[Munch]

Ha! Funny you ask… I have a Memphis shades batwing fairing on the way to me now. I have seen a couple of Vulcan 900’s with them on and love the look. I would look for a windshield though, for you to see if you like it before sinking the mullah into a fairing.
Both will knock the wind down for you greatly and make your interstate rides more enjoyable. Even with just my windshield I can go shieldless with my 3/4 helmet in the rain and feel maybe a drop or two hit my face…..at speeds.

[Munch]

Glad to see you back at it! Feels great to have those Ah Ha moments don’t it!

One thing I would caution though and its more for sheer aesthetics then anything:
10) Look for paper towels before you start filling up the gas tank, not after you’ve already dripped on it.

If your wanting to keep the scratches to a minimum… this is a no no. Especially if your using the supplied towels from the gas station. I have found it best just to let the lil splatters hit the tank and paint, then at earliest convenience spot detail around the filler hole. Re apply wax. Or like me just use a waterless cleaner like “Original Bike Spirits” that also has a wax/polish in it.
If not possible…… dab, don’t wipe.

[Munch]

As of yet theres not an official one. I think someone mentioned typing in the search bar bestbeginner…. and the subject.

[Munch]

“Riddle me this, mechanical guys: can a carb’d motorcycle engine run without a battery or regulator/rectifier power once it’s started?”

The answer is in fact NO. Even though in FI engines you need power to pulse the injectors open, Carb’d engines work on vacuum and gravity. The power source that you do need is for the spark running to the coil and plugs. If the battery is dead or has a dead cell in it then yes you could be losing power via that route. Though the only thing that throws me there is being able to constant crank on the start up re tries.
It’s possible you could have an exposed wire somewhere creating a short with the sudden movement forward on stopping. Maybe causing an unwanted ground. Once the movement or inertia forward is gone the culprit has time to settle back in a neutral position allowing it to become a regular circuit again.

[Munch]

Don’t take this the wrong way, but $455 is pricey for a person who is all over the place about what to do about his bike. You been posting about up sizing a lot. $455 is a bit to throw at a problem your not sure you made up your mind what to do about.

[Munch]

Clutch, throttle , rear brakes…. use all of em to get you through. Clutch to keep the wheel spin in check, throttle to keep engine speed in check and rear brakes to help stabilize the bike at low speed and minimise a front wheel skid drop.

[Munch]

Welcome
Any long trips I would caution against at least for the first year or more of your riding tenure. You will need to build physical stamina, mental stamina, a mental database of how to adjust to different surroundings and atmosphere. Not only that but the type of bike you will likely need to pull this off will be well out of the range of a beginner.
Take the MSF first and foremost, understand what your getting into. Ride in every scenario you can find…traffic, rain, heavy wind, combination of heavy wind and rain, fog, loose gravel, extreme heat, times where the temperature can drop or rise in a matter of 5 miles by as much as 30 degrees or more. Night time riding, fog, night time w/ fog. Going longer distances makes you vulnerable to a multitude of conditions you will quickly find yourself ill prepared for.
Don’t give up the dream but very much give the dream more time for preparation.

[Munch]

now I hope they don’t hit you trying to figure out WTF you are…..just kiddin.
You weren’t joking about the goin nuts part were ya ;^P

[Munch]

“What’s wrong? The only thing I could think of is maybe I adjusted my clutch cable so it isn’t completely disengaging the clutch when it’s pressed all the way in?”
That was my first thought.

[Munch]

ROFLMAO…. I think Capt saw some of Elwoods vids!

[Munch]

For the price not to bad. A new 09 is around 7 to 8 out the door. The V500’s have a following of sorts..not to the magnitude that the rebel has but one none the less. As far as parts go, you may want to do some research. Not sure what can cross over from current models and what can’t. I know locally there is a 500 club and some of them are running 100+ thousand miles on them.

[Munch]

Definitely get it checked by a competent mechanic. Even though it’s possible he knows what he is doing it’s still buyer beware.

[Munch]

I agree on the RIP posts and other sum such. Personally I stay away from them. Does it suck that yet another brother or sister has fallen..yes. Do I want to read about it, no. We had 2 wrecks this past week end here. One left critically injured the other one dead. One was a solo crash into a light pole the other is investigation pending.
Fact of the matter is YES WE ALL KNOW THE RISKS.
No need to constantly read about others misfortunes. I am very serious every time I head out. The rides are very enjoyable and even though I have plenty of mental capacity to relax and let my mind think of other things, never do I let my guard down.
As for the smiling part. I can understand the idea behind that. It is a mix of emotions, like the first time I fell off a horse or got thrown by a bull. First reaction is a sideways glance like that of a confused puppy….”That just happen?” then next comes the minds quick systems check…. ok everything feels like it’s here, some hurt some don’t…. then the “Hey I lived through it!” touch down spike feeling quickly ensues. It’s not a sign of dismissing the severity of the situation or what it could have been but rather a grin of happiness that it wasn’t.
To all our brothers and sisters on this board ( and yes I feel that y’all truly are) stay ever vigilant on what you are doing. Never let the negative stories of what you read effect you in such a way that it determines what you do, but keep it as a reminder of what COULD happen, not that it is a pre determined destiny.
Should I fall and survive would I get back on? YES that’s absolute for me. I come from a back ground of strong determination and a sense of the now commercialized “Cowboy up!”. As long as I have the functioning appendages to safely operate the machine and the mental capacity to comprehend the things around me I will be back in the saddle.

[Munch]

congrats..hoping you have a mild winter

[Munch]

Things like that always tickles the crap out of me. Hopefully the tank protectors are better designed.
You see things like the “Hood Bra” and bed liners and other such stuff thats there to “protect your paint” . My question… ok great I am protecting it (arguable) but what good is it doing if your not able to see the painted portion. Then comes the usual retort “It’s for if you decide to resale the item you can remove it and it will be like it was the day you put it on”. Great, now the rest of the paint job surrounding the protected area is somewhat faded, dulled, micro scratched etc. except the one dang spot you protected…nice.

[Author]

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