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Throttle lock + good balance = 4 point wave  If you're missing a throttle lock, at least get both feet and one hand off.
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Feb 3, 2009 02:54
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I'm going to go more polite. I'll first wave frantically so they stop, then I'll greet them individually. "Nice to meet you Sir, I also ride motorcycles as you can see."
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Feb 3, 2009 02:56
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I whip my dick out at other riders.
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Feb 3, 2009 04:11
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It only counts as waving if other riders are able to discern what you are doing.
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Feb 3, 2009 05:12
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Simkin posted:It only counts as waving if other riders are able to discern what you are doing.  I'd pull my dick out if I didn't always have it out anyway.
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Feb 3, 2009 06:14
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Harley rider, huh?
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Feb 3, 2009 09:21
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Bikes are so expensive these days. A new GSXR 600 is $10,399!!
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Feb 3, 2009 15:16
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I've been wondering about something lately. I'm getting a lot more comfortable with my bike and find myself going closer to the 100mph mark on highways, whipping down twisty roads over the speed limit, and sometimes even passing cars on one-lane roads (when there is plenty of room to do so). I tend to keep this behavior to mid-day weekdays (I'm unemployed now) or after 10pm weekdays, when the roads are fairly empty. This is common behavior, right? Or does it make me a squid? I really just want to enjoy my bike, but I don't want to look like a jackass, either.
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Feb 3, 2009 17:13
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Gnaghi posted:I've been wondering about something lately. I'm getting a lot more comfortable with my bike and find myself going closer to the 100mph mark on highways, whipping down twisty roads over the speed limit, and sometimes even passing cars on one-lane roads (when there is plenty of room to do so). I tend to keep this behavior to mid-day weekdays (I'm unemployed now) or after 10pm weekdays, when the roads are fairly empty. This is common behavior, right? Or does it make me a squid? I really just want to enjoy my bike, but I don't want to look like a jackass, either. What people don't see is between you and god. Just make sure people don't see it, wear your gear, and try to avoid outriding your sight lines. There are some roads that I like specifically because they offer really good sight lines through the corners, so you can up the pace a little bit and still be safe and ok. When passing, I will pass on a DY as long as it's safe and I can do it without strafing the gently caress out of the car. I always wave when I go by as a little thank you/please don't hate me type thing. People who bitch about passing on DYs, well...what, are the roads getting more unsafe as they remove passing zones? Use common sense and give them the chance to use turnouts, and if they aren't polite about letting you by, then pass them where you can safely.
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Feb 3, 2009 17:39
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Z3n posted:What people don't see is between you and god. Just make sure people don't see it, wear your gear, and try to avoid outriding your sight lines. There are some roads that I like specifically because they offer really good sight lines through the corners, so you can up the pace a little bit and still be safe and ok. Sounds good. The problem with living in NJ is that there's not a single road that isn't lined with houses, so the best one can hope for on the street is trying to stay out of sight and keeping the bike stock-ish (quiet). I'm already looking into track days/clinics for this year and will be taking the advanced riding course once I rack up the 3000 miles.
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Feb 3, 2009 17:52
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Gnaghi posted:I've been wondering about something lately. I'm getting a lot more comfortable with my bike and find myself going closer to the 100mph mark on highways, whipping down twisty roads over the speed limit, and sometimes even passing cars on one-lane roads (when there is plenty of room to do so). I tend to keep this behavior to mid-day weekdays (I'm unemployed now) or after 10pm weekdays, when the roads are fairly empty. This is common behavior, right? Or does it make me a squid? I really just want to enjoy my bike, but I don't want to look like a jackass, either. I too found myself doing this. Its a weird thing when 70mph on a frame and two wheels doesn't feel fast anymore. What I ended up discovering is that if I force myself to relax and ease off the throttle I actually enjoy the ride and scenery more than when I'm tearing up miles full tilt.
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Feb 3, 2009 18:00
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Gnaghi posted:I've been wondering about something lately. I'm getting a lot more comfortable with my bike and find myself going closer to the 100mph mark on highways, whipping down twisty roads over the speed limit, and sometimes even passing cars on one-lane roads (when there is plenty of room to do so). I tend to keep this behavior to mid-day weekdays (I'm unemployed now) or after 10pm weekdays, when the roads are fairly empty. This is common behavior, right? Or does it make me a squid? I really just want to enjoy my bike, but I don't want to look like a jackass, either. Yeah, that's about the point where I looked into the practicality/cost of buying a race bike. I still do a bit of squidding around on the street like that, but nowhere near as much, especially during the months where I can actually play around on a race track.
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Feb 3, 2009 18:12
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Simkin posted:Yeah, that's about the point where I looked into the practicality/cost of buying a race bike. I still do a bit of squidding around on the street like that, but nowhere near as much, especially during the months where I can actually play around on a race track. Yeah it seems like prepping an older SV wouldn't be too much trouble or money. How do those bikes compare to bikes like the Ninja 250 for learning how to race? From my understanding I could learn on my Buell XB9S as well as an SV, but it just wouldn't be as competitive.
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Feb 3, 2009 18:32
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Gnaghi posted:Yeah it seems like prepping an older SV wouldn't be too much trouble or money. How do those bikes compare to bikes like the Ninja 250 for learning how to race? From my understanding I could learn on my Buell XB9S as well as an SV, but it just wouldn't be as competitive. SVs are pretty much the best cheap race/trackbikes money can buy at the moment. Loads of aftermarket, loads of them out there, tons of spares. I wouldn't recommend a ninja 250 for a trackbike because the closing speeds are too extreme. When you're doing 105 down a straight, maxed out, and a literbike is coming up on you at 170mph, it's dangerous and not very fun. An SV will keep those closing speeds to something a bit more reasonable. First: Don't buy a bike and convert it. Find someone that's already done all the work for you and profit off of their devaluation. I don't know how popular 650 Superbike classes are out in the rest of the country, but out there, you can find a nice, solid 70hp SV for around 3-3.5k. It should have every trackday mod needed (aftermarket rear shock, gsx-r front end/upgraded stocker, exhaust, and track plastics/sliders). For 5k you can get either a 90hp handgrenade or a 80hp reliable bike (flatslides, cam swap, busa pistons), plus fully built everything else (aftermarket subframe, fairing stay, etc). Either of those bikes could be put on the podium at a 650 race by a skilled rider. I wouldn't want to flog a buell on the track, it's hard on the engine, and that goes double for aircooled ones. You want something that'll take abuse and keep coming back for more. The only downside to SVs is that they run skinnier tires than most, but plenty of tire manus still make loads of tires in that size (due to supermoto). I'll be running the new Michelin Power Ones my first race season. Also, SVs don't eat through tires like I4s, which is nice as well...I was getting upwards of 7 days on a set of tires for awhile while running fast B/slow A. Now I tend to get 3-5 days out of tires.
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Feb 3, 2009 18:43
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Honestly? Don't worry about being competitive your first year (or two) out, just get a feel for how different going fast on the track is. I ended up buying a GSXR600, and because it was sooooo much faster than what I ride everyday on the road, it took quite a while to get over the holycrapimgoingtodiethisistoofuckingfast and into actually paying attention to where I was and what I was doing on the track. Tracks usually have classes for the 500cc twins, like the EX500 or GS500, and while they'll never set any sort of land speed record, they are cheap as chips to run, and will allow you to pay attention to what you're doing on the track. Traffic on a track has always been (and will likely be again this season) my one major problem. I'm far more concerned about being run into (or running into) other riders, that I probably should be. This isn't helped by the fact that my one really major crash involved lowsiding into another rider.  You could always just prep your Buell and go have fun on a track day. Just make sure you've got good gear and frame sliders.
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Feb 3, 2009 18:44
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Simkin posted:Honestly? Don't worry about being competitive your first year (or two) out, just get a feel for how different going fast on the track is. I ended up buying a GSXR600, and because it was sooooo much faster than what I ride everyday on the road, it took quite a while to get over the holycrapimgoingtodiethisistoofuckingfast and into actually paying attention to where I was and what I was doing on the track. Tracks usually have classes for the 500cc twins, like the EX500 or GS500, and while they'll never set any sort of land speed record, they are cheap as chips to run, and will allow you to pay attention to what you're doing on the track. That last part should really be emphasized a bit more. Trackdays can be a little terrifying until you get used to them, and then they're the most fun that you can have with your pants on. They're not for everyone, so it's def. best to go out to the track first with a bike you're comfortable with and go see if it's for you before dumping a bunch of money on a track bike. The things that make a trackbike great are rarely the things that make a good streetbike, so even if you get a street legal SV/600/whatever trackbike, chances are it'll be a poo poo streetbike. Riding my SV taught me how to pass in the corners, cause there's no way in hell I'm passing anyone on the straights. It's just like anything else on a motorcycle...requires commitment, and a lot of it. No second guessing anything. I've been doing trackdays for a year seriously, and had a handful of them before that. I'm only recently starting to get fast enough to do decent in racing. I can tell, however, when I take rides on my friend's 600s, that when I move up to one in a year or 2, I'm going to have all of the tools I need to go fast, comfortably, and will be pretty quick out the door. Learning on a slow bike teaches you how to manage stuff at a pace that's easier to comprehend, and the consequences tend to be less extreme should you get in over your head.
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Feb 3, 2009 18:54
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How do you guys recommend getting started with track days? Do you just show up with a prepped bike and gear and have at it, or is there normally a class-like intro for the new guys?
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Feb 3, 2009 19:03
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Awesome, thanks for the advice guys. My initial plan was to do a couple track days with the Buell and go from there. If I like it I'll look into a prepped SV. That's crazy that tires only last 3-7 days, I had no idea that you could burn them up that fast.
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Feb 3, 2009 19:06
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Ha. Yeah, 3-7 days on an SV. On my GSXR? Ummm... half a night*. Remember kids, pay attention to what compound tyres a shop is trying to flog to you as 'really nice take-offs.' Qualifying is fine on a set of SC1, but really, that's what they're meant for, qualifying. They will have astounding grip for a very, very short period of time, and then they will be gone, and you will wonder 'why, oh why, does my bike feel like it wants to swap ends on every single corner under even moderate throttle?' 
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Feb 3, 2009 19:24
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waptang posted:How do you guys recommend getting started with track days? Do you just show up with a prepped bike and gear and have at it, or is there normally a class-like intro for the new guys? Ideally, hook up with some experienced trackday riders in your area or make some friends who want to get into it and go together. You can just show up with a prepped bike and gear and go at it, but half of the fun is the community and the bench racing  As to classes: Some providers will have introductory stuff, some will not. It depends on the area and the provider. If you're out in california, most of the bigger trackday providers have some sort of intro school. Most of them also have instructors on site if you want someone to follow you around and give you some tips. Gnaghi posted:Awesome, thanks for the advice guys. My initial plan was to do a couple track days with the Buell and go from there. If I like it I'll look into a prepped SV. That's crazy that tires only last 3-7 days, I had no idea that you could burn them up that fast. Ahh, yeah. I'm budgeting for replacing tires every raceday. A fast rider on a 600 or a literbike will burn a rear in 2 races (14 laps). Fronts tend to last a little longer, but not much. Simkin, if you're only getting half a day out of the tires and you're not on the podium every time, you probably have some suspension issues or tire pressure issues to sort out.
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Feb 3, 2009 19:31
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It's a short oval circuit, so we're on the left edge of the tyres for a good 2/3 of the lap. Even though the races are quite short, it's still more than enough time to get a set of SC0 or SC1 up past where they're happy operating. The guy who ended up winning most of the races last year (also on a GSXR600, but really, really slick suspension and engine-wise) had a brand new set of SC1 that he burned through in the course of one night. The set that I had on were take-offs, so I probably shouldn't have been shocked to only see half a night's use. I'm currently running an older set of Michelin Pilot Power Race, and they've lasted me fine through three nights of racing and a few practice nights as well.
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Feb 3, 2009 20:42
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Simkin posted:It's a short oval circuit, so we're on the left edge of the tyres for a good 2/3 of the lap. Even though the races are quite short, it's still more than enough time to get a set of SC0 or SC1 up past where they're happy operating. The guy who ended up winning most of the races last year (also on a GSXR600, but really, really slick suspension and engine-wise) had a brand new set of SC1 that he burned through in the course of one night. The set that I had on were take-offs, so I probably shouldn't have been shocked to only see half a night's use. Ahh, ok, that makes sense. A lot of time people don't understand that they really should be running the hardest compound that they can to minimize wear. Soft stuff is great but if you can't really exploit the grip, then you're better off with a tire that'll give you slightly less overall grip but more consistant grip over a longer period of time.
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Feb 3, 2009 20:56
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Yeah, that, and the sticker shock at thinking about having to replace a rear tyre every single race night. Other than that first glitch, racing wasn't that expensive a proposition for me. Petrol for getting to/from the track was far more expensive, especially when it was ~1.50/L
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Feb 4, 2009 04:05
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So, I bought my Triumph Sprint ST in February of 2007 and to date I have accrued 4,356 miles. I traded my Speed Triple for the Sprint because I had the idea that I wanted the fully faired bike with hard bags for multi-day trips. Two years and no trips later I've decided that I prefer naked bikes. I am going to the dealer tomorrow to get the details on consignment sales. I'm also going to check out the 2009 WRX so getting rid of the Sprint will free up a few hundred dollars every month so I can upgrade from the Fit.  My plan at this point is to pick up a gently used Speed Triple, Street Triple or supermoto of some sort later in the year.
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Feb 4, 2009 05:08
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You know your bike is too old when you get denied by 3 shops and have to sign a book of release of liability forms from dealership just so they can do basic maintenance. The mechanic at the dealership said he had never even seen an 88' ex500, yet alone worked on one. And when I explained how if he's worked on an 05 ex500 there will be very few differences, he looked at me like I was insane. Looks like its time to pray my bike comes back in one piece and start saving up for a new bike from this millennium (I've wanted to upgrade badly anyway). Any suggestions? I'm thinking of waiting until summer and trying to get around $1500 for the ex500 and upgrading to 600 supersport. I'm very keen to the Triumph 675, which is definitely a bit more powered then an r6 or gsxr600 but if I can find a decent used one I will probably jump all over that.
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Feb 5, 2009 14:29
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Trintintin posted:You know your bike is too old when you get denied by 3 shops and have to sign a book of release of liability forms from dealership just so they can do basic maintenance. The mechanic at the dealership said he had never even seen an 88' ex500, yet alone worked on one. Sounds like a lovely dealership. The Suzuki dealer near me happily worked on my 66' Yamaha when it needed a rear tire put on and a safety check. The mechanic was really excited about it and asked if he could take it for a spin around the parking lot.
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Feb 5, 2009 14:52
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Trintintin posted:You know your bike is too old when you get denied by 3 shops and have to sign a book of release of liability forms from dealership just so they can do basic maintenance. The mechanic at the dealership said he had never even seen an 88' ex500, yet alone worked on one. If your dealership is blown away by an 88 anything, they are loving scrubs. A 68 Kawi? Yeah, thats oldschool. Nothing from the 80's should be that baffling to anyone in a dealership. Other than fuel injection, bikes havent changed too awfully much from the 80's.
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Feb 5, 2009 15:47
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Phat_Albert posted:If your dealership is blown away by an 88 anything, they are loving scrubs. A 68 Kawi? Yeah, thats oldschool. Nothing from the 80's should be that baffling to anyone in a dealership. Other than fuel injection, bikes havent changed too awfully much from the 80's. Hell even from the 70's to the 80's not too much changed aside from points type ignition going by the wayside and CV carbs becoming more common.
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Feb 5, 2009 15:50
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Too many dealerships are letting the experienced techs go because they get paid so much more than some scrub newb. That 88 is exactly the same, mechanically, as any modern one, your tech is an idiot.
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Feb 5, 2009 19:01
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I think the '88 has a rear drum instead of a disc. I think they changed it in '91 or so. Other than that, they should be nearly identical. It is true that shops are pricing out good techs. No one wants to pay for experience anymore.
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Feb 5, 2009 19:07
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Z3n posted:Too many dealerships are letting the experienced techs go because they get paid so much more than some scrub newb. Agreed completely the only changes to the 500 were almost all cosmetic and I think rear brake like someone else said. I actually just moved down here (Savannah, Ga) from NJ, and my tech guy in NJ was great. Apparently everyone down here has no idea about anything that isn't 2000+ and 6+ inches of extended swing arm. I've seen more R6's with 6+ inches of swing arm extension here than I ever have in my entire life. I just have close to 0 tools down here so I couldn't do anything besides clean the carbs myself, so at the dealership it sits.
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Feb 5, 2009 21:54
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Here's question that came up on my ride home from work today in the rain: how are you supposed to deal with the whole not having a wiper thing?
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Feb 7, 2009 10:06
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redscare posted:Here's question that came up on my ride home from work today in the rain: how are you supposed to deal with the whole not having a wiper thing? Either open your visor and squint . . . or just use your thumb or index finger from your clutch hand to wipe the rain off. It does help if you can get some of those products that makes the rain run off more easily. I got some really wierd smelling pink stuff that is supposed to stop the visor steaming up on the inside, it works really well on the outside, keeping it clean and keeping the rain off. Some fancy winter gloves have a sort of flexible plastic strip along the outside of the thumb or the first finger for you to use as wiper. I've got an unlucky habit of opening my visor to see just as an oncoming truck sprays a huge pile of snow in my direction. I have still to learn to take cleaning supplies with me.
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Feb 7, 2009 10:36
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Orange Someone posted:Either open your visor and squint Don't open your visor. Be prepared by having your helmet well cleaned with anti-fog stuff, but don't open the visor. Doing so will let moisture in, which will then heat up because the inside of your helmet is warmer than the outside, which will cause your helmet to fog up. If your helmet is going nuts and you can't see at all, thats a different story and you just sort of have to tough it out. It's pretty fun to turn your head from side to side and watch the rain droplets speed off your helmet though.
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Feb 7, 2009 11:10
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Spiffness posted:It's pretty fun to turn your head from side to side and watch the rain droplets speed off your helmet though.
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Feb 7, 2009 11:41
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Krakkles posted:I do this. If you're going 20+, you can rotate your head about 10 degrees to each side, and the rain will just slide off. Does depend on how much rain there is, and how fast you're going. The reason I was opening my visor was that it was my 8hr trip from Scotland to the Midlands on A-roads, and I'd got my visor all splattered with mud from a lorry. Stupid me, I'd still not learnt to take something to clean my visor with, so the only way I could see was to open my visor all the way. I was actually being mostly facetious, I wouldn't recomend opening the visor unless there really is no other option, but for me and that situation, it was the only way I could see. I did suffer for it later, my eyes were glued open with all the mud and salt by the time I got home, and completely bloodshot. Spiffness posted:If your helmet is going nuts and you can't see at all, thats a different story and you just sort of have to tough it out. Yes, I'd rather be glaring through the rain, than glaring through the rain and a fogged up visor. But the other problem with opening the visor is that any muddy spray that does come up is likely to hit the inside of the visor, so you'll be stuck with the visor open until you can be bothered to stop and clean it.
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Feb 7, 2009 14:00
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redscare posted:Here's question that came up on my ride home from work today in the rain: how are you supposed to deal with the whole not having a wiper thing?
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Feb 7, 2009 17:41
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8ender posted:The Suzuki dealer near me happily worked on my 66' Yamaha when it needed a rear tire put on and a safety check. The mechanic was really excited about it and asked if he could take it for a spin around the parking lot. As a mechanic in training (car mechanic sadly) this is the sort of enthusiasm I want to have, it usually reflects how good of an overall mechanic you are.
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Feb 7, 2009 18:12
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redscare posted:Here's question that came up on my ride home from work today in the rain: how are you supposed to deal with the whole not having a wiper thing? If you use a cleaning or polishing agent like Plexus it'll bead up and slide off. Buy some Plexus.
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Feb 7, 2009 18:37
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| # ? May 17, 2024 14:40 |
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I've been stuck in rain with a dirty visor before, it sucks. What I normally do (since I have a cheap helmet that fogs when the visor is closed if its raining) is put the visor at the half open mark and get into full tuck. Doing that let's it stay unfogged and being fully tucked normally lets the rain slide off. If it isn't I'll reach up and wipe it clean if it starts getting bad. The rain isn't what sucks, its the mist the comes off the other cars driving in it that sucks.
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Feb 7, 2009 19:24
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