Any other motorcyclists here?

[ZEROPILOT]

Down to the Harley. Now modified. And an older Kawasaki ZRX11.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Here's the Harley.
And my newest toy. A 2000 Kawasaki ZRX1100

 

[poconojoe]

Commuted to work from Staten Island, NY to Manhattan for some 22 years. I would ride as far into the winter as I could until ice appeared. I would wear a snowmobile suit. Used to rub my gloved hands on the headers to warm them up at red lights. Got caught in snow flurries a few times. Hated riding on buses and trains. Riding in the city was challenging to say the least. You basically had to ride offensively in order to be defensive, if that makes sense. You rode as if everyone was out to get you. In those days, the city buses would leak diesel fuel around some turns. There were metal construction plates all over the place. Man hole covers too. So many hazards. I rode through rain and shine. Always carried my Dry-Rider rain gear and totes for my work books.
Something I like to inform riders of is the fact of counter steering. When you ride a bike and "lean" into a turn, you are actually counter steering. You may not even realize it, but you are turning the handle bars the opposite way of the turn which leans the bike. When you realize this, it seems like power steering to you. You have so much control. Turn the bars left slightly and you will turn right and visa versa. Some people call me crazy when I tell them this, until they try it.
I moved to the country in PA. Rode around for a while then sold it and bought a boat.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Commuted to work from Staten Island, NY to Manhattan for some 22 years. I would ride as far into the winter as I could until ice appeared. I would wear a snowmobile suit. Used to rub my gloved hands on the headers to warm them up at red lights. Got caught in snow flurries a few times. Hated riding on buses and trains. Riding in the city was challenging to say the least. You basically had to ride offensively in order to be defensive, if that makes sense. You rode as if everyone was out to get you. In those days, the city buses would leak diesel fuel around some turns. There were metal construction plates all over the place. Man hole covers too. So many hazards. I rode through rain and shine. Always carried my Dry-Rider rain gear and totes for my work books.
Something I like to inform riders of is the fact of counter steering. When you ride a bike and "lean" into a turn, you are actually counter steering. You may not even realize it, but you are turning the handle bars the opposite way of the turn which leans the bike. When you realize this, it seems like power steering to you. You have so much control. Turn the bars left slightly and you will turn right and visa versa. Some people call me crazy when I tell them this, until they try it.
I moved to the country in PA. Rode around for a while then sold it and bought a boat.

Yes.
You simply MUST ride thinking that every car, truck or van IS trying to kill you. They ARE.
Motorcycling isn't the same as it was decades ago. Now just about everyone has one. And so few have the skills to stay alive.
A motorcycle shouldn't be a status symbol. It should be a whole way of life.

 

[addy1]

We have two harlay bikes in the garage, one my previous husband, (he put 30k into it) the other my new hubbies. They have not been rode since we married. To put it simply I worked in a trauma hospital, I can't ride one. Like the walls of a car around me.

 

[poconojoe]

On the subject of overconfidence, I taught my two sons to ride motorcycle and went with them when they took their drivers tests and once witnessed a bit of overconfidence at one of these tests.
On this particular occasion, my son and I showed up a bit early at the designated parking lot where my son was to take his basic skills test, there was a guy there already with his dual-sport Husqvarna. We chatted with him for a while and he indicated he was a very experienced dirt biker and had competed in, and won, many dirtbike races over the years but had never actually got his motorcycle drivers license for driving on streets so he was about to begin that process today. Besides my son and this guy, there was another young guy with a borrowed motorcycle and a young 16 year old girl with a little moped type bike who showed up to take their tests. As we stood around waiting for the examiner to show up the guy with the dual sport bike decided to bomb around the parking lot on his bike doing wheelies, which I thought was a little stupid and probably wasn't going to make a great impression on the examiner if he happened to catch him, however, that didn't happen.
Anyway, the examiner finally showed up and he talked to the students all about how he was going to conduct the tests and asked them who wanted to go first. None of the inexperienced ones were eager to be the first so the hotshot wheely guy spoke up and was chosen to go first.
This was a basic skills test that simply got you your basic learners license and is only designed to test and see if you have very basic handling skills of your motorcycle like the ability to ride the bike in a straight line and turn in between some pylons and stop at a certain point, very basic stuff.The guy lined his bike up at the starting point and the examiner told him to drive straight for about 100 feet and turn around and come back between the pylons. I was watching from distance but I could see pretty clearly what was going on. As soon as the guy took off his front tire came off the ground. HE DID WHEELY!
Boy did I laugh. The guy went around the corner and through the pylons and came to a stop exactly where he was told, but all the while the instructor's head was shaking. Needless to say, he immediately failed. I walked closer to the instructor hoping to catch what he was saying to the guy and heard the guy saying something about how peppy the motorcycle is and how hard it is to keep the front wheel on the ground (BS I thought to myself). The examiner's response was that one of the basic skill that the students must demonstrate is the ability to keep both wheels on the ground. (um, ya)
So the hotshot experienced wheelie guy couldn't pass his basic skills test but all the nervous newbies went on to pass their exam with no problems.
A classic example of overconfidence.

That's hilarious! That idiot got what he deserved!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

We have two harlay bikes in the garage, one my previous husband, (he put 30k into it) the other my new hubbies. They have not been rode since we married. To put it simply I worked in a trauma hospital, I can't ride one. Like the walls of a car around me.

You should look into having a mechanic De- Service them for long term storage so that they wont turn into something that will take many hundreds or more to repair.
I frequently buy bikes that ran when they were parked years ago that are now good for parts.

 

[addy1]

You should look into having a mechanic De- Service them for long term storage so that they wont turn into something that will take many hundreds or more to repair.
I frequently buy bikes that ran when they were parked years ago that are now good for parts.

Probably too late, he died in 07, it has not been run since. I should have sold it in AZ. New hubby rode, but I could not get to the point I was comfortable on one, even as a passenger, so he quit riding. His choice.

 

[RobAmy]

I did awhile back. I had a Yamaha R6 and a dirt bike TTR 225

 

[Warner1281]

I've been riding a Ninja 300 for about a year now. Decided to start small to make sure I can't get myself into too much trouble. I'm loving every minute of it. Will probably ride the 300 for another year before upgrading to a 650.

 

[gliebig]

Mine

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Probably too late, he died in 07, it has not been run since. I should have sold it in AZ. New hubby rode, but I could not get to the point I was comfortable on one, even as a passenger, so he quit riding. His choice.

Sorry to hear both.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

MineView attachment 119446

Is that a Q50 or a Z50?