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According to Wikipedia the top speed that’s been achieved on the course was 206 mph, in 2006. It’s not an official record because it was just registered by the guy’s equipment on his bike, it’s probably fairly accurate.

And the highest average speed was 131 mph.

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Turns out that I wave in the “harley way” according to him. I keep my hand below the grip. I find that all of the sport bikes that I wave at return and/or initiate in the same way So do the cruisers. It seems pretty universal.

Sometimes I do more of a two finger thing and sometimes just the whole hand. For me the two finger wave is based on the peace sign. It’s not that I’m saying “peace” to them, but the 2 finger wave has just become a salutation I guess.

Sometimes I also just do a bit of a wave from the grip without actually taking my hand off of it. That’s usually if I’m just feeling lazy.

I also love that he’s saying “I always keep both hands on the bars in curves like this” while at the same time he’s pointing to the curve (while in it) with a hand clearly off the handlebars.

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Nice. When I back in, I get much closer to the space. It’s more like parallel parking, but sideways (if that makes any sense). I do recognize that I’m more vulnerable like that though.

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Just one point is that you shouldn’t assume that drop damage means they’re a squid. Plenty of people lay their bikes down while being relatively responsible. It sounds like some of these guys were pretty squidly, but just saying that damage doesn’t necessarily mean that.

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Hey now, don’t go talkin’ bad about Durham. Raleigh and Charlotte have some crime too.

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Price doesn’t play into safety all that much. Since all helmets have to be DOT certified, that provides a minimum protection. More money will certainly get you more features, usually including being more aerodynamic and having less wind noise. But if the only thing in question is what happens in the case of impact with something hard, there won’t be significant differences. Just make sure it fits you properly and you take care of it. A drop down the stairs, or even a shorter drop, can ruin a helmet’s safety by compressing the expanded polystyrene layer.

There’s a whole separate debate over whether or not you should get a Snell approved helmet. I wrote up a post on that topic that goes into some detail, and I might post it later as a separate thread. But in short, Snell offers better protection in the case of two impacts in the same area of the helmet. But a Snell approved helmet will transfer a higher percent of the force in the case of a single impact.

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Yeah, I rode in a misting/raining situation a little while back. I’ve got to say, I didn’t enjoy it very much. I take my car now when it’s raining. I want to learn to deal with it at some point for the purpose that you mentioned – a road trip. I don’t want to rely on a week of nice weather if I want to go on a long trip.

I need to figure out a way to keep my visor clear, and then I think I’ve got it. I tried some Rain-X, but I didn’t have much luck with that. I plan on giving it another go not too long from now.

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I rarely find a place to pull through, but I accomplish a similar thing by backing in, which is pretty easy to do. I also do what Munch mentioned, and park close to the exit of the space so that people can see my bike easily before they start turning in.

In general, I ride extra low in parking lots and I make sure to have the brake covered (usually the clutch too), especially when they’re crowded. People are looking everywhere to make sure they see pedestrians and other cars as well as trying to find a space, so the chances of them not seeing me are even higher.

Parallel parking is a breeze though. I try to park in the middle of a space so that a car doesn’t try to fit in with me and end up hitting my bike. But it still leaves room for other motorcycles to join me in the space on either side of my bike.

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Especially for a first bike, I think it’s probably fine. My advice would be to find a motorcycle mechanic that you trust who can look it over for you before you buy it.

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Posting inside of another thread won’t do you much good. You should probably post a new topic if you want some responses. My advice would be to check craigslist in your area.

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I remember that whole discussion in physics, which is when I was introduced to the word centripetal. I wish I had paid more attention in physics class.

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Hello Rob, and welcome to the forum.

The problem that I see with recommending 600 cc and larger 4 cylinder bikes for beginners isn’t that no one can handle them. As you’ve demonstrated, some people can handle starting with a huge bike. The problem is that everyone thinks that they can handle them. It’s like that survey that found that 80% of people say that they’re in the top 20% of drivers.

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Hello, and welcome to the forum. I doubt that many people here will be too familiar with the process to getting a motorcycle license in the UK (but who knows, maybe I’ll be surprised). Yugen’s suggestion or asking at a local dealer is probably a good idea. Or you could call whatever agency deals with licensing in the UK (in the US, it would be the the particular state’s Department of Motor Vehicles).

Personally, I don’t think that I will ever ride a motorcycle in the UK. I’m sure that I would enter a rotary in the wrong direction, get hit head on by a truck (sorry, lorry), and that would be the end of me.

Once you figure out how licensing works in the UK, please let us know. It could potentially be useful knowledge for the future.

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I bought my bike from a dealer, and the process was a little different (Massachusetts here) than above. Once I had bought the bike, they gave me some paperwork and the certificate of origin (or title for a used bike). I then purchased my insurance policy (I needed the VIN to do this). I had to get someone at the insurance company to put a stamp on my paperwork to prove that I actually had insurance. I then went to the RMV (r=registry) and got the title, registration, and plates (and emptied out my pockets…that part is the same everywhere). I brought the registration and license plate back to the dealership, put the plate on the bike, showed them that I had registered it (and therefore had insurance on it), and then it was mine (I actually had it delivered a couple days later, but that’s just because I wanted to).

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Yeah, staying behind the white line is important for it to pick you up. I never pull up in front of the line though. In my area, as soon as you pass the line, you’re in the crosswalk. I sometimes pull up a little past it on my bike during the day so that a car behind me will be able to pull up far enough to activate the light.

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