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my first bike
Arthur Kalliokoski
Second in Command
February 2005
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I'll be geared up properly by the time summer comes and I'm doing 180 MPH on the bike. :o

Changing the final drive ratio won't get that kind of speed with only 18 horsepower. :P

They all watch too much MSNBC... they get ideas.

jhuuskon
Member #302
April 2000
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Oh my god...

That suit...

BWHAAAHHAHHAHHAHHAAHA!

A yellow one-piece suit doesn't actually look silly. It merely screams "I'm a grown man riding something made for teenagers yet I'm scared out of my mind!"

Scotchlite. My riding suit is pitch black but it's got scotchlite seams. With just a $2 flashlight the thing lights up a like a christmas tree. At noon it's not at its best, (then again I'd argue that a solid black lump is more noticeable than anything else that would blend with the colorful shop windows), but as soon as the sun sets (you do remember I live quite far up north and even though the sun does set per se, it doesn't get actually dark at night during most of the summer), even the dipped beams of cars make the suit stand out.

Behold, my riding jacket (I also use it for various wintertime outdoors activities):

{"name":"45998Dexter_P_400.jpg","src":"\/\/djungxnpq2nug.cloudfront.net\/image\/cache\/2\/d\/2dea1d8bbd6caf2e6ea60efd5dd818e8.jpg","w":300,"h":363,"tn":"\/\/djungxnpq2nug.cloudfront.net\/image\/cache\/2\/d\/2dea1d8bbd6caf2e6ea60efd5dd818e8"}45998Dexter_P_400.jpg

You don't deserve my sig.

Matthew Leverton
Supreme Loser
January 1999
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Changing the final drive ratio won't get that kind of speed with only 18 horsepower.

A horse can easily run 10 MPH. I've got 18 of them. ::)

Arthur Kalliokoski
Second in Command
February 2005
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So these guys will leave you in the dust? Well, 20 mulepower actually, but I bet it's close.

{"name":"20_mule_team.jpg","src":"\/\/djungxnpq2nug.cloudfront.net\/image\/cache\/8\/7\/87a917a5f133fe5b4a5e7d4ce690b179.jpg","w":486,"h":328,"tn":"\/\/djungxnpq2nug.cloudfront.net\/image\/cache\/8\/7\/87a917a5f133fe5b4a5e7d4ce690b179"}20_mule_team.jpg

[EDIT]

This page says a mule can get up to 15 mph (Which I know is way off, more like 45 for a fast specimen)

http://a-z-animals.com/animals/mule/

so multiply by 20 for a top speed of 300 mph.

They all watch too much MSNBC... they get ideas.

bamccaig
Member #7,536
July 2006
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jhuuskon said:

Oh my god...

That suit...

BWHAAAHHAHHAHHAHHAAHA!

A yellow one-piece suit doesn't actually look silly. It merely screams "I'm a grown man riding something made for teenagers yet I'm scared out of my mind!"

I just think it's smart to be prepared. I certainly don't want to permanently hurt myself riding a motorcycle (I'm the kind of person that would rather be dead than paralyzed). Every motorcyclist evar seems to say that traffic doesn't see you. I'm still thinking about it, but if I do end up getting the Ninja 250R then I'm limited to red and (the more expensive) lime green (blue and black are obviously not very easily seen in low light). I'm guessing the green will show up best at twilight and night (around here it does get dark and our roadways are at best poorly lit; our highway is only lit at intersections, and that's only the main highway), but probably still not very well.

It seems all safety advice involving motorcycles says to wear bright colors to make yourself more readily seen. I figure the best way to do that is go with high visibility colors for your motorcycle gear. Finding a one-piece (which is apparently supposed to keep you more dry in wet weather) with padding that is offered in very bright colors sounds like a good fit. I'm not decided on it yet (it isn't CE approved, apparently), but it does look like a good option to consider.

In response to your argument that a 600cc (and up) sport bike is a good first bike (or not too big for a new rider):

http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Why_sportbikes_are_NOT_beginner_bikes

Thanks again to juvinious for the link(s). They've been awesome reading so far.

Matthew Leverton
Supreme Loser
January 1999
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So these guys will leave you in the dust? Well, 20 mulepower actually, but I bet it's close.

Yeah, but think about how often they have to stop and pee or poop. :-/

Arthur Kalliokoski
Second in Command
February 2005
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Tell 'em to do it at the rest stops cuz I ain't stopping for nuthin'. It makes it hard to spit the chewing tobacco at 300 mph though.

They all watch too much MSNBC... they get ideas.

Chris Katko
Member #1,881
January 2002
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A horse can easily run 10 MPH. I've got 18 of them. ::)

But do two chained horses run 20 MPH? Or twice as strong!

I think what you've got is an 18 horse super-beast tractor puller on your hands! But it still won't go faster than 10 mph. :'(

-----sig:
“Programs should be written for people to read, and only incidentally for machines to execute.” - Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs
"Political Correctness is fascism disguised as manners" --George Carlin

Matthew Leverton
Supreme Loser
January 1999
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I attached a plow to the front, a set of blades beneath, and a wagon behind. So now I can plow the snow off the fields, cut grass, and bale hay at the same time (weather changes that fast around here).

So, you are right: it does have the strength of 18 horses. However, I do it all at 180 MPH. :-X

jhuuskon
Member #302
April 2000
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Bambam, if you're scared enough to actually believe such foolish arguments then maybe, just maybe you should scrub off motorcycling as a bad idea to begin with. ::)

You don't deserve my sig.

bamccaig
Member #7,536
July 2006
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Vanneto
Member #8,643
May 2007

bamccaig said:

It seems all safety advice involving motorcycles says to wear bright colors to make yourself more readily seen

And I thought Canadian cars had headlights. :P But I guess I can see your point seeing as how most Canadians are drunks who cant drive. :-[

But as you put it so nice and stupidly "I would rather be dead than paralyzed" I have a better one "I'd rather be dead than seen riding in that foolish green thing". ;D

In capitalist America bank robs you.

Chris Katko
Member #1,881
January 2002
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bamccaig said:

It seems all safety advice involving motorcycles says to wear bright colors to make yourself more readily seen

I honestly wonder if that actually helps prevent accidents. Other than wearing bizarre colors such as construction orange or green, people aren't going to inheriently see you more than usual. The girl that hit my Sebring two semester ago, stopped at a stop sign, proceeded to not look around at all, and then go. She t-boned the driver's side of my Sebring. I got a radiatior in my face. I climbed out of my car duke's of hazard style and the girl goes, "I'm so sorry! I didn't even see you!"

A 6 foot wide, white Sebring with black stripes, rims, and door guards blaring music in broad daylight with no visual obstructions around.

If she can't see that, there's nothing that can you can wear except strobe lights that's going to help you. The issue is, if you do get hit, it's gonna be bad. So always wear armor, and always assume every driver is just as bad as this girl and think of an exit strategy.

-----sig:
“Programs should be written for people to read, and only incidentally for machines to execute.” - Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs
"Political Correctness is fascism disguised as manners" --George Carlin

bamccaig
Member #7,536
July 2006
avatar

Vanneto said:

But as you put it so nice and stupidly "I would rather be dead than paralyzed" I have a better one "I'd rather be dead than seen riding in that foolish green thing". ;D

It's yellow... ???

I honestly wonder if that actually helps prevent accidents. Other than wearing bizarre colors such as construction orange or green, people aren't going to inheriently see you more than usual. The girl that hit my Sebring two semester ago, stopped at a stop sign, proceeded to not look around at all, and then go. She t-boned the driver's side of my Sebring. I got a radiatior in my face. I climbed out of my car duke's of hazard style and the girl goes, "I'm so sorry! I didn't even see you!"

A 6 foot wide, white Sebring with black stripes, rims, and door guards blaring music in broad daylight with no visual obstructions around.

If she can't see that, there's nothing that can you can wear except strobe lights that's going to help you.

That almost happened to me a while ago. I was driving down a street that I've been taking to work for about 6 months. There's a church on the right and cars are always parked along side of it (:-/). The church is on a corner though. As I was approaching the corner, I saw a black Durango pulling up to the intersection and I just knew he wasn't going to give himself time to see if it's clear. Young Drivers of Canada taught me to predict that though so I was slowed down before I even approached the intersection and was able to stop in time. He pulled out right in front of me though.

Not that you could have avoided your accident. Sometimes there's just no avoiding it. A few weeks ago I was lost on the outskirts of the city trying to find my way back to familiar streets. I made a left turn onto a side street and a Suburban [that rolled through a stop sign] nearly T-boned me. I don't know where the fuck this kid was looking, but it wasn't where he should have been. He pulled out while I was right in fucking front of him. Ridiculous. He missed me by a few feet and it was sheer luck. There was nowhere for me to go.

That was a bad day. I was then attacked by a couple of loose dogs down that street that chased me (from the front of the car) all the way up the block and back (cause I had to turn around). When I finally got home, I discovered that I had a flat tire. >:(

Both times I was driving my '95 Grand Prix (also white).

The issue is, if you do get hit, it's gonna be bad. So always wear armor, and always assume every driver is just as bad as this girl and think of an exit strategy.

Yeah, that's really all you can do. Try to avoid stupid drivers by being overly defensive and wear as much protective gear as you can. :-/ I wish I had a racing harness in my car, but I guess for that to work effectively you probably need a helmet and a neck-brace strapped to the seat (I'm not intimately familiar with racing gear so feel free to correct me).



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