Motorcycles.

[christian]

I've been through a bunch of gear in the last 200,000 miles. The pieces that have stuck around:
- Aerostich Roadcrafter 1-piece (in Hi-Viz!)
- Alpinestars MX-1 1-piece leathers

The former is worn for commuting, long rides, errands, riding, and other riding.
The latter is worn for sport riding and track days.
My current helmet is a Shoei X-12 and my next helmet will be an RF1200 or Qwest.
Boots are Sidi Vortices and gloves are Lee Parks Deerskin or Alpinestars GP Pro.

In 200,000 miles, I've fallen once. It was last year. No one is immune. (And don't corner hard in the snow.)

[VertigoCycles]

I can't say that I'm super impressed with the RevIt clothing that I have. A buddy of mine shoots photos for their catalog and website which swayed me in their direction. I have the Airwave pants and jacket and neither of them seem to be cut well for the riding position. To be fair, my issues with the pants probably have more to do with my build and bike but I had to buy a size that's too big in the waist so I could cram my legs into the leg holes. Due to my tall bike (KTM 990 Adv) big thighs and simple construction of the pants (no crotch gusset) throwing a leg over the bike is...interesting and only gets more interesting when I have the soft bags and bicycle loaded up.

The jacket is also huge in the torso, short in the arms and started falling apart after a year. They both vent quite well though, so that's a plus. Thankfully I haven't gone down in them so can't speak to their toughness in a crash.

I popped for a Rukka Armas a few years ago and it's amazing so long as the temp is under 65F. Sure it's pricey and looks foofy but it's incredibly comfortable to wear, keeps me dry (and warmish below 30F) and is extremely well made.

[jitahs]

Nordstrom has an entire Belstaff boutique including the trad cotton waxed job. Aside from feeling like wearing a congealed vat of tar, $75 was too dear back in the day. It can be yours now for a mere $850, extra for the cigarette smoke baked in.

Someone should buy my Vanson Supermoto, Raiders colors. Tasteful flames, smells like potpourri.

[jitahs]

I've been through a bunch of gear in the last 200,000 miles. The pieces that have stuck around:
- Aerostich Roadcrafter 1-piece (in Hi-Viz!)

A 200k mile Hi-Viz is the same color as 2 week old snow. Some safety paint should spruce it right up.

[christian]

Nordstrom has an entire Belstaff boutique including the trad cotton waxed job. Aside from feeling like wearing a congealed vat of tar, $75 was too dear back in the day. It can be yours now for a mere $850, extra for the cigarette smoke baked in.

Post-Italy Belfast is the saddest fashion junk. Ugh.

[christian]

A 200k mile Hi-Viz is the same color as 2 week old snow. Some safety paint should spruce it right up.

Only 40k on this one, I think.

[CJones]

Or maybe not. Baltimore is completely out of control at this point.

Those are the "12 O'Clock Boys"

'12 O'Clock Boys' Explores Baltimore's Rebel Dirt Bike Pack's Allure, Motivation - ABC News

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/03/op...boys.html?_r=0

[crumpton]

Those are the "12 O'Clock Boys"

'12 O'Clock Boys' Explores Baltimore's Rebel Dirt Bike Pack's Allure, Motivation - ABC News

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/03/op...boys.html?_r=0

thanks for that. it puts the youtube posted earlier in some perspective for me.

[sailor]

I am just getting into motorcycling and bought my first bike this week, a 1996 DR650 complete with purple frame and 90s graphics. Looking forward to getting some ride time soon. I bought some lightly used gear from the advrider flea market for cheap, so that is a good place to look for the poster above.

[hmbatrail]

Post-Italy Belfast is the saddest fashion junk. Ugh.

Opinions vary I suppose. Mine is made in the Ukraine (a hotbed for leather craftsmanship I am sure) but quality seems up to snuff. Good zippers, good buttons, well sewn, and the leather is thick but not like wearing a sheet of plywood. Not worth the retail money though. I have a friend that recently opened up a motorcycle gear shop here in town catering to the CB350 rat bike and Bell Star helmet crowd. But he keeps a decent stock of Vanson and Belstaff. He gave me a good deal and I took it.

[Nate@Scarab]

Had no idea this was still going...still have the 900SS. My teenaged stepson has stolen it a couple of times. It gets continually ratty, like a Moody-edition 964. I'm okay with it, because I still smell like fuel and bad decisions when I get off.

But this.


Riding jeans that don't suck and don't look like Juggalo fare: Help?

[jitahs]

Today I was talking to a cop:

blahblahblah....

Cop, listening to his radio. BIG eyes.

Me: What's up?

Cop: One hundred dirt bikes going down Grand Ave?!

Me: Ha. Yup. It's Sunday.

Cop: Really, you know about it?

Me: You don't? How long have you been a cop?

Cop: 5 years.

Me: Hm. It's a tradition. Go to youtube, type "dirt bikes, Oakland".

Cop: Will do.

Funny stuff.

[Jonathan]

What's not to love about a red ducati?

[maunahaole]

Valve adjustment.

[deboat]

Valve clearance adjustment on this Duc, you must remove the Cylinder head. And the timing belts are expensive.
Strange handling bikes,,, Good but I had to really change my riding style too get fast lap times. My tip on the 999 is to get the sag set up for your weight.

I am more a fan of the 916 sp..... OK yes it is slower but the styling is well.. very Italian.

At this age of my life I think I enjoy working on my bikes as much as riding them. So the Duc is fun all rounder. Summer time is riding and winter is rebuilding. It was only a week ago that I was telling my wife that for a private bike I should buy a 916. She was surprised I think because she has seen a lot of the toys I played with over the years. Anything that has two wheels is cool for me!!

[maunahaole]

It isn't as bad on the air cooled 2 valve bikes.

[Jonathan]

It isn't as bad on the air cooled 2 valve bikes.

Right. I think I changed the belts on my s2r in about 30 minutes and the valves are very easy to access.

[jitahs]

The 999 looks like an Interceptor, accept no substitute. The 916 is the nicest looking sport bike ever according to everyone old, including Terblanche:

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Pierre Terblanche: “I thought that the 916 series needed to move on…”

For Pierre Terblanche, the 916 vs 999 debate continues even after so many years...

For those who loved the Ducati 916, Pierre Terblanche committed the biggest crime ever – he designed the 999. While the Massimo Tamburini-designed 916 was all svelte and gorgeous, its replacement, the 999, was slab sided and clunky. The 999 had better ergonomics and worked better than the 916/996/998 on the road and on the track, but for Ducati fans, it was like Terblanche had desecrated one of their gods.


Most people agree the 999 works better than the 916, though of course it doesn't look as good

Here at Faster and Faster, we don’t think the 999 was all that bad. In fact, we believe the 999 was more of a brave, confident step ahead from the 916, than the 1098 is from the 999. Cycle World magazine interviewed Terblanche recently, and here is what the man himself had to say on the 916 vs 999 controversy: “I thought that the 916 series needed to move on. The original 916 was a beautiful bike, but it had a lot of issues that owners and journalists alike remarked on and complained about. These were mainly practical issues regarding using the bike on the road under real-world conditions. The 999 fixed a lot of the issues; it was a direct response to the complaints about the 916/996/998.”

But then he relents a bit and adds, “Maybe I was too rational; maybe people liked those flaws. The intention had been to give people an exciting bike which also works well under real-world riding conditions. I now know that I went too far on the styling for the average biker, but as you well know it’s always easier to play Monday-morning quarterback. It is all so easy to discuss now but, hey, you win some and you lose some, and it’s all water under the bridge now.”

[dogrange]

I must be in the minority who thought the 999 was a great looking design when it came out and a fully worthy successor to the 916-style bikes. If I ever buy another bike a 999 or 749 will be right up there as a candidate!

[jitahs]

One is clearly a better bike. One is a design icon. Ride the first a lot, stare at the second. And ride it when your back and knees are feeling good or when you're going fast enough.