Motorcycle Rant

SoCal RV Flyer said:
If you don't like your teeth, open-face for sure!
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If you'd like to experience an open face helmet without having to crash an actual motorcycle and do a face plant into the asphalt, try holding a running disc grinder against your face for a few seconds.
 
(having screwed up a panic stop) I was sliding along the road thinking how glad I was that I was wearing the full face helmet. Hearing the sound of the right side of the helmet being scraped by the road was quite distinctive and very noticable.

I still have that helmet as a reminder (and yes, I bought a replacement).
 
I was feeling left out, so I added some more cylinders to my collection at lunch:

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I've never damaged a helmet other than by dropping it or banging it into something. I've never damaged any of my gear. I still wear the stuff most days. Dress for the crash, not the ride. A photo of my weapon of choice, just because.
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I have now owned each make of rice burner.

Kawasaki Vulcan Classic
 
EdFred said:
I have now owned each make of rice burner.

Kawasaki Vulcan Classic
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Looks good, have fun riding!

Oh, and that's the one of the Japanese four that I haven't owned. No Kawasakis as of yet. Well, unless you count the early 70's Arctic Cat snowmobiles we owned growing up, they had Kawasaki two smokes in them.
 
EdFred said:
I have now owned each make of rice burner.

Kawasaki Vulcan Classic
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Nice bike, I hope you enjoy it. My one Kowalski was a maintenance pig, but I think it had been badly mistreated throughout most of its life.
 
Bill Jennings said:
Looks good, have fun riding!
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What's nice is I can stretch my legs out on this, slouch, an just take it easy. Now just need to figure out how to watch a DVD while riding...


...in Wisconsin.
 
Half Fast said:
And you admit it in public? You have no shame.
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He's in bad company. I've owned ones from all 4 as well. Let's see, motorcycle brands owned...

- Kawasaki
- Suzuki
- Yamaha
- Honda
- Harley
- Triumph
- Moto Guzzi

I really need to up my non-Japanese brands for motorcycles. Probably a Ducati will be the next addition at some point to check that box.
 
I have a Vespa GTV 300 (yeah, I know, it's not a motorcycle per se). I use it more than my truck - it's great for local errands and the occasional longer trip. I recently had a Malossi performance kit installed that increased the WOT speed from about 72 to 85+ mph, so I'm not shy about riding on area highways with speed limits of 75. It handles nicely at the higher speeds. I've gotten a lot of second glances because folks don't expect to see what they consider a "moped" going that fast. Someday I want to set out on a multi-day journey, my own "iron butt" challenge. Maybe this fall when it cools off.

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ETres said:
I have a Vespa GTV 300 (yeah, I know, it's not a motorcycle per se). I use it more than my truck - it's great for local errands and the occasional longer trip. I recently had a Malossi performance kit installed that increased the WOT speed from about 72 to 85+ mph, so I'm not shy about riding on area highways with speed limits of 75. It handles nicely at the higher speeds. I've gotten a lot of second glances because folks don't expect to see what they consider a "moped" going that fast. Someday I want to set out on a multi-day journey, my own "iron butt" challenge. Maybe this fall when it cools off.

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I think it's cool. The other day I saw someone who looked like a stereotypical biker/Harley dude on a pink Vespa running errands.
 
Half Fast said:
If you'd like to experience an open face helmet without having to crash an actual motorcycle and do a face plant into the asphalt, try holding a running disc grinder against your face for a few seconds.
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That's how I shave in the morning :)
 
The full face helmet is absolutely required for me. I ride Dual-Sport, and falling is a rather common occurrence off road. Can’t tell you how many times I avoided injury wearing proper gear. My biggest issue now days is picking the damned thing back up, getting old is not for sissies. Motorcycles are like aircraft, they represent freedom. What a wonderful country we live in, and these are the the good old days!
Dave
 
Get ya some flight insurance at least. Don't know how many times I’ve picked people up off “The Dragon.”
 
I really like scooters. Not the maxi-scoot variety, but scooters that have usable storage but are still light and maneuverable. 300cc is awesome size on a scooter! I sure as heck wouldn't mind a Piaggio BV350...
 
steingar said:
The only Honda that ever broke on me was a refugee from the 80's. I really like that kind of build quality.
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I started with a 750 Honda many moons ago. At one time I had a 1975 GL1000 Goldwing. I really didn't care for it as it felt like driving a truck. I understand that since the redesign in the late 90's the handling of the Goldwing is much improved. Just not what I'm after in a motorcycle.

I've owned a couple of Suzuki bikes and have had great reliability and service from both of them. I got this one at a great price because his wife was the boss and she had spoken:
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These two are currently occupying my garage. There are 6 or 7 (I forget eactly) more in a storage unit (only one of which is a BMW, however). In this picture there are twelve cylinders, 3,298 cc displacement, 320 bhp, and 258 ft-lb of torque. :devil:

When this was taken, the one on the left had 104,980 miles. The one on the right had 2,160 miles.
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weilke said:
I do get a kick out of the prussian military helmet style that some riders wear. Are you expecting mortar fire ?
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No, they’re just doing their best to look like Nazis.
 
EdFred said:
I was feeling left out, so I added some more cylinders to my collection at lunch:

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This is a nice bike. I rented one(900) for a few days at the Dragon a while back. Not fast by any means, but really nice to ride and enjoy the scenery
 
genna said:
This is a nice bike. I rented one(900) for a few days at the Dragon a while back. Not fast by any means, but really nice to ride and enjoy the scenery
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Yeah, I put around 80 on it last night. Break in period, so a lot of purposeful stop and go, and nothing much north of 60. Was able to sit up, sit back, slouch. I should be happy with it. I had a CBR up until 2 years ago, I'm done with leaning over the tank.
 
EdFred said:
Yeah, I put around 80 on it last night. Break in period, so a lot of purposeful stop and go, and nothing much north of 60. Was able to sit up, sit back, slouch. I should be happy with it. I had a CBR up until 2 years ago, I'm done with leaning over the tank.
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I'm the same way. Relaxed ride is much more appealing now than adrenaline. Sold 916 a few days ago(it needed a lot of TLC, but it was hard to let it go after 19 years). Wife won't let me sell 749 yet. I'm torn about it somewhat because I know if I sell it, there will be no MC for a while. Vulcan is actually a perfect bike for me now if I were to buy one. But I/we really don't have any available time to ride, so buying anything is a waste at the moment. I still take the 749 out but only a few times a year. With so little practice, I don't need a lot of leaning to get the rush going :). There is also a 150cc scooter in a garage.
 
Bill Jennings said:
Yeah, sold my last sportbike 8 years ago, can't do it no mo! Upright is fine with me...
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Ergonomics are so individual.

I can handle upright, but I’m more comfortable in a sport bike posture, like my Buell, or sport-touring like my K1200RS. I like having my elbows nearly straight, and the forward lean and higher pegs help flatten out my back.

But That’s Just Me! (tm)
 
Bill Jennings said:
Yeah, sold my last sportbike 8 years ago, can't do it no mo! Upright is fine with me, there's plenty of adventure and standard bikes out these days that are really nice.
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Me too. I miss my 954rr whenever I'm not riding it. That said Il Negrini is just upright enough to not be painful, cafe'd enough to be good and fast. A nice compromise.
 
FastEddieB said:
Ergonomics are so individual.
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Absolutely! I ride a cruiser because I like the style and upright position. Having said that my lower back was killing me after 30 minutes of so. I swapped out the stock saddle for a Mustang Touring model with a removable backrest and it was like night and day. The Mustang is incredibly comfortable (without the backrest--I never use it but carry it in one of my saddle bags just in case) even after hours in the seat
 
I would like a straight stretch of new pavement and about 10 minutes on a new Ninja H2R
 
tsts4 said:
Absolutely! I ride a cruiser because I like the style and upright position. Having said that my lower back was killing me after 30 minutes of so. I swapped out the stock saddle for a Mustang Touring model with a removable backrest and it was like night and day. The Mustang is incredibly comfortable (without the backrest--I never use it but carry it in one of my saddle bags just in case) even after hours in the seat
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Which Mustang seat do you have? I still have the stock seat on my Harley (with an aftermarket backrest). The ergonomics of it work well, but the seat itself is a bit uncomfortable after a while. I've always planned on upgrading the saddle on it at some point, just didn't do it once kids started coming along since I knew it would be a while before I'd do any sort of long distance riding. Mustang makes a few saddles that look very interesting to me, although I doubt I could use my aftermarket back rest. I might also just try buying a sheepskin pad/cover for the saddle I have. I did that on my VTX and it made a world of difference for my poorly-insulated rear end.

My wife's Street Glide, which lacks a backrest, gets uncomfortable for me after a bit. So did my Ultra Classic pre-backrest.

Back when I had my RC51 the leaned over style never hurt my back any, but it would get to my legs eventually. Sport touring bikes were similar. Even about 60 miles on the Guzzi yesterday left my legs feeling a little stiff last night when I went to bed.

Ergonomics are very, very individual.
 
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