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Had some harley guy pull up beside me in my lane at a stop light. Freaked me the gently caress out. We're not bike bros bro. Light went green and he peeled out. Lord it was difficult to keep the ego in check and not gun it past him. I did meet an older couple at this group thing I did a few weeks back. Overheard them talking bikes and was shocked to hear they both ride ATGATT on Daytonas. Never in my life have I ever witnessed someone fully geared. Maybe a jacket, but with jeans and no gloves or helmet. Full face in shorts and t shirt. I was reading a facebook group for news in my town. Basically a bunch of mouth breathers gossiping with poor English. Apparently someone got in a bad wreck. I don't know what led to it. I am assuming it is like most wrecks here and someone just went off the road for no reason at all. There were 60 or so comments all going "keep an eye out for motorcyclists" which is all well and good but that's the extent of how people view motorcycle safety. Loud pipes save lives and all that jazz. No comments about being fully geared, safety training, or any of that no sir. Saw a rather ridiculous girl I know from seeing her around that rides as passenger with flips flops and shorts get really heated about making sure drivers know there are motorcycles on the road. When I started, I was on a Buell Blast. I wore full textile gear from day one. I took an MSF course. I read books. Watched videos. Practiced for hours in lots. It was inconvenient, I looked like a dork, and it was an added cost of time and money. The reasoning behind people going without gear has been discussed to death. It's just stupid as hell. That's all.
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May 1, 2015 19:41
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astrollinthepork posted:Had some harley guy pull up beside me in my lane at a stop light. Freaked me the gently caress out. We're not bike bros bro. That's usually a good opportunity for a friendly "howdy, nice day out".
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May 1, 2015 20:13
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clutchpuck posted:That's usually a good opportunity for a friendly "howdy, nice day out". Maybe if some guy pulled up all friendly like to chat. This was less beside me and more five feet ahead of me. Less friendly and more rev his poo poo and wave his dick.
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May 1, 2015 20:48
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Oh ok. I thought beside you meant beside you.
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May 1, 2015 20:52
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clutchpuck posted:That's usually a good opportunity for a friendly "howdy, nice day out". Hard to do that with a fullface and earplugs.
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May 1, 2015 20:53
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astrollinthepork posted:Less friendly and more rev his poo poo and wave his dick. Hard to do that with Kevlar pants and armored boxer-briefs.
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May 1, 2015 20:59
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clutchpuck posted:Oh ok. I thought beside you meant beside you. Yeah definitely my mistake wording it.
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May 1, 2015 21:03
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astrollinthepork posted:Maybe if some guy pulled up all friendly like to chat. This was less beside me and more five feet ahead of me. Less friendly and more rev his poo poo and wave his dick. A guy in a harley passed me in my lane and then pulled up like 5 feet ahead, sticking out the road at a stop light. Sounds like the same guy! I'll pull up next to people if there's plenty of space, usually exchange a few words and go on our merry way.
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May 1, 2015 21:35
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I don't care if its irresponsible, I would have hauled rear end off the line past someone like that.
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May 1, 2015 21:47
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astrollinthepork posted:Had some harley guy pull up beside me in my lane at a stop light. Freaked me the gently caress out. We're not bike bros bro. Light went green and he peeled out. Lord it was difficult to keep the ego in check and not gun it past him. Lol you'd probably lose your poo poo in London (well any large European city). 6-abreast 3-deep green-light GPs (with a couple dpzen cyclists thrown into the mix) are the norm.
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May 1, 2015 22:25
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Day Man posted:I don't care if its irresponsible, I would have hauled rear end off the line past someone like that. Usually, I find when someone's being a dick around me (like the Porsche driver the very first day I got my new bike) I like to hang back because, with my luck, it's usually around the same time when Officer Friendly is trying to fulfill his quota for the month. There are very few things that feel better than watching a dickhead blow his tires off trying to one-up you, and watching the blue lights turn on in your mirrors. You no longer exist to the cop and the other guy gets to make a mandatory donation for the local P.D.
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May 1, 2015 22:37
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That happened to me Wednesday night on my way home. I was at a 4-way stop, I went through. A guy on a bike with a girl on the back was gearing up off the road in a parking lot as I went past. 5 minutes later I got to the next 4-way stop on the road, and something feels weird and I realize it's because some bro on a Gixxer is right next to me, close enough that I can feel his bike next to mine. Then he just barrels through the stop ahead of me. I won't lie, I was kinda hoping to see his mangled bike/corpse up ahead, or at least see him get stuck behind the inifinite slow buttholes that drive on that road, but no.
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May 2, 2015 02:25
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Found out yesterday one of my new coworkers rides, he's got a gixxer 600 with skull and flame stickers all over it. He wears exactly the kind of gear you would expect someone with such a bike to wear: if you guessed helmet, fingerless gloves, and an Icon field armor vest, a hoodie, jeans, and sneakers, you guessed correctly.
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May 2, 2015 05:03
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HotCanadianChick posted:Found out yesterday one of my new coworkers rides, he's got a gixxer 600 with skull and flame stickers all over it. He wears exactly the kind of gear you would expect someone with such a bike to wear: What's the status of his wallet chain?
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May 2, 2015 06:10
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Marxalot posted:What's the status of his wallet chain? Assume Chrome.
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May 2, 2015 11:29
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A coworker told me that he had a close call one time on his R6. I asked him if he was at least wearing a helmet. Coworker: No, I just got a haircut. Goon: Why would you ride a motorcycle to go get a haircut and not drive your car? Coworker: I didn't want to get hair in my car. Goon: Why didn't you wear a helmet at least? Coworker: I didn't want to get hair in my helmet I'm happy you have your priorities straight. 
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May 2, 2015 15:35
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I have literally ridden my bike (with gear on) to get a haircut and put my helmet on right after the haircut with nary a thought given to getting hair in the helmet. That's what a removable, washable liner is for. Also, what barber/salon is he going to that isn't using a blowdryer to blow the loose hair off his head when done?
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May 2, 2015 22:05
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Almost made it 1k miles before my first 911 call. Some fuckface road raged on me and a buddy and tried to sideswipe him with his Jeep. With his 14 year old daughter on the back. I pulled up at a red light next to the guy screaming 'that's a loving child you idiot' and the chucklefuck and his wife sat there and made Ls with their hands calling me a loser. Of course, as always it's three witnesses word against one so they can't possibly bother to investigate.
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May 2, 2015 23:33
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revmoo posted:Almost made it 1k miles before my first 911 call. Some fuckface road raged on me and a buddy and tried to sideswipe him with his Jeep. With his 14 year old daughter on the back. And now you know why helmet cams are so popular.
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May 2, 2015 23:40
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Ordering one Monday
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May 3, 2015 00:03
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goddamnedtwisto posted:And now you know why helmet cams are so popular.
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May 3, 2015 00:03
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captainOrbital posted:And punching mirrors off. I carry a nice SOG multitool on my belt 5 days a week at work. Thing has serious grip. Once or twice while bike commuting, I have fantasized about leaning down to yank out a jerk's valve stem at a red light 
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May 3, 2015 00:09
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The Royal Nonesuch posted:I carry a nice SOG multitool on my belt 5 days a week at work. Thing has serious grip. Once or twice while bike commuting, I have fantasized about leaning down to yank out a jerk's valve stem at a red light Yeah but I got a license plate. For something positive, peep the fender delete. Pretty happy with the overall look.  E: How bout this cam: http://shop.helmetcameracentral.com/ContourROAM.html. I like the form factor a lot better than gopro. revmoo fucked around with this message at 00:44 on May 3, 2015 |
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May 3, 2015 00:35
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revmoo posted:E: How bout this cam: http://shop.helmetcameracentral.com/ContourROAM.html. I like the form factor a lot better than gopro. I picked up a http://www.replayxd.com/product/1080-mini/ and it's pretty good. Smaller than the one you're looking at too.
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May 3, 2015 01:25
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That's really nice, I think that might be the one. Thanks
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May 3, 2015 03:06
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I had been leaning towards getting a Garmin Virb Elite because the GPS/accelerometer functions looked neat for overlaying speed and lean angle over a video, but I like how small that 1080 Mini looks. Maybe I'll get the former for mounting on my bike and the latter for mounting on my helmet.
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May 3, 2015 17:30
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Garmin is releasing 2 new cams this summer, Garmin Virb XE/X. You might find the elite on sale too.
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May 4, 2015 10:59
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The Garmin ones have pretty poor image quality, and the battery life is terrible when you turn on the GPS and other bells and whistles. Might be okay if you're going to bike-mount it and can run a power supply to it I suppose. One thing to bear in mind with helmet cams is the built-in mic is invariably worthless anywhere above 30mph, so it's worth making sure they have an external mic socket if you actually want engine noise (or any noise other than deafening wind) on your video. Revmoo: The Contour Roam is a really nice camera for the price but suffers from some problems = see my posts in the helmet cam thread, particularly this one.
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May 4, 2015 11:16
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Are handlebar mounted cameras worth a drat, or does the vibration make them useless?
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May 4, 2015 18:23
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No. 6 posted:Are handlebar mounted cameras worth a drat, or does the vibration make them useless? Depends on the bike, depends on the camera. I experimented with my Contour on my bars, via a RAM mount, and it was okay apart from all the road noise being transmitted up into it. The bigger problem for the use we're talking about here is the fixed vantage point, it can't see someone trying to sideswipe you, for example.
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May 4, 2015 19:10
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I'm really town between the replay XD and the prime version (300 bux). Contour roam 3 is coo, but it is out because replacement lens covers are ridiculously overpriced. Right now the biggest issue I can see is battery life on all the cameras on the market; it's crap. An hour @ 1080p is just not at all usable, and most of them have non-replaceable batteries.
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May 4, 2015 19:38
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revmoo posted:I'm really town between the replay XD and the prime version (300 bux). Contour roam 3 is coo, but it is out because replacement lens covers are ridiculously overpriced. Go up a price point for the Drift then - 3 hours at 1080p, with a replaceable battery and you can charge it while it's running.
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May 4, 2015 19:46
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That thing is gonna look like a tumor hanging off my helmet. Really looking for a bullet cam. E: I guess the stealth is actually a lot smaller than it looks. Might look into that.
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May 4, 2015 19:54
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revmoo posted:That thing is gonna look like a tumor hanging off my helmet. Really looking for a bullet cam. The stealth is a piece of poo poo, ignore it. The Ghost doesn't actually stick out much further than the Contour, and the extra width is mostly the mount which is actually handy because it reduces the amount of your helmet that is included in the shot. For comparison:  Taken with my old Contour Roam 2, which has a better CCD and lens than the Stealth.  Taken with my new Ghost HD, same place and nigh-same lighting conditions. It's not the best shot for demonstrating the difference the mount makes admittedly but does show the much better quality of the Ghost in lovely light.
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May 4, 2015 22:06
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So let's get back to ranting and the fact that Piagigo might be the stupidest loving company ever. I've noticed that Aprilia dealers seem to be getting thinner and thinner on the ground - if you ring any of the 8 dealers the Aprilia site claims in the M25 area, 2 don't even exist any more, and the other six only sell Aprilia scooters. Apparently this is because they attempted to improve the Aprilia dealer network, but they managed to do it in the stupidest way possible. Allegedly in an attempt to ensure dealers would be able to offer proper support on the bikes they split the brand into "big" (including Moto Guzzi) and "little" (125s and below and scooters) segments, and to be a main dealer you had to send at least 3 mechanics over to Italy for training, and also spend a ridiculous amount of money on a version of AXONE (their OBD2 implementation) that was somehow even more broken and poo poo than the one that works on all the Piaggio Group scooters. Unsurprisingly, the mainly scooter dealers who would occasionally sell a big bike told them to get hosed, with the result that they now only have half a dozen dealers left in a country of 60 million people who love to spend money on really loving silly sports bikes. Of course this is in addition to them completely loving up the UK Aprilia range for no reason whatsoever (the Shiver GT is not sold in the UK for no reason whatsoever despite the fact it sold at the same rate as the non-faired version, they stopped selling the Dorsoduro 1200, and weirdest of all they're apparently only allowing one colour choice on the new V4s when the rest of the world gets 2 or 3 choices) I don't get how they manage to fix so many things since buying Aprilia and yet have somehow managed to gently caress up everything else.
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May 5, 2015 17:05
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goddamnedtwisto posted:I don't get how they manage to fix so many things since buying Aprilia and yet have somehow managed to gently caress up everything else. Honestly I would have loved to find a Tuono instead of my Monster, but since I'm not sure if I'll be living in the same place in the long-term I was really concerned about the possibility of moving to a place where the nearest Aprilia dealer is 100+ miles away. Say what they will about Ducati and the Italian motorcycle experience, I have yet to find a place that doesn't claim to have a Duc dealer nearby. They might be shifty, lovely dealers, but there are parts to be had.
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May 5, 2015 17:56
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Ripoff posted:Honestly I would have loved to find a Tuono instead of my Monster, but since I'm not sure if I'll be living in the same place in the long-term I was really concerned about the possibility of moving to a place where the nearest Aprilia dealer is 100+ miles away. At least AXONE has now been cracked so third-parties can do maintenance on it (although remapping is still a dealer-only thing). My next bike is still almost certainly going to be an Aprilia but that's only because I'm an addict, I can't see many Londoners traipsing out to Woking or Canterbury (the only big-Aprilia dealers in the area) to take a look at a new bike let alone just happening to see one in passing.
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May 5, 2015 18:40
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goddamnedtwisto posted:So let's get back to ranting and the fact that Piagigo might be the stupidest loving company ever. I've noticed that Aprilia dealers seem to be getting thinner and thinner on the ground - if you ring any of the 8 dealers the Aprilia site claims in the M25 area, 2 don't even exist any more, and the other six only sell Aprilia scooters. If any of this applies to Piaggio's American dealers, I'm going to have so much schadenfreude when something goes wrong on my buddy's new Guzzi and he needs parts. 
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May 6, 2015 01:35
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goddamnedtwisto posted:At least AXONE has now been cracked so third-parties can do maintenance on it (although remapping is still a dealer-only thing). My next bike is still almost certainly going to be an Aprilia but that's only because I'm an addict, I can't see many Londoners traipsing out to Woking or Canterbury (the only big-Aprilia dealers in the area) to take a look at a new bike let alone just happening to see one in passing. The texa scan tool at my work can talk to piaggio products (in fact the guy demoed it on an aprilia dirt bike of some kind).
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May 6, 2015 04:05
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I work on Piaggios, Vespas, Guzzis and Aprilias fairly often, though mostly the scooters. They're the most annoying brand to work on and get parts for, all of them. They're all badly engineered, badly manufactured and they distribute parts poorly. Our local market lost its Aprilia and Vespa dealers recently. I sent in an application for an Aprilia franchise for our shop, not really being serious about it because our shop is probably not big enough to support the brand, but I was curious what their demands would be. I went through the motions on the application, though, and they didn't even do the courtesy of saying "no." No response at all.
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May 6, 2015 04:07
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