Motorcycles' Journal
[Most Recent Entries]
[Calendar View]
[Friends]
Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in
Motorcycles' LiveJournal:
[ << Previous 20 ]
| Thursday, July 16th, 2009 | 1:28 pm
[jedipussytricks]
 |
Buttpad
I'm thinking of getting a buttpad to use on long rides. Anyone have any thoughts on them? Worth the money? | | Wednesday, July 15th, 2009 | 10:34 am
[polyanarch]
 |
What's in your tankbag?
 Top down, left to right: - Shampa Balacalava
- Ball cap
- Pressure gauge
- Map of Flatland
- Bungie Net
- 'Stich Triangle
- Fold-away duffle bag
- Various reciepts, money, and change from tolls or for meters (gods forbid)
- K-Drive Magnetic telescoping bag with 2x power cord (Powerlet on other side plugs into socket in VFR dash)
- 'Stich 3-digit rain gloves
- 'Stich rain booties
- Sidestand disk
- iPhone for my inTarDnet fix
- Garmin Nuvi (sits in map pocket and is useable through the clear plastic)
- Beat-up spare disk lock
- 2 spray bottles for cleaning face shields. One has just distilled water, the other with super-duper lens cleaner with anti-fog goop in it
- Piezo-windproof lighter
- Bag for rain gloves and booties
- Wind/water-proof pants (wear them under the 'Stich to keep me warm down to 50-degrees even with shorts underneath. I have ultrafleece pants too, that will make it even warmer and comfy to below freezing in my "cold weather bag" that is inside the left Givi)
- 3 pairs of gloves: Jordan hot-weather gloves, Held waterproof warm-weather gloves, Hein Gericke mid-weather gloves (this doesn't include the Joe Rocket Hot-weather gloves that are inside my Helmet that I wore last, or the Held knock-off ultra-cold weather gloves that in my cold-weather bag inside the left side Givi)
- Not pictured:
- Silk cloth that I use with the face shield cleaner -I must have lost it last trip, I've got a lot more of that silk top my GF threw out a couple of years ago which I can cut up for another one
- Soft Helmet bag that is currently around the helmet (it's always around the helmet whenever it is isn't on my head).
- Tiny bottle of oil that I use to keep the o-rings on my chain conditioned when on the road
- my Titanium Battle Spork
- Dirt, lint, various crap that I had to dump out of the bottom of the bag since it hasn't been cleaned out in a while
| 8:00 pm
[rogerdoger]
 |
New Bike New Adventure
So I arrived in India a little over a week ago. I flew into Kolkatta and along with my new found crazy Philippino girl jumped straight on a 18 hour express train to Delhi. ( Read more... ) | 7:37 am
[2stroker]
 |
Gettin Ready For The Road
Monday night I fitted a new rear tire on the Moto Guzzi as I get the bike ready for the 10 day road trip out to Mid Ohio. I bought a matched set of Avons . Took the bike on the 100 mile commute to the job I have going hanging sheetrock and it feels really good . Last night I did the front.    Now the hard work is done. Tonight I'm gonna change the transmission fluid and maybe set the valves.I fitted some K&N air filters on it Saturday and that really woke it up big time.It had K&N's but they were real dirty so I pulled them off and washed them and stuck on another set I had laying around the garage that I pulled off this parts bike years ago.I always knew I'd need them someday I guess that's why I kept them for 10 years!Well, anyway they are smaller but fit on the bike nicely so I figured I'd give them a try. I like it so much with these that I'm leaving them .The plugs are a nice color and the motor is crisp now.Can't wait to hit the road. My friend Jason is riding out with me on his old 550 Honda and we are going camping before and after the event so it should be a good road trip.Just hope the damn rain stops. | | Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 | 4:30 pm
[pandoras_closet]
 |
Waving
I'm one of those riders who will wave if I can provided its safe enough to do so. I went on a nice long ride yesterday through the mountains of Santa Cruz and then through Santa Cruz and back up over Highway 9. As I passed through Ben Lomond, I waved at one biker, who stuck his leg out at me in what I presume was some kind of wave*. What's the oddest wave you've ever gotten? * It could have been a kick, or an offer to pee on my bike. It certainly got me to laugh. Current Mood: Mmm, I do love me a tasty money burritoCurrent Music: I'm Into Something Good-Stool Pigeons | 4:50 pm
[kstone20059]
 |
Motorcycle Stimulus
2009 Stimulus Plan for Motorcycles - Today, 01:43 PM 2009 Stimulus Plan for Motorcycles Details of the new stimulus package signed into law on 2/17/09 include benefits for purchasers of new motorcycles. We have requested details on the package and received the following information directly from the AMA Government relations office. What Motorcycle purchase qualifies for a tax deduction? 1. Must be purchased from February 17 through Jan. 1, 2010 2. The Motorcycle must be less than 8,500 lbs Gross Vehicle Weight 3. Cost less than $49,500 4. Buyer must make less than $125,000 in gross taxable income ($250,000 for joint filers) 5. Deduction is phased out for taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income between $125,000 and $135,000 ($250,000 and $260,000 for joint filing). 6. If you meet the criteria, you will be able to deduct the sales tax and excise tax from your 2009 tax return. What qualifies as a motorcycle, according to the Economic Stimulus bill? In the Economic Stimulus bill, Motorcycle is defined under section 571.3 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) (in effect on the date of the enactment). Section 571.3 of Title 49 CFR: “Motorcycle means a motor vehicle with motive power having a seat or saddle for the use of the rider and designed to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with the ground. Motor-driven cycle means a motorcycle with a motor that produces 5-brake horsepower or less.” These details should help interpret the Stimulus Plan with regard to new motorcycle purchases. As with all tax issues you should consult your tax advisor. You must keep yourself informed. The government may issue regulations to clarify the bill. The above is the latest information available at this time 2/18/09. | | Monday, July 13th, 2009 | 4:11 pm
[bobberbikebabe]
 |
First ride on the twisties in the mountains
Hey y'all! Some gal friends and I headed up to the GA mountains to ride the twisties (near the Dragon's Tail). Someone posted earlier about heading to a destination vs. taking some alternative routes so I thought I would combine the "hey, that's freakn cool" with "the alternatives are freakn great too" post. I've been riding 11 months now and have 9,000+ miles under the belt so am still new. The experienced riders rode up front which was fine with me cuz I didn't want to slow anyone down. To my surprise I didn't trail too far behind (ok, well I lost sight of them once). What I encountered on my ride, nothing but curves: hairpin turns, downhill hairpin turns, decreasing radius curves, off-cambered roads with curves, and my least favorite curvy roads covered with tar snakes. I don't think I rode faster than 40 mph on my lowered Harley Sportster. I did pop my bike's cherry and dragged something around a tight curve. I backed off after I heard the scraping noise. It helped that I kept my rpms high so I could easily "engine brake", but I also used a little bit of back and front brake right before I entered challenging curves. Once while I was leaned over on a road covered in tar snakes I felt my rear tire slip just a bit. I had great fun and am heading up in another couple of weeks for a weekend of mountain riding. On a side note as some of you know 1/2 my spine is fused solid with donor bone and titanium rods and screws. Well, out of all of the different types of riding I've done riding the twisties caused me to have a mother of a back ache (I medicated when I got home -12 hours later). I figured I shifted my weight around a lot unconsciously because my arms didn't ache (my bike weighs 565 pds. and I weigh 120 pds. so when I completely rely on my arms to lean my bike...I totally feel it). So, I loved riding the twisties. I know why they can be particularly addictive for those of you riding sport bikes. But, for those of you who want to ride The Dragon, you don't have to ride the route to get a similar experience AND you can avoid all of the bike traffic. The gals I rode with told me that what we rode was very similar to Deals Gap (not quite as severe though). Here's a pic of our bikes during a break. The girl sitting on a friend's bike wanted her pic taken on a "cool, pretty motorcycle." Mines the black Sportster in the back with the barrel bag.  Current Music: DefTones | 10:49 am
[kragore]
 |
| 7:25 am
[2stroker]
|
On How Motorcycling Has Shaped My Life
As a kid I never gave much thought to motorcycles. I rode all over the place on my bicycle ,it was the 1950's. In 1965 I turned 16,got my drivers license and couldn't afford insurance on a car so I bought my first motorcycle ,a 55cc Yamaha that cost 54 dollars a year to insure and went just under 50 mph.I rode it to death . I rode all over Long Island where I live and that winter I rode it even in the snow. I was hooked!The next spring I bought a new Yamaha called a Twin Jet 100 .I was 17 . That summer I bullshitted my parents into thinking I was going camping out on the beach and instead got on that little 100 cc 2 stroker and crossed the Throgs Neck bridge,hopped on I 95 and rode the damn thing to Boston going a whopping 63 mph with my chin on the gas tank getting blown all over the lane everytime a truck would pass me. So began my life as a traveler. That bike was incredible ! I used to hold it wide open until the engine wouldn't rev any higher and then shift . I never blew it up! I rode it for 3 years until I managed to get enough money together to get a Yamaha YDS3 used. I had that bike for 3 months when in 1969 myself and my best friend decided we wanted to go to California . We packed just what we needed ,sleeping bags with some clothes and a cheap plastic tarp,with cloths line tied it all on the back of the bike on to this little luggage rack and 2 up rode that 250 cc 2 stroke from NY to Los Angles.We used that bike for the year we spent out there going to school going up & down the coast high way to San Francisco numerous times and a year later I rode that thing back to NY with this girl I met in LA. Met these guys with an old cabin cruiser who were headed to Marthas Vinyard and we lashed my bike to the back deck of this thing and headed up towards New England. Never once worrying about where we were going or what we would do if something happened.Kept that bike another year then picked up a 1969 Yamaha DS6C (250cc high pipe) Rode that to Newfoundland for the summer in the mid 70's I still own this bike and ride it. Rode this bike all over the place until the mid 80's when I got the 1971 Yamaha R5 that was pictured all loaded up it that previous post about sport bikes being the wrong bike to travel with or something. That's what this is about really. You see, there is no "wrong or right" Motorcyclists are individuals and we all do what we do regardless of what others think we should be doing.In fact, some of do the opposite just to prove them wrong!Motorcycling has opened up a world to me that I never would have otherwise seen. It gave me the confidence to do whatever I set my mind to. I have met the most amazing people thru it and seen things that most people only read about because of it. There is no right or wrong motorcycle. There is no better or worse motorcycle . There is no perfect bike for any one purpose . All there is are motorcycles and we make them do what we need them to do.I come from a time when we had a sand pit that used to be a sand mine for a cement company. We used to go there on Saturday & Sunday and ride ,or try to ride up the sides of the hill. Guys would be on Triumphs, Nortons, Yamahas,Harleys,Indians, you name it. Street bikes in the sand doing crazy shit. We would go into the woods with street bikes ,There were no "dual purpose " anythings around. There weren't any dirt bikes even for the most part. You run what you brung. So here I am, close to a half century later , going out into my garage to fit new Avons on my Moto Guzzi to get it ready for yet another road trip. Still doing my own wrenching and still riding old stuff that most people think belongs in a museum listing to chatter about what bike is the right bike for the job. JUST DO IT ! there is no right or wrong when it comes to motorcycling. | | Sunday, July 12th, 2009 | 7:40 pm
[lds]
 |
You CAN travel by skateboard, but that doesn't mean many people do.
Casual acquaintance: Hey, did you see what I got last weekend? Me: No, what? CA: A new motorcycle! I traded in my SV650! Me: Oooh! Let me see! [Two minutes later, I'm sitting on a shiny new Hayabusa.] Me: Nice! Where are you going to take it for track days? CA: Ehhhh... I dunno. I probably won't take it to the track. Me: WHAT?!? A beautiful race-bike like this, and you're not going to take it anywhere you can really open it up?!? CA: Well, I might find a nice remote stretch of highway to open it up at night sometime... My casual acquaintance, sadly, is what we call an "Internet-Only Motorcyclist," or "IOM." He chose his motorcycle because of the stats he read on a website, and his real-world riding experience is quite limited. He's been riding for a year or two, and never at night, so he has no idea how fond the deer are of remote stretches of highway at night. Consequently, he mistakenly thinks that remote highways at night around here are an appropriate place to do 150 mph riding. How is he supposed to know differently? I've long been amused at some of the impractical opinions you'll find on ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) motorcycles from such IOMs. I thought ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) crackat was being tongue-in-cheek when he asked, "why did I only see 6 sport bikes?" at the end of a coast-to-coast long-distance ride in this post. Turns out he was being quite serious. There are a lot of such examples of people who only measure motorcycles by top-end horsepower stats or race victories, because that's all they can find on the internet. I've been bemused about this for years, as my experience as an addicted rider and fan has been quite consistent. So I tried my hand at a bit of science on some of my trips this spring and summer, looking for practical characteristics of motorcycles you find on famous motorcycling routes, actually ridden by real motorcyclists doing real motorcycling. I didn't count my own ride, of course, but tried to tally up what I saw other people riding, in four states on four famous motorcycling highways: ( The Ride Routes )I tried to keep a running tally of the types of motorcycles I saw coming the other way, or overtaking me, or that I overtook. I also paid attention in parking lots of gas stations where I stopped. I sat along the main street in Sedona, eating an ice cream cone, and kept a mental tally of the characteristics of motorcycles going by in an endless parade in front of me. ( The Results )I also made mental lists of other notable groups that outnumbered IOMs on real motorcycling routes: - Group rides. Ranging from pairs to dozens (we probably saw 50+ motorcycles coming the other way on 89A), it seemed everybody with a motorcycling buddy was out on each of these four highways on the days I picked to ride them. A few were dual-sport pairs or trios, but most were baggers and tourers.
- Convertibles and topless Jeeps. Even non-motorcyclists know where to go when they want some sun, wind, and fun driving.
- Bicyclists. Amazingly, these were most numerous on US 550 in Colorado. They were straining away pedaling up those mountain passes, so I gave them thumbs-up, but just watching them bombing back down from the peaks looked fun as hell.
- Hitchhikers. Yes, even people who didn't have any vehicles at all outnumbered Internet-Only Motorcyclists on these routes.
- Scooters. I jest not: I saw quite a few step-through scooters loaded for camping, some even with hard luggage, far outside the city limits and away from their ordinary urban habitats. I made sure to wave at all these guys.
( Test Conclusions ) | | Saturday, July 11th, 2009 | 4:46 pm
[schmi]
 |
Ride-On Tire Protection System Motorcycle Formula
Does anyone experience with or thoughts about this product: http://www.ride-on.com/prod_mot.asp? While you ride, a protective layer of Ride-On TPS - a tire sealant containing fibers six times stronger than steel - evenly coats the inner surface of your tire. If your tire is punctured, the centrifugal force of the rotating tire and the internal air pressure force Ride-On into the hole, sealing it virtually instantly.With Ride-On TPS tire sealant, your tire literally fixes itself! And since it stops slow leaks the moment they start, your tires always stay properly inflated. Your tires last longer, your bike handles better, your fuel economy improves, and you ride more safely. | 1:38 pm
[project_mayhem_]
 |
| 9:24 am
[jedipussytricks]
|
HJC Windlight
So, the concept is this: eight flashing LEDs on your helmet, powered by a wind turbine. Ride over 25 mph and you've got flashing lights on your head. Fantastic concept. Poor execution. I got one of these two or three years ago, and it worked great--until it broke. I don't know exactly when or how it broke; I had left my helmet with my mechanic when I was having some work done on my bike, and secretly suspected him of having banged it on something. The turbine itself had somehow been knocked loose. I replaced the windlight, and again it worked great--until it broke. I know exactly when and where this one broke: shortly after 8:30 last night, a few miles south of Salinas. At first I thought a Harley had snuck up on me. The noise was terrible. And then it began to sound like a freight train blowing its whistle AND a Harley. ON MY HEAD. I pulled over in Gonzales and pulled the damn thing off my helmet. The wind turbine still seemed to function just fine, but the lights no longer activated. (Even if they had, though, I'd have pulled the thing off... Here I'd been hurtling down the freeway at 80mph on a vacuum cleaner and that noise didn't bother me, but THIS WAS TERRIBLE.) So, I guess for the $10 or so the product costs, a year or so of operation is alright, but just so's ya know, they ain't made to last. | | Friday, July 10th, 2009 | 10:07 am
[bothrops]
 |
Heat fries brains
Apparently the Texas heat has started doing some real damage. In just the last couple weeks Ive had three bird strikes. One off the face shield, one off the back of my left glove, and one straight into my front wheel. I guess the fluffy lil bastards decided that this summer was just too much. | 8:11 am
[2stroker]
|
Some Of My Bikes
These are some of the bikes I collect and ride. They are all registered, insured , inspected , running , and driven . Heading out to AMA's Vintage Days at Mid Ohio in about 10 days and was wondering if any of you plan on attending . Is there even anyone in this group who is into the older stuff from the 60's and beyond or you all modern motorcycle people ? If any one from here is going I will be in row U of the swap meet about space # 10 with a bunch of other 2 stroke guys .Hope to meet some of you.  | | Thursday, July 9th, 2009 | 7:50 pm
[litch]
 |
| 2:06 pm
[spurnnedhistory]
 |
Heat
How hot is too hot to ride? It's 104F today... That's 40C. How hot is too hot for you to ride? | 2:34 pm
[motomuffin]
 |
Note to Self For Constant Reminder
Getting stung hurts less, and is easier to recover from, than crashing. Pilot the bike pilot the bike pilot the bike! I think it only grazed me with its stinger as it crashed into me; in the moment I was sure I'd been stung but the more time passes the more I think it was the pain of hitting a big exoskeletal insect with the only exposed skin on me, dead center on my throat. I've got to figure out how to dull my wasp phobia. It's gonna get me kilt. :-P | 10:39 am
[stnulf]
 |
Incompetence
How to steal a motorcycle: 1) Arrive in a van 2) lift bike 3) place bike in van 4) drive van away How not to steal a motorcycle: 1) Arrive on foot without helmets or tools with the intention of driving the bike away 2) Attempt to use main force to break the steering lock 3) Make noise in doing so 4) Run off into the park where you're home safe It's step 4 that really pisses me off. These guys just jump into the park and hey presto they get off scott free without having to face the consequences of thier actions whereas I have to lose my no claims bonus for the second year running and damage my premium with a theft claim. | | Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 | 7:44 pm
[jedipussytricks]
|
|
[ << Previous 20 ]
|
anxious
working