[eon]

Congrats on getting training and buying lots of good gear, even if it did require a little painful wake up call. After watching a girl snap her ankle like a twig at soccer I bought good motorcycle boots the next day. As you found out, it doesn’t take much for things to break down there.

I think 20,000 miles is a good target before moving up. I have 24k myself now and though I am far from being an expert I know my learning curve has tapered off. It’s been a while since I scared myself which is a good sign. I would also strongly recommend continued training if it’s available to you. I know the advanced class I took this June moved my ability forward by a huge amount and I can’t wait to take the next class.

And lastly, grab a copy of Proficient Motorcycling. That is a fantastic way to learn of (and therefore avoid) all the dangers lurking out there. Certainly kept me safe on more than one occasion.

[eon]

Well, based on that report it’s hard to think the officer involved is anything other than a complete asshole who should be fired immediately. I try to be understanding of the work they have to do. I’m sure they spend all day cleaning up after the dregs of society, but there comes a point where enough is enough and they should clean house rather than trying to protect their own. Here in Seattle there have been way too many similar cases recently and each time the officers are cleared or get a slap on the wrist.

Being from the UK I have to say I was shocked when I first came to the States to see the attitude of cops. There is a huge, huge difference in attitude. In the UK for the most part it is people doing a job, I never got the feeling there was a general attitude of being above the law or us versus them. There will always be bad individuals but not this culture of the cops being above the law. Almost the opposite in fact. The higher rank officers are held to a high standard and any charges of DUI could be career ending after a public flogging.

In NJ, and I still find this hard to believe, the cops hand out PBA cards to their family and friends and if you get pulled over you hand over the card and you are let off with a warning. My friend was delighted when he got a family PBA card from his new brother in law. This card he got to keep if pulled over, it wasn’t a one time deal like the other cards. It staggers me that everyone knew about this practice and acted as if it was normal and not a huge red flag. To me it was simple corruption and they couldn’t even be bothered to hide it.

So this video above I don’t find surprising at all.

[eon]

No offense taken. You are aware of the risks and you make a choice that works for you, and riding a trike your risks of sliding down the road are a lot less than most of us. On a beginner site though I just want to be sure people realize what consequences the choices they are making may have.

I have no idea what protection snow mobile gear would offer in the event of a crash but I have a hard time thinking would match dedicated motorcycle gear. But if someone chooses that with knowledge of the risks then that is fine with me. Just would hate to see someone make that choice in ignorance and then potentially learn the hard way it was a bad choice.

[eon]

Riding in those temperature extremes it’s hard to see how you can avoid two sets of gear if you want to be comfortable. In 90+ temps you really need mesh jacket/pants to get as much air flow as you can. In 30′ you would want no airflow, and at 40mph the windchill would be very severe. You might get a textile combination that could just about handle it but it wouldn’t be as good as separate summer/winter gear. Having said that I wear my mesh jacket all year with a rain jacket over the top in the colder months. With plenty of layers underneath I get by but then it’s not usually too cold here (Seattle) and I am behind a large windshield. At 30′ with no shield I would freeze.

What gear you get is in large part a very personal choice. I cannot say if Kevlar jeans would be a good choice for you. Personally they don’t offer enough protection for my liking and I would only wear them for low speed trips where I needed something practical, say like a trip to work or to meet friends. If I’m going out on a ride I like something more substantial. If you add in armor they are not necessarily any cheaper than a pair of good textile pants.

[eon]

What kind of temperatures and climates are you riding in? That probably has a big impact on what gear works for you. Living in the NW I went with textile, but could probably have gone with leather as I ended up wearing rain gear over the textile anyway. I ended up with Rev’IT gear which I think looks good, but I guess that all depends on what you like. Apart from liking how they look I like the fact the company puts safety at the forefront of their marketing. Their higher end stuff they claim is more abrasive resistant than leather.

If your focus is more on looking like normal clothing then kevlar jeans with armor underneath would be my minimum requirement.

[eon]

Remember that motorcycle gear is designed to protect you from road rash as well as the elements. I have no idea how long those gloves would hold up sliding down the road at 50mph and I wouldn’t want to be the one to find out. Also those boots would concern me. No impact protection at all would mean even a simple fall where the bike lands on your foot could cause major damage.

Everyone comes to their own decision about how much protection is enough, but please don’t forget about it in an effort to keep warm.

[eon]

There is a contributor on this site (eternal05) who is I think is 6′ 3″ who rides a Ninja 250 (among other things). He purchased something for around $120 that allowed him to adjust the footpeg position to give him more room. Failing that anything in the dual sport or supermoto style is inevitably taller. Lots of options in the dual sport 250cc range from Kawasaki, Yamaha and Honda. One of eternal’s other bikes is the Suzuki DRZ-400SM, a supermoto that I think has a high seat height.

Lot’s of options out there, hopefully there is something you like.

[eon]

This one was about a month before the last ride and was my first time in this area. Took it easy and just soaked in the amazing views.

For some reason this video is not embedding? If it’s not showing then http://vimeo.com/14393112 is the direct link to it.

[eon]

2nd Munch’s suggestion of training first, bike second. Not only will it set you off on the right foot, it will give you an opportunity to sit on different bikes and see what you like. Can’t emphasize enough you need to learn how to ride solo before contemplating a passenger, and that takes time and many miles. Personally, taking the responsibility for another persons safety is not something I would do until I was sure I knew what I was doing, and adding all that mass at the back changes how the bike handles enormously. Seriously, I would forget about a passenger for the first year or so. Concentrate on yourself and get good at riding. It also gives you more choice on a suitable first bike.

[eon]

The F800GS I think is the perfect bike, but it does come at a price.
Gary summed up the 650 dual sports that are biased towards the off road side, madjak the more road biased VStrom. I will also throw out there the Versys which is really just a road bike with raised suspension, but if you are not planning on tackling anything more than fire roads then it’s probably fine.

I would say it all comes down to what “off-road” means to you. From your description it sounds like forest service roads is what you have in mind. For that any of the road biased bikes would be fine and they would have a huge advantage over the more “dirt” bikes on tarmac. At a 60/40 split I would probably go for a KLR. If it was more 80/20 then the VStrom would be more appealing.

Tires make a huge difference when off road so keep that in mind. I have a friend with a KLR who put knobbies on it for a long off road trip but only got about 3000 miles before they were shot. It’s always a compromise between grip and durability.

My perfect setup would be a Versys for every day jaunts and forest roads and a 250cc dual sport (such as KLX) for real off road stuff. Together they would still cost several thousand less than a F800GS.

[eon]

I’m late to the game here, but I’ve been riding a 500cc scooter for the past 2 years/23000 miles and I agree with what Rab posted. Also the Kymco that Jeff mentioned comes highly recommened and is probably cheaper than the more well known brands. Another review of that can be found here..
http://soundrider.com/current/aug10/kymcoDowntown300i.htm

[eon]

I almost never ride solo these days and I can’t say I miss it. I have a group of 3 close friends that I ride with all the time and maybe 6 or so others off and on. Riding with friends adds a lot to the experience IMO but it took me a long time to get to this stage. Safe to say there are pros and cons to both but before you dismiss group riding completely be aware there are many different types of riding styles and it may take you some time to find a group that you mesh with.

My first ever group ride was with a maxi scooter group and it set the tone for what makes a good group ride for me. The organizer insists on ATTGATT and does not have a problem kicking people off who do not comply. He uses this as a simple yardstick to weed out folks who are not serious about learning how to ride. He then has the fast folks at the front, slow folks at the back. Optimal spacing is 4 seconds apart, or at least no closer. At any intersection you wait to make sure the person behind you sees which way you turn. Real simple strategy and it means everyone gets to ride at their own pace. In essence you are really riding alone but you meet up with the others every so often. This is still my preferred method of group riding.

I’ve also ridden with several meetup groups. One of them tends to attract large numbers on their rides (20 or 30) and they like to ride in staggered formation (even in corners!). They have slow folks just behind the leader (as recommend by MSF). Having nominated ‘sweep’ riders and even blockers at intersections is the name of the game here. This style is not for me and I no longer ride with them. It obviously works for many people though given the large numbers. But other than not liking the riding style, 30 bikes pulling into a gas station is hell. It even took 2 hours once just to get pizza from a fast food place for us all. Not for me.

My other meetup group tends to attact no more than 10 riders on a ride and about half of them will be my close friends. A more diverse type of bike and rider in this group. I lead many rides here and I set the tone on how the ride will be run. I’ve even converted many folks over to my way of thinking as they simply had not known anything different.

But these days most of my rides tend to be through Facebook with my “inner circle” of riding buddies. Riding with others can cramp your style but it can also enhance the pleasure you get from riding. Nothing beats blasting down some awesome road and then able to talk about and share the fun with your friends. I’m also looking forward to exploring some off road riding with these folks. We are all interested in that and we are all at the same stage (ie. complete beginners). That promises to be a LOT of fun.

[eon]

I get it also. I think it is a firefox/google thing. If I browse on IE it is fine. Does look weird that the report page shows zero attacks.

[eon]

I think it is a very bad law that in order to cut down on loud pipes they ban all aftermarket exhausts. Aside from the practicalities of enforcing that I agree with Munch that it is an infringement of your rights. Basically your freedom is being restricted in order to stop some people from breaking a law, a law that you are not breaking and would appear to be very easy to enforce? I just don’t get it. I can no longer replace my cheap and very heavy exhaust with a lighter one because some others are breaking a law. That is just plain wrong.

BUT (and it’s a very big but), I am not at all surprised it has come to this. I completely disagree with Munch’s characterization that only Mrs Bitchy going 15 miles below the speed limit gets upset by this for 30 seconds.

I HATE LOUD PIPES. THEY REALLY, REALLY PISS ME OFF!!!

Ok, glad I got that off my chest. So maybe if you live in a rural environment on an acre of land you only ever hear loud pipes for 30 seconds at a time. I live in an urban area. I hear them all the fricken time. My neighbor leaves at midnight and wakes the whole neighborhood. It’s not exactly uncommon to see large packs of bikes with loud pipes go by and that lasts a whole lot longer than 30 seconds. When they are stopped at lights they somehow feel the need to rev the engine. What the fuck is that for? I was on a ferry last week with 30 “Headless Horsemen” who felt the need to rev their bikes inside this big metal container. The poor ferry worker was very upset as she hears this shit all day long. When she pleaded with them to stop as she was not wearing ear plugs the dickheads were very slow to stop.

So when laws like this get passed do not act surprised. For too long the loud pipe brigade have been happily trampling on the rights of others. Now the others (the vast majority of the population) have had enough of and are fighting back. Why the hell should they care if they take away some of your freedom if it means they can avoid having their hearing assaulted?

[eon]

BMW let you test ride bikes, or at least my local dealer does. Went in to buy some gear and they practically begged me to take a test ride. I managed to summon some will power and decline or else I would likely have done something silly, like buy one!

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