Yup. Still riding 'ery day.

Cold as fuck this morning.

My body was bundled up well. I'd say that my only weak link when riding in cold weather like this are my hands. It's terrible. It takes 20 minutes to get home from work, which is exactly how long before my fingertips start to sting from the cold and I begin thinking "fuck this." Even with heated grips and thick, winter approved gloves! Only way to defeat this is either electric gloves that will keep my entire hand warm rather than my palms and/or hand guards to keep that chilly wind off my fingers and knuckles.... It's blurry, but that's 23.9 degrees F there...



[Edited on December 13, 2013 at 7:58 AM. Reason : .]

12/13/2013 7:57:56 AM

I layer up but damn, I need some better gloves and I'm thinking that heated grips would be pretty nice. It was in the low 30s this morning headed to work, but this is the lowest I've ridden in so far this year.

12/13/2013 11:28:19 AM

everyone's tolerance is different. I can ride with heated grips and the winter gloves down to 40 and be comfortable. Below that and I start wishing I had something to protect against the wind chill. The wind is what kills your hand and headed grips can't help your hands on top. You can roast your palms but your knuckles and fingers will still be colder than Alaska. Heated grips + hand guards may work for winter riding.

12/13/2013 4:52:24 PM

comfort aside, I don't understand how you ride anything with tires/asphalt that cold. I'd have next to no confidence in anything to make the ride remotely enjoyable.

12/13/2013 5:51:07 PM

^
could be wrong here but: i think the point is to get to work cheap, not be enjoyable at those temps

12/13/2013 6:16:37 PM

^^ and having equipment that is made for such low temps/conditions helps.

All of that aside, I hate being cold and once October rolls around my bike is in the garage.

12/13/2013 6:39:37 PM

Im not going to lie. It's different. When it's this cold (below freezing), I can feel the rear tire give a little at low speeds in the parking lot. I just have to lean the bike over a little and it's like the rear is low on air, though I know that's not the case. Then again, I have a 25% tread remaining Dunlop Sportmax Q2, so it's not a tire that's suited for these riding conditions. The Pilot Road 2's never gave me this feeling (my front is a PR2), but after I ride about 10-15 minutes the Dunlops warm up enough that I can ride "normal". When I get home from a 20 minute ride, I'd say the tire temp is up to about 50 degrees or so. The tire warms up, but its not as warm as the 60* air in the garage.

The key here is to ride sensible, which I know is hypocritical since I'm riding on a near bald sport tires (until my PR3 comes in b/c of my recent flat) in weather this cold. But it's do-able. Ride slower. Take corners slower... Leave more room between you and other vehicles so you have more options in an emergency situation. I ride in the cold like I would in the wet. It's still enjoyable; riding slower allows you the oppportunity to enjoy the scenery To each their own.

I enjoy the ride. The weather doesn't phase me. it's still relatively economical (~42 mpg) and I get to do what I love; ride. Gearing up takes some time and my patience is thin at times, however, it's all part of the experience. I'm a nut. I can accept this. Definitely not for everyone.

HAHA. I remember that one camping trip Quinn and I took. It was like 27 when we left Virginia. When we got back in raleigh, we were taking layers off because we were starting to sweat. Then we realized it was still only like 45 degrees. HA.

[Edited on December 13, 2013 at 7:46 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on December 13, 2013 at 7:50 PM. Reason : .]

12/13/2013 7:38:59 PM

Firstgear makes a great cold weather riding suit, and it's pretty inexpensive. It will keep you warm in pretty much any temperature you're likely to encounter in Raleigh.

If it's really cold (like <40) and I want to ride, I just wear insulated gloves...like ski gloves, except without the wrist/forearm gauntlets.

I don't find the lack of cold grip to really be a big deal at the pace I ride to commute (which is still rather aggressive by most people's standards).

[Edited on December 13, 2013 at 7:47 PM. Reason : of course, i do it just because i like to ride nowadays. my car gets better mpg than my bike.]

12/13/2013 7:44:34 PM

^I forget, what bmw do you ride?

r1150rt?



[Edited on December 13, 2013 at 7:53 PM. Reason : .]

12/13/2013 7:52:38 PM

nope, couple generations even older. R100RT.

[Edited on December 13, 2013 at 7:57 PM. Reason : but all the same applied to my SV650, too. I didn't commute far on any race-replicas when I had 'em]

12/13/2013 7:56:40 PM

Oh Badass!

[Edited on December 13, 2013 at 7:59 PM. Reason : .]

12/13/2013 7:58:53 PM

Right now I just have some decent sport gloves, but not nearly enough to block the wind, even with liners. I can deal into the mid/low 30s, I'm just wanting heated gear for comfort more than anything else. I've noticed that as long as I don't try anything foolish or aggressive when I first set off, the my tires(Michelin PR2 rear/PP2CT front) do a pretty good job even in cold conditions.

I don't much mind riding in the cold, but it's more out of wanting to ride than anything else. I'm thinking a good set of heated gloves might do a better job honestly, but if I'm going that route, I'm going to go ahead and get a jacket liner too. Layering up gets the job done for the time being, though. It was 33 out Friday night when I headed home, and I'm glad I don't have to worry about the rainsuit until next weekend, if even then. It has no insulation though, so I've been thinking about picking up the firstgear one. But next up is factory cases.

12/15/2013 10:06:54 PM

I want one of the following:









...but first, I'll probably snatch up another 600cc Japanese race-replica, to get my feet under me on the track with motorcycles, or else get that bug out of my system...with whatever I find a good deal on (although I like the looks of the CBR600RR, red/white or red/black).

[Edited on December 16, 2013 at 1:31 AM. Reason : ]

12/16/2013 1:31:26 AM

I badly want another R6, hopefully sometime this coming year. Just depends on how much money the car demands.

12/16/2013 9:51:57 AM

I really want to get into motorcycles. Looking to get my first bike this year. I have to pay off a few things . I was looking at the HD iron 883, but now the more I look at it I want the 48. Any thoughts?

12/29/2013 5:47:23 PM

Iron 883 is a fun bike to ride on. It didn't feel too heavy with the low center of gravity, the motor sounds pretty good, plenty of power for cruising. I'd say test ride one and see if it's for you.

12/29/2013 7:10:27 PM

^^ Harley-Davidson is very poor bang for the buck. My observation/experience is that they're terrible bang in absolute terms, too (i.e., they suck), but without a doubt they're terrible for the money.

Do you want a cruiser for sure, or are you open to other types of motorcycles?

12/29/2013 9:16:48 PM

Got a new PR3 on the rear and a new battery. I feel like the PR2 is more responsive than the PR3, but both feel equal in terms of traction/grip.

12/29/2013 10:04:21 PM

I had heard the same thing about the PR2 and PR3, which is why I ended up getting a PR2 rear.

12/30/2013 9:27:49 AM

is the size or profile different? the lean angle i can carry and the speed which the bike turns in varies wildly from when I go from my preferred pirelli 180/50's to dunlop 195/55's. the pirellis dont last but man they feel good. the dunlop probably sticks even better but it's so hard I don't feel it, even though they say you're supposed to feel more of the road through a harder tire

12/30/2013 10:12:50 AM

Same profile, same size. I don't know. I could speculate why they feel different, but it doesn't matter. Great tire, if you are peculiar about how your tire feels versus wet performance, then PR2 is your tire. I saw the Micheline test results and the PR3 improvement in wet grip was quite impressive and very noticeable.

I don't ride as hard as I once did on the street. Safety first!

[Edited on December 30, 2013 at 11:18 AM. Reason : .]

12/30/2013 11:18:07 AM

^^^^^I would say I'm about 98% set on a cruiser. There was one time that I was thinking about a sport, but that was when I had a 400ex atv. Now a few years later, slow is my pace . This would be my first bike. I was just kind of set on a HD, just nothing too crazy in price. But like I said open to thoughts and suggestions

1/1/2014 11:16:59 AM

Got my first cruiser a few years ago and i gotta agree that with HD ur paying mostly for name. I dont feel they are terrible but shit if they dont cost ( and weigh) a ton. For the price of weaker sportster i was able to get an 1100 vstar with extras (saddlebags. Windshield. New pipes. Etc). Both the suzukis and vstars were comfortable and had the classic look. Do what makes you happy or (more importantly) go and sit on um at a shop. U might be surprised at the difference that makes.

1/1/2014 12:22:26 PM

got to ride today for the first time since the weekend before thanksgivng. felt great. first ride with my CE approved back protector. couldn't tell it was in the jacket so that's good

1/13/2014 1:30:37 PM

I've never had more flakes/tire kickers selling an automobile than I have with a motorcycle.

1/13/2014 4:27:27 PM

^you will have much better results in a few months. too many people think a bike should almost be free in january

1/13/2014 5:14:07 PM

Just bought a 2009 DL1000 (V-Strom).

Looking forward to a long trip.

Also anybody intersted in a 2005 Honda Shadow 750

[Edited on January 22, 2014 at 2:03 PM. Reason : dd]

1/22/2014 2:02:43 PM

Just bought this. Fun.

1/22/2014 9:20:10 PM

It's all fun and games until until you get wrapped around some lady's land yacht. Good luck to you though. May the odds be ever in your favor.

1/22/2014 10:42:54 PM

Or some drunk fuck coming back from a dive bar or a football game plows you over, mirite?

Thanks for your concern, mom, but we are all grown up now.

1/23/2014 11:06:31 AM

^ That too.

[Edited on January 23, 2014 at 11:26 AM. Reason : Nice looking bike though! Love the gold on black]

1/23/2014 11:22:00 AM

Tried to ride home from work this morning at 5am. Terrible idea; not because it was too cold for me, but it was too cold for the bike The throttle cable was unresponsive and frozen in place. Had a friend pick me up.

After this little incident, I'm done with riding in temperatures that are below 40.

[Edited on January 23, 2014 at 8:19 PM. Reason : .]

1/23/2014 8:16:49 PM

I made blind kenny's face page

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.621350357938632.1073741907.213375088736163&type=1

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/t1/1688063_621350377938630_834476739_n.jpg

[Edited on February 6, 2014 at 4:30 PM. Reason : fb]

2/6/2014 4:29:56 PM

Went outside yesterday morning to find my bike laying on its side in the parking lot. No note or anything. No damage to the bike (its a dr650 I can kick it over all day long) but still....fuck people.

2/6/2014 10:50:35 PM

Christ i got no memory anyomre.

Clutch on DL doesn't seem to competely disengage, but its a wet clutch and its cold. Going to change the oil and see.



[Edited on February 8, 2014 at 4:54 PM. Reason : dd]

2/8/2014 4:51:42 PM

^did you try adjusting the cable yet?

2/8/2014 5:59:04 PM

that would work if the cable wasn't DOT4 rated.

2/9/2014 3:12:04 PM

Maybe bleed it? Master or slave cylinders might be on the way out.

2/10/2014 2:13:58 PM

finally sold the gsxr.

You all were right, as soon as it warmed up..the real buyers came out of the woodwork.

2/25/2014 10:17:29 PM

if you didn't ride yesterday you may need to reevaluate your priorities in life.

3/3/2014 6:01:13 PM

if you rode today you may need to reevaluate your priorities in life.

3/3/2014 8:18:00 PM

Totally Badass, but way too pricey

http://www.nlo-moto.ru/helmet/predator-4

3/20/2014 5:49:23 AM

THe original predator helmets were shitty made, it's pretty well documented, and they weren't certified by any organizations. These new ones seem to be a Nolan helmet with some styrofoam on the outside that severely limits your peripheral vision. SHit all around. If you want that type of look, get a god dual-sport helmet instead, such as ICON Variant or MSR Xpedition

3/20/2014 9:32:31 AM

I need a new full face and I have a huge head. I wear a half shell the vast majority of the time so I don't know what's out there anymore...but I know I don't want the big bulbous UFO I have now...does anyone make a slimmer 2XL or 3XL?

3/20/2014 11:24:28 AM

Test rode a KTM Duke 690 and a Triumph Street Triple R today.



I would love to have one of each. The KTM is a trip, but it is a true toy, not a "real motorcycle". I could kind of justify that with a BMW RT in the garage beside it, but the Street Triple R is just such a sweet ride all around that I don't think I could own a Duke over it.

(but if I had a Street Triple R or a race-replica, the next thing would probably be a Duke 690...and then maybe a BMW GS).

As long as I get hired at this job I think I'm about to get, I foresee a Street Triple R in my future this fall when there are good deals to be had.

4/20/2014 2:04:59 AM

Rode 146 miles today.

I'm out of shape. That ride left me tired when I got back home.

4/20/2014 8:46:42 PM

the 690 is a hooligan machine! i'd love a bike that light

4/20/2014 8:47:43 PM

I really want the 1190 adventure r but I'm not dropping that kind of money on a bike...

And to be honest I still think I have too many idiot tendencies to be on a bike regularly.

4/21/2014 7:37:59 AM

Rode my roommate's KTM 690 enduro r last weekend. That thing is a fucking blast and I'd love to have one as a go anywhere and be a total asshole alternative to the VFR.

5/21/2014 10:39:22 AM

fyi: team powersports will not mount tires on an older bike.

[Edited on May 21, 2014 at 1:07 PM. Reason : ]

5/21/2014 1:05:26 PM