Motorcycle and Scooter appreciation

Rad. What’s the plan with that?

Also, any tiger 800 owners here?

Basically going for a sort of classic scrambler/ motocross vibe.

It's my first bike but using it as an opportunity to mess about with some old school tuning so I'm going to swap the air filter and bore out the air inlet, leave a rough finish and then polish the outlet port to discombobulate the air on the way in and get it back out smoothly. Probably swap the carb then too?

Some adventure tyres on the list too and maybe some paint and upholstery down the line.

I've already shed a heap of weight with the exhaust and handlebar swap so it should be pretty fun for a learner legal 250cc bike.

You not doing anything to the front end? Reckon raising it would gain you a lot of pro points. Looks a bit low and that header might take some hits if you go off piste with it.

I want one now. I can see things in my minds eye!!

Raised suspension would be great but I'm aiming to not spend too much on this and also it's only ever really going to be a faux-tocross/ shambler at best (quite proud of those two).

Just fitted the handlebar and mercifully the cables and hoses worked out for me! Gaiters fitted too.

Need to figure out a non-repulsive mirror as the aftermarket ones fitted by the previous owner are sick.

Some new grips must be ordered too and then once I've the exhaust fitted and wrapped and a raised front fender it's going to look great! Raised fender will most likely necessitate raising the headlight too and I'd quite like one of those nifty stone guard cages and maybe a yellow tint.

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...once I've the exhaust fitted and wrapped...

Are you talking about wrapping the header? If so, I'd advise against it, wrapping mine has proper fucked it.

The wrap soaks up water thrown up by the front wheel and on smaller capacity bikes doesn't get hot enough to dry out so just sits there rotting the header at an accelerated rate due to the warmth.

Ymmv being that yours is a single, mines a twin, but I now have a completely fucked front header with raggedy bits of wrap stuck in amongst rust.

That sounds utterly soul destroying. For that reason I'm going to take the exhaust header off and wire wool it followed by a liberal application of heat resistant exhaust paint before I wrap it.

It does heat up hot though so I think it'll be ok, will certainly observe and monitor closely...

I want to take my bike in the shambler direction too. With some constraints though.
I'm thinking about vintage enduro style plastic for the mudguards. from feked maybe.
And I really rate the retro ariete grips lovely feel and good looks.

Link for plastics and grips please!

https://www.feked.com/trials-parts/frame-parts/mudguards/
or
https://www.enduroklassiker.at/en/9-plastics-and-bodywork
Ufo is supposed to be superior quality.

These are the grips I swear to, they come in other colours too and possibly from UK sellers too.
https://www.kickstartershop.de/en/2-ariete-grips-translucent-brown

Fair do’s. is raising the rear not just a case of dog bones then slap in some slightly better springs and you’re good to go?
You got any facilities for making a sump/header guard? Would look banging and work well.

Purposeful tyres and I reckon you’re sorted for a proper green lane run around.

These are the grips I swear to, they come in other colours too and possibly from UK sellers too.

https://www.kickstartershop.de/en/2-arie­te-grips-translucent-brown

Are they sized differently for left/throttle?

Grips often are because there's a tube under the throttle grip which fits over the handlebars while the left side goes straight on the handlebars. YMMV etc.

Technical data:

-Total length: 132 mm
-Handle length: 125 mm
-Diameter L/R: 22/24 mm

Cheers. Missed that.

Popped over the scrapyard for bmx parts. Said hello to the yard boss and he pointed toward the stored Yamaha QT50 shopper and said, “You want that ‘ped? I won’t have time for it...”

Said maybe, he said £200, and that it turns over. “Oh it’ll run”. Maybe if I get it closer to £150 I’ll do something stupid.

Went out for a spin with a mate at the weekend. We both filled our tanks before we set off - after a ride out and a couple of canyons up in Malibu, we stopped for gas again. He put in 14 bucks I put in 8....He was riding his 2018 Aprilia Tuono 1100, I was on my absolutely hanging 2005 GSXR1000.

Not exactly progress!!

Bound to largely be extra weight no? The GSXR must be super light for the displacement.

They weigh about the same, mine's probably a bit lighter - V4s tend to be a juicier as the rear cylinders run hotter and the EFI will be programmed accordingly. He also just stuck a loud pipe on it and I'm fairly sure it's running mega rich. So much for modern tech though, eh?

Lovely bike, nevertheless. Sounds incredible. I would.

Can I ask what you mean by learner legal.

Learner legal in Ireland. I can't remember exactly what the criteria is but I think it's <33kw?

Ah, no idea. Rules are different and could never get round them. You don't have to get an MOT equivalent either.

Nope, to be honest I was selling a ZX9R recently and half the punters were young guys with no license who just don't really care because nobody checks.

Also between the cost of mandatory lessons and outrageous insurance costs in Ireland they don't make it easy for beginners!

The insurance situation was just one or two companies that covered motorbike insurance and was an almost monopoly, so prices are sky high.

I was following one with a GP can the other day and it was infectious on the overrun. It just reverberated through everything without being shrill.

His has one of the SC project cans. It sounds epic, and shoots flames out with a proper crack on the quick shifter. Probably where all the gas is going!