Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's right. I included scooters too. Why? Because I own one of those too. So why not, right. Anything with two wheels is A-OK with me. Cruisers, SportBikes, Dirtbikes, Dual-Sport, Tourers, SuperMoto, Standards......WHATEVER!! If you own a bike and you want to talk "Bike Talk", then this is the place to be. Talk about what you own, what you used to own, a meet that you're going to, a Ralley or benefit ride........The choice is yours. THE SEASON HAS BEGUN. HAVE FUN AND RIDE SAFE.

OH yeah, finally I get to join in. I have a new bike, but I still have alot to learn about them, so I wont talk shop to much right now, I need time to learn it.

Good idea for a thread Buddy.

Post some pics folks. I will be posting mine as soon as I get my bike home. I will even put my riding gear on for ya.

Not much really, my American flag bandanna, leather jacket, shades.

Just you wait, my cool meter just went up since yesterday.

I'm still hoping for good weather for this Saturday. About 30 guys from the scooter club are suppose to go on a nice ride and take on the twisties of Dutchess County. But if it's crappy, I guess we'll have to hold off until next week. Hopefully, we'll get the same turnout.

quote:

Originally posted by BOLLINGSPVET:
I'm still hoping for good weather for this Saturday. About 30 guys from the scooter club are suppose to go on a nice ride and take on the twisties of Dutchess County. But if it's crappy, I guess we'll have to hold off until next week. Hopefully, we'll get the same turnout.

Scooter Club.....? I'm sorry BV but the visualization I get is 30, over 40 somethings dudes, dressed kinda like Knights of Old charging fearlessly forward on their mopeds to do battle with - "The Twisties of Duchess County" - whom I also have a visualization of. And that is, a rogue group of over 40 something women clad only with those swirling multi-colored "pasties" on their breast and pink bikini panties........

Hope you guys win.

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!! Good thing I know better, huh? No, it isn't anything quite like that, THANK GOD! Anyway, most of us range in age between 30s and 50s and almost all of us either have or had motorcycles. Alot of people automaticlly think of "Mopeds", which is not the case at all. If you've ever seen a VESPA, then you know what most of them look like. However, what most people don't know is that companies such as HONDA, SUZUKI, PIAGGIO, KYMCO, etc, make large "MAXI" scooters that easily reach speeds of over 100 mph.

There's also a Cannonball Run for scooters too. These guys travel from the west coast to the east coast on them. Pretty amazing. As for me, I own a Yamaha Vino 125. It will go 60 mph. Not too bad for a little scoot. I also had a Yamaha Zuma Sport scooter. that was a two stroke and with all the after market equipment out there for it, they can reach speeds of 80 mph. My friend Daren (who's 280 lbs.) has one. On top of 12 other bikes of different sizes.

So as you can see, it is quite a bit different than what most people think. Go on line and look up anything related to Motorscooters. For every ONE thing for motorcycles, there is 10 things for scooters. AMAZING! Who whould have thought? I know I never did.

I went and looked and after I did, I was rather impressed with the sizes and looks of them.

I just found out that I will not be able to take the safety course until May 5th and 6th.

Aarrrrrrrrrgggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Now I have to wait even longer to ride my bike, you realize I now have to make a payment on it and will not have gotten to drive it?

THAT SUCKS....BIG TIME.....

quote:

Originally posted by BOLLINGSPVET:
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!! Good thing I know better, huh? No, it isn't anything quite like that, THANK GOD! Anyway, most of us range in age between 30s and 50s and almost all of us either have or had motorcycles. Alot of people automaticlly think of "Mopeds", which is not the case at all. If you've ever seen a VESPA, then you know what most of them look like. However, what most people don't know is that companies such as HONDA, SUZUKI, PIAGGIO, KYMCO, etc, make large "MAXI" scooters that easily reach speeds of over 100 mph.

There's also a Cannonball Run for scooters too. These guys travel from the west coast to the east coast on them. Pretty amazing. As for me, I own a Yamaha Vino 125. It will go 60 mph. Not too bad for a little scoot. I also had a Yamaha Zuma Sport scooter. that was a two stroke and with all the after market equipment out there for it, they can reach speeds of 80 mph. My friend Daren (who's 280 lbs.) has one. On top of 12 other bikes of different sizes.

So as you can see, it is quite a bit different than what most people think. Go on line and look up anything related to Motorscooters. For every ONE thing for motorcycles, there is 10 things for scooters. AMAZING! Who whould have thought? I know I never did.

I know what your saying BV........ I just couldn't resist -- I had a flashback to my first bike, a Honda 50... took that front shield off and thought of myself as "super biker'... my friend Stanley had a Honda 90, "ooooooh" and We'd go up a small local mountain and shoot Rattlesnakes, squirrels and just about anything else all day long with our .22's. The terrorist of Medford.
We both dreamed of owning that Honda 305 Dream too, god, what a bike. In our minds none could be finer. My next bike was a Kawasaki 500 back in 71 -- really fast. Cost $1205.... the Honda 500 was around $1450. The 750's hadn't come out yet. The Honda guy wouldn't give me any goodies with it and cash so I went with the Kawa... yingyingying sound and all... got lots of looks for them three cylinders. Never had time nor money for any others although like many I always wanted a Harley... now, I know if I had had one I'd of just went and kilt myself.
I see lots of "Scooters" around and they do look pretty nice but my small pension does not allow me any toys at this time.. even a road trip seems iffy with the way gas is going.. I think we may see $4 a gallon come summer.



Now back to that daring headlong dash into the the equally daring spinning pastied bare breasted mamas with pink panties bearing down reacklessly towards you and your buddies.... and collision is imminent.... to coin a phrase from a song of my era.... "she didn't hurt herself none, no.. she just smeared her lipstick ............ allllllllll over the highway". Oh, and carry some floss in your back pocket BV -- them bugs can be troublesome to get out from between the teeth sometimes.

Have fun and be safe on your ride.....

Well that blows. But sure as the sun will rise and set, so too will May 5th get here. Waiting for it is the hard part though. Of course you could always.................Naaaaa. DON'T DO IT! but then again, you also could...................NOOOOO!! Don't even think about it! On the other hand, you might want to..................AHHHH!!!! NO!!!!

Hey Sheridan, I remember those Honda 50s. And the Honda 60 too. That 60 was the talk of school back then. EVERYONE wanted one. Mini bikes were the big thing when I was a kid. We used to ride them in the woods and go, go, go. What a blast. Yeah, everyone WANTS a Harley. But damn, they cost too much for my blood. To me, I don't care what it is you're riding. You'll have just as much fun on a Kawi, Yamaha, whatever, as you would on a Harley. I don't need a Harley. I'm not insecure about my manhood. It's funny.....my wife asked me......"what would you do if you were at a red light with your scooter and a hells angles guy pulled up to you and laughed at you". I said, "Hell, that's easy. I'd kick him and his bike over and then laugh at him". Those punks don't scare me. Sh#t, they don't even know how to fight. They need to be in a group in order to be somewhat dangerous. Of course the odds of that even happening are slim. I've had motorcycles ever since my early 20s and been riding since I was a kid, so I'm not easily impressed with "Brand New" Harley riders, if you know what I mean.

Now, about those pink pasties...............

You kick his bike over, then you would have time to get away, unless he was like an OX and just picked it up and then came after you.

I hate waiting for the class, but I dont have a choice so I will just have to wait it out. I will try to ride in the front yard, but that will not get me very far. But if I can just learn to shift it into first and then second without too much trouble, I should be okay. The shifting is my main concern.

I am afraid I will pop the clutch all the time and stall it out. How embarrassing is that?

Pull up to a light, look over at some young blondes. HEY Baby, how you doing? OOO nice bike, yeah, too bad I cant give you ride...

Light turns green, I let out the clutch and play the HOP, HOP, and sputter and die thing.


NOT COOL MAN.....

Or worse, stop on a hill, try to start off and let off the brake, rolling backwards and damn near whiplash my head because I cant shift without jerking my damn head off.


That is the biggest thing I am worried about.

It's just like a car. When you feel it engage, increase throttle, and let out the clutch. Simple. BUT DONOT RIDE ON YOUR LAWN. You'll slip and tip.

Well, shnit, where I am gonna ride then? My drive is only 3or 40 yards long to the road, and most of it is gravel. GREAT!!!

Well, being the same is good, except I dont drive stick shifts either.

Maybe I should just call the guy and tell him never mind, cant do it. If it was only that simple.......

TUV: RELAX. TAKE A DEEP BREATH. CHILL OUT. You'll learn how to ride just like everyone else before you. TRUST ME!! And when you do, you'll say to yourself...GEE! THAT WAS EASY. No wait a minute....That's the Staples commercial. Which reminds me, I need to buy some rubberbands and thumb tacks. Hmmmmm. Where was I? Oh yeah, learning the impossible difficulties about riding motie cycles.
Ah, ain't nothin' to it. They'll teach you everything you need to know to get you up and running. But it's still a learning process after that. Like anything else, you'll get better with time on the road. Cheer up bro. it ain't that hard.

Well, if you think I am gonna give my bike back your crazy. I may have to let my wife learn and then ride behind her.

NOW THAT would be funny. Big fat guy behind a little biker chick.

I am sitting here about to roll out of my chair, that is an image I just cant deal with.

I will get it I know, just sucks that I have to wait for entire month while the beautiful open road and my beautiful bike have to wait to meet each other, I mean, there good friends but they have never met before. HEY, kind of like us.

Cool.

Wouldnt do to ride in my yard anyway, I would never get to second gear anyway. Vrooom, ERRR, turn around Vroom, ERRRR, turn around....

I do have a serious question now. Just thought of this.

What is the best way to unload it off the trailer? I will be trailering it home, but once I get home, how do you unload a heavy azz bike with it falling over?

I cant turn it around and let roll down forward, so what do you guys recommend?

Oh masters of road, oracles of wind, you guardians of noise and speed.

quote:

Originally posted by THANKUVETS:

What is the best way to unload it off the trailer? I will be trailering it home, but once I get home, how do you unload a heavy azz bike with it falling over?

I cant turn it around and let roll down forward, so what do you guys recommend?

Oh masters of road, oracles of wind, you guardians of noise and speed.

stride the bike... front forks free... hand on front brake... walk the bike slowly off trailer.

You can walk beside it but them puppies is heavy.. may drop it anyway.

Do you think wooden planks will hold?

I have heavy wooden planks for ramps, there from my lawnmower, its heavy, not like a bike, but still.

Or should I just buy some good metal ramps?

How do you sit on it and walk it down if all you have are narrow ramps?

Sorry guys, but you are the experts, and I trust youz guyz.

I also need advice on all the extras too.

Helmets, gloves, etc....

I do have a leather jacket, so that is already done.

What type of helmet is best? full face? half helmet?

I know, I know, I am being a pest, but you ask.

quote:

Originally posted by THANKUVETS:
Do you think wooden planks will hold?

I have heavy wooden planks for ramps, there from my lawnmower, its heavy, not like a bike, but still.

Or should I just buy some good metal ramps?

How do you sit on it and walk it down if all you have are narrow ramps?

Sorry guys, but you are the experts, and I trust youz guyz.

I also need advice on all the extras too.

Helmets, gloves, etc....

I do have a leather jacket, so that is already done.

What type of helmet is best? full face? half helmet?

I know, I know, I am being a pest, but you ask.

ask the guys at the dealer... and they probibly have ramps they'll let you use too. For a refundable security deposit maybe.

Yeah, what Sheridan said. That's the best way to unload it off the trailer. Sit on the bike, and slowly roll it off. Put it in neutral first, push backwards, but I would tell you to use your front brake seeing as how your rear brake is a foot brake and you won't be able to ease it down and balance it if your right foot is on the foot brake, know what I mean.

Now, if I were you, I'd get a nice piece of 3/4' plywood and put that over a couple of 2x8 as your ramp. This way the plywood has a brace and strength. But keep in mind, I don't know how level your driveway is or where you plan to unload it, therefore, placing the ramp is critical so as not to have it slide. OR...you can simply have them deliever it. Hell, you paid enough money for it. It's the least they can do and they probably won't charge you anything. Just call them up and say....."You know what, I changed my mind. I think I will take you up on your offer and have you deliever it. See how I worded it? I made it sound like THEY offered that service in the first place as part of the deal. GOT IT? GOOD!

As far as a helmet......FULL FACE! Unless of course you don't like your face. I have a HJC. They're real good. My riding gloves are OLYMPIA. Also very good, comfortable and with protecton for your nuckles. I always wear a leather, but I'm going to look for another jacket tomorrow. One with a removable liner and some armor. Get a good pair of riding boots too. Now you should know, this stuff ain't cheap. HA! And you thought you only needed a bike. Feel free to ask away bro. No Problem.

What you mean it aint cheap? I thought it was like, they gave it to you for buying there product? You mean I have spend the 3 or 4 hundred dollars for all this stuff, bull shnit.

I have the jacket and boots already, and of course the bandanna's, I just need the gloves and helmet.

I have a pretty level driveway, and I have concrete under the carport, I can move the cars and unload it there. I may have them deliver it though, that way he can show me all the stuff at the house.

My ramps or 2 X 6's or 2 X 8's. I was thinking of going and buying a bigger plank or your idea is pretty good too. With those two planks, and good piece of plywood that would give me the right width.

Thanks for that, I was thinking of 1/2 or 3/4 helmet with goggles. I dont know if I would like breathing inside the helmet, not to mention, I am a bit against being in tight places. With my face free, I would be more apt to wear the helmet, if I buy a full face one, and it bothers me, I know me, and I wouldnt wear it.

If the half are bad, then I will just learn to wear it, but I would rather not.

Should the gloves have padding in the palms? I heard some guys here say they like them better, less vibrations and dont wear your hands out as much.

quote:

Originally posted by THANKUVETS:
What you mean it aint cheap? I thought it was like, they gave it to you for buying there product? You mean I have spend the 3 or 4 hundred dollars for all this stuff, bull shnit.

I have the jacket and boots already, and of course the bandanna's, I just need the gloves and helmet.

I have a pretty level driveway, and I have concrete under the carport, I can move the cars and unload it there. I may have them deliver it though, that way he can show me all the stuff at the house.

My ramps or 2 X 6's or 2 X 8's. I was thinking of going and buying a bigger plank or your idea is pretty good too. With those two planks, and good piece of plywood that would give me the right width.

Thanks for that, I was thinking of 1/2 or 3/4 helmet with goggles. I dont know if I would like breathing inside the helmet, not to mention, I am a bit against being in tight places. With my face free, I would be more apt to wear the helmet, if I buy a full face one, and it bothers me, I know me, and I wouldnt wear it.

If the half are bad, then I will just learn to wear it, but I would rather not.

Should the gloves have padding in the palms? I heard some guys here say they like them better, less vibrations and dont wear your hands out as much.

wait till your first rain storm and your going 60, 70, or 80mph..... you'll become a quick convert about wearing the protective gear.... My first helmut was a 3/4 one with no face shield (I wore glasses and didn't like using one) then one night doing about 80 something fuzzy (I think it might have been a bat) (outside of Lincolnton to, Proud) hit me in the left side of my face.... damn near put my lights out, it really rang my bell. All I could do is let the bike throttle back till I could stop... A bee in the face at speeds, or inside your shirt ain't particularly fun either.... but you will learn. Sometimes the learning can be painful. You'll find all this good stuff out however on your own and I do sincerely hope without you being injured.