Bikes with flaws you hate

[bwringer]

Can't believe no one has mentioned the craptastic stock V-Strom windshield. From the original '02 DL1000 through the latest 2012 DL650, they suck, suck, suck. EVERYONE has to change the windshield to make their V-Strom safe and tolerable to ride.

Seriously, it's bad. Short or tall, your head will feel like a punching bag after a mile or two at speed.



While we're at it, let's just take a moment to ponder why, after 40+ years of selling bikes in the US and Europe, NONE of the Japanese manufacturers has figured out how to build a bike with stock suspension that works if you're not an anorexic Japanese teenager.

[Phineas]

The way my VFR feels like the best bike ever made, except that I can't go on a trip without a rectifier in my pack and how even after a factory recall and an aftermarket charging harness I only got 30K miles out of a stator and the complexity of the v-tec valve adjustment...but all that's only ten irritating percent of the time and then it takes another ten percent of the time to forget about the problem, then I'm back to thinking it's just the greatest bike for a long time...then the stator goes...

[slartidbartfast]

Originally Posted by Kommando

I already have a moto with a 6spd, BTW...close-ratio. It would REALLY suck if it was on a dualsport. 'All that shifting and you still can't gear low enough for dirt while high enough for slab. The bike chugs in parking lots if I don't slip the clutch, and it revs pretty close to redline in 6th on I-95.

That's my DR350/435. Don't know what it was like as a 350cc but the gear ratios are so close I can be in 6th gear within fifty yards and still at only 30 mph. 3rd, 4th and 5th all feel about the same for most purposes. It barely needs four gears to cover the current 1st-6th range and could do with a much taller top gear.

Here's another: I had a 100cc bike with a hydraulic disk front brake in 1980. Why does Honda still provide the Nighthawk 250 with a small front drum for the US market?

[KeithinSC]

Originally Posted by fastdadio

My uncle has a Honda valkry. He has to remove the saddle bags and mounts and the exhaust to remove the rear tire. And the way he rides that thing, they dont last very long. There's more but you folks get my point. This kind of stuff is a deal breaker for me.

Tell your Uncle not to bother with the exhaust, mounts and bags. All you need to do is remove the shocks, the swingarm will the be able to droop far enough to get the axel out (it will be REAL close to the pipe). I do it all the time on my Interstate.

[YAHBO]

Interesting thread...I have a K1300GT that sees most of my touring duty in the good weather and this bike has/does everything you could ask for in a modern bike.

The throttle/injection flat spot is enough to piss me off. It usually occurs in first second first up and down shifts. It requires more concentration and clutch feathering than necessary and is distracting.

[YAHBO]

My Husky has a spring loaded kickstand (on the left, of course) and the oil level check plug is on the right side so pull the check plug, as soon as you straighten the bike to check the oil level, the kick stand retracts so you have to hold the bike up and walk around it to put the stand back down. The seat is too high to reach over and put the stand down by hand.

[baloneyskin daddy]

The fuel gauge on my 1050 Tiger will read empty if you turn the bike off when its below a quarter tank and turn it back on.What good is a fuel gauge like this? The headlight is also worthless on twisties at night as the pattern has no peripheral light.

[Grackle]

Originally Posted by IHWillys

Yes, I've been there, done that and cursed them too. However, I eventually learned that it is likely they are JIS head, not Phillips. Supposedly, using a JIS screw driver versus a Phillips will do wonders toward not stripping out a JIS head fastener. I still don't own a JIS driver but I do have an impact driver that I've even replaced bits for...

I've been learning this lesson the hard way recently, but I'm putting everything back together with socket cap fasteners.

[der_saeufer]

Vented gas cap on the DL650. The tank is black and it's often very hot here. Delicious gas fumes. Seriously?! Even KLRs have a vent hose!

Also the stock horn on every single bike I've ever ridden is full of fail.

[willis 2000]

My '95 R1100R was so bad I hated riding it. The seat pushed me into the tank. It has rubber bumpers at the rear and I cut them down to make the seat level. Problem solved. The ABS lights flashed all the time. I wired in a relay to stop this, now the ABS works.The bars were too high and close. Changed them to Renthal lows and it has a good riding position.The catalytic converter burned my feet, so I got aftermarket exhaust parts. The OE tires were too small, I replaced them with Metzelers that calibrated my speedo. The exhaust change dropped 18 lbs. Now, the handling's neutral, but I still have no power. I'm waiting for some ADV shit to fix the fuel injection. Ohlins shocks made it ride correctly for my weight. No wonder the wheels bend, the front shock had no damping, but the fine geometry made it difficult to discern. The rear shock was oversprung, and hammered on all bumps. It's much more controlled now. So, don't give up on bikes with flaws you hate, think about it, get advice. make it yours.

[PeterW]

Originally Posted by der_saeufer

Vented gas cap on the DL650. The tank is black and it's often very hot here. Delicious gas fumes. Seriously?! Even KLRs have a vent hose!

Also the stock horn on every single bike I've ever ridden is full of fail.

The DL650 does have a vent hose. Find yours and unblock it.

Pete

[dakardood]

The p**s-poor fuel gauges on the BMW R1200's. The strips inside to detect the fuel level just stop working eventually so your dash constantly says "FUEL!" flashing at you with a yellow warning light permanently on. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

[Nadgett]

Harley mirrors that only let you see your elbows, and turn signal buttons that require five inch long thumbs to use.

[Dilligaf0220]

The seat on every moderately sporty bike designed after 1992.

Origami folded plastic tanks, that look cool to 12 year olds with a Transformer fetish but a real PITA to find a decent tank bag for.

That Buells were made by Eric Buell & HD, not Kawasaki.

Every teenage wannabe stuntah that owned a 90's Kwak I was interested in, and thought that an iPhone & mismatched Harbor Freight imperial allen wrenches were all you needed to be a garage moto mech.

The idiotic wiring on early Victory's, so if you burned out a tail light bulb the whole bike would be dead.

The price tag of a Motus R.

[Vrex]

BMW's power-assisted, aka "whizzy" brakes. A wonderful example of an answer to a question that nobody asked. And not even a good answer!