u/LilEffects

I bought a set of crash bars off of Amazon, but they didn't seem like they stuck out far enough to actually protect anything in a crash. The pegs and exhaust would hit the ground first.

Anyone have crash bar suggestions?

I bought a set of crash bars off of Amazon, but they didn't seem like they stuck out far enough to actually protect anything in a crash. The pegs and exhaust would hit the ground first.

Anyone have crash bar suggestions?

I bought an older bike that I want to have a mechanic go over just to make 100% sure there aren't any safety issues that I'm not seeing. I've rebuilt a leaky petcock, adjusted cables, and I have the bike setup so it feels intuitive. I just want to make sure there isn't a hidden nightmare waiting to kill me.

I've contacted three shops now who refuse to touch a 25 year old bike outside of doing an oil change.

I'm 44m and taking the HD MSF beginner course in Villa Park at the end of July. I've ridden minibikes and little 50cc dirt bikes in the past. I understand the mechanics of a motorcycle, but I don't have experience riding a full-size bike outside of rolling up/down my driveway and playing with the friction zone on the clutch.

I'm starting to freak myself out about being inexperienced. I recently bought a '01 Vstar 650 that I've been fixing up that I plan to practice with if I pass the class.

I've seen so many posts about people failing or being asked to leave that I'm getting nervous.

I recently purchased a 2001 Yamaha V star 650 as my first bike. I found it on marketplace and it was a good deal so I had the person drop it off at my house. As I started going over the bike, I was seeing a lot of aftermarket mods that were done like complete garbage. They wrapped electrical tape around the petcock to stop a leak so I rebuilt the petcock. It was a total if you give a mouse a cookie moment. Because I already had the tank off I decided to paint it. And because the aftermarket handlebars banged up the tank which led to me painting it I replaced the handlebars. When chasing down an electrical issue, I decided to rewire all of the lighting. The turn signal indicator wasn’t behaving with the LED lights so I had to diode isolate the incandescent bulb inside the speedometer cluster.

It has been one thing after another of easy things to address that barely cost any money to do. I’ve enjoyed this so much that I actually want to find some more bikes that need TLC and work on them as a hobby.

What are some good bikes for that? I’m thinking the older rebel 250s.

I have a Commarker Omni 1 10w that I’ve been trying to sell on Marketplace and eBay without any luck. Are there any “laser for sale” groups on other social platforms?

I got a great deal, only 3k miles on the bike, but my only complaint is the handlebars that the first owner put on. They are low which allows for the turn signal button module to hit the tank when turned tight. I want to replace the handlebars with something closer to the original, but I have no idea what to look for.

Any advice? Any other mods I should do? I don't want to put too much money in because I bought this as a bike I can beat up and learn how to wrench on.