2 wheel GAF UNITE!

RapidCancel said:
I literally drive a straight line for 45 mins to get to work, I'll never get rid of the chicken strips, but it doesn't bother me..it's exactly why I got the bike for lol.

My rear tire on the track bike on the other hand...mmm, so sexy lol.

What group are you in for track days?
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Ah yeah, I'd not even run supersport-level tires :p.

I've done levels 1 and 2 in California Superbike School, and then two days in B group. Definitely going I group next time. I pitted a couple times to get some alone time away from slow groups and always caught back up within a lap :x
 
I went over my track footage and compared it with last years. I am a little bit faster, but most importantly I'm a lot smoother now and seem to be correcting some of my old bad habits, so I'm going to keep at it :)

Nothing was particularly exciting with my footage. I may still yet edit some of the last sessions into a movie but right now it doesn't seem to be all that necessary. I did put this clip up, however - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qSrJeyfIQQ. That guy is a racer, from what I've read and been told.

Picture from one of my latter sessions getting knee down (same corner as my last picture/avatar, just on the other side now!)

7469809928_ec361194b0_h.jpg
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Gj, looking good!

I had oh shi- moment tonight, was going on this nice curvy road and at last sharp corner I was looking at it and thinkin: heh if someone came hot through here and didn't look throughout the corner they would... wait a minute!
Luckily I downshifted and braked fast enough and went in nicely but for a second there.. :D guy behind me went super slow in it :)
 
Hahaha yes the ones that catch you like that can be a bit hair-raising. A year or so ago I was out with a friend and I did something really dumb. We were on a road I had only gone on once before, and as I came into a straight I pulled the front end up, then realized not far ahead there is a crazy tight chicane with gravel on the shoulders :lol ... immediate set down + emergency braking hahahah. My friend told me he thought I was going to wipe out, but yeah. In any panic moment that trained reaction you have can really make all the difference a few seconds later.
 
Soapster may I make one suggestion? Watch a few races and compare where racer helmets (and body) position is compared to your pic. The earlier you get this down, the better off you will be.
 
Kaze13 said:
Soapster may I make one suggestion? Watch a few races and compare where racer helmets (and body) position is compared to your pic. The earlier you get this down, the better off you will be.
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I watch lots of MotoGP, but yes I know. I should be further back in the seat and my upper body should be lower. My body position was better this track day than before. My suit may not quite have the vertical room needed to stay comfortable in a full tuck. It's big on me (I have to bulk up with a vest with full back protector and chest guard) but I have a tall torso for my height, so vertical room is tight when I start leaning forward. I need a new suit haha. Also something like Stomp Grip could help. I've also been told it is partially a matter of rider comfort and "what works". Apparently my current style looks a little bit like Colin Edwards' :p
 
thesoapster said:
I watch lots of MotoGP, but yes I know. I should be further back in the seat and my upper body should be lower. My body position was better this track day than before. My suit may not quite have the vertical room needed to stay comfortable in a full tuck. It's big on me (I have to bulk up with a vest with full back protector and chest guard) but I have a tall torso for my height, so vertical room is tight when I start leaning forward. I need a new suit haha. Also something like Stomp Grip could help. I've also been told it is partially a matter of rider comfort and "what works". Apparently my current style looks a little bit like Colin Edwards' :p
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It's definitely a matter of rider comfort and what works. There is nothing strictly wrong with your position if you can do it comfortably. It just seems like that head up posture would be rough on your back and neck after a while.

If you can keep it consistent regardless of turn speed and fatigue level, there is really no reason you should mess with it.

I'm pissed off at not getting a chance to ride tonight. it went from 105 degrees to torrential downpour basically instantly. :( Should've sucked it up and dealt with the heat, but it was like walking into a goddamned oven.
 
thesoapster said:
Ah yeah, I'd not even run supersport-level tires :p.

I've done levels 1 and 2 in California Superbike School, and then two days in B group. Definitely going I group next time. I pitted a couple times to get some alone time away from slow groups and always caught back up within a lap :x
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Is that sort of like beginner, intermediate and advanced? Back when I was in beginner group, I would always be stuck behind people, but I didn't want to move up to another group cause I was worried I wouldn't be able to keep up. When I eventually made the jump, I only stayed in intermediate for one day cause I still got stuck behind them. So I went to advanced after about 5 track days total and it's so much better to run with people that are your own pace. No having to pit in cause of slow groups (and no slow groups in general) is what makes it so awesome.

iamblades said:
It's definitely a matter of rider comfort and what works. There is nothing strictly wrong with your position if you can do it comfortably. It just seems like that head up posture would be rough on your back and neck after a while.

If you can keep it consistent regardless of turn speed and fatigue level, there is really no reason you should mess with it.
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Gotta agree...that's why you see some people that supposedly have 'wrong' body positions, but they're still fast as hell. It's a matter of what really works for you and that helps tremendously.
 
What do you guys think of getting an old(ish?) bike as a first time, just to cruise and fix it/keep it running. I'm not interested in a daily ride, more just the fun of riding a bike and maintaining it and learning how it's put it together.

For instance, something like this is really appealing http://motoren.marktplaats.nl/motoren-oldtimers/573772805-stoere-matzwarte-75-honda-cb750.html

From a dutch ebay like site. Honda CB 750 with a nice detail and current revisions.
 
blanky said:
What do you guys think of getting an old(ish?) bike as a first time, just to cruise and fix it/keep it running. I'm not interested in a daily ride, more just the fun of riding a bike and maintaining it and learning how it's put it together.

For instance, something like this is really appealing http://motoren.marktplaats.nl/motoren-oldtimers/573772805-stoere-matzwarte-75-honda-cb750.html

From a dutch ebay like site. Honda CB 750 with a nice detail and current revisions.
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I would love to have a Honda CB750. We shipped out a CB450 once from my old job and I got to ride it around a bit. Pretty fun, I love the looks of old bikes. I would say if you want it, then go for it. If you're looking for something that's already running then just make sure it was taken care of and runs well. You don't want to have to dump a lot of money just fixing it back up to ride (unless that was your plan).
 
blanky said:
What do you guys think of getting an old(ish?) bike as a first time, just to cruise and fix it/keep it running. I'm not interested in a daily ride, more just the fun of riding a bike and maintaining it and learning how it's put it together.

For instance, something like this is really appealing http://motoren.marktplaats.nl/motoren-oldtimers/573772805-stoere-matzwarte-75-honda-cb750.html

From a dutch ebay like site. Honda CB 750 with a nice detail and current revisions.
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Reliable, easy to work on, cheap parts, good choice. :)

My only caution would be since you are new, get someone else to test ride it (that can see if the bike is solid) lots of people like to mod their bikes and totally ruin the suspension geometry and power band of the engine.
 
Thanks for the replies. Im going to try to get a job at the repairshop to get a familiar first, but I'm really excited about it.

Are there any real quirks with older motorcycles you dont have with modern bikes?
 
blanky said:
Thanks for the replies. Im going to try to get a job at the repairshop to get a familiar first, but I'm really excited about it.

Are there any real quirks with older motorcycles you dont have with modern bikes?
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Mostly just quirks with carburetors probably. Takes a while to get used to carb adjustments to keep the engine running smooth in different weather or altitude or with different fuel or whatever, but it's fairly simple once you learn how to do it. It's just a pain in the ass after being used to modern EFI systems. :P

That's the only real thing that has changed as far as overall maintenance goes. Of course older bikes had looser tolerances so you'll have to deal with more oil burning and leaking and stuff, but that shouldn't really impact maintenance substantially.
 
RapidCancel said:
Gotta agree...that's why you see some people that supposedly have 'wrong' body positions, but they're still fast as hell. It's a matter of what really works for you and that helps tremendously.
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I imagine with new suit, Stomp grip, and faster speed I'll be getting "down" more. Truthfully 60-70 mph on the street I can comfortably keep my head up there for a long time, and that's about as fast as I took any turn on the track (save for maybe the one or two shallow high speed corners). In that picture I was probably going 55-60 mph.
 
thesoapster said:
I imagine with new suit, Stomp grip, and faster speed I'll be getting "down" more. Truthfully 60-70 mph on the street I can comfortably keep my head up there for a long time, and that's about as fast as I took any turn on the track (save for maybe the one or two shallow high speed corners). In that picture I was probably going 55-60 mph.
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New suit with better fit should def help. One time I borrowed my friend's track pants (yeah...) cause I couldn't find a 1 piece in time. Thing was TINY, it was a size 28 and I've gotten fatter since high school. It was so stuck on me, that I couldn't even stick my knee out lol.

I have the TechSpec grip, but after buying it...it's never helped me at all. I'm thinking that it's probably because I'm short though.

On a side note, I feel fortunate to have never crashed yet... *knock on wood* All my friends and people I've talked to who run my same pace have all wrecked. I also feel like I've peaked for now and have to figure out what to do to increase my speed. I know there's a lot I can work on, but it feels tough to get to that next level.
 
RapidCancel said:
I'm way too far away for that lol. How much is it? I'm in Texas. I'll probably hit up one of those private track days with an instructor at some point...once I save up some money.
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Price depends on if you do one level or one of the "camps" and if you bring your bike or ride theirs. It can be anywhere from around $400 to bring your bike and do a full day of instruction, up to over 3 grand for a 3 day camp at Laguna Seca (bike and many amenities included). It looks like the closest thing to you is NOLA which is New Orleans...so not so close :(

And yes like you mentioned there are other places. CSS is just one option.
 
thesoapster said:
Price depends on if you do one level or one of the "camps" and if you bring your bike or ride theirs. It can be anywhere from around $400 to bring your bike and do a full day of instruction, up to over 3 grand for a 3 day camp at Laguna Seca (bike and many amenities included). It looks like the closest thing to you is NOLA which is New Orleans...so not so close :(

And yes like you mentioned there are other places. CSS is just one option.
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Hoooollllyyy shit...3 grand? I did one for $400 and I thought that was pretty expensive. It helped tremendously and I dropped my own record by 6 seconds at the end of the day though.

Do you plan to get into racing? I'm planning to get my CMRA license sometime in the fall when my friend comes back from Greece. Got mixed feelings though...racing is super expensive.
 
RapidCancel said:
Do you plan to get into racing? I'm planning to get my CMRA license sometime in the fall when my friend comes back from Greece. Got mixed feelings though...racing is super expensive.
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No racing. Not only is it super expensive like you said (so much traveling involved aside from repairs, tires, etc.), but it's considerably more dangerous than regular track days.
 
I've been interested in this particular scene for 2-3 years. Its always a thought that comes back. I like that particular transportation style as well as the gas savings. If I were to get one, it would be a ninja 250r.

Now I'm usually a carefree guy. If its something exciting, i might be a bit hesitant but I'd be the first to jump in. But I can't seem to shake off the risk of getting into a serious accident when on a motorcycle. I had a great family friend(15 years), that had a motorcycle accident and now he's mentally disabled. And thats why I've been hesitant to jump in.

I'm just wondering how do you guys reason it out? I understand accidents happen every day but in my eyes it seems like I'm putting myself, more in harms way by getting on a bike.
 
Prologue said:
I've been interested in this particular scene for 2-3 years. Its always a thought that comes back. I like that particular transportation style as well as the gas savings. If I were to get one, it would be a ninja 250r.

Now I'm usually a carefree guy. If its something exciting, i might be a bit hesitant but I'd be the first to jump in. But I can't seem to shake off the risk of getting into a serious accident when on a motorcycle. I had a great family friend(15 years), that had a motorcycle accident and now he's mentally disabled. And thats why I've been hesitant to jump in.

I'm just wondering how do you guys reason it out? I understand accidents happen every day but in my eyes it seems like I'm putting myself, more in harms way by getting on a bike.
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I just assume no one sees me and ride as defensively as possible. That's not to say I'm extremely slow, but I make sure I've got complete stock of the situation before I open the taps. I do get scared sometimes, but never when I'm actually on the bike. That usually happens when I'm in bed, thinking the hobby over.

Anyway, I can certainly understand your reservations when you've seen a close friend being seriously hurt like that. Something like that might get me to give it up as well.
 
Prologue said:
I've been interested in this particular scene for 2-3 years. Its always a thought that comes back. I like that particular transportation style as well as the gas savings. If I were to get one, it would be a ninja 250r.

Now I'm usually a carefree guy. If its something exciting, i might be a bit hesitant but I'd be the first to jump in. But I can't seem to shake off the risk of getting into a serious accident when on a motorcycle. I had a great family friend(15 years), that had a motorcycle accident and now he's mentally disabled. And thats why I've been hesitant to jump in.

I'm just wondering how do you guys reason it out? I understand accidents happen every day but in my eyes it seems like I'm putting myself, more in harms way by getting on a bike.
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For me the joy of riding outweighs the danger, and I'll continue to ride until the day that's not the case. People often ask me why I continue to ride if I've been lucky enough to walk away from 6 crashes. I always answer that it wasn't luck that let me walk away. Each time I was fully geared up and did as much as possible to limit the damage up until the very last second. What does that mean exactly? My very first riding instructor told me that the number one mistake people do when they are going to crash is lock up. This is deadly, once you do that you're basically giving up and letting the outcome of the crash be decided by luck. A rider always needs to be prepared for emergency situations as much as possible. Always leave yourself with a comfortable margin of error. Ride as defensively as possible. Cars can't see you, period end of story. Ride that way and you'll be better off. Make yourself seen, stay the out of blind spots, approach intersections slowly, approach entering traffic slowly, always have an exit strategy ready. It seems like a lot of work but after a while all this becomes second nature. And it actually makes you a much better car driver as well. Another big thing is to never give up on the bike if your going to crash. Remember, you'll stop a thousand times faster the longer you hold the brakes. Which in turn will lessen your impact. Never purposely dump a bike because you're about to hit something. It will only cause you to hit that something much, much harder. Today's motorcycles are more capable then 99.99% of the riders that are using them. Remember that and trust your bike, and respect it. The second thing that my instructor told me is" Not everyone is able to ride a bike, as much as they might want to." Basically if you start riding and can't get comfortable within a reasonable amount of time on it then you should not be riding, you'll only hurt yourself.

Find a group of other more experienced riders and learn from them. I've found that the motorcycling community in general are a special breed of people that are always willing to help. That's one of the things that makes me want to ride a bike forever. It may sound cheesy but it's true. I think it's because riders all understand the dangers of riding and therefore are more willing to help others in there times of need. I've been on rides with people where someone has crashed and another rider went home over a hundred miles away to grab a trailer to come back and get the bike while we all waited with the guy. And everyone just met that day! Riding a motorcycle can be a very enriching experience.


Wear the proper gear, always asses the situation your in and constantly speculate on what your worst case scenario will be. Ride within your limits. Be vigilant! Be careful! and you will ride for the rest of your days happy.
 
Has anyone gone 100% bike? My car has recently broken down and I've been considering getting rid of it and having my bike as sole transportation. I live in Florida, so the weather is at the least tolerable all year round. My only challenges are grocery shopping and the unpredictable hurricane weather.
 
Scarecrow said:
Has anyone gone 100% bike? My car has recently broken down and I've been considering getting rid of it and having my bike as sole transportation. I live in Florida, so the weather is at the least tolerable all year round. My only challenges are grocery shopping and the unpredictable hurricane weather.
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Been 100% bike for 11 years :) its not always fun but you can do it, shopping for food your best taking a big rucksack and keep an eye on what you buy to make sure it will all fit. nothing worse than getting your food paid for then trying to figure out how to get it home. Hurricanes dont sound fun but i should imagine that you wouldnt want to be out in a car either at that point?
 
Yeah pretty similar, though instead of a white tee I was wearing one of those super protective Hawaiian button-ups. Don't try getting too low on asphalt with knobbies.
 
Anyone got tips to spice up your bike life? :D

By that I mean, I've gotten bit bored, I'm lately not feeling like going out just to ride. Had it since may and now maybe I'll ride it once a week for fun + if I have to go somewhere.
Thing is I don't have anything to do whole summer or anywhere I need to go so riding for fun alone gets boring at same places, in group it was fun but it's rare, need to find more people to ride with.
Gonna go seaside and do much more riding there next week but idk, been having a bit of buyer's remorse lately :( still love the bike and riding motorcycles in general just.. dunno.
 
Well it's official, I no longer have a bike. My insurance company totalled it after my crash in May. The damage did not look too bad, but it added up. It was a 06 FZ6 and I was surprised to hear the amount my insurance company was going to pay me, I still owed a few grand on the bike,so they will pay it off and send me a couple of grand on top of that. In addition, they already paid me $1300 for damaged gear and accessories (most of which just has superficial scratches and is useable). They also paid $2500 of my medical bills! I will probably take a break from riding for the rest of the year to let my broken leg fully heal.

Be safe out there and be sure you get good insurance in addition to full gear!
 
Wow, you're lucky you got them to cover all of that! At least you'll have that couple thousand to pick up a new bike if you wanted to, you can get a used enduro like mine for under $2k all day long.
You were the one to go down on that loose gravel turning right?

As for my injuries, this thing is such a nuisance. I can't hardly get a good rest due to its sensitivity. My hip's still hurting though, even now I'm walking with a limp. I feel it getting better though.

rvG75.jpg
 
Just passed the Written Test with flying colors and also passed the MSF. My license will be arriving in about 3-4 weeks. I need to start planning on buying a motorcycle. I came into some money recently and was thinking that my first bike should be a Harley Iron 883 or a Nightster. I would like to know the opinons of the members here regarding those bikes, as you guys have more experience in the motorcycle world. I was probably gonna buy one of those models used on Craigslist for around 6k. Is that a fair deal? I just don't want to get robbed in buying my first motorcycle.
 
So the battery on my bike went kaput. I had a spare sitting around....maybe a little too long (Been sitting for maybe 3 years, LiON battery so I assumed it'd be good). Replaced it with that took it out for a ride a CEL went out. Another bad battery or maybe a R/R problem?
 
ChanHuk said:
So the battery on my bike went kaput. I had a spare sitting around....maybe a little too long (Been sitting for maybe 3 years, LiON battery so I assumed it'd be good). Replaced it with that took it out for a ride a CEL went out. Another bad battery or maybe a R/R problem?
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Pardon my ignorance...a CEL?
 
ChanHuk said:
Another bad battery or maybe a R/R problem?
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Hard to say. Usually a R/R problem and your battery won't recharge. I know completely discharging the new battery tech is bad, but after 3 years I wouldn't be surprised if it just flaked out. I'd go to batteries plus and buy a cheap import battery and keep an eye on it.
If you have the shop manual you can see about trouble shooting the R/R. I've been meaning to upgrade mine to a modern MOSFET driven device. The stock one gets really hot due to inefficiency. My bike is over 10 years old. I've gone through 3 batteries in 6 years but large bore v-twins are hard on them to begin with.
 
Well I have a new Ballistics 8 cell battery on the way. I could go to Autozone or something like that and get the code from the ECU, but it looks like its a battery issue being too old.

R/R issues are common for Triumphs, but one of the main tells without a multimeter is flicking lights on startup, which I don't have. One of the cells in my battery probably has gone bad over sitting around. It is one tiny ass fuckin battery though, much smaller and lighter than stock.
 
Just spent all weekend swapping the chain + sprockets on my Bonneville ready for summer. Whoever attached the nut to the front sprocket must have over-torqued it because getting it off nearly killed me! In the end I soaked the damn thing in WD-40 overnight, wedged a bit of wood in my back wheel to stop it moving, then literally stood on the back brake while the missus hung off a large breaker bar to get it off.

Next time I'm just going to buy/beg/rent/steal an air compressor + impact wrench.. that or start bodybuilding in advance..
 
A little curious here, but how much do you guys get charged for changing tires? I know a lot of you do it yourself, but I was just quoted $43/wheel with the wheels off and tires already bought. I said thanks and am going to get them done somewhere else, as that seems a bit steep.
 
Watevaman said:
A little curious here, but how much do you guys get charged for changing tires? I know a lot of you do it yourself, but I was just quoted $43/wheel with the wheels off and tires already bought. I said thanks and am going to get them done somewhere else, as that seems a bit steep.
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A nearby shop does mine (mount/balance) for $25/wheel with wheels removed.
 
I'm planning on taking the training course later this summer. It requires we bring our own gear (gloves, helmet, jacket/pants/boots).

Is my best bet to buy used gear? Is there anything I should buy new (helmet I presume)?

My intention is to purchase a bike after the course if I like it. Thanks.
 
It's finally happened. Got pulled over by a police officer in an unmarked car. I was doing 150 km/h on a highway with a 100 km/h limit. Probably going to cost around 400 euro. Ugh. Oh well, when I spread that across all the times I've went over the limit on that stretch of road, it's not that bad.
 
Watevaman said:
You're in NoVA, right? What's it called? I've got a friend who might be able to mount them but it'd be nice to have a place in mind if that falls through.
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I'm in central MD. The shop is Holding it Big Motorsports

Fallout-NL said:
It's finally happened. Got pulled over by a police officer in an unmarked car. I was doing 150 km/h on a highway with a 100 km/h limit. Probably going to cost around 400 euro. Ugh. Oh well, when I spread that across all the times I've went over the limit on that stretch of road, it's not that bad.
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Ouch. Yeah I stopped doing any serious speeding on the highway, including with traffic (because cops love to pull over the 400 some pound bike following traffic that includes vehicles weighing over a ton...makes sense, right). Just not worthwhile.
 
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