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YouTube- Shinya Kimura: Motorcycle Cannonball Video Series


:bow: :clapping:

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Went out for a ride with the girlfriend and about 100 scooters on the weekend....

Pics HERE and Scooter Rally sept 04 10 pictures by digitalbill2 - Photobucket and HERE Couple of vids on the second link too.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...4%2010/023.jpg

That's my girl on the pink Vespa.

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maybe 6 years ago or more I had a honda like that, bobbed both fenders, lost the tail light and gave it a sweet candy paint job. cleaned the bike up real nice. lose that seat too and you'll be in business

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As mentioned in the score thread, I went down to Atlanta, GA to pick this beauty up today. 3,700 original miles, barn find. $800.

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/i...c88bdd33b3.jpg

http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/i...9d4de7b878.jpg

http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/i...c1fb22f4b5.jpg

http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/i...cb7c3004d8.jpg

I'm going to go through the carbs, change the oil and plugs, tidy up some bypass wiring and throw some new tires on her. Then I'll be slowly but steadily moving towards a cafe racer as I drive her back and forth to school/work.

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That a 550cc? Seriously nice score and a great bike for a Cafe Style ride.:thumbsup::thumbsup:

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Yup! 550F (super sport). I'm happy as a lark right now. :dancing:


I need some tire advice... What about these? Think they'll handle ok on water? I'm more concerned with practicality than with looks.

http://www.bikebandit.com/dunlop-k70...header-amp3557

http://www.bikebandit.com/assets/pro...unlopK70MD.gif

The wheel dimensions are:
Front: 3.25 x 19 in
Rear: 3.75 x 18 in

But the rear tire in the link is 4.00 x 18. Think that'll be safe?

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K-70s are the same stock-type tire I ran on my old BSA, sort of OK but not brilliant. On my Cafe Sporty I run Dunlop 501s bought from Bike Bandit (nice folks by the way). 110 90-18 on the front and 130 80 -18 at the rear (I'm running KZ-1000 wheels front and rear). These tires really add to the handling and feel pretty good...bike is nice in the turn, and around here they are everywhere. At any rate I'm very satisfied with them.

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Hmmm... got anything you would recommend for the stock wheel on mine? I'm pretty limited since I'm using the wire wheels... I entertained the thought of sealing the spokes on the inside of the wheel so I could run tubeless, but I don't think the bead would seat properly...

How about this for the front (100/90-19, tube type):
http://www.bikebandit.com/pirelli-mt...otorcycle-tire
Option 2 (doesn't look quite as good):http://www.bikebandit.com/dunlop-f24-motorcycle-tire

And this for the rear:
http://www.bikebandit.com/pirelli-mt...otorcycle-tire
Dang that's expensive! That hurts.

Any ideas?

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The 501's will run fine with tubes. Buy new rim strips and tubes with the tires. On my '82 Yamaha Seca, which has similiar rim sizes to your 550F, I run a MM90-18 Dunlop Qualifier on the front and a 120/90 18 on the rear. These sizes sould be available in the 501's. I forget what the MM means but I think it's a 90. Rolling diameter of the front tire is 26-1/2" and the rear is 26." Width of the front at widest point is 3-3/4" and rear 4-3/4". The tires should look nice on your bike, work well in the water and make for good handling.
Don't forget to check your headset bearings. I run tapered rollers in all my bikes, and they really help on the older bikes which came with ball bearings. If you adjust the headset bearings and (with the wheel off the ground) they take a "set' at any point, they're shot. Your bike has really low miles but sometimes when the shop set up the bikes when new, they didn't properly lube these bearings, if at all.

Re: Motorcycle Thread
 

The 501's will run fine with tubes. Buy new rim strips and tubes with the tires. On my '82 Yamaha Seca, which has similiar rim sizes to your 550F, I run a MM90-19 Dunlop Qualifier on the front and a 120/90 18 on the rear. These sizes sould be available in the 501's. I forget what the MM means but I think it's a 90 (most catalogs will have a conversion table). Rolling diameter of the front tire is 26-1/2" and the rear is 26." Width of the front at widest point is 3-3/4" and rear 4-3/4". The tires should look nice on your bike, work well in the water and make for good handling.
Don't forget to check your headset bearings. I run tapered rollers in all my bikes, and they really help on the older bikes which came with ball bearings. If you adjust the headset bearings and (with the wheel off the ground) they take a "set' at any point, they're shot. Your bike has really low miles but sometimes when the shop set up the bikes when new, they didn't properly lube these bearings, if at all. Also check your wheel alignment with a string or straight edge, as the factory marks on the swing arm at the axle bolt can be 'iffy.' Having good HS bearings and the bike properly aligned make for nice handling VS. scary.
When I run around on a bike with tube tires, I carry a patch kit and small tire irons, just in case. In 49 years of riding I've needed the kit only a couple of times, but it sure is nice. And the couple of times I had a flat and didn't have one, well, they were really a pain.
Hey, have you checked out Cafe Racer magazine? Good articles and neat bikes.:thumbsup:

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Right on! I'll go through all the bearings, see what's worn, and go from there. I'll make sure to read up on headset bearing adjustment and wheel alignment, although wheel alignment seems pretty straightforward.

So you're saying it'll be fine to run a tubeless tire with a tube/wire wheel? Is that safe? That would sure make things more simple... There's really not much out there for the tube crowd. How do the 501's you have on your bike wear?

Just got done ordering aftermarket signals, clipons and a bar-end mirror. It'll be nice to get the stock bars off. :driving:

I'm going to run off a top triple tree for it at school on the HAAS. Would anyone be interested in one also? Just a short run so the school doesn't shit a brick.

Thanks V8!!!

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The 501's are bias belt and shoud be fine with tubes. When I mount tube types I use talcum powder in the tires, which I've been doing about forever and may be an 'old wife's tale, but supposedly keeps intenal friction down, or keeps 'em from sticking when you inflate them the first time (which now that I think about is makes sense.). I don't know about the wear because I only have about 600 miles on mine. Bike Bandit was running a sale on matched tire sets at the time and I got a prety good deal. I mount and balance my own tires and so save a bunchover having this done (here about forty bucks a wheel) The 501's are really nice on the backroads in this area. My Sporty weighs about 500 lbs and I'm guessing that your 550 weighs about thirty to forty pounds less, which helps with tire longivity. I run 32 psi up front and 34 at the back...Progressive fork springs in the Police KZ-1000 front end (on the Sporty) and Works shocks out back.

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V8, couldn't agree more with the advice!

I'll try to keep this short:

Go over EVERY nut and bolt and make sure everything is torqued. Should take only 10-15 minutes for a solid peace of mind.

Tires: never cheap out on tires. Ever. Get the good stuff, it's worth the price. I have Avon Roadriders on mine. The front wears very slow and has awesome grip. The rear tire is almost bald only after a a couple thousand miles. Eh. I'll probably go with a metzler for a replacement. I suggest always having a spare tube in the garage along with rim strips (or duct tape... really! works great).

2nd Vote for roller steering head bearings. Nuff said. Kits are available.

Oh, GOOD SCORE! CONGRATS!

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In that case, I do believe I'll order myself a set tomorrow. :) Looking forward to riding her around a little!

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Thanks man! I'm stoked to have it. :dancing:

That was a couple of the conditions I set myself for having a bike; don't skimp on helmet, tires or brakes. :thumbsup:

I'll make sure to keep plenty of spare stuff lying around.

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What kind of helmet did ya get?

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Haven't gotten one yet. I'm planning to go look for one this sunday; my head was huge before I got dreads, but now it's even bigger! "Tried on" an XL the other day, but it wouldn't even begin to go on. Hopefully a local place has XXXL...

I did manage to score a jacket though. Teknic brand, full back/shoulder/elbow armor; zip up vents. Perfect fit for me.

http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/i...cb5dda1e3c.jpg

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/i...27a99b7187.jpg

$100 :wink:

Bike's got hovercraft status until tires get in:

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/i...269b73e21b.jpg

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Small Hi-jack :funny: My bike is still non-opp but I did buy 3 helmets.... :thumbsup: 2 are DOT (1/2 and a 3/4) and I bought a Snell full face. All 3 are brand new and I have $105 total in them :grin:

I plan on using the full face about 90 percent of my riding.

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I just got a set of clubmans for mine. Because the wires run through the stock bar I'd have to some drilling and cutting to make them work. I've decided to make my own clip ons since most I see on ebay and such are kind of scary in the way they are made.


I'm using a pair of bars from the rf600 parts bike I have and will weld them to a "cradle" I'm having a friend make for me. once that's done i'll make a bracket to weld it to so I can mount them to the top of the triple tree using the fork tube bolts. I'll post pics later once I finish the pieces and start putting it together. They're actually based on a design made back in the day.

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I've bought two sets of clip-ons from eBay - one vintage set and another brand new set. Both have great welds and the chrome is awesome. Best $50 bucks I've spent on my bikes.[/SIZE]

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Fungus, good to see you are getting yourself into some proper riding gear. This is coming from some one that's had a few get offs and proper gear has saved my ass every time. Invest in some decent armoured riding pants as well and don't forget to wear them! Gear doesn't do any one any good hanging in the closet. Jeans don't cut it! I had the same helmet woes when I first started riding way back in about '92. I had dreads when I bought my first helmet and ended up with an XL. After I cut my hair I went to a medium!

http://www.ex-500.com/gallery/1765_19_03_08_6_09_12.jpg

http://www.s13.com/MotivationalPosters/atgatt.jpg

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I've been guilty of an armored or heavy leather jacket with, um, regular jeans, for years.:ohmy: Last month I bought jeans with Kevlar lining (79 bucks). They seem to have a 'relaxed fit' compared to the Wranglers I normally wear, but should work really well when it gets cold and I have long johns underneath.:grin:
HJC makes a good helmet that got rave ratings compared to the really pricey ones (Arai, Shoei, etc) from one of the mainstream mags a year or so back (Sherrie wears one when she rides her Virago). I have an Arai (okay, I'm a helmet snob, but the fit is great) Over dreads, how 'bout an XL and a large rubber mallet for precise installation? For getting it back off, you're on your own. :grin:

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Kevlar reinforced jeans like the Draggin Jeans are better than regular jean for abrasion resistance, I recall reading somewhere the Draggins are good for up to 5 seconds sliding on asphalt where regular denim is good for a whole .5 second. I still would throw some under armour on with them myself. Don't think armoured knees are a good idea? Here's a little test : Put on a pair of your favourite jeans and take a kitchen chair out to the driveway. Stand on the chair and then drop to your knees on the pavement. Now multiply that by about a billion! And if you are one of those that think "it won't happen to me"... remember that there are only two kinds of motorcycle riders, those that have wiped out and those that are going to.

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I think I'll just move to Connecticut so I can ride without a helmet and shirt with just shorts and sneakers without socks. Because we all know that those things are just too restrictive and take away from the pleasure of riding a Motorcycle. :grin::thumbsup:






Fucking idiots.:hmm:

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Ha. Out here where helmets are mandatory, some wear DOT approved 'bird shit deflectors' with their tank tops, shorts and flip flops. I assume they believe that sunscreen with SPF 50 means if you dump your bike at under fifty, you're safe (All real motorcyclists know it's only good to twenty).:grin:
I believe I'll pass on jumping off a chair, these days it's painful enough just climbing up on one.:wink: But, after careful consideration, and perhaps leaning toward using some common sense, tomorrow I'm running over to Cycle Gear where thay are having some sort of sale and have a nice selection of riding pants with armor. I'd hate for you to be able to say, "I told you so.":grin: