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Is there a plan for tomorrow or is it every man for himself? I appear to have sprained my left wrist, but it doesn't feel too bad on the bike so I am planning to go out anyway. Just might need to keep the miles reasonable.
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Jun 29, 2014 01:28
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| # ¿ May 12, 2024 16:35 |
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What was it like?
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Jun 29, 2014 03:30
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I am taking the family to breakfast in Plano tomorrow and leaving directly from there for a bit of a ride, but not too long of one because of that sprained wrist (which I have absolutely no idea how I got). I remain absolutely committed to getting the hell out of the house for a chunk of the day tomorrow, and besides, I got that hot weather gear and I want to see if it works. I don't have a real route plotted yet, but I'm thinking of taking Parker Rd. east to 1378 and joining up with this "East Dallas Bowtie" route that I found here: http://www.motorcycleroads.com/75/903/Texas/East-Dallas-Bowtie.html I don't know what anyone else is doing, but if you have any interest in that, I can plan to be in a specific place at a specific time to meet up, though it would probably be no earlier than 10 AM or so.
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Jun 29, 2014 04:33
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I ran without bar ends for a while and it caused this horrible rash on the backs of my hands. So bad I couldn't even sleep. I thought it was my gloves and went through a few pairs before I figured it out and cobbled up some weights to attach to my bar end mirrors. We are going to be at The Egg & I at Custer & Parker in Plano. If you're interested in that route I mentioned we could meet somewhere near Parker & 75. There is an In N Out just south of Parker on the northbound side near a Best Buy, for example, or a Starbucks a bit further west at Alma.
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Jun 29, 2014 13:45
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I did. See you then.
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Jun 29, 2014 15:14
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Yeah, I had a good time too. Turned out to be a pretty decent little route overall (except 470). I actually got the skullcap thing to keep my hair grease out of the helmet pads, and it does a good job of keeping the funk out of my helmet. I know I can wash the pads too but I've never had to. Now that you ask, though, I realize my head has never ever felt hot. I felt pretty comfy the whole time with that new shirt I got, too, so I guess that stuff was a good investment.
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Jun 30, 2014 02:08
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I understand about sleeping in. I think you earned that. It was not a real long ride anyway. I thought I would have trouble with my sprained wrist so I picked a short route, but it ended up being totally fine, of course.
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Jun 30, 2014 02:11
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I ended up using a long length of tubing, a yardstick and some oil (I hear ATF works well but I used 3-in-1 because that's what I had handy) to cobble up a homemade manometer when I balanced my carbs, so I don't have one. Doing it the way I did it was cheap but annoying because there was nothing to break up the vacuum pulses and the oil jumped up and down in both tubes quite a lot at idle. Is it possible to "bench sync" throttle valves (with cigarette papers or feeler gauges) like you do carbs? At least with carbs that's supposed to be almost as good, or equivalent, to doing it with the vacuum tool. The wind thing sucks. My neck was sore for two days after Sunday's ride, due to the wind I think. But after you've been dealing with it for a while you'll probably build up stronger muscles, which might help. You will get used to stuff like the bike moving around in weird ways. I used to have one turn on the way to work where it would feel like my back wheel would slip about every other time I went through that intersection, even when it was dry, but I never went down and after a while my heart rate didn't even change when it happened. When those wheels are spinning, and generating that gyroscopic force, the bike really tries to stay upright--and as long as you have traction it's really hard to lose control of it. If you really want to make sure you've eliminated the carbs as a source of any future issues you may have, such as your lovely idle, the only way to do that is to pull them and very thoroughly clean them out with B-12, compressed air, and maybe real thin wire like welding tip cleaners. Pilot jets like to clog and I tried running Seafoam, etc. through mine but in the end I had to do the job the right way. It's not difficult. Just smelly and sort of tedious, but it's a good feeling knowing your carbs are totally squeaky clean when you're done. You might end up fixing a vacuum leak when you put it all back together too.
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Jul 3, 2014 05:00
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I'm not sure yet what we're doing this weekend so you can put me down for a "maybe". My exhaust does not leak but it is also loud as hell. Downtown is a long way down 75 for me, but I've been spoiled by rides starting in McKinney, I suppose. edit--also lol at MNS's metric of summer heat tolerability being "not dead" Alceste fucked around with this message at 15:15 on Jul 9, 2014 |
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Jul 9, 2014 15:11
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I sure used to enjoy playing video games  I sold the Wii and I haven't bothered to get a PS or XBox since we had kids and it will probably be several more years before I can even think about having enough time for something like that. The last time I was able to play anything was Portal 2 on my now-obsolete laptop. I'd be more comfortable at an Angry Birds convention these days. I was also just reminded that I have in-laws coming to town on Saturday, so it wouldn't be in my best interests to be gone that day unless I bring someone with me, which precludes riding the bike. I can probably still get out on Sunday, but a gaming convention isn't going to do anything for me (especially for $30 admission) so I will figure out something for myself and I hope you all have fun.
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Jul 10, 2014 15:05
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Saturday or Sunday?
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Jul 11, 2014 15:02
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I don't suppose anyone is going out on Sunday then...?
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Jul 13, 2014 02:00
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I went out and tried the "East Dallas Bowtie" again yesterday, but ended up having a lovely time because a lot of it is now covered in loose gravel and/or chipseal, particularly on 1377. I had a fun 30 minutes or so before I started running into that and decided to head home rather than risk going down in the middle of nowhere, alone. I can never get used to that shimmying, almost-fishtailing feeling of being on loose dirt and gravel. It was on curves and straights and sometimes there were warning signs, but not always. On the bright side, that tech base layer stuff plus a Frogg Toggs evaporative cooling towel thingy kept me comfortable the entire time, but the towel dried out way faster than I thought it would and the crispy edges irritated my throat a bit. I'm sure it's not designed to stay damp in 60-90 mph winds though.
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Jul 14, 2014 14:53
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Figures. We have a freak cold front move through and fast-forward our weather to late October, and that's when I have in-laws visiting and can't free up a day to ride to Mena. I did get to go horseback riding, shooting, and got a nice sunburn at the pool so it wasn't a total loss. I think the pictures look fine too. It's good to see a trip report on this, at least. I will probably just have to do the ride by myself someday. Maybe after I get those peg lowering brackets that I've been thinking about. My longest ride to date was only about 250 miles, but it was hard on my knees.
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Jul 21, 2014 16:03
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Anybody going out this weekend? Wife is working tomorrow so I have to stay home with the kids but I've Sunday time available. I know it's going to be hot as all kinds of hell but I'm still itching to ride.
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Jul 25, 2014 15:30
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Yeah, I figure I'll keep it on the short side due to the heat--if that's agreeable to all involved--but last time I went out in 100 degrees I felt all right. Did you really end up getting that super expensive astronaut cooling gear?
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Jul 25, 2014 16:21
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Oh good, I thought you were joking originally and was getting ready to feel stupid about it if you weren't. If you want to go, what route are you thinking?
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Jul 25, 2014 16:57
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I bought a set of PR3's at Motorcycle Superstore last year and mounted them myself, using the ounce-of-airsoft-pellets-inside-the-tire balancing method. I think I'd be willing to pay $310 not to go through that experience again. Then again, I do know the tricks now. I'm not sure what roads are scenic around here. Didn't you all go somewhere out to the west at one point that had mountains, or at least some hills?
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Jul 25, 2014 21:10
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Every time I've had a bike inspected all I saw them do was walk around it. No one ever made me do a stop test. I wonder if the place I was using was lazy or what--they told me it took longer to enter my info in the computer than to do the actual inspection. My sticker expires this month so I guess I'll find out soon if the place I go to here in McKinney does things differently than they did in Plano. I see we're still looking for a consensus on where to go tomorrow. I have no specific preference. My only real constraint is that I can't be gone all day; I need to be back by late afternoon.
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Jul 26, 2014 21:59
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Works for me! \/\/\/ Is that place at Midway & Spring Valley? Alceste fucked around with this message at 03:13 on Jul 27, 2014 |
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Jul 26, 2014 23:06
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I didn't want to just keep making "sounds great!" posts over and over without hearing from anyone else, but this would probably work best for me too, so I'll be there.
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Jul 27, 2014 04:32
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Three out of four gun-loving, motorcycle-riding, IT industry goons choose Suzuki! Thanks for leading again, and thanks for the photos. Thoroughly enjoyed myself, as before. The tire thing is kind of funny. Here are a couple that I took.  
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Jul 28, 2014 14:38
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Someone in one of the other threads posted pictures of a furry sheepskin seat cover. That would look less hardcore than beads, I bet. When I got back, my kids both said they missed me when I was out riding yesterday. That and not fully knowing what plans have been made for me next weekend--I know we're having people over on Saturday but that's it--make me unable to comment about the rest of your post. It would be criminal not to take advantage of that nice weather, though, assuming we actually get it.edit: here we go http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3098443&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=240#post432210628 edit 2: we are taking the kids to the circus at 10:30 Sunday at the AAC, so I won't be able to make it. Alceste fucked around with this message at 18:36 on Jul 29, 2014 |
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Jul 28, 2014 20:14
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And a quieter helmet too, I see.
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Aug 7, 2014 03:17
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What model is it? I have always really, really, really wished that my RF1100 had come with a pinlock. I am not entirely clear if it's possible to retrofit one to mine or not. Also, that's a very nice deal.
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Aug 7, 2014 03:23
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For what it's worth, I've been happy with my Shoei for the nearly three years I've been using it. Other than the fogging, and thinking the wind noise could be a little better, that is. But I have nothing to compare it to. I looked a little more and it does look like I can get the pinlock setup for mine, but it's about $80 for both pieces and I'd have to give up my flamboyant reflective blue tinted one.  I'll give it some thought though.
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Aug 7, 2014 04:03
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Yeah, me too. I was hesitant at first because Bedford is a long way from McKinney, especially if it's cold, but I'm almost certainly not going to win a slot anyway so what the hell. If I get a chance to ride the first electric Harley, it's probably going to be worth the trip. Thanks MNS.
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Aug 13, 2014 16:29
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I wouldn't mind hearing about the long trip MNS and Kuffs just got back from--assuming you're both back by now--if you feel like posting about it.
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Sep 4, 2014 15:32
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We already had lots of plans for this weekend but I wish I could have gone to that. Looks like it was a lot of fun. I hope they do it next year so I can try then.
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Sep 7, 2014 16:57
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I've been feeling like that too. Rode to Plano to run some errands earlier this week just for an excuse to do it, though it was mostly in a straight line unfortunately. If anyone's out in the afternoon on Sunday, I might be able to join, but in the morning I'll probably be riding the trails with the kids on a pedal bike instead. I have to watch them while my wife gets her hair and nails done before our vacation next week. If everything goes right, next Friday we should be riding around Maui on a rented Heritage Softail.
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Oct 3, 2014 16:36
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All right, I'll try to make sure I remain free that afternoon. As of now there aren't any other plans. I'd be fine with swapping for a bit to see what the faired version with clip ons feels like. And fuel injection. I can tell you that highway speeds are a bit of a beating, mostly about the head and neck, but your height may work better with the little flyscreen that's on my bike.
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Oct 3, 2014 21:06
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Ha ha, wow. That's a sharp bike other than the, uh, skulls. Are you going to want to take it out tomorrow? I'm sure the picture doesn't do it justice. Going fared was almost certainly the best choice if you're going to be going on more long road trips. 70+ on my bike for long stretches tends to fatigue me a lot from all the work I have to do to keep my head straight. I should be able to meet somewhere in the McKinney area around 1 if that works for anyone else. Otherwise I can try to catch up with you somewhere further down the road.
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Oct 5, 2014 01:40
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kuffs posted:My coworker is out, but I'm still down. Alceste, you want lunch or not? I'll get lunch with the kids here before I head out to meet you guys. Still the Pub at 1?
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Oct 5, 2014 18:01
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I don't know if anyone cares about this--I mentioned it to MNS and kuffs over lunch at our last ride--but I rented a 2014 Heritage Softail for a day when my wife and I were in Maui recently for our 10th anniversary. My first bike was a girl-sized metric cruiser but I'd never had any experience with Harleys or any big bike in general. It was a first for my wife, too, who had never spent more than about 5 minutes on the back of a bike with me. We rode around for about 8 hours that day. It figures that my longest ride, in terms of saddle time--we were going pretty slow most of the time, so not many miles--was not on my own bike. Generally I had a great time and enjoyed riding the Softail. The two things I hated were the footboards, which would scrape on what felt like even the slightest lean, which I had to do a lot, because we were riding coastal roads up and down the mountains full of switchbacks and tight sweepers; and how heavy and barely-stable the thing felt at low speeds. Every time I had to back into or out of a parking space, I felt like I was going to dump it. Having a passenger made it worse of course, but even without I think it would have been a chore. It wasn't very loud with stock pipes but it was very, very hot in traffic. Lots of heat pouring off that 103 ci motor. It was not fast (my wife disagreed with me here) but speed limits were 35-45 the whole time anyway, so that didn't matter too much. It had lots of torque though, and didn't mind having two people on it at all. The front brake was very powerful for being only a single rotor. The riding position was comfortable, although the seat was too squishy for me. The main thing I liked was how chunky and solid everything felt, especially the transmission. Shifting every gear produced a satisfying thunk! and eventually I even got used to upshifting with my heel. It was the perfect way to tour the island, and the only way I'd have wanted to negotiate those narrow cliff roads and one-lane bridges. The big bike was the only way to go with two people, but having said that, I feel like I would have had a lot more fun on my bike or at least on something sporty. Anyway, here are a few of the pictures I took on the ride, if anyone is interested: http://imgur.com/a/JTdNQ Alceste fucked around with this message at 20:21 on Oct 21, 2014 |
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Oct 21, 2014 16:09
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Goddamn floorboards made me go over the double yellow one time, coming out of Iao Valley when one of those switchbacks surprised me. I really had to think ahead of time about my lines through those tight turns. Fortunately I didn't run into one of those sheer walls instead, and no one was coming the other way. Still embarrassing. I really wish someone had had an FJR/Concours/BMW whatever for rent instead. There was another place that would rent you a KLR (or similar) to ride to the top of Mt. Haleakala but I would have had to do that by myself, and it was a full day excursion for nearly twice what I paid to rent the Harley. I'd love to get into motorcycle touring in general and bikes like the ones you mentioned would be a better fit for me, but it's going to be a long, long time before anything like that is a realistic possibility. Are any of you guys thinking of doing the Talimena ride again in the next month or so? I wouldn't mind taking another shot at that, if the weather's dry.
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Oct 22, 2014 15:34
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We almost went early this summer/late spring, but it was raining and I chickened out because it didn't sound like fun in that weather. MNS ended up doing it himself later on--can't remember if kuffs went along too, but I still haven't made it myself. Here's his original post on the subject. Also http://www.talimenascenicdrive.com/. Basically it's a pretty highway stretch in east OK/west AR that is a manageable day trip from DFW, from what I understand. e: image link for the map/route is broken now but maybe MNS can repost it Alceste fucked around with this message at 18:05 on Oct 22, 2014 |
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Oct 22, 2014 17:53
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M. Night Skymall posted:I still haven't changed the tires on it yet.  the hivemind is gonna be mad at you!! Did you change the tires on your SV yourself? Can't remember. If you lack anything for the job, I probably have it, though it might be the ghetto equivalent (e.g. bigass C-clamp + scrap wood bead breaker). The best trick I learned during the miserable experience of changing 3 tires was to tie up the new one with industrial grade twist ties to scrunch it up so the beads were only a few inches apart. Then it drops right onto the rim and then you can pull the ties off. Paracord or thin, strong twine would probably work too. I don't think I can make a full weekend ride to the Ozarks but Talimena should be doable for me, in general. I'm pretty open between now and Thanksgiving. Do we have enough daylight left not to have to ride the whole way home in the dark? Deer are my main concern there.
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Oct 22, 2014 19:40
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They did hold up fine on the last group ride, though I got the impression you were riding conservatively due to that and/or the bike being new. That fancy-pants imported European stand looks like a nice setup and there have been more than a few times I wished it was easier to get both ends of my bike up at once. I like my cheap rear stand but my cheap fork stand doesn't work very well, and eventually I will be forced to get a triple tree stand instead. After further consideration I realized I am on lockdown this coming weekend, since I went on a hunting trip last weekend immediately following our vacation  but other than that, speaking purely for myself, I'd say the sooner the better on Talimena...unless it would make any difference to wait until after the DST time change on Sunday the 2nd.
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Oct 22, 2014 22:24
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Anybody going out this weekend? This is about when I need to start reserving my time.
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Oct 30, 2014 16:52
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| # ¿ May 12, 2024 16:35 |
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I wasn't thinking about that cold front when I posted that, so something local would be best, I suppose. I just need to get out and run some gas through the carbs, one way or another. I keep trying to find excuses to ride but I keep not being able to because I need to bring things home that don't fit in my pockets, or I need to not have to wear a hat when I get there. This is pretty much the only respect in which not having to commute isn't awesome. I managed to ride out to Frisco to meet a friend for lunch today, at least. If you don't mind my asking, how did your license plate and signals etc. get ripped off? I almost lost mine once when I bottomed out the rear suspension on a bad patch of road and the bottom of the license plate--the PO put this extra piece underneath it for the inspection sticker--contacted the tire, I think; but I had already built a DIY fender eliminator (which is easy on curvies) and I believe my placement of the license plate bracket was mostly at fault. I don't know what you guys have heard but I've been informed that in Texas you're not legally required to have turn signals on a motorcycle, cuz God gave ya a left arm what with to make signals with. Of course that seems like the wrong end of the risk:benefit ratio to me but so does riding without a helmet, and the same people tend to do both.
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Oct 30, 2014 20:17
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