Stopping by to say "Hi"
 

I haven't been around in a while. Just figured I would stop in and say hello and catch up.

Almost 2 years ago my life was uprooted by the loss of my job. Up until the last 6 months I was struggling, but not because I couldn't find work. I struggled to find a good employer and decent pay. Too many places want to treat Maintenance workers like they are third class citizens, and pay them accordingly. OR they expect them to do every job in the place, including their own, and then blame them when things don't go the way they hoped. In this time period I had worked for 3 companies before landing my current position

In the end it worked out for me as I saw a 52% pay increase over the job I lost that started it all, and I now work directly for the company that produces the machines I used to work on for my previous employer. The funniest part being I will now occasionally go there as a contracted technician :lmao:

I still have my Hawk and my big Viffer. Nothing new in the motorcycle world. I keep thinking of reasons to get rid of one or both a few times over the last couple of years. The Hawk in particular I keep wanting to replace with something else, but it is just so hard to get rid of. Simplifying it and doing the Motocult big bore cylinder and head have really made it hard to give it up.

Instead I have been on a health journey. I was diagnosed as diabetic right around the same time as I lost my job. I have since then put most of my time, energy, and focus on my own health, and have been working to be more active and outdoors. For both my physical and mental health.

Part of that journey lead me, unsurprisingly, back to bikes. This time in the form of e-bikes. It all started with my 2 stroke build I was sharing here. I rode that for a little bit, but they are so restricted on where you can take them that it was limiting, so I decided to get an ebike.

This has been my new journey, and it is REALLY fun.
https://i.ibb.co/rbmY99t/20240310-191726.jpg

It has been a boon to my cardio fitness, and yes it still does help with getting cardio as you can put it in lower assist modes or just turn it off. Even with assistance, just the rhythmic moving of major muscle groups is still enough to increase cardiac activity.

I also rediscovered my love for fishing and the water, and have been spending more time doing that as well.

Anyway, hope you all are doing well.

Hi. I still kick around the idea of electrifying my cruiser. At least it would be a reason to take it down. Alas, too busy buying RC airplanes at the moment.

You sound like me. I have many hobbies, but I usually put most of my resources into one at a time. I debated on building my first e-bike instead of buying one, but decided on something pre-built. The main reason was frame construction. Most e-bikes are more solidly built/durable than a normal bike frame as they are meant to handle the power and weight of the motorand battery.

That picture doesn't do the size of that bike justice (Heybike Explore). That seat is 36 inches high where I have it set and my handle bars with a 3 inch stem riser are almost 48. She is a big girl, which is why I bought it. It suits tall guys well.

Welcome back, Dan.

Congrats on the new gig. And as a fellow diabetic, and a Queen fan, "Get On Your Bike And Ride".

Welcome back Dan.

Glad to hear from ya.

The funny thing is, the new Gig is more or less the same as the old gig, but with 200% less stress, and 57% more money. Just shame everything else costs more now lol.

great to hear from you. glad things are going well for you. keep it up! ...and don't be a stranger!

Thanks guys.

I am sure I will be around a bit more. I have somewhat lost interest in my Hawk, and have considered selling it. Just get what I can get for it and pick up a 150 scooter of some sort, or I have toyed with selling both of my bikes and getting some new mid-range motorcycle (650cc-ish) to replace both. It's either that or I am going to pick up a new car this year sometime this summer if my plans go accordingly. My Nissan is becoming a 10 year old car with 10 year old car problems and is starting to need more and more work. I normally don't mind, but one grows tired of always having to repair a vehicle after a while.

My poor Hawk hasn't been used much since I got the KPX. I really haven't pushed to sell, but should now that the riding season has started here. I plan on start doing some long haul riding this year so I've been looking at getting either a Kawasaki Vulcan Voyager 1700 or a Can Am Spyder RT Limited. I test drove the Spyder a few weeks ago and really like it. I'm getting older and i think this would be the better long term solution for me, especially with a passenger. I'd be afraid of dropping a two wheeled bike with the wife on the back. By myself I would be ok. I'll probably trade the Vulcan S in on it and sell the Hawk.

The Vulcan S is really the perfect all around bike. Lots of fun factor and not over powered.

Glad to hear things are looking up. The maintenance sector is tuff. Seems like getting treated like a 2nd class citizen is almost a prerequisite. It really fuels an "us vs. them" relationship. I'm in it for my kids. All those folks that look down on me/us, and there are many, can rot in hell.

Also, the hobbies struggle is real. I keep adding more, but I don't seem to be thinning any from the herd.

It's good to hear from you Dan. And I'm glad you found a decent employer :tup:

I converted my ancient Stumpjumper Sport to a cross trainer. I can't believe it's 40 years old, but it's still easier on the knees than running and keeps my legs tuned up.

How about a 650 Suzuki Bergman??

As far as e-bikes go, that's one that appeals to me.


I'm still paying attention to the Hawk. Put a skid plate on it and bought the pipe, have yet to install. I think I finally understand what you guys mean when you say you use a soda can on the seams where they slip together. I'm guessing held in place on either side with a hose clamp? I got some nice exhaust pipe coupler thingies. The muffler side coupler simply doesn't fit. It's REAL close, but just won't comply. The mid-section seems like it might work, but man, they are bulky. Soda can seems simpler/leaner.


I plan to at least do the stage one kit, might go crazy and do the big bore.

I am still fairly heart set on a Royal Enfield 650 Interceptor. I just want a low rpm simple aircooled twin. Either that, or an MT03. They are about the same in performance. The MT03 actually fits me fairly well, but I do need lower pegs to ride the thing as the tank fairings lock my legs in place. I have to flare my legs out to use the shifter or brake lol. Plus, I can get into one cheap.

I don't want a big scooter like the Bergman. I just want to downsize from the VFR mainly. I love the thing, but it's so hard to enjoy without fear of catching a felony speeding charge because I sneezed and blipped the throttle.

I will keep the Hawk as a good fun/alt bike, even though there are many new Chinabikes I would love to have. I just have a connection to the Hawk.

Those are a couple of big bikes you are looking at Jerry. Looking to do some iron butt challenge style riding?

In particular, I am an electro-mechanical machine technician more than general maintenance. I can do basic maintenance stuff and have in the past, but my real skill set is very specialized. When I work in that field, I get treated much better, but as you can imagine it can be hard to get in the door at the good jobs, and that's because nobody leaves the good ones.

The Heybike Explore is a great bike, and huge. I pulled the trigger on it about a month ago because they are on clearance. This is the last production run they are making of them before it gets replaced with a newer/different fat tire cargo bike next year. I picked it up for $1100 instead of 1800, so I bought a second battery pack with the money I basically saved. each pack is 20AH, so it has great range and a 750w motor. It can cruise at 20mph for quite a while on throttle only (about 45ish miles), or I can put it in PAS level 3 (out of 5) put it in top gear on the crank set and go 18-19mph and get about 60 miles out of it and a decent little workout. Hell, even in PAS1, the lowest assist level, I can get it crusing 15mph with moderate effort on my part and go even futher if I so desire. I really do enjoy riding it quite a lot.

As far as your Hawk. Absolutely do the Motocult head and big bore setup with one of their cam options. The power is amazing. My at-home port job was decent, but the level of port work on his heads is top tier stuff. The power bump is incredible, and because it maintains a lot of flow velocity and swirl with the added air flow, the setup I am running makes 20 wheel hp, revs out to 9000 no problem, all on a VM26 (yes, I went back to the ol' Mikuni clone) and with a main jet number that might surprise most people here. The motocult stuff is worth every penny.

there's no replacement for displacement. :)

Well look what the cat dragged in? Hey Dan. I love my Interceptor. A fine choice, indeed.

More rpm is. Just don't mind if your low rpm torque is a bit weak lol

I did see that you ended up with one. My envy is real. I am going to take my vfr in to the local RE dealer in April and see what kind of deal I can work out. It's gonna be another Orange bike lol

I did like the orange color on the RE Interceptor 650 tanks.

As far as high revs go, that way lies madness or a future traffic violation ticket :lmao:

There is a reason that bikes that put out a lot of torque down low are ending up popular bikes with riders (MT-07, etc). Letting you get a power rush down in the legal speeds ranges for thrills without infractions :tup:

I envy VFR interceptor owners. This bike was one of the true classic Honda triumphs. I used to walk by (gazing) one in the garage to get to my lowly Jetta when I parked a few blocks away just to get out of the baking sun. Red, of course.

I don't have to tell you that after you sell it, you will miss it. I felt this way after selling at least three bikes... 1. a modified first gen Bandit with Mikuni RS smoothbore (accelerator pump) carbs rack, dyno2000 ignition advance, D&D header with adjustable flow Supertrapp slip-on (paid for flat black anodizing), SS braided lines, 6 piston calipers from a GSXR750, more. 2. GSX1100F Katana race replica (electric adjustable windshield, full fairing with belly). Vance and Hines chrome comp exhaust, new Mettzler OEM tires, Euro rack, tankbag. 3, GS1100G shaftie with Vetter full OEM fairing/bags color-matched maroon taken from a Gold wing (complete with hooded chrome headlamp and new OEM windshield with pop-up louvers. Gold pin striping, NOS Aamco sliding backrest/luggage rack, three point engine guards with footrests. What was I thinking?

Well, you know what I am sayin'

I know I will regret it, but that's every bike I have sold. They are all unique and have their own personalities. That's the nice thing though, there is always another bike out there to suit your desires.

Want low RPM torque, my VFR1200 has it in spades. it makes over 90ft-lbs from 3500-9000rpm lol. even below 3500 it pulls ok. Not MT07 levels, but he MT07 does't carry the power like my bigger V4.

The high rpm, small displacement engine bikes usually have very short gearing. Lots of noise and RPM, but not much speed. The old CBR250RR and other 250cc 4 banger bikes from the 90's, and the current ZX25RR all spin to 18k+ rpm, and make around 40-50hp. They sound like F1 cars, but go about as fast as a typical 40-50hp motorcycle lol.

I miss the 2 1st gens i had. Never got to ride the '83 but cant remember why. Rode the '85 for about 6 years and ended up selling it to make room for the Deuce. Wouldn't mind picking up another, Though i think id opt for the 500CC version this round.

There are a couple other bikes in contention around that $7k price range. One that really has my interest is the CL500 Scrambler. Then there is the most expensive and most powerful option which is a Suzuki SV650. Yes, not really in the same class of bikes, but always a solid choice.

I just recently sat on the SCL500 and the DR650. Both very nice.

The SV650 is the bike I naturally gravitated to when I had a little $ and was looking for a motorcycle. At the time, ~2008, it was like $6000 out the door. I can remember swinging my leg over, sitting on it and thinking, "perfect fit".

Buddy of mine told me I was insane, I'm getting a Harley. He was convincing. Bought a '91 FXR for $6400. smh

I'm limiting myself in the price of the bike because I want to keep it reasonably affordable. I can afford a much much more expensive bike, but I really don't want to.

If I didn't care about the cost of a bike I would be getting this (I can easily afford it) https://www.ducati.com/us/en/bikes/s...reetfighter-v4
Because of this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UfT_Q1uAbI

I've had my fill of big powerful bikes that you really can't utilize even a quarter of their potential without breaking several laws and risking jail time. I love my VFR, but it's a hard bike to really enjoy.

A cheaper, smaller, slower bike like the ones I am looking at are just so much more fun, and can be practical too.

I may even keep my VFR and just put it down and take it apart to perform a bunch of in-depth maintenance and some small repairs to. Like I said, I do love it. I just don't enjoy it as much these days. I can go buy any of the bikes I named right now without hurting myself in the slightest.

RE 650 and SV 650 are similar in displacement, so different otherwise!

SV is like "half of a VFR" and the RE is a classic cafe style bike. Both have attributes to justify choosing it. RE might be more of a break away from the VFR and a whole new experience, but the SV might be more of a smile generator in the Twisties. I suspect the SV will be stiffer, more stable and confidence inspiring.

Congrats on the new job, Dan.

It's not even about being half or a quarter etc. The INT650 is way more akin to my 75 GL1000 Goldwing in terms of power to weight if a bit less - 47hp and 470lbs vs "80hp" (different standard of measurement back then) and 600lbs. I loved the balance of power and weight my GL1000 had. Similar styling too.

The SV650 is sorta half of my 1200 I guess. My VFR is 580lbs with 170hp stock, or about 145whp through the shaft drive. Mine makes 164whp. The SV650 makes 70hp and is 436lbs. I would call it more like a third of my bike in terms of power, and 2/3 in terms of weight.

I'm not really chasing power though. I just want something powerful enough to keep up with any traffic, be a tad more economical, and a lot more fun to ride "hard" without going triple digits speeds in the blink of an eye. 0-100mph in a hair over 5 seconds is nothing to sneeze at. I do love it, and as I said, I may keep it, but I would have to just have it sit there all the time when somebody else could enjoy it.

I also don't do much corner carving on the street. The INT650 has a much better chassis than people think. The SV is just a next class up from all of the other bikes I am looking at. I am only considering it because I have always wanted one. I love a 90 degree Twin. Plus, the 2024 model has a bronze frame and black paint. It looks really cool.

https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/r...JIIIYTURG4.jpg

The big appeal of the INT650 is that it's a simple, old school looking (my favorite) air cooled torquey lump of a 270 degree twin. It makes all the right noises, goes the right kind of speeds, and from my limited time in the seat a very fun bike to ride around on and just enjoy riding. I'm not a big cruiser guy, but I do love a good standard motorcycle with classic looks. Plus, in terms of price, it's right where I want to be.

The Honda CL500 being the closest direct competitor to it. I love Hondas, it's one of the lightest bikes on my list at 423lbs wet. I love the looks of it. It also comes in Orange (yes, I have a thing for Orange lol), and like the SV650, the engine has been around a really long time so it's going to be almost bullet proof.

The MT03 is the slightly odd one out on the other end of the spectrum. Similar power, much smaller engine but with a much higher rpm limit, actually fits my tall body fairly well for such a small engined bike too. Also the cheapest of the bunch at just $5k. The only thing I am not the biggest fan of is the styling. It's not the worst ever though.

Thank you! It's been a bit of a rough couple of years for me, and the economy turning to crap didn't really help my situation either. I finally feel like I am back on my career path again and not hating to go to work every day. That started even before losing my last job that I was at for 7 years. That place was turning to hell for the last 3 or 4 and it was affecting my health due to the stress.

Having had the loaded-up SV650 (V-Strom-my brother has it now) and the RE, I can tell you the V-Strom would kill the Interceptor. It has lots more power and are completely different bikes. The V-Strom was sweet, handled well, and was fun in the twisties. That said, it was covered with Tupperware and needed a lot of ergo adjustment for me, regarding peg extenders, bars and risers. It was also a royal pain to wrench on. I liked the more naked style of the SV much better because of this reason.
The RE is a true, pure retro-styled bike. It's not fast, BUT the power is completely usable. It's a super friendly bike and is like dancing with an elegant lady in an evening gown, as opposed to mud wrestling with an Amazon. Also, as opposed to many of the newer Japanese bikes, the RE's are designed to be worked on by the owners. All of my RE's are super easy to wrench on. Everything is accessible.

The interceptor has its charms. I like a naked cafe, and the engine promotes low anxiety cruising with rewarding torque in the curves on a twisty mountain road. I rode my brothers Triumph in the 70s and it was a blast.

I did buy a DL1000 VStrom and loaded it up. It took me on a few trips including a trip to Denver. I cruised up to Boulder, then up Boulder canyon (FUN!) past Barker Reservoir to Nederland, then took Peak to Peak highway North towards Estes Park, but headed East down to Lyons (Oskar Blues brewery), and then after break, down to Two Hands Brewing, then back through Boulder to Denver.

The VStrom was fantastic in the long swoopy 70-80mph curves up there, with spectacular mountain peak views in the distance. Worth a trip out there if you have time! ;)


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They are definitely very different bikes, but both of them are fairly easy to work on. The RE is definitely a much much easier bike to work on for sure, but I wouldn't call the SV difficult either. Remove the seat and lift the tank and you can pretty much do most of the maintenance work that would need to be done.

The SV650 is kind of what I consider to be the definition of "motorcycle" if you just want a bike with the right amount of power, weight, and size to suit almost any and every rider. It's quick, but not extremely fast. It has great ergonomics that suit both sporty riding and just cruising around. It makes a great noise, and has been around so long that parts are cheap and easy to get and all of the gremlins have been worked out.

Yeah it's true that DL650 and DL1000 have higher center of gravity and steeper front end geometry. I don't know why I got sucked into the adventure sport craze. The TL1000 might be similar in orientation, but much heavier. At least the DL650 has the same engine.

I rode the DL650, and liked the engine a lot. I can see how it would have good manners and range in a road oriented frame. It would be great on those high mountain highways NW of Boulder, and especially fun in Boulder canyon (better than the DL1000!).

That bronze frame and black body do beautiful too. Both bikes (RE650 and SV650) have proven engine designs. Whatever you decide, you'll be happy. Of course there's always door number 3... a used BMW R65 ;)

A used German vehicle? I'd rather have a horse kick me in the scrotum...

Yes, it would be a rather boring "new" bike :lmao:

Dependable though

Never done a valve adjustment on the rear cylinder, did ya? Worst motorcycle job I did (motor in the bike). Unfortunately, it was mine!