Car Enthusiast Club [Now Motorcycle friendly!] - First thread to 150k! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[chaozbandit]

The season is back on siuuuuuuu
 

 

[Guest]

So I'm doing more research and as with all things, brands are a good compass to quality but any specific model can vary drastically. 

 

I'm currently shopping for my first bike and I'm looking at getting a Kawasaki KLX 230SM dual sport motorcycle. 

It's about 5,200~. There's not much information on YouTube that I can find being long term trust, but a few small channels saying it's bad...

I'm basically just looking for reliability.

 

The market for the Suzuki drz 400 dual sport bikes is 2~3k more expensive. 

I know the saying buy once cry once... But, is the 2~3k bringing that drastic of a quality difference? 

 

I like the ergonomics of dual sport bikes over touring, standard, and race bikes. 

I'm curious if anyone can give input on shopping for reliable low cost dual sport ergonomic bikes for driving around town. 

[Levent]

1 hour ago, fpo said:

So I'm doing more research and as with all things, brands are a good compass to quality but any specific model can vary drastically. 

 

I'm currently shopping for my first bike and I'm looking at getting a Kawasaki KLX 230SM dual sport motorcycle. 

It's about 5,200~. There's not much information on YouTube that I can find being long term trust, but a few small channels saying it's bad...

I'm basically just looking for reliability.

 

The market for the Suzuki drz 400 dual sport bikes is 2~3k more expensive. 

I know the saying buy once cry once... But, is the 2~3k bringing that drastic of a quality difference? 

 

I like the ergonomics of dual sport bikes over touring, standard, and race bikes. 

I'm curious if anyone can give input on shopping for reliable low cost dual sport ergonomic bikes for driving around town. 

CRF250L? I am also looking at getting a CRF250 Rally. From my own research these bikes are rock solid for around the town and basic to mediocre off-road use.

 

Though I'll say my butt did not enjoy brief 10 minute ride around the block when I first rode a 250L. Seat cushion leaves a lot to be desired.

[12345678]

not an enthusiast

but the only car that I ever liked I found out that it's like a limited edition so too expensive

[12345678]

although I don't really like the car industry since they are an oligopoly, joining the market is really diffucult because of regulations that are usually about safety and other bullshits, but in reality it protects the current industries, also known as regulatory capture

the same could be said for other industries... as with tech

 

[PandaCopyRight]

13 hours ago, fpo said:

So I'm doing more research and as with all things, brands are a good compass to quality but any specific model can vary drastically. 

 

I'm currently shopping for my first bike and I'm looking at getting a Kawasaki KLX 230SM dual sport motorcycle. 

It's about 5,200~. There's not much information on YouTube that I can find being long term trust, but a few small channels saying it's bad...

I'm basically just looking for reliability.

 

The market for the Suzuki drz 400 dual sport bikes is 2~3k more expensive. 

I know the saying buy once cry once... But, is the 2~3k bringing that drastic of a quality difference? 

 

I like the ergonomics of dual sport bikes over touring, standard, and race bikes. 

I'm curious if anyone can give input on shopping for reliable low cost dual sport ergonomic bikes for driving around town. 

With Dual sports be careful .. they tend to be dirt bikes with license plates .. so not exactly comfortable for the most part
All dual sports will be with more or less the same ergonomics, not everyone is ok with riding them around town and none of them would be perfect *out of the box*
the DRZ400 is nowhere near as good as people make it sound like it is and they should have updated it quite long ago, not worth the money imo

230-300 to 400-450 is technically a completely different class of bikes in the dualsport world hence the price difference... nothing to do with quality
KLX230 might be too new for there to be enough information around
But get like a Honda CRF300 if you want a dual sport, they seem to be rock solid as its the same CRF250 ... just updated.

[Guest]

9 hours ago, PandaCopyRight said:

With Dual sports be careful .. they tend to be dirt bikes with license plates .. so not exactly comfortable for the most part
All dual sports will be with more or less the same ergonomics, not everyone is ok with riding them around town and none of them would be perfect *out of the box*
the DRZ400 is nowhere near as good as people make it sound like it is and they should have updated it quite long ago, not worth the money imo

230-300 to 400-450 is technically a completely different class of bikes in the dualsport world hence the price difference... nothing to do with quality
KLX230 might be too new for there to be enough information around
But get like a Honda CRF300 if you want a dual sport, they seem to be rock solid as its the same CRF250 ... just updated.

Just based on price, ... I was doing research and the Honda Grom seems to be like the #1 most popular bike hands down for its low cost, reliability, and low difficulty. 

 

Might not be the most ergonomic but, I hear it has the biggest after market support, so it should be easy to adjust the ergonomics. 

[Bitter]

Grom is more of a scooter lol

[vetali]

Pics are really blown out due to screenshotting... but damn they nailed the Type R this time. Still not a fan of the side skirt design though. Feels reminiscent of the FK8. Drives great. Butt dyno says its kinda a dog in the lower RPMs like a typical older Honda. Didn't rev it out though.

[PandaCopyRight]

On 1/23/2023 at 3:23 AM, fpo said:

Just based on price, ... I was doing research and the Honda Grom seems to be like the #1 most popular bike hands down for its low cost, reliability, and low difficulty. 

 

Might not be the most ergonomic but, I hear it has the biggest after market support, so it should be easy to adjust the ergonomics. 

Grom is not exactly a bike to use for commuting as it has both the downsides of small bikes and downsides of small scooters.
Nor does it benefit fuel economy with the 125cc engine as the early models (until recently) have only a 4 speed gearbox
its only popular because its cheap and easy to do stupid shit on without getting in trouble for speeding. Its kinda like the BMX bike of the motorcycle world.
it is not a bad bike for what it is, but you'd never want to commute on it as its a lot smaller than a regular bike or even scooters.

No amount of aftermarket parts will fix the ergonomic issue of it being a very tiny bike and you might not physically fit on it.
Sure if you are small enough you might be comfortable on it, but thats not often the case.

Also just remembered that for rough estimate of the seating position and ergonomics you can use this website, doesnt have all the bikes in the world .. but for a rough estimate picking a similar bike usually works.
https://cycle-ergo.com/

[Bitter]

15 hours ago, vetali said:

Pics are really blown out due to screenshotting... but damn they nailed the Type R this time. Still not a fan of the side skirt design though. Feels reminiscent of the FK8. Drives great. Butt dyno says its kinda a dog in the lower RPMs like a typical older Honda. Didn't rev it out though.

Maybe it's the angle but that fromt shot looks highly unappealing. Giving me Fiat Multipla vibes lol...

[Guest]

3 hours ago, PandaCopyRight said:

Grom is not exactly a bike to use for commuting as it has both the downsides of small bikes and downsides of small scooters.
Nor does it benefit fuel economy with the 125cc engine as the early models (until recently) have only a 4 speed gearbox
its only popular because its cheap and easy to do stupid shit on without getting in trouble for speeding. Its kinda like the BMX bike of the motorcycle world.
it is not a bad bike for what it is, but you'd never want to commute on it as its a lot smaller than a regular bike or even scooters.

No amount of aftermarket parts will fix the ergonomic issue of it being a very tiny bike and you might not physically fit on it.
Sure if you are small enough you might be comfortable on it, but thats not often the case.

Also just remembered that for rough estimate of the seating position and ergonomics you can use this website, doesnt have all the bikes in the world .. but for a rough estimate picking a similar bike usually works.
https://cycle-ergo.com/

I'll have to think about it more ...

 

The only reason I really think about the Grom is that I don't intend to go super far with it and it's known to be reliable. 

 

Moped are too commonly made to lower standards from what I understand (and I don't really understand much about that market)

 

Maybe I'll look back at the dual sports. 

[Bitter]

Nothing wrong with a good Scooter for a commuter. There's some which have larger engines and motorcycle handling if you're after a fun commute. FortNine has some good videos about different motorcycles and some scooters.

[vetali]

6 hours ago, Bitter said:

Maybe it's the angle but that fromt shot looks highly unappealing. Giving me Fiat Multipla vibes lol...

I can't get the pics right by screenshotting, but I thought the 11th gens looked dumb until I saw them in person. I think they look pretty good in hatch form, and the Type R looks great.

 

Personally I like the new Integra a bit more.

[PandaCopyRight]

5 hours ago, fpo said:

I'll have to think about it more ...

 

The only reason I really think about the Grom is that I don't intend to go super far with it and it's known to be reliable. 

 

Moped are too commonly made to lower standards from what I understand (and I don't really understand much about that market)

 

Maybe I'll look back at the dual sports. 

Genuinely if you are considering a grom for a commuter, get a 125cc scooter ... it would be much better for that

[Bitter]

53 minutes ago, vetali said:

 

I can't get the pics right by screenshotting, but I thought the 11th gens looked dumb until I saw them in person. I think they look pretty good in hatch form, and the Type R looks great.

 

Personally I like the new Integra a bit more.

The rear shot looks great. Up front, how much does that under-bite stick out??

[vetali]

6 minutes ago, Bitter said:

The rear shot looks great. Up front, how much does that under-bite stick out??

Taken from the savagegeese vid.

[Guest]

6 hours ago, Bitter said:

Nothing wrong with a good Scooter for a commuter. There's some which have larger engines and motorcycle handling if you're after a fun commute. FortNine has some good videos about different motorcycles and some scooters.

 

48 minutes ago, PandaCopyRight said:

Genuinely if you are considering a grom for a commuter, get a 125cc scooter ... it would be much better for that

 

 

One reason I didn't go scooter was that the 125cc scooters from Japan (reliable brands) are all like $5,000 USD or more. 

So I figured I'd check out some of the motor cycles. 

 

Someone tried talking me into checking out KTM but I still don't know about their reliability compared to Honda. 

 

I'm probably going to save up for a while and go back to the dealership with the ground rule of Honda and go from there. 

[Bitter]

11 hours ago, vetali said:

Taken from the savagegeese vid.

Oh that front shot you posted made it look like it stuck out a foot. That's not bad at all.

[bcredeur97]

@Bitter turns out that pressure sensor on the Touareg was actually broken 

 

They dropped the rear section of the exhaust, and the SCR tank, and replaced the pump assembly (which has the sensor under warranty. It’s a $350 part 

 

they didn’t even touch the fuse box. I left the wipers slightly misaligned and they are the same. They would if had to remove them to get to it lol 

 

they actually didn’t do anything else whatsoever. Car was even still dirty when I picked it up, half expected them to wash it lol 

 

Have the car back now. I bought that eBay fuse box just to save for a rainy day lol

[PandaCopyRight]

11 hours ago, fpo said:

 

 

 

One reason I didn't go scooter was that the 125cc scooters from Japan (reliable brands) are all like $5,000 USD or more. 

So I figured I'd check out some of the motor cycles. 

 

Someone tried talking me into checking out KTM but I still don't know about their reliability compared to Honda. 

 

I'm probably going to save up for a while and go back to the dealership with the ground rule of Honda and go from there. 

Exactly why i advised to get like a 400cc bike or a larger scooter originally, as they are not much more than a 125 and are easier to live with on a daily basis.

Would seriously look into the larger scooters, id say Suzuki Burgman 400 but that can get quite expensive especially since you can get a Kawasaki Ninja 400 or Kawasaki Z400 for about $5500. Yamaha also has an R3 or MT03 that are roughly the same class of bikes for the same price, same with Honda with the CB300R and CBR300R (would go for kawaski cause best performance for $ and reliability is more or less the same for all of them)

KTM you need to go for like the 640, 690, 790, 890 or 990 for the decently reliable ones ... or a 1290/1301 if you can live with some reliability issues and the initial purchase cost of all of them tend to be more than Japanese alternatives.

 

Genuinely Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha all have options to look for

[Guest]

2 hours ago, PandaCopyRight said:

Exactly why i advised to get like a 400cc bike or a larger scooter originally, as they are not much more than a 125 and are easier to live with on a daily basis.

Would seriously look into the larger scooters, id say Suzuki Burgman 400 but that can get quite expensive especially since you can get a Kawasaki Ninja 400 or Kawasaki Z400 for about $5500. Yamaha also has an R3 or MT03 that are roughly the same class of bikes for the same price, same with Honda with the CB300R and CBR300R (would go for kawaski cause best performance for $ and reliability is more or less the same for all of them)

KTM you need to go for like the 640, 690, 790, 890 or 990 for the decently reliable ones ... or a 1290/1301 if you can live with some reliability issues and the initial purchase cost of all of them tend to be more than Japanese alternatives.

 

Genuinely Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha all have options to look for

Yeah I was doing some research yesterday and leaning towards a Honda dual sport again and just replacing the seat with something more comfortable. 

 

Some of the reviews for Honda CRF 250 were saying it's a bit "weak" in power. 

Some were saying it's better to be a bit weaker when you're learning. 

I ride my bicycle all the time, & so I'm guessing I'll be okay in a slightly larger bike. My cousin said his bike was a Suzuki drz 400 and it was no problem for him to get into that. 

 

One of the reasons I didn't just buy something was cuz motorcycles are expensive lol. Not just like buying a $300 graphics card after some YouTube videos. 

Thousands of dollars entry price, then parts and maintenance. 

 

I see you mentioned KTM...

Some interesting things I've read said KTM are often tortured and that's why they're considered unreliable. 

Is it because they're pushed too hard over the edge or are they actually demanding in maintenance? 

[TVwazhere]

I rarely take photos of my car anymore, but there's just something about fresh snow

 

In other news I just bought NFS unbound for $35 on steam. It's my first NFS game since hot pursuit in 2013 maybe? One thing I wish it had was its one user radio, because the current song list isn't really my taste. 

[JoaoPRSousa]

17 minutes ago, TVwazhere said:

I rarely take photos of my car anymore, but there's just something about fresh snow

 

 

In other news I just bought NFS unbound for $35 on steam. It's my first NFS game since hot pursuit in 2013 maybe? One thing I wish it had was its one user radio, because the current song list isn't really my taste. 

 

Gearbox still holding up? Damn. 

 

I wish games still allowed user radios... Really felt the same with Payback and Heat. Yet to play Unbound but I think I'd feel the same exact way.

[TVwazhere]

5 minutes ago, JoaoPRSousa said:

Gearbox still holding up? Damn. 

I fucking hope so, I spent enough damn money on it I just hit over 60k miles on it, so it's got at least 30k on the rebuild since I shipped it out to Colorado, and 2nd gear hasn't ever given me any issues. I havent done anything super interesting to the car in almost three years, but I do need to install the LED ST badge my gf got me the Christmas before last (Long story short it was designed for the OEM grill so I'm designing and 3D printing my own bracket, and I'm being lazy)

6 minutes ago, JoaoPRSousa said:

I wish games still allowed user radios... Really felt the same with Payback and Heat. Yet to play Unbound but I think I'd feel the same exact way.

I really loved the option in GTA5 since they mixed in "normal radio" alongside the users music. That would be my ideal since I kinda enjoy the political campaigning interviews as a sorta world-building, but I'm only about 3 hours into the game.