pecunium

Windscreens are nice to have, yuppers.

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We need to talk about tires too. Since I need some soonest, and have some questions.

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I can try to answer questions, but really, I don't know tires all that well. General rule: the stickier the tire, the better the handling -- but the shorter the life of the tire. Unless you're running a high-end sport bike and planning to really push it, you don't want really sticky, though. And, on an older bike, you may only have a limitted selection in the sizes that will fit on that bike, anyway.

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I'm thinking about some ST tires for the rear, and plain sport for the front.

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That's a reasonable combination -- back tends to wear faster than front, anyway, and the grip on the front is a bit more important. I run ST back & front -- but my bike is quite a bit heavier than yours. (I have, in the past, run that combination, on the Concours. But that was years ago. )

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ironphoenix.livejournal.com

W00t! Good luck, and stay safe!

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inflectionpoint.livejournal.com

woo hoo!

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maps-or-guitars.livejournal.com

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silmaril.livejournal.com

Congratulations, be safe and have fun!

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avatar-jones.livejournal.com

Good on you! A bike is a wonderfull thing, but please remember it's not *if*you dump but *when* so buy and wear the best safety gear you can afford.
Not just a brain bucket but he's y boots, gloves, and solid leathers too. Hitting pavement is like running a belt sander with thirty six grit sand paper on your balls.
As a long time survivor of hot bikes and idiot cage riders I konw. Don't end up a crip like me (or worse). But most importantly have fun! Tidings an absolute blast.

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I've put one bike down as a rider. When I was... I want to say seven, I was on the back of a bike which went down (slow speed, around the house. I had a helmet, as I recall).

A friend, about that same time frame was the subject of a Bell ad.

I have leathers, gloves, helmet. I'm atually about to replace the gloves, and get better leathers.

I spent years on a bicycle, in traffic, and years on (and off) of horses. Gear is life.

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traumentwerfer.livejournal.com

I understand how important independent transportation is for you, and so I regret that I cannot support you in this.

I've simply known too many people die in motorcycle accidents, mostly not their own fault. I know we are not best friends or anything, but I do like you and care about other people that are close to you, so I need to be honest with you here: Motorcycles are fucking dumb. You will shorten your lifespan no matter how good a rider you are or how careful you are. If you're ok with that, then more power to you. But if you actually have ambitions of living for a significantly longer period of time, I implore you to find a safer form of transportation.

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With no intent to be offensive.... I'm not looking for support. I know you are trying to do a good thing, but I know the risks. I know the odds are that I will drop the thing (static, or moving). I know the odds are good I will end up laying down another bike.

Shit happens.

I can, actually, afford to get a car. I choose not to. Life is fatal. It's not a question of either/or (acceptance of risk/ambitions of long life). I've done a lot of things which were riskier, in lots of ways, than climbing on a bike. I've been shot at. I've had people lob high-explosives at me, with the general intent of killing me.

At one level, yes, you are right, motorcycles are less safe than cars. On the other hand, cars aren't safe either. I could look for a second hand Sherman, or just deal with the fact that life is risk. I've seen lots of guys who did nothing wrong (not even so much as not making any mistakes on a bike) who ended up dead. Ain't no guarantees, and I know that; viscerally.

This is a thing I choose to do. I would quote Herrick (To the Virgins, to make much of time), but rather the last stanza of Marvell, "To his coy mistress"

Let us roll all our strength, and all
Our sweetness, up into one ball;
And tear our pleasures with rough strife
8Thorough the iron gates of life.
Thus, though we cannot make our sun
Stand still, yet we will make him run.

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I am 42. I've been riding motorcycles since, about, 17. I've had my share of accidents -- but with proper gear, you greatly reduce the risk.

Life is about choosing your risks, and balancing them against the rewards. Riding a motorcycle is higher risk -- but I (and I believe pecunium) both feel that the rewards are worth the risk.

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Yay, independent transportation! You're a smart guy; you already know all the cautionary stuff.

Do you get disabled plates?

I ask because Michael is disabled and has a 2004 Honda Aero and he has disabled plates on it. When he went to the DMV to get said plates, the lady behind the counter told him that there was no such thing as disabled plates for motorcycles, which of course is not true. If you go to get that kind of plate for your bike, be prepared - you might get that attitude. (And if you do ever get disabled plates, keep the vehicle's original plates. Disabled plates are like vanity plates and stay with the owner, not with the vehicle. When you sell the vehicle, you have to put the original plates back on. We learned this the hard way.)

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I don't qualify. I hoped 80 percent would clear me for Disabled Vet plates, but that takes 100 percent. I don't know that I can get a doctor to sign off on disabled plates for me.

The funny thing is, riding a bike is easier on the aches and pains (or at least for the distances I am looking at right now/in my experience) than a car is.

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vvvexation.livejournal.com

Really? When I bought a car (twice) from someone who had disabled plates on it, they were able to just get new plates on it; they didn't have to put the old ones back.

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If disabled license plates passed into your possession and you are not disabled, then that's a felony. Sure, they can get new plates, but they're not allowed to sell you their old disabled plates (even if there's a car attached).

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vvvexation.livejournal.com

No, that's not what I meant. It just seemed that you were saying you have to save the old non-disabled plates to put them back on, and I was saying that in my experience you don't have to because it's okay to just get new ones.

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We tried that. We sold our car after taking the disabled plates off and we hadn't saved the old, nondisabled plates to put on it, so it had no plates at all. The buyer was pulled over and almost incarcerated for auto theft about 40 minutes after we made the sale, before we could get it registered at the DMV (this was at night). If he didn't have the receipt from the car sale on him, and if we hadn't called the police station, he would have been. Not having plates on a car is a sign that it's been stolen.

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vvvexation.livejournal.com

Okay, yes, but I'm not talking about not having any plates on at all, I'm talking about having new plates instead of the old ones. On the occasions I was describing, there was never any time when the car had no plates at all. So I see what you're saying if you meant "save the old plates so you won't have to get new ones before you sell it," but I originally thought you meant "you have to save the old plates because you aren't allowed to get new ones" or something like that.

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