Feed Back
FEED BACK
Readers, as well as those involved in the motorcycle industry, are invited to have their say about motorcycles they own or have owned. Anything is fair game: performance, handling, reliability, service, parts availability, lovability, you name it. Suggestions: be objective, be fair, no wildly emotional but ill-founded invectives; include useful facts like mileage on odometer, time owned, model year, special equipment and accessories bought, etc.
RD400C LIMITATIONS . . .
I purchased a Yamaha RD400C and I admit it took a while to get used to it after riding four-strokes for 22 years. Nevertheless, the RD400C is quite a machine with only a few disadvantages. I like the overall performance but riding in town just doesn’t work out on this machine. Pulling away from a stop light and leaving a cloud of smoke makes me realize why the general public, including a lot of bike riders, frown on two-strokes. The bike is quick through the quarter-mile but lacks torque.
The RD400C, in my opinion, is a great machine, but it has its drawbacks. Consider the RD400C a decent short commuter but you will regret riding it over a period of time in the city or on any kind of trip.
Mathew Holleng Tucson, Ariz.
. . . AND ALTERATIONS
I bought a Yamaha RD400C and have put 15,000 miles on it without any trouble.
The modifications I have made include Boge shocks, K-8 Is, BMW bars, S&W fork springs, gold wheels and candy red paint. I have found these modifications have given me a nice ride on the freeway and also extremely good handling at high speed.
Don Buckley Lakewood, Calif.
ZEALOUS Z1 OWNER
I regret that I only started riding about 20 years ago. In that period I’ve owned a Triumph 650, Hondas of different sizes, and a Gilera. I currently own a 1974 Kawasaki ZL Comparatively speaking, based on money, time and trouble, the Zl is one of the nicest things in my life. It has only 11,000 miles on it, some of which are touring miles. Most of them are aroundtown and freeway.
Outside of the small Bates fairing, which makes touring more tenable, and the K-81 Roadmasters, this bike is stock. Some bikes do some things better than the Zl, but my bike does more things better than any other bike I’ve ever owned.
James D. Estorga San Mateo, Calif.
COLD-WEATHER RIDING
I read Jon Ive’s letter in your February 1977 “Feedback” column. He said, “All things considered, I bet I’m about the only motorcyclist on the road in the severe weather conditions I have described.”
I live in McCall, Idaho, where there is snow six out of 12 months and ride all year around. Ives brought out some good points, like frozen fingers and the freezing cables, but he didn’t mention the joys of cold weather riding. When the temperature drops to sub-zero, the bugs make themselves scarce. There isn’t any dust and when you slide off an icy road into the ditch you don’t have to call a wrecker. When conditions are just right, you can ride the snowmobile trails for miles. If you ride on icy streets, have your tires studded, it’s money well spent.
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Don C. Sanford McCall, Idaho
HODAKA MODIFICATIONS
Upon reading the comparison of the Hodaka Thunderdog 250 with the Honda MR250 in your July 1976 issue, I cannot agree with all of your conclusions. My main point of contention is the Hodaka’s professed inability to turn. I’ve found that by raising the fork tubes one inch in the triple clamps and fitting the stronger (83 lb./in.) springs to the shocks, the motorcycle will steer predictably without front wheel washout. Also 1 substituted a 4.0018 tire for the stock 4.60.
On a sand-whooped track, my 180 pounds sacked the springs in the forks and finished the well-worn shocks. I’ve since fitted CZ250 (red frame) fork springs which are initially softer and devoid of the bottoming tendencies of the originals. New-style Curnutt 4.7-inch travel shocks were substituted at the rear and give IV\ inches of wheel travel as well as a ride quality comparable to the best OEM units available. While measuring the travel, I found that after being collapsed, the damper unit, with spring removed, returned to its original extended length by itself.
With the new suspension, the bike handles predictably in cross-country racing, and does not understeer.
Norman Wykoff North Fork, Nev.
HONDA CB500T STARTS
This letter is a reply to Keith Barber, who stated in his letter that appeared in the February “Feedback” column that he was unable to get smooth first-gear starts with his Honda CB500T.
The solution is to replace the rear sprocket with one about four teeth larger. The CB500T parts book does not list one, but the CB or CL450 rear sprocket is available in larger sizes and will interchange if 450 fixing bolts and nuts are used.
Another frequent problem with the 500T is poor gas mileage. The cause is restrictive airboxes. Drilling them with holes may lengthen the period between tune ups.
John Sambill Service Manager Southern Illinois Honda B3 Carbondale, 111.
