[eon]

http://www.tinwolf.co.uk/ might do what you want. They make vests with reflective patches and you can submit your own design.

[eon]

My “bike” is actually a scooter so I do not have to worry about engine revs or gears (thankfully).

Since a picture is worth a thousand words and all, here is the scene of the crime.

This is almost exactly my viewpoint at the time it all happened. As you can see I don’t have many places to go. The camera here is compressing the distances. The gap between my stop line and the stop line in the oncoming filter lane is about 40 feet.
So that was my escape route. Plenty of extra space to aim for and it would get me out of the way of traffic.

I’ve been thinking about this some more and I wonder if I was too slow in realizing the following car was not stopping. Maybe, but since it had my full attention I’m not sure I could have been quicker reacting.

Other things have crossed my mind. This light is rarely red so maybe the car driver was not expecting it? Another factor to throw into the decision making process on whether to stop or not.

One action I can take is to invest in brighter brake lights. I like the look of modulating LED brake lights, they always get my attention when I see them (if that’s not a redundant statement). Maybe it was this combination of her not expecting to stop and not seeing my brake lights? Maybe she saw the red light and got on the gas for all I know. But the sooner my brake lights get her attention the less risk I am at. Time to break open the wallet.

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I am more comfortable going right than left. I did notice when I was circling at the end that was the direction I chose to go in, didn’t notice it at the time.

[eon]

Congrats on passing the course and for sticking to your guns and going for a 250. If that’s what you are comfortable with then it would be silly to be pressured into something else.

As far as helmets go, yes, you want to get one that fits snugly. That does not mean a $400 lid is safer than a $200 one. It might mean it is sexier, cooler and even more comfortable but not necessarily safer. The only place I know that gives safety rating for helmets is the British SHARP website. There is some controversy over their testing methods but at least it gives you some idea of the relative merits of each.

[eon]

Hey…
Actually even I rarely wave at scooters these days as it is rarely returned. Mostly they seem to be staring straight ahead oblivious. If they are ATGATT then the chances of acknowledgment are much higher.
But then I don’t really ride a scooter, it just happens to be a step through, automatic motorcycle :>

[eon]

I have no experience in those kind of conditions but from everything I’ve read the evaporative cooling liner is the better solution. I would imagine that would be a huge pain for every day riding though. Sorry I cannot be more help but my decisions are more along the line of winter glove or heavy winter glove.

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I would say your father is your best ally in this. If he cannot bring your mother around then you have no chance. I am not sure what your circumstances are but sometimes you just have to live your own life. Your mother is NEVER going to be happy with you being on a bike. Either you decide to respect her wishes or decide to do what is important to you. That will be your choice. If you decide to go ahead with it then you can at least try to ease her pain by emphasizing how seriously you take it. Take the MSF class, get proper gear etc. Just don’t expect her to be happy about it. There are plenty of 40 something guys on here who get grief from their mothers (myself included).

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It was a free for all in my class as well but that didn’t really matter since all but one of the bikes were 250cc crusiers (I’m guessing the ergonomics are roughly the same between them). There was one Nighthawk which I had hoped to grab but I was too slow.

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I think I have got used to the sudden gusts that make riding difficult. It’s not fun in those conditions but I think can handle it ok. I was going over a bridge one windy day when I had a new experience. The 4 foot tall concrete wall along the side was deflecting the wind off the bike but I was not spared. Result was the sudden gusts would catch only me and it felt like I was being punched in the helmet. I certainly had a tight grip of the handlebars that day. Thankfully it only lasted while I crossed over a lake.

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Ridesyeti, at your stage I would echo what the others are saying, parking lot practice. Then try to get riding experience in light traffic so you can concentrate on how to handle the bike, take corners etc. Learning to watch for traffic is a whole another skill that will develop over time.

Gary856, Lee Parks describes the scenario you experienced where your hands are fighting each other and your steering becomes erratic. He recommends mentally “letting go” of the hand on the outside of the corner. Make it go limp so it is not fighting the arm that is counter steering. It is a good exercise to practice and really does help.

The first time you head for a twisty road I would make sure it is a dry day and there is as little traffic as you can mange. You need to be concentrating on taking the corners so try to get as much going for you as you can. I would not worry about your entry speed at first. Just take it slow and try to be smooth.

The first time I hit a twisty road the bike was squirming all over the road. I was taking the corners slow but the bike was basically out of control. I knew what I was doing wrong but it was a hard thing to fix. I was rolling off the throttle before the corner and waiting to see the exit before getting back on it. I knew I was supposed to be on the throttle during the corner but it was a huge leap of faith to do apply the throttle when the bike is out of control. But once I did, the bike behaved exactly like they said it would (it sat down on the suspension instead of wobbling around the corner) and life became easier.

There was still a long way to go as many, many times I would panic going round a corner and hit the brakes. I would get mad at myself for doing exactly the wrong thing but what made it worse was the bike would stand up and stop comfortably. I was going SO SLOW I could do completely the wrong thing and still get away with it. That was a humbling experience but by continuing to practice I have managed to reduce (if not eliminate) the “oh shit” moments, have developed the confidence to lean more (instead of hitting the brakes), and can now take the same corners faster, smoother and safely.

Maybe it’s because I’m old and cautious but it took me time to get comfortable taking corners at reasonable speeds. But I am ok with that. I figure my skills will develop faster if I am not lying in a hospital bed or my bike is in the shop.

[eon]

I don’t need a heated jacket as it is just my fingers that get cold. I have heard conflicting stories on how useful heated gloves are. I think the heated grips work but I’m not sure I will still have this bike come next winter so I am hesitant to shell out money on it.

[eon]

For me it happened almost by accident. I had just moved to downtown Seattle where my new place only came with one parking space. A 2nd space would cost $200 a month and given that I live and work downtown, we did not really need 2 cars. So after becoming a one car family I quickly discovered that I still needed transportation of my own from time to time. Looking out my window at a line of scooters parked on the street I decided one of them would be perfect (it could fit in front of the wife’s car in our parking space). Once I learned that I needed a motorcycle license anyway then my sights moved onto bikes and the new Ninja 250 became my favorite.

Before doing anything though I was going to take the MSF class. I have older brothers who ride and one of them had head on crash a few years back. Visiting him in the hospital was a sobering experience. He was very very fortunate though in that the only injury he suffered was to his leg, this despite ending up underneath a van.

Sorry for the graphic image but this was what was in my head when I was considering riding. I forced myself to read every crash story I could. If I was going to go ahead with this then I was going to do it with my eyes open. While waiting for my class I bought and read Proficient Motorcycling. I bought myself a white helmet and a bright yellow jacket. I was going to do everything I could to minimize the risks. Looking cool was way down my list of priorities.

After taking and passing the class I set about looking for a bike. Unfortunately the new Ninja was impossible to come by last summer. At that time I noticed this odd 3 wheel scooter sitting at the dealership across the street and everything I read about it gave it rave reviews. I guess I had read one too many threads about someone going down on gravel. The extra wheel on this scooter gives you 50% more grip and was good insurance against exactly that type of problem (if one wheel hits gravel, the other might still be ok). More importantly it was available. So, I took looking cool to a new low as I rode around town with my day-glow jacket, white helmet and 3 wheel scooter
But, I have stayed safe, not dropped and have learned how to ride in the process.

Some day soon I will move to the top of the cool ladder when I get myself a BMW dual sport. From that lofty position I can look down my nose at the lessor mortals around me and know that I have arrived

[eon]

I went for a group ride to Mt. St. Helens on Saturday and the morning started off at 32’F with freezing fog. Fog gets you cold real quick as the vapor just seems to stick to you. It did burn off as the day progressed but we did ride through a snow storm on the way back from the mountain. I think I had the beginnings of frostbite in my finger tips as it seemed to take a long time for the tingly feeling to go away once I got back home. I think for next winter I need to upgrade to something more substantial than just winter gloves.

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While I am sure testing it would be fun, would you buy it?
I am skeptical about this thing. I don’t see it appealing to bikers or to car enthusiasts. The market for it must be very small. Also I’m not sure what they mean by F1 suspension. Given that F1 cars generate tremendous down force on billiard smooth race tracks, I’m not sure the suspension would be suitable for our roads (at least not the ones near me!).

If you want open air 4 wheel fun check out the Caterham 7 for $46,125.

Engine: 2.3 litre Cosworth Duratec
Max Power (bhp/rpm) 260bhp @ 7500
Max Torque (lbs ft/rpm) 200 @ 6200
Weight 575kg
0-60mph 3.1 Seconds
Power-to-weight 452bhp-per-tonne
Top Speed 155mph

For $15,000 more you can get a version that does 0-60 in 2.88 seconds!!

[eon]

I think he did take the class, he just didn’t want to get kicked off for being slow. I also suspect there was more to it than his friend let on but you never know, I am sure there are some bad instructors out there. Probably a small minority but there must be some (there is a thread on advrider just not about an instructor advising a student to start on a 900cc bike or larger).

It sounds like bigguy is on the right track, reading the MSF literature before the class and practicing. So long as he keeps that up afterwards. In my opinion the class is just the first step towards being a safe rider. An important first step that gets you off on the right foot so to speak, but just the first step nonetheless.

[Author]

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