When did we stop appreciating...

[Strave19]

I think that was a good rant and I agree with a lot of it, but...

A lot of the observations that make you think that people are always whining about comfort, gadgets, gear, etc are a result of this website. We all just like talking bikes. We cant always talk about riding or past rides, so we also talk about gear, comfort, gadgets, etc. A lot of these folks are having FUN planning their next farkle, planning for their trips, and gps makes it possible for them to find the route they've been dreaming of. A lot of ADVers dont get a chance to ride where they want when they want, so we fill the gaps with planning and BS-ing about technology. If they had more time to ride they would probably do more riding and less whining... People like gadgets, people like coming up with "THE BEST" setup on their bike, some people even like these things more than riding it seems.

But ABS is just dumb..

[DAKEZ]

If they knew how comfortable they could be in just about every conceivable weather from 20 degrees to a 110 degrees with proper gear for the conditions there would be more riders. So I blame it on gear ignorance.

Also, IMO windshields are over-rated. As Example: When I ride the Tiger 800XC I take the damn thing off! I have put hundreds of miles with and without and It is a far better ride without a windshield.

I have notice a trend… Riders that have Dunlop disease (bellies that dun-lop over their belts) are found far more frequently on bikes with fairings and windshields.

IMO all new riders should be on naked bikes.

[VxZeroKnots]

Originally Posted by DAKEZ

Also, IMO windshields are over-rated. As Example: When I ride the Tiger 800XC I take the damn thing off! I have put hundreds of miles with and without and It is a far better ride without a windshield.

I felt the same way about my 640ADV, the fairing didn't do anything for me compared to a naked bike. I traded it and though I loved that bike dearly I'll probably never have a dual sport or ADV bike with a fairing again. If I do, I'll eventually just take it off or break it off in a drop.

[O.C.F.RIDER]

OK, while it probably very true that most new riders don't have a clue how their bikes actually work, it's mostly because of the fact that new bikes are just so damn good that you really don't have much need to know how to work on it. Thus, you get the incessant whining and moaning over the fact that it's a little "involved" to change the oil on a 950 Adventure. So it's not a 10 minute ordeal, get over it! Or the constant drivel over the windscreen on said 950 Adv. BFD. If one doesn't like it...............change the friggin' thing and STFU already. If I need quiet, I'll drive my wife's Lexus. To each his, or her, own, that's just fine. For me, I like the "rawness" of my 950, or the fact that my MV has some "quirks", or that my new old 1000 Interceptor DOESN'T handle like a new bike. It's all part of the whole game. I don't "love" working on my bikes (I much prefer riding them), BUT, I "love" that I now how!

Chris

[daveinva]

Originally Posted by DAKEZ

If they knew how comfortable they could be in just about every conceivable weather from 20 degrees to a 110 degrees with proper gear for the conditions there would be more riders. So I blame it on gear ignorance.

With all due respect... no one is comfortable in gear at 110 degrees.

I'll be "comfortable" wearing my mesh 80-95+, but over 100 degrees, sweating sealed in my jacket, riding ain't much fun no more.

Why can't every day be 75, sunny with white fluffy clouds?

[DAKEZ]

Originally Posted by daveinva

With all due respect... no one is comfortable in gear at 110 degrees.

You just don't know what you are doing. My last ride in temps 105 to 112 degrees I hardly even broke a sweat and I was very comfortable.

You lack the gear or the knowledge of how to use it.

[perterra]

Originally Posted by DAKEZ

You just don't know what you are doing. My last ride in temps 105 to 112 degrees I hardly even broke a sweat and I was very comfortable.

You lack the gear or the knowledge of how to use it.

Dakez, I dont know if anyone has ever told you this, but your full of shit.

I have ridden at 112º in a wet vest and mesh gear, I made it just fine as I'm sure you did, but the hardly broke a sweat comment is just dumb.

[DAKEZ]

Call it what you want. It was last Summer and it is true.

FYI Mesh gear is not the gear you want in temps above 95 degrees.

[opmike]

Originally Posted by DAKEZ

You just don't know what you are doing. My last ride in temps 105 to 112 degrees I hardly even broke a sweat and I was very comfortable.

You lack the gear or the knowledge of how to use it.

Of course you have, DAKEZ. We all know you have the "mind over matter" abilities that would put even the most dedicated East Asian monks to shame.

[daveinva]

Originally Posted by DAKEZ

You just don't know what you are doing. My last ride in temps 105 to 112 degrees I hardly even broke a sweat and I was very comfortable.

You lack the gear or the knowledge of how to use it.

Uh-huh. Right. Sure, pal.

[DAKEZ]

Keep playing the fool and wearing your mesh in 100+ temps. It's no sweat off my back.

[lemieuxmc]

If new bikes are so much better, how come my Nortons keep going up in value?

I can back Dakez up on that temp thing (from my time in OIF), when it's 110F+ and you are moving along at 60mph in mesh gear, you can't drink water fast enough to make up the sweat loss. Your body runs at 98.6 so if you wear windproof gear with some venting, don't exert much muscle movement, and drink a liter every 15 minutes you will be fine. On the other hand, hustling a dirt bike over rough desert terrain calls for mesh, a vented helmet, a wet vest, a camelback, and lots of stops to refill the water supply!

[Namecheck]

Lighten up a little bit man - don't be a Curmudgeon.

[BalancePoint]

Pavement is just as hard as it ever was.
Drivers are probably just about as dangerous. Add for ABS, take away for electronic distractions. Add for one thing, take away for another.
The physics involved remain the same.

You can get killed on a late model Goldwing or an old Triumph rat bike.

The biggest difference between the old days and today when it comes to complaining and bitching is the internet.

[perterra]

Originally Posted by DAKEZ

Call it what you want. It was last Summer and it is true.

FYI Mesh gear is not the gear you want in temps above 95 degrees.

I mean really really full of shit, not just smelling like you stepped in it but bubbling over with it. I ride in over 100º temps many many times every year. I have tried everything I have ever heard off. At 112º the wind coming up under your helmet is a blast furnace, any metal on the bike will burn exposed skin, it's fucking hot, no two ways about it.

When your traveling, you leave at 4 am and ride until 1 pm and hole up in a hotel.


How the fuck old are you? You got to be a kid because you damn sure are a know it all.