Was just curious how far anyone has rode their aircooled bike. Farthest Ive rode has been to chicago which is about 2 1/2 hours from here. I was plannin a trip to florida, but due to gas prices, time, etc I was thinking about takeing the bike. What do you guys think? -Ben
Was just curious how far anyone has rode their aircooled bike. Farthest Ive rode has been to chicago which is about 2 1/2 hours from here. I was plannin a trip to florida, but due to gas prices, time, etc I was thinking about takeing the bike. What do you guys think? -Ben
What year, make and model of bike? I rode my 86 Yamaha Maxim X from Washington DC to my home in Waleska, GA in one day. After awhile, I didn't even notice how uncomfortable the seat was.
I did the Badlands in one day, about 850 miles. I went to Flagstaff, AZ, in just over 2 days, about 1600 miles the route we took. Probably why I have a bad back today. I've never owned a water cooled bike, tho I remember slobbering over the old Suzuki Water Buffalo. I still regret not getting one. My long distance riding was done on a Moto Guzzi. My son rode those trips with me on a 400 Kawasaki twin, and the Arizona trip he rode a 650 Guzzi. I wish I could do it all again.
Carnut122 - Ive got a 82 Maxim 750 aircooled bike. Its got just a hair over 17k, but when I bought it 3 years ago from the original owner, It had 2,632 miles on it. I traded a moped and 500 bucks for it. Not as quick as your X, but its still a fun bike. I'd LOVE to find a Fazer 700 with the same Genesis motor as your bike though - they're a BLAST to ride! Thanks for the input guys! -Ben
Not sure what air cooled has to do with long distance riding. Harley has the Road Glide and Electra Glide touring bikes and all the Victorys are air cooled. All of the above are ridden cross country on a regular basis. It's more about comfort and size of the bike. I'm not sure I'd ride ANY small(ish) bike a long distance but that's more of a comfort issue than anything. My Nomad is water over air cooled and I'd feel comfortable riding that to either coast and back. Get a good rain suit.
Distance doesn't matter to the engine, as long as you're moving it's cooling. Ride on!
Allrighty, thats what I was wondering. Id heard that you could only travel on 4-6 hour streches due to the engine being only air-cooled and after that would start pinging real bad and you'd need to stop riding it for a couple hours. But, like you said as long as you're moving, in my mind, its going to stay cool enough to keep going. I always put 93oct in it and run full synthetic oil, so I know Im safe that way. You guys think a 20 hour trip on it would be too crazy to attempt on the 750 Ive got? -Ben
Wouldn't matter if it was a 2oo hour trip, if you can handle it. The bike could care less.
Allright, thats what I was wondering. Just nervous cause A. its an older bike and B. its screamin doin 65+MPH @5,500rpm, so didnt know if that was okay for it or not. Thanks for the info guys! -Ben
Carnut122 - Ive got a 82 Maxim 750 aircooled bike. Its got just a hair over 17k, but when I bought it 3 years ago from the original owner, It had 2,632 miles on it. I traded a moped and 500 bucks for it. Not as quick as your X, but its still a fun bike. I'd LOVE to find a Fazer 700 with the same Genesis motor as your bike though - they're a BLAST to ride! Thanks for the input guys! -Ben
I had an 1982 750cc SECA prior to this bike. It was fun enough, but I was up so high it was a bit unnerving at high speeds.
[This message has been edited by carnut122 (edited 09-01-2012).]
Allright, thats what I was wondering. Just nervous cause A. its an older bike and B. its screamin doin 65+MPH @5,500rpm, so didnt know if that was okay for it or not. Thanks for the info guys! -Ben
Trade out the stock coils for Dyna coils if you haven't already done so. Do you have a windscreen of some sort on it? If not, I'd get one. Also, a throttle lock is a must.
I havent done anything as far as modifications yet. Changed the front fork seals, new rear tire, full synthetic oil changes and new spark plugs every year. Other than that, the bike is stock. Where can you get the Dyna coils at? No windscreen or rear backrest - previous owner removed those. Throttle lock would help A LOT I think for the long voyages. I was looking at a SECA Turbo, but the guy wanted too much for it with carbs needing rebuilt and turbo shot
I havent done anything as far as modifications yet. Changed the front fork seals, new rear tire, full synthetic oil changes and new spark plugs every year. Other than that, the bike is stock. Where can you get the Dyna coils at? No windscreen or rear backrest - previous owner removed those. Throttle lock would help A LOT I think for the long voyages. I was looking at a SECA Turbo, but the guy wanted too much for it with carbs needing rebuilt and turbo shot
Replacing your coils may save you many headaches related to rain/water shorting out your coils as the originals often develop cracks that stall you out in rain. I guess you could test yours by giving them a dousing and then seeing if your bike starts and runs correctly. I'm thinking that dousing them while running may be a shocking experience.
thanks for all the info! Signin up to be a member right meow. Im really curious about the spin on filter adaptor, as my stock filter houseing is cracked/dinged up. I do hear ya on the spark plugs/coils though - the factory designs are junk X_x. Will be emailing that member soon about the coils. -Ben
thanks for all the info! Signin up to be a member right meow. Im really curious about the spin on filter adaptor, as my stock filter houseing is cracked/dinged up. I do hear ya on the spark plugs/coils though - the factory designs are junk X_x. Will be emailing that member soon about the coils. -Ben
I have been into motorcycles for about 58 years, started when I was 13 and I am now 71. I have always done my own repairs and worked as a motorcycle tech for several years. This being said I have had a lot of air colled motorcycles and have never had any overheating problems. Just remember these things live on oil so change oil and filter at manufacturers suggested interval. Synthetic oil are best just be certain they are designed for motorcycles, I have used Mobil 1 motorcycle oil an Amsol in the past. Change the filter with every oil change. I put 178,000 miles on a 74 BMW air colled engine before I sold it, next owner went to over 200,000 before it was totaled by a car in a parking lot. Ride it like a sane person (most of the time) and do regular maintenance and you should have no problems.
Some bikes with wet clutches don't like synthetic oil so well. Make sure you look for one that's JASC/MA compatible. If you switch to synthetic and your clutch starts slipping, swap back to dino oil immediately. Run it for 100 miles then change the oil again (again with dino). Make sure you change the filter every time you change the oil like oldbikeracer said. My Nomad plays well with synthetic (I'm using Rotella T6), most Twin Cam Harleys don't like much of anything synthetic, Vics don't seem to like synthetic, either.
It's generally not synthetic vs. conventional, like mentioned, it's all about the standards the oil was manufactured to. JASO is the japanese motorcycle oil standard, which generally means it is suited to wet clutches. It's the "Energy Conserving" oils (conventional or synthetic) that are the main culprits behind a slipping clutch on a bike.
"Synthetic oil are best just be certain they are designed for motorcycles. " That is why I said this in my post. Always use oil specific to motrocycles for proper clutch and transmission lubrication. Stnthetic oils disipate heat netter and do not tend to break down under higher heat of air cooled engines. Mike
Some motorcycles just don't play well with synthetics and some don't play well with certain brands of synthetics even if those synthetics are motorcycle/wet clutch compatible. Read some of the motorcycle forums and/or talk to a bunch of riders. They'll tell you the same thing. But, because I don't feel like an arguement, I'll just say you're right and leave it alone.
When I was young, without thinking clearly, I put STP in the oil on a wet clutch bike. The clutch slipped like crazy (that **** is slick) and several oil changes did not clear it out. I ended up pulling the plates and giving them a good gasoline bath.
When I was young, without thinking clearly, I put STP in the oil on a wet clutch bike. The clutch slipped like crazy (that **** is slick) and several oil changes did not clear it out. I ended up pulling the plates and giving them a good gasoline bath.
Didnt realize that was a big deal - yikes! Im due for an oil change in about 40 miles, so when I shop for oil, I'll make sure it is designed/works with wet clutches. Good info guys! -Ben
late to the party, but i rode my kawasaki h1 from tampa to denver via kansas. stayed a couple of days, then back via texas. took about a week. one of the coils shorted to the frame, fixed it on the roadside with a piece of plastic insulation and a roll of tape.
[This message has been edited by lurker (edited 10-26-2012).]
Didnt realize that was a big deal - yikes! Im due for an oil change in about 40 miles, so when I shop for oil, I'll make sure it is designed/works with wet clutches. Good info guys! -Ben
I used regular Mobil 1 in mine, but it shifted funny. I went to regular Valvoline Racing synthetic and it shifted very well after that. Motorcycle specific oil is the safest strategy; just not the only one. YMMV
[This message has been edited by carnut122 (edited 10-28-2012).]
Longest trip, taken in 1981, Frederick Maryland to Holbrook Arizona & back. 2100 x 2 = 4200 miles
1979 Honda CB650. I added highway gears by changing the sprockets. This gave me great MPG, the engine ran in it's power band at a lower RPM.
I installed Vetter farring/bags & trunk / stereo. Made cruising very confortable. The bike was in this configuration for the trip.
If your planing a cross country trip, concider a windshield. - if your bike style alows for one. I've ridden verious bikes, on the open road, the windshield makes for an easier ride.
[This message has been edited by CoolBlue87GT (edited 11-16-2012).]
Longest trip, taken in 1981, Frederick Maryland to Holbroke Arizona & back. 2100 x 2 = 4200 miles
1979 Honda CB650. I added highway gears by changing the sprockets. This gave me great MPG, the engine ran in it's power band at a lower RPM.
I installed Vetter farring/bags & trunk / stereo. Made cruising very confortable. The bike was in this configuration for the trip.
If your planing a cross country trip, concider a windshield. - if your bike style alows for one. I've ridden verious bikes, on the open road, the windshield makes for an easier ride.
Nice bikes! They make aftermarket windshields for my bike, but they just end up looking tacky. Cold weather is here, so I will probably do some tweaking to my bike over winter and have it ready to roll come spring/summer on the open road.
Nice bikes! They make aftermarket windshields for my bike, but they just end up looking tacky. Cold weather is here, so I will probably do some tweaking to my bike over winter and have it ready to roll come spring/summer on the open road.
If you were talking about the two shots I posted, those were before & after shots of the same bike.
Here's mine current bike, Yamaha Silverado
[This message has been edited by CoolBlue87GT (edited 11-04-2012).]
Wouldn't matter if it was a 2oo hour trip, if you can handle it. The bike could care less.
Agreed.
Many years ago, I took a Honda CB750 similarly decked as CoolBlue's for a 3-week trip that took me from Vancouver B.C. to the Mexican border, and through Nevada and Arizona before heading north to Wyoming and the Dakotas.
I spent 3 days driving through the scorching heat of deserts without a single hiccup with the bike (though I got burned up pretty bad).
Heed the advice – for any long trip you want a windshield. It makes the ride less tiring.
[This message has been edited by fierosound (edited 11-14-2012).]
maybe its because the furthest Ive gone is from Elkhart, IN to Northbrooke, IL (bout 2 hour 1/2 hours) but I feel like not havin a windshield would keep me awake/alert more VS havin a windshield? I dunno though, like I said, havent ridden long distance with and without a windshield to know the difference so... -Ben
The lack of a windscreen will wear you out FAST. The wind blowing on you, buffetting, bugs hitting you, etc. A good windscreen is almost a must for long distance riding.
The lack of a windscreen will wear you out FAST. The wind blowing on you, buffetting, bugs hitting you, etc. A good windscreen is almost a must for long distance riding.
You hear more noise and "mechanical presence" with a windscreen. But even if you don't really care for them, even a small one keeps a lot of air pressure off your chest, and is a lot less tiring on the arms on long rides because of it. If you butt doesn't appreciate the seat all that much, get a genuine sheepskin to sit on, or one of those bladders you strap on to the seat. I once rode from Iowa to Arizona on a steel tractor seat. Far better than any motorcycle seat ever thought of being. My BIL was so impressed with that thing he bolted one on the back of his bike for his wife's use.
You don't get out much? The mechanical noises of a bike will come right up to you behind a windscreen. Other than rushing air, an open bike sounds quieter. I've ridden both with and without for over 40 years, and that's my take.
I've never owned a water cooled bike, tho I remember slobbering over the old Suzuki Water Buffalo. I still regret not getting one. My long distance riding was done on a Moto Guzzi. My son rode those trips with me on a 400 Kawasaki twin, and the Arizona trip he rode a 650 Guzzi. I wish I could do it all again.
Thanks for the input guys! 
