New toy, for when I am not fishing *NF*

[GBW]

41 minutes ago, chris.brock said:

Nice ride Geoff!

I've always had a licensed bike since I was 16, now it's a 125cc Yamaha scooter though, lol.

As for the danger thing, I think where Geoff lives is a hell of a lot safer to ride compared to where I live or even where Grimsbylander lives.

Thanks Chris.  Yes all places/towns have high volume traffic times and I an not going to be riding often in those times.  My ride is all about weekend adventures with the MRS and getting to work and back here and there.  

Edit to add:  My MRS has been riding for a long time and will be my "wing-person" so to say and we have open communicators while traveling.  

Edited July 24, 2019 by GBW

[Old Ironmaker]

On 7/14/2019 at 1:22 PM, misfish said:

Ride safe there fella.

 

I always wanted a Honda Shadow in my young years. A bike that my feet would be able to touch the ground. LOL Then lost some good friends from bike accidents. Changed my mind.

Exactly what happened to me. Lost 2 good pals on a single outing back in 77'. Put the knuckle head away and never sat on one since. I actually never missed it after that black day.

Nice ride. Be careful  Geoff and please keep the noise down, oh yea you can't. A loud exhaust is better than a siren. 

[Old Ironmaker]

On 7/16/2019 at 10:49 PM, captpierre said:

At 60 I’ve seriously thought of getting a bike too for the first time. 

Just for country riding in fair weather. 

Too many have told me it’s too dangerous. Especially at my age for the first time.  I ride a tandem bicycle with my wife all the time and am fit and active. But it’s the other guy.......?

I think I told you not to do it because of your age. I was wrong, life  is too short to have a long  bucket list CP. Look at me, arthritis in my spine and now I can't even fish from shore for God's sake.

As far as out to kill bikers. I don't  think they are targeting bikers. However my 2 pals were killed  by a 85 year old Sr. Citizen. She should never have been behind the wheel. We went to her court appearances and the Judge let her off with a slap on the wrist. I lost it and was close to being thrown in jail. It was her 3rd accident in 18 months according to The Crown. Just paid the small fines and massive insurance rates because she could. I hope she is rotting in Hell. Nothing is more selfish than someone that knows they are dangerous behind the wheel but just keeps driving, including my own father until the Doc pulled his licence when I ratted him out. And not just Sr's. 

Edited July 24, 2019 by Old Ironmaker

[aplumma]

Some of you don't understand the out to kill you statement so here is what it means. One day you are going to be either hit or forced off the road by a car. This is the statistically supported. To be fair one day you will have a car on car  accident as well. The really bad news is you do not get to pick the place or the time of when the car is going to get you. There will not be a sign or any feature on the car that says I am the one that will take you out. The good news is  if you pay attention to all of the cars around you they will give you a hint before you have an accident with them. With this in mind watch  them as though they want to kill you.  The other killer is yourself but you have the ability to control him for the most part and he will give you a warning that you are going to do something stupid. Just resist the urge to do it.

I love speed on a bike  the acceleration the wind and the noise is very tempting so I went to the track for awhile to get that bug out of my system.  I wore full racing gear and had other trained riders around me who knew what the limits of their skill and machine where and would dive in a turn a foot away from you that scared me less than the stunts I have seen on the road. With this said be aware, be careful  and enjoy the bike. 

Art 

[Big Cliff]

Coming back from French River yesterday, Hwy. 69 just North of Still River; I'm South bound, there is a line of cars coming North. A bike pulls out from about 5 cars back in the line, big bike, ape hangers, coming straight at me.

I don't know if he was drunk, high, had a death wish or just didn't see me until it was too late but the only reason he is still alive today is because I was able to ditch to the shoulder at 105 km/hr and it's a paved shoulder. I didn't have time to touch the brakes or think, just crank it,  It came so close I had to pull off and let myself calm down. I'll bet that boy needed clean underwear !!!!!

I know cars get a bad rap but when a bike and a car do make contact it's usually the bike/biker that looses, I always pay special attention when I know there are bikes anywhere near me but I've seen some pretty stupid stunts pulled by people on bikes too.

Ride safe my friend, it's called "living the dream"!

 

[DanD]

22 hours ago, aplumma said:

Some of you don't understand the out to kill you statement so here is what it means. One day you are going to be either hit or forced off the road by a car. This is the statistically supported. To be fair one day you will have a car on car  accident as well. The really bad news is you do not get to pick the place or the time of when the car is going to get you. There will not be a sign or any feature on the car that says I am the one that will take you out. The good news is  if you pay attention to all of the cars around you they will give you a hint before you have an accident with them. With this in mind watch  them as though they want to kill you.  The other killer is yourself but you have the ability to control him for the most part and he will give you a warning that you are going to do something stupid. Just resist the urge to do it.

I love speed on a bike  the acceleration the wind and the noise is very tempting so I went to the track for awhile to get that bug out of my system.  I wore full racing gear and had other trained riders around me who knew what the limits of their skill and machine where and would dive in a turn a foot away from you that scared me less than the stunts I have seen on the road. With this said be aware, be careful  and enjoy the bike. 

Art 

Very well said!

Makes me a little more understanding for the want to ride.

 

1 hour ago, Big Cliff said:

Coming back from French River yesterday, Hwy. 69 just North of Still River; I'm South bound, there is a line of cars coming North. A bike pulls out from about 5 cars back in the line, big bike, ape hangers, coming straight at me.

I don't know if he was drunk, high, had a death wish or just didn't see me until it was too late but the only reason he is still alive today is because I was able to ditch to the shoulder at 105 km/hr and it's a paved shoulder. I didn't have time to touch the brakes or think, just crank it,  It came so close I had to pull off and let myself calm down. I'll bet that boy needed clean underwear !!!!!

I know cars get a bad rap but when a bike and a car do make contact it's usually the bike/biker that looses, I always pay special attention when I know there are bikes anywhere near me but I've seen some pretty stupid stunts pulled by people on bikes too.

Ride safe my friend, it's called "living the dream"!

 

Maybe a death wish; but if he is riding a bike with ape hangers, he likely was patched and had the attitude that you'll move.

How do patched riders get away with bikes so loud that it drowns out the kids with the big subs in their trunks? I chirp a tire with my truck and get pulled over for unnecessary noise? LOL

Dan.

[Headhunter]

I rarely concern myself with bikes as they usually aren't behind me for more than 10 seconds. I find most of them running right down the line separating two lanes as they weave their way through traffic at speeds well beyond the limit.

HH

[pics]

Not a big fan of the sport bikes but to each his own..There have been a few riders killed around the Hamilton area this year.  Single vehicle accidents where the driver lost control.. Its bad enough with the distracted car drivers out there and I don't see nearly as many incidents with the big cruisers..

[lew]

3 hours ago, pics said:

  Single vehicle accidents where the driver lost control.. 

Probably 30 years ago my daughter and a girlfriend were standing on the sidewalk talking when another friend came by on his motorcycle. He stopped at the curb for awhile and yakked then said he had to go. For whatever reason he gave the bike too much throttle and it jumped the curbed and pinned him against a wooden fence and tore his leg off right in front of the girls. My daughter was in hysterics as she knelt beside him trying to stop the blood pouring out. The ambulance got him to the hospital and the doctors kept him alive but the leg was lost.

I knew the guy and he was very nice and sensible so the accident wasn't caused by stupidness and was probably just a freak thing...but I don't know.

I've never been on a motorcycle in my life but have nothing against them, I just feel safer inside a car.

 

[aplumma]

Lew sometimes things are just an accident meaning it can happen any time, anywhere to anyone. riding a motorcycle is about repeating a good time and feeling that you had the last time you rode. I have had thousands of good times riding and a few bad times either from mean people or bad situations which could have made me decide to not ride ever again. The many good times still make it worth the risk for me to keep riding. The few bad times enforce the resolve to keep the odds in my favor with training, equipment and awareness. Some people know what you did for a living and others don't but your job is their "motorcycle" meaning they would never think of running into a burning building no matter what the reason is. All of the bikes that my brother and I have are restored back to life and maintained  by us. Many of these are bikes that we wanted to own from the 70s and 80s and couldn't afford them at the time but now we are able to have the toys we want. We ride them when we want to and go to local shows just so we can share them with others who remember their past rides.

Art 

[pics]

On 7/26/2019 at 3:14 PM, lew said:

Probably 30 years ago my daughter and a girlfriend were standing on the sidewalk talking when another friend came by on his motorcycle. He stopped at the curb for awhile and yakked then said he had to go. For whatever reason he gave the bike too much throttle and it jumped the curbed and pinned him against a wooden fence and tore his leg off right in front of the girls. My daughter was in hysterics as she knelt beside him trying to stop the blood pouring out. The ambulance got him to the hospital and the doctors kept him alive but the leg was lost.

I knew the guy and he was very nice and sensible so the accident wasn't caused by stupidness and was probably just a freak thing...but I don't know.

I've never been on a motorcycle in my life but have nothing against them, I just feel safer inside a car.

 

There was a young fellow that died last week outside of our plant gates.. he was going too fast and lost control. He hit the curb and was thrown into a rock retaining wall and died on scene... sport bikes demand care, attention and respect but when you are young your brain doesn't always see that..

[GBW]

So as I mentioned, I had signed up for my M2 course since I wrote my M1 not to long ago and I was excited about it.  This past weekend was my course a Fleming in Lindsay. 

Bikes are provided and in good working order.  1st night is Friday from 7pm to 10pm in class.  Sat is all day from 8:45am to 4pm on bikes and Sun is 8:45am to 3:30PM including your actual riding test.  Oh on Sat 1st thing in the morning if you ever do this be prepared to push the bike around for the 1st 2 hours...

Let me say this loud and clear; I with out a shadow of a doubt 100% urge anyone ever planning on getting a M license to take this course!!  My 2 instructors were amazing!  Trevor (in red in the pic) has been riding his whole life and has it down to a science with the way he talks to you on how to do things like "push turning".  

This course was worth every penny to me.  My only 2 point on my test were going to slow.  In the 1st pic I am on the far right of the group shot and the rest of them i you cannot guess, the green and black helmet...  Thanks all.

G

Edited August 13, 2019 by GBW

[aplumma]

Well done, I am glad to see that you are taking all of the steps to becoming a safe and happy biker. As time goes on with the knowledge and the skills you have learned it will grow into a set of instincts that will save your life someday. 

Art

[Squid]

Nice Bike GBW!!. On the flip side, there are plenty of bikers who have no respect for the road. Being passed by a biker in the emergency lane, bikers texting, bikers weaving in and out between cars so its not just the drivers of vehicles but bikers too. But yeah keep your eyes on the task of driving.

[GBW]

9 hours ago, aplumma said:

Well done, I am glad to see that you are taking all of the steps to becoming a safe and happy biker. As time goes on with the knowledge and the skills you have learned it will grow into a set of instincts that will save your life someday. 

Art

Thanks Art. My GF has been riding 6 years and took course 1 at racing school last summer through her work (Hindle exhausts) and plans to do level 2 soon.  I hope to join her and do level 1.  

Thanks squid.  

[misfish]

Grats G

 

Ride safe.

[Old Ironmaker]

Congrats Geoff. Going too slow on a bike can be as bad as going too fast. Something about momentum keeping it vertical. I've been riding since we bombed fields on Honda 50's at 12. The bad accident happened when I was 23, got my M at 16. Haven't even sat on a bike since. My choice and it had nothing to do with being frightened.  There was enough of that running ancient Blast Furnaces when I was training.

The only sound advice I can give is do not ride alone if you can help it. There is always strength in numbers when it comes to riding. A driver of an auto knows you are there when he or she can hear 5 or 10 others too. But I know that can't always be done. Make those 2 bikes as loud as you can. 

Keep the wind in your hair and the wheels on the blacktop.