New rider in Mississippi

[bikertammy]

Hey yall!!! I am so excited. Tomorrow I will have had my bike for 1 week. I feel like I was born to ride. I am from a little town in MS called Petal. I have been happily married for 5yrs this coming December. I have 2 children one is 7(Allyssa) and the other is 3(Hope). My husband rides a VTX1800. He always said how relaxing it is to actually drive the bike vs Being a passenger. Now that I have taken the motorcycle safety course and have a bike of my own, I see what he has been trying to tell me. It's awesome being in control of your own bike. All I need is a new front tire, new front brakes, and rear brakes(not immediate need, They aren't in bad shape), and maybe a windshield. I already took the S of the side and added some Christian graphic stickers to the tank and rear fender, going to do some barb wire pinstriping around the sides of the tank, some graphics on the front fender and outline both fenders in the barbwire.

[New GZ250]

Welcome! Hope you can share some pictures of your bike with us. What year mileage? I would love it if my wife wanted to get herself a bike! it would be so...fun! It would make biking double the fun!
:2tup:

[dannylightning]

Hey yall!!! I am so excited. Tomorrow I will have had my bike for 1 week. I feel like I was born to ride. I am from a little town in MS called Petal. I have been happily married for 5yrs this coming December. I have 2 children one is 7(Allyssa) and the other is 3(Hope). My husband rides a VTX1800. He always said how relaxing it is to actually drive the bike vs Being a passenger. Now that I have taken the motorcycle safety course and have a bike of my own, I see what he has been trying to tell me. It's awesome being in control of your own bike. All I need is a new front tire, new front brakes, and rear brakes(not immediate need, They aren't in bad shape), and maybe a windshield. I already took the S of the side and added some Christian graphic stickers to the tank and rear fender, going to do some barb wire pinstriping around the sides of the tank, some graphics on the front fender and outline both fenders in the barbwire.

welcome sounds like your already having a lot of fun with your bike.. enjoy and be safe.

[bikertammy]

OMGosh! I am having so much fun! We got a chance to ride this afternoon. It was my first time actually riding in town. Anyway it is a 2005 GZ, and has 12500 miles on it. I will post pics as soon as I get batteries for my camera. I haven't bought batteries in a while...lol. I only gave $1000 for it, so I think I did great. I need a windshield badly. I got up to 70 on the backroads and my helmet was trying to come off with my head still in it.... got a little fatigued from that. Oh, and by the time we were on our way home it was too dark for sunshades, so I rode without them, and got a bug in my eye. Then I got the bug out of that eye and got one in the other eye. But it was still fun.

[dannylightning]

OMGosh! I am having so much fun! We got a chance to ride this afternoon. It was my first time actually riding in town. Anyway it is a 2005 GZ, and has 12500 miles on it. I will post pics as soon as I get batteries for my camera. I haven't bought batteries in a while...lol. I only gave $1000 for it, so I think I did great. I need a windshield badly. I got up to 70 on the backroads and my helmet was trying to come off with my head still in it.... got a little fatigued from that. Oh, and by the time we were on our way home it was too dark for sunshades, so I rode without them, and got a bug in my eye. Then I got the bug out of that eye and got one in the other eye. But it was still fun.

i can tell your from down south when you say you (gave) 1k for it. always loved some of the things Southerners say, i just moved from Tennessee back home to ohio

your helmet kept trying to come off, you sure you have the correct size, if it was trying to come off it may not fit you correctly, it should fit as tight as possible with out cutting off the circulation to your brain of course :lol: .

riding with out eye protection is a horrible idea, your lucky those 2 bugs you got in your eye were not big old bugs that could have done some damage or rocks, get some clear motorcycle glasses with the foam seal on them, that helps keep stuff out of your eyes pretty darn good

but you made it back safe and im glad you had a good time.

[bikertammy]

I think you may be right about my helmet, but there is also the possibility that I didn't tighten the straps enough. And about the glasses, I have some, just didn't have anywhere to put them. I will just wear them from now on when I know I only have a little daylight left...lol. My eye still burns. Also, I did manage to dodge a big dragonfly. I think I will name her sui, short for suicide. It was about the size of a hummingbird.

[dannylightning]

I think you may be right about my helmet, but there is also the possibility that I didn't tighten the straps enough. And about the glasses, I have some, just didn't have anywhere to put them. I will just wear them from now on when I know I only have a little daylight left...lol. My eye still burns. Also, I did manage to dodge a big dragonfly. I think I will name her sui, short for suicide. It was about the size of a hummingbird.

put on your helmet and strap it on, turn you head left and right really fast over and over a few times, your helmet should not move around on your head at all than try and move the helmet left and right with your hands, mine is nice and tight, when it moves the the left and the right my skin on my skelp moves with it. there is no play between my head and the helmet at all.

i pretty much always wear clear glasses, at least latley, my oakley gas can s glasses look a lot better on me than my motorcycle gasses do but when i wear the oakleys i still get stuff in my eye every now and again plus when its chilly out my eyes seem to water, the motorcycle glasses with the foam really comes in handy, i should get some foam and glue them on my oakleys

that's one big dragon fly, i got hit by a squirrel once. well i guess it was more like he ran in front of me and i hit him. i named that poor litle thing mashed potato cus he got mashed lol.. he came out of no where next thing i know it was just bump bump. it always sux when you run something over but you just cant help it when it darts out from no where

i guess Sui was lucky that the kamikaze mission failed lol

[alantf]

I got up to 70 on the backroads and my helmet was trying to come off with my head still in it

Mine does the same. With me it's because the wind gets under the peak of my helmet (I wear a ¾ helmet, & the clear visor slides up, under the peak, to protect it when not in use) I find that tipping my head slightly forward stops it, as the wind then hits the helmet at a slightly different angle.

As for windshields - most people on here seem to go for them - I hate them (purely a personal thing). I've been riding for 45 years, & I've never found one that didn't feel like the sail on a clipper ship. May be that it's because I've never got them set up right, but I've even had to take them off bikes that have come with a factory fitted windshield, because the bike behaved badly in the wind, & cut my top speed down.

Now I'll just sit & wait to be shot down by everyone on here who have had no problems. :popcorn:

[bonehead]

I don't use a windshield. I have a visor the covers my face. I was on the back roads the other day, no helmet, and took the biggest dragonfly in history smack dab in the middle of my forehead. Quickly checked for blood, then pressed on.

[dannylightning]

I got up to 70 on the backroads and my helmet was trying to come off with my head still in it

Mine does the same. With me it's because the wind gets under the peak of my helmet (I wear a ¾ helmet, & the clear visor slides up, under the peak, to protect it when not in use) I find that tipping my head slightly forward stops it, as the wind then hits the helmet at a slightly different angle.

As for windshields - most people on here seem to go for them - I hate them (purely a personal thing). I've been riding for 45 years, & I've never found one that didn't feel like the sail on a clipper ship. May be that it's because I've never got them set up right, but I've even had to take them off bikes that have come with a factory fitted windshield, because the bike behaved badly in the wind, & cut my top speed down.

Now I'll just sit & wait to be shot down by everyone on here who have had no problems. :popcorn:

i have a problem with that alan a big problem :poke2: that windsheild you had may have just needed tilted back tward you a little bit to become more areo dynamic,.

[bikertammy]

Yall are such a hoot. Maybe if I get a shield for my helmet It won't pull my head back as bad. I prefer no windshield because of looks on the bike. But if I get a shield and still have a problem then I will have to get a windshield. Anyway, my helmet does fit me. Thanks for the advice. And the squirrel story. I have one I need to post on here one day. It will have you laughing your heads off. It's been on the email circulation for a while. It's called "Mutant Attack Squirrel of Death." I will see if I can find it.

[dannylightning]

Yall are such a hoot. Maybe if I get a shield for my helmet It won't pull my head back as bad. I prefer no windshield because of looks on the bike. But if I get a shield and still have a problem then I will have to get a windshield. Anyway, my helmet does fit me. Thanks for the advice. And the squirrel story. I have one I need to post on here one day. It will have you laughing your heads off. It's been on the email circulation for a while. It's called "Mutant Attack Squirrel of Death." I will see if I can find it.

i don't think a shield for your helmet would do much good for blocking the wind. sheilds are made for blocking swords and arrows, not wind

how ever i guess you could block the dragonfly's with it.....

[bikertammy]

I got the story posted, It's so funny. It's long, but well worth the read.

[burkbuilds]

My 2 cents on the windshield. I agree with bikertammy that motorcycles don't look as good they do without them. I also agree with Alantf that they can be an added problem when dealing with high or gusty winds;however, I find that my level of fatigue is greatly reduced when I am on a long ride if I have one and they also help knock off a lot of the water coming at you in a rain storm, which I often have to ride in. Unlike Alantf, I have found that my fuel mileage actually goes up with a windshield, probably because that windshield is significantly more aerodynamic than my torso, as Danny pointed out, the slope you set the shield up at also makes a lot of difference both in how it affects handling and probably whether it helps or hurts your mileage. In my state, Georgia, you can legally ride without a face shield if you have a windshield, otherwise the law says you have to have a face shield although I see a lot of people riding without them and no windshield either. Safety laws can be pretty fickle anyway, for instance, I have to have my kids in a child safety seat, buckled up in my car, not in the front seat if it's air bag equipped unless I can and do turn off the air bag system for the passenger side until that kids is a certain size and weight, but I can put my infant in a diaper and set him on the back seat of my motorcycle and yell "hang on" and that's not against the law in my state! (Way off topic) Anyway, if you want a windshield, get one, if you don't , your call again, ride safe!

[dannylightning]

My 2 cents on the windshield. I agree with bikertammy that motorcycles don't look as good they do without them. I also agree with Alantf that they can be an added problem when dealing with high or gusty winds;however, I find that my level of fatigue is greatly reduced when I am on a long ride if I have one and they also help knock off a lot of the water coming at you in a rain storm, which I often have to ride in. Unlike Alantf, I have found that my fuel mileage actually goes up with a windshield, probably because that windshield is significantly more aerodynamic than my torso, as Danny pointed out, the slope you set the shield up at also makes a lot of difference both in how it affects handling and probably whether it helps or hurts your mileage. In my state, Georgia, you can legally ride without a face shield if you have a windshield, otherwise the law says you have to have a face shield although I see a lot of people riding without them and no windshield either. Safety laws can be pretty fickle anyway, for instance, I have to have my kids in a child safety seat, buckled up in my car, not in the front seat if it's air bag equipped unless I can and do turn off the air bag system for the passenger side until that kids is a certain size and weight, but I can put my infant in a diaper and set him on the back seat of my motorcycle and yell "hang on" and that's not against the law in my state! (Way off topic) Anyway, if you want a windshield, get one, if you don't , your call again, ride safe!
'

come one man your gonna make that baby dirty his diaper. some laws are completely stupid they apply to one thing and not another, and in every state the laws are different halving to have a face sheild is a horrible law, when its hot out i cant stand to have one on. it keeps all the heat and humidity stuck right there between your face and that face shield..

here in Ohio you are only required to wear a helmet for your first year of riding.

i hear very good things about Memphis shades windshields. i'm gonna get one some day but its gonna be one that detaches easily, i don't like windshields as far as the way they look but i think a windsheild would come in really handy in colder weather and rain, if it's gonna rain my bike stays parked, the bike will like you more if you keep it out of the rain.

[music man]

some laws are completely stupid they apply to one thing and not another, and in every state the laws are different halving to have a face sheild is a horrible law, when its hot out i cant stand to have one on. it keeps all the heat and humidity stuck right there between your face and that face shield..



You do realize that you can edit down the post you are quoting so you are not re-posting the whole thing right?

The face shield/eye-wear law is the only one that really makes a whole lot of sense, if you get hit in the face by a big bug, or god forbid in the eye, you are probably going to go down, and I used to think that about the face shield thing to, till i got a tinted one, it is unbelievably cooler with my face shield down then it is with it up, I guess because it is blocking out the sun, when i get out on the highway and its hot out, I can raise it up just one click and it still keeps 99% of the wind and debris off my face, but lets just a little wind hit my mouth and nose so i can get a little fresh air in. I started out wearing a beanie style helmet, rode a whole winter that way, once i got the 3/4 helmet with the tinted shield I have now, I haven't worn the other one since. :rawk:

[Water Warrior 2]

Both of our bikes have wind shields and we both wear a full face flip-up helmet. I will normally have the face shield cracked open a few degrees for a bit of extra air. In very slow traffic on a hot day I will open up the face shield for temp control. The wind shield and face shield are both stronger and more sacrificial than my eyes or other facial parts. I stopped a bird with the wind shield, stopped small rocks with both shields over the years. Very little of my body is exposed when riding. Yup, I'm a rebel, All The Gear All The Time. Still have all the original body parts and no road rash. What you wear is directly related to the amount of risk you are willing to accept. Me, I'm a chicken and don't like pain. My little sermon for the night.

[alantf]

In Georgia, you can legally ride without a face shield if you have a windshield, otherwise the law says you have to have a face shield

Well........ Never knew that there was a law saying that you must wear a face shield, ANYWHERE in the world! Guess you learn something new, every day. :jo:

[Easy Rider]

In Georgia, you can legally ride without a face shield if you have a windshield, otherwise the law says you have to have a face shield

Well........ Never knew that there was a law saying that you must wear a face shield, ANYWHERE in the world! Guess you learn something new, every day. :jo:

Some things are "different" in Georgia but I ***think*** the law probably states "eye protection" and not specifically a face shield attached to the helmet.

If it reads the way he says it does, there are a LOT of riders in Ga. violating the law.

[alantf]

the law probably states "eye protection" and not specifically a face shield

Never heard about laws requiring eye protection, either. Like I said, it's a new one on me. :)

[burkbuilds]

Easy Rider, you are correct, I stand corrected, the law does say "eye protection unless you have a windshield" not "faceshield unless you have a windshield" as I previously said.