KAMIKAZE!

[Mr.Puss]

A "fun" lighthearted tale while riding today..... I got kamikaze'd by a absolutely massive fuzzy bumble bee today while doing around 60-70 kph. So damn big I saw him coming a ways off. Main visor up, sun visor down, I dodged as best I could and he struck the inner padding with a solid thud. I love bees so immediately I felt bad for the poor guy meeting his end in such a violent and unfair manner.  10 Minutes later I feel a tickle at my lower rear jaw and lo and behold the behemoth survived! At this point I'm immediately having an inner "Oh Jesus Sh*t No!" moment while navigating 2 lanes of heavy flowing traffic. I could feel his little feet softly and slowly making his way down my jawline, up over the side of my chin and finally across my mouth. I'm doing my best to stay absolutely expressionless, needless to say it was a little unnerving given my position in traffic. Thank god I managed to safely pull over, slowly and carefully flip up my modular and just like that off he went, hopefully all they way back to his family! Gotta say that was one real tough little bastard to survive that impact. Glad bumble bees and I have mutual understanding and enduring peace treaty otherwise I might have damaged my precious bike.

As @beemer says "Stay Frosty"     

On a side note.. the r6 throttle tube is a wonderful addition. Immediate effortless pep!

[go_go_gadget88]

On 8/18/2020 at 9:52 PM, Mr.Puss said:

A "fun" lighthearted tale while riding today..... I got kamikaze'd by a absolutely massive fuzzy bumble bee today while doing around 60-70 kph. So damn big I saw him coming a ways off. Main visor up, sun visor down, I dodged as best I could and he struck the inner padding with a solid thud. I love bees so immediately I felt bad for the poor guy meeting his end in such a violent and unfair manner.  10 Minutes later I feel a tickle at my lower rear jaw and lo and behold the behemoth survived! At this point I'm immediately having an inner "Oh Jesus Sh*t No!" moment while navigating 2 lanes of heavy flowing traffic. I could feel his little feet softly and slowly making his way down my jawline, up over the side of my chin and finally across my mouth. I'm doing my best to stay absolutely expressionless, needless to say it was a little unnerving given my position in traffic. Thank god I managed to safely pull over, slowly and carefully flip up my modular and just like that off he went, hopefully all they way back to his family! Gotta say that was one real tough little bastard to survive that impact. Glad bumble bees and I have mutual understanding and enduring peace treaty otherwise I might have damaged my precious bike.

As @beemer says "Stay Frosty"     

On a side note.. the r6 throttle tube is a wonderful addition. Immediate effortless pep!

Lmao, great story! I am not a bee fan (though I respect them and their impact on the environment), so that would have scared the shet out of me the moment I felt it crawling around in the helmet! 

 

Question about the tube - did you get the motion pro one or the yamaha one? I thought the stock throttle was too long of a twist when I got the bike, so I did the motion pro tube based off positive reviews. I then found out the yamaha one shortened it even more, so no I am curious about that one. The MP one wasn't the "immediate pep" I was expecting it to be, I guess. It's more like what it should have come with stock, though! 

[seven]

The thought of making the throttle even quicker freaks me out. I feel I am just getting used to the stock setup...of course this is my first motorcycle so this is a whole new ballgame I have to develop some muscle memory for. Reminds me of trying to left foot brake having only ever driven manual cars...every attempt at braking was like I was trying to do a panic stop.

[Grant31781]

I like  bees too but HELL NO to one on my face. I hate carpenter bees. The keep trying to eat my house. Bumble bees hurt when they sting.

Last year I had a bird dive and swoop right into my chest right below my collar bone. That  hurt but not as bad as I would have expected it too. It left a mark about like shooting a 12 gauge shotgun does.

[Mr.Puss]

1 hour ago, go_go_gadget88 said:

Lmao, great story! I am not a bee fan (though I respect them and their impact on the environment), so that would have scared the shet out of me the moment I felt it crawling around in the helmet! 

 

Question about the tube - did you get the motion pro one or the yamaha one? I thought the stock throttle was too long of a twist when I got the bike, so I did the motion pro tube based off positive reviews. I then found out the yamaha one shortened it even more, so no I am curious about that one. The MP one wasn't the "immediate pep" I was expecting it to be, I guess. It's more like what it should have come with stock, though! 

Yeah it was a bit of a moment. His feet were so gentle I didnt fully realize what it was until he began creepy forward.  If it were a wasp I might well have been a goner/statistic. Smashed a lot of wasp nests as a kid, theyre vengeful buggers.

I figured I was going too fast to open my modular right then and there, last thing I wanted to do was freak him out or have him blow back into some deep nook of my helmet. Seems the Gods were with us both that day.

The tube... I bought the Yamaha branded. Pretty steep @ $50 (Canadian), but such is the way for parts. I havent experienced the motion pro version. Still needs a little teak in its 'play' but overall Im pretty happy with it.

My guess is given the torque on this bike, using the r6 tube as stock might have proven to be too intense for many riders, particularly new ones. I can only assume the r6 tube is a wheelie junkies dream throttle.

[Mr.Puss]

1 hour ago, seven said:

The thought of making the throttle even quicker freaks me out. I feel I am just getting used to the stock setup...of course this is my first motorcycle so this is a whole new ballgame I have to develop some muscle memory for. Reminds me of trying to left foot brake having only ever driven manual cars...every attempt at braking was like I was trying to do a panic stop.

This FZ ('15) is my first as well, Im in the same boat by staying ever mindful of my abilities and baby stepping. The tube is a bit of an adjustment to be sure.  

[mjh937]

1 hour ago, seven said:

The thought of making the throttle even quicker freaks me out. I feel I am just getting used to the stock setup...of course this is my first motorcycle so this is a whole new ballgame I have to develop some muscle memory for. Reminds me of trying to left foot brake having only ever driven manual cars...every attempt at braking was like I was trying to do a panic stop.

I had not had a bike since the late ‘80’s so I was basically a new rider when I got this one.  I waited a couple of years before doing the R6 tube.  I like the R6 tube but am glad I waited until I had a bit of experience before I did it.  It is nice being able to go full without feeling like a contortionist.  

[go_go_gadget88]

I can see either tube being a lot for a new rider. I have had a couple 600cc bikes in the past, but being older carb'd ones, they really weren't too much of a handful, especially down low. When I looked up specs on the FZ before my test ride, I was not expecting a lot from being down so much HP on paper compared to past bikes. I had not owned a bike for a while, and my god did the low end grunt on this thing wow me! It's definitely the most fun bike I have been on for the type of riding I do, but it's also the one most likely to throw me backwards!

 

I told myself I wasn't going to go hoonin around on it...but it's hard not to! I was 21 when I got my first gsxr600, and the front end never left the ground once. This one, I think it comes up every time I ride! Not wanting to wreck, definitely taking it slow and getting my feet wet on it. But it's soooo fun! 

[RobZilla]

Man that reminds me, I did not have a pleasant bee experience a couple months back. 4 lane heavy traffic and I feel a thwat on my neck.... then suddenly an overwhelming body sensation of “WTF IS GOING ON” cause he made his way down the inside of my leather jacket stinging my chest about 10 times before getting out the bottom. Somehow managed to keep it all together and just kept riding.

[DewMan]

3 hours ago, RobZilla said:

Man that reminds me, I did not have a pleasant bee experience a couple months back. 4 lane heavy traffic and I feel a thwat on my neck.... then suddenly an overwhelming body sensation of “WTF IS GOING ON” cause he made his way down the inside of my leather jacket stinging my chest about 10 times before getting out the bottom. Somehow managed to keep it all together and just kept riding.

I'm going to guess it was either multiple bees or perhaps a wasp since bees can only sting once. 
Whichever it was, I don't envy your experience. 

[iSmkGrnBud]

I had the same thing happen except my eyeball took the brunt force of a 12.5 lb bumblebee. Had to pull over for half an hour before I could even begin to open it, the sunlight made it so sensitive and just leaking tears. Smacked my eye so hard it turned a lil black and blue the next day. I enjoy open visor riding way too much but now anytime I get some actual real speed going that visor goes down.