Motorcycles

[gnatty8]



Thanks Gnatty - really wanted you to chime in. Agree re: the windscreen.
The bike has 19900 km and the following mods as per the owner: "There are a lot of extras that come with it - the exhaust is Triumph aftermarket which adds a few hp. I added tach kit as original bike came with only speedo. The seat is single Thruxton style and I have smaller signals and lowered rear shocks on it as well. All original parts included... Lots more as well and have service record etc avail."

Yeah, I'd start at $5,000 and feel comfortable settling in the middle at $5,750. Might be supply and demand, but that's the most I'd probably go. He probably shouldn't expect to make his money back on mods, since few ever do. Sick looking bike though, I like the color a lot.

 

[BostonHedonist]

Is there a big difference between fuel-injection and carbs on those bikes?
Carbs aren't really that complicated but not having to deal with carb maintenance and tuning sounds pretty sweet. I feel like fuel injection would also handle periods of non-use better than carbs.

If you're doing your own maintenance, there is a bit of a difference. Carb bikes are simpler mechanically and easier to work on because there are fewer electrical things to deal with - less stuff to disconnect when you change something. On the other hand, carburated bikes require a few minutes to warm up before riding where you're tapping the choke in as the engine heats up. If your bike is nice and loud like mine, sometimes this process can be a bit of a nuisance.

The EFI Triumphs spring right to life and you can ride them right away.

Personally, I'm of the mind that simpler is better on two wheels and I get really into doing my own maintenance. For instance, on a carbed bike if you change the exhaust and remove the secondary air injection system and air box (a must for Triumphs), all you need to do to retune is slip the right jets in your carbs. On a fuel injected bike you need to get the fuel injection system remaped electronically. It's technically an easier process, but the problem with that is that the electronic remap will rarely give you as perfect of an air/fuel mixture as you'll get by doing it the analog way.

If you don't want to touch the carb, an experienced technician should be able to do the job in an hour or two. But it's easiest if you take it to a place that has a dyno machine. Wish I had one near me!

 

[akatsuki]

Just saw this, and it looks perfect and seems relatively easy:

Anyone own a Supersport and had any problems with it?

 

[Steve Smith]



Just saw this, and it looks perfect and seems relatively easy:

Anyone own a Supersport and had any problems with it?

What kind of riding is that designed for?

The 900SS is a notoriously reliable bike.

 

[akatsuki]



What kind of riding is that designed for?

Getting a latte, of course.

 

[Steve Smith]



Getting a latte, of course.

It is perfect for that.

I bought a red 1994 900SS project bike a few weeks ago. It is the full fairing version. After removing the fairings to access the carbs I am thinking that the fairings will be in the garage for as long as I own the bike. It looks great naked.

 

[Blackhood]



It looks great naked.

That statement is true of so many things in life...

 

[hrb]

since everyone posts their bikes thought i would post mine and say hi. That supersport looks really good! though the tires may not be the most appropriate choice and one of those on a back country road would be nuts. nice aesthetic though.

 

[TRINI]



As and ye shall receive. This one's older (so carb, not FI) with a negotiable $6500 asking price:

So I went to take a look at the bike yesterday and it 'looks' in pretty good shape. If it passes an inspection, I'm seriously considering it. Fingers crossed that it doesn't need anything more than an oil change and new tires.

 

[KnowYourRights]



Happens more as it heats up. Idle creeps up as the engine gets hot (and the engine is pretty slow in dropping back down to idle from higher rpm). If I put on a bit of choke, the popping doesn't seem to go away (which I think it would do if it was lean)
I'm just running plain old regular gas in it...any real reason to run more? The compression ratios aren't so high and I don't seem to have any pinging so higher octane seems silly.
IIRC the air mix screws on my carbs are fixed for some emissions law (but maybe I am thinking of something else). I'm gonna try a new air filter while I'm at it since this one came on the bike last year and I don't know how old it is. As far as I can tell, the carb boots are ok...I tested them last year by spraying stuff at them and watching the idle, but I can try that again soon with some starter fluid

Yeah, try the starter fluid again. The climbing idle, not wanting to return to idle RPM...sounds like an air leak at the intake. Or maybe the little rubber o-rings around your fuel-air screws are brittle/cracked/gone. Lots of times, the factory fixes the pilot jet so you can't eff with it, but you should have access to the fuel/air screws. But again I'm not familiar with your bike.

One question I didn't ask: it's popping out of the exhaust, right? Not backfiring through the carbs?

Did the problem just show up suddenly? Or did it get worse over time?

Might be a good idea to just pull the carbs and rebuild them. Easy, inexpensive job.

 

[gnatty8]



So I went to take a look at the bike yesterday and it 'looks' in pretty good shape. If it passes an inspection, I'm seriously considering it. Fingers crossed that it doesn't need anything more than an oil change and new tires.

good luck, let us know how you make out..

 

[hrb]



So I went to take a look at the bike yesterday and it 'looks' in pretty good shape. If it passes an inspection, I'm seriously considering it. Fingers crossed that it doesn't need anything more than an oil change and new tires.

those are great looking bikes, good luck with everything, hope it works out.

 

[Texastyle]

I'm finally ordering a Bell 500 helmet tomorrow and just wanted to check with you guys on the color. I really like the look of the burnt orange flake, but do you guys think it looks too "scootery". I go to Texas A&M and the idea of annoying a bunch of aggies with burnt orange seems a bit funny and I think the helmet has a cool retro vibe. If you guys have any colors that you would recommend then I'm open to suggestions.

The real pictures from people online seem to differ from the catalog online

 

[John Doe]

Color is good, just don't put a longhorn sticker on it.

 

[gnatty8]

I've got that color. To my eye, looks pretty close to the first (catalog) picture IRL..