1moreroad

Welcome! Isn't there a Harley plant in York? What do they think when you roll by?

High temp of 77 so back out and riding on New Year's Day. Might see tornadoes tomorrow or Tuesday and temps will be back to freezing by the weekend. Thankful for this brief break in the weather today. Took a picture with oooold "truck 1"/engine 16. It's a 1988-ish Chevy with a 4 speed hi lo manual transmission IIRC. I never drove this one but I did drive it's twin, and I was never very good at it unless the road was flat. This one was sitting on the back lot, but I didn't even realize any of the 88s were still in the department inventory!

Likely last ride of the year. I rode by a friend's sculpture and back into town. About 25 miles today and 7700 for the year. A week ago the temperature was 3. Today it was 64. It will probably rain tomorrow and Sat, but I'm looking forward to a New Year's afternoon ride in the same temps.

Sorry. I don't remember. This would have been ca 2008 and I don't know if they survived the Great Recession.

Ur soooo old. 😁 In a meeting with two of my coworkers yesterday and one made a comment to the other, yeah, some of us weren't even alive in the '80s. 🤐

If I had stayed in Los Angeles, I probably would have bought an electric motorcycle as a daily driver years ago and then used one of the rental services for my 2x annual trips. There were 2 or 3 options besides Eagle Rider (including the local BMW combined car/moto dealer for a few years). I rented a K1300GT for a 500 mile day ride once. A buddy rented a Kawi Concours 1400 for a round trip coast to coast ride. The rental company even paid for tires during his ride.

After temps in the 20s and then days of steady rain, it was 68 degrees this morning so I commuted my 55 miles to work this morning. December is looking like November with weather/temps ranging from late summer to middle of winter.

I agree that you are responsible for your own safety. That said, there is a market for safety systems because humans - even experienced riders - make mistakes. Human error is inevitable, and having a nanny system as a backup is not a bad thing. I don't rely on safety systems, but I do appreciate my ABS for the 2 times in 40,000+ miles it kicked in when I misjudged a surface. This isn't an either/or decision - rely exclusively on electronic nannies or be a master rider that always rides within their skills with zero mistakes. The only way any of us can guarantee not making a mistake on a motorcycle is to not ride.

I can still fit in my 2003 leathers but I'm not sure how far out I could swing my hip to get a knee down. And forget about the chest pad.

I'm almost 50 and I've told my wife this might be my last motorcycle. That's 5+ years down the road, but I will have seen the roads around here. While I'm interested in some of the bigger touring bikes, the FJ will probably get replaced with a Miata or BRZ. They're about the same price as a Multistrada or an RT. All that said we will probably move in the next 5 - 10 years and I told my wife that a new starting point will reset my moto clock.

Yes the front end is light. I think that's the consequence of the upright seating position (and engine location and generally more uprightness) compared to a "traditional" sport touring bike like a VFR.

Exactly. Given how relatively light the front end of the FJ is, I assumed it was a combined risk of wind resistance and rear weight bias that could cause the front end wobble. But my passenger weighs at least 2x more probably 3x more than any amount of luggage I could fit. Maybe she's more aerodynamic?

I only get nervous when one vehicle's mileage drops. When it's all 3 at the same time by about the same %, I figure it's the gas or environment. I don't buy gas at the same station or from the same brand either, tank to tank. Now the one time my old 250's mileage dropped in half and no other vehicle, I got nervous. Thankfully it was just 1 tank. Doesn't take long to run thru a 2 gallon tank at 25 mpg. 🥴

Wait... you had an FJ, then a Tracer, then put 90,000 miles on an FJR, then bought a Tracer 9? 😲

Spiegler lines, new EBC HH pads, fresh fluid, TBS, plugs, air filter, valves at the Yamaha dealer. None of the independent shops around here would take the bike - they're all too busy. The dealer took 2.5 of the 3 weeks they thought it would take after I scheduled the appointment a month ahead of time. At 42,500 miles, 2nd valve check (first at just past 20,000 miles) - one tight intake valve, two tight exhaust valves. One more intake and two more exhaust at the lower limit so the dealer moved them to the upper limit. Brakes are a huge improvement. Engine - I feel like I maybe have a little more oomph in the midrange. Gas mileage is lower, but it's also lower on the car and the truck at the same time so maybe weather or gas. I'll have a little more fun on Sunday after the rain passes through and the temps are back near 50.

Sold in Ebay

Update - $50 shipped CONUS. Next stop Ebay.

Anyone interested in a pair of Aerostich jeans? About 4 years old. Near new condition. Except for one weekend trip, only worn locally. Heavy denim and Cordura lined butt to knees. Relaxed fit. Knee amor can be added but not included - I always wore armor underneath. New $125. How about $75 shipped CONUS obo? https://www.aerostich.com/aerostich-protekt-jeans.html

Consensus on the FJ09 is that it was a Multistrada on a budget. I don't know that you will be getting anything unique having a Multi and FJ or Tracer. The FJ is cheaper than the Multi in both the value and quality senses of the word, I think.

I thought it was just off idle not part throttle. That's why I figured it would not have much effect on fuel mileage at highway speeds. @2and3cylinders - I prefer the trip meter to the petcock. 😀 I have thrown a petcock while commuting on the 405 and the engine stumbles more than I'd like to admit trying to get one more ride in before filling the tank.

Wow. I got to almost 200 miles once but I was 20+ miles into reserve and spooked enough to be riding in 6th gear at 50 mph at any opportunity. I'm old enough that trip meter = fuel gauge and I'm fueling up around 170 milles. I probably need to go ride the speed limit on the Natchez Trace so I can see 200 on the trip meter once. [Quote]A stock FJ should. Get 50 mpg no problem.[/quote] No. Never. Not at any legal speed in any reasonable gear. I'd have to be riding 55 mph at most with zero acceleration to get that. Stock gearing. With or without bags. With or without windscreen. Summer gas. Kev's O2 controller. I can get 47 mpg at 70 on flat-ish steady riding but thay last 3 mpg would be hard.

A mode seems to work better at higher rpms with a little momentum to reduce throttle jerkiness. Like running a fun road in 3rd at 60 or 70 mph.

Gravel and pillion. Occasionally in stop and go traffic.

A friend and I have been meeting to ride near Lake Pickwick over the last ~ 2 years. I've got a JPEG of a possible Pickwick Loop below. I suspected that there were some more good routes farther north, and I think I found one that hits many of the roads. There are still more twisty roads over by Hohenwald, too. A map of most of the route we took is in a JPEG below. We met in Waynesboro after I rode over from North Mississippi and my buddy came down from Nashville. First stop was the Waverly, TN Wall Art Park - graffiti art that stays up several months before being painted over. From there we followed the TN River north to route 232 due south of Land Between the Lakes. We saw 3 sport bikers in full leathers hanging out on one end of the road making passes. It's corner after constant radius corner for miles. Pavement was very good. From there we went into the Land Between the Lakes, but we went in the west entrance at Fort Henry and crossed over to Energy Lake. Along the way we saw a Boss Hoss group ride. The trike trunks had unique designs including one that looked like a 57 Chevy. I only got my camera out in time to catch the last moto at an old iron furnace. The area is filled with these. For lunch we tried to eat at Patti's in Grand Rivers, but enjoyed Lindon's across the street instead. Good service, no wait, decent food. From there we headed to the Super Museum in Metropolis, IL. ~ 30 years ago, a Super Man enthusiast licensed the rights from DC to create the museum. It has a mix of toys and collectibles and props, mostly from the original George Reeves TV show. They did have a Christopher Reeves costume. From Metropolis, we rode over to Cave in Rock to catch a ferry across the OH river back to KY. Back in KY and into TN we rode just east of the Land Between the Lakes and found more good roads before finishing in Erin, TN. Today we finished the route, taking another ferry across the TN river and onwards home. Made a quick stop in Selmer to take a few photos of Rockabilly murals along the way. Then home with about 940 miles for the ride and a quick bike and chain wash.

More to come, but... Garmin said it would Avoid Unpaved Roads. Garmin lied. Ohio River Ferry @fddriver2 - this is what I want for my next Medic Rescue vehicle. (Posted in a town of 4500). Or to paraphrase Die Hard, looks like the Sheriffs have got themselves an RV. The TN River Valley between Pickwick and Kentucky Lakes has fantastic roads. I think I finally cracked this nut.