<NA> Motorcycle photo thread

A lot of times we’ll run up to The Crossroads Of Time at Deal’s Gap, but rather than run The Gap, we’ll shoot down NC28, which is a bit less traveled (and crazy) and just as much fun.
 
I do look forward to going back someday. But it is such a long drive from where I am. I think that the next mountain trip will be to Boone or Banner Elk as it is significantly closer.
 
Morgan3820 said:
I do look forward to going back someday. But it is such a long drive from where I am. I think that the next mountain trip will be to Boone or Banner Elk as it is significantly closer.
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good riding up in that area as well. Also check out the little Switzerland area.
 
FastEddieB said:
A lot of times we’ll run up to The Crossroads Of Time at Deal’s Gap, but rather than run The Gap, we’ll shoot down NC28, which is a bit less traveled (and crazy) and just as much fun.
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+1 Much better ride.

NC28 doesn't usually have cops crawling all over it like the Dragon, and there are places to get around the inevitable line of slow moving HDs.
 
Finally changed the oil on my bike. It is so weird, the oil plug points forward. You take it off and oil squirts off to the front, you sort of have to guess where the oil is going to wind up. Anyhow, all done, got some riding to do at week's end.
 
Somebody just got a (very rare) bath:

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Despite a lot of little blemishes and imperfections, she still cleans up pretty good!

WAY back in 1999, here’s what she looked like when I first brought her home:

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It was in 2001 I picked up a wrecked K1200RS and trimmed down the scuffed-up fairings before having them painted:

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Anyway, after 22 years she still feels solid and swoopy fast. And for now, reliable. Blue Book is just over $2,000, so if she ever needed a major repair, it might not be worthwhile. But if I can nurse her along for another 3 years, I think she’ll qualify for an “antique” tag!
 
Test rode this today for fun, posted more details in my adventure bike thread:

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Aubrey, I know you won’t listen to this, but that’s too much for a first bike if my Googling is right. 400 lbs and 92 HP is too high of a power to weight ratio.

I’d recommend riding something cheap and 50 HP or less for the rest of this season, ride that next season.

-Ted
Whose already lost one friend to a motorcycle crash this year (a very experienced rider at that), and lost his MSF instructor to a motorcycle crash a few years ago
 
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Ted said:
Aubrey, I know you won’t listen to this, but that’s too much for a first bike if my Googling is right. 400 lbs and 92 HP is too high of a power to weight ratio.

I’d recommend riding something cheap and 50 HP or less for the rest of this season, ride that next season.

-Ted
Whose already lost one friend to a motorcycle crash this year (a very experienced rider at that), and lost his MSF instructor to a motorcycle crash a few years ago
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It's very very manageable in touring mode, and extremely docile in rain mode. I'm not going into sport mode for a long time... it's almost scary it's so twitchy. On an old school bike without selectable ECU maps, I'd 100% agree.
 
ktup-flyer said:
Got my first bike! I love it so far!
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Hell is in the process of freezing over because the Ted and I agree. Too much, too new. You’ll drop it, I promise. I tell folks to start with something small, old, and used. When they drop it, not so bad. And they have a harder time outrunning their abilities. Like the Ted I’ve buried biker friends, more than pilots. The Ted has been on bikes a long time, I’ve been on bikes a really long time. Indeed I know no one who has been riding consistently longer than I. Park the Aprillia, buy something small, used and ugly. Ride it for a year then sell it for the same money you have in it. What sort of cognitively challenged insurance agent wrote you a policy for that?
 
I’m confused, but that is not important.
 
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With reasonable prudence and a good attitude, @ktup-flyer will be fine. I’ve had several friends who bought 600 sport bikes as first bikes and did fine. It’s all about impulse control and riding your own ride.

Congrats, may you have many great miles together!
 
Meh. No more dangerous than turning a private pilot loose. The smart ones make it, and the lucky ones too. Some don't.

25 is still young, but that's about the age you learn to keep it in your pants. Just remember to account for the unknown unknowns.
 
Bill said:
With reasonable prudence and a good attitude, @ktup-flyer will be fine. I’ve had several friends who bought 600 sport bikes as first bikes and did fine. It’s all about impulse control and riding your own ride.

Congrats, may you have many great miles together!
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Thank you. I've been driving a 425hp+ car since I was 17 and have never been pulled over, so I'd like to think I have reasonable self control. I've always driven with the "head on a swivel" conservative mindset, so I have that down.
 
A close friend of mine hit a deer yesterday, it was not good. Woods on both sides of the road, deer ran out a point blank range, no time to see and/or avoid.

Eight broken and/or dislocated rips, bruised spleen and kidney, they had to put a stent in the kidney to get it to drain. Collapsed lung, broken ankle and scapula. He's hurting pretty bad right now. He was riding with a friend, there was no cell service so the friend pushed the button on his Spot, triggering a message to SAR satellites. He was ground transported to a local hospital, and then helo'd to a trauma center. He's stable now, but hurting.

I've been on the fence for a while on two newer pieces of moto technologies, airbags and Spot like satellite com devices. Well, this event has me off the fence. I've ordered a Garmin Inreach mini to ensure the availability of help when out of cell range, and ordered a Hit Air moto airbag vest.

And, I don't know if he as air evac insurance, but for years I've been a part of Airmedcare network, it's nice to know that if air evac is needed, the cost won't be a potential bankrupting issue. It's a small price to pay if the areas you ride in are covered by the network.

Just some things for my riding friends to think about.
 
Bill said:
A close friend of mine hit a deer yesterday, it was not good. Woods on both sides of the road, deer ran out a point blank range, no time to see and/or avoid.

Eight broken and/or dislocated rips, bruised spleen and kidney, they had to put a stent in the kidney to get it to drain. Collapsed lung, broken ankle and scapula. He's hurting pretty bad right now. He was riding with a friend, there was no cell service so the friend pushed the button on his Spot, triggering a message to SAR satellites. He was ground transported to a local hospital, and then helo'd to a trauma center. He's stable now, but hurting.

I've been on the fence for a while on two newer pieces of moto technologies, airbags and Spot like satellite com devices. Well, this event has me off the fence. I've ordered a Garmin Inreach mini to ensure the availability of help when out of cell range, and ordered a Hit Air moto airbag vest.

And, I don't know if he as air evac insurance, but for years I've been a part of Airmedcare network, it's nice to know that if air evac is needed, the cost won't be a potential bankrupting issue. It's a small price to pay if the areas you ride in are covered by the network.

Just some things for my riding friends to think about.
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Airbag is a damn good idea, been thinking about it myself. Biggest thing is I don't ride in the woods other than in broad daylight, and I try not to ride in the woods. I've head four legged things in my car that would have sent me off the bike. A deer can total a small car, and really do a number on a biker.
 
steingar said:
Airbag is a damn good idea, been thinking about it myself. Biggest thing is I don't ride in the woods other than in broad daylight, and I try not to ride in the woods. I've head four legged things in my car that would have sent me off the bike. A deer can total a small car, and really do a number on a biker.
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He wasn't in the woods per say, just a country road section where there were woods on both sides of the road. No way to see the deer until it jumped out, and it was right at high noon, not early morning or late evening when you expect deer.
 
@Bill I'm sorry to hear about your friend, and glad that he's at least still alive and with us.

I don't have an InReach, but I've borrowed a friend's when doing some of the longer over water trips for Cloud Nine. Some of the SOS stories and saves are pretty incredible.

I'd never heard of the airbag vest. That's both intriguing and something I also wonder about in the high temps we have this time of year. I wear my gear all the time, but being physically fatigued due to heat is a concern and a balance. Have you worn one or have any videos or other background you can share on it?

Deer are a huge concern on any motorcycle at any time. I've gotten to where I don't ride except during daylight hours, and am definitely more conservative about when I ride than I used to be. Although I've never had a crash, I've had my share of close calls and almost all of them were at dusk/night.
 
Ted said:
@Bill I'm sorry to hear about your friend, and glad that he's at least still alive and with us.

I don't have an InReach, but I've borrowed a friend's when doing some of the longer over water trips for Cloud Nine. Some of the SOS stories and saves are pretty incredible.

I'd never heard of the airbag vest. That's both intriguing and something I also wonder about in the high temps we have this time of year. I wear my gear all the time, but being physically fatigued due to heat is a concern and a balance. Have you worn one or have any videos or other background you can share on it?

Deer are a huge concern on any motorcycle at any time. I've gotten to where I don't ride except during daylight hours, and am definitely more conservative about when I ride than I used to be. Although I've never had a crash, I've had my share of close calls and almost all of them were at dusk/night.
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Here is a primer on them, but not much on temperature concerns. Some sportbike/half leather styles come with them built in.
 
Ted said:
I'd never heard of the airbag vest. That's both intriguing and something I also wonder about in the high temps we have this time of year. I wear my gear all the time, but being physically fatigued due to heat is a concern and a balance. Have you worn one or have any videos or other background you can share on it?.
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The reason I've been on the fence is the same reason is you, the vest blocking cooling airflow. As most of us know, if it holds air, it doesn't flow air lol!

There are different vest designs and strategies. The F9 video above is a good primer. Some are more full torso coverage, and others, like Hit Air, cover the most vital places yet allow more air to flow. So, compromises. Also a compromise is the triggering method.

By far the most foolproof are the GPS/IMU based electronic designs that detect a problem quickly and inflate quickly, most of the time even while you're still on the bike. These types require ongoing $u$cripton$ to work, and require the airbag to be returned for rearming after use. They are also mostly full torso coverage models with little cooling air.

The second method is mechanical, a tether that gets pulled as you depart the bike inflating the airbag. These can be reset by the user by inserting a new inflation cartridge, and many of these types (like the one shown on the snapshot of the video above) allow more air flow at the expense of a little less torso coverage. These also depend on the rider to remember to clip in to the tether each time you get on the bike.

So, lots of compromises. I pulled the trigger on a Hit Air (tether type) brand vest, as here in the south I value airflow over 100% torso coverage. And, @Ted , I can use the vest mornings, evenings, and on cool days, and remove it during the heat of the day if needed.

Is it perfect in a hot environment? No, but even if I wear it 50-60% of the time (and especially early morning and late afternoon when the forest rats are more active) it increases the odds. No free lunch!
 
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@Bill I hope you'll post a review and thoughts after you ride with it for a bit. I'd be interested in that for Laurie and me. She and I both could use some new vests before long anyway.
 
Half Fast said:
Is your wife going to let you keep it if you promise to take care of it and give it regular exercise? :)
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At the dealership she told me that it was "her" motorcycle, I'm just merely her driver. I can live with that...

The plan is to do some long multi-day two up rides.
 
Bill said:
At the dealership she told me that it was "her" motorcycle, I'm just merely her driver. I can live with that...

The plan is to do some long multi-day two up rides.
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You'll need to get a chauffer's uniform. ;)
 
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