[Munch]

sounds about right ;^P

[Munch]

Personally I recommend the windshield route. I thought I would hate it before I got mine. Worried that it would buffer to much or cross winds would interrupt the steering to much. Neither (for non back yard engineered windshields) turned out to be anything I needed to worry about. It will take the wind off your upper body enough to where you can enjoy the ride better…and longer. Not to mention you will not have those “oh so gorgeous” pics of bug splatter on your visor to put up.

[Munch]

…..yea…..about that……

[Munch]

slow or stop before taking the turn….. slow enough to use a slow crawl dragging rear brake and friction zone on the clutch to control speed. Attack the Turn in at a perpendicular angle instead of trying to “merge” into it.

[Munch]

Go butt test everything…. sit on it…. get the sales person to hold it fully upright for you and get your feet off the ground and on the pegs/floor boards.

Note: The basic Sportster is an 883…not the 1200.

[Munch]

My personal favorite…….

Pulling into work and stopping to talk with potential customers, excited for a sale dismounting before letting down the kickstand :^P

[Munch]

can’t speak for everyone…but most likely on the average you are correct. Most places have a set “100+point ” standardized check up …. if it’s not on the list, it will not get checked unless requested. If you do go to any shop…. bike, car , truck or otherwise…ask them to show you what they looked at and question them.

[Munch]

As an auto mechanic and bike owner..I would still strongly (underline strongly) suggest you take both bikes to a mechanic to get checked out before settling on the purchase. This is one of the few things talked about in respects to buying used.
Both bikes could have the sludge, crappy fluid problem. Just because one has less miles then the other only means one thing…It got ridden less. You are at the mercy of the sellers honor. Not a good place to be. Take the bike to get looked at… as thoroughly as you can afford. Those “low speed drops” are dependent on what the sellers definition of low speed is and what damage was actually done.
Granted you might be forking out extra money now that you didn’t want to. Which is more affordable though…… $2500+ now and an extra grand or two later in repairs and “I wish I had known that” scenarios… or the $400 now for the piece of mind that you made a knowledgeable decision. If the money for the inspection bites into your purchasing power too much. Make the seller deduct it from the final price.

At an auto shop ( an honest one) we have a saying that plays out all too often… Pay me now or pay me twice as much later. You decide.

[Munch]

doubt its gonna be a rebuild of the caliper….unless it’s locking up or failing to engage. First thing you need to do is look between the pad and rotor to see if there’s debris in there causing the gouging. While your at it look at the pads themselves and gauge the thickness to MoM’s recommendations. Don’t have it… .take it to the mechanic. The other thing you will need to do is check how bad that groove is. It can adversely effect your braking efficiency. The caliper is an easy enough check. Try and push the piston back….if it collapses… your good (for the most part), then grab a hand full of brake and make sure it goes back out…but before you do make sure pad travel is relatively free of obstruction.
The hardest part will be your rotor if it is deemed bad…. and even then not so hard, depending on bike and placement of body parts.

[Munch]

Welcome…. I am in the Raleigh area myself… so make that a double welcome.

Answer to #1 ……yes you are a beginner. Not as much as some but a beginner none the less. “”I have good control over the bike and have crashed less than 5 times.. all with minor scratches.”””

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answered your own question.
The MSF would be hugely beneficial to you. Granted your used to “throwing ” the bike around in between cars and weaving and bobbing, but you haven’t learned how to do it correctly and safely. Not to mention your looking to step into heavier machines with a bit more power.

As far as which MSF course… Ray Price on South Saunders St. gives and that’s where I took it. very comfortable and very relaxed. The only other spot I know of is Wake Tech., though they were a touch slow in response to me a couple years ago and then when I got a response it cost near as much as Ray Price with twice the wait. The difference between the 2 was about $100 the wait about 3 months. You make the decision on what works for your plans.

Insurance will depend on Bike model, bike motor size, rider age, use and purposes (always tell them its for leisure), and some companies will even scale it against how popular the bike is to thieves, and bike year. Shop around and see what you can do.

[Munch]

“I refuse to live life of restriction and boredom just to arrive safely at deaths door”………. or sum such.

[Munch]

would it make you feel anymore secure if she had been playing with her self…. or chasing down lip stick? Or maybe reaching for that ever elusive Krispy Kreme doughnut that keeps falling away from her grasp?

I can understand that those that do text while driving feel like they are being singled out. Honestly they are. Not without good reason though. For me it is no different from staring at a GPS unit or playing with the radio or whatever. The thing is, it’s your right to do what you wish in your vehicle with your property and I for one will not tell you what to do in your vehicle. However use that same sense of responsibility for when things go to hell and it costs a life and you can no longer check the text. I get on my kids all the time about texts. They aren’t even able to drive. I will ask them why they text so much… if you got that much to say… then call them. Takes less time and is more interactive.
Their response…. “well they text me so I can answer them when ever- in case I am busy”….2 things ….first…HELLO…..voicemail! second….. if it is a convenience for times when you are busy then put the damn thing down and concentrate on what you are doing…. not the other way around.

Now back to the original idea of the post….

I to am glad you are here to tell the tell (whatever in the hell she was doing) and thank you for reminding US and new members to keep your bike in gear … as we almost are were instructed at MSF and leave enough room for escape routes.

[Munch]

Thats really all up to you. I have seen some decent rattle can jobs that look really good but most of those are on bobbers. If your wanting it to look good I honestly would say to spring for the extra $$ and get it done professionally. At the very cheapest maybe see if you can get a half professional company like Maaco to do it. Won’t be show ready but will still shine. If they advertise a car for $400 or so a few points on the bike should only be about $100. Thing is you have to convince them to do it since auto paint is their thing. Make sure they knowits solid color…nothing extra.

[Munch]

Bright colored gear, reflective gear, making sure you can see the persons face in their mirrors and YOU are watching for them…..not the other way around. Don’t linger in any potential blind spots if at all possible.
Some non popular advice…. lighting extending away from the slender frame of the bike. Make the driver question whats coming up on him/her. Or…. on the rear of your bike for the same effect when they come up on you. Local laws would dictate wether you can have a brake light that pulses when the brakes are applied. Always ride like you are invisible…and above all else:

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR ACTIONS.

It’s not always their fault nor their responsibility to see you. It is your responsibility to make yourself seen, heard, waved at, laughed at, winked at, and whatever else you can think of…and even then…don’t assume it was you they were waving at. If you aren’t sure every effort you made was successful….get out of their way..they win…they are bigger and will survive…. your chances are less then theirs in a push and shove match. Let it go and move on, live on, RIDE ON!!!

[Munch]

“”I only bash a very few things in motorcycling; Be prepared and wear your freakin’ gear…don’t be a dumbass statistic….get some training because your uncles’ brother in law’s ex-girl friend’s lover can’t ride for shit and sure as hell has no business teaching you, and don’t EVER f’n tell me you had to “lay ‘er down” to avoid an accident….that’s like Mohomed Atta saying he had to hit the building because he didn’t know how to land…passed that? It’s all good!!!””

+1 mill and then some. We definitely agree on that. And yes for most cruiser groups we do like to stop , take pictures, bullshit, bio breaks and other sum such. If all I wanted to do was ride from point A to B in a timely fashion I can do that on my own by myself…..like my commute to and from work. However with a group of like minded individuals…..and thats key…..it’s absolutely great to ride, stop and rest and BS for a little while to develop some memories and take pictures to share with the poor souls that didn’t get to go. Otherwise, it’s just a commute…. for me.

[Author]

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