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Did an awesome U turn yesterday then did a really poo poo one today in the same spot. I need to go practice those. Also the kid at my local Cycle Gear throws discounts on top of discounts at me that I don’t even qualify for. He’s an absolute dude.
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Oct 28, 2019 20:47
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The day I realized I could just have my local cycle gear order ANYTHING not just cycle gear things and I could try and buy was an amazing day. I enjoy giving them business and through the years they have done me a ton of solids. Management has been fun riding buddies, too, from time to time. Because they knew me, I also got to buy my current favorite bike from an employee for an insane price. Because they knew me, I was able to sell a buyers remorse bike to one of them a week after purchase. I've lost way more money buying used or wrong sizes online than I ever did on a b&n markup. Anyways, Slavvy posted:You're gonna cope real good the first time you crash and people start telling you why.
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Oct 29, 2019 00:37
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CycleGear is awesome, I have a couple in my city and always try to buy straight from them. There have been so many cases where I was wildly off on the size I thought I needed, and they were always really helpful in getting me to not repeat old mistakes of buying something too big thinking it feels fine, only to have it break in and fit awful. I just bought a full set of track gear from them, I finally signed up for my first ever track day, it's a few weeks off yet but I've been meaning to do it for a long time, just was waiting to get full gear and for the weather to not be brutally hot!
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Oct 29, 2019 01:57
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My new helmet has speaker cutouts. Are there speakers that act as a generic Bluetooth device? Not interested in comms etc, just something I can pair with a generic Bluetooth transmitter hooked to an MP3 player. But not paired to my phone because the law here is extremely loving dumb about this stuff. E: Since I posted that I rode about 120km on roads that look like this:  I did babby's first overtake, which felt great. Three things: 1) I'm eventually going to need a physically bigger bike if I'm gonna ride for hours at a time. 2) I've sunburned the back of my neck in a tiny line between helmet and jacket. Other than trying to wear a collared shirt which isn't gonna work, what can I do about that? Is this what bandanas are for? 3) Bugs. I was covered in them. Are there like... wipes... or something for that? Also how the everloving gently caress do people ride with no visor/glasses? Do they not have bugs where they are? I would be blind within minutes of leaving town. Elector_Nerdlingen fucked around with this message at 06:26 on Oct 29, 2019 |
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Oct 29, 2019 03:06
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1. Play with angle/height of the handle bar first. You can usually rotate the hand controls a little to have the levers and mirrors be the correct angle even with a changed bar position. The lenght of the cables may restrict how much you can do though. And/or adjusting height of the foot pegs. A more relaxed/upright sitting position usually makes any bike more comfortable. And it's not that expensive to dabble with. 2. a lightweight buff/ neck gaiter. There is a million variants of them. if it's varm out you can just soak it with some cold water to get that evaporative cooling. 3. A damp cloth with some warm water and some variant of dish soap or similar. There are bugs everywhere, unless you only ride in mid town. I usually have 2 microfiber cloths at home I use, one for helmet visor and one for removing excess grime and bugs from my riding gear. After a while if it's just the outside that is grimy on my gore-tex suit I just hang it on a clothes hanger, hose off the outside with the shower head and agitate it with a pretty soft shoe brush. If the inside is getting nasty from sweating the whole thing get's washed with proper gore-tex safe laundry soap. The water repellent can be reactivated by running it in a dryer, or drip dry + hair dryer. The repellent on most cordura/superfabric etc goreTex suits can be refreshed with normal spray based water repellent.
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Oct 29, 2019 13:24
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Elector_Nerdlingen posted:My new helmet has speaker cutouts. Please buy a dirt bike. It looks like you have so much good off road riding right next to you.
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Oct 29, 2019 13:36
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Supradog posted:1. Play with angle/height of the handle bar first. You can usually rotate the hand controls a little to have the levers and mirrors be the correct angle even with a changed bar position. The lenght of the cables may restrict how much you can do though. And/or adjusting height of the foot pegs. A more relaxed/upright sitting position usually makes any bike more comfortable. And it's not that expensive to dabble with. quote:3. A damp cloth with some warm water and some variant of dish soap or similar. There are bugs everywhere, unless you only ride in mid town. Also, when you wash your visor, after you've gotten the bug guts off, just use the dish soap and your fingertips, then rinse (don't wipe) the dish soap off so that there's a little residue that remains. Makes bug removal next time around easier, because as soon as water hits it, it'll reconstitute and they'll slip off quicker. Bonus is that it's a little anti-fogging too.
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Oct 29, 2019 16:39
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Elector_Nerdlingen posted:
1) Change your ergos. Get a windscreen. I did a 7000 mile trip on a ninja 250 and it was wonderful. 2) Get a neck buff. All the cool riders have them and they are useful year round. Also prevents chafing from your gear.
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Oct 29, 2019 17:00
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I‘d love to hear more about that 7000 mile trip if you have the time.
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Oct 29, 2019 19:09
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Elector_Nerdlingen posted:My new helmet has speaker cutouts. Yeah, you can pair a Sena headset to whatever bluetooth gadgets you got. No problem at all. Most will actually pair to two devices if you so desire. 2nd question: With dry eyes and lots of squinting, until they take a rock to the front teeth and wise up and put the visor down. I used to be bad about it but denver is so bug-free that i never got a face full of bugs, then i took a bit of asphalt to the cheek and got smart.
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Oct 29, 2019 19:42
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Some people (honestly: it's exclusively dudes) are just super invested in pretending to be tough and hard, so they make riding as difficult as possible in every way to prove how tough they are, not realising people either don't give a gently caress (can't ride) or laugh as they go past (can ride). That's why they usually have not much/any riding gear, dead flat tires on a bike with ergos just this side of unrideable etc basically the simple act of riding the bike has to be as difficult and dangerous as possible so as to stave off relentless penile shrinkage. There's some overlap with the guys who think a good handling bike consists of a gym rack you need to bodily heave your whole weight into just to initiate a turn and often have all the adjusters they can reach set to 'hard' because it sounds faster and tougher than soft.
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Oct 29, 2019 19:57
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I admit to riding around with the visor open a lot more than I probably should. I like the feeling of the breeze (at <40mph anyway) and the clarity of the view. I do wear glasses, though, so at least that offers a modicum of protection. I have definitely had little bits of gravel zing off the lenses and it's always a bit of a "oh, right, this isn't super smart" moment. Also once I caught a june bug on the (fortunately closed) visor at 60mph and it sounded, felt, and behaved like a paintball. THWACK and a giant yellow smear across half my vision. that would be been pretty unpleasant on my face
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Oct 29, 2019 21:29
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I'm guilty of riding with the visor open too much too. I learnt to close it when I catched a bee inside my helmet and almost jumped out of the bike to make sure the bee died. Hopfully it just flew away the second it crashed with my nose.
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Oct 29, 2019 22:15
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I like my visor closed and dark. Keeps me looking cool while I bob my head to the Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 soundtrack.
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Oct 29, 2019 23:07
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OK I'll buy a neck gaiter but it looks like I'm gonna have to be careful to avoid accidentally buying a badass joker face punisher skull thin blue line USA america flag biker bandana headband mask by accident, because holy loving poo poo lol. I might be moving in the next 12 months. If I'm stuck here for longer than that, I'm definitely gonna look into a dirtbike. I've started looking into adjusting the bars. I think even getting them an inch or two higher will help my arms and shoulders be a lot more comfortable. Suzuki intruder 250, I measured the handlebars and they seem to be 7/8" / 22mm. I just buy risers for that size bar and bolt them in there, then check that the cables wires etc aren't stretched out or catching on anything, right? Not sure I wanna adjust the pegs, I don't see how I'd do it without moving the brake and shifter as well and that sounds like it's gonna get way out of hand.
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Oct 30, 2019 00:31
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You can usually get away with a small rise, like an inch or less, without changing too much stuff around. More than that usually leads to cable tightness somewhere, if you start modifying cables etc you're better off just getting taller bars rather than loving about with risers. Have you tried just loosening off the clamps and tilting the bars forward a bit?
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Oct 30, 2019 00:40
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Slavvy posted:You can usually get away with a small rise, like an inch or less, without changing too much stuff around. More than that usually leads to cable tightness somewhere, if you start modifying cables etc you're better off just getting taller bars rather than loving about with risers. No. But duh, yeah, I'll try that first. If I do that will I have to... I dunno the right way to say it. Rotate all the controls so they're in the same orientation to the bike?
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Oct 30, 2019 00:44
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That would be the ideal. If they're factory bars the switch blocks will have little dowels that go into holes on the bar to stop them spinning, but you'll definitely be able to adjust the clutch and brake. The goal is to have an easy and natural reach to the levers so you aren't bending your wrists awkwardly every time you do anything. The bar will have helpful punch dots that let you line everything up as factory if you get lost.
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Oct 30, 2019 04:25
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I don't have a neck gaiter but I do have a thin wool scarf that I can put on and tuck into my jacket and it serves the same purpose while also looking classy.
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Oct 30, 2019 05:19
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gently caress yeah, thanks Slavvy! Bars didn't need to move much to get a way better position:  (marks were aligned in original position) Adjusted brake and clutch levers (and mirrors) to compensate so that they were roughly where they were before I moved the bar, realised it felt wrong, thought about the fact that the lady I bought it from was like 5'5" and I'm 6'2", then moved the levers so I can hold my wrist flat while I operate them. Tightened it all up and then checked it four times after pushing/pulling it and putting my weight on it because I'm paranoid*, went round the block, felt much better. Gonna go for a half hour ride in a few minutes and see how it feels after that. E: Verdict: a little harder to move around in the parking lot, a hundred times better while actually riding. No finger or wrist pain or strain in 45 minutes. Awesome. *I'm a novice at mechanical stuff. I can change my own oil or replace a leaky coolant hose or whatever on a car, and I once fiddled with a lawnmower's carb until it was unfucked, but that's the extent of my experience. So I worry about every little thing. Which I guess is better than not worrying about it. Elector_Nerdlingen fucked around with this message at 07:03 on Oct 30, 2019 |
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Oct 30, 2019 05:47
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Good work! This made me giggle: Elector_Nerdlingen posted:Gonna go for a half hour ride in a few minutes ... ... ... No finger or wrist pain or strain in 45 minutes. Awesome. Slavvy fucked around with this message at 07:10 on Oct 30, 2019 |
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Oct 30, 2019 07:07
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Elector_Nerdlingen posted:gently caress yeah, thanks Slavvy! You should run all your cables and tubes through the inside of the bars for that CLEAN LOOK.
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Oct 30, 2019 19:04
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Rode a total of about 250km today to practice in the town they'll do my road test in. I can do all the stuff, but traffic's kinda intimidating. Glad I don't live in the city. Bought a neck gaiter at a fishing shop. It's black paisley and was the least terrible one they had. It's very comfortable, I'm gonna ebay like 10 more and keep one in a pocket, one in the bike, etc. Hopefully I can find plain black ones. Had tingling/numb fingers again, although it took longer than before, wasn't as bad, was only at highway speed, and only on the throttle hand. Ordered some knockoff bar puppies, hope that helps. Gonna get better fitting gloves this week or next week. Also... bar end weights? The bike has them but they're not real heavy. Might heavier/different ones help? Also: I talked to another rider when I stopped. He had a "cruise control" clip-on thing that jams against the brake lever and holds the throttle open. I'm assuming that it's as dangerous as it looks? He said that you could just turn the throttle forward and it'd give way, but it kinda sounds like jamming your gas pedal down with a stick and going "when I move my foot to the brake it'll knock the stick away".
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Oct 31, 2019 10:44
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Would the tackiness of putting an exhaust on my R3 outweigh the utility of being a little lighter and easier to hear on the road? Akro(whatever) has a few that seem tasteful for reasonable bucks but I don’t care about pretending my engine is something different or being obnoxious to pedestrians.
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Nov 1, 2019 21:42
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Rolo posted:Would the tackiness of putting an exhaust on my R3 outweigh the utility of being a little lighter and easier to hear on the road? yes the weight won't make any difference, Loud Pipes Save Lives is a fallacy, and big cans on small twins just sound like farts anyway Elector_Nerdlingen posted:Had tingling/numb fingers again, although it took longer than before, wasn't as bad, was only at highway speed, and only on the throttle hand. Ordered some knockoff bar puppies, hope that helps. Gonna get better fitting gloves this week or next week. Also... bar end weights? The bike has them but they're not real heavy. Might heavier/different ones help? Continue to loosen up on your grip. The fact that it's only on the throttle hand proves that it's closely connected to your grip tightness. Those little throttle locks are fine; if you have good technique, you already roll off the throttle as you reach for the brake so you'll naturally disengage the lock as you go to slow down. Only use it where you'd use the cruise control in your car, obviously, and it's equally safe. Sagebrush fucked around with this message at 22:13 on Nov 1, 2019 |
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Nov 1, 2019 22:09
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Sagebrush posted:yes Ok cool. What I did order today is a kit to tidy up the fender on the back. Uses my factory lights but doesn’t have a foot of plastic connecting them to my bike.
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Nov 1, 2019 23:26
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That's a good modification. Those stupid tail extensions exist because the laws (in some jurisdictions) say that the license plate has to be the rearmost point of the bike, but it's pretty obvious that the manufacturers design them to be easily removed and replaced.
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Nov 1, 2019 23:37
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Working my way through the periodic maintenance stuff, it's all pretty easy to follow, but I have a really dumb newbie question. How do I know what oil filter to get? Neither the owner's manual nor service manual specifies a part number beyond "use only genuine suzuki etc etc" which yeah, OK, but I can't even find somewhere to order that from them online, and I'm like 300km from the nearest dealer. Google shows me this: https://www.knfilters.com/oil-filters/suzuki/vl250lc-intruder and this https://www.wemoto.com/bikes/suzuki/vl_250_y_k1_k5_intruder/00-05/picture/oil_filter_hiflo when I search "suzuki intruder vl 250 oil filter". Those look like very generic things, is there a way to see like a part/model/whatever number for those that I can then search by or ask for?
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Nov 2, 2019 02:22
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You can go to the hiflo website, their part numbers are usually what people use because they're overwhelmingly the default aftermarket choice (genuine is pointless in this case) but don't bother because I've just looked in my system and you need an hf136.
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Nov 2, 2019 02:56
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Edit: yeah
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Nov 2, 2019 02:56
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Sagebrush posted:Continue to loosen up on your grip. The fact that it's only on the throttle hand proves that it's closely connected to your grip tightness. I understand, but I feel like I literally can't grip any looser at 100km/h without slowing. Throttle's ~90% open just to maintain speed and I'm right on the edge of "it's gonna spring closed if I grip any looser". But I'll make the effort, I have no doubt I'm doing it wrong. Slavvy posted:You can go to the hiflo website, their part numbers are usually what people use because they're overwhelmingly the default aftermarket choice (genuine is pointless in this case) but don't bother because I've just looked in my system and you need an hf136. Thanks! I can't see air filter elements anywhere on that site, but since I pulled mine today and they look fine, I'm not too worried. Elector_Nerdlingen fucked around with this message at 04:40 on Nov 2, 2019 |
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Nov 2, 2019 04:34
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Have you tried repositioning your hand more forward, then opening the gas? There's no real reason for WOT to be harder on your hand than any other position unless your throttle pull is like super duper jammed up heavy. I've had no problem riding all sorts of bikes smaller and slower than yours sitting at or near wide open for ages, the hardest part is usually just trying not to shut it too much for corners. You could also try taking off the RH switchblock, unhook the throttle cable, take the tube off and clean off all the goo, lube the bar, and the cable, put it all together. May or may not help the situation, highly recommended for everyone though! E: or buy a harley they have a hideously dangerous built-in cruise control knob on every bike AFAIK Slavvy fucked around with this message at 04:55 on Nov 2, 2019 |
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Nov 2, 2019 04:53
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Yeah, I tried repositioning my hand first thing. I've had trouble with my right wrist in the past, so that's probably not helping. I'm probably just grabbing it too hard though, so I'll spend time focusing on that next long ride. But also I'm probably gonna take the switchblock/tube/cable off and de-gunk and lube everything because why the gently caress not, right?
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Nov 2, 2019 07:14
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Listen to everyone else here first, but also, if nothing else works, consider messing with the footpegs. My subjective anecdote here is that I am short (5'6") and I was having a hell of a time trying to support myself properly with my legs because my footpegs were too far forward (and also probably too low down, but less of a problem), which partly resulted in me putting disproportionate weight on my wrists, especially under braking and stuff. Connecting to your bike properly can make a pretty huge difference to the ergonomics it turns out.
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Nov 2, 2019 22:03
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So I posted last week about doing research and looking at adventure bikes when I eventually get a bigger bike. This week had me sitting in hotels for work with not much to do so today I drove to a giant dealership and just sat on a bunch of stuff with time to kill. I don’t think an adventure bike would fit me very well where I am now. They’re a lot bigger in person and they just felt tall for how much slow city riding I do where I’m constantly putting my feet down. I’ll probably save the adventure bike for if I move outside of the city and can get more real use out of it. I can still moto-camp fine without one in the meantime. What I still wanted to look at were fun handling bikes with more longer-ride comfort and luggage options than if I went super sport and I think I found that in some standards and naked sports. I really liked the look and feel of the Kawa Z650, Honda CB’s and Yamaha MT07 but I did sit on one that stood out with a good look, comfortable riding position AND cool aftermarket hard bag options. Talkin’ about a Suzuki SV650. Good bike? I may look into hunting one down when I do get to that point where I can sensibly upgrade.
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Nov 3, 2019 04:32
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I like kawa offering an oem pannier set for the Ninja/Z 650 but not sure if all manufacturers tend to do that. It also looks like it may not work with an aftermarket tail tidy since it relocates the turn signals to where the bags are.
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Nov 3, 2019 04:40
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I spend way to much time on Kawasaki and Yamaha’s websites and I did notice that. The Z650 was my first pick for starter bike before the thread and OP convinced me not to, so I have lots of hours sunk into looking at accessories and killer mods. They’re really cool bikes. Also the top case on the ninja is awesome and it matches lol. 
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Nov 3, 2019 05:02
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Rode highways for over an hour, focusing on gripping as lightly as possible. Much less trouble, still a bit of a weird feeling in my hand and wrist. Think I figured a couple of things out though. First, yes, I am still gripping too tight. Forcing myself to relax (weird phrase) and have a lighter touch helped a lot. Second, in order to make a straighter line with my forearm/wrist/hand, I need to hold my elbows closer in to my sides.. Perhaps wider bars would help, but I think I can do this just be re-learning posture. Third, my gloves are definitely too big, which is causing me to tighten my grip every time the leather slips around between my fingers/palm and the throttle. Took my glove off (yeah I know), problem didn't disappear but became heaps better. Put my glove back on, problem reappeared. The shop assistant where I bought them told me they were the right size, but having checked the manufacturer's size chart and measured my hand, I find that I should probably have gone with L or XL, and almost certainly not a 2XL. So new gloves this weekend when I go to the city. I'm gonna try on a bunch, but I like the look of Dainese Blackjacks.
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Nov 3, 2019 05:29
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Leather gloves loosen over time. Most of my gloves are a little tight when holding the throttle open for the first couple of hours worth of riding until they stretch. Edit: Also Dainese make fine gloves, but I personally stay away from short gloves. Full gauntlet offer better protection as in a crash the slide often pushes up the sleeve of your jacket and the extra material of the gauntlet helps prevent exposing any skin to the road. Carth Dookie fucked around with this message at 05:51 on Nov 3, 2019 |
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Nov 3, 2019 05:48
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I really want some heated gloves but loving hell the prices on them...
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Nov 3, 2019 14:16
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