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Motorcycle questions

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It's not that all 2-strokes make twice the power, but the way it's delivered. %50 of the time a piston is moving, it's on a power stroke .vs %25 of the time for a 4 stroke.

They also have less moving parts, and are generally lighter. I would say they are less complex, but they aren't as when you get into port heights and duration and crankcase volume there are a lot of things to take into consideration. However, it's really nice when the entire top end of your motor is about 4 parts......
 
Are there such things as used motorcycle dealers? Sort of like, used car dealers, but with motorcycles. I would be so easy to go to one place that has a whole bunch of used bikes, rather than go from person to person.
 
There used to be a few in CA, but they all went out of business. You can look in your area for a cycle salvage yard, and they generally put together a few bikes to sell. Your best bet to see a few bikes is at a dealership, but be ready for them to up-sell you to a new bike, or a bike out of your price range. Bikes at a dealership also have a "pack" on them because the dealship has to do saftey inspections, and fix anything that is broken on them before they can sell them. And when they do sell them, they generally like to make money from it (it helps keep their lights on..).

Private would be the easiest, but make sure you get a clean title with no liens on it. Salvage titles can be ok, so long as the bike was put back together correctly, but make sure that you understand a salvage title REALLY cuts down on the value of the bike.
 
CA usta have a good one called Bert's Motorcycle Mall in Irwindale (or closeby) but that place sold out is now a ripoff pos imo. (and it's mostly sport, sorry)
 


<< Are there such things as used motorcycle dealers? Sort of like, used car dealers, but with motorcycles. I would be so easy to go to one place that has a whole bunch of used bikes, rather than go from person to person. >>

I can't speak for your area, but there are quite a few places here in NW Ohio where I can go for used motorcycles. I've found that a lot of places that sell new bikes will keep a few used models around, after all, people do trade in bikes just like cars. Also, motorcycle repair shops will generally have some used bikes sitting around as well, so check the repair shops too. I'm going to reccommend an older Honda Nighthawk 450 or an older Magna again, but as I've said, this is just my preference. I got my '82 Nighthawk 450 for $650. It came with a helmet, a cover, and when I bought it, it had 3,500 miles on it. Find a friend who knows a bit about bikes and have him look over any bike you're considering, they will know what to look for and generally won't be as biased as a salesman.

ZV
 


<< Aprilia RS50

It's only 50cc, listed as a scooter (low ins rate) and it's a screamer.

Actually, it's not a great starter bike but I have it bad for that little basterd. Hopefully getting one soon.

You like cruisers, standards or sportbikes? >>



Theres also the 125 version of what you suggest, as well as my preference the Honda NSR 125. People say 'Wth? 125 cc? no way!!!' but then again, it will do 70mph while restricted. Lose the restrictions and it can do 100mph, which is fast enough for any freeway. Except maybe the ones in Germany 😉
 


<< CA usta have a good one called Bert's Motorcycle Mall in Irwindale (or closeby) but that place sold out is now a ripoff pos imo. (and it's mostly sport, sorry) >>



yea, there's Bert's off of the 10 fwy in LA... off of Azusa Avenue, you head north, and it will be on your left hand side a few blocks down.
 
You won't have any problems when passing big rigs. I should know. I live in oil-rig country. Those mammoth oil-rigs are HUGE. I routinely has one pass me by on 2-lane highways, with both of us traveling 65+MPH. No problems at all. When I see a big-rig coming, I tuck down really good (the front of my jacket touches the fuel tank) and I then let up the tension on the handlebars. If you know the proper methods to control your bike, you'll glide right by without even feeling a blast of wind. With a sport bike, the idea to gain the least amount of wind drag is to make you and the bike as one, smooth piece.

If you get the Ninja 250, you'll want to mod it. The stock suspension totally sucks. I bought a used EX500 rear-shock from a scrap yard and slapped that onto my 250. The 500's shock has adjustable preload, whereas the 250's doesn't. The 500's shock fits right onto the 250 without any mods. It'll increase the heigth of the rearend, which will decrease the bike rake. If I remember right, you want 27 degrees of rake, and a stock 250 has 30 degree. By changing the shock and raising the front forks, you'll get 27 degree of rake. This all makes the bike turn even better.

Those that are interested in the Ninja 250, check out: www.ninja250.net
You can find me there, along with other very helpful folks.
 
Boberfet :Major Eye Roll: It's not a dirtbike, the KLR 250 is a Dual Sport, and the YZF could not pull away more than 10 feet from it.


Let's see other bikes ( that were not Dual Sports or Dirt Bikes... A Buell. I really don't like sport bikes since there is not much one can do with them, that can't be done more comfy on other bikes.
 
Kawa Dual Sport

That's not a dirt bike? A dual sport is a street legal dirt bike, why split hairs? Especially when you're comparing the output of a 250 dirtbike/dual sport to a 250 like a Rebel.

The KLR250 will leave a Rebel in the dust. I'm not denying that. But he's not looking for a dirtbike.
 
LA cyclesports? CRAP! I know the guys over at Del Amo and everyone there is the best. If we are advertising dealers this would be the one I talked about. Jeff is the service manager and he is a great guy who cuts through the bull. (I guess it doesn't hurt that I worked there for a while, and helped build their showroom...... hehehehe..
 
There's another good used (see previously crashed) dealer in Orange County.

Fastlane Cycles. Those fscker are crazy tho. Watch out for flying motorcyclists and crazy-@ss turbo-charged pickups screaming out of their driveways.😀
 
No a Dual Sport is not a dirt bike.. It's a dual sport, and it's not splitting hairs at all.

They are made to be 70% road 30% off road. I am sure someone on a CR would take great exception to you calling it a "dirt bike". Enduro... ok... 🙂


I understand what it is he wants, I am trying to point out a lot of misconceptions ppl have about displacement and what they need tis all.


BTW tanx for the pic... But I could just go to my garage to see one 😉
 
Not to beat a dead horse, but...

Put turn signals, mirrors and a headlight on a dirtbike and voila! Dual sport!

How is that so hard for you to see?
 
Well, then forget it, since you obviously have no idea what the difference is, if you think that all there is to it.

*sigh*
 


<< Not to beat a dead horse, but... Put turn signals, mirrors and a headlight on a dirtbike and voila! Dual sport! How is that so hard for you to see? >>




well that will work in all other states execpt CA.. remember emmision reuirements are needed to get onroad.. though you dont need preiodic emmision tests like cars.. but you do need to have the initial emmision test to get the plates.
 
I have a question about buying a used bike from a private party... what exactly does a salvage title mean? There's a way to get it removed by having some sort of inspection done, right? My friend is selling a '98 CBR 600 F3 for pretty cheap, but it has a salvage title. He says that it was a theft recovery, and the only thing that needed to be fixed was the ignition... does that sound legit? That seems like a pretty minor thing to have a salvage title for, but I don't even know what a salvage title really means... what I think of when I hear a salvage title is a bike that has been crashed, but has been rebuilt and runs like new... is that correct? Man I hate being a newbie 😛
 
Salvage title means at one time the F3 was in a wreck so bad the insurance company gave the bike a totalled title. The insurance company usually will sell the frame to a salvage company who rebuilds the bikes. The bikes get inspected by Highway Patrol or DOT. If the rebuild is safe, the title is changed from totalled to salvaged. I don't think you can change the salvaged title.


JohnLee, TheGoodGuy, where you guys live? I'm in Walnut, CA. Maybe we can get together and ride someday.




-Jimbo
 
Nope, you can't change a salvage title - once salvaged, always salvaged. That may not be a horrible thing, if the bike is really in good shape (have this verified by a mechanic or two) but just be aware that the resale of the bike is zilch, and many people would never buy a salvage. So it limits your resale options. Now, if you can pick it up for a song ....

I'm amazed that we have had a decent motorcycle discussion w/out it degrading into a squidfest! Some great advise for you here Way Cool, you'll do fine, take the MSF, ride what they have, go to several dealer and just look over what the new bikes are (specs, looks, fit/comfort, etc). That will help you decide what used bike you might want. And what style - crusier, sport, standard. Just remember there is a huge difference in the way crusiers and sport bikes act - as far as weight, handling, ride, etc. Standards are nice because they really combine the best of crusiers and sport bikes into a nice, good everyday ridable package.

I note that we have seen a few people in here who road race or haved road raced - what tracks and what org? I'm running with WERA right now, in HW Twins. Won a few, lost a few. Had some great dices though, nothing quite like it!! 😎 I'm thinking about running the Aprilia 250 cup next year - how different could you get, jumping of a Duc 916 onto a 2-smoker?
 
Jimmygates> I live in Glendale, JohnLee works in Glendale, but I dont know where exactly he lives though, somewhere in los angeles is probably the answer.

Yeah we should meet up and ride.. it would be fun.. though with me on the freeway I tend to go slower.. because there are grooves on teh freeway around here. I hate them, smooth roads I will go above 65.
 
BunManGo: There is no harm buying that salvage title, however you got to make sure everything is alright before you buy it. When your eventually goign to sell it depending on its condition you may even get more than you paid for.

I know a guy who crashed his Suzuki SV650S and had major damage on it, it was at the dealer, had the bike written off for the scrap yard, got the check and had the bike bought back from the scrap yard and rebuilt the bike himself for a lesser price than what the insurnace gave him as the dealer quote. Sure his bike isnt shiny cause there are some parts he is yet to replace (its got scratch marks on it), the dealer would have replaced those when fixing it but that would have pushed it beyond the bike's worth. Technically his bike has got a salvage title, but the only salvage done was to replace teh fueltank, the handlebar mounts and the windsheild. The bike runs awesome now.. infact some of teh dealership guys chipped in to get the bike running again.

 


<< Is this a good start bike? If so, is this a good deal? The price is $2795. http://www.deerhorncycles.com/kawasaki/k99en5.htm >>



bike looks decent.. but why are you getting a bike from CA when there should be some in TX that you can get them from... The bike is an LTD 500, its got the engine from the Ninja500R, and its pretty peppy. I would get it. Not too many cruisers have a 60Hp starting point.

 
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