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I'm another LONG time 'Stich owner. Bought my first in ~1997 about a year after going motorcycle only, so 7 more years doing ~30k/year while living in DC, Phoenix and Atlanta. Snow/ice, extreme heat, frog strangling rain, I've been through it all with a 1-piece Roadcrafter. Took a spill (hit by a car on the DC beltway at ~70mph) in the first one, the suit was a mess afterwards but I only had bruises and sprains.. thankfully I didn't hit anything other than the road, so it was the best possible situation of just a long slide, but if I still held any doubts then, that removed them completely.
I still have the second suit in my closet and I picked up a Darien 2-piece set when I started getting into off-road riding. Less overall protection (IMHO), but lighter with more movement. I bought and like the 1-piece Roadcrafter because I'd been skipping putting on my riding pants too frequently, having just that one option meant I either went all or nothing. I've done 'nothing' exactly once and hated the exposed feeling. I've grown to love a whole lot of other things about the suit over the years.
They are slightly expensive (note that I have the original, not the "lite" version that's made overseas and is cheaper) and look VERY dated and were goofy looking even in the 90's. But it is very much "function before form" gear. Plus, you can get it in a few different colors. My first was black everything, second is grey (it has sort of a greenish tint to it) and completely hides all road grime. My Darien is hi-viz yellow jacket (it looks "grungy" after the 2nd or 3rd week of use, biggest complaint of hi-viz) and grey pants.
I haven't been knocked off my bike yet! But I'm pretty sure it's only a matter of time before my face will eventually hit tarmac!
The problem is basically most other drivers, cyclists, pedestrians ... in fact humanity in general, doing their usual things but not always in a responsible safe way. And as such become a hazard to those of us who try to get from A2B as safely as possible.
Fortunately, I do have a car when I feel the weather conditions are not suitable for biking. Rain/snow/fog just complicate the risks of two wheels.
But at present I don't have any intentions of giving up biking completely.
I've thought about.......for about 2 seconds. I'm 55 and I've been riding since 1972. I still race motocross regularly and commute daily on a motorcycle. I will ride until the day I die. My current fleet of bikes is comprised of:
2016 Yamaha YZF-R1M.
2014 Kawasaki KX450F. Tons of mods including full Ohlins suspension and a Rekluse auto clutch
2002 Honda CR250R. Eric Gorr 265cc 2001 motor. Factory Connection suspension
1996 Honda CR250R, Ground up resto-mod including FC showa Twin Chamber forks
2012 Suzuki DRZ400 big bore. Stage 2 Hotcams, Keihin FCR, etc.
I simply can't imagine a life with no motorcycles.
I've thought about.......for about 2 seconds. I'm 55 and I've been riding since 1972. I still race motocross regularly and commute daily on a motorcycle. I will ride until the day I die. My current fleet of bikes is comprised of:
2016 Yamaha YZF-R1M.
2014 Kawasaki KX450F. Tons of mods including full Ohlins suspension and a Rekluse auto clutch
2002 Honda CR250R. Eric Gorr 265cc 2001 motor. Factory Connection suspension
1996 Honda CR250R, Ground up resto-mod including FC showa Twin Chamber forks
2012 Suzuki DRZ400 big bore. Stage 2 Hotcams, Keihin FCR, etc.
I simply can't imagine a life with no motorcycles.
If I may ask, what caused you to think about it for 2 seconds?
If I may ask, what caused you to think about it for 2 seconds?
One of my riding buddies is paralyzed from the waist down due to a minor motocross crash. He was only 27 years old at the time. I did some serious soul searching after that.
Off Topic: How much more h.p. does the cams and FCR give?
I've never had my bike dynoed, but most folks with the same mods are seeing HP in the mid/high 40s. Stock is in the low 30s, so the difference is spectacular. The big benefit of the FCR is throttle response. The carb alone totally changes the character of the bike. In my opinion, swapping out the stock CV carb for an FCR and opening up the airbox (3X3 mod) are the best bang for the buck.
I've been riding motorcycles since the late 60's and I'm still riding motorcycles. The only time I thought about giving up riding was when my brother was killed riding a motorcycle, that was in 1985. The way I see it, at least he died doing something he loved to do, and if I go out the same way, well, it's something I love to do. People die in automobile accidents every day, that doesn't stop me from driving my automobile. When riding a bike, you have to have Situational Awareness, meaning you look out for anything that could possibly go wrong, cars at intersections, cars in front, beside and to the rear of you. Just pay attention!!!!!!!
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Anyone ever thought about giving up Motorcycles?
