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maximo

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Everything posted by maximo

  1. It was great, I highly recommend it. They only have GS, but they welcome riders to bring in non GS bikes. In my group we had a guy with a KTM 1290, one with a Harley Panamerica, and another one on a Multistrada. But the training is definitely made for GS in mind. There were some exercises the KTM couldn't do (for example, walk beside the bike in first gear, walk it uphill using the clutch only (other hand on the seat rail). The KTM would lug and die, it needed gas to make it happen)
  2. Hey all, a few weeks ago I bid goodbye, as I had swapped out my FJ-09 for a R1250GS. Some had asked me to return with my impressions of how the two bikes compare. Here I am. The riding position is very similar. I immediately felt at home on the GS. The power characteristics and delivery are really different. To me the FJ felt like it wanted to let it rip and I was the one holding it back, whereas the GS is perfectly content at whatever speed/style of riding. The FJ encouraged hooligan behavior, and the GS encourages civil, responsible behavior. When I crack open the throttle on the GS it builds power in a controlled, linear fashion, where the FJ wanted to jump out of my hands when it’s WFO. Both bikes are very agile, but in different ways. The FJ is super light and it feels flickable. The GS, which is 90 lbs heavier feels more planted. Yet it’s shockingly nimble. The weight is so low that it tricks you into thinking you’re on a lighter bike. The GS has decent off road capability. I spent the weekend at RawHyde taking off road lessons, and the big bike can handle more than seems possible. It really is an engineering marvel. Neither bike is inherently better, tho the GS has a lot of creature comforts and more versatility (which you pay dearly for). But they are aimed at different kinds of riders, overgeneralized you could say the FJ has a much younger, wilder spirit, where the GS is more mature, controlled, and patient. It was a good switch for me, as I tend to be more on the mature side. Hope it's helpful!
  3. Well guys, my time on the FJ has come to an end. Her new owner just took her away, leaving an empty slot in the garage. She and I were friends, but we never became besties. We had a lot of good times, but she needed to be with someone who would not stop thinking about her. She did teach me one thing, that I really like the riding position. So much so that the empty slot in the garage will soon be taken up by a new R1250GS I just bought. This has been a fun and useful forum, thank you all for being a good group to chat with. You all take care, enjoy your rides, and be safe. I'll see myself out...
  4. Come take my FJ09 and sell your 900GT! It has all the farkles, including cruise control and the hooligan wheel base. 🙂
  5. Organized? I use the time-honored tradition of closing the lid faster than the stuff can fall out. If I'm really taking a bunch of stuff, I use my bag liners. I fill them off the bag, then slide them in and shut the lid.
  6. That's an interesting idea, to put the tape on the pull down shaded visor instead on the main visor. I will give that a try.
  7. Same here. I have both and find them equally noisy/quiet.
  8. As others have said, buy FIT first, features second. A lovely helmet with bells and whistles is useless if it gives you a headache after an hour. That said, I have the Scorption AT950, my first with a peaked visor, and I don't like it. I find that I have to pay too much attention to the position of my head in the wind stream so as to avoid the wind catching it and tugging my head up. What I have found to be equally effective in blocking the sun is a single strip of electrical tape on the top half of my visor. It does the same thing as putting your hand out in front of your face to block the sun, or wearing a peaked visor. And it's much less intrusive.
  9. Hey Brian, I did this trip last year, you can read about it somewhere in a post here. Altho I'm not a sea level 3, I'm at sea level 200, should be comparable. In summary, I had zero problems with throttle, power, feel.
  10. Whatever pants option you land on, remember the plastic bag hack. Keep two plastic grocery bags (the throwaway kind you get when you shop) with your rain pants. When it's time to put on the pants, step into the plastic bags so they cover your boots. Your rain pants will slide on very easily, you won't be fighting the friction of your boots.
  11. Also, check out Seth Laam's saddles. He custom makes each one, so you could ask him to build it to incorporate the height you want, and the level of support that fits your particular backside. He's done all of mine and I swear by them.
  12. I clean it when I come near passing out when I don my lid. I mean, it's not like I'm sharing my helmet, so my nastiness is ok with me, as long as it doesn't interfere with consciousness. I've tried various things on my face shield over time, and I always come back to just cleaning it and leaving it alone. Invariably whatever miracle thing I put on will smudge, smear, or attract bees (looking at you, lemon pledge).
  13. I don't have one of these beasts, but the pleasure of riding it y'all are describing makes me think of how I feel about my 24 year old SV650. I have to admit that I was one of those that really wanted the XR1200 when it came out, but I had just committed to another bike, and with the economy downturn in place I couldn't justify it. Maybe when I retire and have more time for my rotation I'll add it to the stable.
  14. Welcome that's some serious mileage on the RT! I'll combine your history with Brit bikes and XS bikes, and say that my first "big" bike was the gorgeous Brit Bike impersonator XS650SH. Looking forward to your stories on the Tracer and coast rides!
  15. Wait, you wash them? I've always believed that the built-up crud helps preserve the integrity of the garment.
  16. I use Gerbings, and I've never had an element fail after stuffing into a saddle bag. Seems like you could, tho, if you folded it and pressed hard on it. I typically loosely roll it and pop it in the trunk or bag.
  17. So true! I'll often ride in C group when I'm focusing on a single aspect of riding (body position, brake markers, trail brake, etc). I'll put all my mental energy on that one thing, build some muscle memory, etc. Sure, going fast is fun, but riding well is even more fun. Coincidentally, that turns into faster riding, without the panic braking... LOL
  18. Despite being in the same neck of the woods, I manage to get to Thill about once a year. I'd say it has increased my pleasure of street riding. Track riding has let me become more familiar and comfortable with lean angles, setting lines, and available traction. Now on the street I spend much less mental energy wondering about these things, and simply enjoying them (since on the street I'm way further inside my performance envelope). So even though the street is much less aggressive than the track, it's become more pleasurable.
  19. I think the Heat-Out brand has been discontinued. Sadly. Their hot weather base layer, the original one, was fantastic. I'm still using it, but it's getting very worn. I bought the newer stuff and it was no good.
  20. Back in the 80's I rode with a kidney belt, but honestly, only because it was cool. I suppose those with more snug fit, like lifting belts might do something. My must have for cold weather is a balaclava. It keeps my bald head toasty, while protecting my neck against cold drafts.
  21. Sometimes I just point and shoot. Problem is, I can ride for 10 hours on the superslab and still be in the same State....
  22. A few years back my brother and I took our dad on the trip we'd always dreamed of. For the Old Man's 80th, we set off on a two week, multi thousand mile adventure of Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Despite our best efforts to ride the old goat into the ground, he was the one at the end of the day to say "that's all you got? I'm just getting started!". His trusty Shadow 1100, started showing signs of age and abuse toward the end of the trip. By the time we sputtered him home, the bike only ran on duct tape, wires, and miracles (we dubbed his bike "La Milagrosa", a riff of young Che Guevara's bike "La Poderosa"). That was the last ride he took. He ended up giving La Milagrosa away the following year. He knew his riding days were effectively done, and wanted to have his last ride be the best one. He's still with us, and not a week goes by that I don't thank him for imparting his love of motorcycles with me. I remember with great clarity being six years old when he put me on the back of his Ducati Mark 3, with the crazy low clip ons, and said "hang on". Three cheers for the octogenarians still on two wheels!
  23. I tried a Corbin saddle back in the 90's on my FJ1200. I gave it two years, two uncomfortable years, and it never quite broke in the way it does for most people. I don't recall miles, but it was way over 2k, so there was plenty of saddle time. It just simply didn't mold to my backside the way it was intended to. For me, Seth Laam's saddles do the trick, right balance of rigid/give, with great weight distribution. I've only done ride ins for custom work, so I don't know how his shipped saddles are, tho. But I can vouch for him carving a saddle perfectly so if he gets a chance to personally manhandle your bum.
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