I ride like a badass

 

I have to ride with music.

If I don't, I'm always worried that my engine is making some strange sound or some ish. It's mechanically solid, I'm just paranoid. I'm way more distracted trying to figure out what that sound was then I am by tapping my fingers and toes to some beat.

 

I am **** about the noise coming from the bike too. But somehow I don't think I can do earphone under the helmet.

 

glad I'm not the oly one - I had a bad headcold last week, but felt fine other wise. Every day I would get on the bike and I would hear a lot of gear whine in 1st gear, and my exhaust note didn't sound right until I got up over 7,000 rpm.

I realized it was my stopped up sinuses wasn't letting me hear the lower frequencies of my exhaust, but for some reason I was hearing all the higher frequencies my bike made - trans whine, cam chain whirring, valvetrain ticking away. Nothing was wrong - Normally all that stuff is hidden under the bass frequencies of the exhaust.

But boy was I concentrating on it.

Rode Saturday as my head was cleared up and the bike sounded 100% normal.

 

You guys ride with headphones in? I was considering it but didnt know if it would be problematic not being able to hear the bike/ other traffic??

 

I'm not sure how much hearing traffic would help. I just keep eyes on the road and check before I cut into another lane and everything's fine.

I have in-ear buds, and the music is usually pretty loud. It doesn't bother me any, but other riders are different.

 

I get that too the few times I don't wear earplugs. It just sounds weird to me and I really look for 'weird' noises. Mostly higher pitched ones that are suppressed by the earplugs.

 

I open my mouth sometimes when reallllly concentrating for e.g. at a dangerous crossing, when lane splitting or when it's really really busy on the road.

The other things I is look in the left mirror a LOT (also more when busy) and I constantly press the turn signal reset button. I don't know why I do it but I sometimes do it in a few times within a short period of time. At least my signal doesn't say on after turns. A friend of mine constantly forgets and he confuses everyone (including me) when on a road with several intersections!

Just remembered another thing, my daily riding jacket (textile) as a 6 zippers on the front. Two side pockets, two chest pockets and two zippers for the 'air flow system'.
I quite often check if the zippers are closed. Sometimes I'll double check. I occasionally forget to close the left side and chest pocket (left side holds my house keys and the chest is where I keep my phone which I mount on the windshield for GPS). I would hate to loose my house keys on some random road which I guess is why I check so often.

Yes I have compulsive tendencies.

 

I listen to music all the time ... I check directly behind me occasionally, I don't have mirrors on my GixSix (I do on the 954 but still check anyway) ... the ONE time I didn't know there was a cop there with his lights on he tried to say I was "running" from him ... Never knew he was there because of my music playing ... no now I check sometimes ... lol

I adjust my CRG's a notch or two sometimes from day to day at a red light for no reason ...

I reset one of my trip meters every time I fill up (never wanna get stuck somewhere outta gas if the reserve light don't work right) ..

One BAD habit I know I have is I sometimes run my right foot along the surface of the road to stretch out my knee for a lil bit .... I've had two knee surgeries on my right knee so it tends to get a lil sore sometimes on longer rides ...

 

I use to barrel race horses competitively, so now when I'm on the bike I notice that my legs have a death grip on the tank. Even when I realize I'm doing it and relax my legs, a few minutes later I'm back to the same thing.

I also clench my teeth a lot, but I think that's just because I'm usually freezing my butt off when I'm riding.