'Tis a sad day....

[primal]

Originally Posted by kmkindred

Easy, please explain this statement for the uninitiated or otherwise mechanically deficient :whistle:

Thanks,

Keith

Inline-4 engines are naturally high revving engines. For instance, in 6th gear running at 70 MPH the KZ550 runs around 6000 RPM.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by primal

Inline-4 engines are naturally high revving engines. For instance, in 6th gear running at 70 MPH the KZ550 runs around 6000 RPM.

Yep, that pretty much covers it..........and the 1000 Bumble Bees sound.

When I got my first I4, it was S M O O T H and I swore I'd never go back to a twin again.

The real power band starts at about 70% of red line and on many 4's that is up around 7-8000 rpm. It's kind of a shame to ride a bike like that an almost never really USE the power band.

All that is, of course, a generalization and some modern I4's on big touring bikes, for instance, are designed differently and you have the inherent smoothness of the 4 along with good power at a much lower RPM. The original I4 engines were, after all, for racing bikes.

So........here we are 25 years later and I AM back to a twin, via a single the vibrates LESS than most twins. Never say never, I guess. :roll:

Yes, it DOES vibrate.....and I'm loving it. Might change my mind a bit after a road trip or two........but I doubt it.

[primal]

I really wish I could find an older bike with a modern engine. I love the charm of the older bikes, but after this situation I'm not sure I want to fool with their quirks again. There is a 1978 Goldwing for sale locally that looks nice, but I know I should get a modern bike instead...

[adrianinflorida]

Originally Posted by primal

I really wish I could find an older bike with a modern engine.

That's what's pushing me towards the Triumph Bonneville for the upgrade......Now to be able to afford it. :roll:

[Blackbird]

Well I think I'm going to jump in on this discussion, can't resist.
Raven is running real good and I've have gotten nice comments from people who see it.
Let's face it if you have owned a bigger bike and have a smaller one, there is a good chance you will find one a little bigger to play on. So when I hear folks talking about making the switch I fully understand and say, "Go for it!" :2tup:
That said ... sitting on one side of my garage is the bulk of a 1980 Yamaha XS650 Special and various parts of it elsewhere. I've decided to push myself to get it running. Just ordered carb kits for it, oil filters (yes, both of them), brake pads for front and rear and a new front tire. It won't get the gas mileage Raven gets, but for 2 up riding it can't be beat. I just need to stay focused and pushed to make it happen. :cool:

[roncg41677]

Primal, I was in a similar predicament recently, not with a bike not running, but having to decide between a nicer old bike or a "eeeh" new(er) one. I wanted to take the $1,500 I got from my GZ and turn it right around. I had settled on having to get a late 70's/early 80's UJM like a Goldwing or a Suzuki GS and was about to go look at some older bikes when I decided to sit it out that day. A couple days later I found my 95 Virago 1100 with 18,000 miles on the clock for $1,600.

Patience can pay. Also, I found a site that was a huge help. Don't know if you've heard of it before, but Search Tempest lets you search all of the craigs lists in whatever radius you want, with all of the usual cl search functions. Helped me a ton, as I didn't miss deals in more remote areas. My Virago ended up being about 80 miles away. Never would have found it if I had just stuck to my town's CL.

Good luck. That is a really crappy decision to have to make :sad:. Checking local dealerships like Easy said is a good idea too. Sometimes a local shop here has some really good deals, and I live in a pretty small town.

[alantf]

Originally Posted by adrianinflorida

That's what's pushing me towards the Triumph Bonneville

I remember way back in the 1960s, a friend of mine had a bonneville, & he decided to fit a racing tank & clip-ons - job done - looked great! Off he shot to try it out, only to come back ten minutes later, looking VERY sheepish. It appears he had made one BIG mistake. When he got to the first corner, he couldn't turn the bike. It appears that when you fit clip-ons, a racing tank must have "dents" to allow the bars to move more. As it was, he could only ride in a straight line! Luckily he drained the tank, removed it, & the shop swapped it for him.

[dannylightning]

i would personally part it out if it is in great shape. 50 bucks for this and 20 bucks for that can add up to a lot of money after you get rid of every thing.

[adrianinflorida]

Originally Posted by alantf

I remember way back in the 1960s, a friend of mine had a bonneville, & he decided to fit a racing tank & clip-ons - job done - looked great! Off he shot to try it out, only to come back ten minutes later, looking VERY sheepish. It appears he had made one BIG mistake. When he got to the first corner, he couldn't turn the bike. It appears that when you fit clip-ons, a racing tank must have "dents" to allow the bars to move more. As it was, he could only ride in a straight line! Luckily he drained the tank, removed it, & the shop swapped it for him.

:biggrin:

[primal]

I went and took a look at a 2000 Katana 600 today. I know, I know, I said I wanted a cruiser, but this is possibly a deal a couldn't pass up. Besides, I've always liked the Katana.