Text 26600, 82 rader
Skriven 2009-01-20 22:48:36 av Jeff Smith (1:14/5)
  Kommentar till text 26550 av Robert Bashe (2:2448/44)
Ärende: The first of many to come
=================================
Hello Robert.

20 Jan 09 19:54, you wrote to me:

 RB> Jeff Smith wrote to Roy Witt on Monday January 19 2009 at 23:55:

 RB> [Motorcycles]
 JS>> I guess I still am abit of a kid. I tend to cruise about 75-80.
 JS>> Had the bike upto 125mph but it felt like it was contemplating
 JS>> becoming airborne so I didn't push it.

 RB> I found that it wasn't much fun when you get faster than around 100
 RB> mph, as the wind blows your head off even with a (small) windschield.

    The bike mentioned doesn't have a windshield at all. So there is little
protection provided. The bike does seem suseptable to the wind though. Alot
more so than a couple of the bigger (1000cc+) bikes I have. I love them
them strong crosswinds that suddenly change directions. <g> And do that for
hours at a time.

 RB> However, the choice of helmet is apparently critical - I've heard that
 RB> some have less wind resistance than others.

    I tend to wear a helmet if the conditions call for it. My helmet of
choice is a full face.

 JS>> Now were only talking 600cc.

 RB> "Only"??! My Suzuki Bandit, 600 cc, has more horsepower than a lot of
 RB> small cars here, and weighs maybe 10-20% as much. Takes off like a
 RB> rocket when you give gas.

    The 600cc is a Kawasaki and weighs in at about 400 lbs. I also have
1100cc Susuki and a 900cc Honda. Also HAD a 400cc Hondamatic which was
a interesting little bike. I think Honda only made the bike for a couple
years. With that bike there is no clutch to operate. One time I made
the mistake of forgetting the fact that one can't sit at a stoplight and
rev the motor. At least not with that bike. If you give it gas it GO's.
It was one of my "OH SH**!" moments. <g>

 RB> Actually, that's quite a safety problem: you can accelerate much
 RB> faster than a car, and most drivers simply don't realize that.

    Stopping on a bike is alot quicker too. In a quick stop situation if
time permits I will glance back to check the likelyhood of me getting my
butt run over.

 RB>  That's
 RB> why the "typical" motorcycle accident occurs when a biker tries to
 RB> pass a car on the left, and the driver at that moment decides to turn
 RB> left - WHAM! This kind of thing happens all the time, and I've even
 RB> seen it personally twice here in Datteln (pop. 35,000), with more
 RB> cases reported in the papers.

     The biggest problem here is people (Car drivers) that are totally
unaware that a motorcycle is anywhere near them. The twin cities area
here (Minneapolis and St. Paul) (pop. 2.5 mil) is pretty much all urban
and highways. Not a big issue if one is stuck in traffic doing 3-5 mph.
Traffic also has a habit of going from 65 mph to 5 mph real quick. <g>


 JS>> Never had an encounter with a deer while on a scooter. Did get hit
 JS>> in the face by a large black bird of some sort. It was late
 JS>> evening and didn't get a chance to see much. Snapped my head back
 JS>> but that was about it except for some scratches. Was doing about
 JS>> 65mph at the time.

 RB> You're lucky. Something like that can easily break your neck,
 RB> depending on the size of the bird and your speed.

     I tend to wear a helmet at night or if the weather calls for
it. And YUP, I did take the opportunity to adorn myself. <g>

 RB> Cheers, Bob

 RB> --- GoldED+/W32 1.1.5-0613
 RB>  * Origin: Jabberwocky System - 02363-56073 ISDN/V34 (2:2448/44)

Jeff

--- GoldED+/W32-MINGW 1.1.5-b20070503
 * Origin: Twin_Cities_Metronet - region14.us (1:14/5)