Did we never make a motorcycle thread?

[TheBenior]

Went to the Progressive International Motorcycle show today.

I went in the mindset that if I saw the Sena 10U for my GT-Air for $200 even vs the $270 they go for online, I'd buy one. A seller did have one left at that price, but instead I bought a Sena 20S (which also usually go for $270 online) for $185 out the door.

[dodint]

Mentioned it in chat, but the 20S are great. :up:

[Freude am Fahren]

Hopefully you have better luck that I have with mine. It frequently shuts off randomly, sometimes just starts an annoying buzzing sound requiring a restart, and once in a while just locks up completely (have to leave it until the battery dies). When it works, it's great though.

[TheBenior]

My buddy Jason who has the 20S hasn't really had any complaints with his. We've had issues connecting/reconnecting at times, but I'm told that's due to issues with mixing Bluetooth 3.x and 4.x devices.

[Freude am Fahren]

I posted this in the photography thread too, but this is how the bike is now (the reflectors are gone!), and I don't plan on changing anything else (other than the rear seat, which changes from this, a cowl, or a semi-rigid seat bag depending on the situation). Went for a ride up the coast (only up to Ft. Lauderdale, like 30 minutes). Apparently it's spring break. The beach (not the one pictured) was packed with young co-eds. Quite a show.

http://www.freudeamfoto.com/gtx/hwoodbeachweb.jpg

I took the baffle out of the exhaust, and happily, it was not too much louder, but better tone for sure. Unhappily, it seems mine was one of the more recent ones, in which they made the fitment extremely tight, so it was a bitch to remove. I did some major damage to the baffle in the process, but just on the inside part, and was able to cut away the gnarly bit.

[novicius]

Looks super-sharp! :up: :up:

Don't ever turn off the TCS. ;)

[M4FFU]

Just put a deposit down in an '03 XJR 1300 SP. In the correct colours. Always loved these, and one come up for a good price. Carbs, torque, comfort, awesome styling. Really looking forward to getting to know it.

[novicius]

Very cool. :up:

Keep a weather eye on 2nd gear. #yamaha

[TheBenior]

Sexy.

Not a fan of quad carb setups after my 1978 GS550, but you should at least be able to still get parts.

[speedpimp]

Ross, you still have that '78?

[TheBenior]

No, traded it in. I didn't get much for it, but I don't really have room for two bikes in my 1.5 car garage.

[neanderthal]

Bikes at the dealers for the 16000 mile service. I'm otherwise getting raped; $834 or something like that.

Performing flawlessly otherwise in the 9 months i've had it.

[Freude am Fahren]

16k in 9 mo.??? Damn.

So is that a valve check service?

I've been curious if bikes that have a "XXX mi." service that includes valve checks, do they charge extra if they are out of spec and need to be adjusted? Or are changes included and you're basically overpaying if it's within spec? I guess most of the work is in pulling the cover to check anyway though.

[Godson]

In the land of ducati. The price is for inspection and adjustment. If shims are needed, you pay for them and the install( they aren't expensive)

[Godson]

Also 900$ for 16k miles isn't bad

My 6k mile service was between 550-900 depending on belts and needing shims.

In context, the engine design is almost 30 years old and a 2-valve air-cooled engine. That doesn't even count for the coolant or double the valves to be adjusted as on the water-cooled 4v'ers.

[Godson]

Another post because mobile editing is pointless.


I have receipts for just maintenance, not any upgrades, that are more than I paid for the bike. In just 26k miles.

[TheBenior]

Y'all are making me feel bad with my sub 6000 miles in 2 full years of riding.

[Freude am Fahren]

2.5 years, probably 7500 mi. Only one big trip. I'd take trips all over the place if I had the time, and didn't live 700+ miles from the nearest interesting road.

[TheBenior]

Only 'big' trip I've done was Louisville, KY, and that was 700 miles round trip.

[21Kid]

Supposed to be 70+ today Ross. :cool:

[neanderthal]

Yeah this was the big one that included checking the valves. 7 hours of labour according to the book. Which means they did it in two hours and kept me from my bike for an additional 5 hours on my day off.

Anyway, today after scouting our opponent for next weeks rugby game (we had a bye) i rode from Camarillo to Oxnard then took the Pacific Coast Highway back home with a quick stop at the English store in Santa Monica (Ye Olde Kings Head) to get some Krunchies, other candies and ginger ale. I nearly stopped at Neptunes Nest (famous biker restaurant that's been in oodles of movies) for a late lunch, as the number of bikes wasn't absurd, but by then i had English candies on my mind.


Lovely day.

[neanderthal]

Oh, and i'm actually at ~17400 miles now. It was right about 17100 when it went in for service.

I did indulge in some nice day trips (Salton Sea, Hearst Castle, Sequoia National Park, etc) and two trips to Phoenix to visit mum, but otherwise its 5 days a week commuting. I wanna go to Four Corners next but its 7 hours one way. May as well get my Iron Butt Saddle Sore 1000 if I go there and back in one day. I wanted to wait for this service before I went.

[Freude am Fahren]

I have no doubt I'd ride at least twice as many miles if I lived in California.

[TheBenior]

If I lived in Southern California I'd do enough miles on my Monster that I'd have to buy the tools to do valve adjustments and engine belt changes myself.

[neanderthal]

Mega close shave tonight, coming from work.

I5N in the carpool lane going about 60mph, traffic in the travelling lanes is all but stopped. Lady in a white Camry decides to enter the carpool lane from the #1 lane over the double yellows, right in front of me. If I wasn't watching for that sort of fuckery i'd be in traction on a hospital bed somewhere. Swerved, braked (thank God for DCT!!!!!!!!!) and gave her a righteous amount of horn. She snuck back in the #1 lane mouthing "sorry" as though her being sorry would have done anything. I was so fucking pissed. I thought of getting off my bike and kicking her mirror off the car. With my bike still in the lane. And i'm not one who gets into that kind of rage filled behaviour. But it was *that* close.

My mantra is get past it and get there safely. I lived by that and went the rest of the way home with an elevated heart rate.

Be safe out there boys.

[Godson]

Shit like that is why I won't miss riding.

[Dicknose]

Those are tricky. A clear lane but the next lane is stopped
I get the same, but at lower speeds (40mph), when using bus lanes. This means extra worries like pedestrians and even people,turning thru gaps into cross streets.
Im not a fan of actually going too much faster than the next lane. 60mph is a huge speed difference. You can be totally at their mercy.
I actually find it worse when the next lane is crawling rather than stopped. People seem more likely to do silly lane changes when it's moving slow.
Glad you avoided it and resisted the adrenaline anger.

[neanderthal]

Those are tricky. A clear lane but the next lane is stopped
I get the same, but at lower speeds (40mph), when using bus lanes. This means extra worries like pedestrians and even people,turning thru gaps into cross streets.
Im not a fan of actually going too much faster than the next lane. 60mph is a huge speed difference. You can be totally at their mercy.
I actually find it worse when the next lane is crawling rather than stopped. People seem more likely to do silly lane changes when it's moving slow.
Glad you avoided it and resisted the adrenaline anger.

I was pacing myself with the car ahead of me and the car behind me. The sun was kinda in our eyes so we were not going the usual 80 mph that people go when they have an open lane.

When traffic is moving just a little bit then people do all kinds of unpredictable shit, because they're all trying to find the one lane that is moving. When it's all stopped they are all kinda resigned to their fate. I've noticed that too.

[Rare White Ape]

That's the exact thing I was telling my workmates today. We've got a bit of inclement weather right now with schools shut and workplaces closing at midday so everyone's all like "do you need a lift home?" but I'm like "nahh I'm fine, I got here in this weather so I'm getting home in this weather" and so the subject turned to how on earth I cope on a bike as if it's the hardest thing in the world.

I don't have terminal cancer and I'm not starving to death, so yeah, a few puddles and a wet tram line on a bike is no biggie.

Anyway I was saying the #1 thing I look out for is cars busting out of a slow lane into my path at a red light when the lanes are an uneven length. It's the thing that has happened to me more than any other incident, far far more, and that's not an exaggeration. I get it about 5 times a year.

I'm not as worried about any other situation as I am about approaching a stop with a row of slow moving cars in the lane next to mine. Not even mobile phone users piss me off... at all! I've never had a problem from a phone user, or a speedster, or a P-plater, or a cyclist, or a taxi, or any of the other stereotypical 'bad drivers' you hear everyone else complaining about. It's lane jumpers.

[novicius]

Still have that Gixxer 750? How many miles you up to now?

[Freude am Fahren]

Yeah, lane jumpers worry me too, but I rarely am in situations involving a difference in speed greater than 15-20mph (still enough to do damage). I worry more about cars pulling out from the right, or turning left in front of me.

But when I am in those situations, I keep the wheel of the cars I'm passing just in the side of my vision, so I hopefully can see someone steer before they move over. I also stay in a higher gear than normal, to make myself a bit more noticeable.

[Drachen596]

So.. anyone seen weird things with insurance?

I was getting quotes on a few random bikes that I like(using current brand new model years) Triumph Speed Triple R is 200 dollars a month less for the same coverage than a Yamaha FZ07 with ABS. Deductible of 500 on both with 100/300. Both quotes are Geico as well.

The ONLY other difference between them besides make/engine size is the Triumph comes with a built in immobilizer and coded key.


How does that make ANY sense?

Edit - Just remembered the new model Speed has Traction Control as well.

[Dicknose]

Immobiliser is a huge plus for insurance.

[TheBenior]

In general, Japanese bikes get stolen far more than European bikes.

Also, I would get quotes from other companies. Different insurance companies may classify the same bikes into different categories. Some companies group the Street Triple with sport bikes, while others place it in the lower-risk standard group. Geico gave me by far the highest quotes, and other friends have reported similar findings.

[Drachen596]

When i've checked Progressive they've been pretty massively higher than Geico no matter what the bike.

Btw SPEED Triple. the 1050cc one not the 675 or 765 one. Hence my surprise at the big price difference.


I assume Japanese bikes being more common means stolen more often. Though there's a youtuber who is seemingly wanting to wreck any Daytona 675 he can get his hands on. This time he was in the wrong lane and had a head on with a Porsche.

[Freude am Fahren]

Oh man, I saw that. He went freaking stratospheric.

(Picture mid-flight below. No gore or anything, allegedly, he was banged up, but a broken arm is the worst injury.)
https://i.imgur.com/IkRGoYGl.jpg

And of course he's a meme now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYmqZBDk_eI&ab_channel=D1RTYBACON

[Godson]

Yeah. My insurance quote for my tuono from progressive was 120/mo. Country financial was 35/mo. Same coverages.

Buddy did a track day yesterday for the first time and I came out to watch. Liter bikes really are too much for pretty much any track.

Fuck it was good to see bikes run corners hard.

[novicius]

Russ: crazy! :lol:

Tyler: yeah they really should take those bikes to Mexico. ;)

[Drachen596]

Thats the dudes second accident totalling a Daytona in roughly 12 months. Last one he hit a rock and injured his neck.

Swore off street riding then a month after bought an fz09.

[Freude am Fahren]

By the way, if you guys don't watch 44Teeth on Youtube, you should. It's a collaboration between motovlogger Baron von Grumble and Racer Alastair Fagan (BSB, IOM, etc). They're funny (in a juvenile way), but also give good feedback on the bikes they review. And there a lot of gopro stuff, instead of just the sanitized magazine stuff.

Here's their latest, '17 GSX-R 1000R vs. '17 S1000RR


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaXs0VOcztI&ab_channel=44Teeth

[Kchrpm]

http://lanesplitter.jalopnik.com/2017-ducati-supersport-classic-ducati-without-the-pain-1794436087

https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--lbYkUEC7--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_1600/eobo6nqlb9ujlmbawp9j.jpg


If you want a sexy motorcycle that can handle a passenger and everyday life—yet still make you excited to go for a blast through the canyons, this is it. Just make sure to throw a nice exhaust on it.

[Drachen596]

I think my favorite part of the that motorcycle model is how lacking it is in graphics. In fact the one that stands out most in that photo is the tire makers logo.

[novicius]

If you want a sexy motorcycle that can handle a passenger
There's about as much real estate there as there is on the back of the Daytona. :lol: #snort

Also Ducati continues their peevish habit of using the "SuperSport" name on a non-supersport bike. :down:

[Kchrpm]

What is a supersport bike? Is it a superbike? I only know Ducati nomenclature so I assumed "softer than a superbike" was what supersport meant.

[novicius]

Honda CBR600RR, Ninja ZX-6R, Yamaha R6, Suzuki GSX-600R, all the absolute top performing 600cc middleweight bikes are considered "supersports".

My Triumph Daytona 675 is also a supersport tho' it wasn't originally designed for racing competition much like Kawasaki's ZX-6R (which is 636cc displacement and originally was its own bike alongside the Ninja ZX-6).

But Ducati has used the term for their race-ish retro throwback frame and now this "supersport commuter". #shrug

[Freude am Fahren]

Yeah, comes from the race classes, SuperSport being 600cc I4's, SuperBike being 1000cc. Then there are formulas to allow for non-4cylinder bikes, so you have Ducati at 1199cc's, and Triumph at 675. (I don't think the 1299 can race in SB).

Then there's the Middleweights that don't really fit in either class like the GSX-R 750, Ducati 959, MV F3 (800cc I think).

[Blerpa]

Ducati has been regularly producing SuperSport models since 1972... so Superbike nomenclature can get stuffed, honestly. (Look, I did defend Ducati... mark the day on a calendar, there it is something you do not see often).

[Godson]

Blerpa is right. The supersport has been made for a very long time. The racing class is younger.

[Rare White Ape]

I don't care what they name it. It's still uglier than a fat bitch's titties.

[speedpimp]

So is this where I post a pic of my Ducati 1199 Panigale?

[Blerpa]

I don't care what they name it. It's still uglier than a fat bitch's titties.

Like all Ducati aside from the Scrambler and the MH900.

[Godson]

You shut your whore mouth.

The Streetfighters are gorgeous.

[neanderthal]

Another mega close shave today.

I5 south, lane splitting between the carpool and #1 lanes. At this juncture there is about a yard between the two lanes; it's a de facto motorcycle lane. I'm flashing my high beam (as I always do when lane splitting) and this twunt tries to change lanes from the still moving carpool lane to the not really moving #1 lane. Some dolt has left space in front of them (on their phone no doubt!) and now our twunt has decided to decamp from the carpool lane. I'm literally at his back bumper when my spidey senses go DEFCON sixtyleventytwelve. I sense/ see his furtive glance in the mirror and the wheel turn, swerve into the space he's aiming for, and blast the horn just as he starts his move. There are two parallel sets of yello lines AND a white line he was trying to cross. Fucker!

Nothing like a sharp jolt of adrenaline to rouse you in the morning.

Douchebag skulked back into his lane.

[Freude am Fahren]

I was going to say while reading that I thought carpool lanes there were like superdivided by a bunch of yellow lines, until you mentioned it. I don't know why they don't put up barriers. We have stupid poles here for our express lanes (anyone can drive in them, but they're tolled). People just drive over/through the polls when they decide they want to get in or out at the wrong spot.

[neanderthal]

I just learned the trick about inserting the foam ear plugs; use the opposite side hand over your head to pull your ear up and back. Blessed relief from the incessant wind noise whistling through my helmet and shrieking like a banshee outside it. I actually rode a completely unnecessary 150 odd miles the last two days just to enjoy the relative silence.

20XXX trouble free miles so far. Awaiting the return of the maternal unit from England to deliver me an OEM fog light switch so I can mount my combination fog/ spot light. Honda USA had fog lights as an option and pulled it off our NA market for some reason, but i'm not paying their bend over and take it prices for accessories. $80 for a 12v outlet? Then you have to pay $35 for the little wire to connect it too? :finger: Getthefuckoutahere! I like the integration the OEM switch will give me though. I'll pay 18 pounds for that.

[Freude am Fahren]

Yeah, I learned that lesson when I was staying with my mom for a few months between jobs. She snores like a snowblower. I had to buy some ear plugs, and I guess I have some oddly shaped earholes.

My system is squeeze them down to as small a tip as you can, then put the opposite hand around the back of your head and pull down and back on your earlobe while looking slightly up. Then gently lick the tip and insert quick before it expands. Let go of earlobe, but keep holding the plug in while it expands until you don't hear/feel it expanding any more.

That said, I usually end up wearing earbuds, which aren't as effective at keeping out the wind/exhaust, but I like to listen to music while I ride. I've tried the Plugphones, but couldn't get them in my ear properly.

[Godson]

Big ear

/Discussion

[Rare White Ape]

I've already lost a bit of hearing and I know it, so I only really plug up if the ride is a long trip of over an hour at constant speed. Any varying speed twisty roads neither deserve or require any ear protection. It means I get to hear the lovely sounds coming out of the engine a lot better, and it's the continuous sounds that do the damage anyway.

[TheBenior]

I get an annoying whistling through my Shoei GT-Air at anything above 40 mph, so I pretty much plug my ears all the time since it's rare that I don't get on the highway on any given ride and suburban streets by me tend to move at 40 mph or higher. Also, I live in Chicago, so there are no twisty roads.

My old Nolan N85 was probably louder, but the tone was different, so I'd only use plugs on the highway.

I probably lost some hearing during my years of working as a projectionist and possibly from shooting in indoor ranges before I started double muffing, so I'd like to keep things from getting even worse.

[novicius]

Ear plugs every time, all the time.

[Freude am Fahren]

Yeah, My Shoei RF-1200 whistles too. Funny, part of the reason I bought it was because of how quite it was supposed to be.

Probably at least partly due to my pencil neck. Putting my hand in a choking position right up against the base of my helmet makes all the noise go away. A scarf or balaclava would work well, but you know, Florida.

I tried on an AGV Corsa once and thought I couldn't get it on all the way because the base is so high up on the neck/head. Though I think it would be quieter because of that.

[Rare White Ape]

Any helmet with those caps on each side over the visor pivot will be louder than those without them.

[neanderthal]

Ear plugs every time, all the time.

This. I had a faint ringing in my ears that was getting worse, early signs of tinnitus i guess. I can already, 1 week into this ear plug thing, tell it's getting better.

Having come back from a lovely 500 mile saunter on Thursday I appreciated the ear plugs muchly.

Yes, this is how one accumulates 20k on the bike in less than a year; random trips to nowhere in particular just to enjoy the bike.

[neanderthal]

Any helmet with those caps on each side over the visor pivot will be louder than those without them.

Oh? Really? What's the solution; tape them up?

[neanderthal]

Yeah, My Shoei RF-1200 whistles too. Funny, part of the reason I bought it was because of how quite it was supposed to be.

Probably at least partly due to my pencil neck. Putting my hand in a choking position right up against the base of my helmet makes all the noise go away. A scarf or balaclava would work well, but you know, Florida.

I tried on an AGV Corsa once and thought I couldn't get it on all the way because the base is so high up on the neck/head. Though I think it would be quieter because of that.

Does it have a chin curtain?

[Freude am Fahren]

Yeah. And no caps on the visor pivot.

[Rare White Ape]

Oh? Really? What's the solution; tape them up?

Earplugs.

[neanderthal]

Earplugs.

Touche.

Did 500 miles or so into Monterey County on Thursday, just to take a picture. There's a game of moto tag on an motorcycle forum i'm on. Got beat to the tag though. I might go up Angeles Crest highway to get the new tag on Monday. Or not. Monday is a holiday of course.
Today I rode to Big Bear and around Lake Arrowhead. Thursday i'm thinking of going to Lake Tahoe as a practise run for an IronButt. With the earplugs i'm not getting as fatigued as I used to. Comfort has increased dramatically.

Could well be on 24XXX miles by the end of next week. I just did the 16000 mile service in March I think.

Loving the big red bushpig.

[TheBenior]

Could well be on 24XXX miles by the end of next week. I just did the 16000 mile service in March I think.

Loving the big red bushpig.
Man, I don't know if I do anywhere near that kind of annual mileage across all 3 of my vehicles combined. :lol:

[neanderthal]

Man, I don't know if I do anywhere near that kind of annual mileage across all 3 of my vehicles combined. :lol:

Most of the miles are my 30 mile (round trip) commute which is almost always on the bike. 30 miles *5 days a week *4 weeks a month= ~600 miles a month just on the commute. Add 500 miles here and there just going places, the occasional 1000 mile round trip to Phoenix (twice; neither was fun but the one when I left right after 8 hours at work was absolutely brutal.) But I also coach rugby which entails going to practise twice a week, games as far away as San Luis Obispo, Vegas and San Diego and suddenly you're at 22000 miles 11 months into your bikes stewardship.

I've also stopped wasting time on the internet and watching netflix/ Amazon/ tv as much since getting it. Win/ Win?

[TheBenior]

My commute is also 30 miles round trip, and I'm working 5-6 days a week with extra shifts and court here and there. I try to commute on the bike, but sometimes I've got too much stuff to haul back and forth for the extra shifts in places where my locker isn't.

However, leisure rides and drives have mostly disappeared now that I've got my daughter. I did around an extra 1,000 miles in 2015 vs 2016 just riding out to the suburbs to meet a buddy, then riding around the exurbs a handful of times. Heck, and that was with a 700 mile round trip to Louisville padding the 2016 mileage. Our weather hasn't really cooperated this spring either. We've had one of the coldest, rainiest springs in decades.

[Godson]

I averaged 9k miles a year between mid March and mid November. Numbers aren't crazy when the weather is cooperating nearly year round.

[neanderthal]

I'll try to get a ride in for both of you this weekend then. ;)

[neanderthal]

North Hills, via the E210 to the I15N and from there the 395 to South Lake Tahoe.

50 to the 80 to the 680 to Dublin. For those of you paying attention, that's the second "world city" i've been to on my "around the world in the USA tour" after Johnnesburg California, which I paradoxically rode through today on the 395. 680 to the 101 and back home.

1100 miles. Just under 20 hours. Qualifies for am IronButt award but I may not bother. I took too many unplanned and unnecessary stops. If you stop for pictures it must be a brief stop. Maximise your stops by getting gas, food, ablutions, change of clothing etc in one stop. "I'll put on my windbreaker when I get cold" means you're going to waste time when you stop.


Some tips;
Ear plugs are a must.
Compression socks are a must. Probably bike shorts too.
GPS should be mounted to your bars/ easily accessible and not prone to losing its charge like my phone.
Bluetooth would be killa. I listened to the muted roar of windnoise for the whole trip.
Cruise Control or some kind of throttle lock are a must.
Leave super early in the morning so that when you have breakfast at breakfast time you've already put in 200 miles.

What's the one thing that is not a must? Doing it.

[neanderthal]

Bike is due for the 24k service in about 300 miles now I think.

[Rare White Ape]

Bluetooth on the 'bars?

Pfffffft. I scoff politely at that.

My preferred method is to commit a complex and winding route to my memory then stop at every fork in the road to check my phone in case I'm about to end up lost.

And if you're lost you get to do more riding.

[neanderthal]

Bluetooth on the 'bars?

Pfffffft. I scoff politely at that.

My preferred method is to commit a complex and winding route to my memory then stop at every fork in the road to check my phone in case I'm about to end up lost.

And if you're lost you get to do more riding.

That's pretty much how i did it which is why my phone ended up dead. Which is most of why it took so long. I stopped to charge the battery at my 2nd stop (it was down to 66% with maps not even running!) and ended up stopping to check for direction too much.

[Dicknose]

That many miles in that time sounds terrible.
Are these fun roads or is this mostly highway?

I think I did about 200 miles today and took many hours to do it. Some of the best roads and views. Some high speed sweepers, tight hairpins (back to back 270s), tunnels, cliff faces, more turns.
Cruise control? It's a means to an end but best avoided by picking better roads.

[TheBenior]

Cruise control? It's a means to an end but best avoided by picking better roads.

I would've liked it while riding to from Chicago to Louisville, 3/4ths of which is going through NE IL and northern and central IN, which have no good roads.

[novicius]

Victory Empulse TT - $6800 (Madison) (https://madison.craigslist.org/mcy/6196208114.html)

https://images.craigslist.org/00E0E_5InbNJjNHdn_600x450.jpg

(Heh, the MSRP on these bikes new was like $26K!! :lol: Still listed at $20K on the Victory website for however long that's up. (http://www.victorymotorcycles.com/en-us/electric/empulse-tt-titanium-silver-havasu-red))

::

Idly poking around for info on what's to become of Victory Empulse TT and found this greenthumb wish-piece clickbait:

Is end of Victory Motorcycles the end of Empulse electric bike too? (http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1108352_end-of-victory-motorcycles-is-end-of-empulse-electric-bike-too)


Despite Victory going belly-up, electric motorcycle options in the U.S. have expanded during the past year. Zero Motorcycles continues to offer a solid lineup, and both Alta Motors and Energica Motorcycles are now making deliveries. However, Victory's death may not necessarily mean the end of the road for the Empulse electric motorcycle.

Steve Menneto, the Polaris VP of Motorcycles, told Motorcycle.com in an interview, “We’re going to continue the electric part of the business."

“Future products and markets will develop, both on-road and off-road," he said. "What will change are those efforts will transfer over time to Indian in the two-wheel space and Slingshot in the three-wheel space.”

Pressed to say that we will see an Indian powered by an electric motor, he responded, “I think that’s a fair assessment.”

It doesn't sound like we'll see an electric Indian motorcycle this year, but there may be one in the near future. With Harley Davidson committed to a 2020 deadline to come up with its own electric motorcycle, perhaps Indian will produce one first.
So there will be an Electric Indian hooligan coming soon? Or an Electric Scout maybe -- probably most likely since the design has gotten rave reviews.


EDIT: Duh, should'a just typed in "Indian electric motorcycle" into Google the first time -- Electric Indian: Famed motorcycle brand to get an E-Bike (http://www.autoblog.com/2017/03/02/electric-indian-famed-motorcycle-victory-polaris/)


And as electric vehicle development has taken leaps in the past two years, it might be a good moment for this. According to Reuters, the new bike would have a range of 120 to 140 miles, a vast improvement over the 75-mile range of the Empulse bike (shown above) that Victory used to build. And it's not reached by nannying the bike, as the 120- to 140-mile claim is said to be attainable when "ridden aggressively."

"The characteristics of the new powertrain are going to be more applicable to be able to ride a bike in pleasure and twisties, and kind of how you would use pleasure bikes today," says Steve Menneto of Polaris' motorcycle division.
:cool:

[Drachen596]

They had been selling the Empluse for half price per the deal page on the site after the closing announcement.


Also... I think Zero has always outsold the Empluse whether Brammo or Victory badged.

[Godson]

Current rumors are the new Ducati V4 is going to be a "big-bang" design, meaning two cylinders fire at the same time, I'm willing to bet it is going to batch fire horizontal cylinders then the Vertical. Think of it like a Twin V4. It should be pretty sweet.

[novicius]

They had been selling the Empluse for half price per the deal page on the site after the closing announcement.

Also... I think Zero has always outsold the Empluse whether Brammo or Victory badged.
Absolutely -- just thought it was funny that at some point Polaris slapped a $20K+ MSRP on the bike. :smh: I'm not implying that Polaris changed the MSRP at all, just that the opening price was steep regardless.

For my riding style, a used Empulse TT's 75-mile range is plenty. At 100-miles the wife & I are ready to be *done*. That is a tidy bit of riding -- so going out somewhere for 40 miles, stopping for lunch and charge, and then riding back 40 miles, that's perfectly fine along with puttering around town in the evenings.

[Drachen596]

I dont think Victory changed the price to be honest.

I don't think Electrics will be going anywhere except higher in sales. Alta is starting to ship their Red Shift, Yamaha is announcing new electric rides and KTM has their E-version of the Freeride, BMWs working on them.

Edit - I still want an Electric bike though. Perfect commuter for me. 12 miles round trip.

[Freude am Fahren]

Another great reason they're good for commuting is you won't be sweating your ass off in traffic (any more than weather permits anyway). Even in nice weather, if you have to sit on a hot bike in traffic, it makes it pretty miserable. Getting hot and sweaty is no problem when you're out having fun, but on the way to work it sucks.

I'm assuming they don't radiate much heat. They must get warm, but not like an engine, and certainly not when sitting still.

[novicius]

YouTube reviews of the Victory Empulse TT say there's no heat. :up:

As a parent, I just do not have the free time to go on many day-long jaunts like I did when I was single. So a "short" two-hour ride through some picturesque Wisconsin countryside is fine (https://goo.gl/maps/CXhnHwZgiB82).

Hell, to ride 90 miles with my wife is a solid six-hour-day these days:


30 minutes to pack-up/drive/drop off my child with the grandparents and back home
2 hours there including the wait for the ferry
1 hour to have a nice lunch (ostensibly charging some future e-moto as well)
2 hours back including the wait for the ferry
30 minutes to pick-up/drive back my child from the grandparents and back home

It's a rare weekend that I can get the grandparents to watch my boy for six hours. Fuck you single guys, this range is plenty! :finger: :lol: ;)

[neanderthal]

So, about a month ago, my brother crashed my bike. Single vehicle accident. some headlight damage and damage to the fairings, windshield, dashboard and so on. I took it to my Honda dealer because the adjuster came, took some pics, walked around, took a short video and fucked off. No questions or anything.

Just got a call from the dealer; $157XX for repairs. A new Africa Twin is $13800.

Watch the insurance choose to repair it...

[Blerpa]

Meaning they are rather going to buy you a new one? (And what the fuck, 15k dollars of repairs???)

[neanderthal]

Meaning they are rather going to buy you a new one? (And what the fuck, 15k dollars of repairs???)

They seem to be dragging their feet more than anything.

There's the obvious damage mentioned above, plus damage to a part of the frame that holds the headlight and fairings up, a scuffed swing arm, forks look ok but are borked, same with the triple tree, risers, handlebars, and so on. Adds up quick.


It doesn't look that bad to me; it looks like mostly damage to fairings headlight, dash etc area, but i'm no expert. The insurance adjuster says the estimate came in "a little higher" than his own estimate, which makes me wonder why he didn't just write it off when he evaluated it.

If they write it off and their valuation for a one year old Africa Twin is too low, i'm just going to suggest to them they fix it.

[TheBenior]

FWIU, with damn near any frame damage, insurance companies don't want to take on the liability of fixing frames. So even if Honda sells replacement frames, the cost of the frame plus taking removing the good parts from the old bike and putting everything on the new frame generally exceeds the total threshold on anything other than very new, very expensive bikes.

[Rare White Ape]

Yeah, in Australia any frame or swingarm damage generally leads to instant write-off. Good thing it was insured then!

Sometimes even just fairing damage on two sides can be a write-off. So if you see a sportsbike getting around in streetfighter guize it's usually because the dumbarse owner was too tight to insure the bike and can't afford to fix the fairings after they dropped it.

[neanderthal]

They were supposed to get back to me today but haven't, confirming a nascent thought lingering in my mind that they are trying to find a way of getting out of this or lowballing me. It's not that hard to send an email or make a call that basically says "we're going to replace your bike." It, literally, would take a minute.

[Drachen596]

First year of the model. Probably cant figure out how it would depreciate so they can pay you that instead of new bike price.

[TheBenior]

First year of the model. Probably cant figure out how it would depreciate so they can pay you that instead of new bike price.
Particularly with the considerably higher-than-average miles that he's already done. I doubt that there are many data points for that.

[Rare White Ape]

At this point I'd put it within the reasonable timeframe for the insurance company to do anything. If it blows out towards 7 or 8 weeks then I'd start wondering. But feel free to keep in touch with them anyway; insurance company machinations are a crazy thing sometimes, plus someone has to sign off on over $10K worth of replacement.

[pl8ster]

So, uh, my son bought a 1975 Kawasaki KZ400 and passed his basic rider course over the weekend (including the skills test which precludes the need for a separate road test). Just need to get the insurance sorted, visit the BMV (it's a Bureau here in Maine) and then town hall to get a shiny new Antique Motorcycle plate to bolt on the back.

Now I want a motorcycle even more...but most of my money will be going to Ohio for the next four years, Oberlin to be exact.

[neanderthal]

They came back with a decent offer; $13000 minus my $1k deductible, so $12k.

A new Africa Twin is $13900 so $157XX or so with tax, rego and errthang. I said i'd think about it because I wanted to make sure that if I take their offer and make similar payments, that i'd be at about the same place in a years time. And it seems I will.

Any final thoughts on negotiating a better settlement from anyone? I'll even read billis comments here.

[TheBenior]

That value seems pretty good, so the small data pool may be working in your favor. The cheapest used 2016 AT DCT I saw with mileage listed on Cycletrader was a 2016 with 3253 miles on it for $11,999. It's in a nearby Chicago suburb where low mileage isn't unusual, but again, limited data pool.

[Freude am Fahren]

So what's your options? Either they take the bike and give you $12k, or you have them fix it?

[neanderthal]

So what's your options? Either they take the bike and give you $12k, or you have them fix it?

Yeah pretty much. But fixed, it'll have a new frame with a salvage title.

I'm taking the settlement.

[Godson]

I always recommend taking the deal

A salvaged bike is a bitch to get rid of.

[Freude am Fahren]

I agree.

[neanderthal]

That value seems pretty good, so the small data pool may be working in your favor. The cheapest used 2016 AT DCT I saw with mileage listed on Cycletrader was a 2016 with 3253 miles on it for $11,999. It's in a nearby Chicago suburb where low mileage isn't unusual, but again, limited data pool.

A dude who was leaving the country had one for $9k a week ago. 2000 miles on it. I emailed him but it was gone already.

I have found a new one in Wisconsin, a 2016, for $118xx. I might do that and do a fly and drive.

I really, *really,* REALLY, R E A L L Y like the red, white, and blue colorway for 2017, but I like saving $3000 more. And the bike is fundamentally the same.

[Kchrpm]

https://www.engadget.com/2017/07/27/nuviz-headsup-display/

https://s.blogcdn.com/slideshows/images/slides/682/284/8/S6822848/slug/l/0727-nuviz-5936-1.jpg

[neanderthal]

Nationwide Insurance Company of America has reviewed all the available information regarding your claim for damages to your 2016 HONDA AFRICA TWIN DIGITAL. We have determined that your vehicle is a total loss. A vehicle is deemed a total loss if it is not economical to repair the vehicle.
In these circumstances, it is our responsibility to pay you the cost of a comparable vehicle, less your deductible.The amount shall also include all applicable taxes and required DMV fees. What you can expect We have determined the actual cash value for your vehicle based upon the current market. The breakdown of our settlement payment is as follows:
CCC Analysis Value Report #: XXXXXXXX

The total loss settlement amount of your claim is:
Actual Cash Value: $12,089.61
Sales Tax: $1,118.29
Prorated License Fees and other annual fees (VLF): $161.00
DMV Transfer Fees: $15.00
Salvage Certificate (if applicable): $N/A
Less Salvage (if applicable): $N/A
Less Sales Tax [SALES TAX]% $N/A
Less Deductible (if applicable): $1,000.00
Other Deductions: $N/A
Net Total Loss Settlement to Vehicle Owner: $12,383.90

I will be retaining the loss vehicle This settlement offer is based upon you retaining the loss vehicle. Please know that if you retain the loss vehicle, notice of the salvage retention must be provided to the Department of Motor Vehicles which may affect the loss vehicle's future resale and/or insured value. Pursuant to Vehicle Code Section 11515(b), you must forward a properly endorsed Certificate of Ownership or other evidence of ownership to the Department of Motor Vehicles, along with the license plates and a $20.00 fee to the Department within ten days from the settlement of the loss. The Department will then issue a Salvage Certificate for the vehicle. You also have the right to seek a refund of the unused license fees from the Department of Motor Vehicles.

I will not be retaining the loss vehicle If you decide not to retain the vehicle, the salvage value, applicable related sales tax and salvage certificate will be added to the settlement offer for a total payment of $__________. The enclosed DMV forms and title must be signed and returned to me to allow transfer of ownership and complete your claim. My mailing address is ______________, ________________.Please advise as soon as practicable whether you wish to retain the loss vehicle or wish for Nationwide Insurance Company of America to retain the loss vehicle so that we can complete your claim and issue payment.

As a result of our settlement offer, please be advised that the company will discontinue paying for your rental car on: N/A Please be advised that if you are unable to locate a comparable vehicle for the amount of the settlement offer within 35 days from the receipt of the cash settlement for your damaged vehicle we will reopen your claim. If you wish to request that the file be reopened, please notify me by fax at XXX XXX-XXXX or by mail at the above address. Please address all faxes and mail to my attention, XXXX XXXXXX and refer to our claim number XXXXX-XX. Help when you need it If you have any questions or concerns about this claim, please feel free to contact me at the number listed below.

Sincerely,
[Edited]
Enclosures: CCC ValuescopeValuation Breakdown

For your protection, California law requires the following to appear on this form. Any person who knowingly presents a false or fraudulent claim for the payment of a loss is guilty of a crime and may be subject to fines and confinement in state prison.

I got this in my email.

Is it me or does it imply that i'm keeping my bike and they are sending me a cheque, and that if I don't keep the bike they are going to send me a bigger cheque.

[Random]

That's how it reads to me.

[dodint]

Yes, if you fill out the requisite forms you will get the $12,383.90 and the salvage value plus the sales tax and salvage certificate cost given to you. That said, they have not listed a salvage value, and listed "N/A" for the other items. So that extra value is a crapshoot for you at this time. Everything on that letter presumes you're keeping the bike, so they don't have to give you those values right now. Maybe if you ask. Also, when they say 'sales tax' they mean the salvage sales tax, not the $1K+ quoted earlier, that's a different line item.

I would wash my hands of it and let them keep the bike and pocket that extra rather than fuss with trying to sell the heap yourself.

[Freude am Fahren]

That's odd. Maybe they just have no data to figure out a value of the salvage?

[neanderthal]

Reason why i posted it is because I understood they were writing it off completely and giving me a cheque (look at the sum!) for a comparable bike. It seems like they are. I also thought they'd take possession of the thing.
But it seems like they also want to give me the salvage value for doing so. A one year old AT I guess is going to $1-2k in written off condition.

[neanderthal]

Question is, do i tell them "I think you've made a mistake" or do i say "whatcha do with my bike?" when they take it.

I've already authorised release for it to the salvage dept or whatever it's called.

[M4FFU]

XJR is being sold. It's just too not-sporty for my needs, despite it ozzing comfort.
I have started doing a deal on an '07 Tuono R.
Fun times will begin again.

[novicius]

:lol:

You should post a few pics of these rides before you flip 'em. ;)

[Godson]

Just get the V4. You will thank me later

[Dicknose]

https://www.engadget.com/2017/07/27/nuviz-headsup-display/

Saw this a little while back, nice idea but expensive and as someone who runs a couple of helmets I wonder of its value to me. Hmm maybe fit it to my touring helmet!
I do like the concept and hope that it takes off.

[Tom Servo]

I know nothing of motorcycles, and have no idea if this is even a good one, but I see it in my work parking lot next to the bike rack and keep thinking I want to get one and ride it up to Alaska.

http://i.imgur.com/ac58Pae.jpg

Bonus shot of our now one-car household boring silver RAV4 in the background there.

[Freude am Fahren]

I hear you can get one of those for a steal. May have some minor damage ;)

They do look really good in that colorway.

[M4FFU]

Brap!

https://thumb.ibb.co/dW712F/IMG_20170806_130105.jpg (https://ibb.co/dW712F)

It's everything I want, and some more as well. And it sounds like Thunder. Really PO'd Thunder.

Lush.

[Godson]

High revving twins FTMFW

[XHawkeye]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DHA1Jj8UIAA8aE0.jpg

https://twitter.com/Silodrome/status/896274771800858624

[neanderthal]

I hear you can get one of those for a steal. May have some minor damage ;)

They do look really good in that colorway.

Ha ha. Bra fucking vo. :lol::lol::lol::cool::toast:

I don't have it any more though.

[neanderthal]

I know nothing of motorcycles, and have no idea if this is even a good one, but I see it in my work parking lot next to the bike rack and keep thinking I want to get one and ride it up to Alaska.

http://i.imgur.com/ac58Pae.jpg

Bonus shot of our now one-car household boring silver RAV4 in the background there.

I'm hoping to get that exact colorway (was unavailable last year!) in the next couple of weeks. I am STILL waiting for my insurance money to come in from my red, black, and white one.

My brother wants to ride to Alaska next year. So i might meet you on that trip...

[TheBenior]

My brother wants to ride to Alaska next year. So i might meet you on that trip...

Ah, what 90% of ADV buyers plan to do, and what 2% actually do instead of just using them like upright sport-tourers. ;)

[Rare White Ape]

I've done almost the equivalent on a sportsbike (although a lot warmer) so in my opinion picking a bike of a certain shape to do a specific task is a wee bit funny. About the only concession I'd make is for comfort because I know how fucked it is to ride a GSX-R over long distances for two weeks. And to me something like a Tuono or a Streetfighter is just a fine and dandy concession.

I had a massive giggle one afternoon riding near Lake Eildon in Victoria. It seemed like a million hours had passed since I rode off the Philip Island bridge and headed north towards NSW and I wanted to curl up and die. But me and my buddies encountered a fleet of about 30 Triumph Tiger and BMW GS riders, all kitted out with crash bars, expensive luggage containers, GPS displays, intercoms, cameras, tall screens, heated grips, plush seat covers, etc. They were all wearing the top-of-the-line BMW or Dainese off road gear with flip-up chin bar helmets and those backpacks with drinks bladders built into them. You know the look - pure Charlie and Ewan poseur shite.

Almost 80% of them were standing on the pegs. At least they seemed comfortable.

[neanderthal]

Ah, what 90% of ADV buyers plan to do, and what 2% actually do instead of just using them like upright sport-tourers. ;)

Man I ain't going out there, camping in the woods with animals and snakes and bears and shit. Trying to be Bear Gryllis or Tarzan on two wheels or some such. That's white folks activities.

I grew up in Africa man. I don't fuck with no wild animals. They trying to kill you but know you're smarter than they are so they keeping their distance. Except bears. Bears ain't got no fucks to give. Especially the giant Alaskan Grizzlies. There's houses smaller than some of those things.

Besides, it's a good thing my brother is thinking hotels all the way. ;)

i'm actually down to camp. :lol:

[neanderthal]

I've done almost the equivalent on a sportsbike (although a lot warmer) so in my opinion picking a bike of a certain shape to do a specific task is a wee bit funny. About the only concession I'd make is for comfort because I know how fucked it is to ride a GSX-R over long distances for two weeks. And to me something like a Tuono or a Streetfighter is just a fine and dandy concession.

I had a massive giggle one afternoon riding near Lake Eildon in Victoria. It seemed like a million hours had passed since I rode off the Philip Island bridge and headed north towards NSW and I wanted to curl up and die. But me and my buddies encountered a fleet of about 30 Triumph Tiger and BMW GS riders, all kitted out with crash bars, expensive luggage containers, GPS displays, intercoms, cameras, tall screens, heated grips, plush seat covers, etc. They were all wearing the top-of-the-line BMW or Dainese off road gear with flip-up chin bar helmets and those backpacks with drinks bladders built into them. You know the look - pure Charlie and Ewan poseur shite.

Almost 80% of them were standing on the pegs. At least they seemed comfortable.

A horde of astronauts. Did you take a picture? Were they friendly? Did they talk about aliens? :D

Truth be told I don't know that there is a more comfortable bike than an ADV bike for mega long distances. You're sitting upright, your feet are under you so you can stand for long distances, you've got wind protection of a sort, decent power. Sure you can get there quicker but even sport tourers got you leaning forward just a bit.
And if there's a dirt road, nothing stopping you going down and seeing what's at the end.

They're literally the compact SUVs of the segment; popular and do everything inoffensively. i mostly commuted on mine.

[Rare White Ape]

Dirt roads don't stop sportsbikes either! I did about 50km of the stuff on the way from Braidwood to Cooma. Admittedly it wasn't very gnarly, the last half was freshly graded and very fast. And in the case of the Bonang Rd into Victoria, a road so remote that someone has made a point of marking the location of a phone booth (https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-37.1878406,148.6955244,14598m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en), it has a few good km of rough dirt at each end, which tends to scare away the all but the most dedicated weekend warriors, which means that you can expect that there will be very few slow wobblers or police to impede your proceedings.

[Dicknose]

I love the braidwood to cooma road, done it a couple of times on the fireblade, once when i took a mate for the first time and it rained!
Might have to take the Boxster on it, it's been a few years.
Damn I need to drag the Ducati out for a bit of a trip.

[Rare White Ape]

It's a beautiful country out that way. I'd say that the bottom half of the east coast has better roads than the top half, especially in the alpine areas. My all-too-brief forays into those parts have all been breathtaking.

[novicius]

At the tender age of Fat-&-Forty I did a 2,000 mile stint over four days on the Daytona. :hard:

Nothing but posing in front of coffee shops and cigar bars since then. :cool:

[neanderthal]

I finally got my insurance check today. Two months after the accident. Really unhappy with the speed at which they do business.

I missed on two steals for the same bike while drumming my fingers waiting.

[neanderthal]

Local dealer, whom i encouraged to give me his best price over a month ago, still talmbout "I don't want to lose your business let me know when you're ready so that I can locate the bike you want and get some figures out to you."

I email Honda of Russelville (Arkansas) and a Honda dealer in Pennsylvania who have the same bike Swervo posted up there listed on their sites, but for about a $2k discount from the MSRP and they've both given me an OTD price that's less than the MSRP.

Why would I fuck with this guy who seems to not realise in 2017 you can find what you want quickly and cheaply almost instantly. Internet on my phone proves these bikes are out there, homie tryina tell me "there's only two red, white and blue DCTs in California." Um, ... there's three in the San Fernando/ Gabriel Valleys, more in LA, even more in the South Bay, Inland Empire, etc. Dafuq!!!!

These are the guys I bypassed last year to buy my bike in Indiana (Illinois?) because they kept tryina foist a silver one on me and I wanted a red, black, and white one.

Guess i'm going to Pennsylvania or Arkansas to get mine. And save close to $3k in the process. I think Cali dealers are spoiled because we ride all year, and those out north gotta move the metal as winter starts to show its head.

[Godson]

Hit up Arkansas, and run around through Eureka Springs area.

[Rare White Ape]

I think all bike dealers all over the world suffer from head-up-arse syndrome. Seems like making money is too hard for some of these fucks.

[TheBenior]

Guess i'm going to Pennsylvania or Arkansas to get mine. And save close to $3k in the process. I think Cali dealers are spoiled because we ride all year, and those out north gotta move the metal as winter starts to show its head.
That wouldn't surprise me. A big October markdown is what got me to buy my Ducati when I did. Dealers who finance their inventory (which is most of them, FWIU) are looking at eating interest on inventory they'll be unlikely to move for the next 4 months or more.

[neanderthal]

Got my name on a bike in Arkansas now. Went to Credit union to arrange my debt, but the back office people aren't there on weekends. So hopefully on Monday I can finish off the transaction. $9k down on a $14k (total) bike.


What is with salesmen not returning emails? Don't they earn commission? I emailed both Arkansas and Pennsylvania to get the VIN number of the vehicle and neither bothered to respond. I had to call the sales manager in Arkansas who pulled it up for me.

[neanderthal]

Went and did it. Got there late due to forgetting my drivers license and the rental car people refusing to rent me the car I booked. I had a picture of it, and I had my old license with me.

"We need the current physical license to be here in order to rent you the car."

Me; you understand that i'm 2000 miles away from home, I can't just zip back over to go get it.

I got to Dallas late from Arkansas, slept late, left late the next morning, got positively drenched in El Paso, slept in a buggy motel in the Arizona desert, had a heat exhaustion near incident near Palm Springs, and made it home tonight. I'm exhausted. And I don't think I am riding tomorrow...

[Godson]

:)

[TheBenior]

:up:

[neanderthal]

2300 miles. One week of ownership today. Just got the 800 mile service done today. My first day off since I got back and i've got to say I love the red, white, and blue colorway. There's a depth to the paint that wasn't on the red, white and black one. There's a flake in the white that only pops in direct light.

[XHawkeye]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DJH8vMyXUAEEr27.jpg

[neanderthal]

Three weeks in and nearly 6000 miles. It'll be 6k by end of the week. :eek:


Loving this one as much as the last one. Named "warthog" where the last red one was named "bushpig."

Both are African wild pig species. Named so because 534lbs. She's a porker. But she glides so nice.

[TheBenior]

Eh, the non DCT AT comes in at a pretty reasonable weight (511 lbs) for the class, and IMO, it's impressively light for something with that suspension and archaic/cheap steel cradle frame.

The BMW R1200GS/GSA is 538/580 lbs, the F800GS and Triumph Tiger XC are the lightweights at 478 and 481 lbs (F800GSA is 512lbs), respectively, the new KTM 1090 R is 507 lbs, and the Ducati Multistrada 950 is 505 lbs. The fatty of the class is the Yamaha Super Ténéré listed at 575, but weighs in even heavier in tests.

Without having ridden any of the similarly sized ADVs, I'd take the KTM 1090 to win an off-road race, the Multistrada 950 for an upright sport tourer, and the AT if I was going to actually ride across the country. The AT's price increase to $13,299 and the new smaller Ducati ($13,995) and KTM ($14,699) make the Honda considerably less of a deal than before given the power differences. The AT is making 94 hp, the Multi 113 hp, and the KTM a serious 125 hp.

[neanderthal]

The bigger BMW, KTM and Tenere are pack mules though. You want to overload those puppies, go wild. You upset the balance of the AT with large weight on the back. Steering geometry is designed to be quick hence the favorable reviews. The others have less quick/ more stable, steering angles; better stability.

It really is a wash. You have to decide exactly what you're looking for. All of them a decent to good touring bikes. KTM and AT more dirt focused but road capable, Super 10, big Ducati and BMW are road conquering beasts, eminently capable in the dirt.


The middleweight sector is really heating up though. BMW should be coming out with a new 800 soon. KTM has their parallel twin adv bike coming soon, paired with the Duke, and Yamaha has the T7 concept on the way. It should be significantly watered down from rally raid machine to adventure touring machine by then though.

[Random]

https://austin.craigslist.org/mcy/6269215457.html

Maybe trying a little hard, but amusing nonetheless.

[novicius]

Local dealer got a 2013 Triumph Speedmaster in Satin Black on trade.

I'm seriously considering going full Wild Hog and trading my '11 Daytona for it. :lol:

[Freude am Fahren]

The Superduke's been in the shop for a while now. I've barely ridden in months. It sprung an oil leak from the oil pump (?) cover right behind the filter, which I've seen a few posts about on the forums. Brought it in to the dealer I bought it from. Service guy says he's seen a few of these, so I'm feeling good. Calls me back right after the hurricane to say it's ready, which I thought was quick, especially taking into account the down time for Irma. He told me when I picked it up that the bolts were just loose. I should have said right then that I'm sure that's not it, but I didn't. Got it back home, and check the cover, and oil has already started to pool around it. So I had to bring it back again, and haven't gotten an update since (almost two weeks, I'll be calling tomorrow). I better get it back before the weather gets nice. It's in warranty still, but the uber rides back and forth will end up costing me nearly $100.

[novicius]

:(

One of my motorcycle buds is jonesin' hard for an SD. I'll be sure to NOT share your story with him. :lol:

[dodint]

I moved my motorcycle from one garage bay to the other on Saturday so I could get access to some wiring that was shorting in the ceiling. That's the extent of my riding over the last 2 months. :(

[Freude am Fahren]

:(

One of my motorcycle buds is jonesin' hard for an SD. I'll be sure to NOT share your story with him. :lol:

Other than the keyless ride, I don't think I've seen any issues with the 2.0 version.




Yet :p

[TheBenior]

Local dealer got a 2013 Triumph Speedmaster in Satin Black on trade.

I'm seriously considering going full Wild Hog and trading my '11 Daytona for it. :lol:

[Peruses used Speedmasters on Cycle Trader]: Man, these things drop like rocks in value.
[Peruses heavily discounted, new, unsold previous model year(s) Speedmasters on Cycle Trader]: Oh yeah, nobody paid anywhere near MSRP.

[novicius]

Yep they're basically giving them away.

I'm looking at trading 1:1 for an older sportbike with more miles -- that shit never happens! :lol:


EDIT: "My" Salesperson is off today so I'm going to be riding over tomorrow (Wednesday). They can then check out the D675 and I can test ride the Speedy. :up:

[novicius]

Speaking of which, the new 2018 Triumph Speedmaster has just broken cover (http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/triumph/2018-triumph-bonneville-speedmaster-revealed.html).

I mean I'm fine with the new Fonzie but it's a completely different bike than the one it replaces.

[Freude am Fahren]

That (let's call it a passenger handle...) is hideous.

[novicius]

The sissy bar? Optional.

That two-piece seat is seriously uggo tho'. :down:

[TheBenior]

Eh, if it's anything like the last Speedmaster/America line, there'll be a number of seat options.

[Rare White Ape]

Yeah, not up my alley at all.

But if I had spare cash (and already owned the 15 other bikes I’d like to have in my garage) I’d buy a Thruxton and that’s as close as I’d get to a Spoodmaster.

[neanderthal]

I moved my motorcycle from one garage bay to the other on Saturday so I could get access to some wiring that was shorting in the ceiling. That's the extent of my riding over the last 2 months. :(

Move to Cali dude.

I've managed 8500 miles on my new Africa Twin and it's been a month.

[dodint]

The weather has been great. Law school just has a way of ruining all aspects of ones life.

[Rare White Ape]

And once you become a lawyer you’ll ruin other people’s lives too :p

[novicius]

:lol: #sizzling


Trigger, pulled. (http://gtxforums.net/showthread.php?747-Novi-s-Proletariat-Garage&p=112282#post112282)

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=2629&stc=1

[Rare White Ape]

Noice :up:

[novicius]

Fanks! :D

That ground clearance makes it VERY nimble for a cruiser -- just pushing her a little tonight on some on/off ramps and so far she's leaning as far over as I asked. I daresay the pipes will scrape before the foot pegs! :lol:

[neanderthal]

Fanks! :D

That ground clearance makes it VERY nimble for a cruiser -- just pushing her a little tonight on some on/off ramps and so far she's leaning as far over as I asked. I daresay the pipes will scrape before the foot pegs! :lol:



:up:

Surprised myself leaning all the way over on a cloverleaf last week, scraped my boot on the road.

I'm sure the guy on the sportbike behind me was wondering what the guy on the tractor in front of him was trying to achieve. The Africa Twin will lean ALL the way over and stick, 21 inch front tire and all.

[Freude am Fahren]

Been two and a half weeks, so I called the dealer. The guy I left the bike with answered, said the cover and gasket were replaced, and it's been ready for two days, someone was supposed to call me. :mad: Now it will have to wait until Thursday before I'll have a chance to get it.

[TheBenior]

Yesterday I rode along with the local Ducati Desmo Owner's Club on a charity ride for the American Cancer Society's Real Men Wear Pink initiative. We had about 20 people, which was a decent turnout given the showers mixed with heavy rain. We don't only ride to Starbucks on perfect Sundays :P

Preparing the bike with a little pink and some pics of my mother-in-law who we lost to complications from breast cancer a few years ago:
26402641

At the final destination, La Macchina Cafe in Evanston, IL (http://lamacchinacafe.com/):
264226432644264526462647

Turns out there's a Tricolore at the end of the rainbow
2648

[novicius]

Sweeet. :up: :up: (:()

[Drachen596]

I feel like i have asked before but if i did i cant find it with the mobile versions search.

Anyone heard of, used or know anone who has bought from racersedge411.com?

I cant decide how bad an idea it is to buy from them.

[Godson]

https://ohioriders.net/index.php?/topic/107487-racersedge411com/

[Drachen596]

Thats pretty much what i was hoping they werent.

Prices seem good and i liked the idea of something modern with better parts availability but i guess they arent the place to go with.

[Godson]

I'll make you a hell of a deal on my monster...

[neanderthal]

10000 miles on the new Africa Twin. Since late August. :eek:

I love this bike.

I'm not accumulating the miles as much anymore since rugby season is upon us and I can no longer go on long rides too nowhere in particular since I have to be at practise at 6:00pm.

2681

[Rare White Ape]

Good stuff!

And that’s a good looking bike too.

[neanderthal]

Cheers. :up:

[neanderthal]

No comments on EICMA?

[Freude am Fahren]

V4 is cool, but styling is a bit disappointing. Looks a bit like the SS in front. That said, it's still great looking. But it's no 1299.

Seriously though the numbers are crazy.

Big engine Scrambler seems a bit counter-intuitive, but I guess it is just a cruiser at this point.

Anything else interesting come out of Milan other than Ducati yet?

[TheBenior]

KTM Duke 790 revealed along with a pretty close to production 790 Adventure R concept (http://rideapart.com/articles/ktm-790-duke-finally-arrives-790-adventure-r-teased).

http://cdn.rideapart.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/duke3-770x513.jpg

http://cdn.rideapart.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/adven1-770x513.jpg

Yamaha FZ-07 (along with the rest of the FZ line) gets renamed in accordance with the rest of the world as the MT-07, and restyled to look more like the MT-10 a year after the MT-09 did.

http://motorcycle.com.vsassets.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/110617-Yamaha-MT-07-4-633x388.jpg

The crazy Yamaha MWT-9 Niken leaning trike is officially coming to the US (http://rideapart.com/articles/yamaha-mwt-9-niken-trike-coming-stateside).

http://cdn.rideapart.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/NikenFeature-770x440.jpg

Honda showed a retroish CB1000R cafe racer/super naked (http://rideapart.com/articles/hondas-neo-sports-cafe-revealed-cb1000r).

http://cdn.rideapart.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/63-770x577.jpg

[Rare White Ape]

http://cdn.rideapart.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/NikenFeature-770x440.jpg

So you can ride into the sea using three wheels instead of two.

[Godson]

V4 is cool, but styling is a bit disappointing. Looks a bit like the SS in front. That said, it's still great looking. But it's no 1299.

Seriously though the numbers are crazy.

Big engine Scrambler seems a bit counter-intuitive, but I guess it is just a cruiser at this point.

Anything else interesting come out of Milan other than Ducati yet?

See, I prefer the styling of the 899/1199 over the 12. The desmo V4 sounds unbelievable.

The scrambler is turning into an odd duck. No pun intended

[Kchrpm]

No comments on EICMA?

The Google Image Search results are very nice.

[Drachen596]

Husqvarna Vitpilen 701 with Svartpilen forthcoming as well.

Kawaski Z900RS Cafe.

want both.

[Rare White Ape]

Is that the Eddie Lawson Replica-looking thing?

I’m impressed by it.

Well, I wouldn’t BUY one, but it is impressive.

[novicius]

I'm really digging that Honda CB1000R -- I'm a sucker for future-retro styling (see: '04-'06 Ford GT, BMW R Nine T). :lol: :up:

Also Triumph unveiled their Daytona 765 race bike (https://www.motorcycle-magazine.com/daytona-765-triumph-wont-sell/)... that won't ever see production because monies. :(

[TheBenior]

Heck, I'm wondering if we'll see any new middleweight sport bikes again given the shrinking market and marginal production costs savings over big bikes. It's been ages since any new ones have been introduced, unless you count the revised Yamaha R6 which mostly keeps the chassis and engine that they've been using for a decade. There's that, and the Panigale 899/959, I guess.

[novicius]

True -- and since most buyers can't even ride old-OLD ones properly fast, the market has probably peaked in terms of performance for any test other than highway roll-on racing. :lol: #horsepower

[Drachen596]

Most of the bikes being shown seem to be ADV, scrambler or standards/nakeds.

Only a few of the sportbike crowd there.

[TheBenior]

FWIW, I recall reading that when California Superbike School switched from the ZX-6R to S1000RR, they got crashed less often due to the electronic rider aids.

[Rare White Ape]

Most of the bikes being shown seem to be ADV, scrambler or standards/nakeds.

Only a few of the sportbike crowd there.

We’ve been coming out of the regular 1000/600 golden age for a while now. 600s are not economical to make (they cost the same to develop and produce as a 1000 but have to be sold 25% cheaper) so only Yamaha has released a new one, and on the 1000 side of things, they’re now more expensive because of the high electronic age ushered in by BMW.

So I’m not surprised that biennial sports bike releases from the big four in Japan have slowed to a trickle. BMW and Aprilia have come on very strongly in that sector, and big nakeds are where it’s at for tarmac hooliganism these days.

[Freude am Fahren]

There's also the simple idea of plateauing.

Before about 20 years ago or so, the top sport bikes kept getting bigger and bigger. Since they've just stopped at 1000cc's, there's only so much you can do to eek out more power. So the shift then is to electronics and weight/handling. I think Electronics made a HUGE leap in recent years, but there isn't much more for them to do. Gains will be incremental from here on out there. Weight is limited by cost. I think this will be the next big change. It seems the '19 S1000RR will NOT have a carbon frame like the HP4 Race, but I think that is coming eventually. But even then, liter bikes will probably take a bit of a leap down to <400lb wet weights soon, but again plateau. So in the early 20's we'll probably reach a plateau of power, electronics, and weight. So where do we go from there? How to you improve on a 375lb wet, 220hp bike that a 14 year old can ride at its limit?

Exceptions have started showing up. Kawasaki, obviously with forced induction, and Ducati, kinda, with ever-increasing displacement. (BTW, rumor has it, there will be a 1000cc VR Panigale R for homoligation purposes, since the new V4 cannot race in WSBK, or maybe it's not just a rumor?). I'm willing to bet Suzuki has a Turbo/SC Hayabusa partially R&D'ed already.


As for the middleweights, they really have become kinda redundant. It's too bad, but really the electronics have made the gap between the middle weights and the superbikes, in terms of difficulty, moot. When I started riding, I wanted to go to the track (I never have and still do :( ), but never thought I'd feel more comfortable on a 1000cc bike over a 600cc. Now, I have no doubt I'd feel comfortable on a superbike, if not more! I can possibly see a resurgence if one of the big names goes hardcore on the carbon fiber/exotic materials, and the others follow suit. Maybe all the 1k bikes in a few years have carbon frames, or electronic suspensions, you could have a larger gap in price, making middleweights with aluminum frames and regular suspensions more much cheaper. Unlikely, but probably the only chance.

I think the pattern of two top superbikes that share an engine, but vary greatly in other specs otherwise, and have a $5k or more price difference will continue. We're already seeing it somewhat with the GSX-R 1000R, ZX-10RR, R1M, etc. That R1/R1M model will probably replace the 600/1L model completely.

[Rare White Ape]

They should bring back two-strokes.

It’s a dumb pipe dream of mine, a 300cc twin in a modern sports bike disguise, pushing out as much HP as an R6.

In reality, they can make them much cleaner than they were in the 80s with direct injection, and easier to ride with ECU mapping, so it’s not a totally stupid idea.

[Freude am Fahren]

If anyone was going to do it, it'd be Yamaha, as they already have DI 2-stroke outboards, so it'd mostly be scaling.

[neanderthal]

I reallY like the Indian FTR concept and hope they bring a standard to market based on that. Otherwise they risk pigeonholing themselves into a corner the same way HD has.

I always thought they could have made a clean break from the cruiser side of things with their Victory line, but they shuttered instead. It was losing money to be fair.

[Freude am Fahren]

This may be the most fitting MV review ever. (skip to 9:30)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92KoPng0JI8&ab_channel=MotorcyclistMagazine

[Rare White Ape]

I know of a guy who bought a Brutale 800, owned it for a week before it blew its head gasket. Took three months for the part to come from Italy. He couldn’t just order it for himself from somewhere good like America since it was under warranty.

[Godson]

Buy a Ducati, you won't have those problems. Longest I ever waited for a part was 2 weeks. Because they had to make a new one.it was the clutch push rod. Everything else literally had no real wait time.

[Dicknose]

I’ve had 2 month wait for a Ducati part.

[TheBenior]

I remember MV Agusta proudly stating that sales increased 30% in 2015.

To 9000 units worldwide.

They filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy 4 months later.

Maybe they can be stable as a Russian oligarch vanity project.

[novicius]

Ross, what are your thoughts on BMW's new G 310 R?

[Rare White Ape]

Buy a Ducati, you won't have those problems. Longest I ever waited for a part was 2 weeks. Because they had to make a new one.it was the clutch push rod. Everything else literally had no real wait time.

Bear in mind that parts service to Australia is pitiful. It’s easy to buy from a US retailer and fit it yourself, but dealerships don’t have that freedom. If we’re getting things replaced through official channels, that’s what we have to deal with.

[Godson]

That's shitty. Ducati NA is fucking amazing what they do for their clients.

Australia gets boned again.

[TheBenior]

I'd probably take it over an R3, which is an extra $500 with ABS, or the rest of the Japanese competition

However, provided the newly taller seat isn't too high for me, I'd probably pay the extra $500 for a KTM Duke 390. The extra power would probably be appreciated on my mostly highway commute.

[Rare White Ape]

That's shitty. Ducati NA is fucking amazing what they do for their clients.

Australia gets boned again.

Eh. There’s 24 million people here, less than 10% of what’s in the USA. I’m not expecting our country to be of any priority, and the trade off is that I get to live in Australia, so overall I’m very happy :)

[neanderthal]

Need new tires on the Africa Twin now. Just trying to milk these for as long as it's not raining.


14XXX trouble free miles so far.

[Dicknose]

Ducati can seem to suffer from “summer slow down”, which seems a very Italian problem.

I’m also thinking of swapping the Diavel for something else. Really loved it, even with Ducati reliability and parts availability.
But with some weight loss I can fit on a more sporty bike, plus wouldn’t mind something that’s cheaper to run (our insurance here - compulsory third party personal - is horrendous on capacity over 1100), makes me think about some names litre-ish bike. Easy to ride, can get throu bad traffic but also fun to carve a windy road.
The Boxster gets most of the fun trips, but I still enjoy getting pegs down!

[Godson]

If you like tempting fate and doom whith a wheelie machine. V4 Tuono is beastly.

[Rare White Ape]

Agreed. I’m old and mature enough to covet nakeds over sports bikes these days.

Tuono
Duke
MT
Etc

All give me stiffys.

[M4FFU]

Whilst I'm still young in my Tuono ownership, I think 'next' for me is an MT-10. Make it so!

[Dicknose]

In reference to parts and availability, just got told a part for my Porsche Boxster is not available. That’s usual, ok so it’s coming from Melbourne overnight? No - not in Australia, must come from Germany!
So what unusual part is so rare that it is not in stock in the country?
A brake disc!
Yes a set of rear discs for a model made two years ago.

At least I know the Germans will get it moving quicker than the Italians.

[Rare White Ape]

Begs the question: why do you need discs for a car that’s two years old?

[dodint]

Did you try RockAuto? ;)

[Random]

Begs the question: why do you need discs for a car that’s two years old?

Track days, y0.

[TheBenior]

Did you try RockAuto? ;)

He did, but it was prohibitively expensive to ship 4 brake rotors from 3 different warehouses. ;)

[Godson]

He did, but it was prohibitively expensive to ship 4 brake rotors from 3 different warehouses. ;)

Only possible response. A+

[Dicknose]

Track days, y0.
Yup.
Already replaced front discs (they are drilled and started to crack out from the holes - next time I’ll go with aftermarket and slotted)
Done pads twice, on fourth set of tyres.
But having lots of fun!

[dodint]

:lol:

[M4FFU]

IAt least I know the Germans will get it moving quicker than the Italians.

izza chaaaracta or something. Italian bikes got soul, man. :up:

[Godson]

Never had problems with getting parts for my Ducatis

[Dicknose]

Never had problems with getting parts for my Ducatis
Never more than 3 months!

[M4FFU]

I have been fortunate in finding a fantastic UK Aprilia specialist; else, getting parts of a less popular 10 year old Aprilia is no fun.

But like I care. :D

[Godson]

Never more than 3 months!

Usually within the week here. The only thing I had to wait any time on was a clutch throw-out rod. Because they needed to make more of them. Bike was down 3 weeks.

[M4FFU]

2831

And now I've just got to fit it all :D

Track day booked for April :)

[Rare White Ape]

:up:

[dodint]

RACING

Damn right.

[neanderthal]

Changed my tires for another set of OEM takeoffs again last Thursday. 154XX miles.

I thought they were done at about 10k miles, but managed to squeeze another 5k odd out of them. I don't particularly like them as the quality (feel, noise, handling etc) deteriorates markedly once they're about 50% worn, but I get em cheap (just got another set for free this last Saturday) and the market seems to think I should be on knobby tires. No thanks. I'm using mine as a tall touring bike.

Otherwise she's running like a top.
Averaging 48mpg.
My last 10 tanks I averaged 53mpg.

My car averages 21mpg.

[Godson]

15k miles on a set of tires. I did good to pull 7k...

[neanderthal]

15k miles on a set of tires. I did good to pull 7k...

Got 15k on the first set on the first bike too. That took 9 months, this took 5. Remember this me riding like a granny back and forth to work.

On one hand I wish I did the riding that would consume tires in 5k. On the other hand it's my money going into gas and tires (i've had to pay for shipping on more than one set!)

[TheBenior]

Meanwhile, my Pirelli Angel STs are probably going to age out before they wear out. 😐

[Rare White Ape]

I use Pirelli GTs and I get heaps out of them. They’re the more sporty cousin to the ST touring tyre.

Although my riding these days is less about trying to turn the local mountain ranges into a giant race track and more plain old commuting to work and doing the shopping.

[neanderthal]

Meanwhile, my Pirelli Angel STs are probably going to age out before they wear out. ��

It was 6*C this morning in LA and the weather app said it felt like 2*C. Plus the windchill. I couldn't feel my fingertips when I got to work. And that was with me wearing my thicker winter gloves.

[TheBenior]

It was 6*C this morning in LA and the weather app said it felt like 2*C. Plus the windchill. I couldn't feel my fingertips when I got to work. And that was with me wearing my thicker winter gloves.

7C is about my limit, and for anything more than my 15 mile commute in light traffic, I think I'd need heated gloves. I've tried heated grips, but the back of my hands/fingers still get cold on my naked bike. Don't think I could add Barkbusters since I've got bar end mirrors (factory mirrors were useless at showing anything directly behind me).


I use Pirelli GTs and I get heaps out of them. They’re the more sporty cousin to the ST touring tyre.

The Angel GT? That's just the newer, improved version of/replacement for the Angel ST. (https://www.cycleworld.com/2013/08/13/pirelli-angel-gt-sport-touring-motorcycle-tire-review) My bike came out a year before the GT superseded the ST. Any STs left on shelves here are closeout stock in limited sizes. Those limited sizes, do however, include my 696's stock sizes for 33% less than a set of GTs.

[Dicknose]

I get down to 3C a few times a year. Mostly because it’s mid winter and I’m leaving for the beach around sunrise!
Get to see the snowflake indicator warn me of possible black ice.
Luckily it will only be that cold for a few minutes when I’m in a valley. By the time I’m at the beach it would be more like 10+C (and I’ll strip down to shorts and tshirt)
I go winter gloves and thin inner liners. Also balaclava which goes down almost to chest at the front.
Cold is not fun. I really wouldn’t want it to be that cold for a longer ride. Had it a few times, survivable but not why I have a bike!
I do pity you guys in places that get below freezing, with a “bike season”.

[neanderthal]

I get down to 3C a few times a year. Mostly because it’s mid winter and I’m leaving for the beach around sunrise!
Get to see the snowflake indicator warn me of possible black ice.
Luckily it will only be that cold for a few minutes when I’m in a valley. By the time I’m at the beach it would be more like 10+C (and I’ll strip down to shorts and tshirt)
I go winter gloves and thin inner liners. Also balaclava which goes down almost to chest at the front.
Cold is not fun. I really wouldn’t want it to be that cold for a longer ride. Had it a few times, survivable but not why I have a bike!
I do pity you guys in places that get below freezing, with a “bike season”.

Bike season is all year for us in So Cal. :D

On another board there's a rider visiting So Cal from somewhere where there is "real winter"TM and he's wondering why he's seeing so few motorcycles on the roads. We're like "um ... , it's winter, it's cold" and he thinks these are beautiful spring temperatures. Perspective is wonderful thing.

It's raining at this moment. Might have to drive in the morning if this keeps up.

[Rare White Ape]

I’m being 100% honest here when I say that if I lived in a region that had actual real winter(tm) I’d be doing my hardest to account for that and still ride in winter.

That said, I’ve never ridden in proper cold conditions for longer than a few hours, so I’m wondering what temperature or duration would be required to change my mind :p

[TheBenior]

Fingers cracking and bleeding even with insulated gloves is enough for me.

[Godson]

Knees so cold you can feel the synovial fluid moving about because of the temperature difference from front of knee to back is where I stopped.

[M4FFU]

Managed to get my bike started last weekend. Fell back in love with the thing. A big twin with race pipes it's just a thing of angry aural beautiful. And my neighbour thought his Akra'd MT09 was loud :D

Bike's currently with someone way more skilled than me doing all the hard stuff I couldn't do. Hopefully wiht me by the end of the week, then a trackday in a few weekends time. Woo!

[neanderthal]

Knees so cold you can feel the synovial fluid moving about because of the temperature difference from front of knee to back is where I stopped.

You a hard ass ma' fucker, that's what you is.

I'd drive my car or call in sick before I rode in that kinda cold.

[Godson]

I think the coldest I ride in was around 30. It was on my way to work at like 0530. Dark, and FUCKING COLD.

The only saving Grace was it is about a 10 minute ride. The weather home was stunning fwiw

[TheBenior]

That's about the coldest I've done. I wiped frost off of my seat before riding home. That was back when I had my Suzuki GS550 and before I had any gloves appropriate for cold weather.

[Rare White Ape]

Yeah cold weather usually brings out the best in things as long as the sun’s shining. My favourite rides have been 6am departures in July to head up into the hills. There’s an area near here called the Tweed Valley which is just picturesque as fuck when you cross the northern ranges as the sun is warming the dew on the grasslands.

Everything looks so bright blue and green that time of year, and we’ll go a good few months without any serious cloud cover. The temp might push its way up to 19-20C in the afternoon. Crisp.

[TheBenior]

Just heard that Otto Brothers Honda in Lyons, IL closed it's doors for good. 1968-2017.

Honda hasn't had a dealer in the city limits in ages, and the South/Southwest side of Chicago and the burbs are devoid of dealers. From what the owner of the only motorcycle franchise in the city said, Honda is unwilling to compromise on their space/inventory demands, acting like it's "still 2005." Meanwhile, Honda dealers keep closing. Even Harley Davidson realized that they need to compromise from their land requirements to have a presence in Chicago and not just the far suburbs.

[George]

I need to get one of those Russian dashcams.

Today I was driving my car in rush-hour traffic on a five-lane wide interstate highway. Traffic suddenly slowed, as it often does, rubber-band style. You guys know the drill - speed up, slow down, crawl for a while, then speed up again, only to have your hopes and dreams of efficient travel be dashed against the blacktop as traffic slows down yet again.

We had just come to a near stop again when I was scared half to death by a guy on a dual-sport motorcycle who blew by my passenger side window with just inches to spare.

Almost immediately, traffic in my lane and the next one over came to a complete stop and turn signals came on up ahead. We all had to merge over one or two lanes, since shit-for-brains caused a four-car accident just a few car lengths ahead of me. I was too busy trying to get around the wreck to study the positions of the cars that were directly involved to guess how it went down, but I hope that jerk gets what he deserves from the long arm of the law. His selfish behavior affected dozens...no, hundreds of motorists this morning by blocking 40% of the northbound lanes on I-25 during rush hour traffic.

While some things are legal in Colorado, lane splitting is not.

[Dicknose]

Legal or not, it’s something were you need to use skill and good judgement - things often lacking from many road users.
And even if the law doesn’t get him, his insurance surely will.

[neanderthal]

I need to get one of those Russian dashcams.

Today I was driving my car in rush-hour traffic on a five-lane wide interstate highway. Traffic suddenly slowed, as it often does, rubber-band style. You guys know the drill - speed up, slow down, crawl for a while, then speed up again, only to have your hopes and dreams of efficient travel be dashed against the blacktop as traffic slows down yet again.

We had just come to a near stop again when I was scared half to death by a guy on a dual-sport motorcycle who blew by my passenger side window with just inches to spare.

Almost immediately, traffic in my lane and the next one over came to a complete stop and turn signals came on up ahead. We all had to merge over one or two lanes, since shit-for-brains caused a four-car accident just a few car lengths ahead of me. I was too busy trying to get around the wreck to study the positions of the cars that were directly involved to guess how it went down, but I hope that jerk gets what he deserves from the long arm of the law. His selfish behavior affected dozens...no, hundreds of motorists this morning by blocking 40% of the northbound lanes on I-25 during rush hour traffic.

While some things are legal in Colorado, lane splitting is not.

It ain't legal, but you drivers tend to think of it from only your perspective, in your car, than look at the bigger picture.
There was a study that was done that concluded that if 10% of drivers rode a motorcycle or took public transport, congestion would decrease by 40%/. Think about that for a minute. Imagine a picture of a clogged freeway, then magically, make random cars disappear in a poof of nothingness until you've taken 10% of them off. Suddenly there's a lot more space, no? Less congestion. Higher average speeds. That's effectively what motorcycles do.

Lanesplitting takes cars off the road; i'm literally one less car driving to work every morning. Not only that, it's easy to see around most bikes meaning you can respond to the traffic ahead of the bike because you can see their brake lights around the rider. And, by lane splitting, i'm taking up and utilising "unusable space" (space that's there but otherwise not available to cars) making/meaning even more room on the road. And getting 50mpg.

I have coworkers who comment that they see me passing them on the road every day, but it hasn't "clicked" yet for them, that they could do the same thing. They start work AFTER me but have to leave home before me because of traffic. I work before them but can leave home after them and still get to work on time because of lane splitting.

Sure, the lane splitter was breaking the law. I am not arguing that. But if you hate sitting in traffic you should think about having your legislators legalise lane splitting. That would take some drivers off the road and give you a little more space. Lotsa riders on advrider.com who abhor lane splitting. And quite a few who've been in that same camp, then were in California and tried it and are now believers.

Done properly, you see cars in the carpool and number 1 lane edge over a few inches to let the bikes by. Happens everyday on my commute. That's inches, not feet, and they remain in the lane for the most part. Some go all the way out of the way. And each bike that passes every car on the 405 is one less car on the road.

Edited to add this screed I posted on a motorcycle forum somewhere else. On a post about possibly legalising lane splitting in AZ.


Those of you residing in AZ should be contacting your representatives regularly. And telling your fellow riders, friends and neighbours to advocate on your behalf as well.
Tout the benefits;
* each bike is one less car on the road.
* lane splitting allows a vehicle (bike) to use non usable space on the road
* both the above reduce congestion
* all the above reduce tailpipe emissions; more vehicular traffic actually moving rather than crawling or idling
* bikes occupy less space on the road, ie; two bikes next to each other in the same lane use the same space as one car (I don't really advocate that myself, but the lawmaker needs to see as many pluses as possible!)
* you can easily see around motorcycles at the traffic ahead
* rear end crashes constitute the 2nd highest accident type involving more than one vehicle.
* fewer fatalities if motorcyclists can filter to the front of the traffic at lights and stop signs.
* if passed, more people might be more inclined to ride, reducing pressure on the road systems, while allowing the same number of commuters to use it.
* that ^ more efficient use of the roads is like adding a lane of traffic to the roads, but without the construction, the delays and especially the costs of actually adding a lane to the roads
* etc etc etc

Sure, drivers aren't expecting bikes to pop up between them, but then again, lane splitting only really requires that drivers stay in the center of their lane, and the biker can squeeze in between the cars if they feel comfortable doing so. In other words, done properly, lane splitting doesn't require anything extra from the drivers, just that they do what they should already be doing.

[Rare White Ape]

Once I start lane splitting, I can never look back.

Usually because I'm dodging mirrors in traffic, which come from in front.

[neanderthal]

Nothing to report other than crossing 20000 miles on the second AT last week. Had it since Aug 25 2017.

Fantastic bloody bike. Last week I went to Perris (March Air force Base environs for an aircraft museum) there's a railway museum thereabouts too that I went to, then I headed to Borrego Springs too see the sculptures. Lovely road from Temecula to Borrego Springs, cross a mountain road and come over the crest to see the desert laid out before you. Magnificent magnificent sight.

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Took a few pics of the rusty iron

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then headed to Mecca which is one of my destinations in my "around the world in the USA" tour

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then came home. Right around 12 hours of saddle time. Incredible day.

[neanderthal]

Got off work Sunday night and rode my bike to Phoenix arriving at 02:30AM. Spent a few hours catching a few winks at mums. Left at 5:45am Monday morning to ride to Dallas. Got to Dallas at 01:45 am on Tuesday morning (03:45 Dallas time.) I was knackered. 1500 miles total from LA.

The Africa Twin is definitely not a touring bike, but it does touring bike duty quite bloody well. My initial load out was way too heavy and behind the rear wheel axle that it affected the handling quite remarkably. I stopped at a big multi line motorcycle dealer and wanted to buy the factory panniers off their Africa Twin floor model but they didn't want to do that. I bought a $500 less on a set of panniers/ side cases, went to my cousins, redistributed my load, drastically lowered the center of gravity, and set off for Phoenix.

The sunrise over the desert plain is a beautiful thing to behold. Blasting the Rolling Stones, Bob Marley, Lauryn Hill, Tupac, D'Angelo, plus the early start meant I made great time and was in El Paso in time for lunch. I stopped there for two hours to rest my eyes and get out of the burning sun.
Parts of west Texas have an 80mph speed limit and drivers were blatantly ignoring that. Laden, going slightly uphill, vicious sidewind, the best she could do was 100mph. That was an awful 27mpg. But, it was worth it to minimise time on the saddle. But that also meant gassing up every 100 miles. When you've been riding through Texas for 6 hours and find you still have another 7 ahead of you, that can be despiriting.
I can recommend flying if you want to go from LA to Dallas. If you want to go by bike, take the most scenic route and stay a couple of nights in small motels on route 66 or something.
But if you absolutely want to cross a continent in one go, a liter plus bike with great ergos is the way to do it. The AT suits the bill to a T.
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Flew home Wednesday evening. Left LA Thursday evening in my car and was trying to get to Dallas (moving) in one shot. Got to about 30 miles west of Abilene and my serpentine belt gave up the ghost. Got a tow to Abilene, left it at a garage (they're booked through this week and next) rented a car and drove the rest of the way. The Nissan Sentra I got was such a contrast to the old Benz. Sure, it had ice cold AC, but that was the only positive. Steering was probably the worst i've encountered, needing constant corrections and input to go vaguely straight. Gutless. Ergos not quite right. But, it did the job. Cheaply. And i was terribly tired when I finally picked it up. I still had to go to my car, unload my stuff, then go to my cousins in Dallas. I can attribute some of it's horribleness to the sheer contrast between a rock solid, heavy freeway munching Benz, and the extreme fatigue I was feeling at that time. I had already been up for 28 hours when I picked it up.

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Went to my nephew's football soccer game today and managed to lose my phone.

Yes, it's been a fun week.

[Rare White Ape]

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1791/28945059107_c24424bf46_o_d.jpg

This bike. This fucking bike. Oh my god.

Right, so… I’ll tell you a little story.

A woman was sucking nearly $200 a week out of me, because she was sick and couldn’t earn enough to pay her bills. I put off buying a new bike for three years for this woman, but now she has fucked off and is not my problem anymore. At first it hurt like hell but I’m now seeing the benefits.

The very same week that I got a new housemate in to help pay the rent I started looking seriously at Tuonos on Bikesales. That was four weeks ago. I started out with a keen interest in a well looked after, but well used 2011 model that had 75,000 km on the clock for just shy of $7000. It was black and had a pipe and everything was shiny. But while looking, I spotted a similar model with only 23,000 km, for $9,000. I figured why not spend $2000 more than the $7000 bike, otherwise I’d regret it later, and get the one with less mileage (kilomerterage?), so I went up to Brisbane and actually test rode it. Turns out it was pretty rough, I suspected that it had been ditched into a gravel trap and then fixed up with cheap eBay versions of nicer bits (RSV4 belly pan, tail, and knockoff bar-end mirrors that are supposed to look like Rizoma jobbies but much lower quality). The presence of two GoPro mounts stuck on the bodywork didn’t give me much confidence; why else would you need two GoPros other than to show off your shitty riding videos on Facebook? But I decided to make an offer, pending my inspection of the cheaper one.

I never looked at the $7000 bike. I figured, if I’m prepared to spend the extra, how much would it hurt if I spent (really, financed) $7000 more than the $9000 bike, otherwise I’d regret it later, and look at a nice, silver, low kms 2015 Tuono RR that was advertised at the Aprilia dealership near me? It is an updated model with better reliability and more horsepower and better looks. It is also completely standard, which is a bonus if you’re looking at a crazy Italian weapon of desire. $16,000 with 7200kms was the deal, plus on-roads. I stopped by the dealership late on a Monday afternoon in July and said I was interested, and promised I’d be back Friday for a closer look and a test ride. It rode just fine, it looked hot, and I really wanted to buy it, so I made an offer.

But as you can see by the photo above, I don’t now own a Tuono 1100 RR. That is a Tuono 1100 Factory. A 2015 model. I got it from a private seller for $17,500. I figured, why not spend the $1500 more than the $16,000 bike, otherwise I’d regret it later, and get one that had the Öhlins suspension and the sexy tail and the Akra pipe?

As you can see, my budget blew out a little bit.

And I don’t regret it one bit.

Among the things I’ve regretted recently, this is not one of them.

As part of the sale, the bike comes with ‘bar risers (which I will change back to standard), frame sliders, radiator guard, tail tidy, two genuine Aprilia tank bags, a rear luggage rack, that Akrapović pipe and the delicious little exhaust mount to attach it to the rear body (although, even with the pipe I’m still thinking that I want something more svelte, like an SC Project Red Bull-can-sized can), plus a brand new front tyre which it needs right now and all of the standard bits to put on it should I choose to do so.

As for the riding experience, the Tuono is a manic and thunderous show of force. I can’t fucking ride it at all. It is way more capable than I am and I embarrass it with my inability to let it stretch its legs. I haven’t opened it to full throttle yet, because even half throttle scares me. It is razor sharp and agile in corners, and brutally quick on the way to the next one. Its brakes are phenomenal. The mirrors are completely pointless. The Öhlins equipment is more than up to the task of smoothing out the punishment that the Queen’s highways deliver unto it, while also allowing a skilled rider (not me) the freedom of complete accuracy when negotiating a twisty road. It also has the word ‘race’ stickered on it six times. The bike truly means business.

I felt bad about taking another man’s motorcycle so cheaply, but he wanted money and I gave it to him. Well, the bank did, and I’m giving money to the bank. The Tuono now sits in my garage, snugly next to my GSX-R, which I will never sell. No regerts. The end.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/932/43882190221_5cf75c6638_o_d.jpg

[dodint]

:cool:

[Godson]

Dude. When you crack the engine full, :), don't hit a sign.

[Rare White Ape]

I’ll make sure that I’m not pointing at any obstacles while attempting anything silly :p