What do you consider an "easy" ride?

Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 6:34 am

Im old and broken. Ive fallen off my dirt bike more times than I care to think about. And Ive walked away from car accidents I should have been killed in. As the result, both my knees are junk, my lower back is junk, my right shoulder is junk mostly because when I broke my right collar bone it over lapped a good inch and a half and my body is lopsided as a result...yada yada yada.

When I ride the 1100 for fun, occasionally it'll see 9000 rpm, not often, but every once in a while. Occasionally the front wheel will leave the ground. Like I said, only once in a while. Ive yet to back it into a corner. Probably wont ever...but I know me...I wont say never...

Normally my rides amount to freeway type stuff, 80mph cruises. Ive geared the bike up a bit so its not screaming, but its usually running 5500 rpm or so. With the CRs and the pipe it seems to get about 35 mpg at that speed.

Would you call that kind of riding flogging it, or...just spirited? I dont think I ride it all that hard....Im just curious about how most guys on here ride their stuff.

Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 8:33 am

About the same, can hardly walk these days and often need assistance to get my leg over the bike and often to get off the bike. In hospital 6 months ago with a busted up leg and the nurses kept asking if I was going to ride again, and my stock answer to them was "what the hell, what else am I going to do with the rest of my life" They had no answer to that Laughing

Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 7:29 pm

norm wrote:

About the same, can hardly walk these days and often need assistance to get my leg over the bike and often to get off the bike. In hospital 6 months ago with a busted up leg and the nurses kept asking if I was going to ride again, and my stock answer to them was "what the hell, what else am I going to do with the rest of my life" They had no answer to that Laughing

I know someone in Texas that's in the same shape! Right, Bob.

Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 8:18 pm

Shawn_Mc wrote:

When I ride the 1100 for fun, occasionally it'll see 9000 rpm, not often, but every once in a while. Occasionally the front wheel will leave the ground. Like I said, only once in a while. Ive yet to back it into a corner. Probably wont ever...but I know me.

Would you call that kind of riding flogging it, or...just spirited? I dont think I ride it all that hard....Im just curious about how most guys on here ride their stuff.

It is not "flogging it" but I am a little biased here as WFO is and is really all I know.
But to be fair it is a little "tongue in cheek" statement as you can't do this on the street.
Captain

Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 9:22 pm

If you don't out ride the Harleys,what's the point of riding? Seriously,when I first started riding the highways I thought the Herleys were pylons for my enjoyment! 150 miles rides after work sure blow the stress of the day away.

Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 9:46 pm

I guess I must be getting older. I worry more about going down and having my prosthetic ripped off and having my stump get rashed. It would be like losing my leg all over again. Maybe worse. I go as fast as I can see and keep it in my lane at all times. Extremely cautious around driveways. Normal stuff I guess. I worry about points against my license and insurance as much as anything else.

Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 10:12 pm

larryg wrote:

I guess I must be getting older. I worry more about going down and having my prosthetic ripped off and having my stump get rashed. It would be like losing my leg all over again. Maybe worse. I go as fast as I can see and keep it in my lane at all times. Extremely cautious around driveways. Normal stuff I guess. I worry about points against my license and insurance as much as anything else.

Larry, you are a great rider and always lover riding with both you and Todd. Despite the prosthetic, I would say you have a leg up on most of us Wink

I am 43 and still love to ride fast, I guess it's the HP lover in me ..... but at the same time I am very cautious when doing so and am never within city limits doing it.

Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 11:47 pm

I too feel the effects of age. Many years of dirtbike/3 wheeler riding has taken its toll on my back and knees. I still like to ride spirited (I don't consider my riding FAST) and probably will till I stop riding or die. If I dident ride the ST most of the time I would never be able to ride as much as I do. I tore my boys 1100 apart and after putting it together wanted to clock some miles before the fall ride so I took it out this morning and logged just over 100 miles and man I feel it. I would never be able to do a 800 mile 3 day weekend on a CB, those days Im afraid are long gone. One day I will swallow my pride and load the 1100 and trailer it to a NE ride. Lets not be so harsh on ourselves, age and injury takes its toll on all of us and we should be thankful we are still doing what we do.

Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 12:05 am

An easy yet safe ride? Maybe wife or girlfriend ?
Not likely to break any bones and also provides great pain relief for those motor cycle related injuries.

As for riding on the road I tend to just ride safely for the conditions and to the speed limits.

Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 12:20 am

I love to jump on and flog my bikes occasionally, but nothing too crazy and I know my limits, which are much less than many of you. The twisty roads I love to ride on are a blast, but with so many driveways on them, I have to be very careful and not push the bike too fast. One car backing out is all it will take to end me there and then. I also own a Vulcan 1500, which is a totally different animal. It's fun for rides with the GF, but otherwise, I have no use for it any more. I would much rather be on an F or the Interceptor pushing them to redline and briefly touching 100 when I can.

My aches and pains come from over 42 years and > 25,000 miles of running and many road races. So far one knee surgery for severe tendonitis and both shoulders repaired after severe rotator cuff tears. Every injury has been sports related so you could say that I've been getting my money's worth out of my limbs. I hope I never had to add a motorcycle-related injury to the list.

Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 12:24 am

cb1187 wrote:

norm wrote:

About the same, can hardly walk these days and often need assistance to get my leg over the bike and often to get off the bike. In hospital 6 months ago with a busted up leg and the nurses kept asking if I was going to ride again, and my stock answer to them was "what the hell, what else am I going to do with the rest of my life" They had no answer to that Laughing

I know someone in Texas that's in the same shape! Right, Bob.

what a bunch of GEEZERS ! Laughing

(include me Embarassed

) I can ride just fine
as long as long as I have some assist getting on and off the bike. I am too
proud to ride around with a step stool strapped to passenger seat. no lingering
injuries to speak of but a collapsed L-5 disc will sure inhibit flexibility ! meanwhile
back in the shop........... Cool

Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 12:50 am

I'm about 50 and I still need to grab the brakes when I look in my rear view mirror and notice a big american sedan quickly closing the distance behind me. Just in case.

Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 1:07 am

50 doesn't qualify as old enough to gauge ride
difficulty ( or speed) ! damn the sedans, WFO !

Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 3:19 am

I have a friend through the club who was riding an Enfield out fit with a prosthetic leg. He rang me about 6 months ago to see if I could give him a hand to get his Chang Jaing outfit on the road because it had electric start saying he couldn start his Enfield because he had lost his leg. I replied saying what is the problem, youve only had one leg for years. He then said the problem was he had lost the other leg as well. I want a bit quiet on the phone, hard to know what to say

Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 11:19 am

cb400four wrote:

I'm about 50 and I still need to grab the brakes when I look in my rear view mirror and notice a big american sedan quickly closing the distance behind me. Just in case.

Yep, some of that going on here too. It's good to be seen.

...taking the truck to work this morning it's 45 degrees.

Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 12:29 pm

I like to roll in at a consistent speed. I generally go slow on the straights and pick up a little speed into the turns, drive in drive out, it makes my bike very stable. If you have several turns in a row, I'm probably going pretty fast.

I like to follow Larryg, he makes me a better rider by his smooth graceful lines through the turns. He doesn't use rear brakes so if I'm excited, he's flying. I almost never worry about: falling, traction, leaning over. I do back it in on occasion, but that is just the flow of the day.

I don't worry about these because no matter how fast I'm going, I'm still going to try and lean it over. Just keep the gyros spinning Laughing

My bike is extremely competent, it was not always the case, it makes the ride a blast.

Toddk

Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:10 am

Sounds like all of us are pretty beaten up...include me on the list Crying or Very sad

I don't flog the 11 any more, but I still like,to ride on the aggressive side....i call it survival Wink

5 knee surgeries later long rides take there toll and my last track day....well I couldn't walk for 2 days...but fuck it....I'm riding until I die..........BTW does any one know a good carpenter.....i need 2 knee replacements Laughing

Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 6:03 pm

Unlike a lot of youse guys, I was 48 when I bought my 900F as a "rolling basket case". I completely tore it down and rebuilt it before every logging a single mile on it. I installed rearsets from day one. I rode the bike for a couple of months in agony. My 6'3" frame and 50 year old knees just wouldn't cooperate. I then went to US spec foot pegs for some relief, but the relationship of peg height to seat height was still too cramped for my knees.

Now I am riding a naked Gold Wing. I put her on a diet, and the bike isn't much heavier than the 900F. Riding position is much better for me. I can ride this bike just as quickly as I could the 900F, and my buddy on his ZRX1300 doesn't shake me in the twisties (a straight-away is a different matter). I'll drag a peg now and again, and have no reservations about using running the bike to redline when conditions permit. All said, I rarely ride about 7/10ths of the bikes ability though.

Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 6:18 pm

This:

Link

Jebby

Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 6:44 pm

Truthfully....I generally take it pretty easy......the roads here are a different world.....
I jump on it pretty good if I have a solid take on my surroundings...but cars scare the hell
out of me here as this is the land of no pay attention to shit......

I want to ride in the Hill Country and stretch the CBX's legs out.....I will when it cools down a
bit and I can get it 100% legal....

Jebby

Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 9:23 pm

Spirited- The perfect term Smile

I choose my spots carefully. I am old and grey and swear that I have not been over 170 mph yet this year Smile

Phil

Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 10:04 pm

These days I eat McDonalds a bit because I can go through the drive through without having to get off the bike

Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 12:37 am

I save my wild riding for the dirt for the most part but occasionally I may take my cb or cbr over the recommended speed but only by 1mph or 2 I swear!

Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 4:20 am

For me, an "easy ride" is every ride. It's just how I choose to ride, based on being 50 years old, returning 7 years ago after 20 years off (WTF was I thinking?). I've decided on a few strategies to improve the odds for my survival, and for me that means generally keeping it within 10 km of the limit (which here in Australia will only get you one point if the fuzz stop you) and seriously trying to stick to a 2 second plus following distance. I find that if I do those two things, I almost never experience anything heart-stopping. I think it's because if you give the cagers some room, then if they do the stupid stuff they often do, it isn't a big drama. If you're right up someone's ass, then the least little hiccup can shorten your life, or at the least cause you to get all aggro, swearing at and giving the finger to some bozo who isn't paying attention. Makes us all look like impatient buggers with short fuses. Of course, the cagers SHOULD be paying attention but, as we all know, that's NOT gonna happen soon, so why cause yourself all the stress? The above is my aim, some days I come up short and revert to being a bit stupid. The difference, now that I'm older, is I can look back and admit to myself I was being dumb, and that confrontation I had with that taxi driver was partly my fault. I may have been in the RIGHT, but did I have to prove it? Have we ever heard a mate describe an accident he had due to a stupid cager doing something stupid, and thought to yourself, sure, but our mate was pretty stupid to PROVE how wrong the cager was by letting the accident occur? If we're so frikkin' superior on the road, we sure allow stupid things to happen.

Now, if that makes me sound like a grandmother, I must say that when the road is clear, and it looks like I can get away with it, I'm not adverse to giving it a good handful, because it feels so damn good! And of course, you can always push it a bit in the corners, which is where the real fun is, cuz anybody can grab a handful on the straight. But, I try to get some trackwork in to really vent the CRAZY stuff. Nothing like coming onto the straight, rolling it on as much as you dare, getting it fully upright, WOT, tucked in and only braking when you chicken out as the corner approaches. No frikkin' roadsigns, traffic lights, etc.

But, this is all IMHO. My attitude has evolved as I get older, and it's a journey for all of us, providing you don't write yourself off too early!! I remember riding with my buddies when I was 21 on my CB1100F on the Canadian prairie - looking back anyone of us coulda bought it, the shit we were doing - the skills and judgement were not there, but man we had fun!! Very Happy

Hawk Joined: Aug 20, 2009 Posts: 351 Location: Indiana

Generally because I live in a big city my riding is somewhat limited due to traffic... low speed limits ie. 40 and under...pot holes..etc. I still don't have enough miles under my belt to consider myself a "skilled" rider as theres something that grabs my attention every time I go out for a ride. I try to be cautious of people making left turns and if I was mic'd up you'd hear me talking to the guy sitting at the light in my helmet. (He hears me right?)

Typically if I feel that I could get a car that could potentially kill me I will flash my bright just to make sure I'm visible. Hell during the daytime I ride with my bright on. I don't care how sunny it is. I won't lie as I hit probably 90 accelerating as I got onto the highway...and it felt great. I'm sure the law wouldn't approve but hey, what DO they approve of these days?

I've noticed too as a motorcycle owner and driving my half ton pickup I try to be courtious to fellow motorcycle riders- I notice them much more frequently and give them the space they need. I do not ride without a helmet. I avoid semis and buses like the plauge as I sometimes envision myself getting ran over by one as I pass them Shocked

Be safe out there guys.

Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 2:25 pm

I like to think I am an expeareanced rider. But I am always learning from others and ongoing expeareances on the road in day to day riding.
My injuries and body aches and pains are not from motorcycles but from years and years of sports (gymnastics) a very hard sport on the body.

I live in An area that there are no twistes, I would have to ride at least 2 hours to get to the mountains and nice roads. My only twistes are right handed clover leafs. So on occasion I am found just practicing on those and once I was stopped by the blue meanies and was asked what the fuck are you doing.

I only ride fast on the way to work in the morning as at 4:30 in the am there is no traffic or sometimes when I am on the night shift on the way home at 12-1 in the morning. I have the mindset that every time I throw my leg over the bike I may not be comeing home and that everyone out there is looking to kill me.

In reality I owe most of my rideing skills to my lovely wife Peggy she has tought me a lot and I have just taken what she has shown me and taken it to another level. I am not as good as most on this board and don't claim to be . I know my limits and never ride over my head unless the situation allows it and the conditions are right. I look forward to the northeast rides because there are some very skilled riders in the N E that I try and keep up with but as of late I have been absent for these rides so it's a learning process on my own and getting suggestions from Peggy.

L.I. and the surrounding areas do not offer the best road conditions but the opposite some of the worst. So I am always on gaurd for pot holes and groves and black snakes. When in the surounding areas like Queens or Bronx and the city the major issues are the steel plates that cover the holes in the road from construction. So all in all I have become kind of good at fast reaction time in avoiding shit.

I consider a nice ride = 2 - 300 miles but I do feel it when I get off the bike.