Tag: motorcycles

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More on a good motorcyle for the Backyardsman

That is NOT me in the picture. Not by a long shot in fact… OK, so I dumped my new motorcycle the other day. Now harm, no fowl, just a skinned knee and twisted ankle. Oh, and a chip on one of the side panels. Hey, it’s a dirt bike, right? Well, one problem I didn’t mention was thet when I laid it down, it started bleeding – the bike, not me. Seriously, there was red fluid dripping on the ground from somewhere I couldn’t see. I looked it over, couldn’t find the leak, so I brought it home. Eventually I found a big pool of red liquid in the air box. Went to the shop I bought the bike from and asked about it. Turned out to be nothing – the engine has a vent that empties into the airbox. If the bike tips over and stays down too long, engine oil leaks into the airbox. At least I didn’t do anything expensive… So if the RS500 isn’t it, what is a good beginner’s motorcycle for the Backyardsman?

My little crash does bring up some points though. Is the SWM RS500R a good motorcycle for the Backyardsman? For someone who knows how to ride, hell yes. For me? Maybe eventually, but it’s far from the best choice right now. For one thing it’s really tall. For someone who knows how to ride this is good. The high ground clearance and long suspension travel make it easy to ride fast on rocky, rutted trails. For someone like me, it puts the center of gravity higher, so the bike is harder to keep up once it starts to tip over. The hard core dirt bike at the soul of the bike makes it too tempting to take trails that a beginner should probably stay off of. The knobbies are great on the dirt, but not so great on the street. It’s a little overpowered (OK, a lot overpowered…) for me. Finally, it’s brand new and it’s inevitably going to get banged up while I learn to ride.

A better beginner’s motorcycle for the Backyardsman

I’ve been posting a lot on dirt bike forums since my little crash, asking advice on a good beginner’s motorcycle. There’s the usual stupid bravado (“man up, lift weights, quit crying…”) BS to wade through. Then the bike snobs (“oh, you should have bought a $14K KTM ’cause they’re lighter and handle better…”). And then the common sense answer – for your first motorcycle, get a used bike. That way it won’t matter when it gets banged up while your learning. Get one with a lower seat height so it’s easier to keep right side up when you start to fall over. Make sure it’s not overpowered so you don’t have to learn throttle control while you’re trying to just learn how to ride without crashing. To paraphrase one person…

The answer to the question “What is the best dual sport bike for a beginner?” is usually a 230 – 250cc trail bike.

So that’s what I’m looking for now. I don’t regret getting the RS500 and I’m going to keep riding it, I’ll just be a lot more careful for now. Especially about not talking myself into trails that are too much for my current skill level just because I have a badass enduro bike. Not sure what I’ll get yet, but I know it will be air cooled (easier to work on, cheaper to rebuild), carbureted, and as light a bike as I can find.

I’m kind of thinking about the Yamaha TTR230. It meets all the requirements and it’s pretty cheap, even brand new. The only thing wrong with it is the suspension is marginal. For learning, that might not matter. What I really want though is an older bike, like late 1970’s to early 1980’s. I don’t see them often, but when they do come up they’re pretty cheap. I guess I’d need to check parts availability…

Oh, and one more thing, if you’ve never riden and you’re getting your first bike, CHECK YOUR EGO. One of the guys at the shop I bought my bike from offered to met me and give me some pointers… I should have taken him up on the offer. Also, when I got to the crash trail, I should have listened to that little voice saying “not this trail, not yet…” But, you know, ego…

Also some randome thoughts… I was just wearing my normal hiking boots. If I had been wearing proper riding shoes, I wouldn’t have gotten a twisted ankle. I was also wearing jeans, which offer almost NO protection for your knees if the bike goes down. Finally, I was riding in a semi-remote area with no cell phone or ham radio with me to call for help if I needed it. One stupid thing after another…

Anyway… get outside, enjoy life to the fullest, but use common sense. I didn’t, and even though theday turned out OK, it could have gone really bad.

Peace out,
porcupine

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A Backyardsman motorcycle – the SWM RS500R


To be honest, the SWM RS500R wasn’t my first choice for a motorcycle. That honor fell to the KTM 500 EXC-F. The KTM is the biggest, baddest, lightest, and fastest dual sport motorcycle you can buy in 2021. I know it’s too much bike for me, but I didn’t care. What I did care about was the price – almost $14,000 out the door. No can do. My second choice was the Suzuki DR-Z400S. That’s actually a much better choice for a first bike, especially one that’s going to spend at least half its time on pavement. But… the local dealership was fresh out, and couldn’t tell me when they might get another one in. They did have a nice Yamaha WR450F in stock that can be converted to street legal. OK, about $11K out the door, another $1K to make it street legal, and I’m almost at the KTM price – might as well suck it up and get the KTM. Buy once, cry once, right?

I was talking it over with some friends, and one of them asked why didn’t I just get an SWM? “Just as good as the KTM but about $4K less.” So I checked them out. I’d never heard of the brand but from what I read they’re Italian bikes made in [artnership with a Chinese company. That didn’t sound too promising but I kept reading. I’m glad I did because they’re actually a legit company. There history has been well told so I won’t repeat it here, but basically the SWM is a 2010-era Husqvarna with an updated suspension.

It’s made in Italy in a formerly Husqvarna factory for former Husqvarna engineers and workers, using 2010-era Husqvarna technology. In reality, it’s more genuinely Husqvarna than the current Husqvarnas, which are actually KTMs with different suspension and plastics. Confused? So was I. But I’m glad I found out about the company, because imo it’s a better trail bike than either the KTM or the current Husky line (which like I said is really a KTM at heart).

The RS500S has a few things I like and a few that… lets just say are a compromise at best. First of all the things I like… For one thing, this is actually an old school (OK, 2010 era, but things move fast in the dirt bike world) Husqvarna. Being old myself, I like old school stuff. I love that it’s a Husqvarna and not just a KTM with different paint. Being older (but brand new), it has smoother power than the newer crotch rockets, so I’ll be less likely to kill myself on it. It’s a 500, so it should have plenty of power for going up steep, rocky trails. Finally, I love the way it looks. It should work perfectly for climbing hills and fast trips down power line roads.

So what’s not to like? For one thing, it has a tiny gas tank so range is very limited and noone (yet?) makes a large aftermarket gas tank for it. I’ll probably hang an auxilary tank off the left rear end once I replace the dual muffler setup with a single muffler. Which brings up another thing, this bike is heavy – about 288 lbs. compared to 245 for the KTM. The single muffler will shave about 13 pounds and also make it possible to mount the auxilary tank. The stock tires are pure dirt, so I’ll replace them with something a little more rideable on the street. Probably Dunlop 606’s. And that stock license plate holder is butt-ugly. I’m going to make my own out of sheet aluminum. I like working with metal so no big deal.

Anyway, it will be here this week and I’m ecstatic. It’s about a 90% dirt/10% street bike, which is OK for now. I can’t really see myself commuting on it though, so that DR-Z400S might end up in my garage sooner rather than later. Can’t wait to give you guys a ride report on this one though… Until next time…

Peace out,
porcupine

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What’s a good motorcycle for a Backyardsman?


Last week I ordered a motorcycle. My wife thinks it was a sudden decision, but it’s something I’ve wanted for a long time. She should know, it’s not like I haven’t talked to her about it – a bunch of times. She’s always found some reason why it’s a “bad idea” at the time. “Just wait, not right now.” I guess I should thank her, because my tastes have changed a lot over the past few years. I used to love street bikes, especially Harleys and vintage Triumphs. I still do, but those are pure street bikes and not really suited to the needs of a Backyardsman. So what is a good motorcycle for a Backyardsman? It depends on exactly what you want, but for me it has to have a few things.

What motorcycle should a Backyardsman buy?

First, I need a bike that can run on dirt, and I don’t mean just smooth, hard packed dirt roads. Where I live, lots of the roads are steep, rocky, and rutted with lots of sharp turns. Some run through sand washes, others are muddy and slippery when wet.

Second, it also needs to work OK on the road. I don’t want to deal with trailering it or loading into the back of my truck just to get to where I want to ride. I want to be able to commute on it. Heck, I want to be able to take road trips on it. Just being street legal isn’t good enough, it also has to ride well on the street.

As it turns out, the motorcycle that meets all my needs doesn’t exist. I decided on an SWM RS500R for reasons I’ll talk about in a future post, but I’m probably going to end up getting a second bike. The RS500 does most of the things I want now, but it’s not even close to doing some of the others, at least not very well. Like 200-300 mile road trips…

What I’m looking at…

My first choice was actually a Suzuki DR-Z400S, but the dealer in town was out of stock. Other bikes that are interesting to me are Yamaha (WR250R and WR450F), Suzuki (besides the DR-Z 400, the DR-Z650 and the TU250X), the Honda XR650L, the KTM 350 EXC-F, the Hawk 250 Enduro, the Phatmoto All Terrain, and the Rokon Scout. I can’t afford all of them, but I’m going to study and write about them. Hopefully, at least one or two of them will join my SWM in the garage.

For now, I’m loving on my SWM. It should be home this Friday, and I already have a few things I want to do to it. Mainly an auxilary gas tank. Before I can do that though, I need to replace the dual mufflers with a single. Anyway, hope to have a first impression/riding post in the next couple weeks. Until next time…

Peace out,
porcupine

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I did a thing…

Monday I was talking about getting a motorcycle… the shop is closed on Mondays so I called yesterday to check on the status of the 2021 bikes and seeing if the last brand new 2020 model on the planet was still available. The 2021’s are still on EPA hold (gee Biden, thanks for nothing…) and by some miracle the 2020 they had a line on is still available. So I had him work up a price sheet for total OTD (out the door) price. With destination, setup, and doc fees, plus my state sales tax, the total OTD price for my 2020 SWM RS500R is $9,280. In comparison, the KTM 500 EXC-F is about $13,800 OTD. Yep, the RS500R is over $4K cheaper than the KTM. That’s a lot of spare change…

So… I went ahead and told them I’d take it. My wife will probably be mad for a little while. She knows I’m getting a bike “some day” but she’s not happy about “some day” being so soon. Oh well. I can’t see spending $4,500 more for a bike I like less than the SWM. Not that there’s anything wrong with the KTM, I just like the SWM better. It’s a little heavier which is worse for racing but (hopefully) better for stability going fast on smooth dirt roads. Plus in reality it’s a 2010-era Husqvarna with updated suspension and fuel injection and I like that. Went down today and put down my deposit. It should be here next Tuesday and ready to pick up on Thursday. Whew…

The only two problems are (1) I don’t have a motorcycle license and (2) my wife. She’ll eventually forgive me (I did save $4,500 by jumping on this deal after all…) but getting the license will be a little trickier. Luckily I can buy insurance and register the bike without a motorcycle endorsement on my license. The problem is I can’t (legally) ride it without the motorcycle endorsement, and I can’t get the motorcycle endorsement without riding practice. Kind of a chicken and egg dilemma… I’ll figure it out, for now I’m just happy I’ve got the bike on the way. Here’s to exporing all the dirt roads and trails in my AO. Until next time…

Peace out,
porcupine