Do you guys have anything like The Recycler where you are?
The Recycler… I honestly don’t know. I have a vague memory of seeing a “buy-sale-trade” type of thing once at my usual gas station but I don’t normally look for them. I’ll try and remember to do that tomorrow. I would assume that we do, but I’ve learned to stop assuming things in this area. Whenever I do, something bad involving rednecks always seems to happen.
Unlike the Pennysaver, you have to buy The Recycler; but it’s free to place an ad. Good deal for sellers because it doesn’t cost anything, and if someone is going to shell out a buck and a half for the printed edition, they might be more interested in buying than browsing. And it’s good for buyers because it’s catagorized. It’s basically a Southern California thing, but I see that they take Las Vegas and “other U.S.” ads on the website.
If there’s not something similar in your area, there should be!
I went clothesshopping with a friend tonight. Bike clothes, mind you. He’s doing his exam next Tuesday, and if he succeeds, we’re going on a bike trip together.
We arrive at the bike shop (one of a big national chain), and dammit, they have not one, but two FJR-1300’s sitting in their showroom.
Argh. The temptation! What an utterly gorgeous bike. They had a blue one, and a strangely attractive greenish/grey one. It’s BIG, though. At least 40 cm’s longer than my Divvy. Good for the passenger, no doubt.
Drooled over the Aprilia Falco and the RSV Mille a bit, too. And the new line of Ducatis, wow. Are those the coolest exhausts evah, or what?
Oh, and I decided another thing. I’m ordering the Schuberth Concept helmet tomorrow. Tried it on again tonight, and it’s so damn cool. Flip-up chin bit, built-in sun visor… awesome helmet. Yeah, Spiny, I know what you’re thinking. I’m a touring sissy. Shadap already. 
Did you “try one on”? I like the silver.
Coldfire don’t listen to the foreign kid. Wait, you are too. Don’t listen to the weird foreign kid. Wait. Don’t listen to the good looking fore… I mean the ugly forei…
Don’t listen to Spiny.
Touring is where it’s at:)
This wasn’t the regular silver, though… it was a blend of green and grey, for lack of a better word. I honestly can’t find a pic, I think it’s a brand new colour.
And I couldn’t try it on… this is one of those places that has “Please don’t sit on the bikes!” signs on all the seats. Fuckers. Anyway, I’m sure it fits all right. Nice and tall.
Seriously, I’d never buy a bike there. We were just there because they had a wide range of clothes, for my friend to try on.
I never mention riding in the Texas Hills :O. I live in south Texas and needless to say, there are no hills around here. I wasn’t really thinking about a dirt bike. I only linked because everyone has so many different opinions that I thought it would be funny to start on a kiddie bike (I’m 18 by the way). I actually did want a dirt bike a long time ago (when I was maybe 9 or 10) but that never fell through (apparently there’s this thing called money that my parents didn’t have enough of…). Anyhoo, it’s interesting to read all the different opinions by all the seasoned veterans. I would never even consider taking a tour on a bike. Seems like a long way to go on such a little vehicle (but that’s just me). I only need something to get me around the city once I get to college (t-minus 15 days :D).
Sure, that’s what you say now, flood.
Is it different over there? “Please don’t sit on the bike” signs are fairly common, but I’ve found that if you talk to a salesman they usually let you. (After all, AFATK you’re looking to buy.) Actually, I don’t sit on them unless I get permission first even if they don’t have the signs on them.
Go on, Coldie. Sit one one. You know you want to. You won’t be tempted to buy it. Even if it is more comfortable than the Divvy and has more room on the back for… oh, I don’t know… an amazingly attractive female. 
I was at The Block today. They have one of those stores that sells motorized scooters and new-school mini-bikes. A guy came in with his family and knocked over one of the mini-bikes. You should have seen the look on the attendant’s face! (He didn’t say anything, though.)
Heh heh heh.
One morning I “just went out for a ride”. You know, out to Santa Monica and up PCH a little way. Nine hours later, after a side-trip to Laguna Seca to look at the track, I was in Novato (north of San Francisco). With only a denim jacket between me and the weather. :eek:
The Seca II isn’t a touring bike, but it served well on that trip. And the trips to Las Vegas. And the trip to Lake Havasu. At only 140 miles, San Diego was virtually a stroll down the block.
quote]Sure, that’s what you say now, flood.
[/quote]
Heh heh heh.
Gotta agree flood. A bike that fits you and that you like can lead to some great trips. You have to define touring. My buddies in So. Cal left yesterday for the annual Sturgis/Yellowstone/Black hills ride. That is too much for me. But sometimes that occasional Saturday that leads to a couple hundred miles of beautiful scenery, good eats, and interesting people can’t be beat, especially when you can do it in comfort.
If you are looking for a bike as primary transportation, be picky and find something that feels good when sitting on it. If you have to do anything unnatural, you’ll pay for it in the end. If you are looking for secondary transport/fun/gas saving during the week, get anything you want as long as you think you can safely control it.
But even if it is secondary, if you get something you really enjoy, it will surprise you how quickly it becomes primary. I hate to sound melodramatic, but a bike is like a good woman. Any will do in a pinch, but if you find the right one, it’s love. A car is just a run of the mill hooker. Nothing special, not very fun, although some are more fun that others, but it gets the job done.
Johnny the biggest reason sportbikes’ speedo indicators are off is that at higher speeds the rear wheel is actually slipping though a very little bit, and spinning faster than you are actually moving.
Also, changing your rear sprocket will change the speedo reading too. An R1 will indicating 165 is actually closer to 150 (from the factory)
I’m kinda looking for a used silver 02R1 now, I had a 99 that was stolen and recovered in pieces.
Hah, says I! - I’m going over to the Dark Side myself, just so you know. I’m actually trying to hunt down intercom headsets :eek: - next thing will be heated grips and stereo speakers…
Seriously, while I did (and do) love dancing with the wilder bikes, there’s a lot to be said for a ride that doesn’t incur extra costs for chiropractor visits. (I did a 500+ mile day on the Duc. Once. And that was enough. ) And that FJR 1300 sure is a pretty beast… Sigh. So many bikes, so little money. (Checked out the new CBR 600 RR ? Hubba Hubba!)
flood, just you wait. That temptation to go see what’s around the next turn - and the next - and the next - it’s addictive. Ah, for a full tank of gas, a stretch of open road and nowhere in particular to be… 
Sounds good. I can feel it now. Although, I think having a bike in the first place might be key…
This sounds off to me. Not to make this a rock hard GQ or anything Jax -we’re all friends here- but how does that work?
I could see a reasoning like: “at higher speeds, the tires actually increase in diameter because of centrifugal forces, causing the speedo readings to overestimate even more than they already do”. In fact, I think I read that line of reasoning in a bike mag somewhere. But a constant spin at high speeds? That would mean the bike would have very little lateral grip. It just doesn’t make sense to me.
When I put my bike on the center stand and engage 1st, the speedo doesn’t move a millimeter when I hit the gas, nor when keep upshifting all the way to 6th. This leads me to believe the speed reading device thingamajig is actually at the front wheel. Which, of course, may vary per bike.
Johnny: I could have tried one on for size had I asked, but there just wasn’t anyone around to ask at that moment. Quiet night, I suppose. And, we were there to help my friend get some clothes, of course, so we just quickly ogled the shiny new bikes. As for passanger comfort, yeah, I’m pretty sure a particularly hot young lady would feel A-OK on that back seat. Although knowing her, she’d want to get her hands on the handles herself as fast as possible.
Spiny: with a VFR-800, don’t worry about being mistaken for a tourer just yet. 
I can see the logic behind a good intercom. In fact, it would be kind of nice on longer rides with a passenger!
And remember, I was a passenger on the back of that Duke for an hour or two. You don’t have to explain to me its discomforts. :eek: What a looker, though. Was ogling the new 749 yesterday, too. Those headlights! That exhaust! The friggin’ thing should be in a museum, it’s that gorgeous.
All right, so I just ordered the Rolls Royce of helmets. I should have it next week, too cool.
Took the Divvy to work this morning, and wouldn’t you know it, the oil light came on. Well, it’s done about 1500 km’s since its last oil change, so I guess it’s only normal that it needs a refill - damn oil burners, they are.
I finally found a picture of that grey-greenish colour, but it’s in a PDF file. Lookie here. First page, bottom left. It’s called “techno jade”, and it looks a bit lighter than that IRL. Like I said, strangely appealing.
Rolls Royce? That’s like the “Cadillac of Cars”, innit?
Most bikes that I know have the speedo gear on the front wheel, mainly for economy. Why route a long cable the length of the bike to the back wheel, especially on chain drive bikes where the axle is not in a fixed position, when you can drop a short cable straight down to a perfectly good stationary axle?