The GASOLINE Alley

[Jazzzoline]

Ok, As some peeps suggest it, let's talk about gasoline. Sorry guys, this thread isn't about oil in Iraq.

Here is what makes my hapiness for about 4 months a year ( winters are loooooong here)




This one isn't mine but mine looks just like it.

Anybody here shares the same passion?

[Jimmy Cantiello]

All others are pretenders to the throne, IMO...........

[IMG]http://rds.yahoo.com/S=96062883/K=harley-davidson+sportster/v=2/l=IVS/*-http://www.canadianrider.com/buyers_guide/hd/2003_Harley_Davidson_Sportster_XL1200C.jpg[/IMG]

[Jazzzoline]

So, you got a Harley Jimmy?

I really like my italian. It's light and nervous.

[Enforcer]

Originally posted by Jazzzoline
I really like my italian. It's light and nervous.

Are you talking about Jimmy? He doesn't seem nervous to me.

Larry

[Jazzzoline]

Originally posted by Larry Nagel
Are you talking about Jimmy? He doesn't seem nervous to me.

Larry

Lol.. Jimmy is Italian?
Well maybe he is, but I was talking about my bike.

(you guys use your real name on boards? )

[Enforcer]

Originally posted by Jazzzoline
Lol.. Jimmy is Italian?
Well maybe he is, but I was talking about my bike.

(you guys use your real name on boards? )

Well, *one* of my real names, anyway...

No stranger to aliases or multiple personality disorder,
Larry

[Uli]

I stronly object to the thread title. This kinda stuff seems to be much more apporpriate maybe in the "Classifieds" section.

[Brian Olewnick]

[Jazzzoline]

Originally posted by Uli
I stronly object to the thread title. This kinda stuff seems to be much more apporpriate maybe in the "Classifieds" section.

Sorry, my bike isn't for sale!

Anybody here shares the same passion?

Yep........

[Jazzzoline]

You ride that bomb Scott??

Not just yet, Jazzzoline. I still haven't made my final decision. But it's either going to be that, a Honda CBR1100XX Blackbird, a Honda CBR954RR Fireblade, a Kawasaki ZZ-R1200, or I may even possibly go smaller this time around and get either the CBR600RR, or the Yamaha YZF R6.

I got rid of my last bike almost 7 years ago, so I may go with one of the smaller machines just so I can take a year or two and really get my chops back. I don't cruise, I ride pure sport, so you need to really have your shit together. And although I don't think you ever forget how to ride, I may a little rusty after such a long layoff.

I've had 5 other bikes in my lifetime, but this was my most recent. 1985 Yamaha FZ750.:



So how do you like your Duc? I always found them slightly under powered for their price tag, but they are likely the greatest handling and most well behaved bikes on the market.

[claude]

I haven't had a bike in ages and my last bike was a kawasaki ninja 600 that I raced (club racing, nothing remotely professional) in the mid to late 80's.


I am extremely envious of your Duck ownership Jazzzoline, if I was to get any bike now that would be my preference. Whether I could afford it, that's another question.

[Chris D]

For Nagel....

Take me back, carry me back
Down to Gasoline Alley
Where I started from....

my last bike was a kawasaki ninja 600

That was an awesome machine. Used to rule the 600 class with sheer power over the CBR's and the FZR's. I thought it was always the best looking of that class as well.

My very first bike was a Baby Ninja when I was about 14 or 15 years old. That bike may have been the most fun I've ever had on two wheels. Not a whole lot of power to speak of, but agile as hell!

[Enforcer]

Originally posted by Chris D
For Nagel....

Take me back, carry me back
Down to Gasoline Alley
Where I started from....

Chris, you below the belt hitting, dirty, rotten motherf**ker...

Trying to quell the sudden onset of nausea,
Larry

[claude]

Originally posted by Scott Dolan
That was an awesome machine. Used to rule the 600 class with sheer power over the CBR's and the FZR's. I thought it was always the best looking of that class as well.

My very first bike was a Baby Ninja when I was about 14 or 15 years old. That bike may have been the most fun I've ever had on two wheels. Not a whole lot of power to speak of, but agile as hell!

Actually it was an 85 that I was racing in 88 (I was racing on the cheap) and it was underpowered next to the CBR which ruled during that year. The advantages it did have though were handling and braking as long as you didn't mid it being a little twitchy which I didn't. I just had stock brakes with steel braided lines and one of my biggest problems was keeping the back wheel on the ground, I never got all that comfortable using the back brakes to keep the wheel on the ground.

I'll never forget the power difference when I did an endurance race on a friend's CBR. There was just more power from the bottom right out to the top. I understood then why I had to work so hard to keep up to those guys. The most fun I ever had on the track though was on a big single running slicks, that thing had enough torque to pull tree stumps and you practically had to be dragging the handlebar ends to run out of lean angle.

Ahhh well enough reminscing, back to the real world.

Dragging the handlebars? I believe I may have done that once or twice.

But let me ask you this Claude. Was it really an overwhelming difference in power, or was it because the Ninja was so much heavier than the CBR? I remember when the Hurricane came out(being the first of what would become the CBR line), it weighed something like 50-70lbs. lighter than the Ninja class for class.

Hell, even the current editions of those two bikes have the same things going for them. The Ninja has more HP, but the CBR is much lighter, making it the quicker of the two bikes.

Just a thought. And of course the difference from '85 to '88 played into that as well.

I'm surprised to hear that you had a twitchy handling Ninja though. Those things are usually rock solid in the handling dept.

And I hear you about using the back brakes. Especially on a track. It's quite tricky. I personally would preferring to set the rebound way up and rely almost exclusively on the front brake and tranny. Thats how I usually ride on the street as well, only I don't have the rebound cranked up.

[claude]

Originally posted by Scott Dolan

But let me ask you this Claude. Was it really an overwhelming difference in power, or was it because the Ninja was so much heavier than the CBR? I remember when the Hurricane came out(being the first of what would become the CBR line), it weighed something like 50-70lbs. lighter than the Ninja class for class.

I'm surprised to hear that you had a twitchy handling Ninja though. Those things are usually rock solid in the handling dept.

Oh yeah, it was an overwhelming difference. The 85 had a fairly peaky motor and if you let the revs drop below around 8000 (if I remember correctly) the power dropped off dramatically. That made it a much trickier proposition if you were to blow an entrance into a corner (which given my amateur status happened now and again). The hurricane (as you rightly pointed out they were called in those days) had solid power from the midrange up and just judging by the seat of the pants had a better top end kick. I really noticed this when I got sideways going through a fast corner and had to back off to save it. On the ninja I would have had to drop a gear to get going again with any urgency, with the hurricane I just rolled the throttles open again and I was off.

I'm not sure what the weight difference was but the honda actually felt heavier to me and it had a longer wheelbase. The stock brakes on the honda were awful though, I was consistently running out of brakes coming off the straights until I finally changed my braking points to much earlier than with the kaw.

The 85 ninja was definately twitchy, particularly compared to the honda. It had a short wheelbase and 16" wheels with a fairly steep front end geometry, all of which made it a very quick turner. I enjoyed being able to brake upright to the very last second and then flick it without much effort into the corner. You just had to be gentle with the inputs and it would treat you well. Some riders who were used to more stable platforms didn't feel comfortable with the quickness of the turning. You must be thinking of the zx6 line that had a totally different layout and looked to me like it would have been a very different animal on the track (although I never had the opportunity to try it).

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Originally posted by Jazzzoline
So, you got a Harley Jimmy?

I really like my italian. It's light and nervous.

I no longer own a bike. Got rid of it years ago (long story). But, I have three brothers-in-law that own Harleys that I can borrow anytime I get the urge. I have my choice of a Lowboy and one of two Road Kings. Very convenient.

As for my name, yes, it is my real name except that I go by my middle name. My first name is Antonio. Only Ron Thorne is allowed to call me by that name. To all others it's Jimmy. And, yes, I am light and sometimes nervous as well as nervy............

Harley's rule!

[shrugs]

You got pretty nervous when you read the sign at Pepe's that said "no white clam pies".......

[Jazzzoline]

Yes, the Ducati motorcycles are expensive. But beside the japanese, all motorcycles are expensive. Mine is a Monster 900, I couldn't afford the superbike 998, I still need a car.

My first bike was a Kawasaki (440 LTD) for those who remember. I was 18 and my parents didn't like my choice regarding what I did with my money. But back then, my b/f had a green machine, Kawasaki 500. "Kawasaki is the best, fuck on the rest" he told me. lol

I kept that toy many years until I just didnt use it at all. Then, some years later, when I thought about vacation plans, I thought it would be fun to ride to New Orleans for the jazz fest. Anyone who ever owned a motorcycle knows the great feeling of freedom that comes with it. So we bought 2 Honda Ace 750 and made it. Cruisers seemed to be the right choice for the kind of trip we wanted to do. Then, the year after, I thought I'd get myself some nice designed motorcycle. And I love my Monster.
Now, my dream would be to ride to California. I'm not sure I'd ride my Monster then. One needs a little comfort when they ride many hours a day. Plus, the Monster isn't really designed for any luggages, As small as they have to be.

*dreaming of the sunshine*

[Jazzzoline]

Originally posted by Jimmy Cantiello
[COLOR=darkred]

As for my name, yes, it is my real name except that I go by my middle name. My first name in Antonio. Only Ron Thorne is allowed to call me by that name. To all others it's Jimmy. And, yes, I am light and sometimes nervous as well as nervy............

COLOR]

My husband has Italian blood. (my mother in law is half Italian, and VERRRY proud of it, even if we like to point out to her that, in the Canadian records, her name is linked to the Maffia)
Anyway.
When my son was born, we wanted a middle name coming from that family. There was an Antonio, but already taken ( this family bears boys only). The only name left was "Pélégrino". My son doesn't have an Italian name.

[Enforcer]

Originally posted by Jazzzoline
her name is linked to the Maffia

Welcome to my world.

Larry

[SinginSumo]

Originally posted by Jimmy Cantiello
As for my name, yes, it is my real name except that I go by my middle name. My first name in Antonio.

Even your full name is consistent with that as befitting a true studmuffin.

Now that you mention it, Claude, I believe I may have been referring to the ZX-6. THAT line has always been the heaviest in their class. Although I do envy you for having gotten to ride one of the original Hurricanes. I always wanted one, but couldn't afford it back then.

And I get you about the rake of the front end. Of course that could be adjusted at the triple clamp, I can understand why you would give up a little stability for quicker turn in.

Damn, I hate talking about this kind of stuff when there is a bunch of snow on the ground. I wanna get out and ride!! Although, I'm heading up to Columbia tomorrow for the big sale at Procycle. I may have my new machine before the weekend is over.

Jazzzoline, check out the recent issue of Motor Cyclist. They have a big showdown between all the heavy hitting standard bikes. Most of the writers agree that the Monster is the way to go. I've never ridden one myself, but I did ride a GS500 a few times years back, and although I'm not a big standard fan, that WAS an awesome bike. Though not NEARLY as powerful as what your scooting around on.

And I actually owned a GS550ES many years ago. It was a standard with a half fairing. One of the sweetest bikes I've ever ridden.

And it's funny you mention the old LTD 440. My wife's best friend back in our teeny years had one, and the two of them went everywhere on that thing.

I'm sure the Monster has a comfortable riding position, but I wouldn't want to take something like that on a long trip either. If for no other reason than the fact that it doesn't have any wind protection. Couple hundred miles of that, and you'll be beat!

Thats why I intend on getting a trailer for my bike. We are going to try and take a trip down to the Grand Canyon this year, and I'm dying to do some riding down there. But there's no way in hell I'd ride the Hayabusa that far.

[Jazzzoline]

Originally posted by Larry Nagel
Welcome to my world.

Larry

I knew from the first you were a maffioso, "Larryo Nagelo"

[Jazzzoline]

I never rode a Harley, but everyone knows those motorcycles vibrate more than the others. I wonder how the riders bear the vibrations during long rides.

Not that I dislike some vibrations myself from time to time...

[Dr Dave]

Those may be motorcycles. Very fine motorcycles. But there is only one MOTOCYCLE:

[Jazzzoline]

Originally posted by Dr Dave
Those may be motorcycles. Very fine motorcycles. But there is only one MOTOCYCLE:

Ahhh.. yessss
that's one nice piece