21 posts tagged “motorcycle”
When I started looking for a motorbike to get me back into the saddle after many years away, I came to the conclusion I needed a versatile ride that was light and would handle most road surfaces. The Kawasaki Z750s fit my needs for a daily commuter and general all rounder. I have to admit in the early days I may have been guilty of looking down my nose at heavy cruisers and big touring bikes. My thinking was why would someone choose to ride such a heavy, pour handling machine.
After more than four years and over 42,000 miles on my do it all ride my thinking on motorcycle choices; I would like to think, has evolved. I have come to the conclusion that its not always how fast I can take a corner, there are other elements to consider.
My bike meets most of my needs but it has showed me there are situations it just doesn't work that well. One area that my ride is miserably lacking is in passenger accommodation and handling with a load on the back. This is an area that cruisers and touring bikes really make a lot of sense to me. These heavier bikes accommodate a load better, with less effect on handling and comfort.
When thinking to the future and my motorbike choices I can see a cruiser or tourer in the mix to incorporate my wife into my journeys.
It is not always about the rush, purpose needs to be considered.
I don't often ride in large groups and most of the time four or five is about as big as the group gets for my rides. On a number of occasions I have come across a large group of motorcyclist riding side by side and have always thought that looked dangerous. That parade style formation is also slow and it seems you have to put a lot of trust in the riding abilities of the guy or gal next to you. Why would you want to limit yourself to half a lane? When I am in the twisties I want and need the whole lane to make the best line through the curves. When riding with my buddies we are in a staggered formation and when things get exciting we may get spaced out a bit, each free to pick their line and enjoy the rush.
Many of you may know by now, the plug was pulled on our 7000 mile Hwy 20 project. It was big company bureaucracy that did us in, we are licking our wounds and moving on. What we are left with now is a hole for where to ride this summer. The guys are getting together Monday to hash it out, I will check back in when we figure it out.
As my rides have increased in distance, I have become aware that my aging body does not bounce back as fast as it used to. It has become clear to me that if I want to push my rides out further I am going to need some sort of physical fitness regiment. In the past I would run for my training needs but over the last few years my knees have decided that they don't like the pounding so much.
Earlier this year I decided to give tai chi a shot. Even though I thought this martial art looked cool, I was skeptical of its use for actual physical fitness. I thought the meditative aspect would be good for my mental state but all those slowwww movements couldn't possibly do much for me physically. After my first class my eyes were opened, I was so amazed at how much my body was screaming and how much flexibility I have lost over the years. I describe my tai chi experience as the most I have worked doing so little.
I am hoping that the practice of tai chi will help me get more out of my motorcycle experiences.
Time and time again there will be a new bike announced that really catches my attention but after looking closer I find a lack of one or more features that disqualifies it from further consideration. For me the number one deficient feature that comes up is the fuel capacity of motor bikes that seem to be designed for dual purpose or adventure touring. I would love to see a minimum of a five gallon tank on any bike that is made to be ridden, I would prefer six gallons.
Once again the argument would be why would you need that much range, you are going to want to get off before your tank is dry anyway. There are remote areas in Southeast Oregon where fuel is scarce and sometimes you are not going point to point but leaving the way you went in.
Here is a few bikes I would love to see with a larger fuel capacity:
BMW F 650 GS and F 800 GS - 4.2 gallon
Buell Ulysses xb12x - 4.4 gal
Moto Guzzi Stelvio 1200 - 4.75 gal
The next two are not touring bikes but are still a street legal dual sports that could be ridden some distance with larger tanks.
Suzuki Dr650 - 3.4 gal
KTM 690 Enduro - 3.17 gal
Borderline bikes:
BMW F 1200 GS - 5.2 gal, a bike this size should carry more fuel.
Triumph Tiger 1050 - 5.2 gal
Here are a couple that I feel get it right:
Kawasaki Versey - 5 gallon for this size motor is not to bad.
Suzuki DL650 - 5.8 gal
Kawasaki KLR 650 - 6 gal
BMW F 1200 GS Adventure - 8.7 gal
I would love to see a BMW F 800 GS or Buell with a 6 gallon tank, maybe someday.
It was not that long ago that the thought of going on a 2,000 mile motorcycle ride seemed a bit beyond my comfort level. Now with a couple long rides under my belt, I am thinking what is next and where will my journeys take me. Steve, Ed, and I have been tossing around the idea of riding US Route 20 from coast to coast as a story project. The ride would cover over 6500 miles in about twenty days. We are calling it the 20-20 Project right now. It is still only a dream, but who knows, maybe the paper Steve and I work at will come on board and see the potential for our readers in this motorcycle adventure.
If I am willing to go 6,500 miles, where else would I go? If time were not a factor, I could come up with some other dream rides. The desert Southwest would be a good trip visiting the national parks in Utah and Arizona. A natural direction from my home in the Northwest would be head south to mexico, why not go big, how about South America. Patagonia would be awesome. Then there is North, Alaska would be cool and I even speak the language. The reality is for me at least, time is the biggest factor. I will keep on dreaming and who knows, maybe someday I will find some of my dreams have come true.
