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nsaP posted:Had you considered leaving that at home and taking a different route? Any other route would have been longer and less scenic, so no.
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Jan 6, 2013 21:47
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JP Money posted:You may want to look into a throttle lock (even a cheapo one). I have this on order already. Sound Off Recreational Universal Vista Cruise 7/8" Clamp MCUVOO-P. It's cheap enough and I sure like the idea of getting my hand off the bar from time to time. Not sure why dudes are so against them... adding a half rear end feature for the same or slightly less money as a typical oil change is pretty sane spending as MC stuff goes. Maybe I'll never need to use it, and maybe I'll be really glad I got it, either way that's a $30 bet I'm very happy to make. nsaP posted:I'd consider hauling rear end on the slab for the first half then finding a non-interstate route from Lexington, KY or maybe a bit more south, like around London or Corbin. If you cut over around Lexington the scenery will be nice but it will add a lot of time, however there's a few places farther south where you'd probably only add an hour but the drive will be much nicer and you'll get to see some neat parts of Kentucky and Tennessee. That's not a bad idea. Considering a southbound trip in May I'll likely only have my summer mesh on my body and want to get clear of 50-60 degree weather pretty quickly anyway. I doubt I'll opt to pack the cold weather gear. I'll have my rainsuit for sure so I can always have that over a hoody and the mesh jacket for riding below 70, as it makes a great windbreaker too. Snowdens Secret posted:If you're going to be in that chunk of the country in May, remember weather is highly variable. Expect rain; usually it just rains for an hour or so and then stops, so it's up to you whether to ride through (with raingear) or seek shelter. Temperatures may rise or fall significantly day to day and day to night. You'll want to plan for this in the gear you bring along, both for on the bike and for walking around. The 2 that are on the fence are considering trailering their bike or doing a fly/ride/fly. The sag unit is in depending on what they decide and it would be nice but certainly not required... I'm a goon I'm used to living in a ratty sweatshirt for a week. I haven't checked a bag on an airplane in my life, and regularly travel for a week with only a carry-on and a backpack. I'll have 3-4x more storage on the bike than I'm used to traveling with. We'll all have GPS or a smartphone with a proper GPS chip in it. Sena Bluetooth setup is on my wishlist but I'm not sure if I'll have it by May. If I get it or convince one of the guys to get it then we'll have at least 1 headset per set of bikes. I've got xmas to recover from, mods to the bike, and travel money to scrape together between now and then or it would be a sure thing. Hopefully I can unload one of my two Shadows for sale in April as well. That income should allow for a sizable slush fund, and maybe even a radial tire conversion on the bike to get the most out of the trip. The guy that invited me along rides way more aggressively than I do. He might be pushing 60 but that's a little over 45 years of dirt and track experience, and a load of scars, photos, and article clippings to prove it. He's putting this trip together for his 60th birthday present to himself, and he's got enough health issues that it's very reasonable to assume he's only got a couple of good years left. So he has a lifetime of skill and a short timer's mindset... we've already agreed that we'll be picking the stops in advance and he's welcome to do whatever if he feels inclined to break loose and we'll catch up to him at the next stop. Be sure to double back and see where we wrecked if we're not there within the hour. We have ridden together with this understanding before and it works fine. I look forward to hearing whatever he's come up with at the next stop that still has his hands shaking from the adrenaline rush he's given himself. We haven't discussed it but planning a week on a bike means the only thing rain changes is our gear and how much fun we have. There will not likely be anything but a momentary halt for gear changes and rain saturation in the event of mother nature being a whore. It's a good point though so I'll confirm that with the crew. NitroSpazzz posted:Is there any way you could move your trip schedule around? Deals Gap on Memorial day is a mess, especially if you want to break ~20mph. It's still a fun road but there will be a ton of traffic and police presence that weekend. This same guy has a friend in the area that knows a lot of little known back roads very similar to the dragon but much less commercialized. That's our plan for the rest of the week either way and should be reasonably traffic free. That man's garage and couches are also our primary room and board plan, but I'm prepared to shell out for a real hotel or campsite if our host gives me a bad vibe. I'm good friends with the guy I'm taking a trip with, but he's a bit weird to begin with and I've never met one of his other friends that was anywhere approaching normal. I'd like the free room but I'll gladly increase the cost of the trip $500 or so if it means not spending the week in a nuthouse. Halo_4am fucked around with this message at 22:19 on Jan 6, 2013 |
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Jan 6, 2013 21:51
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goddamnedtwisto posted:Perhaps you're just picking the wrong roads if you're not even changing throttle position for hours on end. Go find some twisties and break it up a bit. Since, you know, this is always an option and all.
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Jan 6, 2013 22:16
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Well, then, just get a dual-sport and make your own roads! 
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Jan 6, 2013 22:23
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BlackMK4 posted:Since, you know, this is always an option and all. Okay then first of all move to a civilised country/area where that is an option. Also if your friends and family really loved you they'd move to a race track.
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Jan 6, 2013 22:25
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Pending the construction of a race track spanning from Chicago to Deals Gap I'm sticking with the throttle lock. Any thoughts on the emergency bag? A first aid kit, spark plugs, and a spare headlight are all I can think of in addition to a tiny toolkit to supplement the shortcomings of the OEM one. I guess I'll pack some ear plugs as well. I haven't ever used them, but the CA hive mind has convinced me I'd be nuts to do a trip like this without them.
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Jan 6, 2013 22:29
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Goddamn stop sperging about the throttle lock. Clutching in and shaking out your hand is fine but sometimes you don't want your arm locked in one position for hours on end. It's not like it legitimately locks your throttle out forever and it's easy to defeat if a situation comes up (which you should be scanning ahead for in any case). I trust that if you have the maturity to ride a bike cross country you probably have the sensibility to only use the lock on the open highway and will stay ready to turn it off if traffic picks up or something. I mean gently caress you're already on what is essentially a rolling death trap so you should be paying attention and not loving texting or something while your throttle is locked out at 80mph. It's fine.
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Jan 6, 2013 22:48
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Halo_4am posted:Pending the construction of a race track spanning from Chicago to Deals Gap I'm sticking with the throttle lock. Any thoughts on the emergency bag? A first aid kit, spark plugs, and a spare headlight are all I can think of in addition to a tiny toolkit to supplement the shortcomings of the OEM one. Spare tail/brake light. Turn signals are luxuries, but you can't gently caress around with not having a headlight, taillight, and brake light. I also actually keep a blinky bicycle taillight with me on my scooter. I figure it's a replacement taillight, a substitute for emergency flashers (most scooters don't have them), and extra lighting in case weather gets really lovely. A flashlight could be a good idea, too, though an LED flash a cell phone can work. I keep a whole host of stuff with me (bulbs, several spark plugs in different heat ranges, a nearly full set of control cables [clutch, brake, shifter, just not throttle], enough toolkit to nearly rebuild the bike) but when you ride lovely 2-stroke scooters and often ride with guys on 40-year-old lovely 2-stroke scooters your kit necessities grow. Hell I think I have a spool of wire, a crimp tool, and crimp connectors, even. JP Money posted:Goddamn stop sperging about the throttle lock. Clutching in and shaking out your hand is fine but sometimes you don't want your arm locked in one position for hours on end. It's not like it legitimately locks your throttle out forever and it's easy to defeat if a situation comes up (which you should be scanning ahead for in any case). Don't some throttle locks have a quick-release when you touch the brake lever?
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Jan 6, 2013 22:50
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Accelerate to the bike's top speed then coast down to 55 repeat. Or just get this: 
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Jan 6, 2013 22:51
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Or learn to left hand throttle, plebes. VV(I really just use a throttle lock, and have yet to die from it!) obso fucked around with this message at 22:57 on Jan 6, 2013 |
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Jan 6, 2013 22:52
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obso posted:Or learn to left hand throttle, plebes. That's scarier to me than going wot to top speed and just coasting. Honestly. I just can't do it.
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Jan 6, 2013 22:54
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goddamnedtwisto posted:Okay then first of all move to a civilised country/area where that is an option. Find me a curvy road from Phoenix to Vegas or Phoenix to LA. 
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Jan 6, 2013 23:29
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Getting lost on the 202 loop/AZ51 and ending up on the far side of Mesa is a curvy route. Not fun, though.
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Jan 6, 2013 23:43
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obso posted:Or learn to left hand throttle, plebes.  When I was about 13, I was riding my bike and thought "hey, I wonder what happens if I cross my hands over?" I don't think it would have been possible for me to hit the ground any more promptly and rapidly. After I brushed off and went home, I told my younger sister "wow, don't ever try to cross your arms on your bike, it makes you fall off instantly!" Of course she had to immediately give it a shot, with exactly the same results. Then she cried and told me I was mean for making her do it.  I'm sure you can teach yourself to do it given enough time, but gently caress no, not me. I'm never doing that again. BlackMK4 posted:Find me a curvy road from Phoenix to Vegas or Phoenix to LA. Get out to Surprise, blast up 60 at 120 miles an hour, get on the 89, 89 -> Prescott -> Sedona -> 89A -> Flagstaff -> 180 -> Grand Canyon -> 64 -> 89 -> 89A -> 389/59 -> St. George -> 120mph on 15 to LV. As a bonus, you get to spend about three times as long on your bike! :iamafag: Sagebrush fucked around with this message at 23:51 on Jan 6, 2013 |
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Jan 6, 2013 23:45
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Geirskogul posted:Getting lost on the 202 loop/AZ51 and ending up on the far side of Mesa is a curvy route. Not fun, though. If you live in the area you should probably hit up South Mountain at Central/Baseline - take central south into the park, Tortilla Flat out past Apache Junction, Bartlett Dam up near Cave Creek, or the White Spars on the 89a just south of Prescott. White Spars are too cold this time of the year but I hit South Mountain five times a week. (FourSquare mayor of SoMo Radio Towers, whatuppp) BlackMK4 fucked around with this message at 23:53 on Jan 6, 2013 |
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Jan 6, 2013 23:50
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BlackMK4 posted:Find me a curvy road from Phoenix to Vegas or Phoenix to LA. Truth. From El Paso to Albuquerque, even if you're on the "alternate routes" it's still mostly flat and straight. I average higher road speeds, though, because NO COPS.
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Jan 6, 2013 23:58
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That's funny, I live right by Central on Osborn. Looks like a straight shot south. I'm in the NG, and since I just moved here, I went to the nearest armory (in Mesa, it seems). After going there (and having nobody open the doors up, "Recruiter Open!" sign notwithstanding) and trying to get back, I took a wrong turn and ended up on Scottsdale road, then at a dead-end under an overpass (?), then I got lost in some suburbs. Then I ran out of gas and had to push the bike a block to a Shell station (petcock leak). The first time in my life I ride without a cell phone happens to be the first time I get honest-to-god lost and run out of gas all at once. The AZ IST has still yet to call me back. I need to drill and get my monies, dammit  .And I had to drive from Vegas to Phoenix in the moving van on the way down. It doesn't look like it's anything besides a straight-shot. Edit: Does everyone drive on the freeways at 80mph here? Just keeping up with traffic on any of the highways shows an indicated 70-80mph, and sometimes I'll be showing an indicated 90-95 and have cars still passing me on the left. I come from Idaho, the Land of Two-Lane Highways and Bored Cops with LIDAR (TM), so speeding like this seems pretty crazy. Going the limit at 65 would just make me a greater danger, as people would be coming up on my rear end at about 20mph and I have a feeling I would have been rear-ended by now. When the roads are empty I'll go the limit, but when you're surrounded by idiots on all sides with cellphones and sportscars, I think it's better to go with the flow, right? Even Seattle freeway traffic isn't this flagrant. Queen_Combat fucked around with this message at 00:10 on Jan 7, 2013 |
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Jan 7, 2013 00:01
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Seattle drivers are notorious pussies.
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Jan 7, 2013 00:53
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goddamnedtwisto posted:Okay then first of all move to a civilised country/area where that is an option. I think you underestimate two things: A: how far things are from each other in the USA. B: how flat the middle of this country is, and how straight so many of the interstate highways are. Just as an exercise, try and find some twisties that don't require 10 hour detours somewhere along this route: http://goo.gl/maps/3Lz4m
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Jan 7, 2013 01:22
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Gay Nudist Dad posted:Spare tail/brake light. Turn signals are luxuries, but you can't gently caress around with not having a headlight, taillight, and brake light. I've got a pair of those $2 bicycle reflectors in the lower holes of my license plate just because I like them more than an empty hole. There's a big reflector built in to the max above the tail light but it will likely be covered by luggage for the trip. I have a little LED flashlight in my riding jacket pocket at all times anyway. Thanks for the note on the replacement brake/taillight bulbs though that's one I had not thought of. I'm not aware of any you can trip with the brake lever, but all that I've seen release when you manually move the throttle. This bike is hydraulic clutch and brake, and I hope to have both sets of lines upgraded to stainless shortly before the trip. Packing some extra cable and lube for the throttle and speedo might not be a bad idea though. Geirskogul posted:Edit: Does everyone drive on the freeways at 80mph here? Just keeping up with traffic on any of the highways shows an indicated 70-80mph, and sometimes I'll be showing an indicated 90-95 and have cars still passing me on the left. I come from Idaho, the Land of Two-Lane Highways and Bored Cops with LIDAR (TM), so speeding like this seems pretty crazy. Going the limit at 65 would just make me a greater danger, as people would be coming up on my rear end at about 20mph and I have a feeling I would have been rear-ended by now. When the roads are empty I'll go the limit, but when you're surrounded by idiots on all sides with cellphones and sportscars, I think it's better to go with the flow, right? Even Seattle freeway traffic isn't this flagrant. After road trips I can always tell I'm getting closer to Chicago when I'm doing 90 and getting passed repeatedly. There's little highway enforcement in and around big cities because traffic has you doing 20 below most the time anyway. You are much better to go with the flow of traffic than worry about speed limits, yes absolutely. People get furious if they're stuck behind somebody doing the speed limit here and cut around, tailgate, and all those other dumb road ragey type things. People also don't know how to merge onto expressways and will gladly run into your passenger door if you're in the right lane and they are coming on, and even though it's against everything about 2-lane highways just stay out of the right most lane on 3+ lane highways unless you're about to get off or traffic leaves you little choice. Halo_4am fucked around with this message at 01:28 on Jan 7, 2013 |
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Jan 7, 2013 01:23
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So I've been trying to fix the tachometer on my 70's bike and figured I just need to replace the inner mechanism that converts cable speed to needle position. My question is, the replacement unit - same era but different model - looks nearly identical to the stock unit. Are they all identical and the ratio is figured out at the engine and on the gauge, or will it give me an incorrect reading?
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Jan 7, 2013 01:49
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Sagebrush posted:I'm sure you can teach yourself to do it given enough time, but gently caress no, not me. I'm never doing that again. Ive done it on very long trips when my hands were going numb and I needed to warm them on the block. It takes some practice, you have to learn to disassociate what your instincts on leaning say vs. what your hands are doing. I'd never try it on a bicycle though. It's hard enough on a motorcycle that self stabilizes, on a bicycle itd be a death wish.
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Jan 7, 2013 04:25
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The memorial day trip is totally doable. 300 miles a day is pretty much easy mode but you'll be worn out your first day. Day 2 will be a breeze and by the time you get there you'll want to go further. Remember to stop and look at stuff on the road. That will help. Don't need to rush to do 300. As for throttle locks, they're fine in the right situation. Negotiating traffic with it on is stupid but giving the hand a circulation break or warming it up on a head on wide open interstate is hardly any risk.
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Jan 7, 2013 06:07
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HotCanadianChick posted:I think you underestimate two things: Hence why I suggested you move to a civilised country.
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Jan 7, 2013 10:56
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Made a bit of a mistake today and managed to strip the head from one of my radiator bolts when tightening it. I'd been re-attaching my horn which had worked itself loose a couple of days ago. The stripped bolt looks to be an 25mm M6 however I can't seem to find one with the correct length of blank metal above the thread. Anyone know what that blank bit is called? I'm not particularly mechanically inclined so I'm not sure what terms to use when searching for it. (I'll upload a picture later when I get home.) Also any suggestions on the best way to get the remaining thread out? I'm thinking tap a small philips head into it and try to back it out...
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Jan 7, 2013 15:41
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ReformedNiceGuy posted:Made a bit of a mistake today and managed to strip the head from one of my radiator bolts when tightening it. Is it a shoulder bolt, like so?  http://www.fastenal.com/web/search/...%20Bolts%22%7C~ Or is it just a bolt with some unthreaded portion like this:  http://www.fastenal.com/web/products/detail.ex?sku=M82550025A20000 Did you strip the head, or did you actually break it off inside the hole? If you stripped the head, you can try going berzerker with some vice grips to loosen it, or you can try cutting a slot across the bolt to use a flat head screwdriver. If it's a hex key bolt, you can get a slightly larger impact Torx socket extension and pound it in there.  Hex Key Bolt If you broke it off inside the hole, you can try using a left-hand-threaded drill bit to drill into the remaining bolt and drive it out.
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Jan 7, 2013 16:05
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Safety Dance posted:Or is it just a bolt with some unthreaded portion like this: It's the second type of bolt with an unthreaded portion. I actually managed to break the head clean off with what felt like hardly any force at all. It snapped pretty flush with where it screws in to the frame. Sorry for the lack of pictures, I'm still at work for another couple of hours.
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Jan 7, 2013 17:10
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Halo_4am posted:Pending the construction of a race track spanning from Chicago to Deals Gap I'm sticking with the throttle lock. Any thoughts on the emergency bag? A first aid kit, spark plugs, and a spare headlight are all I can think of in addition to a tiny toolkit to supplement the shortcomings of the OEM one. Spare clutch and throttle cables?
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Jan 7, 2013 18:02
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Geirskogul posted:Edit: Does everyone drive on the freeways at 80mph here? Just keeping up with traffic on any of the highways shows an indicated 70-80mph, and sometimes I'll be showing an indicated 90-95 and have cars still passing me on the left. I come from Idaho, the Land of Two-Lane Highways and Bored Cops with LIDAR (TM), so speeding like this seems pretty crazy. Going the limit at 65 would just make me a greater danger, as people would be coming up on my rear end at about 20mph and I have a feeling I would have been rear-ended by now. When the roads are empty I'll go the limit, but when you're surrounded by idiots on all sides with cellphones and sportscars, I think it's better to go with the flow, right? Even Seattle freeway traffic isn't this flagrant.
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Jan 7, 2013 19:03
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Geirskogul posted:I think it's better to go with the flow, right? Even Seattle freeway traffic isn't this flagrant. I always try to be moving faster relative to most traffic but never the fastest guy on the road; let that guy occupy the highway patrol. Also, flagrant? I don't think I've ever seen Seattle freeway traffic flow more than 10 over in my 25+ years here.
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Jan 7, 2013 19:12
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I've been banging around in the Inspect your gadgets forum for info but I figured I'd ask this here. I'm about to move from iPhones to a an android device. Are there any really good apps I should look into for riding? I do a bit of offroading and have used MotionX a good bit. Going to a Note 2, not sure if I'm going to handlebar mount it at all yet.
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Jan 7, 2013 20:05
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Ponies ate my Bagel posted:I've been banging around in the Inspect your gadgets forum for info but I figured I'd ask this here. Torque for Android? I always liked the idea of being able to get rid of all gauges and just use my phone for the speed and rpm.
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Jan 7, 2013 20:32
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Covert Ops Wizard posted:Torque for Android? I always liked the idea of being able to get rid of all gauges and just use my phone for the speed and rpm. Go minimalist. No gauges, have your phone figure out the speed limit based upon your GPS location, and make it vibrate when you exceed 110% of that.
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Jan 7, 2013 20:34
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I'm not a huge fan of using your main phone for stuff that requires putting it on the handlebar. If you have a spill it's very likely to get tossed somewhere or broken, right when you'll want it to call for aid. Best to keep it safe in an inner pocket. Just my 2c Are there apps for your old iPhone that you can use without a cell contract? Will the GPS still work?
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Jan 7, 2013 20:47
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ReformedNiceGuy posted:It's the second type of bolt with an unthreaded portion. Quoting myself to say I managed to get it out with a set of needle nose pliers. You can just about see the tiny bit of metal I was gripping onto in this picture;  It wasn't difficult to turn out at all so I've no clue why it just gave. Does the metal they use in these types of bolts become more brittle with age?
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Jan 7, 2013 21:08
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I was going to say that steel bolts in aluminum radiator holes can be kind of hosed up from the galvanic reactions between the two but that doesn't look bad at all. It looks to me like it just sheared off. I'd replace it and the others and not worry about it again.
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Jan 7, 2013 21:12
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Also, bolts are stretched when installed, and it could have just caused a shear. The bolt was most likely 85% broken through while installed already.
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Jan 7, 2013 21:15
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Covert Ops Wizard posted:Torque for Android? I always liked the idea of being able to get rid of all gauges and just use my phone for the speed and rpm. This suggestion has made me start investigating the possibilities of hacking around my ECU and put me on a course that will probably end up with my bike having a BSOD...
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Jan 7, 2013 23:06
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Where's the best place to buy 15w40 oil? I used to get it for $8/gallon at Wal*Mart but I can't find deals like that anymore. 
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Jan 8, 2013 06:18
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Canadian Tire! No idea in the states.
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Jan 8, 2013 06:19
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