Motorcycles

[tomenugen]

need some gear recommendation for easy morning commutes and riding around town.

- armored baselayer/shirt? I plan to layer this with appropriate seasonal outerwear (sweater/jacket).

- also looking for riding shoes that aren’t hideous.

 

[Jmm722]

- also looking for riding shoes that aren’t hideous.

TCX Hero boots? They have some additional ankle protection. I’d rather wear CE boots with ankle protection since tub/fib fractures are one of the primary injuries in a motorcycle accident. Some adventure boots look nice.

 

[michaellosauro]

need some gear recommendation for easy morning commutes and riding around town.

- armored baselayer/shirt? I plan to layer this with appropriate seasonal outerwear (sweater/jacket).

- also looking for riding shoes that aren’t hideous.

I don't have any recommendations for armored gear, but I always wear some sort of hard-wearing, lace-free leather boots. Lately, I've been wearing Wesco's Mr. Lou engineer boots.

 

[UrbanComposition]

Welp, I took the Scrambler out for one last ride last month. After two years I realized I’ve only taken it offroad 4 times (and at 1200 it’s extremely over powered and heavy for fun offroading) and put way more miles on the highway. Also, on most bikes my wife would only be able to sit on the back for a couple hours before she leaning forward to hug me for uncomfortable, so I wanted a big cruiser.

We took the BMW B18 Transcontinental out for a 1 hour test ride and man, what a comfortable ride. Less throaty than a Harley but still has a formidable roar. At 1800cc it’s massive and weighs a ton, but with all sorts of metal & chrome, she’s luxurious and has all sorts of technical wizardry like cruise control, navigation, and tons of trunk space for longer trips. I can take it on all day rides with the missus on the back and she loves the comfortable heated seat. Did I mention it’s got a Roland stereo system with 6 speakers? I traded in the Scrambler & swapped bikes.

For those interested in a cruiser, I’d seriously look into the BMWs. They aren’t selling because the typical BMW riders aren’t interested in them, and Harley riders generally want US made bikes, so some places have slashed prices by 25-30%.

The bummer thing is now I need a city bike. Thinking of the Royal Enfield Classic 350 (for pure city riding) or the Continental GT 650 (for the weekend twisties).

 

[Jmm722]

Welp, I took the Scrambler out for one last ride last month. After two years I realized I’ve only taken it offroad 4 times (and at 1200 it’s extremely over powered and heavy for fun offroading) and put way more miles on the highway. Also, on most bikes my wife would only be able to sit on the back for a couple hours before she leaning forward to hug me for uncomfortable, so I wanted a big cruiser.

We took the BMW B18 Transcontinental out for a 1 hour test ride and man, what a comfortable ride. Less throaty than a Harley but still has a formidable roar. At 1800cc it’s massive and weighs a ton, but with all sorts of metal & chrome, she’s luxurious and has all sorts of technical wizardry like cruise control, navigation, and tons of trunk space for longer trips. I can take it on all day rides with the missus on the back and she loves the comfortable heated seat. Did I mention it’s got a Roland stereo system with 6 speakers? I traded in the Scrambler & swapped bikes.

For those interested in a cruiser, I’d seriously look into the BMWs. They aren’t selling because the typical BMW riders aren’t interested in them, and Harley riders generally want US made bikes, so some places have slashed prices by 25-30%.

The bummer thing is now I need a city bike. Thinking of the Royal Enfield Classic 350 (for pure city riding) or the Continental GT 650 (for the weekend twisties).

Is it the Triumph 1200 Scrambler? It’s on my list because of the suspension being more adjustable than the Speed Twins. I also like the aesthetic a lot. I’d probably get the 900 though, since I don’t need the extra power.

The REs look great, but are crazy slow. I wish they had a little more power. They’re probably fine for city riding and supposedly have great fueling at slow speeds.

I’m kind of all over the place with what I’m looking at: Monster, Speed Twin, Trident, Scrambler, and Tuono 660

 

[michaellosauro]

Welp, I took the Scrambler out for one last ride last month. After two years I realized I’ve only taken it offroad 4 times (and at 1200 it’s extremely over powered and heavy for fun offroading) and put way more miles on the highway. Also, on most bikes my wife would only be able to sit on the back for a couple hours before she leaning forward to hug me for uncomfortable, so I wanted a big cruiser.

We took the BMW B18 Transcontinental out for a 1 hour test ride and man, what a comfortable ride. Less throaty than a Harley but still has a formidable roar. At 1800cc it’s massive and weighs a ton, but with all sorts of metal & chrome, she’s luxurious and has all sorts of technical wizardry like cruise control, navigation, and tons of trunk space for longer trips. I can take it on all day rides with the missus on the back and she loves the comfortable heated seat. Did I mention it’s got a Roland stereo system with 6 speakers? I traded in the Scrambler & swapped bikes.

For those interested in a cruiser, I’d seriously look into the BMWs. They aren’t selling because the typical BMW riders aren’t interested in them, and Harley riders generally want US made bikes, so some places have slashed prices by 25-30%.

The bummer thing is now I need a city bike. Thinking of the Royal Enfield Classic 350 (for pure city riding) or the Continental GT 650 (for the weekend twisties).

I've been dying to try out those BMW cruisers. They seem so powerful and thoughtfully-built.

If I had the choice between those two Royal Enfields, I'd go with the Continental GT 650. You'll be able to do city riding just as well as on the Classic 350 (or better), but you'll have more power for those out-of-city twisties, which are significantly less fun on a big cruiser.

 

[UrbanComposition]

Is it the Triumph 1200 Scrambler? It’s on my list because of the suspension being more adjustable than the Speed Twins. I also like the aesthetic a lot. I’d probably get the 900 though, since I don’t need the extra power.

The REs look great, but are crazy slow. I wish they had a little more power. They’re probably fine for city riding and supposedly have great fueling at slow speeds.

I’m kind of all over the place with what I’m looking at: Monster SP, Speed Twin, Trident, Scrambler, and Tuono 660

Yeah I hear the REs are slow, which is why if prefer a Continental. I did do a test ride of the BMW G310 R and while not exactly my style, it’s really zippy in the city and extremely light.

I've been dying to try out those BMW cruisers. They seem so powerful and thoughtfully-built.

If I had the choice between those two Royal Enfields, I'd go with the Continental GT 650. You'll be able to do city riding just as well as on the Classic 350 (or better), but you'll have more power for those out-of-city twisties, which are significantly less fun on a big cruiser.

I will say the BMW cruiser engines are slightly less viscerally palpable than HD or Indian. A bit more refined, but still, having those boxer engines jut out by your legs is plenty impressive. Technology is superior as well. A YOOGE screen. Wish it was touchscreen, but that’s my only complaint.

 

[brokencycle]

Yeah I hear the REs are slow, which is why if prefer a Continental. I did do a test ride of the BMW G310 R and while not exactly my style, it’s really zippy in the city and extremely light.

I will say the BMW cruiser engines are slightly less viscerally palpable than HD or Indian. A bit more refined, but still, having those boxer engines jut out by your legs is plenty impressive. Technology is superior as well. A YOOGE screen. Wish it was touchscreen, but that’s my only complaint.

Please don't ask for touch screens on motorcycles... I wear armored gloves when I ride - the last thing I need is touch screens.

 

[michaellosauro]

Yeah I hear the REs are slow, which is why if prefer a Continental. I did do a test ride of the BMW G310 R and while not exactly my style, it’s really zippy in the city and extremely light.

I will say the BMW cruiser engines are slightly less viscerally palpable than HD or Indian. A bit more refined, but still, having those boxer engines jut out by your legs is plenty impressive. Technology is superior as well. A YOOGE screen. Wish it was touchscreen, but that’s my only complaint.

I'm surprised it's not touchscreen. New Harley touring bikes have Apple CarPlay built into a touchscreen, which is kind of cool. I used to ride a 1976 R90/6 and loved how it handled with that boxer engine bringing the center of gravity way lower.

 

[Jmm722]

Please don't ask for touch screens on motorcycles... I wear armored gloves when I ride - the last thing I need is touch screens.

What do you use? I am using Knox Handroids, which I really like for dexterity with armor.

 

[brokencycle]

What do you use? I am using Knox Handroids, which I really like for dexterity with armor.

I just use some generic Joe Rocket or something. Nothing fancy. I have a 2005 Buell: there's not even a screen much less a touch screen.

 

[VaderDave]

The RE 650 INT isn't particularly slow. I rode one at an event in Sonoma about a year ago and it had plenty of power for riding back roads and around town. I don't think I would want to ride it on the freeway for hours and hours, but it was a fun little bike. If they had been out when I bought my Ducati Scrambler a couple of years ago, I might have bought the RE instead.

 

[otc]

I just use some generic Joe Rocket or something. Nothing fancy. I have a 2005 Buell: there's not even a screen much less a touch screen.

Stainless Thin Conductive Yarn / Thick Conductive Thread - 30 ft

This 316L stainless steel thread falls somewhere between a thick thread and a thin yarn. Most sewing machines wouldn't be happy with this thread since its thick, and it has the ...

www.adafruit.com

Making a Glove Work With a Touch Screen

Making a Glove Work With a Touch Screen: You can do this in just a few minutes without a lot of know-how. Winter's coming up (if you're in the Northern Hemisphere) and with winter comes cold weather, and with cold weather comes gloves. But even in the cold your phon…

www.instructables.com

A few inches of conductive thread and your gloves now work with touchscreens.

Although for leather gloves, it looks like a lot of motorcycle riders use AnyGlove or Nanotips which are solutions that you paint on to the finger tips and blow dry in (not sure if they work on insulated gloves).

Nanotips Review - webBikeWorld

Nanotips review

www.webbikeworld.com

Personally I've been meaning to try the conductive thread option on some gloves that are not touch-compatible (or have worn out). Bonus I see for the thread is that you know exactly where the contact patch is. Not a big deal for trying to use Apple CarPlay, but useful for trying to type/click links/etc ona phone.

 

[VaderDave]

TCX Hero boots? They have some additional ankle protection. I’d rather wear CE boots with ankle protection since tub/fib fractures are one of the primary injuries in a motorcycle accident. Some adventure boots look nice.

I have the TCX Heros. They are nice boots and the zip-side makes them very convenient to put on/take off. I recently bought a pair of the leather boots Tobacco Motowear makes. They are very nicely made and look just like a pair of Red Wings, although they have additional ankle protection and a 3DO footbed for impact protection.

 

[tomenugen]

I don't have any recommendations for armored gear, but I always wear some sort of hard-wearing, lace-free leather boots. Lately, I've been wearing Wesco's Mr. Lou engineer boots.

wesco’s nice but… that price.
the tcx hero boots don’t look that bad - i’ll keep on looking and circle back.