High Speed run Yesterday, learned what I already knew

[FJRMGM]

"My Girlfriend LOVES to ride fast up canyons and with me. We often hit canyons and exceed trip digits leaning way over, even ground a peg a few times at the Buck 10 or so with her on board. "

Just make sure you don't do like the Houston rider this last Sunday and cook a right-hand corner at high speed and go into the oncoming lane and take out and kill the rider on the other motorcycle. The lady passenger on the second bike was severly injured.

Ride responsibly.

 

[Cdogman]

CDog, I concur with the pleasure of having a SO/GF that actually enjoys the speed and handling of the FJR. That's been a new and welcomed experience for me. I now believe that all SO candidates should be pre-screened on a big rollercoaster first.
I've always instructed my passengers to "move with the bike and ignore me". I tell them to "stay as straight with the bike as possible, don't lean off one side or the other and definitely don't try to follow what I do".

My Chatterbox units are radio connected, not wired. So there is that unavoidable (you-talk, I-talk, you-talk, I-talk) comm taking place. The delay makes rapid realtime communication not practical.

Is there anything special you two have developed for communication in corners etc. that you care to share? I don't want to know about the kinky stuff (unless you have video).

The biggest thing I tell her over and over is "Slow hands Fast Bike" means more than just me. It means she moves slow too. I simply tell her to "Look over my downhill shoulder" If I am leaning left, in a lefthander, she is to look over my left shoulder. Not her whole body, But in doing so it causes her to be a little bit in shape in order to do it. I do lean downhill and even slide my *** off the seat at times when the situation warrants.

I got the "Look over My Downhill Shoulder" from my MSF instructor back in the day

The instant comms help because when we are riding I can teach her about the bike dynamics. Rolling on, trying to avoid throttle snatch and why, Why accel through a curve to transfer weight to the bigger contact patch, and so on.

Making her much more conscious of the bike and telling her, "See, I did that wrong, the bike unsettled" and she now says "Yes, I felt that" or "That felt better, the bike seemed more planted"

I guess educating her and discussing WHY... I do things a certain way allows her to understand the goals and act accordingly. I just did a major tweak on the Suspension and the bike now goes "Pogo" on me and I asked her if she could feel it. She can and asked me why it did that. So I launched into a lecture on Dampening and the adjustments I will make later for that

OK, I am rambling now.. Does that make any sense??

Yes, I now have a prereq on any SO/GF. The dog and the bike are part of the package or don't nibble on the bait... PS, I will email you the Videos :yahoo:

 

[Cdogman]

"My Girlfriend LOVES to ride fast up canyons and with me. We often hit canyons and exceed trip digits leaning way over, even ground a peg a few times at the Buck 10 or so with her on board. "
Just make sure you don't do like the Houston rider this last Sunday and cook a right-hand corner at high speed and go into the oncoming lane and take out and kill the rider on the other motorcycle. The lady passenger on the second bike was severly injured.

Ride responsibly.

I agree, I dont want to do that. And to be truthful, I was not riding 10/10ths on that particular road. I do about 8/10ths max. I love to ride, I dont want to die

 

[Big Sky]

Quote: "Is there anything special you two have developed for communication in corners etc. that you care to share?"

Yes. When a footpeg or my boot drags on the pavement (communication: I'm going fast enough), she whacks me up alongside the helmet (communication: Okay, *******, cool it or or you'll get the knuckles at the next stop). I then shrug (communication: oops, ahem, no harm, just a little innocent over-exuberance sweetie, heh, heh. I'll be more careful, heh, heh.).

 

[Cdogman]

Quote: "Is there anything special you two have developed for communication in corners etc. that you care to share?"
Yes. When a footpeg or my boot drags on the pavement (communication: I'm going fast enough), she whacks me up alongside the helmet (communication: Okay, *******, cool it or or you'll get the knuckles at the next stop). I then shrug (communication: oops, ahem, no harm, just a little innocent over-exuberance sweetie, heh, heh. I'll be more careful, heh, heh.).

sounds like you got it down man.. there is more than one way to skin a cat eh.....

 

[Big Sky]

Sounds like your SO has gained/is gaining such an understanding of ride dynamics that she will be ready soon for her own machine. Heck, it sounds like she might just be tough to keep up with if she got on two wheels. If her interest as a student is genuine - which I'm sure it is - and remains high, she'll be bugging you to start checking the classifieds. I tried years ago to get Marilyn on her own bike. She got on and, after much coaching and prodding, rode it but was scared to death which scared me to death (so why she's not afraid to passenger, then, I don't really understand). Anyway, since she didn't want to ride the bike I bought her, I loaned it to my brother, who'd never ridden. Gave him a few pointers and took him on a few weekend tours. That was about 15 years ago and he is riding his third bike and about to go to #4. Gotta love it. Another junkie.

 

[black mamba]

I'm no stranger to riding a bike for thrills. In the later 60's and into the 70's, I raced motocross pretty extensively....even had some " back door " support from Yamaha for the YZ 250 I was riding. Now days, I mainly get my kicks doing some fairly agressive mountain riding. Ive got to admit, however, that listening to you guys, who go around at triple digit speeds on public roads, scares me to death. I pray nothing happens to any of you.

 

[Cdogman]

Sounds like your SO has gained/is gaining such an understanding of ride dynamics that she will be ready soon for her own machine. Heck, it sounds like she might just be tough to keep up with if she got on two wheels. If her interest as a student is genuine - which I'm sure it is - and remains high, she'll be bugging you to start checking the classifieds. I tried years ago to get Marilyn on her own bike. She got on and, after much coaching and prodding, rode it but was scared to death which scared me to death (so why she's not afraid to passenger, then, I don't really understand). Anyway, since she didn't want to ride the bike I bought her, I loaned it to my brother, who'd never ridden. Gave him a few pointers and took him on a few weekend tours. That was about 15 years ago and he is riding his third bike and about to go to #4. Gotta love it. Another junkie.

You know I got my last wife into it and got her a new Kowi Vulcan 750. She still has it but after a year she still will not ride it alone. Group she is OK but alone she is scared to death. Now, My GF on the other hand has told me that she NEVER wants her own bike. She likes to be the passenger and trusts me. She has ridden Motocross before ( for fun ) so she is not a total stranger to the bike I suppose. But that was as a kid <_< she does drive fast tho. Hmmmmmmm

I'm no stranger to riding a bike for thrills. In the later 60's and into the 70's, I raced motocross pretty extensively....even had some " back door " support from Yamaha for the YZ 250 I was riding. Now days, I mainly get my kicks doing some fairly agressive mountain riding. Ive got to admit, however, that listening to you guys, who go around at triple digit speeds on public roads, scares me to death. I pray nothing happens to any of you.

Thanks, so so I :blink:

 

[OBFJR]

Cdog,

What is the brand of your communication gear. I'm interested in getting something for the GF and I, although I agree with earlier comments about the beauty of silence. I'd prefer full duplex talk ability if it exists.

Bob

 

[MartyA]

Grandma Sally learned a long time ago to peek over the downhill shoulder. And she loves to hear a peg scrape once in a while.

 

[Cdogman]

Cdog,
What is the brand of your communication gear. I'm interested in getting something for the GF and I, although I agree with earlier comments about the beauty of silence. I'd prefer full duplex talk ability if it exists.

Bob

I run the Autocom Super Pro AVI. It is far superior to the J&M Many other bikes run and DOES NOT!!!! require cutting speakers into the helmet. I have since taken the speakers out of my helmet and bought an accesory cord that has a headphone jack in it. Thus I use the mic and the system and plug in some good in the ear headphones that double as noise reduction. I run an Ipod Nano Ram mounted to my handlebars through the system when appropriate so I can adjust the misic volume manually...... Google Autocom or go to your local BMW dealer. They gotem usually in stock. They run about 450 bucks for two up and can take lotsa stuff (cell phone, xm, ipod, bike to bike, and so on)

I love mine!!

Grandma Sally learned a long time ago to peek over the downhill shoulder. And she loves to hear a peg scrape once in a while.

Schweet!!

 

[weekend rider]

Cdog NOthing better than speed for a quick thrill I enjoy it also. Just make good descision and be careful. Glad you have a g.f/ that likes to ride you two are a force of one for riding.

Now get that suspension upgraded so you do not sag or bounce at the wrong time and go *** over tea kettle. I doing mine on a group buy of 1 in June at gpsuspensions

You may want to increase your life insurance wekend ridere

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

You know I got my last wife into it and got her a new Kowi Vulcan 750. She still has it but after a year she still will not ride it alone. Group she is OK but alone she is scared to death. Now, My GF on the other hand has told me that she NEVER wants her own bike. She likes to be the passenger and trusts me. She has ridden Motocross before ( for fun ) so she is not a total stranger to the bike I suppose. But that was as a kid <_< she does drive fast tho. Hmmmmmmm

It is with mixed feelings as I watch Sherri learn to ride. I really enjoy the time we had together on the FJR and while she still isn't comfortable on the new ride to do any LD riding, I think that will change after she takes the FZ6 on a real ride instead of around the local HS parking lot. She really trusts me when she is the passenger...feels very comfortable

One ride down this road, and I think I might have lost a pillion for good...I am happy for her to find the same joy I do in riding. We'll have bike to bike comm, but I guess reaching back and giving her a squeeze will have to wait

Latrobe road on the way to her glass studio in Sutter, about 12 minutes from our house...

 

[HaulinAshe]

The Chatterbox can do full-duplex comm between rider and passenger. But you have to have a wired connection between the two headsets (from a common unit). My setup is wireless using two separate units. I despise being wired to anyone and doing the "cable dance" during mounts/dismounts.

Proud to say the GF has not expressed any interest in becoming a pilot. She simply enjoys riding ****** with the MP3 playing in her headset and some occasional chatter from me. When I think of her piloting her own craft, it worries me that my personal enjoyment will be greatly decreased. I would constantly be worrying about her moves, her condition, her safety, perhaps at the loss of my own concentration.

There is also the likelyhood that she would be years from keeping up with my pace and would become just another rider that I have to stop and wait for. Sorry, I know that sounds egotistical, just trying to speak honestly. When we ride 2-up I naturally slow down to stay below the 80% ability threshold. That is good for me and best for everyone involved. It also keeps me challenged due to the extra weight and added concern for someone else's well-being.

About the prayers, they are appreciated. I try very hard to NEVER outride my line of sight and to ALWAYS ride at least one mistake away from my maximum abilities. However, should a chain of bad things happen at once, it will definitely take prayer to keep me alive. But I honestly think that's the case with anyone of us, no matter how you chose to ride.

It would be interesting, but perhaps brutal, to get our SOs/GFs to contribute their viewpoints and observations about what they like/dislike, appreciate or despise about our piloting habits. By now you have undoubtedly noticed how I chose to pilot my vehicle, not ride my bike. It is not a passive exercise for me. It's an active piloting skill. I'm lucky enough to have a GF that willingly shares the thrill.

 

[James Burleigh]

Thanks for this posting. I think it's great that a lot of folks on the forum are willing to come out and admit they did something stupid* for the edification of all.

I think the moral of your story, for me anyway, is that the nano-second lapses in concentration that we all experience during routine riding because we're human and guys and have to think about *** at least once a minute seldom have consequences and so we become accustomed to them with the result that our idea of 100% concentration is actually more like 93.7% concentration so we can think about, you know, ****ies and stuff. (That was my attempt at James Joyce stream-of-consciousness writing.)

But at higher speeds those lapses yield Big Consequences. Hell, I was taking a sweeping off-ramp off a freeway once upon a time, reducing speed, not going all that fast.... I took my eyes off the road for a second, and suddenly I'm heading for the corn field. Corrected in time; but what would have happened at twice the speed and the same exact duration of lapsed judgment?

The other moral of your story is that I have to get Fang to wear her motorcycle gear to bed.

Jb

*I didn't mean to call you stupid.

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

I had a lapse of judgement at 25 MPH that hurt a lot more than Robin's lapse at a buck ten...lapses are bad fast or slow.

 

[feejer222]

CDog, I concur with the pleasure of having a SO/GF that actually enjoys the speed and handling of the FJR. That's been a new and welcomed experience for me. I now believe that all SO candidates should be pre-screened on a big rollercoaster first.
I've always instructed my passengers to "move with the bike and ignore me". I tell them to "stay as straight with the bike as possible, don't lean off one side or the other and definitely don't try to follow what I do".

My Chatterbox units are radio connected, not wired. So there is that unavoidable (you-talk, I-talk, you-talk, I-talk) comm taking place. The delay makes rapid realtime communication not practical.

OK I've thought and thought and thought.....WTF is an SO? I know its the wife, but??? maybe Her indoors, or the trouble and strife, or her who must be obeyed, or even better half (nah!)........but SO has me beat.

Possiblilities:

She who's 'Orrible?

Sextoy & 'Ouseworker

Sexy but Offensive

????????????????????????

Re pillion riding, I tell them to keep their body in line with my own and when riding 2 up don't move around on the bike. Something that should always be said to a rookie is keep your feet up, no matter how low it feels, you are not falling off.

 

[Big Sky]

SO: significant other.

Frankly, I don't like the expression as I believe it demeans the "other's" value in my life. It is far more than "significant." Actually, I often refer to her, only half jokingly, as "my reason for living." Yup, love. The great science fiction writer, Robert Heinlein, in his hallmark 1960 novel "Stranger In A Strange Land" (you grok?) defined love as that condition in which another person's happiness is essential to your own.

So, now this thread has veered off into philosophy. Sigh...

I like the idea of having my favorite passenger write up her philosophy of "The Ideal Passenger" or perhaps "The Ideal Pilot From A Passenger's Perspective." She has been considering such an article for a long time. We both agree a good starting premise for an "ideal passenger" screed is "Be Useful." Another, that I push, is "Don't Delay the Ride(ers)." In other words, don't be the last one ready to mount up. As far as "be useful" goes, for example, filling fuel has become a joint exercise: she uses the card to start the pump while I lift the tank bag and open the filler.

Anyway, if she writes such a piece (and she's a good writer - former English teacher), I'll post it here but she will take her time.

 

[Cdogman]

James,

You did not call me stupid. Yes, my lapse in concentration was "Stupid" and thankfully I got away with it.

Speed does not Kill. It is the sudden stop that does <<I made that up just now>>

 

[Cdogman]

SO: significant other.
Frankly, I don't like the expression as I believe it demeans the "other's" value in my life. It is far more than "significant." Actually, I often refer to her, only half jokingly, as "my reason for living." Yup, love. The great science fiction writer, Robert Heinlein, in his hallmark 1960 novel "Stranger In A Strange Land" (you grok?) defined love as that condition in which another person's happiness is essential to your own.

So, now this thread has veered off into philosophy. Sigh...

I like the idea of having my favorite passenger write up her philosophy of "The Ideal Passenger" or perhaps "The Ideal Pilot From A Passenger's Perspective." She has been considering such an article for a long time. We both agree a good starting premise for an "ideal passenger" screed is "Be Useful." Another, that I push, is "Don't Delay the Ride(ers)." In other words, don't be the last one ready to mount up. As far as "be useful" goes, for example, filling fuel has become a joint exercise: she uses the card to start the pump while I lift the tank bag and open the filler.

Anyway, if she writes such a piece (and she's a good writer - former English teacher), I'll post it here but she will take her time.

I do not think it demeans the other. But that is just me. I think it is all in how it is meant and does the other person understand how it is meant. SO, to me, is a step up from GF, Step down from Wife. But that is MY inturpretation of it.

Here is an example. Often times when we are playing around (like she is teasing me or I am teasing her) she will call me a "******" She does NOT mean it in a derragatory way. It is like saying "Wiseass" to me. Often I will also call her "*****" and she laughs. She knows I am calling her a wiseass. Other times I call her "My Little ****" and she says "Thats right" Because she knows I am telling her I think she is sexy and I cannot get enough of her.

So it is how it is taken and how it is meant. That is a thing between two peole and the relationship dynamics. That works for me and we both like it.

As far as my Pillion writing up a article. I doubt she would. Not that she has nothing to say, Hell I cannot shut her up <_< But I dont think she would write one. If you folks are coming to WFO I am sure she will talk your ear off.