July 7, 200916 yr Now this would be very cool to ride...very Tron-esque but God help you if you get into an accident! Cheers! M2
July 7, 200916 yr Now this would be very cool to ride...very Tron-esque but God help you if you get into an accident! Cheers! M2 Flash won't load on my gov't computer from that page, but I found another.. is this the same thing? Sounds like it would be a lot of fun to drive around.
July 8, 200916 yr Finally picked my bike up today and went with State Farm for insurance. I paid $447/6 months for 100/300/100 and $500 deductible on comp and collis. The same at progressive would have been over 2x as much. This is for an '07 R6. Still a little pricey, but no other company came close.
July 8, 200916 yr Finally picked my bike up today and went with State Farm for insurance. I paid $447/6 months for 100/300/100 and $500 deductible on comp and collis. The same at progressive would have been over 2x as much. This is for an '07 R6. Still a little pricey, but no other company came close. Wow... That is exactly why I went with a cruiser.. $140 for 12 months. Congrats on getting your bike though! Enjoy it and don't kill yourself!
July 12, 200916 yr Check USAA as well, especially if you already have coverage on other vehicles through them. They are competitive, I have them for both of my bikes... Word of caution on that, M2. USAA--unlike every other company I've seen--essentially treats your bike & your car insurance as the same thing. The pro is the very competitive rate; the con is that a claim on one affects coverage on both. I hope you never have occasion to find that out "the hard way" as I did, but.... In my situation, I had an at-fault wreck on the bike and a no-fault (i.e., paid under comprehensive) car wreck. Both paid, w/ USAA's typical prompt & hassle-free service. Shortly thereafter, I got a notice of non-renewal. I managed to get around that w/ a letter to mgmt ("'no-fault' doesn't equal 'bad driver' / I'm a 15+ year customer / WTFO?"), but have since insured my bikes w/ GEICO (at rather competitive rates). YMMV.
July 13, 200916 yr I had USAA on all my bikes for several years. I recently went to update and address and they moved me over to Progressive. Not too bad so far I guess, but USAA didn't want to keep my business.
July 13, 200916 yr Now I am confused, as if USAA "subs" out their motorcycle insurance as I was led to believe, how could they it as the same policy as your auto insurance?
July 13, 200916 yr Now I am confused, as if USAA "subs" out their motorcycle insurance as I was led to believe, how could they it as the same policy as your auto insurance? I don't think they sub it out. They just refer you to Progressive, which is where I got my really nice rate on my insurance. I don't see how that could affect your non-motorcycle vehicle coverage through USAA if you wrecked your bike.
July 13, 200916 yr Now I am confused, as if USAA "subs" out their motorcycle insurance as I was led to believe, how could they it as the same policy as your auto insurance? Hmmm.... Looks like they changed their system. The wrecks I had were in 2002--at the time, USAA underwrote both the auto and the bike policies (as a single policy); nowadays, it looks like they are indeed two separate policies. Sorry for the outdated info.
July 24, 200916 yr I think the Marines got it right with their approach to motorcycle safety. Here's a trailer for their safety video "Semper Ride". Very well done in my opinion and targets the right audience. As opposed to the AF that seems to sometimes just want to get rid of motorcycles period. Enjoy... linky
August 10, 200916 yr More motorcycles than boobies so I figured they belonged here... Haha, those are great skinny, thanks for sharing.
August 10, 200916 yr More motorcycles than boobies so I figured they belonged here... skinny Nice! Cheers! M2
August 13, 200916 yr Thought I'd bring this up here after doing my research online. I got my motorcycle used about 14 months ago, my first bike. It's a V-Star 650. It came in pretty good shape with some nice and noisy cobra pipes that I've since mucked up pretty good. I've melted my riding pants on it (100% PU Coated Nylon) as well as bits of skin and the sole of my shoes, black stuff near the ends which I assume is exhaust residue and brake dust? A little rust thrown in here and there as well. Also it has some yellowish discoloration near where it's mounted to the engine. I've tried a few household things to clean it up but nothing is working so far. I'm just looking for some suggestions to get it cleaned up pretty good. I found S100 online and it seems to be a good product. What do you guys think?
August 19, 200916 yr My latest off... Dude passed me on the brakes and then parked right in front of me mid-corner.
August 19, 200916 yr Thought I'd bring this up here after doing my research online. I got my motorcycle used about 14 months ago, my first bike. It's a V-Star 650. It came in pretty good shape with some nice and noisy cobra pipes that I've since mucked up pretty good. I've melted my riding pants on it (100% PU Coated Nylon) as well as bits of skin and the sole of my shoes, black stuff near the ends which I assume is exhaust residue and brake dust? A little rust thrown in here and there as well. Also it has some yellowish discoloration near where it's mounted to the engine. I've tried a few household things to clean it up but nothing is working so far. I'm just looking for some suggestions to get it cleaned up pretty good. I found S100 online and it seems to be a good product. What do you guys think? For boot scuffs and such, warm the pipes up a bit, and use some very very fine steel wool. It should take it right off without scratching. I used to have a v-star 1100. Sold it to buy a 2006 Harley Davidson Screaming Eagle Ultra Classic Electra Glide.
August 20, 200916 yr For boot scuffs and such, warm the pipes up a bit, and use some very very fine steel wool. It should take it right off without scratching. Agreed. Another method--less elbow grease but slightly risky to clumsiness--is Easy Off (oven cleaner). Spray a bit onto a paper towel, be ***VERY*** careful not to get any on a painted or rubber surface, and use the paper towel to wipe just about anything off of a chromed or unpainted surface. Follow up w/ LOTS of water to ensure you've rinsed it all away. Works like a charm (I did say "very" careful, right?).
August 20, 200916 yr My latest off... Dude passed me on the brakes and then parked right in front of me mid-corner. I'm not surprised he parked it - he was 3ft from the apex by the looks of it! The joys of racing - I hope my budget stretches so I can race next season! Edited August 20, 200916 yr by IncompletePete
August 20, 200916 yr Agreed. Another method--less elbow grease but slightly risky to clumsiness--is Easy Off (oven cleaner). Spray a bit onto a paper towel, be ***VERY*** careful not to get any on a painted or rubber surface, and use the paper towel to wipe just about anything off of a chromed or unpainted surface. Follow up w/ LOTS of water to ensure you've rinsed it all away. Works like a charm (I did say "very" careful, right?). I was against the idea of steel wool because it's on chrome. Does the really fine stuff have less of a chance to rough it up? My wife bought oven cleaner to actually clean the oven. Been thinking about using it since we already have it now. Should I warm the pipes up first or will it do fine without it? I have a pretty good sized chunk of that nylon from my pants sitting on there. What about the discoloration? A buddy said it's because I'm running rich that it's turning yellow. Can I get that back to normal with cleaner??
August 21, 200916 yr I was against the idea of steel wool because it's on chrome. Does the really fine stuff have less of a chance to rough it up? My wife bought oven cleaner to actually clean the oven. Been thinking about using it since we already have it now. Should I warm the pipes up first or will it do fine without it? I have a pretty good sized chunk of that nylon from my pants sitting on there. What about the discoloration? A buddy said it's because I'm running rich that it's turning yellow. Can I get that back to normal with cleaner?? The super-fine steel wool won't rough it up. More accurately, it will "scratch" the chrome at such a fine level that it won't be visible--indeed, it will even have a bit of a polishing effect. Think super-fine finishing sandpaper on wood--same idea. It's also analogous to sandpaper in that the bigger the "chunk," the more elbow grease you'll need. If your gunk is that large, then I'd say yes, warm up the pipes first. That's more about softening the stuff to not tear your paper towel than the effectiveness of the chemicals. If your gunk is more of a "stain" (little or no depth), the Easy Off will literally just wipe it off w/ a swipe or two; thicker stuff may require a little scrubbing (far less than the steel wool, though). My lawyer has advised me to repeat the warning: do NOT get any on your paint, hoses, tires, etc! I'm no engine expert, but isn't that ("too rich") backwards? I thought it was too-lean running that created extra heat, leading to discolored pipes...? Either way, that's not a "stain" that you can rub off, it's a chemical change in the chrome. I suppose it's theoretically possible to fix it, but in practical terms, if the discoloration bothers you, re-chroming is your solution. Adding heat shields is another. There are a couple of products out there that claim to restore the chrome, but I've yet to hear anyone have success with them. Maybe if your discoloration is slight, I suppose it might be worth a try (certainly cheaper than re-chroming). Of course, any fix you apply needs to include adjusting your mixture, or the problem will just recur....
August 24, 200916 yr I'm no engine expert, but isn't that ("too rich") backwards? I thought it was too-lean running that created extra heat, leading to discolored pipes...? Either way, that's not a "stain" that you can rub off, it's a chemical change in the chrome. I suppose it's theoretically possible to fix it, but in practical terms, if the discoloration bothers you, re-chroming is your solution. Adding heat shields is another. There are a couple of products out there that claim to restore the chrome, but I've yet to hear anyone have success with them. Maybe if your discoloration is slight, I suppose it might be worth a try (certainly cheaper than re-chroming). Of course, any fix you apply needs to include adjusting your mixture, or the problem will just recur.... Thanks for the info. In regards to the discoloration, I don't care that much about it, but if it was something I could polish away I would. As long as I can get the crap off I'll be happy. Appreciate the help guys.
September 23, 200916 yr Here are my toys. The KTM in one of my first races. Don't worry, the number is actually 311 but had to change it for this race. The new and generally overpriced ride that I found on craigslist.
November 4, 200916 yr Just finished a few modifications on the bike. Edited November 4, 200916 yr by PanceLeak
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