Motorcycles

[murphyreedus]

Any riders here?

I was out of the game for the last decade, but picked up a well-kept 2016 KLR 650 Adventure today. I've been looking at bikes for a while, and the jack-of-all-trades-but-master-of-none KLR seems like a perfect way to get back into it. I'm not a beginner rider, but I felt like one after not sitting on a bike for 10 years, and my last bikes were rockets and sport touring models. Fortunately, it came back fast, and I was able take it for a test ride and then ride the 20 miles back home without killing it or having any notable issues. Seems like a pretty easy bike to ride, and the previous owner had bought it new and kitted it out pretty well with crash bars/luggage/accessories, so there isn't much I plan to add to it at this point.

That said, I definitely need to up my gear game. My old riding jacket was the only piece of gear I had left, but I was already a lifter back then and it still more or less fits. I picked up a decent basic helmet and some riding gloves, but I'll be looking to upgrade all of that (plus pants and footwear) once I figure out what I want. I'm also intrigued by how far air bag vests have come since I was last riding. I don't know if I'll get one, but I'll certainly be doing some more research.

[murphyreedus]

Since all of you are boring:

I upgraded my jacket armor to ForceField CE level 2 elbow/shoulder/back pads. Much more substantial than the old stuff. I also ordered a new Icon helmet and some armored riding pants and boots, but they haven't arrived yet. I've put a hundred or so miles on the bike so far, a mix of in town, highway, and around my yard. Throttle/clutch/lowspeed stuff is definitely improving. Haven't had to fill up the tank yet.

[mgil]

Flip flops

[murphyreedus]

Flip flops

[brkriete]

I took the class and got my motorcycle endorsement a few years ago with the intention of buying one but then I had kids and time / money / etc all got in the way. I paid the extra couple bucks last time I renewed my license to keep it current but haven't gotten around to it. Still something I think I'd like to do at some point.

[murphyreedus]

then I had kids and time / money / etc all got in the way.

Pretty much what happened here. I sold my last bike right before we moved into our first house for some extra down payment money, thinking I'd get a new one when things settled down, and blamo,10 years have gone by.

I am still considering taking an advanced rider course at the local tech school as a refresher. The course isn't expensive and I would get to use my own bike, but finding the time to get away will be the hard part.

[hsilman]

Currently have a

2007 vstrom 650
1999 sv650 track bike
2005 ninja 250 track bike

selling the 250, can't keep it running, not sure what's wrong.

upgraded the suspension on the sv, and recently crashed it at the track. While my right leg heals(knee and ankle and tons of bruising/swelling) I have to replace the brake lever and pedal and the handlebars. Got the parts, will probably do it this weekend.

I've been riding for almost 20 years now.

I am an ATGATT guy. Normal riding wear is Icon Tarmac 2 jacket, joe rocket alter ego pants, whatever full gauntlet gloves I have, and either sedici racing boots or tourmaster WP boots. I also have a pair of icon mh1000 jeans and joe rocket big band boots for when I have to be somewhat presentable.

I'm wearing a schuberth c3 that I got last year, but I'm pretty sure I'm gonna pick up a Scorpion R1 Air Carbon. The bigger eyeport and much lighter helmet appeals to me.

I've been wearing an airbag vest all year on and off the track. I wore it during my recent crash and it did it's job, only upper body damage is I messed up the nail on the right pinky. No bruises or soreness. It's some cheap knockoff that came with a free track day. Probably the same chinese made ones you can find on ebay and amazon for $130. Will never ride without one again, they're super easy and convenient and cheap. The cheap ones don't really hold up in a crash though, so I may spring for a Helite that can be repaired and has cordura. I won't buy any vest that has to be charged or has a subscription plan. Mechanical tether is fine for me, but attach it under you(like under the seat) rather than to the bars, in case you go forward in a crash.

Check out the Fortnine youtube channel if you haven't. Tons of great info and stellar production quality.

My wife supports my riding and my track days, so no issues there. We're having a kid next year, but she already has track related stuff on the "buy before the kid arrives" list, like a utility trailer(currently rent one from uhaul each time, which is a pain to go get and return each time).

[psmith]

I have an XR600R and an old YZ250 2t. Both very cool in their own ways, but now that I live in a place with lots of dirt roads but not a lot of purpose-built singletrack I'm thinking about getting rid of the YZ and possibly replacing the XR with something plated. Taken a cursory look at KLRs, but I think I'd prefer something a little lighter, maybe a 650R or DR650.

I also rode my dad's KTM 990 Adventure recently, and, totally stereotypical dadbike status notwithstanding, it was pretty fucken sweet. Most powerful bike I've ever ridden, fast and comfy on the road. Kind of has me hankering for a zippy road bike again--I've had a couple of SVs, really liked them both and rode one from Chicago to CA a few years ago, but got away from road riding for a while.

[hsilman]

I have an XR600R and an old YZ250 2t. Both very cool in their own ways, but now that I live in a place with lots of dirt roads but not a lot of purpose-built singletrack I'm thinking about getting rid of the YZ and possibly replacing the XR with something plated. Taken a cursory look at KLRs, but I think I'd prefer something a little lighter, maybe a 650R or DR650.

I also rode my dad's KTM 990 Adventure recently, and, totally stereotypical dadbike status notwithstanding, it was pretty fucken sweet. Most powerful bike I've ever ridden, fast and comfy on the road. Kind of has me hankering for a zippy road bike again--I've had a couple of SVs, really liked them both and rode one from Chicago to CA a few years ago, but got away from road riding for a while.

Have a friend with a dr650, definitely a great bike.

I love my sv. This is the 3rd one I've owned over the years.

[psmith]

Have a friend with a dr650, definitely a great bike.

I love my sv. This is the 3rd one I've owned over the years.

Yeah I think I'm gonna start seriously scoping out Craigslist for DRs in a couple paychecks' time.

I don't entirely want to go out and buy another SV, just for the sake of trying something different, but the local markets sure make a pretty strong case that I should.

[hsilman]

Yeah? Around here everything is fucking insane. People asking 5k for 15 year old gsxrs. Only have this SV cause I met up with someone for a ride and he wanted to offload it, lucky timing.

I've got people making $1k offers on my ninja 250 that literally doesn't run.

[aurelius]

Always have an itch to get another bike...then I remember I live in a major city and there are better ways to commit suicide. Jealous of all of you that have easy access to low traffic areas.

[EggMcMuffin]

I kind of want a clapped out scooter/moped literally just so I can take it apart and fix it up and what not but holy shit driving a motorcycle in the Bay Area/California just looks suicidal. It's all
tech people in Tesla's and BMW's eating a panini and weaving across 9 lanes or the insane overly hostile libertarian boat dealer/small business tyrant passing you on the sidewalk (actual thing that happened to me) in his Ford 350 SuperDuty™ with 40 inch tires. None of them fear death, since they all have more money than God and as such can be revived even if they turn into red paste.

My older brother ONLY motorcycles and I always ask him if he ever wants to get a car because of how sketchy it is but he says he's not really afraid. I couldn't do it.

[hsilman]

Always have an itch to get another bike...then I remember I live in a major city and there are better ways to commit suicide. Jealous of all of you that have easy access to low traffic areas.

lol, I live in NYC. Apparently we have the worst traffic in the nation now(Thanks Obama).

I mean, I GTFO out of the city to ride though, at least for more than commuting occasionally.

[hsilman]

I kind of want a clapped out scooter/moped literally just so I can take it apart and fix it up and what not but holy shit driving a motorcycle in the Bay Area/California just looks suicidal. It's all
tech people in Tesla's and BMW's eating a panini and weaving across 9 lanes or the insane overly hostile libertarian boat dealer/small business tyrant passing you on the sidewalk (actual thing that happened to me) in his Ford 350 SuperDuty™ with 40 inch tires. None of them fear death, since they all have more money than God and as such can be revived even if they turn into red paste.

My older brother ONLY motorcycles and I always ask him if he ever wants to get a car because of how sketchy it is but he says he's not really afraid. I couldn't do it.

You live in possibly the best area in the entire world for riding a motorcycle. I can't wait to rent one in a couple of weeks when we're in SF.

[psmith]

Ford 350 SuperDuty™ with 40 inch tires

Ah, yes, that universal hazard of Bay Area driving.

I did once get sideswiped by a teenybopper in a Mazda3 on the freeway somewhere east of Oakland, no fun, but kept it upright and walked away with a few cracked metatarsals. Hsilman has a point, though I would at least consider Los Angeles as a competitor. In both cases, lots of twisty roads, pretty good weather year-round, legal lane splitting, and traffic is heavy enough that the legal lane splitting saves you a lot of time. Oh, and let's not forget parking, nor ruinously expensive local gas prices. I personally get the heebie-jeebies about deer more than I do about cars--you can get out of the way of a car with a bit of throttle, most of the time, but deer move fast.

Yeah? Around here everything is fucking insane. People asking 5k for 15 year old gsxrs. Only have this SV cause I met up with someone for a ride and he wanted to offload it, lucky timing.

I've got people making $1k offers on my ninja 250 that literally doesn't run.

Yeah, I wouldn't say it's a good market here so much as that if you look under $2k your choices are 1) a mobility scooter/Chinese Grom clone/ebike or 2) a slightly ragged but basically functional SV650. I dun geddit but there it is.

[murphyreedus]

Bike prices don't seem too bad around here. Lots of running 70s/80s/90s imports in varying conditions for around $1000, and quiet a few "barn find" non-runners for under $500 that probably could be fixed up reasonably cheaply. $2000-2500 gets you into something from this millennium that doesn't look like it's been humped too badly.

I live in a small town in farm country about 10 miles from a small city, so lots of fairly quiet country roads to cruise. Deer are a problem, but mostly avoidable by not riding between dusk and dawn. I have been riding in the city and will say that I'm not a fan of heavy traffic on multi-lane highways, but even that can be mostly mitigated by not riding on them during the morning and evening rushes. If I was regularly riding in a real metro area where people always drive like you are personally making them late for their meeting with their meth dealer I might not have gotten a bike again.

Got my new Icon helmet and like it a lot. It's still fairly entry-level, but waaaaaaay nicer than the DOT helmet I picked up from the local farm store. Got some better boots and gloves, too, so I'm already better equipped than I ever was during my 20s.

I had ordered some Speed and Strength riding jeans, but don't think I like the fit and the lack of pockets, so probably going to return those.

https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/spe ... -grit-jean

I then ordered some Iron Workers cargo pants (cargo pants never go out of style) and some separate CE level 2 knee/hip armor, and but still waiting for them to arrive. If they fit right I'll probably get another pair or two and just swap the armor between them when I'm washing the others.

https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/iro ... argo-pants

[murphyreedus]

Got the KLR doohickey upgrade done. Not sure it was 100% necessary on a Gen2 (my spring was still in decent shape), but figured it couldn't hurt. I'm normally one to DIY things that don't require too many special tools, but found a shop that only charged labor and would install the parts I supplied. Was fairly reasonable and probably would have taken me a whole Saturday and 5 broken knuckles to do what they did in like an hour, so no complaints.




I finally caught a Helite Turtle 2 vest in stock, so that's on the way. My measurements fell between sizes XL and XL-L with my gear on, so I went with the XL. Hope it fits right.

I've put 500 miles or so onsince I bought the bike. I've only gotten it on a dirt road once so far, and zero trails. Have encountered multiple deer, several turkeys, and a couple of sandhill cranes, but fortunately none of them have had a death wish so far. I've been pretty lucky with people in cars seeing me when they are turning or changing lanes, and I think the 2 bright LED auxiliary lights on the front of the bike really help with that. I leave them on any time I'm on the bike, day or night. I'm looking into putting some additional lighting onto the back of the bike, but not sure if I want to go with something like the Happy Trail LED light or wire in some auxiliary taillights, or both. My battery seems to hold up fine with the accessories on, so a couple more LEDs probably wont hurt.

[hsilman]

I am literally wearing a pair of Icon MH1000 jeans. Highly recommend for people looking for riding jeans. Obviously don't replace my actual riding pants, but full complement of d30 armor and cordura + kevlar reinforcement is nice. Also decent enough to wear to work/walk around in.

I have a ~31 inseam and they are a little long but fit right whole riding and my boots keep them off the ground.

Had my first serious accident at the track a couple of weeks ago. Low sided in the rain and my bike fell on top of me before sliding away. My right leg was fucked and now almost a month later my knee is finally feeling ok(weird numbness on the front and a quarter sized abrasion still) and my ankle only hurts 80% of the time lol.

Put a set of superbike bars on the sv and adjustable levers. Once I get home I've got a new rear brake pedal waiting for me and it's good to go. Only $60 in parts or so.

Right now the ankle is a little too much of a PITA to get back out on the track, I could really feel it going down canyon roads here in the bay area on the cbr500 I rented. Btw that bike sucks, just get a sv if you're thinking of a ninja or cbr 500.

Assuming it feels better I've got one more track weekend in October since I still have some credit from a cancelled weekend. Not sure how much riding I'll be doing next year with a kid planned, but wife is still super supportive of my track addiction.

[murphyreedus]

I am literally wearing a pair of Icon MH1000 jeans. Highly recommend for people looking for riding jeans. Obviously don't replace my actual riding pants, but full complement of d30 armor and cordura + kevlar reinforcement is nice. Also decent enough to wear to work/walk around in.

Thankfully, they don't appear to make a cargo pants version, because I don't need help spending money. Heh.

Cleaned, lubed, and adjusted my chain this weekend. Also added some reflective DOT tape to the bottom of my skid plate and the top of my luggage, so there's some reflectively stuff if I lay the bike down in the road. Got the KLR out in my parents' woods and tore around for a while, which was fun, and left me wanting to hit some real trails even more.