andreandre

I switched to a carb...i love it. More control more precision and prediction in the acceleration I dont know why.

Not as fast on 0 to acceleration tho. Can I fix that?

How about the idle? If its low I go slower right?

How about the idle? If its low I go slower right?

Not sure what you mean here..care to elaborate..

^I'm considering a KX450F and sticking to off road only.

This is my fourth set of tires on this bike, second set of MT60s. I slipped due to lube being on the tires, and admitted by the installer. There was no forward momentum for me to catch the slip. And as I lifted my feet onto the pegs roughly in tandem with applying throttle, add this with little, to no forward movement, then the result was obvious.

I hit a dog at 120kph, which threw me halfway off the bike but I kept control because I hammered the throttle just after impact. Does that make me a better rider than those that weren't as fortunate, or just plain lucky?

Re; only off roading......Fair enough call .....you have to go with your own gut feelings..

The incident with the new tyres? As you say...shops fault...shit happens....learn from it.

The dog?..Only you know the answer to that, but hey riding a bike is always going to be full of similar incidents..you survived to live/ride another day..next please...

Hope you make the right choice and ride on.....

My bad...was replying to OP mainly...but as i said, simply spending a couple of minutes buffing the tyres with coarse sandpaper is all that is needed...go fast/lean extreme basically as soon as you want...Should be compulsory for tyre fitters to do this or at least offer to...had one clown who didn't want to because he would lose some kilometers of tyre use.. proof that you can only help those who want to help themselves.

This is a myth and makes zero difference. The terminology of "scrubbing" in new tires, which wrongly implies that the surface of the tire itself needs to be scrubbed or abraded to offer traction. While this may have been the case long ago when manufacturers used a mold release compound, it most definitely is not the case today.

It's all about the heat. You're far better off using strong acceleration and braking forces, and using them while upright, not leaned over! Acceleration and braking forces impart far more flex to the tire carcass, which is what generates the heat that then transfers to the tread compound as well.

Go to any track day, NO ONE is getting out the sandpaper on new rubber. You do 1-2 warm up laps then you are good to go dragging your knees. All you need in a tire is heat for it to work. there is no such thing as a "break in period" nor has "mold release" been used for a long time on tires. Watch an Isle of man TT race once. they come in for a new rear and ride off at full bore and sometimes with a sticker still on the tire. that's becasuse they've been kept in tire warmers and they are ready for action at that point.

The OP slipped simply due to tire soap.

Not a myth at all for me in person and thats what counts!...It is a ritual i've always done and i know full well all that you have posted here.but even if its only mind over matter or not neccessary in your eyes , i'd guesstimate that i've had 100 new tyres fitted in my 700.000 klms road riding and not once ever have i dropped a bike because of slippery new tyres. I do think i realise the importance of heated tyres etc...

I know that new tyres mostly do not have mold release agent used, but by nature of being new they are very glossy..glossy=slippery..Yes? Hence my tyre buffing is here to stay.Confidence and competence are a major part of being a happy rider IMO..and my tyres being scrubbed and checked out personally also for tyre soap etc and especially check correct pressure before even getting on my bike gives me the freedom to ride away just the same as if the tyre was not brand new.

PS Bridgestone, have the same thoughts as me also.

As posted earlier by Carole;

In order for your new tyres to provide optimum performance Bridgestone strongly advises that they should be ridden very cautiously for at least the first 125 miles / 200 km in order to condition and settle them on the rim, this allows the tread surface to be “scuffed-in” and function properly.

In order for your new tyres to provide optimum performance Bridgestone strongly advises that they should be ridden very cautiously for at least the first 125 miles / 200 km in order to condition and settle them on the rim, this allows the tread surface to be “scuffed-in” and function properly.

The tyres should then be checked to ensure correct seating and inflation. After this initial period, lean-angles and acceleration and braking forces can be gradually increased. Please remember that the tyre works most efficiently after it reaches its operating temperature.

Directly after the tyres are mounted, sudden acceleration, maximum braking and hard cornering must be avoided. This will also allow the rider to adjust to the “feel” and handling characteristics of the new tyres. It is also recommended that immediately after fitting a new tyre, the dealer or fitter should ensure that the tread surface is not contaminated in any way (e.g. by excess fitting lubricant). It is also advised that the tread surface should be “buffed” with a dry cloth around the circumference, please also ensure that the label is removed before use.

To sum up, the running in of tyres serves several purposes:

• The tyre needs to settle itself onto the wheel rim.
• The various components of the tyre (carcass, tread strip, etc.) need to settle in to one another.
• When tyres are new the tread has a smooth surface and this surface needs to be “scuffed-in” to obtain maximum grip.
• The rider is able to get used to the new tyre and ride accordingly.

PS..to OP..If you really enjoy riding, why would a couple of very minor incidents make you consider giving up the bike? Do you mean, this particular bike or bike riding totally? Just curious..

My guestimate of 100 tyres was off the mark on re thinking .... no coffee intake when i posted earlier.....more like 50 including when buying new bikes=new tyres, but still same tyre check proceedure by me on new bikes also.

My bad...was replying to OP mainly...but as i said, simply spending a couple of minutes buffing the tyres with coarse sandpaper is all that is needed...go fast/lean extreme basically as soon as you want...Should be compulsory for tyre fitters to do this or at least offer to...had one clown who didn't want to because he would lose some kilometers of tyre use.. proof that you can only help those who want to help themselves.

This is a myth and makes zero difference. The terminology of "scrubbing" in new tires, which wrongly implies that the surface of the tire itself needs to be scrubbed or abraded to offer traction. While this may have been the case long ago when manufacturers used a mold release compound, it most definitely is not the case today.

It's all about the heat. You're far better off using strong acceleration and braking forces, and using them while upright, not leaned over! Acceleration and braking forces impart far more flex to the tire carcass, which is what generates the heat that then transfers to the tread compound as well.

Go to any track day, NO ONE is getting out the sandpaper on new rubber. You do 1-2 warm up laps then you are good to go dragging your knees. All you need in a tire is heat for it to work. there is no such thing as a "break in period" nor has "mold release" been used for a long time on tires. Watch an Isle of man TT race once. they come in for a new rear and ride off at full bore and sometimes with a sticker still on the tire. that's becasuse they've been kept in tire warmers and they are ready for action at that point.

The OP slipped simply due to tire soap.

Not a myth at all for me in person and thats what counts!...It is a ritual i've always done and i know full well all that you have posted here.but even if its only mind over matter or not neccessary in your eyes , i'd guesstimate that i've had 100 new tyres fitted in my 700.000 klms road riding and not once ever have i dropped a bike because of slippery new tyres. I do think i realise the importance of heated tyres etc...

I know that new tyres mostly do not have mold release agent used, but by nature of being new they are very glossy..glossy=slippery..Yes? Hence my tyre buffing is here to stay.Confidence and competence are a major part of being a happy rider IMO..and my tyres being scrubbed and checked out personally also for tyre soap etc and especially check correct pressure before even getting on my bike gives me the freedom to ride away just the same as if the tyre was not brand new.

PS Bridgestone, have the same thoughts as me also.

As posted earlier by Carole;

In order for your new tyres to provide optimum performance Bridgestone strongly advises that they should be ridden very cautiously for at least the first 125 miles / 200 km in order to condition and settle them on the rim, this allows the tread surface to be “scuffed-in” and function properly.

In order for your new tyres to provide optimum performance Bridgestone strongly advises that they should be ridden very cautiously for at least the first 125 miles / 200 km in order to condition and settle them on the rim, this allows the tread surface to be “scuffed-in” and function properly.

The tyres should then be checked to ensure correct seating and inflation. After this initial period, lean-angles and acceleration and braking forces can be gradually increased. Please remember that the tyre works most efficiently after it reaches its operating temperature.

Directly after the tyres are mounted, sudden acceleration, maximum braking and hard cornering must be avoided. This will also allow the rider to adjust to the “feel” and handling characteristics of the new tyres. It is also recommended that immediately after fitting a new tyre, the dealer or fitter should ensure that the tread surface is not contaminated in any way (e.g. by excess fitting lubricant). It is also advised that the tread surface should be “buffed” with a dry cloth around the circumference, please also ensure that the label is removed before use.

To sum up, the running in of tyres serves several purposes:

• The tyre needs to settle itself onto the wheel rim.
• The various components of the tyre (carcass, tread strip, etc.) need to settle in to one another.
• When tyres are new the tread has a smooth surface and this surface needs to be “scuffed-in” to obtain maximum grip.
• The rider is able to get used to the new tyre and ride accordingly.

PS..to OP..If you really enjoy riding, why would a couple of very minor incidents make you consider giving up the bike? Do you mean, this particular bike or bike riding totally? Just curious..

Yeah looks like something was on the tyres. Could be lube, could be oil or some other liquid on the shop floor that your bike went through after the tyre was fitted.

Nearly lost the front end of my Ninja after they washed it and smeared a load of that black stuff over the side walls of the tyres and managed to get it on the contact patch as well.

I doubt they'll admit fault and pay up. Probably below the excess on insurance as well. I'd try and get them to pay but not get any hopes up.

.

To me it looks like you did things right..as far as not big power or big lean angle on cold new tyres....just 'bad luck"..IMO lube on the sidewall and/or slightly higher pressures should not have caused the fall

Mates in Oz had tyre shop and what happened to you, i saw often, but more often than not on a more powerful bike and even after warning the riders of the slipperyness of new tyres, many still took a fall.

In mates shop nothing to do with wrong pressures and/ or lube left on the tyres, just one of those things that can happen..

Even when i got tyres at their shop, knowing that all was done correctly, i would take a piece of very coarse sandpaper 40 grit and buff the tyres first, before i left the shop..takes minutes=saves embaressment and skin.Too easy!

Not sure if you meant to quote me then, I was just replying to the OP. In my case they put liquid on the actual contact patch as well, not the sidewall. Anyway, here's a classic that shows what can happen on new tyres.

My bad...was replying to OP mainly...but as i said, simply spending a couple of minutes buffing the tyres with coarse sandpaper is all that is needed...go fast/lean extreme basically as soon as you want...Should be compulsory for tyre fitters to do this or at least offer to...had one clown who didn't want to because he would lose some kilometers of tyre use.. proof that you can only help those who want to help themselves.

Yeah looks like something was on the tyres. Could be lube, could be oil or some other liquid on the shop floor that your bike went through after the tyre was fitted.

Nearly lost the front end of my Ninja after they washed it and smeared a load of that black stuff over the side walls of the tyres and managed to get it on the contact patch as well.

I doubt they'll admit fault and pay up. Probably below the excess on insurance as well. I'd try and get them to pay but not get any hopes up.

.

To me it looks like you did things right..as far as not big power or big lean angle on cold new tyres....just 'bad luck"..IMO lube on the sidewall and/or slightly higher pressures should not have caused the fall

Mates in Oz had tyre shop and what happened to you, i saw often, but more often than not on a more powerful bike and even after warning the riders of the slipperyness of new tyres, many still took a fall.

In mates shop nothing to do with wrong pressures and/ or lube left on the tyres, just one of those things that can happen..

Even when i got tyres at their shop, knowing that all was done correctly, i would take a piece of very coarse sandpaper 40 grit and buff the tyres first, before i left the shop..takes minutes=saves embaressment and skin.Too easy!

As a dog lover/owner all my life i can say in all sincerity ..thats a nice looking dog

However your intention just to satirize the girl who took her bike to everest base camp is rather pathetic..a follow on from your feeble attempts to make mockery of her on another thread where your jealousy is very evident. Get over it ....

OP..when you say " MY kitchen"..is that purely the name of the place, and not , as the cynic in me is suggesting that it is indeed "your own place?"..ie "mascaberthas kitchen"..just seems a bit self promoting to me old mate..

This guy has been kind enough to share what we call a 'near miss'.

Just a second

Yes a near miss..but totally unnecessarily IMO , .he had two options available.....one;the best one...he had more than enough time and opportunity to simply close the throttle and a little braking and slip in behind the car he was going to overtake and two,seeing as he didn't take option one because he was fixated on overtaking he could easily/should have have gone full throttle ,maybe even downshifted and got out of the danger zone a lot quicker.He actually closed throttle when he was nearing the truck.

Hope he learnt from it....

People used to say the same thing about ABS. "wouldn't ride a bike with stupid ABS". There is something about bikers who think it's cool to die?

I don't ride BMW or of vanity. I ride them because they are the safest bikes around. I would never buy a Honda Civic either.

Yes I know. We have been having this same discussion since before ABS was introduced.

I have worked and ridden with people who are on both sides of the fence.

It is probably for the same reason you would not buy a Honda civic as I would not buy a BMW.

But I am not faulting your choice of bike. This is all about what we do not telling others they are wrong especially regarding the choice of what we ride.

It is a good choice if you like them.

But not for me and the majority of riders feel the same way. That is the way it is.

My last comment on this is. I would be dead at least twice over if I had been on anything other than a BMW. Recovered from a high speed wobble and survived an emergency stop from 200 km/h avoiding a pickup truck crossing a divided highway (yup! TIT). Not to mention whatever near misses improbably didn't even notice.

I try to ride as defensively as possible, but it's still a challenge. Thailand is a place where you can be riding down a 2 lane road and see 3 lanes of traffic coming at you. Add in the other variables (crappy roads, animals, unskilled drivers, drunk drivers, weather) and at times it's more like Death Race 2000 than anything else.

I (generally) ride in the middle of the left lane and try to leave myself enough room that I can go left or right (or hit the brakes) as needed. If there are concerns (see above), I'll move over a lane (or two).

If I need to use the right lane I use it. If I know I'm making a right turn soon I get into the right lane sooner than later. Lot of accidents are reported as someone trying to dash across 4 lanes of traffic to get to a U-Turn or intersection. Better off to move into the lane when it's safe (the odds of getting ticketed for being in the right lane are not worth worrying about, especially if doing so means a safer ride).

When we ride as a group we tend to spend more time in the right lane. Mostly because we seem to be travelling faster than everything in the left lane anyways. If the road is clear and the traffic is light, we'll use the left lane. When we get to an intersection we always trying to work our way to the very front. We are faster off the line than most scooters and cages and if something is going to happen, we prefer it happens behind us, not right in front of us.

As others have mentioned though, you have to keep your head on a swivel and expect the unexpected, at - all - times. I like to keep a (fairly) safe distance between me and whoever is in front of me. I'm not just worried about what he may do, I'm worried about what whoever in front of him may do as well that could cause the guy in front of me to have to react.

Thanks for the sanity unlike some dumbass replies.

As you are finding out, replies are generally well related to the questions asked as in OP..ie dumbass queries will often get you dumbass replies..its quite obvious...Yes?

There was a topic about this not too long ago.

I ride a 650cc here and before that a Harley and are riding scooters as well.

I don't like to ride on the left side (shoulder) on my big bike, you got all the potholes and gravel and so on. I normally stay app on the middle of the road so I have 2 ways to go.

Traffic lights are dangerous here, since many bump the red lights so if you stop you might get rear ended as you mention, check you mirrors again and again and position yourself where it's safe or consider bumping the yellow lights if safer to do so.

When I reach a red traffic light, I always try to get up front and manage that in +99% of the time. LOOK before you take off when green, since as above, many bumps the red lights so make sure it's safe to go.

In my area we don't really have anywhere where you have to sit on the middle of the road to turn right but U-turns, so I keep right there, close to the shoulder.

I normally ride slightly faster than general traffic but looks in my mirrors all the time so I know what is going on around me 360 deg.

Try to "blend" in with the Thai traffic and don't go too fast when there a small side sois branching the highway you are riding on, small scooters often cross and if you come at 200km/h, they don't see you coming.

What to you mean with your last sentence? Safer in a pick-up truck? Well maybe, it all depends, I have a pick-up truck as well but I enjoy the rides on my bike much more. In the truck I just sits in traffic jams and are not going anywhere, drives me nuts sometimes but I need the bloody thing since I have a family here.

A 650cc bike is a good choice for Thailand, the Honda's and Kawa's are made here so they are fairly priced and cheap to run.

Get a Class A insurance on your big bike, bail bond will be paid (hopefully not needed), theft, damage, fire, hospital bills and so on, all covered which gives you peace of mind when riding.

I mean should I ride the bike like I drive the pick up ie keep in the middle of the lane not in at the edge of the road ie treat the bike as if it were a small car taking up the room a car would on the road

Man, i would seriously consider you sticking to driving your pickup if you feel the need to ask such a question. ...truely bizarre.

Would be interesting to know what happened to the

2 VW s in that picture.

regards Worgeordie

For sure..but that pic must be late 40's as i believe VW Kombi wasn't made until '47 or later...great pics tho...bring back the ladies of shape as they were then please...

Mmm

The plot thickens.

To be continued

Yes,

Intriguing story.....i'm not sure about this one......could be faked as in using the van, but surely having a "faked engine problem and repair" is going a bit far...does add a touch of reality to it all though.

For those who have decided that the 60yo is pumped up with steroids and showing his bum should tack another look at the picture and take another guess which one is the father.

Going to a dodgy area in a strange country to drink until 0600 is always going to be fraught with danger and I'm not making excuses for the duo's idiot behaviour, but most aware people here know of this type of massive overcharging scam that happens all too often in this country.

Blame the crooks who present the massive bill at the end of the session and then try to extract it with knives and lumps of wood, not the foolish victims.

You can take a look at the picture as many times as you like and guess as much as you like, but wont change the fact that it is the father standing up and the son is lying on the mat..

I'll concede that one Eveready, looks like I got it wrong.

Did you have any comments on the main points of the incident?

,Sorry, flatbat, but i just pointed out something that was very evident

The rest is of the report is very unclear so ,no , no solid evidence at all of who did what, and why...hence, no comment on it..

For those who have decided that the 60yo is pumped up with steroids and showing his bum should tack another look at the picture and take another guess which one is the father.

Going to a dodgy area in a strange country to drink until 0600 is always going to be fraught with danger and I'm not making excuses for the duo's idiot behaviour, but most aware people here know of this type of massive overcharging scam that happens all too often in this country.

Blame the crooks who present the massive bill at the end of the session and then try to extract it with knives and lumps of wood, not the foolish victims.

You can take a look at the picture as many times as you like and guess as much as you like, but wont change the fact that it is the father standing up and the son is lying on the mat..

ABS is essential in Thailand with all those oily, dusty, gravel/sand covered roads. Ad some rain and even with ABS it becomes dangerous. Just my opinion after having owned 7 big bikes and done 100,000 kms here in LOS.

Again, just my opinion and experience so no need to argue about it.

No arguing...just change ''essential'' to "beneficial" and you are on the money.. {IMO}

http://bangkok.craigslist.co.th/mcy/5038190609.html

There you go.

Everything sounded okay until this last email. Too bad i was really looking to get this bike for cheap

Everything sounded okay?... You really think someone is going to sell a bike at about half price?....Really??

Half price? Bit less than that!! Here's a CBR600RR from the same year currently for sale.

http://www.redbaronbkk.com/products/item.php?id=150328-0000767

OK, it's overpriced at 485,000 baht, this is more like it at 285,000 baht although it's a year older.

http://www.gt-rider.com/thailand-motorcycle-forum/showthread.php/40682-Honda-CBR600RR-2008-Black-White-w-Green-Book-only-285-000-baht

but it goes some way to showing how ridiculously cheap this ZX6R is. Way too cheap to be true.

OK ..That expensive huh......That makes it even more ludicrous that the OP thought it was a good deal...way before the real scam was unfolded....

http://bangkok.craigslist.co.th/mcy/5038190609.html

There you go.

Everything sounded okay until this last email. Too bad i was really looking to get this bike for cheap

Everything sounded okay?... You really think someone is going to sell a bike at about half price?....Really??

White. Looks larger too.

Great choice, but unfortunately it will apparently eventually turn yellow and then not look so large..but yellow is a nice colour as already commented on here..as long as it matches the helmet for best safety colour combo...

I saw the documentary about the guy that opened a gai yang place in Portland Oregon called Pok Pok, he learned and coppied from some guy in CM to do gai yang in a vertical rotisery style that i have never seen...... anyone know where this chicken is?

Pretty sure that would be SP.

For some reason I've gone off rotisserie chickens lately..

Yes it is very nice looking I must admit despite being a conical Chinese bike hater.

8 years old, OP you sure has taken good care of it, well done man.

Never heard of a 'conical Chinese bike"

How about 'conical Chinese hat " ..That makes sense..

For those who think the Royal Thai Police are ineffective, this is a lesson. They did a great job following up on the information given them about the thief's whereabouts and arrested the thief, recovered the bike and delivered it back to Gary.

So let's hear a few thanks for the Police instead of the continual bashing they get. Apart from one time recently when I had a half hearted attempt for tea money for speeding on a Bangkok tollway (foiled when he saw our dash cam recording him!), I have found Thai police to be generally very helpful.

Sorry, but nothing much at all to do with effective policing.....from facebook page of owner;

Gary Schack Good news, the bike has been retrieved and Malaysian guy and his girlfriend have been arrested in Fang. Although I still don't have the full details yet, from what I do know they were spotted and photographed opposite a PTT station last night in Fang. They did manage to get away but with help of some local young bikers they later tracked the bike down in a Fang hotel carpark. The guys from immigration 5 sent a team and caught the prick in the hotel room around 3 am this morning. They are now almost back in Chiang Mai with one of the officers riding the bike back. Now just waiting for them to call us. Will update with more info later this morning

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/819075-malaysian-man-arrested-for-stealing-big-bike/?p=9329103