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Post by rockynv on Dec 20, 2015 8:12:09 GMT -5
NEVER drag your feet.... Your feet belong on the pegs or floorboards. doing this, putting a foot down, during a skills test will cost you your endorsement in indiana. you bring up a good point with the running wide topic. it's one of those odd aspects of 2 wheels that i don't fully understand. in a cage, you can simply turn the wheel sharper, but 2 wheels seems to negate that. any ideas why a biker runs wide? yes, i know a decreasing radius will cause it, but why can't a biker seem to correct for it? shifting winds can also cause it. Target fixation on the tree, curb, etc that you are trying to avoid. As I have mentioned before look at the ground and you will end up on the ground. Notice what you want to avoid but look at where you want to be. |
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Post by rockynv on Dec 20, 2015 8:07:43 GMT -5
I have been thinking about retiring this helmet any way. While I like wearing it on hot days and I love the flip down sunshade, I have never felt really safe wearing it. I just prefer my full face modular. So my plans now are for it to become a piece of wall art. I have another bike to paint, but I haven't figured out color schemes yet. I kind of like this, but not with the skulls. I have a cool indian warrior and an indian chief stencil I just purchased, and I have a really cool dream catcher stencil I'm thinking about using as well. I wanted to use a yellow, but something with a little more brown in it then this helmet has or I might use blue. I haven't decided yet.  I understand. I have a Fuel Open Face that is really great on a hot day but in reality isn't even going to protect you in a bicycle crash. The Sport City is an Interstate Maxi Scooter despite being a 250 and at 75+ mph a open face helmet is just not going to cut it if its not really safe at even 5 or 10 mph. Safety aside look at how many bikers have some form of Bells Palsy (disfiguring and at times painful paralysis of one side of the face) from wearing only Skull Caps or going without. Most folks just think that the old timer had a stroke but still manages to ride when they see them. |
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Post by rockynv on Dec 20, 2015 7:50:20 GMT -5
Then you have companies like Walmart now that only buy a license to but a brand name on their own products made in their own factories further muddying things up. Big difference between a Gates Belt made by Gates in their own Chinese Factory to something made under license by a company like Walmart in their own factory not to mention the absolute fakes out there. Not to argue, Rocky, but a minor correction. Walmart and other big box stores don't actually simply buy licenses to use a major manufacturer's name and manufacture in their own plants. It might seem that way since the part numbers are different than you will find for the brand name product (and unique to the big box store) ... but ... what they are in fact doing is buying from the major manufacturer, but requiring a unique part number for what is sold in their big box store. I hope this helps - and, again, just trying to help, not argue. Not quite accurate. Walmart does buy licenses and they indeed do their own manufacturing so you have to watch out for the most times obscure notice buried in the packaging or on a small ticket advising "XXX is a trademark of XXX Company and is used under the license by Wal-Mart Stores Inc." (yes that is a direct quote with XXX substituted for the brand name and or logo) or "Manufactured by Wal-Mart Stores Inc in our own factories". I have found both notices on a number of name brand products purchased from Wal-Mart such as a GE 169220-17 Convection Oven and other more expensive items. And no the level of quality while a little better than the generics is still not the same as the item made by the trademarks owner. So when making purchases from Wal-Mart its buyer beware as having a name brand on an item is no guaranty that you will be getting the genuine article from Wal-Mart. They also put American or Patriotic sounding names on some of their product lines giving the impression that they are made in the USA but are usually made in Bangladesh, El Salvador or by some other potentially oppressed workforce. Yes at times I shop at Wal-Mart but am aware that when I open the package all may not be as the external labeling implies and even Name Brands may not be what they seem and can have both disclaimers hidden inside the manual, buried in the packaging material or even stamped in a micro-font somewhere on the item itself. Fool me once but not twice and yes I will return Name Brand items that are manufactured under license by the store if its an item that demands the extra quality of the trademark holder. The convection oven I let pass since it won't strand me on the road and is not left unattended while in use. |
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Post by rockynv on Dec 19, 2015 11:34:44 GMT -5
I agree. I drive a scooter made in China. I guess what I was getting at with my comment about them being made in China is that you don't know what you are getting when you order a Gates belt now. There are so many knock offs out there, and the prices vary so widely on their belts now, that I just have a hard time trusting them. Then you have companies like Walmart now that only buy a license to but a brand name on their own products made in their own factories further muddying things up. Big difference between a Gates Belt made by Gates in their own Chinese Factory to something made under license by a company like Walmart in their own factory not to mention the absolute fakes out there. |
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Post by rockynv on Dec 19, 2015 11:22:02 GMT -5
i could never understand the "i have a right to not wear a helmet" mindset. OTOH, i guess i would rather die than to be made a permanent vegetable. i feel naked without mine, it's like i'm committing the mother of all sins if i ride without it. a fullface will protect your head from all kinds of airborn nasties. the only problem i ever had with mine was fogging in cold weather, but i found that opening the visor just a teeny bit prevented most of it. the only other "problem" i had was a bee got in mine. it crawled in there when i went into walmart. talk about freaking out. a simple check would have caught that though. People are in the mistaken belief that they have that right here in Florida however there is a big "IF" attached which is only "IF" mandatory minimum personal injury insurance is in place. Since many insurance companies here no longer honor PIP if your not wearing a helmet, jacket, long pants, gloves and boots then you can't legally go without a helmet. Even with a helmet if your missing the other required elements you can be denied PIP. People with a full health and injury personal health care policy are finding they also can be without coverage if they are not wearing their gear. I would not have walked away from my accident this past spring if I had not been wearing a full face helmet so I have that reinforcement of ATGATT in my life. I have not gotten into the habit of leaving a helmet out on the bike and always take it with me. Who wants to wear a helmet that has been sitting out in the Florida Sun or has one of our Face Sized Spiders curled up inside of it not to mention yellow jackets, hornets, stinging flies, flying wood roaches, fire ants, lizards or potentially a pygmy rattler or coral snake. |
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Post by rockynv on Dec 19, 2015 10:46:21 GMT -5
The Aprilia constantly surprises me in a pleasant way and has just been overall a wonderfully balanced bike so yes the Italians do have the light motorcycle scooter formula dialed in with their 250 to 350 cc bikes. The older 200's were almost there but needed just a tad more refinement to make them truly capable bikes on a 4 lane.
Quality Pirelli, Michelin or Heidenau tires accurately spun balanced can make a really big difference in how a bike behaves at Interstate speeds.
Be mindful that speed ratings are mostly heat ratings or basically how fast you can run them for 10 minutes before they will overheat and fail. A 75 mph rated tire has to pass a loaded test at that speed for 10 minutes so depending on the maker it may be safe at 75 mph at 100 degrees for hours and have reserve capacity to hold up even longer or at higher speeds while others may give out shortly after the 10 minute mark so you really do not want to run at a tires max speed rating for more than a few minutes and need to keep that in mind if your time on the Interstate exceeds 10 minute intervals at or near to a tires max speed rating. Also one has to be aware that a tire patch even professionally applied can significantly reduce the max safe speed of a tire.
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Post by rockynv on Dec 18, 2015 13:46:19 GMT -5
Sweet!!! Nothing like smoking cagers with just a few CCs under the seat, and a gas tank filled with spare change, lol. I have reached 92kmph (GPS) on my BBKed 125cc at 8k rpms, after that it feels like the tires loose all the traction and the suspension becomes useless, almost like levitating down the road  There is a certain magic to passing a Bugatti Veteron at Interstate speeds on a scooter. Reactions from someone who spent that much on a Bugatti when they get passed by a scooter can range from humiliation to utter disbelief and unfortunately at time totaly enraged. |
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Post by rockynv on Dec 18, 2015 13:29:09 GMT -5
Yes a fuel injected bike with computer feed back and knock sensors will do better on 87 than a carbureted bike with mid to high compression and no computerized systems to protect it. Oh how I remember cleaning the old carb out in many of the VW's I have owned.......bless fuel injection! (till it breaks) I wonder how the gasoline fired forced hot air heaters that they used in the colder climates in the old bugs hold up to ethanol. It always made me take pause when turning on one of those things with the gas tank right above them behind the dashboard. |
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Post by rockynv on Dec 18, 2015 1:03:53 GMT -5
Relies on the chin to hold it in place which could make it uncomfortable on long rides and leave some interesting marks on your face. Snell has been taking heat over the years for having one severe test and part of the standard that actually can cause injuries in the more common severe crashes so DOT with ECE certs is probably best for roadway riders with the Snell left for track racing. Remember Snell had to admit a few years back that they were wrong and had to lighten up their standard a bit to help reduce injuries sustained due to the ball deformation/pentration standard that they required helmets to meet.
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Post by rockynv on Dec 18, 2015 0:53:18 GMT -5
Leo would probably love the twin disks up front on the Sport City as they are the same used on 500cc and larger bikes. With a new tire on dry pavement you could end up doing a Stoppie in a panic that would make Tom Cruise take note. The Sport City on dry pavement stops faster than any car I have ever driven however you do need to watch out for plastic street lines, symbols and writing that starts out as a plastic panel almost 1/2 inch thick and is melted onto the roadway in great quantities at intersections (think of a product called Saw Slick on a wet road) which is like riding on a SlipNSlide when its wet when you go over them. Driving by a car wash can also be dangerous from all the soap residue and hot wax in the final rinse that ends up on the road where they exit the car wash. Busy fast food establishments can have fryer grease on the roads nearby which can be more slippery than Black Ice when wet. A lot of things to watch out for many of which you won't see directly. That reminds me another safety tip, if you have to stop aggressively (specially at intersections and stop lights) and you have a cager behind you, get on the side of the lane right away to avoid being rear ended, the cager might not be able to stop as fast as the scooter, cars (specially big ones) need more braking distance than scooters. On my old bike (Lance Vintage 150) the top case partially hid the brake lights and despite pulling to the side I had a kid in a pickup truck push my cane which was strapped to the luggage rack into my thigh leaving quite a bruise. I installed a piece of PVC trim board on the sissy bar on that bike above the top case, painted it black to match the bike and installed running board lights for stop and turn signals. That eliminated the close calls on that bike and made it much more visible. The Sport City has a 32 inch seat height and fairly high mounted brake lights like the Aprilia Sport Bikes so visibility has not been a problem due to the bike. Wearing a highly reflective jacket called "Silver Ignitor" by Xelement has also helped. I use a folding cane now and keep it stowed in the top case to eliminate any danger of having a repeat performance on that one. If the wooden one had snapped the jagged end could have pierced the thigh and been pushed though the muscle to the knee which is something I really want no part of. I saw a hang glider snap thr tubular frame on his kite and get cookie cuttered in a similar fashion and I have visions of a metal cane doing that so no more canes on the luggage rack or anywhere they could potentially get rammed into you in a mishap. |
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Post by rockynv on Dec 17, 2015 5:23:46 GMT -5
The ticking could be the exhaust valve needing adjustment however a roller could have jumped sideways. How old is the bike? Many times bikes that are ridden little and left to sit for a year or so end up with a belt that has cast itself over the sheaves from sitting in one position while it stiffened up from age so that it is jumpy and this vibration then can cause the composite counter weights on the clutch arms to crack and fall apart making things vibrate more. Inspect the drive faces for grooving while your in there and if you take the clutch off for inspection be sure to grease the needle bearings it idles upon before putting it back on the shaft. Many just wipe the grease off the clutch shaft without putting fresh inside the clutch which damages the clutch shaft and the clutch. Once you get it vibrating badly enough it will damage the bearings in the gear box requiring those to be replaced too. This can all occur in less than 4,000 miles.
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Post by rockynv on Dec 17, 2015 5:13:37 GMT -5
rocky mentions another advantage scoots, their phenomenal stopping power. You have to experience the Sport City. With the 15 inch 120/70-15 tire and the large twin disks up front it catches many by surprise. Some will wear through a front tire in a few thousand miles doing pretty close to stoppies at about every traffic light when they first get one. A 326 lb bike with brakes designed to stop a 500 lb bike and the tires to match makes for a great combination. |
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Post by rockynv on Dec 17, 2015 1:29:34 GMT -5
Leo would probably love the twin disks up front on the Sport City as they are the same used on 500cc and larger bikes. With a new tire on dry pavement you could end up doing a Stoppie in a panic that would make Tom Cruise take note.
The Sport City on dry pavement stops faster than any car I have ever driven however you do need to watch out for plastic street lines, symbols and writing that starts out as a plastic panel almost 1/2 inch thick and is melted onto the roadway in great quantities at intersections (think of a product called Saw Slick on a wet road) which is like riding on a SlipNSlide when its wet when you go over them.
Driving by a car wash can also be dangerous from all the soap residue and hot wax in the final rinse that ends up on the road where they exit the car wash.
Busy fast food establishments can have fryer grease on the roads nearby which can be more slippery than Black Ice when wet.
A lot of things to watch out for many of which you won't see directly.
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Post by rockynv on Dec 16, 2015 0:33:26 GMT -5
Ethanol can be brutal if your engine and fuel system was not designed for it. Even if designed for it, if it turns to jelly and then acidic it will leave your carb full of mud like the video showed and if the mud dries up white rotted aluminum powder and rust with the body of the carb all pock marked and pitted. |
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Post by rockynv on Dec 16, 2015 0:26:12 GMT -5
It is my understanding that more people dump there bikes either pulling into or duck walking back out of a parking space than at any other time. If you lock up the front brake even at walking speed you will flip your bike if the front wheel is turned too far to either side. That is about the only time where you use only the rear brake otherwise even on sand its modulated control and finesse.
Don't fear the front brake since using it is critical to safe stopping so practice and learn to use it appropriately.
A good discussion for the All About Safety Section of the Forum.
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