Hey Friends,
Shortest post yet! Going out for a colder weather group ride, the high is about 50F here, and out for 3 hours or so. Glad I have all my RS Taichi gear to keep me warm. The mornings are hovering around 30-35F so my commute will be getting much more chilly!
Who else is still riding!?
- Pandabear
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Non-stop Action! I love BT-016 Pro's! MOAR GEAR! Some close calls...
Hey friends,
I have been sooo busy these days I barely have the time to breathe! My new job is amazing, and I get to ride 2 hours a day! A lot has been going on, but I am still riding like a crazy man. My bike rolled over 10,000 miles a little while ago, and I think it's almost up to 11,000 now. I got this bike at the end of February and it's still running as strong as ever. Lube chain, change oil and filter, rinse, repeat...so far no issues. We've been through 3 drops (my poor baby) and a hit and run. I recently sanded and painted my bar ends so they look better. You can see in the picture, I'm clearly a helpless noob, but I managed to fair well enough.
I am very happy with my tires! The stock BT-016's lasted roughly 5,000 miles rear, 5,500 front. Bridgestone claims that the Pro version has 20% more grip, and lasts 20% longer. I can't really comment on the grip, as I think I've had more slides than on stocks (although now that I recall, most of the time it's been due to gravel and dead critters - long parenthesis story..I hit some type of dead beaver once and had this HUGE blood splatter on my lower fairing. I never got around to washing it so it was on there for weeks lol), however, I can attest to the longevity. 6,000 rear, 5,500 front, and depending on how courageous I am, can probably go another 1,000 miles for each. Not bad for about 230 a set from RevZilla!
My SENA headset has proved to me that it is really worth every penny. I still have to create a video for installing it, maybe finally this weekend (I have time, yay!). My friends and I use it on all our rides...no more hand signals or guessing games. We do have a bunch of "choreographed" moves and switches though which probably impresses cagers around us hahaha...no really, it does! I'd bet you 25 cents! Anyways, for my commute, I listen to some music and it makes it a lot more enjoyable when I get stuck in traffic.
Yesterday I got a new leather jacket, the one I've been eyeing for many months. If you are a regular reader of mine, you can probably guess what brand it is...I got the RS Taichi GMX Motion jacket in black and white. I'll review it tomorrow after more "field testing." Maybe I should just call this "road testing" since I really don't want to ride around in a field on a sportbike.
Finally, after moving back home, I've found that people drive like animals - much worse than in Mechanicsburg. I see people run red lights regularly (while people are clearly already turning...), I've been nearly merged into on several occasions, I am tailgated on a daily basis, and I've had a few people pull out in front of me or cut me off.
Take today for example! Rode back from work, and 100 feet from my house, I come to a stop sign with my left turn signal on. I saw a car coming from the other side of the four way stop, but I had the right of way as I got there well ahead. As I start turning to get onto my street I noticed that the girl driving didn't even stop at the sign, and went straight through. Would have plowed into me if I didn't stop. Unbelievable! :End Rant:
Life has ups and downs, but for me right now, it is mostly ups! Regardless of random little first world problems, things are going well. I'm glad I had a little bit of time to write tonight. I think I actually get more joy from writing these posts than slogging away at creating videos. They are time intensive! Anyways, long story short, great friends, great riding, great times.
Ride safe!
- Pandabear
I have been sooo busy these days I barely have the time to breathe! My new job is amazing, and I get to ride 2 hours a day! A lot has been going on, but I am still riding like a crazy man. My bike rolled over 10,000 miles a little while ago, and I think it's almost up to 11,000 now. I got this bike at the end of February and it's still running as strong as ever. Lube chain, change oil and filter, rinse, repeat...so far no issues. We've been through 3 drops (my poor baby) and a hit and run. I recently sanded and painted my bar ends so they look better. You can see in the picture, I'm clearly a helpless noob, but I managed to fair well enough.
 |
| A little orange peel...meh. |
 |
| Painting Fail. Patience, I has none! |
I am very happy with my tires! The stock BT-016's lasted roughly 5,000 miles rear, 5,500 front. Bridgestone claims that the Pro version has 20% more grip, and lasts 20% longer. I can't really comment on the grip, as I think I've had more slides than on stocks (although now that I recall, most of the time it's been due to gravel and dead critters - long parenthesis story..I hit some type of dead beaver once and had this HUGE blood splatter on my lower fairing. I never got around to washing it so it was on there for weeks lol), however, I can attest to the longevity. 6,000 rear, 5,500 front, and depending on how courageous I am, can probably go another 1,000 miles for each. Not bad for about 230 a set from RevZilla!
My SENA headset has proved to me that it is really worth every penny. I still have to create a video for installing it, maybe finally this weekend (I have time, yay!). My friends and I use it on all our rides...no more hand signals or guessing games. We do have a bunch of "choreographed" moves and switches though which probably impresses cagers around us hahaha...no really, it does! I'd bet you 25 cents! Anyways, for my commute, I listen to some music and it makes it a lot more enjoyable when I get stuck in traffic.
Yesterday I got a new leather jacket, the one I've been eyeing for many months. If you are a regular reader of mine, you can probably guess what brand it is...I got the RS Taichi GMX Motion jacket in black and white. I'll review it tomorrow after more "field testing." Maybe I should just call this "road testing" since I really don't want to ride around in a field on a sportbike.
Finally, after moving back home, I've found that people drive like animals - much worse than in Mechanicsburg. I see people run red lights regularly (while people are clearly already turning...), I've been nearly merged into on several occasions, I am tailgated on a daily basis, and I've had a few people pull out in front of me or cut me off.
Take today for example! Rode back from work, and 100 feet from my house, I come to a stop sign with my left turn signal on. I saw a car coming from the other side of the four way stop, but I had the right of way as I got there well ahead. As I start turning to get onto my street I noticed that the girl driving didn't even stop at the sign, and went straight through. Would have plowed into me if I didn't stop. Unbelievable! :End Rant:
Life has ups and downs, but for me right now, it is mostly ups! Regardless of random little first world problems, things are going well. I'm glad I had a little bit of time to write tonight. I think I actually get more joy from writing these posts than slogging away at creating videos. They are time intensive! Anyways, long story short, great friends, great riding, great times.
 |
| Kawasaki Sandwich - Start with ZX6R and Ninja 300, and fill with CBR600RR! |
- Pandabear
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Ocean City, MD!
Hey Friends,
Just got home a little while ago from a weekend trip to Ocean City, MD! Really tired and a bit achy so I'm going to skip a huge write up.
It was bikefest, so my friends and I got to see tens of thousands of bikes! Mostly choppers and cruisers, but a good deal of sport bikes too. A lot of hayabusas and crazy stretched sportbikes, not really my cup of tea, but cool regardless. The tables were turned for a short time in OCMD, as there were only a few cars in the sea of bikes.
Yesterday we spent some time on the beach. It was pretty chilly, as summer winds down, but it was still nice to be able to get out on the sand and watch the waves break.
There were some demo rides, Victory and Yamaha, and I was about to test ride an FZ8 when I was told the dealer double scheduled it. Ended up not riding along with friends, and just sat under a tent.
Before we left, we stopped at Assateague Island, a place famous for the wild ponies that run free along the beaches. We saw quite a few roaming around, my favorite being a little brown pony chilling in the parking lot, like he parked himself with pride. The beach on the Island was beautiful as well, much nicer than OCMD itself.
All in all, it was a fun trip, with some really nice views! It is definitely worth checking out if you are on the east coast.
- Pandabear
Just got home a little while ago from a weekend trip to Ocean City, MD! Really tired and a bit achy so I'm going to skip a huge write up.
It was bikefest, so my friends and I got to see tens of thousands of bikes! Mostly choppers and cruisers, but a good deal of sport bikes too. A lot of hayabusas and crazy stretched sportbikes, not really my cup of tea, but cool regardless. The tables were turned for a short time in OCMD, as there were only a few cars in the sea of bikes.
Yesterday we spent some time on the beach. It was pretty chilly, as summer winds down, but it was still nice to be able to get out on the sand and watch the waves break.
There were some demo rides, Victory and Yamaha, and I was about to test ride an FZ8 when I was told the dealer double scheduled it. Ended up not riding along with friends, and just sat under a tent.
Before we left, we stopped at Assateague Island, a place famous for the wild ponies that run free along the beaches. We saw quite a few roaming around, my favorite being a little brown pony chilling in the parking lot, like he parked himself with pride. The beach on the Island was beautiful as well, much nicer than OCMD itself.
All in all, it was a fun trip, with some really nice views! It is definitely worth checking out if you are on the east coast.
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