Minimalist Touring Thread (250cc and under)

[Paebr332]

Any of you whiners actually work in manufacturing? There is still tons of manufacturing in the US.

If you think quality is declining in general you simply do not understand what you are talking about. The level of complexity in most modern manufactured goods means that the individuals component capability is eons ahead of what it was during any mythical "golden age" of manufacturing.

[ThomasVolomitz]

It's only getting better.

[OBryan]

Made a deal with My son who turns 18 soon.. Seems he now would like to get into riding..So happens I have a 06 gz250 that a F250 turned in front of me a few years ago.. I've been kind of tinkering on it a bit but have been to busy riding LOL when I can to really get it fixed up.. GOOD excuse as any and I'm sticking to it... Long story short I'll Help him if he wants to finish fixing it up and it'll be his to ride.. But he does the work I'll just guide while drinking a beer LOL.. So hopefully by early summer there'll be another minimalist on the road.... He gets a bike and WE get something else to do together

[JerryH]

Overall quality is down. Just go into a Walmart store. Everything in there is junk. Most newer appliances are junk. I know someone with an old Admiral refrigerator that is still working like new after more than 50 years. I tried to buy it but he won't sell it to me. It weighs about half a ton, has sides over 4" thick, rounded corners on top, and actual mechanical locks on the doors. After more than half a century, the door seals are still undamaged. You can no longer buy stuff like that. It IS still possible to make it, but there would be no money in it for the manufacturer. If appliances lasted 50 years, the companies that make them would go out of business. It has gone form a "built to last" world to a "throwaway" world. Instead of companies building things they can have pride in, they build things they can make the most money on, and quality is not where the money is. Most name brand motorcycles are still of decent quality, but they are still designed to be disposable. In most cases, a Japanese bike could be kept going for a long time (I have put over 100,000 miles on 3 of them) IF parts were available. Now the Japanese have pretty much quit selling parts for bikes over 10 years old, and a couple of local dealers will not work on bikes more than 10 years old.

Most mechanics will not work on vintage cars either. And I only drive vintage cars to get away from the emissions and safety crap on newer ones (especially the electronics) I am a mechanic and grew up working on these old cars, but fortunately if I ever need anything done that I can't handle, I know a couple of good vintage car mechanics, and parts are readily available. Sadly, as far as motorcycles go, Harley is about the only brand you can still get vintage parts for, and like the old cars, that is due to a large aftermarket, which Asian vehicles don't seem to have. I'm already having issues getting parts for my '95 Goldwing, which would easily last the rest of my riding life otherwise. High quality (made in USA) no parts.



BTW, anyone have a new 2013 Suzuki DR200S? Seriously thinking about trading one of my scooters for one.

[SAPB]

Originally Posted by Ed@Ford

Have you looked at the india built KTM 390 duke? $$$..probably damn fast.....however, I don't like KTM as a company...or Austria as a country...but that's another story

Off topic for this forum, but she went from a baby Ninja, to an ER-6n. I helped her research, only a slightly higher seating position after lowering/shaving the seat. I offered, and she took me up on it to get the break in miles on the Ninja.. Nice bike, but you've got to wind the piss out of it to get it to go. I like my thumper CRF250L, way better, but it's a different animal altogether.

[GlennR]

[QUOTE=JerryH;20523168]. In most cases, a Japanese bike could be kept going for a long time (I have put over 100,000 miles on 3 of them) IF parts were available. Now the Japanese have pretty much quit selling parts for bikes over 10 years old, and a couple of local dealers will not work on bikes more than 10 years old.

Most mechanics will not work on vintage cars either. And I only drive vintage cars to get away from the emissions and safety crap on newer ones (especially the electronics) I am a mechanic and grew up working on these old cars, but fortunately if I ever need anything done that I can't handle, I know a couple of good vintage car mechanics, and parts are readily available. Sadly, as far as motorcycles go, Harley is about the only brand you can still get vintage parts for, and like the old cars, that is due to a large aftermarket, which Asian vehicles don't seem to have. I'm already having issues getting parts for my '95 Goldwing, which would easily last the rest of my riding life otherwise. High quality (made in USA) no parts.

QUOTE]


Jerry,
I recently read about "3-D Printers" which are now a reality. You can buy a cheap one for $1000 that will produce small intricate plastic objects. Jay Leno has a $30,000 unit that he uses (now) to produce parts for his vintage motorcycles & cars.
The article said these will be a huge gamechanger. China will not be able to underprice what these machines can do. They said while it will be possible for consumers to own lower-end 3-D printers, the fancy ones that can produce larger parts with multiple materials (metal, ceramic, glass, etc) wouldn't be feasible for home use becase of the costs and also the bulk storge of the materials. They said we'll probably be seeing 3-D printshops pop up around the country pretty soon.

So, there is hope for parts to keep our old toys running "forever". "Beam me up a new carb & turn signal, Scotty!"

We seriously are "living in the future".

[Murphy Slaw]

It's gonna get weirder?

[Crazycabbage]

Gonna be rude and just jump in here :P.

New to this forum but not so new to bikes, although only 17 ive had my fair share.

This end of things seems to fit my bill, I currently dont have a full license, test booked in 2 weeks time.
Im considering a Derbi terra adventure 125?

Anybody any experiences with these?

[Sierra Thumper]

[QUOTE=GlennR;20524875]

Originally Posted by JerryH

. In most cases, a Japanese bike could be kept going for a long time (I have put over 100,000 miles on 3 of them) IF parts were available. Now the Japanese have pretty much quit selling parts for bikes over 10 years old, and a couple of local dealers will not work on bikes more than 10 years old.

Most mechanics will not work on vintage cars either. And I only drive vintage cars to get away from the emissions and safety crap on newer ones (especially the electronics) I am a mechanic and grew up working on these old cars, but fortunately if I ever need anything done that I can't handle, I know a couple of good vintage car mechanics, and parts are readily available. Sadly, as far as motorcycles go, Harley is about the only brand you can still get vintage parts for, and like the old cars, that is due to a large aftermarket, which Asian vehicles don't seem to have. I'm already having issues getting parts for my '95 Goldwing, which would easily last the rest of my riding life otherwise. High quality (made in USA) no parts.

QUOTE]


Jerry,
I recently read about "3-D Printers" which are now a reality. You can buy a cheap one for $1000 that will produce small intricate plastic objects. Jay Leno has a $30,000 unit that he uses (now) to produce parts for his vintage motorcycles & cars.
The article said these will be a huge gamechanger. China will not be able to underprice what these machines can do. They said while it will be possible for consumers to own lower-end 3-D printers, the fancy ones that can produce larger parts with multiple materials (metal, ceramic, glass, etc) wouldn't be feasible for home use becase of the costs and also the bulk storge of the materials. They said we'll probably be seeing 3-D printshops pop up around the country pretty soon.

So, there is hope for parts to keep our old toys running "forever". "Beam me up a new carb & turn signal, Scotty!"

We seriously are "living in the future".

Thats going to be AWESOME!!!

[Kennon]

Hi everyone only got round to looking in the thumper section to find this thread, I ride a Rieju Marathon PRO 125 SM on a 2011 plate its done me well and only left me stranded on two occassions on my own fault running out of fuel and secondly a blown fuse from the H4 headlight i fitted eating the 10amp fuse lesson learnt there so a 15amp fuse fitted, I don't want to waffle on but for those who don't know the Rieju brand they've been around for a fair while a spanish company mostly using yamaha engines mine has a 125 liquid cooled diasil minarelli Yamaha engine with a Keihin 30mm carb, DEP non road legal exhaust and a few aesthetic alterations namely the F1 style mirrors, when i'm not doing long distances that require a Jerry can i remove the rack which is a nicely CNC Rieju product its not in the picture as i was only riding short distances at the time.

Kennon

[TrailDust&SaddleLthr]

Originally Posted by frog13

Buy made in America whenever possible,support an American family.

My sentiment exactly!

Thank you for re-enforcing my beliefs.

[shipman]

Back to talking about the fun and practicality of motorcycles of 250cc and less...

I still love my TU250X, I ride the shit out of it as much as I can. I rode up to Trophy Club this weekend to check out a Yamaha test ride session at the local MX park (that previously I did not know existed)... I'd never ridden off-road before, but had a blast trying out the new WR250F. I would love to get a dual-sport bike now, but it's not feasible for me to have more than one bike right now and I know I'd regret getting rid of the TU... Sigh.

[GlennR]

Originally Posted by shipman

Back to talking about the fun and practicality of motorcycles of 250cc and less...

I still love my TU250X, I ride the shit out of it as much as I can. I rode up to Trophy Club this weekend to check out a Yamaha test ride session at the local MX park (that previously I did not know existed)... I'd never ridden off-road before, but had a blast trying out the new WR250F. I would love to get a dual-sport bike now, but it's not feasible for me to have more than one bike right now and I know I'd regret getting rid of the TU... Sigh.

I LOVE the dirt.

Instead of the WR250F maybe it would be more feasible for you to look at an older XT225. I see really nice ones on CL pretty often for $2000 or less, sometimes as low as $1300 for nice looking ones under 5000 miles.

I've never ridden a TU250X, so I can't compare them, but the XT225 is a blast to ride. I mainly ride it around home, here in the NC mtns. I really like trails & gravel roads, but I have also ridden it down to Charlotte a couple of times, which is 2.5 hours away. I feel like it's the perfect size for a dual sport because the bigger bikes are trouble in the woods, mud, rocks, creek crossing, etc. But, the XT225 is a bit to small for extended 2-up riding, especially if you're large.

[NJ-Brett]

The xt225 is a hoot in the dirt. Maybe not on the interstate, but in the dirt, its sort of like the TU250 of dirt bikes, light, easy and fun.
My friend has one, and I got to ride it before it blew up.
Some sort of wrist pin problem, but that does not seem common.

[Speedo66]

I'm also enjoying my XT225. Went to the NY International Motorcycle Show on Sat. and looked at the new Honda 250 dual sport.

Very nice, not too high a seat, FI, and only $4500 MSRP. But it felt considerably heavier than the XT. If you check the stats, the XT is supposedly 268 wet, and the Honda is 320, 50+ lbs, a major difference, especially in the woods.

As much as I wanted to like the Honda, I think I'll be keeping the XT.