Thinking of selling...

[ben2go]

I beat a lot of young guys on sport bikes while riding my Honda CB500X. It pisses them off to no end. On that note. I got the crap beat out of me when I was riding my sport bike a few years ago. I was passing everything on the mountain. Then all of the sudden a supermotard blew by me like I was standing still. It happen so fast, I didn't even see who made the damn thing. By the time I saw him beside me, he was around the next curve and disappeared like a fart in the wind.

[sqwert]

DSC, you are right. The RX3 is not a dirt bike. It's fashion is stolen from the old Paris/Dakar BMWs, and those really aren't dirt bikes, either. Riding fast enough to plane tires across loose sand requires lots of power and a wide powerband. Of course, there are some high speed paved miles in that race, too. Add enough suspension to handle North Africa deserts at 120mph and one must make the seat a baby buggy to be able to get a foot on the ground when stopped. Really a stupid fashion statement when you do a reality check for any other kind of riding. Adding touring tack to such a bike intended for such a highly specialized race event simply doesn't make much sense. That is why my RX3 seat is modified with a flatter sitting area. Much more comfy.

If I could find a new 350-400cc enduro bike as back in the 70s before companies went MXcrazy with trail bikes, I'd buy one. I had a great time with a XL250 with a 19-inch front and the fattest tires I could fit both ends. Think XL350, XR500, etc., with fat tires. Those would get down the highway. Built a couple for customers but never had time to build my own. One of my big regrets.

Oh, there's the XT250 but the tires and seat are way too MXie along with the seat. By the way, I have 2 TW200s with highly modified XT engine internals (including clutch and 6-speed). Bet you'd love a long dirt tour on Tdub2. Think all the good XT stuff, plus all the good RX3 stuff, much more comfy wide, flat seat, rear disc, Kenda Trakmaster II on the front, stock Bridgestone rear, just about 2 inches less suspension travel, mostly made up for by big soft tires. I have a 30 inch inseam and can flatfoot both feet at the same time. Had to switch to aluminum handlebar 2 inches taller than stock for comfortable standing offroad. Bet it would fit you perfect because even with the seat padded the pegs a just a bit to high for me.

[Dualsport Chic]

Funny you mention the XT250 - I happen to be an owner of one with 38K miles on it - about the most miles of any XT250 on the major forums at present. My XT is my absolute favorite DS machine and leads a 200 person DS group - Northeast Dualsport Riders (NDR). Bike is bomb proof but engine is getting windy at 38K miles of beating. Time for new top end - will happen at end of this season once I've gotten through the NDR ride schedule for the year. Thinking of a big bore kit - we'll see what happens but I will never give up that machine - it will be with me until I'm on 'the other side of the dirt'.

If you look up XT250 Review on YouTube, you'll see me doing a 24K and 33K mile review on the machine. Getting close to 100K hits on one of those videos now.

The G310gs will most likely be my RX3 ADV replacement. I'll set it up for long distance multi-day touring and pop a Rally Raid kit on it to make it truly dirt worthy with spoked rims, suspension & exhaust upgrade, bash plate, travel lighting and all the other usual farkles.

[sqwert]

Most folks will think you're a fool for putting money in a worn out XT250. But it fits.

CB550, 1976 models, fit me. I ride 2, 1 hooligan, 1 tourer. Both have 712cc engines and will smoke a SOHC 750 since the real displacement difference is only 13ccs, but the weight difference is about 70 pounds. The 550s handle lots better, especially with modern tires.

TW200s, with a seat cover and taller bars fit me. I have 4. 1 is a stock engine, nothing but a main jet and o-ring chain, riding errands on the JDM tires or a spare set of wheels with stock rear and Kenda K760 on the front.

2nd shares the stock US market Bridgestone rear and a K760 or K270, depending on the dirt/pavement ratio. Nothing stock about this one, set up for ADV, luggage, lights, tools, first aid, not too radical 276cc with about the same max as a RX3 broken in well, but more off idle, XT225 6 speed and clutch, Delphi EFI, triple discs, and built to last.

3rd, is for gnarly offroad day trips, stock rear on the front, 27-7.50-12 Interco tractor tread ATV tire rear, discs front and rear, same 276cc engine and trans as the ADV bike.

4th is a café racer, radical 276cc with 38mm Mikuni, triple discs, rearsets, drag bars, composite wheels, sticky Pirellis, not built to last, about 35hp. Super quick on curvy roads. My 107 pound wife embarrassed everyone except a scrawny dude on a MV Augusta 1000 on Tail Of A Dragon on summer afternoon after a quick shower sent all the TN cops for doughnuts and a warm sun quickly dried the road. NC state line to Tab Cat Creek and back, about 22 miles, 600+ curves, in about 18 minutes.

These 6 bikes probably represent close to $70K over 20 years including purchase price, parts, accessories, machine work, and contracted specialty work like reworking seats. Really, about $3500 a year isn't nearly what some folks spend on Budweiser! A case a day runs about twice that, that's what I've been told.

Next project is a 1972 XR750 Harley. Already have 1 in showroom condition, bought as a backup but never raced, just used for spare parts. A 2nd is a XR-TT roadrace version--only a couple dozen made by Harley, this one built from parts. Next build will be a EFI ADV version with triple

[sqwert]

discs, looking to find an additional gear or 2 for the trans, EFI, silencers behind the reversed megaphones, hydraulic lifters to reduce maintenance, and a cushy seat. Should weigh about the same as the ADV TW, just 4 times the power. Lots of tire choices in the 19-inch size the XR runs on both ends ranging from sport touring to DOT rated 3/5 desert style knobbies. She'll be tuned to about 75hp at 8200rpm, which is pretty mild for this engine.


Hope it fits.


See, loving the one that fits is the way to go. Wishing you happiness on your rebuild.

[Sullybiker]

My riding buddy has just got an XT and he's fallen in love with it. I think he's got the dirt bug.

[Dualsport Chic]

You nailed it on the XT250 - 'It Fits' - the most important component of getting the best out of any two wheeled machine - IT HAS TO FIT!

[sjeff35]

Originally Posted by sqwert

With all due respect, you guys need to learn to ride. I've seen an indicated 90+mph on my RX3. Down hill, tailwind, and I weigh about 218.

Back in my younger and dumber days I was radared and stopped in Georgia on a TW200 doing 84mph. Stock other than main jet and final drive. I weighed 285 then. Fortunately, the LEO had a TW of his own and said he would have felt guilty writing that ticket. Said anyone who could get 84mph out of a stock TW engine knows how to ride that fast safely. Oh, tailwind, downhill, right behind a semi truck. That was about 3/4 of the way through a SS1000.

Passed all the folks who didn't wait for me on I10 on the same TW, hanging on some mudflaps. Easily tooling along about 80mph. Talk about priceless looks on riders' faces.

Just have to learn to prep a bike for a specific challenge and master a few advanced riding techniques. There's more to making speed than just twisting a throttle.

Did you know that at speed in heavy traffic the apparent wind is more dependent on the traffic than on the atmospheric conditions? Tooling along about 70mph on the same TW amongst traffic, half the cars turned off to I35E, and speed immediately dropped to about 60--not enough cars to keep the wind heading north at ground level. Also had a bunch of cars merge 5 lanes into 4 at 70mph, and tooling along in the 2nd lane that old TW jumped from about 55 to about 70 because more cars were enough to push the ground level air masses the direction we were going.

Pay attention--it isn't that hard to figure out what air will do with changes in traffic. Take advantage of air patterns and grade. Makes a big difference sometimes.

I've always wondered what the terminal velocity of the RX3 was!!!

The only way this thing is doing 90 is over a cliff!

[Sullybiker]

There's video on YouTube of an Italika RX3 running down an open road hitting an indicated 150kmh which allowing -10% innacuracy is 84mph, which coincidentally seems to be most people's top speed.



I'm sure you could get a true 90 out of it if you were motivated

[sjeff35]

Originally Posted by Sullybiker

There's video on YouTube of an Italika RX3 running down an open road hitting an indicated 150kmh which allowing -10% innacuracy is 84mph, which coincidentally seems to be most people's top speed.



I'm sure you could get a true 90 out of it if you were motivated

Color me skeptical. On a long downhill run last month I was able to get up to 77 per GPS, that was wide open. Of course I was loaded down with camping gear, but still...

[Sullybiker]

Originally Posted by sjeff35

Color me skeptical. On a long downhill run last month I was able to get up to 77 per GPS, that was wide open. Of course I was loaded down with camping gear, but still...

That's really not bad for such a high drag configuration.

[sqwert]

Originally Posted by Dualsport Chic

You nailed it on the XT250 - 'It Fits' - the most important component of getting the best out of any two wheeled machine - IT HAS TO FIT!

Same as a helmet.

[sqwert]

Originally Posted by sjeff35

I've always wondered what the terminal velocity of the RX3 was!!!

The only way this thing is doing 90 is over a cliff!

Not quite a cliff, but the grade meter in my truck shows -12% going down the same hill. Pretty steep for an interstate route.