| Author | Message | ||
     Ulendo |
Hi Guys - my cityX should be arriving shortly, and I've already got a weekend run on offer. I'll have the X long enough to break it in before the run, but not long enough to do too much experimenting. basic q's - its a fairly relaxed mixed run with some gravel roads. I've heard the sync's are supposed to be OK on gravel, but I'm curious as to any specific handling characteristics I should be wary of. ( do they tend to low-side or suddenly bite, and stand up? how are they for following grooves? what are they like on a wet steel ferry deck?, etc) Basically, has anyone found 'trick' techniques for running a CityX w/ Sync's on gravel roads? just plumbing the knowledge pool for the kind of stuff that you learn after you've done a couple of runs with a specific setup - basic technique I'm ok with. TIA chris | ||
| Windaddiction |
if you are gonig long distances in gravel lower your tire pressure about 10 psi, dotn use the front brake, and keep your body forward to get more whieght over your front tire! other than that be extremly careful of pothole with the front tire! and good luck | ||
| Elff |
And relax It will be a little like being on a grated bridge. The bike will move around a little and you have to let it without being too rigid but at the same time you have to be ready to snag it if it tries to walk too much. Kind of like being on a dirt bike. | ||
| Ulendo |
winaddiction, thanks - I've actually been riding dirt bikes since I was 12, and street bikes since I was 17. FWIW, I grew up in ranch country, south of calgary, driving old 'CB' hondas on dirt/gravel roads...dropped pressure, and keeping the weight back is about par for that sort of terrain. Frankly, part of the reason I went with the CityX is so its low enough for me to hang a boot out if/when I have to  I mostly curious about the behavior characteristics of the scorpion sync's...I'm planning on getting Conti TKC80's for dual-sporting, but wont have them in time for this run | ||
| Elff |
Ive been real happy with mine. I got caught on a couple of newly paved roads that had gravel thrown on top of them and they handled great. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I've been amazed at the lack of drama I have experience on the 9sx with the Syncs off pavement. It just seems to do what I want, and seems happy to let me slide the back or wrestle it into the direction I want it to go. | ||
| Angelwild327 |
The scorpions ROCK! I had a City Cross, which was too tall and traded it for a 12 scg, with crappy Dunlops..got my Scorpions back rather quickly and they feel perfect. I'm a newish rider and went over a load of lumpy gravel, in a corner..I figured that was it, but the Scorps took it like a pro..slid out a little, then right back in line..They have such a solid grippy feel on the pavement, and I hear the wear is very good...Good luck... you're gonna absolutely love the 9X...by the way, how tall are you??? The City cross is the tallest bike in the whole buell line, excluding the Uly. | ||
| Ulendo |
angelwild327 - I'm 5'4", but have a normal build ( not long torso/ short arms & legs). ANY decent displacement bike is a '1 foot down' deal for me, but I've been riding dirt bikes since I was 12, and am used to it. I hopped a CityX at demo days, and can manage the standard seat, but ordered mine with the low seat, to make it as easy as possible. The low center of gravity makes the Buells much easier for me than an SV/V-strom, or F650GS. FWIW, I sat on a Uly too. I'm pretty fit, and flexible, and could have managed ok for sport touring, but stopping in traffic would have been a real hip-test for me, and getting going would have been like the old fashioned GP starts: get the bike rolling at 3-4 mph, then hurdle up & over to mount as you let the clutch out. I'm getting a bit old for that nonsense - thus the CityX | ||
| Angelwild327 |
Cool...if I was more experienced, I probably could have dealt with the height issue.. but my 27 inch inseam just wasn't cutting it! | ||
| Ulendo |
Angelwild327 : Yup,in all sympathy, it really sucks being short sometimes. I just looked at your bio - FWIW, I test rode an Scg up at the Kamloops dealership: found it a very nice ride, and an easy reach for me. ( not even a straight leg stretch. ) I'm ~29" inseam, if that'll help you visualize where/how I manage on the XB9Sx I wanted a bike thats usable as a dualsport...evenif it was going to take a little work. guess I'll post the results as I go. | ||
| Sinatra |
wet they seem pretty good.....gets great mileage on them if you ride relatively easy to moderate sport riding...i got 8700 on my first set.....i think i will get considerable less this time around....as for gravel...i try to avoid it at all costs unless im on a dirtbike...or a quad.....but like i said in the wet they do really well, as i rode about 3 hrs in a downpour on 71 in ohio and didnt really have any issues....maintaining speed of 50-75...so yeah they are great wet weather tires in my humble opinion. | ||
| Ulendo |
thanks Sinatra - from all the comments, it looks like nothing less than a set of TKC80's is worth a swap. hey, just looked at your bio: I run an Axyz 4008 CNC router table at work for alloy crafting - whats your poison? chris | ||
| Elff |
Since u didnt ask about wet I didnt comment, but I agree 100% with Sinatra The Scorpions are really good in the wet. For me, they are the best motorcycle tire I have ever driven in the rain. | ||
| Ulendo |
Elff - thanks for the tip on that, too. It does sort-of relate to my question about a wet steel ferry deck. | ||
| Sinatra |
ulendo - i run mostly okuma act 10T lathes and sometimes some mill work.... |
