Wolfman1

Welcome to the OR! Like the ride, have heard good things about the FZ09. I have had an FZ1 for many years and have considered the FZ09 as an option down the road. You should come out to the Epic Ride in May, good opportunity to meet everyone and show off your ride!

Welcome to the OR! I used to have an 83 Shadow 750 with the same pipes. It was my first bike. Rode it for 3 seasons before I lost a big end bearing. This was after a new paint job and some other investments. I decided to rebuild her and got her back on the road. Ended up selling her and upgrading to a FZ1. I have a lot of good memories with that bike!

My shoei was so tight that I was questioning if it would even work out... My rf1100 fit great, so I knew the rf1200 would too at some point... Few days of riding and it feels like it was made specifically for my head.. They break in a lot

And yes - some people just can't wear certain helmets... My gf tried on small shoei and it was loose as shit... Tried on xs and it gave her a headache for an hour because it was so tight in the forehead... So she's wearing a scorpion currently

That's good to know. I figured it would break in. Just a little tight getting it on, but I am sure it will feel incredible after a few rides.

I don't think I'll ever buy another helmet that a) isn't modular b) doesn't have an integrated retractable sun visor.

Seriously, it just makes wearing a helmet so much nicer. My Shoei Neotec is a damn fine lid but for the price, it should be.

The most important aspect of helmet buying is the fit. That impacts your comfort and even safety. All the other things after that are subjective but for me air flow comes next followed by weight (part of comfort) and then noise.

My buddy just bought a Neotec as he always wanted a modular helmet for those quick stops for gas so you don't have to take the helmet off. It fit his melon the best and the integrated visor didn't touch his nose. I was considering the same helmet, just didn't have an extra $100 to throw down for the modular and got the GT Air instead.

Haven't really tried on a Bell. Next time I'm at the Pony I will check them out.

What size skull are you and what size helmet did you get. No dealers near me.

 The circumference of my head measured at the forehead just above the ears is a little over 23" which puts me in a Shoei Large helmet.  I still highly recommend trying them on to see if it fits properly as all helmets fit differently as everyone's skull is not the same.  Its tight on me, but still new and havent broken it in yet.  XL was too loose. My concerns were wearing my glasses and whether the internal visor would clear them and not touch my nose.  The GT Air worked perfectly for me as there are recesses for my glasses and the internal visor clears them and my nose.  A few others I tried on would not.  Another factor is how much hair you have.  I wear my hear very short so its not a factor for me.  Just some things to consider before purchasing, hope this helps!

+1 on the Shoei GT Air. Just bought one at the Pony. I tried on a lot of helmets and I kept going back to the GT Air. It's very comfortable and has an integrated sun visor which is a plus for me. My last helmet was a HJC and had a tinted visor which was great during the day but sucked at dusk. I really liked my HJC, but wanted something a little more comfortable for someone who wears glasses. The Shoei has recesses for my glasses so they are not pressed against my ears which can be distracting during a long ride. You can tell its a quality helmet by all the refinement, but it's costs way more than other helmets.

Welcome to the OR! Hearing a lot of good feedback about the FZ09. Let me know how she rides.

Here's from the day I brought her home. No mods yet besides the battery tender for the winter.

Welcome to the OR!  Nice bike!  I have a 2004 FZ1 and love it.  If you can, try and get out to the Epic Ride in May.  Its a great way to introduce yourself and put some faces to the names from the site.

State Rte 94 from Rte 18 going south to Wadsworth is like driving over speed bumps for miles.  Road is buckled at most seams on both sides all the way into town. Couldn't imagine riding a bike over it.

+1 on the Joe Rocket gear. Great choice on the Atomic jacket.  I just bought the same one.  It is a very comfortable jacket.

When I went down on gravel in a turn last summer my jeans and gloves were gone in a millisecond with my skin.  I was thrown from the bike and I hit a tree with my lower back at about 50 MPH.  I was wearing a textile jacket with armor.  It saved my back and elbows.  Impact permanently crushed the foam panel in the back of my jacket.  I kept it to show people.  It did the job it was created to do. Because of God and my gear I get to ride again.  Yes it can get a little warm when stopped or in traffic, but comfortable when riding and I don't feel the armor.  I just purchased a Joe Rocket textile jacket with armor and multiple openings for ventilation.  Wasn't too pricey at the pony, I think it was $129.  Bough good racing gloves as well.  Also going to be using my textile riding pants this year.  They have armor too and I wish I had them on when I went down.  Not going to make that mistake again!  Hope this helps.  See you all at the Epic Ride!

I agree with the general consensus on the fog.  It was chilly, but the fog was horrible.  My helmet fogged up on the outside so bad I had to lift up the visor to see.  Got a finger squidgy that attaches to my glove if I have to ride in the fog again. Also picked up some anti-fog wipes for the visor.

Hello all!  Been a while since I posted.  I have the winter blahs and been hibernating.    Starting looking at pics of the Epic rides and video from the bike races at mid ohio from last summer.  Got me energized again.  I haven't ridden since my accident last summer, so I am seriously pumped to be back on two wheels riding again.  Just did a Pony run and spent some cash on new gear, so I am officially ready!  As far as the Epic ride goes, I would love to see some new scenery.  Personally I like 26, 78, and 800.  Great routes!  The month is nostalgic for me, I like tradition! I would like to keep the ride as far into spring as possible, so any date in May is good for me.  I really like the hoody idea, due to the fact I froze the last two spring rides getting down to the meet spot.  Not a fan of the 4 leaf clover, I would rather see a motorcycle of some kind on a hoody incorporating Ohio somehow like the last spring ride t-shirt.  OK, that is my 2 cents!  Hope you all are surviving our deep freeze.  Talk at you all later.

Yeah, thanks, Wolfman1, the signs were real nice, it was good to see you before the ride.  In regards to my riding difference from the spring to now...  I was coming from a Nighthawk 750 and just got the FJR about 2 weeks before the Spring Ride.  I was hanging on for dear life in medium-fast!  haha  Put on about 6500 miles on since then, so I'm glad it's not all been a waste!

Hello Jacob.  I am glad to hear you enjoyed the ride.  I saw you posted some video too.  That is sweet!  Let me know when you have a Sat. free next riding season and maybe we can meet up and put some miles on.  I usually ride with part of the NEO crew, Derek & Whaler.  We ride all over the state so I am sure we can put something together.  It was nice to see you again and I am glad your enjoying that FJR!

Hello all!  I hope everyone had an Epic experience on Saturday.  It sounds like everyone made it home safe.  What a beautiful day for a ride!  It was great to see everyone again and I hope to see you all again on the next one in the spring.  Next time I will be on 2 wheels!  Thanks again to all leads and sweeps who were willing to take on the added responsibilities.  I wish I was out there with ya all.  The family and I went to old mans cave and caught multiple crawdads and guppies.  Kids had a blast.  Let us know if there is anything we can do to make the Epic ride even more Epic.  I hope the signs helped with the organization on arrival.  We had a suggestion to move the route over to the east.  I know there are some awesome roads over that way.  Please feel free to comment about changing the route and meet point.  I took some pictures and posted the album for all to see.  Its not going to be close to the media greatness we see from NinjaDoc & DizzleDan!  Thanks again for all your comments and I hope to see you all again soon.

B-Mac, thanks for the stats.  I was asked what the route mileage would be.  Now we know exactly!

T Minus 20 hours!!  Hello fellow riders.  I hope to get to the meet spot early, since I will be on 4 wheels and get all signage up so everyone knows where to park.  All groups will be marked with a cone and signage.  I will also have paper copies of the route for all leads/sweeps if you need it.  We are going to have fabulous weather so rain will not be a factor.  Fast group will roll first at 11:30AM tentatively or earlier if you prefer and then we can stage out the remaining groups every 10 to 15 minutes.  Please be safe and wear all your protective gear, it saved my skin when I went down in July.  I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow.

Hello all!  Getting excited for all of you attending the first fall Epic ride.  The weather looks flawless and usually is the last week of September.  I wish I was on two wheels, but I promised my wife that I would take the rest of the riding season off to heal.  After 8 weeks my back is still swelled up.  Other than that I am doing well.  The good news is I found a slightly used flawless 2004 all OEM FZ1 Skunk (Black & Silver 2 Tone) to replace my torn up ride.  Had to drive to Evansville Indiana to get her.  Already made all the necessary mods and I am pumped to ride next season.  I am still planning to come to the meet site with my boys, so we can check out all your rides, chat, and then will probably head over to old mans cave to look for crawdads.  Everyone be safe getting to the meet site.  I am looking forward to seeing you all again.

Derek I should be in to drive to the meet site.  Let me know what you need from me to make this as smooth as possible.  I am just happy to be involved even though I wont be on two wheels.  May bring the boys so they can check out everyone's ride.

Thanks man.  I am walking around now, so I am very thankful God was watching over me.

I loved mine!  It was smooth and handled well.  Also, very dependable even though she is cold blooded!

Derek you just took this thread to a different level!

Hello everyone, I finally feel up to posting.  I first want to thank all emergency personnel who aided in dragging me out of a ravine and getting me to the helicopter, they were all amazing.  Next, I want to thank Mike who drove non-stop to get me and our fallen bikes, Derek / Brian (Whaler) for never leaving my side through this whole ordeal.  This scared the crap out of me.  It was the hardest hit I have ever received.  I want to validate that Derek is not responsible for my crash.  It is my responsibility to pick the right entry speed and correct line and in this case neither mattered.  This turn was covered end to end with gravel and you weren't going to get through it on two wheels at any speed higher than 25 mph.  I want to thank God for turning me at the last second from going head first into a tree to back first.    My jacket and ass took the brunt of the hit and I ended up in a pile of brush facing the sky.  Got some rash on my hand where it burned through my glove, rash on my elbow where it burned through my jacket and the worst was my knee where my jeans didn't hold up.  Thanks to everyone on the board who posted the encouraging comments.  This is a huge ordeal for me and my family and all the support we received has been awesome.  If anyone reads this post please take this with you.  My gear helped save my life. Wear your gear at all times & know what your limits are for public roads because anything can happen at any time.

Got to put my wheels back on tonight.  Changed all wheel bearings and had tires rebalanced due to a strong vibration I picked up on the way back from the Epic ride.  Just need to put the wheels back on and torque everything.  One of the rear bearings smelled burnt and the grease was black, so hopefully it fixes the vibration issue.