Forum Replies Created
5 Common Wear and Tear Items on Motorcycles
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sarcParticipant
I’ve heard a few people rave about “hippo hands” for the bike, and I’ll probably try them sometime this winter, with a review to follow.
Link in case you are interested: http://www.hippohands.com/
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sarcParticipantFor the summer, I’ve really come to love my Draggin Jean’s kevlar shirt, the Dragg’in Shirt. Its made of 100% kevlar, very well ventilated, and has optional elbow armor that can be attached.
On the plus side, the shirt won’t melt into your skin like some of the mesh / textile jackets if you are wearing a t-shirt underneath. On the downside, the armor is only held on by velcro. However, if you want additional shoulder protection you could always throw on the light mesh jacket with sewn in protection over the shirt. That should hold up under some fairly strenous slides.
Just my 2 cents
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sarcParticipantI also work the night shift at times, and my commute takes me through some fun twisty roads. Unfortunately, there are no lights, one lane each way, and lots of thick tree growth on either side, so night time riding in not fun, esp with all the deer unnaturally attracted to my bike.
The best thing I can suggest is to slow down and hope a car catches up behind you. Pull over for a sec or wave him forward. That way, you can use his much better lights as your own and keep the low-beam on for your bike.
Other than that, keep the speed way down to match your sight distance.
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sarcParticipantMy vote would go towards a standard bike or a dual-sport. It keeps the weight off your tail-bone like a cruiser does, and you don’t have to be hunched over like a sport bike. A few standards that spring to mind would be the Kawasaki Ninja series (250, 500, 650), Suzuki SV series (a bit more aggressive seating than than Kawi). Any of the dual-sports would probably do the trick as well (esp with poor roads), although I haven’t been on many of them, so I won’t comment on any particular type.
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sarcParticipantOne thing to check out is the new scorpion high vis helmet coming out in November I believe.
http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/motorcycle-helmet/scorpion/exo-700-neon/
I’ve got a white scorpion that I love, and am thinking of swapping to this even brighter one. Personally, I think the helmet is the most important part of “visible” gear. Its typically the highest point on your bike (unless you are really tucked I guess), and isn’t affected by gear choices such as a book bag that will really put a damper on your reflective jackets, etc. Combined with some reflective tape on it (that Halo stuff above looks great!), should certainly give you a little peace of mind.
Also, I do like to flash my high-beams a few times when I see a car inching up to the road, either at an intersection or just merging from a shopping center kind of place. I imagine it ticks off the people in front of me a bit since its also a “speed up buddy” signal as well, but have noticed I can make eye contact with the merger more often since I’ve started it.
And if all else fails, you could always try the air horn. I’ve been meaning to put it on my bike one of these days.
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sarcParticipantcheck out any local ski shops our outdoor type places. I haven’t used one on a bike, but I’ve got a bunch of different options for other outdoor sports, ranging from the neoprene wrap around mask that covers up to the nose down to a fleece tube that just sits around your neck, and can be pulled up over your chin / nose as needed.
sarc
sarcParticipantHad the same problem when i first got my bike and was doing stopping drills. i kept skidding the rear tire somewhere around half-way through my stop. However, I found that with a little bit of practice, I’ve gotten myself in the habit of easing up of the rear brake at the same time that I start to feel the weight shifting and am bearing down harder on the front break. Seems to have solved that problem, although who knows if that muscle memory will hold in an oh &*%# moment.
Just to clarify, I don’t completely let up off the back break, just ease up a bit of the pressure as the weight is shifting forward and the front break is starting to work at full capacity.
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sarcParticipantI can partly agree with that, but not completely. Yes, road debris and obstacles don’t always make it feasible to follow the ideal biking line. However, when it comes time to do a quick stop while cornering, (think the last few drills at MSF, don’t remember the number exactly) following those lines will give you the maximal amount of free straight space in which to break or slow down. Just a thought.
While I haven’t run into a situation where this is necessary, one of the instructors harped on this a lot, stating several examples where it really did help him out. Just food for thought. If its distracting you too much, obviously just stick in the lines, but if not, that just one more good habit to get into.
Also, corners can sneak up on you. I’m sure anyone who has ridden for a while has at least one story. Sure, you don’t always mean to bomb through the turns, but in unfamiliar territory, sometimes things happen and you find yourself going in a bit too hot. Its this kinds of situations where being in the habit of riding a good line will pay off, even if you don’t realize it at the time.
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sarcParticipantIf its just for the deep, rumbling, wholesome sound aka loud noise, just understand that your neighbors will probably slash your tires, tip your bike, or string you up by your thumbs the first or second time you come home late or leave early. I know I am not too rational about being woken up after 9 or 10pm (early I know, but I’m at work before 6 most days).
If its for safety, put an air horn on your bike. There are a bunch of aftermarket options, and I believe web bike world did a review of a few of them at some point. Its a hell of a lot louder than pipes, will scare any oncoming cars, and usually get them to stop and take a good long look for that semi that should be right behind them. Just make sure you get used to it a few times before using it real world…they can be quite a shock to the rider as well and you don’t wont to start cranking open the throttle, grabbing a handful of brake, etc. when you jump.
sarcParticipantIf it is a new bike and you are going for the 600 (I think thats it) oil change, you probably want to do it at a dealer. There are a few other maintenance items that they are going to have to check over as well as doing the oil. More importantly, I believe its necessary to maintain your warranty and keeping those mandatory service records will help your resale value a lot.
After the required dealer service intervals, I would recommend changing it yourself if money is any kind of an issue. Youtube or bike specific forums are great sources of pics and videos on how to change your specific bike, in addition to the owners manual / shop manual.
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sarcParticipantIf you are looking for info, troll through the thousands of backlogged comments on the various motorcycle forums. There are tons, from sport-touring specific, to cruiser specific, to general motorcycling. Its just a matter of reading a bit and finding some that fit your personal style and will be able to help meet your goals. In addition to those more general forums, where you will find a bunch of people who were looking at the same thing or rode all the bikes you are considering, each bike seems to have at least one forum devoted specifically to it. Try checking them out as well once you start to get a bit of a short list.
Just a personal plug, having ridden both 600 sport bikes (very little) and 650 2-cylinders, there really is a world of difference. The 650s have a very manageable power band, and don’t put in that unusual position of lug, lug, zooom, there goes the front end (and now I’m a youtube statistic). Its pretty easy, predictable, and the 650s will break a hundred much easier than people tend to think. Not that you need to go 100, but its nice to know you have plenty of usable power to quickly pass a truck at 75 or 80 or hop into the fast lane to avoid merging traffic.
sarcParticipantDefinitely don’t go out and buy a new bike. Probably the easiest way to start getting used to riding a bike is to start on a manual transmission car. Find a friend with an old beater, and get the hang of using a clutch on a car.
Just remember that cars have a dry clutch, so you don’t really want to ride the friction zone on a car the same way you do a bike. However, the basic principals are the same and you can start wiring your brain to handle a manual (car or bike). There really isn’t that much time to debate about what to do…give it more gas, squeeze in the clutch, both, none, etc. Its not a hard process, its just something you have to get used to doing.
Once you get to the point where is instinctual, and that little vibration in the car is corrected without thinking, then try and tackle a bike. Once you get the hang of that, transitioning to a bike is much easier. I remember when I went through the MSF class, you could really tell who drove a stick shift and who had an automatic for the last 20 or so years. Learning to work the clutch properly and riding in the friction zone is probably the most important thing that you will learn (except maybe looking through turns, not at the divider or car).
After that, its all down hill. A little muscle memory (duck / power walk it a bunch) and you won’t have to think about working the clutch / gas with your hands instead of your feet. No need to look down, just focus on the horizon and watch your balance improve. Starting off will be smoother, making balance even easier, and the sooner you can get up to speed, the sooner the bike will steady and you can concentrate on all the other details they will throw your way.
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