Motorcyclin' the country side
Doc
Registered User, ClubPA regular
Registered User, ClubPA regular
If you ride (or want to ride) motorcycles, you came to the right thread. Talk about our bikes, maintenance, gear, and any great rides we've been on.
My bike:
2007 Suzuki DL650, aka V-Strom 650, aka Wee-Strom:
After-market stuff:
- memory foam seat
- bark busters / handguards
- Givi engine guards / crashbars
- skidplate ( an absolute must for even light off-road)
- heated grips
- fenda extenda (on the back of the front fender, you can barely see it)
- adjustable windshield brackets (a must for the DL650 on longer trips, the stock one sucks)
- Metzler Tourance EXP tires
It's a dual-sport, but it looks (and feels) much more on-road than off. I use it on gravel and dirt forest service roads, but I wouldn't go much more off-road than that. I initially went for it mostly because it fits my very impressive height pretty well, but fell in love with it. I can mostly keep up with my friends on sport bikes through corners, though they can leave me in the dust once we hit the straights. I'm comfortable with that.
Gear I use:
Firstgear Teton jacket
Firstgear Escape pants
Shoei RF-1000 helmet in matte black
Sidi Strada Rain Boots
Icon Persuit gloves
Halo reflective helmet band
I got the jacket and pants through NewEnough.com. They sell last year's styles at really steep discounts. If you go there you can see my sideways image on reviews for these products because I didn't double check it before I sent it off. Oh, well. I like all my gear quite a bit, I don't have anything really negative to say about any of it.
Maintenance:
I do my own oil changes because shops charge $TEXAS even though they are much easier to do than oil changes in a car. I also adjust and lube the chain myself and recently changed my own brake pads, which was much easier than expected. For most other things I take it to the shop.
Rides:
I use the freeways to commute to and from work. That's about it. Highways are better, and little-used side roads are even better. In Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, the author makes a good observation: the best routes for motorcycles are those with at least two better routes to get from point A to point B.
My most recent big ride was from Seattle down the Oregon coast and back.
This was one of the best stretches.
I also like riding out of Seattle on 522, up to Highway 2, and East over the Cascades. The scenery is breathtaking.
I've not seen another thread on Motorcycles, so if it dies due to lack of demand I won't feel too bad.
My bike:
2007 Suzuki DL650, aka V-Strom 650, aka Wee-Strom:
After-market stuff:
- memory foam seat
- bark busters / handguards
- Givi engine guards / crashbars
- skidplate ( an absolute must for even light off-road)
- heated grips
- fenda extenda (on the back of the front fender, you can barely see it)
- adjustable windshield brackets (a must for the DL650 on longer trips, the stock one sucks)
- Metzler Tourance EXP tires
It's a dual-sport, but it looks (and feels) much more on-road than off. I use it on gravel and dirt forest service roads, but I wouldn't go much more off-road than that. I initially went for it mostly because it fits my very impressive height pretty well, but fell in love with it. I can mostly keep up with my friends on sport bikes through corners, though they can leave me in the dust once we hit the straights. I'm comfortable with that.
Gear I use:
Firstgear Teton jacket
Firstgear Escape pants
Shoei RF-1000 helmet in matte black
Sidi Strada Rain Boots
Icon Persuit gloves
Halo reflective helmet band
I got the jacket and pants through NewEnough.com. They sell last year's styles at really steep discounts. If you go there you can see my sideways image on reviews for these products because I didn't double check it before I sent it off. Oh, well. I like all my gear quite a bit, I don't have anything really negative to say about any of it.
Maintenance:
I do my own oil changes because shops charge $TEXAS even though they are much easier to do than oil changes in a car. I also adjust and lube the chain myself and recently changed my own brake pads, which was much easier than expected. For most other things I take it to the shop.
Rides:
I use the freeways to commute to and from work. That's about it. Highways are better, and little-used side roads are even better. In Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, the author makes a good observation: the best routes for motorcycles are those with at least two better routes to get from point A to point B.
My most recent big ride was from Seattle down the Oregon coast and back.
This was one of the best stretches.
I also like riding out of Seattle on 522, up to Highway 2, and East over the Cascades. The scenery is breathtaking.
I've not seen another thread on Motorcycles, so if it dies due to lack of demand I won't feel too bad.
Doc on
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However, I'm moving up to Ithaca NY next week, and that would be a great place to own a bike (as a summer vehicle, of course), so I just might get one, maybe next spring. I'd have to find a gentle way to break the news to my mother, though. She might be OK with it, but it's unlikely. Of course I'm independant so I could just go through with it, but depending on how she feels about it, it just might not be worth it.
Anyway, if I do get a bike I'd do the motorcycle safety class that alot of dealers offer (and in Texas at least waive the driving test requirement for getting a license). Also, I'd love to get something like a Bonneville. Fairly lightweight, comfortable, not dangerously powerful, and (in my opinion) very classic looks.
I've never been one for the modern sport bikes, and while I like harleys they are awfully heavy and expensive, especially for a first bike. Seems like a Triumph is a good compromise. Also, a Bonneville can be had new for less than 8 grand (at least that's what Triumph's website gives as the price) so I'd imagine one with a few years on it would be pretty cheap. Of course, they only switched to fuel injection from carbs in the latest generation, but hey, that's part of the charm.
I also want to find a starter bike. Something I can down without being heartbroken, and tinker on, and generally fuck around with while cutting my teeth. I'm hoping to find a 500cc whatever on Craiglist for $2500 or less. (I'm a 210lb guy on a bad day, so I don't think a 250cc Ninja is really going to work for me.)
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
or is that overkill
by gear I mean jacket and pants
The classic-looking standards are really popular as first bikes. :^:
Unrelated: a friend of a friend just wrecked his bike a while back and broke his collar bone. My friend told me about it via text message a few days later, and I replied with the assumption that he entered a corner too fast, hit the brakes mid-turn, and lowsided. I got back the message "good guess." Heh.
While my bike was getting new tires mounted, I got to demo ride one of these due to an awesome sales staff:
The (unfortunately named) Ducati Hypermotard 1100. Drop a 1100cc engine in a dirt bike, put on some street-ish tires, and this is what you get. The gooddamn thing was ridiculous.
Uh, you are just as likely to fall when it's hot out as when it's cold out?
I wear at a minimum my helmet, jacket, gloves, and jeans with hiking shoes every time I go out. If I am planning on hitting a major highway or freeway, I also go with my riding pants and boots.
I am looking at getting one for the bf because he doesn't wear his and it's mostly because he gets too hot and it doesn't fit him and looks dorky
unfortunately, the "duh common sense" argument does not prevail for me
But to start my two current bikes:
Bikes in Pic:
2004 CBR600F4i let friend ride in pic
2005 CBR1000RR
Bikes I have owned:
2005 Harley Sportster
2005 GSX-R1000
1989 CBR600F
Also, PLEASE don't ride on the back of a bike with no gear besides a helmet (ex: flip-flops and shorts is reasonably common). I see that way too often - a girl on the back of a dude's bike who takes absolutely zero responsibility for her own safety - I think she assumes that since her guy lets her ride like that, it's okay.
I have not ridden on his bike yet, because I do not have gear to wear
his current jacket is a hand me down he got from the guy he bought the bike from, it isn't leather it's um jacket material with armor pieces in it and I have seen him wear it like twice. I think perhaps he would wear it more during cold weather, but it is really a bit too big for him.
he wears a regular windbreaker or on a really hot day just a tshirt, always wears a helmet. we have had arguments and I really can't articulate why I would like him to wear gear except for that it would make me feel better and protect him more. he says he's comfortable with the risks he takes. sigh.
I just want to get him a jacket that fits and isn't as heavy as the one he has so there's a slight chance he will wear it more often just due to comfort.
Your best bet is to just go to a store and check out some jackets. I hate to advise you to do this, but just look at the jackets in the store, then buy online. Gear is so much cheaper at places like:
http://www.newenough.com/
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/
Also, never buy a used helmet. Damage is not always apparent.
Have him read this http://www.rockthegear.org/index.php?/testimonials/view/brittany_morrow_the_roadrash_queen/
I have known way to many who have wrecked themselves or died doing this activity to agree with the bare minimum. Riding is all a matter of risk acceptance and mitigation with the odds being stacked against us.
I will go into a store and check out jackets I spose. he is 6'1" and skinny as heck so I'm gonna just have to guesstimate. have you ordered the "tall" versions of things?
he is a lab rat right now and appealing to authority is generally not going to work with him
Yep. My jacket is an XL tall. It fits a little loose in the summer because I'm not using the liner.
The Ducati Monster is another crazy bike, and IMO it looks awesome.
I'm one of the few people that likes the sound of an inline four. Most people seem to hate them.
I will post up some of my MotoGP Laguna Seca pics where I was hanging out at the Repsol Team tent for the 3 day event. The year prior I was there but working with Alpinestars so I didn't get much time to take pics or relax.
Everything is still stock. I need to replace the tires (next year maybe?) and the battery though. I can ride her to the legal limit on the highway and still not get everything out of her. Out-accelerates all but the fastest sports cars if you know what you're doing. All Gear All The Time too.
I've been riding for a good 6 months. Got it for about $2k with 3.5k miles on it in November and tried to ride it a bit in the cold. Changed the oil myself and lube the chain every now and then. Kind of wondering how to change the brake pads though. This site has been insanely helpful for dealing with my bike.
I put about 3k miles on her so far. Summer isn't over yet!
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
Anyone know if what I've read is incorrect about the 250 being able to handle my size?
PSN: SAW776
I am 6'6" and 230, it handled me just fine. The issue was much more the physical size of the bike than displacement.
I'm hoping since I'm more tall due to my torso than my legs that it won't be too cramped. Obviously I'll have a chance to sit on one before I make the final purchase though. But I've heard it wasn't too cramped for people at an even 6.
PSN: SAW776
GIS for road rash? Nothing like a badass asphalt tattoo.
I ride this:
I have put about 6k miles on it in the past year and I don't leave town. I want to do some serious touring in the coming years, but that isn't the bike I will do it on. I wish I could say I always rode with all the gear, but sometimes I'm a little lazy. One thing that I am very glad I bought are these. They look like regular jeans but are much thicker denim and have kevlar sewn into them. I still have a mesh riding jacket and helmet (always helmet, most of the time jacket).
If you are thinking about learning to ride FIND AND TAKE THE MSF COURSE. It was $25 for me and after 3 days of learning to ride I left with my license. SO AWESOME.
This is what I am looking to get, hopefully in the spring:
Clearly drivers of cars fall into these two camps too, however if I drove a bike I would definately be in the first camp. It's how I drove my car back in the UK, drive defensively, assume everyone else is insane, and just relax and enjoy it. What sort of accident rate do careful motorbike riders experience, and how much is the accident rate skewed by the dangerous ones dying all the time. Clearly if someone hits you, it's always going to be more dangerous, but I've never had someone hit me at higher than 4 miles per hour, and usually when I was stopped.
Bikes just make so much sense on every other level. Great gas mileage, so much cheaper than a car, small and nimble for city driving, easy to park, and really cool. I'd like to get a Triumph of some kind, perhaps a Thunderbird, although I know you are supposed to start small with bikes. I guess I'd work up to it!
I live on what used to be a quiet country road in the mountains about 60 miles north of Spokane. Then somehow every single motorcycle club within a hundred miles discovered it makes for a good ride. Now we have 50-100 motorcycles of all shapes and sizes screaming by my house every day of the weekend and often during the middle of the week in the summer.
Thanks a lot, whoever told these people about my road. You asshole.
PSN: SAW776
Do you have a link? Or was it (gasp) in a real magazine!
Just a blurb on the Maryland DMV website. Not a huge article or anything, but if you can't believe a DMV website when it comes to driving related statistics, I'm not sure who else you could.
Though it could be total propaganda--I didn't look for any other source, to be honest.
http://www.marylandmva.com/MVAProg/moto/default.htm
PSN: SAW776
It really doesn't help that I have a Harley dealership right down the road from me.
Someday. Maybe.
I'm not sure it's 90%, but that's a believably high number. A very significant number of people (in WA anyway) ride without the endorsement.
It's scary how many people learn "don't brake on a curve" and "don't let off the back brake if it locks up" the hard way.
edit:
http://www.motorcycle-accidents.com/pages/stats.html They claim a similar number. That's not too unbelievable - if (let's say) 30% of motorcyclists take the training course, then you'd expect at least 70% of the accidents would be involving a rider without training. It doesn't mean that a rider without training is 9 times as likely to get into an accident. If 30% of people take formal training and as a result are half as likely to get into an accident, that would put you reasonably close to your 90% figure.
And it ended up like this:
Lady coming the other way on a major street here in Vegas made a left in front of me. Then she gets out and says "Do you have a phone?"
Few months down the road I picked up a 2006 ZX6R (black), and rode it until it broke. With 500 miles on it. Took it to the shop, bad crank, took 45 days to fix. Got it back on a Tuesday, it got stolen that Thursday. Woo!
I'm lucky, my fiance actually wants me to get a bike. I'm just waiting til we get our credit card down a little and the weather starts to pick back up.
Actually, that brings me to another question--how well do bikes work as commuters in a place that actually has seasons? Like, how much rain will it take to totally shut me down? Cause Baltimore gets a decent amount of rain all year around.
PSN: SAW776
Depends on the bike, but I rode my crotch rocket on days with pretty heavy rain. Not torrential downpours, mind you, but a good flow. You just have to be extra-careful. Rain exacerbates all of the potential problems with riding a motorcycle, especially other drivers. On the plus side, you're much more likely to low-side than you are to high-side.
PS - Cover up good. That shit stings on exposed skin.
If you ride with proper gear riding in the rain isn't too terrible. I don't ride when it's raining just because it's more dangerous, but I've been caught in a couple storms. Like in a car, the worst time to be out is when it STARTS raining because all of the oil and things get stirred up, but after a good wash it clears up and the roads aren't too slick. It really just slows you down and makes you be more aware of your leans and things.
It depends on what kind of riding you're doing, I wouldn't want to take a 40 minute highway commute in the rain and have to go to work...but 15 minutes in a 35mph zone isn't terrible.
But I'm man enough to drive in the slow lane even on a Ninja, so I suppose I should be alright as long as I've got a change of clothes. :P
PSN: SAW776