Where have all the real riders gone?
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- sunnbobb
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Re: Where have all the real riders gone?
If the sun shines or no rain, I ride. 12k last year, including a2k ride to the ngw meet in deadwood..
- CYBORG
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Re: Where have all the real riders gone?
i think there are still a few of us out there. Rat in Toronto comes to mind. i do about 20k a year. which, for living in Michigan, half way up the lake, ain't to bad. when i lived in Ca. i did a whole lot more. but the weather had something to do with that
- mikenixon
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Re: Where have all the real riders gone?
Cool!
Mike Nixon
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- rogue1000
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Re: Where have all the real riders gone?
This is why I hang around this site; people who are riders as opposed to posers....I really don't care what you ride, just get out there! I have no patience with the people who turn down their nose at my bike because it is not a HD, or the fact that it has a sidecar attached, or that I am an old fart that has a Santa Claus beard and couldn't possibly hold up a bike without a third wheel (crappy left knee)...yeah, I look like I'm homeless with this tan from riding and sailing, but I'm not (yet, anyway...)....I do prefer bike camping in a series of short hops (under 300 miles), but these add up in a hurry!
When I first started riding (1967 on a S-90 that I hid from my parents at a neighbors house), it seemed like total freedom! It still seems that way out here on the Central Coast of California, especially in the hours of between 9am and 1:30 pm weekdays....We used to ride from Napa to the coast every Sunday morning at dawn, encountering NO traffic until maybe 9am or so....those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end....
When I first started riding (1967 on a S-90 that I hid from my parents at a neighbors house), it seemed like total freedom! It still seems that way out here on the Central Coast of California, especially in the hours of between 9am and 1:30 pm weekdays....We used to ride from Napa to the coast every Sunday morning at dawn, encountering NO traffic until maybe 9am or so....those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end....
- Lefty
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Re: Where have all the real riders gone?
You know the song by Cream. "I feel free bomp bomp ba bomp bomp." I sing that to myself when I ride.
- tirejoe
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Re: Where have all the real riders gone?
Those old trumps and hds we rode in the 70"s had to have a top end rebuild ever year if you rode much!
- Recycled Roadkill
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Re: Where have all the real riders gone?
It wasn't until I was in my mid 20s that I owned a bike and a car. While I was stationed at Fort Hood, Tx my only transportation was a '72 Yamaha XS650 I'd bought used with just a couple of thousand miles on it. I lived off post and one night we had a nice rain that froze on the streets and my seat that the water that soaked in and froze the foam. I had to ride into the post on ice on a seat that was no more comfortable than sitting on concrete.
These days I'm out only on weekends, usually with other riders and the weather has to be almost perfect. My maximum miles is somewhere around 200 then my butt is too sore to ride any longer.
These days I'm out only on weekends, usually with other riders and the weather has to be almost perfect. My maximum miles is somewhere around 200 then my butt is too sore to ride any longer.
- MSGT-R
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Re: Where have all the real riders gone?
Being an urban Los Angeles kid, there was never any off-roading for me. My Dad, however, got me a Mini-Trail 50 when I was old enough for a permit. I rode it everywhere - all over town with what has now become an ATV flag fluttering from the rear so I wouldn't get run over by inattentive drivers (yes, it was licensed for the street).
Fast forward a couple of years to my Marine Corps days. The family wagon decided that it only needed 7 rod bearings instead of 8 one day in San Diego, and I was now using my CL200 for the weekly commute home (LA) from San Diego. Laying on the tank on the freeway with no windshield for a couple of hours in the nightly cold, wearing breadbags on my knees in an attempt to keep warm in February (no gear for small chicks back then). I could just make it home to South Gate on a single tank of gas, or just going on reserve. Not fun, just needed to be done. Riding in Okinawa a year later - now that was fun - even though threre wasn't anywhere far to travel to.
All of that was more than 30 years ago. SoCal traffic has become far more evil, congested, and people far more irresponsible since then. After 32 years of riding and several close calls, I've already suffered my major accident. I don't commute anymore, my Toyota Echo gets the same mileage and the AC / Heater works far better. I save my riding for the weekends and vacations so I won't have the urge to shoot someone anymore.
Fast forward a couple of years to my Marine Corps days. The family wagon decided that it only needed 7 rod bearings instead of 8 one day in San Diego, and I was now using my CL200 for the weekly commute home (LA) from San Diego. Laying on the tank on the freeway with no windshield for a couple of hours in the nightly cold, wearing breadbags on my knees in an attempt to keep warm in February (no gear for small chicks back then). I could just make it home to South Gate on a single tank of gas, or just going on reserve. Not fun, just needed to be done. Riding in Okinawa a year later - now that was fun - even though threre wasn't anywhere far to travel to.
All of that was more than 30 years ago. SoCal traffic has become far more evil, congested, and people far more irresponsible since then. After 32 years of riding and several close calls, I've already suffered my major accident. I don't commute anymore, my Toyota Echo gets the same mileage and the AC / Heater works far better. I save my riding for the weekends and vacations so I won't have the urge to shoot someone anymore.
- Recycled Roadkill
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Re: Where have all the real riders gone?
I learned to ride on the streets in the San Fernando Valley. Most of Mulholland Drive was gravel at the time. There were also some nice areas to climb hills in the foothills around Reseda. I imagine it's all built in now.MSGT-R wrote:Being an urban Los Angeles kid, there was never any off-roading for me.
Exactly why I don't carry. They don't seem to realize that it's MY road!MSGT-R wrote:I save my riding for the weekends and vacations so I won't have the urge to shoot someone anymore.
- CYBORG
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Re: Where have all the real riders gone?
when i lived in Germany i had a BMW and rode tear round. side car in the winter
- rogue1000
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Re: Where have all the real riders gone?
I remember riding the Triumph's (a 68 Bonneville, and a 73 Daytona) from Napa to Chico to visit my girlfriend. It could get pretty cold so I would slide newspaper into my pants over my knees/shins, and into my jacket to protect my chest/belly area, and I still had frozen knees coming up to a stop sign (on old Hwy.99); I stopped fine but couldn't put down my leg because of frozen knee, and just toppled over in what seemed then like extreme slo-mo....
As far as top end rebuilds, I expected them in around the 20k mark....
As far as top end rebuilds, I expected them in around the 20k mark....
- MSGT-R
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Re: Where have all the real riders gone?
I learned to ride on the streets in the San Fernando Valley. Most of Mulholland Drive was gravel at the time. There were also some nice areas to climb hills in the foothills around Reseda. I imagine it's all built in now.Recycled Roadkill wrote:MSGT-R wrote:Being an urban Los Angeles kid, there was never any off-roading for me.
Only one section of Mulholland is still gravel and I think it's closed to traffic (?) The rest is filled with bikers every weekend.
I grew up on the other side of the tracks from Watts.
- JBz
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Re: Where have all the real riders gone?
I grew up on the other side of the tracks from Watts.[/quote]
I worked in Compton........... NO Jb
I worked in Compton........... NO Jb
- JBz
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Re: Where have all the real riders gone?
JBz wrote:I grew up on the other side of the tracks from Watts.
I worked in Compton........... NO Jb[/quote]
Daves Home of Chrome on Long Beach blvd
Me edit button is not working at his time.............. jb
- Recycled Roadkill
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Re: Where have all the real riders gone?
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You've gotta use "work arounds" in this section
I've wondered why this area is set up like this but I'm sure NGW Admin has their reasons.
You can reply to topics in this forum
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You've gotta use "work arounds" in this section
I've wondered why this area is set up like this but I'm sure NGW Admin has their reasons.
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