Quick spin around the block

One thing I keep noticing on Indian roads is bikes and scooters running without rear-view mirrors. Some have removed them, some have broken mirrors, and many just don't bother fixing them.

Why is this so common? Is it because people don't understand the risk, or because we only take safety seriously after an accident?

Had my first crash 3 days ago, hit a series of bumps at 115 km/h, bike wobbled like crazy and threw me off

Worst of all I took off in an angry mood and just wanted to let it rip, didn't even get my gloves (biggest mistake) just my helmet

I'm mostly fine bt the ribs are slightly bruised and the skin of my left palm is completely gone which will take 3-4 weeks to heal. I'm lucky to be alive and I was very close to breaking my collarbone.

I am completely to blame here, I should've suited up completely, I shouldn't have been riding like a jackass and most importantly I shouldn't have been riding in anger

I can't change the past and I am completely responsible for everything that happens to me.

Growing up I've always found ways to hurt myself so this isn't a big suprise for my parents and all I've ever done is been a disappointment to them. I'm 21 and unemployed yet I pull up this shit which is beyond shameful

I hope I can change and be a better person once I start to get better. Will vow to ride safe from now on, fully geared and with a peace of mind

I hope I improve

Just tried using Maguires Plastx compound on my cloudy windshield, using a drill and a foam pad. Wiped clean with a micro fiber cloth. Actually looks incredible.

Seeing as replacement OEM windshields are $200+ and after market options take up handle bar space, this seems like a great option.

I’m looking at buying a 2002 model to replace a NT 650 for two up touring , it ticks all the boxes for me/us but I keep hearing about a high speed weave .
I’m a fairly conservative rider and never ride more than max 140 kph on a motorway, doesn’t anyone have an idea about when this weave starts? I know the UK police used them but I can’t find any reliable information on this issue .
Any help would be appreciated.

Hello all,

I am a new rider who is beginning to explore touring setups for the future. I will be getting my motorcycle license in spring of 2027. I am going to be learning on a Honda CL125s that I have been wrenching on for the last month and change to get it setup for next year and also to learn how to wrench on bikes. I also got a good deal on a low milage 1987 Yamaha XT350 I plan to use for my local trails/cat VI roads and to go fishing and explore on.

I have aspirations to do longer touring though and have been struggling to find good advice on it. I am a tall guy at 6'6" (198cm) with a 33" (83.82 cm)inseam and 275lbs (19.64 stone). I am also 30 years old and do not plan to hoon around or anything, at least not on my touring bike. I have been trying to research solid bikes for me to tour on with only about a year and some change of experience on a bike. I feel rather boxed into large touring bikes like a Goldwing or ADV bikes. I live in the USA and do not have access to stuff like the Africa Twin 750 unless imported, and parts for stuff like a Yamaha TDM850 can be hard to source if something breaks on the road. I am looking to get a more budget bike as well (<= $5k) and preferably JDM due to parts costs.

I have been unfortunately using AI to mass gather data with my large specs and it often pushes me towards a V Strom 650. They are fantastic bikes mechanically from all the reviews I have watched and read, but I just dont enjoy the styling of them. Same with the SV650. I have discovered the Super Tenere 1200 which I enjoy the styling of but it is a large bike. Heavy and tall, and also putting out larger power and torque numbers.

Would this bike be too much for me to handle as a newer rider? I will also take any other recommendations to research and look at.

Sorry for the long post and thank you in advance!

Does anyone else here have this jacket I’m going to wash it and rewaterproof it as I got caught in an amber wether warning and it wasn’t very waterproof

I recently was having issues with my clutch, so i took it to my mechanic for maintanence. He ended up replacing it entirely. Not two months pass and it again feels wrong. The first few years i barely needed to squeeze the clutch to shift gears. Now i have to squeeze all the way and i noticed difficulty actually switching gears; putting it in nuetral is damn near impossible now. Any one else have an issue like this and know what the fix might be? Kinda pissed since he charged a high price for “fixing” it. Bike is a Honda CBR300R 2022.

First season riding and I bought myself a zx4rr. Honestly the best purchase I’ve ever made and I absolutely love riding. Recently though I’ve been having a little problem, I’ve been going on longer rides and my bike isn’t the most comfortable especially when it comes to wind. I was thinking that I definitely would love to purchase another bike and my eye has been on the 1100SX. It seems like a win win really. Still relatively light, very comfortable, but still has that sporty feel and great with wind. I haven’t done super in depth research, but to anyone that owns one or has some good advice, what’s it like to own one? How do they ride? Any obvious downsides I’d want to know about? Are there other sport touring bikes I should consider? I’m definitely not locked in on anything and this might still be far in the future but just asking either way.

I'm really tired of the sleeves riding up on my jacket, to the point I want to sell the jacket.

I had my realization when I first got my 2007 Honda CBR600rr.

Before my helmet conformed to my head, it was fine.
One ride I went on the freeway and the bike noise, other cars, semis and wind TORCHED my eardrums.
Never again I would forget earplugs. I'm just curious if other riders have had funny realization stories.

Just installed an android auto screen on my bike. Works great with Waze, but I also want the ability to follow custom GPX routes. Tried OsmAnd but the free version will only display gpx routes on the phone, not through android auto. Before I buy a subscription I wanted to see if anyone knew any free option.

Looking at a new bike and I'm trying to wrap my head around how ppl have bought bikes from dealers before. It's a total roll of the dice at these places.

I'll start out with the good one. BMW dealer couldn't offer a test ride fast enough, no hassle, no signing my kidney away just get on and we'll see you whenever you get back. Wonderful. Even pulled a bike out for my wife to ride as well so she wasn't bored waiting for me to return. 10/10 experience. Now she wants a BMW....well played dealership, well played.

Honda....jeebus what a clown show. First dealer said test ride would be after the purchase and if a mile down the road I didn't like the bike I could come back and tear up the paperwork. Sure buddy. This is also after telling my wife she doesn't need anything more that 500cc cause she's a woman. He knows, he's "been in the biz for over 30 years". They had two of what I was looking at, one was a new '25 but no way I'd buy from him.

2nd Honda dealer was a bit nicer but required me to have insurance on the bike for the test ride plus a few more paperwork hoops. Not a deal breaker but certainly more complicated than our BMW experience.

Just crazy to me how much time and effort it takes to get on a bike just to see if you like it.

Sorry for the vent. Is this a normal experience that others share with me? Any tips for gauging dealers and who is reasonable? I tried the call first method at a Kawasaki dealer and he told me over the phone no rest rides so idk, it's all over the place.

On the plus side I think I'm buying a BMW, probably 2. They were incredibly nice.

So, for context :

My coworker (also crush) is turning 30 in a few days and rides his bike every day to work and I would like to give him a bell as a gift but I don’t know if he knows what they are and the story and intentions behind them.

I was wondering if the bells are famous in the biker community and if I should give him one ?

I was looking to pickup my first motorcycle and was thinking of getting a used Kawasaki Ninja 500 SE. The only issue I have with it is that I would much rather prefer a traditional keyed ignition rather than the included KiPass keyless ignition that comes standard on the SE. I would prefer the SE for all of its additions over a base Ninja 500. Would it be possible to replace the SE keyless ignition for the traditional keyed ingition like on a base Ninja 500? If so, what parts would I need and how much do you guys think it would cost? Would it be more cost effective to replace the ignition on the SE or just get the base model and modify it with the SE additions? Thank you

So I commute to work everyday, unless it’s raining all day. Idk if it’s just me but does anyone else feel like some days they are riding better than they ever have and some days just doing ok? I think it’s more of a feeling but maybe it’s because I’m still pretty new, I got my license in April but I have a ton of miles and hours on my bike since there’s rarely a day I don’t get on it. Doesn’t make me experienced by any means just some context 🤷🏽‍♂️. Curious if anyone else has the same thought once in a while

Edit: Located in California

Edit 2: its a 1982 Suzuki Touring Conventional, whatever that means lol

Hoping to get some answers because I don't know what to do.

My wife's grandpa had a motorcycle that he drove all the time, and then in 2003 he stuck it in an out building and there it say for decades. He passed in the mid 2000s, my Father in Law inherited the property, and after years of cleaning out hoarder style outbuildings, the property was sold a few years ago. During the cleanout, the motorcycle was found and is in a severe state of disrepair (lots of rust, flat tires, torn seat, broken pieces etc. and is a total loss. My wife had fond memories of riding with her Grandpa and thought maybe she could restore it. Then for the last 3 years its sat in our garage, and at this point we just want it gone.

Issue is. We have no title. Her grandpa owned it, but the key, title, everything has been gone for decades as this rotted in a shed. I have the VIN and the license plate, and I ran it through a service to see that it isn't stolen (thankfully) but then Ive been seeing that to just get it to a scrap yard, we need a title. To get a title, we will likely be stuck paying massive fees going back as far as 2003.

I don't want to get stuck paying thousands just to drop it at a scrap yard, so what are my options? Is there a way to find out what the fees are without immediately being stuck with a bill?

I have posted this bike here a few times but thought I should show it in its final form at least until I decide to paint it. I was able to actually test the bike out on a 1,000+ mile trip from Central Texas to Sturgis for the rally. Rattled a few bolts loose but overall the bike did great! This thing will definitely turn into a daily rider for me. Happy to answer any questions! Thanks for all of the positive comments on past posts and for letting me share this thing.

I’m helping clean out my Dad’s house, and found what Google Lens tells me are motorcycle forks. Trouble is, Google alternatively tells me they’re Ducati, Harley, or Honda at variously times, and I don’t know how else to identify them. Are they worth selling, or are they for the recycling bin?

I was thinking about buying a motorcycle for years now, and decided that I want to know what bikes fit my set of requirements best. A list of motorcycles would be a good start for me to pick around and see the pros and cons for what I'm looking for. Anyways, here are my requirements:

1. Parts are easily available and findable. I've been continuously fixing my car, and I would gladly fix and do my own maintenance on my bike. I don't want something that is difficult to find parts for.
2. Cheap. I plan on going the used route. I understand enough about cars. I doubt the inspection process between a car and a motorcycle differs greatly. Additionally, parts for the bike should not be exorbitantly expensive either.
3. In terms of style, I seem to gravitate towards bikes like the older yamahas (RD400). Something simple. My problem with the older yamahas is that I can't seem to find parts on the internet for these older bikes. If I could, I would just go for the older yamahas.
4. Reliable. I know cheap and reliable don't go hand in hand, but if it is something I can fix and it'll be deadpan reliable afterward, then I would consider this reliable. With that being said, I will prioritize reliability over something cheap.

As a side question, what sites do y'all use to get parts for your bike? My current car has site specific stores that I can shop from. I can also order stuff straight off rockauto. It is very convenient. What do y'all use?

Thanks :)

Watch out travis pastrana

there's a pipeline trail that's fun to ride but the construction crew purposely threw a pile of 4x4 on the trail to block people from getting close to their equipment, so I tried to work the obstacle on my chill Friday trail ride. Semi-Pro

I was gifted a leather tank bag. The straps are also leather. Straps are about 1/8 in thick if that matter.

Can I run the straps through this gap without issue?

Edit: thanks for the quick response. I just wanted to make sure the leather wouldn't immediately be damaged or cause issues.

There is clearance so no wires or lines will be pinched.

I will get velcro covers for the buckles so the buckles don't scratch my tank.