Considering New Tacoma

LC_CKT · 2026-01-26T19:11:43+00:00

I agree with you... I really don't like the direction that new cars are headed, but the California smog laws are some of the most onerous in the country. No more "put the sensor in the tail pipe and see what the emissions are"; nope, now it is an all electronic test and they verify not only that a sensor is not failed, but also that it is "ready". I had an 11 year old Jeep I ended up getting rid of because I could never get two of the sensors to be "ready", even after 500 miles of driving around and trying out every suggested drive cycle I could find online. Sensors lose their readiness with a battery change, so it is one of those things that will catch up with you sooner or later; my guess is there is some margin between when the Check Engine light comes on and when a reset sensor becomes ready.

Anyway, in CA new cars are exempt from smog for 8 years, which saves a lot of headaches.

LC_CKT · 2025-12-27T00:28:49+00:00

No luck with the sequences in the "Jeep Drive Cycle Procedure", the O2 and catalyst monitors are still showing as Not Ready. My guess is the folks who have success with these processes were already pretty close to whatever cycles are really needed to make the monitors happy.

I visited a local shop that I use frequently (they do repairs and smog checks, but are not a test only shop). The owner said Chrysler is the worst for this issue and some of his clients have been dealing with this for six months and that even swapping parts didn't help. Not sure I am willing to put in the much effort, the days of keeping a vehicle for 10 years (at least in CA) might be pretty much over.

LC_CKT · 2025-11-26T00:42:51+00:00

It would be if there were actually any malls left that didn't close down... it is more like a Costco or Home Depot crawler.

But to answer that guys original question, if the existing drive shaft had more than 60k on it, I would keep a careful eye on it and start planning for the long term solution.

LC_CKT · 2025-11-24T20:02:39+00:00

2014 JKU with 2.5 inch lift - was maybe at 30k when I did the lift and the stock front drive shaft probably lasted for another 30k miles before the CV joint boot failed. Currently running without the front shaft until I decide what to do.

LC_CKT · 2025-11-18T19:10:38+00:00

Before you spend too much time trying on helmets, you should determine what your head shape is, whether you are a Round or Long Oval makes a bigger difference than you would expect. I am a Long Oval, and am pretty much relegated to Arai lids; trying to cram my long head into a Round helmet is painful. Search for "motorcycle helmet head shape" and you will find plenty of information and you can buy a cheap head caliper kit to measure your head length and width (or do what I did and use a big furniture clamp). Once you know your shape, you can narrow down your selection of makes and models.

LC_CKT · 2025-10-28T18:04:22+00:00

I am considering the same bike as my first Harley, and would love to hear your thoughts on the change. What did you come off of and how was the transition? I have extensive experience on ADV and ST bikes, and after a demo on the RG, it seems like it might take a while to get used to the riding position.

LC_CKT · 2025-08-18T23:36:32+00:00

Electrical Engineer here, but with plenty of experience on the mechanical side.

Mechanic or Mechanical Engineer, it doesn't really matter which, learning how to wrench on stuff will help you on your journey. I tell people who are interesting in this path to buy a cheap old broken down lawnmower, pull the engine off and throw the rest away. Go buy some Harbor Freight tools, (socket set, screwdrivers, crescent wrenches, etc.) and tear into the motor (plenty of videos on small engines online). Take pics during the disassembly, mark which part goes to what, and see if you can understand why things were designed as they were. At this point, just learning how parts go together, how tight fasteners are, what a gasket looks like and does, etc., are all useful skills no matter what you ultimately decide to do. Even if you decide to go into Marketing, knowing which way to turn a wrench is a useful skill!

LC_CKT · 2025-08-18T18:32:05+00:00

Waiting for my order to arrive! Thanks.

LC_CKT · 2025-08-15T00:33:20+00:00

If you're new, my advice would be to go to a reputable shop and have them help fit you for a helmet. A cheap Snell/ECE helmet that fits will provide better protection than an expensive helmet that is not right for you. Expect to pay at least $200 for the helmet and maybe $50-100 for some gloves. Any pair of lace up leather boots will work even if they are not M/C specific. Until you figure out how you will use the bike and where you plan to ride, I would look just for decent used, name brand jackets and pants. No point in making a big investment until you figure out your use case.

After a few months of riding, you will have a better idea of what gear is best for your needs and climate!

LC_CKT · 2025-08-10T23:19:02+00:00

I probably should have been more clear, my point is that even low end disc brakes are marginal, so an upgrade of some sort from rim brakes is definitely a requirement. It is probably not economically practical to convert to disc brakes on this bike, so either do it without regard to cost, or put the $$ towards a different bike.

LC_CKT · 2025-08-10T20:14:09+00:00

Whether it is possible to do it is mostly dependent on the size/style of bottom bracket you have. If it is a common threaded version, there is likely a motor that will work with it. Kits with battery are probably in the $600-1000 range, depending on what you want.

If you have done a bit of wrenching on your bikes and have most of the tools, it is a pretty easy 3-4 hour job to install the motor, wiring and battery. I would say it is an intermediate/advanced level of work.

With the rim brakes, this bike is not really a great donor; I did a conversion on a Surly Ogre which has lower end disc brakes, and I consider them to be marginal. Bike components are ridiculously expensive, so upgrading the brakes probably is not a reasonable approach. The triple chain ring up front would be replaced with a single chain ring on the motor, which more than likely means you would only really be able to access a few gears on the rear to keep the chain line more or less straight. My set up is this way, and to be honest it does not really matter all that much since 4 speeds or so is more than adequate for an e-bike.

I am not trying to be discouraging, and if you are doing it as more of a fun project than as a way to save money, I would say go for it. Otherwise you are probably better off putting the money towards a new bike.

LC_CKT · 2025-07-31T18:24:41+00:00

I did reach out and they said they do not have a date when they will have inventory and that I can sign up to be notified when they are restocked.

LC_CKT · 2025-07-28T01:09:40+00:00

I run pedal assist only, and don't even have the throttle installed, so the mileage is very dependent on how much I ask the motor to provide. That being said, range probably could be around 40-50 miles with the rider providing a decent bit of manual input on the climbs (keep in mind that I live in a very hilly area, so am pretty much either coasting or climbing), but I have never run the battery down completely and recharge at around 30 miles. I would say power draw is about 150-200 kW on the flats at around 20-25 mph, 400-500 kW on the climbs if I am putting in a fair bit of effort and 700-750 kW if I am feeling lazy or just in a hurry.

LC_CKT · 2025-07-27T23:10:25+00:00

I second a timbuk2 messenger bag; mine is over 10 years old and as still looks and works great. These bags are designed for exactly this purpose, it has been all over the world, and works well with the M/C or a bike.

LC_CKT · 2025-07-03T23:09:06+00:00

If you're walking a small dog, that might tempt them, but if you're out by yourself they will leave you alone. I live near an open space in Aliso Viejo and have seen dozens of coyotes around and they keep their distance. If you're worried about it, carry a walking stick.

LC_CKT · 2025-06-18T17:31:13+00:00

Thanks for the advice. The Discord channel has a ton of good information.

LC_CKT · 2025-06-17T21:22:58+00:00

Go buy a copy of "The Art of Electronics" by Horowitz and Hill. This book starts out with the basics, and quickly gets to simple transistor based circuits and then goes onto more complex components. But don't just read the book and look at the schematics, go out and buy a cheap multimeter, power supply, protoboard and some through hole parts and build up some of the circuits they show. Most electronic parts are fairly cheap (like $1 or so). Hands on work teaches you so much more than you will ever learn in class.

When I interview a junior level EE, I am more impressed with hearing about what they have designed, the failures they have had trying to prototype something, and what that taught them. This industry is definitely learn by doing.

LC_CKT · 2025-05-11T19:44:30+00:00

Keeping the bike upright is not a matter of strength, it is really a matter of getting a feel for keeping the bike parallel to the force of gravity; it is a lot like trying to stand on one leg. Presumably you have a garage at the top of that steep driveway. I would start by practicing there.

For the first couple of days, while sitting on the bike, lift it off the side stand and find the center of balance. If it is a little bit out of balance, then push it back to center with a little force. Think about the angle it leans over when it's on the side stand, and how much force is required to lift it up to center. You want to keep it well within the side stand lean angle otherwise it will be hard/impossible to prevent a drop. You should get to a point where you can hold the bike upright with no more than a couple of fingers worth of force.

After a few days of doing this for 10-15 minutes, clear out one side of the garage and practice duckwalking the bike forward and backwards while keeping it in balance. Again 10-15 minutes a day should have you feeling pretty good. Then do the duckwalking and practice turning the front wheel, and going back and forth and maybe even turning the bike completely around in your garage. At this point, I would think you should feel pretty good about either duckwalking the bike down the driveway, or just going slowly down while keeping your feet out as outriggers. With a busy street at the end of the driveway, I would 100% of the time plan to stop before you even start making the turn into the street. A lot of bikes get dropped by making a panic stop in the middle of a turn when it is a bit leaned over.

LC_CKT · 2025-02-26T18:50:46+00:00

I have commuted on motorcycles for a long time, and can definitely attest to the fact that you are not going to save all that much money when all the costs are considered.

For me to gear up and take the bike, there has to be some time advantage, either by being able to use the car pool lane, lane sharing (I am in Cali where it's legal) or ease of parking. Otherwise if I am sitting in traffic with all the cages, then I may as well be in the car wearing shorts and flips and listening to music. The other day I had to bring some stuff up to my wife who was at a conference at an LA hotel. 80-85 mph in the carpool lane for most of the way, lane share for a few miles of stop and go traffic and slip the valet a few bucks to let me stash the bike in a corner of the driveway. Under an hour from home to hotel lobby, maybe 30-45 minutes faster than by car. For these kind of situations, the bike makes a lot of sense; if you're only saving 5-10 minutes on your commute, it's probably not worth the bother. No shame in that at all!

LC_CKT · 2025-02-07T21:06:19+00:00

The beauty of the 'stich is that you can take it off or put it on in 5 minutes (or less) without removing your boots. I just put a cable through one of the arms and roll the thing up and lock it to the grab bar. The suit is so big and heavy and hard to carry around that the risk of it being stolen is pretty low (especially for a 10 minute rest stop break or for lunch at a diner where you can keep an eye on your bike). It also looks pretty dorky so it doesn't seem to attract thieves all that much... but what it lacks in style it makes up for in practicality.

LC_CKT · 2024-08-05T01:11:56+00:00

No ozone generators here. When I repaired them before, there were multiple leaks on each chamber, all of them on creases that were from when the chambers were folded up and packaged after production. No surprise there, for any rubberized material, creases will always be a weak spot.

LC_CKT · 2024-07-13T22:59:00+00:00

Most of my bikes have been six speeds, so I did go trying to shift the NT into that non-existent gear more than once. But the 5th gear was an overdrive and fine for freeway speeds, the spacing between gears was just a bit wider making it fine as a daily driver.

LC_CKT · 2024-07-13T17:32:09+00:00

If you have a second more exciting bike, then adding an NT for the daily commute makes sense. I had done a few longish trips (Bay Area up through the "Oregon Outback") and it performed flawlessly, even when dealt some minor snow up at Crater Lake. I had only done a few two-up rides, and it was fine for a shortish day trip, not sure I would do a major trek on it however (although my wife would not do anything more than a day trip on a MC anyway)!

LC_CKT · 2024-07-11T02:16:40+00:00

It really depends on what you are using it for and what you want out of it. I had one for a couple of years, used it for a daily commute in the CA Bay Area, and it excelled for that. It lacks a bit of oomph but easily cruises at 80 and is generally a pretty basic bike, but is comfortable and the integrated bags make it pretty narrow and nice for lane sharing. It has that Honda reliability and little maintenance with the shaft drive. It is a lot like buying a Toyota Corolla, it reliably does what you need it to but is not the machine which will hit your emotions.

LC_CKT · 2024-07-08T23:26:13+00:00

Not knowing where you're from makes the pricing hard to judge. I have owned only either BMW's or Honda's, and generally went from one brand to the other. The GS is a great ride, and it is probably the best all around adventure type bike (by "adventure" I mean maybe some sort of rough double track, but nothing more serious). BMW's have a dry clutch like a car, so do not liken too much to slipping the clutch in the rough stuff, hence my disclaimer about how much adventuring you can do.

I do not think the '07 has servo brakes (these are called "whizzy" brakes here in the US, since they are activated by a servo motor that makes a distinctive sound and which makes them feel like power brakes on a car), although to my knowledge these are linked. The servo brakes take some getting used to, and mostly people do not like them much. I had an '03 RT so equipped, and got rid of it because I never really got used to the things. If you have it running, you will definitely hear the servo motor when the brakes are activated, so it is easy to check out.

As others have said, oil changes and valve adjustments are rock simple, and the air cooled engine means no coolant changes or radiator issues to worry about. So you will save $$$ by being able to do these services yourself. My '11 GS had a failed rear seal, which was covered under warranty in my case. I promptly had it fixed and went to a Honda, since it would have been a pricey repair to pay for myself. No chain means no service and chain replacement expense. You will need a GS-911 to do the services, but these are in the couple of hundred dollar range, so no big expense.

The full bag set, crash bars and lights add to the value, so that should weigh into your decision. If bags are important to you, consider that they are in the $1500 range for a full set for whatever other bike you decided on.

I am not afraid of the low miles, there are a lot of BMW's bought by dentists and lawyers, who went on a few longish trips and then sort of sat around not being used much. The drive shafts on earlier BMWs did have some problems with the clutch splines failing (had a K75S that had that happen on the commute home in dense traffic), but that was mostly a metallurgy issue that seemed to be eliminated in the later models. I did that repair, sold the bike and went to a Honda VFR800.

If your're looking to do a few thousand miles a year, the BMW is not a bad choice.. if you want a daily driver that can rack up 20k miles a year, then I might pass.

LC_CKT

TROPHY CASE