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Honda Grom: Beginner Bike Profile + Owner Reviews
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fotobitsParticipant
Unless you have a really long commute, the time it takes to put on your riding gear and take it off more than negates th time you’ll save being able to cut through traffic faster, even if you can split lanes. And, as megaspaz said, bikes need more maintenance than cars, especially tires. I also find that what I save in gas (not much with a five-mile commute) I more than lose when I go riding on weekends or take the long way home from work.
Luckily, my wife loves motorcycles and encouraged me to buy one last month.
fotobitsParticipantYeah, it’s a station wagon. I have no problems with my manhood, and need something to carry my telescope to our local astronomy club’s observing site. It’s going to have to serve double-duty pulling a motorcycle trailer when I start going to track days next spring.
fotobitsParticipantMy 2003 Suzuki SV1000 is lighter, cheaper, more reliable, handles better and stops quicker than anything Harley has ever produced. I used to live in Hollister, CA, and saw many broken Harleys during the annual biker invasion. They were everywhere.
I even did a social experiment one day and rode my Honda CB600F3 to Johnny’s Bar & Grill. Parked it right in front amongst all the Harleys. Not only did no one speak to me, no one even made eye contact. I rode home, switched bikes and returned within 10 minutes on my Triumph Sprint RS. That bike drew a crowd before I turned off the engine, with the Harley cruiser types wanting to sit on it, and commenting about how pretty it was. No one seemed to recognize my helmet and leathers from a few minutes earlier.
While riding my bikes over the years I have found that almost everyone waves, no matter the type of bike. The ribbing about Japanese bikes is good-natured. The important things is we’re all on two wheels. I just cannot see spending the money for a Harley and then needing a second bike for track days, which I wouldn’t be able to afford if I bought a Harley.
Oh yeah. Don’t forget the comment about broken Harleys above.
August 21, 2008 at 1:15 am in reply to: Car drivers are soooo f****!!!!!!!!! (my impending foot smash incident) #10858fotobitsParticipantwhen they really are out to get you.
fotobitsParticipantWhat do you think will happen if you go down?
Get some riding gloves ASAP.
fotobitsParticipantGet the riding gear first, then fix your bike. If you can’t afford the gear you can’t afford to ride.
fotobitsParticipantIf you’re dragging knee on the street you’re going too fast.
fotobitsParticipantIt is too hot to ride right now. Today’s high was 100 degrees. Yesterday’s high was 100 degrees. Last weekend’s highs were 100 degrees, which was down five degrees from the previous weekend.
Y’all get to ride in the summer, we get to ride the other eight months of the years.
fotobitsParticipantRelax. Seriously. Relaxing is the absolute best thing you can do on a motorcycle. Keep your grip on the bars loose, listen to the instructors, and practice what they teach you. You will be a more confident and safer rider at the end of the course. My wife passed the MSF course after three months of weekends on a Honda XR100.
fotobitsParticipantWhat’s that? Oh yeah, that’s the time of year it gets dark too early to take the long way home after work. Sure makes for some nice Sunday rides, though. I can hardly wait.
fotobitsParticipant… resembles the way the sea creatures move.
They go really fast in a straight line, come to an almost complete stop, turn slowly, then zoom off to the next corner.
fotobitsParticipantThis site is excellent now, and has the potential to get even better. I’ll do whatever I can to help.
fotobitsParticipantHave fun!
August 11, 2008 at 12:24 am in reply to: Riding with one or two fingers on brake lever: for or against? #10229fotobitsParticipantI admit, I do not cover my brake while turning, but knowing how to brake while turning is an important survival skill. A couple of examples stand out in my mind.
1) When my wife was in college we lived 10 miles south of Kerrville, Texas. Great place for motorcycling. I could pull out of my driveway, ride 100 feet to the highway, turn left and be in the twisties. One particularly lovely Sunday morning a I jumped on my Suzuki GS650E and headed south. Less than one mile down the road, in the first good right-hander, two deer jumped out of the grass in the ditch and began running down the highway in my lane. There was, of course, a car coming around the corner in the left lane. I had no choice but to slow from 60 mph to about 20 mph while leaned over.
2) While attending Jason Pridmore’s STAR school at Thunderhill Raceway a few years ago my Honda CBR600F3 began sputtering coming out of Turn 10. I reached down and flipped the fuel lever to Reserve and stupidly diverted my attention from the track. When I looked up I was passing my usual Turn 11 brake marker. Luckily, we had just gone through a trail braking lesson earlier that day. I made the corner, and didn’t even need to clean my leathers.
One technique Reg Pridmore teaches is to cover your brake lever with your first two finders, and practice gently squeezing the lever as you roll off the throttle. Try it while sitting on your bike in the garage or driveway. You’ll see that when you roll on the throttle you naturally let off the brake. With a bit of practice this technique becomes a reflex action.
August 11, 2008 at 12:18 am in reply to: Riding with one or two fingers on brake lever: for or against? #10169fotobitsParticipantDon’t even think about it any more. A rider who would yank on the lever too hard would do so with or without the brake covered. The slight decrease in reaction may be enough to avoid a collision, so covering the brake is an excellent habit.
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