anyone go for a ride today? Pics?

[Guest]

Katarama!

Are you gelling with the long gal?

Oh yes indeed! The only problem I have is trying not to ride it every time and giving the 450 some attention. The riding position of the Kat really helps me stretch my back out which is great, whereas putting the clubmans and rearsets on the 450 is actually causing me some grief because it doesn't have the same stretch. I think I may have to take the 450 back to scrambler mode again just for fun

 

[Guest]

I think I am running out of season. I was going to do one of my normal rides, but the road was icy:

That was disappointing, so I turned around. Going through the sentrum I saw frozen over puddles, and my indicators were not working so I went home. My new rain suit worked great at stopping the wind though.

I guess winter is coming...

Edit: A student told me today four people tipped over on their bikes on sunday. Scary.

 

[Burque73]

Yesterday was my wife's first ride on the FJR. We hit the road at 9am and went to see my uncle in Aztec, up near the Colorado border. Stopping in Cuba, a frequent halfway pit stop, we visited with another rider on a 2004 HD V-Rod. He was heading into a pretty desolate area and wondered how far it was to the next gas station. I couldn't tell him right off hand. With the estimated 100 mile range he got out of a tank of gas, he said if he didn't find gas in 50 miles he'd just turn around. That made me even more thankful to be riding the FJR with it's 6 gallon tank.



We were heading to see my uncle in an assisted living facility. He's 15 years into his battle with Parkinson's and just turned 80. Covid has kept us from visiting for most of this year so it was nice to catch up on things. He kept dropping hints for me to come bust him out of that prison like facility and take him fishing. I'll have to setup some sort of diversion so the warden won't see him rolling away in his wheelchair. Maybe get his room mate to pretend he's choking on some pudding or something, then make a run for it.

We stayed a couple of hours and had to turn back toward Albuquerque for the three hour ride home. The wind was out of the Northwest so we had 25-45 mph tail winds all the way home. That was pretty sweet! Here's a pic near Nageezi where we stopped to add a layer. The temp kept dropping and near the Continental Divide it got pretty cool, for us anyway...

 

[Jedz123]

Noreg, Back to chilly temperatures this week here. Heavy Frost in the Mornings is pretty common however this week we are experiencing what the locals call "Indian Summer" Las big warming after a series of freezing nights and cool days. Keep riding while you can!

Sounds like a great ride Burque! Your a great nephew to visit!!! Great pictures... As always. The FJR is a great machine! Little to heavy for my liking, I'm back on the Bonneville daily for the VMAX is just too much to handle in wet cold conditions. So glad you had a great day t ride!

Big weekend... On my ride in this morning the CEL went off... Ahh European Bikes, what an interesting owning experience. Heavy rain all day...

 

[Grimly]

Yesterday was my wife's first ride on the FJR. We hit the road at 9am and went to see my uncle in Aztec, up near the Colorado border. Stopping in Cuba, a frequent halfway pit stop, we visited with another rider on a 2004 HD V-Rod. He was heading into a pretty desolate area and wondered how far it was to the next gas station. I couldn't tell him right off hand. With the estimated 100 mile range he got out of a tank of gas, he said if he didn't find gas in 50 miles he'd just turn around.

Surprised he didn't think to strap a two gallon can of fuel onto the back seat.
Even with the 5 gallon tank of the GS I've done that a few times.
When I got the XS I was a bit perturbed by its weeny tank, but it does an easy 60mpg if I take it easy, so its tank range is reasonable. I'd still strap a gallon or two on the back if I were going any place far off, just in case.

 

[Burque73]

Noreg, Back to chilly temperatures this week here. Heavy Frost in the Mornings is pretty common however this week we are experiencing what the locals call "Indian Summer" Las big warming after a series of freezing nights and cool days. Keep riding while you can!

Sounds like a great ride Burque! Your a great nephew to visit!!! Great pictures... As always. The FJR is a great machine! Little to heavy for my liking, I'm back on the Bonneville daily for the VMAX is just too much to handle in wet cold conditions. So glad you had a great day t ride!

Big weekend... On my ride in this morning the CEL went off... Ahh European Bikes, what an interesting owning experience. Heavy rain all day...

Living in the high desert, one mile above sea level (give or take), we do get snow and freezing rain on rare occasions. Those days are few and far between thankfully. As much as I long for the moisture of New England, I really don't miss shoveling 12 feet of snow every winter.

The FJR actually tips the scale about the same as my GS, but I swear it feels lighter. Its easier to hold up at a stop and drops into corners with far less effort. After 400 miles or so yesterday, my wife likes the GS better. I guess the extra horses and better handling don't do anything for her, it's all about wind, leg room and a comfy saddle. The adjustable windshield makes a noticable difference for her, but I like it down all the way otherwise it creates a vacuum that pulls me forward.

My friend is selling an '08 Bandit 1250. Same setup with bags and all and I'm thinking about swapping with him, maybe for a day just to see if it works better for us. Haven't discussed it yet, just thinking. I read that the wind isn't as much an issue for the passenger on the Bandit, plus it's lighter and hey, it's a Suzuki! The legroom may be an issue for her though. Last night she suggested getting a trike. Maybe the visit with my uncle sent her down that thought path. She said I was made to ride motorcycles, her not so much. If she was made for a cage, maybe a trike is a good middle ground, but not yet. haha

Surprised he didn't think to strap a two gallon can of fuel onto the back seat.
Even with the 5 gallon tank of the GS I've done that a few times.
When I got the XS I was a bit perturbed by its weeny tank, but it does an easy 60mpg if I take it easy, so its tank range is reasonable. I'd still strap a gallon or two on the back if I were going any place far off, just in case.

I suggested he get a few gatorade bottles full at least. His V-Rod had bags so they wouldn't be too hard to carry. In fact, that's the first one I'd seen with bags. They looked pretty good on it I thought.

 

[steve murdoch]

Only rode it up and down the street a couple times.
No plates and no insurance. Mostly '66 CB77.
Bushes and vines have changed colour, trees are just starting around here.

 

[dorkburger]

Looks great Steve.
Just got in from an absolutely beautiful moonlight ride. More later.

 

[Guest]

Took the "Silver Ghost" around the block. It's been apart for 2 months while I repainted it by hand in my humble garage. It was so nice to get it out on the road again!

 

[Guest]

I finally got to take a good ride on the GS1100GL this weekend. Riding up to this point had been limited to errand running, one work commute, and a few nighttime cruises that I was able to drag my wife out for.

Another GSer and I took a ride through southeast Ohio. We took a 169 mile route, with some stops along the way. The route was a pleasant mix of open roads, curvy but smooth and easy, and tight and twisty. We even hit a small piece of Rt 555.

My 1100, which has troubled me with its fuel economy, turned in 39.18MPG on a full tank during this ride. I know that's not awesome, but it's better than I have experienced so far.

I was also pleased with how grunty the 1100 engine is. You just about can't lug that engine. Through our long passes up and down mountains (OK, Ohio mountains, but still...) and through tight curves, I was pleased to find that the 1100 did not mind accelerating from 2000RPM and even a little below in 5th gear. I certainly could have had more power by downshifting, but on a fairly casual ride with a little allowance to have some fun, I had plenty of power to accelerate in 5th. Grunting through those hills in 5th was its own kind of fun!

 

[Burque73]

After dinner last night I told my friend I may be interested in trading bikes with him. He's a full 12" taller than me and more than double my weight. Thinking the FJR would fit him better and the Bandit may fit me, he was interested and said come over. He apparently has two other taller windshields, but the shortest was on it last night. Also, the bags and trunk have been removed for now.

I took it into the hills East of town for a quick 30 minute ride. I really like the riding position and as suspected as it fits my frame better than the FJR. I imagine this would be a better warm weather bike for around here, but it's cooling down and I was really missing the fairing last night. I doubt my wife riding on the back would appreciate it any more than the FJR since the foot pegs are higher and the seat slopes forward a bit more. If I were planning on strictly solo adventures I could see this being my next bike. Maybe I'll have my wife ride with me and give it another go, but most likely I will stick with the FJR.

 

[Jedz123]

After dinner last night I told my friend I may be interested in trading bikes with him. He's a full 12" taller than me and more than double my weight. Thinking the FJR would fit him better and the Bandit may fit me, he was interested and said come over. He apparently has two other taller windshields, but the shortest was on it last night. Also, the bags and trunk have been removed for now.

I took it into the hills East of town for a quick 30 minute ride. I really like the riding position and as suspected as it fits my frame better than the FJR. I imagine this would be a better warm weather bike for around here, but it's cooling down and I was really missing the fairing last night. I doubt my wife riding on the back would appreciate it any more than the FJR since the foot pegs are higher and the seat slopes forward a bit more. If I were planning on strictly solo adventures I could see this being my next bike. Maybe I'll have my wife ride with me and give it another go, but most likely I will stick with the FJR.

The Bandit 1250 was always in the back of my mind for possible purchase, since I loved riding the FZ1 and Bandit 1200 (+150K miles total of riding on those 2 machines) Figured the Bandit 1250 would be the best buy... I was close but went through my Harley attempt (1 year and 20K miles) and found the motorcycles by the motor company did not fit my riding style. Test rode a T120 down in Florida the Spring of 2018 and after retuning home I promptly traded in the XR1200 Sportster for my T120.... That bike has been exceptional for my riding style unfortunately it is not the most reliable bike I have ever owned, by a long shot. Coming up to 72K miles and next go for my daily/touring bike will be back to Japanese.

Anyway the Bandit1250 again is on the list but unfortunately after having put nearly equivalent of 3 trips around the globe on a bike with cruise control I can't see myself not having it. My next bike will likely be a FJ-09 retro fitted with a reflashed Tracer 900 Gt ECU so I can have dynamic heated grips and Cruise... Finding FJ-09's in the same price range as Bandit 1250's... i would need to ride a Bandit to know but the FJ-09 is more powerful (power to weight), smaller, more fuel efficient and IMHO has the more personality. The Yamaha CP3 triple engine is one of the best on the market... Very likely will be housed in the the next Jedz Moto daily motorcycle.

Can't go wrong with the FJR, many love them. I put 40K on a Concours 1400 and in the end I was done with the big fat tourers. My wife finds the T120 much more comfortable than the Connie ever was and when I do my big long distance trips I find the T120 is all and all the better bike to bring, better MPG slightly, better range and more versatile especially in cities and towns... Oh did I mention Cruise control???

Anyway I hope you enjoy whatever bike that will yield you more miles Burque!

Best,

-Jedz

 

[dorkburger]

I had been watching the forecast all weekend and it said that warm weather riding was coming to an end so I took advantage. I had been in a bit of a rut riding to or near the same old tired places and areas so I headed out some different and farther spots. For no good reason I had been wanting to ride to Brenardsville all summer. Its an affluent, tidy, and old town (George Washington slept here..) about 50 miles away. I did that on Sunday. The night was warm, slightly foggy, and misty. About 3/4 of the ride was on the highway, which I dont mind, even enjoy, if the roads are lighly travelled. Being that it was well into the evening and Sunday, traffic was a bare minimum. I made quick time down Rt 18, across River Rd, then up
I 287 to Rt 206. Once on 206 the ride slowed down and the relaxed, curving, cruise to Brenardsville started.
It was dark and I drove at cautious speeds because deer. I've travelled this path many times for work so despite the dark, I was familiar with the road.
The town was basically closed up for the night and peaceful. I parked the bike and walked around for a while, checking out details that I never had time to check while on the company's dime. In this time of Covid, I got a got of reminder that other problems still rage on. I walked by the local library and saw about 15 posters in memoriam with peoples pictiures on them ranging from late teens to middle aged. I suspected was Covid related deaths... nope. Overdoses. I took the thought in as I continued my walk, observing the details that are only seen in old towns like this. Intricate brick and stonework , fine detailed wood wood work, an old three screen movie house, etc. Eventually it was time to move on. I left town and headed up the hill past two spots I do service work at. It was quite misty and very dark, with no streetlights. Again, I rode cautiously and with a slight advantage of knowing the road, but it was still a different experience in the dark of night. I went around the other side of the mountain and took a different route back to I 287. I Considered stopping for a pic at a small town high end auto dealer that had two old school Mini Coopers out front. I suspect that my GS may have been taller and longer then those cool old rigs. But it was late.
By the time I got back to 287 the mist was enough to foul my helmet shield and I had ocassionally drop my head to below that invisibe spot behind the windscreen where the wind blows the mist straight down and off of the shield. A nice highway rythm set in and I made quick time home and called it a night.

 

[Rich82GS750TZ]

Come On, Glen. This thread is supposed to have pics to go with the story. (great story, BTW). Love classic Mini's. No pics? really? You?

 

[dorkburger]

Rich, I had intended to get pics. When I was walking in town I did take some non moto related pics, one of which I posted in Random Pictures thread. The couple of bike pics I took weren't good. By the time I got to the Minis it was past midnight.

 

[Rich82GS750TZ]

Yeah, I saw them, the lower ISO w/ the tripod/longer exposure times is a great improvement grain (noise) wise. Just giving you a hard time. Glad to see the thumb surgery hasn't kept you off the bike for long. Here I am commenting about the pics you didn't take, when I didn't even get out on the bike. Waiting on new sprockets.

 

[dorkburger]

... and last night. I headed out with a similar mindset, but without a destination. I headed West toward the Deleware River and Trenton on I 195. Somewhere along the ride I decided to head to at least Lambertville, a pretty old town that sprung up when the D&R Canal was a major enterprise last century. Like Sunday, the highway was very lightly travelled. Once past Trenton, Rt 29 N shrinks down and travels follows along the canal and river on the left and sometimes rocky hills on the right. Old houses dot the road, sometimes with front doors just feet from the road. Houses built in another era when things went slowly, and placed wherever they would fit between the road and rising hills behind them. One past Stockton the road opens up to a nice smooth state road. The scenery to left opened up and the moon revealed fields with low fog, clear starry skies, and rising hills in the distance. I got to Lambertville and was having such a nice ride that I cose to go to Frenchtown, another beatuiful town 18 miles north. I literally saw one car on the road. This was good, allowing me to ride just off center of the road to, in theory, give a bit of space for the ever present deer, which I saw a lot of.
At this point the hills to the left rose up from the shoulder of the road, giving the tunnel of trees effect. Once in Frenchtown, I crossed the steel bridge over the Deleware and headed back South on Pa Rt 32. Although I literally just left NJ, I felt like I had ridden to a faraway land. 32 is a small two laner with lots of curves, rises, falls, some lumpy areas, occasional three way stops in tiny towns along the river, and beatuiful. The nature of the road caused me to ride mostly in third of fourth gear and enjoy the beauty of the night. Under the spell of the moon and the stars, I rode and enjoyed. I hadn't been down this route in nearly 20 years. Some flashes of familiarity of the area, and flashes of memories connected with them came and went with the miles ridden. Too soon the trip down memory ended, and I was back in Trenton filling up with gas. I certainly hadn't intended to ride 130 miles or stay out until 1:30 am, but it worth every minute. It was my best ride this year.

One lone pic on the Frenchtown bridge.
http://Frenchtown bridge. by Glen Brenner, on Flickr

 

[dorkburger]

Yeah, I saw them, the lower ISO w/ the tripod/longer exposure times is a great improvement grain (noise) wise. Just giving you a hard time. Glad to see the thumb surgery hasn't kept you off the bike for long. Here I am commenting about the pics you didn't take, when I didn't even get out on the bike. Waiting on new sprockets.

All in good fun. My old chain literally chucked out tens upon tens of O rings. Its on the winter list. It was a make do short term solution last year.

 

[Burque73]

Very cool Glen. Somthing about riding in the moonlight makes time stand still. Maybe it's just riding that does that, but moonlight is way cool to ride under.

 

[cowboyup3371]

What a way to end the season

What a way to end the season

After spending this year working on Charmayne's bike and using parts from mine to help in troubleshooting, I finally had a chance to get my GS550T back out on the road this week. I had to first order a new battery from Motobatt Sunday night and though they said I would get it by Friday it actually came in last night. So, after installation, some cleanup, and airing up the tires, I rode the bike home from the garage. On the way, I had a suspicion my main brake light wasn't working well (I also have a brake light on my license plate that was operational) and confirmed it later in the evening. As I wanted some company while I was troubleshooting it, I rode over to Steve's place to work on it. I discovered the white brake light wire separated from its terminal and crimped a new one on plus re-terminated the ground cable that came out of its terminal while getting to that connector.

A test showed my brake light still wasn't coming on so a-searching we went and found the wiring under the wheel had come out from under their clamps so that the white wire broke there as well:

Broken brake light wire by Scott Baker, on Flickr

Steve and I spliced in a new wire, talked for a little bit longer and then I headed home. The stop light at the corner of the road just up to his place was green for me so I downshifted to second gear and leaned into the turn when suddenly the bike slid out from underneath me and I hit the ground on the right side. It slid down the road for about 10 feet dragging me with it. Once I could get up, a person on the corner helped me right the bike and I sat back on to push it into the gas station parking lot there since I couldn't start it (probably flooded the carbs) and the front brakes felt mushy. A quick look at it last night showed no major damage except some scratches to the right rear muffler and my crash bar though I did have to pull the left handle switch assembly back up. A cop must have been right there at the corner as he pulled into the parking lot as soon as I put the side stand down and checked on me. I agreed for him to call the medics as my left hand hurt and I had some road rash on my right forearm near the elbow that I somehow got despite wearing all of my gear.

After calling Steve and taking the bike back to my garage, I spent a few hours in the ER to confirm I only have a bruised left thumb and a sore right shoulder which is making this fun to type this morning, even with my touch typing skills. Doctor said I'll be sore for about a week or so. I'll head over to the garage tonight and inspect the bike more closely but I'm really hoping the forks aren't bent and that I only have to replace a brake line that might have ripped open (stainless steel lines) at the banjo.

As I need to get tires for the Bandit still, it seems my year is done for now. This sucks but at least no major injuries.