Use it or Loose it

I think I understand what Hobot is saying, but I can't imagine what he sounds like in person with a drawl. Anyway, strange new riding conditions here. So much smoke blowing into town from wildfires around Colorado it looked overcast but with orange ball where sun should be and headlights on in the daytime. One friend was forced to evacuate his home. Left Norton behind and took his KLR in case he had to escape the fires off road. Fortunately, home and bikes were safe.

hobot said:

Oh come on admit it by now you can spend more time viewing and handling a good motorcycle than any mere gal. I mean really, which do ya think leaves more lingering after glow... hope your road orgasms are better than mine... time to time.

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Errr ... I gotta tell you ... I'd walk away from a motorbike for a good piece of a$$ any day of the week! :shock:
And, I'm already way too old to be thinking that way ... but I do!

Corona850,
you haven't met the right motorbike yet....

christulin said:

So much smoke blowing into town from wildfires around Colorado it looked overcast........

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10-4!
I took the the semi over to Denver yesterday, the smoke from the forest fires on the front range is intense!!!

christulin said:

Corona850,
you haven't met the right motorbike yet....

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I concur!

Another bad year for wildfires in Colorado. Meanwhile severe floods in Alberta.

Errr ... I gotta tell you ... I'd walk away from a motorbike for a good piece of a$$ any day of the week! :shock:
And, I'm already way too old to be thinking that way ... but I do!

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I can't get the S word out of my mind anymore than or likely a lot less than many of you but I agree - deep down in the most intense pleasure centers, ya just ain't meet the right bike or other craft yet like I and others have. Are any of you on sex forums daily? I sure don't care but just saying - if ya had blood pooling acceleration and handling w/o hardly a thought and nil effort you won't be falling to sleep thinking of a mere gal for the next hot date.

Two things
I used to have a Honda 500 XBR. Now I understand that these things would not set the world on fire, but it was such good fun to ride. With my limited talent I could ride it at 9.5 tenths and every now and then stick it up some glossy latest superbike. Someone on a Guzzi Le Mans went around the outside of me when I was on my personnel limit, which subdued me for a while! It took some fiddling with forks and rear shockers, but in the end it was a lovely bike to ride on a twisty reasonably smooth road.
Secondly, after I was encouraged to stop motorcycling, I got an MGB GT. Now these things certainly are not fast, but again I spent some time sorting out the suspension, and brakes etc. On a smooth bendy road it was a match for most. I remember easing gently along a classic piece of MGB road, when a Holden Commodore came up behind me, and started to tailgate. I gradually increased my pace, until the Commodore was starting to fall back on the corners and catch up on the straight bits.......until we arrived at a second gear corner which I knew well. Matey in the Commodore understeered straight on into the grass bank, whilst the MG simply went round. I stopped to make sure he was ok. Apart from his ego he was, his car was ok as well. He was seriously upset that a 30 year old, 1800cc car could go round corners better than his one or two year old 5 litre V8, dripping in go faster bits.
cheers
wakeup

The Norton 850 hit the ton today with no untoward events. Now that I know I can do it, I can ride a little slower to the speed limit. No trouble pulling past cars or orther bikes on hills.,all parts accounted for on return home.

hehe wakeup, there is a bit of gun fighter attitude in pulling off fast moves and should also be in back of mind someone out there that day faster draw than you so think fast and deep before drawing down.

I was scared at first to hold on to what Peel pulled to so asked the land speeders and track racers and dragsters about Cdo stability and to a man said naw yo'll just want it to go even faster. If geared to stay around 5000+ rpm at 100 mph I'd feel calm doing it d/t the relief I'd feel from the engine blacksmithing along. Chris everyone seems to work on going fast first but not crazy ole hobot, No Sir Ree Bob, better get the brake panic skills down and try low air practice to induce THE Hinge in conditions you will learn the easy way as for sure going fast on any mc will test that out the blue, often beyond recovery. That why this post, its stupid to ride mc's and stupider to put out more energy than needed to just get by, but then why ride in first place or spunk up the works and not enjoy it. The down and dirty translation is mc are pure emotional toys so the mothering cations is illogical. If ya trust your luck and your wits and your craft it can make nice memories or leave deep scars.

It is a stupid deadly sport even for the safest and skilled, way more so it not so.
We look up to racers in proper places and our selfs too in proper places. If my Combats only looked cute I'd be riding my modern semi sports bike appliance.
There is a book called Fate is The Hunter, about doing all the wrong deadly sins but only surviving because of it. I get such close calls often, a few by my own hand but way more from outside of me. A good part of my nerve to even leave home were from flings to point of scaring me, but on my terms to cry Uncle in time. Except of course my 1st ever Norton Ride on THE P!! Cheatah.
That thing flat drove me insane as nothing could Approach it so no need of mirrors brazen insane to survive just never EVER make a move out of line w/o first a throttle squirt for 30 mph more to be safe.


Cheetah tracking study reveals incredible acceleration
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Cheetah&[video]mid=935A04A60024ABBEEBC3935A04A60024ABBEEBC3&view=detail&FORM=VIRE5[/video]

P!! was like a Pistol Shot at prey but Peel was like a Ricochet Shot. Speed kills brain cells ya know, >>>but only the slower weaker ones...

They found that the cheetahs did indeed run very fast at times - close to 60mph - but only occasionally. On most hunts they attained about 30 to 35 mph but they were accelerating and changing direction much more rapidly than has been seen in any other land animal.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22861142

If ya die or left a burden on family getting off on riding then we will miss you like all the others ... So Don't ride is only sane advice to ever quote from me.

I was pleased to know that the old Norton could do the ton if circumstances ever demanded it; a little bit of a stress test. It and I were both very comfortable and stable just cruising around 70 mph. I was able to enjoy the ride and the scenery. Above that, wind buffetting and helmet noise crept in.

70 is about the average Wes and I cruise around on for similar reasons, fast enough to enjoy the isolation and ease to steer and enjoy the views and avoid tickets and excessive wear. This is about 10 mph above cage traffic here so presents the temptations to pass and the mental-emotional calc's when and where and how to pass, Or NOT too. My factory Combat is smooth enough I don't wear out on it all day long a couple-3 days in a row, but its not a tamed Cdo like Ms Peel so ya feel every little gust and road texture jiggles that makes going fast [85+ to me on Trixie] a bit nerve wracking like taking a biplane above its rated dive speed, so not very pleasant to me. On the other hand Peel with special links, rubber cushions and Roadholders completely disappeared from pilot sensation of a mc under you, [uncanny eerie wonderful] and wind sense too with a big wind screen on, it was hard not to exceed the ton aiming into 35 mph turns w/o realizing how fast I was going, so thank god those mods allowed her to take em like that No Problemo, but requires such low leans it sticks head too close to the double yellow in blinds so had to traim my self to look as speedo on mere commutes. i mentioned this to a local EMT and he told me they collect the remains of sport rides taken out that way here.


Shirley McClain was very badly injured when riding a HD with a big bunch, after a stop and she put on a helmet for ""safety"" ... it took away her wind sense of speed so took off with the pack and directly ran right off the road into canyon wall removing a lot of her face with spinal injury.

If you are not scared somewhat while riding then maybe not sane and mature enough to be responsible enough to survive this hobby and may not any way no matter how safe you operate in real world hazards.

'Shirley McClain was very badly injured when riding a HD with a big bunch, after a stop and she put on a helmet for ""safety"" ... it took away her wind sense of speed so took off with the pack and directly ran right off the road into canyon wall removing a lot of her face with spinal injury.'

1/3 to 1/2 of all motorcycle accidents are because the rider failed to negotiate a turn. So the crash may have had more to do with her skills or the lack there of. Decreasing radius curves and linked curves can give wknd warriors problems, especially if they're on a bike that is too big for them. Slow, look, roll, press!

I could not find reference to it online but it was big news about a decade ago. She'd been riding a good ways already w/o helmet and doing fine, she took off and was seen as just nailing it till drifted right off a mild turn into rocky slide. It bugged the hell out of me how that could happen knowing she was not trying to press anything, then it hit me how it almost got me after I first put a huge wind screen on.

Peel so lacked any sense of hurried motion I got into habit of noting spdo reading before every paved turn on my commute. That was before the deer hunting rules changed and cluttered the roads with them all times of day or night and State Federal grants got more trooper hired to patrol day and night. Now too dangerous to ride like that anymore routinely, just in special places now and then on Trixie so still not in same orbit speed league as sport bike nutz disappearing forever after first couple of real turns. Conditions of road life changed during the time I decided to make a super duper Peel, but didn't realize till recovering over some years my Trixie and SV650 from animal take downs, so got past point of no return on Peel before realizing I may well be building my own killer or jailer. Don't guess ya remember my posts on trikes of all sorts, not to get knocked over and geared for acceleration on sports car wide tire to about the ton only.

Wakeup, I was pleased to read about your MGB GT. I too have a "B GT" a 1967 model. I've had it up to the ton but never over it yet, the ton on the '73 850 is much more nerve wracking from a wind buffet side blast whatever point of view, with MG it's more about can it ge there. I live in great corner country as probably most of us do and don't usually go much over 80 in either of my two old british gals. :wink:
Lance

'she was not trying to press anything'

Well ya gotta press on one of the grips if you expect to make a tight turn. I believe it's called counter steering. Mid corner adjustments or overshooting a turn is the riders fault, most of the time....

Glad that people didn't howl me down for bringing a car (MGB GT) into the thread. In any case I used to think of it as a four wheeled motorcycle!. It ended up as a really nice car, although in the first year or two that I had it, it would have been pushed over a cliff if there was one handy! I used it as my daily drive to work, and as a transporter for my model aeroplane stuff. It did about 110,000 miles in the eleven years I had it. One time on the way back from a model aeroplane competition, the road was wide open, dead straight with no traffic and I thought "give it a go", so I wound it up and it did a comfortable 105mph, which was right on the road tests speed. I thought about the 500 miles to go before I got home and slowed back to the normal country cruise of 75 to 80 mph
Hobot...yes I'm familiar with the gunslinger approach. I always try to not upset too many people, and generally (always) try and drive or ride assuming the other guy has a sawn off tucked under his seat.
When I had finished running in my 650SS, with the Dunstall racing cam, to see what it would do, I wound it up to a shade over 125mph on the Andover by pass. At that point I thought about the front inner tube, which I hadn't checked during the rebuild. Rolled it off and went gently back home, picking up a new tube on the way!!
Still on the 650SS. The boss and I had made the trip down to see my Mum and Dad. The trip back was across Salisbury Plain, lovely wide open fast curves, up and down ....beautiful. Anyway there we were, two up, panniers, tank bag, fairly well loaded. Came up behind a guy on a newish Honda 750F2, it was the mid '70s, he was going fairly well, but he kept slowing down. So we passed him and gently built up to the normal "fine weather" cruising speed, between 70 and 80 mph. Hondaman obviously took exception to being passed by a two wheeled caravan. He was all over the place, so I eased by him again. He was getting quite aggressive, so it was either turn up the wick for light speed, or stop for a cigarette. Light speed it was, left him wobbling all over the place. Never saw him again.
cheers
wakeup

We-I really got into all reports on Shirley's crash and d/t her starhood and legal issues not that much revealed so mostly speculation by onlookers, her own statements and months of it lurking in background till almost happened to me. After they'd stopped and gathered to gas or collect up, she put on a hemlet and took off like normal then about immediately drifted off the road w/o much a sweeper to negotiate. She did not know what-why it happened either and only intended to get back on road falling into the widely spaced pack.

Regardless just more proof even safe sane timid riders should know they give up full control over life and limb. My ill-ness logic with hard evidence is it is not hardly any more risky to kick up heels in some places to scary teaching level as is never getting that lasting impression of stupid freedom. To me Its a stupid hobby at base so any and all opinions and attitudes and styles has its own worthiness and downsides on a sliding scale moment to moment. My factory Trixie is too dangerous to play much on so safer than my SV650 or my past special. I'm born addict, so progressed to better and better highs vs least side effects-risks. Going by the costs and injury - parents are right to deny children some bad things.