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Remy Marathe posted:I had an otherwise great 100mi ride today, but I almost lowsided and I think the difference between that happening and not was as much luck as anything. Jalama road is a 13mi run through some hills and valleys to the Pacific coast, ending in a campground and good cheeseburgers. Every time I ride or drive it, I'm reminded that I'd forgotten how long it takes and how sketchy the road can be. There are some turns that go on about twice as long as you'd expect going in, and I've had them tighten up on me unexpectedly. Potholes and cracks in the asphalt that run the direction of tires pop up from time to time. So going back for the first time in years on I was riding exceedingly cautiously and overbraking heartily before every turn. The thing to do now is examine really closely what you were doing with the rest of the controls when you hit the gravel. Were you braking, coasting on a shut throttle, or on a partial throttle? Which wheel actually slid?
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Apr 11, 2022 03:58
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I'd come off the brakes a bit before, and was rolling throttle on really gingerly as I rounded a slight downhill right-hand curve. I'm pretty sure the rear slid out more, but I'm not sure if it was the only tire sliding. e; apart from entering at a 5mph crawl instead of 10-15 I'm not sure what else would've helped. I was riding solo with the preload set for passenger + luggage, might that have exacerbated the problem? I really don't quite grok preload. Remy Marathe fucked around with this message at 05:44 on Apr 11, 2022 |
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Apr 11, 2022 04:41
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I rode yesterday for the first time in weeks since it's ridable again after some winter weather. It's rained a lot lately and the roads are finally pretty clean. I ended a long ride with some brake drills and holy poo poo are my new pirellis way better than the old stock road winners they replaced. It was cold (about 5C and cloudy) but the tires were probably at least lukewarm at that point. Once the weather and asphalt gets up to proper operating temperature I'm pretty sure these tires will be totally amazing, which is exactly what I wanted. More confidence and more safety is good, though it also felt pretty humbling to realise just how much grip there is. I have newbie brain for sure and it's gonna take a while to remedy. e: I also spent the winter losing a bunch of weight and going to the gym and I can tell that its made me noticeably more capable as a rider so that's really nice. Invalido fucked around with this message at 05:29 on Apr 11, 2022 |
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Apr 11, 2022 05:25
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Remy, since you were turning pretty slowly, could you have adjusted your line to avoid the gravel? Or was it all the way across the road? General rule I follow, especially with blind corners is that you never get back on the throttle (a touch of maintenance throttle is fine) until 2 things: you can see through to the corner exit to where you’re going and you start taking away lean angle. Glad you saved it! I also had a nice 100+ mile ride today except the road I took home to avoid the interstate ended up being blocked by a car on fire. The wind was picking up too so I got to practice surfing 25mph wind gusts at highway speeds which is always unpleasant on my little bike. Russian Bear fucked around with this message at 07:12 on Apr 11, 2022 |
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Apr 11, 2022 06:22
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Remy Marathe posted:I'd come off the brakes a bit before, and was rolling throttle on really gingerly as I rounded a slight downhill right-hand curve. I'm pretty sure the rear slid out more, but I'm not sure if it was the only tire sliding. Can I latch onto this question? I've lost enough weight since the bike was first adjusted to warrant a suspension adjustment (I think), but what is the 'best' setting if all I care about is safety,? Handling and comfort are much less important to me. Like, I know how to adjust it, but not how to judge what I should be adjusting for.
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Apr 11, 2022 06:42
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Remy Marathe posted:I'd come off the brakes a bit before, and was rolling throttle on really gingerly as I rounded a slight downhill right-hand curve. I'm pretty sure the rear slid out more, but I'm not sure if it was the only tire sliding. It sounds like you pretty much did stuff right. And definitely yes, the more rear preload you put in, the more the bike's natural attitude becomes front heavier. If you were on a steady throttle, it may have slid less/not broken loose at all as the rear tire would have had more load pushing it into the road, at the same time the steering geometry is lazier so you can control the slide more easily - steep steering contributes to the sensation that you need to stick a leg down cause you're afraid that even the slightest unintended extra pressure on the inside bar will fold the front. SEKCobra posted:Can I latch onto this question? I've lost enough weight since the bike was first adjusted to warrant a suspension adjustment (I think), but what is the 'best' setting if all I care about is safety,? Handling and comfort are much less important to me. Handling = safety. The bike won't do anything for you, you can't passively just be "safe" like in a car (an illusion anyway). If you actively manage the grip you have you will be safer, a bike that handles well isn't optional to doing this. There is no magically ideal setting that will make everything better in some way, everything is about you managing the tyre load and the bike being set up to help you do that as easily as you can. A good generic rule of thumb for basic bikes if you're feeling tone deaf, is to measure the rear suspension travel unloaded and then set the preload so about 1/3 of that travel is taken up by your weight. After that it's a question of handling - if you find the bike is sitting back really far, the steering feels really slow and uncertain off of vertical, you get poor turning for a given lean - preload is too low. If it feels really tippy and zippy in the turns, but you feel afraid to open the throttle and you feel like the rear is just somewhere behind you with no idea what it's doing - preload is too high. I'd expect the latter in your situation.
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Apr 11, 2022 07:39
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Slavvy posted:
Oh absolutely, I meant more like I don't care about not feeling every bump more, but rather tune it for the safest ride possible, which in my mind is a suspension that keeps the wheels on the road surface the most, without being overly stiff. I am always trying to improve my riding technique and loading the suspension best, I just feel like I am bad at judging if I am actually doing it right or just not riding in such 'extreme' conditions that I would notice the difference. As a pretty passive rider it's hard for me to judge if I am doing things right or just 'good enough' under these light loads.
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Apr 11, 2022 12:53
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Russian Bear posted:Remy, since you were turning pretty slowly, could you have adjusted your line to avoid the gravel? Or was it all the way across the road? Russian Bear posted:General rule I follow, especially with blind corners is that you never get back on the throttle (a touch of maintenance throttle is fine) until 2 things: you can see through to the corner exit to where you’re going and you start taking away lean angle.
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Apr 11, 2022 16:25
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What ambient temperature would you all say is your cut-off for riding in? I understand tires will warm up even if it’s pretty frigid on the road, but do I even need to be concerned about riding in the 5-10 Celsius range? Grip still feels alright and there’s no lingering ice but I still don’t feel great about it.
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Apr 11, 2022 17:53
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Depends on how you define 'riding'. I'd commute as long as there was no ice/snow. I'll go for rides over 10C or so. (If the sun is shining, will need it closer to 15C on an overcast day).
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Apr 11, 2022 18:02
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I have similar questions because we’ve had a freak snow storm here and I really don’t want to do my union work virtual tomorrow (I’m on our bargaining team for our new contract and being in person is 10,000 times easier than everyone being virtual). I figure if it’s above freezing and it stops snowing, I’ll probably be fine since there’s been a lot of rain lately and the roads shouldn’t have oil or other buildup. All of my routes between home and the union hall are major arteries, so they’ll almost certainly be clear. I assume I’ll be safer on my scooter than on my Harley, but I am more than open to the idea I could be wrong about that. It’s also easy for me to chicken out day of or part of the way there. Virtual is always an option, even if it’s a relatively lovely one. edit: Or, I just borrow my partner’s car and rely on 20 years of driving in the Midwest in all conditions before moving out here. But that’s not nearly as fun. Geekboy fucked around with this message at 18:21 on Apr 11, 2022 |
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Apr 11, 2022 18:10
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ImplicitAssembler posted:Depends on how you define 'riding'. I'd commute as long as there was no ice/snow. I'll go for rides over 10C or so. (If the sun is shining, will need it closer to 15C on an overcast day). Yeah I know what you’re saying. Mostly commuting and putting around, couple hours tops, no spirited riding. Just trying to push the season a little bit further every year.
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Apr 11, 2022 18:18
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5 to 10 deg C is totally fine. Don't worry about it for a second. Perhaps you won't have tires as sticky as on a summer's day on which the asphalt is warm to the touch, but that stuff only matters when you're riding as if you were on track. I enjoy riding a lot more above 10 degrees than below. I'm very easily cold, so in winter i ride just about enough to keep my fuel fresh. Below freezing? The main danger is that you get too cold. The cold might make you shiver/tense up/in general be a worse rider. Wind chill at highway speeds makes things super cold. In my case, the roads are often wet when it freezes and that means you can encounter patches of ice and that's sketchy as hell. Road salt and dampness and 0 degree temperatures considerably reduce your available traction, but you can still easily deal with it. Just take it easy. If it's cold but nice and dry, you will have a bit less grip than on a summer day, but nothing to worry about. You'll figure it out. Just ride. Do some emergency stops somewhere. Always match your riding style with the conditions. If you are often in a situation that you're caught by snow, mount some studded tires: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4irRAZ8hkgQ That said, i think the guy in the video is riding too fast for conditions. You can hear that whenever he rolls on the throttle a bit more, that the rear instantly spins. I'd go for the scooter rather than for the harley, even if it's just for the bother of washing off all the road salt and sand. Salt and sand are hell for any unpainted metal part on your bike. LimaBiker fucked around with this message at 18:41 on Apr 11, 2022 |
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Apr 11, 2022 18:27
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SEKCobra posted:Oh absolutely, I meant more like I don't care about not feeling every bump more, but rather tune it for the safest ride possible, which in my mind is a suspension that keeps the wheels on the road surface the most, without being overly stiff. Yeah so what you're talking about there is getting the bike so the suspension is in the right part of it's travel when you're on it. That's usually about 1/3rd sag at the rear, 1/4 at the front. The problem is this is almost never the case irl because bikes all have different spring rates that may or may not be close to what's needed for your weight. In general: soggy, softly set up bikes have lots of mechanical traction, because the tires can slither and snake over ripples and the bike is relatively undisturbed bt moderate bumps, but they are unstable, because large control movements or big bumps cause the bike to start pitching unintentionally. Stiff setup bikes are more precise, stable and confidence inspiring for the rider, but have less actual traction because the bike is more likely to skip and jump over bumps instead of soaking them up. Stock street bikes err on the side of being under sprung for obvious reasons: even when riding slowly and in cold conditions on mediocre tyres, the bike pitches and squirms enough to create grip even if a very light person is riding; the performance limit is stability and most people back off well before the bike becomes truly unstable, the first shake is enough to frighten. If the bike gets ridden by a huge fat guy, it still has loads of grip because it's sagging heavily at both ends and again, the limit is stability and ground clearance; fat guy doesn't get to go fast, but he's safe. This is directly analogous to every car, even the rwd ones, being set up to naturally understeer from factory because it's safer to manage for the average driver. If you're only talking light loads and riding slowly, by all means set the bike up right, but at that point it's basically all just technique - don't chop the throttle on and off, try to keep the bike on the back wheel as much as possible, try to be as smooth as possible transitioning from one state to another, try to actually use the engine instead of just being in the highest possible gear. Geekboy posted:I have similar questions because we’ve had a freak snow storm here and I really don’t want to do my union work virtual tomorrow (I’m on our bargaining team for our new contract and being in person is 10,000 times easier than everyone being virtual). My first instinct is immediately the Harley as it puts more load and heat into the tires more quickly than a scooter, you barely have to do anything, the bike's weight energizes the tires after just a few braking acceleration cycles. Whereas a scooter will take ages to get any heat in the front tire unless you're the kind of brave that a learner shouldn't be.
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Apr 11, 2022 18:39
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Geekboy posted:I assume I’ll be safer on my scooter than on my Harley, but I am more than open to the idea I could be wrong about that. -You're more agile, experienced and therefore comfortable on the scooter than the Harley -The scooter makes you take more chill routes or ride slower But I think outside of that, arguments can be made. The relative quality of brakes to the mass they're stopping can be as bad or worse on scooters. In terms of commuting, more responsiveness is just fundamentally a boon. I'm not going to opine on the merits of having slightly less distance to fall to the pavement on a scooter or having an extra couple hundred pounds of vehicle in a collision because I have no idea. To me 4 wheels against 2 just means we're boned, maybe deeply, in some random fashion when we do manage to run into a car, truck or semi.
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Apr 12, 2022 03:51
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Depending on the scooter, you’ll be just as safe as the Harley. Most 250cc scooters can accelerate as fast as the average Harley. You’re both equally screwed when it comes to tangling with a car. The scooter is probably a bit more maneuverable and agile. It’s probably a toss up either way honestly. Where scooters get real bad in comparison to a Harley is when you’re trying to take a 50cc scooter on main roads and highways, and it’s lack of oomph means traffic has to go around you, rather than the other way around
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Apr 12, 2022 12:58
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Jcam posted:What ambient temperature would you all say is your cut-off for riding in? I understand tires will warm up even if it’s pretty frigid on the road, but do I even need to be concerned about riding in the 5-10 Celsius range? Grip still feels alright and there’s no lingering ice but I still don’t feel great about it. I live in the UK and bought my 125 in September for commuting purposes so have ridden through a winter here so far. What I've learned so far is as mentioned, in the cold you tend to tense up and in my experience your hands will get cold pretty quickly (I obviously need better gloves! [or heated grips]). It snowed a couple of times here and while my little country road was snowy, the main roads weren't despite it being 0/1 degree celcius. I just took it slower, made a more concerted effort to be smoother with my braking and it was honestly fine, same with whenever it was icy cold outside, the main roads were fine, the lanes shiftier. 5-10 degrees celsius is honestly warmer than my ride in has been for a long time now, I wouldn't worry about things and I say this as a beginner who knows he's not a solid rider yet.
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Apr 12, 2022 14:59
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I spent the afternoon getting lost on small rural roads and I came across this little gem of a stretch. It made me so happy I had to double back, snap a picture and ride it again.
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Apr 12, 2022 20:29
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Invalido posted:I spent the afternoon getting lost on small rural roads and I came across this little gem of a stretch. It made me so happy I had to double back, snap a picture and ride it again. Never don't do this if a stretch of road makes you smile.
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Apr 12, 2022 20:35
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That is the best non hyped fun to ride type of roads there is. Paved Local road in an area between ooold farms. No through traffic so not widened or cracked to bits by trucks. They can be so smooth flowing semi technical rides with hidden turns behind hills. no traffic, just you, the bike and a winding country road. Pure bliss. Norwegian: Det er sinnsykt mye fine veier i firkanten ås, Askim, Sarpsborg, Moss. Utvid det litt mot Mysen og Rakkestad også. Fine veier ikke langt fra Oslo. Supradog fucked around with this message at 22:06 on Apr 12, 2022 |
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Apr 12, 2022 21:29
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Invalido posted:I spent the afternoon getting lost on small rural roads and I came across this little gem of a stretch. It made me so happy I had to double back, snap a picture and ride it again. This is the best feeling. And you can go back and ride it again and again as much as you want. I'm goofing off at work today on Google Maps looking at my stomping grounds in Wisconsin and realizing I've only explored a tiny corner of it so far. This is going to be a good simmer.
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Apr 12, 2022 21:50
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Yeah those narrow one laners with smooth asphalt are great, but that particular stretch is an exception unfortunately. Most twisties in the area I'm riding this week are in the forest so sightlines are mostly limited, and the pavement is not always as great. Also there are timber trucks on them. I saw a few today. They are big and drive fast. There are some really nice two laners as well but in order to make the turns interesting I have to go fast enough to become an rear end in a top hat and risk losing my license should I get caught so I prefer the narrower roads, timber trucks and trees and all. Does waze or any other map app distinguish between asphalt and gravel? If google maps does it somehow, I don't know how to tell the difference. I rode more gravel than I wanted today. Not that there's anything wrong with riding gravel and some of those stretches were really beautiful with things to look at but, you know, sport bike on sporty tires. Supradog posted:Norwegian: I'd like to visit Norway this summer. I think I'll make it happen, it's only a day's ride away even on smaller roads. A CBR300R isn't an ideal tourer but it's certainly doable if I travel light. Invalido fucked around with this message at 22:37 on Apr 12, 2022 |
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Apr 12, 2022 22:24
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This feels like a newbie question, on bikes where the center of the undercarriage is dominated by the exhaust(XSR700) and the subframe is bolted on(...also XSR700)...what's the best way to lift the bike up vertically to adjust the preload on the back? Will getting a ratchet strap under the back end and just cranking it until I get some clearance do any damage? I'm pretty loving smitten with this bike, and damaging it in the course of making it fit me is scary. As an aside, beyond the whole factory maintenance, do any CP2 owners have recommendations? I've checked for rust on the swingarm (it hasn't happened in 3 weeks...). But other than tire pressure, brake fluids, oil, standard checklists...Is there anything to be aware of to anyone's knowledge? I'm probably on the verge of treating this well executed machine as a delicate piece of art, but god drat if I don't love the thing.
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Apr 13, 2022 07:50
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You don't need to jack it up, just turn the adjuster. It's a stepped collar and it doesn't get meaningfully easier if you unload the rear. If you haven't got a paddock stand and bobbins they would be a very good idea cause idk how you'll do the chain maintenance otherwise, idk what you can do with straps under the bike but it sounds scary. If you fall over on the right hand side it's ride over cause the water pump always breaks is my pro tip for the mt07. Slavvy fucked around with this message at 08:01 on Apr 13, 2022 |
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Apr 13, 2022 07:59
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Rear adjusters can take a bit more effort than you think if you've not done it before but as Slavvy says you don't need to lift the rear.
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Apr 13, 2022 08:56
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What motorcycle dudes on YouTube are worth watching? I like Jerry Palladino, FortNine, and DanDantheFireMan. Is there anyone else I should have on my watch list?
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Apr 13, 2022 11:12
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The Missenden Flyer, Alan Millyard
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Apr 13, 2022 12:13
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LimaBiker posted:The Missenden Flyer Not sure i'd recommend a vlogger who never says a bad word about a bike for fear of losing the freebies, and the less said about his Royal Enfield custom the better. e: He's also mates with Del from Delboy's Garage who is a literal danger and should be avoided at all costs, so his judgement is clearly suspect. Lungboy fucked around with this message at 13:27 on Apr 13, 2022 |
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Apr 13, 2022 12:31
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Millyard is good because he's that classic John Britten type who can make things in his tiny shop that shouldn't be possible. British bike reviewers can't be trusted they're incapable of giving a fair review of any Triumph.
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Apr 13, 2022 13:09
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unimportantguy posted:What motorcycle dudes on YouTube are worth watching? I like Jerry Palladino, FortNine, and DanDantheFireMan. Is there anyone else I should have on my watch list? Zack Courts and Ari Henning, formerly of Motorcyclist and currently on Revzilla. The podcast sucks though
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Apr 13, 2022 14:27
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unimportantguy posted:What motorcycle dudes on YouTube are worth watching? I like Jerry Palladino, FortNine, and DanDantheFireMan. Is there anyone else I should have on my watch list? What kind of riding are you into? Barry Morris (Cross Training Enduro Skills et al) is fun.
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Apr 13, 2022 14:35
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unimportantguy posted:What motorcycle dudes on YouTube are worth watching? I like Jerry Palladino, FortNine, and DanDantheFireMan. Is there anyone else I should have on my watch list? Itchy Boots Big Rock Moto Offroad-Offcourse
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Apr 13, 2022 16:29
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Slavvy posted:You don't need to jack it up, just turn the adjuster. It's a stepped collar and it doesn't get meaningfully easier if you unload the rear. If you haven't got a paddock stand and bobbins they would be a very good idea cause idk how you'll do the chain maintenance otherwise, idk what you can do with straps under the bike but it sounds scary. Derp, I guess I assumed that when they said you want 1/3rd of the travel when resting under weight, they meant from an unloaded start, not from the manual's rear travel number. In hindsight, those numbers are probably the same. The paddock stand and bobbins will be ordered very soon. Also got to ride in a crazy hailstorm coming home tonight in PDX, was mostly home and just on little side streets by the time it got lovely, but man was that nerve wracking riding around in pea gravel sized ice. At least I didn't fall over, so that's nice.
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Apr 14, 2022 04:28
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unimportantguy posted:What motorcycle dudes on YouTube are worth watching? I like Jerry Palladino, FortNine, and DanDantheFireMan. Is there anyone else I should have on my watch list? I've found tutorials on this tiny channel by a Russian instructor to be helpful: https://www.youtube.com/c/MotoControlEn/videos Although the guy recently fled Russia for reasons and the channel's future is up in the air Marlon only has a handful of videos and hasn't posted in a year, but I like his sense of humor: https://www.youtube.com/user/StrangelyBrownNo1/videos
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Apr 14, 2022 06:50
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unimportantguy posted:What motorcycle dudes on YouTube are worth watching? I like Jerry Palladino, FortNine, and DanDantheFireMan. Is there anyone else I should have on my watch list? I like GeoAlex, but he's not a talking head- just a dude that posts footage of his rides in pretty places. Maybe don't watch his channel if you don't want to consider buying an NC750.
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Apr 14, 2022 19:21
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Had a close call today. I was making a downhill right-hand turn, admittedly going a bit fast (30 in a 25) and riding in the far left lane position. The roads here had been dry for a few days and it had just started raining. It was a shallow turn so as I was approaching, I saw that traffic was backed up at the light around the corner. I began braking, but not soon enough, and braked a more aggressively as I started making the turn. The corner was a bit dusty and now damp, so the rear tire slid out sideways. I thought I was going to low-side, but I managed to correct and keep the bike upright. As I straightened up, I jumped the very low curb into the grass median and then got back into the road. As far as I remember, I didn't lock up either wheel. Looking back, I should have slowed down and took a less wide line through the turn to give my self enough margin to correct. I think I was also indecisive - I should have committed to stopping and adjusting before the turn rather than trying to adjust speed and direction while leaned over. And of course, this all happened about 30 seconds after I had just pulled out of my apartment building. I'm guessing my tires were a bit cold too, though I don't think that was a huge factor here.
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Apr 14, 2022 21:50
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Spiggy posted:I like GeoAlex, but he's not a talking head- just a dude that posts footage of his rides in pretty places. Maybe don't watch his channel if you don't want to consider buying an NC750. but what if I'm definitely considering buying an NC750 T Zero posted:Had a close call today. Nice save. I do my best to learn from every crash and almost-crash story I come across. Thanks for sharing.
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Apr 14, 2022 23:32
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Downhill right-handers are the bane of my riding existence.
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Apr 15, 2022 03:54
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So I’m excited for today. I didn’t get to ride anywhere near as much as I wanted last year so this year I’m trying to take some longer trips. I’m about to leave in an hour or so to ride up the Blue Ridge Parkway and hit up the Pisgah Inn to eat. It’s like 70 odd miles one way to get there. After that I figure I’ll ride around up there for a while and enjoy the scenery. Not a super long trip but definitely the longest trip I’ve taken on the bike so far.
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Apr 15, 2022 16:53
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Sounds fun! I find motorcycle miles to be about equivalent to city driving on a strange route; the increased vigilance and keeping myself on task scanning the road tires me out as much in an hour as an easier 2-3 hour drive. I bet you’re happily pooped when you get back.
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Apr 15, 2022 19:57
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