Motorcyclists Corner.....

[Fozzer]

Another short 5 minute video + sound clip, edited from a much longest trip, made especially for the previous owner of the Bike....

...we still keep in regular touch re: the Honda Rebel!

Adjust the volume control for sound!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wcp5f8ilo7jki ... ..mp4?dl=0

The transmission whine can be heard, (high mileage 26,000+ miles), which is why I replace the sound with music now!

Paul.... ...!

[Fozzer]

Sunday the 3rd of April.

Hello Chums!

The weather was slightly warmer than of late, so I pre-prepared my Sunday Dinner, packed a cheese and pickle sandwich, donned my biking leathers, and took the plunge for a trip to Abergavenny in Wales to meet up with all the other bikers!
A good journey there, but no videos, 'cos its a bit of a rigmarole fitting the camera chest harness to me!
Quite a few bikers there, but the cool weather keeps most of the usual crowd away until it gets; "sunnier"!
Left Abergavenny and took the Dual Carriageway (Freeway) A40 to Monmouth, then climbed up into The Royal Forest of Dean to Coleford and a visit to one of my Sons and Daughter-in-Law.
Then on to Cinderford, still in the Forest, to call on another of my Sons and Daughter-in-Law!
Looked at my watch, and remembering the weather forecast warning of heavy rain in the afternoon, I girded my loins and made my way back out of the Forest (unscathed!) back onto the A49 Trunk road to Ross-on-Wye, and then back to Hereford again on the A49.
Popped into Sainsbury's Superstore to pick up a bottle of Vino and a Chicken Korma for my supper!
Arrived back home to switch on my trusty gas cooker for my Sunday Dinner; Steak and Kidney Pie with everything! (took 30 minutes)....
...Double yummy!

All together, a 100-mile all-round trip on my Honda Cruiser, which was nice, spoilt only by the terrible wind noise in my ears, even with my foam earplugs in...they NEVER work!.... ....
...so I have now ordered a pair of these, in the hope that they work, and prevent my hearing from being destroyed any further!...>>>

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alpine-Motosafe ... ge_o00_s00

65+ years of daily motorcycling plays havoc with one's hearing!

Still got funny old weather: Cold at nights and slightly mild during the day!

Come on SUMMER!...I need more Warmth!... ...!

Paul.... ...!

[Sinkrate]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alpine-Motosafe ... ge_o00_s00

65+ years of daily motorcycling plays havoc with one's hearing!

Eh? What? Could you type a little louder; I can hardly hear you

At £20 they had jolly well better work! Let us know how you get on with them Foz.

Sounds like you had a good ride to RFOD and back. Sunday was a glorious day here in Gloucester. I spent the afternoon basking in the sun in my back yard with a six pack, doing some wood turning. It’ll soon be time to get the barbecue out of mothballs!

[Fozzer]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alpine-Motosafe ... ge_o00_s00

65+ years of daily motorcycling plays havoc with one's hearing!

Eh? What? Could you type a little louder; I can hardly hear you

At £20 they had jolly well better work! Let us know how you get on with them Foz.

Sounds like you had a good ride to RFOD and back. Sunday was a glorious day here in Gloucester. I spent the afternoon basking in the sun in my back yard with a six pack, doing some wood turning. It’ll soon be time to get the barbecue out of mothballs!

FAB to hear? from you Sink!.... ...!

its nice to hear from someone in my neck of the woods

There is no doubt that all all those cheap, "squidgy" foam, ear plugs mostly don't work, I have found!

Old-age, and may years of Biking, exhibit their toll on the workings of my Inner Ear!

...pardon?... .... ....!

Much of my riding with open-faced/half helmets (for good all-round visibility) is spoilt by painful wind noise, etc, during my excursions around the countryside.

Anything over 25 MPH (and a head-wind) results in much discomfort!

OK for local trips to the shops, but anything further and faster than that requires something more to protect all those delicate hearing cells on either side of my cranium!... ...!

I also need now, is a new, proper-fitting helmet, because, with my ever-shrinking old head, (and other bits), the wind tries to drag it off my head, and I am constantly trying to poke it back on again!

I need a new, proper-fitting, one of these...>>>

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00K ... m_1p_13_ti

...together with my new ear plugs, for a comfortable ride!... ...!

Paul.....could you please repeat all that again!.... ... ...!

[Sinkrate]

I need a new, proper-fitting, one of these...>>>

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00K ... m_1p_13_ti

£50 for a helmet? That’s suspiciously cheap!

I used to replace my helmet every few years as they tend to go loose due to wear – and loss of hair! I seem to remember paying around £200 for a full face helmet. Only the Shoei ones would fit my queer shaped bonce!

[Fozzer]

Headgear:

In my early days in the late 1940's and early 1950's, it consisted of a flat cap or a beret, held in place with a pair of aviator's goggles!

Later on, in the 1960's, with my various Café Racers (BSA Super Rocket, Gold Star, AJS, Matchless, etc,) it was a fibreglass pudding basin and goggles.

By 1970, and my introduction to the Japanese onslaught of massive 4-strokes and crazy two-strokes, full face helmets became the rage.

I always found full-face helmets to be very claustrophobic, and always restricted my vision for safety in the busy urban traffic, so I now only wear open-face helmets with flip-down clear and sun visors....
....and make sure I don't fall off onto my face as I ride!... ...!

Wearing open face helmets on a bike is like driving a car with no seat belts worn....

...you take extra care!.... ....!

The £45-£99 priced helmets are fine for every-day riding, and they still pass all the required specifications for Motorcycle helmets....
...I just ride sensibly when I am wearing them!... ...!

Paul...wind in the hair...flies in the teeth.... ....!

[logjam]

I still own the proverbial ACU approved pudding basin. It is perfectly useable, but illegal here as it doesn't have a DOT2 stamp on it. I bought an approved half style Cop style helmet some years ago, but it disintegrated over time. I contemplated peeling off the DOT2 sticker and using it on my basin. I did try a full face helmet but like Paul says, it was to me anyways claustrophobic. I like to be at one with nature too, so what's the compromise? I had thought about the scooter type, with flip visor. Now I'm having trouble with the boss anyway and have to dream on.

[Fozzer]

.......Now I'm having trouble with the boss anyway and have to dream on.

.....that's the bit that has me worrying now, Log!.... ....!

Paul....Riding Solo!..... .... ....!

[Fozzer]

I had a nice ride around the local Herefordshire countryside lanes yesterday with my (Go-Pro) video camera attached to my handlebars to record the journey.
When I re-ran the recording after I got back all I could see were bloody great high hedges blocking my view on all sides!

My whole journey was like a travelling down a claustrophobic, very long tunnel, made entirely of roadside vegetation!

Why, oh why, oh why, have "Englanders" got this in-bred fascination with constructing bloody hedges and fences to surround every-bloody-thing!

During a trip it is impossible to view the gorgeous scenery on either side due to the wall of vegetation blocking the view!

I can see the difference when running the You-Tube videos of Motorcycle rides in the breath-taking scenery of the USA where the road-side blends in with the surrounding scenery, with nothing in the way!

Even in the USA urban environments, towns and villages, none of the buildings are hedged-in by fences and vegetation of any sort!
...everything is wide open, under the big, clear blue sky!

We "Englanders" seem to like hiding ourselves away in enclosed spaces!

My next-door neighbours have constructed high, wooden fences surrounding their properties, so my back garden is boxed in on all three sides!

How I wish I could find an enjoyable ride in England, devoid of hedgerows, like Route 1 in California, and Route 66 through New Mexico and Arizona.

I live in a truly beautiful English County, trapped in by miles and miles of high hedge-rows!

I've got loads of Video recordings of my various Motorcycle journeys, Yamaha and Honda, in the English Country-side, and they are all spoilt by the lack of observable scenery on all sides!

Now that there are little, or no working farms nowadays containing livestock in the counties, there seems little point in encompassing the roadsides in vegetation hedgerows any more! (Most meat products are now imported from overseas).

I would have to travel long distances to find a National Park devoid of vegetation hedgerows now!

So...there you go, my motorcycling Chums, English and American, what do you think of my bloody; "hedge-row" problems!... ...!

Paul.....another Spring, cool, wet, miserable Saturday in England, encouraging more bloody hedge-row growth!.... ... ...!

[beaky]

Where I'm living now, there aren't many hedgerows along the back roads, but plenty of wild brush close to the road, and plenty of sharp bends cut into hilly terrain. The most dangerous are bends with no view inside, that also go over a hump. In addition to anything lying in your lane, or something entering the roadway, there's always the chance that some driver coming the other way will be in your lane as you go through one of these blind corners. Just have to look ahead, and never "ride faster than you can see", if you know what I mean.
Whenever I am between hedges or trees and brush close to the road, I go a bit slower, guard clutch and front brake, and wait patiently for a fox, deer or bear to pop out onto the road. Also have to really work that peripheral vision. Especially at night!! I often practice panic stops, if I find a sharp bend that has a good view throughout, and know that nobody is coming up behind me. So far (knock wood), I've avoided hitting anything... thanks to caution, practice, and a fair dose of dumb luck, I guess.
It's the same mind-set needed when landing an airplane... only it can go on for hours, LOL.

[beaky]

...just thought of another view on this topic:
Sometimes the amazing views can be a hazard in themselves.!
When I rode the Blue Ridge Parkway in both directions in the fall of 2014, I was stunned by how many places there are where you have the most breathtaking vista off to one side, but if you take your eyes off the twisty, hilly road for more than a second, you will be sorry!!
Fortunately, there are numerous pull-offs where you can safely take in the majestic views. But some of the most gorgeous scenery is in places where there isn't even a decent shoulder to stop on.

[Fozzer]

One of the very rare occasions when I like to be taken for a ride in a motor car, and I can spend time admiring the scenery all around me in perfect safety!

..and then, the only thing I miss is the "smell" of the countryside!

Motorcycle Pillion Passengers enjoy the luxury of both!.... ...!

Paul.... ...!

Off to Abergavenny (Wales) with the rest of the Bikers tomorrow morning (Sunday), and videoing the journey there and back again!

Paul...Meep-meep.... ...!

[logjam]

Ah Paul, the first flocks (or should I say herds?) of motorcycles started to congregate in our little town. Glorious sunshine, temperatures in the mid 70's, fabulous machinery. They very rarely super speed, as doing so would risk a nasty collision with Mountain goats, Big horn sheep and numerous Mule deer, not to mention the sheer drops and cliffs. As for me, I'm planting Tomatoes and geraniums, parsnips and leeks not to mention the G word. O for a more relaxed life this evening, sitting on the back sun deck with a Pina Colada watching the river rise from the melting snows. I'm only taking this break for a quick beer while my back recovers.

[Fozzer]

I don't know why it is, but recently, although I always wear ear plugs on my motorcycle rides, I seem to be suffering very badly with wind noise in my ears.
It can become quite painful at times, and it becomes more noticeable as I become more deaf with increasing age!

I wear an open face helmet (with a drop-down visor) which probably allows wind to enter the helmet, as opposed to a full face helmet.
(The open face helmet allows better/safer visibility all round).

I purchased (£23) these motorcycle filter ear plugs the other day, and tried them out on a long ride last Sunday (150 miles)....>>>

https://www.alpinehearingprotection.co.uk/motorcycle/

In anticipation of a noisy ride, I used the maximum filter in the plugs. Even so, unless the plugs are firmly fitted deep into the ear canal, wind noise can easily by-pass them!

There is nothing more uncomfortable than excessive wind, etc, noise in the ear-'oles!
(Apart from getting an ear-bending from the Missus after arriving home late from the Pub).

I'm sure, after 65+ years of daily motorcycling, my hearing has probably suffered somewhat over the years!

...Pardon?.... :unsure: ...!

Paul.... ...!

Next on the list: A new, tight-fitting, open face helmet.... :thumbup: ...!
(I'm sure my old head has shrunk since I purchased my present helmet!).

[logjam]

For situations like yours Paul, I use my industrial ear protectors, which I had made for my ears. I bought them 30 years ago, still have them, they have a relief valve that relieves the pressure from the ear canal when flying. Unfortunately, you'll have to find a company that specializes in these contraptions that costs an arm and a leg, but were subsidized by the BC government in my case. They fit right inside my ears and work like a charm. On the flip side, my wife buys some from our drug store (Chemist) that are soft and squishy and look like chewed gum. They are fairly cheap and she gets a great night's sleep through my snoring. hehehe. Here's another option http://www.earplugstore.com/custom-diy-ear-plugs.html