Bike ridin' weather is here, almost.

T. Erdelyi

T. Erdelyi

Joined
Feb 3, 2001
Messages
32,359
Temps hit 50 Sunday, the snow melted enough in front of the garage so I could get the bike out and start it up, you know, let it run a little, run some fresh gas through the carbs.

But the roar of the engine and the call of the open black top called to me and I succumbed.

Before I knew it I was crusin' down the road after a while my cell phone rang, it was my wife, she wanted to know where I was, I told her I was close to home and I'd be home after I blew the carbs out. :D

I turned around when my hands got cold, (no gloves in the saddle bags, damn), when it warms up a little more I'll be back out on the road.

Anybody else been out yet?

Here's my Road Sofa, vintage '85 Yamaha Venture, lets see yours.

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This one's from last may.

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Nice Trump, I used to have a couple of Norton Commandos, I ran back through the 80s.
 
I've had mine out for two long rides in the past two months. It will be saving me some gas to and from work, when the weather gets a bit warmer.
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I can hardly frickin' wait.
She's calling me from the garage.
BTW Alpine, nice Daytona:thumbup:
Triumph Rocks!
Lenny


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You guys make me miss my Z1R Turbo, shoulda never sold it, although it was the ugliest Kawasaki I ever owned it was a scary fast beast of a bike.

Bought it for a $1000, I see 'em bringin' up to $12000+ now.

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Haven't ridden yet this year, but did get the cover off of it, sat on it, and made vroom vroom noises.

And another Triumph here; a 2009 Speedmaster. Actually my 2nd Trump, the first one was a 1973 Daytona.

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As a longtime cyclist and mechanic, I need to be the one who states this truth:

There is NO more unsafe time of the year to ride motorcycles than early Spring.

That isn't to say don't do it, it's just a wake-up call to the hazards:

  • Rusty riding skills
  • Partially wet roads
  • Roads ravaged by winter potholes and distress
  • Motorists, who have long since forgotten to be on the lookout
  • Cold dry tires
  • and #1: Sand on the road

Please enjoy yourself at half pace and double awareness. :)

Coop
 
I get to ride just about every day here. Only missed two days this winter because of snow on the roads. I bought myself some new Tourmaster overpants which really beat the frigid temperatures we hit a 90kph on a cold January day! Still snow up in the higher elevations so I can't go up to my favorite roads, but any day riding is better than a day walking!

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Stitchawl
 
Yep - I ride year around here in Northern California. In 1983 I bought the 1st Yamaha Venture to hit Spokane Washington where i lived at that time.

I have owned over 50 motorcycles over the years - From Honda's to Harly's to Russian Urals with side hacks - to 2 Wheel Drives - I bought a new GoldWing in 2008 - I put 12,000 on it last year. Finest touring motorcycle i have ever owned - here's a pix - tom
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Personally I like the comfortable open air feelin' of ridin' my Venture, I can put 8-10 hours a day, jump on pick a direction and just go, I love the storage in the saddle bags and trunk, hell I've taken it food shoppin' and brought home a weeks worth of groceries and two large pizzas with it.

Still sometimes ya just wanna go fast and get there even faster but I can't do that for long on todays super sport bikes so that means less time ridin' for me, an hour vs. six, (the longer I'm on two wheels the happier I'll be), I save the speed jones for the quarter mile track.

Speakin' of tracks, she may not be fast but she sure is tough and all terrain.:)

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Coop I agree with ya 100%, I'm always remindin' my friends of stuff like that, I see so many people with such bad ridin' habits it scares me and than let's not forget the cage drivers.

People be aware always of what's around you, don't become complacent while ridin' and don't become wreckless on the streets, (save the tricks and high speeds for the proper tracks), probably the best thing ya can do if ya wanna ride, take a riders safety course, most states even offer advanced ridin' courses and they're usually free.

Ride Hard Ride Safe, see ya'll on the road.
 
Lenny said:
BTW Alpine, nice Daytona:thumbup:
Triumph Rocks!
Click to expand...

Thanks. I love your bike. I came *THIS* close to buying a Speed Triple, and at the last second, when I laid my eyes on the Daytona at the dealership, it pulled me away. :o

Sometimes I regret it, and sometimes I dont. I'd love to have both. :thumbup:

At age 34, and having bought my first bike 11 years ago, I kind of feel like I'm kind of growing out of the sport bike thing a bit (esp with my back problems), and have wanted a naked bike like the Daytona Speed Triple or the Ducati Streetfighter for years. But there's also a part of me that just would love to get a Ducati 1198, too, but the practical side of me would never let that happen. Haha
 
T. Erdelyi said:
Nice set up Tom, how's the Venture pull that big trailer?
Click to expand...

I sold the Venture years ago but it pulled the trailer just fine - that pix was taken in Montana on a trip.

In those days pulling a trailer wasn't a normal thing to do - you couldn't get on the net & order a trailer hitch - hell there wasn't an internet at least as we know it today - when i left the dealership with the bike I went to an old guys house who was a weilder - told him i needed a hitch & an hour or so later i handed him 40 bucks & road off with a hitch on my bike. He built me one on the spot -

We rode it 2 years and bought another Goldwi.g - Sadly the young couple we sold it to got taken out by a drunk driver - head on - my wife quit riding for 2 years after that.

All of us that ride know the dangers but the passion for riding motorcycles is in our blood. tom
 
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