Sunday, June 30, 2013

What it's like being a short rider!

Hey everyone,

I was cruising around town just to get out of the apartment today, and to fill up gas.  I decided to make a video and do somewhat of a Vlog talking about what it's like to be a short rider.  Due to the horrible audio quality of the ContourROAM camera in the wind, I ended up doing a separate narration, and was pretty pleased at the end quality.  While you kind of miss the in-the-moment type talk, this is cool because it's almost like you can critique certain things which you may have missed during the ride.  Anyways, here you go, enjoy the video!

- Pandabear

Saturday, June 29, 2013

New Front!

Holy moly friends,

I never realized how worn down my front was, in terms of handling, until my new tire was put on.  I nearly crashed in the dealer parking lot when the new sensation threw me off guard.

Instead of a quick drop into a turn, it now is back to the slow roll of new tires.  I felt very hesitant when making turns, even gripping a little too tightly, as if I was about to fall off or something.  But the bike did not falter and I came through okay.  Time to relearn how to ride my bike!

Oh, and I made a new riding friend!  He has a CBR600RR. Maybe later we will go for a ride! Awesome!

Enjoy the weekend,

Pandabear

Thursday, June 27, 2013

BT-016 Pro in the Rain, Tire Replacement Costs, and My Dream Bike!

Well friends,

I have a LOT to write about today.  My evening was more action packed than an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, so let's get to the shtory, naaowwwwwww!!

Today on the way back from work, it went from drizzle to downpour (and flooding!) faster than my ZX6R can hit 60. As I left work, I laughed at mother nature, telling her that she could throw whatever at me - with exception of a lightning bolt...or tornado...or blizzard...or earthquake...or..well you get the idea - and my ride home would be ok.

Well, she heard my ridicule, took me up on the challenge, and unleashed her fury, Monsoon, Level 42.  I took it slow, limited by my shield fogging and the small problem of not being able to see well.  The bike and tires worked pretty well in the wet.  I have the worn down BT-016 on the front and the new and scrubbed in BT-016 Pro on the rear.  Cornering and steady riding were majestic, and while I didn't push it, everything felt natural, and confident.  I tackled puddles and rivers equally well, and even faced a tidal wave set in motion by a big truck, though I guess my helmeted face (vents open, ahhh so refreshing!) took the brunt of the wave, not my bike.  My coworkers most nearly think I am crazy, and I think I am too.

I did have one small incident when I was trying to slow down for a four-way stop.  I felt my tires squirming along the road surface, slithering side to side like a snake.  It did freak me out a bit, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle with my super panda bear powers. My best guess is that I was so focused on the road condition that I didn't anchor myself with my legs. Of course, the result is that I put weight on the bars which sent the force to the front tire.  And the front tire was like ROAR I HATE YOU PANDA!  Wet paint also doesn't help...

Managed to get home, mostly dry, but approximately 7.24% wet due to me completely ignoring the fact that my boot vents were open, as well as all the zipper vents on my jacket.  An extra shower never hurts anyone right?

I then got home, switched up my gear a little.  I set my soaked race gloves down and my Sidi boots aside, and took out my waterproof gloves and my new A* waterproof boots.  I forgot how narrow the boots were but they fit well overall.  The thing I noticed immediately was that they are much friendlier for normal riding.  The downside with brand new boots with untouched soles is that they are the equivalent of a slip 'n slide on the foot pegs. Not fun when you are straddling something, let me say..

I got to my destination, Velocity Cycles. My friend and I talked to some salespeople, who were very friendly.  I figured while I was there I'd ask about the cost to change my front tire.  I was shocked when I was told it would cost $55 just for labor, plus other fees and taxes!!!!!  Sorry, this Panda is not going to bend over like that.  I didn't mention to them that Motor-Vation (my dealership of choice) charged me $35 + tax to swap my REAR tire, and will probably charge even less for the front. I can't rave about Motor-Vation enough, they are the best in the area.

The real reason I went was to check out my dream bike..let me present:

BMW S1000RR, Best Rocketship in the World!!


I'll present a few impressions here.  


First, pictures don't do it justice, it is gorgeous in person, and has a lot of details that I love (for example..shift linkage is tucked THROUGH the frame, which will help protect it from damage).  Many people don't like the asymmetry but I love that cute winky face it has. I love white, but the black and grey versions are amazing too.

Second, it is extraordinarily light.  Granted, they kept them dry, but even still, dry weight is 400lbs which is close to my ZX6R (415lbs with the carbon fiber slip on).  This feels WAY lighter.  At 450 lbs wet, I bet it still is pretty light.


Third, it is SMALL.  It looks and feels smaller than my 600cc (and if you don't know, this S1000RR is a 1000cc).  The tank is narrower, and the reach to the bars is shorter.  Everything about it feels a lot more compact and good for a short guy like me.  The seating position isn't as aggressive either, and the suspension is VERY soft at stock settings.  It's a pretty modest feeling bike, though we all know it's a rip-your-arms-out-of-their-sockets type beast once it's running.

So to sum it up. ME WANT.  Sadly, my skills do not match the bike's caliber.  But good things come to those who work for it, and trust me, I will be racking on the miles, practicing, and honing my skills to work towards it! For now, I will just stand back and admire the engineering marvel.  BMW, well done, I bow to you.

Thanks for reading everyone, there was so much to say!  Have a great weekend!

- Pandabear

  

Monday, June 17, 2013

New Tire Feel

Hey Friends,

Just a short post here.  I was really loving the ride home on my new tire.  Having slowly but surely squared my previous rear tire off, I never noticed the difference between it new and used.  This has been the first time I have gotten a new tire on either bike (last bike didn't need a new tire before I got rid of it), and instantly I noticed the change.  The transitions from straight to leaned over is so smooth and willing.  It doesn't take any effort at all!  Such a nice feeling.

And even this cute little moth wanted to partake in the sport!


- Pandabear

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Bridgestone BT-016 Pro

Hey Friends,

I have reverted back to the few days of excess caution, making turns like an extreme newbie! I just got a new rear tire put on.  I elected to stay with Bridgestone tires for now because they are rather cheap, and for my typical riding, they perform very well.  I had only one little slide in the 5,000 miles the rear tire lasted, and it was barely an issue.  I could have squeezed out maybe another 400-500 miles as I had enough tread yet and a hair over the wear bars, but I figured I should just play it safe seeing how much it has been raining lately.

I was going to say I got the OEM tire, however, I learned that while the OEM tire is the Bridgestone BT-016, what I actually ordered from Revzilla was the BT-016 PRO.  Apparently it's the newer version, with better grip and longer life (20% on average??).  So I guess I should be able to get 6,000 miles out of this rear tire hopefully!  More riding for less $$$!

I do have to break it in though, so the next 90 some miles will be cautious ones.  Once I get about 100 on there, it'll be back to having fun!

Oh and, I am finally making headway on the Chicago video.  Upon reviewing the raw footage I'm sad to say a good chunk is missing.  I'd forgotten that my battery died along the way, ugh!  I am about half way finished, so I will try to get it done early this week.  Stay tuned.

Enjoy your weekend everyone,

Pandabear

Monday, June 10, 2013

Belated Anniversary!

Hey Friends,

I thought I'd do a short post here.  A few weeks ago I rounded off my first year of riding!  I have successfully (a relative term I suppose lol!) clocked over 12,000 miles in that wonderful first year.  It has been a great mix of twisties, day to day travel, enormous superslab mileage, and regular 6-12 hour jaunts in the saddle.

I can safely say this is the best thing I have ever done in life.  Yes, perhaps riskiest (recall my crash on the 250!), but also the most rewarding.  I have made so many new friends, explored so many new places, and seen things which I would have otherwise missed. I have gotten my previous dream bike (still have my eye on you, Mr. S1000RR!).  I have ridden well over a thousand miles in a weekend. There is nothing like it!

On a more somber note, but equally important to keep my head grounded, I have dealt with the effects of losing fellow riders. Fellow Ninjette members.  And friends being injured.  It is a grave reminder of the perils of the sport.  A personal reminder that while I have fun, I must also be wary, and ATGATT (and using my brain 110% of the time) IS MANDATORY.

What the future holds, I am not sure.  I know I'd like to start riding track soon, so once my personal matters settle down a bit, you'll see a track video!  I'd also like to do a cross country trip with a good friend - yes, on a supersport!  All I know right now is that I can't give this up.  I can safely say it is 100% worth the risk.  This is living, at it's finest.


Your friend,

Pandabear

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Got my SMX-5 WP boots back!

Hey friends,

Today I received my SMX-5 boots back!  Or at least, not the ones I sent out, but a brand new pair!  The guys at Alpinestars actually hosed my boots down to see where the leak was, and could not find any.  Very interesting to hear that. Either it was just a weird incident where my foot got wet, or they couldn't replicate the problem.

It is hard to believe that water would travel up my leg under my overpants (which were tightly fastened) and then down my (also tightly fastened) boots and then only wet the front of my foot and not my leg.  But regardless, the support at A* was top notch, and now I have my boots back, so I have two pairs of boots! My Sidi Vertigo's and my A* SMX-5's for cool or wet days.

Always nice to see a package at your door when you arrive home from work :)

This weekend I'm going to make some more headway on ride videos.  Maybe you guys will get a surprise for Sunday!

Ride safely,

Pandabear

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

TOE SLIDE!

Hey Friends,

As I just posted a review of my Sidi boots, I put one of their toe sliders into action!  Coming around my favorite bend on the way back from work, I went into the 90 degree bend a bit faster than usual, 45 instead of 35-40.  I hung off, knee out, balls of feet on pegs, and as I was leaned wayyy over I heard the plastic scraping on the ground.

When I straightened up, I was in shock, did I just scrape my toe!?  In the moment that made me induce a very small wobble, but managed to stay calm and keep the bike leaned over and on my line.  When I got back home, I checked my boot and sure enough, it was ground down a bit on the outside edge.  I don't know if that is epic, or a bad thing, but it was definitely a first.  All in all, I think I handled it well!

Any stories from you guys on scraping things...pegs, toe sliders, knees...elbows!!?

- Pandabear

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Sidi Vertigo Boots Review

Hey Everyone,

I guess this is a bit overdue.  I bought a pair of Sidi Vertigo's about a month ago to temporarily replace my Alpinestars SMX-5 Waterproof boots while they were undergoing RMA (small leak, though Alpinestars could not find the leak after hosing my boots down!).  I've had a good amount of time and miles to test the boot out, roughly 1500 miles or so and have come to a few conclusions. Let me introduce the boot first.

Sidi Vertigo

First off, I got a size 42 Euro/8.5 US, similar to my A* boots.  I wear a shoe size of 8-8.5 depending on the shoe type.  While the A* boots are snug and secure, the Sidi boot fits more like my first pair of boots, the Spidi VR6 boots.  Even with the calf adjustment, I have to tuck in my pants or wear my suit to get a good fit.  Also there is a decent amount of space up front unlike the A*.  The 7.5US size may have been a better fit.

Now to protection.  This boot seems to offer a little more protection than the SMX-5 and VR6.  While it has the standard shin plate, heel guard, toe slider etc, it has a beefier protection around the upper rear part of the boot, including a huge calf plate.  Also, mostly all the pieces are replaceable, just unscrew the (ab)used piece and bolt on the new one.  Pretty good since this boot costs $300.  Hopefully it will last a while.  Also, the calf plate is adjustable, so if you somehow have hulk sized calves, you can expand the leg area! Needless to say mine are tightened all the way as I am a very scrawny guy.

Adjustable from Calf Size McHuge to Size Hulk 
Now that I've got 1500 miles, here are my conclusions.  First, you will possibly have to adjust your shifter.  I could not shift well, or even easily get my toe under the lever which made riding very difficult.  I finally raised my lever up so I had my room to get under it, as the heel plate does not allow much downward flex of the ankle.  This might be a good thing as it will protect your leg a bit better from over extension perhaps.
Second, the side vents don't really do much.  You may get a little airflow, but on my long ride yesterday in 90 degree temperatures, it was HOT.  I had to stop and unzip my boots to cool down a bit.  My original Spidi boots weren't as hot during the summer. Perhaps I should have gotten the Vertigo Air's instead of the regular Vertigo's.
Third, they aren't as easy to walk around in off the bike.  I kind of hobble around like a panda on two paws. This leaves me to believe they are a bit more geared towards the track, even though they are a street boot.  A street boot for limited duty track riding possibly!

Velcro Area is Small.  Sometimes Comes Undone!

As far as craftsmanship, these are solid for now.  Haven't noticed any faults.  They are even pretty waterproof!  I'm not sure if they would stand up to a heavy downpour but light rain is fine.

All in all I think these boots are great.  As far as the price?  I think they are a tad bit overpriced.  $250-275 seems about right, but I guess you are paying for the Sidi name.  That's just my opinion though...even so, these boots are great!  Glad I got them, I think they will handle the job well, but hopefully won't have to crash test them.

Ride safe, and always gear up!

- Pandabear

P.S. EWW bug splatters!!  Gotta clean them!