motorcycles

[MICHAEL]

Nice looking bike Aslan.... I bet you get a lot of good use out of it living in paradise,,,, southern CA!! Remember, I lived in Central CA for about 6 years, not long ago!! There is a Catholic college there, that when I was an Iron Worker we had our teaching udates at this college! Can't think of the name of it, but I will give me a little time to look it up!
I use to ride my bike out from Kansas City Missouri to the College, all expenses paid! It would be a vacation, and teaching update thing for me! I was a teacher in the apprenticeship program for a number of years.

I will never forget what a beautiful place it was, and it was in july,, never needed air-conditioning! Each day it would start off with a light fog, then clear and be beautiful! That was in JULY!!

[Aslan]

Aw man....from a motorcycling perspective...night and DAY compared to the Midwest.

In Michigan, I was very active in motorcycling. I was in a club....went on rides at least once per month. But cycling season was essentially non-rainy days between April and September. Riding with no windshield...50 degrees was about my limit. And obviously, once snow hits...you're definitely done till Spring. It was SO funny....that first warm day in March...there'd a motorcycle for every 10 cars as people couldn't wait to get back out there.

In Illinois...I didn't ride for over a year.

Fast forward to now...I ride a LOT less in December through February...but still put on over 100 miles per month. March through November...I'm riding back and forth to work 2-4 days a week. I'm riding SO much, that my insurance went up on the bike and down on the car....because I went from putting 2500miles on the biker each year in the Midwest...to putting closer to 17000 miles per year.

The only drawbacks?
1) Traffic. 3 bikes go down every day in California...usually one fatality per day in the State.
2) I rode up and down Mt. Hamilton near San Jose...awesome experience...mudpuppy would love it on a sport bike. Well, to get there from southern California...and to get back....you have to ride through the dust bowl areas near Bakersfield...and let me tell you...mid July...riding in 109 degree heat...plus the heat of the bike engine. I was stopping every 100 miles pouring water on my skin and watching steam come off and reapplying sunscreen.

[Aslan]

Here's my bike at Mt. Hamilton:


Here's what the turns look like going up and down the mountain:

[tr33frog]

Have a 98 CBR 600. Has been a while since I've rode, kind of killed it during a high side. Walked away with sore shoulders and bruised pride, but walked away. I was darn glad my buddy had enforced in me early on to always wear the gear. I still miss the feeling of acceleration and flickability of that bike.

[Big Daddy]

Who knew? A bike thread! Well, here ya go................
My ZX10R (favorite!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYJaSxryNoI
My KLR 650
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO2GlLCwbV4
My 103" Fat Bob
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae7RxLCdQpY

[Hammer]

I ride my 1996 Suzuki Intruder 800cc shaft drive that I bought brand new in 1996. It still looks like new. When someone comes up to me at a gas station and says nice bike they think that it is a Harley. That is why I bought it because it looks like the Harley custom
softail. It has buckhorn handlebars, a teardrop tank and a 21" front tire and a fat back tire. The wheels are spoked. They call the color teal but to me it looks more like a medium metallic blue. They only had that color one year and the next year it only came in red or black. How boring. I get a lot of compliments on the color especially from girls that pull up in a car next to me. When someone looks at my bike and says nice bike they can't believe how old it is. They say it looks brand new.

My bike has a carburator on both cylinders. When I first got it I was on the expressway in the right lane and I was coming upon an entrance way that comes off of another expressway. Well when the cars are entering there it is usually pedal to the metal. I didn't want to get caught up in that so I grabbed the throttle and turned it all the way open. I thought that I would just start going faster gradually
but I got a big surprise. I was already doing 65mph. It was like hitting passing gear on a car. My bike had a slight pause and then all hell broke loose. It took off and I stayed into the throttle. It was like riding a rocket sled. The cheeks of my butt tightened up around the seat. I got up to 85mph and backed off on the throttle. I didn't think an 800cc would have that much power to do that. I never got tired of my bike and still ride it at age 66. Because of my hips and knees they are shorter rides. It will be a sad day for me when I have to get rid of it. A lot of memories are tied into my bike and me. It will be like losing a good friend. Keep the flat side up guys.

[Rdmonster]

I'll join in!! I love riding. Started on dirtbikes when I was a kid and got my first street bike when I got out of college. I currently ride either a HD Road King Classic or a Ducati 1098.

I've been to deals gap several times and the 1098 is so much fun on those types of roads. Rode the HD all over the place (Texas, Tenn, Ark, Mich, Kentucky) Everytime I get to the bottom of the Dragon I'm soaked in sweat and can smell the tires cooking.

I used to have a Ducati S4RS that I had a pretty bad wreck on. Bike totaled... I had about everything on the right side of my body bruised, torn or dislocated as well as a broken sternum from slamming into the ground. I rode it home through a haze of pain with a bent frame/fork combo and the radiator hanging by the hoses and fan electrics. My bowling hand was so swollen I could barely get my glove off. My helmet was bashed pretty good. The only permanent damage was some torn tendon capsule/sheath in my thumb and my xiphoid process subluxated under my sternum and is now a movable piece. Feels weird.

I was planning on getting a super moto this spring but couldnt pass up a deal on a 2000 M5 so most of my fun money is used up. I might have something up my sleeve before I go to Deals gap this summer...we will see.

I'll be riding until I cant hold one up....

[Mudpuppy]

Aw man....from a motorcycling perspective...night and DAY compared to the Midwest.

In Michigan, I was very active in motorcycling. I was in a club....went on rides at least once per month. But cycling season was essentially non-rainy days between April and September. Riding with no windshield...50 degrees was about my limit. And obviously, once snow hits...you're definitely done till Spring. It was SO funny....that first warm day in March...there'd a motorcycle for every 10 cars as people couldn't wait to get back out there.

In Illinois...I didn't ride for over a year.

Fast forward to now...I ride a LOT less in December through February...but still put on over 100 miles per month. March through November...I'm riding back and forth to work 2-4 days a week. I'm riding SO much, that my insurance went up on the bike and down on the car....because I went from putting 2500miles on the biker each year in the Midwest...to putting closer to 17000 miles per year.

The only drawbacks?
1) Traffic. 3 bikes go down every day in California...usually one fatality per day in the State.
2) I rode up and down Mt. Hamilton near San Jose...awesome experience...mudpuppy would love it on a sport bike. Well, to get there from southern California...and to get back....you have to ride through the dust bowl areas near Bakersfield...and let me tell you...mid July...riding in 109 degree heat...plus the heat of the bike engine. I was stopping every 100 miles pouring water on my skin and watching steam come off and reapplying sunscreen.

Incorrect - riding season, per me, in Michigan is March 1 through November 15. You only have 2 seasons in Michigan (this whole 4 season garbage is inaccurate): Riding season and mod season. And during Mod Season it is legal to ride snow mobiles or other internal combustion vehicles if you aren't skeered. Some people ride motorcycles year around just because they can. I ride to enjoy it so I have no desire to ride my bike in December, January or February.

I didn't even see I started this motorcycle thread until now - perhaps we got a little too deep into the convo about cycles? lol. Moderated and I like it. It's not often (usually weekly) I get off on a tangent and get a thread split off. I did see Aslan reference it once or twice but didn't know what he was talking about.

[MICHAEL]

Who knew? A bike thread! Well, here ya go................
My ZX10R (favorite!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYJaSxryNoI
My KLR 650
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO2GlLCwbV4
My 103" Fat Bob
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae7RxLCdQpY

You know how to get me dribbling foam from my mouth!!!! Damn that fist one reminds me of at trip I made back in the late 80s, with a Ninja 1000R form Kansas city to San Diageo, with a belly dancer that I was dating on the back!!

Talk about being tough as nails!!!! 1800 miles with a chick on the back leaning into me the whole distance!!
Now you know why I have a Gold Wing Now!!

[Big Daddy]

I'm glad you enjoyed that Mike. Hopefully, before I'm too old to ride the thing, I'll be fast. My gf and I are going to do some track days this Summer. She rides a ZX6R. My bikes are my primary addiction, above everything else!