Motorcycles : Othor Games

» Sat Feb 19, 2011 12:05 am

this one motorcyclist tried to pass into the oncomming lane to pass a semi, i was there and....i kinda put him in the ICU
yeahhh he cant live without a machine

so i refuse to drive motorcycles

» Fri Feb 18, 2011 11:49 pm

I was about to buy a Suzuki GSX-R but am going to wait until I move to Canada this/next month.

Pay no attention to the haters. Drive safe, defensively, and responsibly -- but even more, enjoy the ride.

» Fri Feb 18, 2011 11:46 pm

I was about to buy a Suzuki GSX-R but am going to wait until I move to Canada this/next month.

Pay no attention to the haters. Drive safe, defensively, and responsibly -- but even more, enjoy the ride.

Knees in the breeze and keep the shiny side up and the rubber side down.

» Fri Feb 18, 2011 7:15 pm

this one motorcyclist tried to pass into the oncomming lane to pass a semi, i was there and....i kinda put him in the ICU
yeahhh he cant live without a machine

so i refuse to drive motorcycles

Well, he definitely buggered up there. He either didn't see you (not an easily forgiveable mistake), miscalculated, or there was something unexpected that altered the situation significantly (can't think of anything much that'd cause that, but its possible). People in cars make similar mistakes all the time, though. Its more noticeable with bikes because they suffer much worse injuries in a collision. Fortunately, the greater manoeuvrability (unless you're talking cruisers

) and acceleration will often get you out of bad situations. You also have relatively more space (due to having a much narrower vehicle, you can have a comfortable buffer on either side when a car would be struggling not to hit anything).

I cool with you not driving motorcycles, as long as you go ride one sometime

.

EDIT:

I've ridden one bike, that I bought for cheap from my uncle. It was a 1983 (good year!) http://motoprofi.com/bikephoto/849/honda_cb_650_rc_1983_1.jpg. It was the first vehicle I owned, and I used it to get to my summer jobs. Living in northern Alberta meant that I could only drive it 5 months of the year, but it was still a relatively cheap way to get around. But, like others say, not without its hazards... The first one I got a taste of was good ol' Canadian gravel, and I found out the hard way on my first ride how NOT to brake on it with the front forks turned. Thankfully I had practically no forward momentum and was in a parking lot. The safety course was invaluable, and I'd most definitely consider one mandatory for new riders. As for size... My 650 was on the heavy end of what I'd say a beginner could easily handle, and a 250 or 500 would be ideal - plenty enough power for highway cruising and getting the jump on sticky situations that other oblivious car drivers might cause.

I would never suggest someone ride without at least basic training (I get the impression that its not required in many parts of the USA).

A lot of people find it worthwhile to attend http://www.superbikeschool.com/ (there are locations outside California, BTW) or equivalent at some point. By finding ones limits -and exploring just what a bike can actually do- in an ideal/safe environment is definitely helpful off the track. When you know you can do something at 200km/h (120miles/h?), I imagine that does help you be confident while doing it at 100k

(60mi).

» Sat Feb 19, 2011 6:35 am

Personally, I love bikes. I'd rather ride than drive a car. As mentioned previously, drive defensively and always watch for others, because they are not watching for you. The stories I could tell...

» Fri Feb 18, 2011 7:46 pm

I have a http://media.onsugar.com/files/2010/12/51/2/1263/12639885/78/suzuki-gs-500-ld.jpg (mine's the same colour, but with different mirrors). I'd prefer the http://images03.olx.com/ui/1/43/35/f_703835_1.jpg, but the naked is a little cheaper and fairings cost hundreds of dollars if you break them :confused:, and I picked it up when I'd only been riding for half a year. Its currently sitting at my uncle's place in NSW because I was interstate when all that flooding and heavy rain was happening. It'll be a little while before I can get back up there and bring it home. I miss it

.

Thats a beautiful bike (the first picture). I personally think it looks better than the faired version.

» Fri Feb 18, 2011 11:45 pm

I have a http://media.onsugar.com/files/2010/12/51/2/1263/12639885/78/suzuki-gs-500-ld.jpg (mine's the same colour, but with different mirrors). I'd prefer the http://images03.olx.com/ui/1/43/35/f_703835_1.jpg, but the naked is a little cheaper and fairings cost hundreds of dollars if you break them :confused:, and I picked it up when I'd only been riding for half a year. Its currently sitting at my uncle's place in NSW because I was interstate when all that flooding and heavy rain was happening. It'll be a little while before I can get back up there and bring it home. I miss it

.

Nice - I had an old GS450e which I got a fairing and packrack for - it had excellent acceleration but took a long time to get up to max speed.

I hit a wet patch one day on a tough corner and it slipped out from under me - it was not the first time i'd bounced after a bike but this time all i could think of was "Noooo.... there goes my fairing.... arrghh... there goes the packrack"

When I got up of the asphalt I was okay thanks my leathers and the bike wasn't too badly mauled - took it for repair and when i got it back i noticed the mechanic must have run out of cotter pins as he had put a bent nail in place where the brake drum attached to the swingarm - anyway that was when I learnt the importance of cotter pins as a month later that nail vibrated out and the bolt it was holding slammed into the rear mag wheel - this gave me quite a shock as i was leaning into a long corner and was suddenly sat bolt upright with no rear brakes heading for a stone wall - had to jam on the front brakes and flipped over the bars with the bike on top of me - I only cracked a finger but it gave me a big enough scare to call it quits

I missed the thrill of bikes for years though - they are better than having... well they're pretty good

EDIT: Also, get decent gear. Allow about a thousand dollars for it. Preferable a good helmet, pants, jacket, boots (shoelaces getting caught in things is not good, and boot coming off when you do is even worse), and gloves.

Amen to that - my gloves and leathers saved me several times from road rash - though they didn't save my younger brother in-law when he slid underneath an articulated truck - wear the gear but stay on your side of the road at all times !

All the best with your biking

Post a pic if you get something soon.

» Fri Feb 18, 2011 9:12 pm

Thats a beautiful bike (the first picture). I personally think it looks better than the faired version.

But a fairing does make a significant difference when you're travelling at 110km/h for a thousand k' or so

.

I'm thinking about pulling the ductail off mine, repainting the fuel tank (matte white with a pattern), changing the headlight, and a few other things. As always, though, money and time are factors

.

--snip--

Ach, 'tis a sad story you have there

.

Buuttt... I reckon you should get back in the saddle :hehe:. Your problems there (as you probably know) were a] improper maintenance, b] insufficient skill, and both of those are entirely fixable. All y' need is the stubbornness to get back on and at it in spite of bad experiences :nod: (I've been hit in the rear by a car and buggered up in the past, but have yet to be dissuaded).