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Howdges posted:E: Everyone says the rebel is microscopic too so that's probably my best bet As others said, flat-footing is nice, but not strictly necessary- my starter bike I think I was able to juuuust barely touch ground with both balls of my feet/metatarsals. It just meant using them to balance at stops, then relaxing over to one foot (usually left) to wait for the light. It also meant a little extra care watching for cases where steep slopes meet flat ground, first drop was the result of stopping with the rear on a driveway slope and the front on flat ground, leaving me unable to touch ground in the middle. I wouldn't let it be a dealbreaker if it expands your starter bike options to something you like better.
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Jan 22, 2022 20:47
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unimportantguy posted:Hot drat where do you live? I live in California, which I'm told is one of the most expensive states in the US to insure a motorcycle in, and I just got a quote for less than this for comprehensive insurance. ($435/yr if anyone wants to tell me if that's a good deal or not) It's in the right ballpark. I'm paying $184/yr through California Casualty for 50k/100k liability and a $500 deductible on comprehensive collision, but that's with a pretty much ideal situation. Multi-vehicle discounts, book value around $4k and not classed as a sportbike. Prices probably vary widely depending on whether they class something as sportbike or a common theft target.
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Feb 17, 2022 17:21
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I’d consider not maintaining that list at all yet, and instead keep a list of specific ways where your current bike lets you down. Some might not matter so much after another year of experience. The itch might not even arrive so soon, which would be ideal given the overconfident period that is pending. Remy Marathe fucked around with this message at 21:07 on Mar 29, 2022 |
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Mar 29, 2022 20:53
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FBS posted:I feel like I'm starting this riding season right in the jaws of my overconfident period. I can sense its presence but I'm not sure what to do about it. I'm struggling with this too right now, my confidence is Jekyll and Hyde since returning to riding. I'm either unexpectedly dragging a peg or making a mistake I spot as dumb luck for not ruining my day, and getting properly spooked, or I'm cringeing my way through a turn. My muscle memory has outperformed all expectations (I literally patted the air at first where my old tank sat 10 years prior) but I'm having a hell of a time getting my mind into the proper calm but duly attentive state for more than snatches of time. I've simultaneously been riding for either 7 years or all of 4 months.
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Mar 30, 2022 03:42
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:Build one yourself. Get a tool roll and piece it together. Metric sockets on a 1/4” drive with extension or t-handle wrench. Needlenose and slip joint pliers, locking hemostat, screwdriver, utility knife, axle wrench, metric box wrenches, electrical tape, zip ties, wire, set of Allen keys. Couple pairs of nitrile gloves. I stuff some of my bits and tools in old socks. They’re contained and I have a rag that way. When I was looking at EDC ideas recently there were two for avoiding whole rolls of tape that I hadn't thought of: winding some e-tape around one of your wrench handles, and keeping a strip of duct tape on wax paper if you've got a flat case bottom or big pocket where that makes sense.
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Mar 31, 2022 02:05
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I've been lucky enough to hit a sweet spot 3 times now on almost-new bikes from private sellers, I think somewhere in the first couple thousand miles is when people realize when they have a bad fit in some way and sell to cut their losses (or upgrade). If you find someone asking book value, you might still be saving the $2-$3k in dealer's fees and taxes on top of the sticker price. It's a sea of silly pricing for the most part, helps to have cash ready and check obsessively daily for when that random person posts something for a fair price.
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Mar 31, 2022 06:10
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T Zero posted:My parking spot faces down hill, so I'd have to be able to reverse the bike out uphill. As I am terrible at on-the-fly parking reasoning, I've managed to put myself in situations where I've had no choice but to push a heavier bike uphill using the handlebars from in front of the bike, which is awkward at best. Much safer to use gravity and brakes to roll backward into a spot while you're on it, and the engine to leave it.
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Apr 1, 2022 23:55
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If anyone in central California is hunting one of those, check Goleta craigslist for someone dumping their '21 for $5500. After 975 miles, the owner is now a master of riding it and ready to upgrade.
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Apr 4, 2022 01:30
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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. Even still, going maybe 10-15mph through a blind right-hander, I hit some gravel and the bike slipped out a lot, I'm not really sure what exactly the lizard brain did but my inside foot kicked asphalt, instead of staying tucked properly on the peg which was not yet dragging. I have no idea if I spazzed and kicked ground when I should've just squeezed tank and trusted the tires, or if that kick was needed at the time. My friend's Lowrider S was in the lead and he slid a bit too, was freaked when he saw the gravel kicked up in the mirror. I was riding 1-up today thankfully, this has made me realize with clarity that there are rides I will not take a passenger.
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Apr 11, 2022 02:51
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I'm having a really hard time gauging that in respect to returning to riding- most of the time it feels "like riding a bike" in that I'm benefitting from all those miles I put on 10+ years ago. But then there's the random things I forgot and now find myself re-learning. After commuting again for about 800 it doesn't feel unsafe when my wife and I go on normal streets & highways, but maybe I'm being cavalier and foolish.
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Apr 11, 2022 03:15
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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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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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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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Downhill right-handers are the bane of my riding existence.
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Apr 15, 2022 03:54
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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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I put 7 years and 17,000 miles on a 45hp/500cc "starter" bike, and still had room for improvement when I stopped. While it's true that all beginners should start on tamer bikes, it's not true that all future use cases call for more powerful bikes. I downsized when I started riding again after thinking back, because for commuting and short errands, a 200cc bike is more nimble, flexible, and frankly fun to ride on the streets. It's not an economy or skill thing, on the way to work I can either wring out a VanVan while it does what it was made to do, or practice restraint and low-speed crawls on a Triumph between stoplights. 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 24, 2022 04:27
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There's a point around 50mph or so where a larger bug really smarts if it hits your face, and a low but omnipresent risk at all speeds of a random bug getting into your helmet and flapping around by your ear, which is a good reason to mentally prepare in advance to NOT FREAK OUT when that happens and pull over ASAP. Having earplugs in when it happens also contributes to peace of mind.
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Apr 25, 2022 00:56
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I dunno about you, but the 10 years I spent not-riding was punctuated throughout with "itch to ride" phases that normally passed quickly because it wasn't practical at the time. Always a twinge of wistfulness seeing motorcycles, even in video games. I could name a dozen reasons I like riding but there's this weird addiction to steering underlying it, like White Castle burgers or crack, that I don't quite understand.
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Apr 28, 2022 01:37
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Are pinlocks reusable if treated carefully and stored in a plastic bag or something? When I installed my Arai's this winter it had a sort of soft gelled rim that made me think it might not hold up under removal and reinstallation. To add to helmet-hunting: When you have a prospect or two in mind, keep it on your head as long as you can, wear it around the store while you look at gloves or something. An unaccustomed head stuffed into a helmet that's not broken in will normally be a little irritated, but you're looking for particularly bothered areas/hot spots. And do your best to buy it from the place that lets you try them on.
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Apr 29, 2022 15:07
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right arm posted:ya lol there’s really no reason to I was thinking one less pane of visor and a little less refraction to look through during the summer, but yeah already tempted to keep it in for random high humidity or fog days.
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Apr 29, 2022 19:44
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Seems to me that in the "functional gear" category you get your choice of black leather, black textile/mesh, or the latter in a variety of vomit-inducing colors with which to build a clownsuit. In the "style" category you can dress up as anything you want as long as it's "cruiser person" or "vintage motorcycling person", and don't mind dubious build quality and a probable lack of padding or protection.
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Apr 30, 2022 17:29
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It probably doesn't help your situation that gear fit is meant to be tight, keeping pads etc. in place. On the other end of the spectrum I searched practically every gear store in the greater Los Angeles area and found one armored jacket small enough for my tiny sunken chest, a single XS Joe Rocket jacket hidden at the back of the rack in a gear superstore. IMO teal is very cool if you can get some hot pink in there! But obviously the coolest thing is not caring what you look like. I have not accomplished this and actually feel silly that my gear accidentally matched the vanvan's color scheme, so now I look like team Rocket.
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Apr 30, 2022 17:55
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We get evening "sundowners" here sometimes, strong winds that blow from the desert & foothills to the coastline and hit the coastal highway directly from the side. Those cause an especially spooky feeling of your tires being slid out from under you. Wind gusts can tip semis over, so there's clearly a point at which wind gets genuinely dangerous. That said I'm not sure if wind is any more dangerous for a bike than your average car; the more you can relax in spite of your stress, both body and controls, the less fatiguing it is. One time the sundowners were scary enough that a friend and I pulled over to wait them out, and watched the freeway from an overpass while we killed time. Saw someone flying along on a dual sport of some kind, standing up on the bike, and we thought that was on the crazy side of brave. In hindsight I wonder if they were trying to shift weight forward to stabilize the steering or something.
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May 7, 2022 23:23
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Has anyone here done the MSF "BASIC RIDERCOURSE 2"? I'm curious what the exercises are like, they just resumed them here post-covid and I'm seriously considering it with the T120. I've only done the BRC back when I started and I felt a lot cockier at the idea of dropping one of their little beater bikes.
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May 27, 2022 03:20
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If you whine about a speeding ticket it's your own chump rear end you have to blame for overrunning your cop sight distance.
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Jun 17, 2022 03:40
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GriszledMelkaba posted:This is a good supermoto to start on
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Jun 23, 2022 04:02
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I have a gear indicator for the first time and it’s a constant internal struggle not look down at it. It seems like the equivalent of looking at one’s feet while learning to dance. I can’t help it though
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Jun 23, 2022 22:04
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Phy posted:Anecdotally, one thing a tach is good for is helping you unlearn the bad habit of shifting way too early ImplicitAssembler posted:I really only use mine to check that I got it into neutral. In general too busy too look ahead to look down.
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Jun 24, 2022 01:30
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I'm the thick orange bar spanning all gears, and I'm fuckin' with your mind e; vvvvvvv Ohhhh ok that clicked. Remy Marathe fucked around with this message at 05:36 on Jun 25, 2022 |
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Jun 25, 2022 03:51
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It looks great, what is it?
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Jun 27, 2022 04:33
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JSB you remind me of similar conundrum I had last weekend moving from the center to side stand. You have to be on the left of the bike to ensure the side stand stays pointed right. Using or leaving the center stand i usually am holding the tail of the bike with right hand, left hand on the left grip. The problem with this habit is I’m nowhere near any brake this way, and the T120 is just heavy enough to make a little street incline get out of hand. Had myself a close call.
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Jun 27, 2022 20:06
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If you're in the market you really want to be routinely checking as many sources as you can no matter how terrible they are, watching for the right price on a bike you like. Craigslist, Facebook's gross-rear end interface, cycletrader, all of the above every day (or whatever goes in your area). Like I did not personally consider cycletrader to be a relevant place to post things but that's where I happened to find my last bike at a great price. That seller seemed almost annoyed at all the out-of-state outreach he'd had, being local helped me jump the queue as it were. Getting a beginner bike home is a challenge, I was lucky to have someone willing to ride mine a couple hours home so I could start riding it around the block. I guess barring that help I'd research I) securing bikes for transport properly (e.g. compressing the front suspension) and how ratcheting straps work, if you haven't had the pleasure and II) the sorts of trailers available for rent that have ramps you could walk a bike up (note that parking by a slope helps). Also, many riders would happily ride the bike they just sold to your place for a lift back and a 6-pack. I'd ride another goon's starter bike home just for shits and giggles if I were in Austin.
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Jun 28, 2022 06:03
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In California you can just do a ridercourse for your M1 and spend the whole time being told push harder push harder until you scrape your pegs and learn it's not the end of the world, get your license without touching a U-turn box and then spend the next 7 years coasting gleefully toward every stop with a grin on your face, and if your bike lives to be rusty you get a license plate frame that says "Slavvy was wrong" but nobody has got one yet, that might be an urban legend.
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Jun 29, 2022 06:10
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I have yet to hear an argument for not covering the brake that doesn't involve the newbie grabbing a handful of brakes, but we're talking about a class whose job is to teach you to brake progressively, in a safe lot, on bikes that are there to be dropped. Not teaching coverage and restraint seems weird to me, but then I don't really remember my BRC getting into specifics either way.
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Jul 1, 2022 06:24
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I've got a question about the right hand during deceleration, not quite sure how to put it. Say you're approaching the ideal stop sign from 60mph and have however much time you want. From what I've gathered you're ideally gradually closing the throttle, but also blipping the throttle for downshifts, and simultaneously applying pressure to the front brake. If I have that right, how does your hand do that? The more I get on the brake, the less throttle control I have because my thumb's acting as an anchor. When I try to downshift and engine brake properly, I can't apply front brake. I've gotten used to 4 fingers fanned over the brake and modulating the throttle with the crotch of my thumb. Is this normal, or do most people wrap their pointer finger around the throttle and brake with the other 3?
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Jul 7, 2022 05:33
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Slavvy posted:operate the throttle with my thumb and pinky When I read this earlier it sounded crazy, but once on the bike I can see how the pinky can help support the thumb from across the grip. And my pinky's not actually long enough to contribute to braking anyway, it just floats there, so ought to be put to work. Comments on adjustable levers were right on, I probably could use a closer brake lever if I want to try changing my grip. This made me realize I probably developed my 4-finger habit because of the longer brake reach it grants.
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Jul 8, 2022 01:21
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As long as we're picking brains for tire info... I have only one beef with the T120 so far and it comes about when cornering. The only bike I've spent time on in the twisties was a Suzuki GS500e, and on the Bonneville I struggle to take familiar turns at half the speeds I used to on the GS500. On faster turns (40mph+) I end up pushing exceptionally hard to not run wide; I can't really speak to traction or clearance (pegs do drag early) because this steering heaviness becomes my limiting factor. As I get more familiar with the bike and better about my lines the situation is improving, but I assume this bike will never be as "flickable" as the Suzuki. Is this something that different tires could improve slightly though? I've got stock tires which are Pirelli Phantom Sportscomps, 100/90-18 bias tire with tube in front, 150/70R17 radial in the rear. From what I've gathered people like to put 110/80 radials in the front with a tube for the spoked rim, but I also have developed a fairly low confidence in what people on other motorcycle forums think and do.
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Jul 16, 2022 04:33
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Slavvy posted:There will be a small improvement by changing tires, I don't rate the phantom particularly highly as it seems to be one of those place holder tires that get put on new bikes because they're cheap. But when it comes to arm effort, that's basically what it's like to go fast on a big bike, it's not office work. Make sure you're doing the fundamentals right too - it will steer much heavier and have less lean angle if you're on a shut throttle, it will steer heavy if the pressures are low or the tyres are squared off. Lack of context is my challenge too without much bike experience. I don't think there's anything fundamentally wrong with my T120; the rear tire was visibly squared off a bit by the PO's first 2000 miles but it's not looking as extreme anymore, I'm still debating doing a tire change early. My main takeaway here is probably "push harder" to a degree that would've tipped me over on the gs500. I'm curious what directions a GS500 is an outlier vs. modern bike handling, because I always assumed it was the poster child for an "average" street bike before specializations kick in so I calibrate a lot of what I read against it. I've assumed most street bikes beyond that beginner bike are more aggressively positioned and lean with less pressure, but maybe I've guessed wrong on the latter given how light it was.
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Jul 16, 2022 08:29
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Yeah thanks for that effortpost, helps a ton. I'd happily try every bike I could get my hands on including an SV, but not being in the market I'd feel like a jerk showing up for test rides. I probably ride on the slow end, and don't yet appreciate how fast a good bike can safely turn. I always felt I was limited more by sight distance than suspension on the GS500. Replacing the stock front springs with progressives did take a lot of the bounce out of the front, and now I wonder if maybe I developed my overemphasis on accelerating through turns in order keep a squishy bike more stable.
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Jul 16, 2022 21:27
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It's only the 40mph+ cornering I'm running into issues with, specifically turns where I fail to delay apex enough and then, where my penance would have traditionally been a hard lean and scraping peg, I'm just countersteering what I think is extremely hard but still not heeling over much. It sounds like I need to unlearn my idea of "extremely hard" and push way harder.
Remy Marathe fucked around with this message at 22:26 on Jul 16, 2022 |
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Jul 16, 2022 22:23
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