Spring and Bikes thread

[carfish7]

I love the KZ, Carfish! It looks like you have more than one UJM around as a project.

The other one in the first pic was the "parts" bike I wound up running last year. I didn't have the heart to strip it so I put new tires on, rebuilt the cars and rode it all year. I then sold it to buy parts for the silver one. I DO have another KZ project in the works, but it is very early on in the process. This will be a father -daughter wrenching project. Gonna go Cafe Racer with it - strip it of all unneeded bits, solo seat, pipe, pod air filters............... /emoticons/default_cool.png

 

[Toadroller]

So I went for a quick ride on Saturday.

Despite my occasional day-of-charging once a month through the winter, the battery was pretty weak. Had to jump Suzie from the minivan (yeah, we've got kids! Six of 'em! What of it?). After she warmed up for a minute, I started to roll away and, gimme a break, stalled her. "Now that's funny!" I laughed to myself. She started back up and off I went. Fifteen minutes on low-traffic roads, with all the memories flooding back- how to look out, how to brake, letting the legs grip the bike and the body turn.

It was a looooooong winter.

I came back with a smile a mile wide.

The weather's been up and down. This morning, three inches of snow and 27 degrees f.

I'm looking forward to a summer of quick errand runs with the kids hangin' on the back.

 

[gwayne]

Ridiculously gorgeous day in Dixie. This was my view for most of the day:

 

[diablo175]

I'll play (again). Just got my Wide Glide back from the dealership after a hellacious detailing. Looks and rides perfect!

 

[Toadroller]

Spring is *slowly* infiltrating Maine. 50 degrees one day, 35 the next, 60 today.

For those of you who've never been to Maine, 50 degrees can be wicked-friggin'-cold, although 20 degrees can be pretty-damn-wahm. I'm in no danger of firing up my lawn mower for at least another month.

I'm sneaking in 10 minute rides when I can. Thank goodness for grip warmers. A liter of v-twin torque is a marvelous thing.

Carry on, gentlemen!

 

[BadgerDave]

Still challenging weather in Chicago, But I had a work trip to Las Vegas last week. I left a day early and spent a glorious afternoon in Red Rock Canyon on a rental BMW R1200RT. I really wanted the 850, but I got there 10 minutes too late.

 

[Boomerang~Junkie]

Toad, I enjoyed your posting about your thoughts on reorienting yourself to your bike and riding skills after a long winter - it was awesome. I've been through that same thought process several times - I smiled just reading it. That process is like meeting up with and old friend.

Its been plenty warm here, but seriously rainy as London for the past week or so. It just poured for a few of those days. After working two weeks straight with no day off - the grass shot up like MAD all the sudden. So the only seat time I've had lately has been on a zero-turn Skagg mower! I'll have to live vicariously through you guys until next week and we'll get out toys dusted off and out to play.

 

[Toadroller]

End of year/season bump.

How'd y'all do?

My Suzie has swapped her parking spot with the snow-blower, who has seen enough action over the last few weeks to depress me. There were highlights to the riding year, though, including my dad's old Honda dirtbike firing on the third kick after a solid decade of storage and a spring's worth of restoration and repair. That's Honda for ya. I haven't let the boys on it yet as I haven't fixed the brakes yet. Not that they worked when I rode it in the 80s...

My pop picked up the caddy of motorcycles, a mid 90s Goldwing, and put some 6k on it with my mother on the back. By comparison, my grocery runs tallied a whopping 1k miles. I didn't even change the oil. He's picked up a trailer for his truck and has plans for pulling teh 'Wing around the eastern half of the country next summer and sojourning from there, including North Carolina, Ohio, and parts of the plains out west. A Goldwing isn't quite the rebelious BSAs, Nortons, and Suzie water-buffalos (if you know what I mean, you know what I mean) of his younger days, but the smile is just as wide. Not bad for 70.

And so, snow tires go onto the cars, we go Christmas shopping, the golf-clubs rust, and we wait, wait, wait for spring. PLease come earlier in 2015, eh?

Or should I buy a sled?

 

[JES1680]

A few friends that like to go more than an hour, end of the season pricing and a couple demo rides convinced me that I needed something more than the sportster. Comfortable and the 103 motor even in stock form is a torque monster. Got just under 1k on this one before the white stuff started flying. Will be spending the winter researching pipes, EFI tuning options and intake.

Anybody want to buy a well sorted Sportster Sport? /emoticons/default_smile.png

 

[tbonesullivan]

Season ain't over yet... yes I am one of THOSE people.

 

[jettster]

Still riding as weather permits, I don't put mine away for the winter since there are always a few days to ride here and there. Picked up the K bike a few months back.

 

[BadgerDave]

It may hit 50 in Chicago on Sunday. If it's close I'll get an hour or so in.

Taking the day off on Friday to do some Midwestern ice skiing in Wisconsin. Then it will be time to hibernate until spring.

 

[jettster]

Rode about 175 miles today with a Z1000 (Friend) and S1000RR (Brother). Wanted to stop and take some pictures for those of you unable to ride this time of year but after eating and gas we never stopped. Have to say it was damn cold on the way home 50ish. Temp read 44 when I pulled into the driveway. I've put right at 3000 miles on the K bike since picking it up in August and Around 3-4k on the Triumph so far this year. Very little of that is slab riding (Maybe 10-15%) mostly back roads, mountains and twistys.

 

[tbonesullivan]

Nice! I love back roads, though sometimes slab is necessary. I got the FJR mainly because my little nighthawk 750 couldn't really hack it on the highway. Also the anemic brakes, lack of ABS, lack of wind protection, etc etc etc.

In other words, it was time for me to get an actual touring motorcycle, not just one that can almost be one.

 

[mc2]

Cool or lame?

Anyone have any experience with motorized bikes or light use motorcycles?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Indian-Boardtrack-Racer-Replica-/121509238881?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=tx1AmzM2z6j0w1j%252BhqAQWHHX4zI%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

There was even a brand built in New Orleans for 50+ years and they pop up for sale on occasion from $1000-4500, depending on condition. Came across a really nice green one a month ago for $2200, restores an sitting as a showpiece in a restaurant for the last decade.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SIMPLEX-AUTOMATIC-1953-SERVICE-CYCLE-/121502589466?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=tx1AmzM2z6j0w1j%252BhqAQWHHX4zI%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

 

[BubbaVO]

It may hit 50 in Chicago on Sunday. If it's close I'll get an hour or so in.

Taking the day off on Friday to do some Midwestern ice skiing in Wisconsin. Then it will be time to hibernate until spring.

I've done my share of the ice skiing over at Devil's Head, Alpine Valley and Wilmot. If can learn how to hold an edge there, you can hold an edge anywhere. /emoticons/default_smile.png

 

[jettster]

tbonesullivan, on 18 Dec 2014 - 10:01 AM, said:tbonesullivan, on 18 Dec 2014 - 10:01 AM, said:tbonesullivan, on 18 Dec 2014 - 10:01 AM, said:Nice! I love back roads, though sometimes slab is necessary. I got the FJR mainly because my little nighthawk 750 couldn't really hack it on the highway. Also the anemic brakes, lack of ABS, lack of wind protection, etc etc etc.

In other words, it was time for me to get an actual touring motorcycle, not just one that can almost be one.

We are really lucky, 45 minutes from the north Georgia mountains and nice back roads to get there, some of the best riding in the US. Not too much further away, we have the Tail of the Dragon and the Cherohala skyway.

My Triumph isn't too fun either on the slab, hell for that matter any naked bike can get old pretty quick on the freeway cruising for any length of time. It's so much fun in the tight twistys though. Those FJR's are pretty sweet, had one catch me off guard coming home on the freeway a month or so back on the Triumph. I didn't think he was going to play and at the last minute he showered down and I downshifted into neutral instead of 2nd. lol He had full bags with a passenger and that thing was still pulling pretty damn hard.

I've done 350-400 miles in one day on the Triumph but when you get off it feels like you've been that far or further. The K on the other hand can do that and then some 2up without breaking a sweat. Definitely something to be said for a touring style bike. Bikes are so much more specific than cars, depending on what you are using them for.

 

[jettster]

mc2, on 18 Dec 2014 - 3:40 PM, said:Cool or lame?

Anyone have any experience with motorized bikes or light use motorcycles?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Indian-Boardtrack-Racer-Replica-/121509238881?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=tx1AmzM2z6j0w1j%252BhqAQWHHX4zI%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

There was even a brand built in New Orleans for 50+ years and they pop up for sale on occasion from $1000-4500, depending on condition. Came across a really nice green one a month ago for $2200, restores an sitting as a showpiece in a restaurant for the last decade.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SIMPLEX-AUTOMATIC-1953-SERVICE-CYCLE-/121502589466?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=tx1AmzM2z6j0w1j%252BhqAQWHHX4zI%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

They look pretty damn cool but I don't think I'd want to ride one.

 

[tobereeno]

I've been feeling pretty guilty about not riding. I used to be a lot more hardcore; in Korea I rode year round, and it gets down into the single digits during the winter. So I have extreme cold weather riding gear, I've just been a pussy this year about it.

Last time my BMW S1000RR saw action was at a trackday in late October; temps were about 80. I rode my Ducati Multistrada a couple weeks more after that but I gave up when temps dropped below 50. Both have heated grips which are truly essential.

 

[tobereeno]

oh! re: thoughts on Goldwing-esque riding. I'm sure I'll get there, but I don't want to admit I'm that old quite yet. I did seriously look at and test rode the BMW K1600GTL, but it just lacked that visceral excitement and feel. Too much like a luxury car (which I understand is exactly the point of the bike).

so in late June I picked up the Multistrada and it's sporty enough to be thrilling, yet can carry almost as much as a Goldwing (my wife and I tested this on several occasions!) Not quite as comfortable though; I may look into some Sargent seats or whatever the hell them Iron Butt riders like to get.

We did about 5000 miles of two-up touring this summer, and it was some of the best times I've ever had with my wife. Attached pic is of us on the Tail of the Dragon.