HutchFan

That thing looks like it would be a total HOOT to ride! I've also toyed with the idea of getting a Honda Trail 125. Same sorta thing as your Ruckus. Small but zippy -- and FUN!

@Dmitry, In my experience, fogging is not an issue with full-face helmets. Enough air comes in from underneath. Also, you can lift the face-shield slightly, if need be (for example, at low speeds on humid days). Also, there are plenty of helmets that are blue-tooth equipped or ready to add after-market blue-tooth products. One bit of un-asked-for advice: Don't compromise on your helmet. Get a mid-level grade helmet or (preferably) even better. Even if you never need it & you never fall off your motorcycle, you will be much more comfortable with something that's better than an "economy-level" helmet. The air flow will be better, it will be more quiet, and the helmet will be lighter in weight with a mid-tier (or above) helmet. Plus, the little things that break on cheap-o helmets (clasps, etc.) will last longer on a quality helmet. The helmet manufacturer Bell used to have a poster with the saying, "Got a 10 cent head, wear a 10 cent helmet." I think they had a point. IIRC, helmets aren't required in South Carolina or Florida either. (They are required in Georgia, where I live.) When I'm in those states, it still startles me to see motorcyclists flying down the road without helmets on. I can't imagine riding without a helmet. It seems foolish to me. On the other hand, many of my friends and family think that it's foolish for me to ride motorcycles at all, regardless of the protective gear I might be using. Motorcycling -- with a helmet or without -- is a calculated risk. I guess it's all about how much risk you're willing to take.

I've ridden motorcycles on-and-off since I was a kid. I learned to ride on my neighbor's Yamaha 70 trail bike. As an adult, I've owned three different motorcycles: a Honda CB650SC, a Suzuki GS650G, and -- most recently -- a 2003 Kawasaki ZRX1200R. Unfortunately, a few years ago, I had a nasty spill on the Kawi while riding on the twisty, mountain roads up in North Georgia. After the wreck, I sold the bike to a friend who was able to repair the damage and get it back on the road more easily than I could have. So I don't have a motorcycle now. But I've been eyeing motorcycles lately, looking at online sellers and such. I'm thinking about getting a late-model used Suzuki V-Strom 650. All of my bikes have been inline-4s. The V-Strom is a twin. A different vibe, figuratively and literally. As far as comparing full-face helmets and open-face, it's difficult for me to say. I've used nothing but full-face helmets since I've been an adult. They're much safer. Studies show that the two most likely places that your head will be struck if you fall off the bike is on either side of your jaw. Obviously, only a full-face helmet provides any protection there. . . . Incidentally, when I wrecked, that's exactly where my helmet hit the ground -- on the left side of the front of my head (also my left shoulder). My helmet did it's job. Thankfully, I didn't have a head injury. But the helmet was all scraped up (as was my riding gear -- shoulder, knees, and hands). A wreck is sobering. That said, there's nothing like riding. It's one of the best feelings in the world. I'll probably be back in the game shortly. EDIT: I just scrolled back to the beginning of this thread and see that I'm repeating myself (again). Oh well.

Now: Earlier:

Now: Earlier:

I like this one. It's sorta Jimmy Giuffre-like in its folksy quietness. and

First listen:

Last night and again this morning: Francisco Mário - Retratos (Milestone World/Caju, 1994) 2 LPs on one CD; also includes Mário's Conversa De Cordas, Couros, Palhetas E Metais Gorgeous. Desert-island music for me too.

Phil Woods Quintet - Souvenirs (Venus/Evidence, 1995)

First listen:

Freddie Redd - Straight Ahead! (Interplay, 1978) trio with Henry Franklin (b) and Carl Burnett (d)

2022 Craft reissue

Ernie Krivda - The Alchemist (Inner City, 1978) with Gil Goldstein, Eddie Gomez, Bob Moses, and Ray Mantilla

Outstanding Basie!

Ellington at Newport '56 is an excellent book. IIRC, there's a wonderful photo in it of EKE and Gonsalves dancing together. They're offstage somewhere and goofing around just like kids. I really dig the photo because it's not staged; it's just a moment captured. The book does a terrific job of showing the very real brotherly affection that the two men had for one another -- even though Gonsalves could be a royal PITA for Ellington sometimes (because of PG's addiction).

First spin: ETC [Steve LaSpina, Fred Hersch, Jeff Hirshfield] & Jerry Bergonzi - ETC Plus One (Red, 1993) Yep. It's a doozy.

Gorgeous.

Some recent Big T talk elsewhere on the forum prompted me to pull this set from the shelf: Disc 1

NP: Rodney Whitaker - Oasis: The Music of Gregg Hill (Origin, 2022)

A bunch of my CDs were sealed too. They often don't even bother mentioning it. And, like @Ken Dryden said above, their grading is very trustworthy. What they call VG+ typically looks like NM to me. And this true of both their CDs and LPs. Because their grading is so "conservative," I often buy VG graded LPs from them. (With other online retailers, I typically won't go below VG+.) After a couple spins on the vacuum machine, their VG-graded LPs typically play very, very well. Maybe not PERFECTLY. But much better than what you usually get with a VG-rated platter.

SIBELIUS: Violin Concerto / Oistrakh, Ormandy, Philadelphia O (Sony) Magnificent.