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You can absolutely burn a few days kicking around the city and have a great time seeing all kinds of stuff. But the great thing about the bay isn't just SF, it's the stuff that surrounds it. If you're into nature and hiking, I'd recommend spending the weekend in the city without relying on the car much, and on your way in or out hitting something like Muir Woods for a gorgeous, famous spot. The traffic is bad around rush hour as always if you're going with traffic, but generally fine if you're going against traffic. So leaving SF to go north or south is generally fine on weekdays. Alcatraz books up so its worth looking at what tour you want to do and booking in advance. Weather is intermittently crappy, but probably doesn't even make it on the bad weather scale for Canadians. I totally recommend coming out for a weekend just to see how you like the area, there's plenty of nice things to see and do - it's hard to give solid recommendations without know more about what you like cause there's really something for everyone, including museums of modern art, natural history, esoteric SF stuff, awesome parks, food of all variety, blah blah blah. You will absolutely have enough stuff to do just kicking around the city for a few days, taking public transit or lyft though 
Z3n fucked around with this message at 23:28 on Mar 30, 2015 |
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Mar 30, 2015 23:24
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Personally, I think Big Basin is much better to visit than Muir Woods.
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Mar 30, 2015 23:51
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Awesome, thanks for the advice. Without totally dragging this out, where should a person be looking for hotels with easy access to transit for tourists? I'm seeing tons of hotels downtown/fishermans wharf area for all $300+, which, while do-able, isn't exactly what I would hope for. Not trying to be a cheapskate, but something like a Hampton for <$200 would be nice  I'm thinking I'm just looking in the wrong area of town
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Mar 31, 2015 02:17
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Air bnb is your friend here.
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Mar 31, 2015 02:26
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I wasn't horrified by Beck's Motor Lodge near the Castro, and it wasn't especially expensive. Bike was there the next morning. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60713-d112289-Reviews-Beck_s_Motor_Lodge-San_Francisco_California.html
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Mar 31, 2015 02:27
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cursedshitbox posted:Air bnb is your friend here. Thanks for the idea. but my quick look shows rates higher than many of the hotels, especially once you include the cleaning fees, no parking, etc. I found quite a few that are within budget in the Gateway Blvd area of South SF not far from the airport and include parking. Like a Hilton Express for $180 which isn't crazy. Not super close, but as long as transit isn't lovely I can live with that. I really appreciate the info guys. I know this is the chat thread but still e: aaaaand, Mrs. Slidebite wants to fly if we go to SFO and not drive, so looks like we'll be holding off. slidebite fucked around with this message at 03:41 on Mar 31, 2015 |
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Mar 31, 2015 03:13
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SF is just like, eye bleedingly expensive so be prepared for that when you do come to visit
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Mar 31, 2015 03:57
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You can always stay in the east bay, or down to like, Milbrae, for a lot cheaper, and take BART into the city.
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Mar 31, 2015 04:18
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Don't stay in Fisherman's Wharf and don't go to Fisherman's Wharf. AirBnB something around Church & Market.
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Mar 31, 2015 05:52
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Flying over to Chicago in June for my cousins wedding, we're doing airbnb for the first time. We're getting a fully furnished apartment for a third of the price of a nice hotel room that we looked at two blocks over. Any Chicagoons up in here? We're in town for 10 days.
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Mar 31, 2015 09:40
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slidebite posted:Thanks for the idea. but my quick look shows rates higher than many of the hotels, especially once you include the cleaning fees, no parking, etc. Don't you have a giant touring bike purpose built for just such a trip?
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Mar 31, 2015 10:51
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Jim Silly-Balls posted:If you haven't yet, rev it up, it doesn't necessarily give the impression in the low revs, but the versys motor loves to work in the latter half of the rev range.
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Mar 31, 2015 11:02
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Thought so. I have more factory weirdness to worry about than old worn outness on this new Buell. Melted my clutch cable on the front header pipe. The paperclip-like wire form guide that holds the cable away from the exhaust broke who knows when and my cable rested on the pipe. There's a new $10 wire form that is way beefier: This is why you ride your new bike. That guide and the $50 cable would have been covered under warranty had this bike ever really been ridden. It's gonna be fun shaking everything out. The old one had most stuff already shook out by the time I got it.
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Mar 31, 2015 17:49
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Collateral Damage posted:It's the same motor, but is there any tuning difference between the Ninja 650 and Versys? Like you say with the Versys, the Ninja doesn't really wake up until about 6k rpm either. It has the whole "Tuned for low-end" kind of deal with different cams that manufacturers typically do. Less top end power but still the same kind of vibe.
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Mar 31, 2015 18:37
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Collateral Damage posted:It's the same motor, but is there any tuning difference between the Ninja 650 and Versys? Like you say with the Versys, the Ninja doesn't really wake up until about 6k rpm either. Different cams/compression ratio, different exhaust, but same mounting points, so versii can run ninja exhausts and vice versa. Also different ecu maps for both the full power and 33hp maps. On paper it's the same "retuned for the street!!!!" crap that manufacturers pull for sportbike engines that they put in street bikes. The difference is that kawi actually pulled it off. The versys motor has more torque and only gives up a couple of hp. In 99% of situations it's the better motor, as evidenced by the fact that you never really see people swapping ninja parts into the versys, like they do with sportbike parts into their street bike motors. People mostly build on the stock versys motor rather than converting it to a ninja motor first. There also seem to be more instances of people putting versys motors into ninjas than the other way around. So there's that, I guess.
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Mar 31, 2015 19:58
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ReelBigLizard posted:Flying over to Chicago in June for my cousins wedding, we're doing airbnb for the first time. We're getting a fully furnished apartment for a third of the price of a nice hotel room that we looked at two blocks over. I know there's a few of us in the city and suburbs. Whereabout in Chicago are you going to be staying?
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Mar 31, 2015 20:06
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ReelBigLizard posted:Flying over to Chicago in June for my cousins wedding, we're doing airbnb for the first time. We're getting a fully furnished apartment for a third of the price of a nice hotel room that we looked at two blocks over. There's a few of us hiding around here. This site might interest you: http://www.ridemfast.com/
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Mar 31, 2015 20:47
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Vested interest. Get it? See, in order to make a pun, the uncredited author suggests that the police, who are passing out vests, have a vested interest in passing out said vests. Please overlook the logical disconnect and just go with it. NOW do you get it? http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/03/31/motorcycle-safety-michigan-vests/70711758/ Also, congratulations to whatever accounting firm was hired to study motorcyclists in Michigan and determine that 5% were wearing hi viz. Did they attend two HOG rallies and call it good?
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Mar 31, 2015 22:59
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That doesn't seem so far off from Bay Area numbers and I see a lot of full gear road warriors regularly. Blue gear rules, high vis drools.
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Mar 31, 2015 23:53
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I'm pretty sure the effect high-viz has on making you more visible during the day is so close to zero as to make no difference anyway.
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Apr 1, 2015 01:01
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Slavvy posted:I'm pretty sure the effect high-viz has on making you more visible during the day is so close to zero as to make no difference anyway. I have the landing light from a loving C130 on the front of my bike and people still cant see my big fat rear end on my big fat bike.
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Apr 1, 2015 01:51
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It's the cumulative effect of all of your efforts, so: wear hi viz, wear protective gear, run straight pipes, use a modulator, be aware, be sober, think ahead. Use training wheels. Don't ride.
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Apr 1, 2015 01:58
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clutchpuck posted:It's the cumulative effect of all of your efforts, so: wear hi viz, wear protective gear, run straight pipes, use a modulator, be aware, be sober, think ahead. OK, what's a modulator?
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Apr 1, 2015 02:01
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The super obnoxious flashy headlight thing.
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Apr 1, 2015 02:04
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Slavvy posted:I'm pretty sure the effect high-viz has on making you more visible during the day is so close to zero as to make no difference anyway. But...but they said the study was scientific. From the state's official announcement: “This is a continuation of efforts to encourage motorcycle rider training, proper license endorsements, and the use of high visibility gear,” said Michael L. Prince, OHSP director. “We learned in focus groups that many riders think only of construction-type vests as options for high-visibility clothing. The vests we are providing combine visibility with function and will be something many riders will want to wear.” Hey maaaan, I wasn't going to take the MSF, but I hear they're giving away a stylish yellow VEST, so yeah. Count me IN.
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Apr 1, 2015 02:32
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They actually bothered to half-arse a study? Here in Aus the Victorian government just decided that all new riders must wear high-vis for the first three years they're on the road and when pressed for justification basically just said "we're pretty sure it'll make new riders safer".
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Apr 1, 2015 02:44
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Ephphatha posted:They actually bothered to half-arse a study? Here in Aus the Victorian government just decided that all new riders must wear high-vis for the first three years they're on the road and when pressed for justification basically just said "we're pretty sure it'll make new riders safer". This is a state that repealed a 40-year old law and made helmets optional for all but the newest riders back in 2012. Taxpayers were quick to pick up on the mixed signals/irony.
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Apr 1, 2015 03:07
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Here there is a (small and laughably impotent) motorcycle lobby group. They've given up on trying to change major stuff like licensing, training etc and are instead running ads to tell people not to wear all black gear, lobbying councils to try and reduce lethal objects at the side of high-casualty roads and so on. I have yet to feel a quantifiable benefit from their existence.
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Apr 1, 2015 03:10
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Hi-Viz vests scream "I'm a cheap fucker that doesn't want to buy a decent jacket that already has reflective paneling in it" and it brings to mind grandpas wearing sweatshirts and Wrangler jeans on their Rebels and Pacific Coasts. Go buy a Joe Rocket jacket you old penny-pinching gently caress.
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Apr 1, 2015 03:23
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I treat my life like garbage, heedlessly throwing my carcass into the path of larger vehicles. Drivers are averse to killing what wants to die. They take pride in the hunt, the thrill of the kill. They do not want a suicidal fly splattered on their bumper. They want to hit you, they do not want to be hit by you. To understand this is to understand the Dao of Dong.  Edit. Ugh. My grips.
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Apr 1, 2015 06:21
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Chichevache posted:They want to hit you, they do not want to be hit by you. To understand this is to understand the Dao of Dong. From the mouths of babes. This is one of the truest things ever said in this forum.
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Apr 1, 2015 06:25
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Calling it the Suicycle seems optimistic. I mean besides it killing itself. Grips are not your problem...I'd worry about the exploding motors.
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Apr 1, 2015 06:28
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nsaP posted:Calling it the Suicycle seems optimistic. I mean besides it killing itself. Grips are not your problem...I'd worry about the exploding motors. It'll be an assisted suicide next time I catch it slippin.
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Apr 1, 2015 06:37
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Chichevache posted:It'll be an assisted suicide next time I catch it slippin. Oh god now your clutch is slipping?
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Apr 1, 2015 07:17
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americanzero4128 posted:I know there's a few of us in the city and suburbs. Whereabout in Chicago are you going to be staying? I think dead centre of the city, a few blocks from The Godfrey Hotel. captainOrbital posted:There's a few of us hiding around here. Cool, I'll check it out. Not sure if I'm too bothered about riding on road while I'm there. At the very least I'd have to figure out the insurance implications (thanks to your insane medical system). Just thought it would be nice to grab some goon beers if I have a night off family stuff.
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Apr 1, 2015 08:45
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Whelp, all that practice clutchless shifting for shits and giggles really paid off last night when my clutch cable snapped. I was out running some errands after work when I got the really sickening feeling of my clutch lever suddenly pulling in too far. Luckily I was in a parking lot at the time, so I was able to pop it into neutral, thumb the starter, and walk it fast enough to drop it into first without stalling. Wasn't bad once I got moving, just had to time the lights extremely well to avoid stopping, and most of the way home was rural freeway, so there were only a handful of lights anyways. I'm done with lovely salty Midwestern winters 
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Apr 1, 2015 12:25
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Ripoff posted:Hi-Viz vests scream "I'm a cheap fucker that doesn't want to buy a decent jacket that already has reflective paneling in it" and it brings to mind grandpas wearing sweatshirts and Wrangler jeans on their Rebels and Pacific Coasts. I have to show an ID at least twice to get to work. It's vest or arm band on my jacket, and I lose little poo poo way too often to use the arm band. So the vest it is, at least in the mornings.
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Apr 1, 2015 13:33
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You're incapable of showing ID by pulling it out of a pocket?
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Apr 1, 2015 13:38
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Digital_Jesus posted:You're incapable of showing ID by pulling it out of a pocket? Without stopping, taking off a glove and holding up traffic? Not worth the hassle when I can just wear a stupid vest for my morning commute, and the issue dissapears.
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Apr 1, 2015 13:53
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clutchpuck posted:Thought so. I have more factory weirdness to worry about than old worn outness on this new Buell. Melted my clutch cable on the front header pipe. The paperclip-like wire form guide that holds the cable away from the exhaust broke who knows when and my cable rested on the pipe. There's a new $10 wire form that is way beefier: That's incredible. You'd think that was a bug shaken out very early in the design pha....nah, that ...nah, it can't be that silly. They probably tested it.
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Apr 1, 2015 14:09
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