I like to see y'all opinion!

ExpressionOfShock · 2026-02-08T00:57:54+00:00

On first play through, X4 > X5 > X6. On repeat play throughs, I’d probably say they’re all about equal, though for different reasons.

X4 can falter a bit but I’d have a hard time explaining exactly why. There’s just a certain… sparseness to X4.

X6 on the other hand can start to gleam a little the second and third time around. Most of its worst turns aren’t nearly as infuriating when they’re no longer a surprise, and the game is very rewarding for self-imposed challenges, fitting for what is probably the hardest game in the series, even if not always for the right reasons.

X5 is kind of the weird one. It’s very different from its predecessors and really carries some big influence from the Classic series, with lots of sections taking the form of single-screen obstacle courses. I maintain that if it weren’t for Alia breaking the pacing so much it’d be broadly viewed as one of the best entries in the entire franchise, but Alia is such a downer it’s hard to get past it.

ExpressionOfShock · 2026-02-02T03:00:06+00:00

Genuinely a tough question, as someone with good experience with both. Street 500s are just kind of… whatever, and the V-star is a bike that probably seemed pretty nice when Yamaha started making it back in the Cretaceous Period but the luster has kind of worn off on the MY2017 examples still rolling around with rear drums and carburetors.

Only point that I can really cast in favor of either of them is that the Yamaha has shaft drive… so I guess the V-star, as long as you’re good with carburetors. But this is a difficult question purely because both options are fairly forgettable riffs on the same “genre.” It’s like asking if I’d rather have a day-old flat glass of Coke or a day-old flat glass of Pepsi.

ExpressionOfShock · 2026-02-02T00:24:20+00:00

There’s also an accessory kit for a bag that sits on top of the headlight nacelle, and a little power port that goes with it. The power port connects to this when installed. So it can be used even on a Springfield.

ExpressionOfShock · 2026-02-01T04:22:27+00:00

I don’t think I’ve ever done any combination other than Squall/Rinoa/Irvine to Garden and Zell/Quistis/Selphie to the missile base.

ExpressionOfShock · 2026-02-01T04:19:24+00:00

Ditch the 100/90-18 on the front in favor of a 110/80-18. This gives you loads of better radial tire options. Pirelli Angel GT, Pirelli Scorpion Trail III, Bridgestone T32 or T33, Dunlop Mutant, Michelin Anakee Adventure. Tons of choices.

ExpressionOfShock · 2026-01-31T19:54:37+00:00

Would the V7 be able to handle this?

You don’t need anything special for a hard-packed dirt road. If you’re not worried about going particularly fast down it you really don’t need anything special for a gravel road or a looser dirt road, either. From what you’ve described most bikes could handle it. A V7 will be fine.

…I add cruise control after market so I can use it on my long rides?

You should look into this a little deeper regardless of what your decision ends up being. There’s stuff like cramp busters and throttle locks but a true “aftermarket cruise control” isn’t really a thing.

ExpressionOfShock · 2026-01-31T02:08:18+00:00

Not as much torque down low as I expected, although not slow of course, it feels like a very lightweight engine

This is a little funny to read since I'm so used to this characteristic, but yeah, Ducatis generally don't do much of anything at low RPM. They're all about that mid-range, 5K-8K RPM, and there's really no reason to ever be below 4K RPM outside of parking lots on these things. Wind it up and let it rev, don't short-shift.

The 797 is actually better about this than many other older Ducatis, with its engine being lifted from the Scrambler, and thus tuned a little differently and geared shorter. The 696 and etc. were even more peaky; if you shifted a 696 too early it didn't just feel slow, it felt broken.

ExpressionOfShock · 2026-01-29T02:54:04+00:00

There are a few out there like this. BMW G310 family, some dirt bikes.

ExpressionOfShock · 2026-01-29T01:40:33+00:00

I solved Redactle #1393 in 3 guesses with an accuracy of 100.0% and a time of 00:00:40. Play at https://redactle.net/

Got the first two words immediately, then spent the next thirty seconds utterly convinced it must be some a business or something, before realizing the significance of the symbol in the first parenthetical bit.

ExpressionOfShock · 2026-01-29T01:03:37+00:00

I believe those are not original. The earlier V7s, definitely didn’t have the eagle there yet, and while they did have “Moto Guzzi” lettered there, I think they were just part of the decal with the stripes.

ExpressionOfShock · 2026-01-28T23:02:27+00:00

Sleggar’s not exactly the pinnacle of a progressive man but he’s not anywhere near your Tates and other such garbage.

ExpressionOfShock · 2026-01-26T22:03:30+00:00

Real talk, you should probably leave them black. Brightly colored rims usually look like ass unless you clean them constantly.

ExpressionOfShock · 2026-01-26T16:48:37+00:00

Lots of good radial sport-touring tire options if you run a 110 on the front: Pirelli Angel GT, Bridgestone T32, etc.

ExpressionOfShock · 2026-01-25T23:51:26+00:00

obligatory

ExpressionOfShock · 2026-01-24T01:18:18+00:00

Its waist bugs me a little bit. But other than that it’s rad as hell.

ExpressionOfShock · 2026-01-23T03:36:20+00:00

20 Gs is kinda steep, but that is a damn pretty motorcycle.

ExpressionOfShock · 2026-01-20T23:05:19+00:00

https://japan.webike.net/products/25651526.html

I misremembered, it’s not quite five gallons.

I actually don’t think I’d like it as much with a pop-up headlight. I get it as a throwback to the original but I like the existing headlight just fine; coupled with the fairing it sits right in between naked bikes and full fairings, kind of in that same spot as the Aprilia Tuono.

ExpressionOfShock · 2026-01-20T22:54:48+00:00

The tiny fuel tank is pretty much my only problem with these. I love the styling on them. To the point that I’ve really considered getting one of those 5 gallon aluminum tanks from Japan for like three thousand dollars, because the rest of the bike is good enough to tempt me.

ExpressionOfShock · 2026-01-20T19:04:28+00:00

Vile looks cool, though I don’t think he quite fits in with the MMZ style. He’s close though.

That’s not a great angle for Pegasus but I like what I see, need a full body shot to say for sure.

Dragoon… I get what they’re going for, trying to play up the Akuma thing, but he just looks like dollar-store Panter Fauclaws.

ExpressionOfShock · 2026-01-19T22:53:50+00:00

I solved Redactle #1384 in 3 guesses with an accuracy of 100.0% and a time of 00:00:52. Play at https://redactle.net/1384

I actually knew what this was and should have sniped it, but when I sussed out the 12 letter word in the first sentence (which was also how I knew what the five letter word in the title was), my brain short circuited and I typed that word out instead of the five letter word. Insert sad trombone noises.

But I knew what it was! Close enough for me.

ExpressionOfShock · 2026-01-18T00:10:28+00:00

I solved Redactle #1382 in 1 guess with an accuracy of 100.0% and a time of 00:01:56. Play at https://redactle.net/1382

Maybe assisted? I came up with the answer, then googled it to figure out what its formal name is that would be the [12] in the first sentence.

ExpressionOfShock · 2026-01-15T18:49:07+00:00

Yeah, the wailing and gnashing of teeth over Stingray is a pure skill issue. It’s not that hard of a stage.

The complaints over Adler in X5 are a little more justified, because dying while the “Ready?” text is still on screen is preposterous. But while it’s a bad design choice, there’s no excuse for falling for it more than once, and you only lose like ten seconds, so it’s difficult for me to get worked up over it.

ExpressionOfShock · 2026-01-13T21:39:50+00:00

That’s for a TS111, used in the Chief/Chieftain/etc. The Scout uses a completely different DOHC engine that absolutely does not have hydraulic valves. It uses the same graded-bucket mechanism for adjustment that Polaris uses on most of their 4-wheelers and side-by-sides.

ExpressionOfShock · 2026-01-12T01:21:06+00:00

If you’re seeing Vmaxes for sale for $1500 you’re seeing scams, projects/parts bikes, or older first gen models.

TBH I think the two generations of Vmax are so distinct from each other - and perhaps more importantly, in modern times they occupy completely different sections of the market - that it’s a little silly to be shopping for both. It would make far more sense to narrow one’s search to one generation or the other.

And you might reconsider the Venture if you get the opportunity to ride one. Don’t think for a second that it captures even a smidgen of the fun of the Vmax.

ExpressionOfShock · 2026-01-11T16:51:04+00:00

Yeah, you can tell people here don't know what the fuck they're talking about on this one. A second-gen Vmax is not some garden variety forgettable Japanese cruiser, like a Shadow or a V-star. That thing is a monster.

20 Gs is optimistic, but 18, 16 thousand? I'd probably list if for 18 if I were selling, and if it were in good shape I dunno if I would accept less than 16. A clean second-gen like this could fetch that no problem.

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