For Motorcyclists

Yes, it's a wonder I survived my teens and early 20s.
Love to ride and ride hard, never been a big fan of just cruising along.
My current ride at 60 is a BMW r1200 rt.
033570_2010_BMW_R.jpg


Heated grips, heated seat, cruise control, anti lock brakes, still pulls the front end off the ground in 2nd.
 
hardee":3gw0zhep said:
A close friend of mine just recently bought a bike, sport style, capable of doing 180mph. He is old enough to know better than to do that, but is using it as a commuter, (1.5 hour drive to work) and saving gas money as well as having a good time. It has gotten me to thinking, I could commute for less too, not on that type of bike but starting to look around at options. Thought I'd bring this back up and see what the safe and sane C-Brats are riding now.

My thoughts are toward a 650 to 900 cc cruiser style, with a bit more weight and a lot slower. I travel about 40 miles to work each day, same amount back after a 12+ hour day shift, and it is 2 lane country, curvy highway, 50 and 55 mph speed limit. Road is generally dry and temps are rarely below 40F.

When I was younger, and rode a lot, I never rode like the guy in that video. :shock:

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
Click to expand...

At 80 I have decided that the bike I will ride into the future is my BMW F650GS duel -purpose, with a 800cc Austrian Rotax engine. On a quite - open highway I have had to 110mph and it was still climbing smartly. I normal ride at the speed limit though, and this was just a test run . My wife rides a Triumph 2009 Bonneville SE and we love to ride together in the summer. Coming home about 2 months ago a cager turned left right into my path. I had one thought while hammering my ABS brakes to the max. "is this how it ends". Strangely I saw this so matter of factly. No drama, just the end of life. Then to my amazement the brakes preformed beyond anything I would have considered possible and I was able to - while fully locked up- get a bit of a turn out of the vehicles path- yeah I made it by about 1 foot to spare. I am still in disbelief that I missed this vehicle. So to summarize - bikes are getting safer- but car drivers are getting dumber- may be a 0 net sum --eh.
 
Cindie and I are both ABS converts after many machines without and would never go without again unless it was a dirt only bike these days. Maybe a little scooter used locally at low speeds... but even that gives me pause after 25+ years and about 180k miles of "experience" gathering. I really like being able to just squeeze/stomp and focus on balance instead of modulation and balance. We all know how well multitasking works out.

I installed my own ABS shutoff switch on my bike because of all the BS about it not working off road and I have found just the opposite with my bike and never turn it off. I think it might have been some early iterations of ABS on bikes that started those concerns but damn if they are persistent in the "opinions" riders have on ABS for off pavement use. More recent reviews and professionals are just now starting to come around on that topic and saying things like. "Just leave it on because it works everywhere these days"

I am riding a 2012 Suzuki V-Strom 650 and it does the long rides I like while being fun and bad dirt road/good trail capable.

Cindie rides a 2012 Honda NC700x with DCT auto transmission and loves it for the same purposes as myself although she does prefer shorter days (less than 500 miles) and to keep the dirt riding more limited.

My other riding buddy is on a Triumph Tiger 800XC and the V-Strom is a great bike to pair with that one in our experience.

Our bikes before Cindie had dualsport-ish tires and engine guards.
http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?full ... _photo.php

Buddies bike and mine this fall on a multiday loop ride
http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?full ... _photo.php

Greg
 
Blueback":1h1ki1sv said:
hardee":1h1ki1sv said:
A close friend of mine just recently bought a bike, sport style, capable of doing 180mph. He is old enough to know better than to do that, but is using it as a commuter, (1.5 hour drive to work) and saving gas money as well as having a good time. It has gotten me to thinking, I could commute for less too, not on that type of bike but starting to look around at options. Thought I'd bring this back up and see what the safe and sane C-Brats are riding now.

My thoughts are toward a 650 to 900 cc cruiser style, with a bit more weight and a lot slower. I travel about 40 miles to work each day, same amount back after a 12+ hour day shift, and it is 2 lane country, curvy highway, 50 and 55 mph speed limit. Road is generally dry and temps are rarely below 40F.

When I was younger, and rode a lot, I never rode like the guy in that video. :shock:

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
Click to expand...

At 80 I have decided that the bike I will ride into the future is my BMW F650GS duel -purpose, with a 800cc Austrian Rotax engine. On a quite - open highway I have had to 110mph and it was still climbing smartly. I normal ride at the speed limit though, and this was just a test run . My wife rides a Triumph 2009 Bonneville SE and we love to ride together in the summer. Coming home about 2 months ago a cager turned left right into my path. I had one thought while hammering my ABS brakes to the max. "is this how it ends". Strangely I saw this so matter of factly. No drama, just the end of life. Then to my amazement the brakes preformed beyond anything I would have considered possible and I was able to - while fully locked up- get a bit of a turn out of the vehicles path- yeah I made it by about 1 foot to spare. I am still in disbelief that I missed this vehicle. So to summarize - bikes are getting safer- but car drivers are getting dumber- may be a 0 net sum --eh.
Click to expand...


Wow Blueback! You're still riding at 80?! That is truly an inspiration for me. I will never complain about my aches and pains again...I'm 34 years old btw.
 
Blueback":1pcc0s4i said:
hardee":1pcc0s4i said:
A close friend of mine just recently bought a bike, sport style, capable of doing 180mph. He is old enough to know better than to do that, but is using it as a commuter, (1.5 hour drive to work) and saving gas money as well as having a good time. It has gotten me to thinking, I could commute for less too, not on that type of bike but starting to look around at options. Thought I'd bring this back up and see what the safe and sane C-Brats are riding now.

My thoughts are toward a 650 to 900 cc cruiser style, with a bit more weight and a lot slower. I travel about 40 miles to work each day, same amount back after a 12+ hour day shift, and it is 2 lane country, curvy highway, 50 and 55 mph speed limit. Road is generally dry and temps are rarely below 40F.

When I was younger, and rode a lot, I never rode like the guy in that video. :shock:

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
Click to expand...

At 80 I have decided that the bike I will ride into the future is my BMW F650GS duel -purpose, with a 800cc Austrian Rotax engine. On a quite - open highway I have had to 110mph and it was still climbing smartly. I normal ride at the speed limit though, and this was just a test run . My wife rides a Triumph 2009 Bonneville SE and we love to ride together in the summer. Coming home about 2 months ago a cager turned left right into my path. I had one thought while hammering my ABS brakes to the max. "is this how it ends". Strangely I saw this so matter of factly. No drama, just the end of life. Then to my amazement the brakes preformed beyond anything I would have considered possible and I was able to - while fully locked up- get a bit of a turn out of the vehicles path- yeah I made it by about 1 foot to spare. I am still in disbelief that I missed this vehicle. So to summarize - bikes are getting safer- but car drivers are getting dumber- may be a 0 net sum --eh.
Click to expand...

Blueback,

My hats off to you too. Stay safe, and enjoy.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

Friends_Cal_09_10_Oct.thumb.jpg
 
After putting in several hours of I-net research and a few $$ in upgrades, including LED fog and driving lights I finally found and decided to do one more, really easy upgrade for safety and higher visibility.

I found a plug and play LED replacement bulb that is actually a ;ot brighter than the OEM 1157 brake and tail light.

It is from Super Bright LEDs and is here.

If this really works I owe a big thanks to Tyboo and Boris.

So the light is pretty cheap considering it is twice brighter than the standard and might help somebody behind you actually see when you hit the break.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

Friends_Cal_09_10_Oct.thumb.jpg
 
Not sure why the picture of my (style - sister image) bike went away, but here is another try.

Did it work? Nope.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

1_10_2012_from_Canon_961.highlight.jpg
 
Prepping for a bit of a MC cruise, and wondering about others experience with tank bags. Sort of in the line of, would a tank bag be more practical to use as a place for a Phone/GPS in a view-able position versus in a mount on the handle bar.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

1_10_2012_from_Canon_961.highlight.jpg
 
Not sure if any of you know this, but I have a neat little business with motorcycles.. www.rapose.biz (biz. is the German bit for commercial)
I import and sell Powerdynamo electronic ignitions and charging systems worldwide... it's a fun little business and I have been doing it for about 12 years or so....

I ride BMW motorcycles...my daily ride is a R90/6 with a Steib sidecar... I like sidecars but that rides much different than a solo bike...

My big bike that I use for cross country rides is a BMW R1100RT.. it is 1100cc and has a large fairing ...heated grips and bags...perfect for any ride over 40 miles.... fast and efficient...plus they are available used really inexpensively I have seen lots of them for under $4000...and it gets 50mph...

As far as safety...If your really look at the accidents you will notice that the majority are young people and folks in their first year of riding...usually involving speed... in the past 10 years I think I have probably fallen off 3 or 4 times while sitting still....but never had an accident... my only accident was 54 years ago when I was young and going way too fast for the road I was on...
Ride like everyone is out there to kill you and you'll be fine...

Joel
SEA3PO
 
Tank bags are great Harvey but the height of that bag is normally quite low and is not very viewable while moving. If you would only reference it at stops or while pulled over, it would be a good start. Mounts that put the nav unit closer to your line of sight, and normally toward the left for non-throttle hand use, seem to work best for active use while riding. Are you planning to use a phone for nav? Which phone? It could make some mount suggestions of you like. Also, post a pic of the from you seat view of the tank/bars and it will be easier to see some of your mounting options.

Greg
 
Greg: You ride too?? Awesome. Love the diversity of hobbies among the Brats!

Harvey: I have had tank bags on all my bikes BUT my bikes have always been sportbikes and standards ( Kawi Z1000, KTM RC8r, Kawi ZX6 r and now I have a Suzuki SV 650..not street legal). I can't comment on metric cruisers or Harley's. Tank bags are great. I've had both the magnetic style and the strap style; it just depends on what type of tank you have. I've never had the handle bar type of bag because my bikes always had "clip ons" . No handlebars.

I have never used the tank bag as a holder for my GPS. I always bought RAM mounts for the GPS and kept my phone in my jacket. I also had a Scala G4 bluetooth helmet unit; that was great for my phone and it would work for any helmet type (full face or halfy).

What types of bikes do you guys have now??! I currently don't have a street legal bike but I have a full on race bike and ride the track once or twice per month during the riding season. Before that I averaged about 10k miles a year. I used to do LOTS of sport touring and essentially rode every weekend from 2009 - 2015 (between April- Nov.). I toured every New England state and have been all across NY state, NJ, PA and WV. At the end of the 2014 season I started losing interest in my street riding. My friends and I were getting speeding tickets and I've seen lots of good friends have BAD accidents. I'm not keen about riding the street anymore and have moved on to strictly track riding. I will never forget my amazing adventures though and may purchase another street weapon again! Probably a BMW or a Triumph. Maybe a Tiger or a good Bavarian sport tourer.

Ride safe guys! ATGATT
 
"Tank bags are great Harvey but the height of that bag is normally quite low and is not very viewable while moving. If you would only reference it at stops or while pulled over, it would be a good start. Mounts that put the nav unit closer to your line of sight, and normally toward the left for non-throttle hand use, seem to work best for active use while riding. Are you planning to use a phone for nav? Which phone?"
Click to expand...

OK. My bad, I should have provided more detail. The Bike is a Honda Shadow 750 Aero, Cruiser style, with stock handlebars, and windshield that comes just up to eye level. I don’t have the photo of the view from the seat. I have added to the handlebars; a tach in the center and a thermometer and clock on each side of the tach.

I havea Break Away Cruise Controlmounted combined with the throttle handle.


And I have this Digital voltmeter to go on the bars and it will go on the left next to a RAM mount for either a phone or GPS.


10965_1423150396142.jpg

The RAM mount can be set up for either a Phone (Samsung Galx5) or a Garmin GPSMAP 78sc handheld.



Either one will plug into the power outlets on the Volt meter. That will provide power for continues use while on the road.

As to using, I think I prefer the GPS (less data use on the phone) but more complicated for search and direction use than the phone. My preference is to have the phone inside my jacket pocket because I think it is safer there. (Leery of the RAM mount holder, I guess.)

I don’t own a tank bag (yet) but am considering one with a top window to put the phone in for its GPS use. I’m not sure I want to go that route, due to the extra wear on the tank that I have heard about. If I get a bag it would not be one of the big tall types, but more like a smaller, fit the phone or tablet and not a lot more.

I guess, I’m looking for thoughts on comparison from users more that comments on the sellers website.

Thanks, for any input.

Sorry about the size of that pix. (Not sure how to change it, before or now.)

Harvey
SleepyC:moon

1_10_2012_from_Canon_961.highlight.jpg
 
Grandma warned me about this kind of thing long ago.

Aye.

Grandma used to say, "Put testosterone on anything with wheels
and there's gonna be trouble."
 
I used to ride in my younger years and after the first child was born in 1980 I had to sell all my toys to pay the doctor bills. so fast forward to 2016 and I am finally back to riding again. My orthopedic Dr. told me I should not ride bikes any more due to my artificial hip so a month ago I purchased a 2003 Honda 1800 VTX with a Motor Trike conversion. now I have got to go to school for three wheelers so I can get the trike endorsement on my Drivers license
 
SENSEI":20u5tzdx said:
I used to ride in my younger years and after the first child was born in 1980 I had to sell all my toys to pay the doctor bills. so fast forward to 2016 and I am finally back to riding again. My orthopedic Dr. told me I should not ride bikes any more due to my artificial hip so a month ago I purchased a 2003 Honda 1800 VTX with a Motor Trike conversion. now I have got to go to school for three wheelers so I can get the trike endorsement on my Drivers license
Click to expand...

Wow, that's exciting. Once a rider always a rider!
 
Roger,

Good to hear you are back in the saddle. Jason is right. "Once a rider always...." It just never gets out of the blood.

Still hoping for some good hints on tank bags and RAM mounts.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

1_10_2012_from_Canon_961.thumb.jpg
 
I started riding when I was 8 and have never stopped. Cindie has been riding for about 10 years and is on her 6th bike now. She rides a lightly adventurized 2012 Honda NC700X and I ride the same year Suzuki V-strom 650. I usually ride about 5-7k miles a year and she does about 2k lately.

We love to travel on bikes and also have a history of riding many types of large scooters as well. Bikes are really better for many uses but we still find scooters quite fun.

Harvey, It sounds like you are on the RAM mount path and they work very well. I have used a few tank bags over the years and my favorite brand is Wolfman after burning trough some cheaper options. They make really well designed products and build them to last for many years. Keeping a phone in the clear section for easy access/view is a good idea and does work pretty well for non-nav use. If I am not using that space for maps, I sometimes keep my phone there so I see incoming messages or manage the music I sometimes play through my helmet.

I use this model but it would likely be too big for your tank space.

http://wolfmanluggage.com/products/expl ... e-tank-bag

Something in this size could be a nice aid to your travels and not get in the way.

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/31 ... map-pocket

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/33 ... map-pocket

Or go up to a small pouch with map pocket if you think you would use the storage for something else as well. Don't worry for a moment about scratching or impacting the tank finish. Clean under it before each longer trip and thats enough. Its that kind of thinking that keeps a person from getting the most out of the their toys.

A bike is a travel tool first and foremost and we should pity bikes that get polished more than ridden.

Check out Aerostitch for some really good riding products.

http://www.aerostich.com/

Greg
 
Greg, Thanks for your post and the links. I have looked at each, and will do some measuring and see. I like the first tank bag, if it fits, and I never thought about just having a map pouch. That might do also, however, I like the idea of a bag, as long as I can see over it to my speedometer.

Nice bike pix too. Looks like Horse Heaven area. Certainly not on the peninsula.

Thanks again.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

0_CD_Cover_SlpyC_with_Classics_MBSP_2009_288.thumb.jpg
 
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