Riding in the rain, the best bike, and a new Hamptons tour
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Riding in the rain, the best bike, and a new Hamptons tourRiding in the rain, the best bike, and a new Hamptons tour
plus… Ducati’s new motor, KTM’s investments, and the SA1NT giveaway
October 30, 2023 | Read Online
🧠 Need to know this week…
- 🆓 This month’s giveaway is under way with SA1NT. More info below but click here to enter if you’re too damn lazy to scroll down.
- 🧑🌾 Spiegel is co-hosting the Hudson Valley moto meet up this Saturday @ the S&S Farm Brewery
- Tomorrow is going to be a special Halloween Two Wheel Tuesday @ 245 Bowery. Get there at 5pm.
- BMW has outed the S 1000 XR & M 1000 XR and both look like fantastic contenders against the Multi & other sport tourers
- 🛞 KTM is on a roll; they’re deepening their cooperation with CFMoto and announced plans to acquire over 50% stake in MV Agusta
- 🛑 Speaking of BMW, they’re lifting their “Stop Sale” dealer directive
- 🤩 I’ve said it before and will say it again, Peak Design makes the best motorcycle mount. Period. 👉️ Get yours.
- 🏍️ Ducati’s out with the new Superquadro Mono high power 659cc single producing 77hp
The best bike is the one you’re on
I’ve been rummaging around this topic for a bit. The long and short of it is that the best bike is the one you’re on.
Riding is a visceral and inherently fun experience. We drive because we have to get from point a to point b. Unless your bike is your main source of transportation, we usually make a choice to get on a bike. That choice is not based on practicality; it’s based on choosing to have fun on the way to wherever you’re going.
I have an interesting problem: without making some drastic changes, I only have room for one bike in the public Manhattan garage I park in. I think about the best bike a lot. In fact, I almost moved from my previous Streetfighter to a Multi Pikes Peak earlier this year in search of the best bike.
But stats on paper leave out one important thing: the feeling you get sitting on the seat, twisting the throttle, and what you yell in your helmet on twists. That matters a great deal more than the best bike.
So, if you’re into dirt, there’s a best bike for you. If you’re into cruising, there is a fantastic cruiser that you love and it loves you back. Same concept applies to the track, to adventurers, and to urban slayers. Find the best bike for you and enjoy the shit out of it.
together with…
NYC MOTO is partnering with SA1NT for a truly amazing giveaway for October/November.
SA1NT is based in Australia and makes some of the sickest moto gear I’ve owned. Comfortable, great protection, priced right, and looks great.
SA1NT has graciously provided the Unbreakable Jacket & Pants to NYC MOTO and we’re giving them away straight to you guys.
Don’t wanna wait? Hit up SA1NT and score 20% off with coupon code NYCMOTO20
Check out the jacket:
⛈️ 💧 Caught in the rain? Some tips…
Motorcycling in the rain sucks, especially when starting out in it. If it starts to rain while you are on the road (as it did for me on Saturday), the first thing to do is to not panic. The best thing you can do is to do whatever it takes to help you act in advance. Give yourself more time to take action by putting more distance between you and shit around you.
You’ll need more time to brake, more time to accelerate, and more time to change direction.
- If you’ve got a Rain Mode on your bike, flip it on.
- When you can, take a dry line on the road you’re on. Stay out of the middle where cars are dropping oil, etc on the road.
- Clean your visor before you set out! Grab this stuff.
- Open the vents on your helmet to prevent fogging
- Stay the hell away from the painted lines; they’re slick in general but become downright dangerous in the rain
- Stay away from the spray from the vehicles in front of you. Notice a trend? Give yourself more space!
- Mind your tires. Supercorsas are worse in the rain than most. But trust your tires… they’ve got a lot more grip in the wet than you think.
- Watch for puddles. Umm, some are deeper than others.
- Don’t dry your visor with your gloves; it will scratch it and won’t do a good job anyway. Instead, turn your head all the way left and then all the way right to allow the water to bead off.
- Keep your bike upright as much as you can; channel your inner Rossi and lean yourself more instead of the bike
- Watch for manhole covers, drawbridges, and metal plates (all over the city)
- As above, do everything slower than you normally would
- Gear-wise, get waterproof boots, waterproof gloves, waterproof overpants (cheap!), waterproof jacket liner (over your regular jacket)
Riding in the rain is fine, especially in a sprinkle after a long hot ride. Unless you’re in a downpour. Downpours on a bike suck and you should probably not do that. But yes, do ride in the rain. It will make you a better rider.
🏖️ 🛣️ The Hamptons North Fork Tour
This was the second day of our trip to the Hamptons a few weekends ago. Instead of sticking to the South Fork, we explored the North.
You’ll have a ton of options cruising through the North Fork in the Hamptons. There’s Dune Road, Sag Harbor, Orient Beach State Park, Shelter Island, and the lighthouse on Montauk.
Where you start is up to you. I couldn’t get enough of Dune Road so I started there. Careful during high tide and after heavy rains. The puddles are going to be deeper than they seem but you should be OK. We went just after 2 days of rain and hit quite a few hairy situations. Just use your head.
From Dune Road, I headed north to Sound Avenue and swung south for a stop at Nassau Point Road on the way to Orient Beach State Park.
Truly another memorable ride with 2 ferries, awesome views, twists, fast straights, and good food.
All that makes it one of the best riding weekends I’ve had so naturally, I’ve built a route for it. Head out there before it gets too damn cold to leave the house.
🥇 The NYC MOTO Riders Club
The Riders Club has been mostly flying under the radar but it’s time to open the cage.
Here’s what being a member of The Riders Club means:
🔗 All of the Google Maps links from our ride guides. Simply click on the links and follow the same turn-by-turn directions I did. I include .GPX links as well.
🛣️ A new route every week. There is an email blast that goes out on Thursdays to only those that subscribe to the Riders Club. It features one new spectacular route every week.
🤑 Exclusive discount codes to the 🔥 hottest gear. Some of the discounts are higher value than the free subscribers and you’ll also see some exclusive gear/brands entirely.
🌟 You’re supporting the only newsletter for riders in NYC. I work hard as hell bringing you this content and hunt down brands, routes, gear, and stories I know you’ll love. It’s a full time job and subscribers to the NYC MOTO Riders Club make it possible.
Give it a shot with a 7 day free trial:
Have questions about the club? Reply to this email or hit me up on Instagram.
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Do Harley guys get as much of a kick out of this as I do?
🙏 Join the NYC MOTO Free Facebook Group
Go ahead and hit up the NYC MOTO Community to keep the convo going.
Until next time!
👉️ Buy me a cup of ☕️ coffee. Honestly though, I’d probably buy a pair of gloves.
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