Motorcycles BS Thread 2.0

Son of a bi...! Thought I had you hooked up. Sorry!

Have any friends in Europe?

 

I appreciate the effort! Believe me, I was excited when I saw that the first time months back as well.... before I even had the bike....

I know absolutely no one in Europe.

 

Had the 705's on my KLR, had good luck for my riding style which is more highway and fire road than off road. Got about double the life out of them compared to the Shinko 244 (Golden Boy) and Dunlop 606, not good in the mud but were much more stable on highway miles.

Went with Kenda 761's last change because Shinko got hard to come by.

 

Good news on the GPS mount, though. Looks like it's the Garmin Zumo 396. Still not cheap at $399, but not out of reach.

 

I even just checked shipping to Canada. I have a few Canadian FJR friends and probably could have hooked you up with them to get some here.

Have you joined any Super Ten specific forums? They might just be your best bet.

When I was still with my ex g/f she had bought a BMW F800ST and while that's a really sweet smaller sport tourer it's belt drive and BMW recommends a belt change every 25k miles. BMW charges almost $500 a belt and it was coming up so I joined a BMW F800ST forum and found out about a guy in Cali whose daughter lived in Ireland. In Europe you could buy the belt from the manufacturer, Continental, but not here in the US. He would arrange for his daughter to purchase 10 belts at a time and ship them to him. He could sell 9 of them at $200 shipped and get his for free. I picked up 2 for her bike that way.

 

I bought an Energizer YTZ105 for my XSR900 last year because it was on sale and got good reviews on Amazon. I just tried to use it this season. Had to desulfate it to get it to take a charge. Then I found that the terminals were the wrong shape for the Yamaha battery cables. Ordered the Yuasa and 20 minutes after I opened the box, I was riding. Cheap batteries aren’t worth it. I knew that already. Now I know it even better.

 

Have you tried emailing the EU website, its probably defacto just built into the website to direct you to the US if us destination is selected, but they might be able to do an order on the EU side and just pay extra for shipping.

 

I emailed and asked if they were available in The States, and they said no. That was months ago, though.

 

Good deal man, can't be in three places at once unfortunately ha

Damn pretty tight window! I've been telling some people (non-riders) about our planned R.A.P. and they can barely comprehend it's even possible to do. The facial expressions are priceless. I then explain that it should be in theory and my friend Chuck has done that distance several times...as for me, no clue if I'll be able to hack it ha

 

I love long distance planning as well! It’s like a big puzzle to solve and it’s so fun seeing the plan come together and executed on the day of the ride.

I didn’t tell my parents about my latest Bun Burner Gold ride till I got back (because they definitely would not have wanted me to go) and they were shocked at how far I rode. It’s always amusing to hear people say 300-400 miles is their limit for driving in a car per day, while I’ll do that on a motorcycle in a morning.

Im considering trying a SaddleSore on the KTM but I don’t know if I’m crazy enough to do it.

 

to add to this,

REI Co-op is having their big anniversary sale for it's members May 17-27, up to 30% off across a ton of different things.

 

How much is a membership?

 

I know everyone has a different level of passion for things, but the very casual riders I don't understand, I'm talking like sub 3k miles/year. I mean I don't ride nearly as much as you, @FreshOldTaco or @BkerChuck but I still do at least 1k a month just with my usual commute/work riding, not even counting my weekend rides, and people think I'm crazy riding that much lol. Feels like nothing to me

 

$30 one time fee, and it will also get you 10% back on most non co-op/full priced items purchased through their regular site

https://www.rei.com/membership

 

Good info. I'll pass due to their politics, though.

 

One thing to keep in mind on our plan. Should things start looking like we can't make it in time the RAP is more than 100 miles over a simple Saddlesore. In that event we can still finish an in-state Saddlesore at just over 1k plus a small cushion. Obviously the RAP is the goal but.......

 

So I was bored after work and decided to go check out mid control bikes like the Yamaha bolt. So went to a Harley dealer near me and honestly had a good time the dude was super nice and told me lots of information. I was able to check out the nightster and sportster. (Idk if that's how they are spelt and don't care to Google it lol) Both bikes were very comfortable for sitting and moving around I can also see having two people on them being great. I did like the nightster a bit more thou on how it felt overall but I liked the sportster for it being skinny and more like a old school bike. If I had the true motorcycle endorsement (I just run with the permit lol it's cheap and I have no restrictions) I could have gone on a ride around the town with the guy. Oh well lol but I do think a mid control bike will be best for what I'm wanting to do so I guess I'll start looking for a bolt. If anyone knows what would be similar to the nightster but in a Japanese bike I'd like to know as well. No photos sorry lol

 

Passion isnt really a good descriptor for me. I ride when I want, and dont when I dont feel like it. I'm more inclined to ride on cold wet days than hot and sunny. I officed from home since 19, working from 6 to 6 doesnt leave a lot of time to catch up on things you have to take care of, my weekends were tied to catching up.

My riding is in spells, used to depend on workload and amount of free time I had. Some years I might not break 5,000 miles, other years it might be 35,000 (Goldwing years). Retired April, this year, probably 15,000 if I were to guess. One of the greatest feelings in the world is seeing the sun come up over your shoulder in the mirror and having it set in your face in the evening. It means I am headed west and running through country with big sky.

 

In a way that's part of why I stopped working at the Harley dealership after 16 years. I just couldn't deal with some clown that dropped 30k on a bike, added every accessory that would fit then bragged how they "rode 60 miles today". They didn't take it well when I asked what they did after breakfast.