Tell me you've cleaned the carbs, done chain/sprockets, and gotten good tires before putting all these bullshit accessories on this thing, right?
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Tell me you've cleaned the carbs, done chain/sprockets, and gotten good tires before putting all these bullshit accessories on this thing, right?
For real: If it's not in good enough shape to ride at a track day, then it's prob not in good enough shape to put a ton of street miles on it.
:stupid: See my previous statement above...
How much money have you dumped into this thing so far? What have you done for basic maintenance?
yes...here's what I've done so far:
January 2019: new front/rear tires ($180 installed)
April 2019: pulled carbs off, cleaned, ultrasonic cleaned (did at home)
June 2019: new chain and sprockets (driven sprockets, RX GXW chain) - maybe $250? I forgot
August 2019: fork seals - $200
August 2019: Front/Rear rotors ($120) + brake pads ($60? I forgot)
so yeah...I am into it $800 in maintenance :lol:
the mechanic says I should have everything fresh before touching the track...so I was thinking:
-for this spring/summer: just turn and burn the tires that are on there for local 200 ish mile rides (maybe 6k miles on it)
-put fresh tires for touring (this fall - around Vegas area) - chain/sprockets only have 5k miles or so
-then fresh tires/chain/sprockets/brakes/carb clean for track days (next year) - pirelli sport demons are $350 + install...I'm guessing a new set of chain/sprockets for track will run me another $250ish + install...and $200 for a mechanic carb clean, so budget another $800 before that happens
Maybe for optimum gearing he’s saying to replace the chain and sprockets before the track. Otherwise if they’re less than a year old with only 5k miles, you shouldn’t need to replace them. If you just cleaned the carbs last year and it’s still running great, why clean them again. Maybe brake pads with more bike come track time, but if they work well enough, just track them as is until they actually need replacing. Sounds like the mechanic is just trying to suck $800 out of you.
I feel the same way about the chain/sprockets and rotors quality set of chain/sprockets w' 5k street miles is aight on a 500
but tires are a well known safety issue for an ex500 on the track...so at a minimum new pirelli sport demons
carb clean is a maybe - I notice any borderline issue with carb tuning (ie. high idle) comes out when you're at the track when the motor's running super hot...so start fresh/clean...all stock exhaust/jetting so no fine tuning should be necessary, just clean general maintenance
I remember Pirelli Sport Demons were the hot shit when I put them on my EX500... back in 2006/2007. I’d imagine there’s better/stickier tire choices in the last 13 years.
A track day is just a really fun street ride.
You can generally take the statement I made above ("If it's not in good enough shape to ride at a track day, then it's prob not in good enough shape to put a ton of street miles on it") and flip it around... If you're willing to put a bunch of street miles on it, it should be good enough to ride at a track day.
I kind of agree w/ Matt, it sounds like your mechanic is trying to shove his fist up your ass.
I beat the shit out of my EX500 race bike for two and a half seasons... When I finally sold it, it had the same chain, sprockets and yes, even TIRES that were on it when I got it.
Make sure the bike is in good rideable condition and rip it.
well, not exactly expecting a 50+ bike group ride through the mountains on Sunday
parts arrived...going to add it to the bucket of stuff I've ordered and never installed dammit :lol:
in the mean time:
-install a new peel-and-stick mount for the cardo that leaves space
-ProShotCam velcro for chin mount for the GoPro
watching some YouTube moto content...and thankful if I can survive every shift at work which just gets worse and worse :lol:
so my helmet check boxes:
-quality bluetooth/speaker setup - Cardo PackTalk Bold
-Removable chin mount for GoPro Session - it's my favorite point of view, but most street bike helmets are not smooth at the chin for a mount, so I went with the proshotcam
my current setup has the packtalk mount in a random location, but it interferes with the ProShot Cam mount:
https://i.imgur.com/ruXrcgM.jpg?2
I figured heat was the right way to remove the glue...but I ended up melting the mount a little....if you get underneath at the rick angle, it will just peel off
https://i.imgur.com/aUq4pRJ.jpg?1
moved that back with a new sticky pad, then lined up the proshot cam, and added the sticky velcro mounts
https://i.imgur.com/jqY9Xe8.jpg?1
the odd thing is the proshot cam velcro is remarkably strong...I've ridden street bike rides with my dirt helmet and it stays put...since both helmets have the velcro, I can move the mount between helmets
https://i.imgur.com/36qN7X3.jpg?1
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meanwhile, the local moto groups:
"I'm going to keep riding anyways"
vs.
"you guys are so irresponsible doing a group ride of 80 people...hugging each other at meet spots, carrying it, then transmitting it to someone who will come in contact w' someone who has a health condition"
plus the idea of a wreck in a hospital that takes up a bed in this pandemic seems irresponsible....I had a friend on Friday "social distancing" w' a 1090 on pavement in the desert that's in the ICU :sad2:
so ya, street rides for me are postponed indefinitely...the risk vs. reward doesn't seem worth it to me. dirt rides on the other hand, I may consider
tested out the chin mount on the 2.4 mile ride to the storage unit
https://i.imgur.com/r45gc20.png?1
looks good!
sound is windy...but that's every mount on a street bike
hopefully see you guys when this is all over!
https://i.imgur.com/niwI9Fu.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/VbgXsCn.jpg?1
well, truck is in the shop getting brakes and bearings done, so the ninja came back out...
new rear tire ~29,100 miles
picked up an extra shift 93 miles away in the desert, and took the longer scenic ride home
touring 50-60mph in open desert, hardly any traffic, visibility for miles is AWESOME
https://i.imgur.com/hgNbN8K.jpg?1
almost spiritual
https://i.imgur.com/TGMt1O2.jpg?1
I need to plan 1-2 day touring rides in spring/fall every year
https://i.imgur.com/vbTdSgY.jpg?1
the last 80 miles through LA/Riverside county to get home got significantly more stressful
total 300 miles on Saturday...over 500 by today
I still get sore at roughly 70 miles in
stock seat vs. corbin seat makes no difference; just need to build endurance
Trick to the Corbin is that isn't any more comfortable to sit on, but unlike the stock seat you can shift yourself to change where the pressure points are over time.
yesssss....it has way more space to move around
I move around quite a bit once the hot spots begin...was thinking about removing the lower for highway pegs tho
found a new beach spot closer to my current residence...22 mins by bike
https://i.imgur.com/CDSDN0L.jpg?1
now 600 miles in 5 days :lol:
https://i.imgur.com/UoAjY8X.jpg?1
cuz sometimes you need tacos
https://i.imgur.com/KYR0ye3.jpg?1
although to be honest, these sucked ^^
these were better
https://i.imgur.com/nGR9Wkk.jpg?1
seal beach, CA
https://i.imgur.com/Oc7MePF.jpg?1
a 45 minute coastal ride down PCH through orange county, in summer, is always electric
you smell bonfires, the ocean, saw a fairlane, continental, several Porsche's, and got my a$$ handed to me by a V8 Charger from a light on PCH
plotted a different pavement route for my "Sea to the Sky" ride on the YZ, and going from Newport kinda sucks because porsche's and new mercedes are always driving way too aggressively despite a 55mph limit. Jamboree road from Newport is better suited to a street bike. Laguna Beach to Santiago peak via El Toro road has less traffic and 45-50mph roads
did another 300ish miles, just running errands and whatnot
it didn't seem to bothered being in the 96 degree heat of san bernardino
https://i.imgur.com/DEmjKvB.jpg?1
rented a car from the airport and they have free motorcycle parking!
https://i.imgur.com/rMF7B4G.jpg?1
rode my bike up, parked my bike for free, then drove the rental home
funny issue surfaced - neutral light stays on almost all the time :lol:
oh well...$600 bike problems...google suggests it's a pinched neutral switch wire
anyways, since the bike is not a commuter, it mostly stays parked unless:
-I'm doing a touring ride
-cruising down to the beach
-meeting up w' other biker friends/bike nights/donut runs/friend's house w' out much street parking
last weekend was the ride up to big bear
https://i.imgur.com/pNSsg8j.png?1
(red pin)
Basically, anything green is mountainous and that's where the closer twisties and off road areas are from the coastal suburbs & cities. Anything north/east beyond that is the desert. For the un-initiated, it's really cool place where you can get into nature, ride some twisty roads, go camping, spend a day with family, go swimming in (one of few) lakes, go skiing/snowboarding in the winter, and mountainbike. It's LA's nature escape and 45-60 mins of freeway slab from home. People usually consider it far, and make a day/weekend trip out of it.
For the initiated riders, it's too freaking crowded. Too much traffic, and too many people for what you get. If you want to go on a more scenic ride, go an extra hour away and go east to roads with fewer crowds. But for a mellow group ride that's closest for the vast majority, it's fine. You don't go on this ride to shred...it's just cruise.
after 2 gas stops/meet up points, over 70 cruisers, standards, and sport bikes cruised up into the mountain...unlike NESR, everyone and their mom has a bike here, so you really don't know the skill level of the people showing up. SoCal is pretty crowded and there's a lot of traffic and bad drivers, so I rode sweep so that I wouldn't have to worry about being rear ended by a new rider.
base of the mountain still feels like desert as temps were in the 90's
https://i.imgur.com/DJILuj6.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/rMuKqDS.jpg?1
but as you get into elevation, it feels more like a forest and temps start to drop
https://i.imgur.com/HE9jmX2.jpg?1
unfortunately, all of SoCal knows that...so going through the mountain towns were crowded...especially with 70+ bikes
https://i.imgur.com/MR9DVTU.jpg?1
we just stopped there for gas, then took off around the mountain...it's kind of cool that roughly 60-90 mins from the suburbs, you are up in the mountains in farmland
howdy Mr. Horsey
https://i.imgur.com/vpW1p5Z.jpg?1
we then stopped at Arrowhead Village where we got food; which was essentially just a shopping plaza adjacent to a lake
https://i.imgur.com/mh7Nmgv.jpg?1
it was also pretty crowded...and the sun beats you down...so after we ate and felt vegged out, people started to split off to go home
which for me, meant "smaller" faster group home
https://i.imgur.com/9OqrjT6.jpg?1
no trip up to big bear is complete without a stop at a scenic overlook in the mountains
https://i.imgur.com/NfiCJad.jpg?1
and a spirited ride down the windy road back to civilization
https://i.imgur.com/ywIdW4P.jpg?1
then I parked the bike and will probably leave it until the maintenance day, then next ride :lol:
still no track day...maybe 2021?
I did a track day on the YZ the night before though :hellyeah:
https://i.imgur.com/9NTsvmw.jpg?1
The road up to big bear from san Bernie are great. So is the Mexican food in the area. Wrapping around the high desert and descending into Palm Springs was a solid day.
How was the night track time at Adam's? I still need to try it.
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agreed! the road up is a nice windy moto road through the forests with good views; hence dubbed the "rim of the world road"
next time you're here, rent a bike off rideshare for $80 and also hit GMR (glendora mountain road) and ACH (angels crest highway) on the other side of the 15. If you get more time, Palomar, Anza/Borrego, Idyllwild also have some epic views and windy canyon roads.
@onecheek - If you know Adams, it's chill :lol: $50/day. no tech inspection. There's only one guy announcing the start/stop times. Small group of laid back guys having a kid-on-christmas level of excitement, and they want to make sure everyone's having fun and being safe. I went for the evening/night session to beat the heat; but honestly even at ~90 degrees a 20 minute daytime session was not that bad. I would not hesitate to do a daytime session there if that's all my schedule allowed. Each lap is about a minute and the hairpins are tight; so it's a lot of fun on a supermoto/dirtbike. The worst part is getting off your lazy butt to saddle up and go; but I never regret it, when I do.
So Saturday I tried a cool little back to back combo: I rode a Jetski then rode the Ninja!
https://i.imgur.com/YRUF6Km.jpg
The Jetski ride was 2-1/2 hours each way; ride as fast as you want on open ocean from the port of Long Beach to Catalina Island.
https://i.imgur.com/rRSdsFj.jpg
Was in the middle of a school of dolphins, got close to a whale surfacing, saw sea lions hanging out, and saw schools of fish close to shore.
https://i.imgur.com/46SvLU3.jpg
Lazy 2 hour lunch and drink at Catalina Island at the more mellow 2 harbors side
https://i.imgur.com/7ejsuG6.jpg
then a CHOPPY 2-1/2 hour ride home. I was wiped.
Then hopped on the Ninja and rode home. It felt oddly nice as you went from choppy watercraft to smooth street bike :hellyeah:
https://i.imgur.com/Uo49wK1.jpg
How far are you from Chatsworth?
We do not measure in distance, we measure in time: 90-180 mins depending on the day of the week and time of the day
Like Boston to western mass sorta thing
More like an hour from Chatsworth as traffic hasn't been awful. I have an extra bike if we want to do a NESR get-together...
Was this the jet ski event on Friday? I really wanted to go. I take it you recommend?
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Nah bruh, like most SoCal traffic, it will be great for awhile, then when you get comfortable, BAM! Surprise traffic! Took me 2hr and 45 mins to get down the Cajon pass from Apple Valley to south OC on Saturday after work...they closed the 15S down to 1 lane :lol:
But yes, the Friday event
Would recommend 100% for someone that rides Moto...but would describe it as a Jetski ride with a stop at Catalina for lunch as opposed to a day trip to Catalina. We cliff jumped, swam through a cavern, and caught air. Expensive, but awesome.
Edit: yes Long Beach is 56 mins no traffic to Chatsworth, but I live in south OC now.
Bring your ass out here Clay and pack all your gear