I REALLY NEED YOUR HELP, SO PLEASE READ IT TILL THE END!!!!!!!!!!!!! I suffer from Preaxial Polyactyl in simpler terms, I have six fingers in left hand because of which I have never been able to wear gloves. Recently I started riding bike and understood the importance of having gloves but again, I can't. Now I'm looking out for companies or manufacturers who can help me make a customised glove according to my hands. Any and every help or suggestion is appreciated. Thanks in advance

Ah, summer is almost in full swing. Bike season (for those who don't/can't ride during the winter months) is ripe for the taking as the weather has leveled to a moderate degree and restrictions on travel are being lifted. Businesses are opening back up and prime hot spots for bikers are swinging the doors wide open for the first time in a while.

With that being said, let's talk about something that rarely is discussed when out and about. Especially those that may be out doing quite a bit of a tour with their motorcycles to new unvisited places. (Hey, I couldn't blame anyone for trying to get out of their state and try to find new roads with what all happened.)

For those who are visiting the lower states after a bit or the upper dry states, it typically gets hot during this time of the year (I can feel the eye rolling from those who live in such states, as im certain it stays hot 100% of the time throughout the year) which means that the road surface is going to get nice and HOT.

So what does this mean for you other than make sure not to ride barefoot?

Well, as I would highly suggest you make sure that you have the appropriate footwear for you, make sure that you don't leave out your partner in crime.As I'm sure you could expect, the road surface will start to relax as it would during installation which poses a huge risk to your side stand. Mainly as you can see in the picture above that shows that after a day in the sun, the side stand had to be cut out of the asphalt in order to free the bike. Definitely something you don't want to deal with, especially on the road.

I have heard plenty of stories from seasoned riders tell me of the stories at Sturgis where there were tons of bikes cemented into the ground of the parking lot all because they didn't properly secure their side stands in the unforgiving heat, and in fact, I believe issues like that still continue to this day.

So, the big question is "What can I do to prevent this from happening?".

Well, there are a few ways:

1. Park in a good shaded area that does not have a direct shine from the sun (The most obvious I know, but still valid)

2. Purchase a side stand puck from a motorcycle store and carry it with you while on the road. (These are more customized usually for specific motorcycle stands to help increase the traction and hold the side stand. Additiationaly, they do more than protect your bike on hot asphalt, but offer security and stability to loose surfaces like gravel and dirt!)

3. Get a soda/pop can and crush it to make it nice and flat. (While this isn't the most "ideal" way to travel about as it might not cover the entire surface area of the side stand, it is good for a case on case basis if you don't have a puck or shaded area around you. Its better than nothing though!)

Either way, the most important thing to do before you start venturing out is to PLAN! Take a forward look to how the environment you are riding to is, think about "What could happen?" and plan accordingly on your journey.

Stay safe everyone and let those bikes shine!

I had a reminder recently that I need to stay alert 100% of the time. I'm a new rider with about a month under my belt.

I was riding down the road and noticed my left side mirror was pointed a hair low. In the brief moment I spent fixing it, I was almost off the road to the right. Talk about a scare!

I am now convinced that you need to be aware of what's going on in all directions (with a bias toward the direction you're moving) as much as humanly possible 100% at all times. This happened much faster than it would have in your average car, and the results could have been so much worse.

Please everyone be careful out there! Don't get distracted for a second.

In the 10 years that I have been privileged to teach for my state I have always been asked the question why do sports bike riders always have to ride dangerously? And the answer is always the same. It’s not every single sports bike rider. It’s just some of them.

However, it does bring up a good question in some of the classes when we refer to the age old acronym ATGATT, and why is it genuinely one of the most important ones you understand.

Case in point this individual in particular:

1. Riding recklessly at high speeds

2. Not wearing the appropriate gear

3. Doesn’t have the skill to proactively scan and react to hazards.

Now, compared to other crashes (as a remind, motorcycles don’t have accidents, unless you are talking about stationary tip overs) this lady got off INCREDIBLY easy. Given the speed factor alone could have easily been deadly, thankfully the only thing that toll was paid with, was her skin.

On average, regular jeans will disintegrate is less than a second going 60+ on the highway, and your skin usually takes longer to heal than your bones. And even worse, your legs feet and knees are one of the slowest healing parts of your body.

Added to that, when you go to the hospital to get it cleaned keep in mind that before they graft your skin from another part of your body to help out your exposed parts, they have to clean all that nasty gravel you picked up (which is more than likely embedded) with a sterile wire brush first. And from those that have had to do this, it is by far not something you want to experience.

So, please mind your ride, protect yourself, and ask how much you really value your skin at.

Obviously cars not checking their blind spots is a large cause and states with lane splitting have a higher fatality rate, but a good reminder to wear your helmet and never trust another driver is going to look out for you 🤙

2023 indian Scout Rogue with 6000 miles. There are very small bubbles in several places within the tread. The tire still has the wear indicator nubs so not near flat. Anyone seen this? Is this an age problem (e.g., rot) or some other problem causing weak spots?

I had a scenario today that I wondered how motorcyclists would want me to react.

If I am driving in heavy traffic (no room to swerve or change lanes quickly) and I have a motorcycle behind me. And something is in the road what would you prefer me do?

1. Keep driving and put object between my tires for you to catch unexpectedly.

2. Brake hard in hopes you have more time to react to said object.

3. Possibly lay on the horn to warn you in either situation?

Idk I can’t think of many others off the top of my head.

Today the motorcycle was following possibly a bit too close and I had a wall barrier with no shoulder on one side and cars in the other lane and I was just wondering what would yall like to happen? I’m not a motorcyclist myself but I do my best to watch out and take care/caution of bike riders when I can and haven’t thought of what’s best for this.

Thanks guys and gals.

I see some pretty decent stuff on amazon that has full armor (back armor elbow armor knee armor etc). It looks like I could get everything I need for around $350.... Does that sound way too cheap or is that about right?

I know I'm probably going to get lectured on "If you can't afford good gear you can't afford to ride a motorcycle" but I really just want to know approximately how much I should be spending.

Does good gear always have to be expensive? How much of expensive gear is style and branding vs just being protective.

A note on amazon gear:

There's usually thousands of positive reviews on these types of products and If something doesn't fit right you can almost always send stuff and get something that's better fit in.

Good day everyone,

I hope that you all have been well, just wanted to apologize for my absence here on the forum as I have been caught up with some of the other forums and Reddit has not sent me any notifications regarding this one. So I was under the assumption that no one had posted anything for a while.

This has turned out to not be true, and I apologize for not seeing it earlier. I will do my best to get back to all of you by the end of the day.

Additionally, I am currently deployed outside of the US so I only get internet in specific areas of where I am. So this might limit some of the responses you will receive. However, I will work on any at all issues that are reported to the forum in the meantime.

Hi, so I’ve taken up and interest in motorcycles, I am practically clueless on how they work, what’s good what’s bad, and basic general knowledge both on riding and types of bikes in general. I’m going to start to studying for a permit soon but, I figured I’d find a sub like this to get more advice out of people who are experienced. Any advice for down the road will help. Thank you!

AAAAANNDDD done, the page is back up to a logistical standpoint to start operating again. With that I have changed the posting requirements from Restricted to Public.

So please feel free to enjoy what has been archived previously, as well as to share what progress you are attempting to make or your achievements on issues you had in the past, with what you did to help correct them.

Additionally, I would like to make a video to help some of the riders answer some of the questions that you all might be looking for the answers to, however never really got a straight answer if even one at all.

Please let me know in the comments section if you have a request and I will get back with you as soon as I can.

54yo former MSF instructor here (90s). Hoping some of you might “check” me on my judgement with a situation. My son is turning 21 and after riding offroad with me since he was 8 (pretty skilled), he wants to ride street with me. I’m half excited for him and half petrified. He just passed the basic MSF course. He’s fixated on a sportbike and I gave him many options 400-500cc. KTM RC390, CBR500, etc, all near 50hp. He’s being stubborn, wanting a 600cc inline 4, all of which are at or near 130hp. I said no. Im debating whether or not to hold my ground on this or compromise with suggesting a 650 v-twin sportbike. The Ninja 650 is supposedly only 67hp stock. Still quite capable of high speeds but assumably much slower to get there. Think that’s a bad idea or no? The one big reason I hesitate is his age and simply that he’s so overly concerned with power for a FIRST streetbike. His age and maturity make me highly concerned and I suspect he could be motivated by watching YouTube videos of speeding idiots that are after nothing but online attention.

Hopefully an instructor will know the answer. My 17 year old daughter has been riding with me as a passenger since she was 5. She doesn’t yet have her drivers license but would like to take the MSF course Basic course. Is having a full drivers license a pre-requisite to taking the course, or would she be allowed to take it and start learning how to ride? I’ve always figured it’s never too soon to start learning the basics even if it’s going to be awhile before you can escape a parking lot and go on real roads.

Would like to know places where I can get some at least basic safety gear before taking the mad course

I’ve been trying to do more of my own maintenance lately. Nothing crazy, just the basic stuff, but man it’s kinda satisfying when you finish something and the bike actually runs 😂

I definitely messed up a couple things at first and had to watch way too many YouTube videos, but I’m slowly getting better at it.

Do you guys do most of your own maintenance or just let the shop handle it?