Yamaha Virago

[Celerity]

yes i do. i jsut don't know how to post them online. duh! i've managed a few times. theres a pic with me on meetup.com on the bike groups in florida.

Link us up ! The KLX is awesome, the Hawk is awesome (alittle bit of a sleepy bike, but one of the highest rated bikes ever)

and lower some- they may handle better cuz of lower center of gravity. like my GS.

False.


A bike's cornering capability is a direct proportion to the fork angles from the road. If you lower "the back" like I did, it wants to go straight. It still corners - but it takes a lot of effort to make it corner. If you raise the rear it will corner far better. If you lower both rear and front at the same time, you lose the ground clearance which allows you to push to the edge of your tire treads, before hitting the chassis or pegs on the ground (sparking pegs / touching pegs whatever)

High and dry is the way to go. You may not be able to go high and dry, which is my case. I lowered my bike so that I could stand on the ground. The result was that, I can hold it up at a stop, but now it corners horribly.

Walter: Yeah, I was talking about the 900. IT's a tank of a bike.

 

[87civvygal]

u are forgetting that i'm light. i lower both front and back. ground clearance is fine. i can one foot any bike. i could care a less about having both feet on the ground. the GS i simply sat way too much on TOP of the bike. i didn't like the way it handled. and where i sat. way too high. far too harsh . i don't need no mack springs. thats why i said they MAY handle better. for me it works. on the GS.
yes, fork angles do matter, butso does center of gravity/weight. thats why race bikes- GP bikes engines are moved forward and lower. power to weight ratio is astounding. better handling. yes, the bikes are high set high, , but those guys ride so hard and fast, they use all the travel, nothing like the rest of us.
but i ain't no engineer . i do what works for me. my GS handles as well as many many bikes i've ridden.
iv;e done a few track days on both- the GS and the hawk- not the klr! actually several on the hawk. everything handles well. i'm all smiles when done. we keep up with the gang.
so did u get your new cruiser yet?
George, di d u check on the title place yet? when i got my fj's title, it was so easy. no hassle. nothing like the DMV would put one thru...... it may cost more tho. i'm not sure.
i sur e like the super sport. those fetch a good buck in good condition.

 

[Celerity]

so did u get your new cruiser yet? .

I don't know if you're light or not ! I'm willing to bet, at 135lbs, I'm just as light.


And I plan on getting george777s Virago.

 

[87civvygal]

ha! close! i'm 110. but with gear and tankbag...... i should make clear: i didn't lower the bike by adjusting the spring down to no preload and doing nothing with the front end. i found a set of shocks 1.25 inches shorter than the stock ones. i also raised the forks in the triple clamps about 3/4 of an inch along with making a smaller spacer out of pvc to sit on top of the springs. so i kept the same fork angle while making it lower. plus it softened up the front with the shorter spacer.

 

[87civvygal]

cool. Virago is a great choice.

 

[Celerity]

Is this the KLR you're talking about ?