Other riders out there?

[bigdessert]

Just got my endorsement after a long weekend of safety class. Picked up this nice 2000 Kawasaki Vulcan 800 classic. Only rode 30 MI so far. Anyone else out there ride?

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

//raises hand

First, congrats on doing it right and taking the safety class and getting your endorsement. I encourage you to re-take the class a few more times over the next few years, moving up to the advanced riders course.

About a month ago I picked up an older Harley Shovelhead, been wanting one for years now. Sold my '06 Harley Dyna "Street Bob" in January, picked up this '83 "FLHS" and brought her home. It's very rideable now, pretty good looking, but it's in need of a little restoration to get it to where I want it to be. Here's a pic of it with my daughter on it. Oh man do I love the sound of a Shovelhead....that old school slow off-beat "lope" idle. Will do a few minor things to it over the summer...touring seat, floppy leather saddlebags (came with hardbags), I'm taking the heads off this weekend to replace gaskets, and then this winter I will totally strip her down, blast and powder coat the frame, paint the tins, and put her back together. Gotta get a luggage rack on her too...so I can carry some equipment to go do onsites with.

Here's a pic of the bike I recently sold...she started out life as a Street Bob, but slowly got turned more into a SuperGlide.

Ride Safe!

 

[bigdessert]

Nice! Harley was a little rich for my blood, at least for a first bike anyway. I ride around with my snowmobile helmet that has arctic cat plastered all over it because 1. I don't own another helmet and 2. It lets people know "student driver" lol.

I am still trying to get the jitters out of my system. I get nervous each time I am going to go out. It is not because of riding in general but it's the fear of the other cars out there and the possibility of killing it right in the middle of an intersection or something. For instance went out 14 miles last night and did some in town riding, lots of stop signs for some stop and go practice. Killed it once trying to leave the bike in 2nd while at a stop. Any remembering to turn off the turn signal. A few times around town realized long after my turn that it was still on. It's amazing how we get those little features of a car burned into our minds and how hard it is to change. It is going to take some getting used to.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

You'll learn. Don't "worry" about killing it at a light or stopsign...when it happens...keep hitting your brakes to make that rear brake light flash. Hopefully catch the attention of cars behind you, increase your visibility that you're stopped. Remain calm! When you panic you stress and are more prone to mistakes. So what...you stalled it...don't fall into that stressed out embarassment thing. Keep aware of cars behind you, traffic around you, get her up and running again, dump into first....watch for the right moment..and squirt out of there. But remain safe and keep your 360 radar on. Yes being stalled at an intersection is not a safe place to be, but remaining calm and purposeful and visible will get you out of there.

Whenever I approach a stopsign or stoplight...I'm tapping the brakes making my rear light flicker on and off..and I glancing at the rear view watching the car behind me approach my tail..and I keep flicking that brake until I see they stopped.

Consider upgrading your tail lamp and turn sigs to LEDs...much brighter, much safer. Can't tell you how many times I've seen cars zoom up behind me and slam on their brakes at the last second.

 

[16k_zx81]

Only my wife. And thats only on days when I get paid, or havent done anything to piss her off.

 

[bigdessert]

You'll learn. Don't "worry" about killing it at a light or stopsign...when it happens...keep hitting your brakes to make that rear brake light flash. Hopefully catch the attention of cars behind you, increase your visibility that you're stopped. Remain calm! When you panic you stress and are more prone to mistakes. So what...you stalled it...don't fall into that stressed out embarassment thing. Keep aware of cars behind you, traffic around you, get her up and running again, dump into first....watch for the right moment..and squirt out of there. But remain safe and keep your 360 radar on. Yes being stalled at an intersection is not a safe place to be, but remaining calm and purposeful and visible will get you out of there.

Whenever I approach a stopsign or stoplight...I'm tapping the brakes making my rear light flicker on and off..and I glancing at the rear view watching the car behind me approach my tail..and I keep flicking that brake until I see they stopped.

Consider upgrading your tail lamp and turn sigs to LEDs...much brighter, much safer. Can't tell you how many times I've seen cars zoom up behind me and slam on their brakes at the last second.

Well, it's been almost a month now. All the jitters are worked out and am more longer nervous when going for a ride. I feel so comfortable when riding now. I am actually going to be buying a new bike next weekend with the comfort features I was wanting(floor boards, hell toe shifter, highway pegs, etc). Getting a newer vulcan 900 with a belt drive so less maintenance and EFI as well. It has a nice mustang seat and luggage rack. This brings me to the next question.

I was doing some visits today on the bike and needed to bring 3 keyboards to one of the customers sites. I found I needed to wear a backpack in order to properly transport them. How do you load hardware on the bike when making visits?

Also been riding with a black snowmobile helmet for now and want to do something different. Do you wear a helmet or not and reasoning for your choice either way?

 

[gikstar]

I live in a state (California) where it is mandatory to wear a helmet and I won't ware anything but a full face helmet. With my last motorcycle accident the plastic shield got all scraped up... wasn't my face thank God, so for me, I'll always wear a full face helmet.
I have been down 3 times so far, now I always wear a leather jacket and tough gloves, even in 100 degree weather.
(Riding a small blue Ninja right now and as soon as I figure out how to include a photo I will)

When I got my first motorcycle the DMV test was to ride down the street and then ride back. I bought a new Honda 305 Scrambler from Santa Monica Honda in 1965 in the evening and was taken across the street to a vacant lot to learn and then rode it home. Two days later a co-worker with the same bike drove by in the morning and said lets go... so off to work we rode, went through 2 red lights that morning because I didn't have the coordination down pat yet. And I was living in the heart of Hollywood and headed to work in downtown LA.

I've had a cruiser, not a full dress, but a Kawasaki ZL600 (dubbed the Eliminator since it had a Ninja 4 carb engine) but now I prefer the Ninja style bike. I'm impatient and don't like to wait in line so a thin bike that will allow me to 'share the lane' is best for me. Problem with the bike I have now is it will only top out at 100mph and that's not fast or quick enough for me. I'll be 69 in a few months so my bike needs to be able to go twice as fast as I am old (isn't that the way it works?).

I carry a backpack, compliments of an Intel convention back in 2007, and can get a 20in wide ultrasharp monitor in it. The 4x3 19in monitors require me to carry a laptop bag with a strap over my shoulders. I ride into downtown Los Angeles or up to Santa Barbara on my bike to pickup used parts. I've even been able to fit a small form factor Dell in my backpack (I always verify the size of the computer or monitor before I head-off on my bike. Otherwise I take my minivan which can fit a full sized air conditioned server rack (had found one in LA for $100 listed on Craigslist and resold it for $2500).

So, I enjoy riding my bike, sharing the lane, picking up computer parts, traveling fast... saving up for a faster bike now, probably go for a 1000cc.

Enjoy your riding... not sure where you live, but here it's riding time year round.

 

[acscva]

I have been riding motorcycles since I was 8. I have been riding Can-Am Spyders since my first one in 2007 (I got the 37th one off the manufacturing line....Jay Leno got the number 1 of course).

This is my 3rd one and have over 50k between the three that I have owned in short period. I have ridden over 7k miles this year already

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Well, it's been almost a month now. All the jitters are worked out and am more longer nervous when going for a ride. I feel so comfortable when riding now. I am actually going to be buying a new bike next weekend with the comfort features I was wanting(floor boards, hell toe shifter, highway pegs, etc). Getting a newer vulcan 900 with a belt drive so less maintenance and EFI as well. It has a nice mustang seat and luggage rack. This brings me to the next question.

I was doing some visits today on the bike and needed to bring 3 keyboards to one of the customers sites. I found I needed to wear a backpack in order to properly transport them. How do you load hardware on the bike when making visits?

Also been riding with a black snowmobile helmet for now and want to do something different. Do you wear a helmet or not and reasoning for your choice either way?

Good to hear things are going well, and your confidence is building up. Don't get cocky, don't get lax in your senses...it's important not to let your guard down, don't get too comfortable. Once you start dropping your guard and your defenses...that's when something will get you. Keep working on your "360 degree radar" and being aware of every single thing that starts to come towards you. Especially at intersections, stop lights, stop signs. Be aware of who is behind you...especially as you approach stoplights/stop signs. Quick darts with your eyes to the rear views...and pumping that brake so your rear brake light is flashing and more visible to cars coming up behind you.

Matter of fact, on your new bike...get LED rear lights and all 4 turn sigs. BAL (Bright A$$ Lights) makes the best..but they're pricey. ~300 bucks for the rear brake light. But isn't 300 bucks worth a little more assurance that you will be seen and not rear ended at a stop?

Congrats on the new bike BTW. Mustang seats are the best for comfort.

To carry gear, I didn't use a back pack...I had 2x saddlebags (see my older black bike)...and I had a luggage rack over the rear fender. I had a few bungie cords that I would strap on my laptop bag or other laptop bags I used for carrying stuff, if they didn't fit in my saddle bags. I basically rode on days where I didn't have something scheduled that required me to carry gear. Such as a couple of days a week I work at clients offices where all I need is my laptop, and I have large hardware they order drop shipped to their office. If I was stuck and needed something big from the office that I couldn't take on the bike, I'd have someone drop it off. Only once did I need my truck...so I rode home and swapped the bike for the truck. My house is only 12 minutes from my office. I think that only happened twice in the past 5 years...so the benefits of taking my bike for work faaaaaaar outweighed the couple of times it was inconvenient.

I'm still shopping for saddlebags for my new bike (the old blue Shovelhead FLHS in above pic) Right now the bike is in my garage about 3/4 put together. Last week I took the seat, tanks, exhaust, and engine out...to put in new head gaskets and rocker box cover gaskets and a few other things. Should be back together by next week. The bike came with hard bags...but I want the old style floppy leather ones like I had on my black bike. I'll find some, I'm patient. Also looking for a Mustang Wide Touring seat for it...and a new true dual exhaust system, and some floorboards, and...and...and (I have quite a long list of improvements to do). All in due time. One at a time, I'll get there.

Helmet...I dunno what snowmobile helmets have for standards, or what your state has for law. Some states require a "DOT" certified helmet...has to have the sticker on the back, else you get a ticket. I imagine the snowmobile helmet is better than nothing. But just check out your states law, save yourself from a possible ticket. As for me, I'm ashamed to say I wear nothing. I'm a freaking idiot.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

(Riding a small blue Ninja right now and

Gorgeous color.....always like a good deep blue like that (my RAM truck is similar).

Back when I was in my teens those bikes were starting to come out. When I was around 14 or so I started getting Cycle World magazine and in the '80s I recall the first Yamaha SECA bikes, the early Honda CBX bikes, and first Kawasaki GPZ bikes, and the first Zuki Gixxers. I remember falling in love with the Yamaha 650 SECA turbo back then.

But a few years later I cut my teeth on a Honda CM 400T....British racing green with gold pinstriping.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

I have been riding Can-Am Spyders since my first one in 2007 (I got the 37th one off the manufacturing line....Jay Leno got the number 1 of course).

I've yet to get a chance to take one of those for a spin..and see what they're like.

 

[layoric]

Honda Rebel 250, 2008. Bought new in 09. Only 3k miles. WAY to small for me now, but paid 3k for it new and would rather sell this for an older bigger one, or possibly a sport bike. This one can't keep up on the interstate uphill, nor pass well.