Crystalised stupid

[pecunium]

I was coming home from running CG up to her job in SF (the train was delayed). There were a couple of bikes, maybe a 1/4 mile behind me. A cruiser sort of thing, wih a bronze-colored fairing, and a yellow sport/racing bike.

The sport bike was cruising a little faster than the Harley, which apparently irked the Harley rider (skid-lid, leather vest; no colors, jeans, boots), who sped up, and passed behind; from left to right, and sped up to about 75.

Which seems to have made it needful for the guy on the sport bike to prove he had a bigger dick than the Harley rider, because he sped up (from dead behind me), and passed on the right, all the while popping a wheelie.

He got back in front of me, dropped the front (wearing a full face, white t-shirt, jeans and sneakers), and shot up next to the Harley, where he proceeded to show off some more. At 75 he stood it up again, and held it for 15-20 seconds. I was 3/4rs convinced he was going to lose it, 1/4 mile in front of me, because he had a couple of moments of wobbling to keep it upright, while he was looking over at the Harley rider, before he dropped the front, leaned it over, shot past the Harley and got off; too fast, at Whipple, with the Harley right behind.

Which made the BMW rider with his right hand on his thigh (who knew Beamers had cruise control) seem almost intelligent.

Comments

[aitchellsee.livejournal.com]

Aaaaaaarrrggghhhhhh!

There's a group of riders in my neighborhood here in NYC who go roaring around with their mufflers out (or however you achieve that effect0 and doing wheelies for the length of a city block, right down the middle of Lenox Avenue or wherever, with their compadres riding alongside, and it makes me nervous as all get out. Our neighborhood association had its annual meeting with the local police precinct captain, who said they're trying to catch these guys but are never in the right place to apprehend the moving target, and that police also suspect that not all of these riders exactly have licenses to drive, which would make it doubly helpful if they could take them off the roads.

Sigh.

[maps-or-guitars.livejournal.com]

Ah, New York City Squids. Nothing quite like them for the organ donor's club.

MLW and I were driving the FDR when a swarm came up behind us in traffic. One misjudged the distance of the car right in front of ours and clipped the back bumper. Bike totaled. Rider flipped ass over teakettle right over the car, and landed in front of it. His helmet hadn't been strapped on - it went somewhere else.

He was alive when they put him into the ambulance, anyhow.

It wasn't long after this that MLW sold her CB750. Images like that stick.

[zeeth_kyrah]

There are two ways to achieve the "louder than thou" effect. One is to install exhaust pipes which have no muffler, and the other is to ram a coat hanger or other destructive rod through the baffles on the muffler they do have.

Frankly, I consider such bikes a nuisance. You can generate enough noise with a functional muffler that there's no point increasing it to the point of annoyance.

[momwolf.livejournal.com]

Thank the Gods that everyone we ride with is an old fart...like us. People that pull that stuff around us don't do it twice.

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

It isn't uncommon to install a throttle-lock on long-distance travelling bikes, I've got one installed on mine. Don't use it a lot, though.

And, yeah, some bikes have cruise-control. Wouldn't surprise me on newer beemers.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

What got me was the dropping of the right hand. If something goes wrong that's only one hand on the controls, and nothing but the rear brake until the hand gets to the bars.

Seems less than ideal to me.

Does your throttle lock come off the moment you hit the clutch/brakes? If it does that it seems fine (even sort of smart) to me (what with reducing effort/fatigue). If not, I think I'll pass.

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

Yes, less than ideal. No, a throttle lock is, as the name says, a lock. It isn't smart like a cruise-control which can/will come off if you hit other controls. Mine will release if I rotate the throttle towards off, but not all do.

I don't use it a lot, and I don't use it in situations with traffic. But on long trips, the chance to relax the right hand/arm/shoulder is really valuable. By long trips, I'm talking 3-12 hours (or more) on the bike. A couple hours (say Ottawa-Montreal) wouldn't be enough to bother. Ottawa-Toronto (4-4.5 hours) is getting to the range where I might consider using it. I rarely run for extended periods with it, either.

Another handy tool is a wrist-rest, allows you to maintain throttle position with the position of the hand/wrist, rather than having to actually maintain grip on the hand-grip. Also reduces stress, but mostly on the hand -- doesn't release the arm/shoulder the way a throttle-lock does.

Cruise-control would be best, but they are often (if available) a lot more expensive, a lot more difficult to install, and at times, not even available/possible.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

That's what I figured. I don't see that 2-3 hours (from personal experience) is all that big a deal, but I'm thinking of things like Hwy 1 to Los Angeles, and that's 7-9 hours; even with a stop in SLO, that's two legs of about four hours.

But the road is winding, and the traffic variable. I-5 is about 6-7 hours, but it's pretty much straight (just hot, and boring).

A quick release is the only way I'd be willing to have one.

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

I've done multi-day, multi-hour trips. Ottawa-Dallas. Ottawa-San Francisco. There's too many sections of long-straight-flat-boring. And the fatigue accumulates.

But, as I said, I don't use it often.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

I'm contemplating a really long trip; with lots of boring (SF --> Ottawa), so how to avoid things like fatigue matter.

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

I don't know how much of this is obvious, or known, to you or not:

1) A comfortable bike. Something that will cruise at a decent speed without being rough -- an over-wound little bike is often not a good choice. Also, a seat that allows for shifting of or changing of seating position can help.
2) Comfortable gear -- for me, especially, a helmet that fits well, without pressure points, especially on the forehead, where the wind will push it against you.
3) Ear plugs. Wind and other noise really adds to the cumulative fatigue load.
4) Hydration. I didn't use to, but have found that a camel back, or equivalent -- either worn, or in a tank bag, so you can drink as needed as your ride, really helps.
5) Temperature & weather control -- you can't always control this, but cool gear for hot weather (vented leathers, mesh armor) and warm gear for cool/cold weather (an electric vest really really helps for this). Also, rain gear. Dryness is really good.
6) A bike with something to deflect the wind. It does have to be fully-faired, but at least a small wind screen so the wind isn't hitting you full on the chest.

I can try to answer any questions you might have -- I've done a fair bit of long distance riding. I've done something approaching 300,000 kms on two wheels.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

1: Yes. Seat matters (I, as you may imagine, have litte padding). When looking at potential bikes comfort/seat/arm angle/CG have all been considered.

2: Oh yeah. Having spent large chunks of my life in protective gear (and some of that in bulky stuff, with no real flexibilty, while driving) I am so there. The helment I have seems really good. I need to look into earplugs.

4: Good point, and again one I knew (though I hadn't parsed the camelback on a bike; even though I had one on me, and one hanging in my Humvee).

5: So there. Skinny boy has no body fat, so warm is an issue. Cool is not so much a problem (the wind helps), but I want to get armor; with venting, because we have deserts. Marna is bringing a motorcycle rated slicker.

6: Yes, I want a fairing/windscreen. I also need some hardcases, and might want to get a crashframe (or whatever you call the things in front of the feet to keep the bike from crushing one's legs).

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

I use disposable foam E.A.R. plugs. A friend of mine in the states orders them in large-bulk boxes from a safety supplies distributor. Far cheaper than in small amounts at a drug store or similar supplier.

The wind does help. Sometimes dousing the t-shirt you're wearing under the armor in water can really help with the wind-cooling. At least until it dries out again.

Hardcases are handy -- they mean you can comfortably leave stuff on the bike, locked, and walk away from it without worrying.

None of my bikes have had crash-bars (which may be what they're called), and I've never had a problem. They can be a convenient place to mount highway pegs, to give yourself another seating posture, if that works for your bike. (I have crashed on a Suzuki GS650, Honda CB450 (I think), Yamaha FZR600, and a Kawasaki Concours more than once. I will admit, though, that on the Concours the fairing & hard luggage give pretty good leg-crush protection in the case of a crash.)

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

I've heard about the Concours you have in the garage, in pieces. :)

I'm thinking of a Virago, or V-Star. Before I am willing to travel long distances with camera gear/computers, I want something to keep them in. Then I can put the clothes/sleeping bag behind me.

I have a gel-packed neckwrap. It works really well for cooling a body encased in armor (I learned a few things in Iraq).

[don-fitch.livejournal.com]

Being a conservative oldphart, I'm of the opinion that anyone who does show-off/trick driving -- in any vehicle -- on the open highway or city streets, is being /a/n/ /a/s/s/h/o/l/e/ knuckleheaded... and is sufficiently dangerous to others that I'll slow down (if necessary) or otherwise try to stay far away from them. If they do go splotch, I'll feel somewhat sad, of course... but, I must confess, not very.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

The worst part, for me, was that I was in the lane behind him, and afraid to leave it, lest someone not notice him and get too close, before he wiped out.

I was planning my stop/bail-out path.

I was too apalled/horrified to be angry.