We took one in on trade with 57k on the clock still ran pretty strong. As long as you do regular maintenance they will run a long time.

10/7/2010 9:45:54 PM

any recommendations for colder weather gear? my face and hands are getting a little chilly

10/10/2010 2:35:47 PM

trial and error

i've found that cost is a relatively weak indicator of effectiveness

10/10/2010 2:41:17 PM

^^ won't help face or hands, but Firstgear makes a stellar cold-weather suit. It's about $150 and will keep you warm in any weather you will ride in.

10/10/2010 2:47:42 PM

$150, eh?

If you have the time, direct link, plz.

I bought my dad a pair of these:

http://www.newenough.com/street/gloves/insulated_and_or_waterproof/alpinestars/c2_windstopper_motocycle_gloves.html

And I'm thinking about stealing them from him


For your head, just get a balaclava (spl?) like this:

http://www.newenough.com/street/helmets_and_eyewear/head_wraps_helmet_liners_other_accessories/hjc/coolmax_balaclava.html

$14. Done.

10/10/2010 4:49:29 PM

I just started riding on campus this semester and got a question for you guys. I came back outta class at Parks earlier this week, to find that my bike (parked by Poe) and two other bikes were blocked in by another bike. I got the last spot in this lot, and I guess this guy didn't want to walk from a farther spot. Either way, there was no way I could get out without (A) moving his bike, or (B) trying to jump the curb and ride down the sidewalk.

Coincidently, the other two guys who were blocked in were also leaving at the same time I was, so we were sitting there talking shit about that guy, and a few minutes later he showed up and moved his junk.

Long story short: What would you do in this situation?

10/12/2010 7:01:12 PM

road construction is such a bitch to navigate on a bike. got taken out by a car on gravel today. bike has some minor cosmetic issues but still 100% straight and ridable. wondering how my insurance will treat it since the guy fled the scene

10/12/2010 7:04:35 PM

^^I would, hypothetically, be the guy riding the white ex500 who commiserated with you about the butt fucker that blocked everyone in.

In related news, calmac spotted.

10/12/2010 7:08:54 PM

y'all say anything to him? I guess I'd have waited a minute or two for him and then just moved his bike myself

10/12/2010 9:09:02 PM

Calmac was in the process of writing a note to stick on his bike. He or I one would probably have moved the thing had the offending party not showed up and apologized before we decided to do so. Too little too late for courtesy though.

10/12/2010 9:14:43 PM

Gotcha, I've wondered this about parking in the Centennial deck, seems they're always at capacity for motorcycle parking and I see bikes doubled up in spaces all the time.

10/12/2010 9:26:59 PM

Yeah, I just thought it was a dick move, more or less. Especially since there are plenty of other lots around there.

Side note: How many people do you really want to run over when they walk out in the street with their damn iPod in, not paying attention to shit? Gotta be at least 5 a day, easy. Shit, I locked up the rear in front of Case yesterday cause some chick decided she didn't need to check traffic before she backed outta her spot.

10/12/2010 10:32:48 PM

just rode my R100RT from Raleigh back to my house in New Bern.

Only problem is that the brake light doesn't work, and I can't seem to remove the gas cap.

10/12/2010 10:46:06 PM

Does anyone in here ride dirt bikes?

I wanna check out Brushy mountain as soon as my buddy gets the go-ahead from his doc to ride again.

Is this place as confusing as the map makes it look, or could someone go there and find their way around fairly easily without a guide?

http://www.bmmspark.com/images/revisedMap2008-big.jpg

[Edited on October 13, 2010 at 10:48 AM. Reason : linked pic, it was huge...]

10/13/2010 10:47:29 AM

Anybody get a woodchip rain on their bikes? Just came down yarborough and saw where the RR had trimmed the trees and dirtied up everything parked by it.

10/13/2010 1:40:41 PM

^^never been there

have taken my dirt bike to NCMSP, busco, and motox park east. busco is a lot closer and is not too bad if you go on a weekday when there's not too many drunk asses on quads

10/13/2010 7:51:10 PM

I'm in lexington, so busco is pretty far from me. Ive heard the riding at Brushy is good, but that map is what has me worried.

10/13/2010 9:45:33 PM

got my first bike. single owner 1981 honda hawk. bike looks pretty excellent overall for its age. still very shiny and a good size to start on.

[Edited on October 13, 2010 at 10:01 PM. Reason : stock picture, but thats what it look like]

10/13/2010 10:01:29 PM

Awesome

Inline twin?

I have the big brother sitting outside

10/13/2010 10:25:13 PM

Quote :

"but that map is what has me worried."

you dont need no stinkin map

the trails should be marked, ideally with the direction of travel as well

10/14/2010 7:10:39 AM

Quote :

" should be"

hence, my question.

Just wondering if they actually are decently marked. no way i would stop and pull out a map at every turn.

10/14/2010 9:25:54 AM

someone (duke) buy this: http://www.ncsportbikes.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=25620 and hit the track with me sunday and monday

10/14/2010 5:07:52 PM

haha, why me?

at any rate, I could fine a clean title R6 in good, streetable condition for that price.



in other news, I've already put about 800 miles on my BMW in the 1 week that I've been back (and I haven't even been riding it to work, yet...been driving the S2000 and SV650).

Quote :

"$150, eh? If you have the time, direct link, plz. "

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/42/36/ITEM/Firstgear-Thermo-One-Piece-Suit.aspx?SiteID=CSE_Gbase_36&WT.mc_ID=80003&zmam=88421133&zmas=1&zmac=45&zmap=36

I've ridden in one of these on my naked SV650 with the temperature in the upper 20s.



[Edited on October 17, 2010 at 9:04 PM. Reason : ]

10/17/2010 9:00:54 PM

finished and passed my course today. just need to go to the dmv for my class m license and to title my bike.

i think the tires are really worn, but theres probably only a few weeks of riding left. guess i could ride on them then buy new ones in the spring. not sure how bad/good they are. mids relaly worn i think with decent tread on the side.shrug.

10/17/2010 10:15:31 PM

I picked up a 1973 cb175 super sport over the weekend as a semi-project. I need to work out some electrical kinks, clean the tank, tune the carbs and valves, change the oil, and give it a good bath. The body/paint is in pretty damn good shape, though. I'll post pics when I get back home to work on it next weekend. I'm so excited to blast around the curvy-ass Stokes County roads redlining that sumbitch in 5th, praying to break 70mph.

10/17/2010 10:18:22 PM

if you wear the right stuff, you can ride throughout the winter.

even if you don't want to ride when it's 35 degrees, you'll get plenty of days when it hits 60 degrees or whatever throughout the winter, and you can take the bike out for a while.

10/17/2010 10:18:56 PM

Yeah I ride all year long and my conclusion is this: Anything below 40 is going to suck unless you invest $texas in some serious shit that may work(I wouldn't know), but with minimal investment, you can be quite comfortable anywhere north of 40 degrees. At 45-50, it's not really even a losing battle anymore, temperature-wise. Wear nice gloves and keep your core warm and it's doable, if not easy, to ride comfortably during the winter. If nothing else, you can do so often enough to keep you from having to winterize your bike.

10/17/2010 10:28:02 PM

that Firstgear suit I posted the link to above will keep you warm in pretty much any temperature you'll see in NC. Get a fleece neck gaiter for $3 or whatever at Wal-Mart, and then it's just a matter of keeping your hands and feet warm. Good gloves will go a long way; heated grips are needed once it gets REALLY cold.

10/17/2010 10:37:11 PM

i live in wisconsin...im not riding in the -25 + windchill :p

10/17/2010 11:11:50 PM

haha, yeah that's a different ballgame

10/17/2010 11:28:15 PM

10/18/2010 12:04:49 AM

I've already called it quits on my commute until I get some winter gear. Riding 30 minutes on I40 at 45 degrees just isn't fun with a summer jacket.

I'm thinking something like Duke just posted (new and affordable) or a used Aerostich suit off of eBay.

10/18/2010 9:13:39 AM

Tourmaster also makes a similar suit. I think it's slightly more expensive, and arguably not as good looking. I can also vouch that the Firstgear suit WORKS. I've ridden for a half-hour in sub-freezing temps on several occasions with it.

Only complains are that it's kinda bulky (nature of the beast...not too bad for what it is), and if you have pointy sportbike footpegs, you can snag the legs on them and punch holes in your suit.

10/18/2010 11:20:04 AM

I got lucky and picked up this Hein Gericke suit at goodwill in excellent shape. I can't find any good reviews or price ranges for it new, as it's apparently only sold in W. Europe. It's basically a heavy-duty touring rig with about 7 saddlebags worth of storage, a removable liner, water/wind proof exterior, foam armor (Boo!) and draw strings everywhere to keep air out/in. It's not perfect, but it's a kick ass winter suit for $50.

10/18/2010 11:25:31 AM

Does the Firstgear offer any abrasion resistance?

10/18/2010 5:10:53 PM

ehh, not really...but i think it would offer some protection just due to its bulk. it isn't armored or anything like that, though.

10/18/2010 6:33:51 PM

just did VIR full today with smooches, the girl is pretty damn fast for it being her first time at the track and on her first bike (1000rr). I missed a shift on oak tree and she fucking left me on the back straight

[Edited on October 18, 2010 at 8:41 PM. Reason : most liter bikes leave my 636 in the straights unless i set them up in the turn before ]

10/18/2010 8:28:31 PM

thinking about ordering Goodridge kevlar brake lines and some really aggressive brake pads for the front of my SV650. Probably get it jetted, too.

I like the SV, and don't need any more power to have a good time. The handling is OK, too (especially after my fork work)...but the front brakes are inadequate. The best fix is to swap in a GSX-R front end, but I'd probably have almost as much in the conversion as I currently have in the bike, $-wise, haha. At that point, I'd rather just sell it and buy another rocket (which I'll do one of these days anyway, but if I can make the brakes halfway decent, I'll be satisfied with the SV for a while longer).

10/18/2010 10:43:10 PM

So I have about $1500 I'd like to throw in the way of a standard/sport/cafe racer as a first bike. Just something fun to ride on the weekend. Grew up riding dirtbikes but never really got into real ones. I know my price range is pretty low but I have a lot of experience wrenching on cars so a little bit of a fixxer upper wouldn't be terrible although I'd love to get a turnkey bike. Maybe an older yzf600 or similar, really something light and 2 wheeled . An old 70s Honda would make my day. One of my good buddies just got a $200 suzuki that he sunk $100 into and got a decently reliable bike - that would rock.

Didn't know if anyone on here knew of one for sale, i'm hunting on craigslist and have been on NCsportbikes. I guess it's getting to be the time of year to buy one.

[Edited on October 19, 2010 at 3:11 PM. Reason : s]

10/19/2010 3:08:38 PM

gs500's are dirt cheap and great starter bikes

10/19/2010 3:26:25 PM

^ Thanks, I'll stay on the lookout for some!

10/19/2010 4:21:52 PM

^^^ if you can come up with just a little more money, you'll have a number of SV650s to choose from.

10/19/2010 4:33:58 PM

I know, and I would love an SV650. I'll cross my fingers, it's just hard to make money while in grad school and jobless. Maybe I should start working Hillsborough.

10/19/2010 9:38:39 PM

SVs can be had for $1500, but it will probably be very tough to find one unless it's AFU.

10/19/2010 11:21:12 PM

SVs can be had for $1500, but it will probably be very tough to find one unless it's AFU.

10/19/2010 11:21:12 PM

Yeah, and being in vet school I have no time to fix something that's FUBARed

10/19/2010 11:40:51 PM

[Edited on October 19, 2010 at 11:45 PM. Reason : all I have from my hooligan days ]

10/19/2010 11:43:43 PM

Just save up another $500 and get a decent bike. I only spent 1500 on my first one and I've wanted to kick myself so many times for not just spending a little more, considering the amount of work it's needed. Not any major stuff, it's just little tweaks and tunes, tons of small stuff that adds up. I see 1st gen SV's in good shape going for around 2k all the time on SVRider. Save up and get one, you will not be disappointed, and you will be able to recoup most or all of your money if/when you upgrade.

10/20/2010 10:47:27 AM

you can get a good bike for $1500, especially in the winter, but you'll have to be very patient and search for a good deal.

10/20/2010 10:49:44 AM

Picked up a minty Buell XB12S yesterday. Glad to be back on a streetbike after a couple of years riding parking lots and not riding at all, and I always wanted to own a Ligntning. Hope to slap some tags on it this week and raise some hell while the weather is still warm. However, I will probably will stick to pleasure riding on the weekends now, and road trips. Fun just does not outweight the risk for commuting and night riding, esp. in the area where I am now.

10/20/2010 11:34:51 AM