Topic: Motorcycle Riders

[mudguts]

I ride a 1983 Honda CB1100F SuperSport. I wear a full face Arai hat, long sleeves, gloves, trousers, and boots. Even on the hottest days I wear this. I rode dirt and street. I've hit the floor a few times. Doc had to cauterize an exposed nerve on my elbow with the ol' lunar caustic after I wadded up a bike on HWY 41 in Fresburg. I was wearing a short sleeve shirt then.

  After your first asphalt ballet being half naked. You'll probably bundle up a little more. Picking gravel out of your palms, knees and elbows sucks 

[kneedownnate]

lilbuddys brother took a spill last year doing like 65 mph. he was in a turn and hit some sand and water. he lost quite a few toe nails and bruised his feet pretty bad. luckily he had a full face helmet and most of the riding gear. it makes me want to wear boots when i ride but i have not bought a pair yet, and im not going to ride to school in my alpinestar boots.

Was that on his yamaha?  That sucks, but it does help to prove that gear comes in handy.  I wanna get some alpinestars summer riding boots for riding to work then leave a set of shoes there. 

[BigMike]

Just wait till johny law decides to give you an ass chewin for riding in sandals

I guess he could chew my ass a bit but he would be wasting his time. I've been told by three different officers that it is not illeagle to ride with sandals. Also the handbook saying nothing about required foot protection. It just offers suggestions..

could it possibly have a single SIDED swingarm?!

Sweet! That's the correct term! I only have one friend who rides, and he was the one who got me hooked. He has only owned Ducati's, a 750 Monster black and a 900? Monster. He kept telling me I should get a Ducati, well maybe the Hawk is the next best thing for me hahaha

I rode a 2006 R6 once, and it was very nice and all, but I am still undecided about fully covered crotch rockets. I really like naked bikes like the Ducati Monster. The Hawk fits this bill, and because its rare and all, its got a since of nostalgia that I really like. I guess I'm still stuck in the 80s when it comes to transportation!

There's an age cutoff for having to take an msf course.  I think it's 21, but I can't remember.  After X age you can just get your permit, ride for the short period of time required then get your license.

This is good to know. I was over 21 when I applied so I was not told about it.

Oh yea, there's also a speed differential for lane splitting.  Don't know what they are, but there's a maximum speed at which you're allowed to split and you're only allowed to go X mph faster than the cars, either 10 or 15pmh

According to the handbook, it is a 5MPH difference and is entirely legal. In fact, it is entirely leagal for ALL AUTOMOBILES to lane split if you can find a lane wide enough for two vehicles. According to one of the officers I spoke to, there is apparently NO law against a car lane-splitting another car at +5 MPH in the same lane.

I used to think lane splitting was illeagle so I would move into the middle of the two lanes whenever I saw a bike splitting. I hated it, always gave him an angry face. Then when I read about it and learned it is lawful, I felt like a complete jerk. So today, when I split lanes at a red light, every once in a long while, I will get a nasty face. I let it go because I just figure that either 1) they don't understand that its lawful, or 2) some idiot maybe broke off their mirror once.

One time I split to the front at a red light, and the guy to my right had his window down. He said "hey buddy, don't know know lane splitting is dangerous?" I replied "Its safer to be ahead of traffic than behind for me" and he went on to explane how his friend's harley's mirror caught a car's mirror and it pulled the handle bar and he ate cheese. The light turned green right as he was saying the last sentence, so like all good lane splitters, I rode off sure not to make any motorist have to wait for me. As I was riding I was thinking "well he shouldn't be lane splitting on a hog!!"

When they break they usually just wad up above the countershaft sprocket.  If you're lucky it'll just crack of break the little sprocket guard, but it's also likely to crack open the cases or bend the countershaft.

Cool, this is good to know. I've got a pretty good chain. Replaced it over the winter with new sprockets. I spray it down about once every 3-4 weeks. I think the package said to spray it once every 1000km (~600 miles) so I'm right around there.

Kind of small though, seems it to me anyway after I get off my 650l

When I saw it in person, I thought "wow! what a cool little bike!" I read everywhere that it kicks ass in the twisties. Can't wait-

lilbuddys brother took a spill last year doing like 65 mph.

I heard about that. I heard he had on brand new Airwalks or some brand of moon boot skater shoes, which have way more material than the shoes I wear, and he still cut up his feet.

If I wasn't going 100+ then I just wasn't having fun.

This is where I am glad I am on just a 500cc. Everyone tells me that once they ride a big bike (1000cc+) that they can never ride a small bike ever again. I totally believe them despite not having ridden a large bike. But I can enter a freeway even on a short on ramp and already be doing 100 when I merge on. If I had a 1000cc then I would have too many speeding tickets, or worse, have crashed many times. Maybe people condemn me for not wearing much gear, but at least owning a small bike definitely limits the amount of trouble I can get myself into. I can still crash at 100 mph, but at least I'm not tempted to reach 100 mph on a daily basis. My buddy on his Ducati 900(?) Monster would wait until about 3 am, and then head out on a section on 99 just south of Fresno. He said he hit 140 once and it felt pretty stable. I've been to 144 mph in my MR2 and it wasn't hahahaha

My advice for you is to take a ridding coarse....buy good ridding gear and have respect for the bike, and others on the road if you loose the respect that is when you do stupid stuff.

That sums it all up Well said.

[BigMike]

I ride a 1983 Honda CB1100F SuperSport.

Old school baby I love it! Even has twin rear shocks! These are the kind of bikes I tend to be more into. Older classics that are fun to ride and perform well for their age. I bet that thing gets it awn!

After your first asphalt ballet being half naked. You'll probably bundle up a little more.

I've seen Bike topics come and go here, and I think this one is the best yet. Not only has my buddy on the Ducati moved away from home, but he sold both his bikes too. So I have ZERO bike buddies to ride with, so that's why I get whenever I can talk to someone about Bikes

[Rockcrawlintoy]

Was that on his yamaha?  That sucks, but it does help to prove that gear comes in handy.  I wanna get some alpinestars summer riding boots for riding to work then leave a set of shoes there. 

yeah it was. i wanna get some riding boots too the only ones i have are some tech 6's. which i wear when i go on a ride but i wont wear them to school

DRew

[jimbo74]

one of the things in CA with vehicles is a cop can cite you for anything they deem unsafe... if a cop things you are driving in an unsafe manner and cant control the bike adequately because you have flipflops on, its your word against his in court... and having spent hundreds of hours in traffic court, i have listened to the judge tell people that the cop is a sworn officer of the law and does not lie, therefore he (guy saying the cop was wrong) was guilty

[red]

i ride an 06 honda shadow 600cc (cruiser). wanted a sportbike, but parents said no way and they control my college money. i wear a full face helmet at all times, jeans, and a jacket when its cool or i'm gonna be on the highway.

tips?
1. WEAR a helmet!!!!!! the vast majority of deaths/serious injuries on a bike could have been prevented if the rider had worn a helmet.
2. drive very defensively. always, always figure that the vehicles around you cant see you.
3. keep your head on a swivel when you ride.
4. wear steel toe boots for multiple reasons. one reason, if you go down it protects the front of your feet from being crushed or from suffering road rash. another, when somebody starts pulling into your lane its your best way to let them know you are there (for those that are drifting into your lane, if they yank over downshift and hit the brakes). i have people drift into my lane all the time and i'll tell you right now that the horn doesnt work to let people know. you could knock on their window, but that means you lose some control of your bike and the driver could be startled and yank into your lane, running over you.

5. save the stunts for the proper places to do them.

6. dont race on the streets/highways, even if no cars are around. a friend of mine decided to go racing out on the highway, got doin 120 and had to make a right turn. those little white markers that mark the edge of the lanes, he ran over one of those and it knocked him far enough off course that he hit a road sign (sign that says what road your on). died on impact. i'm all for racing on a course, but dont do it on the streets.

have fun, you'll love riding a bike (expecially the acceleration).

[kneedownnate]

Bigmike and Jason, you both need to join barf and rear, read read!  There are so many threads on all different topics, and any bike related question can be answered in the LEO forum   Just don't make the mistake of telling them you ride in sandals unless you're wearing your favorite nomex

[kneedownnate]

Good suggestions red

I've done the riding fast thing on the street and can tell you it's WAY more fun on the track!  You can't imagine what a load off your shoulders it is when you only have 2 things to worry about: the rider in front of you and controlling your bike.  On a trackday everything behind you isn't your concern or responsibility, only what's in front.  I've also pegged out my old cbr600 on the freeway once (155 registered) and can tell you stuff comes at you way faster than you'd ever suspect! 

Watch out for cold tires too.  I've highsided leaving the college on a cool but not cold night, but a strong cold wind had the road very cold.  Powerslid through the corner, wondered why I was staring at the car next to me then caught traction and flipped over the bars.  No idea how, but I came back down on the seat after my handstand and rode it out, then.......well....... powerslid onto the onramp   I was a genious back then.

Another night my friend and I were heading back to his place to grab something and stopped at a light.  Light turns and he goes first, halfway through corner my front end washes out what feels like a good foot or two, catches then the back end swaps around.  I roll up next to him at the next stop sign and ask if he saw that, and he says "yup, you headlight was shooting back and forth pretty violently, I had no idea what you were doing"  We went back through there on the way back and he saw a flattened soda can. 

Maybe we should turn this into storyfest

[Rockdiver]

 I have a 2002 Kawasaki zrx 1200r street bike and a 2006 Kawasaki KLR 650 enduro. I wear full Face Shoei  and full face scorpion on the enduro
  Always with mesh jacket with pads and armor Leather gloves with kevlar. I have been side swiped by a van at 50 mph with a passenger on board. Advice move past cars dont dawdle and get in sight  quick or just past them. They cant see you as well as a car.  Have fun

[Plowking]

I and my son both ride, he is 13 and has an 2006 ktm 85, and I myself have a 2000 Ktm 520 SX it has taken front stage in the woods and it is a blast. We both wear full gear. Boots, helment, and chest protector are a must.

Sorry off topic

[BigMike]

move past cars dont dawdle and get in sight  quick or just past them.

Yup Good advice

Just don't make the mistake of telling them you ride in sandals unless you're wearing your favorite nomex

Hey dude, the chicks dig it

[red]

thanks kneedownnate. i used to work at the powersports dealership and i've ridden for about a year on the street so i've got some experiance. my former boss and the owner of the dealership would go out to the race track every few months, said it was a lot better than ever racing on the street, and so much more fun.

helmet, go with either shoei or shark and get a full face. a half helmet or a 3/4 helmet wont protect your face if you go down (3/4 will protect the sides of your head but not the face).

jacket, mesh is great for summertime and make sure to have the pads in there at all times. they help with the impact but offer little protection in a slide so if you wear mesh you must roll when you go down to minimize road rash. leather offers little impact protection, but is the best when it comes to sliding (majority of injuries on a bike are from road rash.)

[freeze365]

Looooove motorcycles!!!  I race here in Canada in the Ducati Cup.... did i say i loooooove motorcycles??!?

you can check out our website if you'd like 
www.westfieldracingteam.jimdo.com

[red]

i traded my shadow in a few weeks ago and now ride a yamaha yzf 1000 (sport bike). can i say FFFUUUUUNNNNNN!!!!!! around town! responds so much faster than my shadow did, turning, acceleration, and braking.

[Yota Up]

I'll be getting an F3 or F4 soon enough.
Been riding a little 250 for a while now.  Fun to throw it around in close quarters with cars in parking lots.

I'm not a gear-nazi.  You wear what you want.

Personally, I would take nothing less than a full face helmet.
I also wear a jacket and gloves.
No boots, no fancy pants.

Hard to find a bike for $500.  Bump it up to $800-$900 and you got yourself a little Ninja 250.  Don't worry about other guys talking about CC's and teasing you.  I ride a little 250 and only over the internet has anyone ever talked trash to me about it. 

[Yota Up]

P.S.:  With a little custom work, you can make one of those 250's look pretty cool.
Here's mine with the custom lighntning I put on.  You can only see it at night or when lights hit it...otherwise it's all black.

[red]

250 ninja's are so much fun to ride around town and on the track. not good on the highway though (so light weight), but alotta fun.

[Yota Up]

Definately, bad for the freeway.  Anytime I got on the freeway, my chest would be on the tank.  And still I'd get smacked around like a cheap hooker.  Offers very little in wind protection, in addition to light weight.  But like Red said - in town, for ripping through gears between stoplights - it's a blast.  And you end up becoming a better rider, because you spend more time at high speeds on turns.  I ride with other guys on liter bikes, and simply because they go so fast on the straights, they slow down a lot on the turns - and I catch up staying rather consistent.

I think it will make me a safer rider when I get that dog-gone F4 I want so much.

[kneedownnate]

Looooove motorcycles!!!  I race here in Canada in the Ducati Cup.... did i say i loooooove motorcycles??!?

you can check out our website if you'd like 
www.westfieldracingteam.jimdo.com

Holy crap, had no idea anybody on here actually raced or even did track days!  Sooooooooo............... you need anybody to ride the bikes real slow around the track and possibly crash a lot?  I could move up there in a heartbeat   Always wanted to ride a duc on the track, or any well prepped twin for that matter.  Just seems like it'd fit my riding style better.  I hafta respect how well they fare in a low side crash too, don't seem to get so beat up or broke as lots of other bikes.

Yota up, there's a slight chance I'll be selling an f4i but it has a salvage title.  Where you at again?

[Yota Up]

Yota up, there's a slight chance I'll be selling an f4i but it has a salvage title.  Where you at again?

Wife just asked me why I'm smiling funny.  Hehe.

I just moved to So Oregon.  I reckon I don't care about title much, as long as nobody's gonna report it stolen.  Not much law 'round here anyhow.

I'll be driving down to the bay area all the time, I got folks there.  Plus business.
Let me know when the time comes, I'd love to see it and if the funds work out right - it will likely happen.

[kneedownnate]

It was going to be my track bike so I could have the same thing on the street and track, just think my plans are changing.  I've had it for a couple years and haven't even done a track day or ridden this one.  It still needs some work but I got a bunch of parts to switch out on it too.  Nothing's going to happen with it right away but when it does I'll hollar at you

[klmmicro]

2006 XR650L with helmet, gloves and long pants mostly.  When I am off highway I usually wear a 661 pressure suit top with Joe Rocket touring pants.  This is one of the funnest bikes I have owned in my 33 years of riding, but I am starting to look for another street bike to keep in company.  A nice shiny GSXR 750 might be in the near future.

[Hammerhead]

Spent enough years on the racetrack that I can hardly get on a bike without my battlegear.

I have half a dozen old TT/XT500 Yamahas.  Been thinkin' about a street ride to take the wife for weekend rides in the mountains...

[YotaChris]

I'm in the middle and everything you see there is what I wear. I don't ever ride with anything less, except lately I have been skimping out on wearing my chest protector but I wouldn't recommend not wearing one, Mine has saved me countless times.

[KDXSR5]

I ride a highly modified '01 Kawasaki KDX200. It is an off-road (think enduros, hare scrambles, and such, NOT MOTOCROSS) racing two-stroke. Somehow I got it licenced (good luck doing this anywhere besides Wyo). I now ride it around town on occasion. Depending upon how cold it is, and my location, I wear different stuff. If I am racing, its MOOSE pants, jersey, chest protector, Alpinestar Tech 8 boots, Ironclad gloves, and a HJC full face dirtbike helmet. On the street, if it is really cold out, 10-30 degrees, I wear some really heavy Carhartt coveralls+boots+helmet. From 30-60 degrees, I wear jeans+heavy Carhartt jacket+boots+helmet. From 60-100 degrees, I wear jeans+boots+helmet+anything ranging from a light jacket to a t-shirt. I have never worn shorts while riding, and I never will. I like my legs to look at least half-way decent after a spill. I also always wear my boots, except when riding to school, because school is just 8 blocks away. Again, another safety precaution. I don't ride it to school anymore, because kids mess with it. I would put pics up, but I have no idea how to do that. This bike will pop wheelies going 40-50 mph with the twist of the wrist. I sure love two-strokes. What is this lane splitting stuff everyone is talking about? It sounds like something that would piss people off up here in WY. I hope at least a little bit of this info is helpful!

[blyota91]

Lane splitting is weaving traffic.  I don't think I'd have the balls to do it, and if I did I don't think I'd want to.

[kneedownnate]

I'll only lane split if traffic is stopped.  Redding drivers don't know how to stay in line so it's tough enough when they're stopped, let alone when they're moving!  You might only get a few cars before some dipshit is too close to the line for you to squeeze by.

[KDXSR5]

This sounds very dangerous, and should be illegal. That would be something that would piss off many people. I know I wouldn't have the balls to do it.

[BigMike]

Actually, from what I've learned, automobiles are able to lane split if the lane is wide enough. I checked in the DMV automobile hand book and found no laws on this, and I've asked 3 officers and each one said that if the lane is wide enough, a car may lane split another car in the same lane if the speed difference is 5 MPH or less, the same law for a motorcycle, its just much easier to fit a motorcycle and an automobile in the same lane (obviously).

Every morning, like this morning, I lane split about a 1 mile stretch on a 1-lane road that is backed up by morning traffic for almost a 30 min bumper-to-bumper wait in an auto. I shift into 2nd and lug it doing no more than 10 MPH. And I'll tell you what, I am actually surprised at how many people move to the far side of the lane to provide me with ample room to split. I have NEVER had any one close the lane in front of me, rather its the other way around.

I am nearly the same as Nate: I never split traffic that is moving over ~5-10 mph.

Been riding a little 250 for a while now.  Fun to throw it around in close quarters with cars in parking lots.

What gas mileage do you get? Is it a 6 speed? Also, what is the redline? Thanks!