Just a shiny male toy…

  • 5 Posts
  • 303 Comments
Joined 2 years ago
Cake day: July 1st, 2023
  • RubberElectrons@lemmy.worldtoMotorcycles@lemmy.world•How much fuel do you put in?
    4·
    12 days ago

    US, west coast, we have systems on the nozzle which prevent dispensing gas unless the nozzle is well seated, in order to pull gas fumes back into a return built into the hose. Here’s an article.

    I usually have to forcibly override it by pulling back on the plastic ring around the nozzle’s base, otherwise I’d only get 2/3 of my tank. I stop a bit below the inlet of the tank, gasoline from a cool underground tank will slightly expand in summer heat.

    Good idea for the environment, little bit of an annoyance but no big deal.

  • RubberElectrons@lemmy.worldtoMotorcycles@lemmy.world•First Bike Advice!
    4·
    3 months ago

    As @konna@sopuli.xyz & @Jojowski@sopuli.xyz mention, the GS series are great to learn and work on as my first bike. Thegsresources.com are a great group of friendly old-timers who really love their GS bikes. Check this out for a bunch of great photo tutorials: https://gsarchive.bwringer.com/bikecliff/index.html

    I’ve since upgraded to a liter machine, but the 1984 GS450 I bought and restored over the pandemic (predecessor to the 500) still has lots of OEM parts available, very easy to work on, I camped with it, and felt stable on the highway at 80+mph. Takes any kind of gas, and ran like a top even after seizing the engine (and doing the restore work myself). I had a lot of fun painting the tank myself, open to all kinds of fun ideas, and she was light enough to mildly off-road with.

    However: suspension and handling have dramatically improved in the years since. Safety-wise, newer bikes are better, but the low weight and “good enough” disc brake on the front will do the job if you have less of a lead foot than I do. The several rides I did up from LA to San Francisco and back several times went perfectly, no safety issues, lots of fun.

    I sold my 450 to a friend from LA a month ago, he rode it right down from up here in the PNW, no problem. Good luck, ping me if you have any deeper Qs as I’ve done everything from making new wiring harnesses, new seats to new front/rear suspensions for the bike over the years.