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A couple of weekends back on November 5th, Sloan's Motorcycles and ATV Superstore held a demo ride event featuring their remaining 2011 Aprilia and Moto Guzzi street bikes as well as a couple of Vespa scooters. Johnny and I as well as Kevin and Gerald from our forums planned on making the scene for a chance to saddle up on some Italian hardware. Johnny and I each wrote out reviews and they have been combined into this unified article. As the article progresses we'll denote who is "speaking".
So enough already right? Let's get to it.
Brandon:
Kevin met up with Johnny and I in the morning for a "brisk" ride in some dense fog out the the 'Boro from Old Hickory. We arrived a bit before 10:00 am, signed the necessary paperwork, and hunted down some coffee before finally heading out the parking lot. About a dozen other riders joined us in circling the demo machines like sharks ready to feast. This would be the order of the day as one basically just stood near the bike one wanted try out, with jacket on and helmet in hand, ready to pounce on the ride of your choice.
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Last Updated on Monday, 21 November 2011 15:00 |
 Below I have put together a list of bikes I would recommend as a "First Bike" for new motorcyclists. This list is based on bikes that hold a decent retail value and are a good used bike value. Current recommendations do not include any of the Chinese motorcycles as most of them are copies of some bikes on the list and do not have the reliability of the name brands. Parts can also be hard to obtain and much more expensive as well. Pay special attention to the title to make sure you are buying the real thing and not a Chinese copy. There are also many other bikes not listed that make good first bikes, and any bike should be looked at on a case by case basis to ensure that you are getting a bike that is right for you. Make sure the bike fits you without modifications. If a bike is not the correct height, style etc. you will not be comfortable, so make an informed decision and get help if needed to make sure that the choice you make will be one you will not regret. Some bikes on this list were only produced for limited years such as the CM450 Rebel with a three year production, or the VT500 Ascot with a two year production. This does not affect the quality or parts availability of these popular bikes. And parts for most of the bikes listed are still readily available.
Most bikes on this list can be purchased relatively inexpensively and will hold a good value for later resale sometimes allowing your first bike to be a very inexpensive riding proposition. Insurance on one of these bikes will normally be $150 per year or less depending on your age, driving record etc. How much might I have to spend to get a bike that is listed? Well that will depend on year, condition and which model. Bikes listed below could range from a low of $800 to $2000 (Newer Models might be much more) but you can usually expect to find a good bike in decent mechanical shape for about $1500 or less and sell it for a similar amount when it is time to upgrade. Hit the Read more link to see the list.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 November 2010 12:21 |
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 Finally ready for "prime time" is our first motorcycle video review. For this review I got to take a test ride on Triumph's Street Triple R. The "R" is the premium version of the Street Triple which adds upgraded suspension, brakes, and some other goodies.
"With 105 horsepower on tap in such a small and lightweight bike one might assume that the street triple can be a real handful, but quite the opposite is true. In fact I'll dare to say that the street triple engine is nearly devoid of character. But don't get me wrong. I feel that character in a bike engine is typically a quirk, something one gets used to dealing with and indeed we feel we appreciate it."
We'd like to thank Jan Taylor at Castle Powersports for providing the opportunity to take the Street 3 for a spin. For more info about this bike you can call Jan at 615-851-4403.
Click the image to watch the video or just simply click here to start it up.
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Last Updated on Saturday, 23 October 2010 16:35 |
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Well Johnny and I have been working on the XR over the past couple of weeks to get it ready for riding and the first stage of fixes and such have been completed. To start with you can see that nearly everything above the triple clamp has been replaced. The handlebars have been replaced with a set of MSR bars ($24.99) from Cycle Ger. They were pretty wide at first but I have cut them down by and an inch and half to make them more manageable in tight areas. Both the brake and clutch levers and perches are new pieces from MotionPro ($21.95 ea) and were purchased over at Castle Powersports. Thanks go to Norm at Cycle Gear for finding them for me over there since he didn't have them in stock and he knew I was in a hurry to get them. The grips ($9.99) were replaced while I was at it and they came from Cycle Gear as well.
Now I needed a plastic side cover for the right side of the bike as it covers the muffler and without something over it could easily burn one's leg. While Johnny and I were at the Vintage Bike show at Barber he found a cover that we could "make fit" for only $3.00. Boasting a large number 7 on it, it was cut to shape (roughly) and attached with a set of zip ties. It may not be very pretty but it works perfectly.
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Last Updated on Friday, 22 October 2010 09:38 |
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Well, I bit the bullet. You see Johnny's been pushing me to get a dirt bike for months and this week I found one. It's old, rusty, and is missing a few few bits, but it runs and has plenty of potential (and torque it turns out!). Let me introduce my new to me 1980 Honda XR200. The XR200 engine is a 195cc, 2 valve OHC mill and it is mated to a 6 speed tranny. The XR has some serious wheels with an 18" rear wheel and a huge 21" hoop in the front. Both front and rear braking duties are handled with expanding (drum) brakes both of which need some rather serious effort to slow things down, but it is a dirt bike and how often does one use the brakes anyway, right?
The 1980 model was the first year for the XR200 (not to be confused with the later XR200R) and was the only year it came with a speedometer and a rear toolbag behind the seat, which is conspicuously absent on my bike. No matter though, as the speedo cable was broken on this bike right where it connects to the sensor at the front wheel and since one really doesn't require a speedometer for an off road bike, I think the whole gauge will get chucked. That leads me to the next point which is what needs to be done to get her ready for riding.
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Last Updated on Monday, 04 October 2010 09:43 |
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Here's the latest in our July is Bribes Month contest.
Much has been said recently by both enthusiasts and the moto-press about the death of the Buell Motorcycle Company, at the hands of its parent, Harley-Davidson. Love them or hate them, with the Buell factory in East Troy, Wisconsin cleared to the bare walls, the American made sportbike is extinct. Or is it?
Buell's beginnings were humble - a single, driven individual, with a dream, engineering ability, and a belief that there was a better way forward than the Japanese or European status quo was offering. Through hard work, determination, and a fair amount of good luck, the company grew.
Today there are several American motorcycle manufacturing startups that share much of the core that Buell started with. These are very small companies that are now building bikes mostly by hand, and to order. The dream of the American sportbike is still alive and well in these firms, however, and success and growth could be right around the corner for any of them.
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Last Updated on Thursday, 22 July 2010 23:27 |
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A beautiful morning to ride my St Bob, and I’m heading South on Old Hickory towards The Loveless to meet up with friends for some biscuits and a ride down the Trace, there’s almost no traffic this morning but I’m approaching the light at HWY70, it’s red. Usually I hate red lights but as I pull up next to a Norton that is already sitting there, I notice it’s being ridden by this little wrinkly old lady…I’m betting she didn’t top 5 foot and was at least 70+. I smile, thinking, “How awesome, I wanna be HER someday!” Then she turns and smiles back, the biggest smile I’ve ever seen and says, “When I grow up, I’m going to get me a big girl bike too!”
I laughed so hard I almost dropped my bike…and more than a year later thinking about that wonderful lady makes me smile and hope that when I grow up, I’m just like her!
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 06 December 2011 14:10 |
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