| Author | Message | ||
     Lemonchili_x1 |
It's been over 9 months since the X1 was sold just before I moved, and the Triumph was gone a few months before that, but I'm finally back on two wheels  Two owners, 46000 miles, came with Givi bags and rack, a Corbin seat that needs recovering, and that sweet V4 sound...   I'm kinda digging the sport-tourer thing. Should make a great bike for riding down to Suches or similar. So far all I've done is put a new set of Dunlop Roadsmarts on and remove the rack. Life is good  | ||
| Hughlysses |
Congratulations on the new ride! Are you playing any music these days? | ||
| Pwnzor |
 Niiiiice!!!! Now... get ready to ride it down to Suches, GA for Buellvemberfest! | ||
| 86129squids |
Always loved me some Viffer action! What year? Looks like the pre-VTEC version- I'd not want that, heard it's too abrupt when it phases in... Let's roll, bro!  | ||
| 1313 |
 PHEW! Only a little over 3 months since my weekend visit, so I can't be blamed for being a bad influence - this time! Good to see you are back on 2! 1313 | ||
| Buellerxt |
Very cool and a very nice ride! Ride safe and enjoy. | ||
| Lemonchili_x1 |
Hardly playing any music, but hoping to get work under control and spend more time playing guitar. I am at least getting out on the mountain bikes and VFR a bit now. I won't make it in November, but I'm planning on a March trip to Suches! It's pre vtec, pre injection. It's a very easy to ride bike, very Honda, and I'm ok with that right now. It is quite top heavy with a full tank of fuel, especially compared to a Buell. Front brakes are lame and squeak, I ordered new pads today. Rear shock doesn't seem to have too much damping, but I think I can live with that. I rode to work yesterday and today.... I was strangely calmer at work, it's such a good way to start the day | ||
| Pwnzor |
Glitch Badness III wouldn't be the same without you! | ||
| Scrivo62 |
Good to see you back on 2 wheels. Sorry we did not catch up whilst in the USA, we ran out of time. Ended up on a 3 week road trip in Alaska (Very cool place) and a week in NY. Me old man took delivery of his Aussie GT Mustang last week (way cool) | ||
| 99buellx1 |
Never understood the muffler placement on those. Terrible idea. A pretty single side arm all messed up by a muffler... | ||
| Lemonchili_x1 |
Sorry I missed you Scrivo! Next time! I hope you had a great trip! Yes, the VFR's do look better with a high muffler. I'm starting to dig this sport touring thing... My girlfriend found this amazing cabin in the Shenandoah Valley last weekend:      | ||
| Lemonchili_x1 |
The VFR is good with a passenger, good with loaded up panniers, but the low speed handling is not so good with both. Gravel road to the cabin was a bit nerve wracking! The bike is running great and Honda reliable, but showing it's age and miles... If Jen keeps enjoying riding with me I might have to find something a little newer and bigger before Glitch Badness III | ||
| Ourdee |
Looks like you had three trees and cut one down for a fire. Nice. | ||
| Glitch |
My girlfriend... Pics or it didn't happen  | ||
| Reepicheep |
Awesome! You are neck deep in congestion to get back and forth to work, but once you escape it by going about 30 miles in most directions, you have some of the best riding on the planet... | ||
| 86129squids |
Graham, we sure missed ya this past weekend! Once things warm up in the spring, start planning to run south and hang with some old redneck buddies soon! And yeah, what Glitch said...  | ||
| Lemonchili_x1 |
My girlfriend... Pics or it didn't happen ...Pics to follow I (or hopefully we) will see you in March! | ||
| Lemonchili_x1 |
The VFR is great, but it is tired... Considering some sort of power cruiser as a replacement... v-rod,Warrior, VTX1800 etc... Makes me feel old, yet sounds fun too... | ||
| 86129squids |
Chat it up with Charlie. That Victory bagger certainly didn't slow him down!  OK, Graham. My old instincts as a MC buyer/seller just kicked in- if I can advise, I'd be happy to do so. Spent a good while as a metric buyer for a wholesaler, got to ride about everything since the late 70's and 80's. Changing from a Viffer to a "power cruiser" will be tricky. I suspect, first of all, you'll want good lean angle. I've never been a fan of Honda cruisers. However, on my way to work today I sat at a light next to a guy on a very clean, old Honda V65. Ask Vern about these bikes... maybe there are ways to update them to modern handling and suspension. I grew up a Suzuki kid. I liked the Intruder line, up until they remade them into the Boulevard crap. The 1400's were oil/air cooled, and prior to '95 they were 4 speeds! Something about not having to shift gears on that bike was great. Like having an old Shovelhead that didn't break down! Yamaha generally makes some of the best bikes. Depending on the decade, there are lots of great choices. I've always fantasized about getting a Venture, throwing money at the suspension, and swapping in a V-Max motor! Dang! They tried to compete in the market with the Gold Wings, but somehow fell behind... Bottom line- if you can find an old airhead Beemer like mine, it's gravy. LOTS of nice BMW's out there, from the 80's on up. A K75 is nice, and lots of the later model (1980-1996) bikes can be found in nice condition for good money. I'd like a bit more motor out of mine, but that's just because every now and then I have to chase folks like Charlie and Tim. Does this have anything to do with the pillion?  | ||
| Lemonchili_x1 |
It does have to do with the pillion... I'm really enjoying hanging out with someone who's enjoying riding with me I'm thinking a cruiser is heavy and low, so it's handling won't change so much when adding a passenger and bags... but it's just a theory. The other thing is that there are so many bags and seats and other things available. Kawa Mean Streaks seem to get good reviews as a do-everything bike, and I've always liked that style... Thinking about a cruiser makes me feel old, until I saw Charlie riding that Victory | ||
| Lemonchili_x1 |
For Glitch... This is Jen when we went to Portland, OR  | ||
| Glitch |
Pretty girl. You sure she's ready for the likes of us? | ||
| Tootal |
A ST1100 or ST1300 Honda might be a nice compromise. I met up with Clement Salvadori from Rider Magazine and he was riding one and it was his personal bike. For somebody that can ride anything on the market that was a pretty good endorsement. | ||
| 86129squids |
+1 there. I've always liked the ST's, but preferred the 1100's- IIRC they retained the gear-drive valvetrain. Of course, compare the specs... Yamaha's sport-tourers are nice too. Matthew's been jonesing for a Kaw Vaquero, and I second that- they're pretty nice. Road couch vs. sport-tourer? A ST would be closer to your experience, but... comfort on a road couch can't be beat. See if you can rent/borrow/test ride several different ones. And don't count Charlie as relevant to your search, he's simply a mutant... | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Graham, another option is a dual-sport, space baggage capability and good ground clearance. | ||
| 86129squids |
+1 Innes. The Viffer seems a lot like my departed Sprint ST... $hits and giggles for me, three times too fast for a pillion. The bigger D/S bikes would do nicely. | ||
| Lemonchili_x1 |
Pretty girl. You sure she's ready for the likes of us? ; ) I'm pretty sure she's just the right amount of bent and twisted to fit in with you lot I've always thought ST11's and 13's are a bit fugly, but I do want to test ride one. I heard at one stage their load capacity isn't that high, not sure how true that is. Dual sports... I like the idea of a Triumph Tiger, KTM or G/S, and I know they can round up sport bikes when ridden the right way... but with a passenger and say 50 or 60lbs of stuff for a weekend, they have high pillion seats and the bags are mounted high so how much does the handling and balance suffer? Anyone want to compare their experiences of two-up and loaded on different bikes? My test ride wish list, if I can find them locally... Mean Streak 1600, Warrior 1700, ST11/13, Dyna Super Glide Sport, K1200R, V-Rod (for a giggle), FJR13... Hayabusa with bags? And yes, Charlie is a mutant | ||
| Pwnzor |
My brother had an ST1100 and that thing could haul both of us and camping gear, AND pull a trailer through the mountains of California with ease. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Not to belabor the obvious, but an XB12XT has crazy good room for luggage and passenger, and handles like a sportbike. Haven't tried it two up yet. Pack up your gear, fly yourself and Jen into Cincinnati, and I'll meet you at the airport with a fully rigged XB12XT for you and her to jump on and take for a weekend along the Bourbon trail. http://kybourbontrail.com/map/ | ||
| 86129squids |
... Mean Streak, Warrior, meh- OK bikes, but I don't see them really appealing to you, of course I'm often wrong. The Dyna or V-Clod would be bad choices for long rides... FJR's, right generation, are primo. Any bike you get can have some nice suspension upgrades, along with seat upgrades as well. Another option, but a rare/weird bird- the Honda PC800. Opinions range all over the place about them- "Tupperware Bike", "oversized scooter", yadda yadda. I owned a 1st year bike, the prettiest, with the 2 tone Pearl White paint... it has a decently powerful V-twin motor, a unique clamshell "trunk" for a rear end, truly a superb tourer with enough sport capability to surprise you. I ran Deal's Gap many times with mine, handled beautifully. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Pacific_Coast These bikes are collectible now, pretty hard to find, and not everyone's cuppa tea... but I'd jump at a chance to own another, if I didn't have my beloved Beemer. Again my friend- get to studying all the different, great bikes BMW has made over the past several decades... find the right one in the right condition, you'll be set! |
