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  1. #71 Re: Newbie in Shanghai ! 
    Moto Scholar moilami's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by td_ref View Post
    Honda line-up has no 250cc bike, an indication of niche market?


    VTR 250.
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  2. #72 Re: Newbie in Shanghai ! 
    Duct tape savant felix's Avatar
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    td_ref is talking about hondas that are officially available in china. The only VTR's here are grey imports.

    oh the things i would do for a legal VTR250...
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  3. #73 Re: Newbie in Shanghai ! 
    C-Moto Senior dewsnap's Avatar
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    ...I second that Felix.
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  4. #74 Re: Newbie in Shanghai ! 
    Duct tape savant felix's Avatar
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    Sweet. If we combine all the things i would do for a VTR with all the things you do for one, we may be in with a shot of having one to share between us!


    We just need to change the name on one of our licenses so that we have the same chinese name. Bike sharing = sorted. Actually i think i'm onto something here!
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  5. #75 Re: Newbie in Shanghai ! 
    C-Moto Guru Fred's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jape View Post
    Fred, it is a 30 second job. The gear shift lever should be on a splined shaft and held on by one clamping bolt. It should be very easy for you to loosen that bolt, to slide the lever off the shaft toward you and raise it up by replacing it at a higher angle. (turned further round the shaft toward you). This will become obvious if you look closely. The only thing you should look out for is if the lever is raised too high and comes into contact with the engine casing when you flick it upwards with your toe. This would be very unlikely but is a check you can do stationary.

    Thanks Nuhaus & Jape, it was really a 30 seconds job, very easy. I raised it a little bit, checked if it wouldn't touch the engine casing when upshifting, no problem, tighten the bolt as hard as I could and it was perfect for the whole trip ! Checked the bolt when I came back home, all good, nothing moved.

    Yesterday I had unfortunately a lunch meeting which meant I could not get very far... Left at 7AM, went to Zhujiajiao (50km from Shanghai) by the Huqingping gonglu, snapped a few pictures and had to go back to Shanghai. Perfect weather, the bike performed flawlessly, it was a dream... I cannot wait to have another opportunity to go there and much farther, around Dianshan lake,Taihu, Zhouzhuang, etc.
    But at least, for a first ride with the bike outside Shanghai, everything was excellent. The bike got great reviews by Chinese folks I met there, I have a pic with 6 guys around it at some point, haha !

    Afternoon was slow speed maneuvers training in the empty parking lot I mentioned with Wrangler, with very slow speed 8 figures around poles and emergency braking with the rear brake first, then the front.

    I learned a whole lot yesterday about the bike, and also about my abilities. 5 years of bicycle and avoiding things in Shanghai really helped. ;-))
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  6. #76 Re: Newbie in Shanghai ! 
    grumpy old sod jape's Avatar
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    Thanks for the update Fred, glad to have been a small help! I knew how to do that job because mine fell off but I found it in the roadside bushes after a lot of worrying.

    Slow speed is an excellent way to get to know your bike and it works well in tandem with long rides - but now you need to get over 25/30 kph on the same course to get a feel of counter-steering. I guess that will be next? If the space you train in is long enough, try and lay out a course with bollards or coats or something, where you can ride a figure of eight, then still leaning come out of it at one end, straighten up, head along another thirty metres, changing gear, then counter-steer at the bollard 90 degrees (curve) one way (then next time the other), NO brakes. The figure-of-eight and the gear change means you don't have time to think so you may get it wrong a few times. Repeat until you feel yourself doing it faster and confidently, without using your head at all, and you will find you start thinking with your body which is what you need in an unexpected traffic incident (which usually happens just as you change gear or enter a bend or some such thing, just to make things worse!).

    I do this around all the trees on my property, faster and faster as I go so if I fuck up I would be crunched, but at least I get to fall on grass or mud!

    Next time you Shanghai riders get together with bikes, maybe we should have a class pic?
    Kinlon R/T KBR JL200GY-2
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  7. #77 Re: Newbie in Shanghai ! 
    MCM Chinese fellow td_ref's Avatar
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    One more very important thing you need to remember as you transition from the learner scooters to motorcycles, especially with a 250, countersteering!
    I found CS is very useful in S-bend, avoid obstacle and danger. But if you found yourself need CS constantly on street, maybe you should start pay attention to "Am I riding way too much faster than everybody else, just like Mr. Felix did ".
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  8. #78 Re: Newbie in Shanghai ! 
    C-Moto Guru
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    Quote Originally Posted by td_ref View Post
    if you found yourself need CS constantly on street, maybe you should start pay attention to "Am I riding way too much faster than everybody else
    Yes, I am driving too fast. Recent solution is to get up 15 minutes earlier rather than try to race to work. Less traffic on the road means less lane splitting and general frustration on my part. Also I now have time for a coffee before logging in for the day .

    When I first transitioned from a 125 to a 400, I tried to steer it the same way, which was like a bicycle, leaning first and then pulling on the bars. This made the bike feel really awkward because it was much bigger and heavier. Gradually I figured out that for a quick change in direction it was much more effective to pull harder on the bars themselves. Countersteering was difficult for me to get my body to learn, as it seems very counterintuitive. However, after a while I learned it and it is very helpful in "Oh shit" situations. Last summer I had my GF on the back of the bike, going through an intersection, and someone in the right lane decided to zoom ahead of me and turn left. I forced the bike over to the left with countersteering, not even thinking about it. I still remember the shocked look on the left rear passenger in the car. I guess they thought I was about to come in through the window only to have me glaring at him as they sailed past.
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