Motorcycle Catch-All

I will +1 to ear plugs. The only time I've skipped out on them have been when I'm doing "just a few minutes of riding", and the difference is amazing. I could not picture doing an hour or more of riding without ear plugs.

I bought a huge box years ago off Amazon, and go through a dozen pairs a season, and always have extras stuffed into the pockets of all my jackets.

Another +1 on the ear plugs. Not only will they reduce fatigue, they'll also protect your hearing.

The earplug company make awesome fitted plugs that are the most comfortable I've ever worn. They have a set complete with internal speakers - great sound while cruising.

I was rooting around in my NAS this morning and found a backup of an old web site of mine that I thought had been lost. In it were a bunch of motorcycle trip write-ups I'd done "back in the day."

The most interesting was a trip I took in '99 around the US - 25,000+ miles and all 48 contiguous states. I moved the files to my current web host. Here's the link, if you're interested!

http://mmorris.org/usa99

So I just got back from my first motorcycle ride in Japan since I got back from being underway. Nice brisk winter day with plenty of sunshine. And I absolutely love how Japanese drivers treat motorcycles. Lane-splitting and moving to the front of traffic at a stoplight is expected, and the rigorous training required to get a Japanese driver's license (as opposed to the training for a U.S. driver's license which might as well be given away free in cereal boxes) along with the ubiquitous bicycle traffic means that every driver has their head on a swivel. I definitely stayed alert and scanning the whole time, as relying on other people is a good way to get hit, but for the density of traffic and the size of the streets, it was an amazingly good experience.

Now to wait for the weather to warm up a bit, and I can do my bucket-list item of "Ride a motorcycle through the mountains of Japan". Maybe I'll scout a route and make a list of temples and other attractions to see.

I also need to get a helmet for my girlfriend, as she is champing at the bit to get some motorcycle riding done!

Coldstream wrote:

Now to wait for the weather to warm up a bit, and I can do my bucket-list item of "Ride a motorcycle through the mountains of Japan". Maybe I'll scout a route and make a list of temples and other attractions to see.

That sounds amazing. I hope you can take photos to share, or even get a go-pro (or similar) mounted to your bike/helmet somehow.

I'm suffering from PMS right now, Parked Motorcycle Syndrome......

For a few years now my cousin and I have been throwing around the idea of riding motorcycles together again. We rode dirt bikes/quads together as teenagers and then adult responsibilities set in for both of us. Throw in a couple of layoffs, family issues, and all that jazz just for "fun". These days, the kids are older and we've both settled into a bit more stable careers.

Recently, things have come together and it looks like we are on our way to diving into this full force. While a BMW 1200GS is the dream bike for me, I'm going to start with a used Kawasaki KLR650. I never did get my license, so I'm going to pay for the training/school to get it done right.

Clearly, we're into the dual-sport/adventure biking side of things. While I'd love to go fast on the road, I just don't trust the traffic volume and caliber of drivers on Southern California metro freeways. I'll gladly trailer the bike to a more isolated area and ride from that central location.

I have no idea what I'm doing, but I can tell you I'm excited. I haven't been this excited for a venture for a very long time.

Anybody in the area who rides dual-sports?

Any advice to a newbie?

Thanks!

It was 60 and sunny last Saturday but didn't want to drive the bike across the mushy lawn from my storage shed and there is still alot of grit on the road. Suppose to be 50-55 this Saturday, but gonna wait a bit longer before pulling the bike out.

Rainsmercy wrote:

... gonna wait a bit longer before pulling the bike out.

Same here. I'm trying to use the time to install new handlebars, and hoping I don't miss too many good riding days by the time I'm done...

I tend to wait for the first real rain storm to hit the area, to try and wash out all the sand and salt that has built up over the winter.

Yah,here in the Minnesota, its terrible till the street sweepers come through.

This thread makes me sad, we just got a foot of snow dropped on us last weekend and now it's snowing again

Moggy wrote:

Another +1 on the ear plugs. Not only will they reduce fatigue, they'll also protect your hearing.

The earplug company make awesome fitted plugs that are the most comfortable I've ever worn. They have a set complete with internal speakers - great sound while cruising.

I recently drove from New Orleans to Salt Lake City and back. First time I've ever really spent more than an hour or 2 on a bike a day.

I should have worn earplugs. It took wayyyy longer than I expected to recover from a week of riding every day, almost all day. And for all I know, I did some longterm damage.

I started out with these fancy musician earplugs that just filter out certain noise. Do not get these. The plastic part will get stuck in your ear because they're not made to accommodate wearing and removing a helmet.

I bought a case of disposable foam plugs, and I keep unused pairs on my bike and in every jacket I own. I'll only ride without ear plugs if I'm going less than a few miles.

61 degrees in Minnesota yesterday! Got the bike out of storage yesterday, battery hooked up, tabs put on license plate, and seat attached and she started right up! Rode for a half hour only as I had too much to do and just wanted to knock a little of my winter rust off.

Nice! Mother Nature decided to screw with us here in New England and dumped snow and cold on us in April - not cool. I suppose I can't complain too much - my bike is currently in pieces while I have procrastinated in finding new cables and grips...

And its back in the 30s and 40s the rest of this week as well as rain/snow mix. Sigh, mother nature needs to eat a snickers or something. Supposedly going to be 60 again here on this Sunday, maybe I'll have time to go for a longer ride.

Have you guys seen this craziness?

http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/bm...

Not sure how I feel about it. I find it difficult to believe that motorcycles will ever be safe enough for not wearing gear to become a viable option. I do like the idea of an inflatable airbag collar instead of a helmet, but again, rigidity is a problem.

Also, that's either a really pretty bike, or a really ugly one, and I can't decide.

Coldstream wrote:

Have you guys seen this craziness?

http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/bm...

Not sure how I feel about it. I find it difficult to believe that motorcycles will ever be safe enough for not wearing gear to become a viable option. I do like the idea of an inflatable airbag collar instead of a helmet, but again, rigidity is a problem.

Also, that's either a really pretty bike, or a really ugly one, and I can't decide.

Let's see. I'm all for an electric bike, since I'm not into motorcycles for the noise, and I have no particular love for the internal combustion engine. I like the idea of the self-balancing, as that would make the big bikes easier for most people to control at lower speeds. I'm totally in on the whole safety alert system - bikes can stop impressively quickly, so if the system can identify stupid drivers and avoid them even before I notice them becoming a danger, that's great. I'd take it one step further that I didn't see mentioned in the article - self-driving capabilities. One of the things I love about riding is seeing so much more of the world around me, but I can't enjoy it because I'm focused on not dying from my own or another's negligence. If I could set in a course and just lean back and watch the world go by, knowing that the bike is a better driver than I could ever be......where do I sign?!?! As for the style, it looks ugly to me, but most concepts start out that way and get refined over time. I personally prefer the cruiser type anyway, but there's no reason all of that fancy tech couldn't be put into any style...

Can't see the self driving thing happening, considering how much leaning and adjustment of weight is involved in motorcycling.

On another note, I got my first complaint from a neighbor about my pipes being too loud. Apparently I've woken her up a couple times starting up in the morning. Though I don't really hit the road until about 10 or 11 most days. She must be night shift or something.
I have a new baffle on the way anyways. The guy I bought it from put drag pipes on and one of the baffles fell out while on the road. He preferred the sound without it so left it off.
Honestly I'm not really a part of the "Loud pipes save lives" crew, and was planning on swapping back to the original exhaust when I had a chance. Hopefully this will do for now until I can get into a garage to do the proper swap. The bolts connecting the elbow to the engine block are pretty rusted and will need some extra work to get out. Fun times.

I seem to recall a couple of insurance companies doing a "loud pipes save lives" study some time back. If I remember correctly, the studies concluded that while louder pipes did indeed increase the likelihood that drivers would be more aware of a nearby biker, the false sense of security this gave to said bikers resulted in actions that led to more accidents. Thus, loud pipes end up having no net safety value for the general biker population, and end up being mostly a fashion choice.

That said, I would like slightly throatier pipes on my next bike, as the FZ6R has very little character to its exhaust note. I really hate the obnoxiously loud pipes though. Just seems asinine to inflict that level of noise pollution on others, especially in packed residential areas.

A defensive driving/riding course I think would be much more beneficial for most riders, especially new riders. Also in Minnesota at least, they also offer a more advanced version of the safety class for those with 1000 miles or more of riding experience.

Agreed. Riders courses are definitely great to have. I've often lamented the fact that I didn't take more riding courses when I was a novice rider, but they weren't really that easy to get into or publicized in my area. When I got my learner I wanted to get into the basic rider course to expedite my full license because they gave you the full deal at the end of the course (which on retrospect is not a great idea in my opinion.) But the wait list to get into the course was longer than the learners period. Didn't want to spend the $200 for no perceivable gain (holy crap I just realized that was almost 17 years ago...)

Update on the neighbor situation. Spoke to the husband of the lady that complained. He assured me there weren't any hard feelings, his wife was just very delicate from having recently gone through doing the home care for her terminally ill brother. Way to go Rob, annoy the neighbor that's been on death watch. Classy.

Got a new baffle installed, but it's not bolted in right now. The mounting hole from the previous baffle is smaller than the bolt supplied for the new one. Probably should have checked sooner, but oh well. Hit up the local hardware superstore and bought smaller bolts. Will bolt it down tomorrow, but the sound is so much better now. It's a deeper throatier rumble instead of the loud "brat-brat" without. It idles better to, because the back pressure is actually letting the engine work properly. Pretty stoked.

Thinking the next purchase is either going to be drag bars to replace the ridicules ape hangers that are on now, or heat wrap for the pipes. I really like the look of wrapped pipes on cruisers, and it would look better than the stained and dinged up chrome. Then when new tire time comes around I kind of want to get white walls.

I feel quite fortunate about the training courses I've been able to take. Since I purchased my first motorcycle when I was on active duty, I had to take the basic MSF Rider Course before I could ride too much. Since then, I've had mandatory interval training. In fact, in Japan we're actually required to do to a bit more training. Two days ago I completed the Sportbike course, which was a ton of fun. Lots of hard leaning and swerving. The day after, I had to refresh my Advanced course, but with my fiancee on the back since there's a requirement here that to carry a passenger, one has to complete that course with a passenger. I can tell you, all those cones and sudden stops are quite a bit more challenging with someone else on the bike with you. Fantastic training though!

The Facebook group I am in - New England Riders - mentions "Track Days" all the time. I don't know if they sponsor them or just advocate, but everyone who goes raves about them and the skills they learn there.

Going to the Progressive International Motorcycle show on Friday where I seriously consider upgrading to a bigger bike. Currently have a Honda Shadow Aero 750, which I pay off on Friday as well. I'm looking to upgrade to a cruiser with a 1200 or bigger engine with a 6 speed transmission. Kinda looking at the 2017 Indian Scout ABS model. I was going to look at the Victory Gunner, but Polaris has stopped production on Victory motorcycles and is focusing only on Indian. Harley is overpriced and overhyped(though I like how some of them look), and just not feeling any interest towards Honda/Yamaha/other cruisers.

Do your research on the Indian Scout. I love the look of them, but I talked to one of the mechanics nearby when I brought my bike in for service. He kind of just frowned and shook his head when I mentioned them, and his shop sells Indians. I don't have any concrete research, but do be wary.
Really bummed that Polaris decided to bail on the Victory brand. I really liked what they were doing with design. It seemed people either loved or hated the look, which I take as a good sign that a company is willing to take chances.

The impossible happened to me the other day. I looked at a Harley Davidson and...liked it.

Seriously, to the point of considering a purchase. Weird.

What model?

For the first time since 1997, I'm motorcycle-less.

I hope I can survive it!