Spring and Bikes thread

It's spring after a long winter for most of the country.

In Maine where I live, despite the fields still covered in snow, our local golf driving range opened today in what we call wahhhhm, 45 degrees and sunny.

But the V-Strom is still in the garage; I couldn't get it up the ice on the driveway or ride it on the sand-covered roads if I wanted to.

So help a fella out and post a pic and tell a story of your ride this spring!

Rode this for two hours yesterday. Springtime in the South is quite awesome for riding.

Picked this one up last year for a song. Had it on a battery tender all winter still last Sunday wouldn't turn over. Turns out the original battery from 1999 was still in it. A new AGM and I got a good hour ride…… And then 3 days later we got 9 more inches of snow. /emoticons/default_sad.png

Gwayne, that's some gorgeous chrome.

JES1680, that thing looks to be all engine. I like the (S6?) A6 behind it. I've had Audis for years, including my now very old yet still very solid 97 A8 and an 04 A4 3.0 we picked up a couple of weeks ago to have a third car with our kids getting licenses.

Here's my bike, which I pulled out of the back of the garage yesterday and fired up. I may be able to get it up and down the street today.

All engine and no power /emoticons/default_smile.png Actually it's not bad for a 1200 twin with the intake, exhaust, and carb mods I've done but it will never be mistaken for a sport bike. For a few years they made the sportster sport with adjustable suspension, dual disks and twin plug heads, as well as different cams so it responds better to mods than most. I really like Harley motors and this makes for a nice bike to run around on the weekends that will actually stop and turn.

The car is a 2010 S4 that I had for a while after my B7 S4 and B7 RS4. I'm downsizing so now I'm running a 2012 GTI Autobahn with APR Stage II+ mods. It has all the tech that the S4 had and is actually a lot more fun to drive with it's similar power but much lower handling limits. Oh and being half the price of the S4 helps with the fun factor as well.

Vstrom was on my short list of bikes a few years ago, but they are a bit tall for me. Nice one.

Heh heh. Just posted about mine and the money I have/will sink into it. Much like a guitar that you keep upgrading or tinkering on.

After having it garaged, on a battery tender for the winter at my parent's, I got mine out about a month or so back on an unusually warm Feb. day. Pulled it out about 2 weeks ago and it's now out front, where I like it- easily within reach. /emoticons/default_biggrin.png

My Wide Glide is a story of upgrades. Hell, I didn't own it for more than a couple of weeks before the mods started. First to go was the pipes and the air intake. Threw on a couple of V & H Big Radius and a high volume air filter with the WGS chromed cover. Then, a Power Commander V fuel control and set of 12" mini apes. Then I ditched the stock passenger pillion (more like a small purse sized hunk of foam padding w/ leather covering- what a joke) for a proper seat befitting my wife's back side. /emoticons/default_laugh.png Next came a chopper-style sissy bar and back rest. Lastly, the various assorted trim items- a bunch of WGS plates and covers, new handlebar grips and voila! MY bike. Not HD's idea of what my bike should be- LOL

Now, as I've grown exceedingly tired of detailing the spokes on the stock wheels, I've decided to get some new ones, that are both more aesthetically interesting and easier to keep clean. Reasonably sure that this is the last hurrah in mods. I can see getting a few more minor trim items- a different license plate display w/ brake lights (for added visibility), a front fork tool bag but the bike doesn't really need anything else major. Now as the weather has warmed up to where I don't have to wear the full face, it'll be solo rides to work and scenic cruising with the wife.

Pulling it out for the season- March 2014

Went out to start my bike this past weekend and found a big oil stain on the cardboard sheet I park it on. A gasket must've cracked over the winter. I usually start it up every month or so during the winter.

It was cold out, so I didn't pull it out to look further yet. But that sucks.

BTW....I've been looking for a Stoye sidecar rig for a year. I thought I lucked out last month when one popped up on EBAY and I was the first bidder on it and the seller was getting me a shipping quote.....but the next day he'd ended the auction. I called him back and a collector in CA had bought it. I didn't know Peter had a bike? /emoticons/default_smile.png

Oh, I also just found a fairly cheap shipper who ships bikes/sidecars from FL to Germany (Heidelberg) and even stores them, for anyone interested. Stoye is a German company and my biggest problem was shipping from Germany being extremely costly. So, I hadn't been trying to find an overseas Stoye, until now.

So, if any HFC guys are looking to bring a Euro bike over to the States....or anyone in Germany looking for a U.S.bike.....this shipper gets around $700 U.S. one-way. He will store a bike at his facility for a little under $300 for weeks to moths for that flat fee. But he seems to ship only twice a year and fills up a shipping container over that period. Any other shipper I found was five to eight times more money. This guy also says he might help in picking up bikes within a reasonable,distance, etc.

Email me if you need his contact info.

http://s1359.photobucket.com/user/mc2NYNO/media/imagejpg4_zps5521b416.jpg.html?sort=3&o=14

Got mine off the trainer Monday and had a chance to put on some new bar tape. I need to put some new shoes on it and it will be ready to go. I just found in the town where I work a group of guys to ride with - which is pretty exciting as there aren't any in the town where I live. File photo:



Engine's in pretty good shape but I'll probably want to take it easy starting out. I'll hopefully get a good test ride in this weekend. /emoticons/default_smile.png

Everything down here in Central Virginia is exploding with blossoms, especially the orchards. Can't wait to get back out and ride (ok, my bikes have a pretty feeble engine, but it works for me).



That's the wife and my road bikes up on Skyline Drive overlooking Sugar Hollow Reservoir and Charlottesville.

here's my fatboy, purchased new in '04. like diablo175 I have added quite a bit of extras to it but it's been a few years since I've dropped any $ on it except for maintenance. don't ride near as much as I did in the early days, but to me it's a lot more fun when you only get 'em out every once in a while. probably gonna ride some backroads this weekend, looking like it's hitting close to 80 here on Sunday...

Oooh. Dat's purdy! I'm not a huge fan of FatBoys but that's tricked out real nice, Oldskoolrulz. The pipes make that! /emoticons/default_wink.png

My K1200RS. Just waiting for the temps to hit 60 on a day I'm not working.

BadgerDave said:

My K1200RS. Just waiting for the temps to hit 60 on a day I'm not working.

Click to expand...

Beauty, Dave.

How long of a ride could be considered comfortable?

Looks a bit stretched out compared to a pure touring bike, but less than a pure sport bike. Accurate?

diablo175 said:

Oooh. Dat's purdy! I'm not a huge fan of FatBoys but that's tricked out real nice, Oldskoolrulz. The pipes make that! /emoticons/default_wink.png

Click to expand...

thanks diablo, i noticed we have the same taste in pipes and grips also /emoticons/default_smile.png almost went with a wide glide, was my second choice but after riding them both i felt a tad more comfortable on the fatboy...

Very accurate.

It's positioned on the sport end of the Sport/Touring segment, but I've done 4 hours straight with no problem.

I'll be doing a one day ride from Chicago to the BMW International Rally in St. Paul in July. I'm going to install a set of bar-backs for that. The riding position is fine, since I can rest my chest against the tank and a tank bag, but the reach is just a bit long. I end up with cramps from having my arms extended for long periods. The bar-backs should fix that.

I'm in Palo Alto on business and it's almost 80 degrees and sunny. My V-Strom still hasn't left the garage. Maybe this weekend. I got a new helmet and gloves for Christmas, so I'm aching for a run.

Nice Fatboy oldskoolrulz, I should have kept my 98. Other than my BMWs it was the most comfortable bike I ever had. Could ride it all day with no problems.

Been furiously wrenching mine trying to get it roadworthy for spring - looks like the next week or so will be a great time to finish it off as it will be highs in the 40's and a chance of snow!!!

ARRGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

'78 Kawasaki KZ650 Custom. Has been dormant for 10 years now. I traded a Japanese '62 Reissue Strat and a Fulltone Ultimate Octave for it several years ago and am FINALLY getting around to restoring it.





Until then, I'm relegated to the wife's H-D.................

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

I'm slowly bringing my dad's 74 Honda MR175 dirt-bike back to life. Basically fixing all the things I broke and bent when I was fifteen. /emoticons/default_smile.png I think my seventeen and thirteen year olds will love to learn on it.

I got a fifteen minute ride on my bike yesterday, sunny and mid sixties. Today? 36 and rain. The ride was enough to smile, start to remember all the good habits, and park it in the garage. Despite my monthly charging sessions through the winter, the battery appears dead. I'll give it one more chance and then down to the local store for a new one.