Motorcycle Riders?

[EyeCarry]

Chezuki, I had a '96 just like yours. It had a Texas tall windshield though. Really a smooth ride going down the road. Comfortable, quite and good handling. I was a little too short legged for it and always had to be on my game at slow speeds and stopping/taking off. I always felt that it was too top heavy for my tastes but, again, sweet ride going down the road.

 

[terrehautian]

How can you handle big heavy bikes like that? Heaviest bike I have ever rode was probably Victories at about 660 pounds. I sat on a gold wing the one day my dad was buying his bike and I felt uncomfortable even just having my feet down and not on the kickstand. I guess that is why I always have liked Victory's and other brands that don't weigh a ton.

 

[chezuki]

How can you handle big heavy bikes like that? Heaviest bike I have ever rode was probably Victories at about 660 pounds. I sat on a gold wing the one day my dad was buying his bike and I felt uncomfortable even just having my feet down and not on the kickstand. I guess that is why I always have liked Victory's and other brands that don't weigh a ton.

Solid fundamentals. You are NOT going to muscle it where you want it to go, but with proper technique on the throttle/clutch/brake it’s actually quite agile. My springer is about 680lbs wet, the wing is almost 900, but handles better and feels lighter (in motion).

 

[EyeCarry]

Solid fundamentals. You are NOT going to muscle it where you want it to go, but with proper technique on the throttle/clutch/brake it’s actually quite agile. My springer is about 680lbs wet, the wing is almost 900, but handles better and feels lighter (in motion).

Yup, what he said. I can make my '14 Ultra Limited go where I need it to go at speed and in the parking lot but you have to use proper technique and not get complacent. Obviously, you don't start out on one. I ALWAYS thought "ooo, I can't ride that, it's too big" as I progressed up to the bigger stuff. Even the '91 Harley FXR that I still have looked too big before I bought it. Now it feels like a Tinkertoy when I ride it.

 

[Nazgul]

My Indian Chief Darkhorse is almost 800 lbs. Easy to handle, just have to be ahead of it. Surprising how little forward motion is needed to balance it.

It does get heavy real fast if you let it tip too far....

Don

 

[melensdad]

Good info on the Cardo systems. I run a Sena 20S and am happy enough with the end result, but there has been quirks. Some streamed or YouTube content has to be run at full volume on the headset and phone to be heard in my, less than quiet, helmet. Let alone running at 80mph, with the vents open.

I'm glad to see more competition in the helmet communicator market. IMHO, the pricing for these units are around twice what they should be, for what you get.

Sena is the most popular producer of the high quality communicators. Cardo, in my opinion, is underdog brand and does a better job of producing high quality communication systems. Both are at the high end of the price spectrum. Comparison reviews of the systems almost always say the Cardo is the better of the two. But not sure my how much??? And different features may be more important to some than to others. But Sena is not the only game in town for high end units.

... I have not ridden all of the heavyweight touring bikes but in discussions with riders over the years the Gold Wing was at the top but I have also heard many times that the BMW bike is equally amazing. Seems the Gold Wing has met or exceeded the new price of the top level BMW. $27,000 base vs $25,595, which I think most people have it in their head that BMW prices surely are priced much higher than their counterparts.

Gold Wings fully loaded do come in at the $27K price range, but can be had, without airbags, etc for somewhat less. Nicely equipped new 2018's are about $20-$22k with DCT transmission, rear assist gear, etc.

I'm more of an adventure bike type of rider, with the upright riding position, so I never really seriously look at cruisers or heavyweight bikes, but damn if the newest Goldwings are not amazing. My wife and I both run middleweight ADV style bikes. Her's is a 670cc and mine is 745cc. Mine, loaded with luggage for a trip tops out at about 550# which is still manageable on a gravel or dirt roadway but you don't want to go a lot heavier than that if you actually go off road. We currently both run Hondas, but seriously looked at KTM and BMW bikes. The main problem with some of the Euro brands is that dealers are scarce, parts are as expensive as the bikes. A BMW GS850, with luggage and similar features to my Honda is 50% more expensive. Goldwing's may seem expensive, but if you option up a BMW you can pretty easily top $30,000 and nearly scare the heck out of $35,000 if you want to get really fancy.

 

[chezuki]

I brought my new-to-me (1995) Wing 15 years into the future today by wiring in a Bluetooth receiver and installing a phone mount. Music and turn by turn GPS all through a cassette tape adapter.

 

[indytechnerd]

I really like the new 'wings. Super fancy and capable of running the DCT. But, you gotta admit, this is one purdy scoot...
https://www.bmwmotorcycles.com/en/models/tour/k1600-grand-america.html

 

[bwframe]

Another somber reminder that bikes ain't cars...

Single Vehicle Motorcycle Accident Sends One to the Hospital

 

[jagee]

I'm gonna win, but you guys can still play...

Sent from my LM-Q710.FGN using Tapatalk

 

[melensdad]

Another somber reminder that bikes ain't cars...

Single Vehicle Motorcycle Accident Sends One to the Hospital

He was not wearing a helmet.

Report said he suffered head injuries.

Good quality helmets are expensive but they are comfortable if they are well made with proper venting and use good padding.

 

[terrehautian]

I’m trying to get my dad to ride full gear, but he at least has helmets. He has two right now, a half helmet and 3/4 helmet with shield (almost full faced. I bet he gets a full faced eventually also. He is in the “I’m a safe rider so I don’t need all that riding gear” category. It isn’t you you have to worry about, it is everyone else. Yes, I know it is a personal choice. I just like my skin and want to keep it on me.

 

[melensdad]

I’m trying to get my dad to ride full gear, but he at least has helmets. He has two right now, a half helmet and 3/4 helmet with shield (almost full faced. I bet he gets a full faced eventually also. He is in the “I’m a safe rider so I don’t need all that riding gear” category. It isn’t you you have to worry about, it is everyone else. Yes, I know it is a personal choice. I just like my skin and want to keep it on me.

I look at it this way: I wear the gear for my family.

They will have to put me in the ground if I do something stupid or if a distracted driver smacks me.

Helmets save lives. We all know it. DOT standards suck and those little "pot" helmets get DOT ratings so that proves you should look for SNELL or European ratings if you want to protect you life. Good helmets are actually comfortable. Some are astonishingly expensive, some less so.

Good armored jackets can also save lives, most don't care. And they ar freaking expensive too. Only the expensive ones (north of $300, and often $600+) are rated with CE Level 2 impact pads and simultaneously vent well enough and move well enough to be comfortable to wear.

Real motorcycle gloves and armored pants keep your skin on but neither is likely to save your life in a crash. They will simply make the emergency room doctor's job a lot easier by eliminating skin grafting and saving you from excess bleeding. Both protective gloves and pants have abrasion resistance to prevent road rash in a good slide and are rated by the number of seconds you can slide without shredding. Denim Blue Jeans = 0 seconds. Cordura with Kevlar can skid for 6 to 10 seconds. Leather is good for about 6; unless its split grain/suede, that is worth about 0.

Decent street motorcycle boots should have pads to reduce/eliminate injury from crushing and also should offer abrasion resistance for a slide.

I claim to be an ATGATT guy (all the gear all the time) but in reality I will skip gloves in the heat. I will occasionally ride in blue jeans, but that is very rare, I have a couple different pairs of good motorcycle pants that I can choose from, some just look like tactical pants, others look like they are part of a space suit. I will occasionally ride with tennis shoes instead of boots. Honestly 90% of the time I am an ATGATT guy.


All that said, I believe its a personal choice. Ride your own ride. If you want to ride unprotected, I'm OK with that.

 

[chezuki]

Have I mentioned how much I love my new “old man bike”? If not, I am now.

No fuss, no ritual to get it started, no mandatory warm up time, no leaks. Just hop on and go. I still love my old Harley, but this thing is is quick, smooth, and comfortable.

 

[bwframe]

I'm a proponent of wearing riding gear, but I'll skimp once in a while. That skimping is less and less all of the time.

Motorcycle specific protective lid, gloves and boots are what might well get you through a low speed "fender bender" vs never riding again and living the rest of your life with crippling disabilities.

I read an article in a riding magazine some years back about how many rider ending injuries are prevented by good riding boots alone. Ankle and shin protection along with abrasion resistance is huge in even single motorcycle accidents. I can attest to this personally, in my gravel driveway.

A lot of leg/foot injury motorcycle accidents to not find their way into statistics. A fair amount of these injuries from "minor" accidents and unreported accidents stay with the "rider" for the rest of their lives.

 

[semperfi211]

This isn't mine. Road King brought into Valpo Harley for service.

 

[melensdad]

...
This isn't mine. Road King brought into Valpo Harley for service.

Brought in for a repair to fix the faulty odometer

 

[semperfi211]

Brought in for a repair to fix the faulty odometer

I'm going to run out to the garage and see if there is a decimal point on my miles.

 

[Nazgul]

Spent the weekend camping at Patoka with the grand kids. Outside our door and right in front of me every day was a URAL with sidecar. I have read about them, never saw one. Went and talked to the owner, nice guy. He said he has 2 Harleys, uses this one for short rides/nice days. Anything over 55 MPH is dicey according to him. Interesting, I almost want one for fun.

Don

 

[melensdad]

Spent the weekend camping at Patoka with the grand kids. Outside our door and right in front of me every day was a URAL with sidecar. I have read about them, never saw one. Went and talked to the owner, nice guy. He said he has 2 Harleys, uses this one for short rides/nice days. Anything over 55 MPH is dicey according to him. Interesting, I almost want one for fun.

Don

Ural Motorcycles are a copy of a 1945-ish BMW design. There is also a Chinese knock off that looks the same, but is lower quality.

I have a friend with a Ural and a friend with the Chinese knock off.

The Ural's come in 2 configurations, either 2 wheel drive with the motorcycle + sidecar wheels powered. Or 1 wheel drive with only the motorcycle's rear wheel powered. The 1 wheel drive is apparently faster than the 2 wheel drive. And 55mph is roughly the top speed. Ural has recently updated their engine and apparently the top speed has been improved. I don't know anyone who owns one who can confirm the new engine actually goes above 55mph.

For the Chinese version my friend can't get above 51mph.