Not So White Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

It snowed a little bit last night, and then melted today..so no snow here, but it was still a pleasant Christmas.

Touched down yesterday morning from a nice trip in Hawaii.  There are so many scooters there, it's not even funny!!  I did have the pleasure to see my favorite bike, a BMW S1000RR.  Sounded great!!  I didn't see anyone wearing any gear though, just a helmet, and at most, a leather jacket or gloves.  Everyone else was in a tshirt and flip flops!  Was a great time anyways, I even got to go snorkeling and see a reef and all the marine life, which was a first for me.  It was a blast!

Came home, and started up the bike and car.  Both had no problems starting, though I did have to choke the bike to get it started.  Not an issue, it was cold in the garage so that was expected!

Enjoy your vacation!

- Pandabear

There she goes...

Hi friends!

Sad news..my bike has been stored for the winter in my parents' garage, 100 miles away from me.  I know the temperatures are rideable for me, but the roads are too slippery, and often icy.  I just don't think the risk is worth it.  I hope to bring it out in March again, but we'll see.  Good news though, while riding season is over, the other riding season begins!  I will be going on a few snowboarding trips, so hopefully I can do some write ups on shredding during the winter season!

I do still have a short Annapolis ride to write up, so that will be coming later on.  Maybe once I get back from Hawaii!!!

Ride safe, if you are all still riding!!

- Pandabear

Repairs and a New Look!

Hey Everyone,

So 40 miles after buying my bike in the spring, I crashed the poor thing into a guard rail.  Well, specifically, I crashed and then it proceeded to slide and crash itself into the rail. ANYWAYS! Needless to say, I've been riding around with it looking pretty messy... holes, cracked fairings, scratches, blah.  I tried a few different things as temporary fixes, including clear silicone sealant, super glue, and even clear packaging tape (to be honest, the tape worked the best and was hardly noticeable!).  I didn't mind the damage too much, sure it ruined the look, but it was a reminder to take it easy.  Fast forward to the present!

Just broke the 7,000 mile mark, which includes twisties, commuting, highway travels, and grocery runs.  I decided that my bike needed a new look, and while I was at it, a patch up.  I did a bit of research, and then headed over to Lowe's to get some supplies.  What did I buy?  One package of JB Plastic Weld (one tube says steel, the other hardener).  8 cans of white Plasti-Dip.  I finally was going to get myself a white bike to match my white car and my white gear! So fresh, so clean.

So I returned home, pulled the bike into the garage, and stripped all the body panels off.  Everything is easy to take off..unscrew, unclip, or just straight up pop off.  I left the gas tank on the bike, which reduced some of the work in dis-assembly/assembly, but increased the work in painting and slightly decreased the quality of the work.  Oh well, I am lazy, sue me!  I decided it was best to check the consistency of the JB Weld epoxy, and found it to be a bit too runny (not really runny at all, but not a play-doh like consistency either).  While this was okay to fix the cracks by applying the epoxy to the inside of the cowlings, it was not good for patching up holes.  I ended up having to carefully reapply packaging tape around the holes, covering them while also giving them the natural lines and shape.  Once this was done, I applied a decent layer in and around the holes on top of the tape from the backside of the cowling.

In retrospect, it could have been possible, and maybe even better, to tape from the inside and apply epoxy from the outside, and then sand it down into shape afterwards.  The exterior had some cracks coming off the holes which did not get sealed, and the paint did not cover them as I thought they would!  Not terribly noticeable, but it still bothered me a little bit.

I didn't take a picture of the front cowling, but I attempted to patch the cracks from the front side.  The first crack I applied the epoxy with no regard to finish.  I thought I would sand it down later.  The second I tried applying the epoxy, getting it pushed into the crack/groove, and then wiping up the excess.  Which way worked out better? The latter of course.  Yes, you can sand the epoxy down once it finishes curing (15 hours or so), but it's a PITA, and way more work!  Unfortunately, at the time I was in the "it's good enough" mentality so I didn't sand to perfection.  This is evident if you look at the paint up close.

Once this was done, and the epoxy was fully cured, it was spray time!  I originally bought 4 cans of white Plasti-Dip, thinking it was enough. NO!  I think the main reason was that white on top of a color requires more paint...if I chose black 4 coats would be good enough.  I ended up putting 6 coats on most of the parts, and got away with 4 heavy coats on the front cowling.  I had to buy an additional 4 cans to finish the job, which all said and done, came out to about $48 for the paint and about $5.50 for the epoxy.

King Arthur was my Quality Control technician.  I axed him since this didn't turn out perfect!

For some reason I couldn't get the turn signals off.  I think I partially stripped one screw and didn't bother futzing with the other one.  Yes, it would have made the final product marginally better, but I figured it's not THAT noticeable if I can't completely spray around the signals.

From a few feet away it looks like a regular matte paint job.  It looks really good!  From up close, you can tell it isn't regular paint since it has the Plasti-Dip rubbery texture.  Keep that in mind if you all ever decide to experiment with the material.  The tank was difficult to get an even spray since the handlebars were in the way, but overall it came out decent.  Again, if you take the extra time to do it really really carefully, it will look better.  However, for me, it was very cold outside, there was limited day light, and I was limited by time  as well.  I did get some overspray on the bike components and frame, but I figured it was okay since the paint peels right off!  I'll clean it up on a warmer day.

Ahh don't look! She's naked!!

After about $50 or so, and 12-14 hours of my time (and also much complaining from my mom for the paint fumes), I finished everything and had the bike put back together.  There were a few things I noticed, and didn't care for much.  First, some of the cracks just did not get completely covered.  I was under the assumption the paint would be thick enough to simply fill and cover them but I was mistaken.  Apply just enough epoxy to fill those cracks, wipe the rest away and THEN paint, I guarantee it will look much better!

Second, take the time to set up your work area so no bugs, hair, or other debris get on the paint.  Touch ups kind of work, but it looks better just to have it done right the first time.  And finally, take your time and do things right! 

All said and done I am very happy with how it turned out.  From a few feet away and beyond, it looks absolutely stunning.  No more holes, no more cracks!!  It looks great once more!  The white also creates high contrast, which makes the black look super dark, and the white look whiter!  I was debating painting the mirrors white too, but maybe that's too much!?  Anyways, in the second and fourth finished pictures above, you can slightly see the ridges from the epoxy which I didn't sand down completely.  It's a bit more noticeable in person, but again, you would have to be within arms reach to really see it.  The last thing I noticed was that while I painted the top of the front cowling (where you can see paint from the seat) I overlooked the bottom of the bike where the front of the two side cowlings meet.  From select angles you can distinctly see the lime green.  Oh well, it could look cool like that, white with a glowing lime green interior!?

What do you guys think, white, yay or nay!?  My coworkers love it, do you!?

I will post an update in the coming months on the paint durability.  For starters, it's not like a clear coat paint where you can brush dirt off..it sticks.  However, if you take a soft wet cloth, dirt wipes right off.  Trade-offs I suppose!

- Pandabear

If you are going to read one thing, read this please!

Hey Friends,

Just a shorter post today, but a very important one.  Amid the rash of accidents among people from the forums, some resulting in tragic fatalities and serious injuries, I want to tell people to ride extra carefully, especially up in the colder climates such as where I live.

If you don't know a road well and can't see around a corner or over a hill, be cautious, ride the speed limit or maybe even less.
If you are riding with others, ride at YOUR pace, not theirs.  It's okay if you fall behind, but do not exceed your skill level trying to catch up.  All it takes is one mistake to end/seriously mess up your life.
It's nearly winter time and the roads are COLD, even on warmer days with the sun out, the ground is not as warm as in summer.  This plays a factor in the [decreased] amount of grip your tires will provide.  There may also be leaves, ice, salt, sand, and other debris.  Ride carefully, and don't try to lean as much.  If you are dragging hard parts, toes, knees, etc..you are riding too hard/fast, take that to the track.

I took the fun twisty road home from work yesterday, and on the way home two presumably more experienced riders pulled out in front of me.  They immediately started pulling away, and though I wanted to keep up, maybe it was a bit of my ego wanting to show my capabilities (or lack thereof? lol!), I said NO and did not attempt to follow.  The road was unfamiliar to me, with many blind curves over hills.  The surroundings were definitely not conducive to making mistakes without serious consequences AKA I would die if I went off the road.

So please be careful! Definitely have fun, but be cautious about it.

- Pandabear

Hurricane Sandy Pants

Hey everyone,

Just checking in, hope you are all safe.  My bike is sitting outside..I was wondering if it would get blown over but she's standing strong!  Not worried she will blow over, kickstand is pointing with the wind, so it's keeping her planted.  Crazy storm, super windy!!

Hope nobody gets hurt or has any property damage.  Ride it out, and then go out and ride! (when it's safe)

- Pandabear

Beach Ride!

Hello Everyone,

Finally got around to writing up my group ride to the beach from August! Whoa, I am a bum!  I think in this post I would like to first cover what I learned and experienced, and then after, we can jump into the actual ride and memories!

I'd like to say that this is my first official group ride.  We had a total of seven guys riding down to Ocean City, MD.  This was very exciting, but challenging at times, as many of us never rode in a group before. The tough part was keeping the group together, especially at times when traffic picked up.  Fortunately, we had a good leader and a great sweeper, the latter who really kept us together, and would occasionally ride up along side people and indicate that our spacing was too large (don't want a car merging in between the group).  He also made sure to block traffic when we merged as to let the rest of the group in safely.

The Seven Ninjetters!

Compared to solo riding, you really have to pay attention to lane positioning, spacing, speed, and being very predictable all around.  At times I worried about being a complete noob, such as parking properly, making slow turns, and one time trying to shift into first with my kickstand down (turns the bike off!).  Once we got going, this wasn't too much of an issue. Fortuntely, no problems on the way there, though close to our destination it started to rain, and continued to pour well into the night.  On the way back we got soaked, and flying down the highway while cold and wet was the most miserable experience ever.  I thought I was getting hypothermia as it was hard to focus and I nearly felt like letting go completely and laying down (falling and getting massacred).  We hit warmer air just in time, an invisible wall which was at least 10 degrees warmer.  Do yourself a favor and get proper rain gear, or just stay out of the rain.  It can be very dangerous!

High Idling?  Oh well!

Now to the actual ride!  Myself and two others initially met up at my house.  Stopped at Panera for some delicious bagels first, then returned, got packed and suited up, and got on our bikes.  We fueled up real quick, and off we went to meet a few others in Newark.  Got on the highway, zipped through some traffic (my friend is from NYC, he is a great rider, but his style compared to mine is like a crazyman! must be an NYC thing) and reached the other guys.  From there we met up with the final group of guys, rested up a little bit, and took some photos. Then we were off!

How We Arrived at the Beach.  Charming.

Can't say it was a very eventful ride as it was down the highway and through some very slow beach traffic, but it was still enjoyable hearing all the bikes humming down the road.  Occasionally we pulled over to keep in contact with some others we were to meet up with.  At one point when we pulled over, a friend noticed my idle speed was really high, but we could not adjust it (after returning I futzed with it, and got it back to normal).  Oh well!  Fast forward a few hours and we reached the beach.  One member was kind enough to let us use his beach condo as a home base.  There, the  initial three of us (let's call us the Panera crew) took some time to walk down the beach and enjoy the sand and surf.  It was a bit cool and stormy, so we didn't get to go swimming.  I watched the sea gulls float through the air, and admired the way the water rushed over the sand and back to the ocean.  It is fascinating to see how water cuts and erodes everything.  From there, we headed back and went to eat some dinner at a typical beach type restaurant.  The food was good, and we were warm, dry, and merry.

A Stream in the Middle of the Beach

Upon leaving, we noticed a big dark cloud, a very ominous sign of the impending miserable return journey.
We decided to ride through it anyway, and went to stop for gas.  After having some technical difficulties at the pumps, we pulled out into the onslaught of precipitation.  My suit battled for a measly ten minutes before soaking through, and I felt the water filling in my boots and running down my chest and back.  It was cold, very very cold.  I led the crew down some unfamiliar, dark, wet back roads.  There was little visibility and I just hoped we were headed in the right direction.  After what felt like too long, we found the highway.  Jumped on it and were off at a much faster pace.  Bear in mind, at highway speeds, the windchill has a profound effect, and add in being wet, and you can get hypothermia really quickly.  After fortunately making it through back to my hometown area, just prior to getting home we got lost.  We went in every direction except the right one.  Fortunately by then it was warm, so we weren't in danger.

Three some hours later from Ocean City, we got inside, changed, and were relieved to be back.  After all that, we decided it was a good idea to take a car, and get some drinks at the local pub.  It was an exciting, miserable, adventurous, silly, insightful trip, but I am glad I did it anyways.  We had a lot of laughs after.  What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger right?

Park Bike, Take Car, and Get Beer! DO NOT DRINK AND RIDE!!!

Big tip..get some type of rain gear!!  You never know when you may be caught in a random downpour.  It is definitely not fun or safe to ride wet and cold.  Take it seriously if you plan to ride in less than ideal conditions.

Stay safe friends, especially if Hurricane Sandy is coming for you, like it is for me!!

- Pandabear

Seagull Approved This Post

RS Taichi Matrix Overpants

Hey Friends,

My RS Taichi Matrix Overpants came in yesterday, and I got a chance to wear them on the bike to and from work today!  When I ordered them, I asked for a small but the guy at MotoLiberty told me that a medium would be the smallest I should go.  I was hesitant then and I was hesitant when I pulled them out of the box and held them up to myself.  When I put them on, they still seemed too big. However, when I sat on the bike the knee armor was in the right place, which, as the guys at Revzilla stated in a video, is the correct way to judge pant size!

RS Taichi Matrix Overpants

These pants run $150, and they are windproof, waterproof, and somewhat insulated too.  They have hip padding and knee armor (though not as tough as the armor in my 1 piece suit!).  They are made of nylon, so they have a bit of that swishing sound when you walk.  Not a big issue as I don't forsee myself going for strolls in them..off the bike, get inside, take them straight off.

Schoeller Dynatec

They fit well when sitting, and they have Schoeller Dynatec heat resistant material  on the bottom of the legs to resist melting on the exhaust.  They also have nice reflective flaps which you can adjust around your boot to keep cold air out.  Not sure if people will be able to see that reflecting, but I haven't looked down while riding to check which way it was facing.  Since my pants are so long, they can also block the vents at the bottom of my boots which often times let the water in when it rains!

Snazzy Reflective Taichi

They also have adjustable waist straps, and a solid piece of nylon across where the zipper area is, so in case the zipper comes undone in a slide, your lower abdomen won't be ripping across pavement!  I have to wear them up high on my waist, but that is ok for the same reason..in case my jacket gets pulled up, my pants will still be covering my waist and a little north too.  Just to give an idea, I am 5'3" and the medium seems like it would reasonably fit someone who is between 5'3" and perhaps 5'6" or so.  

Out on the bike, they definitely block the wind and keep very warm.  I haven't tested them in cold yet as it's been relatively warm up north, in the low to mid 60's.  I'll follow up when the mercury plummets again.  I will also test it in the rain! The best part is that I don't have that "vulnerable" feeling as I did riding in jeans.  I know I'll have some level of protection - maybe not leather race suit level - but definitely a decent step above jeans.  It is also easier to grip the bike and shift around in the seat!

Ride safe everyone,

Pandabear

New Gear Coming!

Hey Friends,

Cold weather is coming!  Some of it is already here actually!  I got my first taste of cold weather riding, and it was a bad first taste as I didn't have the proper gear.  Still commuting in jeans, jacket, perforated race gloves, my body got really cold.  My hands got quickly numbed in the wind and it was difficult to use the controls.  My legs were cold and my muscles quickly became slow and achy, and it was hard to grip the bike.  This seemed dangerous so I decided to look into winter gear!  Initially I decided that my snowboarding gear would be good for cold/rain, so I put those to the test on the bike...after all, they do work very well on the slopes!

Glamtastic? Heck Yeah!  Waterproof?  Not so much.

Took these out in two conditions..one in low 40 degree weather with light rain, and another in 50 degree weather with an initial downpour.  First time, everything worked well.  They do block the wind completely, and light rain has no effect.  Hands got a little cold though, as I was still wearing the RS Taichi gloves, but keeping your torso warm definitely promotes blood circulation to the extremities.  Second time with this gear, not so good.  I was fortunate this time to have gotten some "severely cold weather, hike mountains in blizzards" type gloves from Eddie Bauer, the Heli Guide gloves for a whopping $150.   I was disappointed when they arrived though.  The material definitely worked, but they felt so flimsy and cheap.

$150?  Might as well burn your money instead.

First..a fun little video of testing the gloves waterproofing.. - Also, sorry for the poor quality, I recorded using my junky laptop webcam instead of the HD camera on my phone.  I didn't want my phone falling into the water!

So yes, my test, and riding in the storm proved the gloves' rain-busting ability.  Unfortunately in the huge rainstorm, I found out on the way to work that though my gloves and jacket were seemingly immune to the water, my snow pants...well let's just say when I got to work I had to pull a Billy Madison.."Peeing your pants is cool!!!"  The rain rolled right over and down my tank and into my lap, where it soaked right on through.

Ok so pants were a no go, at least until I apply some type of waterproofing material, boots were as usual fine until water rolled in through the heel -boot covers coming soon-, and then jacket sure (by the way, I wear the jacket over my armored motorcycle jacket, just an fyi!). Gloves, I still wanted to test further.    They were great in the rain, sure, but how about in colder conditions?

Took them out in high 30's low 40's conditions, dry this time, and rode to work.  What I found was that after 30 minutes my finger tips began to tingle and ended up numb!  These are $150 gloves which are windproof and waterproof, with supposedly excellent insulation, and my fingers are still getting cold?  What a shame.  I ended up deciding that I will return them in the next few days.

As for wet/cold legs, and cold fingers I ended up ordering more motorcycle specific items!  And of course, as I love my RS Taichi gear so much, both articles are made by them!  I decided that I should definitely get some over pants with knee and hip armor.  Ordered the RST Matrix Overpants which are coming in tomorrow after work!  I also ordered RST e-heat winter gloves, battery operated gloves with multiple heat selections.  Hope these two work well, and I will post reviews when I get them!

I put my trust in RS Taichi! Top notch quality!

Have a great night everyone!

- Pandabear

Worry Not!

I know I haven't posted in a while..but fear not.

I am alive and well!  Just been quite busy! I still need to write about my beach trip from weeks and weeks ago, I'll get to that soon.  It's been getting colder and colder lately, so mornings are getting a bit challenging to ride in.  Today on the way to work, it was nice out but I got stuck behind a truck who decided 15mph under the speed limit (30 in a 45) on a two lane road is an acceptable thing to do.  I ended up gunning it around him.  I feel bad, and definitely not making that a common occurrence, but man, it was better to just pass him then get all angry behind him!

Anyways, I'll be working on my beach ride this weekend, nothing planned really!

- Pandabear

Wow! Nearly wet myself!

Hey everyone..!

It's been a little while.  I still have a backlog of trips to write about, but today I had a small incident which freaked me out.  So I figured I'd share this first.

I was on my way to Starbucks and was making a 180 degree uphill corner, leaned over but not excessively, brakes untouched, when all of a sudden my rear tired slid out!  I'm not sure if the bike stood up itself or my reaction caused it to stand up, but it wobbled and straightened up in a flash.  I thought for a split second I was going to highside or something.  Fortunately I kept somewhat on the throttle and rode it out.

I was initially really worried and scared, but I had a good chuckle about it afterwards.  It happens, I saved it (actually I think the bike saved itself, I just didn't make things worse), and my pride remains intact!  On returning to the location when leaving, I noticed there wasn't any dirt, oil, paint, water..anything.  My tire just did not grip well enough, or perhaps I overloaded the tire?  There are some things to consider now!

Anyways, three weeks overdue, but I will start writing up my first group ride to the beach, hopefully this evening!  There will be videos and pictures! Woo!

- Pandabear

Rant time!

ARGH!

I got stuck riding behind someone doing 25mph.  It started sprinkling while I was making a quick trip so I didn't want to dilly dally.  Guy was in his own zone I guess.  I was itching to go around him, but I waited until he was about to make a turn.

Get to the store and on the way out there's a lady broken down in the right turn lane.  So I go around, stop, and then start making my turn.  I turned my head left to check for cars, and then made my right turn. Boom,   turn my head around and there is this idiot driving a huge van, making an illegal u-turn in the MIDDLE OF THE FOUR LANE STREET!!! Literally, there are tons of places to turn around, shopping centers everywhere, and the guy was too lazy.  Worst part is that since the van was so big, he ended up making a 3 point turn, thus being at a dead stop across both lanes

ARGH!!  IF ONLY I WAS GODZILLA RIGHT NOW!!

That is all.

- Pandabear

First Video!? How to Swap an Arai Visor!

Hey Everyone,

I made a first video..not riding though!  It was a combination of a test and some information.  I wanted to capture how to easily swap an Arai visor.  The first time it took me 30 minutes..but over the months I got much better at it.  So here it is!

Hope it helps! Enjoy!

- Pandabear

EthioKnight sticker, Idle Speed, and...Premium Gas??

Hey Everyone,

Two posts in one day! I couldn't get enough!

Three things here. First:

I put my EthioKnight remembrance sticker on my motorcycle, front and center.

Second, on my ride to Ocean City, Maryland, a friend, fellow Ninjette member nycsteve pointed out that my idle speed was really high, at 3K RPM.  I have no clue why this was, and I thought it was because the engine was hot, but nobody else's bike was doing that!  A few people tried turning it but with no avail.  Today, I decided I would give it a shot, and without gloves, I turned the idle speed knob in both directions to figure it out.  

In case you are wondering, to lower the RPM's you have to turn the knob to your left (counterclockwise) and through that resistance type feel.  It may feel like you are going to break it or something, but don't worry, that's right.  As soon as you push through that resistance, you'll hear/see the RPM's drop.  Obviously make sure your bike is running and is on neutral!!!!  The user manual says to keep it within roughly 1,250-1,350RPM.  I set mine to about that range, though I found the lower limit by listening to the bike.  It'll get to the point where the bike sounds like it is struggling to stay on, and at that point I stopped, and turned it back a hair above that.  

What is the effect of changing your idle speed, that is, lowering it from a high idle?  I'm not sure if it is a universal effect, but at least for mine, I instantly noticed an immense increase in throttle response.  It is easier to feel that low end power (not that there is much), and it is also easier to control the throttle.  Much better! And now that brings us to the last point of this evening.

I went to the gas station to fill up gas.  I unlocked the tank, inserted the nozzle, and then pressed the 87 octane button.  I am 1000000% sure I did, as I had just looked above it at the price ($3.759) before pushing it.  Upon getting home, I noticed on the receipt that I was charged for premium!!  The issue here is not the price ($4.059), which amounts to a piddly 83 cents, but the fact that their pump is charging people incorrectly!  I went in and told the "manager" and he just looked at me and told me I must have pushed the premium button, and that no one else mentioned anything (I rode home before I noticed, and only because I use fuelly.  Most others probably don't check once they click regular).  I insisted that I chose the correct button and all he said was I'll tell his manager (which he probably won't).  I haven't noticed any difference in the bike performance, so I'm not sure which type of gas ACTUALLY went in. But man, that is really weird. Anyone else have this happen? Maybe I am just crazy? No clue.  But it genuinely irked me enough to ride all the way back to check.

I guess that's my little story for today..!

Have a great evening,

-Pandabear

Just a picture!

Hey,

So I'm a bit of a Lord of the Rings nerd and I stumbled across this picture. Had a great laugh, for some reason I found it very amusing! So I thought I'd share the love:

Who else loves LOTR?!

- Pandabear

Endurance ride? I guess 8 hours counts!

Hey Everyone,

Promised you this update, so I've been chugging away at it for the last few days.  Put this off for quite a while, maybe call it writer's block? So here I am Sunday night getting this done!  This is the story of...my awesome 8 hour long adventure!

I woke up last Saturday morning ready to go.  I packed my backpack with cards, water bottle, phone, and tools, and strapped that down to the rear seat using bungee cords.  I definitely was not going to try to shove my phone into the tail again and have the screen get even more scratched..!  I suited up, put on my new gloves, and headed over to the gas station to top off the tank, and fill some air in the tires.  Got the usual crazy looks, laughed to myself, and hit the road.  First stop, breakfast!

On the way to Helena's Chocolate Cafe & Creperie in Carlisle, my buddy spotted me and joined up.  We ate some awesome crepe's, with my friend enjoying his first crepe ever.  Hopping on our bikes, we too were fueled up, and off we went.  We got directly onto Waggoner's Gap road, and took the curves quicker than the first time since we knew what to expect.  I practiced some more body positioning, and successfully hung off and took some very smooth turns.  Once over the mountain we went past where we stopped on the last adventure, and continued north.

At the four-way stop there, a group of teenagers pulled out laughing (presumably at my suit? haha), and were in front of us, stomping on the gas.  At first I took bait and pinned the throttle, catching up to them, but they were most likely familiar with the roads, and also had four patches of rubber to grip the earth, so I let off at once, slowing to our normal pace.  I was glad I did, as the road became suddenly very twisty, with hills thrown into the mix.  This set up for several blind corners which caused us to have quick reactions.  Freely tossing my body from on side to the other, I beat down twist after turn, keeping the bike on rail.

We came out to the next intersection where we turned to and followed a long open country road, a gently curving, scenic route which led us into a quaint little, and I truly mean little, town.  It seemed like one of those places where everyone knew their neighbor.  As I was consulting my trust phone to help lead us on to our next road (which was conveniently also the sign in the picture below...274 West. I have trouble reading signs apparently!), we had a huge group of bikers ride through in the direction from which we came.  The group was mostly choppers and cruisers, but there were some sport bikes and dual sports with them.  We stood there for a solid five minutes waving at the caravan! Unfortunately I did not get a video, I wish I thought about it at the time!

Once they were gone, we got back on the bikes, and turned onto 274 West.  It was another country road, straight for as far as the eye could see, littered with farms of corn and happy cows. We took some time to capture a few pictures along the way, as it was a wonderfully open place with beautiful clouds and rolling hills in the background.

As we progressed farther down this road, the scenery began to change.  Farms were replaced with towering trees as we entered Tuscarora State Forest.  The trees formed a beautiful canopy, hiding the road from the sun.  The air felt much cooler as we tore up the hill further into the forest.  The surroundings were absolutely gorgeous, and being on the bike gave me this feeling of being free. I was thinking at the time, this is what we are supposed to be doing, out here exploring the world, not cooped up in a cubicle all day, 5 days a week, for the rest of our lives.  I wish I could have gotten photos but it there was no safe place to pull over as the shoulders were nonexistent.

As we got into the hilly section of the forest, the road decided to get all tangled, throwing at us two wonderful but terribly challenging turns.  Well ok, I take that back, one beautiful tight but smooth curve, and one curve from the hot place down under!  We took the first turn gracefully, leaning in at 25mph, exiting at 45 to another uphill stretch.  I was delighted to see the pavement rush beneath me just a foot away, but fortunately not up close and personal!  The second corner was not forgiving at all.  It was a right hand hook, blind due to the mountain wall, decreasing radius, with gravel and a cherry on top.  For a millisecond I imagined myself wiping out and being munched on by yet another guard rail, but I stuck to my line and hope, and came out safely.

But the fun didn't end there!  As we were going up the final hill, I saw some hawks circling above us.  Just as I was thinking, "oh how cool, look at them soaring," one dive bombed me!  It was coming out of a tree very rapidly and I thought it was going to try to eat me (C'mon, I'm not that small!).  I ducked instinctively and was glad to see it fly away.  At the top of the hill I saw something rustle in the vegetation and I saw yet another hawk eyeing me up in the bushes.  We stared each other down for that split second, and I think he got scared as he did not try to attack!

After coming out of the forest alive and unharmed, it opened up into more country roads.  We ended up in another town.  We took some pictures and while shooting, one guy passing by in a truck, stopped near us, and started posing for pictures!  He laughed and proceeded on, leaving us in quite the humorous state.  We took the next turn, which led us on another very long and straight country road right alongside the rolling hill we saw previously saw in the distance (the one in the earlier picture!).  Road completely empty, we enjoyed cruising through the farms, occasionally honking at the cows and goats grazing in the adjacent fields.  We ended up at another intersection.  Once parked there, we were passed by racing trucks, farm vehicles, and even a pretty speedy golf cart.  It must have been souped up, and probably had more horsepower than my bike lol!

We took a little break here in this gravel parking lot (or whatever it was) to have some water and stretch out a bit.  I had no clue what the place was, or where exactly we were, but that wasn't a problem.  The day wasn't about schedules, it was about being spontaneous and just doing whatever we wanted.  The road was quite tempting though, so we didn't linger too long.

That's right, bring on the curves! MOAR! My little Ninja was eating up the miles, and I didn't want to hold it back from rightly doing so.  We mounted up and continued on, mush little Ninjette!

We followed the road until we got to the next intersection where we met our return tarmac home.  It was a slower road, through more wooded areas and little winding creeks.  Yet this was probably the best kept secret of the area.  It was bend after bend after bend, all of which allowed my green machine to sing and dance.  I made sure to stay anchored, pick my lines, and hang off properly, and I can easily say that road was the most fun I had that day.  Alas, it eventually came to an end, and it went out with a bang because we were challenged to a duel, a terrible grated bridge which shook my bike and made it snake along the metal grating.  It wasn't too bad, but it definitely was not a pleasant feeling.  I stayed loose on the handlebars, and the bike sorted itself out fine.

After a few more roads scattered here and there, we decided to take Waggoner's gap again, this time the reverse route.  Boy was it weird!  The first turn was an extremely sharp uphill hairpin.  I went wide since I genuinely was concerned about bottoming out or destroying [more] plastic.  And on top of that, we had a huge impatient pick up truck behind us, which threw off my concentration a bit.  After that, it was easier as the other turns were a bit wider and more consistent.  We stopped at the top to take pictures, for during our first trip we realized how epic the view was, and this time we could not leave without photos!

Finally, we left the top of the world, and headed back home.  Along the way, the road split suddenly, throwing me off guard, and I went straight instead of veering right to stay on course.  We ended up in near this Amish looking house, and I pulled up behind a buggy.  As I looked around to get my bearings, this cute but slightly roughed up looking border collie came over.  It was a quiet, somewhat downtrodden looking dog, but friendly none the less.

Those kinds of times are why getting lost is sometimes a good thing.  I wish I could have taken him with me, that's the exact kind of dog I want.  But sadly I could not stay long and play, so I scratched his ears a bit, petted him, and then returned to the road.  On the way back, we stopped at this frozen yogurt place, Sweet Frog, and I got some delicious cake batter frozen yogurt with cookie dough.  It was delicious!!!
After that, we finally returned home, and after I hung up the suit in my closet, I felt exhilarated but very much drained.  I took a long nap, and decided that day was one of the best in quite a while.

Long post I know, but it does reflect the long ride it was. There are some more photos, which I have posted to my photo account (link on the right side of the page).  It took a while to get this written, and I'm already backed up!  This weekend I went on a long group ride down to the beach, my first group ride ever.  I will start writing it up this week hopefully, unless I get lazy again haha.

Thanks for reading everyone!

- Pandabear

RS Taichi GP-WRX Gloves

Helllooooooooo Neverland!! Oh wait. That's not right. Well what is right are these gloves...they are the bomb!

So as you all know my previous Icon Pursuit (of garbage) gloves were falling apart.  I ordered a pair of RS Taichi GP-WRX gloves so that I wouldn't be glove-less when I send the Icon gloves for repair.  I received them last Monday and have been breaking them in since.  I can confidently say that I will never go back to shorty gloves..these give me a lot of confidence that if I do go down again, my hands will remain safe!

First impressions? The quality is top notch.  Double stitching, proper size velcro panels, good leather, great armor, its all there.  The fit is excellent too, perfect for my short fingers!  The look is amazing and the feel is decent on the bike.

Yeah and that's right, carbon fiber weave! Looks sick, and I trust it will do its duty if I ever go down.  I ended up getting the gloves in black.  As much as I love white, I saw how DIRTY my white gloves became, so I chose the opposite.  Being lazy, for the win!

The gauntlet is a little bit narrow so it makes wrapping my jacket or suit underneath a little challenging.  At first it was tedious but now I've gotten used to it and it takes barely any effort.  There is a wrist closure, and then a larger panel on top.  It is neat how the wrist closure sticks to the velcro and then the large panel closes on top of that for double security.  I never manage to get that accomplished though since it gets a little too tight if I try to pull the large panel all the way over.  

Speaking of wrist closure though..BLAM! Take a look below.

This angle shows the cool function of the wrist closure.  If you pull it straight across (down in the picture above), it just tightens around your wrist.  If you pull it downwards (to the left in the picture) it actually tugs the leather down between your index finger and thumb.  The Icon gloves didn't have that feature and on the bike that section would bother me on longer rides when I had to constantly hold the throttle.  The leather would bunch up a bit there and irritate me.  These gloves, not a problem!  

Should be noted however that at first, and if you tug too hard, once on the bike the metal fastener section will dig into your wrist as you are riding.  That is NOT fun, however as the glove stretches out a bit, the problem reduces greatly.  I went for an all day ride and did not feel uncomfortable.

How is this glove on the controls?  Well on the throttle it is VERY grippy.  I barely have to hold on to feel grip. This lets me barely squeeze and keep speed consistent.  Also, overall, I have a much lighter grip on the bars, which promotes improved handling all around.  My big issue at first was that I could not control the clutch too well, so I'd either beat on the clutch more than I used to, or all of a sudden let it snap back and have the bike try to buck me off (glad I learned how to anchor myself, take that bike!).  I was worried it was always going to be that situation, however after a day or two of riding, the gloves broke in well enough and I got used to them.  Smooth controls all around.  

I can confidently say that I'm more...confident.  Though it was a little more difficult to get used to the gloves at first, now riding is easier than ever, and a little bit safer too.  Like I said, I can't go back now, these gloves have spoiled me!  At a price of $160 bucks, these are worth every penny.

Check back later in the week.  I WILL get my great adventure finished.  Lots of exciting pictures!

Here's a little teaser picture :)

- Pandabear

A Request For All Readers

Hey Everyone,

Here is a request from me.  This week, practice some safe driving/riding.  If you already do, great, keep it up and keep improving.  If you don't, well now's a good time to start. Some random tips from the top of my head:
Drive the speed limit (+/- a few), don't tailgate, leave earlier so you don't rush to your destination, put your phone down, turn your head before changing lanes/merging (twice is better), signal BEFORE moving/braking for a turn, anticipate lights so you can slow down in time, anticipate other drivers so you have time to react, and most importantly just RELAX.  Everything will be much more easy if you aren't raging on the road.

Let's keep our roads safe. Let's put the safety of others before our own interests.
Drive safe and have a good week!

- Pandabear

Yes I still haven't forgotten about the review and weekend ride, will get working on them soon!

Lost One of Our Own.

Lost one of our Ninjette.org members today, lost one of our community.  Rest in peace EthioKnight.
8-10-12

Sad day for all of us.

This is for you Alex. Hope you like it!

Bumpy and Twisty Adventure

Hey friends,

A lot of things have been going on this week..some very serious and disheartening, others positive and reassuring.  I will still review my new RS Taichi gloves this weekend, but this post on my recent weekend excursion will be shortened a bit, especially since I did not get a chance to take any photos (though I wish I did, there was some beautiful scenery!).

Took another trip with a local friend.  We were hunting for two very curvy roads which both turned out to be thrilling.  After getting lost several times, we finally found the first road, called Pine Hill Road.  20MPH speed limits for good reasons!  We hit curve after curve, and at one point, we were going around a blind corner in a  decent leftwards lean, only to be surprised to see a very sharp curve to the right.  Not a problem I thought, as I shifted from left to right, starting to hang off a bit on starboard side.  But quickly I noticed after initiating rightward lean that there was some sort of gravel up ahead.  I tried to straighten up a bit, but was still far over.  As I got on top of that gravel line, I noticed it wasn't gravel at all, but a lane length, foot wide chunk of road missing, a few inches deep.  At that point I stayed loose, kept looking where I wanted to go, and just hoped for the best.  My rear tire bounced and skipped a bit, I was shaken while being thrown slightly wide in the turn, but I managed to ride it out and stay safe.  Yeah..not going on that road again..

We rode some more, and finally found the second desirable road, Waggoner's Gap Road.  It's over a moderately tall "mountain" (hill), with some beautiful turns on pristine pavement.  We took them slowly, but I made sure I used good form and technique from what I learned from Twist of the Wrist 2, and I found I had some great exit speeds, slow in fast out!!  My friend did not have the same knowledge (or any knowledge of body positioning/anchoring for that matter) and had a little trouble keeping up, even on a 650cc bike.  I later told him about Keith Code. Anyways, the point of our ride was just to have fun and see some nice views, so we got a great taste of it going up the mountain. We looked to our left and saw the entire valley, miles of quilted fields.  Everything was beautiful and the weather was perfect at the moment.  The return leg was along a peaceful stream.  There were people out on the rocks going fishing, and enjoying the outdoors.  I hope to stop there tomorrow on my next adventure, and take some pictures.

Finally, after four hours of riding it was time to go home.  The sky began to get dark and we began to see lightning and a very light mist.  A few miles from my apartment, it turned into sheets of rain, booming thunder, and illuminating flashes of lightning.  Though my suit got slightly wet, it did not take much to dry.  My gloves as usual were the worst.  I do not wear them anymore since I have the Taichi's, but they have yet to be fixed.  Seems like people are dragging their feet instead of their knees!!

Look forward to some pictures soon!

-Pandabear

And as a last note..please cherish the time you have on this Earth. Nobody knows how long they have. Even when you are having a bad day for some reason, think about all the good things, and the fond memories.  Remember that YOU are in control of your life.  Live it how you want to, be positive, and always SMILE!!

Riding Twisties in da Morning, New Gloves on Monday!

Hey friends,

Just a quick little post here this fine evening/night!  I've scouted google maps for some good twisty roads the last week and finally found some mountain type roads.  Will be hitting them up (slowly) tomorrow morning.  Hopefully my tires are properly worn in and there is no gravel this time!  Wearing the suit so I don't get too scraped up if I do go down (knock on wood!). Before I leave though, I will fill up some air, my tires are 4psi low in both the front and back, so that is a must.

In other news, my Icon Pursuit gloves are being returned soon and will be repaired/replaced.  On Monday my new gloves will arrive, a nice pair of RS Taichi GP-WRX full gauntlet gloves, in black.  I will post pictures and a review then!!  I will be fully prepared gear-wise..besides the back protector of course!

Wish me luck tomorrow!

- Pandabear

RS Taichi in the Rain!! River Route Riding!

Hey Friends,

I wish I had a GoPro camera to record my rides!  This past weekend I took a trip up north to visit one of my college friends.  I got to ride along the Susquehanna River on Route 11&15 and it was such a beautiful ride. The river was smooth and blue, with tons of little green islands spotted throughout.  It was warm, slightly breezy, and sunny, perfect weather...until I hit a random storm cloud.  In a matter of seconds the sky was dark and grey, the wind picked up and began blowing me around a bit (alleviated by tucking), and then the downpour began.  I was wearing my RST suit, and it did a great job of actually repelling a little bit of water.  My gloves were soaked again but the suit was decently dry.  Regardless, I pulled into a McDonald's and waited it out.

Once the rain ended, I resumed my ride and entered the countryside to witness beautiful, green, rolling hills and smooth winding roads. It was 70 miles each way, and besides the little bit of rain, it was a very pleasant trip!

Enjoy the rest of the week everyone, TGIF tomorrow!

- Pandabear

Icon Pursuit Gloves...??

Hey friends,

I'm a little bit agitated about one piece of gear I own.  My Icon pursuit gloves..
For $65 US, I expected a better quality glove.  I know that yes, gloves do receive more wear and tear than the rest of the gear, but I don't believe ANY decent gloves should wear out in just 3 months, 2000 miles.
Here's what happened:

Velcro is ripping right out of the glove.  Also, not shown, some of the stitching inside the glove is also coming undone.  These are the gloves I crashed in, but they did NOT touch the ground.  I also thought these gloves were going to be thicker, like they were depicted in pictures, but they were much thinner when I saw them in person.  All I can say is that I'm a bit disappointed.  I wish I spent a little more and got RS Taichi gloves, or some Alpinestars gloves.

Sad times..

- Pandabear.

UPDATE: Still no luck.  People I purchased the gloves from won't help.  They told me it is "overused."  Let's see what Icon says.  If they refuse to help too, looks like it's a company that won't stand by it's product.  Typical these days.  Will buy RS Taichi gloves when I have the money...

UPDATE #2: Two months went by but finally got everything sorted out.  The people at ICON are very helpful, and they ended up sending me brand new gloves!  Very happy how it turned out.
Upon reflection, the glove is pretty good otherwise.  Maybe getting them wet was a factor to the weak stitching?  The leather itself was holding up very well!

Highway Flying.

Hey everyone,

Took the bike to the highway this weekend wearing the RS Taichi suit.  It was a fairly comfortable ride, and the bike itself had no problems going fast.  Sure, it doesn't take off from 70 mph like a rocket, but it's fairly on par with most vehicles.  A few points I passed at 90 mph, and everything felt smooth and easy.  My trip each way was 100 miles, not too long, and cruising along, it felt like a very short ride compared to driving in my car.  Everything looked much different from on top of a bike rather than behind a wheel.

The suit was rather comfortable, and didn't really billow around in the wind.  One discomfort I felt was achy feet from the footpegs.  Not sure what caused this other than having a lot of weight on them.  The second, more major discomfort was the wind noise.  Unless in a full tuck, the wind is loud and tiring.  After a while it's hard to hear your bike.  Ear plugs are a must if you want to ride on the highway.  In town under 60mph the wind doesn't affect you much but above that it gets quite noisy.

As far as everyone saying the Ninja 250R gets blown around a lot?  Not at all, I barely was pushed.  I passed many large trucks and never got the sensation of getting hit by a large gust.  I always tucked down when passing, so that probably helped greatly.  I felt very confident in the ninja's ability to cruise on the highway.  Granted, the RPM's were insanely high...10k around 70mph..12k around 90mph...but that wasn't much of a bother since the noise from the wind was much much louder.

All in all, it was a very easy trip.  The suit added greatly to my comfort level, I learned that riding on the highway isn't that bad afterall, and that ear plugs are a must!  Protect your hearing!

Take care friends,

Pandabear

RS Taichi GP-X S207 and Rev'It! Tarmac

Hey friends,

Here is a review of two awesome 1 piece leather race suits.  I received both from Motoliberty down in Texas.  The first was the Rev'It! Tarmac in white and black, and the second was the RS Taichi GP-X S207 in white and black as well. The first thing I noticed when pulling both suits out of the box was that the Rev'It! was a decent bit lighter than the RS Taichi. I think it was about 13lbs or so where as the Taichi was probably a little over 14lbs.  Both are made from standard drum dyed leather and have CE rated knee, shoulder, and elbow armor.  So let's start with the Rev'It!

The retail price of this suit is $1299, and so it is slightly higher priced than the RS Taichi which comes in at $949.  While the leather and overall construction quality isn't much better, there are some small differences in features which I think warrant the price.  I'll get to that in a second.  First, the fitment.  The suit I got was Euro size 46.  Laying it next to the Taichi, in Euro size 48, it actually looked two to three inches longer.  Trying it on confirmed this thought, and though it was easy to put on and was comfortable throughout, it was a bit baggy at the knees and lower legs.  That made putting on my Spidi VR6 boots a little more difficult.
I went out and sat on the bike and it seemed comfortable enough, but I did not take it for a test ride as I didn't want it to get dirty unless I knew for sure I would keep it.

Now for the features. The sliders are dual composition sliders.  They have a plastic mount with aluminum inserts, which I was a big fan of.  Also to justify the price, there were elbow sliders as well.  Also included was an extra set of kevlar stretch panels at the elbows which made bending my arms that much easier.  Definitely added to the comfort a bit.

The knee pucks also seemed to be a little more hefty and at least incorporated the rev'it! design.  These little things show attention to details which I find improve aesthetics and overall appeal and comfort.  There is also plenty of perforation throughout the suit which will keep you cool on hotter days.

A really nice feature, which I think I would unfortunately probably not use just due to the hassle of it (in my eyes anyways) is the aero hump on the back of the suit.  It actually has a zipper (see below) which opens and allows you to place a hydration bag and run the tube out and over the shoulder (with little elastic clips to hold the tube), allowing you to drink while riding.

Now for the RS Taichi GP-X S207.  As far as fitment goes, it was much much more difficult to put on...the reason for this being that once it was on, it literally fit like a glove, meaning that it was decently tight fitting and the clearly right size. In my opinion, the suit overall looks a lot cleaner and appealing.  Obviously since it is cheaper, there were some things which I wish it had, specifically a larger zipper stay, and the stretch panels at the elbows.  It is a bit hard to bend the elbows which isn't an issue on the bike, but off the bike it would a nice feature. 
I do feel as though there is a lot more perforation which is nice since lately it has been horrendously hot. Also, again with the fitment, the knees were very clean and felt smooth.  They did not bunch up and it was very easy to zip the sport boots around them.  Now I understand why boots have such large calf openings.  When riding in jeans they are quite loose but with a suit, they fit very snug.

An extremely nice feature which in my opinion trumps the aluminum sliders of the Rev'It! is the inclusion of shoulder slider air vents.  On a hot day (or on all hot days since this crazy heat wave has stricken the nation), it allows massive amounts of airflow into the suit, as well as through the aero hump on the back.  May not provide as much crash protection, and hope not to have to find out, but for street riding and such, it is a very welcome feature.

The knee sliders were just basic black, nothing fancy, but I'd imagine they get the job done.  I probably won't ever test them out on the street, but eventually when I make it to the track one day, they'll probably work fine.  Perhaps they may be even cheaper to replace since they are basic! Always look for the positives lol!

The back of the suit is fairly standard.  Typical stretch panel and double layered leather on the butt.  No water harness in the hump but it also allows for increased airflow so that's always good in my book.

So clearly, RS Taichi sizes run smaller than other companies.  The 48 fits me perfectly yet the Rev'It! 46 is too large.  So much for standardization!  But that does give hope for short guys like me.  Standing at a whopping 5'3", much like Dani Pedrosa, I have found the company which supports the munchkins!

Now for the most important part.  The Ride. Although I was first a little unstable due to getting used to the new natural body position of the suit, it became second nature once moving.  First and foremost I immediately noticed a vast improvement in my technique.  Since leather grips way better than cotton jeans, and the knee pads being secure and padded, I barely had to squeeze to get a firm grip on the tank.  I didn't even realize I was doing it and didn't get exhausted.  This translated into very light responses and dramatically improved handling with less fatigue. 

I went out when it was 95 degrees and I was very comfortable.  The shoulder vents let in massive amounts of air and down into my back regardless of how I sat.  Sitting more upright, the front perforation cooled me down pretty well.  Tucked down onto the bike, the hump channeled plenty of air down my back.  The kevlar stretch material around the back of the legs allowed me to move around on the seat better and to transition from one side to the other easily without bunching clothing.

And finally, instead of flapping jeans in the wind, the leather cut right through, with no billowing.  It made for a much more comfy ride for sure, and I felt much safer and more confident.  I got many looks from interested drivers.  I guess they are more used to seeing squids than people wearing proper gear!!  Better safe than sorry I always say.

So in the end, I kept the RS Taichi GP-X S207.  Secretly, I had been hoping that it would fit better anyways because I had my eye on it for the longest time.  The guys at sportbiketrackgear.com said it would probably be baggy, but Audrey at Motoliberty said it would probably fit decently well.  It ended up fitting like a custom suit, and I am one happy Pandabear! 

As far as having a 1-piece suit for the streets?  Maybe not the best for going to the store and whatnot since it's a bit of a struggle to get in and out of, but for having fun and longer rides, especially on the highway, (and obviously track is a must) it is worth every penny, no lie.

Hope you enjoyed the rather long comparison review!

- Pandabear

P.S. Sorry for the sections that have some weird white highlighting going on.  I have no clue why it appeared in random places, it must be a glitch.