So this is interesting. Let's go back a little bit to where I posted the image of the CB250, and allow me to explain.


The 250 Nighthawk really is a perfect motorcycle. It's classic, simple, lightweight... Unpretentious. There's nothing on it that isn't absolutely required, and yet you don't feel like you're missing anything when you ride it. (Well, except for power, brakes and handling. But those are trivial points.)

If you were to look in the dictionary under "Motorcycle", there'd be a picture of a CB250.

Attachment 240515

You see?

And because it's a Honda, it has certain intangible defining characteristics which set it apart from other bikes of the "classic and simple" genre. Like the fact that it starts reliably, and replacement parts don't have to be imported from another galaxy at considerable expense.



But that's all in the past. I've been doddling around Craigslist all morning, and it seems that there's not a single CB250 to be had at any price in all of southern California.



So, mostly out of boredom, I started looking around various manufacturers websites. Honda? Nothing. Kawi? Nothing. Suzuki?

Wait, what the hell is this?

Attachment 240516

It's the 2011 model TU250X is what it is. How the hell did I never notice this bike before?

Small? Check. Simple? Check. Clean lines? Check. Fuel injected? Check. Not a Honda Rebel? Check.

Attachment 240517


And then it happens:

Attachment 240518











(wait for it.)











Attachment 240519

You guys are awesome, I laughed my ass off.

lol. Yep, Sorry Joe. California sucks. ;)


Speaking of searching Craigslist for a Suzuki.. I looked for one of those little bikes on CL Myself, searching specifically that exact model number brings back no results. Interesting, but maybe not many were bought new around here. Looks like a nice little bike for 4k brand new, though I'd never buy a new bike...

Its really frustrating searching craigslist for some specific items. On the one hand you have the assholes who put keywords in their posts so their 1990POS civic hatchback comes up when you're searching for a toaster oven... I've spent a considerable amount of time looking for a replacement vehicle once my miata is gone and have a few choices in mine. My first choice is oddly something I've wanted since they were new..

http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_...0012_large.jpg

Just want one in stock condition, not molested too much and with at least half the body still remaining.. Naturally the other half would be missing due to fucking RUST! Most of them I can find in "fair" condition they want $4000 for and typically are 1986-1988 in model year. Fuck no I'm not paying 4k for a 20 year old Samurai! Oh I could kill the inventor of rust! I digress.

Back to my point. Search craigslist for "suzuki" and see what comes up. Looking for a bike? ATV? The little shitbox samurai? Have fun wading through all the fucking junk cars which appear:

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/image...ki-kizashi.jpg
http://pictures.topspeed.com/IMG/jpg...forenza-6w.jpg
http://pdfcafe.com/wp-content/upload...i-SX4-2007.jpg
http://images.usedcheapcars.org/used...Vitara-ucc.jpg
http://4wheeldrive.about.com/library...7_RR_Large.jpg

That's a small sample of their fine quality automobiles offered on craigslist. What retard did they pay / punch in the face to come up with some of their car names anyway?


Lulz:

http://www.autospectator.com/cars/fi...Equator-08.jpg

Standard engine is a 2.5 liter V6. That's almost more retarded than Hondas wannabe "truck.." :rofl:

real trucks have glow plugs

It's interesting how one company can produce so many awesome things, and so many shitty things, and virtually nothing in between.

I mean, imagine if Lamborghini made farm tractors or something stupid like that...


(shifting gears)


So there are still CB250s out there, just not local to me.

I'm becoming increasingly tempted to buy one and turbo it.

Speaking of Lambo tractors, I saw one on a trailer a few years ago. Pretty basic looking, but you could tell it wasn't used much as a tractor.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/mcd/2615492647.html

They just dropped their price $100, and just re-posted their ad. But holy shit $2600? :laugh:

Id love to take that bike, that the owner obviously loves, and tear a bunch of stuff off and cafe it.

It must be black.

All Nighthawks are black.



Though I must admit, that TU250 is tempting. I can't imagine there'd be much problem bringing one in from out of state.

much beef

Attachment 186961

Look closely:
http://hooniverse.com/wp-content/upl.../09/NASCAR.jpg

I find her kind of gross actually.

So many things I could do to that.



Joe. Your motorcycle endeavors make me said. Apparently commies don't want you to actually enjoy the ride.

After building a 140whp B12 I'm going back to more simplicity myself. I got a nice Pacific Coast in partial trade for that bike that once sold will make space for an old cafe racer project. There is a plethora of cheap, old, simple Hondas here that can be had for well under a grand and would clean up very nicely.


I'm not completely done with power, I've still got my CBR900RR/929RR bastard track bike I'm working on. I've decided however that my daily should be much simpler, and something that just makes me grin as I'm buttoning up my chinstrap.

I really need a motorcycle in my life. I'm really love to have a DRZ400SM, and I'd love to be able to do track days n' such, although I know the DRZ isn't exactly that kinda bike.
I would have it in any color, so long as it's black.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...00SM_black.jpg

Would?

I'm starting to worry myself.

For instance, I have determined that there is a Suzuki dealership in Lake Havasu City, AZ, which is only about 310 miles from here across some of the prettiest roads ever paved.

http://www.suzukicycles.com/Product%...0L0_BLK-P.ashx

GZ250? Same price and size, obviously a cruiser more than a standard. Although both the GZ and TU are classified under "standard". Running too late for work to see if it's available in California.

P.S. Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, and I think even Kawasaki have a 250 cruiser model.

Edit2: Kawasaki makes the 125 eliminator, learned on it for my endorsement class. Great bike, very comfortable. Obviously illegal for that 300 mile trek, and I have no idea how comfortable it'd be for long trips.

I would do terrible things to her.



http://t.qkme.me/28il.jpg

I've never been a huge fan of mini-cruisers like the GZ and the CMX (Rebel). I know it's nothing more than a stylistic matter, but they just strike me as being a parody of a motorcycle.

Im a sucker for steam punk. that looks pretty badass.

Sadly it took a third look to realize what this actually is.. I was entranced by the copper pipe and the vacuum tube.. :wtf: lol


What do you think Sony will think when its sent in for warranty work?

after a stint on the the biggest loser i hope.

I really like it. I'm on the verge of buying a clear case and LED fan mod, then maybe I'll add some crazy stuff for fun.

Haha, took me a minute, too. I think it's done pretty well. Check out the gauge:
http://ps3maven.com/wp-content/uploa...-steampunk.jpg

Not sure what you mean about the warranty, is it because it's the older model? Playstations seem to be pretty reliable, but then again, anything can break.....except for my Nintendo and my Genesis, lol!

Nice!

Now that you mention it, I've had 2 original xbox's and 2 360s peter out over the last ten years and my original v1.0 ps2 is still working. There are no screws in the case because it has to be cleaned everytime its played (once a year, if that..) :)

Sony will probably sue the owner for modifying their PS3...

the soundtrack really makes this video

Incidentally, 2 Fast 2 Furious was on earlier today.

TEMMY WATCHA GONNA DO?

ACT AFOO

Sorry this is a few days back, but I had to post on this. I had the opportunity to get real close and personal with the OCC Joe Gibbs Racing chopper. Holy dogshit, that thing was the shittiest built quality POS I've seen. Harborfreight reject quality. Looks pretty from behind the 10 foot rope, but if you are closer than that you can see how shitty they are. Real basic things; for example they didn't sand or deburr the waterjetted handlebar before chrome plating it. That wouldn't be so bad if it was a typical waterjetted part, but they ran it WWAAYYY too quick or with too little garnet; the cut quality was...well I can't really describe it but the furthest from smooth you can think of. It would have taken 15 min to make it pretty with their fancy sanding equipment pre chrome. Dumb. I found them entertaining to watch, but lost all respect for them after that.

Hell, the last episode I watched while on vacation (fuck comcast, I do netflix solo), Junior's business got a job to built a trick quad. (Really?!?! how embarrassing). So junior gave the responsibility to the new young kid, because he raced them, making him an obvious expert to represent your new struggling company on your own show. The kid opened a parts unlimited catalog and just ordered shit, had someone outside the company spray paint them stupid colors, and attempted to bolt it all together (even that was difficult). If I were the client I'd be...upset. The client's race quads looked more trick.

OCC's bikes didn't pay for their new facility, the Discovery Channel did. They could be building 4 hp Briggs-powered minibikes and people would still gobble that shit up.

http://a34.idata.over-blog.com/3/31/..._1505321_n.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ck_Example.jpg

They don't sell $30K bikes, they sell $30 T-Shirts (probably tens of thousands a year), bumper stickers, cock rings, etc.

Gearhead, I'd like to take this opportunity to say Fuck You.

Specifically, fuck you for posting that picture of the DRZ400, and subsequently poisoning my thoughts.

I've honestly never taken the whole motard thing seriously. I mean, for one, the name itself just sounds, well, motarded. And if we're honest, they're uglier than a bag of dicks. A former neighbor of mine had several bikes. One was an SV-650, which allowed be to overlook the fact that the rest were all orange-and-black. (Explanation for those not familiar with the reference: orange-and-black means that they were all KTMs, some of the most motarded bikes in the universe.)

But it hit me- all of the qualities which so endear the Nighthawk- light weight, simplicity, elegance of design- these are the very qualities which define the dual-sport category. And, as if by afterthought, they all seem to be equipped with decent brake and suspension components, for reasons which absolutely confound me.


So now, thanks to you, I've got the damned CRF230M stuck in my head...

Attachment 240512

I was stuck on a DRZ until I realized they don't sell them here anymore, then I looked at the CRF and decided it was too bland and under powered, then I found my bike, the Yamaha WR250X. Everything I want in a bike. Would still prefer the DRZ400SM, but the WRX will make me plenty happy. Thinking of going to the local dealer in the new few weeks and see one and maybe look into financing. Supermoto has been calling me for at least a year now, and I figure it's about time I give in and get one. I usually deprive myself things like this, and ignore it until it goes away.

One bike I had ignored was the Kawasaki KLX250SF. Pretty nice bike, and $1500 less than the Yamaha.

*Saudis

And like the night hawk, the DRZ didn't sell very well and now apparently it's been shitcanned by Suzuki. FUCK YOU SUZUKI, YOUR CARS SUCK.
And now I will possibly crush your dreams. I'd bet that some of those motards aren't sold in Cali, since there pretty much lightly modified dirt bikes and California is dumb. sry:(

I didn't know about (or maybe forgot about) the CRF230M until Joe brought it up. Also, if you need more power, you can get a stroker kit for most of those bikes.
After the supermoto, all you need is a sub machine gun and you can be an evil minion form a bad 80's movie.

he's got the 'stache and the Hawaiian shirts

You know, I hadn't really thought about that.

Perhaps an airsoft Uzi clipped to the handlebars?

No, it wouldn't end well. I'd wind up flying off the side of a picturesque snow-capped mountain in Austria while the hero rides to safety alongside the beautiful Russian girl in a large cello case.

I saw this near our glorious Reitz Union a few weeks back. I figured you'd appreciate it.

Attachment 186956

Honestly, the discontinuation of Little Bird surprised me.

I mean, that bike was basically the VW Beetle of motorcycles, and not in a bad way. The design was completely unmolested from 1982 all the way until the end of the run. 25 years, and they never changed a single part. What other motorcycle can boast that sort of lineage? Ok, so the Harley Softail hasn't changed since 1642, and they're still carving the pistons out of oak. But apart from that?

Honestly, I'd have thought MSF sales alone would have kept it afloat, in much the same way that Ford keeps digging up the corpse of the Crown Vic and dusting it off for the fleet buyers.


That's the funny part, actually.

It's no surprise that the Lifans and other Chinese bikes aren't CARB-approved. (Yes, I honestly thought about it.) The TU250 was a surprise, what with closed-loop injection and all. Give it another year or two.

But the motards? Dude. If it weren't for California, those bikes wouldn't exist. The big four probably sell more off-road thumpers in SoCal alone than in the whole rest of the world combined. Drive 15 miles inland from the coast and you're in the Sonoran Desert, where you can't swing a dead cat without hitting five hundred off-roaders complete with their fancy campers. We have Glamis. We have Heber. We have The Dunes. For a Japanese manufacturer, building an offroad bike and not getting CARB certification on it would be suicide. And since the motards are just dirtbikes with headlights and street tires, it's no surprise that during the summer months they outnumber the sportbikes by at least 3:1 at every dealership.

Which is why I find it interesting that those bikes still have carburetors.

Well, that's good to hear (that there popular over there). We see cruisers, crotch rockets and little else over here.
There must me some good reason they still are carb'd


For (kinda) randomness:

I like that. I like these supermoto things. I've never been into bikes, but if I ever got one I'd want something small like this:

http://blog-imgs-11.fc2.com/i/n/u/inuclutch/cpi_1.jpg

I guess I like the whole dirtbike feel of it.

I had a friend selling this one...I should hav ebought it and killed myself:

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JHl0GuFF42E/TB...250x%20003.JPG

Isn't there a whole MT motorcycle thread?

Yeah, but it's all a bunch of superbike fanboys who wouldn't know panache if it lept up out of the ground and sunk its razor-sharp teeth into their gonads.





What in the firey hell? You could use that turbo as an ---- bead!




This is getting out of hand, incidentally. Turns out you can find RD-350s pretty cheaply, and so long as they've got more than 7,500 miles on 'em, they can be imported into CA:

Attachment 240510


An open letter to the California Air Resources Board:Anybody here ever Megasquirted a 2-cycle engine?

I'm wondering this myself. I dislike the carbs on my boat/2 stroke rotax.

another baller motard:
http://www.ultimatemotorcycling.com/...5.5-550-mo.jpg
http://www.corsaitaliana.com/users/w...lia_sxv_02.jpg

yeah, I'd totally rock a bike like that.

More info? I was always under the impression that engines that small where too small to turbocharge.

Apparently you can, at least according to these threads:

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/for...ns/8223/page1/
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/for...ir/3812/page1/
http://www.rzrd500.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1899

:giggle: MPFab turbo kit

y8s made it onto Jalopnik (#7)

http://www.bikeland.org/misc/2009/kawasaki/klx_08.jpg

I spent the better part of 2 years almost killing myself on one of these:
Attachment 186952

The sound of a 2 stroke twin, under load, in the red, is reason enough alone to want one.

And because badass:
Attachment 186953

haha. my name's all over the link. i feel so cool.


Japolink - You suck with all the links and credits.

That was MY picture, I should get the credit. Hell it sits on MY picture server

and omfg you fucking morons. we trolled HIM - we doctored that article to encourage him to actually fo through with it.

http://www.afunnystuff.com/pics/funny/2993.jpg

http://urod.ru/uploads/122008/tnigr_00.jpg

http://urod.ru/uploads/122008/tnigr_01.jpg

http://urod.ru/uploads/122008/tnigr_02.jpg

http://urod.ru/uploads/122008/tnigr_03.jpg
_________________

http://home.exetel.com.au/bkm/cast-w...0-black-rr.jpg

Apparently you can take a dirtbike and make into a street legal supermoto, for those of you that where having trouble finding one.

Got this today, the walkthough for core removal and replacement is rather lengthy, I don't think I have all of the necessary tools yet either:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6174/...920e1851_z.jpg

*Yes, I'm a nerd.

I think Joe Perez found his soulmate.