Sliders – Crash Protection

Okay, I’ll be the first to admit, this post should not be necessary, but if you’ve read my other posts, you’ll see why this is being added to the blog.

The open road.  The wind.  The freedom.  The escape.  The surge of power coming from the engine, transferring from the road right through your body.  The look.  The energy.  The renewal of a youthful spirit.  These and thousands of other reasons are often mentioned, thought and lived for those that own and ride motorcycles.

The grinding of metal and plastic against asphalt.  Not so much.  Preferably never.  Unfortunately, once is more than enough.  Realistically, it can happen at almost any moment.  Most often, user error.  Sometimes, a victim of circumstance.  Every once in a while, not of their own fault.  No matter the reason, with or without bodily harm and injury, and hopefully no worse that that.  If you never go down, or your motorcycle never gets damaged, that’s great and all the congratulations to you.

For the rest of us, after personal protection and safety, limiting the damage to our motorcycle is usually the next most important thing.  If you experience a fall or any type of accident, hopefully you can learn from your mistakes and become a better rider.  The motorcycle on the other hand will never learn, it just deserves to be protected.

So, although I probably should have made this my third purchase, I didn’t.  First would have been the motorcycle itself – and it was.  Second would have been a helmet, riding jacket with built in protection, gloves and good riding boots – and they were.  Third should have been sliders – but they weren’t.  If you haven’t read my other post “Necessity can lead to imagination…” about how I “fixed” my Mana 850 after a slide across a gravel driveway…

Okay, back to the point.  Sliders.  What are they?  Well, basically when you go down, they allow your motorcycle to slide along the ground while protecting the frame and body parts.  There are four basic types: frame sliders, fork sliders, swingarm sliders and bar end sliders.  Here’s a picture of a fork slider:

Front Fork Slider

If you’re still missing it, it’s the black knob at the bottom of the front fork.  These are made by RhinoMoto, and I got them and the other sliders from my favorite shop, AF1.  Typically, sliders are made of very hard and dense plastic.  The fork sliders slip into the fork axle hole and have an expansion bolt to snug them into place.  Some versions use a connecting rod, between the two sides.

Here’s the Frame Slider, made by R&G Racing specifically for the Mana 850:

Left Frame Slider

Right Frame Slider

Notice the tear drop shape.  Supposed to be more aerodynamic than a typical round one.  I guess every bit helps, but it wasn’t that important to me.  The reason this is specific to the Mana 850 is because there is a connecting bolt between the two sides, along with machine milled caps that are all the right size to replace the frame/motor bolt in this location.

Bar End Slider

The bar end sliders that I have installed are about 3/4″ longer than the stock ones that come from Aprilia.  The added weight is supposed to help dampen handlebar vibrations, but I didn’t ahve a problem with that in the first place, so I haven’t noticed a difference there.

So, now, my pride and joy is properly protected.  If I never have another incident, then this could be considered a waste of $320.  But, if I had made this my 3rd purchase, I wouldn’t have spent over $500 getting the damaged parts replaced or fixed from the last incident.  So, you decide.  As you can tell from my other posts, and my tag line, safety is my main concern and goal.  Having fun along the way is just a by-product of the former remaining true.

As always, ride for fun, but also ride to arrive safely.

Andrew

Helmet security

One of the biggest surprises with the Aprilia Mana 850, after the automatic transmission, is the cargo space that is under the false “tank.”  For those that are buying the Mana 850, this cargo space is no surprise, unless you just happen to purchase $10k motorcycles on a whim, without even reading one review.  But, when you’re at the gas station, or at a scenic overlook, or my favorite, sitting at a traffic light and you pop the lid on the cargo bay to retrieve something…well, to say you’ll get some staring is an understatement.

It’s something that almost everyone thinks is cool, as most everyone understands that this is where the gas tank is “supposed” to be, even if they’ve never owned or ridden a motorcycle before.  If it happens to be another motorcycle owner, they may actually sprain their neck from the whiplash doing a double-take.

The overall design for the cargo space is set up to allow for the storage of a motorcycle helmet.  It’s a brilliant idea.  As those that do not have a way to secure or store their helmets know, it’s only “cool” to carry your helmet for about 2 minutes, then it’s just a big pain.  Sitting the $300 – $600 helmet on top of the bike, seat or sliding it onto the handle bar end just won’t do unless you plan on standing next to the bike the entire time.  As sad as it may be, thieves love blatant opportunity.

The cargo storage area is very convenient.  Aprilia adds the 12v outlet for charging and using a cell phone, MP3 player, or even a GPS device.  Very smart move on their part, because it’s a convenience that we’re becoming more and more dependent on every day.

Since I use the motorcycle for both pleasure riding and daily commuting, limiting the cargo area to remain bare when riding, just so that I can store my helmet upon my arrival, doesn’t work for me.  I seem to always need to carry something.  A small notebook, a camera, a tape measure, a construction hard hat, a rain suit, sunscreen, a baseball cap, small tool kit, spare contact lenses, sunglasses, etc.  Yeah, I know, my essential list may include much more than your list, but hey, I’m not shy about “getting older” or not “toughing it” any more.  I know I could get a top box, or a set of panniers to hold all those items and more.  For now, when I have to carry or have more, that’s what the car is for, and if I still want the Mana with me, that’s what the trailer is for.

So, I wanted to have a way to secure my helmet, and use the cargo bay to carry my essentials.  One day, when I was putting gas into the tank, I realized that I could probably create a way to latch the helmet under the rear seat.  I could have a hook to slide the helmet chin strap D-ring onto and then close the seat.  The great thing about this approach, rather than buying a lock or a cable, was that the key to access the gas tank was also the ignition key, and thus I wouldn’t need yet another key.  It would be secure and very convenient.  So, after some playing with different options, here’s the simple solution I came up with:

carabiner & straight bracket

At my local hardware store I found the small stainless steel carabiner and a zinc plated straight two-hole bracket.  I attached the carabiner through one of the bracket holes, unscrewed one of the bolts, slid in the bracket and replaced the bolt.  I made sure that the carabiner was positioned so that the latch side always was in the “up” position to receive the D-ring from the helmet strap.  Less than $5.00 solution.

Here’s a picture with the helmet attached:

chin strap attached

And with the seat in the locked position, you can see that nothing is exposed and everything’s secured.

Seat locked, Helmet secured

Well, secured enough anyways.  If a theif wants something, they’ll figure out a way to get it.  But, I’m not a pessimistic person by nature, so I won’t worry about what I can’t control.

So, this can also be useful to do on the other side, and then you can have space for when you ride 2-up.  I hope that everyone else finds this as useful as I have.

As always, ride for fun but also ride to arrive safely.

Andrew

Updates

So, a quick post about some upcoming updates.  The weather’s looking like a bunch of rain over the next few days, so a good time to add more to the site.

I’ve been working on some info for my favorite routes in the area.  Look for a new page with links to these routes and information including maps, general ride info and some rankings on the following items:

• Road surface conditions – rated from 1 (should be repaved immediately) to 10 (great surface, great conditions)
• Fun Factor – rated from 1 to 10 with curves, elevation changes and speed/traffic considerations
• Interest – rated 1 to 5 based on scenic qualities, attractions along the way or great food stops
• Destination – rated 1 to 5 based on what’s located at the end of the route or along the way

I also will have more reviews of the Aprilia Mana 850 posted from other sites, some high praise and some not so much.  I will have more products to talk about – for the motorcycle, for the body and some general items.  Also, I will have a few more safety items to talk about.  So, check back again to see the updates.

As always, ride for fun but also ride to arrive safely.

Andrew

Rain, Rain, Hydroplane?

So, being in North Carolina, the very temperate spring weather, the various regional weather patterns from the coast to the mountains and the Piedmont in between, riding over 4250 miles in less than three months… It’s a recipe for in-climate weather travel.

And sure, over just the last three months I’ve ridden in the rain a few times.  Three or four times, just dodging a sprinkle here or there.  Twice in a light rain.  One weekend in the Blue Ridge & Smokie Mountains in a steady, all day rain.

Twice I didn’t have any rain gear at all, but both of those days were the very light sprinkles and I was lucky.  Usually I have a riding jacket on, and although two of them aren’t weather resistant, they certainly offer better protection than nothing.  But, with the Mana 850′s large cargo area, you don’t even need to use luggage to carry some essential items.  So, now I always have a rain jacket.  The one I listed in a previous post from Novara.  I also keep the rain paints from the Field & Stream rain suit in there.  The pants have zippered legs for the boots and a nylon stretch cord for the waist, so they are easy to slip on and off over my other pants.

The pants are folded up, on the very bottom of the cargo area, then a  small tool pack, sunglasses case, spare contacts pack, my disc brake lock, and also a small bottle of glass cleaner and small cleaning cloth (must have for all the bugs).  The rain jacket rolls up into it’s own zippered pouch and it sits on top of all that other stuff.  Then on the very top, I usually have my baseball cap.  There’s still plenty of other space left over for a pack of Lance crackers and a bottle of Coke.  Amazing.

I’ve used the Mana’s automatic Rain drive mode, and it works very well.  Cornering is very sure feeling, and it even helps with braking.  The stock Dunlop tires are good on wet roads too.  Overall, it’s a rider confidence thing, and having the Rain mode will certainly help build that confidence.  But, as with almost everything, just switching to Rain mode and then driving like nothing else has changed is a sure way to mess up.

Yesterday, I was on the end of a great three hour ride, as a way to cap off the holiday weekend.  I didn’t bother to plan my trip too much, as I  knew I may end up just dodging the scattered rain clouds.  Luckily, I didn’t have to change plans.  I started out at 10:30 AM and was able to get most of the ride in before the heat brought on the downpours.

But, I didn’t escape completely.  With about 20 miles to finish, I came up over a ridge and when I crested the hill, the horizon was an ominous dark grey and I could see the rain coming from the clouds.  I was still in total bright sunshine, but I knew another two or three miles down the road would be much different.  I was tempted to just keep going, but I figured what was the point of buying and carrying the rain gear and then not use it the first time it was really necessary.

So, a quick stop into a side road, pop open the cargo lid, and less than five minutes later I’m pulling out in full rain gear.  So, I was pleased when less than a mile later, the heavy rain started and I was still remaining dry.  Well, I didn’t have on the water resistant hiking boots, so my socks and feet started getting wet and my riding gloves were the same.  Since it was still at least 80 degrees, it didn’t matter.  My body was dry, and that was great.

So, visibility got tricky for a while when it really started raining hard and heavy.  Actually, to be honest it was a torrential downpour for about 5 minutes.  So, I just slowed down, left two or three times the space between me and the next vehicle.  I also kept a good eye on the tires of the car in front of me.

In NC, they try to crown the road so that there is less standing water, and that’s great.  The problem comes when there are running ruts in the road too.  Normally, you would want to avoid the very center of the lane in these cases, as it can get very rough and bumpy.  But, that was a better option than a constant hydroplane situation.  Also, at numerous intersections, 3/4 of the right part of the lane (on a two lane road) or the same on the far right lane (on a multi-lane road) will be a huge standing puddle.

So, by watching the tires on the car in front of you, it will show you various levels of splash, and that can help warn you of upcoming ponded water.  Hydroplaning in a car is one thing, as at least you have a steel box around you.  Hydroplaning on a motorcycle?  Not a good thing.  Fortunately, the round cross shape of the motorcycle tire profile, rather than the flat portion of car or truck tire helps push water to the sides of the tire, and the chance of hydroplaning is lessened.  But, being smart and being safe is much more comforting than engineering concepts when you’re driving through the rain.

As always, ride for fun but also ride to arrive safely.

Andrew

Ready for the heat?

So, I don’t know where you are, but I’m here in North Carolina.  It’s been HOT!  We went directly from Winter to Summer.  Okay, maybe not exactly, but it sure seems that way.  Back in March, we had a week where the high temperatures were in the low to mid forties.  Then that Friday, Saturday and Sunday the low was 78 and the high was around 93.

So, trying to figure out what to wear on the road was challenging.  My staple protective attire is like what I wrote about in my last post.  Of course, my Scorpion EXO-1000 helmet.  In NC it’s the law, and personally, I would never ride without a helmet.  I usually ride in jeans, take your pick of your favorite manufacturers.  Generally I choose to wear jeans that aren’t too baggy or loose, but also not skin tight, and that works great for the bike too.  Riding gloves, usually with some form of gel padding in the palm for comfort.  For my footwear, I love Merrell hiking boots, but I also have RedHead hiking boots too.  For the upper body, the FieldSheer Hi-Flow II protective jacket.

So, when the temp has been on the high side, I found that the FieldSheer is great when moving, as the mesh allows for higher ventilation.  But, when you stop, and the airflow is gone, start the bake cycle.  So, using the FieldSheer Tour Temp TX jacket would just not work at all for me at these temps, but works excellent in the Fall and Winter.

Also, with some of my hiking boots, they don’t breath very well.  So, at night when the temp drops to or below 60, they’re fine.  All Fall and Winter they work great.  For hot weather I found that the Merrell Moab Ventilator Mid hiking boot works great, as the mesh upper really breaths well.

I found a pair of Olympia Gel gloves, the 710 model, that also have a mesh backing that are cooler than other gloves.  The Air Force Gel gloves also seem like they would be pretty good, but my retail store didn’t carry them so I can’t say for sure.

Jeans come in all different styles and even the denim thickness varies.  I have work cargo shorts too, but I found that if everything else isn’t too hot, my legs are just fine in jeans.  I also wear kahki pants for work, and they are cooler than jeans as they breath better.

So, the biggest thing has been the riding jacket.  As I also ride road bicycles and mountain bikes, I realized that some of the riding jackets for cycling would work well.  So, I made a trip to my local cycle shop.  I’m fortunate that there are several in my area, but what you want to make sure is that they carry a large selection of clothing.  Going to the best cycle repair shop may not get you what you want.  But even Dick’s Sporting Goods, Bass Pro, Hibbetts or REI carry good stuff.

What I found was a few light weight jackets that had the features I wanted.  The great thing about going this route is that most cycling apparel has longer sleeves perfect for the riding position.  They also will have ventilation pockets.  The overall fit will be form fitting for better aerodynamics.  Most will also have some type of integrated reflective material for visibility.

I found a rain jacket that was made by Novara, the Express Jacket, at REI.  It is small and light enough, yet has been designed to block wind and is weather proof.  When I ride with this jacket on, the sleeves aren’t flapping in the wind and the noise level is a lot less than a standard rain jacket.  Plus, it doesn’t have an integrated hood, which is the biggest pain when you don’t want or need one.

I also found a heavier rain jacket that has a layer of thin insulation for times when it may be a bit colder.  It’s made by Pearl Izumi, and it is the Octane jacket.  It has all of the features listed above, with the added warmth available.  I have used this jacket when it was as hot as 90 and as cold as 50 and was comfortable.

Since I ride in the Mountains, as well as the to the Coast, the weather can change during the ride several times.  I found The North Face Apex Bionic jacket has the added benefit of keeping me comfortable when the temp drops below 50, or if I will be riding for longer times when the temp is in the 50s and 60s.

Of course, these three jackets do not have the advantage of the molded shoulder, elbow and back armor.  So, these jackets are for touring and travelling.  The FieldSheer comes out, no matter what the temperature, when I want to have more fun and push the capabilities of the Mana 850.  I also have a rain jacket made by Field & Stream that is sized to go over my FieldSheer jacket, so I can take the twists and turns of the Blue Ridge Mountains, even in the rain.

As always, ride for fun, but also ride to arrive safely.

Andrew

Strange, but true…

I always enjoy reading or hearing strange, but true stories.  I guess I enjoy the unique, rare, strange and uncommon aspects of those stories.  Usually, we all can relate to these stories, in one way or another.  We either have similar experiences, or maybe know someone that also had a similar experience.

Today, I got to experience my own version, and now I am sharing it with everyone else.

The weather was awesome today, so after getting off work, I decided to start off the Memorial Day weekend with a 3-4 hour cruise.  I left downtown Raleigh, and headed South on US-1.

Although I usually wear my FieldSheer High Flow II Mesh riding jacket (which I highly recommend) when the weather is warm, today I was just in a knit t-shirt, jeans and boots.  I wasn’t planning this trip, it just was one of those days that after work where the call of the road was too great.

About 15 miles into the trip, the road at this point is a four lane divided highway with a 65 mph posted speed limit.  There were only a few cars travelling in either direction, and the closest one to me was about 1/2 mile ahead, travelling South also.  So, I was crusing along right at 70 mph.  I came upon an overpass, where I would be going under the bridge, and that’s when it happened.

Keep in mind, all of this that I will describe, takes place in less than 2 seconds!!

I saw a flash of white/grey out the right peripheral vision and realized it was a pair of pigeons.  They were flying out from the bridge steel beams, I guess where they had a nest.  They swooped down, just a few feet from the road pavement, and then back up a couple of feet.  They were flying side-by-side, and heading straight toward me.

I don’t know if it’s because the Aprilia Mana is so quiet, or if it’s because it so much smaller than a car or truck, or if these pigeons were just blind.  What ever the situation, I found them coming straight at me.  Since I didn’t have my jacket on, I had a flash of one or both of the pigeons flying right into my chest, and like in a cartoon, their beaks impaling me.

So, I braced myself, tucked my chin a bit (because I didn’t want them hitting my throat either), and squinted my eyes a bit (really not necessary, but mostly reflex, as my Scorpion helmet has an inner tinted retractable shield that was down, plus the outer clear shield, which was also down) as we raced towards each other on a collision course.  One pigeon swerved to the left of me, and the other tried to swerve to the right of me.  Lefty survived, Righty may have survived, but not unscathed.  I saw him/her tumble along the pavement in my right mirror, and it was moving, but then it got too small in the mirror to tell what happened exactly.

To my amazement, and relief, the Puig windscreen that I had installed last month might have saved me from a nasty bruise, or even from being impaled.  I would guess the poor pigeon probably weighed about 1 or 2 lbs.  So, I was surprized to see that the windscreen acrylic was not damaged at all, even though the “thump” at impact was quite loud.

Although I released the throttle, I didn’t brake or swerve.  Now, don’t go calling PETA, as I do love animals.  Later during the same trip, I saw two wild rabbits, at different times, on the grass embankment beside the road and slowed or shifted within my lane to make sure they didn’t try to dart under my wheels.  At the time with the pigeons, I just thought that the chance of damaging myself were greater if I tried anything drastic at that speed.

So, a strange, and I would think rare event.  I got lucky, the pigeon, not so much.  I’m glad the windscreen protected me and I have a new found respect for it being on my Mana.  Although I will say, after dark, all the large bugs flying towards my headlight get directed by the windflow around the screen right to the same fleshy area between my collar bone, shoulder muscle and pectoral muscle.  So I get a stinger in the same exact spot.

Large bugs at night, pigeons that maybe have a death wish… All reason to wear your protective apparel at all times.  So, I will heed my own advice and…

As always, ride for fun, but also ride to arrive safely.

Andrew

First Service

According to the Aprilia Mana 850 owner’s manual, you should have the first service performed by your favorite local dealer’s service rep at 600 miles.  I consider myself to be an intelligent person, and I usually have a lot of common sense too.  So, although I wanted to just be out riding on the bike all the time, I did actually take the time to read through the owner’s manual when I first got the bike.

And I do mean “read.”  Not skim.  Not peruse.  Not just the parts I wanted to, and ignore the rest.  Read it from cover to cover.  No, I’m not trying to brag, as I wouldn’t have won any speed reading contests.  I read it over a four day period.  I also probably would have failed a test or quiz about some of the info in the manual.  But, I did feel that it was important to read the manual and learn as much as I could about the machine I was going to be using on a daily basis.

I can’t really say why I had this attitude, as it certainly isn’t consistent with the rest of my life.  Once, I bought a Husqvarna pro series chainsaw with a 24″ chain bar after a tornado came through town so that I could make some good money.  The thing could have shredded me, but I just put the gas and oil in it, lubed the chain bar, told the neighbors what I’d charge to cut their trees for them and went to work.  Three weeks later I was still cutting trees every day and hadn’t even taken the owner’s manual out of the plastic bag.

Maybe I’m getting old.  I don’t know.  All I know is I learned a lot from the manual and I was glad I did it.  Only catch.  Aprilia is Italian.  Europe loves the metric system.  I think it’s okay too, but I don’t live by it.  So, why all this info.  Just to make a point that the manual states 1000 km over and over.  So, my brain just converted that to miles.  So, rather than thinking the 1st service should be at 600 miles, I took it in after 1000 miles.

The guys at the shop were grinning when they asked me if I had that much trouble getting off the bike?  Not realizing what they were talking about, I grinned and said it sure was great to ride and it was hard to get off it some days.  When the next words of caution were about exceeding the mileage for the service and maintenance may void the warrantee, well, that’s when I woke up.

When I came back to pick the bike up, they said everything looked perfect.  So, luckily I hadn’t treated my Mana 850 like I had that Husqvarna and things were fine.  Because, I tell you, that chainsaw wasn’t worth 1/5 what I paid for it when I was done cleaning up after that tornado.  But I was 20 times richer, so I was pleased with how it all worked out then.

And now that I’ve rolled 3000 miles, and the Mana’s still tuned great and performs at peak levels, I’m more that satisfied with it.  Best of all, I’ve been able to average 52 MPG so far.

For all you non-racers out there, that means that I’ve been a big wimp on the bike as far as abuse goes.  If I used this bike to it’s full potential for speed and handling, I’d probably only average about 30 MPG, maybe less.  But, since I didn’t buy this bike for that type of performance, it’s not relevant, at least not to me.

As always, ride for fun, but also ride to arrive safely.

Andrew

Ok, so I’m not so good at blogging…

at least not like I’ve seen on other blog sites.  I’m sure there may come a day when I add more than one post a day, and not just because I need to “catch” back up.  I did, and still do, intend for this blog to be an ongoing report of my daily activities on the Mana 850.

It’s just soooooo hard to get off the bike and come in and write something.  I’d rather be out on the bike.  Especially with the fantastic weather we’ve been having this year in North Carolina.

But, I do have numerous things to blog about, so expect to see more info on here.  And, rather than a long winded yarn of all that has gone on over the last couple weeks, I’ll break it down into several individual blog posts that will hopefully stay on a single relevant topic or at least the events from one ride at a time.

P.S.  In case you were wondering, I’ve rolled 3,000 miles since my last post, at which time I think I was around 750.  More on that in a bit…

As always, ride for fun, but also ride to arrive safely.

Andrew

Necessity can lead to imagination…

So, taking advantage of the beautiful winding and curvy North Carolina roads out by the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Appalachain Mountains is one of the main reasons that I live in this state, and why I decided to get back into motorcycling.  When the weather is nice, the ride is always refreshing and fun.  With the Aprilia Mana 850, every trip is fun.

I really like the look of the motorcycle, it was something that made it easy to decide to purchase.  Since I bought it, I have made a few changes.  I personally don’t think that the motorcycle leaves much to be lacking.  I did decide to purchase a windshield made by Puig.  I purchased one through AF1 Racing’s online store.  It was simple to install, it looks great, and it does the job of cutting down the wind against my chest while I’m riding.  Not totally necessary, but worth it in my opinion.  Here’s an image of what it looks like mounted to the Mana 850:

Puig Windshield

The last few days, I’ve been doing some other customizations that have been less functional, and more a matter of pride.  While on a trip out near the mountains of Western NC, I found a great road that I had been on in years past, but it had been a dirt road.  I found it to be paved, although it wasn’t striped.  It basically was a private road for the people that lived along it, but it was now public.  It had many elevation changes, curves, a few switchbacks, great farms and scenery and it looked like it had only been paved for a couple years, so the ride was very smooth.  I felt lucky to have re-found it.

As I was winding may way along the road, I came over a small hill crest, banked left as I approached the upcoming 120° bend in the road.  To my surprise, there was a beige 4-door Lexus backing out of a gravel driveway.  The driver turned out to be a very sweet elderly lady, and to say she was as shocked as I was would be an understatement.  I swerved to miss her, which was sucessful, as I was only going about 22 MPH at the time.  Unfortunately, my swerve placed me right in her neighbor’s gravel driveway.

I slid for about 15 feet, feet splayed, holding the bike up, praying not to have it hit the ground.  The further I slid, the further my legs spread apart.  I knew I wasn’t going to be able to hold the bike up, but I wasn’t giving up.  After all, she was only a few weeks old.  So, in the end, the bike slid on the gravel on it’s left side for less than 10 feet, then I was pitched over the right side, and the bike followed.  No major damage, just some scratches and two busted directional lights.

Me?  Oh, I was a little briuised and a few minor scrapes.  The elderly lady I managed to avoid?  I thought she was going to have a heart attack.  She was very upset, becasue she saw that I was bleeding.  I hadn’t realized it until she about fainted when she pointed to my hand.  Turns out, thumb nail and pavement don’t mix, as the pavement ground off 1/2 of my left thumb nail.  Through my new gloves.  Oh well, they did their job, as it could have been much worse.

So, after getting my “victim” calmed down, realizing that there really wasn’t any real damage, and not being too sure how the insurance company would look at this event after only having it for two weeks?  I decided to just be on my way.  It wasn’t until I got parked later that evening, back at home, when I realized that I wasn’t going to be very happy riding a scratched motorcycle.  Especially one that drew so much attention and seemingly endless questions and conversations from those that I met along my journeys.

So, a few days later I went to the auto store to see what I could find to “patch” her up.  I placed an order for replacement directional lights and a new rear brake pedal that was scratched and slightly bent.  I needed to either bondo or cover the biggest scratch on the right front fairing, a 4″ triangle where the nice red paint had all been ground off, exposing the black plastic beneath.  I didn’t find a matching paint, so raw bondo patch was not an option either.  I found some self-adhesive carbon fiber film that I thought I could cut and  make a decent looking patch, and duplicate it on the opposite side.  Good concept, poor product for this application with compound curves.

I did some research online and found DecalsFX.com which had a flexible vinyl version.  The application video looked perfect for what I needed.  They even had Aprilia logos in different sizes, so I got two in red.  So, for my first time, I am very pleased.  I think it looks great.  It’s not perfect, but unless you’re one foot away, you can’t tell.  I had enough materials to do the two fairing panles and the air filter cover, which had a very small scuff.  Here’s some images of the results:

Air Filter Cover

Left Fairing & Filter Cover

Right Fairing

Overall

I knew that I could order replacement panels, and I did, so I now have OEM replacements for what was damaged.  If something happens again, I’m covered.  I just didn’t want to wait for them to come in, and I thought if I could find a less expensive alternative, that would make my pride sting less.  Also, now that it’s complete, I really like the added black.  Certainly gives it a new identity, and for now, there’s not another one like it.

I don’t think anyone wants to lay their motorcycle down, ever.  I see all these sales adds when people are always inclined to add “never laid down.”  Obviously, a better selling point than the alternative.  But, my minor scratch incident certainly doesn’t degrade the resale value that much.  Of course, putting all the OEM replacement parts back on will help too.  But, I’m not selling.  I don’t plan on laying the bike down again either, but I hadn’t planned this incident, and it happened anyways.

This blog entry more than proves my point below…

As always, ride for fun, but also ride to arrive safely.

Andrew

New to Sport Naked bikes?

Here are a few things to consider if you are considering moving over to a sport naked bike design, like the Aprilia Mana 850.  First, the definition of a naked design for a motorcycle refers to the fact that there is a lack of body panels covering the frame and motor.  There have been other expressions of the “naked” term, such as stripped down, chopped, bare, minimalist, and standard.

The latter, standard, usually refers to the riding position; in a more upright position than is used on the racing motorcycles.  With many more motorcycle riders becoming prevalent over recent times, manufacturers and designers have realized that there is more potential for newer designs with feature sets from many different motorcycle styles.

Overall, today’s motorcycles are engineered very well and perform very well technically.  So, seeing designs where the frames don’t have the typical bottom tubes and it utilizes the connection to the motor to complete the rigidity of the cycle is more common place.  Having the frame and motor exposed, without fairings and other body panels, does reduce the potential aerodynamics of the motorcycle.  Having the rider in a more upright position also creates more wind resistance and drag, further reducing the potential aerodynamics.

But, unless you’re planning a trip out to Utah to the Bonneville Salt Flats, or your local drag strip or race course, the reduced speeds are negligent.  Today’s sport naked motorcycles offer larger engines with more displacement and torque than ever before.  So, cruising around town at 45 – 55 mph is no sweat.  Hitting the curves of a great two lane highway is little effort and lots of fun.  Do you need to get on the interstate or parkway and be at your destination in a short amount of time?  More than easily accomplished.

If you own a sport or racing style motorcycle, or have ridden on one, moving over to the sport naked bike involves only minor adjustments.  If you are coming from a touring bike or cruiser, or even a custom chopper where your posture is reclined and your feet positioned forward, people usually say the adjustment is greater than the situation mentioned above.  It’s not as great of an adjustment to go from a cruiser to a racer though.

Coming from an off road, dual sport or enduro style motorcycle will usually allow the rider to be right at home, possibly experiencing a few more “luxuries.”  The adaptation here mostly is due to the road surface conditions than the motorcycle itself.

Not including the last grouping of motorcycles, the biggest difference going to a sport naked will be due to the weight differential.  Cruisers, touring and the larger racing motorcycles can have a dry weight of 650 to 1100 pounds.  Add in the weight from 4 to 12 gallons of gasoline and the weight can go up to 700 to 1200 pounds.  The average sport naked dry weight is about 450 pounds and with gasoline, gets up to about 500 pounds.  So no matter how much the rider weighs, the difference can be significant.

So, going off the line is abruptly different, especially if coming from a cruiser or touring bike.  But, even the 1100 cc to 1300 cc racing bikes can be slower off the line than a 850 cc sport naked, like the Mana 850.  Not that life or motorcycle riding is always a race, as it’s not.  But, if you have a lead wrist, you can end up on your butt, and the bike about 120 to 150 feet in front of you, lying on it’s side after it falls.

Take that same concept into an S curve or hairpin turn, and shifting your weight from side to side will potentially land you on your butt, or hip, or back and again your bike will be about 75 to 100 feet away, laying on it’s side again.  And, no, that’s not because it wants a little rest.

Even if you’re just humming away on a two lane highway at 55 mph; if a 30 mph wind gust hits you and the bike on the right side, you can easily find yourself in the oncoming traffic lane.  Then you literally become the deer caught in the headlights.  Weight is crucial to motorcycle riding.  Not the amount of weight necessarily, and not just the weight.  More specifically, the overall weight of the motorcycle and rider, as well as the center of mass.

So, when you get on your first (or next) sport naked motorcycle, don’t come to a conclusion too quickly about how you feel about the machine.  It will take a little while to get used to it, understanding the specific techniques required to properly operate the motorcycle, and mostly how to re-train the habits you may have from your previous riding experiences.  Once things are properly tuned, it will become pure pleasure.  And I’m not talking about tuning the motorcycle’s performance; I’m talking about tuning the rider’s performance.

As always, ride for fun, but also ride to arrive safely.

Andrew