....
Don't tell me I killed the thread with a link to that E-bay auction.

FYI I met with Z-fan last weekend and whacked his scooter with a hammer for him. It starts, runs hard, idles with only a minor "hunt". There was no real reason I could see to change the carb/intake boots. I did find the #1 cylinder-to-carb clamp out of position and the ground connection to the ignition coils was loose. He had taken it to a "pro/ shop" and I find it hard to beleive that they missed these simple things. The first thing I found right away is that it was only running on two jugs. (cyc#1+#2)
Inspection revealed the leak at the #1 clamp and the loose (almost non existant) secondary coil ground. I robbed a metric nut from my Porsche and we were half way there.
X-shoot to find that only one of the four sparx were performing to my satisfaction (two were dead out flat/no spark)... Suposedely just changed by the shop it had just come from. They did apear from the outside to be new.

Rear brake is inop. Rear tire.....bologna skin with a roofing nail stuck in it. These minor things did not stop me from a quick test flight. No other airworthyness items seemed to be realevant at this time. Z-fan has a tire on order, and I have been coaching him on ordering the correct parts for the Year/Make/Model. (rear master seal kit, rear caliper seal kit, pads)

All in all I think he got a decent set of training wheels although possibly the forumn's idea of 600cc or less might be edited to 450cc or less for a 1st ride... the 600 still has plenty of killing power. From Stuart, Florida due west is a real nice ride around Lake Okeechobee. A great place to learn to ride with minimal congestion but still enough traffic to teach the basics. Also the locals are more prone to "get there when they arrive" as opposed to being in a great rush to be late.

Ride safe/have fun!
Kurt

nah mate you didn't kill it!

i think its great that you managed to help out Z.

i found a site that has good minor how to info www.motorcyclistonline.com/howto/index

ps been riding in a bad/cool way recently.
pull myself up to sit on the tank and use the "oggy knobs" (sliders) as foot pegs. feels like a pocket bike. i do this because we are in summer and this way is much cooler to ride

i forgot......... ummm Gator .......i think your considered an enthusiast now

Gator: That's awesome you could help out Z!!! That's why I love AF... it somehow finds the more "normal" people (as opposed to psycho murderers and molesters and stuff) so that we have a world-wide network of really great enthusiasts!!!

Blayne: When the weather is nice and I am bored, I'll sit up on my tank, but I'm not brave (stupid) enough to kick my feet up... I usually swing them back and forth like I'm running. ;)

hey Z, you're coming up fast to the big 1000 posts. thought i'd help you along a bit. something useless to respond to.

also wonder what happened to the other aussies. lyndon and pete seemed to fall off the planet. both must have got girlfriends :grinno:

hey Z, you're coming up fast to the big 1000 posts. thought i'd help you along a bit. something useless to respond to.

also wonder what happened to the other aussies. lyndon and pete seemed to fall off the planet. both must have got girlfriends :grinno:
Girlfriends, or they found eachother. :eek:





That ought to get them back out here quickly! ;)

Oh yeah, hadn't noticed, but it's nowhere near Tangie. Which makes me wonder, when did she post so much?

I've been busy with college, plus on the weekends, Fabricgator helped me fix up the bike in his warehouse. He's a gem of a guy, very cool to talk to, magananimous and he knows so much - he's an Aviation Technician/Expert. We have the bike up and running now, just a little repairs/maintenance here and there left. We also got a special tour of his hangar and the aircrafts in it, unbelievably awesome. If it weren't for him, my bike would still be sitting inside my hangar, haha.