[rayo]

Most chains have either siver or gold side plates and shouldn’t be black. There are some chains with black side plates for the bling factor. I’ve found the some chain lubes do a great job of attracting grit, turning the chain black, and even depositing said grit on the rear sprocket. I use a biodegradable de-greaser (Motul, but I’ve heard that Simple Green works as well) to thoroughly clean the chain when I wash the bike (which isn’t often). After all the water is forced out of the chain (maybe after a short ride), I lube the chain with Bel Ray Super Clean chain lube. It does not stay tacky and attract grit. YMMV.

[rayo]

The gxr650f is a re-make fo the old Katana model. It is heavy, but has a fair amount of power from an inline 4, 650cc engine. The sv650 (naked or partially faired sv650s) is much lighter, has a v-twin 650cc engine with more linear power generation over the rev range, and has a ton of aftermarket parts available. They make decent first street bikes (at the upper end of this class) as well as great track bikes. Is my bias showing?

[rayo]

Great comments about helmet fit so far. In the summer you always see riders in shorts, t-shirts, and even fip-flops. I absolutely cringe when I see that. It’s especially bad to see the gf on the back dressed the same or with less skin covered.

Road rash is no joke. It’s very painful and can be dangerous (blood loss, infection, skin grafts, etc.). As was said, only cover the skin that you want to keep with proper riding gear. Jeans and other regular clothes last about 5 feet while being grated on the asphalt.

[rayo]

The chain in the video wasn’t nearly as dirty as yours, Ben. Yours needed a very thorough soaking. lol

[rayo]

Pics of the process would be great. lol

[rayo]

Good ride today. Thanks for oganizing it. I can’t believe all the fires in the hills. We saw some of the charred earth along highway 1 in Watsonville. Highway 152 between Watsonville and Gilroy was closed due to a fire. After about a 1 hour detour and some food, we were almost caught in yet another brand new fire on Watsonville road.

Great group of good riders. Everyone rode well and the group was easy to keep together. Let me know when you want to organize another ride.

Ray

[Author]

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