[Jeff in Kentucky]

You can add armor under a mesh jacket- here is some:

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/350/274/1/0/0/DCLASS/Street-Bike-Protective-Suits-Protection-Mens-Riding-Gear.aspx

My jacket is similar to this one (same brand), and it works very well for me both in the summer, and with a sweater added under it in the winter at 40 degrees F:

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r3/olympia-ast

[Jeff in Kentucky]

A guy at work has one of these Lifan bikes. Lifan got the plans from Honda, so it is an almost exact copy of a 1980s 250cc Honda dirt bike with a newer suspension, and they make a sportbike fairing version. He has had his for about four years with no problems, except some extra work getting a title for it.

For the Niagara Falls area, Steve Leigh at Hardlydangerous Motorsports spends some of his time building motocross race bikes, but most of his time selling and maintaining low cost Chinese bikes, after he goes over them to improve the wiring and any other defects. His phone number in Canada is 905-228-3167. Most of the Chinese bikes are shipped to the Pacific coast, then trucked from there.

[Jeff in Kentucky]

That extra front wheel is useful when you need twice the front tire traction, to stop or turn faster, especially when the pavement is slippery.

Also, a 3-wheeler is more stable at slow speeds, when it is common for a beginner to not use the clutch well and drop their bike. If you lean a 2-wheeler over just a little too far at slow speeds, you quickly learn how much heavier it is compared to a bicycle, and it becomes almost impossible to hold up instead of falling over.

A 250cc engine is fine for 1 person on 55 mph speed limit roads, which is what a beginner should limit themselves to. This model is quite expensive, but also quite a bit safer for a beginner or anyone else, especially for someone who wants to ride in below freezing temperatures. The web site states the top speed for the 250cc version is 77 mph:

http://www.piaggiousa.com/scooters.php#/overview/Piaggio%20MP3%20250

[Jeff in Kentucky]

This article is about rebuilding a 1973 CB500:

http://www.motorcycleclassics.com/restoration/technical/project-cafe-1973-honda-cb500-part1.aspx

[Jeff in Kentucky]

This is a common problem. Buy an ironing board cover, and sew a piece of this material over the melted spot.

For melted plastic on exhaust pipes, use some oven cleaner and a Scotchbrite scrubber pad when the exhaust pipes are hot- I also like Mothers aluminum polish as a gentle cleaner and polisher for chrome or aluminum.

For more ankle protection, pharmacies sell ankle braces, and sports stores sell ankle and shin armor for playing soccer. I have soccer ankle and shin guards, and skateboarding knee armor under low budget nylon motorcycle pants. They are cool in the summer, but leak a lot when it rains- I have a rain suit to put over them.

[Jeff in Kentucky]

My guess is that you can have an out of state license and still take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation class- sometimes people get put on a waiting list in case others cancel at the last minute, or go to other states to get the class sooner. It is worth checking out for different prices and different times.

[Jeff in Kentucky]

On group rides the 2.9 gallon gas tank for my 2002 Honda Shadow VLX 600cc needs to be filled before everyone else gets low. I carry a metal can made for Sea Foam filled with gas and a little Sea Foam, just in case I run out of fuel.

On long trips especially in desert areas with few gas stations, some people will bring an extra gallon or two of gas- for weight distribution it is best to put the gas in the bottom of saddlebags, one plastic gallon container for each side.

[Jeff in Kentucky]

but I would not buy a Harley because only a real man rides a Harley- millions of real men and women ride little scooters.

If I win a big lottery jackpot, I would like to buy a 1959 Harley Panhead, a 1938 to 1942 Indian 4 cylinder, and a Vincent Black Shadow, along with a bunch of newer bikes of several brands. For my low salary now, a cheap but good quality riceburner seems the best.

A note about Harley Sportsters- before 2004, the engine was solid mounted so vibration was a lot worse.

[Jeff in Kentucky]

A motorcycle jacket is specially designed for 75 mph wind and most have back and elbow armor. A regular jacket will move around a lot in the wind, and is less safe.

Bicycle shorts are designed for sitting on a narrow seat hours at a time- regular underwear has seams that are much more uncomfortable.

A helmet should feel a little tight, so it does not move around and have extra wind noise. A loose helmet may come off during a crash.

Black and dark brown jackets, and dark colored helmets, make it more likely for a car driver to make a turn without seeing you, although they are better at hiding bug smears.

[Jeff in Kentucky]

In a perfect world, Harley lovers would leave metric riders alone, and metric riders would not feel they had to defend their bike choice with words or writing.

You can show up in Sturgis, South Dakota during bike week with a Japanese bike if you want, park out front and stay at the bars all night, and hope the few extremely drunk Harley riders leave you and your bike alone.

We all have a choice in what we buy, unlike 1940s to 1980s Russia where you could only buy a Russian made Ural that was expensive and unreliable. Maybe 90% of motorcycle riders are reasonable about the freedom of others to make their own bike choices- the rest are really not, and maybe 1% might do a crime against those who chose differently, especially with enough drugs clouding their minds. A beginner should keep this in mind, especially if they plan to ride in areas with clubs that only ride one brand of bike.

[Jeff in Kentucky]

From the original article:

“Harley Davidson is about one of the smartest motorcycle manufacturers in the world. The stupidity can be traced right back to YOU, the unwitting public who buys what Milwaukee is selling and Milwaukee is selling only one thing; image. Image with no substance, image at a price. Anyone can ride a Harley, it just takes lots of money and very little brains. How else can you explain paying so much and receiving so little in return?”

[Jeff in Kentucky]

If this guy steers one person new to motorcycles away from a Harley Davidson, he may save a life. They are not designed for most beginners because of their weight. Some think it is fine for Harley owners and nonowners to bash other brands as “unpatriotic”, while at the same time supposedly supporting free market competition-

I found this an interesting point of view, and I share many of the opinions myself, even though my first motorcycle riding on other than a minibike was a 60cc bike imported from Italy by Harley Davidson in the 1960s. All of the millions of people worldwide who bought a brand other than a Harley had their reasons, and this guy clearly explained his.

The title clearly stated what the article was about and included the word “bashing”- my advice is if you are not interested in a topic after reading the title, then do not bother reading the article.

If someone has a reason for not liking or for liking any motorcycle brand, and they choose to take the time to post it, either original writing or something they have seen elsewhere, I am happy to see it. I previously posted a link to a review that included info about Suzuki having warranty problems for several of the Suzuki bikes he had bought over the years, and several people have written about the poor quality of Chinese made bikes, but no one made a big fuss about it.

[Jeff in Kentucky]

The video is quite shaky from a low budget camera- but I used to get more motion sickness from playing the Doom computer game. It seems a lot harder to scrape the right side for the 500cc Kymco scooter than the left side, but he did not seem to have any problems with controlling the steering while it scraped.

Kymco seems to be a pretty reliable brand for the price- here is a torture test for their 250cc model:

http://www.motorbyte.com/mmm/pages/2004/69/feature69_1.htm

[Jeff in Kentucky]

Take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation beginners course first, before choosing a bike. Around here, they give you a 250cc Suzuki standard bike to use. A standard bike has the footpegs below the seat, easiest for a beginner.

So Harley Davidson lovers will not tease you, it is best to ride either a sportbike like the 250cc Kawasaki Ninja, or a dirt bike like a 250cc Kawasaki or 400cc Suzuki supermoto. They tend to like the Triumph bikes or the 500cc Kawasaki Vulcan cruiser better, because they have a parallel twin engine instead of a V-twin engine that copies the Harley look.

I have the worst bike for a Harley lover- a Honda cruiser with a V-twin engine that is a smaller copy of a 1985 Harley Softail, but with a 1950s English V-twin Shadow name. I have never had a Harley rider make fun of me- they tend to not look at me or my bike, and do not talk to me, like I do not exist. I ride with some guys with Harleys- once in a while they will ask when I am going to spend more to get a real bike like a Harley big twin.

[Jeff in Kentucky]

The rider has both hands on the grips- how can he pull his own gun that quickly, and he did nothing to justify shooting as a self defense for the cop or bystanders.

A good lawyer for the rider might get this cop suspended or fired for breaking procedures, but the cop is probably trying to get the video thrown out of court on a technicality, because it shows illegal arrest procedure, by claiming that it was used illegally.

It would be fun to let the cop testify under oath in court first, then bring out the videotape evidence, which is why courts require that both sides see all of the legal evidence before a trial, so that witnesses do not look like total lying morons.

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