maximo

Yeah, riding in NorCal is like dating the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. The whole squad.

This is the bottom line: A bike is worth what one person is willing to pay for it. If options are scarce, and you really, really want one now, then it's a good price. If you can wait until supply resumes, then it's a terrible price.

I know it's a totally different market than 2017 when I got my '15 for $7k. I got it from the original owner, and it came nicely farkled, with panniers, tank bag, 2 wind screens, ECU flash, cruise control, bar risers, FJR pegs, bar end weights, and other stuff I can't remember. Mileage was about 10k.

When it's in the title, how can you argue?

FWIW 89 through Lassen Park opened up this week. While the ride itself is nice (though criminally limited by speed limits), it's more important in the function it plays in stitching together rides.

Ok, let's do a picture of your ride in an old, historic cemetery.

Finally!! What's next?

Your ride south is perfect. Your way back up north should definitely, without question, be Bucks Lake Rd. I'd take that over 32 ten times out of ten.

That is a fantastic loop, and for a utilitarian road that simply connects two excellent riding roads, the Challenge Cutoff/Forbestown Roads are actually quite nice. If you do that in the next month or two, heads up that there's a ton of tree removal happening in that area right now (dead trees from the North Complex Fire). There's tons of logging trucks on them, and the commensurate wood debris falling off of them.

I love, love, love Quincy La Porte Rd. The 30+ mile stretch between Quincy and La Porte has to be on the top 5 of any motorcyclists list. The one downside of QLP road is the stretch between Browns Valley (Hwy 20 coming out of Marysville) and Strawberry is just ok. It's a nice road, but broken up with so many little villages along the way that you're constantly having to drop to 35 MPH. These kinds of Ridus Interruptus annoy me, so maybe I'm more sensitive to them than others. But is the top half of QLP road worth it? Heck Ya it is!

Let me make sure I understand the details before recommending routes. If I understand your plans, you'll be starting in Quincy and ending up in Yuba City, and the next day you'll start in Yuba City and end up in Quincy, right? If I have that correctly, a follow up question: Are you looking for the twistiest roads to go directly from point A to point B? Or are you looking to fill the day with riding, starting at point A and ending up in point B? Or is Quincy simply a waypoint on day 2 and you'll keep going on after that?

A couple of days ago Bucks Lake Rd, aka Hwy 162, aka Oro Quincy Hwy opened up to through traffic. Considering the last time I brought up this road was right after the huge wildfire from last year, where I mentioned reports of the fire having damaged the road surface, I figured it was my duty to go up and see how the road fared. I'm happy to report that the news of the road's demise were greatly exaggerated. The road held up perfectly, with a couple of small spots that had to be repaved. Otherwise, it's ready to ride! I may have to re-check again next weekend. I know that it might seem like an unnecessary burden, but I want to be sure I'm passing along verified information.

@frosky I'm in a similar position as you. I really like my FJ a lot, but I haven't fallen in love with it like I have with other bikes. Over the years I've modded, tweaked, and farkled it, and while every bit I've done has improved it, that je ne sais quoi is still missing. You refer to your SV as your starter bike. I loved the look of the SV when it first came out, so I got a Gen 1 naked, and it's still in my garage. After all these years it still gives me a thrill, and I am still very much in love with it. I'd love to get to where I love my FJ as much, because it is objectively a better bike, more capable, and much more versatile.

I'm willing to test out this theory by riding every state.

This is Cecilville Rd, between Callahan and Somes Bar. It connects 96 to 3. It's an awesome road and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. It's actually paved all the way through. This section just happened to have a slide recently, which is why it looks unpaved. You should definitely add it as a loop when you're back up in that area.

And now that you all are beginning to understand what @JDChico89 is capable of, why I was a bit concerned when we took our first ride together and suddenly we got to this place...

I don't have a picture, but I have the actual unit in my attic somewhere. I'll try to find it and snap a picture. It's quite clever, actually.

@JDChico89 I think that's what it means. I'm thinking maybe a day ride focused on Hwy 49 through Downieville? That way we meet halfway. Let's make it work! Now, back to your saddlebag saga... what happened next?

This is starting to sound like the time you decided to powder coat your entire KLR (or whatever it was you did to it). Welcome aboard, my friend! Good to see you here. Funny that we ended up with the same bike!

The original owner to my touring bike had a similar sized pillion and rather than fiddling with the footpegs, he went the other way and carved a piece of hard foam into a large backrest/armrest. He covered it in faux leather to match the saddle and secured it on the bike. I thought it was an ingenious solution.

On another forum* for another bike, there was a dedicated thread just for this purpose. It was fun to post and see. *ST-Owners maybe?

Also, look a the APS thread as well. That'll help out with the herky jerky.

I haven't ridden an electric bike, but compared to all other bikes I've had the CP3 feels just like that, an overloaded washing machine. I always compare it to a hyperactive kid who has been told to hold still - there's an amazing amount of energy that is unable to be kept still, even when it tries. It's not inherently bad or unpleasant, it's just raw, impatient, and ready to explode into action.

I had this done at the shop after my ECU flash, and I don't recall what numbers we landed on, but I'll tell you, this mod is the single best thing I've done for my '15. It was practically unrideable before, and now, while not buttery smooth, is good enough to ride. Keep at it!

I’ve often said that I really like my FJ-09, but I don’t love it. Although my own quibbles differ slightly from the OP, I also have a laundry list of little irritants than on their own are insignificant, but put together create just enough annoyance to keep me from falling deeply in love with the bike like so many of you have. I’ve already dropped over $5k on fixes (and some fixes were fantastic, turning what was essentially an un-rideable bike into an enjoyable ride), and still the bike doesn’t fit me completely. I’ve decided that I won’t spend more on it because I’ve realized that Shangri-La is always one farkle or fix away, and always will be. I’ve accepted that for me, this will always be a B+ ride. Which is a shame, really, because it’s such a good bike overall.