Two Wheeled Riders

[lukeisthecoolest]

i got a moped a few days ago (gloss black 2008 Tomos Streetmate Racing Edition):

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x87/lukeisthecoolest/me001.jpg

i know i look stupid but i have to ask:dead:

does anybody else ride on 2 wheels (pics)?:neutral:

[Spawn-Inc]

haha, in the morning i will post pics of my "ride", if you can call it that.

how much was it?
do u need your moto licence?
how fast can you get going?
when you pedal can you change gears?

[Omega]

I ride your generic-run-of-the-mill BMX type bike, nothing special, but it does need a lot of work and a new back tire since the tread's getting pretty worn down.

No pics though, sorry mate

[Bucko]

Nice looking bike to learn on. You need to get some better riding gear though. Those shoes will come off in an accident within a few seconds and you really should wear jeans as a minimum along with a decent jacket.
Take it from someone who has already has had a skin graft, it is not fun.
Safety really is so, so very important.



I have a bit of a collection going in my garage. When I'm not building Ratputers, I'm building Rat Bikes.

I'll start with the only non Rat Bike first.

My '04 Yamaha R1:

http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/149/0000192zq9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Mr T, the Yamaha TDM850 before and after:

http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/9472/picture022de0.jpg

http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/1255/00002150qfmv1.jpg


CHAOS, the Suzuki GS1100GK before and after:

http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/2218/gsfrostmc4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/4435/cameradump041et8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

(yes that is a computer case strapped to the back...)


The Rat Black Vespa of Death:

http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/8343/cameradump168bi3.jpg

http://img127.imageshack.us/img127/5493/cameradump169ez8.jpg

The Vespa was actually bought as a write off. I got it as basically a bare frame and a few boxes of parts and built it up from there.


The other 3 bikes I have aren't runners, there's another Suzuki GS1100GK for spares for CHAOS:

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/5325/0000311editedoj1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

an old Yamaha XT250:

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/8223/cameradump032wl7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


And there is also most of a postie bike around too, oh and a Pocket Bike in my lounge room.

So all of that combined with my two Hillmans makes for a rather cramped garage...

[Greco101]

I've been riding since I was 6-7ish but quit when I was 16 because my parents divorced. I'm actually trying to sell my CR250 at the moment :(

Damn bucko... So many potential computers with all those bikes haha

[FrooP]

thats mine, because im 16, its slowed but still fast enough :D
http://www.diariomotor.com/imagenes/Yamaha_YBR_125.jpg

[lukeisthecoolest]

haha, in the morning i will post pics of my "ride", if you can call it that.

how much was it?
do u need your moto licence?
how fast can you get going?
when you pedal can you change gears?

1. 2g but i didn't pay ;)
2. no, moped license
3. 30 and 40 downhills but i am adding a speed-kit and upgraded exhaust so i can go around 40-45 anytime
4. no :( there is no reason for the pedals on mine because it is electric start

and damnnnnnnnn Bucko! those rides are sick!

i never really liked Yamahas and planned on getting a Kawasaki 650r or one of their super sports but ur Yamaha is startin to change my mine

and that Vespa made me lawl:D do u actually ride it?

[Bucko]

You bet I ride that Vespa! It's great fun. I can't help but smile every time I go out on it. Flat out it will do 110km/h. I have a power pipe for it I need to mod a little to make it fit. Should give it more go.
It's a full manual scooter too, not an auto like most step thru's. The clutch in on the left bar and you pull it in and twist the left bar to change gears.

Step Thru, or step aside!

[FrooP]

mine runs 90 km/h but its slowed and the only mod ive done is adding a frenchfriespick :D

[lukeisthecoolest]

yeah i want to buy speedkit and an upgraded exhaust so i can go like 35-45 mph ;)

i do some tricks (not really) like take my hands off steering and lean back all the way with my hands behind my head like i am sleeping

wen i am older i want to get better at stunts and buy either a nice Yamaha or a Kawasaki 650R (i no its expensive but its worth it)

[Computer-Geek]

Dont get a motorcycle just for stunts get one that you can handle and always wear your gear. I plan on starting on a kawasaki ninja 250r or 500r in one or two years.

[lukeisthecoolest]

i was thinking a 450-650R because i don't like the other ones gas tank and how it is so low :(

[FrooP]

fall down break your neck and wont be able to mod anymore





sure you want to? :D

[lukeisthecoolest]

fall down break your neck and wont be able to mod anymore





shure you want to? :D

will it be worth me going down in glory? YES!:banana:

[FrooP]

O,o or youll gonna become a "ghost rider with burnign head" guy, burning skull heads for modding? hm.. perfect lights all the time :D

[lukeisthecoolest]

O,o or youll gonna become a "ghost rider with burnign head" guy, burning skull heads for modding? hm.. perfect lights all the time :D

i was gonna fabricate a skull using a child's mask like bucko:D and put in ontop of my headlights because they look like eyes and that'd be sweeeet:bunny:

[FrooP]

jupp tthen paint it flat black like teh uber killer vespa

[Spawn-Inc]

right so like i said here is my "ride" haha (its 4 wheels though)

http://inlinethumb45.webshots.com/3756/2877604520100511463S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb48.webshots.com/5935/2905657000100511463S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb11.webshots.com/5898/2169871810100511463S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb36.webshots.com/6371/2318126710100511463S600x600Q85.jpg

its a 4-5hp with two gears Forward, Neutral, Reverse. i tried to speed it up by flipping the alxe but its still only 10km/h (guessing) i'm looking at changing one of the gears or pulleys to make it faster.

[Airbozo]

i was thinking a 450-650R because i don't like the other ones gas tank and how it is so low :(

Most people start out on a smaller bike if they want to learn tricks. Depending on your ability, a larger bike will be harder to toss around in the air and even jump, despite the increase in HP.

Do ALWAYS wear your safety gear (that means boots, a helmet (shorty's and skull caps do not count), tough pants (preferably leather) and a tough jacket (see earlier comment)). Every time I put on my leathers I thank the cows that donated them to my cause ( and the scuff marks prove they work).

[lukeisthecoolest]

leather?

i thought u rode a crotch-rocket? y are u wearing leather?

street bike riders should wear the like gore-tex armor with the pads embedded ;)

and good point about the smaller bikes and i won't be going off jumps just like wheelies and endies and watnot ;) i love 2 wheels

[Bucko]

street bike riders should wear the like gore-tex armor with the pads embedded

It works up to a point, but there is no substitute for leather. Seriously.

You don't see professional racers wearing goretex, and there's a good reason for that. It's not as strong or crash resistant as leather.
We are talking proper decent leathers here too, not arseless chaps and a vest with a big patch on the back. Proper decent leathers have save me from not even having a scratch after sliding down the racetrack at 70mph, let alone all the other battle scras they have from minor offs

Remember you will crash. It's not an if or a but. Every rider will crash at some point and when you do, you'll be thankful for the right gear.

If you want to learn stunts, get a dirt bike first and start to practice off road doing wheelies and stoppies and thins like that. No Police to bother you and it as the plus that a dirt bike can take a LOT of beating before it's damaged. Ive owned a few and I know that pretty much every ride I went out off roading I would come down a couple of times because I was trying some new stuff, or going for a knarly hill climb. Dirt is also softer to land on.

I don' mean to preach on to you, but really, those of us who ave been riding for a while know what falling off feels like and just how good leathers are.

[lukeisthecoolest]

I don' mean to preach on to you, but really, those of us who ave been riding for a while know what falling off feels like and just how good leathers are.

my sister knows a woman who got a brand new chopper and she rode it on the highway but she wasn't used to it and slammed into the gaurdrail. she ended up having her one leg :( but she still rides :)

[Bucko]

Sounds like she could have used rider training.

Rider training is another thing that is well worth the money. I've been to a few advanced rider course with the California Superbike School and I learn more and more each time I go and I get faster and gain more and more skills too.

[Omega]

I am no longer the owner of a generic BMX bike

some assbag stole it while I was at the movies =/

[lukeisthecoolest]

Sounds like she could have used rider training.

Rider training is another thing that is well worth the money. I've been to a few advanced rider course with the California Superbike School and I learn more and more each time I go and I get faster and gain more and more skills too.

i don't have enough patience and a big enough attention span to do that to do that :rolleyes: omg theres a bird

[Bucko]

i don't have enough patience and a big enough attention span to do that to do that :rolleyes: omg theres a bird

Then you probably shouldn't be riding. You need to be paying attention on the road like nothing else. Cars don't see you and if you aren't paying attention, you will be in a world of hurt.
I know this as I wasn't paying enough attention to what a car coming towards me was doing. He decided to turn into a side street, just as I was going past and he t-boned me.
I still have the titanium in my leg to remind me every day.

Even though it wasn't my fault and he was in the wrong, it's better to be ready for that sort of thing and not have it happen in the first place.

There have been plenty of near misses, but I had been paying attention to what was going on around me and was ready.


I'm not telling you all this because I don't think you should ride, I'm doing because I want you to ride and ride for a long time.
The most important safety device on a bike is the grey matter between your ears.

I know you're young and probably don't want to listen or think I'm full of ****, but I was younger and more full of my own self confidence when I started riding on the road (illegally) at 14 because I knew it all.
I went up an embankment, got air, took out a barbed wire fence and damaged my friends bike I was riding.
When I was a little older and thought I knew more and had my licence, I took a corner too fast in the wet, used too much rear brake and locked it up and slid into a taxi and broke my leg.
A little while after when I was back on the bike and thought I was good and doing a mono, I popped one up the driveway at home. Kept it up in the air, then realised I didn't have space to stop. I crashed in the yard and my bike slid through the garage door and damaged the door quite a bit. Try explaining that to your parents....

When you are young you know it all, I did! That's why I fecked up a few times and hurt myself and my bike.

As you get older, it hurts more to crash, so you use the experience you have gained through riding and listening to others and apply that to your riding. You'll be safer and you'll be faster.

Ever seen a young guys face when he's on a new sportsbike and he can't keep up with an old piece of **** that you're riding? It's priceless!

[lukeisthecoolest]

I know you're young and probably don't want to listen or think I'm full of ****

exact opposite! ur like my guru on all things 2 wheeled

how many accidents were ur fault? other peoples?


When you are young you know it all, I did! That's why I fecked up a few times and hurt myself and my bike.

wats 2+2 again? oh ur were saying?

[Bucko]

how many accidents were ur fault? other peoples?

Only one accident wasn't my fault and that's the one which stuffed my leg. Even then, if I had paid more attention and had done something different, I could have avoided it.
I've only crashed 3 times on the road. I've crashed twice on the track and hundreds of times off road.

However the amount of accidents I have avoided that could have been very painful or deadly is really countless. Cars simply don't look for you (I refuse to say they don't see me, they simply don't look properly or don't care).

I scan side streets as I ride because I've had too many cars either pull out in front of me or start too. I spot them early and I'm always looking for an escape road, somewhere I can go if I can't stop to avoid the accident.
At traffic lights I ALWAYS watch my rear view mirrors and have the bike in gear, ready to go diving up the middle of the traffic if the car behind me isn't going to stop because they aren't paying attention. I've seen a car in front of me get rear ended because someone wasn't paying attention. I was and I got out of there before they crashed. If I hadn't been watching, I would have been the meat in a car sandwich.

I also practice emergency braking. I see how fast I can stop so I know what myself and my bike can do should the need arise. It's no good waiting for something to happen and hoping for the best. You'll panic and lock a wheel. Love your front brake, don't be afraid of it and use the rear all the time. You won't stop and come an emergency, you stab at the rear and simply slide into a crash.
Find a quite road with no traffic and go at a speed and try and stop my a marker on the side of the road (a road sign, a bush, whatever.) and try braking later and later until you can stop in the shortest time possible.
If you lock up the front, you won't crash while going straight, simply let it off and keep going. You'll soon get a feel for it.

While off roading I used to lock the front brake and see how far I could ride. As soon as I felt I was going to crash, I let it off. By doing that you get a feel for how the bike reacts with a locked front wheel, and then when it happens on the road, I knew what it was and what to do.

All of thses skills and practicing them is will help you avoid accidents, even if it isn't your fault, it doesn't hurt any less.

[lukeisthecoolest]

I scan side streets as I ride because I've had too many cars either pull out in front of me or start too.

do that! yay


I also practice emergency braking.

i am a pro at braking cause they are brand new and i can stop on a dime ;)


If I hadn't been watching, I would have been the meat in a car sandwich.

i hate meat between someone elses buns ;)


All of thses skills and practicing them is will help you avoid accidents,

thanks! +rep from da heart and you should really write a guide or a book or sometin!

[Airbozo]

^^ What Bucko said!

I have had several accidents. None of them too serious and none of them my fault (the on road ones anyway). I probably could have avoided 1 or 2 of the on-road spills by paying a little closer attention to road conditions. The best money I ever spent was on the California Motorcycle Safety Course. Even though I almost got tossed from the class (they didn't like me bunny hopping the enduro they gave me to ride, nor were they impressed with the wheelies), I broke several bad habits during that class. I also learned how to properly lock up the front wheel and NOT get launched. Not to mention the money I saved on insurance and even flashing that card saved me a ticket.

Leathers? YES Leathers. Man made fibers have a nasty tendency to fuse to your skin during any prolonged body slide. I had my Jacket and pants (chaps are for cowboys and the streets of San Francisco) tailored to me at a local shop (Shameless plug for "Just Leathers"). They repair just about anything that happens to them for free unless I need major work (none so far). They have also more than made up for the cost in the protection they provide.

I learned to ride off-road also. Spent many years on my suzuki enduro before purchasing a Bultaco from a friend. That bike made me a better rider than anything else. I once bailed from a jump and watched the Bultaco land perfectly and continue down the trail into a tree. Only broke a brake lever.

Oh and for the record I ride a '95 HD Sportster. Not a cruiser bike, but setup more as a cafe racer style (as close as an HD can get) with drag bars and some engine mods (high flow kit, dual fire heads, cam next...). And yes Bucko, the look on the CBR riders face was priceless when I _flew_ past him on my Sporty... I know my ride, I know my road and most struggle to keep up. I am replacing the rear fender and the ignition switch and will snap some pics this weekend.

[Airbozo]

I promised some pics...

My current 2 wheeled ride...
1995 HD Sportster 1200 TT

http://airbozo.com/gallery/main.php/d/110-1/Sportster+001.JPG

http://airbozo.com/gallery/main.php/d/113-1/Sportster+002.JPG


woops, fixing the pics now...

[Sakker]

I'm trying to pick up a Honda 919 or a Sportster 1200. (919 is a Hornet 900 for those in Euro). Its rough trying to afford a bike along side college, but I am driven to get a bike soon.

[Quakken]

Our family has a 98 yamaha wr400.

(a picture of a similiar one)
http://www.motorsports-network.com/yamaha/yzf400ds/open4.jpg

We'll street legal it probably and drive around town. It tops out around 90, so the freeway is not this thing's... thing.
But it does well at the moto track and it's tons of fun on the jumps we built in the lakebed.

We also have a 1975 honda XL350.
(here's a pic of some dude in the 70's desert. http://www.oldrice.com/Honda_350_Ad_Bell_2.jpg)
My dad literally drove this to college thirty years ago. It sat in a shed for 10 years. One christmas break, we took it up to the garage, changed the oil, flushed out the carb and did some minor replacements, and it kicked over. It still has the stock tires and such, and they still hold air well.
Sure, it smokes a bit, but it is a comfortable and interesting bike to ride. I like it.

But the wr400 will break it in two.

[lukeisthecoolest]

i am almost got into an accident today :(

i was driving down a rode and this EMT SUV came driving out of a side-street without looking to the left :/ luckily i did wat Bucko said and scanned the side streets so without Bucko's advice i might have not been posting this ;)

[Bucko]

I'm glad you listened to my advice and it stuck in your head. Being hit is not fun.

Here's the front of the car that hit me:

http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/3323/sigma24kehq8.jpg

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/6088/image0770duda7.jpg


And for good measure, an xray of my leg:

http://img50.imageshack.us/img50/3832/xray2juxz8.jpg

[Omega]

Even though it's not a motorcycle, it's two wheels and you ride it, so...

My mom saw the assbag that stole my bike today. I'm getting a bike for free from a family friend, and if I see that assbag again I'm going to kick him off of my bike and ride like the wind (with what is rightfully mine). Seeing as how the bike I'm about to go get is probably a peice of crap (hey, it works though, I'm not complaining), I'd be fine with leaving it wherever I knocked the ****er off of my bike.

Anywho, time to go get the bike.

[Scotty]

I had my bike stolen by some ass.

Next week i saw him...

He rode MY bike to MY school locked it up and went in.

So me and a few friends, decided that it would be fun to follow him.

Me on my other bike (dad owns a bike shop ;) ) and 3 mates on theirs. As soon as i said, are you gonna gimme my bike back, he jumped and legged it, which was ****ing funny. So i attempted to ride 2 bikes home. I endfed up with an ice pack on my manly parts :'( but i had my bike :)

Think he switched schools... not like i was gonna kick him at any chance i got...

Oh and Bucko nice leg ^.^

[Omega]

haha, I love riding two bikes at once, it's so great (but hard as ****).

I've got two buddies who need money (I offered them a cash reward for getting my bike back) and we're going to go hunt down the people that took my bike. I think we'll stop him and ask for it back first and if he doesn't comply then we ask again... forcefully.

;)

[Scotty]

lol i have only successfully ridden two small bikes together, btw don't try to bikes at your normal size down a bumpy hill.
Not only is it damn hard but as soon as you hit the first bump you're screwed. I had a few cuts after that. I figured it wasn't that bad, so... i did it again, wasn't a smart idea that, still have the scar on my hip.

[Omega]

haha

well most of my town is flat, so

[Scotty]

So you should find a bumpy hill for the hell of it.

[Omega]

So you should find a bumpy hill for the hell of it.

...I should.

=D

(We've got a few of those around here, but other than that it's mostly flat)