[eon]

I couldn’t find that thread. Is the general consensus that any pair will do? I’m seriously searching for something to keep my hands dry and warm over the winter months. My $10 rain mittens let me down last week and I need to find something else PDQ. Problem is there is not much of an aftermarket for my ride (Piaggio MP3 500). I saw a picture where someone had mounted hand guards on my type of bike but they looked kind of small. I was concerned my hands would still get wet and therefore cold. My other option is those muff thingies but even those are a pain to get a hold of. Looking at a 3 week delay while they are imported. Would love to find something local.

[eon]

I’ve never really bought into this “powering out of trouble” argument. Once you start accelerating and the other guy does too, whatever trouble you were trying to avoid is suddenly a lot closer and happening at greater speeds. Do that a few times (and I have) and you start to wonder if braking might be the safer option. Regardless, just about every bike is faster than just about any car on the road so using as a justification to buy a more powerful machine does not really hold up for me.

Can’t really help you on the HP/torque thing, but I don’t think it is a simple safe/not safe argument. The more power you have the less room for error you have.

You have probably heard this before but it really is true, your first bike will not be your last (assuming you don’t scare yourself to death!). Why not plan on getting a smaller used bike, even if it’s only for a few months? Take this pressure off yourself, plan on riding a used Ninja 250 for the first 3 months and then get yourself the 600cc knowing you will be able to handle it. You might even turn a profit on the Ninja.

[eon]

Use your fear to educate yourself and make yourself a safe rider and you could have a lifetime of happy riding ahead of you. I have a brother who almost died on a bike so I thought long and hard before going down this road. I forced myself to read the crash reports and the awful injuries and deaths that occur. After doing all that I still wanted to ride but as safely as I possibly could. I took the MSF class before I ever considered buying a bike. I read the Proficient Motorcycling books. I plan on taking the Intermediate MSF class very soon. I want to take the dirt bike training as well as that looks like a lot of fun. In short, I don’t see my education ever stopping, no matter how many years I ride.
ATGATT is a given. It can be a pain at times but nothing compared to sliding down the road or bouncing your head off of concrete.

One piece of advice you will always hear is “ride your own ride”. This is not always easy to do as we are all susceptible to peer pressure. If you have the balls to do your own thing and to hell with whatever happens to be cool or ignore suggestions from well meaning “friends” then you should have no problems. If you want to cruise down Main St on your race replica bike in your best t-shirt then read those rash reports carefully!

[eon]

There is a great thread over on advrider that talks about how to discourage tailgaters. Consensus seems to be standing up works wonders, along with turning to look at them and waving them back. I like the standing up idea but I have not had a need to try it out yet.
I feel your pain on that light on that corner. There is a tight corner on the way to where I practice my slow maneuvers. Speed limit is 40mph and it would be a great corner if the road was smooth and there wasn’t a light right at the end of it. I keep waiting for it to change when I am leaning over. Hasn’t happened yet…

[eon]

I am just guessing here but I am pretty certain the rear light does not need to be permanently on on bikes in the UK, don’t know about India (but somehow I doubt it). So your brother is probably correct that it is by design but that does not make it legal in the US.

[eon]

Hmmm….sure are some…ahem..interesting cruisers in here. While I like the clean look of the Vulcan 500, some of the beasties in here are too extreme for me. Given that dual sports are the fastest growing segment of motorcycle sales I am surprised no-one has posted pictures of them. One of them will probably be my next bike, something like the BMW F650 GS or Dakar.

I want to explore some of the forest roads we have in the NW.

[eon]

Unless you are wearing glasses the visor is supposed to be down, at least far enough to cover your eyes (otherwise there is no point in having a visor). I was able to ride around with mine cracked open (and it’s a Scorpion so that is a big crack).

[eon]

You should look for armor that is CE rated. That is a European safety certificate and it is the only standard I am aware of for motorcycle protection. Most products seem to claim CE ratings these days but not all. If it is not certified then you have no idea of the quality of the protection it offers. May be good, may be bad but its not something I want to find out the hard way.

If you are looking for a warm jacket, the Teknic Freeway jacket is certainly warm and it is water proof. Everyone who owns one (including me) seems to like it. You might have a hard time tracking one down in your size now as I think it is discontinued.
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=291731

[eon]

Glad you got it fixed, it’s a sweet looking bike. As far as the comments on the 250 board go I’d say you got off pretty lightly. In a forum dedicated to one specific bike, to say you had “outgrown” it after 650 miles is pretty inflammatory. That comes across as saying you have mastered it and that the others have not. If I was a Rebel 250 owner I would have fired up the flame thrower myself

Truth is that bike was never any good for the roads you are riding but it has allowed you to safely progress from the parking lot to the freeways. But then you know that already. I think it was just the word “outgrown” that set some people off.

[eon]

Found these videos on advrider from the British Army

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2LGcVes4Uo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s3DxatSs8U

[eon]

From what I have read it appears a lot of experienced riders avoid going on groups like this because you have no idea who you are with and how they will ride. I have only been on one group ride and it was great fun but there were only 7 of us. Interestingly we did not follow the MSF instructions above and I think it made for a better ride. The faster guys went at the front and the slower ones (including me) stayed at the back. We would inevitably split up but the leaders would always wait at intersections so that nobody got lost. Being at the back meant I could ride at my own pace and not worry about holding anyone up. That certainly made for a better day for me and I’m sure for the others. Also, we kept a 4 second distance between each other, not the 2 recommended.

If you decide to go, I hope you have a great time.

[eon]

You seem to be pretty self satisfied with your abilities as a driver and rider but is it justified? I don’t know, maybe it is, but there was nothing in your post to indicate you are a talented rider or driver. It is worrying that your lack of self control dictates what vehicle you buy. If you have such a need for speed then take it to a race track. You might find that your confidence and lack of fear lets you achieve great things. But keep pushing the limits on the public road and it is just a matter of time before something bad happens.

[eon]

Glad you got home safely, that is the main thing!
There are days when it seems you meet every idiot on the road and there are days when your coordination seems to be off, to get both at once and survive it is good going. The best thing after a day like that is to hang up the helmet and watch tv.
I’m glad you had the gas station incident (and survived it of course). It is one thing to read about this blindness and another to experience it. It happened to me once when I was driving a CHEVY BLAZER!!. Guy pulling out of gas station, we make eye contact, I am certain he sees me so I even speed up. Of course, as soon my truck starts accelerating he pulls out and then stops in my lane (he was trying to get into the next lane full of stationary traffic). I have never been so convinced I was going to hit someone than now. I hit the brakes full on, ABS kicks in, my nose is planted in the steering wheel, time slows down, I wait for the impact, 2 years pass by, still waiting for the impact, I get thrown back in my seat as I come to a stop. I look up and I have stopped 6″ short of him. I still cannot believe I stopped in time. As much as that scared me at the time I have never forgotten that moment when he looked me in the eye and then proceeded to not see a friggen SUV. Makes me extra cautious now I am on 2 wheels.

[eon]

I found these pictures on a local forum of a guy putting a Gold Wing through its paces. I think he would have noproblem with a U-turn!!

[eon]

+1 on the judgement thing.
I think it would be fine to point out you found out the wording offensive but not cool to dump on the guy. You need to consider that you found offense where none was intended. It appears everyone else took his words to be simply descriptive so maybe we are all white men who do not own Mercedes or SUVs, or maybe you are reading too much into this?

[Author]

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