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Fishgutz
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 21, 2009 - 02:48 pm: | 
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I have the HD black and orange rain suit. Nice high visibility. Makes me look like the Michelin Man. But I am seen on cloudy days.
The reflective surfaces are very bright. No one can claim they did not see me in this suit.
Server is slow today. Taking 4evr to upload one picture.
Server issue. I'll post the picture later. |
Fishgutz
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 21, 2009 - 02:52 pm: |
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On Saturday the 18th, I was riding back to G'boro from Wilson. Hundreds of bikes went past me on the east bound side.
Where was everybody going? Rally someplace? |
Jlnance
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 21, 2009 - 05:07 pm: |
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Speaking of which- what are you guys using for these longer rides in the rain?
I have always just used my riding jacket/pants. They do a good job of keeping most of me dry. I have problems around the boots, as the pants don't stay down around the boot tops and they end up with water in them. Real rain gear would probably help with that. I also have a little water run down the back of my neck, but I don't think anything will help with that. |
Fishgutz
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 21, 2009 - 09:06 pm: |
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high viz train suit. This is the one that keeps me dry.
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M2nc
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 22, 2009 - 01:16 am: |
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Spike, the picture above of me is the gear.
Olympia Jacket with liner,
Olympia Gloves with dual liners and a squeegee on the thumb,
First Gear Riding Pants
Rockies 10" water resistance boots.
In the down pour I rode in I stayed mostly dry. The First Gear pants are the oldest gear I had on and they leaked a bit in the crotch. The gloves did well but even though I tried to be creative with the gauntlet between the liners, water eventually found its way down through the gauntlet and down into the glove. Also the new boots have a breathable tongue, not great for staying dry.
All said when I was riding in 39°F rain, I rode with all the liners in, plus had my HD rain gear under the first two layers. That worked great in keeping me dry and warm, though I would not suggest it in the summer. The HD gear alone is not great. It does not seal great in the front and any heavy rain produces leaks around the zipper, Velcro strips. The liners of my Joe Rocket, FXRG or Olympia do a perfect job of keeping my upper body dry, so I use that and the pants from the HD rain gear. I need booties though. |
Ulywife
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 22, 2009 - 09:46 am: |
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Well I put Carlee on a plane this morning headed to Puerto Rico. She will be there for 2 weeks with Carlos' family. I hope next year we can all go! |
Spike
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 22, 2009 - 02:43 pm: |
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If anyone is bored and looking for something to do on Saturday I'll be swapping exhausts with a local Bueller (I didn't ask if he was on Badweb) at my house. You guys are welcome to come by and join us for an impromptu tech day. I'll have my laptop and ECMspy available if anyone wants to use them. If you're intested post here or PM me. |
Fishgutz
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 22, 2009 - 02:46 pm: |
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When it is a Jeep Wrenching day we call it a "Case of Beer" day. O'Doule's for me though.
Have fun wrenching. |
Spike
| | Posted on Thursday, July 23, 2009 - 05:08 pm: |
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This is painful- I'm in the middle of "down-sizing" my motorcycles and a co-worker of mine just left to go pick up a bright yellow 2008 Ducati 1098. I'll see if I can snag a pic tomorrow. |
Spike
| | Posted on Friday, July 24, 2009 - 08:20 am: |
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The 1098:
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Akbuell
| | Posted on Friday, July 24, 2009 - 12:00 pm: |
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They are pretty. Thank goodness (for me) every time I start to lust after a Ducati I hear whimpering in the back of my head crying "my back, my wrists...." |
Jlnance
| | Posted on Friday, July 24, 2009 - 01:54 pm: |
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From an IM conversation I just had with Amanda
quote:Amanda: I went to Target at lunch
Amanda: And I was checking out and the cashier looks at my shirt and says "Oh, there's a Harley Davidson museum?" I said, yes
Amanda: She says, Where's that? I say Milwaukee
Amanda: She says, oh. Where's that? I say, Wisconsin.
Amanda: She says, "That's like north, right?" I say, yes, pretty far north of here.
Amanda: Then she says "What kind of museum is it?" I say "Excuse me??"
Amanda: She says "What do they have there? Is it like... bikes?"
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Spike
| | Posted on Friday, July 24, 2009 - 05:16 pm: |
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I took the 1098 for a little ride earlier. I didn't push it at all in the corners, but man that thing has a motor.
It felt really awkward in the parking lot. It feels like it has more legroom than my Firebolt, but that might be an illusion of the impossibly narrow midsection. The bars are very low and if you turn them all the way you'll smash your hand against the fairing. First gear is really tall--you end up slipping the clutch under ~10mph. When you combine all those elements it makes for an tough low speed experience. The mirrors are also useless, so the bike feels really out of place when trying to navigate through traffic.
When I pulled out onto US1 I rolled on the throttle in first gear and the front end came right up. It didn't snap up in a scary manner, it just sorta floated up as I rolled on the throttle. I short shifted into 2nd and rolled it wide open and the bike snorted along through the midrange quickly. The bike feels strong off the bottom, but there's a big surge as it spins up. I'm not sure where the big power was coming on, maybe ~7k rpm. The rev limiter kicks in *really* hard somewhere around 10k rpm, but if you use the shift light and keep grabbing gears with the throttle open the bike piles on speed at an alarming rate. It doesn't feel as frenetic and busy as some of the I4s I've ridden, it just has this solid pull that never seems to end while the speedometer keeps flashing bigger and bigger numbers. I didn't really spend much time with the bike below ~4k rpm as the bike is a little thrashy down there, but the bike pulls plenty hard from that RPM range. The motor is so much happier to rev than an XB12 that it feels like you're lugging it to keep it down at those revs. The power delivery is very tractable and controllable, but there's so much motor that you don't feel like you really get to enjoy it without complete disregard for the speed limit.
I took it for a short blast down the interstate; at ~75mph the bike starts to feel at home. You can kick it up into 6th gear and the motor settles down to about 4k. It doesn't feel like it's working hard at that speed and you still have some roll on power for passing. At that speed you're catching enough wind to keep the weight off your wrists and the ergonomic package begins to feel reasonable. You feel every little bump and expansion joint, but the bike feels very planted and purposeful.
I can't really give any insight to the handling. At low speeds the steering felt a little slow and heavy, but then the bike wanted to flop over into corners as you applied more steering input. When you were carrying more speed that sensation translated to the bike feeling really happy when it wasn't vertical. It turned in with less effort than my Firebolt and really wanted to stay leaned over. I didn't really load it up at all, but the bike felt very stable. I'd love to get some more seat time and see how it reacts when carrying more lean angle.
One thing I have to touch on is the overall experience. To start- the bike is simply gorgeous. The bike looks fantastic from every angle. Every part on the bike looks special and purpose built. As you look over the bike it seems like everything your eyes land on deserves some attention and thought. Secondly there is the sound. The exhaust note is marvelous. When I first heard it I thought the stock pipes were too quiet, but after riding it I think they're just right. The bike makes wonderful noises no matter what it's doing. At idle it's pulsing and rhythmic. Blipping the throttle causes it to snap off idle quicker than expected and it settles back to idle nearly as quick. It roars when revved hard. Wide open acceleration sounds angry, but never harsh. Decelerating with the throttle closed changes to a much deeper tone interspersed with burbles and pops as the tach comes back to idle. It doesn't matter what your right hand is doing, the exhaust always sounds great. On top of that are all the mechanical noises the motor makes. The big one is the dry clutch that rattles in neutral and when you pull the clutch in. If you're not used to it it sounds like something is falling apart, but once you're accustomed to it it adds another layer to the sounds the bike makes. There are all sorts of clicks and clatters as the bike idles, but they all sound methodic. Every sound coming from the bike sounds right.
I'm really not sure what to make of the test ride. In some ways it was everything I expected- uncomfortable, impractical, fast and focused. On the other hand, the whole "Ducati Experience" is really quite special. I can now see why people will pay so much money and put up with the maintenance requirements and punishing ergonomics.
I need to go ride another 1125R while the 1098 is fresh in my mind. There are some obvious differences I remember from riding the 1125R at VIR back in '07, but I'd like to compare them back to back. |
1313
| | Posted on Friday, July 24, 2009 - 11:38 pm: |
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Prior,
Thanks for last nights accomodations and brewskis! I'm at my destination near Indianapolis and ready to see Marilyn Manson (and a host of other bands - http://www.mayhemfest.com/bands.php) tomorrow.
The ride back on Sunday's gonna suck - but it's not like I didn't know before I set off on this adventure!
1313 |
M2nc
| | Posted on Saturday, July 25, 2009 - 03:32 am: |
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Cool review Spike. I dig yellow bikes and the 1098 is just sharp. |
Spike
| | Posted on Saturday, July 25, 2009 - 03:59 pm: |
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I just heard my Drummer for the last time as it rode away on someone else's bike.  |
Ulywife
| | Posted on Monday, July 27, 2009 - 09:51 am: |
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Prayers for U4euh. See link below.
http://www.badweatherbikers.com/cgibin/discus/show .cgi?tpc=4062&post=1530985#POST1530985 |
Rubberdown
| | Posted on Monday, July 27, 2009 - 10:20 am: |
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Get Well Soon Jim! |
Jlnance
| | Posted on Monday, July 27, 2009 - 10:35 am: |
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Why are you wearing casts? |
Rubberdown
| | Posted on Monday, July 27, 2009 - 10:58 am: |
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Little racing incident this weekend. Sucks. Broke left arm and screwed up right foot/ankle. Broke the Hp2 in half but I think I can fix it. High speed low side, bike launched itself skyward when it hit the dirt/grass and came down directly on the rear wheel snapping the drive shaft and swingarm. More flipping and carnage. I thought I'd never stop sliding, rolling, and summersaulting. Trashed a new Shoei.
I raced the 250 afterwards and before I knew my arm was broken. It hurt, but the ankle hurt more and once the flag dropped it wasn't so bad. Hurts now though.
Crutches with a broken arm suck. |
Ulywife
| | Posted on Monday, July 27, 2009 - 11:01 am: |
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Racing with a broken arm and hurt ankle. You are determined aren't you? I hope you heal quickly. Lots of karma coming your way as well! |
Rubberdown
| | Posted on Monday, July 27, 2009 - 11:23 am: |
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Thanks Kristie.
I'm trying to get up with Pete and Aron to see U4 this evening. |
Jlnance
| | Posted on Monday, July 27, 2009 - 01:04 pm: |
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Jim called over lunch. Sounded kinda tired, but reasonably well considering. |
M2nc
| | Posted on Monday, July 27, 2009 - 08:04 pm: |
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Get well soon, both Mike & Jim. |
Smoke
| | Posted on Monday, July 27, 2009 - 09:37 pm: |
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both Mike and Jim have my best wishes for a quick recovery!!
tim |
Zxzer04
| | Posted on Monday, July 27, 2009 - 10:00 pm: |
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Hi Guys, I get a email from Buell about 2010 models so I figured I would say Hi. Mike and Jim both of you need to get better, no fun all locked to a couch or bed. Hope you all are doing well. I saw no new models and a weird off color page on the blast, so I am guessing that its not getting a upgrade, so much as a Giant Testosterone injection. Larry |
1313
| | Posted on Monday, July 27, 2009 - 11:21 pm: |
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The news about Jim Rainey SUCKS! How do I get a hold of him? I got his cell phone # in my cell phone. Is that a good way to reach him? Is there a best time to call him? Man, that SUCKS!
A dirty Uly is a happy Uly? Who says that a sport-touring bike can't get a little muddy? No competition for CityXslicker, but this is what the XT looked like after the concert:
Get better quick Mike & Jim!!!
1313 |
Ulywife
| | Posted on Monday, July 27, 2009 - 11:29 pm: |
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1313 - glad you're home safe and sound. You can reach Jim via cell. Send him a text. Not sure what is a "good" time, but with texting, he can respond later. |
Rubberdown
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 28, 2009 - 07:38 am: |
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A group of us (me, Trish, Pete, and Aron) went to see U4 and family last night. It was like hospital party including HOT nurses and party treats. U4 looks good. He needs prayers and well wishes as it's a scarey time for him. Tonya seems to be holding up well.
We're with you U4! Get well soon!
(Message edited by rubberdown on July 28, 2009) |
Jlnance
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 28, 2009 - 01:46 pm: |
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(Message edited by jlnance on July 29, 2009) |
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