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So now that I got my endorsement, bought a bike, started riding around and practicing and am about ready to start commuting to work-- what do I do to make sure my motorcycle handling skills are improving?
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Apr 29, 2015 20:17
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Day Man posted:That happened like two years ago, too. I replaced the speed sensor and the problem went away. If it's the speed sensor again, maybe something else is causing them to fail. It was pretty easy to swap out, but I'm confused as to why it would fail again so soon. Hahaha I've had a handful of questions on here about the CBR and I always feel weird calling you out as the PO. This bike did not have a nice first owner, that much is certain. So, good to know you've had this exact problem and fixed it with a Known Thing, but yeah that still leaves the question as to why it's happening in the first place.
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Apr 29, 2015 20:21
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dreggory posted:Hahaha I've had a handful of questions on here about the CBR and I always feel weird calling you out as the PO. This bike did not have a nice first owner, that much is certain. Yeah, there were two before me who apparently knew nothing about maintenance. But hey, cheap bike! (if you don't count elbow grease as a cost)
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Apr 29, 2015 20:25
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Seashell Salesman posted:So now that I got my endorsement, bought a bike, started riding around and practicing and am about ready to start commuting to work-- what do I do to make sure my motorcycle handling skills are improving? Find a parking lot that's mostly empty, practice all the slow skills like you did in your MSF (if you did an MSF). Weaving, The Box, corners (outside inside outside), etc. Emergency braking is a good one, too. Things that are easy: Going fast in a straight line Things that are not: Going really slow, gentle braking, stop and go traffic, going really slow without putting your feet down.
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Apr 29, 2015 20:54
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Why are motorcycle GPS units so drat expensive? A car Tomtom is 100 bucks, a bike Tomtom is 500. I already have a Garmin eTrex 20 (daylight display, waterproof) with streetmaps. Is there really any reason to buy a motorcycle GPS?
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Apr 29, 2015 21:40
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Lynza posted:Find a parking lot that's mostly empty, practice all the slow skills like you did in your MSF (if you did an MSF). Weaving, The Box, corners (outside inside outside), etc. Emergency braking is a good one, too. That's a good idea. When I posted I was more thinking of stuff that wasn't addressed at all in my MSF class like getting a feel for traction and speed in corners. e: also from the MSF thing I remember them getting us to practice swerving which was really fun but I never have had a reason to swerve on the road yet. Seashell Salesman fucked around with this message at 21:55 on Apr 29, 2015 |
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Apr 29, 2015 21:45
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Seashell Salesman posted:That's a good idea. When I posted I was more thinking of stuff that wasn't addressed at all in my MSF class like getting a feel for traction and speed in corners. practice panic breaking over and over and over and over and over and over and over and yeah.
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Apr 29, 2015 21:57
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builds character posted:practice panic breaking over and over and over and over and over and over and over and yeah. Be sure to practice how to stop faster, as well.
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Apr 29, 2015 22:01
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Just buy a bike with ABS
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Apr 29, 2015 22:03
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revmoo posted:Why are motorcycle GPS units so drat expensive? A car Tomtom is 100 bucks, a bike Tomtom is 500. I already have a Garmin eTrex 20 (daylight display, waterproof) with streetmaps. Is there really any reason to buy a motorcycle GPS? Combination of niche market and selling you motorcycle specific features. A car GPS doesn't need a big battery or any battery at all if it's going to be tethered to a cigarette lighter, and I'm sure there's quite a few riders who can't be bothered to tie a GPS into their electrical system. It also doesn't need any sort of protection from water, vibration, etc. that a motorcycle GPS would. Some also add the extra software features for finding things like twisty roads.
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Apr 29, 2015 22:04
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alnilam posted:I really don't understand this post though Yeah, they can't all be home runs. Reflexive Sportster defense taken to the extreme, I suppose. My point re: your observation was that the 1200cc motor you thought you had on the rental is actually jammed into a bitch bike frame dimensionally similar to the one you own, so there is no doubt in my mind you'd feel the difference. Subsequent arguments were the equivalent of pilots comparing fighter and cargo planes, which isn't exclusive to CA.
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Apr 29, 2015 22:19
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builds character posted:practice panic breaking over and over and over and over and over and over and over and yeah. This means upright and squeeze front and back brakes?
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Apr 29, 2015 22:21
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Seashell Salesman posted:That's a good idea. When I posted I was more thinking of stuff that wasn't addressed at all in my MSF class like getting a feel for traction and speed in corners. You don't need a reason to swerve on the road. 
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Apr 29, 2015 22:26
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revmoo posted:Why are motorcycle GPS units so drat expensive? A car Tomtom is 100 bucks, a bike Tomtom is 500. I already have a Garmin eTrex 20 (daylight display, waterproof) with streetmaps. Is there really any reason to buy a motorcycle GPS? imho, no. I just use my phone and Waze. with a bluetooth headset, I rarely even need to look at the screen. I use something similar to this and it works great.
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Apr 29, 2015 22:32
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Chichevache posted:You don't need a reason to swerve on the road. I love doing big swoopy GP-bike-warming-it's-tyres swerves in my lane when I'm coming up to a red light on an empty road, listening to the exhaust pop. It's something to deal with the massive frustration of an empty road with a loving red light on it.
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Apr 29, 2015 22:33
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Seashell Salesman posted:This means upright and squeeze front and back brakes? Yes, upright, using both front and rear brakes, but really I just mean practice stopping as fast as you can. So start out in a parking lot going like five or ten and brake aggressively until you can comfortably just barely not lock up the front wheel. Then do it faster and keep practicing. After a while you should get a sense of just how fast you can stop the bike and just what it feels like before you lose the front and crash. edit: I think generally (of course there are a million exceptions, shutup peanut gallery) the safest thing you can do is scrub speed so getting good at it is important.
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Apr 29, 2015 22:42
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goddamnedtwisto posted:I love doing big swoopy GP-bike-warming-it's-tyres swerves in my lane when I'm coming up to a red light on an empty road, listening to the exhaust pop. It's something to deal with the massive frustration of an empty road with a loving red light on it. Trying to dip the DRZ as low as I possibly can is a great way to deal with boring rear end straight roads. I love whipping it back and forth for miles on end.
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Apr 29, 2015 22:46
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The fact the Buell is still miraculously running and not on fire entertains me enough for the most part...
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Apr 29, 2015 22:50
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Lynza posted:Find a parking lot that's mostly empty, practice all the slow skills like you did in your MSF (if you did an MSF). Weaving, The Box, corners (outside inside outside), etc. Emergency braking is a good one, too. Lynza is correct on this btw. Its something a lot of us still do from time to time to keep our skills up. Its also a good idea to do this when you get a new bike to get adjusted to the changes in handling and brakes that vary from bike to bike.
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Apr 29, 2015 22:56
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goddamnedtwisto posted:I love doing big swoopy GP-bike-warming-it's-tyres swerves in my lane when I'm coming up to a red light on an empty road, listening to the exhaust pop. It's something to deal with the massive frustration of an empty road with a loving red light on it. Tires get warmed from heavy accel/decel, not weaving. 
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Apr 29, 2015 22:59
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goddamnedtwisto posted:I love doing big swoopy GP-bike-warming-it's-tyres swerves in my lane when I'm coming up to a red light on an empty road, listening to the exhaust pop. It's something to deal with the massive frustration of an empty road with a loving red light on it. That's not a red light...that's a drag tree.
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Apr 29, 2015 23:02
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Minkee posted:Lynza is correct on this btw. Its something a lot of us still do from time to time to keep our skills up. Its also a good idea to do this when you get a new bike to get adjusted to the changes in handling and brakes that vary from bike to bike. This is honestly my plan for this Saturday to get myself accustomed to my new ride. I found myself getting a bit frustrated on the street because I'm still getting used to the clutch. Funnily enough, though, the handling aspect was second nature, even a year and some change departed from riding. Also idiot rear end in a top hat squirrels are the best practice for panic braking. Or taking speed bumps. Screw up one and you can practice the other!
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Apr 29, 2015 23:27
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nsaP posted:They are different things, can't you think one is okay without thinking another is? Depends on the person but pot can be less of a hindrance to riding than cold medicine, so long as your balance is alright with it. Contrasted to that, if I ride to a social gathering I'll have 1 drink and leave a few hours after it, maybe 2 if I'm going to be hanging around for a while, but with enough time in between that it's having less of an effect on me than something that is on my mind that day. I'm okay with that. What I don't understand here is that you acknowledge that alcohol = mental impairment and that isn't something you want when you're on a bike. Weed is also mentally impairing (in a completely different way; I admit you're less likely to die in a high speed explosion whilst stoned) but that's ok because you can totally handle it thanks to your mad stoner skills or w/e? What about the people who have that same certainty that 2-3 beers prior to a ride isn't going to affect them enough to make any kind of difference?
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Apr 29, 2015 23:28
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Ripoff posted:This is honestly my plan for this Saturday to get myself accustomed to my new ride. I found myself getting a bit frustrated on the street because I'm still getting used to the clutch. Funnily enough, though, the handling aspect was second nature, even a year and some change departed from riding. What kind of bike did you get? Because I just stand up over speed bumps. Edit: Uh, never miiiiiind: I misread your sentences. Taking speed bumps is the best practice for when your panic braking isn't enough to save the squirrel. (also I just saw the other thread and that is a nice-looking monster (the bike)) captainOrbital fucked around with this message at 00:31 on Apr 30, 2015 |
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Apr 30, 2015 00:28
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revmoo posted:Why are motorcycle GPS units so drat expensive? A car Tomtom is 100 bucks, a bike Tomtom is 500. I already have a Garmin eTrex 20 (daylight display, waterproof) with streetmaps. Is there really any reason to buy a motorcycle GPS? Seconding phone + Ram mount. I've stuffed my bike offroad with the phone in the mount and not tossed it. throw a usb charger somewhere and bobs your uncle.
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Apr 30, 2015 00:45
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Slavvy posted:What I don't understand here is that you acknowledge that alcohol = mental impairment and that isn't something you want when you're on a bike. Weed is also mentally impairing (in a completely different way; I admit you're less likely to die in a high speed explosion whilst stoned) but that's ok because you can totally handle it thanks to your mad stoner skills or w/e? Sure alcohol = mental impairment so you shouldn't ride when alcohol is impairing you. Same with the other. Some people take one hit and become laughing dummies, other dudes take a few dabs to the dome and can still beat you in a game of chess. The idea is not riding impaired and what makes people impaired varies greatly. I wouldn't doubt there are 2-3 beer dudes who could ride on it like it's nothing, the same that I've seen 2-3 beers make someone a mess. Especially when you get a light beer drinker with an 8% or so craft.
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Apr 30, 2015 00:50
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While I agree with you in principle, it's the details that bug me. The law (rightly or wrongly) errs on the side of caution when it comes to blood alcohol because it's acknowledged that even if you individually are sweet to drive after a couple of beers, there's always gonna be some dumb oval office that ruins it for everyone else, so the limit is set low enough to account for the lowest common denominator. Same story with speed limits; I can cruise down the motorway at 160 on my 100hp bike all day long and I know for a fact that it's perfectly safe and I'm not going to kill myself or anyone else, but most people can't drive for poo poo and can't be trusted to moderate themselves so the limit is set far lower as a crude way of forcing everyone to be 'safe' regardless of how loving retarded they are. So I limit my drinking + driving based on what I'm legally allowed to do and assume there will be a cop around the corner ready to take my license (I don't actually drink enough to care about this but if I did that's what I'd do). But if I get stoned, there's no hard-and-fast rule saying you can't smoke more than X amount and still be trusted to operate a vehicle. So how do you personally, nsap, gauge your own impairment? I'm not being a oval office, I genuinely want to know cause my experience has been that the indicator that you're more impaired than you thought you were is crashing/almost crashing. I guess what I'm saying is they need to legalise weed to make poo poo easier for everyone because then it can get policed and taxed like booze; the cops here already do roadside THC tests so it seems logical and not particularly difficult to implement. This is coming from a not-stoner. e: grammar Slavvy fucked around with this message at 01:23 on Apr 30, 2015 |
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Apr 30, 2015 01:20
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The great thing about being impaired is that your judgment is also affected, making yourself a terrible judge of how impaired you are. Simple solution is to not be a douchenozzle and just avoid riding or driving under any kind of influence, whether it's booze, weed, or allergy meds.
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Apr 30, 2015 01:39
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captainOrbital posted:What kind of bike did you get? Because I just stand up over speed bumps. It was a really bad Dad-tier joke, so don't sweat it. I think I brought some shame upon my ancestors with that one. Also, thanks! cursedshitbox posted:Seconding phone + Ram mount. I've stuffed my bike offroad with the phone in the mount and not tossed it. throw a usb charger somewhere and bobs your uncle. I learned recently that Battery Tender makes a USB charger that hooks on to those battery quick disconnects that lots of people install. It seems like a phenomenal solution for a problem where my phone sucks down battery power when using GPS and makes even an hour long trip shaky on battery alone. Now just to magically find a place on my handlebars to mount the stupid Ram mount without whacking the gauges.
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Apr 30, 2015 03:01
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revmoo posted:Why are motorcycle GPS units so drat expensive? A car Tomtom is 100 bucks, a bike Tomtom is 500. I already have a Garmin eTrex 20 (daylight display, waterproof) with streetmaps. Is there really any reason to buy a motorcycle GPS? There's a ton of dust / vibration / water proofing that goes into them. They typically have other features like off-road route planning and tracking. As well as the ability to import information in a variety of formats. Also it's a far smaller market, so smaller benefits of scale. The one on my GS is integrated into the bike's computer, so it can serve as a secondary display and log for sensor information. There's an input wheel on the left handgrip that lets me control the unit without taking my hand off the bars. I'm a dork for tech packages  I'm sure you could find a decent mount for your eTrex that would work just fine. For day to day, Waze on my phone in my pocket connected to my headset. The just-in-time rerouting around traffic is especially rad when you have such a versatile vehicle. But for doing long trips it's awesome to have a dedicated GPS with your full itinerary plotted. kuffs fucked around with this message at 03:10 on Apr 30, 2015 |
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Apr 30, 2015 03:07
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HotCanadianChick posted:The great thing about being impaired is that your judgment is also affected, making yourself a terrible judge of how impaired you are. ambien is okay though, right?
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Apr 30, 2015 06:24
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EX250 tried to go to connecticut on ambien and luckily made it to a buddy's couch I support his decision I'm sure it was a great ride
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Apr 30, 2015 06:32
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Rip lines of coke and take an H2 out for a spin.
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Apr 30, 2015 12:09
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Slavvy posted:While I agree with you in principle, it's the details that bug me. I gauge my own impairment by limiting my drinks and watching how long it's been since my last one, that's all. I dunno how pot smokers would measure their pot use, maybe stoners could come up with some kind of field sobriety test. I remember in high school, some kids thought that if you laughed at "I tried to go to Target, but I missed" you were too stoned to go home to your parents. I'd support something like that. Living the art of the rayel requires a clean mind but I knew a guy who liked to smoke up then go cruise on his virago a little bit after and he seemed to enjoy the hell out of it so who am I to judge? He rode fine and stone sober people I've ridden with since have crashed and quit riding in silly ways so it's just a crapshoot. The best thing any rider can do is look at the statistics and then make their own decision on what level of booze and drugs they are comfortable going out on. Should be 0 for most but people are people and it won't be 0 for all. nsaP fucked around with this message at 15:10 on Apr 30, 2015 |
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Apr 30, 2015 14:55
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The Buell is all the impairment I need. Don't you need to be perpetually 3 beers deep to even think about buying one?
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Apr 30, 2015 15:47
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A NHTSA study of drugs and alcohol impairment in vehicle crashes found marijuana to not increase the risk of an accident. edit: http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/25000/25800/25867/DOT-HS-808-078.pdf http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/812117-Drug_and_Alcohol_Crash_Risk.pdf Two studies 22 years apart 500excf type r fucked around with this message at 16:09 on Apr 30, 2015 |
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Apr 30, 2015 15:53
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Slavvy posted:While I agree with you in principle, it's the details that bug me. I agree somewhat with your logic that laws are meant to filter out the lowest common denominator, and I'd go on to say that we all have an obligation to follow them (mostly) because we don't know if we are the lowest common denominator (after all, the "assholes" out there probably think that they, too, are "good to drive" etc) However, when it comes to alcohol, there are provable physiological changes that you just can't argue with. I don't care if you're the best driver in the world, your reaction time is slowed in an absolute sense and there is no escaping it. I guess I'm extra sensitive to drinking and driving because I bicycle as my main mode of transpo and I hate that I have to feel terrified everytime I'm biking somewhere after bars close or after a sports game finishes. A lot of preventable crashes happen after "just a few drinks" and I hate how accepted it is.
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Apr 30, 2015 16:12
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Slavvy posted:What I don't understand here is that you acknowledge that alcohol = mental impairment and that isn't something you want when you're on a bike. Weed is also mentally impairing (in a completely different way; I admit you're less likely to die in a high speed explosion whilst stoned) but that's ok because you can totally handle it thanks to your mad stoner skills or w/e? I assume you've seen this but maybe other people haven't: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8KAaf45g5U Problem I'm having is the half dozen posts on the last page to the tune of "aw yeee riding blazed is the best". One joint doesn't impair you? Fine whatever, just consider that actively endorsing riding while high is a dumb thing to do and very different from "nah, I reckon I can make it home okay".
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Apr 30, 2015 16:28
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I swear I remember a discussion a while back about this, but I can't find it. I want to get some noise-cancelling earphones as I both want to protect my hearing and be able to listen to music at the same time. The normal mushroom-style noise cancelling earphones tend to slip out but I remember someone recommending a set of those stepped-looking ones, does anyone remember what they were, or have a recommendation for a good set that work under a helmet?
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Apr 30, 2015 19:47
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I think the keyword you're after is "etymotic".
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Apr 30, 2015 20:39
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