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...It's a tourer...and a sporty bike... |
The last time I rode a two-wheeled motorized anything was when I was 7 or 8, and I had a great buddy who had an extra Honda Trail 50 mini-bike available for bouncing around his family's farm in Kentucky. Looking back, I have nothing but great memories of these couple of summers, buzzing around the gently rolling hills outside of Lexington. My buddy's dad, by the way, had one of the first Honda 750/4 models; they seemed huge, and the dad was larger than life on it.
Through the years, I've always noticed motorcycles as they zoomed (or cruised) by, but didn't give much thought to actually owning one.
As I approached my apparently obligatory mid-life crisis, I found myself yearning for a Big Loud Sporty Car, and was starting to fixate on owning a Camaro SS. Forget the damnable quality and dated look; I just wanted an exhaust note and 0-60 grins. But at over $30K new, and with the current economy, I just couldn't swing it.
Then, on a vacation to the Algarve, in southern Portugal, I wound up in the middle of a huge motorcycle get-together. Then, on the drive back to Paris(!), we were passed by an amazing number of sport bikes in full lean on the mountain highways. Something clicked inside me and, although I didn't particularly want to rush out and buy a sport bike, I started thinking, "Hmmm, maybe a motorcycle..."
Attention: Newbie in the Store [top]
After returning to the States, I decided to get a bike. I started to visit various motorcycle dealers in the Austin and Round Rock, TX, area. My (dubious) strategy was to walk into the dealers showroom, admit to being a 'pre-newbie', described what I wanted ("a good starter bike that won't kill me"), put myself at their mercy, and see what they said. The responses generally fell into one of the following:
* What I mean by this is that Mototek and Lone Star put immediate profits aside, and steered me towards having the best initial motorcycle experience possible.
I wound up taking the latter group's advice, and I'm glad I did.
I decided to be very conservative in my approach to riding. So the first thing I did was buy a helmet and gloves. Then, I signed up for an MSF approved school in Hutto called the Total Rider Improvement Course (T.R.I.C.). I cannot express how valuable that course was for me, personally. A number of folks in the class had already ridden, either in the past or recently but, for me, this course was a great way to start enjoying the sport. I highly recommend this course for folks in the Central Texas area.
After completing the course, I proceeded to get my license (the MSF course made it a breeze) and then hopped on to the Web to start looking for motorcycles. I did a few searches on Google (and their newsgroup section) for newbie motorcycle information, buzzed through "Timberwoof's" excellent FAQ, and soaked up just about everything www.beginnerbikes.com had to offer. I wound up at CycleTrader.com, and soon had it narrowed down to a few bikes in the area. The one that caught my eye was the Honda in Georgetown, just up the Interstate a few miles.
So, on a rainy evening, I arranged to see the Honda. The seller, a
retired minister, 
enjoyed the bike a bunch to ride with his son on weekends, but
had come upon a Pacific
Coast that he just had to have. I was astounded by how clean this 20
year-old bike was, but the engine did look kinda funky (very Moto-Guzzi'ish).
It only had 12,000 miles on it. I asked the seller to start it up.
He did, and although it took a little effort to get it started (more on this
later), once it was going, I was hooked. It made the nicest sound,
a great little version of the "American Muscle Car V-8 burble" that I
had wanted, car-wise.
Even though this was the first motorcycle I had looked at seriously, and even
though one should never buy the first used machine one sees, I decided to go for
it. It looked so clean, sounded so nice, was priced so reasonably, and I
figured, "shoot, if you can't trust a minister these days, who can
you trust?" So, I gave him a check, and went home, all excited.
The next order of business was to get the bike home. Being conservative and Brand New at riding, I really didn't want to deal with traffic or the Interstate, so I wound up renting a U-haul truck to get the bike. I took it, in a pouring rain, from the seller's home to an interesting little shop I had found in Round Rock, called Team Scream, which specialized in Japanese bike repair. This is a cool place which is basically a barn, outfitted as a repair shop, on the owner's property. The owner helped me unload the bike. I told him I just wanted him to check out the motorcycle. "Assume that a newbie is going to be riding it," I said. I also mentioned that it apparently didn't want to start easily. The first thing he did was to pull the choke all the way out, and hit the starter. BROOMMMM! It fired up immediately. He said that that was the way to start up a CX, don't touch the throttle (the seller had done that) and just start it up. He also noticed a bit of water in an inner recess of the engine, where the water pipe entered the engine (uh-oh), and when riding it a few feet, mentioned that the front brake lever was sticking a bit.
While waiting for the bike to be checked out, I went to finish off purchasing my protective gear. As much as I kind of envied folks riding bare-headed, or with shorts, jeans, or t-shirts, I had decided to stay conservative, and hedge my inexperience with some decent protective gear. I already had my helmet and gloves, so I wound up at Lone Star Cycles and got a jacket, overpants, and shoes.
After a week or so, I picked up my bike. It turned out the water problem was not a big enough deal to worry about ("just check the fluids periodically"), and the mechanic wound up just changing the oil and filter, checking the bike out, adjusting the front brake lever, and putting a little air in the front shock. He mentioned that it was a nice looking bike for the money.
Now, the moment of truth: the first ride on my bike....gulp.
After donning all my gear, and starting the bike, I did a little of what I'd learned at MSF school: got used to the clutch's friction zone. After a minute or so, I was off. Fortunately, this gentleman's shop was just a drive through a few neighborhoods away, so I practiced starting and stopping on some deserted roads, and eventually made it home. The most interesting part of this short ride was the fact that there were some decent inclines at stopping points, so I got some practice on starting from a hill. I made it home without incident, and parked the bike. Success!
It was a pretty warm day, and I was completely soaked, but I was also flushed with excitement at my first ride. I was already getting the bug.
My goal was to gain some experience on the uncrowded and easy country roads of Williamson County before tackling the more scenic routes in Central Texas Hill Country. I figured I'd put about 1000 miles on, to get used to the basics, so I'm not thinking of that so much when I'm in a little more traffic or twisty roads.
All my rides were really a blast. I liked staying under 60 mph (in 60-65 mph speed zones), and was perfectly content to toodle along at 40-45 mph on the back roads. I tried to practice the various MSF techniques: look where I want to go, stop/look/lean/roll on turns, use both brakes, etc. I like the idea of The Pace and the Vanishing Point, and tried to work on those ideas, albeit at slower speeds.
Occasionally, I would find myself on a gravel road. Yikes! Down goes the speed, and I start worrying about making a turn. These usually lasted just a mile or so, and was good experience. I could really stand to take a dirt bike course, though!
It's been said that as one learns to ride, the confidence level quickly rises above the skill level, which spells TROUBLE. I can now personally attest to the truth of this adage.
We were getting ready to go camping one Saturday morning, and packing was ahead of schedule. I decided to get a quick hour of riding in before we left. I donned my gear, and set out.
In the first few miles, I got this nagging feeling that things weren't right. The bike was mechanically OK, but seems a little loose in the tail. The weather was a bit chilly, and the wind didn't help matters much.
I continued on into the countryside, and came to a right hand turn. A pickup truck was following me, which bugged me a little, but he backed off as I signaled my intentions. I slowed down to about 10-15 mph, looked down the road as they instructed in the MSF class, and pushed the right-hand bar.
For a split-second, I remember thinking, "Man, I'm really leaned over, my footpeg is touching..."
The next thing I know, my bike is skittering along the ground, and I'm sliding about 5-6 feet as well.
Now, I've always held that folks can make maybe one mistake when driving and get away with it most of the time, but more than one mistake will surely bring about an accident. In looking back at this mishap, I figure the following all contributed to the problem to one degree or another:
Anyway, no major harm was done. My right ankle had a nagging little "compression" sprain for a month or two, and bike just had scrapes on the windshield, brake lever, and exhaust pipe, and a broken right turn signal.
One other interesting thing about this experience: The few days before going out on that particular adenturous ride, I'd been seeing a bunch of riders bopping around in jeans, and wondering to myself, "Hmmm, my overpants are kind of a pain to get in and out of, and hot on hot days, to boot. Maybe I should just ride jeans, they'll protect me fairly well." When I went on my ill-fated ride, I had my overpants. After bouncing a bit, and popping up, I decided at that point to always wear some safety pants, not just for the abrasion protection, but for the protective armor as well.
I learned a lot from this accident, and was thankful it was minor and happened when there was no traffic.
I had some time to ride on a January Sunday. I had reached my 1000 mile goal, and decided to venture West of Round Rock. The weather was perfect: 60 degrees F, low wind, cloudless blue skies.
I made my way on the some back roads, and decided to muster up a little bravado and go ahead and take 1431 to Marble Falls from Cedar Park. I had ridden this route in a car in 2000, but my memory and slight anxiety had turned it into a really tight, narrow road, with lots of traffic. 1431 is considered an excellent bike-riding road, so I decided to have a taste, come what may.
Simply put, I went to experience the best day on a motor vehicle I had ever had. The traffic was light, the turns were generally 55 mph sweepers, and the tighter turns were still reasonable for me. I rode within the speed limit, and had an absolute blast.
Every 4-5 turns, I found myself thinking, "Gawd, but I love this..."
At the risk of anthropomorphizing, I daresay even the bike had fun; it hummed around the turns, and up and down the hills.
I definitely am beginning to see the reason folks love to ride.
I'm feeling a little guilty. Even as I totally enjoyed my little CX500 to learn on and drive around Central Texas, it's my nature to begin yearning for a Shiny New Motorcycle.
My goal was to put about 10,000 miles on the Honda, take an Experienced Riders course, then shop for a new bike, but 2 things happened that totally screwed up my plans:
Even with only 3,000 miles behind me, I couldn't refuse the siren call of this bike. Every mile since purchasing it has been an absolute HOOT.
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Side view |
Proud newbie |
Chicken strips |
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more pictures here |
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Add-ons :
Evoluzione Clutch Slave Cylinder - Since I had this installed before picking up the bike, I don't know how it compares to the stock slave. All I know is that the clutch effort is smooth and easy, even in commuting traffic. I've had problems with the clutch slave, twice, actually, Evoluzione and Mototek did me right both times.
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Tankslapper film after about 4500 miles |
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Protective tank film - works great, wonderful value for the money. They now offer a more complete set of film for more surfaces.
Staintune slip-ons - sound, power, mpg....yum. Look HERE for dyno results after pulling the baffles and remapping the ECU. Combined with ECU remapping using Tuneboy software and a dyno/exhaust gas analyzer (work done by AF1 Racing), the engine is now very powerful (final eddy-current dyno measurement of 100.3 HP at the rear wheel), faster revving, and much less twitchy at low revs and off-idle...Woohoo!
Evoluzione air filter - What the heck, I was pulling the baffles anyway, why not a little more intake noise? :)
H-Pipe - Replaced the initial exhaust collector underneath the bike. The result is a nice power boost, and a wonderful growl in conjunction with the unplugged Staintunes. Here is some multimedia (sound is with unplugged Staintunes):
Dyno run (step test starting at 4K rpm)
Quick blips on dyno
Tankbag - good quality, working great so far.
ThrottleMeister - about 50% satisfactory, good enough right now for a short break for the right hand, otherwise it slips after just a few seconds, or holds while the revs go up...! Needs some adjustment, obviously. I got the heavy model, it does an OK job of reducing vibrations, but I can barely tell the difference from the stock bar-ends.
ThrottleRocker - great $10 item, currently a much better Bang for the Buck than the ThrottleMeister.
Traffic light trigger - I know, I know, could've just gotten a magnet and some twist ties and done this cheaper, but I spent the 12 bucks or so and mounted this to the center stand. The jury's still out on this, I've definitely not seen any improvment on a couple of particularly indifferent stoplights, but then again, on a few others, I'd like to think it caused my bike to be detected.
Flashing Taillights: Very easy installation (just replace the bulbs), nice bright lights, with fast, then slow flashing sequence, eventually to steadily on. My first set showed slightly psychedelic behavior. After discussing this with Kisan customer support, they shipped out a replacement set (with circuitry that has improved resistance to electrical noise) at no charge to me other than the $4 to ship the old ones back. The replacement set works perfectly. I like this company!
Brighter headlights: After installation, they don't seem necessarily brighter, but do seem whiter and have better coverage. Further riding at night on the highway reveals an awesome beam, they probably annoy other drivers, but at least they see me...!
Headlight modulator: Awesome plug 'n play modulators for the hi-beams. Click here for some installation notes
Electrical accessory connection - Added this to the left upper fairing. Also added a Gerbing heated clothing battery harness underneath the seat, so I can connect the Jastek outlet to my tank bag, via this tank bag connection.
NWS carbon fiber rear hugger - Adds a nice look to the rear, but more importantly, keeps crap off of the rear shock. I like it.
NWS double bubble windshield - Huge pain in the butt to install, but I think I might like it. It moves the windblast up a few inches from my neck area to around my face shield.
Givi E52 Maxia topcase - I love this thing. I hardly use the hardbags any more, at least for commuting and day trips. It took quite a few hours to install, even with these fantastic directions, but it was worth it. It's solidly mounted, doesn't bother me at all, handling-wise, has a very nice latching/locking mechanism, and is very roomy. The fact that it looks like a tumor on the back is, well, c'est la vie.
Saeng Stealth edging - In the never ending battle to increase the Cone of Silence around my helmet. Initial indications are that it doesn't help all that much on the double-bubble....more as I put a few miles on it.
Autocom Pro 7 Sport communications system. Just purchased, not happy with the lack of interfaces to my (Nokia 3100) cell phone and Nady MRC-11 FRS radio, and the ear speakers don't fit well in my Shoei Z-II. Currently, this is my worst bang for the buck purchase to date.
Zaino Bros' Show Car Polish - well, just a purely cosmetic thing, really, but this stuff really sets up a nice shine on this already gorgeous machine.
Wish list:
Decades of riding experience...!
A GPS
Gear Jackets/pants | Footwear | Gloves | Misc [top]
My priorities are Safety and Comfort..
Aerostich Roadcrafter 2-piece: I love this suit. It's incredibly well-made, and clearly purpose built for motorcycle riding. There are lots of pockets, the neck area is soft, and the suit fits wonderfully when you are in a riding position. I anticipate many years of enjoyment from this admittedly expen$ive piece of gear. 11/3/02: Rode 365 miles in the rain, crotch area of pants was soaked through to jeans. To me, this is unacceptable since it occurred riding an hour or so in light rain. Provided feedback to Aerostich, got this forthright and detailed response from the owner of the company. As of 11/18/03 I am very happy with the comfort, quality, and perceived protection of the Roadcrafter 2-piece (especially with the "ellipse" in, that extends the rear jacket/pants connection). Note that my current rides consist of:
Some weekend 1/2-to-full day rides
Some commuting
A tiny bit of touring
For this purpose, I chose the Roadcrafter, since it's a tad easier to get on/off, and I thought it would fit better on a sporty-tourer bike than a Darien would. If I start to tour more, I might get a Darien anyway, as it's designed for less leakage (at the expense of being slightly harder to don/doff) and will probably work fine in the slightly crouched position of a sport-tourer.
Gerbing electrically heated jacket liner. Awesome product, as it transforms chilly days/nights from endurance efforts to a nice cool ride. Highly recommended.
Marsee Ballistic jacket - Nice jacket, with lots of armor and zippers. It's still a bit hot on a Texas September day, even with all the zippers open, but I like it. It held up perfectly during my first little spill, with only a dirty sleeve to remind me to Be Smooth! I'm not crazy about the short waist design, as it turns out; I kind of wish I had gotten a ¾ jacket, but otherwise this jacket is super. I'll probably eventually sell this, since the Roadcrafter serves all my needs.
FirstGear Splash Rainsuit top ("See Me Yellow") - Works fine, keeps me nice and dry. Good value for the money. A bit hot in warm climate rainstorms, but oh, well.
FirstGear Rain pants - Work just fine, TYVM.
The following are hardly ever used or rejected:
Joe Rocket Reactor jacket - I wanted something for the warm (OK, hot) Texas weather. This is probably a little warmer overall than the Phoenix jacket, but I liked the idea of leather on the arms and shoulders, and must admit that I preferred the look (especially the yellow color) over the Phoenix. With 80-90 F May Texas weather, it's been nice and cool. Things only get a bit steamy when I'm stopped. I think it'd be much more comfortable on hot days if I didn't have the windshield on the CX500....yup, on the Futura, with its windblast directed at the upper chest and above, I was able to ride 2 hours in 94 F sun and not even get my shirt sweaty...YESSSS. I'm really enjoying this jacket in the warm weather. Even so, I'll probably sell this jacket eventually, since I don't really use it much any more, after getting the RoadCrafter.
Joe Rocket Phoenix pants - Same situation as with the Reactor jacket, above, except no leather. While overpants are kind of a pain, I must say that these are the best compromise of safety and staying cool. The fit is kind of tight over jeans (but the next larger size was too baggy), the cuff rides up above my ankle when I sit on the bike, and the front fastener buckle sometimes digs into my abdomen, but overall, I'm very pleased with this product. Still, I'll probably sell it eventually, since the Roadcrafter works in a pretty wide termperature range, and is much more protective.
REJECTED TourMaster Cortech overpants - Nicely armored, it also zips all the way from ankle to waist, making it very easy to don and doff. It's not particularly breathable, but the protection is great, and the Cordura and padding were flawless in making my first spill fairly painless; I didn't realize how much I had landed on my hip until the next day, and wondered "what if I had not had padding there?" One complaint is that it is supposed to be waterproof, but when I used in a pretty big storm, the elastic portion behind the knee soaked in water, which wound up soaking my jeans from the back of the knee outward, so No Joy in that regard. 11/26/02: Returned the gloves to the merchant, I have no need for these pants, and they simply weren't waterproof as claimed.
AlpineStar N-2 (I think) shoes - Basically, high-top motorcycle sneakers with some ankle protection. They are not waterproof, which is OK, but it's good for riding in non-inclement weather. They have a nice touch of having a flap that secures over the laces (although the left shoe's flap comes loose fairly easily). I'm not sure how they helped or hindered my first spill. I wound up twisting my right ankle pretty well. The fall pretty much pushed my toes toward my shin in an instant, so it's not clear how other footwear may have been better. After 2700 miles, the elastic that keeps the cover over the laces on the left shoe finally gave up and broke.
Triumph Explorer boots - In keeping with the waterproof idea, I went with these. I tried on my 'dream' boots, Sidi's OnRoad Sympatex, but they were way too tight for my wide-ish foot (although, interestingly, I tried on the same size pair a year later, and they fit wonderfully...?). I've also heard really good things about the Tour boots from CruiserWorks, but I'd rather try my boots on before I buy. The Triumph boots are very comfy; the dealer said he's sold about 60-70 pairs, with only 3 returns (all warrantee'd). I've really come to enjoy these boots, they're very dry in rainy weather (they were perfectly warm and comfy riding 365 miles in 50 F rainy weather, for example), are resonably warm down the 30's (with wool socks and liners), and are staying comfortable.
(Current favorite) Sidi Strada Evo Tepor boots - The Triumphs were fine, actually, and I put almost 20,000 miles on 'em. However, I wanted a bit more ankle protection, and on a recent Iron Butt ride that started in a deluge, it seems like my toes got a little damp. Plus, I think I got sucked into the Sidi marketing. Anyway, after about 2,500 miles, I think these boots are very nice.
Gerbing heated gloves. Heaven on (cold) earth. I coated the (really nice) leather with NikWax Paste Wax, just to ensure its waterproof-ed-ness.
First Gear Winter Dakota gloves - OK, gonna give these a shot, after rejecting the other winter gloves (below). At the store, they feel very comfortable, I like the soft leather, and they're fairly warm. I've had 'em on during days down to the low 30s, and my hands get a bit cold, even with the liners (see below); however, it's tolerable. The only thing better would be heated grips or electric gloves, I'd imagine. I'm a bit disappointed in the cinch strap; I'm not confident that the gloves would stay on if I slapped my hands down on a get-off. They are waterproof enough that I haven't had occasion to really use the Aerostich rain covers (below) that much, so that's good. The Gerbing gloves are pretty great for all around winter use, but I may still use these Dakotas when the temps are in the high 40s or so, since they're less bulky than the Gerbings.
Tourmaster Silk glove liners - Very nice on chilly days. When the temperature is in the 50s, they're perfect to have under my ventilated summer gloves (great feel on the grips, but not bulky).
Aerostich Triple-Digit Rain Covers - 11/3/02: Rode 365 miles in rainy weather. While the rain covers did a very nice job of blocking the wind and therefore keeping my hands from going numb, they nevertheless admitted a bunch of water, and I wound up with gloves that were soaking wet, and pretty cold hands. One problem is that with the chin curtain installed on my helmet, I could not use my teeth to cinch up the gauntlet elastic. I've since realized it's possible to do without teeth, by grabbing the elastic with the same hand, and cinching with the other hand.. I find it very hard to believe that the thoroughly soaked gloves were due to seepage through the gauntlet (against the airflow, by the way). Provided feedback to Aerostich, got this response from the owner of the company, which obviously impressed me. I've gone ahead and treated these items with seam sealer and TecTron, and am looking forward to trying them again.
Replaced: Joe Rocket Speedmaster gloves - I really like these gloves, at least for fair weather riding. They have a gauntlet, and nice ventilation at the knuckles, although still protected with carbon fiber and hard plastic little bumpies. A few weeks after my first spill, I noticed the knuckle protection on my right hand was slightly roughed up, indicating that I had slapped the asphalt with the back of my hand during the get-off. This was cool, as I had had no problems with my hand. The gloves did their job, and kept my skin where it belonged. I rode in a 48-degree day, and my hands got a little numb, so I got the First Gear Dakota gloves. As of 3/27/04: Replaced these gloves, as I had a little hole in the left thumb (I'm guessing as a result of rubbing brake fluid on 'em -- don't ask -- and using that portion of the thumb for lots of turn signal button pushing). As of November '04: The left index finger seam has already split; fortunately, my mother sewed it up better than new. I'm a little leery of its crashworthiness, but otherwise, the glove is very comfortable on hot days, and adequately warm on cool days, especially if the glove liners are used.
REJECTED AlpineStar ST-1 Drystar gloves - When the weather turned chilly, I bought these. Have had a couple of rides with them. They're pretty good during chillier weather (>40° F, anyway), and don't sweat your hands too badly when the temperature warms up. One thing I noticed was that some threads are already coming loose on the left glove, around the index finger, so I worry about their long-term durability. They are very light, compared to the Speedmaster gloves, and fairly water-resistant, although in a recent storm they were still damp inside. I'm a little concerned that they might fly off if I go down, since they have no wrist strap, but hopefully I'll never test that supposition...! I guess I'm still looking for a good cold/wet weather glove
Final verdict: I just don't trust their leakage, returned these gloves to the merchant, decided on a different pair that seem to be recommended. Also, purchased the Aerostich Triple-Digit Rain Covers for really heavy rains/cold, see above). Live and learn.
REJECTED TourMaster Polar Tex winter gloves - Just purchased. They felt wonderful at the store and, if they work, will be a good value for the money.. No knuckle protection, though. Slapped two coats of ScotchGuard Heavy Duty on 'em right away; they're now ready for a little usage. 11/26/02: Returned to the dealer. On only the first day riding with them,the zipper tape for the gauntlet ripped on both gloves! I think I'm done with TourMaster.
REJECTED Held Ninja Summer gloves - Replaced the Joe Rocket Speedmasters with these on 3/27/04. They felt good in the store, but on the bike the fingers seem too short, and the molded armor on the right knuckles seems to dig into my hand. I couldn't take this for even a few miles, so I returned 'em.
Shoei Z-II full-face helmet - Pretty comfortable, although after about 1.5-2 hours, I sometimes find myself adjusting the helmet to relieve some forehead pain; it must be touching a pressure point. Since the 1000 mile point, I haven't even noticed this any more; it's very comfortable. I'm pretty happy with the purchase, though; the shield is easy to remove/switch and the ventilation is good and adjustable. I have heard that the lower-priced Shoei models may be just as good, and maybe even a bit quieter. Also, note that the shield fogs up quite a bit on a cold (<40° F) morning. This may have to do with the fact that I'm using a neck gator, but I've also noticed it, at least initially in my ride, when I'm not wearing said gator. Actually, come to think of it, it's my glasses that are fogging, not the shield (especially after applying anti-fog goop to the inside of the shield. This is particularly bad when the chin curtain is installed, although that does keep the whole face warmer in cold weather. This helmet is very cool with the ventilation points opened and on the Futura (which has a nice clean wind blast).
Fog City Hyper-Optik automagic tinting anti-fog insert - Put on my clear visor. Works great! Now what fogs, especially in cold weather, are my glasses :(. If you get them, make sure you mount them slightly below where you think they should go. I have to wrestle my visor up/down, since the insert rubs against the top part of the face opening.
Aerostich Shellaclava (catalog #1050) - This is a neck gator made of Turtle Fur with an attached, thinner head covering. Very nice, especially tucked into my fleece jacket under my Roadcrafter.
Fleece neck gator - Great for when it's cold enough to want to protect the neck, but not so frigid as to need the shellaclava described above.
Helmet Sundowner - - Got a little freaked riding into the sun one day, so I picked one up. It takes a little getting used to the dark ridge above your viewing area, but it definitely does its job of blocking the sun. I just picked up a few more for each of my visors. I don't know how the Sundowner compares to the Helmet Sunblocker, aside from being $10 cheaper...!
Wish list:
None, really.
Aprilia web sites:
ApriliaForum (Futura board is fairly active)
RST 1000 Futura mailing list
AF1 Racing, awesome aprilia afficiandoes in Austin.
Mototek - My dealer, total aprilia nuts.
FAQ at www.infernosoft.com/timberwoof/motorcycle/faq.shtml. Nice set of basic information.
Gear:
Aerostich - Awesome riding gear and motorcycle sundries.
Misc:
Beginner Bikes: www.beginnerbikes.com. Wonderful reviews and opinions for newbie bikers.
Motorcycle Online: www.motorcycle.com - Nice articles, decent, enjoyable reviews. Pay the few bucks to keep them in business, and check out the multimedia area.
Triumph T595 Web site that discusses the Wayne McDonald's Tuneboy program for the same Sagem ECU that's used on the RST.
SW Moto Tires Online - Nice prices that locals couldn't beat!
Team Scream, in Round Rock, TX. Japanese bike repair, bike transport at decent prices.
Rider safety:
Total Rider Improvement Courses - The Single Best Thing I did for myself in starting with this hobby. They also provide occasional Experienced Rider courses and now Offroad courses.
Megarider: www.megarider.com - A site of the New Zealand Motorcycle Safety Consultants.
Riding sites (I've gravitated toward sport-touring, obviously):
Two-wheeled Texans - Nice, friendly, Texas-oriented discussion board. See writeups of various Texas moto-roads (with videos of some of 'em) here.
Sport-Touring.net - tremendously addictive.
Ride Texas - Nice web site for a great Texas motorcycling magazine.
Rick's rides - Great guy in the Cedar Park,, TX, area who arranges fun day trips just for, well, fun.
Track schools:
Kevin Schwantz's Suzuki School at Road Atlanta
Freddie Spencer's High Performance Riding School at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Reg Pridmore's CLASS
Keith Code's California Superbike School
