You need a beginners bike…

Everyone who thinks about starting down the road to be a motorcyclist hears this… “You need a beginners bike”.

Makes sense, you are new to the activity so a beginners bike is a good idea.

Now, WHAT is a beginners bike?

This is the huge question… because it can be different for everyone.

Choosing a motorcycle is like choosing a gun.
Hear me out on this.
You have similar things to consider, power, intended usage, fit, price…

I am 6’4″ and around 260-270, my sister is 5’1″ and around 100 lbs.
We dont need the same beginners bike.

She could get a little 125 or 250 and be happy as a pig in mud, Me, I would be miserable.
Intent is important also.
Are you wanting something just to learn how to operate a motorcycle… then moving up to something different?
Are you going to use this to commute to work from the next town over?
Is it just an in town commuter?
Would you want to make a weekend trip on it?
Think about taking it off the pavement?

Some of these uses overlap, pick what you need before bike shopping.

Engine size/power.
Here is where the arguments start.
Low power is less intimidating, more user friendly for the novice.
However, many motorcycle riders get caught up in More’s Law.
If some is good, MORE is better.
I will not disagree with this, after all my last 3 bikes have had performance 1100cc engines.

So, you decide that you can deal with having a low powered bike, you are more comfortable on it  and dont worry that an extra 10 degrees of throttle will send you blasting out of control into the weeds.
Is that low power going to be OK for taking it on the hiway to the next town… out to visit a friend… on a weekend out of town?
Maybe.

The perennial Kawasaki learners bike, The 250 Ninja, can handle those duties.
And some people are more than happy with the bikes and keeps them for years.
Many other smaller bikes are not so useful.
A lot of people get the small underpowered bikes and decide that they need more power and utility.

If you decide on one of the small bikes, buy used.
Lower entry price, and if/when you decide to sell it… you dont take as much of a monetary loss, if any.

I would also suggest buying used anyway.
As a learner, there is a HIGH chance that you will drop it or fall over.
I know people who have come to a stop and forgotten to put their feet down and just fallen over.

As a personal preference, I like the idea of a 1 or 2 cylinder mid size bike… 300-650ish in size.
This gives a person a bike that is a manageable size, enough power for about any use, not enough power that it should be unwieldy, good fuel economy… and you are a lot less likely to outgrow it or become bored with it.

And not that it should concern you, but you will be looked upon as riding a “Real” motorcycle.
This should be your LAST thought when selecting a motorcycle.
You are actually RIDING, that makes you cooler/braver than most people out there.

Riding a motorcycle is about freedom, this includes freedom from what others think about you.

I think everyone should take rider training, such as the MSF course.
There you will learn on the small 125-250cc bikes.
This will give you a chance to see if they suit you.
Dont just learn the skills, evaluate the bikes… see if you fit, you like the power characteristics, if you like the riding position.

You are paying good money, get the most of it.

Lately I have been looking at a lot of mid size bikes, and trying to see them thru the eyes of a beginner.
You guys have a lot of good bikes to choose from out there, all shapes, sizes, styles, and manufacturers.
I was a kid in grade school when I learned to ride… 1955 Sears Allstate rebranded Vespa.
In my teens I got a Honda 400 twin.
In my 20s I stepped up to a 750 and then to an 1100.

Dont just go out and buy the “IN” motorcycle.
A novice doesnt need a 500 pound machine with the power of a small car.
Start off with something easily manageable, properly learn your riding skills.
Learning on a rocketship steals a lot of the enjoyment of learning to ride from you.

I love the saying “Life is a Journey, Enjoy the Ride”, on a bike… you dont just enjoy it.

You experience it.

 

 

Jim

It is an interesting time around the house…

Over the winter, I bought my buddy George Hill’s motorcycle.
A 1993 Kawasaki ZX1100C4. 
See his write up on it here. http://madogre.com/?p=3018
Since then he has taken a position at G-Code holsters, his official position is Minister of AWESOME or something like that. http://www.tacticalholsters.com/

He saw fit to bring the bike out on his trip from out west and drop it off for me.
HUGE thanks for that kick ass act.

It was great seeing George and his participation in populating the world with people who are Good and Right.
Yea, he had a couple of his boys with him. Great guys… funny as hell.

This was not my first motorcycle, FAR from it. I have many thousands of miles under my belt.

The last bike I put serious miles on was my 1989 Suzuki Katana with the 1100 motor swap.
Great sport touring bike with an engine that hit like the Hammer of Thor.
This was back in the mid 90s.

I have ridden a few between then and now, but not what I would call serious seat time.

For the ride from the motel where I picked it up to the house I marveled at how heavy it felt and steered… like a truck with a bad power steering pump.

I knew that it was over tired… a size too big on the rear, and that can slow down the steering, but DAMN.

The next day I cleaned the dirt from the trip out from Utah off of it and rode it into town to have breakfast with George.
On the trip back home, it didnt feel as heavy.
I had put a few more miles on it before I left for work this morning… and honestly, it doesnt feel like the same bike.

Nothing about it has changed tho.
What happened?
I relaxed and listened to the bike.
Nothing more.
Relax, loosen the grip on the bars, Tell it where you want it to go and nudge it.
Move around on it a bit, be a riding partner for the bike.

THEN she becomes fun.

I have only had her in my possession for a few days but I love it.

The Z is 20 years old this year, thats like 97 years old in sport bike years.
Luckily, time has been kind to the big Zed, it has accepted its role as Grand Tourer with a smile.
It is a road eater of Epic proportions.

However… I am a junky.
Thats not far from the truth, I have an addictive personality… and if something is good I need more.
Motorcycles rank right up there with booze and sex for me.
I feel that I need something lighter and smaller without a nuclear reactor between the wheels… so I find myself looking at good all around bikes.
Short interstate runs, back roads, fire roads, jeep trails, cow paths…
A big dual purpose bike.
After I get that I will NEED a bike for 2 up trips with the wife.
Then maybe a muscular naked bike for whatever… and then… and then…
You understand.

Now, I know ME… and i KNEW this would happen.

What has shocked and delighted me is that my dear wife has taken an interest in motorcycles.
Yes, the woman I have had trouble even sitting on the back of one in a showroom for years is actively seeking out her own motorcycle and will be taking the MSF beginners course this summer.
Like I said, shocked and delighted.
I also have to say that she has AMAZING taste in bikes.
Topping her list right now is the new KTM 690 Duke.
A Hooligan bike beyond compare.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFlmITowB8Q Yea, its like that!

This is a bike that goes out… spits on the sidewalk, burps and farts in mixed company… tells dirty jokes around proper ladies…
It is a brilliant Hoon machine.

However, it is LIGHT, 350ish lbs.
Low seat height, 3 power modes in the ECU.
A surprisingly good learners machine… and one that advances with you.

I am looking forward to what the future brings in our motorcycling life.
She knows I will be borrowing her bike from time to time…if it DOES happen to be the Duke.
She wont be wring it out, and well… it needs that from time to time.

It is only the middle of May, and it is already a great year… I am looking forward to the rest of it.

 

RIde On.

 

 

Jim

Some thoughts on the .30 WCF

That would be the .30-30 for you whippersnappers out there.

Like I have stated before, I spend a lot of time around things that are shooting related.

Ranges, stores, people.

One thing that always gets me are the people who have to buy the newest whiz bang cartridge out there, or one that has MAGNUM in the name.

Now, please… dont get me wrong.

I love advancing ammo and firearms tech, and I do also happen to own firearms with the magical MAGNUM moniker attached to them.

However, I am also one of the guys who understands that some things just work.

From time to time I am saddened by the words and attitude I witness directed at a fine old round.

As you may guess from the title, this would be the .30 WCF, .30-30 Winchester, or if you are old enough to have been dead for a few decades… the .30 Smokeless.

The venerable .30-30 celebrates its 118th birthday this year, in anyones book that is a lot of years… in ammo, it is ancient.

This round was the first small bore sporting rifle round to be designed for use with the then new smokeless powder.
Today many people look at a .30 to be at least medium bore, but this was back in the day when most people remembered when .45 and .50 caliber hunting rifles were common.

This new round was a revelation, fast and flat shooting.
You didnt have to adjust much for drop and it hit like a hammer.

Today, many people look at the ballistics on paper and dismiss it as an obsolete round that hangs on only due to nostalgia.

Ballistics charts only tell a part of the story.

The .30-30 is a joy to shoot, it has around half the recoil energy as a .30’06.

No, it doesnt shoot as far and as straight as that younger, longer, harder hitting round.

But the .30-30 is a great round for younger and/or smaller people to hunt with.

One interesting thing about rifle rounds.
An ultra fast spitzer round does a lot of damage on meat, the slower and flatter round tends to do less meat damage… while having even more penetration.

Another thing, the rifles you typically find chambered in this round… the WInchester 94 and Marlin 336 are joys to hunt with.

Light, well balanced for 1 hand carry, short, and very fast to the shoulder and on target.

The combination of round and rifle are a beautiful match.

Such a good match, that I recently bought my wife a Marlin 336Y youth model… 16.25″ barrel and a stock that is an inch shorter than standard.
That little rifle should have its picture in the dictionary next to the term “Brush Gun”.

Not that I would get rid of my .45-70 stubby shoulder howitzer, but I could see me adding one of those models to my side of the safe.
It is lighter, so it recoils a little more than a standard 336… but the round is mild enough that it is in no way objectionable.

Good sights and some practice, and I wouldnt be afraid to hunt much in North America under about 150 yards… with the proper ammo.

This round has accounted for more deer in the US than any other rifle round.
The nice thing about deer, they dont keep up on gun trends, so they have not yet learned that is old cartridge is super underpowered and obsolete… so they still fall over and die when shot with it.

As to is being obsolete, it has ballistics similar to a couple of rounds that are currently in vogue.
The 7.62×39 and the .300 BLK, and I dont see a lot of drivvle about how those are useless.
Now, the .30 WCF doesnt have the spitzer bullet or the semi auto rifle to sling it down range… but it is still a damn fine and effective tool.

There are constantly people talking about their 300-600 yard shots on deer, unless you are in the prairies or shooting from a mountain… the average hunter will not get those shots.
No matter what he tells you.

Most places I have lived, it has been woods hunting.
And guess what, most of the US has forests.

In the woods, a 50 yard shot is much more common… trees tend to interrupt longer ones.

There are circumstances that the flat shooting long distance rounds have their place, but most shooters with those rifles more than likely shouldnt be pulling the trigger on those truly long distance attempts.

How many of you hear That Guy talking?

“No shit… there I was 556 yards away, wind blowing pretty good left to right.

I see this buck walk up, so I shouldered up my Big Bang Recoil Express and took the shot off hand… and that deer did a back flip… dead where he landed.”

That guy my friends, has a 99% chance of being a bald face liar.

I am not saying dont buy whatever rifle and cartridge that you like, by all means… do whatever blows your skirt up.

But evaluate, honestly evaluate, your hunt.

Most people out there would be just as successful, possibly more, with a medium power round in a handy rifle.

The .30-30 may be almost 120 years old, but there is no reason for it to be dead.
In all honesty, I expect it to far outlive me.
Because there is a group out there that know and understand it… and see it for what it is.
I good all around cartridge, that you can get in some damn good guns.

A good round in a good gun, in the hands of a good hunter is what we should strive for every time we go out to gather meat.

And none have done it any better.

 

 

Jim

The Ride

I have mentioned this before.

For the past 20 years or so I have had this ride planned.

Ride coast to coast across this great nation on US Route 50.

My father and I planned to do this when I was a younger man, however cancer took him from us all too soon.

This ride will be my tribute to him, The Doug Jones Sea to Shining Sea Memorial Bike Run.

Over 3,000 miles of camaraderie and a lifetime of memories.

The ride will start in Ocean City Md, stay the night in a beach front motel… watch the sun come up, and head west.

It will end in San Francisco, Fisherman’s Wharf… watching the fog roll in.

I would love for my friends, and friends of my father, to join in and ride for whatever section you can.

Disregard the NY portion of this… I will not be going to New York ever again if I can help it.

This will be some good off the interstate riding.

Stops for food in mom and pop eateries, video shot from the bikes and from hand helds at the stops, and as little of the dreaded Superslab as possible.

As a gunny, the route poses a problem for me. It travels some Enemy Territory.

I must figure out how to deal with this.

But… all of my friends and my Fathers friends are invited to come along.

This invite extends to cancer survivors and their loved ones, vets and current armed forces, Oath Keepers, and lovers of Country and Liberty.

You are the people of my Father and myself.

So, if you would like to put 2 wheels rolling for the memory of a Good Man… you are welcome to ride along.

There is no grand plan, no goal, and currently no charitable attachments to this.

If a few people want to chip in a few bucks I am sure we can decide on a damn good cause to give it to.

But this is about The Ride.

A few days where nothing matters but the wind, the road, the bikes, and the Brotherhood.

It isnt really the final destination or starting point that matters, it is the time spent in the middle.

As I figure things out and make plans I will update this blog.

So, subscribe if you are interested… and if you want ignore the rambling thoughts I post here in between updates.

Or not, you may get entertained while waiting.

Thanks for the time and the read… and I hope to see you mounted up and ready to head west.

 

 

Jim

Caryn Evolves

Hi, my name is Jim… and I am a Gun Whore.

I have a list of guns I want… well, more of a small novella.

I am a gunny and I LOVE guns.

Watching for new offerings, handling, shooting, researching… this is my relaxation.

I have a slew of carry guns, a gun for every situation.

What do gun manufacturers dream about? People like me.

Caryn, my wife, not so much.

Where I have likes and dislikes, I can still work and deal with shooting pretty much anything.

She is the opposite. Her carry guns have to be just right, and there is not a damn thing wrong with that.

You carry a gun to protect the lives of your family and yourself, being as happy and comfortable with that as you can be is top priority.

Caryn has been shooting handguns about 6 years, has owned a pistol for herself about 5.

In that amount of time I have been thru 3 S&W 629s, S&W 21, S&W 22, Astra Terminator, Taurus 445, Star Modelo Super, RIA Match, RIA Tactical, 2 Detonics Combat Masters, S&W M&P45, Kel Tec P11, Kel Tec P3AT, and a Glock 20.

Not sure if that is the full list, but it is the list of what I have carried off the top of my head.

Caryn learned to shoot a handgun with my 6″ 629 .44 Magnum. Yea I know… EXCELLENT choice for a novice.

Her first handgun was a Ruger GP100 4″, it was a range gun mostly.

From that she moved to a 1911 compact/officers type.

And that is it. If she likes a gun she likes it, if she doesnt… it is not a consideration.

Trust me, she LIKES very damn few.

So yea… in 6 years she found 2 handguns that she like enough to own and carry.

Until last week. 

We were at a LGS just looking around… seeing what they still had, talking with customers and potential customers, chatting up the counter personnel.

To her credit, even tho she is ultra choosy… and has what she likes/wants, she still looks at the offerings under the glass.

While semi auto rifles with 20+ capacity mags are the main focus of the current panic buying, handguns are flying off the shelves at a brisk pace also.

She looked at a couple and really didn’t find anything she cared for, then the salesman handed her a Blue Gun from the shelf behind the counter.

It was a S&W Shield dummy gun.

My wife looked at me, and the look on her face conveyed the message that “This is it!”

Now, let me back track a little here.

Caryn has small hands, as in… she shops for gloves in the children’s department.

Yea, I taught her handgunning on a .44 magnum with factory target grips.

Yea, I am an asshole.

While she has small hands, and you would think that there are hundreds of small guns out there that would be great… that really isnt the case.

You see, she likes a full 5 fingered grip… no pinky dangling, and no pinky half on the grip.

So, the stubby grip guns have to have a pinky extension.

YAY!!! Problem solved!!!

Under recoil, most pinky extensions pinch the hell out of her finger.

So, we are always shopping for that Goldilocks gun.

Not to short, not too thick, not too textured, not too smooth, not too girly…

As you have surmised by now, that gun is damn hard to find.

We have gotten close a few times, she likes the M&P series from S&W… but they have not been “just right”.

Well… when she wrapped her hands around that Blue Gun, I could tell that she may have found “Just Right”.

“Do you have any of these in stock?!”

The last one they had in was 3 months or so ago.

Slightly crestfallen, but we now knew what to keep our eyes open for.

Since their introduction almost a year ago, gun shops have not been able to keep these things on the shelves… and many keep waiting lists of people looking for them.
So, when they get them in, they still dont hit the shelves.

With the understanding that we had a project, find a shield AT LIST PRICE… yea, I have seen these $400-450 guns sell for over a grand on gun  auction sites, we moved down to look at the long guns.

Today was our lucky day, they also had a Marlin 336Y on the rack.

The Marlin 336Y Spikehorn is a youth model .30-30, 16.25″ barrel and an inch shorter stock.

She tries it and it fits her perfectly, yes… 2 Goldilocks guns in 1 day.

So, Caryn asks to put the .30WCF rifle on layaway.

She is also the practical one.
Where I am all “NEW GUN GIMMIE GIMMIE GIMMIE!!!”, she likes to weigh things out… like “Will we be able to buy food till the next paycheck shows up”.

She is funny like that.

Our salesman trots to the back to get the box for the Marlin while we discuss the fact that she may have found her new carry pistol… if we can ever lay hands on one.

Out he comes with the Marlin box, and a smaller box.

He places the smaller box in front of her and opens the lid… peels back the wrapping.

There lies a shiny black M&P Shield.

Caryn reaches down and lifts it up, and it is still cold from coming out of the shippers truck.

Magazine out, racks the slide, puts sights on a target.

“Can we put this one on layaway also?”

Only 1 gun per person on layaway.

“OK, we will just buy this one then.”

I tell you, I damn near passed out in the floor.

My lovely wife had just made her first impulse pistol purchase.

The heavens opened up, light shined down, and I do believe that I heard Angels singing.

She was one of US!

While she was filling out the paperwork I ran over and grabbed one of the only boxes of 9mm that the store still had on the shelf.

Up to the front, payment made, out to the truck, and down the road.

Caryn reaches in the bag and pulls out the ammo, “You DO realize you bought 9mm?”

No… I am an idiot and just grabbed the first shiny box that grabbed my attention. Yea right, I made sure I grabbed some Critical Duty… I make sure our carry ammo is good quality.

“Yep, sure do.”

“Ummm… I bought a .40″

Now, if the Shield is rare as hens teeth… the Shield .40 is like Sasquatch.

People say that they have seen them, there are even grainy pictures on line of people claiming to have gotten proof that they exist, but try and find one in captivity.

I let out a deep sigh and rest my head on the steering wheel, at 50 mph this tends to bother my wife.

I know that the shop by our house has a pile of .40… and the place we left had NONE.
I can use the 9mm in the P11 anyway.

We get home, I take it apart, clean out the shipping oil and Slipstream it.

This is a NICE little gun, small, flat, light… but still big enough for a good grip on it.

The next day at the range confirmed that she had made a good purchase.

Accurate, and not really snappy… even in .40 caliber.
This surprised me, I know many people who complain about the .40 even in full sized pistols.
Then again, I taught her to shoot with a .44 Magnum. ASSHOLE!!!

I like her new gun.
A LOT.

How much? I just made trade arrangements to swap my M&P45 for a Shield 9.

The S&W Shield is about as close to the perfect carry gun as I have found.

Now, I am not talking pocket guns… those are a different class.
The grip on the shield is too long for many to pocket carry it in jeans or slacks.
In cargos or other looser pants, you should have a lot better luck with it.

So yea, Caryn now has her first .40, her first polymer gun, her first striker fired gun, and most importantly… her first impulse pistol purchase.

I am SO proud of her.

As an aside, the bills will still be paid, everyone in the family will still get regular meals.

I still have work to do on that front.

 

 

Jim

Stop your damn panic buying.

Seriously…

I have been closely watching the price of guns and ammo since the election, and especially since the CT school shooting.

You guys are going frigging nuts out there.

It has been one of my personal rules, dont over pay on a gun unless it is something you have wanted forever and finally found it.

Now, ARs and AKs have been for sale EVERYWHERE for a long damn time.

You didnt buy one… because having one REALLY didnt matter much to you.

Now, there is a slight threat on the horizon… unless you live in NYS… that they may be going bye bye, and you guys lost your damn minds.

A rifle that you could have picked up for $600-700 3 months ago is now hitting the $2,000 point.

The ammo that was under $10 a box is now over twice that in places.
Hell, I have seen 7.62x54R for a buck a round.

That shit is crazy, I have bought that for under $5 for 20 rounds.

Now… the people buying now are generally not the serious gunners, these people already have pretty much what they wanted… and decided to grab some ammo, accessories, reloading components .. magazines, maybe some more lowers.
If they found them at a good price.

Well, for most people… that good price point is WAY out of the window.

I have sources, and for personal use… I can generally get whatever I need.

So yea, I am not even in the same ball park as a panic.
I am almost looking at this as some strange sociology experiment.

I hit gun stores wherever I go… watch and listen to what is going on.

Check their stock and prices, see if the people are paying those prices… and moving on to the next one.

Like I said… people have lost their damn minds.

I saw a S&W M&P15-22, yes the .22LR version, sell for $1200. It was the last Evil Black Rifle that the store had… and a guy just HAD to have one.

Me, I am hoping that some good older less modern guns go up for sale to finance this buying frenzy.

I could use a market flooded with inexpensive lever actions, revolvers, 1911s…

Also, you NYS people… hit me up. I may know people that you can sell your now illegal firearms to.

I may actually get a cheap .30WCF lever action out of this madness yet.

 

But back on point, you people bitching about the prices are generally the ones at fault for the prices being where they are.
Buy what you want when it is sitting at cheap to average pricing.

I used to tell people that you wont over pay on a firearm, you will just buy it too early.

I am afraid you guys are the exception that proves the rule.

Yes, in general many firearms can appreciate in value over time.

However I am afraid that your grandchildren will be looking at you old receipts… and using that as an excuse for you to go into that nice home for the people in white coats to take care of you.

Anyone got a cheap lever gun for sale?
You may actually be able to buy ammo from your proceeds…

 

 

Jim

New York State passes most restrictive “Assault Weapons” ban yet.

http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20130114/NEWS10/301140067/NY-lawmakers-set-vote-Cuomo-s-gun-control-bill

“Assault weapons — defined as any rifle with a “military style” feature, such as a bayonet or a telescoping stock — that are currently owned would be grandfathered and would have to be registered with the state. Magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds and manufactured before 1994, which are currently legal, would have to be turned over to authorities or sold out of state within one year. If a magazine has a capacity between eight and 10, it would have to be retrofitted to only hold seven rounds.”

And yes that is “A” as is in one, from what I can find this includes flash suppressors. muzzle brakes and pistol grips.

http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S2230-2013

It passed 43-18.

I fear that other states will try to build upon this, and who knows how ling it will take SCOTUS to over turn it.

 

I am heading to bed, will try to expand on this tomorrow.

 

 

Jim