tktplz

Very nice and descriptive of the feel and can we say effects of upgrading suspension. Great write up Stew, Thanks!

I know Clay a guy I chase when riding at meets, LOL! He said the RS2 rear was very stiff and he didn't have any problems mounting the RS3 rear. The fronts for both were OK also. He hasn't tried Michelin tires yet. He rides a 2005 VMax Gen1 with different rims so he runs radials now. I had a hard enough time keeping up with him when he was on bias ply tires. I can keep up now for 10 - 15 minutes but after that i back off. Focus, focus, focus and it fades quick when you push it that hard.

Yes I do. I was thinking that was the way BMW was going to do it.

That's what I was wondering. Will I have to buy the complete BMW to get the chain for my bike?

The 1 thing I notice after yesterday is do you have a center rod to go through the center of the tire sticking straight up. It made a lot of difference to have the center bar to use as leverage with your hip to pry the mount/dismount bar around the tire. Looks like a sturdy setup. The NoMar I used yesterday didn't budge a bit. 👍

The rear RS2 I put on yesterday sat in the 97-103 degree sun for over an hour.....I'd hate to mount that tire in January, LOL!

Yeah 1 of my buddies said his rear RS2 was stiff, mine was. He said the RS3 he had put on just before this RS2 was much easier. The RS2 are hard to pass up at $161 dollars for front and rear to your door. That's regular price at Rocky Mountain. draco_1967 what machine or knees and spoons did you use to mount yours?

Yes I did. I can see how it will get easier and faster each time too.

OK, used a NoMar Classic HD unit today. Found out the Dunlop Roadsmart II sidewalls are stupid stiff. Yes it was very tight to break the bead and get it to scrunch enough to get it in the valley of the rim. A friend uses the harbor freight changer with the yellow thing, nomar lube and nomar mount/dismount bar. He also said the Roadsmart IIs are stupid stiff and the Roadsmart IIIs are much easier. I think I'll get the machine from NoMar and probably switch to Q3+ at $173 rears or those Bridgestone S22s at $122 rears that betoney talks about rate pretty high too. The NoMar machine is sturdy and using your hip instead of muscle does work. there are tips that work and you can get other tips watching YouTube too. There are many choices out there. How much you want to spend is up to you. My shop broke the camels back at $55.00 a tire to mount and balance. He explained it well, it's a half hour of shop time to change a tire, $110.00 and hour and $55.00 a half hour. It just doesn't compute in my brain to cost that much.

Angel on 1 shoulder......the Devil on the other. Who will you listen to?????

I feel ya there. I work on office equipment and sometimes I work off the floor, in my 60s now. I am very flexible tho, can sit cross legged, work on my knees, off my butt. I can tell that when I was younger I just grabbed whatever it was, lifted it and carried it. Those days are no more. Working on my feet at the machine I think will work better for me. We will see this weekend. I'll report back after my 1st experience with the machine.

I'm going this weekend to use a friends o-Mar tire changer and balancer. He tells me it's all Technic not all muscle. He's had it for years and still has the original nylon tips. If this works out I'm buying the No-Mar changer for myself. He says his is the mid priced setup from No-Mar. I'm hopefully because if I can do my own tire changes I'll switch back to sportbike tires for the extra confidence on the road. That's of course if he and I are still here in NW Louisiana and East Texas after Laura.......

I bought a 12 foot wide by 20 foot long. Double doors at both ends. I put the wall at 12 foot on my motorcycle side and 8 foot on the shed side. 12 by 12 is just enough. I'd do 12 by 12 or 12 by 14 if you can. I'll try with these pix to show you the size with bikes in it.

I use State Farm and I have liability and uninsured motorist. I already have healthcare so I don't need that. And if I buy a close to new bike I pay mostly cash and take out a signature loan so I don't have to buy collision. I'm covered for most things unless I screw up and wreck myself. If that happens I buy another used bike. It works for me. Same with my cars. If I screw up I'll buy another but if anyone else hits me I'm covered even if they are un-insured.

I camped a couple of times in Arkansas and both times got chiggers. There is no more camping in Arkansas, PERIOD!

Use liquid "White Out". We use it on copier screws we need to get loose again but that we need to stay tight until needed to get loose. Small bottle of white out will fit in the smallest tank bag or under the seat.

Plug unless you have a No Mar tire changer. If it's easy to pull and put a patch on the onside do that. That tire is too new to replace...... Oh yeah, nice no chicken chicken strips there bud. You can tell it's hot down Houston way. The tire is erasered even in the center.......hot roads......

That looks a lot like our FZ09 here in the states besides the KYB and the Ohlins.

Those silos look impressive. And it looks like you got the good out of that rear tire for sure. Good Job! Best to do it on a ride by yourself. Don't want to be at a meet and be "That Guy", LOL! Do the troopers there have bad eyes???? Hell of a license plate ya got there. I'm sure it helps with wheelies.

Hey 1Moreroad, Hwy 341 is an excellent ride. It's about the same mileage from my place in NW Louisiana. We have a fall meet in Mountain Home, AR every year now. 1 of our faves for eats is Heidi's Ugly Cakes. Heidi’s Ugly Cakes & Sandwich Shop - Takeout & Delivery - 23 Photos & 28 Reviews - Cafes - 71 Fishermans St, Norfork, AR - Restaurant Reviews - Phone Number - Yelp Cafes in Norfork, AR She has a killer Rubin and of course her Ugly Cakes are to die for. Her place is in Norfolk, AR and in Big Flat, AR there is a brewery to stop at and pick up a 6 pack of beverages for the evening after the ride. Glad you got to get in a little Push Mountain. We will be there in October.

15 inch rims/tires.

Should be. Mine stays under a garage so it gets a little sun from the south end but besides that it's covered on 3 sides. Gives ya a warm fuzzy after you give the trailer some attention.

Got the 6X10 trailer in Mount Pleasant, TX. Double A Trailer. At 865.00 I couldn't pass it up. That's a pipe top not angle iron on the top. Sturdier. Another 93.00 for the matching spare tire and rim mounted on the trailer. A qt of polyurethane, anti-skid powder, a 6 pack of tie downs plus the 2 wheel chocks from Amazon and it came to just over the 1,200.00 dollar stimulus check. So I did my job, spent the money and stimulated the economy. I'm sure you can make 1 for less. It's just drawing up plans, getting the angle iron, an axle with tires, expanded metal and 2X6s. Buy or make your fenders and a trailer light kit. My neighbor behind me does blacksmithing. He goes and buys metal regularly.

I'd love to betoney but I maxed out with this company at 15 work days a year. We have 4 bike meets a year. That's three 4 day weekends, that's 6 days and a week long stent, 5 week days at Deals Gap/Blowing Rock, NC. so that's 11 of 15 and then 4 days left for 3 or 4 day weekends in Arkansas. Try to make the most of my days as riding twisties days, LOL!

Well, made a new bike trailer for trips to Deals Gap, NC each year. Until I retire, 5 years, 9 months but who's counting? Don't have the extra time off to ride it, 2 days there and 2 days back while riding a week there. The stimulus check was the stimulate the economy so this is what I did for my little bit for the economy. the deck with "add sand" so the wood is like sand paper, grippy! Wheel chocks "like" Condor's but 75 bucks a piece instead of 165.00 bucks or so a piece. 6,000 lb. test tie downs just to be sure, LOL! Turned out well and am happy with the investment. I ride to The Hill Country in Texas, 450 miles each way and Eureka Springs, Mountain Home, AR trips at 400 miles each way approx. At 1600 miles round trip, home to Blowing Rock, NC and then on down to Deals Gap, NC and then back home the trailer is a necessity at this point in time. Found the perfect Licence Plate Frame too.