Uffda! New Member In Minneapolis, Minnesota USA

[mrbios]

CX500 = nicly designed bike

Greetings!

I resurrected an '82 GL500 ...

The CX500 / 650 are amazing machines. About 10 years ago a friend got one with 52K miles on it and with some tuning road the daylights out of it. San Diego to Texas several times. Had various issues due to age but overall very reliable. I drove it around the block and it was smooth with a pleasant sort of v-twin rumble. Very simple clean design and NO oil leaks - not bad for 30 year old bike with 50K on it.

 

[Dellaster]

...
Current motorcycle EPA emissions regulations: https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi?Dockey=P100O9ZX.pdf

Fortunately (?), Europe is such an important part of the motorcycle market that the Euro emissions standards are met even on bikes sold in the US (though sometimes delayed as the manufacturers use up old stockpiles of parts, etc.—possibly why the NC750X, et al, took its sweet time coming to America). As of 2016, EURO 4 requirements for CO were roughly one-tenth the US EPA ones, for example.

 

[itsmenc700]

So millionares and their Private jets, McMansions, India and all their cars and motor driven cycles, China and its smog ALL are worse than any car or bike in the US and Canada.
But lets fight over carbon emissions, it fun!

 

[LeeInMpls]

If you want a middleweight shaft drive, 50mpg tourer check out a Honda NT700V. You can pick up a 2010-2011 w/ABS, saddle bags, fairing (all factory OEM) for about $2,500-$3,500. A nice little twin but a bit heavier than the NC and (obviously) an older design.

I signed up to the NT Forum. It seems ideal. The forum feels something like the CX500 forum. (except for young riders wanting to "Cafe" their find.) Maybe because it is a discontinued model. I wonder if they will start making something like the NT again. I know there are a few models Honda dropped only to start them up again after a few years.

Thanks!

 

[LeeInMpls]

So millionares and their Private jets, McMansions, India and all their cars and motor driven cycles, China and its smog ALL are worse than any car or bike in the US and Canada.
But lets fight over carbon emissions, it fun!

My original mention was not about emissions but rather, spending as little as possible on gasoline.

The 3rd world's best chance is similar to how cellular made wired phone and internet infrastructure unnecessary there, to go right to the less complicated electric vehicle and decentralized solar and wind.

 

[LeeInMpls]

The CX500 / 650 are amazing machines. About 10 years ago a friend got one with 52K miles on it and with some tuning road the daylights out of it. San Diego to Texas several times. Had various issues due to age but overall very reliable. I drove it around the block and it was smooth with a pleasant sort of v-twin rumble. Very simple clean design and NO oil leaks - not bad for 30 year old bike with 50K on it.

View attachment 39406

I love these engines. Mine has only 7,500 miles on it. Barely broken in. I just need to replace 37 year old rubber. Going to put collector plates on her.

I have an oil leak at the front of the motor, on the right side. Either tachometer seal, front camshaft seal or gasket, or front cover gasket. It is impossible to see exactly without taking the radiator off. I'll probably replace all four when the riding season is over.

They use these engines in Morgan replicas:

 

[670cc]

I signed up to the NT Forum. It seems ideal. The forum feels something like the CX500 forum. (except for young riders wanting to "Cafe" their find.) Maybe because it is a discontinued model. I wonder if they will start making something like the NT again. I know there are a few models Honda dropped only to start them up again after a few years.

Thanks!

There are always rumors to go along with wishes. See here: Rumour: Honda is bringing back the Deauville - Adventure Rider

I guess the NT did not sell well in the US, so it went away. Even though I think the NT is a cool bike, it's hard to imagine why it would come back. Even the ST1300 apparently couldn't sell well enough to stick around. The way Honda models appear, then disappear, it's a wonder the NCX is entering it's 9th model year

 

[anglachel]

I'm pretty sure emissions has nothing to do with a vehicle's mileage. Whether a vehicle gets 1,000 miles/gallon or 1 mile a gallon is moot when it comes to exhaust emissions. Makes no difference in the calculus.

What matters is the grams of pollutants per kilometer (in the case of motorcycles) or the grams of pollutants per mile (in the case of light trucks and cars).

Carbon emissions (how much C comes out of the tailpipe) is different from "pollutants".

Every gallon of gasoline contains 5.5 lbs of carbon (out of 6.3 lbs total) so every gallon burned is 5.5 lbs of carbon released.... mostly as CO2, some of it as CO and maybe some of it as a CxHx for unburned fuel...

Regardless of how it's released, that is what defines the carbon release.

The emissions guidelines focus on the CO, NOx, SOx as oppose to the CO2.

The only C that gets put into the engine comes from the gasoline, the more you put in the more comes out, none of the C turns into anything different at an atomic level, though it does let go of the hydrogen and bind to the oxygen instead.

5.5lbs of carbon per gallon, 60 miles per gallon ~0.092 lbs of carbon released per mile.

 

[ld_rider]

Carbon emissions (how much C comes out of the tailpipe) is different from "pollutants".

Understood....

That is why the EPA doesn't regulate the amount of Carbon that comes out your tailpipe. It isn't a pollutant. Carbon is harmless. It is used to filter air and water. I have a carbon filter under my sink ;-)

But, I do have seven (7) CO detectors hard wired in a rental condo that I own ;-)

The EPA doesn't care about the emission of carbon.

Neither should we ;-)

What they do care about (and measure) is the CO...and a motorcycle produces more of it than any car, light truck, or large SUV....In some cases by a factor of 4 and in others (pre 2010 motorcycles) by a factor of 10 (!).

As you state, there is X amount of Carbon in every gallon. No tailpipe measurements are needed. I'm guessing here, but there is likely a correlation between grams of carbon/km and grams of CO/km. But why not just measure the CO directly? That is what the EPA decided to do, for a lot of reasons including accuracy and to lessen the chance of some engineering sleight of hand (like the VW diesel fiasco) influencing the readings.

CO is determined by measuring how complete the combustion is. The less "efficient" the combustion, the more CO molecules are coming out of the tailpipe. Other factors being equal, combustion efficiency can also be "guesstimated" by the amount of fuel you need to travel a particular distance. Think MPGs ;-)

Now, consider a 670cc engine that gets 50 mpg in a motorcycle weighing only 700lbs. Compare that to a 3,000 lb car that also gets 50 mpg but using an engine with twice the displacement (!). Both are using a gallon of gas. Each is burning 114,000 BTUs (energy). Yet the car at 4x the weight and twice the displacement gets equal mileage. Guess which engine is most likely burning fuel more efficiently and as a result creating less pollution in the process?...

Yes, that would be the car. The car obviously has some other advantages to help it reach that amazing mileage figure but still.....There is a huge difference in engine efficiency (and resultant pollution) between the two powerplants.


The math says (if MPGs are the same) both motorcycle and car are spitting out the same amount of those (harmless) carbon atoms.
And, it is correct to say that a 30 mpg car will emit twice the number of carbon atoms that a 60 mpg motorcycle would emit.

But, that is pretty useless info (that is why nobody measures it).

CO though? Well, that can kill you and creates clouds of dark brown smog ( I know smog, lived in Phoenix 20 years ago. AKA "The Valley of The Scum").

The important thing is that the motorcycle will have 4x the poisonous CO molecules coming out of its muffler compared to the car.

In a discussion about pollution and "carbon footprints" I think it is reasonable and logical to conclude that grams of CO per mile is more relevant than harmless grams of carbon per mile. Remarkably, this demonstrates (perhaps counter-intuitively) a vehicle's MPG rating/engine size/gross weight/and carbon grams per mile are not reliable indicators of its pollution or carbon footprint.

There are lots of great reasons to ride a motorcycle, but doing so and thinking it is good for the environment because they get "ok" mileage is simply not supported by the facts, despite what we might hope.

 

[LeeInMpls]

Mpg

On my last trip to Michigan, my '98 Civic got 42mpg.
I refuse to own a Motorcycle that gets less.

Littlewing. I wiped down the gas tank but hadn't hosed her yet
14 years of dust on the engine:



After a hosing:

 

[mooseonbass]

Calling carbon harmless is entirely incorrect. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and on its own is highly disruptive to physiological function, unless of course you are a plant. The reason that it is not regulated by the EPA has nothing to do with the fact that it is "harmless". Your point about the efficient gasoline engine having a smaller carbon footprint than an electric vehicle charged by a fossil fuel-fired power station is a powerful and good point but the reason has nothing to do with CO, very little to do with SOx and NOx and everything to do with carbon dioxide. Even particulate carbon is very harmful. Yes, it works great to filter both gases and fluids, but when released as particles in diesel emissions it is closely associated with several pathological lung conditions. Would you tell a coal miner that inhaled carbon is harmless? I would hope not.

 

[LeeInMpls]

The two things that draw me to the NCx are the DCT and MPG it gets. I'm sure that catches a lot of people's attention. Two things I don't care about it is the chain and I am not crazy about the bird beak styling. But function is more important to me than styling.

 

[LeeInMpls]

Has anyone put a sidecar on their NC7--x? I'm going out to do errands and my choice is between riding the bike or taking my dog. I'lll probably take my dog. That's why I need a sidecar.

 

[dduelin]

Has anyone put a sidecar on their NC7--x? I'm going out to do errands and my choice is between riding the bike or taking my dog. I'lll probably take my dog. That's why I need a sidecar.

Yes, it has been done. I remember them but to find them now Google search 'nc700-forum sidecar' It works for any key word.

Here is some forum threads on the subject.

Yes, Virginia, the 700 can have a sidecar !

2016 NC700X DCT with Velorex sidecar

 

[LeeInMpls]

Yes, it has been done. I remember them but to find them now Google search 'nc700-forum sidecar' It works for any key word.

Here is some forum threads on the subject.

Yes, Virginia, the 700 can have a sidecar !

2016 NC700X DCT with Velorex sidecar

Thank you! If there was a way to set up where it could be taken off easily, it might be my best solution. Here are some photos of my ride the other day. I think I'll get out today along the Mississippi, before the snow comes.

Why I Ride!

 

[LeeInMpls]

I think I am narrowing my search to: NC, CTX, NT or 650 Burgman The NT is ideal, but is older and discontinued and I never see them around here for sale used.

90% of my riding is in town and I am looking at putting on a temporary Absentee Voting Judge Job on (I am self-employed and work at home.) I'll do trips a couple times a year. I'll eventually put a sidecar on my GL500 or find a setup of a bike and sidecar to haul my Akita in.

Thanks for all the input!

 

[LeeInMpls]

I think I am narrowing my search to: NC, CTX, NT CB500x or 650 Burgman The NT is ideal, but I never see them around here for sale.

90% of my riding is in town and I am looking at putting on a temporary Absentee Voting Judge Job on (I am self-employed and work at home.) I'll do trips a couple times a year. I'll eventually put a sidecar on my GL500 or find a setup of a bike and sidecar to haul my Akita in.

Thanks for all the input!
Thanks for all the input!

 

[melensdad]

I think I am narrowing my search to: NC, CTX, NT CB500x or 650 Burgman The NT is ideal, but I never see them around here for sale.

90% of my riding is in town and I am looking at putting on a temporary Absentee Voting Judge Job on (I am self-employed and work at home.) I'll do trips a couple times a year. I'll eventually put a sidecar on my GL500 or find a setup of a bike and sidecar to haul my Akita in.

Thanks for all the input!
Thanks for all the input!

I knew I liked you for some reason. We've raised 3 of those beautiful dogs. Broke my heart when our last one passed a couple years ago. We've now downsized but I do miss them.

 

[LeeInMpls]

I want to thank everyone here for the reception and knowledge shared with me. After looking at many different Hondas and the Royal Enfield, I realized that nothing really fit the bill of my GL500 I already had. And the only thing I wanted in it was a little more power and torque and lower gearing for cruising/touring. Maybe pull a trailer. I figure a GL650 would be the bike I really wanted. The first one I had a chance at was full dress, but someone got to it before me, listed on the CX500 forum. Another member PM'd me, telling me he had a GL650 he just refurbished if I was interested. A naked has more appeal to me. I'll use rolltop dry bags as panniers.
It is pictured below. It has been gone over and has a new Stator, cam chain, battery and various gaskets and rubber replaced. You can see the parts list and labor below the photos.
I'm staying here, because I am still interested in an NC DCT for daily commuting.

Thanks again, Lee in Minneapolis GL500, GL650


New Parts
 Stator
 Mechanical Seal
 Cam Chain
 O-rings
 Shifter seal
 Battery
 Brake Pads
 Coolant
 Oil Filter
 Fork parts
 Gaskets

Other Work
 Starter cleaned
 Carbs rebuilt
 Labor 15 hours
1 Year warrenty

 

[LeeInMpls]

I knew I liked you for some reason. We've raised 3 of those beautiful dogs. Broke my heart when our last one passed a couple years ago. We've now downsized but I do miss them.

My condolences. It is a big loss when they go.
I walk Momo twice a day and go to the gym, trying to keep fit enough to keep owning them. Just wished they lived longer! Here is a photo of my first Akita Taiko with my Kiwi Daughter-In-Law. Kintaro, who I brought back from Japan was our second. His photo is in the middle. Momo is our 3rd. She is pictured at the bottom.
P.S. I got the Election Judge job!