Yeah, well, you don't get to make that call. You can, however, block me if you don't want to read what I have to say. You may not be aware of that since you've only been on the group for what, a few days?
Since John hasn't gotten around to deleting my account yet, (pretty much fed up with conversations like this one, and just don't have the time or patience for it), I'll add some advice that maybe some other riders might appreciate. To wit:
Dual sport tires are pretty far from anything you should use for general-purpose street riding, especially in the wet (which, frankly, I can't believe even needs stating). The snow and ice? Not much works, short of studs, which work amazing on ice and snow, but not so much on dry road. Good street tires are by far the best choice, (I'm not sure if you can get those fancay newfangled hydrophilic tires for bikes, but for a daily commuter they'd be the balls) for any conditions where you simply have to ride, no matter what. You may think you're an expert on snow and ice over there in the Pacific Northwest, but I'm under the impression that we get a shit-ton more of that weather here in Boston than you do.
Regardless of whatever tires you're using, not knowing
EXACTLY how much tread you have on them is just stupid. Does this statement offend you? I could care less. I check my tires on my daily ride every time I charge, or gas up (on my ICE bike), plus look at them when I lube and check the chain. ...a few decades of habit which I had to teach myself.
Though roadracing and canyon slamming are going to demand heavy use of the front brake, and almost no use of the rear, general advice is to use both almost evenly, and in wet conditions use the rear heavily. The trick is to get your reflexes working for you here, and frankly, though I'm loath to admit it, I ride the rear brake a lot. The front gives you better stopping power, but the rear gives you far more control. On your lockup with the pedestrian, that should have been a lockup of the rear brake, and hard braking on the front, but not a lockup.
Though, yes, I'm a traditionalist (read cranky old fuck who yells at kids on his lawn) who loves drum brakes, I'm not stupid enough to argue that ABS braking isn't a good thing. Only a squid, however, relies on ABS braking instead of learning how to brake, and by "learning" I mean training their response over repeated practice under almost every circumstance.
Rider safety courses are a) fun. b) good to do for even experience riders periodically. c) can be street-riding, dirt riding, racing, or several other flavors depending on what you want. The link I gave above lists several resources for finding one. Finally, d) It takes you putting your ego back into your pants for a bit to open yourself up to the possibility that you may benefit from a class, but in my 60 years or so, I've almost always found it worth it. You can always take your ego back out of your pants afterwards.
Welcome to the forum, and I hope my tone seems appropriate to my age, now, or not. I hope others here have more patience with you than I do. Ciao.
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Topic: Dropped my Zero DS again... couple of questions (Read 3320 times)