Motorbiking in Japan

[musicisgood]

Shipshape and Bristol fashion, thanks.

I spent all day yesterday on a motorcycle ride up to Koriyama to visit the
Koriyama Museum of Literature. Had a great time.

Hey Mike, what kind of bike you got? I'll post a picture of me with a 800cc on my profile.

 

[Mike Cash]

Hey Mike, what kind of bike you got? I'll post a picture of me with a 800cc on my profile.

I have a Honda NC700 but yesterday I used my son's VTZ250.

 

[musicisgood]

I have a Honda NC700 but yesterday I used my son's VTZ250.

I was on a Yamaha 800 cc the other day. Got a picture, but not sure how to make an album on our profile.

I'm hoping once I get everything squared away, I'll get my ogata license. I've had 3 bikes and one scooter so far. I 'm not sure if Honda makes a 350 cc these days , but that is a good bike for Japan. I'll probably settle for a Yamaha 250 Serrow , the touring bike, but them suckers cost nearly 5 grand. I'll most likely give Jav over at Apexmoto a call when that day happens for me.

 

[Mike Cash]

I was on a Yamaha 800 cc the other day. Got a picture, but not sure how to make an album on our profile.

I'm hoping once I get everything squared away, I'll get my ogata license. I've had 3 bikes and one scooter so far. I 'm not sure if Honda makes a 350 cc these days , but that is a good bike for Japan. I'll probably settle for a Yamaha 250 Serrow , the touring bike, but them suckers cost nearly 5 grand. I'll most likely give Jav over at Apexmoto a call when that day happens for me.

You might want to start a thread for motorcycle discussion. I doubt we are the only two here with an interest.

Given your circumstances, I would suggest getting a chuugata license and riding a 250. They're perfectly adequate for any kind of riding, can easily keep up with (or even run off and leave) the large bikes if you ride with a group, are exempt from the expense of vehicle inspection, and consumables such as tires are way cheaper.

Nothing against Jav, but geography is geography. You have to consider the costs of either shipping a bike or going to pick one up, which would probably erase anything he might save you, if not more.

 

[WonkoTheSane]

You might want to start a thread for motorcycle discussion. I doubt we are the only two here with an interest.

Definitely interested, though I'll likely be getting a Honda Gyro Canopy to use as my work vehicle in the next few months... Not exactly what I'd ride for fun! :roflmao:

 

[Mike Cash]

Definitely interested, though I'll likely be getting a Honda Gyro Canopy to use as my work vehicle in the next few months... Not exactly what I'd ride for fun! :roflmao:

You got a Pizza-La franchise?

 

[WonkoTheSane]

You got a Pizza-La franchise?

Hah! Nope, but I primarily do home visits to clients so I'm all over Tokyo and Yokohama. It gets exhausting spending so many hours on the trains and always worrying about missing a connection. It adds up, too, it's not unusual to spend 30,000 - 40,000 on trains in a month.

The only things holding me back are figuring out parking and figuring out registering and insuring it as a business vehicle.

 

[musicisgood]

You might want to start a thread for motorcycle discussion. I doubt we are the only two here with an interest.

Given your circumstances, I would suggest getting a chuugata license and riding a 250. They're perfectly adequate for any kind of riding, can easily keep up with (or even run off and leave) the large bikes if you ride with a group, are exempt from the expense of vehicle inspection, and consumables such as tires are way cheaper.

Nothing against Jav, but geography is geography. You have to consider the costs of either shipping a bike or going to pick one up, which would probably erase anything he might save you, if not more.

I agree with you on the 250, from what I've seen I think for my needs the 250 is the right bike for me. I'd probably have Jav though do the insurance work since he has an English speaking person there that can assist in the paper work and so on. I got to say, Japan for biking (for what little I've done here) is probably the best country to bike in, and for gorilla camping, pretty safe.

 

[musicisgood]

I added "new media" with a picture of the 800cc

 

[Mike Cash]

I added "new media" with a picture of the 800cc

That's a TDM, isn't it?

 

[musicisgood]

That's a TDM, isn't it?

It's a Yamaha MT-09 Tracer, in the States it goes by FJ-09. They go for about 10 grand I believe or pretty close to it.

 

[Mike Cash]

It's a Yamaha MT-09 Tracer, in the States it goes by FJ-09. They go for about 10 grand I believe or pretty close to it.

Do you still think in dollars?

 

[Mike Cash]

I spent this lovely fall day doing my first ever tire change on my motorcycle. I've always paid to have them done before. Very early into the process I realized why I have always paid someone to do it.

Anyway, it is done. For less than the cost of a new set of tires from a shop I was able to purchase tires and all the tools necessary to do the work. From next time I'll only be looking at 1/2 to 1/3 of what it has cost me in the past.

Big thanks to the guys at my local Ryomo Maruzen gas station for using their air tank to pop the beads into place for me and to my wife helping out on the three-handed job of reinstalling the rear tire.

 

[musicisgood]

I spent this lovely fall day doing my first ever tire change on my motorcycle. I've always paid to have them done before. Very early into the process I realized why I have always paid someone to do it.

Anyway, it is done. For less than the cost of a new set of tires from a shop I was able to purchase tires and all the tools necessary to do the work. From next time I'll only be looking at 1/2 to 1/3 of what it has cost me in the past.

Big thanks to the guys at my local Ryomo Maruzen gas station for using their air tank to pop the beads into place for me and to my wife helping out on the three-handed job of reinstalling the rear tire.

That's good news Mike. How are you on the mechanic side of motorcycles?

 

[Mike Cash]

That's good news Mike. How are you on the mechanic side of motorcycles?

As near useless as one can get.

 

[musicisgood]

As near useless as one can get.

Jokiing, right.

 

[Mike Cash]

Jokiing, right.

Not a bit.

The last time I mounted new rubber on a rim was when I was about ten and did a bicycle tire.

 

[musicisgood]

Not a bit.

The last time I mounted new rubber on a rim was when I was about ten and did a bicycle tire.

Sounds like me. Just put a front light and rear light on my used bike that was donated to me. Feel like a kid again.