First 2-up ride

I've had the Rock for a little over a year and just couldn't talk the ol' lady into riding with me. Last night I finally got her to agree to a little ride.

Took off the custom seat and bolted the pitiful stock seat / passenger seat on and had at it. With a 36" inseam I was a bit cramped on that stock seat, but I didn't care.

Whether it was low or high speeds, turning was simply a breeze. Granted my wife only weighs a buck twenty, but still, I expected much more hassle.

Even though I'm running Jars with triples, I expected a bit of a lag on acceleration. I felt no lag whatsoever and was totally impressed with the Rock!

My wife enjoyed herself and is looking forward to the next ride. Her only complaint was that she hated wearing a helmet. I didn't budge on the helmet issue though.

I have only ridden mine maybe twice without the wife on the back, once around the block when we first got it and once to work. I have to admit that it continues to impress everytime I get on it. I also have to confess that my wife is my brain, I tend to do stupid siht when she is not with me. I guess we have an agreement that I carry the penis and she carries the brain.

talltxguy said:

Her only complaint was that she hated wearing a helmet. I didn't budge on the helmet issue though.

Click to expand...

Don't BUDGE. After all, as long as she keeps her (hopefully full-face) helmet ON, you won't even hear the complaint.

Jamie

T-Shirt (BACK)

If You Can Read This
the ***** Fell Off.

My wife loves to go on short rides. After about 30 minutes she is ready to go home and she readily lets me know. She hasn't been able to ride much over the last year since having a baby. She reminds me every once in a while that it would be nice to ride again.

TTG- your wife complaining about wearing a helmet reminds me of a story. My uncle was going to take my aunt for on a ride several years ago before there was a helmet law in Missouri. This time she had curlers in her hair and was really upset that he made her take them out and put a helmet on instead of the scarf she wanted to wear. Well, we know where this is going.. they topped a hill and an old man was oncoming in their lane and hit them head on at about 45 mph a piece. My aunt broke her pelvis and that was it. My uncle was a lot worse but survived. If he hadn't made her wear a helmet she wouldn't of survived. That is why I always wear one.

Observation

While I was on my 4,300 mile trip I noticed something that I hadn't quite noticed before. Maybe I was overseas alot the last four and a half years and it just didn't hit me.

But as I was driving I noticed that about 90% of the motorcycle riders were not wearing helmets (this was in the "choice" states).

I will state at this time I always wear a helmet and I believe others should also...BUT, if you choose to not wear one I'm not going to barf all over you why you should wear one...it is after all your choice. But in addition to this I also noticed a lot of guys and gals (mostly as passengers) weaing nothing more than tank tops, and on many occasions...shorts. It just blew me away at the numbers I was seeing.

After saying all that, I just pray that they never wreck, it's not going to be a pretty site.
Observation over...any comments or have we already done this?
Dennis

Astute observation.

Here in Michigan you have to wear a helmet, which is fine although I feel it's just another infringement on your personal rights but there was an interesting study done by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. I can't remember the study word-for-word, but basically it stated that in states that didn't have a mandatory helmet law, helmets bought by riders were of good to excellent quality whereas in states that had mandatory helmet laws, the riders bought the least inexpensive helmets they could purchase.

The shorty helmets are really popular here. They look just like an equestrian riding helmet and the discount stores around here sell them for about 25-30 bucks. I live near the state line (Ohio & Michigan) and everyday I see scores of riders stop at the line and take off even their shorty helmets and stow them. Interestingly, it's the cruiser riders who do this. The ****** rocket guys most all wear full face lids and never take 'em off.

There was also another study done and a ensuing court case where the Judge in the Michigan Court of Appeals reversed a decision by a lower court that stated that the Michigan State Police could pull a biker over for probable cause and then check his helmet to make sure it was DOT or Snell approved. The court found that the DOT and Snell standards weren't being adhered to by helmet manufacturers, the manufacturers weren't even testing the helmets at random. They were just buying the stickers in bulk and applying them to their helmets. It was the contention of the State Police to issue citations for non-complying helmets. I understand that the State Police were still stopping bikers and checking helmets as a probable cause and then looking for other infractions. What a crock of ****.

I guess it's a vanity issue, but, your melon is basically soft tissue and liquid with a thin bone covering much like a watermelon. Take a watermelon and slam it on the pavement and see what happens......seeds go everywhere.

I tend to wear a leather jacket and a good helmet though not a full face model. I own 2 full face lids, both very expensive but I don't like the total confinement or the heat. The full face is good for snowmobiling and that's it, for me.

Helmets seem to fall into the category of loud pipes, you know, louder means slower. Slower means no helmet because louder and no helmet is cool, that is, until the rider becomes a statistic.

2 up

How did this tread get from 2 up riding to head protection? Anyway, my wife and I had a very cool experience a couple of months ago.

We were stopped at a light in the left tire track and we heard loud pipes coming up from behind. Looking in the mirror showed a chopper with the guy idling along in the right tire track waiting for the light to change. When the light changed, he revved up his hog and "popped" the clutch. He was going to blow me and mine away! heheh, I never "popped" the clutch, just rolled the throttle on as I let out the clutch and kept him from passing, even tho he had 5 - 10 mph on me.

A cop pulled out just as I was passing the speed limit, (40mph), and I backed off. But, he got the message, "don't mess with r3", (especially red ones)! Needless to say, the wife's weight had little slowing effect on the mighty r3!

My QA 50 does 40..........

Derron:

40 clicks is about the top of first or the middle of second, over with, even 2 up in a wink. I never even fiddle with Harley's unless they are V-Rods or Buell's and then I just smile and go about my business. By the way, it's 'thread', not 'tread'. Tread is what your Metz will be shedding in short order no matter how you ride the beast. When you are riding, especially 2 up, watch the tire pressure and keep it at the maximum pressure listed on the sidewall, I believe it's 40 psi cold (ambient temperature).