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That Suzuki looks like great fun. Enjoy. You may not drop it either just keep focussed. I didn’t drop my first bike just my 2nd and 4th. Live and never learn.
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Dec 17, 2020 09:51
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| # ? May 15, 2024 20:05 |
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I used to have an office with no windows and a lock on the door. It was a nightmare from a mental health standpoint but it was great for changing in my office!! Now I have an office with a window and no lock so I change in the bathroom. It gets easier once you have a system down. I generally commute on the Goldwing so I bring a bag with clothes in the saddlebag, shoes, hair schmutz, all the stuff I need and just walk in with that.
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Dec 17, 2020 14:31
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I moved into a brand spanking new fishbowl corner office just about the time I got my bike  Not that it matters for the next year or so.
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Dec 17, 2020 14:42
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I worked in a very casual office and didn’t have too long of a commute, left a pair of shoes at the office and wore Kevlar leggings with armor under regular jeans/chinos and just left them on all day. Just wore my regular shirt under my jacket and none the wiser. For a while I was wearing TCX’s brown boots that look just like normal boots and not even changing out of them, but they weren’t great if I was going to walk to lunch.
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Dec 17, 2020 16:44
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If temperature allowed, i would just wear my office clothes under my leathers. Walk to desk in gear. Strip down there - first time got some weird looks because they weren't aware i was wearing normal clothes underneath. After that, it was just two ladies who really liked bikers who looked at me when i doing that. In summer or winter when i'd need to wear something hotter or cooler than my office clothes under my leathers, i'd go change at the toilets. There was one big wheel chair accessible one where i had all the space to change. Once i barged into a meeting because i was late, still wearing leather pants. They didn't give a gently caress but in general i would just change quickly at my desk and try to not be the weird guy.
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Dec 18, 2020 01:17
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I’ve gone to interviews and funerals in a suit under my Hardanger. I also have an IKEA packable duffel that I can put it in so I’m not lugging around a hollowed out corpse.
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Dec 18, 2020 17:46
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Had a blast today. Got up around 50 for the first time while being buffeted by wind from both sides. Pucker factor was a 14/10 but the bike felt great. Found some "country" roads by the US/Mexican border where I was passing people on horseback and practicing my swerve technique on the occasional turd pile.
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Dec 19, 2020 02:16
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I'm a woman engineer at a tech company so the bathrooms wouldn't be very crowded on my floor especially due to covid right now but it sounds like that and just pulling it off once you're inside the office are pretty standard so I'll probably do one of those two things. Thanks for the info!
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Dec 19, 2020 17:14
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There are a few brands that make 1-piece commuter suits but they are pretty pricey. Aerostitch, Klīm, Teiz (sp?), Cortech I think
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Dec 19, 2020 17:24
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I still want protectors I can just throw over my regular pants, but nothing has panned out so far.
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Dec 19, 2020 21:51
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When I was riding I wore a pair of Scorpion textile pants with knee and hip armor over my dress slacks, Scorpion gear tended to run a bit large especially on my scrawny rear end so there was plenty of room, though they got a bit swampy when it was hot. Then just my usual jacket over a dress shirt. mincedgarlic posted:Had a blast today. Got up around 50 for the first time while being buffeted by wind from both sides. Pucker factor was a 14/10 but the bike felt great. Found some "country" roads by the US/Mexican border where I was passing people on horseback and practicing my swerve technique on the occasional turd pile. I really want a bike again, and am seriously considering going with something small. Light, fun, gas and insurance are so cheap. Pricing out some quotes a lot of the Craigslist offerings I'm seeing I could get good coverage for $200-300 a year 
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Dec 20, 2020 16:10
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Turned in my MSF paperwork today at the DMV and made everything official. Can't wait to see the poo poo-eating grin on my face when my updated license comes back. I've been extending my rides and have found some great backroads to practice on within a short distance of home. Riding downhill towards a light or stop sign in the city is a bit awkward. I don't want to go near the speed limit because it seems dumb to accelerate downhill towards the light/sign. In a car it's a lot less noticeable IMO so people tend to at least stay at speed longer. Gotta get more comfortable with the stopping distance of my bike on a hill. Yesterday in traffic I thought I heard a muscle-y sounding car behind me. I turned around and realized my bike. My 250 is hardly loud, but that was cool.
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Dec 21, 2020 23:37
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edit: double post
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Dec 22, 2020 00:06
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Downhill: less front brake more rear. Uphill the opposite.
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Dec 22, 2020 00:14
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I've noticed that my bike makes popping noises in the exhaust when engine braking even at low rpms Like if I'm engine braking to a stop and it goes up to like 3 or 4k out of a 10 or 11k red line it'll still make popping noises but I've only seen that on cars with aftermarket exhaust that deleted cats or mufflers or something like that. Or in cars if someone engine brakes at a really high rpm. Is there something specific with motorcycles that causes this? Google gave me a lot of inconsistent answers.
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Dec 22, 2020 01:20
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It's relatively normal for carbureted bikes to pop like that on deceleration. One of mine sounds like a popcorn popper when I'm going downhill. S'cool It happens because a carbureted engine never fully shuts off the fuel flow. When the throttle is closed the mixture goes extremely lean and the engine essentially stops firing, but there's still air coming past the butterfly and a small amount of fuel flowing from the pilot jet. That unburnt fuel continues out of the cylinders, builds up in the exhaust tract, and occasionally ignites with a pop. The sound is specifically called an "afterfire," fyi; people tend to call it "backfiring" but technically that is a much more dangerous condition where the fuel in the intake tract ignites and maybe blows up your carburetor. Backfiring bad, afterfiring okay. EFI engines don't pop anywhere near as much, if at all, because they usually just shut off the injectors when the throttle is closed. Not always, of course, and it is totally possible to tune an EFI engine to make all kinds of loud popping every time you let off the gas, like the rear end in a top hat with the blacked-out Lexus who lives a couple of blocks away from me  The lack of emissions equipment on motorcycles also contributes to the effect. Catalytic converters are specifically designed to complete the combustion cycle and chemically consume unburnt fuel, CO and soot. With a catalytic converter in line you're much less likely to build up enough fuel to get the afterfire. With a plain metal pipe and some muffler baffles at the end you have a perfect little combustion chamber suitable for swirling fuel around until it reaches a combustible mixture. Sagebrush fucked around with this message at 04:26 on Dec 22, 2020 |
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Dec 22, 2020 04:20
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I still giggle whenever my bike does it...became a lot more pronounced after I got new mufflers. They're loud but (hopefully) not too obnoxious.
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Dec 22, 2020 04:29
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One of the CB500's did it. It was fun. My SV650s is carb'd but doesn't do it at all. It has some kind of coasting system built in. It does give a seriously loud bang if i ride normally, hit the killswitch and immediately switch it on again. Sheesh.
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Dec 22, 2020 12:52
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I was riding with a buddy the other day and his intercoms mic was picking up my brapping and popping and it just sounded like he was vocalising engine noises with his lips the entire ride. Certainly made the already enjoyable ride more entertaining.
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Dec 22, 2020 15:38
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My bike is EFI but it sounds like some just do it more than others especially depending on the exhaust so thanks for the info.
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Dec 22, 2020 15:47
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LimaBiker posted:One of the CB500's did it. It was fun. That’s called a coast enrichener. It specifically exists to pump more gas in while you are coasting in gear with the throttle closed so it doesn’t make afterfire noises. Coast enricheners infuriate me because they specifically exist to stop people coming back to dealerships complaining something is wrong with the bike. They serve no useful functional purpose, they waste gas and they make carburetor setups more complicated by adding additional stuff. I disable every coast enrichener I come across. My Elite 250 had one and the little burble that came out of the exhaust while coasting was awesome and I’m mad that Honda assumed we wouldn’t want to hear the pops 
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Dec 23, 2020 16:08
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They do also serve as a dashpot function to stop the engine stalling if you snap the throttle shut, but that's only necessary in the first place because everything is set up to idle too lean for emissions reasons 
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Dec 23, 2020 20:10
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Ooh, interesting. I'll study the workshop manual and see if i can fool around with it without screwing up my carb settings.
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Dec 24, 2020 03:03
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jiffypop45 posted:I'm a woman engineer at a tech company so the bathrooms wouldn't be very crowded on my floor especially due to covid right now but it sounds like that and just pulling it off once you're inside the office are pretty standard so I'll probably do one of those two things. Thanks for the info! Super late to this convo (and don't want to presume your style/wardrobe preferences), but I am also a woman IT worker and I've found it useful to find gear that can mostly pass as appropriate office wear for a casual-ish environment so I don't have to carry that much to change into. Basically, my go-to is solid black moto leggings, black moto boots, and a plain black tank top under my jacket. Then I just stuff a sweater or a wrap in my backpack and wear that over my riding outfit when I get to work so I can usually just throw it on at my desk. Not sure if makeup falls in-scope for you, but that was by far the trickier thing to figure out, because gently caress bringing my full makeup case and doing it at the office. I got really good at very carefully putting on my helmet without rubbing it over my eyes and used a shitton of eye shadow primer as backup. My helmet pads still get pretty grimy-looking from my foundation so I end up washing them more often.
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Dec 28, 2020 00:53
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hey what are those leggings, and would they work as long underpants under regular jeans or slacks
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Dec 28, 2020 18:34
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The ones I have probably would not as they're more like stretch denim than regular leggings. I used to wear regular Nike Pro thermal tights under them on really cold days (although I can no longer comfortably fit the extra layer thanks to Covid...ehem). I actually think my next pair will be these Oxford ones since the cut looks like it'd be better for my body type. 
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Dec 28, 2020 19:03
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Almost no one uses the bathroom on my floor. Its been 30s in the mornings and 40 to 50s in the afternoons. Right now I'm doing Under armour 4.0 base layer (top and bottom) Day clothes mid layer (usually just jeans and a t-shirt) Dainese riding pants Alpinestars riding jacket with a thermal layer Balaclava Revzilla winter riding gloves TCX riding boots (pass for casual high tops) Shoei neotech helmet. My morning routine is shower -> hair dryer -> makeup -> hair in low bun -> balaclava -> helmet. And I honestly don't have issues with my hair or makeup then take off the riding pants in the bathroom on the same floor and no one comes in. My hair is naturally curly and it adds a bit of a wave. My makeup is liquid foundation with powder and if I'm actually on top of things I'll have setting spray but usually not. Its never came off yet on my helmet nor has my balaclava messed with my eyeliner/mascara. I just shove everything inside of a locker at the office including my helmet, gloves, jacket, pants, balaclava. I still look a tiny bit ridiculous coming into the office before taking off the jacket and pants but, the bathroom plan so far is working fine.
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Dec 29, 2020 03:25
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We got locked storage room at work that only me and my coworker that also rides has access to. Works nicely as change and gear storage room for us both.
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Dec 29, 2020 09:00
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jiffypop45 posted:My makeup is liquid foundation with powder and if I'm actually on top of things I'll have setting spray but usually not. Its never came off yet on my helmet nor has my balaclava messed with my eyeliner/mascara. Setting spray is actually probably my missing link here. I use a setting powder but haven't found a spray that I like yet. I also have super oily eyelids so I get a ton a transfer even on a good day anyway. (I am entirely WFH right now though so it's all kind of moot for me.)
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Dec 29, 2020 15:31
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jiffypop45 posted:I still look a tiny bit ridiculous coming into the office before taking off the jacket and pants no you look awesome because you look like you ride a motorcycle, and riding motorcycles is awesome and people who ride motorcycles are awesome and mysterious and love danger
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Dec 29, 2020 18:07
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If it makes you feel better, the first time I ever met our CIO was on my elevator ride out on a day I rode to work, dressed down to my riding outfit with my jacket and helmet in hand. I have a large tattoo on my upper arm too so I was def looking like some Grade-A Biker Trash 
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Dec 29, 2020 20:52
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Stretched my range a bit today and ventured out in to the country. Rode out to a lake nearby and some roads known to be prime San Diego riding real estate. (Otay Lakes Rd/Rt 94 for any SoCal locals) I was a little nervous about keeping up with traffic but had no issues. I pulled over a few times to get away from traffic but otherwise it was not a problem. Serious twistys and long desert straight-aways. Did some bike-bonding today for sure. The best part was seeing all of the other riders. Very cool part of the experience. Especially some of the insane sport bikes I saw. I was doing ~ 55 mph at one point, "You Got the Touch" pumping through my head, and this dude passed me like I was standing still. I felt him before I saw or heard him because he must have been on something serious. The finisher was him flashing me a wave as he passed me at light speed. Pretty cool. 
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Jan 3, 2021 22:59
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If I was going to run a USB cable from under my seat to the front to charge my phone (I don’t know why they put the USB port under the seat instead of upfront where people would be using it, unless there's a market segment for USB powered heated gear or accessories I don't know about) would it be better to zip tie it to the frame? Tape? Is there a particular fastener/adhesive you’d recommend? The bike is air-cooled so it’ll need to tolerate some heat.
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Jan 4, 2021 00:27
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Zip ties are fine as long as you aren't trying to run the cable right along the cylinder head or something. The PVC wire insulation will melt before the nylon zip ties anyway. Don't use tape because it will turn all sticky underneath and be super gross if you ever want to remove it.
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Jan 4, 2021 00:47
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jiffypop45 posted:If I was going to run a USB cable from under my seat to the front to charge my phone (I don’t know why they put the USB port under the seat instead of upfront where people would be using it, unless there's a market segment for USB powered heated gear or accessories I don't know about) would it be better to zip tie it to the frame? Tape? Is there a particular fastener/adhesive you’d recommend? The bike is air-cooled so it’ll need to tolerate some heat. Race bikes are 30% zip ties by weight, you'll be fine.
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Jan 4, 2021 00:52
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mincedgarlic posted:Stretched my range a bit today and ventured out in to the country. Rode out to a lake nearby and some roads known to be prime San Diego riding real estate. (Otay Lakes Rd/Rt 94 for any SoCal locals) I was a little nervous about keeping up with traffic but had no issues. I pulled over a few times to get away from traffic but otherwise it was not a problem. Serious twistys and long desert straight-aways. Did some bike-bonding today for sure. The best part was seeing all of the other riders. Very cool part of the experience. Especially some of the insane sport bikes I saw. I was doing ~ 55 mph at one point, "You Got the Touch" pumping through my head, and this dude passed me like I was standing still. I felt him before I saw or heard him because he must have been on something serious. The finisher was him flashing me a wave as he passed me at light speed. Pretty cool. I had a great ride the other day- starting in Escondido Valley Center Road up to 76, past Palomar Mountain. Pull into the parking lot at Josie's Hideout Saloon/harley bar, have them eye me up and down on my little cbr250r, pull out. Back down 76 to the 79 and Santa Ysabel, nope out of Dudley's bakery with 400 people there, down to Ramona and then to Poway and back to Escondido. It's a long ride, but kind of a perfect one for beginners- good mix of uphill and downhill, straights and curves. There's a great straightaway before Santa Ysabel where you can open it up a bit. And of course by Palomar you see both a bunch of Harley touring bikes and a bunch of one-piece-suit wearing racers, most of whom wave. I did the same thing, though- pull over when the traffic is piling up behind you, though pulling off on the gravel shoulders feels a little hairy.
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Jan 4, 2021 00:56
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jiffypop45 posted:If I was going to run a USB cable from under my seat to the front to charge my phone (I don’t know why they put the USB port under the seat instead of upfront where people would be using it, unless there's a market segment for USB powered heated gear or accessories I don't know about) would it be better to zip tie it to the frame? Tape? Is there a particular fastener/adhesive you’d recommend? The bike is air-cooled so it’ll need to tolerate some heat. I dislike zip ties because one cut through the block heater cord on my car after the dealership zip tied the plug to the grille. Consider velcro or some kinda strain relief where the cable is going to be moving around.
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Jan 4, 2021 05:24
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Slavvy posted:Race bikes are 30% zip ties by weight, you'll be fine. make sure you cut them at an angle to leave a fun surprise for the next owner 
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Jan 4, 2021 14:03
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mewse posted:I dislike zip ties because one cut through the block heater cord on my car after the dealership zip tied the plug to the grille. Consider velcro or some kinda strain relief where the cable is going to be moving around. That situation calls for a zip tie, except more loosely installed
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Jan 4, 2021 14:39
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| # ? May 15, 2024 20:05 |
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The USB plug is under the seat so you can store your phone down there and charge while you ride or leave it behind or whatever. I'd recommend you leave it there for that purpose, but buy a handlebar usb port that attaches to the battery contacts. They are cheap. mincedgarlic posted:I was doing ~ 55 mph at one point, "You Got the Touch" pumping through my head, and this dude passed me like I was standing still. I felt him before I saw or heard him because he must have been on something serious. The finisher was him flashing me a wave as he passed me at light speed. Pretty cool. Lovely pic! And you got the "new rider motorcycle experience" there with the wave. It's the best.
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Jan 4, 2021 17:37
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