5 Pet Peeves about Motorcycling

1. Guys riding in shorts.

This weekend it got up to a whopping high of 52°F. I went out for a little ride and bundled up pretty considerably. I met a guy on a sportbike in shorts! This is a douche move when it's 90°, but at 50°, it's a sign of sheer stupidity. I can see it if your riding one mile to your gym or the beach (still dumb, but understandable), but if you ride in shorts when it's perfectly comfortable to ride in full gear, there's an issue.

 

2. People who open garage doors to show off their bikes on nice days, but never ride them.

This really seems to happen around this time of year (especially in higher class neighborhoods). You ride by a house and a freshly washed bike is sitting in a driveway. Pass by again 4 hours later and it's in the same spot! Bikes are meant to be ridden, asshole!

 

3. Buying a brand new bike for your first.

See here for a more detailed explanation of this pet peeve. This is coming from a guy who just bought a brand new bike, but I've been riding for over 20 years.

 

4. Riding beyond your limits.

Don't get me wrong...I have nothing against stunting, going fast, or even pushing your riding ability. Just don't hop on a Hayabusa right off the bat and run it at full throttle (that would be insanely fast for those of you that don't know). Take baby steps, gain some skill and coordination and get to know your bike. If you're going to do wheelies and stoppies (I'm not recommending it) do it in an empty parking lot instead of showing off in front of a crowd. Once you are comfortable with your skills, maybe you can show off a little, but remember, cops are everywhere!

 

5. Riders thinking that there subsection of the motorcycling sport is the greatest and all others suck (sport vs cruiser, etc).

We are all after the same thing, joy on two wheels. We should all remember that! See here for a better explanation of my feelings on this.

 

“I have so many pet peeves that I can’t even pet them all. And damn I wish they were furry.” ― Jarod Kintz

Best Motorcycles for Women

As a cultural pass time which traditionally may be considered among the ranks of the male-dominated, motorcycling subsequently lacks female figures and influence up to a certain point.

While most would claim that this was far from preconceived, the fact remains that motorcycling is, for the most part, dominated (and widely perceived as being dominated) by men.

The truth is that there has been a whole host of influential female figures within motorcycling over the decades, and not just the master seamstresses responsible for mass producing the by now iconic leather HYPERLINK "http://www.motorcyclehouse.com/motorcycle-jackets.htm"biker jackets HYPERLINK "http://www.motorcyclehouse.com/motorcycle-jackets.htm"which outfitted entire generations in the mid-21^st century.

Women’s motorcycle jackets and motorcycle jackets for men alike and aside, the male dominated history of our species is as far behind us as it ever has been. In celebration of this fact, let us take a look at some of the most female friendly motorcycles available today.

Suzuki Inazuma 250

Described by some as a ‘no-frills budget commuter that’ll return over 60mpg’, the Suzuki Inazuma is an extremely dependable yet modestly equipped city-rider special suitable for man and wife alike. Pleasingly light at just 183kg, the bike is as a wonderful handler and can pick up a speed that will see even the most well fitted HYPERLINK "http://www.motorcyclehouse.com/motorcycle-vests.htm"biker vests fluttering in the breeze.

 

With a seat height of 780mm, mounting and correctly operating the Inazuma should be do-able for anyone over the height of 5’5”.

Triumph Bonneville SE

A celebration of all things classic by any standard, the Bonneville is the ultimate anti-sports bike for the shorter riders among you.

With a weight of 225kg you wouldn’t want it landing on top of you, but the combination of a saddle 740mm off the deck and a smaller front wheel should see a small rider able to take full control of its powerful 800cc parallel twin engines.

Suzuki Bergman 400

Technically, the Suzuki Bergman 400 is a scooter, not a motorbike- however I think it’s just as acceptable to pull on your HYPERLINK "http://www.motorcyclehouse.com/leather-motorcycle-vests-for-men.htm"leather motorcycle vest and mount the Bergman for a day’s meander around the city.

Possessing much of the same as other Bergman models, the 400 pretty much looks like an actual bike, weighs more than the Inazuma as 222kg- and poses absolutely no problem on the seat front.

 

With a highly surprising top speed and a ridiculously sized storage compartment under its seat, the Bergman is certainly a vehicle worth consideration.

 

Harley Davidson Sportster XL883L

Undoubtedly Harley Davidson’s most popular model with female customers, the Sportster XL883L is surely responsible for the recent spike in national sales of biker jackets for women.



 

With a tasty classic look, but a reduced height and engine output power to make it suitable for the more unsure riders, the Sportster is a force to be reckoned with. Riding vests HYPERLINK "http://www.motorcyclehouse.com/safety-vests.htm"at the ready.

Honda VFR400R NC30

A stupidly long name for a motorcycle, I’m sure we can all agree- though don’t let this put you off. Essentially the sports bike version of Harley’s famed Sportster, Honda have been producing and selling with unwavering success this bike for over 20 years now. A compact little number, the bike is suitable for the more petite riders in our collective family.

 

 

See more from the author, Ania Todua at her Facebook and Twitter pages.

 

 

 

 

Test Booster

I've heard that the sound of a high performance engine, such as a big block v8, will actually increase a man's testosterone levels (I have no studies to back this up, but I really did hear it). Now, if this is true, I'm positive that the sound of a motorcycle (the Harley rumble or liter bike hum) does the same! I'll tell you the results of my unplanned, uncontrolled, very unscientific study I performed last weekend.

On Saturday, another member of the KLK Cycles team and I finished some maintenance on my 1993 Harley Davidson Dyna Low Rider (there'll be some how-to blogs coming your way in the near future). I’m actually selling it, so I wanted to make sure everything was in order before I finalized the sale. With everything torqued and all fluids checked or replaced, it was time for a test ride. I started the engine.

This is when every guy turns into a Neanderthal! Once that engine starts, everybody lets out some single syllable grunts, or spits on the ground, or slightly nods with a primal look on their face. Then I instinctively had to give the throttle a few turns to rev the engine. When I started riding, my manly instincts forced me to rev the engine a little extra before each shift.

If you think my findings here are biased and anecdotal, I'll give you my proof right now. My 18 month old son was around while this was happening. Now, I'm not a doctor, but I'm pretty sure that at that age there isn't much testosterone in my little guy's body. After hearing the roaring engines of a couple motorcycles, he stood in the center of the group of guys, grunting oohs and ahhs and yelling “cyka” (his word for motorcycle). He also had that same barbaric look that the rest of us had! That, my friends, is all the proof you should need!

“I can’t hear you over the rumble of my freedom.” – Kid Rock



Spring Shivers

A few years ago, when we had some decent spring weather, a group of us went on a nice Saturday ride. It was near 70°F and clear, so we had to take advantage. We rode to a town about 60 miles away and stopped to have a burger and beer.

While we were enjoying our meal, we talked about how lucky we were to have such a great riding day in April. We decided we couldn't just go home, it was time to ride on. We went another 30ish miles until we reached a small powersports shop. We stopped and we're having a nice conversation with the owner about the new bikes on display when our attention focused outside.

Clouds began to roll in quickly, dark storm clouds. One friend and I took this as an invitation to head home, the others decided to hang out for a bit. When we stepped outside we also noticed that the warm 70° had become a chilly 45! Shit!

We rode for about 5 miles and the drizzle started. Then about 50 miles from home it started to pour. 45° and pouring rain are a terrible combination. My legs were shivering so violently that my feet were coming off of the foot pegs. When I finally made it home, my hand couldn't hold the clutch any longer and I popped it right when I came to a stop.

I was near hypothermic, my lips were blue and I was violently shivering. It took hours for me to warm up enough to be fairly comfortable. One of the guys who stayed behind visited soon after. I asked him how he wasn't as miserable as me. He gave me a weird look and said that he put on his rain suit as soon as he left the powersports shop. Lesson learned! Well, not really since I was too cheap to buy a decent rain suit. Hey, I'll admit it; I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer! My awesome wife bought me a high quality one for my birthday this year, so no more miserable rides in the rain.

“Nothing burns like the cold. But only for a while. Then it gets inside you and starts to fill you up, and after a while you don't have the strength to fight it.” - George R.R. Martin

April Showers

 

 

If you would've asked me two weeks ago, I would've said that it was looking as though it could be a good spring and I would definitely be riding in early April (if not late March). Now, after a snowy, cold, and miserable week, it's not looking so good. To make things even worse, snow is in the forecast for next week. I f@&$ing hate snow in April!

To make myself feel better, I'm packing up my family and heading about 200 miles south for a few days. I think the weather will still be shitty, but a Ducati dealership is there! It's time to look for a replacement for my Monster that I sold (see here). It's also time to make the decision on what my next bike is going to be. I won't say which bike I'm considering now because I'll probably write a whole post about it when I make the purchase.

Not all of you reading this have the snow problem, but each region in the world has its own version of weather that you can’t ride in (none are as long as the 5+ month winter we have here). My advice is to find a project, like searching for a new (new to you) bike. If you’re not in the market for another motorcycle, plan your future rides, or do some maintenance on your current bike. Just do something that keeps your mind on your hobby. I really notice that this helps me more than trying to avoid motorcycles in the winter. Avoidance seems to make it worse.

I’m sorry if this post seems unfocussed. It kind of mimics the way I’m feeling right now. Flip flopping between being pissy about the weather, to being excited about the new bike prospect, to being anxious to ride no matter which bike it is. Geez, I’m a handful to deal with this time of year!

“Today is the sort of day where the sun only comes up to humiliate you.” ― Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club