Cruisers ahoy

You ARE aware of her shortarse status, no?

=================

Onya bike

Gerry

 

That makes sense , and the next time she throws it down which is a
certainty it might help preventing breaking her special bone , which one
would assume will be healing for a very long time and hence quite
vulnerable (and it's not a real cruiser sorta)

 

On Jun 9, 8:20 pm, "bikerbetty" <bikerbettyatgmaildotcom> wrote:

Ah, Betty... Sorry to hear of the prolonged suffering you have to endure
(the blokes' ribbing primarily, but the physical pain too).

A long-time friend of mine (the one mentioned to be in the UK for the GP in
my reply to your other post) has had a Honda Shadow for a few years now and
can't live without it. She's positively diminutive in stature but has no
problems keeping the Shadow under control.

I've been riding a Kwak Vulcan for the last several years, and despite my
initial reservations about recognising the encroachment of middle age, feel
far more at home on a cruiser now than I could possibly on a sports bike.
And the pain-in-the-neck riding position is a thing of the past - I can face
stright ahead rather than having to arch my neck backwards to see the road.

I'd recommend you look at the mid-range cruisers out there - the 250 jobs
are crap and the 1300+ ones are simply overkill. Something around the
700-900cc mark should be perfect for you.

To keep yourself safe from blind cage dwellers, a thumpy after-market
exhaust helps (I use Cobra, but Vance & Hines are just as good). A Stebel
Nautilus horn comes in handy to ward off those who're too deaf to notice the
exhaust.

And DM... I'd have to vehemently disagree with your comment about not being
able to lift yourself up on the pegs. It might be difficult for a first-time
cruiser rider (owing to the different muscles/technique required in
comparison to riding a sports or dirt bike), but once you've become "one"
with the bike, it's second nature. Also comes in handy when you want to
break wind and the seat forms too tight a seal to allow it.

 

</snip>

Hang on, are you having a go at Betty, or pointing out that everyone
inevitably drops their bike?

The last lowside I had was when I was 17 years old (back in '84), and I've
only had two "tankslappers" since then. The only other time my bike went
down was when I was stationary, jumped on by my dog who was glad to see me.

I don't ride like a pansy (at least I don't think I do), but I don't take
unnecessary risks either (no lane-splitting at 140Km/h on the freeway). So
am I the only one who's managed to remain upright for this long?

 

Ah.. Zappa... anyone with such a fine-tuned sense of humour MUST have
been a biker. May he rest in peace.


=================

Onya bike

Gerry

 

Bit of both , her learningn curve has not flattened yet and the
consequences of dropping it with that injury have to be uncomfortable

I have had three drops in 42 years , lots of broken bones but nothing
since the late 1980's , maybe I slowed down some but maybe I improved
some .The last smash hurt and put me flat for a long time and I have no
wish to repeat that .

 

Nice - but not a patch on Joe's Garage!

N/

 

On 06/09/11 8:20 PM, bikerbetty wrote:

Smart lass, that daughter!

A few years ago, I found myself in a similar position due to problems
with my back, and I bought a cruiser (Suzuki).

I really didn't like the imitation Harley look, but <shrug> you don't
often see yourself when you are riding. (Shop windows aren't often
where you want them!)

What I found was that the cruisers with the exaggerated feet forward
set-up just didn't work for me. They made various bits of my body work
far too hard. I found that having the feet vaguely below my bum allowed
me to be comfy. YMMV

The cruiser I got had fairly odd sized wheels, which limited my choice
of tyres.... Dunlops, which were pretty rubbish then, or ChenShin
Barracudas, which, strangely enough, worked really well, lasted for ever
and were cheap as chips.

Anyhow, to cut to the chase, I ended up really enjoying my cruiser. I
did over 120 thousand kms on it, and was sad to see it go when I sold it.

For your size, and FWIW, I agree with Zebee, you should at least try a
Navada and a V7 Classic.

regards,
CrazyCam

 

No. My last and only off was exiting the hairpin at back of Winton
track. The hairpin (and the tree that seriously grabbed all of my
attention) is still there. The bike (and knee) survived to squeeze out
a win and a 2nd next day Gawd I miss that RZ.

darn..jinxed it now.

 

I thought I was doing very well - started riding at 15 and up to 4 years
ago (52 at that time) had never had an off (okay - a couple of
mud/gravel but no "real offs"). In the last four years I have been
T-Boned twice by cars. First one had to cross three fscking lanes to get
me. FFS - that's dedication. Second one pulled out from the kerb - no
indicators, tried to hook a U in front of me (about 5 metres in front of
me) and then just STOPPED. I woke up in the ambulance on the way to the
John Hunter.

Ah well - it was a good run up 'til then - and once I get the shotgun
clips fitted under the tank.... (It's a horn officer - it lets people
know I'm there!).

N/

 

Yep..dedication.

OK..wasn't an off as the bike (gee..same RZ too) never actually hit
the ground..expertly wedged in car's front wheel well..and rider
majestically somersaulted over the bonnet and to land - boots up.

The dedication bit?

Having proceeded to calmly and purposefully stride back around to the
drivers side, the obvious question was asked and the obvious answer
was forthcoming "But I didn't see you".

Well...fair enough...Said dedicated idiot driver was attempting to
execute a U- turn, on double yellows, just around a blind corner, from
the far left lane.

Dedicated idiots.

 

<SNIP>

6.5, 6.5, 6.0, 6.5

I could have scored you better but you bent your legs during the half-pike.

Next time remember to wear your leotard for all involuntary gymnastics
classes

My three-laner (an elderly gentleman in a merc) actually had the nerve
to offer to drive me home. Nigel: "Are you fskcin serious? The way you
drive?" Nice to remember my sense of humour in times of stress.

N/

 

Did you provide an oral adjustment ?
it must have been tempting ?

 

Leon's son just bought a Bonny (2010 plate) for not much more than
$11k ride away!
Clem

 

Aye, Clem, the Bonnies are nice, and, yes, I'd consider them to be
cruisers, but they are surprisingly heavy!

They look like they should be light, but they ain't.

regards,
CrazyCam

 

I replied "you did well to get me then" (between gritted teeth).

 

Sometimes the lightest bike in the world can't save you if you're not
going in the same direction that it is. I've seen someone overbalance
on an NSR150 while stopping in a carpark. Braked hard to a stop,
suspension compressed then unloaded, rider was caught off guard and
couldn't stop it from tipping over and ended up under the bike.

From my experience surefootedness, strength and leg length isn't as
important as planning, technique and confidence (and a bit of brute
determination) when it comes to maintaining an upright posture on a bike
which is slightly too heavy or high.

Nev..

 

Never a truer word spoken... I've seen lots of real shortarses doing fine on
big tall bikes - unfortunately I'm not one of them, and I suspect that's
because (a) I'm unco, and (b) I'm unconfident. I reckon if I'd ridden a
dirtbike as a kid (or even a pushbike!) I would've had a good start... ah
well.

I briefly looked online at cruisers today. Shit, are they all that heavy?
And with such weeny fuel tanks????

betty

 

Leon's son just bought a Bonny (2010 plate) for not much more than
$11k ride away!
Clem

I've always had a soft spot for the Bonneville - and was contemplating it
before I got the last SV. It's still on my list of possibilities Beaut
looking bike....

betty