Mans bike

[DEADPOOL]

Proper mans bike or hardcore lady bikers.



From here: http://www.bikebound.com/2021/01/07/yamaha-tt500

[Taipan]

I can never own one, as much as I'd like to. I have a mechanical knee and those bastards are heard to kick over and if they kick back, bye bye knee!

[MingtheMerciless]

Yep, my old husky bit me a few times starting it.......so its a no from me.

[Whysub]

I had a rather scruffy XT500 in 1988 that i bought for a couple of hundred quid. It wasn't worth that, as it was completely crap to ride, the engine was just horrible. It was easy enough to start, except when it got wet, and it was then a complete bastard that needed about 50 kicks to even fire.

Gave the engine and exhaust a coating of black barbeque paint and flogged it on. God knows how bad they are in comparison to stuff now, let alone 30 years on

[DEADPOOL]

You just need to apply some modern technology, like they do in the example above and you have a perfectly respectable internal combustion engine. The actual process hasn't changed that much, suck in some fuel, squish it, burn it. There is nothing "old fashioned" about any of these non renewable resource monsters, they are simple mechanical devices. This one, unencumbered with "modern" emissions strangling technology.

If you can't start it by kicking it into life, you don't deserve to ride it.

[Mussels]

If I got another bike this is the sort of thing I'd like as long as I could find somewhere to ride it, McSatan's woods maybe.

[Trinity765]

By the sounds of it, you men are welcome to it.

[DEADPOOL]

By the sounds of it, you men are welcome to it.

They have a built in decompression device and are not that difficult to start. Problem is, it's a 50 year old machine so most of them will be pretty worn out until they are refreshed.

You are aware of the "mass centralisation" a big heavy lump of engine but they are incredibly lightweight on the move. Like a torque monster bicycle. Not particularly fast but surprisingly fuel efficient and as reliable as the day is long.

[Taipan]

I remember my XR600 supermoto with no leccy boot. Just past TDC and literally stand on the kick start and push down with conviction, whilst uttering the Lords prayer! I put a Mikuni pumper carb on to try and help with starting, and it did start better overall, but it could still be a bastard. The stress level was multiplied if it cut out at a red light just as it changed to red/amber...

[Scuffmark]

By the sounds of it, you men are welcome to it.

They have a built in decompression device and are not that difficult to start. Problem is, it's a 50 year old machine so most of them will be pretty worn out until they are refreshed.

They must have been worn out when new then cus they were a proper pig to start

[DEADPOOL]

...hence the "mans bike" (or hardcore ladies).

If you can't start it, you can't ride it.

There is something magical about a lifeless assembly of iron being kicked into life. Rather than merely pressing a button, you are involved.

Too many modern machines are unfathomable, uninvolving robots.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I've ridden an XT500, it was a bit underwhelming, it was no worse to start than any other air cooled 4 stroke single, easy when cold, a pig when hot, the engine performance was very "meh", I think a late 90s XR250 is about the same power, certainly an XR400 is more and a DRZ400S would kick it's arse.

That TT is pretty though.

[DEADPOOL]

Yeah it's not a performance machine. Good looking bikes though and they can just plod along with a nice thump rather than the stressful revving of a smaller capacity, high performance single.

It's just an old plonker, probably why I am drawn to it.

[demographic]

This parked up at Barbon in 09.

[GuzziPaul]

My wife, girlfriend at the time, fancied an XT600 I suggested at 5'4" and 8st she possibly wouldn't be able to get on it let alone kick it off. She ended up with a DT175MX and still managed to drop it when she stopped next to a drain. Wouldn't mind an XT or XR single.

[Bigyin]

I remember having a go on Funners or Adams (they both owned the bike at some point) Husaberg 650 Motard.



It came with a leccy start but that was feeble and worked once in a blue moon. The bike was mental to ride and the front kept coming up to try and hit you in the face but when i stopped it for a quick break i hit the button and it went "Meh"

I then tried to kickstart it bearing in mind the last bike i kickstarted was probably an LC 25 years before and not a fucking 650cc high compression single ......... not a hope and was sweating my balls off in full leathers and boots when Funners turned up in shorts and trainers, kicked it into life on the first go and called me a poof

[ogri]

I had a xt500 for a while, lovely bike when running, but if you stall it or try to retart when still hot, can b a right bitch to get going.
Would still buy another for reasonable dosh though

[KungFooBob]

I had a kick start only, JDM DR250SHM. If it was hot and you stalled it, you might as well go have a nice cup'o tea, cos it wasn't restarting until it cooled down a bit, no matter how many times you kicked it.

[DEADPOOL]

I remember having a go on Funners or Adams (they both owned the bike at some point) Husaberg 650 Motard.



It came with a leccy start but that was feeble and worked once in a blue moon. The bike was mental to ride and the front kept coming up to try and hit you in the face but when i stopped it for a quick break i hit the button and it went "Meh"

I then tried to kickstart it bearing in mind the last bike i kickstarted was probably an LC 25 years before and not a fucking 650cc high compression single ......... not a hope and was sweating my balls off in full leathers and boots when Funners turned up in shorts and trainers, kicked it into life on the first go and called me a poof

They were fitted with an electric restarter. You didn't start the bike with it, you were supposedly able to restart it if/when you stall it.

But yeah, once in a blue moon if it was a leap year.