Weather warmed up really early this year. This Suzuki Intruder C800 really looks good after removing the front fairing. Considerably less buffeting too, with the screen anything over 80 km/h was really shaky.

... though, speaking of saddles, I should probably get a Corbin seat instead of this plastic plank

I am mostly a commuter and just wear normal pants. Have been thinking about maybe getting a few special denim pants for riding, but they are quite expensive.

What do you all use? I do ATGAT everything else.

But what did I do instead? That's right, went for a spin.

Did anyone here have a kick starter?

After a long biker career (1986 - 2000) and a long pause I started again after moving to the Canary Islands.

First with a Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 in 2021, now this BMW R nineT Scrambler, which I took for a ride along the coastal roads.

The RE is an excellent bike for the money, but the BMW (weighting roughly the same) is some real joy to ride in this environment.

Most riders waste their test ride. Not because they’re careless, but because they focus on the wrong things. When you only get 20–30 minutes on a motorcycle at a dealership or demo day, you’re not trying to decide if the bike is “perfect.” You’re trying to figure out if it’s right for you.

In this video, I walk through exactly what to pay attention to during a short test ride - from throttle pickup and clutch engagement to low-speed balance, brake feel, midrange character, and the mental effect the bike has on you.

If you’re about to spend your hard-earned money on a motorcycle, this is the framework you should use before making that decision. Whether you’re riding the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 or any other bike, the process is the same.

Chapters: 00:11 Before you ride 02:35 Start the bike 03:26 Test the clutch 04:18 Slow speed tests 05:13 Speeding up 06:28 Off road test 07:02 High speed test 08:24 Test the brakes 09:04 Combine it all

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/43577860

I was just lamenting my cold weather gloves and thinking about how each type I try sucks in new and interesting ways and I thought-

Cyclists are probably glove experts. Anyone here willing to educate me on comfortable gloves that last and work with touch screens/etc? I don't ride, so I won't require big protection from road rash or extra padding/protection, so I might be asking in the wrong place.

Just a thought that occurred to me, a few thousand riders probably know where the good gloves are. Thanks in advance, or sorry in advance, whichever applies.

I have been riding my Yamaha WR250R for about 15 years, and although it's a great bike, I think it's about time for an upgrade. It's OK on the highway but not exactly the most comfortable, and runs out of power going uphill or trying to pass. Also it's quite tall and I've dumped in a few times by putting my foot down in a low spot.

Here's my wish list in a replacement ADV bike:

• More power (it would be difficult to find something with less)
• Seat height lower than 36 inches (It would be difficult to find something with more)
• Something that makes power in the low and mid range, rather than needing to be wound up
• At least a decent suspension for lots of gravel forestry roads
• 18/21 inch wheels

I'm not too concerned with weight, I can easily lift any of the bikes in this size range. A couple bikes that caught my eye were the Tenere 700, Taureg 660 and F900GS, but I am open to other suggestions. I'm sort of out of the loop with modern bikes so would appreciate any input anyone cares to share

As so it happens my partner is changing offices and we'll be moving to Berlin this spring. We have 3 older bikes in the garage (-99 Suzuki GS500e, -97 Honda CB750 and -84 Honda VF500f) and we have to figure out what to do with them.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've understood that the laws are fairly strict regarding technical stuff and for example modifications need to be approved by TÜV?

Does anyone here have experience owning an older bike and dealing with the regular technical inspections? How strict are they? I read someone's story about a bike failing an inspection due to minimal play in a wheel bearing - sounds like an extreme case, but raises the question whether regular maintenance done by a "home mechanic" would be enough to meet the requirements in the first place?

I suspect there's no point trying to bring the GS and CB with us anyways - we've done some work on them and being "well ridden" they'd need a lot of parts to be replaced to meet the requirements. But the VF, once finished, will be pretty much stock parts. Then again it probably doesn't meet the exhaust sound limits.

Here in Finland the laws are quite liberal when it comes to motorcycles so I haven't got much to compare to. Basically unless there are radical changes to the power (if the "class" changes and the bike needs to be re-registered) you don't need to have it checked nor are there any mandatory regular inspections either.

After driving around on little scooters for many years, I finally have something to properly carry me across the Andes. 😍

Hi all. New motorcycle owner here (Royal Enfield, Scram 411). Unfortunately I won't be around my motor for four months. I was wondering what I could do protect it against the effects of time. Its parked indoor, but maybe I should still put it underneath a cover? Any tips, suggestions?