keithu

I want to start by thanking whoever came up with this idea a couple of years ago. I can't remember who, and rather than search for an old thread I decided to start a new one. If you have a '15-17 FJ-09/Tracer, you know the stock windscreen adjuster is junk. It's wobbly and doesn't stay tight. But it can be replaced with a 100mm bicycle wheel skewer. If you don't have one collecting dust in the shed like I did, just go to the local bike shop and buy a cheap front wheel (100mm) skewer. I can't believe I didn't do this sooner. It took me five minutes and is 10x easier and more solid than the stock adjusters. No drilling required.

An easy mod: at Maupin take Bakeoven Road down to Shaniko. This won't add any time to your trip, in fact it's probably quicker than 197 to 97. Bakeoven Road has no traffic and is a lot of fun.

So far, no, nobody has adapted the GT code for older FJ/Tracer models. It would probably be too complex given that the GT has a completely different display unit and new switchgear.

It's not everyone's cup of tea, for sure. I'm looking forward to it though.

Yep, I had Mr. Ed's Moto build me a custom seat a few years ago. That part of the bike is definitely ready! I got 10k miles out of my most recent PR4 rear tire. Now I'm running a Road 5 and we'll see how well it wears. My plan is two have new tires mounted at the start of the rally.

It'll be challenging, for sure, and to be honest that is part of the appeal for me. But if these endurance rallies were just about droning down a freeway watching numbers click by on the odometer, I wouldn't be interested. Every rally I've ridden in has taken me to interesting, unexpected places that I would have never thought to visit on my own. I've been half a mile underground in a pitch dark cave, I've ridden Tioga Pass at dawn with the sun at my back, and I've discovered countless incredible roads during rallies. Most of the best rides I've had have also been the most challenging.

If some riding is good, more must be better, right?

Some exciting news: yesterday I learned that I've been accepted to ride in the Butt Lite X (10) Rally in July, 2020. This will be a six day endurance rally sort of like the Iron Butt Rally, but five days shorter. I expect I'll have to ride 6-7k miles during the six days of the rally which starts and ends near Kansas City. I've done a few 1-2 day endurance rallies over the years, but this will be my longest and most challenging. I plan to ride my FJ-09 in the rally, so I have a lot of prep work to do over the next 11 months. Things to do: 1. Cruise control - time to stop procrastinating and place that MCcruise order. 2. Aux lights - still not sure which ones to install. 3. GPS - the Garmin Zumo 396 LMT-S looks like it will meet my needs. 4. Aux fuel - I have an old three gallon Summit Racing cell I could install right now, but it's ugly and not quite as big as I want. I may reach out to a custom builder in Portland. 5. Chain oiler - Not sure I need this one... It's my lowest priority. I'll probably start a thread in Build Projects for anyone who wants to track my progress converting the FJ into a true LD mount.

Yeah, I put 90k miles on a K100RS and never had final drive issues either. Actually the rear drive might be the only thing on that bike that *didn't* give me trouble. 😁

Since it's chain drive at least it won't have any of the infamous BMW final drive issues.

Mine was also missing when I bought my FJ-09 new four years ago. So far nothing has exploded.

Welcome the newest member of my garage: a 1997 YZF750R. It's going to be a project; it sat outside for the last two years and hasn't run in quite a while. But it was cheap, and it comes from a friend who died recently, so there is some sentimental value. I had an '87 FZR750RT many years ago, and I've always regretted selling it. So now I can say I've owned the first and third generations of this model line. If anyone has a line on a cheap OWO1 or R7, let me know!

It's called patina and it shows that you and your gear have experience. 😁 I don't have a useful answer for you. It interesting though to see how colors change with age. My old grey Aerostich transformed into sort of an army green. Red Aerostich suits are famous for turning pink after many years. My current suit is black with red ballistics; it's only three years old so it hasn't faded yet, but I expect it will start to change soon.

Another possibility is Carson City, NV. It has direct access to the east side of the Sierras, and with no state income tax it might be a good place to retire. The down side is winter weather similar to Utah or Colorado.

Chilly and rainy is relative. Compared to San Diego? Yes. Compared to, say, Oregon or Tennessee? Not really. San Diego weather is almost always nice (except when I'm there, grrr), but the OP already lives there and is looking for somewhere else to retire. SF has a great moto culture, but it's not what I would call a great retirement spot!

UV isn't a concern because of the outer shell, but the EPS is still attacked by ozone and other free radicals. I suppose more riding would increase this exposure because it means more air circulating through the helmet, but I'm not a chemist.

I think San Francisco is the only dense American city with year-round riding weather, so it makes sense. Motorcycles pay carpool tolls on the bridges, and you can usually find free parking in the city. And of course the streets themselves can be challenging to navigate in a car. I used to work one day per week in San Francisco back in the mid-90s, and being on a motorcycle sure made it easier. It's not the sort of place I'd want to retire though! And who can afford it anymore?

That's what I thought. Thank you for the tips!

It looks like the rest of us don't have to worry about bugs anymore because fddriver2 got them all. Thank you!

I'm thinking of finally pulling the trigger on the MC Cruise control. The offer wiring options for either Super Tenere or FJR switch gear. Is there any particular reason why one might be better than the other. I was thinking of just ordering the S-Ten part unless the FJR switch gear is better in some way.

I finally had to renew my registration in May, so I'm just over four years in. (Oregon registration on new vehicles is four years.) I could see myself getting a second bike at some point in the next year or two, but I expect to use the FJ as my main commuter for many years to come. It just works.

Today I had to get home fast, so I left at 6:00am and took the most direct route with no photo stops. I did 450 miles back to Oregon in eight hours, arriving just in time for my niece's birthday party on the farm near Brownsville.

I had to pull some wire in Dad's crawlspace for a new water filter. It was like the tomb in Indiana Jones down there, except all the mummies were mice instead of Egyptians. Sorry, no pics of that. I did enjoy some of the desert plant life around the place though, and the schnitzel ala Holstein Dad made for dinner.

I took advantage of a long holiday weekend to ride down to Nevada to visit my Dad and help him with some chores at his house in the mountains. I left home in Oregon the morning of July 4th@and crossed the Cascades on OR-58 to US-97 and Klamath Falls. I diverted from my normal route and routed over to Alturas and then took NV-447 through Gerlach. This gave me an opportunity to visit the Iron Butt Memorial next to the Black Rock Desert. I continued south to Fernley, and then took US-50 to Six Mile Canyon and up to Virginia City. It looked like I barely snuck through VC before they closed the main street for a parade. I made it to Dad's in just under nine hours, not bad for 550 miles with an extended stop at the IBA memorial.

Yep, Wendy Crockett is a true badass. There have been many successful women in LD riding over the years, so it really isn't a surprise that one finally won the IBR.