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orthod0ks posted:I've wanted to ride with my iPod, but I always thought it was illegal to listen to headphones while you're driving. Is that not true, or is a state by state thing I should look into? I'm in PA... It's a state by state thing.
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| # ? Jul 25, 2009 04:34 |
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| # ? May 21, 2013 20:38 |
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BotchedLobotomy posted:I've found I actually enjoy riding without music and just wearing earplugs. Whipping down the road while your surroundings are eerily silent is a pretty relaxing experience. Maybe I'm just weird.
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| # ? Jul 25, 2009 04:58 |
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orthod0ks posted:I've wanted to ride with my iPod, but I always thought it was illegal to listen to headphones while you're driving. Is that not true, or is a state by state thing I should look into? I'm in PA... Yeah, state by state. Here in California, you can legally have one ear covered, but not both. Of course, assuming you're wearing a jacket with a high collar and a full face helmet, you'd have to actually be seen with both ears covered. Seems like it's pretty unlikely that you'd be caught. BotchedLobotomy posted:I've found I actually enjoy riding without music and just wearing earplugs. Whipping down the road while your surroundings are eerily silent is a pretty relaxing experience. Maybe I'm just weird. I don't know, it's kinda hard to beat Darkside of the Moon for driving on some lonely road out there.
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| # ? Jul 25, 2009 05:38 |
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Chairon posted:Yeah, state by state. Here in California, you can legally have one ear covered, but not both. Of course, assuming you're wearing a jacket with a high collar and a full face helmet, you'd have to actually be seen with both ears covered. Seems like it's pretty unlikely that you'd be caught. WebBikeWorld links to a great article on the acoustics behind how sound works when on a moving object and how headphones impact rider awareness. It also points out how most state laws regarding headphone use are based on pure assumptions with little scientific merit. http://www.bikexprt.com/bicycle/hearing.htm
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| # ? Jul 25, 2009 06:47 |
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I jumped at the $49 Joe Rocket Honda Mesh Jacket Blue/Silver/Black, along with a pair of knee guards (been running away from the inevitable knee scrape with my naked knees, don't want to keep on running). When I get both (total of $89), I'll sell my XL Prima Pullman Jacket for that same price. If anyone's interested, hit me up with a PM.
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| # ? Jul 25, 2009 18:44 |
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Are GMax helmets decent? The only local bike shop seems to carry them pretty much exclusively. They only had large and XL sizes and those felt too loose, so I'm going to go back on Tuesday and probably pick up a medium. Obviously, I'll be going with full-face. The large that I tried on felt pretty comfy, although it was just a tad too loose.
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| # ? Jul 25, 2009 19:14 |
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Un-l337-Pork posted:Are GMax helmets decent? The only local bike shop seems to carry them pretty much exclusively. They only had large and XL sizes and those felt too loose, so I'm going to go back on Tuesday and probably pick up a medium. Obviously, I'll be going with full-face. The large that I tried on felt pretty comfy, although it was just a tad too loose. My girlfriend has one, it's pretty heavy and over the few rides she's taken it on some of hte pastic trim has started to come lose. She says it's pretty noisy. Overall it seems like it would protect you but I wouldn't count on it to hold up to regular riding.
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| # ? Jul 25, 2009 19:49 |
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Z3n posted:I can't live without my ER6is. I haven't found anything that works better yet. I have yet to find any other tips kicking around that work with them though, so I'm not sure what my next step is.
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| # ? Jul 26, 2009 17:07 |
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http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/228...ts-from-30---SH slickdeals is doing a big clearance on Yoshimura stuff. This stuff worth wearing?
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| # ? Jul 27, 2009 11:45 |
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dejanigma posted:http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/228...ts-from-30---SH http://www.motorcycle-superstore.co...Superstore.aspx Unfortunately, in doing some quick looking, the only sizes left are small, XS and even an XXS (??). The only ones with anything remotely close to a large or bigger is the $200 track jacket (not that it's still not a good deal though). I'm actually kinda glad, as I just picked up this Alpinestars mesh jacket which will hopefully arrive soon.
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| # ? Jul 27, 2009 12:42 |
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Is there any reason to not use overpants as opposed to full pants? I'm going to be commuting on city streets, and I'd rather not have to change when arriving/leaving work, unless overpants are less safe somehow.
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| # ? Jul 27, 2009 14:09 |
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Pvt. Public posted:Is there any reason to not use overpants as opposed to full pants? I'm going to be commuting on city streets, and I'd rather not have to change when arriving/leaving work, unless overpants are less safe somehow. they're necessarily looser and thus can shift around more and expose skin in an impact but wearing overpants is several orders of magnitude better than wearing nothing, which might very well end up being what you do after a week of dealing with the inconvenience of getting full pants on and off. get the overpants.
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| # ? Jul 27, 2009 16:51 |
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That's pretty much what I figured. I wear jeans to work every day anyways, but I know I want something more than just them protecting me. And I figured that since my ride is 15 minutes on a really bad day, full pants would prove to be a hurdle to me wearing anything at all, which I don't ever want to do. Thanks. Also, I'm thinking FirstGear, since I can get them in short, as my inseam is only 30 and 1/2 inches and I need a 40 waist, for now at least. And they are cheapish.
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| # ? Jul 27, 2009 17:37 |
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I have no gear experience to base any of this off of, but here's my take on what I have. Icon Superduty 3 boots: A loving joy to wear. The strap across the ankle not only secures your laces, but it also helps tighten up the boot across your ankle, an area I find problematic in most shoes since once you get the laces tight enough to secure your ankle they are cutting off circulation to the top of your foot. Not so with these boots. Shoei X-11 helmet: Having no experience with a full face helmet this seems to be pretty nice. You can feel the air moving around your head at speeds from 5mph on up. The padding is really comfortable and the helmet fits well. I haven't found anything to complain about yet. Joe Rocket Phoenix 5.0 Mesh Jacket: Temperatures are hovering in the mid to high 90s here and, aside from a little back sweat due to the back pad not letting air circulate, I've been as comfortable as can be in this heat. The arm adjustments are nice and provide a good fit around the wrists, but the biceps and forearms were obviously designed for people with 24" pythons. I'm not a small dude and the bicep area, and as a result the forearm armor, is comically loose. I have my doubts that the armor in the forearms will stay in place in a crash. The shoulders and back padding feel good and stay put, however. Cortech HDX gloves: The fit is great, they are comfortable, great range of motion and sensitivity in the fingers, and air flow is good. I'd buy another pair again if/when I need to replace these as a summer street cuff glove. Still looking in to some pants/over pants. As my riding is, so far, limited to <50mph around my town I haven't felt a pressing need for anything outside of my jeans, and in this heat I'm not sure I could take any less air flow.
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| # ? Jul 27, 2009 17:54 |
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frozenphil posted:Still looking in to some pants/over pants. As my riding is, so far, limited to <50mph around my town I haven't felt a pressing need for anything outside of my jeans, and in this heat I'm not sure I could take any less air flow. Any armored mesh pants are going to flow 10x more air than denim and will be way more likely to protect you in a crash.
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| # ? Jul 27, 2009 19:56 |
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Currently wearing THESE during the summer. I wear them over my denim jeans usually. The mesh breathes really well and the armor is adjustable. The pants also zip up along the side so when I get to where I'm going, I zip em up and take them off. Takes all of a minute to do; stuff them in a saddle bag and I'm off.
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| # ? Jul 27, 2009 20:33 |
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Picked up a Cardo Q2 Multiset intercom/helmet speaker setup last week for a trip to the Oregon coast. I was a little apprehensive about getting a wireless bluetooth setup but I have to say it's really awesome. The units are extremely easy to use, turn them on within range of each other and they work like a charm. The intercom is clear as a bell. The MP3 player support is a bit lacking but it's so nice to listen to music without having an in-ear headphone shoved into one of my ear canals. With earplugs on the intercom is perfect while the MP3 playback is a pinch quiet. I'm going to get a headphone amplifier to pump up the juice that goes to the helmet speakers. The girlfriend is really happy with them so far. I'll report back on how well they worked on our 4400 mile trip in a couple of weeks.
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| # ? Jul 27, 2009 21:21 |
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PlasticSun posted:Picked up a Cardo Q2 Multiset intercom/helmet speaker setup last week for a trip to the Oregon coast. I was a little apprehensive about getting a wireless bluetooth setup but I have to say it's really awesome. Question: I've been looking at these sort of things, and does the intercom have an option to have headphones plugged in to it? Any chance of getting pics of how it's setup? Did you pair it to a bluetooth MP3 player or does it have an option for a standard stereo headphone jack input?
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| # ? Jul 27, 2009 21:56 |
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Are there bike goggles I could get that are designed to go under the helmet? Driving through fog or a very light drizzle makes my face shield almost opaque, and since I ride with my contacts in, flipping up the shield means a face full of water which sometimes can be a bit blinding. I'd love some goggles i could wear under my full helmet for such inclement weather. sigh.. san francisco...
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| # ? Jul 29, 2009 22:17 |
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Use Rain-X on both sides of your visor.
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| # ? Jul 29, 2009 22:29 |
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MrKatharsis posted:Use Rain-X on both sides of your visor. 1. Goggles are cooler and I can take them to burning man to keep dust out of my precious eyes 2. http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/f...ad.php?t=303939
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| # ? Jul 29, 2009 22:33 |
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Pwnd. I guess my visor will need replacement sooner or later.
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| # ? Jul 29, 2009 22:44 |
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Try shaving cream? I know it works on mirrors but I haven't tried it on a visor yet. I just pop my visor open a notch and deal with a tiny bit of rain in my face (usually a welcome relief if its so hot in my helmet its fogging)
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| # ? Jul 29, 2009 23:40 |
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As mentioned in the BARF link, Plexus does a fairly decent job of making water bead on the visor. Beyond that, Plexus is simply the best product for cleaning clear plastic ever.
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| # ? Jul 29, 2009 23:41 |
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I bought a pair of leather overpants last year and have finally come to terms with the fact that they fit like poo poo around the knees. Even moved all the way down, when I'm on the bike, the kneecaps ride on top of my thighs and the shinpad barely covers my knee. Do I: craigslist them to make a bit of money back and buy a pair of tex overpants with a long inseam, or take the pads out and wear the leathers with strap-on kneepads?
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| # ? Jul 31, 2009 18:42 |
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Phy posted:I bought a pair of leather overpants last year and have finally come to terms with the fact that they fit like poo poo around the knees. Even moved all the way down, when I'm on the bike, the kneecaps ride on top of my thighs and the shinpad barely covers my knee. Do I: craigslist them to make a bit of money back and buy a pair of tex overpants with a long inseam, or take the pads out and wear the leathers with strap-on kneepads? I'd wear body-attached knee armor (I do anyway, even with my pants that have knee armor built in). You may be able to get a tailor to mostly or even completely solve the problem with the pants for cheaper than you'd expect.
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| # ? Jul 31, 2009 18:50 |
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I had a pair or leather overpants and I would recommend getting a textile pair for the weight savings alone. The leather was so much heavier than I wanted to deal with, even compared to my regular leather pants.
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| # ? Jul 31, 2009 19:00 |
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Spiffness posted:You may be able to get a tailor to mostly or even completely solve the problem with the pants for cheaper than you'd expect. Suppose it's worth asking, considering I need to get my non-riding leather jacket repaired anyway.
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| # ? Jul 31, 2009 19:30 |
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You may encounter the same issue with textile pants. I have some RevIt mesh pants in their long size (I'm 6'3"), and even though the armor is in the right place when I start, it always creeps its way up on me as I ride. I think they only way to stop that would be some kind of stirrup on the pants to hold the legs down. Do any pants offer that? That's not something I recall seeing but I think it'd be pretty easy to implement.
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| # ? Jul 31, 2009 20:43 |
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DrChu posted:I think they only way to stop that would be some kind of stirrup on the pants to hold the legs down. Do any pants offer that? That's not something I recall seeing but I think it'd be pretty easy to implement. I thought I saw somewhere a strap you can attach to your pants that goes under your boots like that. I think it clipped on. I'm failing to find something like that right now, though. You should be able to make something without too much trouble.
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| # ? Jul 31, 2009 20:54 |
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So after covering my Dainese leather jacket in mud three times, I was looking for some cheap protection for off-road. I bought a   http://www.motorcycle-superstore.co...eed-Jacket.aspx Gnaghi fucked around with this message at Aug 1, 2009 around 10:45 |
| # ? Aug 1, 2009 10:43 |
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Gnaghi posted:First thing that popped into my head was Jax from Mortal Kombat.  I like it, though.
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| # ? Aug 1, 2009 16:17 |
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Uthor posted:I thought I saw somewhere a strap you can attach to your pants that goes under your boots like that. I think it clipped on. I'm failing to find something like that right now, though. You should be able to make something without too much trouble. Something like this is what your looking for?? http://www.hawgtiebikerstirrups.com/home.html
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| # ? Aug 3, 2009 04:24 |
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jiro9702 posted:Something like this is what your looking for?? Yeah, I meant something like that.
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| # ? Aug 3, 2009 04:28 |
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So I've decided to go with a FirstGear Torrent jacket (since it is available in tall and I'm more torso than legs) and the FirstGear HT Air 2.0 Mesh overpants. I'm having trouble deciding on boots, though. The review on NewEnough for the FirstGear Express boots says that they think the sizing chart is wrong and that what FG claims is a 13 is actually a 12 1/4. I don't have a shop locally that stocks FG boots, so I can't try any on first unfortunately. Does anyone here have these or has tried them on and can advise me on the fit. My feet aren't wide, I just need a size 13.
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| # ? Aug 5, 2009 18:49 |
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I'm about to get my learners bike license in Australia and have been looking at gear. It seems all the prices in Aus are quite high compared to what sites NewEnough and such are offering, would there be any problem with going to a local store and working out sizes for gear then buying it online from the US? Or am I likely to run into the problem that everyone seems to have with buying t-shirts from the US, namely that a US XL appears to be a XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXL in anyone elses language?
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| # ? Aug 6, 2009 00:23 |
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Aargh posted:I'm about to get my learners bike license in Australia and have been looking at gear. It seems all the prices in Aus are quite high compared to what sites NewEnough and such are offering, would there be any problem with going to a local store and working out sizes for gear then buying it online from the US? Or am I likely to run into the problem that everyone seems to have with buying t-shirts from the US, namely that a US XL appears to be a XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXL in anyone elses language? I imagine the gear sold in Australia by Brand X is sized the same as gear sold anywhere else by Brand X, unless it's a market-specific jacket or whatever. Otherwise, that's what sizing charts are for; you just might have to convert to inches.
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| # ? Aug 6, 2009 01:30 |
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Aargh posted:I'm about to get my learners bike license in Australia and have been looking at gear. It seems all the prices in Aus are quite high compared to what sites NewEnough and such are offering, would there be any problem with going to a local store and working out sizes for gear then buying it online from the US? Or am I likely to run into the problem that everyone seems to have with buying t-shirts from the US, namely that a US XL appears to be a XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXL in anyone elses language? Nope, a Large size Rocket/A*/whatever jacket in Australia is going to be the same as a Large one from the States.
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| # ? Aug 6, 2009 02:59 |
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Aargh posted:I'm about to get my learners bike license in Australia and have been looking at gear. It seems all the prices in Aus are quite high compared to what sites NewEnough and such are offering, would there be any problem with going to a local store and working out sizes for gear then buying it online from the US? Or am I likely to run into the problem that everyone seems to have with buying t-shirts from the US, namely that a US XL appears to be a XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXL in anyone elses language? http://www.ridersdiscount.com/ 25$ international delivery. Buy something in store. Trying poo poo on and buying overseas is kinda lame, but the price difference is nuts sometimes, so... ah yeah.
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| # ? Aug 6, 2009 07:04 |
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| # ? May 21, 2013 20:38 |
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As I've been searching (unsuccessfully) for sizing information on the FirstGear boots I'm looking to get, I've noticed that a lot of other forums seems to get all over anyone suggesting they might buy mesh gear and seem to say it's leather or nothing for them. So now I'm wondering, is mesh really that much less protective than textile and leather? I know it's not the best out there, but some people talk like it is barely better than having nothing at all. I like the idea of mesh both for cost considerations and because I get hot easily and get distracted when overheated. Thoughts and opinions?
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| # ? Aug 6, 2009 20:05 |
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