rbgnwa45
08-12-2010, 09:32 PM
My mom wants to learn to ride a motorcycle so she bought a 1981 Yamaha Exciter 250 for $100 from our neighbour. Besides a dent in the exhaust and gas tank it's in near-mint condition, it's oily where it needs to be and it rides decently. I got 4th up to 90km/h and 5th flat out took my 240lbs to 110km/h. I have a few questions.
The choke on the carb has three settings but when I rode it around for a minute with the choke on the middle setting the low rpm response was better. When the choke is pulled out fully it idles high and when it warms up it shuts off so obviously that's full-choke. Is it possible that the middle setting is where it's supposed to be while riding? Doesn't seem like it but thought I'd ask so I don't blow it up.
I'm not sure if I felt a wobble at 100-110km/h or if it was wind or the angle of the road. It didn't wobble heavily but there was what seemed like head-shake. I've never experience head-shake and it felt like a slight stable wobble.
How much slack should the chain have?
The starter button didn't work today until I hit it maybe 20 times and then it started fine. I kind of pushed it in different directions and it seemed to help (it doesn't move side-side). Do you think it's a loose wire? If it is, it's not very.
I told her it was slow and that it was a bad beginner bike although not for $100. If she's going to be riding it at the 80km/h speed limit, it still revs kinda high. We live in the country and it's much more suited for 60km/h city cruising. She weighs 180lbs and I think she'd be able to get it up to atleast 120km/h. I think it's rather gutless and that she would benefit from 80cc mini accelleration as long as she was carefull on the throttle.
My dad isn't a good teacher so I'll be teaching her. I don't want her to crash like my sister did the first time on my dirtbike. After one hour of clutch-gas-gear-brake instruction and in the first minute my sister forgot how to stop and she dumped my dirtbike into a fence then casually walked away with it still running on it's side. She told me she thought the brake was applied by twisting the throttle the other way :ermm:. Should I tell my mom that if she doesn't know how to stop than she should let off the gas and get on the brakes until it stalls or pull in the clutch and find neutral etc? I think she's going to be really awkward and scared (which is going to piss me off a little) because I imagine as soon as it moves she's going to be like "AHH NOO THE WHICH BUTTON IS THE BRAKE?!", with an old-lady heckle followed by an "I don't want to do this anymore". The first time I rode a dirtbike I somehow knew exactly what I was doing and it felt natural. The first time I drove a stick-shift I stalled so many times that my dad told me to stop trying. My mom has never driven stick.
What should I suggest she buy for her next bike? I'm obviously going to persuade her to buy something cool like a used Ninja 250 but she's definetly going to want a cruiser. I don't know anything about road bikes, are there older 400-500 cruisers for cheap? I'm not going to suggest something like an SV 650.
Thanks.
The choke on the carb has three settings but when I rode it around for a minute with the choke on the middle setting the low rpm response was better. When the choke is pulled out fully it idles high and when it warms up it shuts off so obviously that's full-choke. Is it possible that the middle setting is where it's supposed to be while riding? Doesn't seem like it but thought I'd ask so I don't blow it up.
I'm not sure if I felt a wobble at 100-110km/h or if it was wind or the angle of the road. It didn't wobble heavily but there was what seemed like head-shake. I've never experience head-shake and it felt like a slight stable wobble.
How much slack should the chain have?
The starter button didn't work today until I hit it maybe 20 times and then it started fine. I kind of pushed it in different directions and it seemed to help (it doesn't move side-side). Do you think it's a loose wire? If it is, it's not very.
I told her it was slow and that it was a bad beginner bike although not for $100. If she's going to be riding it at the 80km/h speed limit, it still revs kinda high. We live in the country and it's much more suited for 60km/h city cruising. She weighs 180lbs and I think she'd be able to get it up to atleast 120km/h. I think it's rather gutless and that she would benefit from 80cc mini accelleration as long as she was carefull on the throttle.
My dad isn't a good teacher so I'll be teaching her. I don't want her to crash like my sister did the first time on my dirtbike. After one hour of clutch-gas-gear-brake instruction and in the first minute my sister forgot how to stop and she dumped my dirtbike into a fence then casually walked away with it still running on it's side. She told me she thought the brake was applied by twisting the throttle the other way :ermm:. Should I tell my mom that if she doesn't know how to stop than she should let off the gas and get on the brakes until it stalls or pull in the clutch and find neutral etc? I think she's going to be really awkward and scared (which is going to piss me off a little) because I imagine as soon as it moves she's going to be like "AHH NOO THE WHICH BUTTON IS THE BRAKE?!", with an old-lady heckle followed by an "I don't want to do this anymore". The first time I rode a dirtbike I somehow knew exactly what I was doing and it felt natural. The first time I drove a stick-shift I stalled so many times that my dad told me to stop trying. My mom has never driven stick.
What should I suggest she buy for her next bike? I'm obviously going to persuade her to buy something cool like a used Ninja 250 but she's definetly going to want a cruiser. I don't know anything about road bikes, are there older 400-500 cruisers for cheap? I'm not going to suggest something like an SV 650.
Thanks.