Salish900

What an outstanding video! She's a fantastic teacher and the video is edited beautifully. Thanks for sharing. I'm going to go look up more of her stuff.

Impressive alignment for sure! I'm not sure I will ever get a tank pad. My tank is the gray color, and honestly, it's not that flashy blue or red. I like the grey just fine, but a few scratches are just not going to show much or matter to me. And really, I have the bar risers so my belly is never really near the tank anyway. What I need now is a tank bag...

You speak the absolute truth. No one should argue with your experience teaching on Naval bases. My MSF teaching experience was with the general population, so more older riders and slackers. Same conclusions. Only caveat I'd give is if the cruiser has old style drum brakes then that can reduce braking power. Threshold braking takes serious practice, and far too many students come in hearing to "Never use the front brake" from their cousins and then they lock up the rear and low side on the training course.

+1 This. And since every Aerostitch jacket is custom made, you can easily ask them to lengthen it as much as you want. My Darien is on the way and I had them add snap button at the bottom to prevent velcro opening and add 1.5" below the elbow as I have longer arms than the standard human who is 6'2". You pay more, but not much more than other top end jackets, and can get exactly what you want. Even more, I ordered what I thought would be the best fit, and when I got it and it wasn't, they then sent me another jacket of another size just to verify which size is closer, then sent me free shipping to send them both back after they ship me my 3rd and final jacket. That, my friends, is customer service to the extreme. The Darien is incredibly rugged, named after the Darien Gap in Panama.

I'm not sure but I know when visiting his offices once he had a sort of production studio set up. He and his wife own a local motorcycle training school and car driving school. He actually got the State of WA to approve his own motorcycle curriculum that is now used in place of MSF by a few outfits here locally. My own view as an MSF instructor is that it has some clear benefits, but also failings. I think a student could take it and do fine with it, but no better than the updated MSF. Both curriculum approaches emphasize stopping distance and the realities of reaction time and tire friction. You are simply not going to pull a 1G stop most of the time in the normal conditions we see around. Between rain, gravel, oil and such, you simply can't. On his videos, that paking lot he uses is one of his class locations not 5 miles from my house. The parking lot is dry and clean. Try that in a corner or in the rain or... Again, bottom line, is following distance is by far the greatest thing you can do to avoid nasty impacts. Minimum 2 seconds. Scanning 12.

Good practice is certainly key. Bret Tkacs is a local guy here in Puget Sound, and does a good job. It's a core part of MSF curriculum here in the US that you teach stopping distance and the fallacy that bikes can stop faster. Our best friend is following distance. 2 seconds minimum. Try it sometime, it's a long way at 100kph.

Exactly. I don't doubt that gear oil can work fine and best on many bikes. But the arrangement of the exhaust on the 900 is so close it doesn't stay as thin residue. This leaves the chain unprotected. I've never had that issue with more adhesive sprays, which though I don't know their volatility, must be higher than gear oil. The goal is to have enduring and constant chain rust and lube protection in the least messy package. First two being most important. For me, that is now something other than gear oil. Maybe a contributing factor is that I live and ride in a rainforest year round.

So I saw the fortnine video like everyone and decided to give gear oil a chance on my 900. I've used it for these first 3,000 miles. Made a mess of the side and center stands but worked OK around town and local rides, except that I discovered that the exhaust system on the 900 run quite close the chain, and the heat of the exhaust causes the oil to bake right off the chain! It literally smokes off. By the time you ride for a day or two, your chain is essentially dry and unprotected. I oiled my chain before my recent weekend trip down to the Gorge and easter Oregon. When I got to the campsite on the second day, after about 400 miles, my chain was bone dry, and had signs of rust on the pins. My other chain bikes I've used Honda Moly Chain Lube. Never, ever had any signs of rust or dry chain. And it doesn't make a mess or smoke off from the heat. So I am giving my chain and sprockets and bike a good clean, and switching back to Honda Moly or whatever other future spray or Motul like paste I choose, but can't see any reason to use oil again. I know people swear by it. But that's my experience. Didn't work.

Swapped out the OEM rear tire today with a new Bridgestone T31. Boy that's a stiff tire to mount on the rim by hand, as I do. Really have to warm it up and do it right. I noticed when I checked the balance on the wheel with the original tire, just to get a baseline, that it had no balancing weights whatsoever. The wheel also went repeatedly to the same heavy spot in balance, with the particular motion that tells you it is out of balance. So the dealer or factory didn't balance it. No sign weights came off after 3,000 miles. Also installed a 90 degree valve stem. Given the new stem, I'm letting the tire sit on the rim overnight to make sure it is holding pressure before installing.

Never used it. What's the story? Does it clean road grime off the lower area? Is it safe for plastics and top stuff?

Besides those KTM's being the ugliest bikes on the road, you will be a far happier long term owner with the cost of maintenance and any repairs. Also, aftermarket is plentiful and cheaper than the Euro models. I find the 900 the most versatile blend. I can keep up enough with most bikes out there, and faster than the majority (given the HD crowd), and yet good gas mileage and good low speed. My two former faster bikes in the FJR and Connie had better top end power, but how often did I use that? And they were beasts around town and not noticeably faster 0-60. My eyeballs get attracted to some other bikes, but my optic nerve connects to my brain and my brain says the 900 is my steed for years to come.

I keep saying the same thing. I'm just seriously hoping that come June or so, the borders open as the infection rates and vaccination rates get better. I have to really wonder how the little businesses in the Inside Passage are doing without all the influx of American boats spending cash there. I wonder if the Canadian government is also doing a lot of direct subsidy of businesses? Towns like Nanaimo, Powell River, and Campbell River, get a lot of tourists normally.

Welcome to the tribe! Although I live south of you in WA state, I spend and have spent an enormous amount of time on your island. Know and love it well. My family sailed around it a few years back. You will find this forum unusually civil and helpful. I guess folks attracted to the 900 are not doing so for reasons of image or ego or macho, as though we know the machine is about the best bang for the buck, it is not the ego trip some people want.

This was my experience. Lots of T6 fans and rightly so. But my bikes got notchy really quick with it when shifting. The 900 with the slipper and assist clutch is so butter smooth, the T6 may work just fine. I'm most persuaded by the reality that when is the last time you heard of an engine failing from bad oil? All my years on forums with so many bikes, and never once can I recall a post on an engine blowing up, or pistons wearing out, or any mechanical damage from inside an engine from one brand of oil or another. Japanese bikes, like fiberglass boats, don't die, they have to be murdered! I'm a bit of a Francophile, so I justify the Motul, but don't push me hard because I can't go far in justifying it.

I'll just mention as it hasn't been, that I've read that 300 lacks the composition to be a longer term oil since it is intended for racing. I'm not an oil expert (nor do I play one on the internet), but 300 doesn't have the stabilizers or things needed. I use 7100 for that reason, as it is more their "every day" oil.

I hear you. Some places call us back again and again. I'm more this way with places we go by boat, in the San Juan's, and especially up in British Columbia. I've never done the ride you mention above on Spirit Lake, but have always known I need to spend more time around Mt. St. Helens! I regret I have but one life to live...

Well, my body is back home, but my spirit is somewhere still in the Gorge...know what I mean in more ways than one? I'm too tired and elated to do this justice. What a trip. All I wanted and more. I'm out of the shower and the hot tub after a 4.5 hour ride today (about 260 miles today and roughly 600 miles over the whole trip) ride that started at 32 and turned into 46 and raining, so excuse me being a bit spacey. Friday was just gorgeous here in the PNW. I left town about 4pm and had a quick slab ride down to the turn off for Hwy 14 that goes along the Columbia river. It's unremarkable until you get out of Vancouver, and then turns into the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area. And then the fun begins! The sun was setting, the skies were clear, and as you climb a ridge you gain enough elevation that when you pop out, the whole Gorge is laid out in front of you. It's breathtaking. It continues to be eye candy every bit of the way. So much to see. I had the road mainly to myself. It was soon dark, so I pulled off of Hwy 14 and crossed over the Bridge of the Gods to Oregon and slabby Hwy 84 to Hood River to grab dinner. The Full Sail pub had recently opened and I had a nice burger. Back on the road, I headed down 84 to Memaloose State Park. No problem getting there after dark, and as I have spent more nights alone in wilderness than seems believable, I had my tent up and I was sacked in just moments. The photo below is from the following morning. I soon found out that Memaloose is right next to the RR tracks! If sound is a big deal to you, make sure you get a spot closer to the river. It was frosty in the morning, and I was excited about the Saturday adventures. Gear note: I use a BrakeFree light on my helmet and figured I could charge it with my Luci solar light that has a USB port and can charge phones. Sure enough! I had no idea what I was in for, having not ridden 141 or 142 before, but man, I was just in heaven. The day was clear, and yet chilly. I had to ride extra carefully not so much from any ice or frost but from all the gravel. It had snowed recently enough that all the roads in the area had been treated with gravel. If you did this in summer when the gravel was gone you could certainly grind down your pegs. The road to BZ corner is fine, but just prelude. The BZ-Glenwood road is where the action starts. The views of Mt. Adams are outrageous. Pastoral heaven. Just God's country. From Glenwood you head south toward 142, taking 142 toward the town of Klickitat. Along the way is the Klickitat canyon, and what a stunning bit of geography. It should be more famous. It's a deep and dramatic chasm where you are in serious danger of losing control of the bike because your eyes are so pulled away. There are some stretches along here where if you need to pass, let's just say, you can reach speeds sufficient to pass a lot of cars quickly. This loop back down to Lyle at the Gorge is just a bit under 100 miles. You can camp along the way if you wish, and it's just magnificent. By the time I go to Lyle, I felt I had already enjoyed the day's highlights! I crossed the bridge over to The Dalles, and headed south on 197, not entirely sure what I was going to do. Full tank of gas, feeling already pretty satisfied...I got down to Maupin and thought I would check out the White River BLM campground, to see what it offered. The road from Maupin along the Deschutes is paved but not marked, and it's just marvelous. Very much like Yakima Canyon, for those who know. A national Wild and Scenic River, among basalt mountains. I passed several fine campsites along the way but decided to keep going. When I got to the White River site, it was perfect. The day had turned balmy, really warm, bike said 63 or something. Once I saw it I knew I would stay. I grabbed a spot, set up camp, and just about passed out with happiness. I later rallied and hiked up one of the nearby hills for some grand views. I later went down to the river and read for quite a while. The obligatory selfie had to be taken. Can you see the beams of light coming out of my head? To bed early, and snug as a bug, I woke early. Waiting for the dawn to happen, I laid there and contemplated all I had seen, and all that has been, and was to come. Then I did the "It's really cold outside so make this quick!" camp breakdown. I got up at 6am, new time change time, and was on the road by 7am. Sun had not yet hit the canyon. My jacket and bike were frosty, but an Aerostitch heated vest and my heated grips and I was good to go. My ride back home was a true NW mixture of freezing in the morning, and fairly sunny on the dry side, and right on cue, as I came West in the Gorge on 14, I hit rain right as I hit the transition from Pines to Doug firs around Skamania. It rained steadily all the way back to Olympia. I had no drama, no difficulties. The bike is such a dream. So smooth. So quick. Happy to cruise at 80, and pass faster, happy to go slow. Just a wonderful travel machine. I needed to go. I went. One version of me went, and another came back.

Awesome tips @keithu. My current thinking is that I won't go quite that far SE. More between Antelope and Fossil, or might loop through that area and come back north to the White River area off 216. I'm a fan of sometimes going without a destination in mind. One of my favorite books that I loved in college even before having kids, is The Phantom Tollbooth. In it, a boy says: "being lost is never a matter of not knowing where you are, it's a matter of not knowing where you aren't, and I don't care at all about where I'm not" Wise words. Wise words. I, like many of you, live an incredibly scheduled and regimented life with work and family. Some are more OCD than others, but I find a tonic for my soul is to head off and not be too clear on where I'm going. Making my plans in the sand at low tide. For this reason, after I finish the BZ/Klickitat loop, I will head south and see where the 900 takes me. If I see a place to heartbreaking to leave, I will camp. I am going in, as much as out. Going to a place of silence among rivers and desert.

Yep! But it's a dry cold right? Compared to our soggy cold here in Olympia. I love the high desert. I'm long a fan of the motto that "there is no bad weather, only bad equipment." Looking at some BLM spots near the White River or John Day for Saturday night. Have to limit the gravel I travel though, and some of the sweet spots are quite a few miles down BLM gravel. I don't mind doing it a while, but not for extended time.

Anticipation...

Forecast is looking great. Highs in upper 50's and even 60 on Saturday. 60 around here feels downright hot this time of year. I'm feeling the turns, smelling the plants, hearing the rubber, seeing the canyons and mountains. Now if I could only find my tank bag. Doh! This is a good shake down for later summer travels.

I have profound and fond memories of hiking the Tahoe-Yosemite trail north to south, hitting Sonora Pass, and then on the southern side going into Yosemite and what is about the most remote wilderness in the lower 48. Very few people traverse anything but the one major trail. I think I went 7 days at 16-20 miles a day without seeing a soul. Deep time. Silence. Big trout in every lake!

What a righteous adventure that will be! What a grand thing to prepare for. Those Sierra passes are epic. If you can add Sonora or Tioga, you would be happy! My first job out of college was teaching at Yosemite Institute...yes, it spoiled me for life.

Oh boy. I hear you. I did a trip a few years back on my Connie on backroads up into Jasper and Yoho and through that country in BC. It's literally heaven to me. Kill me. That's where I'll be. One summer, as a lad, I walked from the Border to the top of Jasper National Park, solo, through all the Parks. I live every day in awe of those mountains and with memories of what I saw and felt.

I sympathize @Wintersdark. I'm with you on the borders! Man, it's killing me. I'm really hoping they open up by June or July. Though we can ride year round here on the West Side, the passes are either closed for winter or marginal. So we often have to skirt the mountains and head East in the Columbia River Gorge, as I am doing. I have close friends in Calgary and have spent many months adventuring in the Canadian Rockies, so while you may be jealous of winter riding, I'm jealous of your locale in summer! For those not familiar with the PNW weather patterns, our West Side, often referred to as the Wet Side, gets plenty of rain, but the Cascade Mountains block most of it and the East Side is a desert. If not for irrigation from the various rivers, you'd have little agriculture out there. So us West Side folks hop over to the East Side when we can to catch some sun and a break from rain. It's often colder over there, but light and dry is the balm!