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View Full Version : to ride or not to ride~



Moody Blu'
05-12-2008, 04:25 PM
that is the question!!

I have friends that all say im nuts for buying a bike. Now, I am not a stranger to street or dirtbikes. On the dirt the guys I ride with are pro level when people come ride with us they cry because we dont take too many breaks. We ride fast and sometimes very close to one another. Also alot of the trails have very tight sections between trees where your regular rider would possibly get hung up etc. We ususally never have issues because we are very experienced.

On the street I have ridden in different countries ranging form the small narrow streets in paris and italy to the nice smooth paved roads in africa. That is the extent of my street riding experience.

I worked at a dealer building, preping and test riding all the bikes that were new and or sold to clients. I test rode them in the parking lots and the service manager would go ride them on the street etc. I have never had my motorcycle liscence. Obviously though I have experience and the lisc is just a paperwork and test thing, not a big deal...


When i worked at the dealer I have seen alot of bikes that i built the week or even DAY before come back totaled. This makes me shake my head at the owners of the bikes.

The reason im bringing all this up is not to brag its more to fill you in on my experience. I feel I am a excellent rider and I ride offensive as well as defensive. I always ride within my limits, more so now then when i was younger. I just have that sense that I know something could happen. Like they say if you own a bike you will crash/drop it.(popping your cherry).

Obviously my friends who are being negative about it are worried about me. I guess im at odds with them because I know that I am very careful when I ride and i do have fear of being hit by someone else, which would keep me on my toes.


IS this enough to keep me alive though???

I know **** happens etc, im a day or two away form buying a rc51 and just wanted to know everyones opinions on the motorists out there and the close calls you have had. How you handle street traffic idiot drivers etc..


thanks in advanced

Donziweasel
05-12-2008, 05:12 PM
Ride, one of the great pleasures in life. I have owned 3-4 motorcycles, including my pride and joy, 2000 Road King, which I sold. Currently, I have no bike. I have never done dirt, but it is very popular our here and Boo Boo was just saying the other day we should look into it.

You will always be smaller than anything else on the road. Just ride safe and make sure everyone in front, beside and behind you know you are there. I love the flashing front headlights setups. Can see a bike ocming a long way off.

Whenever I had a bad day, it was nothing a hour or 2 ride on the Road King wouldn't fix.

zelatore
05-12-2008, 06:08 PM
I grew up in a riding family. My father ran flat track in the Midwest (quite successfully at that) and although he quit to get a 'real job' when he got married, he eventually got back into street riding and now both he and my mother ride regularly. They've done all the lower 48 and parts of Canada by bike. (it always freaks people out to tell them my mother rides an FZ-1)

I started on dirt with a Honda XR80 as a kid and eventually worked my way through a series of street bikes including my current Triumph addiction. I've been in 2 accidents on the street. In 2000, a woman swerved across an empty lane and clipped my right rear just behind my leg with the left front of her car. I woke up at the hospital with a minor concussion and some road rash where I had ground through my gear, but was out the next day. Fairly minor given that I slid from the inside divider to the outside shoulder on a 4-lane highway during the morning commute. Totaled the bike, which was about 1 week old. Within 4 days of the accident I was back at the dealer ordering an exact replacement for the bike (2000 Triumph Sprint RS). After all, I had a bike trip planned the next month to the Monterey Historics and I needed a replacement bike right away! I later put over 45K on that bike before selling it.

On Nov. 2nd 2004 I was riding a 2002 Triumph Daytona 955i home after watching the election returns at a local bar. Yes, I had 2 beers over about a 3 hour period, but no, I don't really think it had any bearing on what happened. About 10 pm that night I was on a park road in the marina where I had my boat, going around a right hand turn marked at 15 mph at approx. 40 mph - my normal speed through this turn when there was no traffic as was the case this night. I lost the front tire in some gravel that had washed down across the road due to a construction project on the outside, uphill part of the turn. Being a narrow park road, I slid across with little damage until I hit the curb, which broke my ankle and flipped the bike on it's other side. I laid there a few minutes then picked the bike up and gently nursed it about 1/2 mile to my boat (lots of adrenalin at this point) then called my girlfriend to come get me. By the time she got there I had realized what I'd done to my ankle as I couldn't put any weight on it. Other than that I only had a few bruises - my gear took care of me. I later replaced all the plastics, the bar, and the pipe, on that side of the bike and eventually sold it for my current Speed Triple. It's easy to remember the date on this one - I told everybody I was so broken up over W. "winning" again I had to throw it down the road in protest...

(As an aside, I came back a couple days later with the truck to pick up the bike and stopped at the scene of the crime to check things out; I found Kawasaki parts there. I was riding a Triumph, so at least one other bike went down in the same mess that week)

I'd estimate since 1995 I've done about 150K miles on bikes, mostly in CA traffic and with plenty of lane splitting and 'sporting' riding. I've had 2 accidents in that time; one my own fault (had I been going slow enough I probably wouldn't have gone down in the gravel) and one I couldn't really do much to avoid (I had an empty lane between me and the woman that hit me...how much more do you need?). Is that an unusually high or low number of incidents? Don't know. I do know I have no intention of giving up riding any time soon. Heck, I bought a little 250 dual sport last year to teach my girlfriend to ride on. Both my parents have been in accidents as well, but again, given that they've logged hundreds of thousands of miles on two wheels, who's to say they woudn't have had the same problems if they'd been traveling in an RV? (and no, despite both being 'of an age' and retired, neither is giving up their bike anytime soon either)

I've found that most of the people who worry about riders either have never ridden themselves or if they did ride, rode very poorly. Those who have ridden and can speak honestly from direct experience know there are risks, but that they can be mitigated to a degree by riding with some common sense and wearing decent gear. Ride like a squid, doing wheelies on your GSXR down the center line in flip-flops and a T-shirt, and you'll likely suffer because of it. Ride like a hell's angle wanna-be on your Harley from bar to bar doing shooters along the way, and the same is true. But regardless of what you're riding, if you simply wear some good gear (Myself I use a BMW jacket, AlpineStars pants, Danise boots, Arai helmet, and Held gloves - EVERY RIDE) and ride at a reasonable pace for the conditions and your experience, and you can expect to spend many years on two wheels. And note that I don't necessarily believe that a reasonable pace is what it says on the speed limit sign...:wink:

If I was to give the most basic advice about riding and staying safe, I could boil it down to a few simple things:

Wear the gear. All of it.

Ride your own bike. Don't get sucked into riding over your head or doing something stupid because of a pack mentality.

Assume every car on the road doesn't know you're there. Most cagers are half asleep anyway, and the ones that aren't still aren't looking for bikes.

Now get out there and RIDE! Last month I flew my brother out for a long weekend and we did about 800 miles of super-twisty NorCal mountain roads - best time I've had all year! You can't beat it!

Plus, as I’m always pointing out to my non-riding friends who are into cars or boats or whatever…bikes are small and (relatively) cheap. You can put 4 of them in the space of one car in the garage. They’re also very practical as toys go. Nothing like lane-splitting through gridlocked rush hour traffic on your way to work and cutting your commute time in half, all the while causing less wear and tear on the infrastructure, getting 40, 50, or more mpg and reducing our dependence on oil, and you arrive fresh and invigorated for work as opposed to struggling to stay awake behind the wheel for 2 hours of 1st gear stop and go.

Yeah, I’m pro-bike. Like my license plate says: One Less Car!

RedDog
05-12-2008, 06:18 PM
I'd say ride - but I'm a real believer it starting on lower HP bikes and working up. Yes S**t can happen on any bike but on a higher HP bike you WILL be tempted to push it. Start smaller and push it on those. And when I say smaller, I don't mean a modern 600 - today's will kill the 1100's I use to ride.

Try starting on a big single or Triumph twin - those will have plenty of power for a while

Moody Blu'
05-12-2008, 06:32 PM
I grew up in a riding family. My father ran flat track in the Midwest (quite successfully at that) and although he quit to get a 'real job' when he got married, he eventually got back into street riding and now both he and my mother ride regularly. They've done all the lower 48 and parts of Canada by bike. (it always freaks people out to tell them my mother rides an FZ-1)
I started on dirt with a Honda XR80 as a kid and eventually worked my way through a series of street bikes including my current Triumph addiction. I've been in 2 accidents on the street. In 2000, a woman swerved across an empty lane and clipped my right rear just behind my leg with the left front of her car. I woke up at the hospital with a minor concussion and some road rash where I had ground through my gear, but was out the next day. Fairly minor given that I slid from the inside divider to the outside shoulder on a 4-lane highway during the morning commute. Totaled the bike, which was about 1 week old. Within 4 days of the accident I was back at the dealer ordering an exact replacement for the bike (2000 Triumph Sprint RS). After all, I had a bike trip planned the next month to the Monterey Historics and I needed a replacement bike right away! I later put over 45K on that bike before selling it.
On Nov. 2nd 2004 I was riding a 2002 Triumph Daytona 955i home after watching the election returns at a local bar. Yes, I had 2 beers over about a 3 hour period, but no, I don't really think it had any bearing on what happened. About 10 pm that night I was on a park road in the marina where I had my boat, going around a right hand turn marked at 15 mph at approx. 40 mph - my normal speed through this turn when there was no traffic as was the case this night. I lost the front tire in some gravel that had washed down across the road due to a construction project on the outside, uphill part of the turn. Being a narrow park road, I slid across with little damage until I hit the curb, which broke my ankle and flipped the bike on it's other side. I laid there a few minutes then picked the bike up and gently nursed it about 1/2 mile to my boat (lots of adrenalin at this point) then called my girlfriend to come get me. By the time she got there I had realized what I'd done to my ankle as I couldn't put any weight on it. Other than that I only had a few bruises - my gear took care of me. I later replaced all the plastics, the bar, and the pipe, on that side of the bike and eventually sold it for my current Speed Triple. It's easy to remember the date on this one - I told everybody I was so broken up over W. "winning" again I had to throw it down the road in protest...
(As an aside, I came back a couple days later with the truck to pick up the bike and stopped at the scene of the crime to check things out; I found Kawasaki parts there. I was riding a Triumph, so at least one other bike went down in the same mess that week)
I'd estimate since 1995 I've done about 150K miles on bikes, mostly in CA traffic and with plenty of lane splitting and 'sporting' riding. I've had 2 accidents in that time; one my own fault (had I been going slow enough I probably wouldn't have gone down in the gravel) and one I couldn't really do much to avoid (I had an empty lane between me and the woman that hit me...how much more do you need?). Is that an unusually high or low number of incidents? Don't know. I do know I have no intention of giving up riding any time soon. Heck, I bought a little 250 dual sport last year to teach my girlfriend to ride on. Both my parents have been in accidents as well, but again, given that they've logged hundreds of thousands of miles on two wheels, who's to say they woudn't have had the same problems if they'd been traveling in an RV? (and no, despite both being 'of an age' and retired, neither is giving up their bike anytime soon either)
I've found that most of the people who worry about riders either have never ridden themselves or if they did ride, rode very poorly. Those who have ridden and can speak honestly from direct experience know there are risks, but that they can be mitigated to a degree by riding with some common sense and wearing decent gear. Ride like a squid, doing wheelies on your GSXR down the center line in flip-flops and a T-shirt, and you'll likely suffer because of it. Ride like a hell's angle wanna-be on your Harley from bar to bar doing shooters along the way, and the same is true. But regardless of what you're riding, if you simply wear some good gear (Myself I use a BMW jacket, AlpineStars pants, Danise boots, Arai helmet, and Held gloves - EVERY RIDE) and ride at a reasonable pace for the conditions and your experience, and you can expect to spend many years on two wheels. And note that I don't necessarily believe that a reasonable pace is what it says on the speed limit sign...:wink:
If I was to give the most basic advice about riding and staying safe, I could boil it down to a few simple things:
Wear the gear. All of it.
Ride your own bike. Don't get sucked into riding over your head or doing something stupid because of a pack mentality.
Assume every car on the road doesn't know you're there. Most cagers are half asleep anyway, and the ones that aren't still aren't looking for bikes.
Now get out there and RIDE! Last month I flew my brother out for a long weekend and we did about 800 miles of super-twisty NorCal mountain roads - best time I've had all year! You can't beat it!
Plus, as I’m always pointing out to my non-riding friends who are into cars or boats or whatever…bikes are small and (relatively) cheap. You can put 4 of them in the space of one car in the garage. They’re also very practical as toys go. Nothing like lane-splitting through gridlocked rush hour traffic on your way to work and cutting your commute time in half, all the while causing less wear and tear on the infrastructure, getting 40, 50, or more mpg and reducing our dependence on oil, and you arrive fresh and invigorated for work as opposed to struggling to stay awake behind the wheel for 2 hours of 1st gear stop and go.
Yeah, I’m pro-bike. Like my license plate says: One Less Car!

NOW that was an awesome response!!!!!

what you wrote is how I feel, I know sh!t happens but given you ride within your own means is key and If I ride like that I will have many enjoyable years of riding. Yes ive crashed on dirt so i know it can happen, ive gotten back on after crashes previously.

I guess the negativity my friends are putting towards it is making me think. However most of the time they bring up crashes that are really bad and it just scares me. I dont need the I told you so crap to come about if I do have an accident. Like you said its a mitigated risk.


BTW awesome selection of bikes.

Ive been a honda guy sicne I started riding, I too rode first on a xr 80. but it was a friends. I started on my first bike, a cr 80. been a 2 stroke man my whole life. moved on to a cr125, and 2 cr250's. Now i own the honda 250r fourtrax(honda race fourwheeler) thy only built them from 86-89 and then stopped all sport atv production because of the lawsuits. Its still to this day the best handling most powrful bike built, even with todays new four banger sprot quads. Anyway that bike is all aftermarket, only stock part are the cases for the motor. it has a 330 big bore on it, laeger protrax frame swinger and a arms, tpin front end (tpins take place of spindles and absolutely NO bump steer)-even in deep whoops turning(bars stay where you point them)



I'd say ride - but I'm a real believer it starting on lower HP bikes and working up. Yes S**t can happen on any bike but on a higher HP bike you WILL be tempted to push it. Start smaller and push it on those. And when I say smaller, I don't mean a modern 600 - today's will kill the 1100's I use to ride.
Try starting on a big single or Triumph twin - those will have plenty of power for a while


Ive built prepped and test rided every bike in yamahas and kawasakis 2006 lineup multiple times. so I def have experience on road, just never owned one.

but i agree with you on starting on small bikes for beginners

BUIZILLA
05-12-2008, 06:57 PM
you guys are light years ahead of me...

CB160
CB305
750 Triumph, hard knocks learner
FXE, AMF POS
Bultaco 250 Pursang, dirthole Cadillac, thousands of backwood's miles...awesome bike, I miss this one...
YZ400 death wish
CB750F-SS, i'd kill for another or a 900F-SS right about now
15 year hiatus due to kids
'97 Road King, wonderful road bike
'96 K1100 RS-SE, hedonistic vibrator
'00 Valkyrie bagger, heavy, too smooth and too quiet, radiator's suck, had more close calls on this bike than all other's combined..
'03 R1150R, really great bike, fast, miss this too
'03 Night Train, great bike, lotsa fun, most excellent handling FX built, period
'07 VRSCAW V-Rod, straight line was fine, fast, cheesy hardware, radiator's suck, just don't expect go around corners on a 240 tire, or ride 2 up doing it :shocking:...
'07 FLHX Street Glide, current cruiser, XM, luv it, so does wifey, best Harley yet

currently seriously looking for a '79-'81 CBX or same era 900F-SS, might consider a newer FJR1300

zelatore
05-12-2008, 07:03 PM
The whole idea of starting on a small bike is relative. While it's generally a good idea, and if I don't know the person I'll make the same suggestion, there are people who have the maturity to ride most anything without getting in trouble, just as there are people who'll wad up a 250 Eliminator (do they still make that??)

Would I recomend a RC51 for a first timer? Not even close! But I'd certainly recomend an SV650. Heck, I bought one for my brother as his second street bike with him only having a couple thousand street miles under his belt. It's not a rocketship, but it's certainly a sporting bike that's a ton of fun, sounds great, and yes, can get you in trouble if you act like a fool.

It sounds like you've certainly spent time on a lot of different bikes, and should be familer with what's what. The only thing that might cause me pause is that you mostly just did short little shake down runs on the bikes. That's quite different from going out on a morning canyon straifing run with a couple buddies. Not that I'm saying you shouldn't get the RC; just that I'd suggest you be carefull about who you ride with - find people who will ride at a pace you're comfortable with, and take your time getting used to riding more than just around the block at the dealer!

I may be more liberal in my ideas than most in that I generally think a man should be able to do what he wants. You want the RC? Go for it. But give yourself an honest evaluation (not an easy thing to do sometimes) and then ask yourself if you have the mindset to ride a race replica on the street without doing something foolish.

I don't know you from Adam, so it's not like I can make any real apprasial of your talents or maturity in the saddle. You're the only one who can do that. It may be in your best interest to start with something a bit less radical than the RC. But by the same token I wouldn't recomend buying something you are going to outgrow and want to replace in 6 months or a year.

To paraphrase Smokie: Only YOU can prevent Squidlyness...

zelatore
05-12-2008, 07:17 PM
you guys are light years ahead of me...
CB160
CB305
750 Triumph, hard knocks learner
FXE, AMF POS
Bultaco 250 Pursang, dirthole Cadillac, thousands of backwood's miles...awesome bike, I miss this one...
YZ400 death wish
CB750F-SS, i'd kill for another or a 900F-SS right about now
15 year hiatus due to kids
'97 Road King, wonderful road bike
'96 K1100 RS-SE, hedonistic vibrator
'00 Valkyrie bagger, heavy, too smooth and too quiet, radiator's suck, had more close calls on this bike than all other's combined..
'03 R1150R, really great bike, fast, miss this too
'03 Night Train, great bike, lotsa fun, most excellent handling FX built, period
'07 VRSCAW V-Rod, straight line was fine, fast, cheesy hardware, radiator's suck, just don't expect go around corners on a 240 tire, or ride 2 up doing it :shocking:...
'07 FLHX Street Glide, current cruiser, XM, luv it, so does wifey, best Harley yet
currently seriously looking for a '79-'81 CBX or same era 900F-SS, might consider a newer FJ1300

Despite me constant b#tching about "Hardley Ablesons"; I'd have no problem owning a tweaked Road King. Very nice bike for two-up 'relax and smell the roses' sort of riding.

The Valk and the comments about trying to turn the 240 rear on the V-rod remind me of a demo ride I did on a Rocket III - massive torque and great roll-on power, but MAN did you have to shove that thing around corners!

I've done maybe 200 miles on a couple R1150R's - felt like riding a sofa. Big and squishy compared to the Daytona and Speed Triple I was riding regularly at the time.

I also got a chance to snag a maybe 100 miles on an FJR1300. One word came to mind: locomotive. Love that motor, and pretty comfy too. I was pretty hot to get one for a while, but I've lately had my eye on a GS1200...I'm thinking of something big enough to take two-up for some weekend camping, and despite various friends who think I'd have to be brain dead to buy a BMW it still won't get out of my mind.

Of course, for that kind of change, I could put a blower and external steering on the 22. You've always got to weigh your choices carefully. :boggled:

chappy
05-12-2008, 07:24 PM
I've had 4 dirt bikes, 3 street bikes, nothing now. I laid every one down except the last one. Ride. It's either in your heart, or it isn't. Don drilled it in post #3, especially proper gear.

Moody Blu'
05-12-2008, 07:29 PM
The whole idea of starting on a small bike is relative. While it's generally a good idea, and if I don't know the person I'll make the same suggestion, there are people who have the maturity to ride most anything without getting in trouble, just as there are people who'll wad up a 250 Eliminator (do they still make that??)
Would I recomend a RC51 for a first timer? Not even close! But I'd certainly recomend an SV650. Heck, I bought one for my brother as his second street bike with him only having a couple thousand street miles under his belt. It's not a rocketship, but it's certainly a sporting bike that's a ton of fun, sounds great, and yes, can get you in trouble if you act like a fool.
It sounds like you've certainly spent time on a lot of different bikes, and should be familer with what's what. The only thing that might cause me pause is that you mostly just did short little shake down runs on the bikes. That's quite different from going out on a morning canyon straifing run with a couple buddies. Not that I'm saying you shouldn't get the RC; just that I'd suggest you be carefull about who you ride with - find people who will ride at a pace you're comfortable with, and take your time getting used to riding more than just around the block at the dealer!
I may be more liberal in my ideas than most in that I generally think a man should be able to do what he wants. You want the RC? Go for it. But give yourself an honest evaluation (not an easy thing to do sometimes) and then ask yourself if you have the mindset to ride a race replica on the street without doing something foolish.
I don't know you from Adam, so it's not like I can make any real apprasial of your talents or maturity in the saddle. You're the only one who can do that. It may be in your best interest to start with something a bit less radical than the RC. But by the same token I wouldn't recomend buying something you are going to outgrow and want to replace in 6 months or a year.
To paraphrase Smokie: Only YOU can prevent Squidlyness...


You are 100% right!!


When I rode the buell 1200 ulyses and the bmw gs 1150 in south africa, In a short period of time I learned the bikes characterisitcs(would say im a very fast learner) I had both bikes close to there limits and was tail braking them around turns. When it would get to that point I would shake my head and think to myself im out riding these bikes, there not meant for this.(both dual purpose)- would definately say they are not slouches on the road like some dual sports are with less power and braking. I just knew where the limit of them was and when i got close to it. I would think, Im in africa on a motorcycle dont be riding stupid. Then I would back off and I would stil be having an enjoyable ride. Just no lightswitch RACE mode which normally happens when the gate drops. thankfully I can control that now. when i was younger I was a speed demon, doesnt mix with bikes to well at a young age.

I feel at an age where I will enjoy the bike for the joy it brings me andnot flying down the road for a top end bragging right lol.

I believe riding an RC will alow me to ride at a spirited pace without being near the limits of the bike. And if it comes down to it and I want to check out the limits, its off to the track with full leathers.


btw they still make the kawie 250, man that bike is a hunk of crap I dont even think I woud want a beginner to ride that, it flexes WAY TO MUCH. When i use to build them I would laugh at the bike along with going over tothe mechanics and being like wtf was kawie thinking????? a beginer would be safer on the kawie 500 then the 250, no lie..



i have built about 10-15 fjr's when ibuilt them they were supposedly very rare and HARD to get, i think yamie kept production numbers low for them.

that bike is really nice, and i dont like yamahas. im sure it still has the cheap thin frames like the r6's etc. but the fjr is built well.


zelatore, funny you brought up bmw.

the low down on the gs1150 i rode, the bike handled bette then the buell, had great front brakes. If you rolled up to a stoplight you could keep your feet up at a stand still and just blip the motor to keep it up right. was pretty cool that it could do that. also, when you drop a boxter motor like the bmw at low speeds you really dont hurt anything. it will just fall on the motor gaurd.

I know it because it happened to me at about 2mph on a dirt road in africa. (I was filiming with a camera in my hand LOL however i still got 30 minutes of footage before i droppe the bike. and it did nothing to it.


heres a video about bmw bikes LOL

http://www.brainsweb.co.uk/uploads/the-wrong-bike.wmv


honestly I think they cost WAY TO MUCH, buy a honda like hitler says in the video above LOL

Moody Blu'
05-12-2008, 08:44 PM
I think you're light years ahead of most people that buy their first road bike. I wouldn't get all hung up on the safety aspects, just use the right gear, ride responsibly and enjoy.

I've had a couple bikes over the years and contrary to Buiz I love my '08 VRSCAW. The 240 turns fine and the bike corners 2 up as well as any cruiser out there. As long as you don't expect it to be Busa fast and handle like a sport bike you won't be disappointed. I've ridden 2 up through the mountains of NC and TN at a pace that made a group of BMW riders at one of the lookouts in the Cherhola (sp?) come over and complement me on my riding, I've got the scraped pegs, exhaust and radiator guards to prove it ;)

So far I've owned:

KZ650 (learner bike)
RD350
RD400 Daytona Special
750 Night Hawk
10 year hiatus from bikes
Buell S3
Honda Sabre (POS)
BMW K1200RS (wonderful machine)
2003 V-Rod (traded on '08 V-Rod)
2004 Speed Triple (Fantastic bike but a waste in FL)
2008 V-Rod w/ABS (current)

Personally, I can't deal with the air cooled Harley's and wouldn't own a Harley product if it weren't for the VRSC. Due mostly to the narrow mindedness of the Harley "faithful" (lemmings for lack of a better term) Harley won't be producing a Revolution based touring bike for at least the next few years. They will, however, be introducing a water cooled top end on the TC96 motor for '09 to address heat, emissions and to some degree longevity. That probably won't be enough to get me to drop $20K+ for a 64HP, 750 lb motorcycle so in all probability my next bike, which will be a touring bike to sit BESIDE the V-Rod in the garage, will be a BMW LT or a GL1800.

BTW, I like radiators, even on my Porsche's.

OTOH, an FLHX (Street Glide) with a 110 stroker motor and a 200 rear tire conversion ain't all that hard to look at but we're talking $35K+ OTD.......

me loves porsches, i have a audi twin turbo s4 for now.....(same fam) ;D go quatro!!!!

mjw930
05-12-2008, 08:48 PM
me loves porsches, i have a audi twin turbo s4 for now.....(same fam) ;D go quatro!!!!

With the Boxster S and the V-Rod we like to say we have 1 1/2 Porsche's ;) (For those that don't know, Harley partnered with Porsche to refine the V-Rod motor)

We sold our Cayenne TT last year when we built the house and I do miss it BUT, the NEW Trailblazer SS + the USED 22C = less per month than the CTT did by itself :shocking:

The twin turbo S4's are sweet!

RedDog
05-13-2008, 07:06 AM
OK - I've been off bikes for a while, but here is my list in order of acquisition:

Bikes Owned

Yamaha 60 Enduro
Yamaha 100 Enduro
Yamaha 175 Enduro
Yamaha 360 Enduro
CZ 400 MX
BSA 441 Custom Café Racer
Triumph 750 Trident
Suzuki 750 GS
Montessa 241 Trials
Suzuki 1100 GS (pipes, clip-ons, Dunlap Café Racer faring
Triumph 650 chopper basket case
Yamaha 350 RD (pipes, clips-ons, smooth bores)
Suzuki K1100 Katana (pipes, cams, smooth bores)
Norton 850 Commando

Donziweasel
05-13-2008, 07:17 AM
MJW- While I must be one of your "narrow minded Harley enthusiast", I loved my Roadking. I bough it for the styling and comfort, not technology. There is nothing wrong with the bike. It gave me years of trouble free fun. Also, I am not a Harley enthusiast, just liked the bike. I don't own one peice of Harley apparel.

Carl C
05-13-2008, 07:27 AM
....but the hogs just sound so cool......

Ride with the wind my friend, but head for the open road, not the city.

Donziweasel
05-13-2008, 07:42 AM
Got plenty of open road Carl. The only thing that sucks about owning a bike out here is that you can only ride it 4 months out of the year, maybe 5 if you bundle up.

I use to get off work, load Boo Boo on the back, and ride up into Grand Teton National Park. I can not tell you how sick it was to watch the sun set over the Tetons while ridin' with my baby. Man, I would come home as happy as can be with no stress. Boo Boo wants to get bikes again one day, and she wants her own this time!

Mine was bone stock and baby blue with pearl accents. I never felt the need to customize it, it was fine for me the way it was. I almost put some pipes on it, but decided it was loud enough.

mjw930
05-13-2008, 07:42 AM
MJW- While I must be one of your "narrow minded Harley enthusiast", I loved my Roadking. I bough it for the styling and comfort, not technology. There is nothing wrong with the bike. It gave me years of trouble free fun. Also, I am not a Harley enthusiast, just liked the bike. I don't own one peice of Harley apparel.

Please don't take my comments as all inclusive. Obviously you owned the bike because you liked it and weren't all caught up in the Harley "lifestyle" crap. That's what it's all about.

I get a huge kick out of people who scream from the top of their lungs how owning a Harley makes them an "individual" then they proceed to adorn themselves with all the same costumes their buddy's wear. Also, it's curious how these people who claim to embrace independence look down on anyone else who doesn't ride what they do, wear what they wear or believe in what they believe in.

Sorry, I'm off my soap box now.

Donziweasel
05-13-2008, 07:53 AM
MJW, don't sweat it. Just be careful who you call BS on. I never fed into the "Harley Lifestyle". Actually, it kinda bugged me. The accountant who put on all his Harley leather to be a "weekend outlaw" and thinks he is some kind of Hells Angel badass is kinda of irritating.

We are within striking distance of Sturgis. Before and after, 1000's come rumbling through Jackson. I would to because it is so beautiful out here and and a great place to ride, especailly Grand Teton and Yellowstone. It is kinda cool to see all the bikes, but you can tell the real Harley guys from the weekend warriors.

Carl C
05-13-2008, 10:47 AM
Have you guys seen "Wild Hogs"? I'm not a Tim Allen fan but I enjoyed that flick. My favorite part was at the end where the hard core bikers were called out and the group of goofballs who decided to get on their bikes and have an adventure were deemed the real bikers. I personally don't ride, but if I did I'd buy a sweet Harley based chopper. Maybe from Ron Finch. Then I'd put a little blue bottle on it for the crotch rocket guys......................

Moody Blu'
05-13-2008, 10:49 AM
hey guys I dont know nothin about dynos :tongue:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hE_uybV1qc

I just know my car put down 430whp on a AWD mustang dyno
multiply that by a 1.28 ratio factor and you get 550 CRANK hp :bonk:

zelatore
05-13-2008, 10:49 AM
I'm sure there's a connection to the original thread in here somewhere. Maybe it's that both the RC and HD are twins?

So, MoodyBlu - any pics of that RC yet?

Let's see, since everybody's listing their bikes I might as well too.
(more or less in order)

Honda XL80
Hondaka 100
Yamaha 250 enduro
Honda Sabre V45
Honda Magna 750
Triumph Sprint RS 955 (x2)
Triumph Daytona 955
Triumph Adventurer 900 (done as a cafe racer)
Honda XL250
Triumph Speed Triple
Suzuki SV650 (just shipped this one off to my brother)

As for the power you can get out of a HD motor, well, won't pretend to know what the real numbers are. I will say that most of the Harley owners I talk to seem to think they are rocketships when in reality we all know better. They just make a lot of bottom end torque and feel fast off the line by the old seat-of-the-pants dyno. An older gentleman hear at my marina has a newer (stock but for the air cleaner and pipes) Harley and honestly thinks it's every bit as fast or faster than my Triumph. I haven't bothered offering to race him - what's the point? When I've rented them on vacations to tour around with, I've found wildly different performance. The last bike I rented in FL wouldn't top 85 2-up on the run to Key West. Certainly it was under-achieving, but I doubt a proper running stocker would do much past 105-110.

And just like was mentioned earlier, my biggest issue with actually buying one is the public perception. I don't much care for the HD crowd you typically see parading around at 45 mph in their costumes and clogging up the local roads to the bars. While there are exceptions, too many of them think motorcycles begin and end with HD. Anything else isn't even a bike and is beneath contempt. Then there are the non-riders who have $100's in HD apparel (how many other brands have apparel-only stores that don't even sell bikes??) and when I tell them I ride or they see me with a helmet they assume I must have a Harley. When I explain otherwise, they just get confused and wonder why I'm not wearing the chaps and fringe with a beanie helmet costume.

The actual bikes are pretty nice, you just have to understand what they can and can't do. Toodle around with your honey on the back at a relaxed pace and they're fine. Head out into the mountains for some entertainment, and all you'll get is frustration. Of course by the same token, my Speed Triple is pretty much miserable for extended freeway runs or two-up riding.

But enough already! Every brand has it's loyal followers, HD just has more of them that fall into the rabid category - a victim of their own success. When you separate them from the pack, you'll find a lot of HD riders are actually decent guys. And just like any group, the guys who actually ride the things and know something about them tend to be less narrow minded than the guys who only have one in the garage that gets all of 1000 miles a year. That could be true for a bar-hopping dentist playing dress up, or a squid with his extended swing-arm chrome 'Busa.

Moody Blu'
05-13-2008, 10:58 AM
pics
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d194/beerock69/me%20pics/rc51/IMG_0171A.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d194/beerock69/me%20pics/rc51/IMG_0166A.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d194/beerock69/me%20pics/rc51/IMG_0183A.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d194/beerock69/me%20pics/rc51/IMG_0184A.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d194/beerock69/me%20pics/rc51/IMG_0186A.jpg

I already started drawing up a graphic design for it... can you guess where its from?

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d194/beerock69/me%20pics/rc51/frontspeedracer.jpg

i didnt finish the side yet, I had to draw it on paper

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d194/beerock69/me%20pics/rc51/speedracerside.jpg

zelatore
05-13-2008, 11:14 AM
There we go....back on topic!

Wow - other than the pipes and the tank bra, that looks like a totally stock bike. And looking at the tires, I'm guessing it's not had too hard a life. I think you said earlier it didn't have too many miles. Nice.

Are the pipes just slip on's or a full system? Although I like the look of Ti pipes on most bikes better I seem to prefer the sound of CF. Less metalic sounding. (I've got Wolf CF on my current S3)

Now break out the wrenches and saw; get some smaller turn signals, and bob the tail on that thing! Even without changing anything else you'll make a huge improvement in the look. (man, I hate those huge stock turn signals - I don't care how functional they are!)

Moody Blu'
05-13-2008, 11:34 AM
yep the turn signals will be going, its a full akropovic exhaust with power commander, its the only mod on the bike.

im trying to find out if i can gt insurance on it right now damn dmv has me on hold

BUIZILLA
05-13-2008, 12:04 PM
I would be interested in what you guys do regarding this....

there seems to be an extreme difference in proper and improper real world usage....

what I see going on down here is crazy, we're talking 20-40 mph differentials...

Moody Blu'
05-13-2008, 12:12 PM
I would be interested in what you guys do regarding this....
there seems to be an extreme difference in proper and improper real world usage....
what I see going on down here is crazy, we're talking 20-40 mph differentials...

are you talking about calibration of the dynos?

BUIZILLA
05-13-2008, 12:24 PM
no........LANE SHARING is the question title

Moody Blu'
05-13-2008, 12:29 PM
no........LANE SHARING is the question title

sorry in this type of forum i rarely look at the title

lane sharing, hmm i would say at least have a offset of a bike apart, side by side, u never know what could happen

zelatore
05-13-2008, 12:52 PM
Well, it's all down to personal comfort level.

Here in CA, where it is legal to do, there is no legal speed set for it. A lot of people seem to think there is some number - you can only do it when traffic is moving at xxx speed, or you can only go xxx speed when doing it, or you can only go xxx faster than the cars your passing.

All wrong. There is no actual rule about the speed.

When I was relativly new to CA, I saw all the bikes lane splitting and I thought 'man, this can't be legal!'. But a little research and I found out that it was. So I started doing it. Turns out, with a little practice it's not only easy, but pretty safe as well. Sometimes even safer than sitting and waiting for a car to run up on you from behind. As for how fast I started out pretty slow - then one day I had a CHP rider come up behind me and blip his siren. Crap I thought - I knew this was too good to be true! Turns out I just wasn't going fast enough - he just wanted me out of the way. Cool!

These days I lane split pretty fast. Really, it comes down to conditions and my mental situation that day. Some days the traffic is really tight and I end up maybe only going 10 mph faster than the guys I'm passing. Other days they are a little looser and I might be going 20-30 mph faster than them. I also find that some days I'm flowing pretty well, while others I find things just don't 'click' and I tell myself to back off and settle down until I get back into my groove.

One thing for sure - most of them don't know you're there until after you pass them. Unless you're riding a REALLY loud bike and going pretty slow, they won't hear you since most of your sound is going behind you not ahead. And you can assume none of the cagers ever look in their mirrors.

As for what speed the traffic is going when I pass them, anything from a stand-still to about 75 mph. I don't often lane split past people going that fast just because they're usually not jammed up at that speed, but I've been known to do it on occasion. Heck, it's actually safer than constantly moving in and out of two lanes of traffic. Done well, you never really have to move more than about 6 to 10 inches either way and you're gone before they even know what happened.

I'm usually more comfortable with traffic moving from about 10 to 40 mph and me going 15 to 30 mph faster than they are (I'm guessing - I don't often look at the speedo when I'm splitting). I actually prefer the traffic to be bunched up pretty tight - when they open up a little that's when some guy might decide to suddenly dart into the other lane and take you out. I've had a few close calls were people didn't look in the mirror and just started to change lanes when I was either right behind them and closing fast or along side them. A couple of them have been so oblivious they never even saw me until I reached out and banged the CF knucles on my glove against their window. I don't recomend you do that - they tend to panic and jerk the wheel all over when you suddenly wake them from their sleep like that... :smash:

Of course, your local cops may have their own opinions about what's accaptable, but around here as long as you don't do anything overtly stupid most of them are pretty cool with it. Of course the bike cops are better than the car cops as they understand what you're doing. Some of the car cops have never been on a bike, so like the rest of the cagers they think it's some sort of super-risky behaivor when in fact it can be a safer way to ride sometimes.

And of course, it's much faster than sitting in traffic. My commute from the house to the office is 70 miles. If I drive it in rush-hour traffic, it's 2 hours. If I ride in the same traffic I can take it down to about 1:15. That's a lot of lane splitting.

zelatore
05-13-2008, 01:09 PM
Iwhat I see going on down here is crazy, we're talking 20-40 mph differentials...

Crazy is in the eye of the beholder. From the vangate point of a car driver who's sitting still or barely moving who never looks in his mirrors, it seems like the bike rider just appeared out of nowhere and was going 100 mph.

From the prospective of the rider, he's been constantly watching the traffic ahead - he has a better view up the middle of a line of cars than just stuck behind them all. To him, he saw the car long before he passed it.

Maybe 10-15% of the time I see a driver look in his mirror and actually move over to make extra room for me. Nice - they usually get a wave as I go by. A few times, maybe 1 or 2%, they actually move over to block me. Jacka$$es that are jelous that I can move while they can't. While I'd like to corner them and explain that they should be glad I'm doing this as it's one less car for them to have to deal with in the gridlock, I know they would never understand. They're just a$$holes and that's all there is to it. When I do pass them - and I almost always do evenutally - they might get anything from a bird to a boot in the door. The later is rare, if just because I don't want to be that close to them for any longer than needed.

However the vast majority simply never looked in the mirror and didn't know I was there. Even though on a nice day you can expect to be passed by lane splitting bikes maybe a dozen or more times just on the 35 miles or so of multi-lane I regularly commute on, most still never look in the mirror.

It also depends on what I'm riding. Would I want to go as fast on a full bagger or big 'ol Harley with ape hangers? Er, no. For one thing, the tall bars would put my fists about at mirror height, thus making it harder to get by the tight areas. I do have bar-end mirrors on my S3 that make me wider, but I use CRG Lanesplitters - they're break-away designs that fold flat if they make contact. No problem, since most of the tall Crossovers/SUVs/Trucks of today actually put the mirrors high enough my bars can pass under them, thus giving me another 8 or more inches on each side. That can come in really handy at a stop light when it's definatly in the biker's best interest to get to the front of the line and get out ahead of the pack of 5000 lb cages trying to crush him.

VetteLT193
05-13-2008, 01:20 PM
I just sold my Harley last night. It was an '04 Wide Glide...

I say ride if you can. I haven't put but maybe 300 miles on the bike since Sturgis 2005 so I decided to sell. I have a growing family and too many hobbies to ride at this point, but I'll ride again one day:)

chappy
05-13-2008, 02:08 PM
This explains the topic of lane splitting very well, which I've done. Then, encourages it. Then tells you to call them if you need legal counsel. Think about that message.:lookaroun:

http://www.bike-law.com/PracticeAreas/Lane-Splitting.asp

zelatore
05-13-2008, 03:28 PM
Lane splitting is a Godsend. In CA, we can do it legally. I don't konw about many other states. I know TX was considering it recently but I don't know if it passed. Until more lawmakers start riding (yeah, I'm holding my breath), we bikers will have to live with the anti-bike bias and laws like so many states where a perfectly viable and safe way of reducing traffic congestions, smog, fuel and time waste, etc is deemed illegal because some saftey ninny who doesn't know a thing about riding thinks it looks 'dangerous'.

(I liken non riders making laws about riding to a blind man passing judgement on paintings.)

Here are a couple of links about the topic:
http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/streetsurvival/splitting_lanes/index.html

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/motorcycle/00-NHT-212-motorcycle/motorcycle51.html

this one is an article in a SF newspaper discussing the subject. It shows exactly what I am talking about re: drivers being scared of bikes passing them. Gee - if you looked in your mirror once in a while maybe you'd know what was going on! :smash::mad::smash::nilly:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/10/30/MN87097.DTL

And this one is more of a how-to:
http://www.ketchum.org/ls101.html

BUIZILLA
05-13-2008, 03:42 PM
I make it a point when i'm in a cage to look out for and be extra respectful around bikers... with that said, some of these younger riders are just reckless, virtually every week there is a least one death down here, if not 2 or 3 for careless riders... hell, there have been 3 recently that flew completely off the 595/I-95 overpass, 3 weekends in a row... tonight on the way home i'll encounter a least a dozen or more splitting lanes with my mirrors..

thriller
05-13-2008, 04:29 PM
Ride on Ride on

Ed Donnelly
05-13-2008, 04:30 PM
Since everyone is posting their rides

Vespa
50cc Honda
Bultaco
850 Norton Commando
1200 H.D.Sportster
2000 FXST still have

Now back to the post To he*l with what everyone says IF YOU WANT IT BUY IT...

Use your mirrors, wear your leathers.. and most important

Wave to all bikes

I have to laugh every time I wave to a riceburner.. I look in my rearview to see them frantically waving back.. WOW a Harley waving to a non Harley..Ed

zelatore
05-13-2008, 07:29 PM
Occasionally, on one of the Triumphs the Harley guys mistake me for either a Buell (Speed Triple) or Sportster (Adventurer) and start to wave only to catch themselves as I get closer.

zimm17
05-13-2008, 07:54 PM
I had to weigh in. Mostly because I just sold my 1 year old BMW R1200S (at a big time loss) to get out of riding after 11 years.

Started in college with an '88 Honda hawk GT, then a '98 Honda VTR1000 for 8 years, hit a deer at night, totalling the bike. I rebuilt it and rode for another few months until the tags expired and I found the true meaning to a Florida certificate of destruction (bike is a gonner, VIN is no good). Sold it for scrap and bought a new BMW R1200S as a commuter. 5000 miles later, I'm now back in San Diego- my old stomping gounds and land of the best riding ever. I hit my old canyon roads for a day and was really dissapointed. Yes, my skills have tapered off, but mostly it was a feeling of danger with heavier traffic, blind corners with rocks and sand everywhere and little thrill.

It was a weird experience, but the best way to describe it is that my senses are so dulled from years of riding, that the thrill was far overwhelmed by the sense of danger. Maybe it's thinking about my new wife at home and feeling more responsible about getting myself hurt. Maybe it's being older and more experiences. Then, a few days ago, my little brother's co-worker got killed at deal's gap.

That's it, we both just sold our bikes this week.

I bought a 2007 Mazda MX5 roadster for cheap, now the wife and I can both enjoy the backroads and I have 4 airbags, seat belts, and 2500lbs of steel.

Craig S
05-14-2008, 09:08 AM
Moody Blu...you're gonna like that bike...a real piece.

and

Buizilla...buy the CBX! I've owned my cafe'd '81 since 1993 and love it. Sharing garage space with a couple late 'Guzzis (V-11 Sport and a ''98 Centauro Sport). There's nottin like firing up the Pig of Steel (my beloved CBX) with the 6 into 1 and the great gearbox, and go for a short ride. Nuttin. There's many (all, probably) better handling, lots are faster these days, but the sound and response from 6 tiny cylinders with 6 small carbs and a close ratio gearbox is great! It was Honda showing what they could do.

Moody Blu'
05-14-2008, 12:59 PM
Just checked with a friend, he has a pair of Pearl White CBX's IN the factory crates...


Not for sale.. :hangum:



btw guys i bought the bike last night, going to post in a second
you tease you!!!!!!

dclassic
05-14-2008, 09:58 PM
Congrats on the new Ride!

As you know and others have said...

Get good gear.
Wear ALL the gear at ALL times.
Take a MSF or similar refresher course.
Ride within your comfort level.
Be smart on the street.
Go to a track day or 2 to see what you and the bike can do (you will learn a lot).
Keep riding defensively (remember everyone is out to get you).
Watch out for the new tires.
Be safe.
Have fun!

:lookaroun:

Moody Blu'
05-14-2008, 10:03 PM
Congrats on the new Ride!

As you know and others have said...

Get good gear.
Wear ALL the gear at ALL times.
Take a MSF or similar refresher course.
Ride within your comfort level.
Be smart on the street.
Go to a track day or 2 to see what you and the bike can do (you will learn a lot).
Keep riding defensively (remember everyone is out to get you).
Watch out for the new tires.
Be safe.
Have fun!

:lookaroun:

thanks! I just ordered the new bell star helmet

http://www.bellstarhelmets.com/

gettng a jacket when i pick up the helmet on tuesday

Carl C
05-18-2008, 07:05 PM
Warning: this is a 10 minute video and I was mesmerized the whole time.

Enjoy the ride.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=1f2_1211050088