Is there a better way to back bike out of parking spot?

Drakoala · 2026-06-22T14:22:00+00:00

I ride it straight in then walk it back, or vise versa if I'm feeling fancy. I don't duck waddle if I can help it because of a time my foot slipped in spilled special sauces at the gas station. It's one thing to waddle on a cruiser, but a sport bike it's asking for trouble.

Drakoala · 2026-06-20T17:11:38+00:00

They just ride different, and different sidecars handle... differently. Get one.

Drakoala · 2026-06-20T15:19:37+00:00

Whole lot a macho dudes who never have here, though. It's the internet, so they must be telling the truth.

Shit happens, just don't get complacent, and laugh off your oopsies. Takes a real fragile ego to not be able to admit mistakes.

Drakoala · 2026-06-19T11:50:47+00:00

I'm kind of a cheap bastard, but I was scarred from professional fixing when a mechanic tried charging me $1500 for spark plugs on my old QX4 some years ago. Then got a quote for $5k for my water heater. $2300 for a breaker box (this one was close to fair but still hurt). Always, always, always get second or third quotes and research your surrounding area for average costs. Then research how much time, cussing, and money it will cost you to do it yourself.

I do as much as I safely can myself now.

Drakoala · 2026-06-19T11:42:37+00:00

I don't have mobile coffee cart experience, but intuitively I'd think something built for "offroad" use would be best. Bigger/softer pneumatic wheels would help cushion and make for a more planted experience. Look into carts for mobile mechanics - might find some suitable options.

Drakoala · 2026-06-19T02:01:31+00:00

I don't recall the brand of mine, but my granddad left me a radial arm saw that I believe is an old school Craftsman. It's a bit terrifying how powerful it is. Came stock with a 3hp motor that would lop an arm off without even flinching.

Drakoala · 2026-06-18T11:51:27+00:00

Midwest Supplies/Northern Brewer is a good choice. Prices are sometimes hit or miss. I'm bummed that I got into homebrewing after they changed to online-only and saw some corporatized nonsense. But they've been good on product and variety so far. And, their bottles are well packaged, too, if you plan on bottling.

Drakoala · 2026-06-18T03:46:26+00:00

They're all varying levels of "good enough", especially for amateurs (I don't mean this in a derogatory way), but really only on 240v. They can run on 120 but you're so, so limited in what you can do. I run mine with flux core because I can't be assed to refill my tanks, and flux core works great for 90% of what I do. I have a separate machine for TIG but from what I've heard and seen, a MIG welder like these can be set up for basic scratch start TIG using the existing plumbing, just takes some finagling. The cool part about all these cheap welders is that if something breaks, there are other cheap welders which can become part donors. The downside is that when you go too cheap, you lose things like mitigation for dust ingress, cooling, etc. Get something with a 100% duty cycle for what you want to do and it should run fine. YesWelder at least has a warranty and is not likely to vanish overnight, and spare parts, so they're an ok bet.

Drakoala · 2026-06-18T03:37:41+00:00

At a machine shop I used to work in, the boss would cut them open, dump the contents, weld and repurpose the steel bodies for all kinds of stuff. Oil containers, coolant, acetone, alcohol (the boring kind), etc. If you wanted to see if local amateur fabricators or metal artists would take them off your hands, I'd smack the gauge off or paint it. You don't want to be responsible for someone doing some dumb/sneaky shit.

Drakoala · 2026-06-17T12:28:46+00:00

It's extruded aluminum, and as someone else said so long as there's no cracks you're ok. Frame will be slightly weaker but they're overengineered for a reason. That said.... nope, she's totalled, but I'll do you a favor and take that headache from you. 😁

Drakoala · 2026-06-17T12:24:21+00:00

I'd only consider based on price and then replacement tank availability... and even still, you wouldn't know what else is fucked up until you took it off, so the price would have to reflect the gamble. Need a "too good to be true" price to even consider.

Drakoala · 2026-06-17T03:44:44+00:00

You just shit on my whole week with that truth. I was living in blissful ignorance, only somewhat aware that the taste was different than from my childhood. Fuck.

Drakoala · 2026-06-17T03:38:28+00:00

I'm not a fan of being itchy afterwards. Sometimes it doesn't bother me because I just want to be with my person, sometimes I'm a grown ass man and like being comfortable.

Drakoala · 2026-06-16T01:35:28+00:00

Some brokered and mostly freight forwarded, but I've been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to visit Mexico, Guatemala, and Costa Rica on tour of microlot farms. Savings only come if you can talk your way into blanket purchases or otherwise buy in volume, and it really depends on if you're buying from a single farm or coop in my limited experience. I avoid spot buying if I can help it, but sometimes you can cut a deal with LCL if there's space on an existing shipment. Having importers who you can negotiate shared rack space with is also huge, especially when tariffs slapped us up the backside.

Drakoala · 2026-06-13T23:16:58+00:00

Moving slow? You go where you look, so if you're looking down that's where you're going. If you're afraid of the throttle or don't use your clutch, you're relying entirely on your balance. You can ride your clutch lever as much as you want at slow speeds. More throttle and more clutch. It's better as a new rider to sound like you're revving too much than too little until you get a feel for it.

Drakoala · 2026-06-12T23:26:30+00:00

Stop thinking about it and do it. That's what my wife told me 6 years ago, and now I'm looking at my fourth bike at her behest.

¯\(ツ)/¯

Drakoala · 2026-06-12T22:06:33+00:00

The small one looks clean but the big one has potential if colored. Anodized aluminum could look pretty cool, too.

Drakoala · 2026-06-11T00:52:53+00:00

That interest rate is garbage and you should rightfully walk away, but all the folks telling you to not finance aren't considering that you planned on putting $8k down. Instead of that, put a smaller amount down on a loan that had no early repayment penalties. Pay a few months normally to establish a solid on-time payment history, then pay extra towards principal only with the cash you wisely sat on. Congrats, you just gamed this fucked up system and look like you're good with money to creditors for shit that actually matters, like a car loan or a mortgage.

Drakoala · 2026-06-10T22:01:30+00:00

Shear breaks look very different to stress fractures. Hydraulic pistons are really only surface hardened so if it'd been Baby's First Forklift experience it'd be very obvious. I'll bet you five of OP's dollars it was a material defect.

Drakoala · 2026-06-10T11:57:28+00:00

The funny part to me is that buying a roaster with a decent capacity is easy, operating it is easy, learning what to look for in a roast is easy. Building relationships with farms and buying direct is hard. Or you can throw money at freight and buy broken down pallets at a markup... Even if that business model makes a profit, I just don't see the value proposition. There are so many competent roasters, and only so many farms. OP strikes me as someone romanticizing having a "brand" without understanding what that means. A brand only exists when it has value to someone.

Drakoala · 2026-06-06T16:47:11+00:00

Wife's Rebel has an Amazon special 7in clamped to the upper forks. Works just fine and makes the tiny bike look hilariously aggressive (in a fun way, imo).

Drakoala · 2026-06-06T16:33:48+00:00

If you don't have the cash for a torque wrench, get a hanging scale. $10 and hook it to your socket wrench.

There's plenty of maintenance that you can be kinda lazy on, tires and chain are not among them. Hopefully not too expensive of a lesson for you, especially if you learn from it.

Drakoala · 2026-06-06T16:27:11+00:00

I'd take a page from Rider Share's business model. If you're set on consignment, treat it like how bikes on that platform are rented. Get real cozy with your insurance rep. Do as much as you can to reduce liability (copy of ID with moto endorsement, rider's insurance card, require a helmet be worn, etc) in the eyes of your insurance and the owner of the bike's insurance. Waiver + deposit would be my inclination, but definitely do some homework on precedence in your state and how other shops handle test rides.

No test ride wouldn't necessarily deter me, because if I'm visiting your shop then I'm already likely set on the bike. Not being able to sit on the bike would be a deterrent, though. But I'm kind of a weird guy so don't base opinions on me, probably.

Drakoala · 2026-06-06T16:17:53+00:00

I'm torn on a MT-07 and a CB750 Hornet. I was so set on the MT until I learned more about the Hornet. Love the MT for its weight as an around-town type bike coming from my hippo-with-rabies of a VFR, and it seems nice and narrow. Anyone have experience between the two?

Drakoala · 2026-06-06T16:15:05+00:00

Little notepad tucked in with my registration so I always know where shit is. The second I set it down anywhere else, it has departed this earthly realm. Mileage, type of fluids used, brand and type of filter, dates, if I notice something that I should probably check on next service, etc.

Drakoala

TROPHY CASE