??? for California motorcyclists...

Ken Ibold

Ken Ibold

Final Approach
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Ken Ibold
My daughter picked up her new motorcycle today. When she tried to fuel, the nozzle would not go in far enough to trigger the pump on. Any trick I can relay?
 
you will have to pull the rubber boot seal back when inserting the nozzle when fueling, use caution. Only trick i know, works every time though.



watch this video and go to the 2:55 mark, this is what i think your talking about? Hope this helps.

 
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Ed Sokol said:
you will have to pull the rubber boot seal back when inserting the nozzle when fueling, use caution. Only trick i know, works every time though.



watch this video and go to the 2:55 mark, this is what i think your talking about? Hope this helps.

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Hm, a "Remove Before Flight" keychain. Your video?
 
Yea, the vapor recovery pumps suck for some bikes. Pull back the nossle foreskin is really the only way. I take it is not a crotch rocket? Cruiser style?
 
Yea, you have to pull back on the boot. Put the nozzle in about an inch or so, and watch closely. Since I moved out of the state in 2016, I haven't seen one since and that is a blessing
 
Ed Sokol said:
you will have to pull the rubber boot seal back when inserting the nozzle when fueling, use caution. Only trick i know, works every time though.



watch this video and go to the 2:55 mark, this is what i think your talking about? Hope this helps.

Click to expand...
Thanks! I think this answers it.
 
They have it. Pull it back with one hand, pump with the other. They have those kind of pumps in New England as well. Sucks, but it is what it is.
 
Rode a motorcycle in Southern California for over 40 years. The rubber fuel vapor catcher is going to be the least of her worries. I would suggest an advanced riding course once she gains a little road experience. Also, she should be careful when lane splitting as it's very tempting to go a little faster than she should. All the time I have been riding I only broke one small bone in my ankle and that was from low-siding in the Sears parking lot.
Good luck and many happy miles!
 
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Ken Ibold said:
My daughter picked up her new motorcycle today. When she tried to fuel, the nozzle would not go in far enough to trigger the pump on. Any trick I can relay?
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Do her a big favor and tell her to sell the bike... not that she is a bad rider etc.... other drivers are the danger... I lost 7 of my 9 motorcycle lives with in a year in CA.
 
Those are mostly gone in New England, thankfully. New cars have ORVR Onboard Refueling Vapor Recovery systems making those shrouds obsolete or even counter productive.
 
Ventucky Red said:
Do her a big favor and tell her to sell the bike... not that she is a bad rider etc.... other drivers are the danger... I lost 7 of my 9 motorcycle lives with in a year in CA.
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Doing that would make me a huge hypocrite after 42 years of motorcycling of my own, including Atlanta and south Florida. Other drivers are the danger, for sure, and make for a challenging environment.
 
Ventucky Red said:
Do her a big favor and tell her to sell the bike... not that she is a bad rider etc.... other drivers are the danger... I lost 7 of my 9 motorcycle lives with in a year in CA.
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Riding motorcycles and piloting light planes is inherently dangerous. You can improve the odds greatly by approaching both endeavors with the right attitude. Both are very unforgiving of fools. I don’t live my life in a glass box and stick my neck out with the knowledge that riding a bike, motorcycle or flying a plane is more rewarding and challenging than sitting on the couch watching the tube or playing keyboard pilot on the computer. Most riders and pilots make it to old age just fine, thank you. Having said that, there is no guarantee in life no matter what your involved in, period. The way I see it you might as well chase your dreams and live your life to the fullest.
 
Ken Ibold said:
Doing that would make me a huge hypocrite after 42 years of motorcycling of my own, including Atlanta and south Florida. Other drivers are the danger, for sure, and make for a challenging environment.
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Brad Smith said:
Riding motorcycles and piloting light planes is inherently dangerous. You can improve the odds greatly by approaching both endeavors with the right attitude. Both are very unforgiving of fools. I don’t live my life in a glass box and stick my neck out with the knowledge that riding a bike, motorcycle or flying a plane is more rewarding and challenging than sitting on the couch watching the tube or playing keyboard pilot on the computer. Most riders and pilots make it to old age just fine, thank you. Having said that, there is no guarantee in life no matter what your involved in, period. The way I see it you might as well chase your dreams and live your life to the fullest.
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Both points well taken gents... But Ken, the chances of granny not seeing you when she pulls out is for less to happen at 5,000 AGL.... I too have some years in the saddle, when my son asks me why I don't ride anymore I tell, too many idiots out there and it is not worth the chance... he gets it.
 
I don't think either riding motorcycles or flying airplanes are inherently more dangerous, I think they are less forgiving. Motorcycles have offsetting advantages. They won't win in a crash, but they are more maneuverable and smaller to avoid them. Whether this works to the rider's advantage depends on the rider.

I've ridden in California for the last... boo coo years. No I am not a native Californian but I spent most of my adult life here. I do not feel less safe on a motorcycle than I do in a car, but, I realize I have to be on top of my game, whereas in a car not so much.

But I'm also an avid cyclist. I feel FAR safer on a motorcycle than I do on a bicycle, for a lot of reasons.
 
Ventucky Red said:
Both points well taken gents... But Ken, the chances of granny not seeing you when she pulls out is for less to happen at 5,000 AGL.... I too have some years in the saddle, when my son asks me why I don't ride anymore I tell, too many idiots out there and it is not worth the chance... he gets it.
Click to expand...

Born and raised in SoCal, but I didn't start riding until I moved to WA. One thing I did notice on my last two trips to LA is that people seem to be just a bit more accepting/tolerant/aware of bikes. More often than not, people would adjust lane position just enough to give the rider a bit more room to pass. I'm sure there are those out there that hate bikes, but I never saw anyone actively try to mess with any. I did see, though, plenty of riders acting like asses.


Ken Ibold said:
My daughter picked up her new motorcycle today. When she tried to fuel, the nozzle would not go in far enough to trigger the pump on. Any trick I can relay?
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And the most important question is, what kind of bike did she get???? :)
 
Ken Ibold said:
New 2017 Honda CB300F. Silver with hi viz yellow accents. She's 5'3 and 105, so it seemed right for a first bike.
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Those are fun little bikes. My last bike was a Concours C14. It was nuclear powered, but it wasn't a fun bike to ride. Actually it was a chore to ride since not only was it heavy, it was top heavy. If I replace it, I would probably get something along the lines of a CB300F.
 
Ken Ibold said:
New 2017 Honda CB300F. Silver with hi viz yellow accents. She's 5'3 and 105, so it seemed right for a first bike.
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That’s an excellent choice for a new rider. My first bike was a Honda CB350 Scrambler way back in the 1970’s. Too many young riders go straight for a Supersport which is way over the skill level of most new riders.
I recently added a Kawasaki KLX250S to my arsenal and I’m having the time of my life. On road, off road, anywhere I want to go that little bike takes me. I’m no kid but that little bike makes me feel like one! Much different experience than my 800# tourer. May your daughter enjoy many safe and enjoyable riding days.
 
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I’ve never owned a bike, but I shopped around back in my college days, and I remember the salesman saying he wouldn’t sell me anything over 600cc.

“I work on commission, but I’m not in the business of getting people killed!”

:)
 
Ken Ibold said:
New 2017 Honda CB300F. Silver with hi viz yellow accents. She's 5'3 and 105, so it seemed right for a first bike.
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My first and only bike was a Honda 400. It was great. I often used it to drive to work, but I lived in rural Missouri at the time.
 
I've been riding SoCal for 14 years on a variety of different bikes. It's no different than anywhere else, possibly easier with the weather. Expect the unexpected and don't ride like an ass.

The gas thing is a PITA. I see a lot of people putting the kickstand down and getting off to fill it. I find it much easier to stay on the bike with it balanced, engine off, in gear.
 
Brad Smith said:
That’s an excellent choice for a new rider. My first bike was a Honda CB350 Scrambler way back in the 1970’s. Too many young riders go straight for a Supersport which is way over the skill level of most new riders.
I recently added a Kawasaki KLX250S to my arsenal and I’m having the time of my life. On road, off road, anywhere I want to go that little bike takes me. I’m no kid but that little bike makes me feel like one! Much different experience than my 800# tourer. May your daughter enjoy many safe and enjoyable riding days.
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I remember the 'Scramblers' being CL's. My first was a CL350. A CB with high pipes and shorter fenders and different tires. I think. Long time ago, I may be remembering wrong
 
luvflyin said:
I remember the 'Scramblers' being CL's. My first was a CL350. A CB with high pipes and shorter fenders and different tires. I think. Long time ago, I may be remembering wrong
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It’s only been 40 years so things may be a bit blurry as far as my memory goes.. The guy I bought it from used it in the dirt so he may have added the high pipe. I never went off-road with it, but it sure was a lot of fun!
 
Ventucky Red said:
Both points well taken gents... But Ken, the chances of granny not seeing you when she pulls out is for less to happen at 5,000 AGL.... I too have some years in the saddle, when my son asks me why I don't ride anymore I tell, too many idiots out there and it is not worth the chance... he gets it.
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Granny is going to look you in the eye and pull out on purpose. To ride with any other expectation is foolish.

Been riding in heavy traffic for decades (currently around 1k miles/month regardless of weather), and anyone who has ridden with me would vouch that I'm not timid or slow. No collisions.

I've become annoyed at the people who say "I would ride but it's the other people" when 75% of motorcycle fatalities are the riders fault (mostly single vehicle).

Don't drink and ride
Don't be a douche
Do wear an actual helmet and not a salad bowl
Learn that the front brake is your best friend
Understand that you will LOSE in any collision regardless of who is at fault
 
Not directly related, but so thankful that at least parts of DFW have met the criteria to allow stations to repair or remove the vapor recovery systems as desired. They are always a pain with boat filler necks and gas cans.
 
The vapor lock system is annoying but not that big of a deal to me. I do not like to be on the bike when I am fueling it, since I like to stretch, clean the windscreen, etc... plus it's hard to fish my wallet out of my pocket when I am sitting on the bike.
 
When I was imprisoned in California (stationed there) both times, I got off the bike to deal with that crappy thing. Arms were too short I guess to pull it back, fuel and stay on the bike. Plus, the 120 mile ride to the Harley Dealer was long enough for the need to stretch out to.
 
and the one time I was talked into splitting traffic lanes on I-5 when traffic was stopped about gave me a heart attack.
 
aftCG said:
Been riding in heavy traffic for decades (currently around 1k miles/month regardless of weather), and anyone who has ridden with me would vouch that I'm not timid or slow. No collisions.
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I owned a "hot shot" motorcycle courier company back in 1989-1991. Used to ride a Honda V-65 Magna an average of 300 miles per day five days a week for two years straight in the thick of Phoenix traffic. It's all about being aware of your surroundings and anticipating what other drivers are going to do. Piling on that many miles per day you definitely develop a "6th sense" just from your daily experiences. Only went down once and that was due to sun glare when I hit a patch of anti-freeze right as I was pulling up to a stop light. I had the bike picked up and rolled over to the sidewalk in about 3 seconds flat to avoid getting run over by any traffic. Truthfully, I'd rather ride a bike any day over a cage in heavy traffic as you have more control in my opinion. Riding in heavy traffic is kinda like a video game where you're constantly looking for an out in case things should ever go sideways. The nice part about riding a bike (especially one with a lot of horsepower), if you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation, just blip the throttle and get out of it. ;)
 
Random comments:

CB300F is a nice looking beginners bike, if girlie wants to learn to ride, I’ll buy the ABS version.

Sac: Look at the Triumph Steet Triple R, it’s light, handles well, is a hoot, and has that triple wail.

Gassing in Cali: Put the bike on the cemterstand, then wrestle the foreskin.

Combat commuting: Yeah, did that for 16yrs, all weather. Call it the 6th sense, spidy sense, whatever, you do develop it.

Lane splitting: Now fully legal in California. I’ve found many cages now actively try to make more space. Nice!

Other states: Need to get with the program and allow lane splitting, congestion is everywhere.
 
There are better vapor recovery nozzles; most of the ones around here have a bunch of holes in the nozzle, and a coaxial hose set, fits anywhere.
 
Bill Jennings said:
Other states: Need to get with the program and allow lane splitting, congestion is everywhere.
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Funny story about lane splitting... even though it was illegal in AZ I'd do it anyway. There could be a line of cars backed up for 1/2 a mile waiting for the light to change during rush hour traffic. It was never fun sitting in 100° heat in full face helmet in my riding gear, so I'd always slowly lane split myself right up to the front of the pack or jump in line with another motorcycle that was close to the light. Funniest ordeal was when I was splitting lanes and saw another biker way ahead of me. I slowly threaded my way through the cars but it was too late... I had no choice but to jump in line right next to him as the traffic was bumper to bumper and there was no space. Turns out is was a motor cop. I thought crap, I'm busted. I pull up next to him and flip open my visor and say "Damn it's hot out today"... he said "damn right it is don't do that (lane split) again". I wasn't going to say another word and let him pull ahead of me. :eek:
 
Bill Jennings said:
Random comments:

CB300F is a nice looking beginners bike, if girlie wants to learn to ride, I’ll buy the ABS version.

Sac: Look at the Triumph Steet Triple R, it’s light, handles well, is a hoot, and has that triple wail.

Gassing in Cali: Put the bike on the cemterstand, then wrestle the foreskin.

Combat commuting: Yeah, did that for 16yrs, all weather. Call it the 6th sense, spidy sense, whatever, you do develop it.

Lane splitting: Now fully legal in California. I’ve found many cages now actively try to make more space. Nice!

Other states: Need to get with the program and allow lane splitting, congestion is everywhere.
Click to expand...

I don't think lane splitting was ever not fully legal in California. The CVC doesn't even address it. California is the only state that does not place a limit on how many vehicles can operate abreast in a single traffic lane. It would be legal (as in not illegal) to lane split with a semi, if the lane were wide enough.
 
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