I recently picked up a new one from a dealer who was desperate to get rid of it. Under $6k US. It had been on his showroom floor for 2 years. Mine smoothes out over 5000 RPM and under 4000 RPM. I love the Speedo and tach gauges and the details between the gauges, mpg, ave mpg, trip a, trip b, range, Odo, temp, gas , clock. Time for a ride see ya.
The point of the video was to take a bike I already own and modify it for trials. I finished the trial in one piece on the Mutt. Now I have a CRF250L for trials and I have medaled twice on it. Thanks for your comment.
I was the first owner of this exact bike! Great to see it going - I had it for 2 years and loved it! I had the Termi on it but sold that before I part-ex'd it. SC Project can looks cool 👌
When talking about motorcycle engines or putting them into categories. When saying "little or small" it is really referring to the power output rather than the actual size of the engine. This 900cc engine has more potential power than in its stock form. Aftermarket companies make camshafts with different profiles to increase that top end power. Tec Bike Parts put a lot of effort into making a new camshaft that increases the power without sacrificing the torque rich nature of the stock form.
Thanks for your comment. I have purchased many items from Tec Bike Parts. I’ve had a mostly positive experience with their products. I disagree with you regarding “little or small” referring to power output. My FZ6 four cylinder 600 puts out oodles more power than most 1000/1200/1300/1800 v-twins, but insurance companies and the wider motorcycling community regards it as a “small” engine. I have never heard of anyone referring to power output when mentioning engine size. It has always been a reference to displacement. Ride safe.
@DickWhistles type of bike/engine comes into it for sure when talking about insurance companies. This 900cc is mostly in competition with the Kawasaki 650. The Z900RS is a big step up in power, so it's a different category. In sport bikes and sport nakeds, the mid capacity today is 600cc right up to Kawasaki and Ducati offering 950s... their flagship bikes aren't much larger capacity but putting out considerably more power. I agree that it seems crazy that a 950cc sport bike could be referred to as the little one, or even mid capacity, but that's the world we live in today
Well said. The public perception of motorcycling isn't generally positive,, and these shows do not help. I'm glad you're saying this, and I'll be sharing this video.
I am an analog guy in a digital world. I love analog dials and gauges. Digital stinks. I'll take steam gauges any day. But, the 650 dashboard is pretty nice. Yeah, even if some of it is Digital.
Dick, it isn't motorcycling that is violent, its all the stuff that comes out of America. That is the issue with the world, American culture is violent, the films, etc
Hmmmm… Well, THAT’S a loaded statement. Because there is no violence anywhere else… The issue with “the world” is the stuff coming out of America? I agree that American society has an unhealthy obsession with violence, but America is a very young country and violence is ancient. Let’s not make such broad assumptions. Mass media is only a century old and the first ones to successfully use it to promote violence spoke German… Nah. Your hypothesis is flawed. Thanks for the comment though.
I own a 2014 model, had it for 8 years. Totally love this bike an it's my 1st one! Contrary to you I think it is a great city, very nimble and light, loads of torque all across the range, good brakes and fuel efficient. This bike will do pretty much anything you want it to do despite not having a super high top speed and you NEED something else than sport tires if you plan riding on gravel roads. Yes there is a lot of vibrations but it is part of its charm. The thing is, this is not a bike for everyone, it's a bike designed for a very specific crowd who will know how to appreciate all of its quirks, if you're the right type of rider this bike will grow into you!!
Well said Dick, i have seen the poster but did not realise what the film was about. I doubt the outlaw element are 9 or 10 percent, cheap sensationalist flicks have come and gone just ignore it.
Oh well, another reason not to go to the cinema, and not to buy the rubbish to watch at home. I’ve almost given up watching ‘drama’ of any kind. There’s enough real drama in Europe (Ukraine) right now with plenty trying to cash in on Putler’s antics, without watching someone’s brainstorm on the TV. Motorcycle riders have always had a bad name which has often been manufactured by others via the cinema or TV. A pity, but maybe it’s partly from the fact that when they get together, motorcyclists (usually men) do behave rather poorly to downright outrageously. I went to one ‘select’ adventure-bike gathering (two years running) only to find that when you give any of these esteemed characters a microphone the language degenerates to something they surely would be ashamed to use in the presence of their own children. No more! I’ll ride alone and enjoy my rides, and save the money I might have spent on ‘gatherings’ on more sensible things. Les
Interesting & thoughtful video yet again, thank you. Almost took exception to the statement we are all criminals to some extent then I remembered my 7by5 registration plate…a mild rebellion driven by common sense aesthetics but an infringement nonetheless. I found I could not disagree with anything you said (yet again). Much like your videos on the T7, Urban GS, Street Cup etc etc. 👏🏽
Yo Dick. I went to Europe's largest free-to-attend bike meet at the weekend: Calne bike meet. A few things disappointed me a bit and one thing disappointed me a lot. There is a lot of cosplay. Black leather waistcoats, MC patches, tattoos, boots etc. Cosplay only exists for fun, nobody is there under duress, everyone is in their favourite costume, surrounded by their favourite toys, yet there was a lot of scowling and staring and generally being frosty. Perhaps it was too hot for being all leathery? I wore a silk shirt and chinos and had a nice enough time on the Honda C125. I didn't see any lawless riding; lots of gratuitous revving but that's ok once a year. The bit that really troubled me and left me in a moral quandary was one of the stalls. Openly available were a selection of third Reich, Nazi and SS rings and patches. Why? Even if it is only done to shock and the people buying and wearing that stuff wouldn't actually do anything to someone they consider other, why that particular shocking iconography? Assless leather chaps and performing felatio on one another would be shocking. A whole gang turning up in drag or naked and painted green, would be shocking. Why that particular nonsense? The moral quandary is that I support freedom of speech and expression so this stuff has to be available but why is it sneaking into bike culture? Finally, it wasn't at all difficult to find people happy to tell you how racist they were... I don't think I will go again.
I hear ya. I’m all for cosplay, but only if done with a recognition that it is fiction. As for Nazi imagery and paraphernalia, I’m surprised it was only limited to one booth. In the 70s and 80s, it was rampant. Biker gangs, in the traditional sense, were overtly white supremacists. As far as biker events, I have retired from attending for the simple fact that it is either being surrounded by peacocking narcissists or constantly being sold something. I’d rather spend my time riding. Thanks for your thoughtful comment.
@@DickWhistles you've hit the nail in the head. There was a marshalled ride out at 1700 and fewer than 100 people attended. A gorgeous ride through some.of Wiltshire's best roads and a tiny fraction of the attendees actually did the riding bit. I am actually relieved as one of my best biking buddies, an American who happens to be Jewish was thinking of timing a visit to include Calne bike meet - so glad he didn't. I've chatted to him about what I saw and he isn't surprised. Next year I'll go to 'Festival of the Unexceptional' or perhaps just ride loads. I don't want to attend and be complicit by association. Makes me wonder how eventful organisers navigate who is allowed to sell stuff. Surely if they knew it should be a polite 'Not for us, thanks...' situation?
Recently a friend of mine had a chopper frame made for a GSX1100 engine. It'll be a nice bike when it's done. I asked him why the maker had brazed an iron cross on the headstock. While not strictly nazi imagery, having been used by Prussia and imperial Germany before it seemed a strange thing to include from a Cornish custom bike maker. I was told that it was just a common thing in custom culture and broadly accepted by everyone in that scene, white supremacist or not (my friend who commissioned the frame definitely is not). Puzzled I did some research of my own and found that indeed custom bike and car makers have adopted versions of that sort of imagery wholesale for a variety of reasons. I found it offputting and wouldn't have any such thing on any bike I owned but it seems tacitly accepted by most, even the innocent ones
Ignorance is not innocence. I would have him grind that shit off of my custom bike or tell him to keep the frame. Not knowing the meaning of symbols is dangerous. I remember having a rider hold out a fist towards me instead of a wave. I thought it looked bad ass. Thought about adopting it instead of my goofy wave. Did some asking around - Aryans… Oh well, stick with my goofy wave. Tested giving the peace Vs ✌️. Turns out people thought I was giving the English Vs… Oops
I find the repetitive imagery of motorcycles in media rather tiresome. It’s not confined to criminality. Should one watch a fly on the wall documentary in an A&E there’s always a disproportionate number of mangled bikers. Not the multiple other leisure activity injuries nor the alcohol and drug issues. No. Let’s show the mangled biker. Lazy stereotyping. Right I’m off. Need to rob a granny to get my gear. See you down the sea front for a few beers, a fight then an alcohol and coke fuelled ton up ride into the sunset. Apart from meeting your good self I cannot think of anything worse. But that seems to be what we do…. I’m bad to the bone I am.
Hey Mr.Whistles, I'm fairly certain the bike you're on in the video is an 80. I have an '81 xs400 Heritage Special, it has mags and a front disk. Otherwise the same. I love riding mine. Great video! Thank you!
Dude, I’ve missed you! Please do crack on with your style and erudite banter and insights… my Oxford days have alas ended, but if ever you’re looking for a spot of SE US dual sporting, give me a shout! Til then, I for one will be tuning in 👍🙏 Ta, and Peace
Glad you are here. I've enjoyed your videos and thoughts over the years. I even still rewatch your old reviews just because they are often great doses of motorcycle joy. Having just revisited your XSR900 vid I'm amazed one still hasn't found a way into your garage. Thanks for all of the energy you put into these videos.
I just bought brand new tracer 7 as my first bike after passing yesterday mod 2. Just done little 100miles to test and check but I'm in full love with this bike. On cbt I've done around 8k miles over 7-8 months on varadero 125. Tracer make me massive smile every time when opening the throttle. Hoping for many miles on it. Also deal was spot on. Basic v in icon performance colours pre reg but with 2yrs warranty etc for 7k. For that kind of money I can't find anything better to be honest.
Congratulations. You purchased a finisher’s bike as your starter! You’ll have that forever. (Seriously, if you want a new bike, get a second one!) Good deal too. Enjoy it. Ride safe.
Come on Dick, I love all the rants in your bike reviews. Your review convinced me to get an SV650 over a Z650RS. No other reviewers out there mentioned how uncomfortable the Z650RS vibration is.
Never had a motorcycle. Never will. Never had a great sense of balance. However, I do greatly enjoy your videos and often watch them over and over again, particularly the trials and most of all the Longest Day Up videos. I do long distance classic car runs with my daughter and we video the adventures we have and post them on RU-vid. Not for clicks, not for likes, not for comments but to share our experiences of what we witness in that sunset days of internal combustion as a record for future viewers to enjoy. The automotive world is changing, not necessarily for the better. Videos such as yours will always be appreciated for the content and the manner in which you use words to paint a picture of your experiences, make your journeys stand out from much of the dross that plagues RU-vid. What you do may appeal to somewhat of a niche group but it is much appreciated for the effort and the quality of the work you put in both visually and into the script writing that encapsulates the loneliness of the open road in the middle of the night and and warm glow of satisfaction, reaching that next checkpoint. Good to have you back sir.
@@DickWhistles Our channel is called Scotch Pie Hunters. A strange name that comes from our involvement and participation in Club Triumph's Round Britain Reliability Run that is held bi-annually. We don't have many subscibers or thousands of views but we make the videos for ourselves to promote the event and for our own enjoyment. And for a record of what Katy did with her old dad for the distant future when my long distance driving days are a thing of memory.
Dick, I always viewed you as a casual acquaintance. I never thought of you as some kind of RU-vid guru. I really like the footage in this video. Make videos as you feel compelled.
