Anyone From Springfeild MA???

Missa

Missa

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Joined
Apr 3, 2005
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Hughesville, PA
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Display name:
AsGoodAsCake
I've been a bad girl.

I found a motorcycle I like. It's in Springfield, MA. We are going to pick it up on Saturday, it looks like a good day for flying and motorcycling. :D

Anyone in the area, who might want lunch, please advise. :D

Missa
 
Would have met ya but on my way to SNF!

KBAF (Barnes) has an awesome place for lunch on the airport (Runway Cafe) and the cheapest fuel prices around! Supposed to be in the 80's for the weekend, have fun!
 
Oooh! Good for you!

I can't help with lunch; but, I do wish you The Best Day Ever. :cheerswine:
Be bad and have fun!
 
Yahama FJR 1300 and I don't have enough guts to ride it home... Ted is going to. But then my total motorcycle experiance is low...
 
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Missa said:
But then my total motorcycle experiance is low...
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Be careful..plenty of power to get yourself in trouble before you realize it--also not cheap to fix if you drop it.

Not the best bike to get experience on..but if you're damn careful..it'll probably be OK.

Go easy on the throttle..it will power wheelie...and can get away from you *QUICK* if you break the rear tire loose.
 
jesse said:
Be careful..plenty of power to get yourself in trouble before you realize it--also not cheap to fix if you drop it.

Not the best bike to get experience on..but if you're damn careful..it'll probably be OK.

Go easy on the throttle..it will power wheelie...and can get away from you *QUICK* if you break the rear tire loose.
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I plan on taking it easy and respecting the bike as I get to know it. One thing I have going for me is a lack of a testosterone problem. :D
 
Missa said:
I plan on taking it easy and respecting the bike as I get to know it. One thing I have going for me is a lack of a testosterone problem. :D
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Wear thick clothing - I think testosterone is mixed in with the pigments in the paint on those things, and will be absorbed by skin contact.
 
TMetzinger said:
Wear thick clothing - I think testosterone is mixed in with the pigments in the paint on those things, and will be absorbed by skin contact.
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Yeah, but but the maximum testosterone is in the bright red motorcycles (like the Interceptor I used to have). This one is blue, which has significantly less testosterone. My black motorcycle has less testosterone, but compensates for that with a heavy dose of bad-ass (a derivative of testosterone). If she'd gotten a pink bike, well, we'd be figuring out a different way of getting it home than me riding it. ;)

Tim makes a good point, though. Now's a great time to go ahead and buy some full gear like what Forrest and I wear. You'll want to wear it when you take the bike on trips to MI and OH anyways, since it's designed for being on the bike for long periods of time. It's (theoretically) a one-time investment. I'm on my same set of gear 5 years later, other than replacing my helmet.
 
TMetzinger said:
Wear thick clothing - I think testosterone is mixed in with the pigments in the paint on those things, and will be absorbed by skin contact.
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Ted DuPuis said:
Yeah, but but the maximum testosterone is in the bright red motorcycles (like the Interceptor I used to have). This one is blue, which has significantly less testosterone. My black motorcycle has less testosterone, but compensates for that with a heavy dose of bad-ass (a derivative of testosterone). If she'd gotten a pink bike, well, we'd be figuring out a different way of getting it home than me riding it. ;)

Tim makes a good point, though. Now's a great time to go ahead and buy some full gear like what Forrest and I wear. You'll want to wear it when you take the bike on trips to MI and OH anyways, since it's designed for being on the bike for long periods of time. It's (theoretically) a one-time investment. I'm on my same set of gear 5 years later, other than replacing my helmet.
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Right now I still have Ron's grey motorcycle pants and jacket. I plan on wearing that untill I find some for me (that I like and matches the bike ;) or he takes it back, but since he doesn't have a cycle I may have them for a while. The two big things I will need are a new helmet and gloves (Rons are too big). My plan is to borrow your spare helmet on Sunday to see if it fits well without giving me a head ache. If it's good I'll beg you to borrow it untill the one I order showes up otherwise I'll need to shop for a helmet. The helmet I have gives me a head ache. Real quick I will need a pair of gloves, maybe I'll make Rick go shopping with me for those when we get back I'm sure the Harley dealer or Louge Honda will have something. I also need a better pair of boots. I've been using my Hiking boots but I would like a better pair and I don't want to wear out my hiking boots by riding in them.

Missa
 
Missa said:
Maybe I should ride to the FlyBQ... oh wait your not comming this year. :sad:
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Airline ticket prices are too high for me, unfortunately :(

6Y9 though.....that'd be a good ride for ya!
 
I wouldn't buy gear from the dealerships because of their higher prices and limited selection. Plus, the Harley dealer stuff is not going to provide as good protection. Check out KneeDraggers.com to get an idea of what you want, and then there are a few discount shops online that you can get better deals from. the AGVSport gloves that I normally wear were cheap (about $40 5 years ago from one of the discount sources) and have the hard Kevlar on them to protect all your knuckles. Very comfortable and extremely good protection. You'll want two pairs of gloves - ones like those and some mesh ones for the hotter days. Maybe some winter gloves as well, but you'll have to see how well those heated grips and the wind shields for your hands do for you. I'll let you try my gloves so you see what I mean. Barb seemed to like them well enough.

No issues on borrowing my spare helmet for a while. I figured I'd take it with me in case I wanted to take some attractive young thing for a quick ride as I passed through NY on my way back to IPT. ;)

As to boots, I either wear my Timberland steel-toes or I've got my Fox boots that are more for dual-sporting, but are great on long trips. You'll figure out what you want, especially with all of us around.

SkyHog said:
6Y9 though.....that'd be a good ride for ya!
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Now that's a long ride for the weekend! Besides, we're taking the Aztec. :D
 
Missa, first do you have motorcycle experience? The sport tourers are awesome bikes, and I've nothing bad to say about Yamukas (other than they're not Hondas). But they're big, powerful bikes with a high center of gravity, and not so good for noobs. If you don't have any prior experience you should see if you can borrow a smaller dirt of street bike to get your feet under you. You will drop your bike, and dropping a bike with cases gets expensive fast.

If you are going to find yourself in Ohio come to Columbus and I'll take you to the Iron Pony. It is the largest retailer of motorcycle gear in the country, and has selection and prices that cannot be beat. If not, try www.newenough.com. They have really good prices on gear and they're really nice. A full face helmet, armored jacket and leather gloves at minimum. Good luck.
 
steingar said:
Missa, first do you have motorcycle experience? The sport tourers are awesome bikes, and I've nothing bad to say about Yamukas (other than they're not Hondas). But they're big, powerful bikes with a high center of gravity, and not so good for noobs. If you don't have any prior experience you should see if you can borrow a smaller dirt of street bike to get your feet under you. You will drop your bike, and dropping a bike with cases gets expensive fast.

If you are going to find yourself in Ohio come to Columbus and I'll take you to the Iron Pony. It is the largest retailer of motorcycle gear in the country, and has selection and prices that cannot be beat. If not, try www.newenough.com. They have really good prices on gear and they're really nice. A full face helmet, armored jacket and leather gloves at minimum. Good luck.
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I've taken the class and I will not be riding solo for a while. It will be rick in front on the Gold wing and Ted behind on his whatever it is... after I get confortable with the bike I'll drop the guys and for short trips to work and stuff before I will even consider a long ride.

My sisters live in Columbus (Lewiscenter behind Polaris to be exact) and Dayton. I was there over easter and couldn't find Iron Pony, I drove 161 from 270 to 71 twice (which is where I thought it was) before giving up. I was going to go get a map off the internet but never made it back out on that trip. I will be there agian weekend of May 2nd... for a first comunion and b-day party.

Not sure if I'm going to fly or drive, but even if I convince Rick to visit his mom... I won't be ready for that ride.
 
steingar said:
Missa, first do you have motorcycle experience? The sport tourers are awesome bikes, and I've nothing bad to say about Yamukas (other than they're not Hondas). But they're big, powerful bikes with a high center of gravity, and not so good for noobs. If you don't have any prior experience you should see if you can borrow a smaller dirt of street bike to get your feet under you. You will drop your bike, and dropping a bike with cases gets expensive fast.
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Out of the 5 bikes I've owned, I've dropped 3 of them. Motorcycles don't stand up on 2 wheels, so probability and physics tend to sugest that you will eventually drop a bike if you have one. Inexperience tends to suggest you'll drop it faster. Testosterone dictates that you will drop it for stupid reasons.

The FJR is not a high center of gravity bike, at least not by my standards. A GoldWing 1200 is an uncomfortably high CG with a heavy weight, worse when you add a passenger. Still managable safely, but not fun at low speeds. My VTX has the issue of being highish CG and weighing 750 lbs, but the CG is still relatively low, and the high weight actually makes it very nice with passengers, since the passenger doesn't throw the CG location and weight off by as high of a percentage. I certainly agree that a 500-700 cc bike as an intermediate would be better, but I also have friends who started on bigger bikes without issues. I've certainly not been known for going the recommended step-up programs for vehicles, and haven't had issues with it. My first bike was a Kawasaki KZ700, which I started riding with zero experience and zero training, not even an MSF course or someone to tell me how to use it.

I agree it's not a noob bike (and stated as such), but we'll make sure that she gets good training and has proper gear. She's got no shortage of experienced riders to help her out and make sure she stays safe.
 
Missa said:
Ya Mr. Second logged flight EVER was in a twin. You have no room to talk :D
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No, second logged flight ever was a 2.7 hr XC into a Class B airport with 1.0 actual IMC in a complex.

The first flight on the 3rd page of my logbook was a 3.0 hr night XC in a twin. ;)

You are correct that I don't follow convention (ever), and as such rarely suggest that it be followed. That said, when it comes to motorcycles, a dear friend sat me down and beat a few things into my head:

1) Don't start out with a big bike
2) You will drop your bike in the first 6 months
3) Take the MSF course
4) Buy good gear

Well, I got a 700 cc bike (on the big end for a starter, but it wasn't a bike with a lot of "R"s in the name), didn't believe him on dropping the bike (dropped it within a month), then bought good gear once I realized that bikes do, in fact, fall, and I'm not exempt from the laws of physics. Then upgraded to a Bandit 1200, and took the MSF course (which I rode the Bandit 1200 to most nights). So, my order was slightly off, but I also came out unscathed. The only repair I had to do was some duct tape on my $400 starter bike to repair the turn signal I busted when I dropped it. The Bandit got scratched, and I sold it with scratches.

Taking the MSF course would've been good. It also would've helped if I'd had some mentors to ride with and help me out. I had no friends who were motorcyclists and certainly wasn't raised around them. So, I started off with zero experience, zero training, zero mentors, etc. Not even really any book knowledge.

So, young lady, I am the old man conveying my experience. ;)
 
Fortunately, everyone is starting off mature. Kids on fast bikes often spells trouble; I've read that the average life span of a sports bike like mine is measured in weeks. The insurance rates I've encountered for it back up this notion. I am hopeful that grown-ups, especially pilots, will recognize the potential danger and take the necessary steps to insure safety.
 
I've already talked Ted into taking the Advanced MSF course, The only reason I'm not already signed up is that the classes in May are full and the classes in June are not open for registration yet. : )
 
My main fear is not a high speed collision, but rather you falling over or dropping the bike at low speed. Having outriders will not help this, each rider must manage his or her own bike. God luck, and don't forget to post pictures of the new bike and happy rider.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
1) Don't start out with a big bike
2) You will drop your bike in the first 6 months
3) Take the MSF course
4) Buy good gear
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So far, this doesn't match me:

1) My bike is heavy, but only a 650CC, so I guess that's right
2) I've had my bike for over a year, not dropped yet (granted, I lost most of last riding season due to injury, but still)
3) I never took an MSF course
4) I wear very little gear usually (I'm going to get an open face helmet, which may get me back into wearing a helmet again). Life's too short to sissy around with gear, IMHO.
 
SkyHog said:
So far, this doesn't match me:

1) My bike is heavy, but only a 650CC, so I guess that's right
2) I've had my bike for over a year, not dropped yet (granted, I lost most of last riding season due to injury, but still)
3) I never took an MSF course
4) I wear very little gear usually (I'm going to get an open face helmet, which may get me back into wearing a helmet again). Life's too short to sissy around with gear, IMHO.
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Good on you that you haven't yet dropped your bike. Most of the riders I know did within the first year unless they learned as kids on dirt bikes.

I hope you never crash. I really, really do. Crashing is bad, hurts people and raises my insurance rates. But you are showing a profound lack of judgement in my opinion. My one crash was a non event, but had I not had my gear I would have been debilitated for weeks instead of days. Sweat wipes off, rash doesn't. That's why I dress for the crash, and you should too. Life is too short to spend it in hospital rooms. It isn't long enough for good gear.
 
SkyHog said:
So far, this doesn't match me:

1) My bike is heavy, but only a 650CC, so I guess that's right
2) I've had my bike for over a year, not dropped yet (granted, I lost most of last riding season due to injury, but still)
3) I never took an MSF course
4) I wear very little gear usually (I'm going to get an open face helmet, which may get me back into wearing a helmet again). Life's too short to sissy around with gear, IMHO.
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Like steingar said, dress for the crash.

Open face helmets aren't very good if you hit face first and your jaw bone gets driven into your brain...buy a good full-face helmet, Arai, Shoei, AJC. A few hundred bucks, but what's your brain worth?


Trapper John
 
SkyHog said:
So far, this doesn't match me:

1) My bike is heavy, but only a 650CC, so I guess that's right
2) I've had my bike for over a year, not dropped yet (granted, I lost most of last riding season due to injury, but still)
3) I never took an MSF course
4) I wear very little gear usually (I'm going to get an open face helmet, which may get me back into wearing a helmet again). Life's too short to sissy around with gear, IMHO.
Click to expand...

Life is short when you don't sissy around with gear. :eek:

It's all about managing the risk.
 
Well, Nick, I can't agree with your choices, but it's your life. What gear I wear does depend on the ride, but I'm a definite believer in dressing for the crash, not the ride. Life's too short to not do something just because you're afraid. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't take appropriate precautions. What those appropriate precautions are varies depending on your personal views.

The issue with the power tends to be it getting away from you. This is more a matter of engine power. As those who ride more powerful bikes can tell you, this can be a big issue. The dropping thing, like you said you lost a bunch of time. About 95% of riders I know fall into one of the following categories:

1) Dropped it in the first 6 months
2) Didn't ride it in the first 6 months, hence it didn't drop
3) Dropped it in the first 6 months, but lied and said they didn't

So you're either in the 5%, or... :)
 
SkyHog said:
4) I wear very little gear usually (I'm going to get an open face helmet, which may get me back into wearing a helmet again). Life's too short to sissy around with gear, IMHO.
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Awww, man, don't make the old Vanson lonely... wear it!

Cheers,

-Andrew
too many friends who've met the Sausage Creature and never come back
 
Missa, the FJR 1300 is one hell of a bike. You'll love it. Keep the power under control and you'll have a happy ride for a long, long time.

Cheers,

-Andrew
 
astanley said:
Awww, man, don't make the old Vanson lonely... wear it!

Cheers,

-Andrew
too many friends who've met the Sausage Creature and never come back
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Oh, believe me, I wear the jacket, and I wear gloves. I don't wear a helmet. That's why I'm thinking of getting an open face.

That said, I have done many short rides without any gear except sunglasses. If I die going to buy a soda, at least I'll know I died doing something I love.
 
People hit the chin 15% of the time, that's why I wear full face. You can rash up totally just going to the store. AGATT. Risk management, kinda like checking the weather before you fly.

Gear comes in many forms, including armored mesh that can be had inexpensively but still offers protection. If it's too hot for gear, it's too hot to ride.
 
steingar said:
People hit the chin 15% of the time, that's why I wear full face. You can rash up totally just going to the store. AGATT. Risk management, kinda like checking the weather before you fly.

Gear comes in many forms, including armored mesh that can be had inexpensively but still offers protection. If it's too hot for gear, it's too hot to ride.
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But when its too hot for gear, its perfect for riding.

Hot, 105 degree wind hitting your face at 110mph....

Not joking, that is one of my favorite feelings in the world.
 
I went down in a peanut helmet with DOT sticker and "Helmet Laws Suck" sticker.
Despite the brain injury, I haven't changed my opinions on the "Helmet Laws Suck" sticker.
But, brain injuries do suck.
And, I was flippin' lucky.
(And, it was a known risk.
I'm still glad for my gloves and jacket - at least I still have a right arm and hand.)
 
astanley said:
Missa, the FJR 1300 is one hell of a bike. You'll love it. Keep the power under control and you'll have a happy ride for a long, long time.

Cheers,

-Andrew
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I can't wait, I'm so excited, I will be very careful with the power! I am one of those who feel that I would rather have the power and never use it then not have the power and need it. Power is useful to get away from idiots.
 
steingar said:
Too hot for gear, too hot to ride. Period.
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Mmm. 130F bike thermometer temp (105F air temperature, sitting parked in 4 lanes of highway traffic). ATGATT. I knew this would happen, so I froze a CamelBak bladder the night before. I've never been so #$@#$ hot in my life. I had a pretty good case of the stupids when I got home that night.

Cheers,

-Andrew
 
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