fddriver2

Some will know my VFR adventure. Seen here. Here is a casual side by side comparison. Power. There is no comparison. The VFR is much larger CC wise. The "book" says 170hp. I'm not sure about that, but I am sure about the 100ft/lbs of torque. Yes it does have it. Turn the throttle anywhere in the rpm range and off it goes, in whatever gear it's in. Just under 5,000 rpm's is where it gets serious and it pulls like a diesel truck right to 10,000 rpms. The FJ doesn't have a chance. Hydraulic clutch took some getting used to, but now it's a plus. Much tighter than cable. YMMV Handling. Even at almost 12 years old, but under 15,000 miles. It goes exactly where you point it. Oversteer was a problem for me for a bit. Lines that worked for the FJ, the VFR undercut. Adjusting outward happened a lot early on. I have the VFR at the softest settings and the FJ in middle of the road. So to speak. The FJ has 59,000+ miles, So a refreshing is in order. But the VFR is still tense suspension wise. The FJ is softer and more vague in every way. That said. On any long multi-day trip. The FJ rules. Rider position, a less sport oriented ride position and suspension means a more comfortable long day. Comfort. I am 6'1" 200lbs 34" inseam. It has an "aggressive" rider position IMO. I am also 62 years old. Seat to pegs is tight for me. Haven't measured it, but it seems short. Distance to grips. short, not sportbike short but it is forward. Even with "helibars". All that said. I will be in NC over the coming week. On the VFR. Stay tuned

For the record. The Dragon Is a fine road to ride. On a Wednesday afternoon. At 2:30 or 3:00pm. Weekends are a shitshow. Here are the reasons. Busy. Lots of people are off on the weekends. So, it's busy. It's been hyped to the max. So. everyone knows about about it and feels the need to do it. On the weekends. It is dangerous. The reasons. Inexperienced riders. Going slow, Experienced riders. Going too fast. On the same two lanes. While not all that challenging. It is tight and technical. Mistakes hurt. There's a reason a rescue truck sits there all weekend long. It ain't because they're bored and have nothing else to do.

☝️ This! While I have ended up on the Dragon a few times now. (Friends new to riding the area) I feel no pressing need to go back, I will if someone wants to. A couple of good resources for paper maps of the area is Wayne & Jackie Busch (America Rides Maps) and (Maps | wildrides.info) most of the time you can find the wild mountain ones for free in a bike shop or local gathering spot.

Well. Everything is home. Thank goodness.

It's not just motorcycles. It's cars, trucks RV's and parts for all of them. Just before covid hit. I could buy a new , middle of the road Ford F250 diesel for ~$65,000. Now a 5 year old one is ~$65,000 . Rv's specifically travel trailers have doubled in price and a decent used one is impossible to find. Same with cars. My BIL had a Ford Escape on lease for his wife. Lease was up, but nothing for them to lease, so they had to buy it. My 2016 Ford F150 had a differential failure back in the beginning of August. It is still sitting 980 miles away waiting parts. By the time the parts show up and it's fixed it will have been around 6 weeks. And I still have to fly back to Nashville and get it and drive it home. Bike dealers here in SOFLA that used to be full of bikes are mostly empty and what they have is way over priced. With all that said. I agree with @knyte This is not a good time to be looking for anything. YMMV

Sounds like a good call. Good luck!!!!

☝️ All of the above. On my 58,000+ mile FJ-09 while on an extended trip I have only had 1 problem and it was self inflicted. When locking the handlebar I went to the acc position, and it killed the battery. In all of those miles I have only had 2 serious problems. 1 that stopped me in my tracks. The one that stopped me in my tracks was a flat tire. Not a nail or screw but something that I never saw or felt sliced my rear tire open. I did feel it go flat at ~75 mph or so. No fixing that. The other was a complete failure of the front master cylinder. Worked just fine at one stoplight, absolutely nothing at the next. Ain't fixing that right away. It was close to home and under warranty, but almost screwed up a road trip. Zip ties, good 100 mph tape, fuses, a tire repair kit and now a tiny jumper pack. AAA with motorcycle. YMMV

I agree with @kilo3 & @johnmark101 parts as critical as that need to be intact. I'd buy new.

I've been running a seat concepts for a couple years now. I like it just fine. That said. I rarely do more than ~160 miles in one run. and 450 miles in a day is about it. So. YMMV

Ditto. I leave stuff on my bike all the time. Especially at places where bikers hang out and nothing has ever been touched. Forgot my phone on the seat (back when samsung S10+ was the $hit) came back 40 minutes later and it was still there. Quite a few hotels here in the USA will let you park a motorcycle or 2 up under or close to the entry overhang where they can keep an eye on it as long as you don't block anything. It has been my experience that Hampton Inn has been very accepting of this. It's usually just me or me and one other. If you show with half a dozen of your friends, maybe not. 🤷‍♂️

Next let's talk oil and then seats. 😀 FTR. Dunlop RoadSmart 3's and 4's for me. Solid mileage, good grip, wet and/or cold. I like the feedback. They give plenty of warning before getting loose. I'm old and likely slow compared to many of you. I don't do track days, (I would like to) and live in flat, straight, hot and boring SOFLA. So. YMMV

Earlier or later in the year? Yes it does. The heat index in the southeast right now says otherwise. August and September in the southeast are the hottest. And my truck and trailer are still in Murfreesboro TN.

@showmeriderIf I can ever get the damn thing home. 😳

@knytethank you 🙂