Who rides motorcycles?

[JasperFrank]

How many times has a motorcycle Saved My Life? More times than I can count. The best, safe, auto drivers, are also long time motorcycle drivers.

 

[CalG]

I'm sure I have made this comment previously, but...

I ride two wheels BECAUSE it requires 100% attention and a fair bit of concentration to do so.

That IS the enjoyment.

 

[LouNY]

I can certainly agree some people should not own a motorcycle.
I,m 76 years old, and have owned and driven many very powerful bikes over my years of owning them. I have never had an accident, or even any incedent I would say was a close call. I was a very very cautious and alert driver, always leaving enough room so i had an escape area of some kind, even while driving in Montreal.

My self I sure can't say I've never had an incident or accident.
I rode for a great many years starting at about 14 till 70, I had to stop because of balance issues and knees that couldn't hold the bike up. I was never seriously injured and never missed a day of work from my incidents. I've laid a couple down including a full dress in my driveway, been tagged by an auto once, and actually took out a deer one night.

 

[JasperFrank]

Liability Coverage on my 1980, Yam, SR500, is $140 a year, through Progressive. Cool thing is, its really 499.5 CCs. Just below the next jump of displacement category to insure.

 

[mrmikey]

PL, PD and collision on my '15 Spyder is CAN$ 1,200

 

[subhunter]

I wanted something small, light and easy to work on.
I bought this used with 108 miles on it. It's fun to take
the back roads over to my friends house. The stock bars
were terrible so I switched to Protaper Mini's with Oury
Road grips. I couldn't use the stock bar end weights with
the alloy bars. The grips had a little more vibration than
what I like so I filled the bars with BB's. The added weight
of the BB's and them bouncing around a little, kind of
turned the bars in to a big dead blow hammer. The bars
are really smooth now. A 1/2" x 1/2" slice of wooden
dowel was added to the end of the bars.
The dash says 47.1 gallons used , 6570 miles ( 139.4 mpg ).
Toggle to the other info and it says 124.3 mpg.

 

[CalG]

On the practical side of two wheeling

I mounted a new rear tire on the Vespa today.

Breaking down tires is a ROYAL pia! And hard work that cost me blood when the tire iron slipped out! ;-)

The new rear tire on a scooter?

A Michelin XZX 145/70R12

To replace a 15 year old Kenda 130/70-12

The car tire "corners" with an edge, but I read the service life is worth it!

110/90-12 front is on it's way
to replace the 120/70-12

I'm going to add an inch to the rolling diameter both front and rear.

There dirt back roads are brutal!

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Cracks me up that a person would buy an 800 pound bike with over 1000cc to learn on.

That is likely just a flex. It's pride. It's to look a certain way.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Cracks me up that a person would buy an 800 pound bike with over 1000cc to learn on.

That is likely just a flex. It's pride. It's to look a certain way.

not only that the dud doesn't even seem to understand the concept of breaking never mind a clutch

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

not only that the dud doesn't even seem to understand the concept of breaking never mind a clutch

The first thing I taught my son was clutch work. He had to prove to me that he could ride the bike at any speed, regardless of throttle setting. You should be able to ride a motorcycle at 5mph with the throttle wide open.

The entire first day of most motorcycle training courses, is simply walking the bike back and forth across a parking lot by slipping the clutch and modulating throttle.

Speed is clutch based, power is throttle. Many people see a clutch as an on/off switch, when it's actually a dimmer. If you can't use a clutch as speed control by slipping it, you'll be a ****ty rider for sure.

 

[3930dave]

I wanted something small, light and easy to work on.
I bought this used with 108 miles on it. It's fun to take
the back roads over to my friends house. The stock bars
were terrible so I switched to Protaper Mini's with Oury
Road grips. I couldn't use the stock bar end weights with
the alloy bars. The grips had a little more vibration than
what I like so I filled the bars with BB's. The added weight
of the BB's and them bouncing around a little, kind of
turned the bars in to a big dead blow hammer. The bars
are really smooth now. A 1/2" x 1/2" slice of wooden
dowel was added to the end of the bars.
The dash says 47.1 gallons used , 6570 miles ( 139.4 mpg ).
Toggle to the other info and it says 124.3 mpg.

Much like a box of puppies, something about tiny bikes just makes me smile, stupidly.....

That ^, looks like fun !

I had done a ton of reading on the Grom (etc, derivatives). I think it was elsewhere (but might have been on here), I remember a post from somebody somewhere in SoCal..... guys living in a house near him, could have walked onto the set of Sons of Anarchy as extras, and rode the requisite HDs during the week. On the weekend, the big garage door would often roll up, and the 4 of them would roll out, on Groms !

They do scream fun, and have a seriously ridiculous range of aftermarket support.... to steal a line (about another bike model) from a Aussie MC journo "... if you can't find what you want in the aftermarket for these, then you need to seek professional help for your shopping disorder !"

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

How many times has a motorcycle Saved My Life? More times than I can count. The best, safe, auto drivers, are also long time motorcycle drivers.

Many lessons-learned on 2 wheels are extremely important.

Just learning to pay attention to sight-lines, on-road or off, could save your life driving a cage.

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

Cracks me up that a person would buy an 800 pound bike with over 1000cc to learn on.

That is likely just a flex. It's pride. It's to look a certain way.

Makes me think of a line from Spinal Tap, the old movie.....

This Is Spinal Tap (1984) 7.9 | Comedy, Music

Went something like.... "We stuff these down the front of our pants, so they think we have an armadillo in there...."

Big powerful bike + low/no-skill rider = Motorcycles are Evil fantasies

Rgds, D.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Makes me think of a line from Spinal Tap, the old movie.....

This Is Spinal Tap (1984) 7.9 | Comedy, Music

Went something like.... "We stuff these down the front of our pants, so they think we have an armadillo in there...."

Big powerful bike + low/no-skill rider = Motorcycles are Evil fantasies

Rgds, D.

I saw a kid last week at a stop light. New bike, new jacket, new pants, new helmet... Everything pristine. The bike was a big heavy cruiser. Light turned green, and he stalled it in the intersection.

Big hat, no cattle sort of rider. You can have SO MUCH FUN on a 300cc bike that weighs 375 pounds... Like a ridiculous amount. People buy and ride bikes not for themselves, but for the people watching. Sad really

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I do think that dirt riding makes a much better street rider though. It's much more technical and requires a lot more control. So much so that the technical aspects become very instinctive and natural, so you can focus on the trail or track ahead which is constantly changing.

Street riding is very sterile. Good surfaces, clean surfaces. Good traction. Really sterile. If you can be a good technical rider, and then go into an environment that is sterile like street riding, you are so far ahead.

Just like an automatic transmission in a car makes one a lazy driver... So too does street riding begin to dull ones skills at really HANDLING a motorcycle. I mean, making it obedient

 

[3930dave]

I saw a kid last week at a stop light. New bike, new jacket, new pants, new helmet... Everything pristine. The bike was a big heavy cruiser. Light turned green, and he stalled it in the intersection.

Big hat, no cattle sort of rider. You can have SO MUCH FUN on a 300cc bike that weighs 375 pounds... Like a ridiculous amount. People buy and ride bikes not for themselves, but for the people watching. Sad really

Function. Some People Get It.... many don't.

There can be an intimidation factor (like pointing someone who wants to learn guitar @ a Stevie-Ray video), but for a thoughtful new student to MC, I'd point them @ what a Trials Rider can do - then add - If you acquire more than a one-digit % of those skills, you will be a better rider than many, and much safer than most.

Rgds, D.

 

[BleedingOrange]

I just returned the trailer to the young fellow I fixed it for, and he told me that when he finally gets his M2 licence, insurance will be 2400 per year. He says he thinks that is not bad. I tried not to look shocked. LOL

 

[3930dave]

I do think that dirt riding makes a much better street rider though. It's much more technical and requires a lot more control. So much so that the technical aspects become very instinctive and natural, so you can focus on the trail or track ahead which is constantly changing.

Street riding is very sterile. Good surfaces, clean surfaces. Good traction. Really sterile. If you can be a good technical rider, and then go into an environment that is sterile like street riding, you are so far ahead.

Just like an automatic transmission in a car makes one a lazy driver... So too does street riding begin to dull ones skills at really HANDLING a motorcycle. I mean, making it obedient

One thing I'd take a Mulligan on is dirt-riding...... I really wish I'd hit it young. Even below the Pro level, the bike control of a mid-level+ Motocross rider is seriously impressive.

One advantage of dirt, is you can "play" with MC dynamics @ much lower velocities than it would take to replicate on pavement.

Engagement - to me, that is what 2 wheels is all about. Don't know if Tesla still markets their's as Autopilot, but that is what much of 4 wheels on-road is focused on - Disengagement.

Rgds, D.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I just returned the trailer to the young fellow I fixed it for, and he told me that when he finally gets his M2 licence, insurance will be 2400 per year. He says he thinks that is not bad. I tried not to look shocked. LOL

. I pay $120/yr on a 1125cc sport bike.

The fact that he doesn't think that is bad, is why people are broke. That's ridiculous.

 

[subhunter]

I would love one of these 19,000 rpm 250cc 4 cylinder honda's.
I would do this at least once a week in front of the harley shop. LOL