franklyfresh

Thanks! Looks like those two will do it, they didn't show up on my Google searching. I will put Iron Pony on my list for when I head up towards Columbus. Thanks Pokey.

I was lucky enough to have a Cycle Gear supercenter 10 minutes from my house in the past. Now I have no clue where to go for motorcycle gear, stands, covers, etc. I live in downtown Cincinnati, are there any stores around here?

I'm pretty sure lane splitting is explicitly legal in California. It's even in the DMV handbook for motorcycles. They have some rules regarding how many mph above the flow of traffic you can split lanes at and what speeds are considered eligible for lane splitting. I've been splitting lanes on the highway and occasionally on the local streets for the past couple weeks and no negative incidents yet!

What's good everyone! My name is Frank and I just moved to Ohio in early January and am finally back on two wheels. I have been itching to ride ever since the sun came back out. I left my 1991 Kawasaki ZX6R and 2003 Suzuki VS800 Intruder back in sunny Southern California but picked up a used 2007 Ducati 800 Supersport a couple weeks ago. I should have shopped around more but I just couldn't stand seeing and hearing all the bikes come out and not being able to ride myself! Some issues to work out with the bike but I'm creeping on 200 miles since I got it and man does it feel good. I work in Downtown Cincinnati as a business analyst and am also into firearms. I casually shoot bullseye pistol and IDPA. I've already gotten some great advice from this community and am glad to see an active group of riders in Ohio! I will miss year-round riding but that just means I have to ride harder during the summer!

No helmets and no fatalities. Wow

Co-sign. I wouldn't say that you can control your safety no matter what the cars do. But there are precautions you can take that would mitigate many hazards. To all the guys who are hesitant to split lanes, if you don't ride a huge touring cruiser, it is only uncomfortable at first. I commuted for work on my VS800 Intruder back in LA and would split lanes for 10-15 miles each way everyday. So I have ridden at least ~5000 miles while splitting lanes on the freeway in 2014 alone. I also did this at every red light, which is a lot easier because the cars aren't moving and you dont have to worry about unsignaled lane changes. After you do it for a while you become very comfortable with it and can always tell if you have enough space to get through. The traffic here is not nearly as bad so it may not warrant the practice but its really only scary at first. The ability to get through traffic was the main reason I picked up riding bikes.

Okay so splitting lanes in front of LEO is a no go. Does anyone know how insurance companies would handle a collision in these circumstances? i.e., if I were riding through at a safe speed through traffic and a vehicle purposely veers right to block me, causing a collision, would I be at fault? If I'm covered from some jackass in a car causing an accident I think i'll keep splitting lanes and feel it out for a while. Cool, I'll join you guys in helping normalize lane splitting. I just like keeping the cars behind me. Makes me feel more safe.

Nothing at Home Depot or Lowes would clear the pipes. This was the closest I got: Vise grips are up next... I'm going to try to pull out the 10mm hex. But I think the drain plug is stripped too much already.

Alright, I'll head over to the hardware store and see if they have anything that will let me get the 10mm socket in and clear the pipes. Hopefully it is as simple as that but it is a tight fit. I also just placed an order for the replacement plug thanks Isaac's Papa.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I failed to mention that the pipes are not stock. I tried using a hex/allen key and it won't clear either. I think I am going to have to get a pair of vice grips and a new drain plug.

I ride a Ducati 800 Supersport that uses a 10mm hex bit to loosen the oil drain plug. I just bought this bike and need to change the oil, however the pipes are right under the drain plug and there is only a ~1-inch clearance between the drain plug and the exhaust. None of my socket wrenches will fit, let alone with a 10mm hex bit attached. I tried using a 10mm allen wrench but that didn't clear the pipes either. Anybody have any ideas on how I can get this dammed drain plug out?

Thanks for the responses everyone. I didn't think it was that bad here since there isn't a penal code violation for splitting lanes like some other states. There are idiots no matter what state you are in and I always look as far ahead as possible to see if any cars suddenly decide to switch lanes without looking in their mirror. But to deliberately open your door or impede an oncoming motorcycle? Is that really a thing that happens around here? If I knew I wasn't going to be able to lane split locally, I would've bought a big cruiser instead of a sportbike!

I just moved to Ohio from California and am wondering if/how often you all lane split. Back in California, I would lane split at every red light to be in front of traffic. During highway congestion I would lane split to bypass gridlock or vehicles moving slower than the speed limit. I understand that lane splitting is neither explicitly legal in Ohio, as it is in California, nor is it explicitly illegal. Observing bikes day-to-day, I do not see many lane splitting so I thought I’d ask here. I will most likely lane split to get out of traffic on the highways because I’m too impatient for traffic. However, I am hesitant to lane split at red lights while riding in the city for a couple reasons. First, if this is not a common practice I don’t want to come off as an asshole and enrage any car drivers. Second, I don’t want to get any tickets from LEO. In San Diego through Los Angeles, nobody would bat an eye at me for lane splitting on the highway or at red lights locally. Some cars/trucks would even steer to the side to allow a wider opening for me to pass. I also never had problems with cops and have even lane split with biker cops on the freeway every now and then during traffic. What is the situation like in Ohio? I live in Cincinnati and work in Downtown.