Fadingpain Posted July 29, 2018 Author Posted July 29, 2018 2 hours ago, Tiberius said: I have a Honda Shadow 750 that I love riding but only around the neighborhood. Dont go on highway anymore or anything. Can't believe I use to ride in North Buffalo on a motorcycle. I think people miss the point when they say watch out for motorcycles. Lots of people just don't look out for anything. That fender bender with two cars that is forgotten about after awhile is never forgotten when one of the vehicles is a MC. Lots of people just don't pay attention and that's a death sentence for a biker. That said, I don't know and can't prove it, but I'd bet a MC is safer than riding a bicycle. I see these people riding in heavy traffic on a narrow shoulders and I'm like I would never do that! Some people are such a-holes that I'll bet anything drivers intimidate, crowd and swerve at them. I jog and deal with that. I am watching a youtube channel right now with a guy who owns a motorcycle and he is riding it around the San Fran area, videotaping and talking into a mike in his helmet as he goes. On one of his videos, he is stopped at a red light. A woman is stopped behind him in some sort of mid-size car. As the light turns green, the woman basically forgets there is a vehicle in front of her and just drives into the back of the bike, such that the car went up and over a piece of the bike. The rider just kind of fell off to the side and was basically OK. The bike was totaled. Woman is like "Gee, sorry about that, no idea what happened" as if to basically say "I'm a f-ing idiot. Sorry." It is precisely this person (and millions like her) that scare the crap out of me. 1
Tiberius Posted July 29, 2018 Posted July 29, 2018 1 minute ago, Fadingpain said: I am watching a youtube channel right now with a guy who owns a motorcycle and he is riding it around the San Fran area, videotaping and talking into a mike in his helmet as he goes. On one of his videos, he is stopped at a red light. A woman is stopped behind him in some sort of mid-size car. As the light turns green, the woman basically forgets there is a vehicle in front of her and just drives into the back of the bike, such that the car went up and over a piece of the bike. The rider just kind of fell off to the side and was basically OK. The bike was totaled. Woman is like "Gee, sorry about that, no idea what happened" as if to basically say "I'm a f-ing idiot. Sorry." It is precisely this person (and millions like her) that scare the crap out of me. Wow! I am always afraid of that. Getting crushed in between vehicles. Glad that guy was ok!
Fadingpain Posted July 29, 2018 Author Posted July 29, 2018 (edited) 7 minutes ago, Tiberius said: Wow! I am always afraid of that. Getting crushed in between vehicles. Glad that guy was ok! He was actually the first vehicle in line and she was the second. But point well taken. I am a gear head way into cars and racing, driving my car at the track, etc. I love everything about bikes and would greatly enjoy simple things like cleaning one, maintaining it, changing the motor oil or brake pads...the sound of the engine...I certainly don't need it as transportation or a practical vehicle in any way. I am debating if it is possible to enjoy bike ownership in this manner. I.E., only ride it around my neighborhood and less congested areas; never ride in the rain; never ride on the highway; maybe even go so far as to only ride when it is really, really safe, like 6:00am on Sunday mornings where you might pass a handful of vehicles in a spirited 1/2 hour ride. I would never take a bike up on the highway! Anything goes wrong and you are either dead, crippled for life, or missing a lot of your skin. 2 hours ago, jr1 said: I'd be afraid to ride one with all the potholes and distracted drivers I live in Florida where we do not have any helmet laws for motorcycles. I would suggest *most* riders down here do not wear a helmet. It is always hot, too, and so it is very common to see them riding a bike with a t-shirt on and no helmet, or something like that. And there they are zipping around in traffic. I honestly can't believe people would do that. Even a little "fender bender" of an incident and they are going to go off that bike. Even if they are only going 20 mph if that bare head hits the pavement, it's game over! Little incidents can happen very quickly, without warning, and even if the rider is highly attentive/cautious in his riding style. So to not wear a helmet is kind of like having a death wish IMO. Edited July 29, 2018 by Fadingpain 1
ExiledInIllinois Posted July 29, 2018 Posted July 29, 2018 19 hours ago, RaoulDuke79 said: I used to ride dirt bikes, but never rode anything on the road. The risk isn't worth the reward to me. Agree... But gonna show my age... My brother had an "Enduro" (DualSport). 1979 Maico 250: Learned on this... He sold it when He got married, marriage didn't last either... What a fool...
RaoulDuke79 Posted July 29, 2018 Posted July 29, 2018 2 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said: Agree... But gonna show my age... My brother had an "Enduro" (DualSport). 1979 Maico 250: Learned on this... He sold it when He got married, marriage didn't last either... What a fool... Haha....my buddy had a Maco. If I remember correctly the shifter and the break were opposite of the normal configuration or something like that.
ExiledInIllinois Posted July 29, 2018 Posted July 29, 2018 9 minutes ago, RaoulDuke79 said: Haha....my buddy had a Maco. If I remember correctly the shifter and the break were opposite of the normal configuration or something like that. Only bike I ever operated...I think it is W.German... ??? But dug this up: That's going to depend on the age of the bike. Any motorcycle sold in the US starting with the 1975 model year is going to have standardized controls: Left hand clutch, right hand front brake, left foot shifter, right foot rear brake. And the shift action is also standardized: From neutral, you go down one tap into first, then lift up on the lever repeatedly for second thru whatever your highest gear is (usually fifth or sixth). Pressing down on the lever then downshifts one gear at a time, with neutral a half step in between second and first. Some bikes will let you go from second to neutral, other bikes will insist on a full press into first, then a half step lift into neutral.Now, prior to 1975, the British reversed the foot pedals: left was brake, right was shifter. Some other European makes did it that way, as did the early Harley Sportsters. The Japanese did left shift, right brake and due to their market penetration by the mid 70's, that became the legislated standard.Some early Japanese motorcycles had a rotary shift (1-2-3-4-1, shifting up all the time), other Japanese bikes could switch between the rotary and standard shift pattern (I had a Bridgestone that would to this, it was a 4 speed rotary shift or 5 speed standard, with a switch on the engine case be select between the two), and then in truly vintage motorcycles you had a hand shift and foot clutch. The whole concept of hand clutch and foot shift was a European innovation that didn't catch on in America until the early 1950's.
ExiledInIllinois Posted July 29, 2018 Posted July 29, 2018 Correction... Even know it was a '79... My Bro said the shifter wad right foot!!!
Fadingpain Posted July 29, 2018 Author Posted July 29, 2018 Just now, ExiledInIllinois said: Correction... Even know it was a '79... My Bro said the shifter wad right foot!!! I believe a number of bikes over the years have had "reverse" pedals. I.E., brake on left, shift on right. 1
RaoulDuke79 Posted July 29, 2018 Posted July 29, 2018 1 minute ago, ExiledInIllinois said: Correction... Even know it was a '79... My Bro said the shifter wad right foot!!! If that's all you're used to it's no big deal, but switching from a standard configuration to that is a recipe for disaster. 1
Happy Posted July 29, 2018 Posted July 29, 2018 I had two motorcycles, both road bikes. My first was a Kawasaki Vulcan 800cc and my second was a Victory Vegas 100ci (~1630cc). I learned to ride on the Vulcan and kept it for about 2 years; during that time, I did drop it. The Vulcan actually slid out from under me when I was making a turn in February during a warm spell, where there was a lot of salt and sand on the road from snow we received earlier in the winter. I was lucky, I was not going fast and the bike (and myself) suffered no damage; just a few scratches which were easily polished out. Wait for several good rains to wash the salt and sand off the road during winter and spring months. If you see white crystals on the road, don't ride. I never dropped my Victory, thankfully, though came close when I rode through an on-ramp where there was construction; the crew was constructing something with concrete, so there was sand and water on the ramp. I hydro-planed briefly, and let off the brake and throttle and was able to straighten the bike out and continue on to the highway. Lots of cars were behind me, so falling would have been bad. Overall, that bike was awesome and never complained when I need to give it more throttle on the highway; 60, 70, and even 80 mph were not a problem for it. Very stable bike. The Vulcan started to B word much above 65 mph, but it would do it, it just sounded like it was working hard. I ended up selling the Victory, too. Not because of any incident with it, but because I got tired of it, as well as riding in traffic and the maintenance. Most road bikers are pretty good riders (most, though not all); it's the sport bikes (aka crotch rockets) that are nuts and weave in and out of traffic. They comprise most of the accident statistics.
Bad Things Posted July 29, 2018 Posted July 29, 2018 Yup, I ride a 1050 Triumph Tiger and love it. The best bike for our conditions down here on the South Island. (That said, this may be my last year... too many idiot foreign tourists driving on the wrong side of the road!)
ExiledInIllinois Posted July 29, 2018 Posted July 29, 2018 1 hour ago, RaoulDuke79 said: If that's all you're used to it's no big deal, but switching from a standard configuration to that is a recipe for disaster. I could imagine... Was a teen, he got married... Bikes fell off my radar... That is the extent of my foray. I haven't climbed on one in 35 years... Probably couldn't ride. But I get the concept, it would catch on fast. Not even sure what the evolution of motorcycles took place outside that solid frame dirt bike to soft suspensions... That would be "soft tails" flex arm thingys right?
ExiledInIllinois Posted July 29, 2018 Posted July 29, 2018 3 minutes ago, \GoBillsInDallas/ said: Betcha She knows which side the shifter is on! Gr8 @ a kickstart too!
Augie Posted July 29, 2018 Posted July 29, 2018 7 minutes ago, \GoBillsInDallas/ said: You made me forget the topic! I had to go to the top and look!
RaoulDuke79 Posted July 29, 2018 Posted July 29, 2018 15 minutes ago, \GoBillsInDallas/ said: Expectation Reality 6
ExiledInIllinois Posted July 29, 2018 Posted July 29, 2018 Kinda a motorcyle joke: What do Mopeds and fat chicks have in common?
Fadingpain Posted July 29, 2018 Author Posted July 29, 2018 2 hours ago, Bad Things said: Yup, I ride a 1050 Triumph Tiger and love it. The best bike for our conditions down here on the South Island. (That said, this may be my last year... too many idiot foreign tourists driving on the wrong side of the road!) Nice bike you have there! Ever dump the bike or have an incident you'd care to discuss? 27 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said: Kinda a motorcyle joke: What do Mopeds and fat chicks have in common? They're both fun to ride until a friend sees you on one! That's an old one. 46 minutes ago, Augie said: You made me forget the topic! I had to go to the top and look! What topic? What happened? Where am I? 1
DrW Posted July 30, 2018 Posted July 30, 2018 Back in Germany in the 80s, I had a Honda CM400T, an HP-restricted (more than 27 HP put you in a completely different insurance bracket) "soft chopper". I loved that bike, and I used it for trips to Southern France and to Denmark. In general, Germany is much more motorcycle-friendly than the US. First, the roads are in better conditions; in Germany, they are aware that potholes that can be managed by a car can be detrimental on a motorcycle. Moreover, motorcycle owners are not automatically associated with "biker gangs", as it is sometimes the case here. Our (female) head technician in the Biochemistry department of the Medical University where I got my degree still rides a Moto Guzzi to work every day.
Jon in Pasadena Posted July 30, 2018 Posted July 30, 2018 (edited) Been driving (not riding -- pet peeve; I know everyone says "riders" and "riding" but to me "riding" sounds like you're just a passive participant not in control; I know, I'm nutso but "riding" a motorcycle is *not at all* like riding the bus!) motorcycles for >30 yrs, mostly in hellacious L.A. traffic, or on twisty mountain roads. Driven on coastal highways, desert dirt roads, mountain logging roads, L.A. freeways, 1000 mile road trips, Donner Pass in winter, through Firebaugh a few times where I almost got hit by a football traveling at Mach 2 ? , & many other places. Been down/fell off plenty of times, mostly early on in my biking career, in all kinds of conditions. Been down on sand, gravel, ice, wet leaves... Been hit by cars, trucks, and once by flying debris shedding off of a truck that was crashing creatively on the 134 freeway. Sum total of all my crash-related injuries: A few nicks and scrapes, and one probable concussion (my first year on my first bike, a Suzuki 550E road-racer held together with love and baling wire.) I will say this: motorcycling is not for everyone. If you doubt your ability to hold it together when **** starts going down, you probably ought not to be on a bike. Also, it is critical to *always* wear the best safety gear you can afford. I don't give a crap how "hot" the weather is. The cooling tech available now is incredible. They have vents that route cool wind through your helmet, and similar for jackets. I stay plenty comfortable. People who drive helmetless or shirtless or in shorts or in flip-flops are tools. They *will* get !@#$ed up. It's just a matter of time. If you decide to go for it, I highly recommend taking some AMA certified training courses. Totally worth it. Cheers! Edited July 30, 2018 by Jon in Pasadena
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