netmouse | Riding, illustrated

Dave's Bike, My Gear
Originally uploaded by netmouse.

I've been asked for pictures of my new gear: here you go.

Yesterday logangrey loaned me his Honda Nighthawk 750 for riding practice. It is, I have to say, a really fun bike to ride. And he loaned it to me overnight, so I get to practice more today!

Chuck drove me over to Dave's on his bike in the afternoon, then hung out in a shady spot working on his brakes while I did drills in a parking lot for at least an hour. After that we rode (on separate bikes! *grin*) the long way around the south side of town to get from Ypsi, where Dave lives, back to my house in Ann Arbor. On the way we swung by elizilla's place. She wasn't there, but around the corner Phil and Jennifer were, so we stopped and got hydrated (I got a welcome lecture from Phil about staying hydrated with Mesh on) and had a nice visit until I had to call time to get back because I was expecting yellowmouser and novapsyche for dinner.

Janann and Alex were already there when we got back, and came out to admire the bike, so we paused for a little photoshoot. I complained my hair was a mess. "Yeah," said Chuck, "You look like you've been riding a bike!"

And so I had. :)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yes, I would *definitely* recommend riding pants with armor. I don't know if you've seen

hotwire7's friend Laura since she had a minor get-off on her new Buell Blast, but it shows how little protection jeans offer.

Wanna go riding sometime? :)

yeah, riding pants with armor, rain pants, and a shaded visor for my helmet are probably the next things I want to buy.

I'm pondering chaps, actually. what do you think of those, protection-wise?

(riding together, sure! Dave says I can borrow Demise (that's his bike's name) anytime, and Kathy also suggested I might borrow one of her bikes. Just let me know when you want to go and I'll see about borrowing a bike (riding as a passenger is fun too, but right now I'm hot to practice).)

Chaps are bad. If you come off the bike, chances are you will slide on your butt, and chaps don't cover it. Look for full coverage pants.

That Nighthawk is probably a better choice for where you are now as a rider, than any bike in my garage.

Sorry I wasn't here when you visited. I was out all weekend riding in TN.

Chaps are bad. If you come off the bike, chances are you will slide on your butt, and chaps don't cover it. Look for full coverage pants.

Right. Got it.

That Nighthawk is probably a better choice for where you are now as a rider, than any bike in my garage.

Nod. I feel pretty comfortable on it. All of your bikes look a little more intimidating, but I'm getting there. :)

Sorry I wasn't here when you visited. I was out all weekend riding in TN.

Yes! Phil and Jennifer mentioned that was where you were. Was it fun?

I second what Kathy said about chaps. The first two gear items I picked up were chaps and a leather jacket. 60,000+ miles later, I still wear that jacket. A few thousand miles later though I replaced the chaps with something that covered my butt. Mentally I'm *much* more comfortable with them.

To save money I'd suggest just buying a pair of light armored riding pants and a cheap pair of waterproof overpants. Don't bother spending $$$ on a pair of waterproof armored pants this early in the game. I love mine, but I almost never wear them during warm weather - they're simply too hot.

Remember - with a shaded visor, you need a place to carry it. You'll be stuck out past dusk some night and you'll want to have your clear visor. I was stuck in Cincinnati once with only a mirrored visor and an hour away from my destination. It was one bleary-eyed COLD ride (45 degrees) riding the back roads with my visor open so I could see.

Further gear ranting done upon request or whenever a rant builds up. < grin >

Riding, illustrated

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