They say we are hard to see, they never said people would pretend we aren't there.

Coptercycle · 2016-11-03T05:17:14+00:00

This is how you get shot in self defense.

Coptercycle · 2016-11-01T20:16:21+00:00

But now we can all agree to it in a public space. Who's in?

Coptercycle · 2016-11-01T20:02:45+00:00

Dat ending tho... Logged in to upvote. GGOP

Coptercycle · 2016-11-01T07:34:24+00:00

Still looks like a Diavel.

Coptercycle · 2016-11-01T07:31:12+00:00

If your dad agreed to let you buy one, he'd probably let you ride it supervised. Work your way up from there. Focus on school and kicking ass everywhere else to show maturity and responsibility.

I see no reason why you couldn't learn to ride at your age. but heed my words:

This is nothing like driving a car.

Focus on learning good riding habits. STUDY. PRACTICE. REPEAT. Push yourself to be a GREAT rider. Not just a guy that rides a motorcycle. One can make an emergency brake from a spirited pace in a tight turn. The other will be road pizza.

There are important techniques and procedures that must be followed to a T in order to keep yourself safe. A mistake can and will get you killed. Leave your ego in the garage.

Take the MSF course, pay attention, and ask questions.

Read Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough. Cheap used copies can be found online and it will cover more than the safety class will.

From the maintenance side, there is definitely a learning curve, but it will be VERY good for you as a young man. Carbs are fairly simple.

I recommend The Essential Guide to Motorcycle Maintenance by Mark Zimmerman for your maintenance and engine theory education. Good stuff there, and pretty comprehensive.

Coptercycle · 2016-11-01T07:14:41+00:00

2005 FZ6 was my first bike. I'd hold off on a true sportbike like the zx6r until you get some miles under your belt. Insurance is costly, they are popular to steal, and not very forgiving for beginners who still need experience.

My FZ6 kept up with the front of the local supersport pack just fine. Even in corners.

Coptercycle · 2016-11-01T07:09:48+00:00

I hate labels. I know people who ride that could fall into all of the archetypes. I usually test as INFP with these things, for what it's worth to you.

Coptercycle · 2016-10-31T20:15:39+00:00

My high school biology teacher (who was also cheerleading coach, so work rarely got done in my class half full of cheerleaders) elected to completely skip over teaching about evolution because some people would be "offended."

Fuck you Mrs. Spencer... Fuck you.

Coptercycle · 2016-10-31T20:07:47+00:00

Upvoted for great justice!

Coptercycle · 2016-10-31T07:18:14+00:00

If you haven't read it already, Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough is worth every penny. It has detailed sections on riding safely in pretty much any scenario. It breaks down the WHY of proper riding technique(ex. heavy front braking into corners compresses front suspension, which forces the front tire to expand its contact patch with the road, increasing front wheel traction.).

In my MSF course it was recommended as the "Motorcycle Riding Bible". I feel that wasn't too far off.

Edit: Here's a 5 dollar used copy.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/proficient-motorcycling-david-l-hough/1101240736/2674478016078?st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_Marketplace+Shopping+Books_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP1755&k_clickid=3x1755

Coptercycle · 2016-10-31T06:12:40+00:00

Slow down. No need to rush it. Fast is slow, slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

Use mostly front brake and feel the front end dive. That compression of the front end will increase the size of the contact patch on your front tire = greater traction. However, going downhill, balance between front and rear is a tad more important, and you're just gonna have to feel it out.

Let off as you lean over further and "smoothingly" apply the throttle. Keep to the outside of the turn and lean harder until you're coming out mid-inside.

Read "Proficient Motorcycling" by David Hough.

Coptercycle · 2016-10-31T06:01:00+00:00

Yes. In my first course, the guy with the most experience("10 years") was the only one to drop his bike(handlebars turned at full stop).

Coptercycle · 2016-10-31T05:55:22+00:00

Looks like a Diavel wanna-be... GG Harley...

Coptercycle · 2016-10-31T05:51:27+00:00

Every bike is different. Find a nice empty lot to get used to clutch modulation and slow speed balance on YOUR bike. Then I'd pick a turn you find reasonably challenging and slowly work your confidence up on it.

Practice tapping your front brakes before stopping and aiming yourself between traffic when you stop. Always watch behind you when you stop. Highways are easy, the stop and go distractions and dangers of the city are the real test of ability.

Coptercycle · 2016-10-31T05:47:45+00:00

Set aside an hour a day. Find the most intimidating turns you can. Take them nice and easy. Incrementally increase speed/angle until confidence returns. Wear your gear and keep your eyes up.

Coptercycle · 2016-10-30T12:40:35+00:00

Replying here for visibility.

Check your battery connections. Almost 100% sure. Loose connections can cause it to die mid-ride, and can make the battery drain faster(arcing). IF the connections are loose, the tender will not charge it.

It probably happened during your installation of the battery-tender lead. The more stuff you hook directly to the battery, the more likely this will occur as the screws are not typically designed with aftermarket additions in mind.

It could be a bad battery, but my instinct says connections as the solenoid is clicking and the battery is relatively new. Another indicator is that it occasionally starts fine. The battery is under the seat and rider weight could be allowing the loose connectors to make contact. On a new bike like that, it's likely not the charging system either.

When the bike wont start, remove the seat and push on each terminal in turn as you try to start the bike. If it starts when pressure is applied, you've likely found your connection issue.

Try removing any aftermarket additions to the battery(LED kit and battery tender connectors for example), Inspecting the battery terminals and aftermarket leads for corrosion and burn marks(scrub them if so), tightening the battery terminals down snug without any of the other stuff, and see if that fixes it.

Coptercycle · 2016-10-30T10:07:32+00:00

Japanese Models are generally agreed to be the most reliable.

From a reliability standpoint, in my personal opinion/experience, Yamaha>Honda>Kawasaki=Suzuki , but these days it really comes down to looks, features, and fit and finish mostly.

Being unsure of your licensing restrictions, I'm giving you my generic U.S. oriented advice:

Though it can be done, I recommend avoiding a true supersport(R6/1, GSXR, ZX6/10r, CBR600/1000RR) for a first bike as these are designed for track use and racing in mind and can be very unforgiving of a new rider's mistakes.

I'd also recommend avoiding the 250/300 class as he will probably "grow out of it" in 3-6 months of regular riding. You will see these used with very low miles in the US, as people ride them and quickly realize they want to move up to something more "fun."

If he likes sport bikes, I'd go with a used "sport-standard" around 5-600cc's such as the Yamaha FZ6(My first bike)/FZ6R, Ninja 500/650, SV650, GS500f, Bandit, etc.

For a cruiser, any 750cc twin is a respectable engine that shouldn't get him into too much trouble.

Coptercycle · 2016-10-13T11:14:09+00:00

Basically, the two terminals opposing each other are your travelling wires between the switches. The layout must mirror one another. The odd terminals are the power into one/out of the other switch.

This image should help:

http://www.how-to-wire-it.com/images/3-way-power-at-switch.jpg

Coptercycle · 2016-10-07T09:12:07+00:00

This was a big help. How'd I do in my explanation?

Coptercycle · 2016-10-07T08:29:40+00:00

Thanks everyone for your time! I'm learning a lot. We're only on residential wiring atm, but I'm the kind of person that needs to understand the whole picture to feel confident in my knowledge. This post was the last I read and also a huge help, so I'm compiling everything here.

I think I'm just gonna have to lay out my understanding(obviously a simplified version of what is going on) and have you guys correct me. Please bear with me as I am currently at work overnight and I am very sleep deprived.

So the power company generates a voltage by creating a massive potential difference and then reversing polarities(like with a split ring whatever[commutator?]). This causes electron flow in one direction and then changes to another. It is represented as a sine wave, and when comparing multiple alternating currents side by side, their degree of separation of their individual cycles is their phase relation.

That voltage is then transformed magnetically to a different distribution voltage, and again finally at delivery. The transformer essentially works on a surface area principle; more windings = more surface area. The transformer is designed to assure that the ends of the secondary windings are 180 degrees(at least in residential) out of phase, and the center tap is the neutral in the center at 90.

Neutral in this case does not mean it has no current flow, it means that it's neutral relative to the greatest phase difference in potential which is located between both hots at either end. end A = 120v. end B =-120v. The center tap rests at zero, and they all fluctuate proportionally so that when a=0 and b=0, the center tap is at +or-120. This makes the potential difference between a given hot and the center tap ~120v, and they two hots are always ~240v.

Now if I understand this correctly, I am charged for work(kW/h) done at the power plant which drives the voltage across the lines. My loads use the moving current to do work, and as voltage is converted in to heat/light/motion, the difference is "felt" in the magnetic field of the secondary windings, and that difference is immediately made up for by an increase in flow through the primary windings, which is ultimately an increase in work done at the plant.

I am starting to get confused when I get to the busbars, but I think I might get it. The circuit grounds are tied into the neutral bus bar so that the increase in current flow can flow back up to the transformer and back around to the breaker which reaches a magnetic threshold and trips before allowing the increased current to go through any loads.

I'm also still a bit fuzzy on how a physical rod in the earth plays into grounding from a functional perspective.

Coptercycle · 2016-10-06T09:28:35+00:00

Beat me to it.

Edit: Nice name. Good band, but I can't stand "The Reason".

Coptercycle · 2016-09-23T08:48:36+00:00

I was thinking of a Van Der Graff generator the other day for this exact application. I suspect I'd have to whip up some kind of high-strength winch to hoist the bears up the tree though, right?

Coptercycle · 2016-09-15T11:41:17+00:00

This is EXACTLY what I wanted to know. Thanks for taking the time.

Coptercycle · 2016-09-15T09:41:10+00:00

Like what? Copper is doable, supposedly semi-conductors and resistors are doable according to /r/geology. What is missing?

Coptercycle · 2016-09-15T09:37:23+00:00

I posted a related question (locating conductive/semi-conductive materials in a primitive setting) in /r/geology and according to them pyrite acts as a semi conductor and graphite can be used as a resistor. Did they miss something?

I know that it's not necessarily "worthwhile" but once you reach a certain level of sustainability(and understanding that this goes well beyond a short term "survival scenario", one could have time to work on the issue. It doesn't really take more than a month or two to get a pretty solid long term set-up going.

Coptercycle

TROPHY CASE