Topic: First "long" ride

[Mo]

Two words. Compression Shorts.

[Retro Rocket]

Fenders, with the greatest respect, if I had read this post earlier I may not have been so quick to jump in to offer my input with your latest question. Rarely have I read such a heap of arrogant, condescending bollocks.

Ride to Survive? Mounting your motorcycle from the wrong side? Rarely relax? What planet are you on? Do you realise you're talking to us like we're a bunch of bloody halfwits?

If you wish to be considered a peer among peers on this, or any other forum for that matter, I suggest you show a little respect for those of us who can add 20, 30, 40, even 50 years riding experience to your two. Speaking for myself, I passed my bike test 35 years ago and have never been without a bike since. Surprisingly, without the benefit of your wisdom, I have not only survived, but have also mastered mounting my bike from whichever side is nearest and am always relaxed when I'm riding. With experience, hazard perception becomes a natural part of your riding. Maybe that means I have been 'practising errors over and over again', if so, I really don't give a #$%* as I must be doing something right. Oh, and just to balance things out, I do agree that it's about the journey, not the destination.

I really don't mean to offend, but you got me rattled on this one. Perhaps when you get to my age - as you undoubtedly will - you might understand.

I couldn't agree any more Oldsckool, Fenders, if you don't relax when you ride you will suffer the consequences one day mate, you are a novice and its clear buy some of the stupid things you say. You sit at a green light and wait for a truck to clear an intersection and you will eventually be hit from behind, you don't relax and you will grab brakes instead of applying them with finesse, you don't relax and you will ride off a corner because you need to be relaxed to corner correctly, Dave 500's mate did it not long ago, he's a novice as well. I don't know who you've been talking to mate but you need to drop the lack of experienced tripe and learn from people that really have experience, there was so much crap in your last post I burst out laughing, I even showed my wife, her response was WTF   

[Retro Rocket]

Sorry Oldskool, i see you deleted your post after I quoted it, do you want me to delete it mate..?

[fendersrule]

Damn, that ignore button is finally comes in handy! I don't tolerate harassment.

[Retro Rocket]

Damn, that ignore button is finally comes in handy! I don't tolerate harassment.

Ignorant as well....   You come across as a pretentious twat Fenders.....

I had given up on answering anything you say Fenders due to your lack of any understanding of the stuff you rabbit on about but this last lot of dribble has so much bad advice i felt compelled to answer, your understanding {with limited experience} of how a motorcycle should be ridden is so far off the mark it is actually dangerous and seriously lacks experience...

[fendersrule]

Damn, that ignore button is finally comes in handy! I don't tolerate harassment.

Ignorant as well....   You come across as a pretentious twat Fenders.....

I had given up on answering anything you say Fenders due to your lack of any understanding of the stuff you rabbit on about but this last lot of dribble has so much bad advice i felt compelled to answer, your understanding {with limited experience} of how a motorcycle should be ridden is so far off the mark it is actually dangerous and seriously lacks experience...

If that's what you say/think, then it must be true. You are older so therefor you know everything. You can take whatever I say and bend them however you want to fit how you feel about me. That's why I've given up on you long ago, "mate".

[lucky]

use cotton wool in your ears,takes the edge of the wind noise but still lets you focus on noise around you if you need to.

With a full cover helmet noise is not a problem.

[martin99]

Sorry Oldskool, i see you deleted your post after I quoted it, do you want me to delete it mate..?

I stand by what I said. I deleted it because I don't like to say stuff when I'm pissed off and regretted it, then wished I hadn't deleted it and couldn't be arsed to type it out again

[scottly]

Wow, this thread has taken an ugly turn or two!
On a lighter note, does anyone know why a motorcycle is customarily mounted from the left side?

[Vinhead1957]

An iron horse!   Horses are traditionally mounted on the left side too!

[scottly]

An iron horse!   Horses are traditionally mounted on the left side too!

Correct

[fendersrule]

It's also the lowest side while it's on the side stand and easiest to mount without "falling" if you're short.

[Retro Rocket]

Damn, that ignore button is finally comes in handy! I don't tolerate harassment.

Ignorant as well....   You come across as a pretentious twat Fenders.....

I had given up on answering anything you say Fenders due to your lack of any understanding of the stuff you rabbit on about but this last lot of dribble has so much bad advice i felt compelled to answer, your understanding {with limited experience} of how a motorcycle should be ridden is so far off the mark it is actually dangerous and seriously lacks experience...

If that's what you say/think, then it must be true. You are older so therefor you know everything. You can take whatever I say and bend them however you want to fit how you feel about me. That's why I've given up on you long ago, "mate".

I don't have too or want to bend anything you say Fenders, its better left exactly as you said it, it shows just how little you actually know whilst trying to convince everyone else that you are the man....

[dave500]

hey lucky you must wear a sealed space helmet?

[Wobbly]

I think you have had it easy Wobbly...try blasting down the Autobahn at 105 mph for 4 hrs straight on a 1974 unfaired, stock CB750 with poor brakes

Actually, I do this all the time. The longest I wrote Autobahn was leaving Barcelona in the evening and arriving in Berlin the next afternoon, only stopping for gas. That is with my 77 K7 which I own for 36 years, having put on over 210,00 miles. Did I mention crossing the Sahara with my Honda yet? I am using the BMW currently because the Honda internals are finally getting an overhaul. And trust me, driving the BMW at speeds above 150mph is a lot more demanding. The "fairing" on the BMW makes sure that you get the full force of the wind in your face. It isn't exactly a touring bike, you see. 
I have to admit: the BMW is more fun to ride. Every time I get on the Honda now, I feel that its brakes are atrocious. I hope to remedy this by adding a second front brake right now. In over 30 years, it never bothered me before. But that is because all my other bikes had brakes even worse (BSA, Triumph)  . Well, with the exception of my 1000 Laverda. But when I hit the Brembo brakes on the BMW the first time, I sat on the tank. 
It is all a matter of getting used to. Most people who never ran, have a hard time finishing one mile. Then, with practice, people run marathons. You do need to give it a chance to adopt. And you know very well: riding in the Alps is so awesome, you don't want to stop. My long Autobahn hauls are simply a necessity to get there. And at temperatures below freezing, my behind it the last thing I worry about.

The reason I stop often isn't so much physical. I'm 6'4, 220 lbs, and 12% body fat. If you do the math, this equates to someone with a lot of muscle mass...I get mistaken for being in the army.

Well, I am 6'2, 255 lbs, and that isn't all fat either ( I am a power lifter). Accidently, people think that I am in the Army as well. Is it the uniform? 

[Wobbly]

An iron horse!   Horses are traditionally mounted on the left side too!

Never mind the tradition--I really never get on or off the bike from or to the right side even if it is on the main stand. In all these years, I never thought about it. But it feels awkward, and it is not a pretty picture trying to get my left leg over the bike. I wonder why that is???

[Xnavylfr]

Another reason for the left side mount, is very few M/Cs have Ignitions on the right side of the bike and it's much easier to mount her from the LOW side and not the HIGH side..

 Experience is LEARNED not earned, NOBODY can give you their experience/expertise.  You have to pay for it in small scrapes ,scratches and falls.
I started learning in 1965!!and am STILL learning!!!   When someone says they know everything about riding a M/C they learn QUICK they forgot something!!!

Xnavylf(CHUCK)

[Wobbly]

@Xnavylfr
I like your signature 

[seanbarney41]

Man, there sure are some super experienced, totally bad-ass bikers in here...

[Geeto67]

Wow. Just wow.

Let the kid (fenders) say stupid stuff. After all his name is fendersrule and we all know gibsons rule. H'e been riding for 2 years, he is still going through the hyper viligant and excitable phase, he is bound to say stupid stuff. I'm sure 5 years from now when his hyper viligance has become second nature and invisible and he learns to be both relaxed and situationally aware he will come back and be embarrased by this thread and that's way better than any insult you can give him now.

Plus I'm glad he takes breaks, I wouldn't want someone that wound up to be near me on the road (even though I am thousands of miles away).

[Bob Wessner]

On a lighter note, does anyone know why a motorcycle is customarily mounted from the left side?

Never really though about.. until now, but I mount a bicycle the same way, always did. If I had to guess, I would think handedness comes into play. Ninety percent of the population is right-handed.

[DustyRags]

When I was running the Vulcan 500, I frequently mounted from the right side- that's where the key was, and it was low enough that it was really easy. You could even hope on the right footpeg and swing a leg over.

Tried that once with my Nighthawk 750. Just once.

[heffay]

I can piss the farthest, we can all go home now.

[goldarrow]

Anybody sells popcorn? Dave?

[Bob Wessner]

Found this, has an air of plausibility ..

 "Traditionally people who rode horses had swords. Most people being right handed a sword is worn from the left hip. Trying to mount a horse from the right with 3 feet or more of sharp steel could lead to a very unwelcome sequence of events for both horse and rider. Hence we mount from the left."