Why I like Motorcycles

Apparently you're misinformed as there are approved alumimum fuel containers that can be carried on a motorcycle. Mine tucks neatly into the travel bag I secure to the sissy bar on my motorcycle when traveling and I seriously doubt that bag would come off even in an accident because it's strapped on four-ways.

 

I'd fueled up at the gas station before and had just rode past it five days previously and it looked open but I hadn't stopped. Only when I stopped did I find out it was closed.

A manual reserve petcock shouldn't malfunction. It's just a three position (off-normal-reserver) valve and the "normal" position just pulls fuel from a tube that goes up into the tank about an inch while "reserve" pulls from the bottom of the tank. You can remove it and check it yourself as it's just threaded into the bottom of the tank. Drain the tank first of course.

 

Gotta be something wrong with it... that or I'd been running on reserve position both times I ran out of fuel.

Those fuel containers are nifty. It'd be cool to find one that mounted to the bike and looked as if it were a component of the bike... like an oil tank or something.

 

Any container would have to clearly marked and plastered with official
DOT and other government wording.Plus would have to be made of some
sturdy metal.
People think ... well I see these lawn mower outfits with plastic gas cans on their
trailer for filling up their weed eaters.I think those outfits can be stopped and inspected in
most states to see if they comply with state and federal regulations over proper strorage
containers for gasoline.If you look at old gas cans from like 40 or 50 years ago they
weight like a ton and are marked with highly visible Warning and Government placards.
They are bright red and say ... SAFETY CAN .
Just like when you go to fill up kerosene.You don't put in a red container.
White is the preferred color.White to clear white.

 

Any motorcyclist know or will learn,maybe the hard way that it their responsibility
to make sure and determine how far they can travel and at what level gas in in the
tank. My M109 had a digital fuel readout and it was WAY off.Same with my new
Honda CB 1100. On my retired M109 the gauge would read full for miles { probably
70 miles } and then go to half and then quarter full in like 35 miles.It was a joke.
So I had to adjust exactly what the digital gauge was informing me knowing it
was not at all accurate.I have to deal with the same crap with the CB 1100.
Now on my Rune it has a state-of-the-art digital readout for speed and fuel
and other stuff. It is almost spot on.The Rune has a 6.2 ga. tank and it comes
close to reaching 250 miles a tank.My Harley buddy is typical Harley blunder.Even thinking
and insisting he once got 300 miles on a trip.I tried to reason with him but there's no
reasoning.I got banned from the - Honda CB 1100 Forum - because the owner and a
moderator of the site were giving false advice about that bike to forum members.
The Mod { Ferret } kept insisting he can hit 200 miles a tank and can get 56 miles
a gallon if riding carefully.I tried to tell him that isn't rational.
For example the 2005 Harley V-rod with smaller engine and equivalent size tank
{ 3.7 ga. } averages 38 miles a gallon for a range of 148 miles.About what the book on
the CB 1100 states. 35-45 miles per ga. Never 55 let alone 56.
This ferret guy did admit he never goes past 4 grand but still. The bike has
fuel mapping care of electronic CPU control.Whether 3 dimentional fuel injection
and ignition mapping for each cylinder or not.
Just like the myth that even with Today's new cars that don't have carbs,a manual
transmission can save money on gas.Just by putting into neutral at stops.
Not so. The Electronically controlled fuel injection takes into account yer rpm
and doesn't care if at a traffic light.Ultimately the RPM level determines the
gas mileage.

 

I've never actually read of any law that prohibited the carrying of extra fuel on a motorcycle although I agree it needs to be in an approved safety container. Since looking into this I found that apparenlty there is an approved plastic gasoline container offered by Harley-Davidson mentioned on a Motorcycle Forum but haven't taken the time to look into it but do seem to remember seeing one at my local dealer.

The color of the container is not mandated although red is typically used for gasoline. When I was involved in racing we used blue to indicate racing gasoline though. The color is really just so the person doesn't put the wrong fuel in the wrong product. I've had to label one of my plastic red gas containers at home though because one is for my two-stroke weed-eater and it has oil mixed in. It would burn in a car or motorcycle but make a lot of unnecessary extra smoke.

Once agian I'm unaware of any special legal requirements related to carrying gasoline on a motorcycle. I person could probably be busted for storing gasoline in an unapproved container though regardless of whether it's on a motorcycle or in a car or even at a place of business.

 

I got an up close look at the Bonneville Triumph T100 yesterday. Me likely. Great styling and I never would've guessed the parralel twin was packing over 800cc.

 

The Triumph of Today is not yer Daddy'd Triumph.I had a mid-70's Bonneville.
It looked and sounded just fine.But it actually didn't work very well.
It was a kick start and sometimes just wouldn't turn over.The thing vibrated
all to hell.Had to wrench too often bolts that held on the motor covers.
It handled fairly well but the brakes were kinda weak.It was THE worst by far Motorcycle
I ever owned.But it did look real pretty.
Now Today's Triumph from what I can tell keep getting better.They handle really
good judging by the way they zoom around on the back roads.I seldom meet up with
one on the road to do a face off.My M109 Suzuki was purchased at a
Ducati/Suzuki/Triumph dealer who also carries KTM.
I was considering a Triumph Thruxton but immediately knew I just had to
have the Retro Honda CB 1100 new version of the legendary Honda Super Sport 750.

 

They're pretty proud of the new Bonneville T100... almost 10k. They have a simililar model for under 8k, which doesn't seem too bad.

http://www.triumphmotorcycles.com/bikes/bonneville/2013/bonneville

 

The Triumph lineup is awesome.The Rocket rules the cruiser market.Only
the V-max is faster.The Triumph Thunderbird is really a good bike.
I was very close to getting the new Ducati semi-cruiser or Diavel.
It's really awesome but it does run $ 16-19,ooo. But the bike didn't fit
me.The seat was too cramped in towards the tank and forward.
The CB 1100 is slightly seat forward,just enough to bug me more than
a half hour ride.

 

Can anyone in here explain why motocyclists feel no need to stop for stop signs?

I have wondered about this while having to wait on a highway with NO stop sign for me as 50-60-100 motorcycles formed a pack and ran the stop sign onto the highway creating a dangerous situation as traffic backed up and stopped .

 

we have laws here that forbid service stations to put fuel in any portable container unless it's red...

 

Called a California stop it takes it roots from the quick nature of guys on
motorcycles { watch the Highway Patrol Motorcycle Cops } and the need to
buzz around.In a city I'd say most motorcyclist should make complete stops.But
out in the countryside with absolutely no oncoming traffic,it's kinda dopey.
Don't forget California has Lane-splitting.So if not making a complete stop
at a Stop sign bugs ya,then have a sportbike guy going 60 mph buzz just
mere inches from yer window door.Coming out of seemingly nowhere,

 

Well, at my first of 3 "Stop For Gods on Motorcycles" it was in the country WITH a lot of traffic. I had to stop at the bottom of a hill and if somebody who wasn't expecting a stop ( a stop that wasn't ever there before motorcycles took over)came over the hill at legal speed they could've plowed into me.

Highway Patrolmen are a totally different story..... but sure don't get why they turn a blind eye to their buddies breaking the law...

 

State laws can certainly vary. Is there anything that prevents a person from putting gasoline in a container other than red? I doubt it and if there is then it's a stupid law. As noted when I was on a race team we used a DOT approved 5 gallon blue fuel plastic container for our 110 octane racing fuel so we didn't mistake it for regular gasoline that we also had around the shop. Putting 92 octane into an engine with 13.5:1 compression could destroy the engine because of pre-combustion of the fuel that can blow a hole right through a piston. That would be a very costly mistake on a racing engine that can easily cost $10,000 or more to build.

 

If I didn't have red container I hid it in the back of my truck so the station attendant couldn't see it from his window or camera(I have three now)...I thinks it's a good law and easy to comply with, it may unnecessary for you but there are a lot of stupid people who kill themselves somehow if they get their unmarked containers mixed up...

 

Paint is finally done!!! Now off to get the new mill, I should be back on two wheels by june! its been a long 4 months.

 

Yes there are a lot of stupid people but one thing I've found is that we can't legislate away stupidity. LOL

One of my favorite things to do is check the Darwin Awards for the pervious year. They reflect the maximum possible stupidity of the People.

PS - Filling a container in the vehicle with gasoline is dangerous as it creates a situation where static electricity can ignite the gasoline. The container should always be placed on the ground when filling.

 

So, I've decided that I'm going to keep my Vulcan and restore/customize it. I've been going back and forth like a metronome, trying to decide whether or not to go new or restore.

I've realized that this bike already suits my needs, and with a little work it will exceed them, in both performance and visual appeal.

I'm taking her in monday to get an estimate on paint (tank and fenders), and some dent repair on the tank. After that, it's off to the upholster to see what it will cost to have the seat shaved and reshaped. The last major step will be an engine swap, and repainting the frame (got some rust here and there). Also plan to replace the small stuff... grips, lights, mirrors, bars, etc.

My guess is that I'll end up spending around $3,000 by the time it's said and done. The bike was $1,500 as is. I think the end result will be better than anything I could have bought for around $4,500, especially since I can't afford to drop $4,500 at once and have no desire to make payments on a bike.

 

What did the paint cost you?

The estimate on mine (dent repair, and graphic work included) came in at around $650.

 

about a thoushand bucks, but thats house of Kolor paint, and the frame got powder coated, which I would recomend you do, if you are dealing with rust already.

- - - Updated - - -

No bike will ever be as good as the bike you build for yourself imo, 4500 for a bike thats all yours, set up for you, is a screaming deal imo

 

Today I learned a lesson about leaving your bike out in the elements uncovered. I noticed that my right rear blinker wasn't working, and perhaps not so coincidentally, the battery is basically shot. When I try to start it, the result is a rapid clicking sound. It starts eventually (for the time being) but it takes several tries.

When I attempted to change the blinker bulb, I was greeted by approximately a teaspoon of rusted water after removing the lens. Everything inside the housing was rusted all to (*)(*)(*)(*). The bulb was burnt and so brittle that it crumbled when I attempted to remove it. I spent about half an hour trying to dig the bulb threads out of the socket. After finally getting the blinker 'assembly' back together (which seemed overly complicated) I learned that the extra bulb I had was the wrong size. I took the bulb out of the other side, plugged it into the right side, and fortunately it worked.

All that because I was too lazy to throw a cover over the bike.

 

That is an exceptionally good price for paint IMO. I was going to have a Bell Helmet painted with graphics and that would have cost $500 alone. I've decided to paint it myself instead. I would typically expect paint with graphics to be $1,500 or more.

 

Paint PLUS the repair of one large dent, and two smaller ones. The graphics are very basic, just the Vulcan emblem on both sides of the tank in red. The paint will be fairly basic as well. Just a low gloss black with one 3" red stripe running from the front of the fender, down the tank, and to the end of the rear fender.

 

Pop quiz -

What would cause a battery to consistently go dry, after about six months? One guy I talk to thought that maybe the charging system was "running full all the time'.

I dunno...