Gas powered bikes?

i might have an old Sena lying around. hit me up to bug me to look for it. you're welcome to it if i can find it @extremedave ... my friends switched to Cardo so i did too. and now i don't use anything at all cause i'm sick of them jabbering all the time while i'm trying to ride.


in truth, i think they are fantastic for directions. getting audio from your phone nav is a huge plus for safety rather than looking down at the screen while you're riding. that's mostly what i used it for. i might change my mind about comms if i started riding with a pillion (wife, or child) - i think that could be pretty great.
 
Bike N Gear said:
Probably should have stayed out of the bicycle business. https://www.thedrive.com/news/ktm-is-on-the-verge-of-bankruptcy
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KTM bicycles and KTM motorcycles are owned by different companies, and have been legally and economically separate for decades:



  • KTM bicycles
    KTM Fahrrad AG is the company that manufactures KTM branded bicycles and e-bikes. KTM Fahrrad AG has been an independent family-owned business since 1992, and is not affiliated with KTM AG or Pierer Mobility AG.



  • KTM motorcycles
    KTM AG is the company that manufactures KTM branded motorcycles. KTM AG is co-owned by Pierer Mobility AG and Bajaj Auto. Pierer Mobility AG also owns other brands, including Husqvarna and GasGas.
 
Not sure if this has been posted before since I don’t ride moto, but I found it very entertaining. “There lurks the skid demon” 🤣
IMG_1904.jpeg
 
Still working on that Aprilia Cup. I eventually just jumped into the deep end of the pool.

I ended up taking the engine completely apart and rebuilding with a brand new crank, trued and welded by 2-stroke legend Ed Toomey, all new seals, all new hoses, Wiseco pistons, like-new cylinders, and aftermarket powervalves. Engine is in and making noise. I have an aftermarket ECU to install and a few other things, then it's off to a shop in Delaware for tuning on the dyno by people who actually know what they're doing. It's basically a stock rebuild so I'm expecting 57 or so to the wheel vs 67 for my other RS250.

rs250-cup-crank-install.jpg


rs250-cup-cylinders.jpg

rs250-cup-almost.jpg



Talking to a friend about paint, it turns out that his favorite shop for motorcycle work is 1.1 miles from my office, so I guess I know what I have to do.

For the record, I've slightly more than doubled the buy-in of $3800 and still need tires plus whatever I spend on cosmetics. I could have bought a nicer-appearing bike for less but w/o a fresh engine. Engine parts alone totaled about $2500 despite having the cylinders already and a full gasket kit in the transit case of stuff.
 
mfennell said:
Still working on that Aprilia Cup. I eventually just jumped into the deep end of the pool.

I ended up taking the engine completely apart and rebuilding with a brand new crank, trued and welded by 2-stroke legend Ed Toomey, all new seals, all new hoses, Wiseco pistons, like-new cylinders, and aftermarket powervalves. Engine is in and making noise. I have an aftermarket ECU to install and a few other things, then it's off to a shop in Delaware for tuning on the dyno by people who actually know what they're doing. It's basically a stock rebuild so I'm expecting 57 or so to the wheel vs 67 for my other RS250.

View attachment 254396


View attachment 254397

View attachment 254398



Talking to a friend about paint, it turns out that his favorite shop for motorcycle work is 1.1 miles from my office, so I guess I know what I have to do.

For the record, I've slightly more than doubled the buy-in of $3800 and still need tires plus whatever I spend on cosmetics. I could have bought a nicer-appearing bike for less but w/o a fresh engine. Engine parts alone totaled about $2500 despite having the cylinders already and a full gasket kit in the transit case of stuff.
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Damn, This thing is getting almost as expensive as a half way decent bicycle.
 
mfennell said:
Still working on that Aprilia Cup. I eventually just jumped into the deep end of the pool.

I ended up taking the engine completely apart and rebuilding with a brand new crank, trued and welded by 2-stroke legend Ed Toomey, all new seals, all new hoses, Wiseco pistons, like-new cylinders, and aftermarket powervalves. Engine is in and making noise. I have an aftermarket ECU to install and a few other things, then it's off to a shop in Delaware for tuning on the dyno by people who actually know what they're doing. It's basically a stock rebuild so I'm expecting 57 or so to the wheel vs 67 for my other RS250.

View attachment 254396


View attachment 254397

View attachment 254398



Talking to a friend about paint, it turns out that his favorite shop for motorcycle work is 1.1 miles from my office, so I guess I know what I have to do.

For the record, I've slightly more than doubled the buy-in of $3800 and still need tires plus whatever I spend on cosmetics. I could have bought a nicer-appearing bike for less but w/o a fresh engine. Engine parts alone totaled about $2500 despite having the cylinders already and a full gasket kit in the transit case of stuff.
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Very nice! Miss the 2-strokes. I had a 1972 H-2 (3 cyl 750cc) for a few years; regret selling it to this day. I worked at Woodbridge Kawasaki through college then went part-time for several more years.
 
It makes noise and smoke.



It's a complete motorcycle, minus bodywork. I need to get it to a shop in Delaware for tuning and a check-for-dumb-things review. I'd love to take a quick neighborhood spin but 20 year old track tires + 32F is probably not a good combination at any pace. As an aside - I ordered some slicks for the Ducati for next season an the seller wouldn't ship them until the temps were solidly above freezing. They can be damaged just by flexing them at cold temps!

rs250-cup-runner-sm1.jpg

rs250-cup-runner-sm2.jpg
 
And...it moves. Rode around the neighborhood for 10 minutes or so. Nothing fell off (that I noticed) and it shifted and stopped, two fairly important details.

I still have to install the aftermarket ECU. It should go smoothly since I've done it before with my other RS250 and kept a detailed spreadsheet documenting what goes where. After that, it's down to Delaware for a quick shifter and tuning. I'll be landing there in the middle of Daytona prep so I'll be at the end of the line.

rs250-cup-test-ride-sm.jpg

Next up is prepping he Ducati 848 track bike and putting my original 848 back on the street. Bought it last March (?) and haven't touched it since except to steal the radiator for my other 848.
 
Aresab310 said:
Very nice! Miss the 2-strokes. I had a 1972 H-2 (3 cyl 750cc) for a few years; regret selling it to this day. I worked at Woodbridge Kawasaki through college then went part-time for several more years.
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Reading this thread brought back memories of my days working at Woodbridge Kawasaki—riding my 750cc H2 on the street, tearing through the Pine Barrens on a Maico 490, and carving up Barnegat Bay on a stand-up JS550. Those were some of the best times! After much thought, I finally pulled the trigger on a 2023 leftover KLR650. It’s nowhere near the raw power of the two-stroke H2, but it’s still a blast to ride. Now that I’m living near Pocono Raceway, I’ll be sticking mostly to the backroads and enjoying the ride.

20250128_203835072_iOS.jpg
 
Aresab310 said:
Reading this thread brought back memories of my days working at Woodbridge Kawasaki—riding my 750cc H2 on the street, tearing through the Pine Barrens on a Maico 490, and carving up Barnegat Bay on a stand-up JS550. Those were some of the best times! After much thought, I finally pulled the trigger on a 2023 leftover KLR650. It’s nowhere near the raw power of the two-stroke H2, but it’s still a blast to ride. Now that I’m living near Pocono Raceway, I’ll be sticking mostly to the backroads and enjoying the ride.
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I am a big fan of KLR even though I have switched to DR650.
I had a KLR in High School and College.
During the summer of 89' me and 5 of my friends (all on bikes) followed Grateful Dead from Philly to LA. I came back through Canada by myself.
KLR seat was brutal, but after first 5 days my ass got used to it, now I have to pull over every 2 hours for a butt break.
Ah the "I do not give 2 Fucks" days of being 20 and irresponsible.
 
olegbabich said:
I am a big fan of KLR even though I have switched to DR650.
I had a KLR in High School and College.
During the summer of 89' me and 5 of my friends (all on bikes) followed Grateful Dead from Philly to LA. I came back through Canada by myself.
KLR seat was brutal, but after first 5 days my ass got used to it, now I have to pull over every 2 hours for a butt break.
Ah the "I do not give 2 Fucks" days of being 20 and irresponsible.
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I rode the original KLR600 and Gen 1 KLR650 during my 14 years as asst parts manager at WB Kaw and agree, the first two models were not the most comfortable but were lighter. I’m happy with the new one so far, but since I bought it, “P Phil” saw his dam shadow, it’s snowed twice and today was an ice storm here so it’s going to be a while for a proper break-in ride.
 
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mfennell said:
And...it moves. Rode around the neighborhood for 10 minutes or so. Nothing fell off (that I noticed) and it shifted and stopped, two fairly important details.

I still have to install the aftermarket ECU. It should go smoothly since I've done it before with my other RS250 and kept a detailed spreadsheet documenting what goes where. After that, it's down to Delaware for a quick shifter and tuning. I'll be landing there in the middle of Daytona prep so I'll be at the end of the line.

View attachment 254983

Next up is prepping he Ducati 848 track bike and putting my original 848 back on the street. Bought it last March (?) and haven't touched it since except to steal the radiator for my other 848.
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Well, that took a while. The Cup bike was in Tuner Jail for about 4 months. Picked it up on Tuesday. They found a few subtle things I either missed or messed up. 60ish hp on their dyno to my surprise. My other bike is 68 but it has good pipes and heads and slightly different port timing. I was expecting 57 or so.

rs250-cup-pickup.jpg

Had some frustration with the master cylinder, just about the only part I didn't replace or rebuild because you can't get a rebuild kit. I had a workable spare but it interfered with the clip-on. Took forever to straighten it out.

Also, I hate stickers.

rs250-cup-stickers.jpg

Crashed a road bike yesterday and wrenched by back. I'm signed up for a track day on Monday but it's looking like rain. The Universe doesn't want me to ride this bike.
 
My 29 year old Ducati does not want to make it to 30. Motor ceased last week, with a solid clunk.

I have a back up motor of unknown condition, that I already borrowed a front head from.

I should do a leak down test on my basement engine to see how confident I can be that it will run.

This is a project that I do not have time for now, maybe next year.

This means I should drain gas from tank and carbs.
 
THATmanMANNY said:
Where are you cause isn’t it raining SNj?

A couple weeks ago. I had to turn around to grab this and wait some traffic out and got some stink eyes but I love it and F them!
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That was Monday in Millville. It rained on the drive down but not a drop at the track. Very hot and humid though.
 
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