Official Motorcycle Thread

[Scott R Nelson]

We have a weeklong motorcycle trip planned June 24th-30th. We'll head out to Boise on Sunday afternoon. Other than that, the goal will be to find backroads and avoid freeway as much as possible. Monday will be the day I'm most looking forward to, where i'll finally get to see this sign in person:

I'm looking for this one:


I've been to this one (and photographed it), just south of Carmel on Highway 1:


I like to pick roads by looking at maps for what looks interesting. Other than occasionally finding one still closed due to snow in May, that has worked well for me.

[chrisrenrut]

I'm looking for this one:


I've been to this one (and photographed it), just south of Carmel on Highway 1:


I like to pick roads by looking at maps for what looks interesting. Other than occasionally finding one still closed due to snow in May, that has worked well for me.

The 77 mile sign is somewhere between Kamiah ID, and Lolo, MT. The map actaully shows squiggly road for what looks like 140 miles.

http://maps.yahoo.com/#q1=Kamiah%2C+ID&q2=Lolo%2C+MT&lat=46.668287073883114&lon=-114.98291015625&zoom=8&mvt=m&trf=0

I've done the Carmel Highway, it is incredible. We aren't going to go that far south this trip. There look like there are a lot of really great roads in Northern California, in the Trinity and Shasta areas, but I don't think we'll have time to explore there on this trip.

[UtahDan]

We have a female intern who rides this. Anyone know if it is a decent bike? Just my curiosity.

[Scott R Nelson]

We have a female intern who rides this. Anyone know if it is a decent bike? Just my curiosity.

Ducati Monster is good. Unclear which one it is. If it's the M600, that's the ONLY Monster that I wouldn't recommend to people. If it's an M620 or M695, those were both good models. It's a "Monster Dark", so it had a few cheaper parts on it to save a few bucks.

Monsters are fun bikes. I've owned two of them.

[UtahDan]

Ducati Monster is good. Unclear which one it is. If it's the M600, that's the ONLY Monster that I wouldn't recommend to people. If it's an M620 or M695, those were both good models. It's a "Monster Dark", so it had a few cheaper parts on it to save a few bucks.

Monsters are fun bikes. I've owned two of them.

Is there a way to tell by looking?

[Scott R Nelson]

Is there a way to tell by looking?

Those side panels under the seat will indicate exactly which model it is. They look unmodified to me. The tail has been "chopped" off and license plate relocated a bit. From this angle, it looks like a good job on that. It also has either modified stock exhausts or aftermarket exhausts, so I'm sure it's louder than stock. I love the sound of a good Ducati engine, if it has the right pipes on it.

[chrisrenrut]

Ducati Monster is good. Unclear which one it is. If it's the M600, that's the ONLY Monster that I wouldn't recommend to people. If it's an M620 or M695, those were both good models. It's a "Monster Dark", so it had a few cheaper parts on it to save a few bucks.

Monsters are fun bikes. I've owned two of them.

Did you do your own valve adjustments? Aren't they required every 6,000 miles or so?

I know Ducati made a big deal on their new engine that the valve adjusment period was twice as long now, which is still half as long as normal bikes.

[Scott R Nelson]

Did you do your own valve adjustments? Aren't they required every 6,000 miles or so?

I know Ducati made a big deal on their new engine that the valve adjusment period was twice as long now, which is still half as long as normal bikes.

Oil changes every 3000 miles, valve check/adjust every 6000 miles, new cam belts every 12,000 miles. I did my own oil changes and could have done the valve check, but I had a mechanic that I liked and valve checks were the only reason I ever had to go visit him. On the 2-valve Monsters (which that one is), all of the above work is fairly easy to do.

Once you get up past 18,000 miles or so the valves rarely need actual adjustments. You check them, determine that everything is within spec, and nothing more to do. You can't skip changing the cam belts, though. They go around some very tight pullies and can break if you run them too far past the recommended change interval.

I was happy to do services a little bit more often to ride a bike with more character. The four Ducatis that I owned were at least as reliable as any of the five other brands that I've owned. Way better than my current Honda that is in the shop right now waiting for an electrical part.

[UtahDan]

620.

[Scott R Nelson]

620.

The 620 was one of the first fuel injected Monsters and generally considered to be better than the carbureted 750 that came before it.

[hostile]

So my wife decided this week that she wanted a Vespa scooter and bought this.


She plans to use it around the neighborhood and for short drives where she doesn't have to take more than one kid.

I am somewhat anxious due to all the motorcycle accidents/injuries I see. The kids are certainly excited. We'll see.

[Non Sequitur]

So my wife decided this week that she wanted a Vespa scooter and bought this.


She plans to use it around the neighborhood and for short drives where she doesn't have to take more than one kid.

I am somewhat anxious due to all the motorcycle accidents/injuries I see. The kids are certainly excited. We'll see.

My daughter used to own a scooter, and it scared the hell out of me. I ride my motorcycle a lot, and I know from experience that it's difficult for other people to see motorcycles, even when they're big and loud. Scooters are small and quiet. My daughter now has a Harley, and I worry a lot less.

The advice I give my daughter is that she needs to assume that everyone else on the road is trying to kill her. She needs to always know who is on her right and who is on her left and who is behind her, and she needs to always know where she's going to go when someone cuts her off...because someone will eventually cut her off. Oh, and avoid left hand turns whenever you can.

[hostile]

My daughter used to own a scooter, and it scared the hell out of me. I ride my motorcycle a lot, and I know from experience that it's difficult for other people to see motorcycles, even when they're big and loud. Scooters are small and quiet. My daughter now has a Harley, and I worry a lot less.

The advice I give my daughter is that she needs to assume that everyone else on the road is trying to kill her. She needs to always know who is on her right and who is on her left and who is behind her, and she needs to always know where she's going to go when someone cuts her off...because someone will eventually cut her off. Oh, and avoid left hand turns whenever you can.

That's what the guy at the dealership said.

I love loud motorcycles because I know where they are; even if I can't see them I can hear them coming.

[chrisrenrut]

That's what the guy at the dealership said.

I love loud motorcycles because I know where they are; even if I can't see them I can hear them coming.

Scooters scare me because people think they can just start riding without any sort of training. If your wife hasn't already, have her sign up for the MSF training course. It is usually taught by motorcycle policemen. I read a statistic somewhere that in 80% of motorcycle accidents, the rider had not had any training.

[Scott R Nelson]

Today I did something I've never done before. I traded in a vehicle for a newer one. I've never traded in a car, but now I've traded in a motorcycle. And it was a 2018 with 5200 miles on it. I now have the one I really wanted, that wasn't available when I bought the last one. Too bad it's so cold out and I won't be able to put very many miles on it for a while.