[briderdt]

I’m all about lighting up like a Christmas tree. WHen I bought my SV, it had a Hot Bodies undertail. Those rear signals are invisible in daylight. I added some 6″ LED strips on the outside of the rear fairing and wired them to the signals. Makes a HUGE difference. I may do something similar on the front.

[briderdt]

…flush mount vs. OEM isn’t going to make a difference whether they see it or not. It’s the height of the signal that is the problem. True enough on the point against you in the case of an accident, though.

[briderdt]

Why the heck does it matter whether an SUV driver sees your front turn signal in a rear view mirror? It’s the oncoming car that needs to see it (or other cars at a 4-way stop). They won’t be looking at you via the rear view mirror (I hope, but I guess ya never know).

[briderdt]

Didn’t that start with the ’03s (2nd generation)?

[briderdt]

…my 2005 SV650s, and an old Honda Highthawk. Believe me, that Nighthawk is WORLDS easier to learn on. But, the SV is what I have, and that’s what my continuing education will be on. I’m certainly glad my MSF class was on the 250 — I can’t imagine doing those maneuvers on my SV. Does that mean I wish I’d bought a 250 Ninja or a Honda Rebel? No way. But I’m glad I had it available for the class. It was definitely an eye opener.

[briderdt]

With the “riding season” coming to an end for a lot of people, many bikes are being off-loaded to the used bike parket. Nothing wrong with that. Figure out what you want, then keep your eyes out for it in craigslist, local ads, postings on various ‘net BB’s, etc.

When I was looking, I’d narrowed it down to three I’d be pretty much equally happy with — the SV650, the Ninja 650, and the FZ6 (it was worth the price difference to me to not have to deal with a choke). The bike I found was on craigslist, and I answered the ad within 5 minutes of it being posted. I bought the bike the next day, after meeting the owner at a mutually agreed-on location (he rode the bike there, so I knew it ran well).

In any case, don’t feel that you have to buy new. You can find one that’s already gone through the “break-in” period, and has been maintained well, and save you a bundle of money.

[briderdt]

That’s the region of clutch lever travel where the gears start to grab (“friction”). It’s not an “on/off” thing (unless you just let the clutch out fast), but a continuum from nothing to full gear engagement (the “zone” part of it. Working the clutch lever out slowly gives you a feel for how large that “zone” is. From the first video I saw (Ride Like a Pro), they talked about practicing opening your hand over a 5-count to get used to letting the lever out slowly.

[briderdt]

… supposedly does this — raises the level at which turbulent air hits your helmet.

[briderdt]

Now I’ve got a LOT of road BIcycling experience (racing and road riding in traffic), and drive a stick, so I’ve got the “heads up” attitude along with an eye for the things that people can and often will do. I know how to work a clutch’s friction zone. So for me it’s a matter of translating how the bike turns/leans (a big difference between a 350+ lb motorcycle and a 17 lb bicycle) and getting comfortable with that. Yes, the throttle is touchy, and in that regard I wish that I could have started out with something that doesn’t respond quite as… fast? But I also spent the first two weeks (at least) never even venturing out onto the public roads. Just tooling around in a parking lot that’s less than a block away (on pretty much private roads). I’ve only had 4 rides out on the road. I start my MSF course on Monday.

I don’t think that it’s so much the displacement of the bike, or even the hp. I think it’s the ability of the rider to work the friction zone, be able to close it down when things start going a little quickly, and the attitude. Having that bicycling experience helps a lot, but I’m not deluding myself into thinking that it’s any kind of suit of armor.

[briderdt]

…about hand guards (wind deflectors that bolt on to the handlebars) and what a huge difference they make. I’ve got a set coming my way. But in the mean time I’ve been wearing my old ski gloves. So far they’ve done well enough for an hour, but I haven’t been doing any highway speeds (45 max).

[briderdt]

…a guy who rides regularly asked me how it went. I said, “I was a bit nervous.”

His answer? “Good. That means you’ll be more aware of what’s going on around you.”

There’s a difference between nervous vigilance and being scared.

[briderdt]

…Looks a bit… Disjointed? The tail rack doesn’t look to be all that useful, and the front wheel just looks like it’s disconected from the rest of the bike. But other than that (and the Butt-Ug color scheme), it’s not so bad.

[briderdt]

Same recommendations on the SV650.

[briderdt]

No idea about build quality, but that Kung-Fu 250 looks intriguing. Don’t know what’s up with those grab handles on the tank though.

[briderdt]

Some nice bikes there.

[Author]

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