Family Motorcycles

Last week I discussed the little dirt bike that I'm buying for my kids. Now, it would be wrong of me to not buy one for myself so I can ride with them, right? Well, that's the logic I'm using to justify my shopping for a dirt bike of my own.

Ten years ago I also went through a period that I thought I needed a dirt bike. However, at that time I figured that with my size and riding experience that anything under 400cc would be useless. I was an ego filled moron! First of all, I don't have that much riding experience in the dirt. During my first few years of riding I had a dirt bike, but I've been strictly riding street ever since. Next, I really don't need all that much power. A 200cc dirt bike would be more than enough. Finally, after shopping around I figured out that large displacement dirt bikes are really expensive! I never did purchase one.

Now, my only consideration is matching the amount I'm going to spend with the time I'll be riding. I don't want to spend $10,000 on a bike that I ride a couple times a month. I think $1000 would be a more acceptable price. Now, the only obstacle is convincing my wife that a dirt bike would be a smart purchase. I think I'll buy her a four wheeler (she loves riding them). That should soften her up!

"Love is the feeling you get when you like something as much as your motorcycle." - Hunter S. Thompson

Motorcycles and Kids

I bought my kids a motorcycle. Well, actually that's incorrect. I'm probably going to buy my kids a motorcycle in the next couple of days. A friend of mine contacted me last weekend and said he had a bike that he'd sell me for almost nothing. Let me say that I'm thrilled to introduce my kids my favorite hobby.

 

Don't get me wrong, I won't force this on them. If they don't want to ride the motorcycle, they won't have to. I'm pretty positive that my son will be willing, but I'm not quite sure he's ready yet ( he's only three). My daughter, on the other hand, can be quite tentative so we'll gauge her attitude toward riding when we get the bike. Both kids will have some time to get used to the idea because neither will be allowed to operate the bike until I get them some proper riding gear.

 

Yesterday, I showed my son a picture of a motorcycle similar to the one that I am going to buy. His comment was that it wasn't green (his favorite color...he may be team Kawasaki). This wasn't really a good start. Then, right after our conversation, he leaped off of our couch doing his best superhero impression. He barely missed cracking his head on the coffee table and slammed on the floor. Maybe this is a terrible idea! This kid lives dangerously enough without adding motorcycles to the equation!

After my panic subsided, I came to the conclusion that teaching him to ride safely at an early age is probably the best course of action, no matter how adventurous he may be. My hair may turn gray a little early, but his joy would be worth it.

 

"It is a wise father that knows his own child." - William Shakespeare

Choke Advice

 

Recently, while I was at a gas station refueling my car, I heard a familiar sound. It was the sound of someone trying to start a two-stroke dirt bike. When I looked in the sound's direction, I noticed a kid in his early teens trying to start a early nineties Honda CR 80. The engine would fire, then the kid would crack the throttle and the it would die. He was doing this repeatedly for quite some time. The temperature outside was in the low 40s and I was pretty sure I knew exactly what this kid was doing wrong. I wanted to scream, "stay off the throttle!"

 

When an engine is cold, the fuel to air ratio entering the combustion chamber needs to be increased to compensate for thermal efficiency being low (there are also other reasons, but this is the main one). In older carbureted engines, a common way to increase this ratio is with a choke. Activating a choke will lower a plate that will block air from entering the carburetor.

 

When the kid was twisting the throttle, he was allowing more air to enter the carburetor. This was negating the choke, which caused the engine to stall. If he had not touched the throttle and allowed the choke to do its job, he'd have been on his way much sooner.

 

I'm telling this story because I used to do the same thing as a young rider. It took some older, more experienced people to tell me my error (I'm sure it took multiple times as I had a habit of ignoring good advice). Hopefully this will help someone remember to let the choke do its job.

 

"The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself." - Oscar Wilde

Moto Journalist

I was going to link and discuss another motorcycle safety article in this blog post, but as I was about to copy the web address I noticed something. Nearly every article that I've linked was written by the same man, Ken Condon. This writer has great advice and gives a common sense approach to riding which I value and promote.

I really don't fancy myself as a motorcycle journalist. As much as I'd like to be, I have too many other things happening in my life that get in the way (I also fear that I don't have the talent for it). For now I'm happy to be a blogger (and there's nothing wrong with that), but if I ever do follow the path of an actual journalist, I'd definitely use Ken as inspiration.

Please read through the linked list of articles (especially those related to safety). I think that if you can retain 5% of his information and advice the riding world will be a safer place. Riding safer means that you will also be riding longer!

"When asked, the majority of motorcyclists consider themselves "good" riders. The problem is that we suck at measuring our own abilities." - Ken Condon

Motorcycle Character

A couple weeks ago marked the two year anniversary of my purchase of a new motorcycle. My bike is a Ducati Monster 821. Overall, I'm thrilled with this bike. It's surprisingly comfortable to ride, really fast (possibly too fast), and hasn't had a single mechanical issue.

 

I'm definitely happy with my decision to get it. However, when I look back at photos of my old bikes, I find myself missing them. These weren't as technologically advanced and didn't come even close to having the performance that the new one has. With that being said, the thing these bikes had was character. The scrapes, scratches, and dents all told a story of the history of the motorcycles.

 

The imperfections of these motorcycles used to embarrass me a bit, but now I remember them with fondness. I can remember when I rode my old Ducati to South Dakota and the cheap tank bag I was using scratched the paint. I also recall when I was replacing the battery in my Harley and acid dropped on the mufflers and removed the chrome. These defects were what gave the bikes character.

 

So, don't fix every scratch or ding in your bike. Embrace them! Obviously, if damage is sufficient enough to compromise the performance or safety you should fix it, but otherwise enjoy the imperfections. After writing this I'm definitely looking forward to adding some character to my new bike. Don't worry, I won't be doing anything crazy like deliberately scraping it, but I also will not go entirely out of my way to keep it pristine.

 

"Sports do not build character. They reveal it." - Heywood Broun