Motorcycle Riders?

[k12lts]

Are sport tourers out of style, or just not an "Indiana" thing? Been looking for a bmw r1200rt, and there are very few for sale. Want used, 2012 or newer. Been looking on cycletrader, auto&rv, craigslist, etc. Found one at tom woods indy, but it had already been sold.

The R1200RT is a solid choice, I've had three of them. You may have to travel to get one but they are out there. Look at BMWMOA.org in the marketplace. I looked on cycletrader for 2010 to 2019 within 250 miles and found 13.

The 2010-2013 are a good value now because they were replaced in 2014 with the water cooled version.

 

[bwframe]

 

[dvd1955]

The R1200RT is a solid choice, I've had three of them. You may have to travel to get one but they are out there. Look at BMWMOA.org in the marketplace. I looked on cycletrader for 2010 to 2019 within 250 miles and found 13.

The 2010-2013 are a good value now because they were replaced in 2014 with the water cooled version.

Thanks. I'll check those out

 

[melensdad]

So other than me, who actually has gear like this and wears it all the time?

 

[bwframe]

I wear Tourmaster jackets, both 3/4 length to cover the hardware. Mesh one most of riding season and textile in the cooler months.

Always rode with the lid, Alpinestar boots and gloves.

I own armored riding pants, but often ride in jeans. The exception would be a destination where shorts were desired. I'll obviously not ride in shorts, unless there is armor over them.

One of these years, I could see springing for dedicated armored riding jeans. Competition in the market has brought these down to fairly reasonable pricing.

 

[melensdad]

I wear Tourmaster jackets, both 3/4 length to cover the hardware. Mesh one most of riding season and textile in the cooler months.

Always rode with the lid, Alpinestar boots and gloves.

I own armored riding pants, but often ride in jeans. The exception would be a destination where shorts were desired. I'll obviously not ride in shorts, unless there is armor over them.

One of these years, I could see springing for dedicated armored riding jeans. Competition in the market has brought these down to fairly reasonable pricing.

Blue jeans shred on impact, they are not actually much better than riding in shorts.

You may want to look at a pair of "overpants" that you can slip on over your shorts or other casual pants.

I found a lightly used pair of fully armored KLIM gore-tex motorcycle pants in size 40. Retail on the pants was about $400, picked them up for about $175. My normal size is 36. I can wear the size 40 over my Wrangers or shorts or gym gear and still have a little room to spare. Easy to slip off when I get to my destination. I have a pair of suspenders to hold them up into place.

Being gore-tex they are great in the rain. They have large zipper vents, front and rear, so I can wear them in fairly hot weather, (but I would not 'tour' in them). I wear them over flannel lined heavy blue jeans in the early spring/late fall and they add a nice layer of warmth and wind protection.

Some of the dedicated moto-forums have large buy/sell areas and bargains can be found. I'd never buy a used helmet, but no reason not to grab a bargain on other items.

 

[bwframe]

Blue jeans shred on impact, they are not actually much better than riding in shorts.

You may want to look at a pair of "overpants" that you can slip on over your shorts or other casual pants.

I found a lightly used pair of fully armored KLIM gore-tex motorcycle pants in size 40. Retail on the pants was about $400, picked them up for about $175. My normal size is 36. I can wear the size 40 over my Wrangers or shorts or gym gear and still have a little room to spare. Easy to slip off when I get to my destination. I have a pair of suspenders to hold them up into place.

Being gore-tex they are great in the rain. They have large zipper vents, front and rear, so I can wear them in fairly hot weather, (but I would not 'tour' in them). I wear them over flannel lined heavy blue jeans in the early spring/late fall and they add a nice layer of warmth and wind protection.

Some of the dedicated moto-forums have large buy/sell areas and bargains can be found. I'd never buy a used helmet, but no reason not to grab a bargain on other items.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[semperfi211]

 

[melensdad]

View attachment 150669

My daughter is a Type 1 Insulin Dependent Diabetic. No desire desire to ride in one of these group rides. I'll be riding through Schneider tomorrow morning, probably heading to Fair Oaks.

I hope they raise a lot of money but neither my wife, nor I will likely be any part of one of these types of group rides. The ones I've seen in the past have involved people doing dumb things, alcohol is often involved.

I'll just ride my ride. Seriously hope they raise a million dollars and find a cure to benefit all diabetics.

 

[melensdad]

Nice ride today to Kankakee. Fantastic meal at the Blues Cafe. Followed that up with a visit to one of the Frank Lloyd Wright houses that is located in town, right on the Kankakee river. Came home through Bradley, IL and stopped at St George's church, built in the late 1800's of stone and lit with amazing stained glass windows. Only about 75 miles round trip but we had to be back home in time to attend a graduation party for one of my former fencing students.

 

[semperfi211]

We had a large turnout for the ride yesterday, about 250 bikes. We had a good ride and enjoyed the party and hanging out with friends at our campsite after the ride.https://www.facebook.com/groups/2136026626609046/permalink/2909371249274576/

 

[JCSR]

I scored a new helmet today ! My wife decided she liked my fairly new HJC i10 so I headed to Cycle Gear in Louisville to see if I could get her a matching one since we both wear a medium. No luck in the i10 but I tried on a Scorpion EXO R420 and fell in love with it. Snell and DOT approved and very comfy. Hope to test ride it tomorrow.

 

[JCSR]

Rider is said to be from Indy area. This is a route I ride almost weekly.

https://www.14news.com/2021/07/31/motorcycle-driver-airlifted-after-crash-perry-co/

 

[melensdad]

How far off the road?

Curves?

Potholes or gravel?

Roughly 1/4 of moto crashes are single vehicle, about 2/3 of those accidents are caused by rider error; slide-out and fall due to overbraking or running wide on a curve due to excess speed or under-cornering.

 

[JCSR]

How far off the road?

Curves?

Potholes or gravel?

Roughly 1/4 of moto crashes are single vehicle, about 2/3 of those accidents are caused by rider error; slide-out and fall due to overbraking or running wide on a curve due to excess speed or under-cornering.

My cousin rode up on the crash shortly after the chopper left. It seems a single bike crash, no gravel or potholes. It looks like he just came in too hot to make the turn. Bike was about 10 feet off road. This particular section of road is what we call the "Indiana Dragon", a series of tight turns and elevation changes. Very tricky riding for sure.

 

[EyeCarry]

Rider is said to be from Indy area. This is a route I ride almost weekly.

https://www.14news.com/2021/07/31/motorcycle-driver-airlifted-after-crash-perry-co/

View attachment 151223

That's not good for sure. I hope the person makes it back to healthy and whole.

I safely made a Bloomington, Nashville, Columbus, Edinburg, Shelbyville, Trafalgar, Morgantown, Nashville, Bloomington loop on Sunday. Good day for it. Cloudy and not too warm.

 

[cbhausen]

Enjoying another beautiful sunset from the outside bar and patio at Rick’s Café Boatyard on Eagle Creek Reservoir. This is a nice place for motorcyclists to meet and greet if anyone’s up for it. Good airplane watching with the runway right across the street too.

 

[91FXRS]

Rider is said to be from Indy area. This is a route I ride almost weekly.

https://www.14news.com/2021/07/31/motorcycle-driver-airlifted-after-crash-perry-co/

View attachment 151223

I hope who ever was on that bike will be ok. The front wheel is not under the engine and the bike is ass up unfortunately the tree was probably the last thing they seen "locked eyes on" before they grabbed too much front brake while over riding unknown roads.

Training and knowing how to ride your bike in my opinion is just as important as the gear you wear.

 

[melensdad]

Just ordered one of these "Stop & Go" mini air compressors for carrying on my motorcycle.

I hope it works. There are a lot of good reviews and some bad reviews too. I actually wanted a different compressor but it is out of stock and a new model is supposed to have been available this month. Of course, the new model is not available and neither is the old model. The only reason I wanted it is because it is slightly smaller than this one, but not by much. So this was my 2nd choice.

I have SAE plugs wired to the batteries on my bikes so I won't need the cigarette lighter adapter or the little clips. The SAE plug on the bikes will eliminate those added bits. Currently I am using CO2 air canisters for emergency inflators but each canister only inflates a motorcycle tire with about 4# of air so if I have a flat it will take 10 of those canisters, which are single use items, to fill the rear tire on my bike and 9 to fill a front tire. I already have tire repair kits on the bikes.

I wanted the DYNAPLUG but got the STOP & GO mini compressor.

I'm not overly concerned about the time it takes to fill a tire. If it takes a few extra minutes to inflate I won't worry. The Dynaplug has some advantages but, as I said, they are not offering it anymore and the new model is not available. The lovely Mrs_Bob and I are getting ready to leave for a trip so actually having a compressor in fact is better than wanting one in theory.

What do you carry when you are traveling long distance?


Here is a video review of both of these brands -->





Here is a video review, by an actual user, of the STOP & GO mini compressor -->

 

[melensdad]

The Stop & Go pump arrived today. Unboxed it but did not have a chance to go test it. Got a photo. It is very compact. I'm hoping the pressure gauge is close to accurate. It is very compact, packs in a small case. Comes with 2 extra accessory cords, one with a cigarette lighter plug and one with small alligator clips. Also comes with accessories to fill up a beach ball or a football. All packed in a nice little compact case.

There is an instruction sheet and also an included notecard that clearly states this pump is NOT for car/truck tires. I suspect it would overheat trying to pump enough volume into a car/truck tire to fill it to pressure. It states it is designed for motorcycles, ATVs, etc.

I'm going to test the pump and compare the pressure gauge to a couple other gauges I have, just to make sure it works and the gauges is accurate enough. Also I'll still carry the compressed CO2 canisters that I have for emergency use, I have 10 of those and each is good for about 4# of air, but if this little pump proves to be reliable then it is likely that if I use the C02 canisters I probably won't replace them. The compressed C02 canisters are great for emergencies but are only single use.

Planning to leave for Maine/New England in a couple weeks. We were thinking of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Labrador and New Brunswick but Canada is requiring too much documentation for Covid so we will likely stop at the border. Still not decided. Rules are changing constantly so we will decide before we go. We are both vaccinated but they are talking about log books, checking in with health departments, testing before/after we get there, etc... Still, I'm glad to have the pump for trips, been looking for a while and if this works it looks like a good companion pump to have.