Pity...

With the greatest of respect and not wishing to be rude but ahem soft
suspension ahem greater mass pushing down soft springs further ahem

JL
(see betty I'm trying to be nice)

 

Mmm but I'd wonder / question whether they're anywhere near as sticky as
the sort of stuff you can get in 17" (which is what I was getting at -
not implying you weren't putting the best available tyres on it)

Mmm I guess they're high profile narrow tyres as well - so yeah you're
undoubtably right - you would tend to run out of lean angle quicker than
with a 120/70 180/70 combo

JL

 

LOL who are you and WTF have you done with JL???

<snigger>

betty

 

No wonder the shit's hit the fan then...


Onya bike...

Gerry

 

You stopped wearing ladies' underwear?

Nev..
'07 XB12X

 

I hope that doesn't mean he's going "commando" under them yellow leathers!
That's not good.

 

Give it up.

Moike

 

In aus.motorcycles on Sat, 25 Oct 2008 22:09:56 +1100

Probably not... it's not where the big money is after all and tends
to be the province of specialty makers like Avon.

yes. After all we are talking 100/90 at the rear

(The Norge's front tyre is bigger than the 850T's rear tyre was.)

Tyre tech has come a long way in 30 years as has understanding of
bike handling I suspect.

It's still a sweet bike in its hunting ground: tight corners in quick
succession reward light weight and high corner speed.

Which is why it lives in Adelaide! Bugger all suitable places to ride
it within amplified cooee of Sydney.

Tell ya what JL, find an excuse to visit Adelaide and take it for a
ride. If you can cope with right foot change, no brakes, and left
side kickstart of course!

Zebee
- who learned long ago that the secret to no brakes is not slowing
down....

 

LOL

To be honest I hadn't thought of that (seriously).


G-S

 

Johno should take a leaf out of his book...

it would help disguise those 'little accidents' one gets at an advanced
age!


G-S

 

But where would he keep his bus ticket?

Moike

 

<sigh> Yeah OK, I think I've forgotten how to fake it.

JL

 

Mmm, It'd need a fairly triangular profile to get a lot of lean angle
out of that I'd suppose (not really thought about it before though)

Hell yeah, tyre tech has come a long way in the last 10 years - let
alone 30. Tyres that were considered supersticky 15 years ago are about
the same as a touring tyre in terms of adhesion now.

Is the pope a catholic ? Hell yeah, I'll go for that !

The first and last no dramas, the second might make me pause a little,
it's been a long time since I rode a bike with crap brakes

Indeed, same same for no hp

JL

 

Silliness aside the XVS650 is one of the lowest cruisers around. I
hadn't thought of it when writing the above - most of the cruisers with
the low seat heights have these stupdily wide seats which make them less
practical for shorties than a nominally taller bike with a narrower seat.

It is true though, a heavy shortarse will squish the squidgy suspension
of a cruiser down further than the sports bikes which tend to be stiffer
sprung.

The flip side too is that its easier if you have good upperbody strength
as there's some heavy bikes quite low set (Bandit and FJ1200 for example)

It did also occur to me this morning that there was a difference between
seat heights between different models of SV - I know a mate of mine
bought one that was quite tall, but a different SV650 I rode was def
lower (both stock as far as I know).

Having said that, despite being often referred to, the SV650 isn't that
low anyway - the Cagiva Raptor and V Raptor are significantly lower than
the SV (and you can get the 650 or 1000 motor and still be able to get
your feet down betty !)


JL

 

That's interesting... I had my SV lowered by an inch (something to do with
dogbones?) when I bought it, and it meant the difference between
precariously tippy-toeing, and swapping between the ball of one foot and the
tiptoe of the other (alternating them in a bizarre up-and-down choreography,
ha ha ha!) I am super-slow and super-cautious when parking, but it's
manageable. I suspect that when I get a bit more strength back in the
buggered hammy it will be a bit easier.

[aside] The buggered hammy is still a pain in the arse, pardon the pun, even
after 6 months. If the bike looks like falling to the left I know damned
well I have a really rotten choice - stick out left leg in the hope of
stopping the bike, and risk ripping hammy off again - not bloody likely! -
or tuck leg in and hope the bike doesn't sustain too much damage. The last
two miserable pathetic GRRRR drops have happened because I was terrified of
re-avulsing hammy...

But anyway...

The parlous state of my finances means I am frmly stuck in the Jap bike
market, JL, so I can't even entertain the fantasy of a Raptor (come on,
Lotto Fairies!) Would be nice... <dream dream> I still like the look of the
Guzzi Breva, possibly even more than the Raptor... but having said that, the
Breva is a 750 - do I need 750? I doubt it!

I really don't think I will ever need a bike with more grunt than a 650 -
it's going to take me a long time to develop the skills and confidence to
get the absolute best from my SV, (and in the meantime it's just brilliant
anyway!) and coz I'm fairly light I think a 650 can zip along without
really knowing I'm on board. I don't think I would even bother thinking
about ever getting a 1000 - what would be the point, apart from the ego-trip
for me? I'm small and I don't think I would reap any more road-benefits,
given my skills and experience, from a 1000 than I would from a 650...
besides, as my bike is my only transport, I suspect (tell me if I'm wrong!)
that a 650 might be more economical than a 1000 - as well as lighter - on my
daily commute.

betty

 

In aus.motorcycles on Sun, 26 Oct 2008 14:26:29 +1100

You are on. Let me know when you can make it and I'll notify the
custodian.

He'll even tell you how to get to the roads it likes best.

Just give your eyeballs time to stop shaking after the ride, and get
the dentist to check your fillings before you go.

Just remember - it's a big fairly high comp 4 stroke single, not a little
2 stroke twin.

That sudden stop in the kickstart travel, that's *induction*. Mistake it
for compression and you will likely hurt yourself.

Admittedly this bike is usually quite well behaved and when people fail
to kickstart properly it just farts at them. Other examples of the
breed kick like mules.

Exactly, and as it doesn't have much of that either....

Zebee

 

In aus.motorcycles on Sun, 26 Oct 2008 15:11:40 +1100

THe Breva 750 probably has similar power to your 650. Guzzis aren't
high horsepower bikes.

There's a 10 grand low mileage Breva available in Sydney I'll ride it
to Canberra for you

Zebee

 

(it's true what johno says - Zebs is a top bloke!)

If I were in the market right now for a new bike I'd take you up on that,
Zebee! Here's hoping a similar bargain presents itself when I really AM
looking, and not just testing the waters!

Thanks for the advice though - am setting it all aside for future
reference...

betty

 

Ta.

Lastday of year 12s Friday. A student gave me a gift-wrapped bottle.
"Thank you, I says. I'll enjoy that." then unwrapped a Crownie.

I suppose he meant well.

Moike

 

When V7 Classics start showing up at cheap prices, will you let me know,
Zebee?

Well, the second one, I assume you'd want the first one you find. ;-)

regards,
CrazyCam, who likes everything about the Breva, except the looks.