Posted in newbie on Jan 13th, 2012
You know the type, the guy (or gal) who doesn’t ride, but is planning to buy a bike and take the MSF (usually in that order); and says that a 250 isn’t good enough… “How come?” you ask. And their answers usually sound something like these…
Posted in newbie, riding tips on Mar 17th, 2011
What’s your best advice for someone new to riding on the highway? When I started riding a bike, I had driven more than 200k miles in a car (I’d been driving long distances since I was 16), so highway riding didn’t seem daunting to me. In some ways, it’s safer and more predictable than local [...]
Although professional racers tend to dislike night races…for regular street riding, where your main danger comes from traffic and not road surface quality, late night is a great time to ride! The traffic is lighter, and cars easier to see, and the temperatures are cooler which helps during the summer months. But are there any [...]
The best advice for people who want to start riding is instead of thinking about “getting a bike”, think about getting riding skills. It’s all about the skillz (yes with a “z”). You will not look cool being the guy/gal who has the hot bike he can’t ride. And the truth is, whether your dream [...]
Posted in newbie, questions, riding tips on Mar 31st, 2010
Cars fish-tail under over-zealous acceleration. Motorcycles (mainly sporty ones) develop “head-shake.” With cars, loss of traction in the rear wheel (on rear wheel drive cars) causes the rear of the car to slide left, then right, then left again… It all starts with a slide in one direction, and the driver over corrects and sends [...]
Toyota (and Audi) are not the only ones with unintended acceleration issues while braking. Newer riders are prone to grabbing the brakes in such a way that they roll on the throttle at the same time. This could be a problem that makes panic braking something to really panic over. One scooter shop owner said [...]
Posted in biking, motorcycle, newbie on Feb 26th, 2010
One practice I recommend to riders in need of seat time is to put together a quick route around their neighborhood. It could be anywhere from 2 miles to 20 miles and take 30-60 minutes (around NY). Mix in some local roads and some highway or parkway. Stopping and starting is fine, just make sure [...]
A Confederate “Fighter”, that sells for around $110,000 Everyone is thinking about money these days, and lots of folks are considering the cost benefits of riding a motorcycle or scooter. So how much does it really cost to START riding in the city? If you were hoping I’d say “dirt cheap”, this is not your [...]
Posted in how-to, motorcycle, newbie on Oct 7th, 2008
I was shocked to find that some people routinely go to service shops for motorcycle oil changes. SHOCKED I tell you! These shops often charge $90 per hour just in labor! And they bill in half hour or one hour increments. So you’re paying a fortune for just ten minutes of labor… Okay maybe it [...]
Posted in misc, motorcycle, newbie, riding tips, time waster on Sep 10th, 2008
Would you like fries with that? Yes, but that’s not the kind of chicken strips we’re talking about. And this is NOT a terribly important thing, but you may hear about it sometime (if you haven’t already), so you might as well hear it from me first. Your tires are squealing on you. They tell [...]
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