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Souljer wrote: 2) When riding around and moving from gear to gear (especially 1st to 2nd), I noticed that applying pressure to the shift lever in advance of shifting helps. Between 1st and 2nd, fewer Neutrals are popping in uninvited.
- Any feelings on this? Is it okay to do this?

You're describing what you may read in this forum and others described as preloading the lever. That's the way to go.

Souljer wrote:Hi,

I'll remember that next time: Between 3500 and 8000. 2nd & 3rd gear.

.

Make it 6000!

To start.

Your bike redlines at about 7000rpm. Don't try 8000, unless you want to learn the meaning of the phrase "throwing a rod".

Hi,


Okay. Not 8000.
Without looking to check, I admit thinking, "Really? That seems awful high...".

Thanks.

Don't listen to these hot dogs. Unless you are dogging it - shift between 4 and 5 k. Engine braking as in letting off the gas is cool. Downshifting and letting out the clutch doesn't buy you much and it wears things out and can quite likely reduce your control by over-breaking the back wheel, especially in a curve, but at other times too.

Smooth acceleration, deceleration and lines-in-a-curve are very cool. If you have to down shift in the curve, don't let the clutch out. Upshifting is not so bad, all airheads have factory traction control. They will not break the back wheel loose.

Most important - don't look where you are going....look where you want to go. The bike will follow your eyes in the most amazing way.

All this from an old guy who drives like an old guy, but I am still kicking.

Hi,

bbelk wrote:Don't listen to these hot dogs. Unless you are dogging it - shift between 4 and 5 k. Engine braking as in letting off the gas is cool.

Yes, this is what I was talking about.

bbelk wrote:Downshifting and letting out the clutch doesn't buy you much and it wears things out and can quite likely reduce your control by over-breaking the back wheel, especially in a curve, but at other times too.

I usually only do this when braking in a hurry. Never in a curve.

bbelk wrote: Smooth acceleration, deceleration and lines-in-a-curve are very cool. If you have to down shift in the curve, don't let the clutch out. Upshifting is not so bad, all airheads have factory traction control. They will not break the back wheel loose.

Most important - don't look where you are going....look where you want to go. The bike will follow your eyes in the most amazing way.

All this from an old guy who drives like an old guy, but I am still kicking.

I'm all about looking where you want to go. I figure that one actually can not avoid target fixation. It not only permeates our ridding but our lives in general. So use this irresistible force for your benefit. Target Fix on escape routes and aim where you want to go. In some of my riding videos you can see me looking for escape routes or targeting between cars when things get tight. I'm not a daredevil, this doesn't happen all the time, but reviewing the footage I noticed I never focus on the car that just pulled out. I focus on the escape route or open space around them. However that is how I have been driving four-wheels for decades so I guess it just carried over.

I appreciate your help.

Hi,

Went on a group ride this weekend. It was a HOT day. In the 90s as I recall.
We did not go through the canyons as I thought they were planning. We went inland to Hollywood -all surface streets.

This took a while but Sunset Blvd. is still a fun, curvy mistress. Especially near the ocean.
However lights and other traffic kept the pace moderate to stationary. Some of the other bikes seemed to stall. A few pulled over a few times. One was a battery problem and I heard the others were over-heating problems.

The Airhead got me all the way there, but just as I was parking and getting ready to shut down, I noticed the red warning light flickering.

Was the bike overheating?
Do airheads hate heat?

Just bring your bike over here Souljer.

First, was it the oil light or the charge light?

Certain situations will make for an oil light to flicker. Assumed your oil level is at least halfway to full?
Pulling up on a slope in any direction with a hot motor with low level oil can see the oil light flash.
If it stays on for longer, start to take notice.

Hi ME,

Boy you guys really know your stuff. Or I guess I really don't know anything, so everything is impressive and magical.
YES: Oil Light flickering

The ride ended with a bit of a hill climb to the Griffith Park Observatory. Only really steep and slower at the end getting into the parking area, but we were going up hill for probably about 20 minutes.
There is oil however. It's just below the 'MAX' line.

Is it possible the slow, hot, ride over about an hour and a half, ending in a bit of a hill climb taxed the oil's viscosity? Perhaps I have the wrong weight in there for warmers climates or just slow, hot rides? This was a bit of an anomaly, we're back into the 60s and 70s this week, but summer temps will reach 90-100 at some point. What do you guys think?

I was told the other bikes were computer controlled and the computer would not allow the bikes to overheat beyond a certain point. It just shuts them down I guess until they cool off enough. I think there was something wrong with one of their cooling fans so air wasn't getting through the radiators.
I felt like my bike was looking at them on the side of the road as we rode by then looked up at me with a shrug, "What's wrong with them"?

As for getting over there: I'd love to ride this little machine around the world. You should also get your brain and bike over here. Plenty of canyon and mountains nearby for a days run.

Thanks everyone.
I appreciate your experiences with these bikes.

Souljer wrote:Hi ME,

Boy you guys really know your stuff. Or I guess I really don't know anything, so everything is impressive and magical.
YES: Oil Light flickering

Well, we don't know everything, but we DO know that Airheads don't have a temperature warning light.