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[Dougald]

The wind.... is something you'll get used to. I still dislike it though. Looks like a nice run, you Americans and your nice wide roads and countryside

I feel like this shot is pretty typical of my local run, small country roads, overcast sky.. What kind of roads do you guys generally ride on when going on a quick run?


This is the best stretch of road I've ever ridden on (or at least the most fun). Was there completely by accident as the route we were taking out of Monaco (to Italy) was closed, so we just decided to head north. Ended up on this road about 6-7pm in the middle of summer, it was awesome, great scenery, lots of tight twisty turns, almost no traffic.

 

[Damaged]

The wind.... is something you'll get used to. I still dislike it though. Looks like a nice run, you Americans and your nice wide roads and countryside

I feel like this shot is pretty typical of my local run, small country roads, overcast sky.. What kind of roads do you guys generally ride on when going on a quick run?


This is the best stretch of road I've ever ridden on (or at least the most fun). Was there completely by accident as the route we were taking out of Monaco (to Italy) was closed, so we just decided to head north. Ended up on this road about 6-7pm in the middle of summer, it was awesome, great scenery, lots of tight twisty turns, almost no traffic.

I'm lucky enough to only be about £0 mins away from North Wales so that's my usual stomping ground, bumpy narrow mountain roads down into valleys with lots of gradients and crests. Makes owning a Supermoto about as good as it gets really especially when you take the back roads and watch the sports bikes get tied up in knots

Edit: Old picture and older bike but it pretty much covers my favourite place to ride

 

[BubbaMc]

Just got my 2013 Ducati Multistrada back from the first service. Engine is run in, now the fun begins

 

[Dougald]

I'm lucky enough to only be about £0 mins away from North Wales so that's my usual stomping ground, bumpy narrow mountain roads down into valleys with lots of gradients and crests. Makes owning a Supermoto about as good as it gets really especially when you take the back roads and watch the sports bikes get tied up in knots

Edit: Old picture and older bike but it pretty much covers my favourite place to ride

Beautiful... I was meaning to get up to Wales this summer with some friends but never quite did it, that makes me wish I had all the more

 

[Damaged]

Beautiful... I was meaning to get up to Wales this summer with some friends but never quite did it, that makes me wish I had all the more

Well if your ever up this way give me a PM, always up for a ride. Would advise against bank holidays tho as the north Wales Police are not the most biker friendly bunch sadly.

 

[Flo_Evans]

I've never been so upset a photoshop concept bike isn't real:

 

[Dougald]

Well if your ever up this way give me a PM, always up for a ride. Would advise against bank holidays tho as the north Wales Police are not the most biker friendly bunch sadly.

I may take you up on that...

I've never been so upset a photoshop concept bike isn't real:

Incredible, I love how it looks like they have cut it down to the bare essentials, yet it still maintains a flowing stylized look at the same time.

 

[Flo_Evans]

I may take you up on that...



Incredible, I love how it looks like they have cut it down to the bare essentials, yet it still maintains a flowing stylized look at the same time.

unfortunately it seems a pipe dream. Almost makes me want to take up welding and custom bike making!

Here is the rumored real Ducati scrambler:

why.

 

[Dougald]

er... yep, that sure is a motorcycle, it's got 2 wheels and everything

 

[opticalmace]

Something about the angle of knee bend on my bike makes my right knee sore. I saw a physio about it and the basic summary is I should minimize the time spent with my knee bent like that. I'm not going to stop riding so I was thinking of swapping bikes next season for something more upright, with more legroom etc.

I'm on a Ninja 250 right now, first bike, about 8000km ridden.

Is there anything I'm overlooking? Aside from the hard bike seat and the knee pain I've been very happy with my 250 so far. I know you can adjust the pegs somewhat, but I assume that would only be a minor improvement (?).

Just kind of thinking out loud. Am I doing the right thing? etc.

 

[monchi-kun]

Maybe switch the 250 for a cruiser with mid or forward foot controls?

 

[Flo_Evans]

Something about the angle of knee bend on my bike makes my right knee sore. I saw a physio about it and the basic summary is I should minimize the time spent with my knee bent like that. I'm not going to stop riding so I was thinking of swapping bikes next season for something more upright, with more legroom etc.

I'm on a Ninja 250 right now, first bike, about 8000km ridden.

Is there anything I'm overlooking? Aside from the hard bike seat and the knee pain I've been very happy with my 250 so far. I know you can adjust the pegs somewhat, but I assume that would only be a minor improvement (?).

Just kind of thinking out loud. Am I doing the right thing? etc.

How tall are you? Allot of smaller bikes are hell on the knees for bigger guys.

Check out this site: http://cycle-ergo.com

you can enter your bike and inseam and it will tell you the knee angle! pretty neat.

 

[monchi-kun]

That is an awesome site!

Looks like i'll be slightly more comfortable on a Street Triple than a Monster 696, but maybe ergos will change 2 years from now when i'm ready to upgrade.

 

[thesoapster]

Yeah a bigger bike than the Ninja 250 could very well help. Also worth noting is that aftermarket rearsets add a lot of adjustment flexibility.

edit: Also FUUUUUUUUUUCCCCKKKK

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/fim-motogp-world-championship-will-not-return-to-mazda-raceway-laguna-seca-in-2014/

Hopefully it's back in '15...

 

[ClassyPenguin]

I know. I saw that a few days ago. I love Laguna Seca.
I'd rather they get rid of Indy, because the Texas track is awesome.

 

[Fallout-NL]

unfortunately it seems a pipe dream. Almost makes me want to take up welding and custom bike making!

Here is the rumored real Ducati scrambler:

why.

Haha, 'why' indeed.


You could just ask that JvB dude to make you one.

Also, I too want to take up welding and custom bike making.

 

[U n i o n 0015]

I know. I saw that a few days ago. I love Laguna Seca.
I'd rather they get rid of Indy, because the Texas track is awesome.

Indy sucks...such a boring track. But IMS put forward a lot of money, promised track changes, and all the MotoGP media love it because there's plenty to do in the area. So that's why we get to suffer it for another year.

Give me Monterey over the city of Indianapolis any day.

 

[monchi-kun]

Man, this CBR250 is like a kite with the wind blasts here in the Bay Area. Averaging 9 knots right now and I was being shoved left and right.

Do heavier bikes fare better with wind or is this a rider issue? I tried to tuck in as far as I could but I don't think it really helped. Also, my front wheel/tire/shocks felt "strange" during this ordeal. Not exactly sure I know enough about riding to accurately describe this feeling but it felt like I was running on a flat tire when the winds were pushing me around.

 

[Sarcasm]

I watched a guy here in Taiwan get push sideways into a ditch.

 

[monchi-kun]

I was on the freeway when the insanity happened. Got my M license today which lets me ride at night and freeways so I figured "why not" and got on the on-ramp. Aside from the wind the other issue was speed, I was not confident running this bike at freeway speeds (65 MPH and up).

 

[Watevaman]

I was on the freeway when the insanity happened. Got my M license today which lets me ride at night and freeways so I figured "why not" and got on the on-ramp. Aside from the wind the other issue was speed, I was not confident running this bike at freeway speeds (65 MPH and up).

You'll be fine. Relax on the bars and try to counter what the wind does with gentle and smooth inputs. You get used to everything in due time.

And with that said, I almost crashed yesterday, so here's a crosspost from another forum I visit:

Man, I almost crashed yesterday and it would've been all my fault. Was riding a little spirited on a road I shouldn't have been doing so, came up to a corner and just lost my train of thought and target fixated on the corner straight ahead of me instead of through the turn (which I could make at the speed I was going).

Actually, fuck it:

What you don't really get from the gif is that my back wheel was totally locked, which stalled the bike because I wasn't smart enough to pull in the clutch. It's also sped up for no reason (photoshop did it), but it actually makes up for the wide angle lens of the camera and how it makes everything seem farther and slower.

It honestly felt at the moment that I was gonna dump the bike and I have decided that maybe I should stop trying to ride so aggressively on not-tracks.

I have 7k miles, which by all accounts I should know better than to do this, but damn if it didn't happen anyway. It was really my first close call with crashing at speed and scared the crap out of me.

 

[Fixed1979]

I'm shitty with pictures, here's a phone quality one anyway. Just over 700km on it now, absolutely no issues whatsoever (either bike or driver related) which I'm thankful for. Hard not to have a shit-eatin' grin on when I'm riding this thing. Time to start preparing for storage now though, not a process I'm looking forward to, need to track down a shop manual and then go tool shopping. Will probably take a drive down to Edmonton next weekend and get everything I need.

And with that said, I almost crashed yesterday, so here's a crosspost from another forum I visit:



I have 7k miles, which by all accounts I should know better than to do this, but damn if it didn't happen anyway. It was really my first close call with crashing at speed and scared the crap out of me.

A little scary there, no panic though. Good save. Any idea how fast you were moving?

 

[monchi-kun]

That is a sweet ride, congrats and enjoy while you can before the winter.

 

[Dougald]

You'll be fine. Relax on the bars and try to counter what the wind does with gentle and smooth inputs. You get used to everything in due time.

And with that said, I almost crashed yesterday, so here's a crosspost from another forum I visit:



I have 7k miles, which by all accounts I should know better than to do this, but damn if it didn't happen anyway. It was really my first close call with crashing at speed and scared the crap out of me.

Man, classic target fixation, and all too familiar! Glad you came out of it okay, friend of mine did the exact same thing a couple years ago but ended up locking the rear while he wasn't completely upright and lowsiding the bike.

Awesomeness

Beautiful, well worth the wait!

 

[Fallout-NL]

I'm shitty with pictures, here's a phone quality one anyway. Just over 700km on it now, absolutely no issues whatsoever (either bike or driver related) which I'm thankful for. Hard not to have a shit-eatin' grin on when I'm riding this thing. Time to start preparing for storage now though, not a process I'm looking forward to, need to track down a shop manual and then go tool shopping. Will probably take a drive down to Edmonton next weekend and get everything I need.

Gorgeous bike man. Glad you're enjoying it.

Oh and if I were you, I'd maybe place the helmet flat on the ground. They have a habit of sliding off handlebars, and Shoei makes pricey helmets

 

[thesoapster]

I have 7k miles, which by all accounts I should know better than to do this, but damn if it didn't happen anyway. It was really my first close call with crashing at speed and scared the crap out of me.

As said - target fixation. Scan, scan, scan, and do look for where to apex. A head turn into that corner would have made a big difference I think.

 

[Watevaman]

As said - target fixation. Scan, scan, scan, and do look for where to apex. A head turn into that corner would have made a big difference I think.

Yeah, and it did make a difference on all the turns before that. I think my main problem is trying to scan the road surface and go through corners as well.

And as for speed, I think that was about 60 or so? Any faster and I think I would've actually gone off that hill.

 

[thesoapster]

Yeah, some roads don't allow good reading of the surface at decent ("fun") speeds, so sometimes backing off is necessary I find. Your ability to read the road surfaces just get better (faster) with time. I think most corners I approach I imagine the ideal line to take around the time I even start looking for gravel, oil, dead animals, etc. in the road, and then continue scanning the surface until I'm satisfied. If I spot a gravel patch or some hazard, I adjust the line I was going to take appropriately.

It's kind of hard to tell, but that road does look a little on the small side, which leaves you with less time to give inputs to the bike. A little less speed and/or rapidly turning in to get on line for each corner will help. Even so we all make mistakes. Sometimes you misjudge a turn, fumble in trying to correct it, etc. Just have to keep it up and always leave yourself that cushion.

 

[monchi-kun]

Winds were calmer today so I decided to face my fear of the freeway. The little CBR250r took it like a champ with a rider as heavy as I was (240 lbs). Got the bike to 65 mph and just kept it as steady as I could but there was no way this baby was going to make it to 75 (traffic speed) without getting close to redline. I think i'll keep to surface streets for the remainder of this bike's life while I shop around for something a bit more capable. Hindsight being 20/20 I probably should have started of a CBR500 instead.

 

[TCRS]

Kawasaki scooter spotted:

http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-news-new-bikes/kawasaki-enters-the-scooter-fray/23673.html

visordown are being dicks about linking images but it's basically a 300cc scooter based on a Kymco Downton 300.

 

[Fallout-NL]

The Monster and I on Saturday in Scheveningen (yup, that's about as Dutch as it gets, haha). Sucks that the roads here aren't that interesting, but the weather was nice enough.

 

[monchi-kun]

Nice DUC, is it a 796?

 

[opticalmace]

Winds were calmer today so I decided to face my fear of the freeway. The little CBR250r took it like a champ with a rider as heavy as I was (240 lbs). Got the bike to 65 mph and just kept it as steady as I could but there was no way this baby was going to make it to 75 (traffic speed) without getting close to redline. I think i'll keep to surface streets for the remainder of this bike's life while I shop around for something a bit more capable. Hindsight being 20/20 I probably should have started of a CBR500 instead.

What RPM was it at at 65 mph? And 75 mph?

I'm kind of surprised, I can do 75 mph on my kawi 250 and still have a decent bit of room before redline.

 

[Dougald]

I'm sure you could take it to 75mph, I've had a CG125 at 70mph before (which was terrifying, but possible!). I expect with more confidence at highway speeds you'll be up there.

 

[Fallout-NL]

Nice DUC, is it a 796?

1100s

 

[LeBoef]

parking spots for bikes.
people using it.

WTF?

 

[Fallout-NL]

Yeah I was quite stricken with the white lines that said 'stay the fuck out of this space', haha.

 

[Sarcasm]

Wish the ones here were that spacious!

 

[maxheadwound]

The Monster and I on Saturday in Scheveningen (yup, that's about as Dutch as it gets, haha). Sucks that the roads here aren't that interesting, but the weather was nice enough.

very nice... the weather looks nice and calm for a great ride out.

 

[GONZO]

You'll be fine. Relax on the bars and try to counter what the wind does with gentle and smooth inputs. You get used to everything in due time.

And with that said, I almost crashed yesterday, so here's a crosspost from another forum I visit:



I have 7k miles, which by all accounts I should know better than to do this, but damn if it didn't happen anyway. It was really my first close call with crashing at speed and scared the crap out of me.

I had a rider crash on one of my rides this past weekend much in the same way you almost went down. He lost focus on this road and went off at a high speed. luckily there was no guard rail so he made it out without a scratch. His bike was not so lucky.


This is the road:

http://vimeo.com/41266051

Stay sharp out there guys. Especially when you're getting into the twisty stuff.

 

[friday]

I have never ridden on the street, but that new fz-09 looks so good. The cb500f would probably be a better choice though. Anyone plan on getting the Yamaha?

 

[ClassyPenguin]

What RPM was it at at 65 mph? And 75 mph?

I'm kind of surprised, I can do 75 mph on my kawi 250 and still have a decent bit of room before redline.

The Kawai is a 2 cyl, I think the Honda is 1, but anyway, those engines are happy to be close to redline.

 

[monchi-kun]

The Kawai is a 2 cyl, I think the Honda is 1, but anyway, those engines are happy to be close to redline.

Still breaking my bike in so no redlining for me until my first valve clearance check. It's rider weight that's holding this bike back (embarrassingly). 240 pounds is a lot to haul around for a 1 cylinder, especially a freeway with a long and twisty incline.

 

[ClassyPenguin]

True. I was 145lbs when I putted around my ninja 250

 

[Reven]

Still breaking my bike in so no redlining for me until my first valve clearance check. It's rider weight that's holding this bike back (embarrassingly). 240 pounds is a lot to haul around for a 1 cylinder, especially a freeway with a long and twisty incline.

I just bought a CBR250 this weekend and I weigh 280lbs. I absolutely love it though.

 

[thesoapster]

Still breaking my bike in so no redlining for me until my first valve clearance check. It's rider weight that's holding this bike back (embarrassingly). 240 pounds is a lot to haul around for a 1 cylinder, especially a freeway with a long and twisty incline.

Valve check? I'm coming upon my first one at 26,600 miles (which is about 1.1k miles away)...

Once break-in is completed you should be able to (and should) get the revs up there on occasion.

 

[monchi-kun]

Yeah, these new CBR250Rs have their valve clearance checked at 600 miles.

 

[thesoapster]

Oh right, now I remember hearing about that (500s I think have the same thing). Yeah, usually don't want to maintain high RPM during break-in. I think you are supposed to give it a bit of a workout, still, to really make sure that internal polishing is happening. You certainly wouldn't want to keep the RPMs low the whole time! So running it up to or near red line and then letting the RPMs drift back down isn't a bad idea. Everyone's opinion differs on "proper" break in technique. Dyno break in involves minimal operating time compared to normal break in and the engine is really put through its paces. I've been told that method produces best HP figures, but who knows. Just don't follow the manual's recommended speed/gear changes. I think mine even says to up-change from 1st to 2nd at 30mph...which is fine if you're putting around town. Otherwise it's ridiculous.

 

[Flo_Evans]

Oh right, now I remember hearing about that (500s I think have the same thing). Yeah, usually don't want to maintain high RPM during break-in. I think you are supposed to give it a bit of a workout, still, to really make sure that internal polishing is happening. You certainly wouldn't want to keep the RPMs low the whole time! So running it up to or near red line and then letting the RPMs drift back down isn't a bad idea. Everyone's opinion differs on "proper" break in technique. Dyno break in involves minimal operating time compared to normal break in and the engine is really put through its paces. I've been told that method produces best HP figures, but who knows. Just don't follow the manual's recommended speed/gear changes. I think mine even says to up-change from 1st to 2nd at 30mph...which is fine if you're putting around town. Otherwise it's ridiculous.

My buddy who races says to break it in like you intend to ride it. He also says engine braking is when most break in actually occurs. So don't just run it at redline for a hour on the highway and call it good. You need to accel/decel a lot using the engine to properly seat the piston rings.

Obviously let the bike warm up fully before revving it hard.

I also see some logic in running the engine hard on a new bike to expose any manufacturing problems early while still under warranty.

 

[QualityPixel]

Get your rides in before the snow (for us northern hemisphere dwellers) ruins everything.

First snow in my area visible in this photo.