Motorcycle

Chuck Branscomb · **Posted:** Thu Jan 27, 2011 10:18 am

Robert Goodwin wrote:

Chuck Branscomb wrote:

Vincent Keene wrote:

If you are going to ride a bike, off-road is the best bet.

...and when you do that when you're young, woods racing, motocross, hare scrambles, have some serious offs at times, you get to "enjoy" the aftereffects later as you age (i.e. lower back, neck, etc).

Chuck, I feel your pain. My lower back is not the best. Lack of core strength is an issue also. I don't know if it was moto-x or the 8 million golf balls I hit after age 16. I just feel that this is my last hurrah (sp?) and at 53, if I don't do some of this stuff now.....

Robert,

I know I would be dangerous to myself if I got back into off-road biking. Internally, in my brain, nothing has changed since I was 16. When I got the CanAm running again a couple of years back, I was crossing up on a hump I jumped over in the yard and pulling 3rd and 4th gear wheelies all the way up the backyard into the driveway within 3 minutes of getting it warmed up. However, I'm sure that given a tad more time, 30 years of muscle aging, even in good shape, would result in a brain-muscle mismatch that would make me forever regret getting on the thing.

Be careful...if you're like me, your "young" internal self will come roaring out once you saddle up. An off at 16 is likely a lot different to one at 52 (my age) as I can manage to hurt my neck disc just trying to tighten a bolt really hard these days. :oops:

Richard Casto · **Posted:** Thu Jan 27, 2011 4:42 pm

Chuck Branscomb wrote:

Be careful...if you're like me, your "young" internal self will come roaring out once you saddle up.

This reminds me of those videos you see on "Americas Funnies Videos" in which you see some women who in a previous life was a cheerleader trying to pull off a flip of some type in the yard (to show the kids how it's done!) and then failing badly.

Robert Goodwin · **Posted:** Thu Jan 27, 2011 9:27 pm

Chuck, I experienced this recently. My daughter and I went to the gym and ended up shooting basketball. My mind was still dunking and my body was barely touching the rim. I was thinking like I was 30 and still athletic and my body just wouldn't respond. I think that my throttle hand might be connected to the rational side of my brain. I seem to be somewhat reasonable with my Subaru. Even as a teenager I was pretty conservative and can only show you evidence of stitches in two spots. I would like to get together sometime and talk bikes. We seem to have similar pasts. I would love to have a retro riding day sometime. I wish I could rent a CR125 or 250 for a few hours. I still remember that sound. Cheers!

Robert Goodwin · **Posted:** Thu Jan 27, 2011 9:29 pm

Robert Goodwin wrote:

Anybody know about these? http://raleigh.craigslist.org/mcy/2175860530.html

He's coming down on his price. Give me strength.....

Keith Vail · **Posted:** Fri Jan 28, 2011 10:01 am

Robert Goodwin wrote:

I wish I could rent a CR125 or 250 for a few hours. I still remember that sound. Cheers!

Yamaha and KTM still make 125 and 250 2 strokes. So you always have the option of buying a modern 2 smoker. Everytime I see an article on them it is always raving about how much fun they are compared to the modern 4 stroke bikes.

Chuck Branscomb · **Posted:** Fri Jan 28, 2011 10:23 am

Keith Vail wrote:

Robert Goodwin wrote:

I wish I could rent a CR125 or 250 for a few hours. I still remember that sound. Cheers!

Yamaha and KTM still make 125 and 250 2 strokes. So you always have the option of buying a modern 2 smoker. Everytime I see an article on them it is always raving about how much fun they are compared to the modern 4 stroke bikes.

A highly tuned 2-stroke is extremely addictive for sure. My old CanAm 125 has a rotary valve intake, so it doesn't load up like other hot 125s of that era when off the powerband (ala CR125), and the intake timing is tuned to deliver "that hit" from something like 7000-10,000 rpm. As long as you "keep it on the pipe" (ancient lingo referring to staying in the powerband which on a 2-stroke is highly dependent on the tuning of the exhaust expansion chamber), you just grab gear after gear after frantic gear. Off the powerband it is mushy and weak. Peak hp was something like 24hp which was HUGE for a 125 back 35 years ago (still is I guess for a 7.5 cu.in. engine).

Keith Vail · **Posted:** Fri Jan 28, 2011 10:45 am

Chuck Branscomb wrote:

Peak hp was something like 24hp which was HUGE for a 125 back 35 years ago (still is I guess for a 7.5 cu.in. engine).

Don't ask what my CR125 engine is rated at on the kart if you think 24 is still a strong number.

Hint: The builder rates my engine at more than 10 hp stronger than 24.

Chuck Branscomb · **Posted:** Fri Jan 28, 2011 10:53 am

Keith Vail wrote:

Chuck Branscomb wrote:

Peak hp was something like 24hp which was HUGE for a 125 back 35 years ago (still is I guess for a 7.5 cu.in. engine).

Don't ask what my CR125 engine is rated at on the kart if you think 24 is still a strong number.

Hint: The builder rates my engine at more than 10 hp stronger than 24.

Yeah, I see the KTM 150 (143.6 cc) puts out 39HP. Simply amazing, isn't it? 8.6 cu in engine peaking at 39hp. Let's see, that would be similar to a 350 cranking out 1587HP.

clinehall · **Posted:** Fri Jan 28, 2011 11:07 am

Vincent Keene wrote:

Aaron Buckley wrote:

Even though I think motorcycles are cool, I enjoy walking/living way too much to own one.

- AB

Same here. Every time a see a deer (which is VERY often where I live) I imagine what would happen were I to collide with one if I was on a bike. It scares me when I see one drivig the Miata!

With so many idiots on the road, a bike vs. ANYTHING...the bike and it's rider are guaranteed to be the loser.

Sorry, but I feel safer on a 1 mile race track with 100 other cars. At least I have a roll cage and safety harness.

I think Robert has the right idea. If you are going to ride a bike, off-road is the best bet.

I hear all that, but life is full of risks and we chose which ones are worth taking. I quite snow skiing when I went into an infirmery at a ski resort and realized what percentage of people break bones. Reward was not worth the risk.

I have had a bad accident with a dog, so statisctically speaking I shouldn't have to worry about anothe animal. Still I do not ride near dusk or in the dark during deer season when they are in rut.

I am also the most defense rider ever. I do not follow you closely because I can't see what is in front of you (learned that after swerving to miss a huge turtle somebody hit in front of me) I do not ride beside you or in your blindspot and I don't take the bike out of gear at stop lights and keep one eye on the girl with the cell phone getting ready to rear end me. Also ATGATT (all the gear all the time) Yes if somebody crosses the center line they might kill me, just like the guy got killed in Greenville this week in his expedition, difference is I might have a better chance of avoiding on my bike.

All that said, the other night .afterI had posted about getting a cafe racer to ride to work , I was thinking I didn't feel safe in my car with all the idiots, why would I want to ride a motorcycle!

Final word, if someone is thinking of riding they need to take the motorcycle safety course, no matter how profecient they think they are. I could go on and on but I have to work sometoday!

Chris Landi · **Joined:** Mon Mar 08, 2004 6:31 pm **Posts:** 579

My KX250 supposedly had 53hp*. 213lbs. made for fun acceleration.

*Kawasaki's published spec in the owers manual.

Pete Guthrie · **Posted:** Fri Jan 28, 2011 7:01 pm

dirt bike with diesel single cylinder engine. non turbo.. military bike..
can burn jp8 or diesel fuel .

http://www.hayes-dt.com/vehicle-m1030-m2.php

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