Motorcycle Riders?

[melensdad]

As of July 1 2018...........

Specifies that head lamps on motor vehicles, motorcycles, and motor driven cycles may display only white or amber light. Requires that motor vehicles except for motorcycles, motor vehicles manufactured before January 1, 1956, and motor driven cycles must be equipped with two stoplights. Specifies that: (1) stop lamps on the rear of a vehicle must be red; and (2) signal lamps on the rear of a vehicle must display only red or amber light or any shade of color between red and amber. Specifies that signal lamps showing to the front of a vehicle must display only white or amber light or any shade of color between white and amber.

Won't let me give you rep points, but thanks for this!

 

[JCSR]

Here's another pro tip from today's ride.

If you see these being worn by a driver give them plenty of room. Pull over and take a break if you have to but stay away! A geezer tried to take me out today but I got clear.

 

[cbhausen]

Any of you INGO folks been to Bike Night at Horsepower Inc.? I've been twice now and it's a hoot. Not everything that happens out on Gasoline Alley is technically "legal" but the cops have been really cool letting the boys (and girls!) play. Lots of stunt riding, wheelies, stoppies, burnouts and some drag racing. FREE BEER, a band, giveaways, food trucks... This happens once a month, here's the fb page:

https://www.facebook.com/events/2655749521404453/

Lots of cool images here:

https://www.facebook.com/horsepower...207520000../10164206233210727/?type=3&theater

 

[JettaKnight]

Here's another pro tip from today's ride.

If you see these being worn by a driver give them plenty of room. Pull over and take a break if you have to but stay away! A geezer tried to take me out today but I got clear.
View attachment 88698

 

[Clay Pigeon]

Here's another pro tip from today's ride.

If you see these being worn by a driver give them plenty of room. Pull over and take a break if you have to but stay away! A geezer tried to take me out today but I got clear.
View attachment 88698

We have two blue hairs in town that wear the dark dark sunglasses, I pull over even in my car & truck when I see one of them. Neither of them stop at any intersections unless a car is in front of them.... Them big ass Buicks would hurt...

 

[JettaKnight]

Wow, I guess another reason to have your skin covered.
... or loud pipes sometimes get you killed?


Wisconsin man 'targeting a White person' killed motorcyclist, prosecutors say


This guy was seriously deranged.

 

[melensdad]

And in industry news . . .

Harley Davidson and BMW both make a lot of expensive motorcycles.

HD is seeing its marketshare shrink. It still dominates the big bike sales in the US but it's customer demographic is aging and dying off. BMW has a smaller overall market but is seeing growth in big bikes in Europe and Asia and has very strong US sales in its large 1250cc bikes.

Lots of differences. BMW caters to a younger more adventurous crowd. HD caters to the over 55year old traditionalists. HD motorcycles biggest sellers are low slung behemoths weighing upwards of 900 pounds when loaded up with cases and accessories. BMW's biggest 1250cc retail sales bikes come in about 550# with side cases and accessories.

HD bikes are best suited for highway and byway travel. BMW bikes are suited for off road, on road, city and highway travel.

The world changes. BMW was almost broke 15-20 years ago and on its last legs, it is now among the hottest brands with strong growth and a very diversified line of bikes. HD was totally dominating the market just a handful of years ago but has been declining. HD branched out into electric motorcycles, but sold them to their existing customers. HD stopped development of 2 new bikes that would have squarely pitted them against BMW in the Adventure-Touring market and in the Naked Bike market, leaving HD with only their core bikes, aging customer base and shrinking demographic.

Your thoughts may be different but I think the HD Pan America, which would have been a big dog in the Adventure-Touring bike category, could have been a game changer for the company if their dealers could figure out how to market to a younger crowd. Sadly, while very close to production it was halted when the new president took charge of the company a couple months ago. H-D is now laying off 700 workers and downsizing the company.

Moto-Guzzi in Italy is reporting record total production sales after the introduction of their new Adventure-Touring V85TT and can't keep up with demand. Honda's Africa Twin is still reporting brisk sales after its introduction 5-6 years ago and now is coming out with a line extension in the form of a smaller version rumored to be in the 850cc range and has expanded their entire Adv-Touring lineup. Yamaha's Tenere Adv-Touring bike has people in lines waiting to buy it.


BMW Posts Record Moto Sales in June ==> https://advrider.com/bmw-posts-record-moto-sales-in-june/

H-D Announces Massive Workforce Cuts ==> https://advrider.com/harley-davidson-announces-massive-workforce-cuts/

 

[JCSR]

Night shot of the LEDS...... sorry for the sideways pic

 

[melensdad]

Got caught in a quick but heavy rainstorm. Weatherman said it was clear. Lowell a nice soaking with plenty of thunder and lightning. Cedar Lake, 5 miles north, got sunshine and nice weather. I heading up to Cedar Lake, sky turned dark, buckets of rain came down, lasted about 10 minutes before I cleared through the north edge of the storm. Got to say that the new Michelin ROAD 5 tires I put on the bike held in the rain better than any other bike tire I've ridden. Never felt it was skittish on any of the roads. From 2 lane rural roads with gravel at the corners to 4 lane highway at 70+ mph the ROAD 5 tires held their grip. This was my first experience with these tires in heavy downpour conditions.

Night shot of the LEDS...... sorry for the sideways pic

View attachment 88755

LOOKS GOOD.

Nice bright lights. Should get the attention of oncoming drivers!

 

[JCSR]

Got caught in a quick but heavy rainstorm. Weatherman said it was clear. Lowell a nice soaking with plenty of thunder and lightning. Cedar Lake, 5 miles north, got sunshine and nice weather. I heading up to Cedar Lake, sky turned dark, buckets of rain came down, lasted about 10 minutes before I cleared through the north edge of the storm. Got to say that the new Michelin ROAD 5 tires I put on the bike held in the rain better than any other bike tire I've ridden. Never felt it was skittish on any of the roads. From 2 lane rural roads with gravel at the corners to 4 lane highway at 70+ mph the ROAD 5 tires held their grip. This was my first experience with these tires in heavy downpour conditions.

​Seems like that is everyday around here lately.





LOOKS GOOD.

Nice bright lights. Should get the attention of oncoming drivers!

Thanks and just for the record the blue accent LEDS are technically illegal. See you're not the only "Outlaw" here.

 

[melensdad]

LOL


Below is my set up. Headlamp was already an LED from the factory, as were the turn signals. So I added Denali brand DRL LEDs to the fork. They each have 6 white (amber is available) LED bulbs that spread light over a wide 180 degree spread side to side and up to down. So they are visible from the side and from the front and points in between. They do not light the road! These are specifically designed to make the bike more visible not to make the roadway light up in front of me.

SIDE VIEW

FRONT VIEW (bike headlamp on LOW beam setting)

Another view:

 

[JCSR]

LOL


Below is my set up. Headlamp was already an LED from the factory, as were the turn signals. So I added Denali brand DRL LEDs to the fork. They each have 6 white (amber is available) LED bulbs that spread light over a wide 180 degree spread side to side and up to down. So they are visible from the side and from the front and points in between. They do not light the road! These are specifically designed to make the bike more visible not to make the roadway light up in front of me.

SIDE VIEW

FRONT VIEW (bike headlamp on LOW beam setting)

Very nice. i may look into something like that.

 

[melensdad]

Very nice. i may look into something like that.

They can be wired as High or Low or switched to your lights. I played with them and ended up booking them up to my ignition as high 100% of the time. They are not blinding because the beam is spread so wide but they are bright!

Not cheap. Made by Denali.

 

[EyeCarry]

Hey bikers. Is there any shop that specializes in handlebars? Harley bars actually. I am trying to find what I THINK that I need/want but just going off of numbers online and racking up several hundred dollars without a clue as to how they actually sit/feel isn't leaving me feeling very comfortable wallet-wise. It would be nice find someplace that can mock up the setup and give a better idea of the fit.
I run a 2014 Ultra Limited with stock bars. What I think I want is about 2-3 inches up and 2-3 inches back from that. I DON'T want them up higher than the batwing. I am about 5'9" but my arms are just stretched out far enough with the stock bars that longer rides are tough (4-8 hours)
What I have found is a Khromewerks 2+2 which they say works but the HD shop says doesn't. A LA Choppers 10" Twin Peaks Bagger bar, and the Helibars Horizon ES (the most expensive but very adjustable).
Anyway.....I keep looking. I only found out about the Helibars last week and actually got to sit on a guy's bike that had them. They felt pretty good but look rather strange on a HD.
Any leads? Suggestions? Have a Limited with bars about like this that I could fondle?

 

[bwframe]

Please take care to insure that your lighting is not blinding to oncoming traffic at night. Be it other riders or cars coming the other direction, it is a safety hazard to the other guy.

I have seen bikes with the painful blue piercing lights that endanger me while riding at night. My riding focus needs to be everything in front of me and most behind. It is danger to riders and drivers who have to focus on the fog line, because they are blinded to everything else in front of them.

I have hit two deer when driving cars while blinded by the oncoming vehicle. The deer crossed behind the oncoming blinding vehicle and by the time I could see again, it was too late to react.

 

[melensdad]

Please take care to insure that your lighting is not blinding to oncoming traffic at night. Be it other riders or cars coming the other direction it is a safety hazard to the other guy. . . .

That is actually one of the reasons I chose the Denali DRL LED lights.

LINK => https://denalielectronics.com/collections/led-drl-backup-lights

They throw a widely scattered beam that is very bright but is not blinding. It is exactly what they are designed to do. Safely make my bike noticeable to oncoming traffic. I could have save money and put on spots or fogs. But these are designed to be seen from the SIDE, the FRONT and all points in between with a 180 degree side to side and up to down spread. The lenses focus the light at the source, not pushing the light down the road. So you are seen but you don't blind anyone with a beam of light.

There are plenty of cheap chinese lights available from Amazon, I have tried some of them. I complain about spending money twice. But I recommend the Denali lights because they do what they are supposed to do.

 

[melensdad]

FWIW there was a study (can't find it now) suggesting that a triangle pattern of lights was highly visible to drivers. That is why I fork mounted my lights; the 2 lower lights form a triangle with the headlamp.

My LED turn/running lights are roughly in horizontal alignment forming a line of light. JCSR has a similar set up on his bike. Clearly more visible than a single bright headlamp but putting more space between the bulbs doesn't ket the eye focus on one bright area, The triangle pattern apparently forces the brain of the oncoming drivers to scan all 3 points of light and that allows the brain to understand/recognize there is a motorcycle coming.

If you have not seen this it is worth watching. TWICE.

[video=youtube;x94PGgYKHQ0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x94PGgYKHQ0[/video]

RYAN F9 also did a video on top 5 safety mods. 2 of those mods... add more lights & add reflectivity. He recommends horns too.

 

[dusty88]

I just learned to ride last year at age 55

I had ridden on the back of a motorcycle with boyfriends when I was younger, but I found it pretty boring.

My husband used to ride when he was younger, and bought a Harley a few years ago (now that the kids are grown up and not taking all of our time and money)

Last year he bought a Kawasaki Versys for my son and I to learn on. I took the rider class in May and got my motorcycle endorsement.

Yesterday was my first time on a "highway " I rode on 136 for a while. And I discovered the motorcycle "wave". I apparently still need to practice the subtle art of the motorcycle wave, because my initial reaction was to raise my hand and wave which was obviously uncool.

When I get some more practice in moderate traffic, I will ride the 36 miles into work in Indy one day. I have a backroads paved route that I used to ride my bicycle on, but am not in great shape for that at the moment. I'm also not ready for interstates.

See you out there?

 

[melensdad]

I just learned to ride last year at age 55
... I'm also not ready for interstates.

See you out there?

Nothing to see on the interstates. Just miles of boring roads bypassing America, skirting around interesting small towns and leaving them broke while giving you vistas of chain truck plazas to look forward to on your horizon. Skip the interstates, stick with the state and county roads.

 

[JettaKnight]

See you out there?

If you're on 136 - then probably not.


I wrote it up above, but it bears repeating: If you haven't, read David Hough's Proficient Motorcycling and More Proficient Motorcycling. Every library probably has a copy in print and/or digital.




I'll always wave back or nod, but I don't always initiate.

And if you're on a Harvey Danielson blasting AC/DC (in town) and rocking shorts and a Tshirt, you're more likely to get a disapproving head shake from me.