RubberSideDown

If you're not swapping the headers and mid-pipe, a new can isn't going to change your A/F ratio to the point where you'll run lean and burn a valve.

I haven't gone through the whole thread- has anyone ordered one or taken delivery yet?

A quality armored jacket offers huge protection at 120kph- it can be the difference between walking away with bruises and being driven to the hospital with serious fractures- it's not a guarantee, but it's certainly cheap insurance.

I would like to think that those of us who have managed to survive many years (in Thailand or elsewhere) are reasonably proficient riders with decent situational awareness- all the skill and experience in the world won't save you from the idiot who turns right in front of you at an intersection or blasts you off the road when he changes lanes into your bike.

If I knew for sure I wouldn't have an accident, I wouldn't wear most of my gear, but I don't know that- I've gone over a decade since my last serious get-off, and I hope to never have one again- that said, I could have a serious accident on my next ride- if it happens, I'll be prepared for it- if it doesn't happen for the rest of my life, I won't feel as if I'd been foolish for gearing up all those years- being a good rider isn't all about your skills- it's about your preparation as well.

You didn't have a relevant point as far as safety gear goes- there was nothing to miss- your example of HD riders dressing up to play a part means nothing.

CE-ratings on quality brands are indeed tested and conform to the proper safety standard- Dainese and Alpinestars (and other respected manufacturers) do not simply 'sew on a label'. You are forcing yourself to ride without protection (do you really think designers have neglected the lucrative American summer riding season as far as gear goes?)- you can't blame the manufacturers for your foolishness- those of us who wear proper gear seem to get along just fine in LOS. You go for cheap Chinese copies- well, then, you might someday get what you've been asking for (though I hope not- I hate to see any riders go down, even the squids)- proper rated armor, correct double- and triple-stiching, correctly-place perforation, quality matyerials- you don't get any of this for Chinese copies of real gear.

BTW- the 'moto-cross skeleton jacket' you're going to design already exists- check out the Icon Stryker Rig (I've got one) or the Alpinestars Bionic Jacket- both offer proper armor surrounded by thin mesh, however they both give up abrasion resistance in favor of impact protection. Other companies also make their own versions.

The point I made was that people don't wear safety gear if is uncomfortable, because discomfort leads to other safety issues.

But okay, I can see you don't get it.....

I guess not, as I wear high-quality safety gear that's specifically made for hot weather- sometimes it does get very warm, but it's nothing I can't deal with, and most of the time I'm not even aware that I'm wearing it as it doesn't intrude on my senses and take me out of my enjoyment of being on a motorcycle.

If some idiot in a cage takes me out, my chances of living to see another day or avoiding seriously injury are much greater than yours, yet our chances of actually being in an accident are the same- who's the one who doesn't get it...?

You know why many people (especially Thais) don't wear proper gear? Because the good stuff is expensive (it's unobtainable on local wages), and the cheap stuff is pointless. I can understand economic factors being a big issue, but if you can afford quality gear and you don't have it, you're a fool- I don't use fools as examples of how I should model myself.

You didn't have a relevant point as far as safety gear goes- there was nothing to miss- your example of HD riders dressing up to play a part means nothing.

CE-ratings on quality brands are indeed tested and conform to the proper safety standard- Dainese and Alpinestars (and other respected manufacturers) do not simply 'sew on a label'. You are forcing yourself to ride without protection (do you really think designers have neglected the lucrative American summer riding season as far as gear goes?)- you can't blame the manufacturers for your foolishness- those of us who wear proper gear seem to get along just fine in LOS. You go for cheap Chinese copies- well, then, you might someday get what you've been asking for (though I hope not- I hate to see any riders go down, even the squids)- proper rated armor, correct double- and triple-stiching, correctly-place perforation, quality matyerials- you don't get any of this for Chinese copies of real gear.

BTW- the 'moto-cross skeleton jacket' you're going to design already exists- check out the Icon Stryker Rig (I've got one) or the Alpinestars Bionic Jacket- both offer proper armor surrounded by thin mesh, however they both give up abrasion resistance in favor of impact protection. Other companies also make their own versions.

Here's a nice set-up (all of which I own except the gloves):

Alpinestars T-GP Air jacket, Alpinestars A10 textile pants, Alpinestars SMX-1 low-cut boots, Alpinestars SMX-2 Air Carbon gloves, Shoei GT-Air helmet- if you have a source in the States, that's about $1200 for an excellent, highly-protective, and well-vented hot-weather riding suit.

You could spend less on a helmet and pants (still good quality but not to the level I recommended) and get it to around $1000, or even a bit less.

Last weekend I went to the Khon Kaen bike week (show), loads of Thai guys wearing black leather and that was the only thing being worn and being sold. It was mostly Harley gear and that's the point, they want to copy the west and on a cool evening out came the black leathers, mostly waistcoats, I might add. But they don't wear them for riding, or at least I have seldom seen them, and only farangs then. They don't wear helmets either, merely carry them around in case they need to enter the city centre.

Perhaps this is the wrong topic to raise this point, but this climate requires something that is appropriate and black leather ain't it. Back on topic, I think that you will be disappointed if you punch holes in your nice jacket, so you had better make a top job or the jacket will be trash.

After 4 years of riding here without body protection, we would dearly love to find something suitable and with a winter trip to the hills planned we may have to go for leathers. What we wear for the other 10 months is the problem and in my view this isn't the answer. I would add that my riding style is a little casual compared with some of you, so wind speed and it's cooling effect is going to be less, along with a need for body protection. ......Famous last words.

If you paid more than £100 for the coat, I would get it done professionally, after all labour cost are low here.

Your example of the 'Thai guys in black leather' has nothing to do with protection- it's about fashion and has nothing to do with safety concerns- they don't even wear helmets, so what do they care about proper riding gear? My leather gear (black or otherwise) offers the best possible protection if I have an accident- I could care less about 'fashion'.

You've posted on threads that have had not only good recommendations for leather protective gear, but textile and mesh gear as well- this gear has been tried-and-tested by people who have many years of riding in Thailand in their motorcycling lives, and yet you've chosen to denigrate what they've had to say based on nothing but your assumptions and preconceptions (which mean nothing in the face of actual, real-world experience). Your childish 'It's black so it's bad' attitude is not only annoying, but flat-out wrong. Leather is the single best material for motorcycle protective gear- yes, sometimes it gets too hot for it in Thailand and it's not the ideal choice for every riding scenario, but I'll push my tolerances to the limit for better protection.

You have chosen to foolishly ride without ptotection for years, and now you lament the lack of options- if you look at some other threads, there are a few textile jackets and pants that have been mentioned that would perfectly suit your needs, in colors you'll find acceptable. You'll need to spend at least 30K if you want to do it right (and more than that if you want the best gear)- jacket, pants, helmet, gloves, and footwear- that means name-brand CE-rated gear, not cheap Chinese crap that will fall apart the second it touches the pavement.

The better pads are really worth it- even if it only cuts your 60-0 stopping distance by a few feet, how many times have you stopped inches short of someone's bumper?

There's probably some truth to it as they can run hotter, but I doubt it's a big issue with current disc materials.

If you're logged in, try copying-and-pasting that link I posted earlier.

That's really strange- do you have your Paypal addy and profile location set for Thailand?

We're seeing 2 different things- I've got 70 eBay orders shipped to LOS this year alone, and my prices (including shipping to Thailand) come up in Thai baht. From the UK (Royal Mail) it usually takes a week to 10 days- it's more like 2 weeks (USPS) from the States- sometimes it's closer to 3 weeks.

Here's a screen-shot:

eBay.com- here's the link:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_from=R40&_nkw=Cbr250r+brake+pads+HH+front&_sop=15

I'm searching 'cbr250r brake pads HH front' and the Galfer pads are coming up 1300 baht shipped (50 baht more for ABS pads) from the UK- am I looking at the wrong thing? The EBC sintered HH pads are 1500 baht shipped (non-ABS) from the US.

Off eBay, the best price I've seen is ~1300 baht shipped for Galfer HH and ~1500 baht for EBC HH- I doubt you'd get hit with import charges for such a relatively small amount.

You'd have to do some work before you'd want to put in more than a few hours on it- the ergonomics are way more sport bike than tourer (though they're not terrible)

Goos price. Best bike for touring on asphalt!

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

The Concours is a decent touring bike- the 14R is no tourer.

I paid 890K, but it's still 122K off.

That's a great deal for that bike (for Thailand, anyway;))- it's a rocket ship.

I saw that- if it's a legit deal with a book, it's a hell of a lot less than I paid a few months ago.

Those crazy Italians, giving their Italian bike an Italian name.

I don't know if this will be helpful, but I took a couple of pics- the perforations on my Teknic jacket are about 5mm apart, but the whole front is perforated- the perforations on my Dianese jacket are about 4mm apart, but the perforated area is limited to the chest:

Got a set of carbon fiber look (not real CF) mirrors off eBay for 2300bt delivered to LOS- they're OEM quality and better than I expected (I had a scratch in my stock mirror housing that really annoyed me;)):

image.jpg

That looks great amazing how handy the carbon fiber stuff is!

It's not real CF- it just has the look- they would have been way more expensive if they were made out of carbon fiber.

They don't look half bad considering.

They look great- they were about the same price as OEM replacements- they're solid and have good weight- I was pleasantly surprised.

Got a set of carbon fiber look (not real CF) mirrors off eBay for 2300bt delivered to LOS- they're OEM quality and better than I expected (I had a scratch in my stock mirror housing that really annoyed me;)):

image.jpg

That looks great amazing how handy the carbon fiber stuff is!

It's not real CF- it just has the look- they would have been way more expensive if they were made out of carbon fiber.

riding in the dark without turning on the lights in the hope of saving some gasoline shows ignorance and stupidity

How is that relevant to patching a tire (which will work fine if the puncture wasn't very large)?

read the first post again please, its not only about the patches (which are no problem like you said) Its just the general attitude of many people towards saving money

Sorry- I didn't see that mentioned when I first read it.