Faceplant Question....

A laser cannon would be a nice farkle.

Wraith, I don't think you read the whole thing. I've seen people ride/drive offensively only to end up literally 2 car lengths ahead of me at best at the next traffic light. All they did was burn gas and put themselves and other at risk. You're skill/machine may be awesome....but the guy in the Pinto or VW bus may not be...by doing things like "fitting" into holes and what not...you've taken away other peoples safety areas. As skilled as you are...the guy in front of you blows a tire or spills coffee in his lap and slams on his brake....you have very skillfully made yourself into the crumple zone for the car behind you...for what? A couple car lengths? Splitting lanes is different and expected...no argument there. It is also very advantageous. No complaint there either. Its also required in air cooled vehicles....believe me I know...I drive an air cooled vehicle.

You may have the right of way, and all these skills, and this flickable machine but all that does no good with a 2000 pound car on your chest. You shouldn't rely on your skills to get you into trouble, but rather be able to trust them to get you out of trouble should it come to find you.

I guess I'm just not looking for the same things in a motorcycle that some of these replies are looking for. I'm looking for gas mileage, travel, economy (I do my own wrenching), adventure, using the carpool lane, off road, splitting lanes. To me, 75mph should do just fine...with the occassional, tasteful, yahoo moment on the open road. I plan to do some 2 Up adventure also, after skills set in and a good amount of doubles practice. None of these activities, to me, scream out some of the behaviors I have witnessed.

A self inflicted wound that may me think about things a little more. In high school I was big into rollerblading. I did it every day. I thought I was hot shit...and I was pretty good and consistent. One day I took on a hill. I was pacing a car at 35mph. I hit a rock on my right foot, no big deal, lift it up briefly. About that time a crack came up and caught the left skate and crossed it over the right. The whole thing went into a death wobble and down I went...at 35mph on a busy street. I broke my collar bone 3 days before the end of my Freshman year. I had to wear this bra-type brace all summer. It set my water polo career back a year and almost cost me a major tournament. I didn't give up skating, but I also never went that fast again. These were speed skates, not tricks or anything like that. I may never have reached my full potential or advanced my skills beyond that point, but the point I had reached was enough for me and I enjoy what I developed. I don't regret not going further...what would I get...the best rollerblader around? I had no aspirations of olympic skating or anything. It was just fun. If I never reached my peak, I never knew it...nor did I care....nor do I regret it.

Something else regarding skills...

I do shooting, nothing big just long range stuff. You practice and what not to improve your skills. With the exception of a few (few in the broad sense), you practice shooting skills to get you OUT of danger. You don't practice them and go looking for a someone in saloon to challenge.

Same could be said for motorcycle skills (advanced ones like knee sliding or others). You wouldn't, necessarily, BE knee sliding in a curve if you weren't breaking rules (don't give me rules are meant to be broken bs) on the street. I wouldn't ever (too early to say with certainty I know) do that on the street...on the track in a semi-controlled environment maybe...but not on oil, water, gravel, shit filled streets. Unnecessary risk in my book. Abuse of skills I would say...in this instance. Theres a time and place to push your skills and theres a time and place to rely on them to keep you alive.

I'm sorry your roller blading accident set your water polo career back. I did a nice wheelie on a city street for you this morning.

Thanks...felt it all the way over here.... :roll:

Be careful trying to draw analogies between shooting and riding. I am an avid shooter and have studied Cooper and others and have a good grasp on situational awareness and the color code of mental awareness. That is great as far as it goes and mental preparation will help you tremendously as a rider. I have a very tactical view of the road and lessons learned from a variety of shooting instructors has helped me in countless ways.

However... riding is about a lot more than simply staying alive to ride another day. To the serious tactical shooter, we train in order to keep ourselves out of a fight if at all possible and to win it if we can't. That isn't how to approach your ride. Enjoy the ride. Learn the skills because they are both useful and fun! Go to a track. Find a twisty road (once you have sufficient experience and skill) and see how much fun it is. You don't have to ride like the jackasses you mention in your original post but you don't have to be Mr. Serious Guy all the time either. If you do, you'll miss the point of riding.

Thats an interesting analogy...more ways than one.

When I play that game, I don't move until I have no other choice to avoid the rock. Why? Because then you start this movement pattern that throws you into the path of other 'roids...then you have to compensate to make it stop...to much and you go the other way....etc etcetc. Why introduce more risk than is absolutely necessary at any given moment? All it will likely result in is the loss of your shot at the high score and your quarter....


....then theres the UFO.....

Win some, lose some.... In the end, someone was having fun, and someone wasn't having much of anything.

I guess I don't do much of anything without a purpose. Point A to Point B sayers never hear of "Life's a journey, not a destination"

I fill in the low spots in life with......


wwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!.......

You're right on all accounts. Ive done some tactical work also....nothing worth mentioning...embarrassing in fact..."stay in your lane" type.

You are right about the Mr. Serious comment. I think its the lack of experience that has me on the defense of this whole thing. I still don't see the need to have this "fun" in traffic. 5 lane highways SHOULDN'T be "fun" (like twisties...I owned an autocross trim Fiero once...mid engines are fun)...they should be a place to get you from A to B. Too much risk for me and those around. Save it for the mountain roads and track days.

I thought of another analogy. 4x4 rock crawling. You practice so you can go to Moab or others for competition (or exhibition) and/or you practice so when you take you're family offroad you know how to use your winch and lockers to get you of the ditch your rear wheel fell into. The difference is sport vs utility and time/place. I took my Pajero (Japanese Montero) deliberately onto an ice and snow patch so I could see how it all reacted and what it felt like to start slipping(being from Socal, you're snow chances are few and far between). Also to see WHEN it started slipping. Why? I went a lot of places and did a lot of things where people don't go very often...I wanted to be prepared for when I came into trouble. This is utility. Practicing on ice for ice racing is sport. You wouldn't necessarily go looking for an icy road to test your ice racing skills on...would you? You may USE skills you learned to drive safely or get out of trouble...but you don't go looking for a patch to play on.

Cruising down Pacific Coast Highway (PCH is the winding road that runs from the bottom of California to CAnada, I think it goes that far...maybe changes in Washington) with the front safari windows open, dogs in the seat, music on the radio...is pretty fun and plenty safe (until you get a bee in the face). None of that "fun" put myself or others at risk (except the bee attack).

If you get squished while "having fun" on a 5 lane highway at 5pm...don't cry on here about it. You took a risk that you felt was worth the pay off.

Time and place.

Well you just have all the answers don't you.

Now go and learn to ride a motorcycle.

Then come back and speak with the voice of Experience.

I think you come off a little self righteous.

The Best

I'm thinking SX needs to take a break

Ride or don't ride, who cares.

If you ride, do so as fast as you like and mind your own business about other peoples riding.

If you want the anachronism it's RYOR

And STFU

Thats because I'm the most awesome thing on two wheels....and I haven't even gotten a bike yet!

I've got my perspective and some really good advice. Maybe one day in a few months to a year I'll go, "OOOOO...thats whats those ass holes were trying to beat into me!" Just maybe though......

in the mean time...I'll continue to play it safe so I can get to the point all you hardcore guys are at.


(A fly and ride from Vancouver to Los Angeles a little too ambitious for Early-mid september? Probably. Its an 1150GS by the way.)

Well, at least you have a sense of humor!

Don't buy a motorcycle.

Dragging a knee is a skill? I thought that it just...happened.

Also, in what states is it illegal to pass on the right when there are 2 or more lanes in your direction?

OMG, you're getting a 1150GS as a first bike and you think those other riders are dangerous?

BBwWaahahahahahhhahahahahahhahhahha!!!!!!

I do the sounds when I ride just for fun. Tchoo-Tchoo-tchooo-tchoo!!!

I feel sorry for your bike. Make sure you get all the crash protection because you're going to need it. ATGATT is an absolute must for you.

The funny thing with big bikes is that they are perfectly fine at speed. You're probably going to drop it at least once the first week from just trying to stop or do a slow turn.

The other irony involved here, is that because you've convinced everyone reading you're a very conservative rider, you're going to have a much harder time getting acclimated to your bike because you won't make it do what you need it to do and you'll get pwned. You'll be a hazard to others because you're going to start right out with a higher risk machine.

You say it's all in throttle control.... well, it's not. Anyone can go fast, in a straight line. It's everything else.

There are basic skills that need to be mastered, and I completely agree with some of the other posters that say you probably won't enjoy riding nearly as much as you thought because you're going to be white knuckled, ultra-conservative, and scared. That's not someone I want to be on the road with.

__________________________________

I'll start a poll for you:

What was everyone's first motorcycle?

Mine: 1974 Honda CB 360