Author Topic: Where have you ridden?  (Read 46761 times)

Offline RDUBandit

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Re: Where have you ridden?
« Reply #15 on: January 22, 2008, 07:46:42 PM »
Ha!  I just copied Red a few days ago, and put my map in my sig line.  :motorsmile:
Dave...
2004 Bandit 1200S (>92k miles; lotsa mods; SOLD)
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Offline solman

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Re: Where have you ridden?
« Reply #16 on: January 23, 2008, 05:09:18 AM »
Here is a motorcycle view of the States that I have ridden.

motorcycle


visited
« Last Edit: January 23, 2008, 05:14:13 AM by solman »
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Offline RDUBandit

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Re: Where have you ridden?
« Reply #17 on: January 23, 2008, 07:46:47 AM »
Here is a motorcycle view of the States that I have ridden.

motorcycle


visited


How the hell did you skip over New Mexico?  It's such a beautiful state. 

I will NEVER forget the first time I rode into NM just as the sun was setting.  That was one of the experiences that makes me chuckle when people ask me why I ride a motorcycle.
Dave...
2004 Bandit 1200S (>92k miles; lotsa mods; SOLD)
2002 Bandit 1200 (>13k miles; more mods)
1997 Bandit 1200 (>3k miles; most mods)
2005 Ducati Monster S4R (>48k miles; ditto)
2003 Triumph Speed Triple (SOLD)
2013 Yamaha FJR1300 (5k miles)
IBA Member #28454

Offline Pillage

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Re: Where have you ridden?
« Reply #18 on: January 23, 2008, 07:54:12 AM »
New Mexico sounds great, we plan on taking a tour of the USA after our daughter completes school.  We will definately ride NM.
BTW, I've noticed that not very many have ridden New England.  If any of you find your way here, I would be happy to lead a ride on some of the most beautiful twisty roads I have the pleasure of riding every year!   :beers:
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Offline solman

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Re: Where have you ridden?
« Reply #19 on: January 23, 2008, 01:37:07 PM »
Quote
How the hell did you skip over New Mexico?  It's such a beautiful state.

Simple.  I am from California, lived in AZ, moved to TX, and then back to AZ.  The only reason I made it to NC was for a trip to meet up with some friends.
03 Naked Bandit 1200 <br />Vitamin B12, its great for the soul!

Offline Vidrazor

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Re: Where have you ridden?
« Reply #20 on: January 23, 2008, 09:59:31 PM »
Been only riding since June of '05. I'm slowly buy surely venturing outwards. :grin:

« Last Edit: January 23, 2008, 10:04:37 PM by Vidrazor »

Offline TK421

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Re: Where have you ridden?
« Reply #21 on: January 24, 2008, 08:33:10 PM »
Been only riding since June of '05. I'm slowly buy surely venturing outwards. :grin:
since June of '05??? :shock:  Weren't you the guy lecturing me on my choice of riding gear?

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Offline Pillage

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Re: Where have you ridden?
« Reply #22 on: January 25, 2008, 07:09:37 AM »
since June of '05??? :shock:  Weren't you the guy lecturing me on my choice of riding gear?
Wasn't me, but having ridden under the hot Florida sun, I bet it's much easier for us Northerners to ride with ATGATT than it is for you! 
(ATGATT: All the gear all the time).
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Offline Vidrazor

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Re: Where have you ridden?
« Reply #23 on: January 25, 2008, 09:28:47 PM »
>>Weren't you the guy lecturing me on my choice of riding gear?<<

Yeah, and?

Offline TK421

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Re: Where have you ridden?
« Reply #24 on: January 26, 2008, 05:16:11 PM »
>>Weren't you the guy lecturing me on my choice of riding gear?<<

Yeah, and?
My post was perhaps a little ill-considered, and I certainly didn't mean to give offense.  Chalk it up to genuine surprise, as from the tone of your posts concerning gear I assumed you had a lot more experience.

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Offline Vidrazor

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Re: Where have you ridden?
« Reply #25 on: January 26, 2008, 10:29:45 PM »
No problem. Side-stepping the main topic here, I did a LOT of research on riding gear, after discovering by accident (fortunately not mine!) how essentially little-to-none protection my Joe Rocket Phoenix jacket and pants (my initial riding gear) offered. Here I was on my first day, thinking I was adequately protected:


Kinda goofy-looking, huh?  :grin: Man that bike looked great then, I really should give it a bath and a polish!  :sad:

Because synthetics offer the ability to give you effective protection while allowing realistic ventilation for use in both hot and cold environments, I decided to look into what was out there and what and how it would provide whatever level of protection. Not that I don't use leather, as you can see here:


But of course that gets awfully hot when temps are above ~60°F (it was ~35°F in that shot)

Anyway I learned a lot about synthetics and denier densities and all that good stuff, and of course discovered that you have to pay a lot to get something that's going to give you some form of realistic protection and still allow you to ride in 100°F weather (as I did on a trip back from Boston 2 summers back) or 20°F (as I did last Sunday). In my case is was an $1100 Kevlar Motoport outfit, but as I had mentioned, the new Tourmaster outfit I linked in the previous thread looks very promising and is a hell of a lot less expensive. I may get one as an alt outfit.

Now getting back on this topic, I really like this little map thingie, I think it lots of fun and if nothing else inspires you to go out and ride so you can fill in more empty spaces!  :bandit:

« Last Edit: January 26, 2008, 10:36:00 PM by Vidrazor »

Offline TK421

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Re: Where have you ridden?
« Reply #26 on: January 27, 2008, 06:06:07 PM »
When I got onto my first motorcycle "riding gear" consisted of jeans and maybe a generic leather jacket.  There was no such thing as purpose built apparel (unless you count the leather chaps and fringe genre) and certainly no armored clothing.

A lot of the "research" I've done since then has been the ass-in-the-saddle variety.  I've ridden in scorching heat in the desert in Arizona, 50mph winds in Death Valley, snow in the mountains west of Las Vegas, rain on the Dragon, sleet and snow south of Buffalo, and tropical thunderstorms here in FL.  There wasn't (and isn't) any single choice of gear that worked in all those situations, and I have never been able to wear anything that isn't perforated (leather or textile) in the summer in Florida.

Experience shapes opinion.  Mine is that riding gear is and will always be a balance between cost, individual comfort, and protection.  The most protective gear in the world is useless if it's too hot or uncomfortable to ride (or isn't in your closet 'cause you can't afford it!)  All I'm saying is don't be too quick to criticize other people's gear choices, until you've walked a mile in their shoes (or ridden a mile in their boots :grin:.)

Lest this be misunderstood, I want to state unequivocally that I respect and appreciate your opinion.  You've obviously done a lot of research and tried different things.  If you expand your map down to Florida, I'll buy you a beer and then we can go drag our gear around a parking lot!!

[/hijack]

2002 GSF1200S

Offline Red01

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Re: Where have you ridden?
« Reply #27 on: January 28, 2008, 12:43:45 PM »
Not that I don't use leather, as you can see here:


Cool pic!  :beers:  :bandit:
Paul
2001 GSF1200S
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Offline Vidrazor

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Re: Where have you ridden?
« Reply #28 on: January 29, 2008, 12:46:09 AM »
>>Cool pic!<<

Thanks. I had fun doing that shoot, although I needed more frontal light power. I was going to dump that shot until somebody told I look menacing in it. Then I liked it.  :grin:

>>All I'm saying is don't be too quick to criticize other people's gear choices, until you've walked a mile in their shoes (or ridden a mile in their boots...<<

I wasn't really criticizing anyone in particular as I was the gear manufacturer. Hopefully we'll never need to know how well any of it works.  :wink:

>>Lest this be misunderstood, I want to state unequivocally that I respect and appreciate your opinion. <<

And I respect yours, and those of others here, many who have acquired quite hardened asses.  :grin:

>>If you expand your map down to Florida, I'll buy you a beer and then we can go drag our gear around a parking lot!!<<

Sounds like a plan.  :singing:  Now, if I could could only find a nice 99-02 SV650. While I have thought of taking the B4 really far, I think it may be a bit more comfortable on '650. :beers:
« Last Edit: January 29, 2008, 12:50:19 AM by Vidrazor »

Offline Red01

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Re: Where have you ridden?
« Reply #29 on: March 21, 2008, 04:11:04 PM »
Since I've received several PM's asking where to get those maps some of us use in our sigs, I decided to make this topic a sticky.  :bandit:
Paul
2001 GSF1200S
(04/2001-03/2012)
2010 Concours 14ABS
(07/2010-current)