I want a motorcycle

[Dingfod]

I rode my motorcycle to test ride two different Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) Can-Am Spyder vehicles this morning, an F3S and an ST-S. The F3 looks like this:




I will have to say, it is peppy as hell with its 130 hp 1330 cc 3-cylinder engine, but it is brutal on my shoulder joints. I has no power steering. It's like wrestling a 4-wheeler ATV around a corner, all muscle, one arm extended, the other brought up to my chest, to get it around a corner without slowing down to a crawl. My Honda NT700V would out-corner this, the most sporting of Can-Am's 3-wheeler collection. A Mazda Miata would hand this thing its ass in anything but straight line performance. Needless to say I did not like it much.

The STS-S was much better, better seating position, has power assist on steering, and less power, being only a 995 cc 2-cylinder. This one, I rode the most. I could see riding this on a long trip with their special deluxe trailer towed behind for luggage capacity.






They both had what is called semi-automatic transmission. It's really just automatic clutch with automatic downshift (when the speed gets low enough), all upshifts are manual. They do have a fully automatic one available on the RS model.

The longer test ride was the shittiest test ride I've ever been on, but it was good test of the ride's suspension and brakes, as there were numerous gigantic potholes and lots of traffic lights on the "tour" We rode for about 3 miles on the freeway, and traffic was unusually busy (and rude) for a Saturday morning.

I came away from this liking my motorcycle, and the two Miata's that inland wave had, even better than before. I will not be buying the overpriced Can-Am Spyder.

[Dingfod]

A neighbor of mine has a Polaris Slingshot. It is not a motorcycle, according to a number of states, including Texas, because you sit in it rather than on it, like a motorcycle.




The Polaris Slingshot has a Chevy Cobalt 2.4L inline four cylinder driving the front wheels, rather than a snowmobile-derived 3 cylinder like the Can-Am. Pricing is very similar to the Can-Am.

[curses]

Not to overshadow Ding's Can Am experience but I got my motorcycle license this week.

[Kyuss Apollo]

Gonna have to test ride one of those Slingshots...looks like fun! Though the shitty roads around here would tear the ass out of it.

I have put off getting motorcycle insurance and doing the spring maintenance. I have so much to do that I don't want to do -- I know I would just go off and ride like hell instead of doing the things.

[curses]

Here's a cool blog about a lady, her dad, and her sibling(?) riding the TAT.

TAT Rider ~ Adventures of a Motorcycling Yogini

Also here's some photos from the vintage races at Monster Mountain a few weeks ago.
http://imgur.com/a/AzBes#0

There also MAY be video of me riding my first ever lap on a motocross track (and my first ever fall on one as well) but I have to see if I can find it.

[ceptimus]

I took my bike for its annual road-worthiness check (MOT) this morning.

The test guy was extra-picky about the brake light not coming on soon enough when the back brake pedal was pressed. I told him that, on my bike, there's hardly ever any need to use the back pedal as the brakes are linked so that when you use either the front brake lever or the back brake pedal, braking is applied to both wheels - and the pedal is very insensitive so that, if you do use it, you have to stomp on it quite hard - and so the light would come on anyway.

But he wouldn't have it, so I had to ride the bike back home (where there were tools) and adjust the linkage and switch, then take it back for a final test.

Anyway, he passed it after that and he didn't charge any extra for the initial test 'fail'.

[Dingfod]

Anyone want to buy a nice used 2010 Honda NT700V? It has a few scratches here and there, but the price will reflect that.

[curses]

That'll buff right out.

[Ymir's blood]

That would look great in curses' living room!