Mistakes you have made while riding

[babuski]

Revlis....great idea.....any car at an intersection waiting to turn would have to be totally and insanely blind to turn into a Chevy Suburban or a Ford Excursion. But they are not always around as you enter the intersection, but that is a very good idea and even a smaller vehicle gives you a "blocker" I always like NO cars around but as blockers at an intersection....great idea.

.....and incidentally Black SE is the fastest color. Just got my 2003 Black and Grey busa a week ago. I had a deposit on a 2002 black SE....but was afraid of the starter clutch problems that have plagued a few owners so I switched to 03. Love my bike but sure wish it was ALL black.

Keep these posts coming, this stuff should be taught at rider's schools and clinics.

 

[The Oracle]

Disc lock:  Get a piece of blaze orang flagging and zip tie it to the lock and drape it over the front fender...you can even stencil the REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT on it to give it that cool fighter jet look

Or, go here: http://www.kle-enterprises.com/order.htm and order a disc brake tether (it connects to handlebars.

They also sell a nice kickstand plate for those days in soft asphalt, gravel, grass, or dirt.

 

[The Oracle]

I rode with a buddy the other day, I call him Fun Bobby.
 Funny Bobby rides like crapp . Really . He does .
I finally told him....you leave those fuggin' turn sig's on on more time an' I'm gonna boot the fricken things right off .
 Everyone in this town is so impatient , that left turn signal left on is gonna kill ya .
     My advice...if yer like fun bobby...take the bulbs outa the front .  When yer in the left turn lane , everyone knows what yer doin' .  When yer on the hi-way , whats the blinker for then?   By the time the little old chinese lady in the mini-van see's you commin' up behind her , you've already changed lanes....twice....and are now home in yer jammies.

 Cancel them indicators....B4 they cancel you .

True enough... However, I use my front ones to tell drivers I am passing them. If you try to pass 2, 3, 4, or God forbid more cars at once, it is nice to let them know you are coming (incase they get the same idea).

I say learn to use the signals properly instead of making your BAD habit okay by taking away one of the safety features!

 

[NightStalker]

Disc lock: Get a piece of blaze orang flagging and zip tie it to the lock and drape it over the front fender...you can even stencil the REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT on it to give it that cool fighter jet look[/QUOTE]
I've got a couple of those, second hand ones from some pals in the airforce. Use em on my ABUS's. Even walked in the bedroom once with one of those attached to my underpants ... whoops, wasn't supposed to tell that in public

 

[darby ofool]

well i wasn't riding but this might help,

Don't let your friends ride it

 

[S7R4NGER]

mikeyusf: "DO NOT USE DISK LOCKS EVER!!!!"

Why?

 

[WWJD]

bump

sorry, this is too important... nea... TOO GREAT a thread to slip away. EVERYONE should keep reading and adding to this

 

[darby ofool]

my buddy after filling up tried to impress the lady at the counter flooring it out of the station and hit some leaves at the exit and droped it

 

[un4gvn]

I SECOND WHAT PAISTES5 SAID ABOUT SITTIN UP WHILE STILL AT SPEED
I JUST DUSTED OFF A VIPER AND HE WAS KINDA SCREWING WITH ME BEFORE IT ALL STARTED SO I SAT UP AT ABOUT 130 OR 140 TO GO NYAA,NYAA AND LIKE TO TORE EVERY LIGAMENT IN MY NECK,TOOK A COUPLE OF MONTHES AND THERAPY TO GET OVER THAT BONER.

 

[jwcfbd]

My friend found out that Green Goo DOES NOT WORK in motorcycle tires.  He has two bikes and not one good rear tire between them.

  His GSXR 1000 is showing cords and his GSXR 750 had a small nail in it.  He put the green slime/goo (what ever it's called) in aired it up and it seemed to be holding by the time they got to my house his inner fender was all green and slimy.  It was still holding air so we pressed on.  Well after about 5 hours we were getting off my exit and his tire went flat.  We limped it the rest of the way back to my house.  He and the other guy that went with us still had a little over an hour to go so we tried to plug it just so he could get it home.  Well that didn't work either.  The slim was to slick and the plug came out before they even made it 5 miles.  Four plugs and maybe 20 miles later he called his father in law and had him take the truck and trailer up to get him.  
Is there any good way to repair a tire or just replace it?

 

[Revlis]

I believe the standard answer is that it is best to replace the tire outright. I would say this is partly a piece of mind answer though. I rode for about 5 months on a patched rear and I allways had that pop into my mind when going into a highspeed corner or blasting down a straight away.
But with so much riding on just those two tires, I would just replace it. You figure tires are pretty cheap anyway.

 

[Revlis]

OK here's one I sorta forgot about.

Watch out for standing water on the insides of corners.  Especially you guys in the south or anywhere that has high humidity.   The water just doesn't evaporate very quickly.

<span style='color:blue'>There is a small bit of twisties north of where I live, well tonight, (It had Rained Hard early this afternoon) I was out there (real familiar road that was completely dry), right up until I got to a nice 30MPH (posted) tree shaded 75deg right hander.   I had just sighted the appex when I realized it was under water, I am going about 65.

I had taken a delayed apex line which saved my ass.  I had time to stand her partially up and hit the binders.  The front tucked a bit, but I bled off about 20MPH in short order before I got off the brakes and then SPLASH!  Things got a bit slippy on exit but just a few wiggles.  Once I pulled the cover of my seat outta my ass (Pucker Factor) the rest of the ride was non-eventful, though taken at much more sedate pace.</span>

I would like to re-iterate that I had seen NO signs of water anywhere on the road till this point.

 

[rubbersidedown]

Is there any good way to repair a tire or just replace it?

there is....its a lengthy process thou...it involves removing the tire from the rim to patch frm the inside...yadda yadda

 

[mcoyote]

I have a tendancy to chunk it in 1st while starting off and turning from a stop in a parking lot and ALMOST dropping the bike.  I think my chain is loose and I know the throttle turns a bit before taking... of course, it CAN'T be MY technique.    With my new busa I take slow turns too wide - just not used to the new radius, so I lean it more.

Two suggestions for low-speed/-gear manuevers:

(1) Up the idle to just over 1k RPM, if it's below. Use the fast idle and experiment if you don't feel like turning the knob. Much less luffing and surging.

(2) Keep your throttle cables tight -- mine were pretty loose when I picked up the '03. Just a couple twists on the thumb-screws at the handgrip can take up any slop.

If there's a "dead spot" at the beginning of your throttle twist, these will fix it. You may have to adjust to the new-found power, but there you have it.

- - - - -

Mistakes? Hmmm...

(1) Never twist the throttle in anger. All bikes are faithful but ignorant -- they will kill you quick.

Mistakes I made: I've tried to take more cars than I'd care to mention on busy streets and almost got "merged" into concrete more than once.

(2) Know *exactly* what comes next in your sequence of moves, every time (just like a good lawyer).

Mistakes I made: First time I went across the Blue Ridge I practically went nuts because I obsessed on each turn of the switchbacks as I engaged them.

(3) Look through the turns (dammit), even if you're staring at a hillside -- the road's not going anywhere, but the bike is.

Mistakes I made: I've blown corners because some charming little pothole or smudge of street spooge caught my eye and I followed it practically past my feet.

(4) Be aware of your surroundings so you can escape with having to check everything when things get ugly (practice escaping).

Mistakes I made: Ever been pushed out of a lane by a cigar-chompin', latte-drinkin', cellphone gabbin', two-year-old slappin' soccer mom/pop?

I have. I was lucky nobody was in the lane next door, because I didn't keep on eye on things.

...Ride safe 'n all...

 

[NCBusa2001]

This pertains to the "flat" post. Do not use the "green slime" or fix-a-flat in your "z" rated tires. There is alot of weight with that stuff and when your gyroscopes (your wheels) start spinning up to speed this extra force can cause instability. I carry regular vulcanizing plugs and a "CO2" (BB Gun cartridge) pump that can be used for a TEMPORARY fix to get you home. Then replace the tire soon. I just can't feel comfortable doing speed runs knowing that I have a potential timebomb on the rear tire.

This is a great thread, keep it up. Chris

 

[NightStalker]

Don't mind this post, I just screwed it up ...

 

[NightStalker]

I recently had a flat rear tyre, my dealer (I would never ride anything that was reapaired be ME) put in a "mushroom" as he called it ... I wonder what that was ...

 

[Revlis]

Thought it was time again, to let folks confess their foolishness. Here's your chance to lay it all out, so we can all benefit.

Rev.

 

[Odyssey]

LOL, I didnt think I this thread would surface again.

Hmm....well lets see, After I picked up my bike, I took it out for a spin. I gave the bike too much gas coming out of a turn, which caused a very high wheelie, I paniced and I got road rash on my arms, and Insurance guy got a long parts list. My insurance company is good, so far, they were prompt and my insurance rate didnt go up as a result of the low side, either. My bike is gear up pretty high tho. I changed out my rear sprocket for 40T today, it runs a bit smoother but my front is still 16 and needs to be changed.

My pride has healed and so has my arms

Be safe

 

[Guest]

I haven't taken the time to read all the replies in this thread yet but it's on my list of things to do... Here's something I done yesterday while bringing my busa home from the dealer.

Before I start, this isn't going to be my standard riding gear. I wore it to keep from ruining my jeans with road grime if I had to ride home in the impending rain storm...

I wore a pair of old sweat pants and a pair of my oldest, most ragged sneakers to pick up my busa. About half way home I move my left foot to get a comfortable position on the peg after I am through the gears and at cruising altitude. Something felt wierd! I look down to see that I forgot to tuck my shoe strings into my shoes and one of the loops is caught around the shift lever!!! Oh stuff!!!!!

I was able to work it free without having to stop but it divided my attention. Not a good thing... I've made a mental note to check for loose, untucked laces during my pre-ride inspection. Just glad I didn't have to learn this lesson the hard way by scuffing myself or my busa!

I need to find some riding boots. I don't want race boots because I'll probably not have race pants for now, just good jeans. I want to lose the weight I plan to lose before I invest in full gear. Any recommendations on good boots that work within the confines of the pegs and shifter? I'm going to try my Rockies out... sitting in the garage with the engine off to begin with of course.