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So I just got my novice motorcycle licence and bought my first bike the other week, and as I ride more and learn more about motorcycles and riding in general I find I'm constantly faced with questions, whether it be about gear, tips/advice, motorcycles themselves, places/routes to go, etc. Or of course if you've got a funny/cool story I'm all ears too .
I'm sure there's dozens and dozens of motorcycle-specific forums on the net with plenty of good resources, but I always like to know the opinions and thoughts of other TLers. After all, we have threads dedicated to other random things like programming, climbing, dieting, etc.
With that said, I've got a couple questions to start:
My '99 Sportster is carburated and has a On/Off/Res valve for fuel to the carb. Should I be switching it to Off on a daily basis after I'm done riding, even if I'm going to ride the next day? Or just if I'm done for a few days? Weeks? The season?
Another one... I'm not really a fan of chaps; I don't like the look at all even though I can't deny it's useful that you can throw them over top of pretty well any pair of pants for greatly added protection. I've just been riding with jeans in addition to my standard gear but I'd like a little more protection if possible (also it's kinda cold on the legs some days at the moment... hasn't heated up properly yet). I don't want to have just 1 set of riding pants that I'm constantly washing every day, but I don't want to blow my bank on like 3 sets if they cost $200 each. Ideas? Maybe some quality riding pants that I can buy online for a good price?
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I used to always keep my petcock off, but it's not NECESSARY if you're riding the next day or later that day (although I recommend doing it every time just to make it a habit to keep off - turning it on just becomes part of starting up the bike).
I only rode in jeans. My brother had some proper leathers that he wore for serious rides, but jeans are generally okay. (Of the people I know who laid bikes down in jeans - myself included - I don't recall any leg rashes.)
On colder days I'd actually wear tights under (my work had a changing room so I didn't need to wear them all day). I also had some rainproof pants that I could fit over pants (since chaps won't keep your crotch dry in the rain).
You could look at "riding jeans" for a bit extra protection if you don't want chaps or proper riding pants.
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Yeah I'm considering picking up some long johns/tights to put under my pants on colder days. Some stores nearby have riding jeans as well, though they are a bit (a lot) expensive. If I could find something like them online I'm willing to open my wallet.
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First off, welcome to the motorcycle world!
I've been riding for a little over 2 and a half years and I'm still on my first bike (FZ6R). I think this thread is an awesome idea, although I wonder how many TL'ers are bikers!
I'd probably agree with y0su regarding the petcock, although I don't ride a carbureted bike, I can probably ask my friend for more info on how he does things. Generally speaking, on the bike, making a habit of good things are better for the long run.
Regarding riding wear, It's probably squiddly of me, but depending on how far my destination is, I'm good with just riding with sweatpants. I've been in a high speed accident in chino's and luckily came out relatively unscathed. As for a beginner, and just overall advice, probably have 1 pair of pants that are riding dedicated for those long rides, and then wear jeans for anything else.
During the fall, I will add long johns that I bought from cycle gear that are incredibly comfortable (sometimes I will just wear those when I go out without the bike, but I'm not too crazy on fashion). They cost about 15-20$ and are completely worth it for it's price. In addition to that, I will just wear wool socks, any cheap trail socks should be fine (costco?).
Once it hits winter-time, that's when I start just wearing any kind of snow-sport clothes. I have a snowbib that I got off amazon for like 15$ that is excellent for the cold weather days for the legs. I just wear that over whatever I'm wearing and then throw over a heavy jacket.
There are a lot of people who are really into getting all the riding-specific wear, but I really just stick with motorcycle jackets, and thats usually about it. I've tried other clothes and they just seem to be a bit clunky and expensive. It's easy to get carried away after a while.
Anyways, I'm a little light-headed at the moment so thats all I have to contribute for now. Ride safe!
EDIT: Here are links so my post is a little more focused.
http://www.cyclegear.com/FREEZE-OUT-Base-Layer-Long-Johns
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0032UJ2C2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Note the Arctix I got on sale for 30$ so keep that in mind. I usually aim for cheap stuff
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Depending on how much they cost, I think I may just end up investing in a nice pair of riding pants for longer trips and then just have jeans (+ long johns) for shorter distance riding like that.Those Arctix are a longer cheaper than I would have imaged actually.
Went on my first longer trip last night, was about 2.25 hours or so. Sun was setting about halfway through the ride and my hands started to get a bit cold. I have gloves, but they're perforated and not really designed for riding at 5-10 degrees (C) at 120km/h+. I think I'll ride home closer to mid afternoon this week lol
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I live in Jersey, so the weather has finally been looking up here! It's finally time to get rid of all the extra layers, feels so good to ride. If you aren't afraid of doing some work yourself, you could look into investing in some heated gloves, although I'd caution against rushing into buying them as a lot are crappy and a waste of money.
If only hobbies weren't so expensive!
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Yeah, tell me about it... I got new grips for my bike as it just had the stocks ones until now which were extremely faded. Also lubed up my front brake lever and loosen up my clutch level as it was pretty stiff to grip too. Much better now, but as I stand back and admire my new grips I can't help but picture new levers and switch housings since the colours are a bit out of sync now :S
edit: new grips: + Show Spoiler +
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Oh man, regarding color choices, it's hard when most the things I buy are on the internet. All my choices have made me look like a rainbow warrior; reminds me of the days when I first started WoW and I grabbed whatever gear I could get. Those grips look sick.
I bought new ones, but getting the old ones off required so much lube and cutting that I ended up screwing up my new ones when I put them on. Now I'm too lazy to care about looks; as long as it functions!
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Bad news: Wiped out on my bike the other week taking a turn too fast. Was a 180 degree blind hairpin turn, my fault for underestimating it though when I didn't know the roads in the area. Tow bill, parts, and repairs (self) totalling around $1600 CAD...
Good news: Didn't break any bones, just scrapes/bruises/swelling. I was pretty well protected. Today I had my class 6 road test, the final test for getting your full motorcycle licence here. Went well, passed easy enough with a few demerits for small things.
Just waiting on new bearings/spacers for my front axle to arrive at the parts shop then I can put my front wheel on and she's back on the road.
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On April 29 2015 03:51 Grobyc wrote: Bad news: Wiped out on my bike the other week taking a turn too fast. Was a 180 degree blind hairpin turn, my fault for underestimating it though when I didn't know the roads in the area. Tow bill, parts, and repairs (self) totalling around $1600 CAD...
Good news: Didn't break any bones, just scrapes/bruises/swelling. I was pretty well protected. Today I had my class 6 road test, the final test for getting your full motorcycle licence here. Went well, passed easy enough with a few demerits for small things.
Just waiting on new bearings/spacers for my front axle to arrive at the parts shop then I can put my front wheel on and she's back on the road. glad you're good man! Grats on passing your license test! Also good to hear you're getting back in the saddle after the wipe.
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Yes you should always turn the fuel lines to OFF when not in use. Owning a motorcycle is strange in terms of how people maintain them. Some people do hardly any maintenance and never notice a problem, some people do too much maintenance and break something lol.
However in the case of the petcock valve, you should really keep it in the off setting anytime you aren't riding. Most fuel tanks are above the fuel lines/carb, leaving the petcock open opens risk for fuel to leak into the carb, potentially getting into the cylinder itself. You don't want a cylinder full of gasoline....do you?
Also if you store the bike for any continuous period of time, there is also a chance that the fuel will foul, becoming more of a "gum" than a fuel, clogging up your carb completely.
EDIT: Glad you're okay after you crash, be safe out there!
Happy Repairs
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We had snow here yesterday (IT'S ALMOST MAY FFS). Saw a guy out riding and remembered why it's unlikely I'll have a bike living here Just can't afford to keep a bike locked up for 9 months. The rider in my would be more than happy if we ended up moving back to Cali! :D
Have an awesome summer everyone else with bikes!
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Still waiting for my axle spacers...
Was told that they should either come in last week or this week by Wednesday (tomorrow). I had yesterday and today off so I was really hoping to get some riding done, but it looks like it's probably going to be tomorrow. I really hope the dude didn't fuck up putting in the order or anything.
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