keithu

This isn't exactly what you asked, but I also have no heel clearance issues with my Hepco Becker Junior bags. I have large feet: 13US.

I have to admit I'm intrigued by the Niken. I ride year round, which means here in Oregon I have plenty of twisty forest roads to enjoy but they are wet for much of the year. I imagine the Niken would work well as a winter bike around here.

Uneventful. Yesterday there was a bunch of traffic for no apparent reason. I ended up chatting with a couple other riders in stop-and-go traffic. Traffic sucks, but the quick chats made it a little more bearable.

Any coating would wear away quickly where there is direct contact with the sprocket. Titanium chains and sprockets would solve the problem, since titanium basically doesn't corrode at the temperatures to which chains are normally exposed. It would be expensive though.

How did you apply the oil? I brush it on the inside surface of the chain, right where your rust appears.

No, quite the opposite. The main thing I noticed when I switched from commercial chain lubes to gear oil years ago was I no longer had grit and other crap stuck to the chain. And since nothing sticks to it, I also never need to "clean" the chain. I just re-apply a little oil every few hundred miles, that's it.

The armor in my first Roadcrafter did start to deteriorate after about 15 years. The foam padding started to come apart. Fortunately the armor is easily replaceable.

Some data points on tire wear: My original D222 rear lasted just 5500 miles of relatively mellow riding. I replaced it with a PR4, which was flat spotted and toast at 7500 miles. I blame a trip to eastern Oregon and Nevada where I did a lot of high speed riding. My current PR4 rear is at 9000 miles and is still round with some tread. I'll probably replace it in the next 500-1000 miles. 90% of the riding on this tire has been at 65mph or less. I have 3300 miles on a Road 5 front. Obviously I don't replace them in sets, I replace tires individually when they're worn.

I've been using gear oil for 15 years. Specifically, I use an old bottle of BMW 80w-90 transmission oil left over from a K100RS I sold in 2000. The 1L bottle is now finally almost empty and I'm thinking about buying something else. I thought about using chainsaw bar oil. I assume it has about the same properties as gear oil.

This seems to be a pretty thorough test of various chain lube options: Executive summary: just use gear oil.

I have about 3000 miles on a Road 5 front. I still have a PR4 rear. I'll switch to a Road 5 rear when the current one is done. The Road 5 has performed well through the Pacific Northwest winter. I've had it slip a couple of times, but always while cornering on dirty or wet/cold surfaces. It'll slide a little but then quickly regains grip. Road feel is good and confidence inspiring.

Another option, if you don't mind wearing something on your back, is an Aerostich messenger bag. Most sizes should easily hold a laptop plus other stuff

I have the Sena SMH10 and wear earplugs. At highway speed I can more or less hear music, but it's not real clear and I can't listen to news above about 50mph. I'll have to look at options for upgraded speakers.

If you take 97 to Dawson Creek and then the Alcan to Fairbanks, that's paved the whole way except for the inevitable construction zones. I've driven this in a car and I think any street tires like PR5s would be fine for this leg. Then in Fairbanks you can switch to something more dirt oriented for the ride to Prudhoe Bay. Maybe you can find a shop in Fairbanks that will sell you some TKC80s, and then hold your street tires for you and remount them on the way back? If you take Cassiar highway there are apparently gravel sections north of Hyder. I haven't been this way myself so I can't offer first hand advice. Good luck and please share pics!

To be fair I don't think many motorcycle gloves go through much testing either. I've had a motorcycle-specific glove (can't remember the brand) come off in a fall when the gloves got pinched between the handlebar end and the ground. Fortunately my hand didn't get crushed by the bar and it was a low-speed get off, but I was shocked how quickly the glove slipped off my hand. OTOH, the worst crash I ever had was an 80mph low side while wearing leather work gloves. The gloves held up fine. Red Wing makes top quality work gear. My guess is these gloves are as good as many gloves at the moto shop, maybe even better than some. They're certainly better than the gloves I see 50% of riders around here wearing in summer (i.e. none).

I have Rev-It gloves for summer. Very comfy and they've lasted three summers now. My winter gloves are Helds. The moto shop a mile from my house sells both. I may invest in some new summer gloves this year, I'll see what they have.

In that case, make this an endorsement of the single-point mount. It was simple to install and does not flex or vibrate at all. I'm not sure what advantage is offered by the two-point mount.

So this is weird. I ordered the FJ-09 Barkbuster Storms last fall (Sept or Oct 2018 I think) and they were different from this. The kit I got does not have the backbone piece. They only mount to the bar ends and basically float on the inner ends. It doesn't seem to be a problem; the steel bracket attached at the bar end is very Stout and there is zero flex in them. It certainly made the install simpler.

99 might be a little closer to the Sierras but it ain't in them. Having done both multiple times, I would recommend just stay on I-5 and hold your breath past Harris Ranch. 99 is no more fun than I-5, and you get to deal with traffic through Modesto and Fresno.

Really good info Skip! I still have the original battery on my '15. I ride year round but I am frequently away for 1-3 weeks on business trips. I put my FJ on the battery tender every time I go away.

Harris Ranch is pretty bad, but I maintain that the stinkiest place in California is the region of strawberry farms near Oxnard and Camarillo. I used to be stationed at NAS Point Mugu right in the middle of it, and the sickening chicken manure stench would cling to your soul.

I had the same issue on a Tiger 800XR that I rented two years ago. Awful, awful seat. And compared to my FJ-09 the Tiger 800 engine was, uh, "tame" to put it mildly. I was glad I bought the Yamaha.

I think with any brand, service cost depends on the dealer you use and whether you do some/all servicing yourself. I had a TT600 and it was pretty cheap to own. Some Triumph parts were oddly expensive, yes. For example I remember Triumph wanted $50 for a fuel filter, but I could buy exactly the same filter at a BMW dealer for just $15. I would also note that the TT600 was obviously designed for serviceability. Oil and filter could be changed without removing any fairings; the radiator mount had a nice hinge for sparkplug access; all fairing fasteners were the same; etc. I can't say if any of this applies to modern Triumphs, but the one I owned was easy and cheap to live with.

I think a MT10 Tracer would cannibalize Tracer 900 GT sales, so it doesn't make much sense. Unless the MT10 is shaft drive with real luggage, then it could be a replacement for the FJR1300. This doesn't really look like that though.

If it's the same price I'm not sure why anyone in North America would buy the Klim. The Aerostich has more sizes, more colors, 30 years of refinement, custom sizing, repair service, made in the USA, options, etc... I don't doubt Klim is high quality stuff. But for the same price the Aerostich seems like a no-brainer to me.