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Firstgear HT Overpant – Crash Tested
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JackTradeParticipant
Yeah, I wouldn’t worry about the displacement issue in your case…the “no 600ccs” rule of thumb here applies mainly to modern high revving 4cyl sportbikes, because of their peaky power delivery that requires some expertise to manage effectively/safely. If I’m not mistaken, your bike is a twin, so it has much more linear power when you twist the throttle. Also, it’s from the 1980s, right? I’m sure you’ll be fine.
Anyway, that’s a beautiful machine you have and welcome!
JackTradeParticipantI was hoping for Kawasaki green, or that great burnt orange color.
Still, looks good in black, with the red spring.
Why does Honda keep refusing to make a middleweight standard to compete with the Gladius and ER-6n? A 650 Nighthawk would be pretty sweet…
Also, the Kawasaki website does seem to indicate that it’s true that the Ninja 500r is no longer being made…there’s no 2010 model.
JackTradeParticipantIn the Washington, D.C. area, you’ll get them occassionally once you get out of the urban areas (for those in the area, ever try MacArthur Blvd from Georgetown all the way up into Potomac? Great twisties, never a lot of traffic and wonderful scenery.)
It helps that most of them are familiar with traffic, so they usually know to get out/stay out of the way. Biggest problem is the mult-deer scenario, which I’ve come across a few times. And at those times, I’ve once again been grateful for the BRC course…I can hear the instructor in my head telling us that there’s never just ONE deer, so be careful.
JackTradeParticipantI started out with Cortec DSX riding jeans, which have perforated leather panels (instead of Kevlar) in the critical areas, and adjustable CE knee armor.
Sounded like a great idea reading the description, and it actually kinda is. Problem was the jeans were so loose/baggy that you could pretty much forget about the armor staying in place (it would move around even when sitting on the bike). They also rode way up on my legs as well, and that really made me feel vulnerable. It really is like these pants were designed by someone who doesn’t have any real familiarity with motorcycle riding.
Switched pretty quickly to armored mesh overpants that I wear over my jeans, and haven’t looked back.
JackTradeParticipantWith my Buell (a carbed single), this is a big issue. The owner’s manual is emphatic that you have to let it warm up before you take off, for exactly the reasons stated above. Fortunately, it has an automatic choke, which helps.
I usually let it idle for maybe 30 seconds before getting underway (I can hear the drop in rpms). Fortunately, she lives in a parking garage, so I have about 2 levels to ascend before getting to the street. By the time I get there, she’s fine, but I do occasionally get hiccups and hesitations getting there (always when I’m turning around corners it seems…the only times I’ve ever put my foot down while in motion).
JackTradeParticipantI rode an Eliminator briefly in my MSF, before being switched up to a GZ250. Great bike for around a parking lot, but on the road, I dunno. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one actually out in public.
It always kills me that Kawasaki keeps using that name, even after it got rid of the bigger Eliminators. I mean what’s a 125cc motorcycle going to eliminate? Nothing against the bike, just a weird choice of names (any car nut will know that the Mercury Cougar Eliminator of the late ’60s was the top of the Mercury line, and could be had with Ford’s biggest, firebreathing V8s.)
Anyway, enough ranting…welcome to the forum and good luck with the bike search. You’ll find many fans of the Ninja 250 around here…
JackTradeParticipantGreat post indeed. Terrific pics, and I love the 5 reasons why you can’t get your knee down. I guessing this came from a foreign magazine…”shite tires” indeed.
I agree that on the street, there’s usually no need for full-on, racetrack hanging off…but shifting your head to the inside of the turn and letting it “pull” your body there does make a difference. Especially at speed, anything that gives you more lean-ability in reserve is a great thing in case of problems.
When spiritiedly tackling the twisties, I move my head about in line with the inside handgrip and shift my body weight to the, er, inside cheek. Still on the seat the entire time, just moving the weight inward. Definitely makes riding more involved, and practically, my Buell’s footpegs are in a straight down standard position, so they scrape pretty easily…so anything that decreases my bike’s lean angle is a good thing.
JackTradeParticipantWhat REALLY annoys me about pants is that it seems each manufacturer has their own, unique zipper connection for jackets. Different sizes, materials, lengths. So if you like zip your pants to your jacket as I do, they have to be of the same brand for it to work. #$@*!
It would be one of the best motorcycle gear improvements since the creation of quality lower-priced helmets in recent years if manufacturers could agree on a universal zipper standard!
JackTradeParticipantI’d love to get a sense of what hard impacts actually do to a helmet, w/o my head being in it at the time…
When I replace, I might saw mine in half, just to see what the insides look like.
JackTradeParticipantThat I wear over my jeans, and they have straps right under the knees so I can adjust the knee armor snugly against my legs. Seems to work pretty well I cinch them up tight so that they’re just on the edge of being uncomfortable while in a riding position…that way I know they’ll stand the best chance of staying put in a crash.
If you want something for under pants wear, check out setups like Bohn underarmor. Friend of mine wears a different brand but same idea and loves them. Very comfortable he tells me, and you can barely tell you’re wearing them under jeans.
JackTradeParticipantThey make a definite difference, though they’re not going to give as much protection as a fairing or windshield (of course).
My Buell has a small flyscreen, and it does a nice job of directing the wind blast upward off my chest.
I’ve experimented with various levels of tucking in at higher speeds, and on my bike, an intermediate tuck actually creates more buffeting, as it moves my helment into the flyscreen’s redirected wind blast…I have to bend all the way over, nearly touching the bottom of the helmet to the tank for clear air.
The Gladius has a small, available as an accessory flyscreen that would probably work in a similar fashion. The ER-6n has the same, but it’s currently only available abroad, but I suspect we’ll get it here in the states soon.
JackTradeParticipantthe basic way when you’re “too hot” is if you swing wide, even a little bit, from your intended path. I’m of course talking about “too hot” where you don’t lose traction, etc. but manage to hold it together, but still know that it wasn’t right…
When I’m riding, it’s one of those things only I’ll know (unless I hit something that is), but you have to be honest with yourself if you want to learn from it.
September 18, 2009 at 2:04 pm in reply to: Brand Spanking New Rider in Los Angeles (i’m so L.A.) #22415JackTradeParticipantDefinite sit on as many as you can before you buy. Since you live in SOCal, I’m betting the “winter discount” strategy doesn’t work as well with dealers as it does for us on the other coast (I’m hoping to execute it myself this winter on a new bike), but the holidays are the holidays, so I’m sure there will be people looking to unload a bike quickly for end-of-the-year cash. That’s how I got my Buell. Sure, had to trailer it home in a snowstorm, but that built character.
Another one to consider is a Suzuki GS500. They’re a pretty common beginner bike, and the ones previous to 2004 (is that right, everyone?) didn’t have a fairing, so they’re traditional standards:
The post 2004 models are the same bike, just with a sportbike fairing….they’re standards that look like sportbikes.
September 17, 2009 at 11:20 pm in reply to: Brand Spanking New Rider in Los Angeles (i’m so L.A.) #22395JackTradeParticipantCongrats on getting your license and welcome.
Re what you wants/stats/experience, you’re almost exactly the same as me. I too love the old-school standard look.
Check out the Buell P3 Blast: 500cc, classic ’70s style sport-standard looks, a decent beginner bike that is super-easy to maintain and CHEAP used. That’s what I got, and 1000 miles later, I’d do it all over again if I had to. Plenty of power for a beginner, and they handle almost telepathically.
Only issues are it’ll be a little cramped for someone your height (but liveable, and no more than a 250 Ninja would be), and the bike is a little (hell, a lot) primitive compared to the competition (but you don’t keep these things forever…they’re just starters).
And I have to say, I too love the look of the 250 Nighthawks….retro and futuristic all at once. Wish Honda would make them in a 650 variant (and of course with disc brakes, not the drums the 250 has).
JackTradeParticipantWhat’s the vibration like, overall?
My Buell is a thumper as well, and it’s like sitting on a paint mixer when I’m idling. Things in the mirrors look like impressionist paintings. It smooths out once you get past maybe 2000 rpm (I’m guessing, as no tach). Not that I mind…once I got used to it, I barely notice it anymore, except when things shake themselves loose (like the odometer knob did the other week…).
Just curious if foreign thumpers are better mannered than my domestic…I have a feeling they probably are. I too get backfires occassionaly, but to me it goes with the unruly nature of this sort of engine.
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