I have a Hello Kitty AR15, gets around Commiefornia anti-gun laws by being pussy pink color. Wearing a vagina hat also makes you immune from arrest while rioting.
When someone walks in your office and notices the helmet, gloves and jacket they ask "Is that your bike outside?" You hear a little confusion as it's not a big touring bike, or a cruiser, then they realize not all dads ride dad bikes. 30+ years and the commute makes the work day.
Backpack wise, I can definitely recommend a Bob-L-Bee hard backpack. Yes, it does have limits on what you can put in with the hard design, but it also acts as a back protector in an accident and is VERY comfortable to wear. Unlike most other backpacks, it doesn't interfere with your arm and shoulder movement, etc. A buddy of mine gave me one and I love it. Also nice to have the extra back protection.
I rode dirt bikes as a kid, and when I got older I mentioned to the wife I wanted to start riding again. We bought a good helmet (and a cardo bluetooth) and put it on a shelf, as a goal. Work hours were 12 hours a day for quite a while, and I figured with what little downtime I had I could decompress on two wheels better than my recliner. Eventually, when things slowed down a bit I took the course as a refresher and bought an ancient Yamaha v-something. The one and only option I put on it was a bag. I literally walked out to the garage, grabbed a tool bag and some hose clamps, and afixed this thing on the back seat. This gave me a bag rest if I needed and a convenient excuse when turning down all the "Hey cool, give me a ride" requests while I was relearning and getting into street bikes. That bag migrated to my first Harley. Bought a comfy custom Corbin 1-up seat, covered the pad-space with a "bag rack" and tied this ugly but oh-so-useful bag down. Commuted for a little more than an hour each way to Reno, so if it wasn't snowing I was fat-dumb-and-happy on 2 wheels ALONE.
Want to get some of these items featured in the video? Check the links here! Tail bags: bit.ly/tail-bag Cardo Communicator: bit.ly/YammieCardo (Code "YAMMIE" for 20% Off!) Quiet Helmet: bit.ly/Shoei-RF1200-Helmet Bar End Mirrors: bit.ly/bar-end-mirror Windshields: bit.ly/wind-screens Comfort Seats: bit.ly/comfort-seat Lithium Ion Battery: bit.ly/lithium-ion-moto-battery
I switched from Sena because 1. Cardo is much more slim and looks good and 2. Voice control! I LOVE being able to switch songs, change volume or even ask Google to navigate me while riding.
It’s one of those things you don’t ever hope to use what it’s meant for. I think if it’s cheap but a reputable brand then you’re okay but for sure have it on your list to save up for one.
@@c_wonder it’s an O’Neal Sierra which O’Neal is a reputable bike gear brand I think they just cut cost on the comfort and quality of materials since it’s not super comfortable. Did save me when I veered off trail went OTB and lawn darted my head into some gravel though
One thing i have learned recently is helmet shell sizes. It makes a lot of difference when the shell is compact, you have less resistance against your head at higher speed.
Heated grips have been an absolute game changer for me. I even use them sometimes on cooler summer nights, but they've also made my commute tolerable in single-digit temperatures
Lockable Side cases work well too. One to stow your laptop/diary/work bag that you replace with helmet gloves and jacket when you de-buss, the other for small puncture repair kit and whatever you purchase like groceries for a week. ( The size also limits how much stuff you can buy - good money saver 🤣🤣)
Getting a Shoei Neotec to replace my no brand open face lid I used for the motorcycle license course was the best purchase ever. Got rid of most of the irritating wind noise on the expressway; it was like being inside a cheap car rather than outside on a bike.
I don't have the battery with built in jump but carry a portable battery pack with a jumper in my tail bag. It has saved me several times and you can plug in your phone or coms to it when you get wherever you're going. Less than $50 on Amazon and worth every penny!
I've long believed that there is one single person that designs stock seats for every motorcycle manufacturer, and that person secretly hates motorcyclists.
The part about being on a Ninja 250 😂, I just picked one up and definitely should have got something a bit bigger but it is a really nice bike and good for learning the basics. Got a 2012 carbureted version for less than 1000 and it was pretty clean
Litterally just got myself some heated grips for my commute. Very excited to not have to wear three sets of gloves to keep my hands from going numb on the highway.
MT10 changed my life, i use to suffer on my zx6r and ride it everywhere regardless of how much my back hurt. but now i can ride literally all day and its way more fun
Some nice ideas in there. With the battery though, if I am riding basically every day (which I personally do) then why do I have a flat battery? 2 reasons. 1. Someone didn't wire something up properly to turn off with the ignition (heated grips for example) or 2. My battery is at the end of its life and in need of replacement. Both are avoidable, and if you are really concerned, have a jump starter pack at home. It will be more effective and can be used for several other things. Just my 2 cents. Only one other thing I would add is a bike camera set-up (dashcam). They are not too expensive and if you are riding daily they can be very useful to prove your innocence in the event that someone hits you. And occasionally you get some nice riding footage on them too when going through the twisties 😁
You don't know what you don't know. Ill admit backpacks aren't bad for short commutes, but if you'll be riding most of the day and especially if you want to ride in a sporty manner, a tailbag is a game changer.
@@BmxDieseldude doesn’t it affect the handling a bit? I’m used to having the backpack so tight is restricts blood flow, I always thought that a bag even if it doesn’t move it changes the geometry and therefore the ride a bit
Ride everyday with a backpack in a tropical country. It's hell... it absolutely destroys any airflow on your motorcycle jacket. Tailbag or a tank bag is a game changer. + Tank bag is a form of "windshield" in a naked bike.
I would second that but I actually found my saddlemen seat a bit on the hard side. Definitely beat my right leg falling asleep after 30 minutes though.
@@redneckwithajeep5001 I got the road sofa, when you just touch it, it's harder than a stock seat, but once you get going, there's no road vibration the seat began to form to me. I used to get back pain and glute pain with the stock seat, went for a 6 hour ride a few weekends back and it felt like 20 minutes
@@_amon_amarth_8764 I never had many issues with the stock seat but my sportster had forward controls. When I was out for more than 30 minutes my right leg would just fall asleep. I figured out I could rest my leg on the engine case and it wasn’t a problem so I bought a saddlemen step up. I put almost 10,000 miles on that bike probably 6000 on that seat and would pull off 500 miles in a weekend regularly with it. It definitely got better than it was when I bought it but I was just happy to not have my leg go to sleep as that’s not good when you get off the bike
Vibrations are #1 cause of carpal tunnel. Trust me... Those anti vibration handlebars are THE MOST integral long-term riding investment. They are an antidote to a very serious problem afflicting bikers since the dawn of the lunchbreak race
Luggage and the comfortable seat for sure. My bike's old and when I bought it the bike had a Corbin seat already on. I've never felt like I needed to stop due to a sore or numb butt.
I’ve thought about getting a better seat for my sportster, but since I have only a two gallon tank, I reckon I can give my butt a rest at the gas station 😂
If you get a Cardo, do 2 things! Ditch the JBL and install the XSound 4.0s! Make sure to not just plop them in, you need to aim them, they need to fit right over your earhole. Second, line your helmets whole ear areas with Dynamat, including inside the speaker cutouts. That whole area. Make sure to wear your earplugs and welcome to audiophile sound in your helmet with bass that slaps hard and highs that sparkle, all day long, you cannot kill the battery. Combined with the noise canceling of the Cardo working less hard from the dynamat, and your earplugs, you wont hear any wind, just amazing music, and your exhaust in the background.
I will never forget the first time I tried bump starting my bike... my RR went bad and I was stranded like 4 blocks from my house. I never bump started a bike, but have bump started a car, so I said “Imma try this”.. I timed the jump wrong and started letting out the clutch before I was fully on the bike. I smashed my nuts so hard on the tank, I was bruised for weeks. I then proceeded to walk my bike home and sweat out my jacket lol
Big thanks for all the great noob material on your channel. Being a car guy, it can be a bit overwhelming to make the transition, so you are very helpful. Also, how did you know about the snacks?! Get out of my head!!! :D
Yammie Noob my dude, you've skipped over the absolute most crucial piece of gear I've ever used. A small bottle of soapy water and some paper towels for cleaning your face shield! Do you not have swarms of bugs in Texas?
Even better a microfiber. Reusable and wont scratch your lens. Plus you can use it to wipe wet seats down real quick and it'll eventually dry for use again.
For the winter time, wind guards on the handle bars, and a throttle lock/cruise control if you’re one of the lucky ones. You can give your right hand a break and shield it from the cold wind for a moment if you need to. 😉
Backpacks: If you're not carrying much weight, a backpack is fine. The trick is something with a semi-hard shell, a tight fit, and shoulder gaiters. They fit on your back like a big racing hump, and don't catch air or flap like a fabric bag. The one I have has chest and waist straps, is totally waterproof (the zip is between the inside and your back), and fits a pair of jeans, shoes, change of shirt, and a laptop. Anything bigger and yes, actual bike luggage rules. Most backpacks are just crap.
Yammie, I remember you saying that you don't like bar-end mirrors, now you say that "truthfully, I've had a little bit better luck with bar-end mirrors".
Ahoy, as a daily commuter on a motorbike, here's a couple of my opinions: 1. ACCEPT THE FACT THAT YOU'RE GOING TO GET STUCK ON TRAFFIC EVEN IF YOU CAN FILTER 2. I disagree with bar-end mirrors because: a. It requires you to move your glare much further from the centerview than a topside mirror, where a simple glance left-right lets you see your behind vs left/right and down. Also sometimes your hand could get in the way. b. A topside "antenna" Mirrow may work as a whisker of some sort, harmlessly warning you if you get too close to something. Eg, you're filtering, and get too close to a car on your side and hit their mirror. An antenna mirror will only bend itself, or break its mirrors at worst. A bar-end will transfer the force to your handlebar, jerking it = you fall. Also applicable to trees, walls, whatevs. The fact that end mirrors make your bars longer doesn't help. 3. Invest in weather-appropriate gear, jackets, shoes, raincoat. You don't want to ruined your nice shirt, arrive at office soaked by rain, or by your own smelly sweat in a hot day. More if you're stuck in a hot traffic. Store them in your tailbag, as papa refer. 4. Use a mask. Even without C-19. If you do get stuck in morning/evening rush hours (and most probably you will). You couldn't believe the amount of gas spewed by those 2500cc++ inline 4s all around you. Your lungs will thank you. Any more thoughts?
I commute on an ebike with a full face helmet (I know it's weird, but if I'm going 30+mph, a bike helmet won't cut it). I just use $30 headphones designed to slide into the helmets internal speaker pockets. I ran the boom mic under the pads and it works just fine. Much better and cheaper than a cardo imo
I think the high end helmet is the reason I never understood the people wearing earplugs and complaining about wind noise. My first helmet was an arai and is almost too quiet with the visor down. With the visor up above 40mph you get some annoying noise from the wind passing through the tilted face shield though
I ride with a helmet, not because i hate saddle bags, but because i want the cushion in a worse case scenario. For this reason i also dont keep anything too hard in my bag. Some softcover books, notebooks, and an extra jacket. Hard stuff goes in the seat caompartment.
I read the article about this online but hadn't seen the video yet. Motorcycle commuting is life. Cardo is the best. I ride solo, so freecom1 is all I need. Tail bags are convenient. Buy two or three helmets so you can rotate them, and buy waterproof gear. Especially gloves.
Who actually likes to sit in silence in their car :) ?? U must live a perfect life with no tensions whatsoever to want to get away from :) Dont tell me u have never done this :) it is so satisfying :) And who is bored sitting on their bike at a traffic light :) ? I might as well be home with my bose sound system on my couch chilling! You are encouraging the new generation to be more of themselves than bikers the way it was meant to be done :)
The best two things to get are the windscreen, esp if you have a naked bike, and a good seat. I have a bagster seat on my CB650F and it looks AND feels better than stock. I can ride for hours without fatigue, whereas before on the stock seat it starts to ache within 1-2 hours and is never comfortable. If you live in a warm climate, check out "3D mesh seat covers". These are cheap plastic mesh things but they really work well and eliminate swamp ass 100%. The negative point of the 3D mesh is a lack of grip; so if you don't want to be sliding on your seat the 3D mesh won't work... otherwise it's really something you should consider. BTW a removable hard case trunk is better than a tail bag... but nothing wrong with a backpack as long as you get the one with a chest strap.
the weight of the helmet is also something you should care about. i bought recently a "used" Shark Race R Pro for about 150€ and because this helmet is so light, i feel more free to look around.
I ride most days, until temps get below 20. I don't need #1 as I have a nice big tourpack just behind my passenger pillion, #2 is useless in the winter as I am usually the only idiot on a bike(I have one on my summer helmet) and I have a nice stereo on my bike, #3 once temps are above 50 I ride open face and since I ride down into the 20's a heated visor is more important than quiet, #4 the mirrors on my bike are part of my fairing not something that can just be taken off and changed, #5 while they do make some aftermarket shields for my bike I can contest that the stock shield is more than adequate, #6 have you ever sat on a Goldwing my seat is more than comfortable I can go 7-800 miles a day with no issues, #7 that one is actually a good idea and I am going to see if they make one for my Wing.
If y'all are on a budget but need a com unit that can still use bluetooth? Freecom 4+. All you're missing out on is Mesh. Unless you're riding in a large group and getting sporty and fast in canyons while others lag behind? You don't need Mesh. Most of the time you're riding with one other person and you're well within the bluetooth range
lol I love using the word 'floccinaucinihilipilification' especially as English is my second language. It's fun to stump native English speakers with it. 😁
True story about Harley seats. I bought a 2020 Street Bob. Doing my research, I knew the stock seat was bad. Every single review, including Matt Laidlaw (owns a Harley dealership, 3rd generation) said it sucks. No seat looks better than the stock one, but it is good for 50 miles and don't twist the throttle too hard, you will slide off the seat. Heated grips are a must, heck have them on my KTM 450EXC and both Harley's. Windshields are for wimps, actually smart people, I'm not that smart.
okokok, so I am now to riding, and my bike came with saddle bags... but I use a backpack aalll the time for convenience. You can just get off and walk away instead of messing around with whatever. Just loosen the straps slightly so the bag rests on the seat behind you, but have them tight enough so it doesnt flop around. easy as.
@8:17 exactly my thoughts... But what I've noticed as a begginer rider who has to buy all the gear, is that ALL motorcycle equipment (an motorcycle parts/accesories) are stupid expensive. My guess is that because there are not as many riders/bikes, they have a large margin to cover the low amount of parts sold. Selling a tail tidy for near 80$ (without any lights, only the metal support), seems a little overpriced. Also a simple chain brush that on aliexpress is 1 - 1.5 USD, online or in stores is 10-15$ (so 10 times the price).
I feel personally attacked. I bought my GPX (Ninja) 250 in 1998, it's done over 300,000km on the original engine and gearbox. Nothing wrong with a cheep shitbox.
You need comfortable seat.... Good mirrors... Heated stuff.... Windshield... Place to store stuff... Oh hold on I have a burgman and it has all of this by default :D
as for as helmets go, i splurged on schuberth c4 pro (600 euro's) with its in built sena system (200 euro's). money well spent id say, fits snugly, fairly quit when traveling at 120kph downright silent in the city, very comfortable deu to the velvet lining and thanks to the bleutooth being built in no external components. and if people have different brands of bleutooth devices such as cardo i just talk to them using the discord app on my phone.
I use my backpack and saddle bags. Backpack is run loose to rest on the seat. When going longer or I need the extra space I'll use the top box and tank bag holding the misc stuff. Side note I would avoid the partitioned battery in place of a bike jump pack. You can use the tender cable plugin (if you have upgraded the wire size). + they are useable as an external battery for your computer or laptop.
1. It's neccesary. 2. No. I'm one of the people who like silence. Any sound while stop at intersection or while riding will breaking my concentration to be alert to surrounding. 3 .Yes. 4. Standard is enough. 5. I will buy bike with windshield installed then. 6. Maybe. 7. How can I know my default battery is the one that I can jump start or not?
With regards to bar end mirrors, do they really look good with super sportbikes? It is a no brainer to install these to cafe racers, naked and every other bikes, but it kinda look bad when paired with sportbikes.
Looks are subjective, but IMO no. They would look out of place on a sportbike. The bar ends are easy to install but a lot of times they loctite the stock bar ends which makes removing them a PITA.
