[eon]

I knew there were multiple theories as to the origin of squid but I didn’t know there were so many. Seems everyone has a different explanation here. The first one I heard ties into the FF helmet and no gear gear type. After a crash all that is left is a big head and limbs everywhere. Have to admit that mental image made me laugh.

Also enjoyed another persons signature line
“Squids don’t last long on dry land”

[eon]

I’m with nok610 on this one. I’m not convinced a graduated scheme would do a whole lot but I honestly believe a harder test would help a lot. Raising the bar on the skill levels needed to be legal has to help. And I would include cars in this. Raising the minimum standard ability of all road users would make us all a little bit safer.

If there is a large percentage of folks out there without a license today then that is a separate problem. Using that as a reason against tougher testing is arguing in circles IMO. If this is as big a problem as you make out (and I have no idea, I always assumed the folks I rode with had a license) then there are ways it could be tackled. Tougher fines, possible jail sentences, better ways of catching offenders. I know in GA I could not get tags for my car without proof of insurance and a valid drivers license. Seems like a simple but effective way to me.

[eon]

Bitch: Pillion passenger on a cruiser

Pirate: Stereotypical cruiser rider.

Power Ranger: Stereotypical sport bike rider

: Stereotypical maxi-scoot rider

Poker Run / Oyster Run: I’m actually am not sure what these mean exactly

Farkle: Accessorize your bike

[eon]

Hard to generalize too much but I would say $500 would get you an okay full set of gear. It all depends on the deals you can get. Plus quality is a bit subjective when it comes to gear as it does not come with a safety star rating. IMO you are better off getting a full set of decent gear than getting one quality item and skimping on the rest. You can then upgrade individual items as finances allow. Hunt around the internet for deals, motorcycle gear seems to be very seasonal and you can pick up last years stuff cheaply. I also spent a lot of time reading the reviews on webbikeword to get a feel for what I wanted/could afford.

[eon]

I think there is some miscommunication going on here between SF and eternal. As far as I can see you are both saying the same thing. That website gives good advice. My scoot is FI but I have plenty of experience using chokes on cars and I assume the principles are the same. You quickly learn to hear and feel the engine to know just how much it needs. And driving away will get the engine up to speed 10x quicker than leaving it sitting there.

[eon]

Now see it in super slow mo…very cool

[eon]

I’m not quite sure why that app works the way it does. The standard google map is a lot easier to plot routes with and it lets you share the route. I assume it is plotting all those points to allow you to save out GPX files, something google does not allow you to do. But I have done some searching and found another app that does a much better job with that part. I have converted a large 1000 mile route and a small local twisty route from google maps to GPS routes and it does a pretty good job at it. It only creates a minimal amount of waypoints (not 1000s like motowhere) and actually exports it as a route, not a track. So I can paste the route straight into my GPS mapping software and review it.

So far I have only found one small issue where it places two waypoints close together when you have to make a turn and the route then has you driving in circles trying to hit both waypoints. It does not happen very often and is easily fixed by deleting one of the waypoints. All in all I like this app. It allows me to plan my route using Google Maps where I can see the terrain, local photos etc and keep my use of the clunky MapSource program to a minimum.

[eon]

I’ve been playing with this and I think I like it. Haven’t created many routes yet but did run into trouble trying to undo the last point I added. Unless there is a way to fix that that could be a deal breaker. I was able to get someone elses route to my GPS as a route (through using GPSTracker) which was cool. I love planning my routes on gmaps but hate having to reproduce the route on the archaic Garmin software.
Need to play with this some more but so far it looks promising.

[eon]

For those sort of temperatures you should look into cooling vests. Being in Seattle I have not felt the need to invest in one (but wish I had over the past month) so I will leave it to others to comment. You can also get cooling thingies that go around your neck. I might be getting one of them before next summer rolls around. Regarding jackets a mesh jacket is probably your best choice. You will be sacrificing some protection for comfort but overheating is dangerous in itself. If you have the money, I love my RevIT Turbine jacket. It has CE Level 2 armor in the shoulders and elbows but you have to buy a separate back protector. Just remember you will need gloves, boots and hopefully pants as well (and obviously a helmet).

[eon]

I’m impressed no-one mentioned the chica helping her out. If that had happened to me I would have thought I’d just died and gone to heaven

Watched the video again and freezed it at the point the car started to skid. At that point she is still well behind that car on her right. If she had been braking harder she should have been able to get in behind that since that was the direction she headed in. You can almost hear her thinking WTF and then failing to react quickly/decisively enough.

Not saying I would have done any better but watching videos like this helps keep me on my toes. If some situation starts to develop around me I might expect the worse having watched videos like this.

[eon]

I’m not so sure about the cost analysis if you plan on using that as a justification. Bikes are probably cheaper to own & run than cars but not by as much as people think. For example, I’ve just had to replace my rear tire after 8000 miles (and on my bike most people only get 6000 ~ 7000 miles). The tire cost around $80 and then another $120 to fit it. I’ve also had 600 and 6000 mile services that totaled around $600. Unless you can do a lot of mechanical work yourself then bikes are not as cheap as you might think. Just a heads up.

One of the biggest arguments for having a bike IMO, is that it makes you more aware of your surroundings and therefore a better rider/driver. Modern cars can waft you along at 100mph in more comfort than your living room couch with as much sensation of speed. I’m convinced this is a major factor in the inattention displayed by drivers today, they are simply detached from any sense of danger. The first time you hit 60mph on a bike you are very aware the only thing between you and the concrete is your riding skills.

Grab a copy of Proficient Motorcycling. That spells out all of the dangers you will face on a bike and strategies for dealing with them. Trust me when I say there are a whole lot more than you realize and at first it is overwhelming. If you are the sort of person who is committed to improving their skills through continuous training then then slowly it will become 2nd nature to you to ‘read’ the road and you will be a safer rider because of it.

[eon]

This report of a guy fighting his own traffic ticket for an obscured license plate is worth reading. More specifically, the comment from R.S, an attorney, one time judge and a motorcyclist is a must read.
http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycles/traffic-court/

[eon]

It is generally considered a bad idea to have blue lights on the front of your bike as in some places it is explicitly illegal and in others will get you unwanted attention. I read over those TX laws and saw nothing that forbid it. I also found lots of others online asking the same question but no real answers. If you are considering fighting this first step is obviously a local lawyer. I would think they could quickly tell you if this is legal or not as I doubt you are the first person to have this problem.

Other thing to consider is I don’t think local court judges sit around debating the various merits and legal precedents of each case. If they are in a grumpy mood or don’t like the look of you or your lawyer then bend over. It all depends on how important this is to you. I see fighting it as a risk of time & money but I don’t know what the odds are. I am curious to know how this turns out so please keep us informed.

[eon]

What’s the feeling from the more experience folks here on jackets NOT being zipped to the pants? I never worried about this with my winter 3/4 length jacket but with my summer one its been preying on my mind. The jacket is short and I’m pretty sure it would ride up easily in a slide. Pisses me off that the zips between jackets and pants are not standardized. I’ve been thinking about getting new pants to match the jacket but they are kind of expensive. I like my current pants but they only had a size small when I bought them and I’ve had a few too many cookies since then that they getting a bit tight round the waist. I guess I could find someone to attach the zip attachment to the pants but buying new gear is more fun

[eon]

Also keep in mind not all mesh jackets offer the same level of protection. I was all set to buy the Rev’IT Air when I discovered the Rev’IT Turbine. Similar product from the same company but one is made from stronger materials and is almost twice the price of the other. I read of one guy who slid at 70mph (he reckons) in his Air jacket. The jacket came apart at the very end and he suffered minor road rash. He seemed quite happy with that but it concerned me enough that I spent the money on the Turbine.

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