Off Season Projects

Innocent · Post by **Innocent** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 7:16 pm

Jason,
How many kids do you have at home?? Hope your wife takes out a good insurance policy on you when you pick up that crotch rocket.

Innocent

Byron · Post by **Byron** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 7:22 pm

Maybe we should start a pool on when Jason gets hurt on his new bike.
Winner gets his new gun.

Jason · Post by **Jason** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 6:32 am

Wow, I love you guys, too.

BlauBear · Post by **BlauBear** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 7:50 am

Fortunately, a dirt bike dumped me when I was still young enough to bounce, and with just enough pain to reconsider the whole idea. Now, after driving forty years and knowing how easily I've overlooked motorcycles on the road, I think they're a really bad idea. Finally, friends driving cars have been traumatized by hitting motorcyclists they didn't see and friends driving motorcycles have been traumatized, crippled and killed.

Sorry Jason, those things are really, really bad ideas. Lots of fun, and when Significant Other balks at guns it's nice that I can bring home a Harley-Davidson brochure

but I cringe whenever a friend talks about them.

Bob259 · Post by **Bob259** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:11 am

I hurt may back and just sold my Trials bike. Soooo..... my project for the off season is deciding what HP silhouette rifle I want to get built and in what caliber so I can try a little HP next year

Jason · Post by **Jason** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:14 am

I honestly can't remember a time in my childhood that I didn't have at least a dirtbike or ATV of some type and I ride other people's bikes a lot now. The only difference is that now I'm going to get my own bike that I can get more familiar with and be a better/safer rider on. I've gone through the riding courses and such, and it's all about seeing and being seen in traffic. I've had my share of injuries from motorcycles, but they've always been self-inflicted (dirtbike crash) and have never been on the street. It's true that riding a motorcycle will always be slightly more dangerous than a good driver in a newer, well-equipped (airbags, ABS brakes, etc) but it's really not that hard to take your risk of an accident on a bike down below the norm for car drivers. Things as simple as where you position yourself in the lane and relative to cars in lanes surrounding you (lots of escape room and make sure you can see their eyes) can drop your risk of getting hit by more than 50%. Bright colored clothing with reflective strips help at night and in less than ideal conditions, but I don't really enjoy riding in the rain or at night so I'm not sure how much that helps me. I also won't be riding without a set of good riding gear.

A good helmet, jacket, pants, gloves and boots that are all designed for riding can easily save your life in a crash. For instance, a guy at work (not the safest rider) went down on I-405 at about 65mph when a car changed into his lane as he was speeding past some slower traffic. The sum of his injuries was a sprained ankle when he stopped his 70-80 foot slide into the guardrail. His bike took a fair amount of damage and he had to replace his pants and his helmet since the slide ate through the fabric and into the armor on his pants and his helmet took a hit when he hit the pavement. Imagine what he would have looked like if he had dressed like macho Harley dude in jeans and leather vest with t-shirt and halfpot helmet, as it was pretty hot that day.

So yeah, it's not as easy to be safe on a bike and you still have to watch for soccer moms in their mega-SUVs that drive while talking on the cell phone and putting on makeup. It's not all that hard to keep from being a statistic if you don't skimp on gear (and wear it every time!) and take the classes from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation to get your skills up to where they should be, though. I'm a married guy with three kids to support now. I can't afford to not take this seriously.

Innocent · Post by **Innocent** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:34 am

OK Jason,
I do ride, but didn't start until I was over 40. Then only with extreme caution due to the responsibilites. Haven't had a ride in awhile due to the veritgo, result of a 14 year old accident thrown off an airboat on land. If you survive age too will catch up with you and you will feel the pressure change, and cold weather.....

If you want to get jealous check out this link.
http://www.pasdegaspillagedevirage.com/ ... php?t=3218

Of course you have to understand French a little.

Innocent

Innocent · Post by **Innocent** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:37 am

Maybe we should start a pool on when Jason gets hurt on his new bike.
Winner gets his new gun.

Byron,
Not sure what Jason has for a 'new' gun but there are several ways to take the wagers on this one. How long before an accident occurs? How serious will it be? Will he get back on again?....

Innocent

Jason · Post by **Jason** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:47 am

Innocent wrote: If you survive age too will catch up with you and you will feel the pressure change, and cold weather.....

I don't have to wait for age to catch up with me on that. Thanks to dirtbikes/football when I was younger and a fairly bad break of my right hand that needed surgery/bone graft to fix, I already feel pressure changes and creak and pop a lot when I get up in the morning.

propwash · Post by **propwash** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 11:02 am

I have a Remington rolling block I'm going to rebarrel to 45-70 and customize for BPCR silhouette. I also want to build a centerfire silhouette rifle over the winter.......Waitin' for some $$$$$$ right know. In the mean time I've been casting and reloading for a 24/47 Mauser.....Our club has a surplus rifle match that has grown to be enormous....This is quite fun!

shakes · Post by **shakes** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 11:08 am

Come on guys Jason will be fine, like he said he just has to ride/drive for everyone else on the road, I do it all the time. Once you've been riding for a while you learn what to look for and what to avoid in traffic. You just have to stay far enough away from the idiots that are eating, putting on makeup, reading the wall street journal to check there stocks, and talking on the phone(yes even I'm guilty on this one) or how bout the latest TEXTING on the phone. How come nobody wants to talk to each other anymore? Riding a motorcycle is just like anything in life, its a risk. You just have to be willing to put aside the risk for something that anybody who has every riddin a motorcycle knows the kind of inner peace and solitude you get when you throw a leg over and go for a ride. I know Marry knows what I'm talking about and a few others on the forum, but for those of you that are stuck in the steel (or aluminum these days)coffin its hard to explain it to you and you wouldnt understand. To most people who ride motorcycles it is a spirtual experience and the risk is worth the ride. Jason, go out and get your bike and ride and be safe.
Matt, the macho Harley dude in jeans and a leather vest with a t-shirt and a halfpot helmet.

Jason · Post by **Jason** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 11:19 am

Haha.. oddly enough, I was hoping you'd come along and read that and get a chuckle out of it, since you're the only one on this forum that I could think of that might fit the image.

shakes · Post by **shakes** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 11:36 am

Yeah but you forgot the tattoos, you know you cant own a Harley without a couple of tattoos

cwdgun · Post by **cwdgun** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 1:01 pm

Jason, Just be careful on the new bike. Get use to it and take the motorcycle safety course. I used to teach it and if you have a good instructor he will teach you some things you did not know. I rode for over 30 years, but found out just could not watch out for everyone all the time, aslo had a kid, so wanted to be around. It not you, its the other idiots that don't know how to watch out for a bike.That's one reason I have problems with right knee and wrist. I hope you enjoy it and have fun.

cwdgun
[quote]When the sand in the hour glass runs out, you can't flip it and startt again, so enjoy it while you can

Jason · Post by **Jason** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 1:49 pm

cwdgun wrote:Get use to it and take the motorcycle safety course. I used to teach it and if you have a good instructor he will teach you some things you did not know.

Yep.. I've already taken the Basic Rider Course on the bikes that they provide and will be taking the Intermediate Rider Course (I think that's what they call the Experienced Rider Course now) within a couple months of getting a bike, mostly so I get to do the drills on my own bike.