More Helmet, Please.

I have a bit of a continuation about helmets... Also known as "Why I wear a full face helmet."

I fully understand that many riders prefer not to wear the same style of lid that I recommend, and that is their choice. However, when I get asked why I wear what I wear I have a simple answer, "Ever seen what happens to a face that meets the pavement?" It may be a slightly brusque reply, but the fact remains that in the majority of impacts the initial point of impact is in the face, or there abouts. This diagram shows the general, statistical break down of impact points:

As you can see, fully a third of the primary impacts are along the chin bar, the next 18% along the forehead, and another 10% in the area of the face shield. In my wreck a year ago, I levered over directly onto my face and got to watch the grass slide by inches from my eyes. My experiences, along with those of people I know and the above diagram, are the main reasons I wear what I wear and why I recommend full face helmets to anyone who asks.

That said, how do you choose the one right for you?

That's just a small sample of what is waiting for you when you go in to buy a helmet. With over 13 different helmet standards in the world, it's hard to know what is right to pick. The answer is short, but hardly simple. The only right helmet is the one that fits you best and that you will wear every time you ride. If a cheaper DOT certified helmet is what feels right, with no hot spots or pressure point, than go ahead and get that one. If a top of the line DOT/Snell/BSI certified helmet is what fits best (and fits your budget), by all means get that one.

The best advice I can give about helmet shopping is have fun with it. Take your time and go to several places. Talk to the sales people while wearing a helmet or two and looking at whatever else they have and don't rush your decision.

Halloween costume helmets

"Cape does not allow wearer to fly."

This label, off a kid's Batman costume, has been circulating on lists of stupid warning labels for at least a decade before Batman Begins, which was the first time I can remember anyone actually showing Batman using his cape to actually fly. With Halloween costumes showing up in every Wal-Mart now, it's time to address a similar type of costume that's sold in bike shops year round, the novelty helmet.

Novelty helmets do have their place - as costumes on the set of a movie, or in a play, or yes, as a Halloween costume. They don't really make much sense on your head on a public road. Your average bicycle helmet provides more protection than a novelty helmet.

Unless you've wandered into a very unscrupulous motorcycle shop, they're easy to spot in the shop by the lack of a DOT approved sticker on the back, and often by a warning label inside it that it's not a real helmet. If you look closely, you can spot them on the road much of the time - they're very thin compared to a real helmet. It's a dead giveaway. There are a couple of somewhat thin, legal helmets, such as the Davida Ninety-One, but engineering a thin helmet that actually protects the head inside it is a major challenge. And many of the novelty helmets you see out there are about a quarter of the thickness of the Ninety-One.

To understand the problem with making a helmet thin, imagine that you've got a choice of diving off the roof of your house onto (1) a stack of four matresses, or (2) a concrete driveway. Assume it's just as far to either one. Obviously, the stack of matresses is going to hurt a lot less than the concrete. The reason a soft object is going to hurt less is that it compresses more. As a first approximation, if that stack of matresses compress 100 times more than the concrete, it'll only have to push you 1/100th as hard to stop your fall. The amount of crash (kinetic energy, if you want to get techincal) the helmet can absorb is equal to the force it pushes back on you times the amount of distance your head can push it. A real, DOT approved helmet is often ten times as thick as a novelty helmet... meaning if you smack your head into concrete wearing it, that novelty helmet is likely to give you ten times the hurting.

I'm a bit puzzled about why people wear novelty helmets on the street. Is it cost? That doesn't make that much sense, as you can get real helmets for only a couple more dollars. Comfort? Not if you've chosen the helmet correctly; the companies that make the good helmets put a lot of R&D into making their products fit comfortably. Style? That may be it. The thing is, what you put on to ride your bike isn't just what everyone sees; it's the only thing between you and that 10,000 pounds of steel hurtling towards you at over a hundred miles an hour in the other lane. It's not a fashion statement. It's not your costume. It's your armor.

Quick tips

Just a couple of quick tips to tide people over as I work on a full post (next topic: helmets)

First, when you get new tires put on the bike, the handling changes. I put some Pirelli MT75s on the Ninja yesterday to replace the stock Dunlop K630s, which you may recall were getting pretty worn. Not only are the new tires rounded, the new rear tire is slightly smaller than the original. The combination of these factors lead to a faster turn-in than I was used. Add to that the fact that the Pirellis have better grip than the Dunlops and you get me grinning in my helmet all the way home from the shop.

Second, a little something I discovered on my way to get the tires replaced. I had not warmed up my engine enough to turn off the choke, but I did it anyway. Meaning that I stalled coasting to a red light. No problem, I thought, I'll just put the bike in first and pop the clutch to pop-start it. Bad idea. I should have remembered to put the bike in second gear to pop-start. Instead I locked the rear wheel and slid the back end out momentarily before I engaged the clutch and allowed it to turn freely again. Slightly embarrassed, I just turned the choke back on and hit the starter button.

Tourmaster Rainsuit review

When I woke up for work this morning, the rain storms from last night had not come to an end as I had hoped. Starting the day by worming my way into a one piece rain suit is not a pleasant method. I picked up a Tourmaster Elite II one-piece suit about a month and a half ago when it became apparent that I would be using the bike as a primary transport and I would need something to keep me comfortable on rainy afternoon (a fairly common occurrence during the summers here.)

My experience today is as follows: The suit is top notch when it comes down to construction and material and features. They have a range of color options to suit you, mine is head to toe bright yellow for high visibility. Add to the color a fairly impressive amount of 3M reflective piping and I feel as good about being noticed as I do with my Icon vest. The suit has several large pocket, water proof and easily accessible, for me to put things like keys to the office in. It also has a comfortable liner and a very nice microfiber neck. The final feature that is noteworthy is the under-the-helmet hood that Tourmaster puts on most of their rain gear. It is a great way to keep the back of your neck dry when you have to move your head when riding in the rain.

As far as comfort, it's fairly good once you get on the bike, I may have one slightly too small for me, but the crotch to shoulder length is just short enough that it becomes too tight to crouch into a riding tuck. The under foot elastic stirrups are fantastic at keeping the leg from flapping around and the aforementioned microfiber neck liner is good at keeping water from seeping down as well as keeping your neck warm. The full front zipper is a little difficult to open after riding for a little while, but I think I discovered the trick to that this morning, hold the neck closed when going to unzip and that releases pressure on the zipper allowing it to move more freely.

My only complaint, and this may be to my lack of experience with properly sealing the suit, is that water leaked through either at the seams of the crotch or at the base of the front zipper, where the suit bunches up while seated. I noticed this after about 15 minutes of only moderate rainfall on the highway. As a note for clarity, what I consider moderate the Weather Channel marks as bright yellow on their storm tracking Doppler. However, rather wet jeans and a comfortable ride in are far better than a very wet me and a chilly ride in. I'd venture to say that even with a leak, this suit is more pleasant than my last one, which had zero breathability due to its PVC construction and became a sauna within minutes of putting it on.

Overall, I would recommend the suit, but you may be better off looking at Tourmaster's two piece suits that may not bunch up and collect water at the seams. Though in a storm, it may be that any suit will leak some.

Here is Tourmaster's stock picture, mine is fully yellow, even where this one has black legs.

One last thing to add, I really need to pick up some water proof boots. My feet are freezing as my socks dry. (I should probably also wear wool socks when I know they will get wet.)

Tired Tires?

I've known for a while that my tires are beginning to wear out. 9000+ miles on the original rubber is not too bad, but it is getting up there and the age of the tires is beginning to worry me. Yesterday, I got a look at the tread and noticed the wear bars on my rear tire are beginning to show through. For those of you who don't know, wear bars are raised sections in the grooves to show when the tread is getting so thin that it is time to replace your tire. You can see the flat spot in my rear tire's center groove in the picture below as an example of what I mean.

I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to do a little post on motorcycle tires and taking care of them. I think it almost goes without saying that maintaining your tires is probably one of the most important things you can do as an aid for safe riding. Properly inflated, good tread, soft rubber tires are vital for keeping good traction on a ride. Obviously, all three aspects I mentioned play important roles in braking, cornering, and accelerating. Proper inflation means the tire will not flex under strain (as is the case with under-inflation) or (in the case of over-inflation) be so inflexible as to promote slides and low traction. Good tread means better contact patch and traction, especially in the case of wet roads. Lastly, by soft rubber I mean tires that aren't too old. Old rubber hardens and dries out, leading to cracking and drastically lower traction.

I hope this serves as a good reminder to all riders to be mindful of their tires, and to new riders I hope this gave a bit of insight into what to look for and to think of.

International Ride to Work Day

I rode to work today. Did you?

Ride to Work Day Approaches

The title says it all. Roadracingworld.com has an article about International Ride to Work Day, which is set for next Monday, the 15th of June. Follow the link above for the article; I can't give any snippets as a teaser due to copyright, but rest assured it is a good read.

For those of us who commute daily on our motorcycles, the day doesn't make a difference. However, when enough people who don't normally ride during the week are on the road, the increased presence of two-wheeled traffic benefits all of us by increasing awareness of just how many of us there are. So, for the purely selfish reason of hoping this one day will help encourage drivers to be on the lookout for riders like me, I encourage every rider out there to take next Monday as a day to ride to work.

Motorcycle Air Conditioning

As I left work yesterday, my boss saw me suiting up into my mesh jacket and textile over-pants (yes, they have a mesh strip, but it is almost worthless.) He almost immediately asked the question I have heard from just about everyone I work with, "Don't you get hot in all that stuff?" He followed this one up with a variation on the same theme, "Why not just wear a t-shirt?" My standard answer to that type of question is a little silly and trite: My skin might not be the best out there, but I'd like to keep it nonetheless. Obviously, there is more to it than that, but it is a simple and fast answer that most people can accept as "good" reasoning.

I would, however, like to expand on that a bit here. Hot weather gear seems to be a bit of a paradox. If you want protection, you need to wear full gear. The more clothes you have on, the warmer you will be. In hot weather, wear fewer/lighter items of clothing to keep cool. How do all of those fit together? You see the apparent conflict between the first and last statement, I assume. The solution is mesh gear. It is not as abrasion resistant as textile or leather, however it will hold body armor in place and it still holds up better than denim. Also, it lets air through to your skin as well as blocking your body from direct sunlight, both of which keep your core temperature lower. So, as you can tell, proper attire can do more in the way of protection and comfort than most people would guess.

One word of caution, mesh can get very chilly. This morning it was 67° F as I rode in to work. That's not a terribly chilly temperature, however, at highway speeds it can get on the cool side and when you ride through a patch of fog you get instant motorcycle air conditioning.

Back to the Commute

We've been having some nasty weather, with rain and wind, over the past month. I haven't been riding as much as I would like because of all that. Well, that changed last Thursday. We live in a county where we have to have our cars' emissions checked every year. If a car fails its test, the owner must have it fixed before the registration can be renewed. On Thursday my Ford Tuarus failed its test. At 206,000 plus miles, I think the car has had a pretty productive life over the last 10 years. Also, the cost to have the exhaust system replaced is higher than the value of the vehicle (not to mention the other repairs that would need to be done soon.)

In all, the chapter of my life involving that car is closing and we need to find a new way for me to get to work. Motorcycles to the rescue! Fortunately, we don't have to spend the money to replace my cage; all we have to spend is the money for a high quality rainsuit to make inclement weather commutes more comfortable. As of today, I've joined the very small ranks of those whose primary transportation is on two wheels.

SHAD luggage picture

I've finally got the replacement clutch pushrod in, so it's ready to bring out of the garage. And, as you can see, the SHAD side cases are now in place as well. There were a few tricky parts with the installation: It took a little finesse to get it in place with the stock exhaust can, and I had to add some extra washers to space out some of the bolts. And the connectors for the turn signals were the wrong style. Still, now that it's on, these fit the bike pretty well and look like they should hold up better than my soft bags. They also leave a lot more space around the foot pegs, making them somewhat more passenger friendly. The soft luggage I used to have would cover up the passenger pegs. Plus I can fit more than I could carry in both soft bags into one of the SHAD cases. These things are huge. I could probably fit two gallon milk jugs in one of them.

It's not the clutch cable after all....

It's the clutch pushrod that sidelined the GS500F. Wouldn't have thought that - if you've got a 2 mm cable and a 6 mm hardened steel rod operating the clutch, which would you expect to break?

Installing the SHAD luggage

Been installing the racks for the SHAD luggage. For the most part, they fit pretty well. The bolts that attach them to the footpegs are a bit too long, though, and they hit the exhaust can so that took a bit of work. I've got one more thing to do because of a fitment problem - the connectors they have on the turn signals don't plug into the turn signal connectors on the bike. Been thinking about converting it to Weatherpack connectors since we've got a bunch of them at work... I never really did like bullet connectors.

May is Motorcycle Awareness Month

It's that time of year again. Spring weather is bringing more motorcyclists back onto the roads to enjoy the good riding conditions and, with that increase in motorcycles, the yearly spring increase in motorcycle involved crashes. The Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety has released a statement to launch the month's initiative. You can read the full text here (in you have MS Word.) While the document starts out with some of the state's riding statistics, it does take the time to remind riders to stay vigilant and visible, and to never ride impaired.

I don't have anything to add, I just wanted to bring it to people's attention.

Oh, and you can check out the GOHS website here.

Broken things

Had a couple things break today. Well, the first may have broken a while ago and I just now noticed. I bought a pair of Joe Rocket Sonic boots last year, and now they're coming apart next to one of the seams. On both sides. Not good; looks like I've got to order a new pair as this doesn't look easily fixed. Got to give the Joe Rocket boots a big thumbs down.

And when I was riding home from church today, I had my clutch cable break. Luckily it was less than a mile from home and I managed to ride home in first gear - the transmission doesn't like to be shifted without it. Looks like I'll need to order a new cable... or maybe get two of them, since they're pretty cheap and I've heard a lot of GS500F riders carry a spare.

Mental Conditioning

From what I have seen, many riders try and avoid hitting the roads when they aren't dry. Well, most of us try to avoid hitting the roads at all, but you know what I mean. I generally will stay off the bike when there is a pretty good chance that I'm going to get poured on, or if I would have to start the ride in the rain. But I made an exception for today since the weather after 7 am was forecast to be amazing (along with sunny days for the rest of the week, but I digress.) Riding to work on wet roads and a light sprinkle got me thinking about something: how should road/weather conditions change the way you ride?

Riding a motorcycle, especially for commuting in Atlanta, is always an exercise in defensive driving. Wet roads before dawn just magnifies that. I'll try to give a list of things to be more conscious of while riding in these conditions.

First, wet roads:

• Give yourself more space for stopping, the tires will be more likely to skid under hard braking.
• Take turns more slowly, for the same lower-traction reason as adjusting your braking.
• Be on the lookout for debris that rains might have swept into the road.
• With light rain, beware of oil rising to the road surface.
• Watch out for the paint on the road, the lane lines, turn lanes, etc. The paint has very little traction to begin with and a layer of water only makes it more slick.
• Lastly, remember that drivers seem to forget how to use turn signals, brakes, and the gas pedal when it's raining. (At least this is the case here.)

Second, when the sun is down:

• Be as visible as possible, for me that means my reflective vest.
• As a corollary, use lane positioning to be sure your lights are out of other drivers' blind spots.
• Use other vehicles lights to aid in seeing the roadway. Motorcycle lights are notoriously dim, if you have cars in front of you, look at the section of the road they illuminate, too.
• Flash your brake lights when slowing down, a flashing light attracts more attention than a single, steady light.

And remember, never trust the drivers around you, no matter what the conditions are. I had a truck try to merge into my lane this morning; had I not have been watching him I may not have slowed down before he had more than just a tire in my lane.

Ride safe.

SHAD luggage - first impression

The SHAD luggage arrived yesterday. I'm pretty busy with a book deadline and the MegaMeet coming up, so I can't install it right away. But I couldn't resist pulling it out of the box and having a look. Here are my first impressions.

The very first thing I noticed is that it's big. Each side case is 42 liters. You could fit a helmet into one of these. A single side case looks like it's about the same volume as both my current saddlebags and my tank bag put together. They'll definitely make my bike more useful for running errands, or if I want to go on a road trip a couple days long.

The quality looks pretty good too. There was a scratch in the powder coating on the mounts in one place, looks like it may have happened in transit. The cases themselves are a fairly nice looking matte finished plastic. The frames look like they've been welded together with a MIG by someone who knew what he was doing. It's not the most immaculate welding I've ever seen, but it looks like it'll hold up and there isn't too much spatter. By the way, the bar for "the most immaculate welding I've ever seen" is a pretty high one, as my former employer had a YAG laser welder that seemed able to defy the laws of thermodynamics.

I'll put it to one of the real tests of quality soon enough - seeing how well it fits the bike. But it looks like a pretty comprehensive kit.

Hard luggage for a GS500F

I've had a set of Cortech saddlebags on my GS500F for a little more than a year. They are quite handy for carrying rain gear, stashing warm clothes when the weather heats up, or putting a to-go box in when I've got leftovers from the Mellow Mushroom. But they don't stand up all that well to the elements. They are not fully waterproof, and the top of them has faded from red to a washed out pink. The sides still look OK, and I suspect the black saddlebags may hold up a bit better, but still, I've been thinking I should upgrade to hard luggage.

Finding a bolt on kit for hard luggage for a GS500F isn't easy. Sure, I could fabricate something, but I don't mind spending a bit extra if it saves me a lot of time. Givi and many of the other major manufacturers don't have kits to put hard saddlebags on this particular bike. They do have bolt on top case kits, but for some reason, I'd rather have a set of saddlebags. Five Star sells a bolt on mounting kit, but it's very expensive (around $500 without the bags) and their dealers list it as special order.

Finally, I managed to find an eBay auction for a set of Shad luggage that included a bolt on mounting kit. I know, there's an obvious joke that this sounds fishy. But I did a bit of looking around, and I've turned up that Shad luggage is made in Spain and there are quite a few positive reviews of their luggage kit for another Suzuki, the DL650 V-Strom. So today I ordered a luggage kit for the bike off eBay. I'll let you know how it turns out.

A Long Sunday Ride

Last Sunday, my wife and I decided to meet up with some of the other members of Beginnerbikers.org for a ride through north Georgia and a little bit of east Tennessee. Most of the group met at a gas station off of Ga-400 north of Atlanta and rode from there to our "official" starting point of Rider's Hill in Dahlonega. After warming up for a little bit (the start of the day was about 40 degrees,) we hit the rode. It became immediately apparent that I need to practice riding winding roads more. Not only was I riding well below the speed limit, the rest of the group was far enough ahead that I took a wrong turn at the first chance I got. Fortunately, I realized my mistake and turned around before too much time was lost. After that, the group split into two groups: the fast riders and my wife and me, bracketed by the ride organizer and another rider who was perfectly happy to follow us at whatever speed we chose.

After almost 90 miles of mountain roads, we stopped for gas and lunch in Tellico Plains, TN. at a place named Prospector's. Good food and good prices and a place to relax after some very technical roads.

Following lunch, we made our way back to the Ocoee Scenic Byway and made a small detour off the main road to one of the overlooks along the Ocoee River. The overlook was at the top of a steep, winding road that may have been two lanes. I couldn't tell since it wasn't painted and I didn't have enough concentration to spare from trying to negotiate the turns. While two of us hadn't wanted to go to the overlook, it was well worth the ride up for its breathtaking view.

By that time it was getting late enough in the day that we all needed to high-tail it back to Atlanta. Overall, we put another 360 miles on our bikes from 7:00 am to 9:30 pm. A few of my pictures are below.

The initial gathering started early in the morning.

All the bikes parked outside of Prospector's.

The view from the overlook.

Never leave home without your traveling Gnome.

As a point of interest, the motorcycles along for the ride were as follows: Suzuki Hyabusa, Yamaha FJR, Yamaha FZ-1, BMW R-1150GS, Kawasaki Versys, Buell Blast, and Kawasaki EX250.

Non-Routine Maintenance

For some time now the Ninja has been having what I thought to be problems with the carburetor being dirty. What I mean is that when the throttle got opened wide, the engine would bog down and sometimes stall. Pretty clearly some sort of fueling issue.

Here is where it comes in handy to either be a good mechanic or know one. A friend of ours (the same one who fixed my fairing) came over this morning to help me take the carb off and give it a thorough cleaning. When he got the carb off of the engine (in about the same amount of time as it takes me to get the fairing off) we discovered that the vent hose that helps regulate the air flow had a kink in it.

Like so:

We cut this section off the hose and re-installed everything. Took it out for a test ride and everything was back to the way it should be. The bike should now be reliable enough for me to get back to commuting regularly on it next week.

Suzuki GS500F

I've been meaning to post a review of my own bike for a while. I ride a 2005 Suzuki GS500F. It's one of the more commonly recommended beginner sport bikes. This doesn't mean it is slow by car standards; I used to have a C4 Corvette, and the GS500F was a bit faster up to any legal speeds. I'd say that it is still suitable for most people as a first time bike, if you've scored well on the exams at the MSF class. If you're feeling uncertain after the class, though, something like a Ninja 250 or Buell Blast might be a better choice as they are a bit easier to ride.

The GS500 has been around since the late '80s, but Suzuki gave it a major styling update in 2004 to make the GS500F. Without the decals, you'd have a difficult time telling a GS500F from a GSX-R600 unless you look at it closely enough to spot the difference in handlebars or manage to catch a glimpse of the cooling fins under the bodywork. It seems that F may stand for "fairing," but the naked (that is, no plastic bodywork) version was called the GS500E, and I'm not entirely sure what, if anything, the E stood for.

Power comes from an air cooled parallel twin, with two valves per cylinder. It slots in between the Ninja 250 and Ninja 500 for overall power, making somewhere in the vicinity of 50 hp. It redlines at 11,000 RPM and is quite happy cruising at around 5,000. Like I said earlier, the power to weight ratio is a little bit higher than an '80s era Corvette. It is enough power to get you in trouble if you don't respect it... but unlike a 600 cc supersport, you need to show it some pretty blatant disrespect. It typically gets around 50 to 60 miles to the gallon.

The one point where it can be a bit unforgiving is the rear brake. It has a single hydraulic disc at each end, and if you panic and stomp on the brake pedal, it can lock the rear wheel. You'll want to make a point of using the front brake a lot more heavily than the rear.

Handling is pretty agile without being twitchy. It's certainly a fun bike to attack twisty roads with. If pushed to the limit, it's not as sophisticated as a supersport or a more expensive sport-standard like a Buell Lightining, but it's still a lot of fun. It's also quite stable in crosswinds, even though it's not a particularly heavy bike. Heavy is relative here, though - it feels a bit heavier than a Ninja 250, Buell Blast, or most of your common MSF range bikes. It's lighter than the CX500 I used to ride, and about the same weight as a 600 cc supersport.

The one area I'd want to improve on is comfort. It's not too bad to ride about town, but ride it for an hour or more and you'll start wanting a better seat. Kawasaki arguably does a better job with their factory seats on the Ninja, and unlike Ninjas, there are few aftermarket seats available for a GS500F. I'm also 6'2" tall and my legs start feeling a little bit cramped on a very long ride, though I could probably ignore that if it wasn't for the seat. I've got to wonder why the aftermarket hasn't stepped up, as there's quite a few of these bikes out there and it's definitely an item that owners could use. The riding position itself is quite comfortable; it's fairly upright with a little bit of forward lean. I modified the handlebar mounts on mine to make it friendlier for a tall rider.

There is one weird "gotcha" about owning a GS500F. For some reason, many of the parts books list the wrong oil filter. Don't let them sell you a spin on filter like the one you'd put on a car; the correct filter is a cartridge that sits inside the engine and looks more like a miniature automotive air filter.

Here's how I would sum this bike up.

Good points:

• Enough power to be fun without getting out of hand for the beginning rider
• Contemporary sportbike styling
• Sporty handling

Bad points:

• Really needs a better seat

The Cycle World International Motorcycle Show 2009

Every year Cycle World runs a series of shows featuring most of the major manufacturer and, at some shows, a few of the smaller ones. There really isn't much for me to say about the show in general. They have demonstrations, stunt shows, product showcases, an accessory marketplace, demo rides from some of the marques, and giveaways.

This year was no different. The closest show to us was held this past weekend in Greenville, SC. A short hop, skip, and a jump away from our home base in Atlanta. Aside from all of the features I've mentioned, the single best thing about big shows like this one is the chance to see almost every motorcycle that will be sold in the upcoming model year and sit on them back-to-back for a great comparison of the various models.

Without further ado, on to the photographic evidence we gathered. This is but a small sample of what you can find here.

Harley-Davidson had a demonstration on how to pick up a dropped motorcycle, in this case a Sportster 1200 which happens to be one of the most top-heavy motorcycles Harley makes. If you can lift this one, you can pretty much pick up any in their line-up. Even the touring models weighing in at 300 pounds heavier.

The stunt show had a trials rider displaying amazing balance and control. He was doing jumps and wheelies on platforms his motorcycle barely fit on.

Another bit of the Harley-Davidson display was the Nightrod Special.

Indian was on had with a line of their new cruisers, I just had to get a shot displaying their attention to detail. Here is the Indian light on top of the front fender.

Kymco had a spot close to the front entrance to show off the full line of scooters and the new 150cc motorcycle (not pictured.)

We saw a nice display of historical motorcycles, including this superb Norton Commando.

Ducati proves that some of the classic styling of motorcycles is alive and well.

Just as Honda shows off some of the newest styling on an bike missing the standard clutch, the DN1 only comes in automatic.

Suzuki takes some styling ques from the wildly successful Ducati Monster in the new for this season Gladius, a naked 650cc.

With these and many other bikes, it is easy to spend hours at the show just sitting on one bike then the next. But that is really the purpose of shows like this one. It gives the manufacturers a venue to show off everything they have and get to people who may not necessarily go to a dealer's showroom for a company they are unfamiliar with and it gives the enthusiast a chance to see all the new models without the sales pressure one might find at a dealership.

The only problem I can figure out with these shows is that now my list of next motorcycle purchase has about doubled.

Motorcycle Exotica

Who out there thinks that a perfect Valentine's Day should be spent going out and drooling over motorcycles with your spouse? If you raised your hand, please continue reading.

I say "exotica" because we weren't going out to look at the common names in motorcycling, well known names but still not ones you see daily on the road. We started the day out with saying we just wanted to stop in at our local BMW dealership. That quickly turned into stops at a massive used bike dealership on the other side of the city followed with a brief stop at a Harley dealership to ask for directions to a Ducati/Aprilia/Moto Guzzi dealer.

Why do I find it important to tell you about this? Simple, as you ride you gain more insight into what it is you want from a bike. Once you have the seat time and the skills to move on, you also have a better idea of what will be comfortable for you. These two things (comfort and needs) are your guiding light for the next bike. The bike's power will be less of a concern, but I still wouldn't recommend jumping on a race replica, 1000cc+ sport bike as your second ride.


Enough of this, what bikes did we like? I found Ducatis to be far more comfortable than I remembered and one like this ST4 would be great for sport touring.

My wife found the Monster series (this and the new ones) to be marvelously light and comfortable.

But lastly, I think she found one that she'll get next, assuming we can find one in our price range when it comes time to buy. I present the unmistakable Aprilia Shiver.

Getting Back Into the Swing of Things

One thing that needs to be done after a period of inactivity in any sport is mentally and physically prepping yourself to go full swing again. With running it would be talking walks interspersed with stints of running. For soccer it would be a few hours kicking the ball around and doing some practice drills with some friends. With motorcycling it can include parking lot practice to get some of the kinks worked out or taking some short rides on sedate and lightly traveled roads.

Now, short ride has a different definition for each rider. For some it would be a few minutes riding around the neighborhood, others would go meet some friends for dinner at a local restaurant, for my wife and I it meant riding down to the International Horse Park in Conyers and swinging by her barn so I could see where she rides horses. There and back could be a simple 40 mile loop, done in about an hour. Somehow we turned it into 60 miles and about two and a half hours.

We had started out going to a parking lot close to us to warm up, but we both were feeling a little uneasy with our practice and decided to just start out and go slowly. We could always turn around and go home if things felt out of whack. Turns out what we needed to feel comfortable again was to get out and just ride. Sometimes, the mental preparation you need is just going out and reminding yourself you can do it, after all.

Final Shoulder Update

I've already posted about getting the Ninja back into road worthy shape, so I'll post about getting myself road worthy again.

I went to my orthopedic surgeon yesterday afternoon for another check-up on my shoulder and heard one of my favorite lines of the year: "Your shoulder is doing better now than if I had given you a new one." So, almost four months after the crash and following just over two months of physical therapy, I have a clean bill of health and nearly 100% range of motion back. I say almost because it still hurts at the extremes of the range of motion, but I can't see any need to flex that far. I also need to keep up the strengthening exercises for a while to make sure my shoulder remains stable.

I've been back on the bike once on a nice Saturday afternoon and hit the parking lot to run through some of the MSF exercises and I'm looking forward to getting back on more regularly as the weather gets nicer. (With the encouragement of both my doc and my physical therapist, who also rides.) The only caveat I was given about riding was being told to carry their cards with me in case it happens again.

Ride safe.

Visibility and Commuting

One thing we have talked about here and gets discussed on several of the forums out there is visibility. One of the common comments from people who have hit a motorcyclist is "I just didn't see them." Fortunately, gear manufacturers have listened and the selection of jackets and helmets in bright colors is massive. In addition to that, the US military has mandated the use of reflective gear for the people in the service who ride. Gear manufacturers have also picked up on this and the recent proliferation of brightly colored vests with swaths of retro-reflective material shows it.

I wear Icon's Mil-Spec vest whenever I ride, especially since I commute at times when the lighting is bad. I know that wearing it has made people more aware of my presence and suspect it may have saved me from having to execute quick stops on many occasions. One way to know that people notice is to see all the stares I get when I ride to the mall. ;)

Why do I bring this up now? Only because I've recently been made aware of another Icon product that addresses some of the issues I've had with my vest. Wearing the vest makes me not want to use a back-pack, if only because it blocks a huge section of the vest from view. So unless I want to have my saddle bags on all the time, I have to use my tank bag for carrying my things while commuting. Not the best way to carry a first aid kit, rain gear, and lunch. SO, to alleviate this issue, they have developed a mil-spec compliant back pack. I can't give it a review yet, but I figure anything that can carry a lap-top computer, first aid kit, tool kit, spare face shield, and still have room for my rain suit and lunch will be worth a look. Now to scrape together the cash to get one. I'll let everyone know what I think whenever I can find one to at least take a look at.

Full disclosure, I am in no way affiliated with Icon Motorsports or any motorcycle gear distributor or retailer.

The New Year's Offerings

With the advent of 2009, I think we should look at this year's offerings from the major manufacturers in motorcycles that I would recommend to someone who made a resolution to learn to ride this year. Well, actually I would tell them to look for something used, but if they insist on a new bike, these are what I would want them to take a look at.

From Yamaha:
If you're looking into the cruiser segment, Yamaha's V Star line has several from which the beginner may choose.

First off is the V Star 250, formerly named the Virago 250, this has been one of the recommended bikes for years running. With a low weight of 324 pounds and only 250cc in the engine it fits the bill quite nicely. It even looks good.

If you don't feel that it fits you, check into the slightly larger V Star 650. It comes in three styles; the Silverado, a fully loaded touring machine, the Classic, a flowing cruiser, or the Custom, a factory bobber.

Unfortunately, if you're looking for a sport bike, I can't tell you to look at the Yamaha line. But any of the dual-sports offered would work well. Especially the distinctive TW200.

Next manufacturer up is Honda:
Big Red has one bike for the beginner's cruiser. The Rebel. As mentioned in an earlier post, the Rebel is one of the most recommended bikes for several reasons, not the least of which are the 234cc engine or the wet weight of 331 pounds.

Disappointingly, Honda has discontinued the next motorcycle I would have recommended, the Nighthawk. However, they have added a few that I would jump at the chance to try out, the CRF230M and the CRF230L. With both of them having sub-300 pound curb weights and massive give in the suspensions, they would be great fun to throw around in city traffic.

With a few more styles comes Suzuki:
The first of the manufacturers to have a sport bike that I would recommend, the GS500F. The heaviest of the bikes I've mentioned so far, it tips the scales a little north of 400 pounds. It also is the bike the Matt has been using for the duration of this blog, so any review of it will be his.

Suzuki also has the requisite dual-sports in the DR-Z400S and SM version. However, I would only recommend these to those very long of leg and able to get their feet down from these towering seats. Or those with more normal sized legs, the DR200SE has a seat four inches lower.

Finally, Suzuki offers several in the standard/cruiser segment. From the GZ250 (a prime competitor to the Rebel) to the Boulevard S40 (single cylinder) or the S50 (for those more into the v-twin market.)

Last of the Big 4, Kawasaki:
Kawasaki is the only one to have two bikes in the sportbike category suitable for the first time rider. The smallest two editions of the Ninja line come in both a 250cc and a 500cc engine. For those of you who have followed our blog have seen my older 250 and know how much I love it need to hear no more about it, for those who haven't heard yet... Well, I like it a lot and you'll just have to read more of our posts to find out why. The Ninja 500 hasn't had the luxury of the update that it's smaller sibling received, but it's still a bullet-proof choice.

From the cruiser side of the street, Kawasaki offers both the Eliminator 125 (another favorite of the MSF classes and great for tooling around town) and the Vulcan 500 (sharing the same engine as the Ninja mentioned above.)

As far as dual-sports go, any one of the Kawasakis in this category are great to start on, even the KLR 650 if you can sit it.

The last of the major manufacturers who have a bike I would recommend for someone to start on has just one; Buell's big single, the 500cc Blast. If you missed my reaction to this wonderful addition to the playing field, go back and read it, Buell has decided not to mess with success on this one.