Who rides motorcycles?

[CalG]

Who here recalls their first ride on a Yamaha RD350? Or the Kawi H1?

 

[scootr]

A word of caution on these things. The battery is tiny and doesn't last long so make sure you install a new one at least every 3 years, and keep a battery maintainer on it. Reason I stayed with the old model XT225 is that it had a kick starter in addition to the electric starter so even if the battery died I could always start it. Plus it has a carburetor instead of fuel injection. I believe your 2019 is fuel injected so I don't think it would start at all if the battery died.

I read about somebody who pushed and jump started a newer model. Fuel injection has a big advantage over carbed motors in my opinion. I do have a small jump starter I could bring. The current battery is just 1 yr old...so I should be good for now. Thanks for the heads up on that.

 

[scootr]

I bought this used mid July. I'm trying to throw a little farkle on it so I can take it on a camping road trip for it gets too cold. 2019 maybe 1700 miles on it. I put a rear rack on the back the other day along with my old Rotopax gallon fuel can holder. It needed a skid plate.
View attachment 4006826

Haha. Same bike - twins You tube videos on every repair or maintenance procedure you ever need. Plus tons of upgrades and accessories. I ordered an aluminum skid plate on Amazon for about $68 Amazon.com
Lots of people singing their praise as a camp bike. I just ordered a 1 tooth smaller front sprocket to lower the gearing (moderately) and help slow down with rough terrain and the hills. Seemed like some riders were complaining about it being stuck between gears on challenging parts of the trails. I'll report back on that.

 

[caver]

I went with a Ricochet plate out of Utah. I've had their skid plates on previous bikes. Yamaha XT250

 

[scootr]

I went with a Ricochet plate out of Utah. I've had their skid plates on previous bikes. Yamaha XT250

That is a solid choice. I chose one with vent holes. We are in a hotter climate and blocking all that cooling air was a concern.
I bought some hand guards as well. Amazon.com

 

[Rockbadchild]

I read about somebody who pushed and jump started a newer model. Fuel injection has a big advantage over carbed motors in my opinion. I do have a small jump starter I could bring. The current battery is just 1 yr old...so I should be good for now. Thanks for the heads up on that.

You can certainly push start it, and it will start with a dead battery its somewhat challenging to do by yourself without a hill to go down with, but I did it multiple times with mine (down a hill). I ran into problem when the battery was completely dead a wouldn't hold any charge anymore, I figured it would create enough power to sustain itself but that's a negative while the bike is idle it will stall. So it wont run without a battery at all unless you don't shift gear and hold a steady throttle at a fairly high RPM. .

 

[scootr]

You can certainly push start it, and it will start with a dead battery its somewhat challenging to do by yourself without a hill to go down with, but I did it multiple times with mine (down a hill). I ran into problem when the battery was completely dead a wouldn't hold any charge anymore, I figured it would create enough power to sustain itself but that's a negative while the bike is idle it will stall. So it wont run without a battery at all unless you don't shift gear and hold a steady throttle at a fairly high RPM. .

Gotcha - Good battery a must -
Looks like they are cheap enough to replace every 2 yrs just to be safe. I'm told mine is 1 yr old.
There are some lithium options too

 

[Rockbadchild]

Gotcha - Good battery a must -
Looks like they are cheap enough to replace every 2 yrs just to be safe. I'm told mine is 1 yr old.
There are some lithium options too

honestly as long as you take care of it, it will/can last a while, if it goes dead charge it right away and take it out during the winter. Mine lasted 4 years but then I kept it there last winter (only unplugged it) and it died.. there's a range of battery for this bike from $50 to $300 I usually get a $100 battery.

 

[3930dave]

You can certainly push start it, and it will start with a dead battery its somewhat challenging to do by yourself without a hill to go down with, but I did it multiple times with mine (down a hill). I ran into problem when the battery was completely dead a wouldn't hold any charge anymore, I figured it would create enough power to sustain itself but that's a negative while the bike is idle it will stall. So it wont run without a battery at all unless you don't shift gear and hold a steady throttle at a fairly high RPM. .

This discussion has me thinking about deep back-country work, with FI bikes (Non MX).

As you hit ^, the worst problem is when the battery really dies, and pulls everything down with it. With a standard SAE 2 pin connector onboard for a maintainer, got me thinking about just plugging-in a jump pack, AND disconnecting one side of the onboard battery...... to get back Out, or Home....

The jump pack (Li today) should get it running at that point. What I Don't Know, is how that Li jump pack output is going to react to being connected to the MC charging system for hours or even days Getting Out, as that is not really what they are designed for, AFAIK.

Rgds, D.

(Edit: this was one of the recommendations in my KLX300 manual. Spendy, if you look @ $/Amp, but I know enough about power-electronics that I dug into my wallet, and went with the Kaw suggestion:

https://optimate1.com/product/om4/?wcmlc=CAD
)

 

[Rockbadchild]

This discussion has me thinking about deep back-country work, with FI bikes (Non MX).

As you hit ^, the worst problem is when the battery really dies, and pulls everything down with it. With a standard SAE 2 pin connector onboard for a maintainer, got me thinking about just plugging-in a jump pack, AND disconnecting one side of the onboard battery...... to get back Out, or Home....

The jump pack (Li today) should get it running at that point. What I Don't Know, is how that Li jump pack output is going to react to being connected to the MC charging system for hours or even days Getting Out, as that is not really what they are designed for, AFAIK.

Rgds, D.

I wonder what would be the odds of a battery to die as such without warning but lets say that's the case....

I would be wondering how you would keep the jump pack connected without it falling but if you find a way my guess would be it would last for a while. Even if its not made for that as you rightly pointed out, (they are made for burst of energy and not continuous output) but with that being said you get a surplus of electricity at mid to high RPM and only a deficit at idle so it would only get a few draw during gear shift or when you stop. My guess is a while but I've never tried it for a long period of time (it could be worth a try) but I have tried it for a bit (a mile or so) and I didn't loose a bar on it. I have also ran a car with a blown alternator (not seize) for 15/20 minutes with one of these jump pack and it was half charge when I disconnected it..