Motorbikes!

[limber bison]

The place around here for all you two wheeled demons!

Got my first helmet the other day, basics course next week!

[quaint orbit]

Good thing New Zealand is an island at the other side of the world 😛
But good luck man 😄

[limber bison]

https://tenor.com/view/wheelie-wheelies-whoolie-pop-wheelies-streetbike-gif-21225727

[heady plover]

Drink lots of water before and during the class and have fun

[limber bison]

Thanks for the advice!

[thorn ice]

don't die!!!

[hazy glen]

Watch out for white vans!

[limber bison]

Ouch!

[hazy glen]

Don't scrimp on the safety equipment 😉

[heady plover]

yeah gear is essential

But bikes are terrific https://streamable.com/6omm0

[limber bison]

Fantastic

[nova token]

Nice

[fair silo]

Have fun on the course, man! I highly condone the safety course, because you'll learn lots that can be very helpful.

[limber bison]

Especially if it is actually raining.

[fair silo]

Biggest thing about riding in the rain is the faster you go the more the raindrops hurt.

[limber bison]

Good thing the course is maximum 20kph then

[fair silo]

You have a limited amount of traction for turning, accelerating, or braking. If you use too much of it for one, you lose the ability to do the others. Don't gun it, brake, or corner too hard in the rain and you'll be fine.

[heady plover]

Rain riding is fun once you get past the threshold of getting wet.

Smooth on the gas, smooth and progressive on the brakes, smooth cornering

[fair silo]

And that's all riding, really. Smooth is the goal, even in perfect weather.

[limber bison]

https://youtu.be/mr9C5E82XIc

Definitely something I want to do in the next few years.

[hazy glen]

And avoid all ironwork - drain covers, manhole covers, etc

[limber bison]

White lines on the road too, can get a bit slippy.

[fair silo]

As my wrecked helmet, concussion, cracked ribs, and busted right side of my bike will confirm.

[hazy glen]

We're not selling motorbikes very well, are we ? 😉

[fair silo]

Motorbikes sell themselves! We're selling Safety!

[limber bison]

My Aunty goes “Why would you want one of them?”

“Because motorbike”

[heady plover]

Me in the trauma center after breaking a bunch of bones:

Physician: So you gonna give up motorcycles?
Me: Nope.
Physician: Y'all are crazy.
Me: Yup.

I think that was around 25,000 miles of riding ago?

[limber bison]

Down here we have government subsidised courses for bikes, so we’re talking full day urban and open road course for $50nz.

[heady plover]

Here you pay $200-300 to putt around a parking lot for around 10 hours and take a test where you have 2 U turns, a single corner and a stop from 18mph. You are then allowed to buy any bike 😂

[limber bison]

Oh Jesus

Down here it’s $299 for the two hour basic handling course (putting around a parking lot for two hours doing 2 U turns, a corner and a stop from 20kph) then you can buy any learner approved bike under 650cc

[hazy glen]

You bloody need them. I've driven in NZ. Never seen so many incompetent drivers and unsafe cars. Not forgetting the amount of drunk drivers .

[fair silo]

Sounds about right. Think my course was closer to $500 though

[limber bison]

We had some family friends involved in a serious crash a few days back. Drunk driver came around the corner in their lane and bang. One broke all the bones in her body.

[fair silo]

No approved learners here. Can get my license and hop on a Kawasaki H2 right away.

[limber bison]

https://www.nzta.govt.nz/driver-licences/getting-a-licence/licences-by-vehicle-type/motorcycles/lams/

Anything vaguely over 400cc gets a limiter.

[fair silo]

My first bike was a Ninja 250, and i condone learning on a smaller bike, i think it teaches you better skills and makes you a better rider.

[limber bison]

That’s why I’m thinking an R3.

[fair silo]

R3 isn't a bad bike! I picked one up for a friend who didn't have her license yet and rode it home for her.

[hazy glen]

First bike was a mk1, Suzuki Bandit 600. Wish I'd never sold it .

[limber bison]

My dad started on a 70’s Yamaha 100cc, but the one he wishes he never sold was a ‘91 ZZR 250

[fair silo]

I miss my ninja 250. But i'd rather have a newer fuel injected bike, like the Ninja 400 or whatever it is

I actually want a supermoto the most 😂

[limber bison]

I’d take a modern fuel injected bike any day as a daily rider. Not that I don’t like wrenching

[hazy glen]

God, the bike I'd wish I'd kept: Honda X11, VFR 750, the bandit , etc

[hazy glen]

Thinking the very same.

[limber bison]

Mhm. Some good trails around here.

[fair silo]

I like the Honda CRF300L. Get that and slap some spoked rims and sport tires on it. Coworker has a Husqavrna 701 Supermoto and it's awesome.

[limber bison]

I do love the look of those husky’s.

[hazy glen]

Aye, but can be bastards to work on

[fair silo]

His doesn't look factory anymore. It's got aftermarket plastics and a rainbow of stickers.

[hazy glen]

I'd go with a trail bike and change the rims and tyres

[heady plover]

supermoto is fun. my DRZ is a little fat and the carb is finnicky but really enjoyable in twisties and around town. Although if I were buying one today I'd look at the KLX

[limber bison]

Supermoto’s are a helluva lot of fun

[hazy glen]

Got a be Honda or KTM

[limber bison]

Was always old ass Hondas growing up. Bullet proof.

[hazy glen]

https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2020/05/18/2020-ktm-350-exc-f-review-12-fast-facts-dirty-dual-sport/amp/

[limber bison]

That’d be a lot of fun.

[heady plover]

My experience with KTM reliability was not good so I'm kinda turned off the brand

was hella fun to ride

[hazy glen]

Anything bigger would be too heavy.

That's unusual. I wouldn't rate the reliability as high as Honda, but not far behind .

[heady plover]

at 10,000 miles

this was in warranty and KTM corporate was really slow. Took 8 months for them to resolve the issue

Granted this was years and years ago

[limber bison]

If you miss servicing they can still have fuel issues, and the road bikes at least need to be serviced at a KTM dealer

[fair silo]

Carb was the big thing stopped me from getting a DRZ.

[heady plover]

Hmm, in the US we can use any shop we like and keep warranty

[limber bison]

Could be different here, just going off what mates with them have said, and the bike shop I go to.

[heady plover]

been there lol

Like, it's nice that I can tune it with a screwdriver... but a stupid amount of work to adjust anything other than AFR and idle

[fair silo]

I had just sold my Ninja 250 and it gave me hell with the carbs that I swore to never get a carbureted bike ever again.

[limber bison]

One day when I have the space and means I’ll get an old British bike with a carb as a project bike, but until then, efi.

[fair silo]

I live near enough to the mountains and the temperature can change so much just throughout the day that carbs need too much work for me.

[heady plover]

Oh yeah, I live at 4000ft and the roads here go to 8000ft, jetting for that range was tricky

I literally gain more elevation on my Suzuki that a typical Viggen flight

[fair silo]

And it didn't matter what I did to store it over the winter, the needles always got gummed up every year! Lol

[heady plover]

I don't have that issue thankfully

But the battery loves to drain if I don't ride it for a few weeks

[limber bison]

Winter? Cold?

[heady plover]

Also ethanol in the fuel here

Makes the fuel start to gum after a few months

[fair silo]

I've killed plenty of batteries just forgetting to take them out before winter hits and they're no good next season. I just replaced my battery in May and I'm confident I'll need a new one this summer.

[heady plover]

You can buy ethanol free which helps but you gotta run a few tanks to flush all the ethanol, and its expensive

[fair silo]

Most stations here use ethanol. I only fill my bike at Shell because it's the only one that doesn't put it in their premium.

[limber bison]

All our gas down here has ethanol in it. Down south where it gets below freezing properly in winter they can get ethanol free but the rest of us

[fair silo]

Even dead of winter -35 our fuel has ethanol. I don't mind in my car because it gets driven plenty.

[limber bison]

My car will still get run at least once a week so

[limber bison]

60% to 30% chance….. I’ll take it!

[heady plover]

Tip: Bring a few pairs of nitrile gloves, the kind used for a medical exam or an oil change. Wear em under your gloves if it rains.

[limber bison]

Will do. I’ve also got my Kevlar gloves from work to wear.

[heady plover]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COeNdeYT_m0

Ignore the parts on staying warm and just use the parts on staying dry

[limber bison]

Cool as, thanks man!

Was gonna say, it’ll be warm enough 🤣🤣

[limber bison]

Passed!

[nova token]

Nice job

[limber bison]

Thanks man!

[heady plover]

Welcome to the club!

[limber bison]

Thanks man!

[fair silo]

Wooo! 🎉🥳 grats

[nova token]

Nice helmet

[limber bison]

Thanks man, I like it too.

[nova token]

Makes me sad I can’t use my helmet again

[limber bison]

One good drop and they’re done unfortunately

[nova token]

Yep

Or one good hit

[limber bison]

Yep.

[nova token]

Painted it myself

[limber bison]

Very nice!

[nova token]

Gonna try keep it

Probably take the padding out and keep the shell

[limber bison]

Good idea

[limber bison]

Looks cool!

[fair silo]

I need a new helmet too. I'm just sad, because i haven't like Shoei's designs that past couple years.

[limber bison]

My LS2 is pretty good for me, fits well and has the inter grated sun visor

[fair silo]

Nice, my RF1200 did not have the flip down sun visor.

[limber bison]

I tested it today, pretty damn good

[nova token]

I had my visor up it came clean off lol

[limber bison]

That makes a lot of sense

[nova token]

Airbag do be punching

[limber bison]

I hit 30kph at the end when I gunned it so would’ve cooked otherwise

[nova token]

The visor was fine tho

[limber bison]

Good.

[nova token]

We put it back on

[limber bison]

Nothing like a bit of kiwi ingenuity

[dense needle]

Little late to the party, but helmet 😂

[limber bison]

Never late when it’s a motorbike party!

[dense needle]

Very true

[fair silo]

I've never heard of that brand

[dense needle]

Its a store brand from Louis motorrad (German motorcycle store, with cheap but great gear)

And it sounds like you're sneezing whenever I try to pronounce it

[limber bison]

That’s the bike license endorsement got too! Now I just need the bike.

[limber bison]

Been for a test ride!

[fair silo]

R3?

[limber bison]

R3.

Had it up to 60km/h (speed limit) and rode it for about a km, was lovely

[fair silo]

Awesome. I rode one hpme for a friend who didn't have her license yet. Got it up to about 140km/h and it was a 40km ride 😅

[limber bison]

Ahahaha nice!

I didn’t wanna go far or fast coz I only had my helmet and gloves on.

Normal jeans and jersey on, had steel caps on too

[fair silo]

I was wearing a full textile suit because it was cold...

[limber bison]

Yeah so a lot more protected lol

[fair silo]

But the road was frosty so handling would have been poor. Pretty sure it was -3° that day haha

[limber bison]

Ahahaha Jesus that’s, yeah

But I did notice afterwards I let the bike control me, it’ll come with saddle time though

[heady plover]

how many miles?

[limber bison]

Did I ride today? 1 maybe

[fair silo]

It's so important to stay focused and to think ahead. You can get into big trouble if the bike is controlling you. It becomes second nature though, eventually you ride without having to think about it too hard.

[limber bison]

By the time I was turning right to get back to the dealership I was doing much much better

[fair silo]

You can be reactive with a car because your steering is predictable and you don't have to balance. On a bike the best thing is to be proactive. But i'm sure you've got it figured out by now! I don't need to preach to you 😅

[limber bison]

I’ll be riding around town for the first few months anyway, maybe a jaunt out into the country until I scare myself hahaha

[fair silo]

Are you buying that R3?

[limber bison]

Yeah. Not that one specifically, mines in a crate.

[limber bison]

Now I’ve got the option of buying the bike in the next few weeks once I have the jacket, then I’ll be needing the jeans and boots, but I’d have the bike at least, or am I better to wait until I have all the gear

[fair silo]

Personally, i think proper riding great is important. You can get seriously injured of what you're wearing doesn't have sufficient abrasion resistance. But I'm an ATGATT guy. (All The Gear All The Time)

[limber bison]

I’d prefer to be an ATGATT guy, but my work pants are Kevlar and my work shoes are steel cap and ankle

[fair silo]

The pants are good, provided they are kevlar on the butt, hips, and knees. The shoes would be fine if they lace up enough that they won't fall off, have proper abrasion resistance and protect your ankle, and you can work the shifter with them. You don't need dedicated riding gear if what you have does the job properly and doesn't cut corners.

[limber bison]

Pants are Kevlar all the way down, they’re made to work with glass. The boots are leather so, should work.

[heady plover]

careful with steel toes, they can bend over your toes in a crash and crush them

Kevlar is great, I've crashed in it and it works great. Maybe reinforce the seams

[limber bison]

Yeah I’d definitely prefer to ride in proper boots, I have a pair of Gaerne Vento’s put aside for me

[dense needle]

Oh yea Id definitely recommend a good/full height boot when you're still learning. Ive never fallen while riding, but Ive definitely dropped bikes at standstill or walking pace a dozen times, its good to have ankle protection when a bike falls on top of it :|

[fair silo]

I have fallen while riding! 😃

[limber bison]

One of my mates has a CBR-650 and can’t flat foot it, he’s written 3 off in 4 months.

[fair silo]

I can't flat foot my Daytona 675R and I haven't written any off... He may need to consider his riding career. 😂

[limber bison]

Yeah I’ve been thinking that 😂

[limber bison]

Brought something home for the test ride.

[graceful cape]

ooh nice thread

r3 is a very fun bike indeed, enjoy!

[fair silo]

I wish the weather was better when i rode one so i could have really played with it. The road was frosty so I had no traction.

[heady plover]

I once had to ride my RC390 down a snowy canyon in the dark on Diablo 3s with both wheels sliding around the corners. It was about then I realized I might be doing something really stupid. No idea how I kept it up all the way down.

[fair silo]

Oof! That would be wild. Atleast the R3 doesn't have track tires like Diablo 3s (my Daytona has Supercorsas) and i was just straight highway.

Those RC390s are gorgeous bikes and I would love to have one.

[limber bison]

More aggressive position than the R3, sat on one. But yeah, real nice.

[fair silo]

I'm used to the race position. I would like something more comfortable though.

[limber bison]

I’m thinking once I pay off the R3 I might get an R7 or something similar, just not sure if I like the more racing stance

[fair silo]

Try stuff out. That racing stance feels fine in the shop when you're sitting on it for two minutes, and it's awesome at first, but after an hour of riding my back atarts to feel it. But I'm old.

I also really like the control I have of the bike in that position versus sitting upright.

[limber bison]

That’s fair

[dense needle]

I mean, I dont think it really has much to do with being old 😉 I cant hold racing stance for more than 5 minutes before my back tells me it's a bad idea

Currently using my dads motorcycle cause I dont have the space to store one yet but I would definitely get something more upright than this

[limber bison]

That looks fairly sporty!

[dense needle]

it is, its a GSF1250, more of a sporttouring machine

[limber bison]

Dang, nice.

[dense needle]

It is a really nice bike to ride, if you can control it, but once she rolls you're golden

[limber bison]

I got my license in the mail the other day!

[limber bison]

Hell yeah!

[dense needle]

Just really heavy, so I really only struggle to control it in the parkinglot 😂

[dense needle]

Nice! congrats!!!

[limber bison]

That’s why I’m getting an R3 hahahaha

[dense needle]

Oh yea good choice, I would definitely not recommend a 1250 as a first 😂 mistakes were made

[limber bison]

Oh we have laws down here, there’s a whole list of what we’re allowed

[dense needle]

oh we have that too, the EU has a whole 'licensing' system where you get certain powered bikes with certain licenses. But I went straight for our 'full-power' license so I had no limits.
Though for the motorcycle lessons I did use a Kawasaki Z650, which was much easier to handle

[limber bison]

My basics test was done on a crappy Honda 125

We have 650 max on learners and restricted licenses, anything over 500cc has a restrictor kit on it.

[dense needle]

LOL, yea since I went full-power, I had to complete everything with at least a 650

and we have 3 separate exams before you get a license, theory, parkinglot maneuvers and then a road exam. Only then you get a license

[limber bison]

Once I have my full license I could go to a boss hoss and no one would care, until then, 650 max.

We start with the basic handling test, then the theory which is pretty much the car questions, and that’s it. License. We get lots of people on their working holiday visas do their bike license here then convert it for that reason

[dense needle]

Yea exactly, so I guess it's pretty similar here in terms of limitations. with our A1 restriction its like 125cc, A2 is like 35KW max, and then full power nobody cares anymore

[limber bison]

When I was living in the UK and wanting to get my license I was gonna go straight for the A2 but I don’t need to do that now

[dense needle]

Ah yea fair, I didnt want to do like 20 exams just to move up through the licenses so I just waited until I could go straight for full-power 😂

[limber bison]

Fair

https://www.nzta.govt.nz/driver-licences/getting-a-licence/licences-by-vehicle-type/motorcycles/lams/lams-approved-and-prohibited-motorcycles/

That’s what we get to chose from

[dense needle]

I mean, thats still a pretty extensive list of motorcycles

[limber bison]

Oh absolutely

And there’s a lot of choice on there

[graceful cape]

This is my 2nd bike, RSV Mille 2002, started out on a suzuki gs500
She's my daily driver, holiday packing mule and track toy

[limber bison]

Ooh nice!

[graceful cape]

And this friday I'm gonna check out something from the other side of the spectrum.
1989 Honda NX 250
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/725638124641845378/1067054614286970880/image.png

[limber bison]

Nothing like a bit of off-roading. That’s what my experience at the moment is, dirt and AG bikes

[graceful cape]

Ive never been offroad ever so I'm really curious

[limber bison]

It’s a lot different. I’m just getting into the road side of things, but grew up in the country so

[graceful cape]

The country here is very densely populated with maybe a few legal places to ride offroad so it will be a challange haha, bit diffrent than NZ

[limber bison]

The cops are really cracking down on riding illegal dirt bikes on anything but trails or farms, but that’s fair enough. There’s plenty of trails around and all you need is a bike with a rego to get there.

[fair silo]

Here we have no such laws. I could buy a Kawasaki H2 as my first bike.

I haven't ever ridden a dirt bike, either. I would like to get one or a dualsport.

[heady plover]

It's really fun, just be prepared to dump the bike a ton at first... overspend on boots and knee protection haha

MOTOTREK is a decent YouTube channel for some basics, but if you can, get some instruction/courses

[graceful cape]

Yeah that's why I'm getting something cheap and old so it's not a loss when i dump it

I have a motorcross training booked in spring so i have some months to get the basics going

[heady plover]

Yeah I have an old Yamaha I use as a loaner for friends. Literally don't care if they yeet it off a cliff

[graceful cape]

That's how a friend sold the idea of a 250 to me haha, lended me his crf 250 L on a road ride and its just so fun

[heady plover]

This exact bike https://youtu.be/VyhMl1sJ8Zs

Literally that bike

[graceful cape]

ooh thats a nice one

[heady plover]

That YouTuber sold it to a friend who I worked with who sold it to me later... lemme tell ya YouTubers are awful at electricals lol

had to rewire a bunch lmao

[limber bison]

If I get a dirt bike at some point it’ll be a dual sport.

[fair silo]

This is the bike i want! I think the new ones are 300 now though.

[limber bison]

What do you guys thing about bikes without windshields compared to bikes with windshields?

Thinking I might go for a spin on an MT-03 as well.

[fair silo]

I think windshields look stupid.

[limber bison]

Unless it’s a sport bike and built into the design

[fair silo]

I make fun of my dad endlessly. He's got a Suzuki M109 and it looked awesome and I loved it until he put a windscreen on it. 😐

[limber bison]

My dad always goes on about needing a bike with a windscreen, uncle says otherwise and wind isn’t that hard to deal with

[fair silo]

If the bike is built without one, don't put one on. That's my philosphy. Because, the #1 Rule of motorcycles is to look cool while riding, and adding a windscreen breaks that rule.

[limber bison]

The big cruisers with add-on windshields look like ass imo

[late wadi]

bolt on Windshields are like Minivans, they do the one thing they were intended to do very well. aesthetics was never part of the formula.

[fair silo]

It has been my experience that yes they can help with wind fatigue on long highway cruises, but no they do not protect you from debris because i still got hit in the face with a bumblebee. But how they look doesn't outweight the wind resistance.

[late wadi]

oh crap, you have full face helmet on?

[limber bison]

I love the look of the R3, maybe not the MT-03 as much, but still. Second bike might be an SV650 or something, undecided.

[limber bison]

https://tenor.com/view/dotm-bumblebee-gif-18133956

[fair silo]

Thankfully. Still scared the bejeezuz out of me. I thought i got shot!

[fair silo]

SV650 is a very nice bike.

[late wadi]

oh yeah, if not wearing a full face.... I mean, most do on highway, but if not, that would have tore you up, wow.

[limber bison]

Full face helmets make so much more sense lol

[fair silo]

I have a buddy that had his visor up going about 140km/h and a bee hit him directly in the ear. Just squeezed between his cheek and the padding of his helmet.

[fair silo]

I always wear a full-face. Anything else just doesn't make sense to me. Why wear gloves and boots if I'm just going to leave my face and chin unprotected?

[limber bison]

My dad once had a bee fly into his helmet when his visor was up, wasn’t fun apparently

[late wadi]

Exactly. Around the motocross tracks I haven't seen anything but full face for decades. Although as a side note, I was at a track last year with a guy riding the track (a tame track, if you will) with nothing but pants, boots and helmet w/goggles and his hairy chest for all to enjoy. I think he had gloves on as well, thank goodness he protected his hands, lol

[fair silo]

Another buddy had a wasp come into their helmet when they had the visor down. Flew up in front of their chin from underneath.

Need your fingers more than you need your nipples.

That's all the bee stories i have.

[late wadi]

you guys and your bee stories

[fair silo]

Almost broadsided a deer, and a chunk of mud fell off a lumber truck that cut me off and hit me in the wrist.

[late wadi]

I'm around the Seattle area, and I just wouldn't even entertain owning anything to do with the street. Every person I know that rides street has either had some incident, involved in a collision- not at fault, or lost a buddy.

[late wadi]

Having Mud or any debris falling off a truck is a big deal around seattle area

[limber bison]

Unfortunately I live in New Zealand where we have fantastic riding roads and year round riding weather.

[fair silo]

I've driven to Seattle and Spokane a few times. I know what traffic is like in the area. I'm up near the Edmonton region of Alberta and it's not much better, but I did a lot of riding on secondary highways. This truck just pulled out of a gravel logging road onto the highway right in front of me, and my father and I were the only ones on the road!

[fair silo]

That sounds awful for you.

[limber bison]

Absolutely horrendous.

[fair silo]

I'm blessed to have these fantastic riding conditions for 6 months of the year.

[limber bison]

Stick some knobblies on she’ll be right

The drivers here on the other hand

[late wadi]

not to mention how Scenic it is, right?

[late wadi]

sounds like you need a sled the other 6 months?. lol

[fair silo]

No way, sleds are nuts. Guys at work hurt themselves on them all the time. Not my thing lol

[limber bison]

Yeah, it sucks.

[late wadi]

lol

[heady plover]

I've toured long distances on both. Zero windshield is good. Tall windshield is good. Windshield too short that blasts the airstream at your helmet is worst.

I did notice a slight drop in fuel economy with a tall windshield, so there's a tradeoff vs comfort.

Depending on the windshield some look like you're riding a telephone booth but I think the MADSTAD one looks okay on my bike:

[limber bison]

That one looks alright!

[heady plover]

The universal fit ones and the old timey cruiser ones look worse

these ones

[limber bison]

Yeah those ones are horrendous

Those bikes look best the way momma made them. No windshield.

[heady plover]

I think the Dyna's batwing has a nice look to it

[limber bison]

OEM looks better

[heady plover]

But often aftermarket batwings get the proportions or color wrong

[heady plover]

was it these guys? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMrxee_fazo

[heady plover]

If I had a nickel for every time my riding buddy got a bee in his helmet while we were on a road trip I'd have two nickels and that seems like a very high number to me.

[limber bison]

https://tenor.com/view/the-big-lebowski-jeff-bridges-jeffrey-lebowski-the-dude-stir-gif-23172125

[fair silo]

Windshields on adventure bikes are okay. There's one on the KLR650 and i love that bike.

[limber bison]

Also BMW’s

[dense needle]

The windshield part or the "I love that bike" part on the BMW?

[limber bison]

Both? Nah. Mainly the windshields look alright.

[dense needle]

Fair enough

I almost rented an F800GS last year for a trip with my dad and grandpa, but unfortunately the trip got cancelled

[limber bison]

Sucks, when I go back to the UK for a holiday I’ll rent something like that and go for a ride with my mate.

[dense needle]

Oh yea, I would love to own a BMW motorcycle... but unfortunately renting will be the only way I can afford them

[limber bison]

That’s why I’m getting a Yamaha lmao

[dense needle]

or buying a used cop bike hmm

[limber bison]

https://tenor.com/view/kmt-yeah-right-hmmm-really-gif-21502858

[dense needle]

LMAO, thats why I borrow my dads bike 🤣

[limber bison]

I’d do that, but he sold it when I was 3

[dense needle]

lol, yea my dad had his motorcycle collecting dust, so when I got my license he was all too happy to let someone use it

[limber bison]

That’s very fair. Once I have mine home the challenge will be keeping all these other fuckers off it

[dense needle]

Ahh yea, luckily I dont have that challenge, my dad doesnt ride that much, and the rest would never want to be found on "such a deathtrap" 🙄

[limber bison]

My grandad, I rent the sleepout on his back yard, he used to ride, my uncle still has all his own gear from a few years ago

[dense needle]

Ahh nice, yea my grandad and dad are the only ones in the family that ride, and they both still have their own bikes, Im the only one without one

But I moved out a few months ago... and my appartment complex doesnt really have a place to park another motorcycle :(

So now I cant even borrow my dads bike all that easily

[limber bison]

Bugger, I’ve got the carport about 5m from my door, so easy.

[dense needle]

ahhh yea thats perfect 😂

even back at home we had the bike in a garage box like 200m away

which is 200m too far, ATGATT in the summer

[limber bison]

Another reason why NZ is great lmao

[dense needle]

lmao

[fair silo]

I don't like BMW, but that's me.

[limber bison]

They’re not my favourite

[graceful cape]

Test rode the 250 i was going to see, i was sold instantly haha

The size, weight and fun factor is just crazy, especially for the price

[hazy glen]

I used to say that. Then i owned one. The quality of the engineering, longevity and time between services. Very few other bikes will do the mileage, are so well engineered and comfortable to ride.

I only ride Honda, CCM, older Triumph and BMW now .

[limber bison]

Then again, I would love an F800 if I could afford one.

[limber bison]

Okay, openAI

[heady plover]

My experience of BMW ownership has been that the bikes are more than the sum of their parts... on paper Triumphs and the Japanese brands are very appealing, but the experience of actually living with the BMW day to day and especially on long trips compared to other bikes I've ridden has been remarkably nice. There aren't many bikes I'm comfortable riding in near freezing temps, or in snow, or in extreme rain, but the BMW makes it a lot easier

[graceful cape]

Finally 😁

[limber bison]

Nice! What is it?

Nevermind I zoomed in 🤣

Nice man! They’re good fun.

[limber bison]

Got the pants today! Boots next week! Got Yamaha finance to do a pre validation today too!

[graceful cape]

Nice! getting closer

[limber bison]

Bike has been aquired

[late wadi]

oh wow, nice

[limber bison]

Yeah man!

[late wadi]

When's the first scheduled ride? Or was that the drive home?, lol

[limber bison]

Next week, they need to get it registered and stuff and the storm needs to pass

[dense needle]

Nice bike! Hopefully you got your gear together as well for that first ride

[limber bison]

LS2 Helmet, Richa jacket and pants, Rev It gloves and Gaerne boots, we good.

[dense needle]

Ah yea, looks like you're ready to ride

very nice

[limber bison]

Hell yeah! If imma slide, imma slide with style.

[dense needle]

Dress for the slide, not for the ride

[limber bison]

https://tenor.com/view/all-of-this-pointing-up-there-see-this-gif-14720503

If imma hit the ground at 100kph, I’d rather do it with armour.

[graceful cape]

Nice ur all set up

Didnt know u guys had Rev It stuff all the way there in NZ 😁

[limber bison]

Oh we have Rev it, A Stars, Richa, they’re the big ones

Oh, DriRider, an Aussie make. Not that great, doesn’t use D3O

[fair silo]

Never heard of Richa. We've got Rev It here, i have a decent amount of AStars stuff. AStars gloves, Shoei helmet, Sidi boots, and either a Triumph jacket or Speed&Strenght hoodie. We have a Canadian brand called Joe Rocket, and I wear their kevlar jeans. They are made for Canadian body shapes...

[limber bison]

We have resurgence for that down here. Richa is a European brand

[fair silo]

Where do supersports fit on this chart? 😂

[limber bison]

That’s what I was thinking too lol

Fkn ripped 6 foot blokes.

[fair silo]

Oh that ain't me

[limber bison]

Me neither. In the dreams, apparently

[limber bison]

https://tenor.com/view/guidlines-pirates-of-the-caribbean-hector-babossa-georffrey-rush-gif-7844913

[heady plover]

"This is what we told the government so we could say this thing gets 56 MPG-US in the ad"

[limber bison]

They also say don’t do over 7000rpm for “extended periods” for the first 1000km

[heady plover]

Oh yeah engine break in

[limber bison]

Yeah. Very important.

[heady plover]

You're probably fine to send it

[limber bison]

But don’t send it for extended periods 😉

[heady plover]

https://youtu.be/xpoglovyy_8

[limber bison]

Great video that

[heady plover]

Vary the RPM a lot, don't just highway cruise yeah

Hit the twisties, let it heat cycle

[limber bison]

Hell yeah

In other words, ride the damn bike

[hazy glen]

Never took any notice of such guidance , nor do I use the clutch if I can help it .

[limber bison]

First proper ride! Started raining

[limber bison]

I learnt the gear is waterproof

[limber bison]

First spirited ride! I shall wear the bugs with pride.

[heady plover]

Real talk- to get the dried bugs off, dampen a paper towel and lay it on your visor for 5 minutes to soften them

[limber bison]

Then a micro fibre cloth?

[heady plover]

Yeah then clean it as usual

[limber bison]

Sweet

Took that route home.

[obtuse axle]

Here's my ride

[heady plover]

A 390! I had one. Really fun bikes.

[obtuse axle]

9 years old, and i still love the Duke!

[limber bison]

I wanna try one of them one day. Interested to see how it compares to my 321cc R3.

[obtuse axle]

Duke will be quicker, but R3 will be faster.
It's also insanely fun in city & twistes. Too much wind blast on highways

[limber bison]

At least I have a windscreen to hide behind hahah

[heady plover]

I think the 390 wins a drag race with higher peak HP, but the R3 wins on a circuit because the 390 engine is infamously unreliable

Mine needed a top end rebuild within the warranty period haha

[limber bison]

Tell you what though, the R3 pulls

Got this and a big fuck off chain to keep the bike where I leave it

[obtuse axle]

Mine has done 72000+ km in 9 years, and started losing compression around 50ish k i think.

I can still got 170kmph, but the acceleration had reduced. Makes it more ride-able in stop & go traffic though, so never bothered to rebuild

[heady plover]

Yeah at that point just ride it into the ground

[limber bison]

@steady lance I’m starting to get a good lean around the corners

[steady lance]

BE CAREFUL. It's addicting to do, and easy to go over the line of controllability.

[limber bison]

Yeah absolutely. Still have a paint like around the outside of one tyre so it can’t have been much of a lean, but yeah. Careful is good.

[heady plover]

If you're talking about chicken strips, don't worry about them, they're not a great indicator of riding skill for a couple of reasons:

1. Your 300 has narrow tires that give you a lot of lean for relatively little tip in.
2. A shit rider can rub off their chicken strips in a parking lot by counterleaning the bike in a figure 8 lol

Focus on other aspects of cornering than lean angle: sightlines, braking, suspension load, and keeping your mind ahead of the bike

[steady lance]

https://tenor.com/view/what-he-said-look-up-see-that-caujuan-mayo-caujuan-gif-20835281

[obtuse axle]

To be fast around a corner you actually need to lean as much as necessary but as little as possible. The more you're leaning, the less grip you actually have

[heady plover]

If you haven't already seen it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK9AoAAy7uM

I personally don't agree with everything the Code family teaches but most of it is quite good.

Also this version has all of the corny acting which is a rite of passage for every sportbike rider!

[limber bison]

Oh that’s getting watched. But I got home and had a 3 hour nap hahaha

[limber bison]

@heady plover

[nova token]

What?

[limber bison]

From an earlier conversation.

[nova token]

Yes but what

Chicken strips?

[limber bison]

Yeah

[nova token]

Explain pls

[limber bison]

The outside of the tyres that’s unworn rubber, coz you’re too “chicken” to lean that far.

[fair silo]

That your tire? Nothing to complain about there, you've been further onto the edges than riders I've seen with more experience.

[heady plover]

I mean, a lot of Harleys won't allow you to lean that far lol

[limber bison]

They’re damn good tyres too

[fair silo]

What are they? I've really only got experience with Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP V2.

[limber bison]

Dunlop sportmax GPR-300 I think

[fair silo]

Nice stuff. I want to try out the Continental Sport Attack 2 when I have to replace mine. They're getting a little worn.

[limber bison]

I’m gonna try the Michelin Road 6’s next time

[fair silo]

Those are too street for me 🤣 Do you typically get a lot of rain in NZ?

[limber bison]

We can do. Not a lot but it can be constant

[graceful cape]

Do you ride track days?

[fair silo]

No, as much as i'd like to. I can see myself selling my bike before too long and going with something more street friendly.

[limber bison]

Get an R7!

[fair silo]

What go from a Daytona 675R to an R7? That's too lateral lol. I'll probably end up with a CRF300L or a KLR650.

[limber bison]

Ah fuck it, Royal Enfield 😉

[steady lance]

H2

[limber bison]

Boss Hoss

https://bosshoss.com/

[fair silo]

I'm just not a fan of it. Who needs that much power? And they're so ugly.

[steady lance]

no such thing as "too much power" and it's a work of art.

I mean you never know when you need the power to out run ..... well.... everything.

[limber bison]

Hell, I have the power to out run most cars on the road on my 300. Up to a point anyway.

[heady plover]

VFR

[limber bison]

Tenere 700

[fair silo]

I didn't say "too" much haha

I'll be honest i want a Fireblade or a ZX10RR, but i think i would ride a supermoto or KLR more.

[brittle flame]

I concur

[obtuse axle]

Adventure is a frame of mind

[fair silo]

My tires will not operate on terrain like that 😅

[obtuse axle]

Lol those are Michelin Pilot Streets

[fair silo]

They got more tread than my supercorsas haha

[hazy glen]

You'd be surprised what a street bike with road tyres will do. I did alot of travelling along dirt tracks in Russia with a BMW R850R. Started off with a touring set and then ended up with a weird Chinese set.

[heady plover]

As long as it's not wet mud/clay/sand most street tires will do okay

[fair silo]

I'll get something that's less for track and more for street when I replace them next.

[limber bison]

I’d love to have a go on a monkey some time, they seem fun to thrash around a dirt road.

[fair silo]

Oh that looks like a fun little thing!

[limber bison]

Wouldn’t want to ride it daily, being a 125, but still!

[graceful cape]

I tried a grom last weekend, it rides as ridiculous as it looks

but sooo much fun

[limber bison]

I mean, they’re the same bike but the monkey does tall people better 😂

[fair silo]

I want to ride a grom. The CBR125 is just too cramped, but a Grom is nice and open and i can turn the bars without hitting my knees.

[limber bison]

So, the R3 isn’t limited to 160 like previously thought

[fair silo]

That would feel slow, as I'm certain I've gone faster than that on my Ninja 250 and the R3 i rode.

[limber bison]

I hit 170 and then backed off

[limber bison]

Before and after. Not that much different but she got the shine back

[fair silo]

Of course that was on a closed track at a sanctioned event and we were wearing all our proper gear!!

[quaint orbit]

https://tenor.com/view/yes-right-correct-true-agree-gif-23176274

[limber bison]

https://tenor.com/view/snoop-dogg-yes-yes-yes-oh-fo-sho-for-sure-nods-gif-12018369

[heady plover]

"empty road in mexico"

(mexico, new zealand)

[limber bison]

Unnamed road in Mexico

Just like anything that isn’t a state highway

[limber bison]

That’s drop one done 🤬

[steady lance]

yea.. they suck.

[limber bison]

Was turning into family friends for dinner, mis judged the gap between the car and trailer then braked while turning. Back wheel went bye bye

[limber bison]

Copilot

[fair silo]

Survived it's first drop better than mine did. I had less than 100km on it, too.

[graceful cape]

besides the damage, that daytona is a dream machine

[fair silo]

It is mostly fixed up now. Only cosmetic damage, and that's just money to fix. Rides amazing.

[limber bison]

One of my mates dropped his brand new CBR650R on the first ride from the dealership.

[heady plover]

if you ain't dropping it you ain't having enough fun

clay bad lol

[limber bison]

It’s a rite of passage hahah

[fair silo]

You'll never find your limit if you don't exceed it. I'm a much better rider now than I was then. I used to think I could get it leaned over so far like I was scraping the ground but in reality I was probably barely off vertical. Now I can and have scraped my footpegs.

[fair silo]

Oof that doesn't look easy to ride in lol

[steady lance]

Done it on a R6. What a rush leaning it over, and dragging a knee. Scared the shit out of me.

[hazy glen]

We've all done it.

[fair silo]

First time i hit my pegs I spooked myself, wasn't expecting it. I had my knee tucked in because I don't have sliders 😅

[heady plover]

First time dragging peg:

after that:

[fair silo]

😂

[steady lance]

My first bike

My 2nd bike

[limber bison]

The mighty R6!

[steady lance]

She was a beast with split personality

[limber bison]

Honestly, my R3 looks like it.

[obtuse axle]

Love the way the R6 screams near redline

[steady lance]

Turns into an outright dragon above 10k rpm

[fair silo]

R6 is beautiful, and i wanted one for the longest time. But i found all the power to be in the top end and my Daytona had a better powerband for the street. Nothing but respect for the R6 though.

This is the one i would have gotten. Absolutely love these colors.

[limber bison]

They are beautiful bikes

[hazy glen]

Nah, too much drastic plastic

[limber bison]

That more your speed Buck?

[hazy glen]

Lol.....I once took a ride on an old Norton Commando. Absolutely terrifying. Wish I'd had an anchor to throw out rather than the cardboard brakes it had .

The bike I wish I'd never sold.

[limber bison]

Dang that’s pretty

[hazy glen]

Mine was a midnight blue

[limber bison]

Took a rock to the neck.

[steady lance]

Ouch. Been there done that

[limber bison]

No mark, but it’s bloody sore

But, the ride was fantastic.

[steady lance]

It's why i always wore a hood/mask under the helmet.

[limber bison]

I’m gonna start doing that I think

Freebird was on around the twistys. Twas awesome.

[nova token]

FLY HIGH LIKE A FREE BIRD

[limber bison]

Every time someone passes her they look

[obtuse axle]

Both wheels were sliding at this point - the Duke does not like to stay leaned over lol

[limber bison]

Turned around a corner, was on the pegs!

Look at them well worn in tyres!

Two weeks ago.

[obtuse axle]

You're a "green" rider now Harry

[limber bison]

Worn down the green line, proud of that. Now I just have too book the 1000km service next week. 180km to go.

[obtuse axle]

Good luck!

[limber bison]

I’ll book it at 50km to go, the service shop is about 100m from work so, no major.

[graceful cape]

You have no idea how jealous i am for those roads, that looks so amazing

And its fun to watch ur riding progress!

[limber bison]

Thanks man! But I’m pretty lucky to live here with the roads we have. Post cyclone there’s parts that are down to one lane (since the other half of that section is about 100ft down a cliff) so it can be slow going but still

[limber bison]

That’s tomorrows ride planned!

[fair silo]

You're putting the miles on. How many have you put on your bike now?

[limber bison]

Well it had its 1000km service today

[limber bison]

Stopped to stretch the legs. Not an iron butt yet.

[heady plover]

Long sportbike rides need well paced breaks

[limber bison]

Yep. Gonna stop for a coffee in the gorge, nice views and it’s about 40 mins away.

[limber bison]

Ended up iron arsing it back home

And the fuel indicator is blinking!

[limber bison]

This would be such a fun bike road

[limber bison]

Tried out a mates Kawi 250 today

[fair silo]

I had a ninja 250. I miss that bike.

[limber bison]

It was lovely. Prefer mine, nicer throttle, but lovely bike.

Had his helmet and gloves on, sneakers, normal jeans and a T-shirt 🤣

[heady plover]

good old ninja 250s

Great bikes up to about 110 kph

Then not so great

[fair silo]

I love those KTMs... ❤️

[limber bison]

Yeah I noticed that. Mine is much nicer haha

[limber bison]

Dirty - clean

[limber bison]

Gentlemen! We have found the unholy grail!

[fair silo]

For a second I thought that was your bike with the fairings off.

[limber bison]

It’s small, but

[faint tree]

Umm. That’s a big engine

[limber bison]

Little bit damp this morning

[fair silo]

There's no way you'd get any traction with that tiny tire.

[limber bison]

No, but you’d do phat skids

Keep telling myself she’s away for the weekend (I’ve got a band weekend, can’t take the bike) I may have just gone to the supermarket. That’s all I could fit in my bag.

[heady plover]

Panniers are dope, I can do my groceries for one person and still have about 15-20L of space left

[limber bison]

I gotta get me some of them!

[faint tree]

Looks like a good one

[limber bison]

Came across some ‘busa boys

[limber bison]

Ride from Hamilton to Paeroa tracked separately.

[limber bison]

Oh and got the pegs down on the return leg 😉

[limber bison]

So not only is that the biggest ride I’ve been on, I’ve stayed awake the whole day, and now I’ve been stupid enough to come to the gym.

[limber bison]

Listening to the bible while bored at work.

[obtuse axle]

Lot of useful info there. Personally I'd suggest practising it "live"

[limber bison]

Funnily enough I have a ride forever course this coming weekend so

https://prorider.co.nz/ride-forever-pathway/

Bronze course.

[limber bison]

Came up to a red light beside the guy who sold me my bike on an GSX-R600….. I couldn’t keep up.

[obtuse axle]

Get an R6

[limber bison]

https://tenor.com/view/okay-sounds-good-jim-halpert-the-office-good-point-gif-24321852

Turbo ‘BUSA

[obtuse axle]

Busa is better for straighter roads. Heavy for twisties

[limber bison]

Think I’ll get an SV-650 or something next.

[hazy glen]

Got an SV650 as a courtesy bike, when a blind Volvo driver tried to drive over me . Just couldnt get on with it. If ran like a bucket of bolts and gutless in comparison to my VFR and Speed Triple .

[limber bison]

Might go for or something then. Maybe a nice triumph.

[heady plover]

The appeal of the SV650 is the low purchase price and easy maintenance

Had an SFV650 for a while, versatile bike, and I could keep up with 600s in the tight twisties just fine

Prepandemic you could buy a $2500 SV650, run it for under $500 a year of running costs, and sell it for $2500

[limber bison]

Exactly. I’m wanting to try riding some different styles of bikes just so I have an idea what they feel like

[heady plover]

1. Make biker friends
2. Convince biker friends you won't drop their bikes
3. Infinite test rides

[limber bison]

This is the way

[obtuse axle]

This is the way

[limber bison]

Clean bike ready for going away for the weekend.

[graceful cape]

Ordered new tires, got an appointment with a shop etc. 1 of 2 is delivered but both have the delivered status. Now the seller is telling me to contact the postal company and the postal company is telling me to contact the seller

how lovely

Track day this sunday so that will be interesting on an ''old'' rear tire

[heady plover]

If it's got plenty of rubber and no dry rot, send it brah

https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/debunking-the-tire-age-myth

Most tire manufacturers say tires are fine for at least 10 years if they're in otherwise acceptable condition

Maybe scrub that front tire so you don't have a slippy front though haha

[obtuse axle]

For the first time ever my tyres are close to being 5 years old but still have tread left

[graceful cape]

Its only half a year old but its out of thread almost all the way so thats a bit iffy, aslong as its dry I'll still use it

[limber bison]

Fuck me my luck has been off this week. Cars been nicked and bike got a puncture

[fair silo]

life hates you. good thing i love you.

[limber bison]

Thanks man. I need it at the moment hahaha

If I don’t laugh I’ll cry.

[fair silo]

yeah, rough go of it for sure, but they're only temporary setbacks. this is an opportunity to try out a new tire, just a little sooner than you expected.

[limber bison]

Oh it got a mushroom plug

But car insurance is paying out next week, so I’ll get a shitbox, get a bike tracker and pay a good few grand off the bike.

[fair silo]

oh good good, sounds like you've got it figured out then! excellent

[limber bison]

Yeah! Just gotta wait out the 7 day stand down period for the cops to find it

Which they won’t, got a letter from them saying “yeah nah”

[fair silo]

lol

i'm off to bed now. talk at you later, brother!

[limber bison]

Have a good sleep brother!

[nova token]

i can help you laugh

simply requires watching me do a carrier landing

[limber bison]

They found my car, now I have to do my own damn job and fix a window

[obtuse axle]

Damn what's the cost of a new tyre there?

[limber bison]

A Micheline street 6 is about $275 a tyre, then there’s Labour to put them on

[obtuse axle]

While mushroom plugs are the recommended way of fixing tubeless tyre punctures, I've had good results with the external method as well. I do all kind of riding so i carry the repair kit & electric air pump with me in the tank bag

[heady plover]

I rode 3000 miles on a tire plug

Not saying it's foolproof.... but worked for me

I was on that 100 mile no services stretch of I-70 in July 105F too. Got me going in less than 30 minutes

[nova token]

Dabris

[limber bison]

I’ve gotta get a repair kit.

[obtuse axle]

The only time one failed on me was when I was riding in the hottest part of India. I think the road was so hot it caused the tyre pressure to increase too much and popped the repair strip. Had to insert 2 strips to keep them in place lol

[fair silo]

I used to work in a tire shop. I've personally patched tires and had customers put 50,000 km on them.

[obtuse axle]

Ah that explains your name

[fair silo]

'Patches' comes from a late coworker who used to say my name the way he used to call for his cat, then he just started calling me by his cat's name.

[faint tree]

Just sold this this week…had it since new but haven’t been able to ride for a long time since shoulder surgery. Note the flat spot on the tire where is has been sitting. 2004 K1200GT

[limber bison]

Looks like a nice bike!

[faint tree]

Thanks. Yeah it was very awesome.

[heady plover]

A friend's son rode one cross country. Was super nice for touring

[graceful cape]

Well that wasnt what i had planned today

[nova token]

Was that your bike?

[fair silo]

Bike looks okay. Something catch fire off the exhaust?

[steady lance]

Hope that wasn't your gear and your ok

[graceful cape]

Yup something caught fire from the exhaust, damage isnt too bad just some stuff that got burned

And my hands from trying to Rip the bagage off but nothing too bad

[fair silo]

Oof rough, sorry to hear it. Glad you're mostly okay.

[limber bison]

Glad you and most of the bike are okay!

[graceful cape]

Me, the bike and most of the luggage made it home today. Besides the chaos still had a fun day racing at TT Assen

[heady plover]

Ooof, hope your hands are okay!!

[heady plover]

New bike day... buddy bought an r9t and sold me his hornet

[limber bison]

Oooooh

[heady plover]

Funny enough, instead of doing the obvious thing of bringing his old bike to my house and letting me drive him back to the dealer on my nice kitted out touring bike... he brought his new bike to show off, and then two thirty year old men in leather jackets had to hold on on a tiny plank seat through ten miles of traffic in the rain rofl

I also took the r9t for a quick ride- it pulls like a chariot of a sun god

[limber bison]

Hell yeah

I wanna try a bike with no windscreen hahah

[faint tree]

I like that R9 lineup

[heady plover]

The front seat was amazing and the back seat was terrible

[faint tree]

I really need a back seat that is comfortable for about an hour for a small wife 😄

[limber bison]

Got my course this Sunday, forecast is wet.

[heady plover]

also doing a course sat/sun

[limber bison]

Oooh very nice

I got these today

[graceful cape]

Spent the entire day at a motorcross training, first time ever.
Man those 450s are incredibly fun, never knew decent suspension could soak up so much

[late wadi]

Grats! Looks like you had fun.

[limber bison]

Hell yeah!

[tepid pasture]

solid. no substitue for quality dampening
hope you had fun

[obtuse axle]

Any reason you don't minimise the gaps between bikes there?

[heady plover]

maybe they smell bad

We sure did after two days of dirt riding

[limber bison]

Empty carpark, I was the only one that parked like a bike.

[obtuse axle]

Got the slow leak fixed and took the Duke out after months

[faint tree]

Whoa. Nice machine

[fair silo]

390? I would love a smaller displacent bike for ripping around, probably even commuting.

[obtuse axle]

Yup! It's fun in traffic and twisties, not too bad on the highway

[fair silo]

I just wish KTMs weren't so damn expensive around here!

[obtuse axle]

Same here, except the ones built locally

[limber bison]

Nothing like a cleaned and lubed chain

[limber bison]

Had to make sure it was worked in

[fair silo]

Nice helmet, I really like that!

[limber bison]

It definitely helps with being seen! But it was fantastic value for money when I got it

[graceful cape]

Trackday 😁

[limber bison]

Ooooooh

[graceful cape]

I love that the KTM's always look so bold and distinct

[fair silo]

KTMs are beautiful. I just wish they weren't so expensive!

[limber bison]

My choice was between an RC390 and the R3…… I prefer the Yamaha

[fair silo]

It would have been the RC390 for me, but to each their own! Nothing wrong with the Yamaha.

[limber bison]

One of my mates is making me a sticker for my bike. Imagine this kiwi wearing this helmet

Redesigned of course, copyrights a bitch

[fair silo]

Oh that's awesome! You could use it for your discord photo too 😂

[limber bison]

Exactly!

[limber bison]

Always dress for the slide

Got sunstrike going around a corner, so I slowed right back, both wheels hit the dirt on the road and that was the end of it. Came off at about 50kph, thankfully the bike and I went into the mud and not down the gravel driveway

[steady lance]

Been there bro. Glad you're not hurt. Anything major on the bike, or just cosmetic?

[faint tree]

ow damn...yeah..happens to everyone

[obtuse axle]

Damn. Next time tilt your head forward so that the top of the eyeport acts as a sun shield.

Also get an extra tinted visor for day time use. I never leave home without a tinted + clear combo

[limber bison]

Cosmetic and a bent rear brake peg

[limber bison]

That’d a good idea

[steady lance]

good to hear. Could've been worse

[limber bison]

The mud both caused and saved the day. My leg protected the bike from the road

In saying that the full force of hitting the ground went into my shoulder so that’s quite sore

[steady lance]

Yea.. dont rush the recovery and milk it with your girl.

[limber bison]

That’s the plan

She’s currently cooking me lunch

[limber bison]

That guy was two bikes in front of me. Same road I came off on.

[fair silo]

I'm sorry to hear that, brother! I've also been there, not a fun time. I've replaced the rear brake pedal twice, too, so you get used to that.

[fair silo]

I ride with a tinted mirrored visor all the time, I've never actually ridden with a clear one 😅

[graceful cape]

Ouch that sucks but glad to see ur mostly fine

[obtuse axle]

At night? Thought only my eyes were super sensitive and get blinded by high beams from other vehicles 😅

[fair silo]

100% of the time! There have been times I've ridden with the visor up though because it was especially dark.

[obtuse axle]

I don't like dust and random insects going into my eyes, so decided to get a clear one for nights. In fact the older slightly scratched clear visor is meant for city use and newer visor is for highways

But in a pinch I can ride with tinted visor when dark

[limber bison]

Thankfully mines steel, so it’s been beaten back into shape 🤣😅

[limber bison]

This weeks lesson: New Zealand back roads are shit. One of my riding buddies (who brought me home 2 up after my bike went into the shop) had the same accident as me today. Except the bike hit the fence and he went rolling down a gradual hill

[obtuse axle]

Damn.

[limber bison]

He's okay, about as bruised as me. His bike however. I'm picking mine up tomorrow $505 later. He needs a new bike.

[obtuse axle]

I've never seen forks come off like that before - bent, yes, but never this

[limber bison]

A testimant to good old no. 8 wire. (The stuff we use for fences)

[faint tree]

Just wow

[fair silo]

Wow is right. Glad he's okay, not a fun time.

[limber bison]

I get my bike back today, but still

[limber bison]

All I’m hearing is excuses for bar ends, tail tidy and a slip on

[fair silo]

Yeah, about checks out

[heady plover]

See now, you won't feel bad about wringing it out

Most of my bikes are scuffed up. A pristine bike is an indicator of a decent rider, a scratched up bike, an indicator of one who pushes their limits (for better and worse)

[fair silo]

I use this excuse. My bike's been dropped and I tell people "how can I find my limit if I don't exceed it!?" 😅

[heady plover]

The other way is you spend $25k on a BMW or Duc and the little flashing light tells you when you've exceeded traction

[fair silo]

Ugh. Guy i used to work with bought a BMW S1000RR and thought he was a great rider. Didn't realize his bike did all the riding for him. His chicken strips after a year of riding were wider than the center worn part of his tire.

[limber bison]

See my chicken strips are non existent at this point

[obtuse axle]

Chicken strips? You've touched your side panels to the road 😜😜

[fair silo]

Trumps chicken strips. I've got the scrapes on my footpegs to validate my riding prowess. And the scapes on the side panels to keep me humble 😅

[limber bison]

I’ll validate my prowess through the scrapes on the bottom of my footpegs. The scrapes on the side also keep me humble

[balmy canyon]

I have to take the feelers off the bottoms of my foot pegs, because they catch on corners. 😎

[heady plover]

gotta laugh whenever manufacturers put the giant feelers on the pegs because otherwise the exhaust would scrape

[fair silo]

I want to get the adjustable pegs for my bike. I've got shorts legs and if my pegs were just like half an inch higher my bike would be much more comfortable.

[limber bison]

I learnt I can change the position of the rear brake pedal on my bike. Now it's much more comfortable.... Not that I'm allowed to ride anywhere yet

[nova wyvern]

Bringing back old motorcycles from the dead is a hobby of mine. I've had this latest a few years now, runs like a top, we've taken it everywhere.
1980 Goldwing. It's changed a little since these photos a few years back.

[limber bison]

Hell yeah! My dad and I almost got a late 1980's Suzuki GSX-R400 to rebuild, sadly someone got there before us

Also, how many of yall run with frame sliders? I'm tempted to put some on after my lowside, but I don't really wanna cut my fairings

[nova wyvern]

No frame sliders on an old Goldwing. It has factory crash bars on each side of the engine that do the same thing. In my photos you can see them; leading edge of the engine, has extra footpegs mounted to it.

[fair silo]

Depends on their design. I don't run any, so my opinion isn't worth much, but some people are of the opinion that a poorly designed frame slider will catch an edge during a slide and the bike will flip and tumble, causing more damage than if you didn't have them at all.

[fair silo]

Beautiful! I wouldn't be upset owning a Goldwing.

[heady plover]

I run sliders on my supermoto, because a bike like that I expect to drop at low speed on pavement. On dirt or in a runoff area at speed they potentially turn a slide into a tumble so I don't run them on dual sport or high speed bikes

I do run engine bars on my GS

[graceful cape]

I always use them. The one I use have 2 bolts into the engine/frame mount and 1 extruding with the crash pad on it so thats always the first one to snap if needed

Saved me quite a bit of money on trackdays etc but like Bob said they might dig in on certain surfaces and tumble the bike

[final citrus]

I have never run with frame sliders, and agree with the tumble thinking already mentioned.
A low slide may cost a couple hundred quid, but a tumble is going to be much more.
Also, aesthetics and all that 😎

[neon rover]

Here is my 72 ironhead I built a few years back from a bare frame.

[faint tree]

Niiice

[nova wyvern]

I had an '81 ironhead at one time. Roadster like this one (web photo).

[neon rover]

Wow. Never see them like that. Very nice

[nova wyvern]

My favorite Harley paint scheme. They had it originally on the Low Rider in the late '70s.

[limber bison]

She’s aliiiive

[limber bison]

In saying that I still can't ride, wrist is still in a splint, pain free movement is up to 50% throttle

[obtuse axle]

Don't ride until it heals fully, else it will never fully heal

[nova token]

How’d you injure yourself?

[balmy canyon]

I suspect the injury was related to the damage he had to repair.

[limber bison]

Correct. I went slowly around a corner with FOD, the bike all of a sudden decided it no longer wanted to be a slave to my every whim.

So now I have this

[limber bison]

@fair silo got a mate doing his full today…. His bike isn’t exactly lams so he’s borrowing mine, look what I’m looking after!

[balmy canyon]

What's a full?

[limber bison]

A full license, we go learners, restricted, full here.

And on your Learners and restricted you're limited to 650cc

[obtuse axle]

I thought full exhaust 😂

[limber bison]

At least it's an easier system than the imperialists themselves!

[balmy canyon]

In America, we take a written test, get a learner's permit, and can go buy a turbo Busa that afternoon.

[limber bison]

Land of the free, home of the brave

[balmy canyon]

🇺🇸 🫡

[limber bison]

No our government thinks we're idiots (They're probably right) so we're restricted with power for the first year or so

[balmy canyon]

Most people I know who ride take a two day MSF course that concludes with the practical test. Then we buy 250cc - 650cc starter bikes, because we're not idiots.

[obtuse axle]

I first got a limited license at 16, the limit being 50cc but not enforced 🤣

At 18 one can get a Learner's Permit that will let them ride/drive ANY cc, but only with a Full License holder with them

Then you can take the test and if you pass, you can ride/drive alone

[limber bison]

Most of my friends did the BHT (MSF, but kiwi) then go out and buy an R3, Gixxer 250, Duke 390, Ninja 400, unless they grew up on farms. then they get R7's and the like

I guess we just don't get the choice to be idiots and go buy an old bomb of a Rocket III

[balmy canyon]

When I was at Amazon, one of my coworkers was out on my first day and didn't return for several months. He passed his test, bought a Speed Triple, put it into a concrete K rail at 70+mph (120kph for the rest of you) on a curved freeway offramp, and broke his back, all in less than a week.

[limber bison]

Oh jesus

And this is why we're restricted, government doesnt want to pay for that

[fair silo]

Oh a Daytona. Pre 2013. You get to ride it? 😅

[limber bison]

Not with my wrist! And it doesn’t currently have a 2nd gear

[fair silo]

That's not very useful

[limber bison]

But he’s running S22’s on it, said my tyres felt so much sturdier on the road

[fair silo]

I've never run those. I've got Pirelli's now, Supercorsa 2's. Would probably go Continentals when I need to replace.

[limber bison]

I’m planning on road 6’s when I need to replace mine. I’d rather get a sport touring tyre for longevity and wet weather performance, and just take it a little easier in the corners

[fair silo]

Me too. I'm not going to be taking it on the track any time soon.

[graceful cape]

love the s22, the wear is very high though as to be expected

[limber bison]

Oh it was very wet this morning

[heady plover]

I have heard multiple stories in my area of people buying new bikes and dying less than a block away

my local Euro dealer now advises people not to exit via the onramp they're next to but to take the frontage road for a bit first

swapped handlebar, grips and mirrors on that Hornet I picked up recently

[limber bison]

Oooooh

[fair silo]

Looks very nice!

[graceful cape]

Nice, i love wide handlebars like that

[heady plover]

Yeah the leverage is really nice

[limber bison]

Physio cleared me back for small rides!

[heady plover]

bought a buffer and polished up the CB's tank

It's not perfect, but with the ceramic coating it glistens in sunlight now

[limber bison]

@fair silo gonna do a trip to Mt Doom once it warms up a little and the ice melts!

[graceful cape]

Last trackday of the year te day, cant wait for more

[limber bison]

Hell yeah!

[graceful cape]

https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/677646633118466138/1129804782429806592/VID20230715175102.mp4

[limber bison]

Treated myself! Should’ve got the visor a long while ago.

[balmy canyon]

And some gloves?

[fair silo]

Mirror visor are the only way to live

[obtuse axle]

I can no longer ride in the day with clear visor, unless it's extremely overcast.

Can't even drive without sunglasses

[limber bison]

Oh I have gloves. Five WFX, they’re really good.

[limber bison]

At this point, same.

[balmy canyon]

I wear prescription tinted polarized lenses under my helmet. Arai doesn't make a tinted or transition visor.

[fair silo]

I just wear my glasses under my visor, and i use the mirrored visor 100% of the time

[limber bison]

The mirrored visor will be the normal daylight one for me, I do a lot of night riding home from work so I’ll need to have both on me most of the time…. Time for a tank bag I think

[heady plover]

I run mirrored goggles over my glasses. Lenses are super cheap and come in any color and tint you like

(see profile pic)

[dense needle]

See, thats why I got myself a set of self-tinting prescription glasses. Ideal to ride with they tint just perfectly, and clear up if I hit a tunnel or overcast

[obtuse axle]

I don't like wearing glasses with helmet on. Even sunglasses + clear visor

I always have the tank bag with me, which carries the spare visor and an electric air pump

[dense needle]

Yea that is fair, I dont really have an option to ride without glasses, so the self-tinting was the perfect alternative for me, though my helmet already came with a builtin sunvisor 😂

[obtuse axle]

Get prescription helmet visor 😉

#bigBrainTime

[dense needle]

[obtuse axle]

I wear polarized glasses in the car, but simply not comfortable with it inside the helmet. Thought of buying polarizer film and sticking it to the inside of the visor, but gave up on it

[dense needle]

Ah yea, no I dont wear any polarized glasses anymore, been swapping cars too much and some manufacturers change up their polarization... screens turned blank

I did select my helmet specifically for glasses, so its pretty comfortable, but I guess at the end I'm kinda used to it now 😂

[limber bison]

I can wear glasses in my helmet, until today I’ve had sunglasses, it isn’t uncomfortable but it renders the pinlock useless

[dense needle]

oh yea I got some anti-fog spray for my glasses, usually with glasses its still fine to ride visor open, but on the highway or in heavy rain the anti-fog spray works wonders

[limber bison]

I normally ride around town with my visor cracked open, sweet sweet airflow.

[dense needle]

I like to ride helmet open for the most part, I have a modular, so unlimited airflow if I keep that open. Outside the town I still keep my visor open for the most part, but the chinbar goes down

[limber bison]

Ah yeah I’m visor down for anything out of town. Much quieter.

I’m gonna get myself a new helmet at some point like an Shoei NXR2, little bit quieter and better shell size than my LS2.

[dense needle]

Ah yea, I learned from my dad to always ride with earplugs so the noise doesnt really bother me

[limber bison]

I use my AirPods for that reason, but I’m gonna get a comms system and earplugs at some point too

[dense needle]

I mean, the airpods already sound like a good all-in-one system for that though, convince all your riding buddies to join a discord call with their airpods 😂 unlimited range comms

[limber bison]

I find the mic isn’t the greatest without a helmet on….: then it’s gotta figure it out with the mics covered and air coming at em at Mach Jesus

[dense needle]

good point, good point, the mics might not work very nicely

[limber bison]

Yeah nah

[dense needle]

Though for me the priority is to get my own bike... I need to stop borrowing other peoples motorcycles, then I'll see about comms 🤣

[limber bison]

Ahahaha always a good idea. What you thinking of getting?

[dense needle]

Honestly no clue, I've been looking at some Yamaha MT-07s but I might jump to a Honda CB650R or if I find some money a BMW F-800R

[limber bison]

Hell yeah. I have an R3, I love my Yamahas. One of my riding buddies had an MT-07 until it went through a fence, thanks NZ roads and it was awesome.

[dense needle]

Oh yea I actually went to a Yamaha dealership once, but apparently they didnt really want to sell anything so that kinda turned me off from buying anything atm.

[limber bison]

That’s fair

Some dealerships suck. I walked into the Kawi dealership pretty much cash in hand, ended up across the road at the Yamaha dealership coz they actually talked to me

[dense needle]

Yea my family has some good experiences with a zuki dealership so I might even settle for a GSR750 if they want to talk to me
We'll see, maybe time of day also didnt help, I went in there an hour before closing that also might not have been smart 😂

[limber bison]

Oh those GSR’s are awesome

One of my buddies has one. It’s mental.

[dense needle]

Yea they seem pretty cool and if the GSF I rode is anything to go by, I wouldnt mind a zuki at all

[limber bison]

My dad and I almost got an 80’s GSX-R400 to do up, missed it last second. Those things are cool.

[dense needle]

Ahhh that is also pretty cool, shame you missed it

[limber bison]

I’ve got my 21st party coming up in a few days, there’s a photo of me sitting on dads last bike when I was maybe 2? Been searching high and low to find the bloody thing. Can’t.

[nova token]

I did that with celica ik it doesn't apply to bikes but airbag ripped visor clean off we managed to attach it again(helmet just for show now) but slightly different seating position and it would be ded

[limber bison]

Huh?

[nova token]

Helmets with visors open

[limber bison]

Right

Didn’t think most car racing helmets had visors

[nova token]

Don't really see any without

Still sad bout that helmet being unusable but then again no car to use either

[limber bison]

Fair point

Then again as soon as our helmets hit the ground with any amount of force it’s off to the shop

[nova token]

Yep

I painted that helmet myself

Also fun fact airbags work really well with helmets on

Not that ur bikes have airbags I hope

[limber bison]

Unless it’s a Goldwing, no airbag. Even with an airbag there’s still 3 other ways to fall off

[nova token]

Wait some bikes have airbags

[limber bison]

Yeah. Hondas put one in the goldwing every few years

https://youtu.be/ApYPzyPnFOs

[nova token]

https://tenor.com/view/potsoboba-gif-18953962

Is all is say to that

The reason airbag was made was cus seat belts made head go forward but bikes don't have seatbelts either

[limber bison]

Just wait til the man finds out touring bikes have sound systems

[nova token]

Who needs a HANS device when u have a airbag for legal reasons of not wanting to be sued please get a HANS device 10/10 safety innovation

[limber bison]

Hell, the goldwing has AC

[nova token]

I expected that

[limber bison]

Also, goldwings have seatbelts.

[nova token]

Fucking Honda

[limber bison]

They’re not really bikes at this point 🤣🤣

[nova token]

Not a good demo when ur sitting still

[limber bison]

Eh. It’s an airbag. It does airbag things when you crash.

I would much rather wear an airbag

[nova token]

Which idiots use air con on a motorbike you are driving at like 50 in the wind

[nova token]

https://tenor.com/view/air-bag-in-seat-prank-air-bag-seat-prank-russia-gif-23663921

[limber bison]

Hang on.

[nova token]

Yea?

[limber bison]

https://youtu.be/N2jZryt607U

[nova token]

Why?

[limber bison]

Immobilises your neck in a crash, air has a much better ability to cushion a blow than armour ever will

Crash in one of those and you’ll all around come out better off.

[nova token]

The gif was a joke lol

[limber bison]

Aha.

[nova token]

Doesn't MotoGP use some sort of airbag

[limber bison]

Yep. It’s law now for them, but they’re computer controlled

[nova token]

And the other ones aren't?

[limber bison]

Some are tethered, some are electronic

[nova token]

I think it activates ifnbike goes past certain angle

[limber bison]

Nah. It kinda just knows when they’re crashing from years of experience

In the early days Marquez set it off doing a fist pump

[nova token]

Motorbikes scare me

[limber bison]

Yep. Motorbikes are awesome.

[nova token]

I hit a tree in a car with four wheels while going in a straight line but in motorbikes I only have two wheels

[limber bison]

I came off going around a corner when I lost both wheels on a mud patch. Wasn’t fun, do I want to do it again? Hell no. But I still love riding.

[nova token]

Didn't hit a tree tho

[limber bison]

Wasn’t far off a fence post the size of a small tree

[nova token]

Embarrassing tbh I just went in a straight line didn't even break

[limber bison]

Had to sit up and steer away from it. I want kids some day.

[limber bison]

Yeah you gotta use the big muscle for something man.

[nova token]

I'm close enough

Wdym

[limber bison]

Leg muscle

Brake pedal

Push it!

[nova token]

I did for accelerator

I was trying to get out of the habit of left foot braking

Cus clutch

[limber bison]

Who taught you to drive? An ex red bull driver?

I’ve been driving manual since I was 13 and still always use my left for gas and brake, right for clutch and only clutch. Unless you’re on the track it’s much safer. To learn that is.

[nova token]

It's other way round

Left is clutch right is brake and acceleration

[limber bison]

Unless you’re translating for our American friends

[nova token]

Yankees

Even if I had braked by the time I couldn't make corer would just lock up the brakes

[limber bison]

No ABS?

[nova token]

No abs or tc

1995 car

[limber bison]

So brake like a bike

Most of us still don’t have ABS. and if we do it’s generally not amazing

[nova token]

I know how to brake without abs just not enough distance to stop and also panic

[limber bison]

Aha. That’s fair.

So what did you learn from the crash?

[nova token]

Don't take that corner at 70

16gs tho officially done fighter jet stuff

[limber bison]

16g’s your planes in bits mate

[nova token]

So was the car

[limber bison]

Exactly

[nova token]

Hence why I can say I did it cus both aren't sustained

https://tenor.com/view/think-about-it-use-your-brain-use-the-brain-think-brain-gif-7914082

[fair silo]

You know that no matter if the car is left-hand or right-hand drive the gas pedal is always on the right, eh? 😉

[nova token]

Lmao

[limber bison]

It’s half past midnight and I’m several whiskeys in 🤣🤣

[fair silo]

Well then happy birthday!

[nova token]

U can drink at 18 here in normal country

[limber bison]

Although not technically until a little after 3, thanks man! Cheers and beers to 21 years!

[nova token]

Happy womb eviction day

Hang on @fair silo you know the drill

Ping day

[limber bison]

Ah we’ll sort that out in the morning

[nova token]

U can't delay the inevitabile

I'm tempted to do it in general right now

[fair silo]

Good thing you can't everyone ping then. 😋

[limber bison]

Leave it up to the blue names. We know when the most people are on 😉

Besides, I’m about to log off for the night so there’s not really much point now. It’ll get buried under everything else

[nova token]

If I ping him with happy bday people will follow I think

[fair silo]

Probably. But better to wait until the server is busy.

[limber bison]

Because on my birthday what else would I be doing?

[fair silo]

I usually work on my birthday. Lucky you!

[limber bison]

Oh I’m at work now

[limber bison]

Wonder if I can add that to the bike loan 🤔

[heady plover]

I have the older kit from before they did the branded ones. Fun kit and desk display but not worth that much money imo

[limber bison]

That’s fair.

My cousin gave me an R1 last night!

[heady plover]

Just add water

[limber bison]

Ooooh

[limber bison]

Big sale at the bike shop. Got a Kreiga US-20 for the back.

Even got dirty washing storage underneath!

[obtuse axle]

Nice

[limber bison]

I’m very impressed. Was gonna go with the Oxford kit but kreiga was the same price so

[limber bison]

Also done some much needed maintenance. Now that I can ride again properly I’ve cleaned and lubed the chain, put air in the tyres, got 1000km left on the oil so that’s that done for another month.

[heady plover]

US-20 is a good bag. I used one to tour on my KTM for a long time, then my friend used it on his Harley and CB, and it's still going strong