Everything Else

Yep, what the title says. Just curious if anyone in here is a fellow motorcycle rider. I ride both on and off the road. Given my sort of redneck style, I prefer the dirt to the road, but like a little of both. I drive an '01 Kawasaki KE100 for dual sport adventures (she'll do about 50 over the road, so I can just about get to my local OHV trails). For the road, I have a new '04 Suzuki DL650 Vstrom, probably gotta be one of the top 3 nicest bikes I've ridden. Scary fast like any roadbike today, but not as fast as some out there. Overall just very comfortable for the road, and has enough power to keep you entertained, and smoke most other cars on the road (*most*).

So just curious if/what anyone else her might ride...

I imagine a lot more people in Europe might ride given fuel costs there, although California ought to have a lot of riders given the weather. Myself I ride probably 5 out of 7 days a week in the Arizona sunshine. I could ride more but often times it's not practical to run places on my bike.

i have the license but never had a real chance to enjoy it.
bought an older chevy and he's eating the 'vehicle-budget'

once I had the license some years ago.. I replaced the car with a bike as my main transportation thing... I own a Kawasaki z-750 now .. but pointing at getting a 636 sportbike soon (or a Gsxr).

not easy to carry Sgi machines with bike.. but.. ther's always rent-a-car choice

cheers.

I would love to have a bike again.

Actually was looking into getting a smaller sportbike to zip around on this summer.

Have owned RZ500 (deadly fast...fun but glad I sold it )
and a Ducati 916 (everything a superbike should be...throaty twin with massive low end torque, steering like being on rails and very good manners when needed...badass when wanted).

Nothing like a twisty road on the right bike...

Best road travelled: 60km from Florence to Siena (The Back Way!!!)

RZ- two stroke eh? At least I think they were liquid cooled V4 2 stroke with oil injection. Correct me if I'm wrong though- they haven't made RZs since around the time I was born, and they're pretty hard to come by today. Always known for being high strung and violent in power delivery, even by 2 stroke standards. Pretty rare in the US too.

Anyways. I have a thing about 2 strokes. I want to upgrade myself to a KE250 from my little 100. The 250 would be better suited for western riding through washes and the like, where power is necesary. However 250s are rare, either because they didn't make many, or more likely because they've burned up, or people who have them don't want to let go.

2 strokes are becomming rarer unfortunately due to pollution standards and noise regulations. Still, I love 'em.

I do, when the weather is decent. See here for more info:

http://forums.nekochan.net/viewtopic.php?t=9272

Scroll down a bit for the pic

Still riding the motorcyle equivalent of the Octane. Big, old, heavy and noisy.
1978 Suzuki GS1000. In use daily since I blew the engine in the car.

Its far to cold in Jockland for motorcycle riding in march.

not easy to carry Sgi machines with bike.. but.. ther's always rent-a-car choice

Transported an O2 home from Ian Maplesons. 50 miles on the back of a Vespa T5.
Testing his legendary packaging ability.

I'm planning on a Yamaha YZF-R6 for sometime in 2007. Quite simply the sexiest piece of machinery I have ever seen in my life.



However at £7,500.00 list in the UK (and insurance probably running at least £1,500.00 pa) it may have to wait. And no, the R1 is not an option as my death-wish is not *that* strong...

Nick

Nice Kshuff- good job on the accesories. I nearly bought a sporty, but settled on the Suzuki instead. The fuel injection on it is nice for high altitude, and the semi-agressive rear tire is more stable in hard-pack and dirt roads (not enough suspension and too much weight to go wild off the road though).

Anyway I'm not one of those people who goes around flapping their trap about "real" motorcyclists. I respect all forms of riding, and in fact try to enjoy them all. I am a "real" motorcyclist, yessir I am. I'm a real live human being who rides a motorcycle.

But that's getting off on a tangent.

Oh and I can imagine putting an O2 on a motorcycle. Hell I've driven some pretty big parcels up to the Post Office on my KE100 strapped to the tank. The problem can be climbing the hill to the PO in the left lane on the main road into town where the speed limit is 45 (mph), and I'm doing 35 in the left lane. It's really all the faster it will do with a ~210 lb rider like me onboard while climbing a hill. Other then that though I get an overwhelmingly positive response with the little 100. It sounds like a chainsaw almost, but mostly you get the old timers to look at it and chuckle, no doubt remembering having a bike like that when they were younger.

I love my KE100 though. It's filthy right now from romping off the road with some friends in their trucks. It's also very handy from the standpoint that it doesn't cost much for me to go out down the trails- only about 1-2 gallons of gas on average, and about a quart of oil every 5-800 miles.

About the R6- I can only say this much. My dad turned me loose on his FZ1 (detuned R1 with a more relaxed riding posture), and I can say that in gears 1, 2 and 3 it is nearly impossible to keep that front end down, and that once you see the needle sweep past 140 in 5th, you start thinking maybe you ought to just let off. The FZ had about 120 horsepower. That little R6 puts out about 99 in the US. All I can say is have fun and be safe. But not TOO safe...

Hey CDG, I'll chime in with a me too. I've ridden to/thru Arizona a coupla times, you're very fortunate, it's a fantastic place to ride. Last time there we stopped at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and on the way out rode thru the painted desert. Spectacular ain't a stong enough word. Planning another pass thru Arizona during this summer's tour.

Back in 2003 I bought a Honda Shadow 1100 Touring bike and rode cross-country from Los Angeles to New York. Spent about two weeks touring the southwest - Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Carlsbad Caverns, etc. Some incredible natural beauty in this country...



When I got back to Long Island (where I grew up) I left the bike with my parents and sold it on eBay.

Great trip, but if I had to get another bike I'd probably want something small and light like a little Rebel 250. Trust me, a 650lb bike is a BITCH to pick up once you've dropped it

ajerimez wrote: Great trip, but if I had to get another bike I'd probably want something small and light like a little Rebel 250. Trust me, a 650lb bike is a BITCH to pick up once you've dropped it

Nice photo ajerimez. If you like to tour, stick with with the big iron <more places to hang yer sleepin' bag >.

Here's a nice trick for liftin' a bike that weighs several times more than you do.

I hear ya about dropping a heavy bike. I've had my Dad's Harley on my knee before... very embarassing parking lot accident that cost $600.

However, I agree that to tour you ought to stick with a larger bike. That said, if you want something a little lighter and nimbler, might I suggest a Kawasaki KLR 650? I've been riding since I was about 6, but when it came time to learn how to ride on the road, the first bike I rode was my dad's KLR. This is a NICE motorcycle. Capable of probably 140+ mph, compfortable at cruise, weight comes in at around 450, and when the motorcycle press says it's one of the best handling bikes ever produced, they aren't kidding. Yeah, I was skeptical having ridden a number of dual-sport bikes myself, but you can really crank this thing through the turns. It is capable enough off the road, but frankly a bit too large and heavy to let it all hang out. Price tag runs around $4600 US before accessories. Kawaski offers lots of bags, a lowering kit (I'm 5'9" and have no problem getting both feet down), and a taller windscreen. The tall windscreen is particularly worthwhile.

My picks when it came time to buy a road bike of my own was between my current Vstrom, a Harley Sportster 1200, and a KLR650. The primary and possibly only major downer of the KLR is the carburation- when you make the climb to the Grand Canyon, you're going to be wanting fuel injection. It won't be the end of the world, but the difference is significant. However, when you see a trail you want to take, chances are good the KLR will be more then up to the task. I don't know if that's your thing or not, but to me, that's the most awesome thing about a dual sport.

Alright, I've rambled for quite long enough.

Still practising to get my motorcycling license, so I'm riding around on my ickle Suzuki GS125. Planning on getting a second hand GS500, which I'm going to take the direct access test on[1] to get my full license.

[1] And continue taking it on it til I pass I've only failed once so far, and fingers crossed it should only take another try - failed the first one over balancing on the U-turn. Lost an awful lot of weight since then, which should make it easier.

I have my permit and I plan on getting my license before the summer is here. I'd like to get an entry level Ducati (maybe the new 695 all in black with some nice saddle bags and a little headlight faring) but I'll have to test drive and research it a bit.