Who rides motorcycles?

[BackRoad]

Are you liking it Mr. Scootr?

 

[Grumpycat]

Progrip 714 is my favorite grip. Soft long wearing rubber. No ridges or details that dig into your hands. Extra long. I have 3XL/size 13 hands.

 

[Bocephous]

Looks like you guys are starting to get some riding weather...
Is that 15T sprocket the original size for the XR ?
I've been dinking around with a few addons on the Husky today. Wrap around handguards and softer grips to mitigate some of the vibration. I've got a little rally windshield to bolt on the number plate...then I gotta get out and ride while it's cool.

Yes, 15T is original size. Previous owner was an instructor at an off-road school and had a 14T Fritzco on it. Most of my miles are on-road, and the XR doesn't have an oil-cooler, so I wanted to bring the stress down on the motor when I'm operating above 60mph.

Wrap around hand-guards are a must. Tusk has a reasonably priced set; I've had them on my CRF for about a riding season now and have no complaints.

A wind-shield may eventually find it's way onto the XR; wind-blast above 50mph or so it pretty substantial.

 

[Bocephous]

Progrip 714 is my favorite grip. Soft long wearing rubber. No ridges or details that dig into your hands. Extra long. I have 3XL/size 13 hands.

I like ProTaper pillow tops on my CRF. The XR has Oxfords.

 

[scootr]

Handguards are slightly misnamed. I use them as lever guards in crashes Really like the Enduro Engineering brand guards I put on yesterday. Stout, simple, and the bar clap which extends to the big loop has a nice curve in it for the brake and clutch cables. This is an interference point with other sets I've used. Will get some pics today of the new bike

 

[deserteagle71]

Handguards are slightly misnamed. I use them as lever guards in crashes Really like the Enduro Engineering brand guards I put on yesterday. Stout, simple, and the bar clap extends to the big loop with a big curve in it for the brake and clutch cables. This is an interference point with other sets I've used. Will get some pics today of the new bike

They work as both hand guards and lever guards.

Never bothered to install hand guards until an incident some 30 years ago or so. I was riding a narrow wash with high banks on both sides that twisted and turned back and forth, not far from Lake Mead. As I came around one of the bends with the bike leaned over and concentrating on not dumping it in the soft sand, I never noticed the yucca plant on the bank on the side. The spears of the yucca hung down into the wash and one of them speared my hand - the point went right through my leather glove and through the web of my hand between two fingers and into the handlebar grip. By the time I was able to come to a stop the spear had torn loose from my hand but it caused a bloody and painful mess. Actually I was lucky because if it had penetrated elsewhere on my hand - or even into my body - the situation could have been much worse. Ever since then I've installed hand guards on my bikes and my quad. I've had one of these darn things go right through a leather boot also.

 

[3930dave]

Our too-short riding season may (May?) arrive soon.... a good small set of exercises, useful all year....

Rdgs, D.

 

[scootr]

They work as both hand guards and lever guards.

Never bothered to install hand guards until an incident some 30 years ago or so. I was riding a narrow wash with high banks on both sides that twisted and turned back and forth, not far from Lake Mead. As I came around one of the bends with the bike leaned over and concentrating on not dumping it in the soft sand, I never noticed the yucca plant on the bank on the side. The spears of the yucca hung down into the wash and one of them speared my hand - the point went right through my leather glove and through the web of my hand between two fingers and into the handlebar grip. By the time I was able to come to a stop the spear had torn loose from my hand but it caused a bloody and painful mess. Actually I was lucky because if it had penetrated elsewhere on my hand - or even into my body - the situation could have been much worse. Ever since then I've installed hand guards on my bikes and my quad. I've had one of these darn things go right through a leather boot also.

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I learned to ride dirt in the Mojave desert. I know about the beauty and the dangers. That Yucca stabbing must have been painful for sometime.

 

[jeepcoma]

Just picked this up, a '99 PW50. I think I'm going to have just as much fun rebuilding it as he is going to riding it.

 

[scootr]

Looks like you made somebody VERY happy
Get him a helmet. Arms and legs will heal

 

[scootr]

The Husky is bad to the bone Just got a little test ride with the windscreen added. Keeps the wind off my chest

 

[not2old]

Get into the habit of not letting him on the bike with it running unless he has all the proper gear on. Too many times, people I know have gotten hurt "just doing a test ride" or fooling around in the pits after a ride. Don't risk having Momma get rid of it.

 

[scootr]

Get into the habit of not letting him on the bike with it running unless he has all the proper gear on. Too many times, people I know have gotten hurt "just doing a test ride" or fooling around in the pits after a ride. Don't risk having Momma get rid of it.

Just talked with a guy who wore ATGAT but one day wore just a helmet for a short test ride and got hit by a car. Not good. And sadly it figures.

 

[CalG]

I had an ATGATT friend.

Didn't help a bit.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Id rather be ATGATT than not. In a non deadly crash, it could save you from retardation, or at the very least the most painful road rash you can imagine.

 

[Bocephous]

As far as ATGATT goes everyone is going to have different opinions. While commuting to work for years I wore riding jacket, pants, gloves, helmet and work boots. I dressed for the wreck that I figured would eventually happen but never did. If I'm riding my dirt bike on our property and I'm thinking right it's going to be helmet, gloves, boots, maybe knee and elbow protection, usually not. Like CalG pointed out in some crashes nothing will help. Like CKF pointed out in many crashes it can; you never can tell. I'll tell a little story here:

Years ago a friend and I were going on a dual purpose style ride and I believe it kicked off in Walton, NY. I was on my 2008 Husky SM610, he was on his Aprilia Caponord. When I showed up at his house in full gear I noticed he was not wearing his riding pants. When I asked why he told me it was too hot.

Fast forward to the ride, 10-15 minutes in progress. He was behind me on a gravel strewn road. I entered an off-camber left downhill turn and checked my right mirror after exit and saw my friend flying through the air with the Capo high-siding behind him. He downshifted one too many gears, locked the rear wheel and the result was a patella broken in half.

That was the last time he rode a motorcycle, and I wonder if the armor in his pants would have provided enough protection to keep that patella in one piece. The funny thing was he had been the one who had talked me into buying armored riding pants in the first place.

A pic of each of us on a moto trip we took in 2009.

 

[scootr]

Are you liking it Mr. Scootr?

Yes, it's not perfect but it's better for me being 94 pounds lighter than the Rally and having 50% more hp. They are race bikes. That comes with pluses and minuses. Plus is it's much easier to work on than the Honda. Things are made to come apart easily quickly for trackside repairs, I'm guessing. The seat has one bolt in the front top side and it's slides off. Air cleaner access is no tool access and removal. The down side is more maintenance and stripped down instrument panel. I do miss the gas gauge and gear indicator on the Rally. But not enough to ride it...I will sell the Rally and fully commit to riding the new bike. THe lighter weight is much easier for me to handle off road...at my age especially.

 

[not2old]

Id rather be ATGATT than not. In a non deadly crash, it could save you from retardation, or at the very least the most painful road rash you can imagine.

I hit a deer at about 35-40 mph while wearing an open face but otherwise full coverage helmet. Lots of injuries but none to my head. Ground down a fair amount of the helmet on the left side of my head. If I had been wearing no helmet or a beanie, I'd have no left ear.

 

[scootr]

I hit a deer at about 35-40 mph while wearing an open face but otherwise full coverage helmet. Lots of injuries but none to my head. Ground down a fair amount of the helmet on the left side of my head. If I had been wearing no helmet or a beanie, I'd have no left ear.

I read a helmet safety data report which stated that a very high percentage of riders hit their face, specifically their chin on the street or ground when involved in an accident. I already wore a full face for years but that cemented my thinking. It's a PIA but it FF for me. Glad you were okay.

 

[Cycledude]

I am an all the gear all the time rider. In a little over 1 million miles on motorcycles I have killed 5 dear and who knows how many near misses.
Have a nephew that hit a horse with his car early one morning on his way to work.
Co worker had quit working a couple days before the accident happened otherwise he probably would’ve been killed or very seriously injured.