chitown

Like plans and getting punched in the face... everybody has a projected usage until they're doing a panic stop. Creating some sort of equivalency between tires and suspension upgrades and how fast someone intends to go is something that comes up on the internet a lot and IMO is ignorance. Speed doesn't kill, rapid deceleration does. One can never ever exceed the posted limits and still be highly skilled and experienced. You (yes all of you) can scrape a peg at parking lot speeds and do a stoppy from surface street speeds. When I buy a new Japanese bike tires and suspension are just part of the cost -- but it wasn't always that way. Experience, feel, etc. Developing a feel for tires is something some will just never have the experience or talent to achieve. And there will always be some that have more experience and talent than just about all of us here. Welcome to the internet.

Yamaha Recalls Over 18,000 Bikes For Faulty Front Brake Switch - Adventure Rider Yamaha is recalling numerous models for a problem with the front brake...

From Roadcrafter / Darien FAQ :: Aerostich Motorcycle Jackets, Suits, Clothing, & Gear Aerostich, the place to find motorcycle jackets, suits, helmets, boots... "The Roadcrafter provides more double layers of fabric over a larger area than the Darien. These include the elbow/shoulder/knee areas of ballistics nylon and additional Roadcrafter pockets. On the other hand, the Darien is lighter and cooler to wear. Crash events most commonly occur between 30 and 70 mph. Within this range the Darien, DarienLight and Roadcrafter all provide useful abrasion protection. All three provide more than jeans and windbreaker jackets. Riders on powerful sport bikes will prefer the closer fit and greater protection a Roadcrafter suit offers. Roadcrafters are available in short, regular, and long, and Dariens are all regulars, so if you are extra short or tall, go with the Roadcrafter. Getting a good fit is more important than the functional differences." Own a Roadcrafter one piece and Motoport two piece. Both ugly as sin but don't buy them for looks. Mainly bought them for abrasion resistance, custom fit, durability, factory backed alterations and repairs, machine washable. In younger years could never picture spending on gear but they've both ended up less expensive than south Asian low priced gear that would have been replaced multiple times. Heck the Stich was a steal on ebay used and stained. Sent it to the factory for armor updates and alterations and still less than half price of new.

+1 on the Gilles. My oem block wasn't as bad as some of the pictures but was showing more deforming than it should have after a few years.

Sorry if I wasn't clear... everything I am saying matches with the above except "cheaper". See the post just above. Fremont is also a Kawasaki dealer. In 2010 purchased a Good Times extended warranty from them at a deep discount. Life was grand In 2015 contacted them about the FJ-09 and they explained why they could no longer discount if selling to CA, FL, & WA. The recouping cost was mentioned because that's exactly how folks market extended warranties. "It will pay for itself..."

Buy it before you re-register and you should be able to get a deeply discounted price and it's all above board. Fremont Motor Sports in Florence, CO is a Yamaha dealer. They'll sell you YES at a good discount -- if you answer no to the question: do you live in CA, WA or FL? If the answer is yes, they will tell you they are obligated to sell it by the price established by the YES administrators with that state's insurance regulators and the state will punish Yamaha who will in turn punish the selling dealer.

True but also read the fine print. If the registration is in a state that regulates insurance prices (extended warranties are insurance products) they'll end up refusing to sell it or voiding it and returning your money. WA, CA, a few others. If you decide to proceed legit dealers advertise them on ebay for steep discounts. My anecdote: only ever purchased extended warranties on a couple first year model vehicles and even then never recouped the cost.

Wouldn't hesitate to call Traxxion (and other vendors) and have a discussion, get another opinion, etc. Over 15 years they've helped me assess options and set up several street and track bikes without buying a thing. Also suggest watching "Suspension For Mortals", a series of videos on youtube by Max from Traxxion.

The first time I saw the iPhone's overheat thermometer image was riding in central CA. Was using it for nav and waiting for a text to intercept a couple riders coming from another direction. Doah!

Have used phones, cheap auto units, and zumos. Phones are great up to a point but I've killed a few and they weren't inexpensive. The weak point of the automotive GPS' is often the charging interface. The Zumos were pricey when new, but are rocks. They've been tossed down in gravel, dirt, and on concrete. Gloved operation easy. The first one from 2006 is still working, screen digitizer had to be replaced with a cheap part from ebay at some point. The second one was bought inexpensively on closeout and is six years old. The '05 model won't take map updates but they aren't very necessary unless in areas of new development. Given how hard I am on things and the cost per year of life, I like the Zumos. YMMV.

I could see it and well, have seen it tl;dr It's taste and the rider IMO, all of the bikes mentioned above are great do it all rides. My firefighter buddy replaced his totaled FJR with a SuperTen. Doesn't off-road at all. Thinks it does everything better including 2-up. He's 6'2 crossfit body and his wife is average. From IA they met me two up in Nova Scotia, and he also met me riding solo in Dawson City for the run to Prudhoe Bay. I was on my FJR. Have ridden Super Teneres and can see what he means but prefer the FJR other than for rider legroom. Actually, now I prefer my FJ-09 to them all. YMMV.

That's disappointing. Would definitely be curious to see the measurements from the first valve check. Like many have reported my '15's intake were fine but several tight exhaust valves at first check performed well ahead of schedule.

If it seems like I know a lot of western roads all the credit goes to my friend Roger. Retired in his early 60s. Had not ridden since his 20s but couldn't afford to fly his Baron for a hobby so motorcycling became his obsession. He's 83 now and has been riding virtually every day of the last 20 years. Remembers every road. And rides a liter hypersport. No GPS, no aux lighting, no cruise, no hyviz. His one concession is an airbag vest because if he falls he doesn't want to lose riding days to recover. He once bought a bin'd Gixxer and welded the aluminum frame back together in his garage. Then put 80k miles on it. We are not worthy A lot of very happy riding days and trips in my memory are due to him. The Pyrenees trip I mentioned earlier is something a few of his friends have arranged as a gift to him. Unfortunately covid keeps pushing that back and we don't know how long he'll continue riding.

Haven't used Easy Rider but have friends that do and are happy as far as renting Harleys goes. Have definitely left Vegas on a motorcycle and toured the southwest and many of the parks and roads. Two years ago was the latest southwest tour and it was 109F high in Vegas when I arrived. We can only tolerate a bit of tourist stuff and on this trip North Rim and Pike's Peak were those spots. Parks on this trip were GC, Arches, and Bryce as one of the riders had never seen them. On past trips we've done Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, all the Cali parks etc. This route was to Vegas via slab (had a plan for a non-interstate day but the heat scuttled that) to North Rim via obvious route to Cortez via 89,98,160,163,191,162,402/G,160. to Salida via 160,550,50 with an in/out on 92 (Black Cyn). to Frisco (on I-70) via 50,9,11,24,Pikes Peak,24,67,126,285,Guanella Pass,I-70. to Moab, made it up on the fly. 141 was in there as I recall lunch in Gateway. to Cedar City via I-70,24,12,Bryce Cyn,12,89,14. Performance award in Arches. They don't report to other systems (yay for no insurance bump) unlike my one other park ticket, Death Valley.

This!! Those roads are usually closed for winter. But I may have gone around the closed signs more than once And in good weather it's glorious. Almost no traffic and miles and miles of sequoias and twistys. 58, Bodfish (becomes Caliente Bodfish Rd), pick a side and continue north around Lake Isabella (I usually fuel in Wofford Heights), Sierra Way (becomes Mtn Hwy 99), M90, 190. Fuel in Springville. If it's a day ride slab back south. If not, Wagner, Yokohl Valley, and work my way along the Sierras. Another fun ride in that area is Sherman Pass (also closed for winter) and Nine Mile down to 395.

Yamaha has never published US sales broken down to model level. Ohio is a good place to be from. Go Bucks!

That's a bummer. Going to have to check it out when it's dry. Unpaved doesn't bother me but I only attempt sand of any depth on a bike I don't mind dropping and picking up multiple times

Been there many times with my norcal buds. Mt. Hamilton, Mines, Del Puerto etc. I am in SoCal but have worked remote for a couple Palo Alto and SF based companies and would ride up and back every few weeks. Usually met local friends for a bite at Alice's then use a day or three to meander home avoiding interstate as much as possible. Rossi's has to be experienced on a bike and in a good handling car. The fish eye effect on the gopro doesn't do it justice

Buck's Lake area is a hair over 5,000'. Buck's Lake Road and Big Creek (use this unless you want to actually stop at the lake to eat, there's a nice place with a patio etc) can close during winter but the norcal folks probably have better info than me. My last trip up there is generally the last week of Sep with 1-2 nights in Tahoe and 2-3 nights in Quincy. Then generally don't ride the area again until the paved passes to 395 are open as that's what I use to blast north/south. This year we almost made it as those counties were doing ok on covid but the fires and smoke were bad so we switched to Taft at the last minute. If I'm unsure about weather/fires I'll look around online and call the motel in Quincy (Ranchito) and see what I can find out.

229 is a unicorn. Do laps on it when I get the chance. Can only surmise somebody wealthy and influential may have once owned one of the ranches on that road... it's a weird road to be a CA state highway. 58 tees into 33 technically in McKittrick city limits I guess but there's nothing there except the tar pits. The "town" is a bit north so most won't go through it unless headed east. Yes, you still have to ride past the derricks into Taft unless you do Soda Lake Road. Not paved. It is gnarly loose over-sized gravel in long sections so not much fun on street tires. Can be done but not worth it since most folks will want to fuel in Taft. Here's some video from running CA229 in my Miata. Following a Juke. Cause I like musicals and chick cars.

If you're going to recommend 58 you have to recommend Rossi's Driveway CA229. It's like a rule or sumpin 58 is one of my favorite roads in the universe. But not in any quantifiable way. More Zen. A few smoking hot sections of twisties, some whoops, utter solitude unless they're working on solar farms or something, and look there's a tarantula-looking thing crossing the road. Nobody actually goes all the way to McKittrick unless they've an old GPS that thinks there's still a gas station there lol. And if going 33 to Ojai... cut out a big chunk of boring straight 33 by doing Hudson Valley & Lockwood Valley as a long cut. Altitude for better views and temps. Much better roads. The Rock Store is fun once every ten years or so. Leno will come by in a jalopy etc. Folks can argue about why they lowside at Edwards... ah the good ol days.

Traffic and most of it distracted. If you've never seen that stretch yes there is definitely some beauty there so likely worth doing it at least once but with all the people and traffic not so beautiful that I'd put it on my list Few opportunities for legal passing. Draws a lot of international travelers. Rental motorhomes. Folks pulling trailers. If you're gawking those folks in the cages are gawking too. Every season there are multiple tourists from LH driving countries that have head ons on this stretch of PCH as they leave turnouts to reenter the road. I can identify since I frequently visit their countries. Pre-covid, once you get to San Simeon area there's the addition of LA getaway folks who like to visit the wineries in the area. Add wine-tasting to the distracted tourist factor. Other than that it's great and haven't had any long-term closures for awhile now. Morro Bay/SLO/Paso Robles is an area where I meet with friends from the Bay Area quite a bit but we tend to avoid the scenic route on those trips. If the weather's good do at least an up and back for photos at Nascimiento-Fergusson Road. Stunning view of the coast as the road climbs steeply before turning inland. If you did continue on it's also fun to ride (in Top 10 road lists in many motorcycle mags) and can be used to get inland as well, passing thru the outer training areas of Fort Hunter Liggett. The fort also contains the only Spanish Mission in the US where you can actually spend the night (straw mattresses and all). Enjoy the ride!

First trip booked a hotel room in Douglas. There were also homes and rooms for rent via services like airbnb. But I think the majority camp. Camping ranges from a spot in a field to places that have fully built tents ready for you with services, just need to bring a bag etc. Some of the smaller lodging places on the course would be cool to stay at but often have recurring reservations for folks that go every year so can be difficult to book. Another friend that met up with us shipped camping gear over and flew into Douglas. Used buses to get around. The spirit is great tho, random folks he met in camp offered use of their bikes. If you plan on using the ferry from Liverpool *that* will be the most important reservation you make, even before lodging or camp spot. Folks start booking a year in advance. Getting over isn't bad because some folks will arrive early for practice week etc. But everybody wants to leave at the same time. Loved having the bike for the first trip because on the off days we explored. There are a number of neolithic sites and while staring at old rocks doesn't sound interesting the ancients often put these in interesting locations with fantastic views. We also used the bikes to scout different places along the course we wanted to watch from. We walked to the course one day and elbowed into a vacant lot at the bottom of Bray Hill, paid for grandstand at Creg Ny Baa another, donated a few quid for access to a lawn chair and wall in Glen Helen, and the other days I think were also small donations for watching from church yards etc. Good times.

In my forties was still "that guy" that never took much more than the occasional three day weekend for a vacation. Then my father and slightly older brother, both the same type as me wrt vacation, passed within a month of each other. So decided to start doing my bucket list. Alternate each year between international and domestic. So the below are bucket list trips I've done Lots of Norcal. All most folks will ever need in terms of roads. Multiple entries on my list. Start with booking a motel in Fortuna and take CA33 to I5. Or, over in the Sierras start with any of the three highest paved passes in Cali and get lost for a week. Munich, Alps, & Dolomites. 1 week in the Alps & Dolomites on a guided tour (friend wanted guided, I didn't), then a week solo, renting in Munich and staying in Andermatt Switzerland for a week doing day trips over Alps passes. Van Goghs and beers in Munich. Prudhoe Bay -- aborted -- Pacific NW, Jasper, Banff, Ice fields etc. Friend and I were on DRZ400SMs. Was supposed to be a blast all the way to PB but the night we got to Canada friend said he couldn't keep up the pace required physically. Ended up doing Jasper, Banff, glaciers etc, then extended time in WA & OR. 6k miles on dirt bike seats what could possibly go wrong? Isle of Man. Wanted the full experience and had reasons to be in London so rented there, took back roads to Liverpool including a stop at Cat & Fiddle, took ferry over. Found my ancestors' graves on IOM, got the whole race week in with only one minor delay for rain, etc. Mad Sunday. Stayed for Castletown races. Ferry back to Liverpool. Spent a night there and hit John Lennon's favorite pub for a pint. Stopped at the National Motorcycle Museum the following day. All the Triumphs had drip trays (surprise!). Friend from Texas that went with just bought a house on IOM so won't need to pay for accommodation again Prudhoe Bay Attempt Deux. Los Angeles to start of Alcan to meet up with friends from back east. On the way back I split from them and grabbed the Alaskan State Marine Ferry from Skagway back to WA. Kind of like a low-cost Alaskan cruise with orca sightings etc. N. Ireland, Ireland, and the Northwest 200. Two week loop of island with the first on the move and the second based around the NW 200 races. Met McPint and got a photo with him. Had a pint at Joey's. New Zealand. Self-guided tour hired bikes in Auckland, two week loop of north and south islands. More Norcal and SW with a few days at north rim of grand canyon. Thence to good riding in UT, CO etc. Pike's Peak just cause. N. Ireland and Scotland. Flew into Belfast and spent a few days at the Ulster GP. Ferry to Scotland and 10 day loop doing most of NC 500, checked out Orkney. It's all been fantastic. For roads, the nw corner of California has a lifetime of bucket list stuff. Some of my trips above were expensive but you can have just as much fun and adventure and great roads riding and camping in Norcal. Fwiw, neither PCH (except a few stretches) nor Route 66 would be on my bucket list. I've ridden and driven them many many times for other reasons so take that with a grain of salt. Bucket List Right Now: Have a depo on a trip that keeps getting pushed back due to covid. Fly to Barcelona and do 10 days self-guided in the Pyrenees from coast to coast. Want to dovetail this with staying with my friend on IOM for a few weeks and work as a TT marshal.

If the average knowledge and skill level of a vlogger was along the lines of most moto journalists I'd watch more. Sadly most are like this. He blamed the wind which still makes me laugh. WARNING: Language in video audio is NOT WORK SAFE