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Motorcycles' LiveJournal:
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| Saturday, May 26th, 2012 | 10:35 pm
[skreidle]
 |
Go, Speed Racer!
170 mph biker loses license for at least 90 days | Albany Times-Union -- [ A Saratoga County man who hit 170 mph while driving on the state Thruway will have no driver's license for at least 90 days after pleading guilty Wednesday, but warned he'd do it again, according to a prosecutor.] Shit, he's lucky it was just a misdemeanor--I count one or two felonies for that behavior in VA! | | Sunday, May 20th, 2012 | 8:49 pm
[normalcyispasse]
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Maybe it's worth sharing
I've shared this already on my personal LJ, but some of you folk who've stuck around may get a kick out of it. I bought a new-to-me bike recently. It's a wee bit awesome, in all senses of the word.  | | Wednesday, May 16th, 2012 | 8:36 am
[camper4lyfe]
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| | Tuesday, May 15th, 2012 | 1:42 am
[skreidle]
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| | Monday, May 14th, 2012 | 7:25 pm
[h0gwash]
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The Grocery Shopping Thread...
I've been experimenting with a collapsible milk crate bungeed to the rack on the motorcycle for grocery shopping on my way home. Expanded, it measures 13x18x9 and collapses to 1 inch tall. $13 at Walmart. It is not the sturdiest thing and I wish it was made of metal, but I like that I don't have to ride to work with an empty milk crate strapped to the bike, which is really an odd thing to see. People see that sort of thing and put their empty beer cans and their empty fast food bags in it as they walk past it in the parking lot. Collapsed, the crate is pretty innocuous, as shown in the pic behind the cut. Last Friday I crammed the following shopping list into the crate and one of the saddlebags. The other saddlebag had my chaps, gloves and tools. Ritz crackers, 2 bottles soy sauce, salsa, 10 small cans vienna sausages, bag of candy, frozen peaches, frozen strawberries, green onions, 5 canned soups, chiles, a couple avacados, bananas, couple boxes instant pudding, 2 bottles apple juice, 1 gallon milk, tortillas, chips, onions, 2 packages fruit cups. (note: this is not a typical weekly shopping list. Mike is quitting smoking again, so I'm stocking up on snacks for the next month) Handling is noticeably wobblier, like I had a passenger. But the setup is stable enough to permit scraping the exhaust while keeping the groceries from flying all over the freeway. Bad news is it's made in Israel, probably out of recycled plastic bottles, so you can't carry it filled with groceries by its handles or the bottom may fall out- you have to hold it by its bottom. Mike immediately went to check on the condition of the chips and they were fine. ( Read more... ) | | Wednesday, May 9th, 2012 | 11:07 pm
[rampantfox]
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My first road trip
So I'll be making my first long trip in about two weeks. Kansas City to Georgia/SC and back. Part of the trip is, of course, a trip down the Dragon. I'll actually be spending two night in Rutherford, so I'll have a whole day (i know, it's not enough) to explore. On the way back, I'll be taking a slightly more northern route near Marion and Little Switzerland. Any recommendations for that area, either for roads or accomodations?Thanks!May 17 or 18: to St. Louis for Geekway to the WestMay 20: to Louisville, KY to visit JoshMay 22: to Robbinsville, NC to tame the Dragon (Tail of the Dragon and Cherohala Skyway)May 24: to Clarkesville, GA to visit momMay 26: to N. Augusta, SC to visit dadMay 28: to Columbia, SC to visit Ron, Amy, and whoever else is aroundMay 29: to ??? NC (somewhere between Marion and Little Switzerland)May 31: to Louisville via Bluff City, TN to eat at Ridgewood BBQJune 1: to St. Louis to visit AdamJune 2: home | | Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012 | 10:48 am
[skreidle]
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Watch Bikes
Reuse old watches... This is cool! | The Feral Irishman -- [ Dmitriy Khristenko, a USA-based Ukrainian-born artist, creates miniature replicas of motorcycles and other vehicles (such as quad bikes, tricycles and bicycles), all built entirely from recycled wristwatch parts.] Examples:     | | Saturday, April 28th, 2012 | 4:04 pm
[stnulf]
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Fazerz
So my '03 Fazer 600 has a bad exhaust and I've been mulling over whether to replace/repair or just go for a new bike. I was in my dealer today dropping the bike off to get some brake/electrical work done and we were talking about it. He reckons he could maybe get it repaired with stainless by replacing the bit where all four downpipes go into one (this being where the problem is). My problem is that at this stage if I go investing lots of money in getting the exhaust fixed it implies I'm keeping the bike for a few years and if so then I want to actually get a proper job done which means I'd prefer to just replace the whole pipe set (possibly even go titanium to avoid future corrosion problems), this would then necessitate dyno time to retune the bike etc etc ... Alternatively I could be happy that I've had 4 satisfied years of motoring out of it and buy a 2012 bike instead so I asked yer man about the Fazer 8 (which I've seen about and thought was nice and heard is pretty good). His advice was twofold and strange to hear from a dealer ... 1) The Fazer 8 apparently sells so bad the distributor sent most of their stock home so he wouldn't recommend one due to rare bike issues regardless of how good it is, of course the expected "An FZ1 would cost similar and be much better" followed but ... 2) He recommended not buying from him and taking my money across the border to the UK. Apparently the new bike market here is a minefield of strange prices and poor availability at the moment. | | Thursday, April 26th, 2012 | 3:33 pm
[cachecam]
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Looking at a fresh "old" cruser...
I'm having fun looking for a slightly larger bike.. something around 350-600ccs, cruisers. I'm really looking into any Japanese bike that I can afford - I was happy to see a rebel at less than 2k, but it was only a 250cc bike. I really know nothing about brands outside of Honda, and I know there are some good bikes out there, but I'd like some suggestions on what-models-to-look for. My priority is to find something that is very fuel efficient (I currently drive a 185), something I can do some light-duty touring with and keep up on the free-way, easy maintenance for daily driving, and easy to handle (especially not too heavy). Maybe I should look into some BMWs or what-not too, but Japanese seems to be the best bet, for me. If you have time, what would YOU suggest? If it helps, I'm in S.California, where the weather is warm, and I ride all year 'round. | | Tuesday, April 24th, 2012 | 11:15 pm
[untied]
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insurance questions
i ride a 1976 cb750a the bike is in show condition. nada puts the bike at $3300 but prices vary widely on the open market i live in california i would like to know what you guys think about insurance. what limits do you carry? what do you suggest? what are the minimums you suggest? what do you ride, and what is your coverage? i want to be covered in an accident, and be able to repair the bike in unexpected situations (knocked over in a parking lot, etc). | | Wednesday, April 18th, 2012 | 11:30 am
[normalcyispasse]
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| | Monday, April 16th, 2012 | 8:38 am
[llyander]
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Thoughts on the Crosstourer.
So, I had a bimble about on Honda's shiniest of shiny new bikes on Saturday. Well, when I say shiny, it was a little less shiny when it came to me. Seems the guy who had it on a test before me had managed to drop it! He'd scuffed up the sides, broken the handguard, did a bit of bodywork damage... Not great when you consider you agree to a £2500 excess when you take the thing out! He must have been utterly gutted when he realised what he'd done. Anyway, that aside, initial impressions of the bike were pretty good. It won't really turn heads, but nor is it as pug-ugly as my trusty old Varadero 1000. The dash is a cornucopia of coloured lights, flashy things and numbers telling you your RPM, current gear, what mode you're in, trip, fuel, temp, average MPG and the dollar to pound exchange rate... Okay, maybe I made that last one up, but it's a seriously busy display however you look at it. It's quite a tall bike, heavy too, but not as tall as the Vara so all you GS riders should find this thing actually a bit on the small side. Riding position is upright and comfortable, though I found the bars just a smidge too far away from me to be comfortable, I'd likely angle them back a bit more for my short arms (I'm only 5' 7"). So, sit on the bike and immediately you notice two things. It's got no gear shifter. It's got no clutch. Lemme tell you, that took some getting used to. The first ten minutes or so, everytime I slowed down for a junction I was grabbing for a clutch! Anyway, the big thing about this bike is this "dual clutch" system. You have three modes. You have two auto modes, D and S. You can also change between automatic and manual transmission using a little rocker switch by the throttle that's easily clickable with a single finger. When you're in manual you change gears using two little paddles on the left grip. It took a bit of getting used to, but within a few minutes I was happily blipping up and down gears without even thinking about it. Gear changes are surprisingly smooth at speed, barely a hint of a lurch or hesitation. Oh, and for the record, this thing MOVES. It's a 1200cc engine and, okay, it's no sportsbike, but it left my 1000cc Vara for dead. Even in full auto it'll be up through the gears without a hint of lag in power and you can from dead stop to 80mph in a few seconds. So, what's it like as an auto? The dealer at Norton Way Honda told me to just leave it in S mode, which stands for "sport". S is a little more aggressive with the gear ratios, it's for when you need the bike to react quickly and, well, I really haven't got a bad thing to say about it. The only time I was really aware of the gears changing was when I was pulling away slowly from a corner, it went from 1st to 2nd with a noticeable CLUNK. D is a slightly odd mode. It stands for, natch, "Drive", but there's a lot more to it than that. D is meant to be the economical mode. So, for example, I'd be doing 30mph in S mode and it'd be in 2nd gear. Switch it to D mode and it would jump all the way to 5th gear, the engine barely ticking over. The guy at the dealer said that D mode actually learns the way you ride so the gear ratios will adapt over time but it'll always try to get in the highest gear it can for fuel economy. He also said that if you're in D and you give it a big handful of throttle, it will realise you want more power, and change the engine mapping on the fly, which is sort of cool. I could go on about this thing for ages, frankly. I had it on the road for 45 minutes and it put a massive smile on my face. The technology is very impressive, the ride is comfortable, the handling is as sweet as you could want from a big, heavy "adventure" styled bike and most importantly, unlike the Aprilia Mana which is another auto bike, this one SOUNDS like a proper motorbike. You start the Mana up and you realise immediately that it's just a scooter in a macho set of clothes. But then we come to the fly in the ointment with the Honda Crosstourer. The price. Base model is 11K so price-wise it's aiming straight for the same market as the BMW 1200GS. For the one I was riding? Nearly 15K. You're paying a LOT of money for a lot of bells and whistles that, while a lot of fun, aren't really essential. I had great fun riding it, don't get me wrong, but did I pull into the car park ready to hand over the keys to my, as he put it, "antiquated" Varadero? Hell no. Current Mood:  thoughtful | | Sunday, April 15th, 2012 | 7:52 am
[gwywnnydd]
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Electric vs. Gas race
Some of my friends have been watching developments in electric motorcycles. This just came across my screen from another route: | | Saturday, April 14th, 2012 | 10:44 am
[llyander]
|
On Test Rides.
Off to testride the new Honda Crosstourer in a couple of hours as part of Honda's "big win" weekend. Apparently the one I'm going to be on is the dual clutch auto version... That should be kind of interesting. I haven't ridden an auto bike since my last scooter and this thing is a damn sight bigger. I don't think it's any bigger than the 1000cc Vara I'm riding currently, thankfully, but it should still be an experience. Dual clutch, shaft drive, plenty of bells and whistles and they're letting me loose on it for nearly an hour. Wooo! Current Mood:  cheerful | | Wednesday, April 4th, 2012 | 12:38 am
[skreidle]
|
Trucks on the Dragon
Well, how about that! At least NC is taking the problem of 18-wheelers on the Dragon seriously:  Here's what they have to say at TailOfTheDragon.com: North Carolina has done what Tennessee won't do ...... ban trucks heading to the DRAGON. It is now illegal for trucks longer than 30 feet to operate on US 129 anywhere from US 19/74 all the way to the NC/TN State Line. They are also banned on NC 28 from NC 143 all the way to US 129. Also on the ban list is the entire Cherohala Skyway in North Carolina.
New signage will be erected to advise of the Restrictive Routes. Want to hear what Tennessee says about banning trucks?
The commissioner (John C. Schroer) added that TDOT provides enhanced safety advisories in regards to potentially dangerous roadways and that it is the responsibility of motorists to exercise a greater amount of caution when traveling winding mountain roads.
So in Tennessee the signs warning trucks are actually aimed at other motorists telling them to DODGE THE TRUCKS THAT WILL BE IN YOUR LANE !!! Leave it to Tennessee to even make such ridiculous statements. The commissioner ought to be FIRED !!!
How about just banning the TRUCKS like North Carolina !!!! Now it is technically illegal for trucks to cross the Dragon and enter North Carolina. But they can legally turn around at the state line and return northward back across the Dragon as long as they stay in Tennessee. Great thinking Tennessee. Also, here's a petition to restrict use of US-129 to non-commercial vehicles. | | Thursday, March 29th, 2012 | 7:21 pm
[buckaction]
 |
Out with the "old", in with the "new"
I traded in the Nightster this week. She's been an absolutely awesome bike. My needs and wants have changed however. She's not the right bike for me anymore. I thought seriously about keeping her as well as buying the new bike. The more that I thought about it though, the more that I realized that she would probably just end up sitting around, unused. So, I decided to trade her in. In addition to easing the financial burden of buying a new bike, I figure this way she's got a better chance of being ridden like she deserves to be. Say hello to my new 2012 Fat Bob. Since I'm now done with the payments on the Nightster. Now seemed like the right time to get a new bike. I'd originally thought of waiting for a bit, but I figured, what the hell. They had the bike I wanted on the floor, why wait? With the trade in and small down payment, my monthly is going to be about the same as I was paying already. Given that, I'll have this bike paid off within 2 years. Even in stock form, she is notably more powerful than the Nightster. Should be, 74ci vs 103ci. Should be interesting to see what she can do once performance upgrades are done. The Fat Bob handles fantastically. Better than the Nightster. The sport bike riders will probably have a hard time accepting that, but it's really true. Sportsters are very top heavy, while Dyna's have a much lower center of gravity. Despite having a much fatter front end, the control feels much more responsive to me. If there were any complaints I had about the Nightster, It was the lack of 6th gear, which made her terrible for highway use, and the hard suspension. The FXDF excels on both points. Makes her a much more suitable highway bike. I won't do any performance upgrades until after break-in is done (yeah, I don't really believe in formal break-in periods, but I'm going with what Harley recommends to assure the warranty doesn't get compromised). Those fucking horrible grips need to go pronto though. They're absolutely terrible. But then, they're probably supposed to be. Current Mood: excited | | Tuesday, March 27th, 2012 | 8:46 pm
[project_mayhem_]
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| | Wednesday, March 21st, 2012 | 11:20 pm
[stnulf]
|
Holy last minute deliveries Batman!
So, I'm heading on a trip over to the UK for the weekend, and my ferry leaves on Friday at 8am ... My front brakes are in need of an overhaul and my rear shock is on the way out (It's got the preload dialled up to max just for carrying my light ass around, never mind luggage). Some weeks ago I ordered the parts to fix this thinking "E-Commerce is a grand thing, I'll have these in plenty of time". Well, the brake parts arrived yesterday and the shock today (Tuesday & Wednesday)! I'm glad I took tomorrow off because otherwise I would be sad.  Now to save up for that complete new exhaust system ... | | Thursday, March 15th, 2012 | 1:53 pm
[scottyminotaur]
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White Exhaust Smoke
My 2006 Yamaha VStar 1100 air-cooled motorcycle has 10k miles on it, and has white smoke in the exhaust. It's not water condensation because it doesn't smoke on start up, rather any time the engine is hot and has been running for a while. The smoke has a distinct burned oil smell. Took the bike to the shop. The engine has good compression. The oil was low, so they added a quart. Carb was cleaned, new spark plugs installed (old plugs were heavily fouled, even after having been replaced two months earlier during a tune-up). Got the bike out of the shop and it smoked a little bit on the ride home, but now two weeks later the bike is smoking almost as bad as it was two weeks ago. Has anyone experienced this before? Any suggestions how to repair, or pointers I can give the shop when I return the bike? | | Tuesday, March 13th, 2012 | 10:34 am
[sloot]
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I Want it All (and I want it soon)
I'm looking for a new helmet. I love my current one, but some of the lining is starting to go, so it's time to look. My current helmet is:
- Dainese
- light (I don't know the exact weight - I might measure it tonight)
- with integrated bluetooth
I love the helmet and I love the bluetooth (I won't go back and I don't want a blob on the side of my helmet), and am looking for MORE MORE MORE. Two additional features I'm looking for are:
- modular (flip up chin) design (I wear glasses)
- the integrated flip down sun shields I've seen in helmets lately
I know I'll be dropping a grand on this helmet to get all those features. Does anybody have any recommendations or warnings* based on personal experience? * I know that modular helmets don't get SNELL approval. This isn't a concern of mine because my understanding is that SNELL isn't willing to test them. |
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