What do you think of the bike now?

[SLO]

Man, took my BMW R1200 GS out for a brief ride today. I'd been riding the TRAIL 125 (since that's what it is) for the last several weeks. Man what a difference . Two totally different bikes.

I rode my DR 200 over Mqueens gap into Shady Valley,then thru BackBone Rock into Damascus . The suspension is a little better over rocks,but I still like the Honda better. I could get up to 60 mph,and it was buzzy. With the mods I have done to the trail,it is is almost as fast,but much smoother. Much more comfortable,and faster in the twistys,where 45 mph would wreck most cars. Beautiful ride! Day of the week and time of the day makes a difference. Hundreds of miles of riding right from garage,and after a hundred miles most days the number of cars behind me I can count on one hand. Some days none.I can hit 60 mph on flat ground. You have to do the 143 cc Yuminashi kit to make a motorcycle out of it,and run a 13 tooth front sprocket here in the mountains. I am going to take it to Abingdon for errands since you got me awake. Thanks!

 

[Pittsburgh_Bob]

my riding bud was breaking my balls (I was with him). He said "I like the bike but you should keep it on the trail where it belongs." He keeps telling me someone is going to run me off the road. I told him that the bike is capable of the posted speed limit so everyone behind me can go F themselves.

 

[wjl144]

Picked my bike up (and my buddy ordered the other one that was to arrive) on Saturday and man I couldn't be happier!! It was well worth the wait in my opinion and this color is absolutely amazing in person! By the way, $4299 out the door from Tricounty Honda in Petersburg, WV was terrific to deal with. Another dealer I initially started with would've been over $5k out the door due to adding freight setup and other various fees. I'm thrilled with the amount I saved!

 

[Pittsburgh_Bob]

welcome to the GO SLOW club!!!!

 

[wjl144]

welcome to the GO SLOW club!!!!

Just fast enough for my small town and slow enough to keep me out of trouble! Haha

 

[bumberson1]

I just got mine about three days ago. I like it enough, but it is taking a lot of practice for me to get smooth with this bike. Shifting without a clutch is not that easy. I keep reaching for the clutch, but that's not the main thing. Basically, by holding the shift lever down, I've noticed that the bike is in "neutral" as if holding in the clutch. But all of the extra stuff around my feet gets in the way. I seem to have the back of my boots snagging on the heel lever, and a couple of times my pants cuffs got caught on it. At first the kickstarter was getting in the way of my right foot.

The owner's manual says that you shift to 4th gear at about 25 or 26 mph, so basically there is very little time for second and third gears. I understand that the bike is made to be capable of trail riding, so it is geared accordingly.

I also find it to be a rough ride, on bumps or in the wind. It's easiest to ride out of the saddle a little on rough road. I do miss having a fuel tank to grab with my knees. I hope to get some kind of bags/box/pannier or other set up to allow for carrying stuff to run errands. I like that it so light. Almost like a bicycle with 8 hp. I like the retro look with modern technology such as ABS, fuel injection, electric start.

I would appreciate any tips on getting smooth on this machine.

I think those instructions about shifting into 4th gear at 25 mph are misleading. Once I hit 4th gear I'll push it up to 60 mph if I have some downhill help, so based on that I've been winding it out in the lower gears as well. I did wait until after the break-in period before pushing it like this. Now I tend to just ride the heck out of it in whatever gear. Maybe that's abuse, but I'm having a ton of fun and nothing has broken yet. Mine is a 2023 and I have about 1600 miles on it so far.

 

[SLO]

I think those instructions about shifting into 4th gear at 25 mph are misleading. Once I hit 4th gear I'll push it up to 60 mph if I have some downhill help, so based on that I've been winding it out in the lower gears as well. I did wait until after the break-in period before pushing it like this. Now I tend to just ride the heck out of it in whatever gear. Maybe that's abuse, but I'm having a ton of fun and nothing has broken yet. Mine is a 2023 and I have about 1600 miles on it so far.

Break in period,refer to Fortnine on YouTube. Also after, refer to Fortnine advice (The Italian Tune Up ) I bent that heal shifter so it would be out of the way,or you can just cut it off.

 

[SLO]

Break in period,refer to Fortnine on YouTube. Also after, refer to Fortnine advice (The Italian Tune Up ) I bent that heal shifter so it would be out of the way,or you can just cut it off.

I will run mine past 45 mph in third gear with a 13 tooth front sprocket before shifting into 4th gear, unless you are on flat ground I do not believe you can do what manual indicates ,even before the break in period. Be nice to it when it is new,then you can be naughty with it after a couple of oil changes . The manual specs on oil changes is whack! I would change it after the first 50 miles again after 200 miles,and again after 600 miles a couple times then every thousand or so. A magnetic drain plug will show you when it is (Ready to Race !) when the metal bits are no longer on the plug when you drain the oil. Then you can have fun with it. The SLO RANGER is going on patrol this am,on his RED ROCKET. You got me thinking,soon to be grinning.

 

[cyb3rbyte]

Just hit 1k miles yesterday on the way to work. Totally agreed with running the bike out. At around 35 MPH in 3rd gear is when you can really feel it "get on cam" or how it has that elastic, fun throttle feel if you back off and then back on.