PILOT SPIN
Spin Zone => Spin Zone => Topic started by: FastEddieB on March 16, 2016, 03:51:27 PM
-
Made nicer for the fact that...
...I live in and around some of the best motorcycle roads in the country...
...and it was nearly 80ยบ...
...and I was coming off a lower back sprain that had dragged on for about 5 weeks...
...and I have a fabulous little bike for this sort of thing!
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1699/25723607812_ce908cccd2_c.jpg)
Buell XB9R Firebolt that I bought new in 2003!
Not the newest or fastest or most powerful or lightest or glitziest bike in the world, but the power and torque and handling are well suited for these roads - roads I moved from S FL to N GA to be near!
Things are usually hazier in this part of the Appalachians, but today it looked like about 100 mi visibility!
Anyone else ride today or want to share their rides?
-
Looks like a blast. But I WILL be killed by another driver if I ride in my county. Thus, despite an interest, I've never taken it up.
-
Looks cool. I've never ridden myself, but one of my partners takes his Harley every summer or fall with some buddies to ride the Tail of the Dragon.
-
Enjoy, but it's scary enough flying around closely spaced non-towered airports with yahoos who are looking at their Atari screens instead of looking out the freaking window.
-
No doubt there's some risk involved.
But then again, I've ridden for about 51 years and likely at least a half million miles and I'm still here!
Including commuting in and around Miami for about 30 of those years!
Deal's Gap - The Tail Of The Dragon - is about an hour and a half away. It's worthy of its reputation: 318 turns in 11 miles, but there are lots of roads around that are just as much fun.
The Cherohala Skyway for one!
(http://tailofthedragonmaps.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/Outlets_2015.jpg)
-
Been meaning to put new rubber on the bike before spring arrives and wouldn't you know it, spring arrived this past weekend with the old rubber still on the scooter. Not again.
Enjoy the ride!
-
Been meaning to put new rubber on the bike before spring arrives and wouldn't you know it, spring arrived this past weekend with the old rubber still on the scooter. Not again.
Enjoy the ride!
I have pretty fresh Michelin Pilot Powers on the Buell, and they felt great yesterday. At 66, I'm beginning to back off the pace a bit, comfortable at around 6/10 - I find it more enjoyable than pushing it all the time. My riding buddies yesterday were on a Yamaha FJ1300 and an Aprilia, and also seem to like a sane pace as well. Plus lots of gravel on the side roads from this winter.
Open invitation to all: ride on down/up or over any time. Have a travel trailer on our property for guests, a HandyLift and tools, and Blue Ridge Yamaha can mount tires for a decent price if you carry the wheels in. I have the ability to change tires myself, but have come to the conclusion I'd rather have someone else do it.
We have three other bikes in the stable now. Will post photos later when I'm at the computer.
-
Here is the best bike I've ever owned, and still own with about 82,000 miles on her...
As delivered in 1999:
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1612/25231761183_db2d692159_z.jpg)
After some light cosmetic enhancements:
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7298/10902642225_d3e791a6ef_z.jpg)
A more major mod, details published in the BMW MOA magazine:
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7274/7079755181_a5f68176fd_z.jpg)
And, more recently, camping at an Airhead rally near Boone, NC:
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3702/18670754408_5dc36f0ffe_z.jpg)
About 17 years old now, but still feels solid, planted and swoopy fast - "all of one piece", as it were. Been all over the continental US and Canada.
As an aside, I think this was close to the best BMW ever. None of their current line appeals to me, mainly due to many, many reported reliability concerns. Too bad.
-
My brother was so enamored of Buells he bought one just before they went TU. Kept talking about the false gas tank. I find my Goldwing, built in 1983, has a false gas tank. Still, I rod emu brothers, and though it was a bit pokey it was a fine ride. Glad you're able to get out. I'm on the Goldwing, still little cool for the sport bike.
-
I have pretty fresh Michelin Pilot Powers on the Buell, and they felt great yesterday. At 66, I'm beginning to back off the pace a bit, comfortable at around 6/10 - I find it more enjoyable than pushing it all the time. My riding buddies yesterday were on a Yamaha FJ1300 and an Aprilia, and also seem to like a sane pace as well. Plus lots of gravel on the side roads from this winter.
Open invitation to all: ride on down/up or over any time. Have a travel trailer on our property for guests, a HandyLift and tools, and Blue Ridge Yamaha can mount tires for a decent price if you carry the wheels in. I have the ability to change tires myself, but have come to the conclusion I'd rather have someone else do it.
We have three other bikes in the stable now. Will post photos later when I'm at the computer.
My Michelin PPs are worn. I need to decide what's going on next and also take care of some cosmetic issues and a small oil leak that's popped up after shipping the motor out to have the tranny fixed.
2002 Honda CBR600F4i with Ohlins rear and Custom front suspension.
-
I thought I heard that Buell was making a comeback? I always thought they were a great concept.
-
I thought I heard that Buell was making a comeback? I always thought they were a great concept.
Let's hope.
Harley bought them, then dropped the line. Eric Buell did make some "comeback" bikes but ultimately failed.
I think he's an engineering genius, along the lines of Bill Ruger. Ruger looked at double action revolvers and thought way outside the box to simplify the lockwork.
Some off this had been done before, but the XB9 and XB12 series...
1) Rather than having an airbox and fuel tank competing for the same spot, or placing a fuel tank elsewhere, he put the fuel in the frame.
2) Rather than find a spot to squeeze in an oil tank, he placed the oil in the left swing arm.
3) Rather than putting the muffler in any traditional spot, he kept the mass and cg low and centralized by putting it under the engine - something a lot of manufacturers have started doing now.
4) Rather than having the weight and complexity of two brake rotors on the front wheel, used a single large diameter rotor attached near the rim, rather than the hub, and a single caliper.
5) The geometry that allowed a fixed idler pulley to keep belt tension over a wide range of rear wheel travel is pretty neat.
Clever engineering that works, while still appealing, still makes me smile!
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7181/6923665051_1324eaca8e_z.jpg)
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/683/22962938306_b2a1d320e9_z.jpg)
-
That is a really, really good looking bike Eddie! Very nice.
-
I miss my sport bike, but it was starting to hurt too much. So I got this:
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/59V-BodnkIZB9573NpJqduJFuA_Wjr0jAqEWF3xjo4IwKtMcXkIOJuFeygyBOnyy0yo2BK4VkAWbkR3AGdCpLLWxmdSe5jHhEzAEAgy35_W9TJBH7hIetjZsHpCyUzyixVK7lTcgvFfXrNvnNENThlX1qCCpglzF8PZiTrejljB3GFp4NtjHtz_3JyY-btyLOSMWVOxTjZTOKwW7SxYQuw0R3BiAutHxfaEEsQIZv24Fwc7ydpSeMDOjomGcV5OK5AX4-j1HceSAIcQM2fShWZE_79_kfq_LTxTaPHFovF2T6NM00ztdv0EX-nYJczl9pLrO-yJdSR5K0xsYq6Zt5SuZe4b5bBRaA3t4EThaKugf14vqlo_p6PtR8IUA4RycaCfmqLJiT9BluFrvIp9cawtT-X0gaaWwXS59jrIjl_asFuS4kd1QfqnlDp51gxLu5dV16WP9tM__mGeUH4LSKsFpw7D-7vta604z7OSU_TXCAK6AVVdl7meMzdvHAg3Vl1X_cVjDpp4c4ud_hq_z3u3iZGtUUeUOosjGw9cHkAigU0wzTfarVYuGSPtgutnr34wsvuLo05XivpkJINE3fs-c_Hh_klA=w1216-h912-no)
-
Nice bike Michael. I looked at the Aprilia RSV4 last spring. They are awesome sport bikes. They also have a slightly relaxed sport bike that is still a killer. The technology on these bikes is amazing, and makes my old Triumph look like Eli Whitney's cotton gin.
-
Eddie,
Was out yesterday in the Sequatchie valley west of here, nice day. My Ducati was going to require another bucket of money this spring so I cut my losses and traded on a new GS1200 water cooled. Very nice bike! I took it up to the NC mountains a few weeks back, and Blind Kenny was shooting photos on 80, a couple of shots of me on my new ride:
http://photos.blindkenny.com/p102500156/h7037914c#h79237a3e
http://photos.blindkenny.com/p102500156/h7037914c#h7972f1f9
I need to get over your way sometime soon after the holiday weekend.
-
Here is the best bike I've ever owned, and still own with about 82,000 miles on her...
After some light cosmetic enhancements:
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7298/10902642225_d3e791a6ef_z.jpg)
I've always loved the K bikes. Friend of ours had one like yours, but in all blue. Did an annual on it. Took it for a 20 mile 'test ride' afterwards. What a wonderful bike. However, he sold it and picked up a 2002 K1200LT. What a beast. "Light Truck" is an appropriate nickname for it.
I'm pretty happy with my 'little' bikes. Going to take the R850R out for a weekend ride to Rattlesnake Grade in eastern Washington.
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e340/flymymbz/BMW%20R850/bmwr850-2_zpszlrhgluf.jpg)
-
Nice bike Michael. I looked at the Aprilia RSV4 last spring. They are awesome sport bikes. They also have a slightly relaxed sport bike that is still a killer. The technology on these bikes is amazing, and makes my old Triumph look like Eli Whitney's cotton gin.
Yeah, I know what you mean. I can even see it on mine. I looked at the Aprillias, but my old skeletal structure said no way. Besides, I've had a yen for that Honda ever since they released it. Not as fast as my old bike, but I don't hurt as much when I get off, either.
If you want old school you can try my Goldwing. A real blast from the past, 1983 to be exact. I gotta clean it upper sale this weekend.
-
I looked at that a couple years ago, basically a unfaired and more modern CBR-F3. FWIW, I have an F4i.
-
Yeah, I know what you mean. I can even see it on mine. I looked at the Aprillias, but my old skeletal structure said no way. Besides, I've had a yen for that Honda ever since they released it. Not as fast as my old bike, but I don't hurt as much when I get off, either.
If you want old school you can try my Goldwing. A real blast from the past, 1983 to be exact. I gotta clean it upper sale this weekend.
I saw a guy on the 2015 Goldwing. Sweet ride!
-
I looked at that a couple years ago, basically a unfaired and more modern CBR-F3. FWIW, I have an F4i.
The F4i was the 650cc equivalent of my 954rr. Similar length, similar everything except the 954 weight 40 pounds more and had 30% more power. Damn that thing could scream. Anyone needing more speed than that should invest income quality psychological evaluation.
-
I had totally forgotten this thread!
Not a whole lot of riding yet this year, for a variety of reasons, but got out with some friends today for a nice ride in the mountains.
Karen got a new hip about 6 months ago, and is still not comfortable climbing onto the back of a bike. So today we took the '98 K1200RS sidecar rig. Rode along the Ocoee on US64, then to Benton, TN to a Mennonite farm for some veggies, then to Tellico Plains for a snack at Tellico Grains Bakery, then back home.
In front of the bakery:
(https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7286/27349666236_3682349f5c_z.jpg)
There's an Airhead rally coming up near Boone, NC in about 10 days, and we're going to try that - it will be our first motorcycle camping trip since the surgery. Great group that accepts us as Airheads, even if we don't currently own one. That may change in the future!
-
Love those shirts.
-
If I land one of either two big jobs I am working on one of these will grace my garage with the KLR-650 and the SuperMagna. And if I'm being honest, probably even if I don't land either of the big jobs - first new bike I have wanted since I bought the KLR, new, in 1989.
2016 Triumph Thruxton R
(http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a179/KahunaGrande/Triumph%20Thruxton-R%202016%2014500_zpsbdridsob.jpg)
(http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a179/KahunaGrande/12a-triumph-thruxton-review_zpsp736h88n.jpg)
Everybody who has ridden it is giddy over this thing, performance to match the styling - I think it is shit hot!
'Gimp
-
The F4i was the 650cc equivalent of my 954rr. Similar length, similar everything except the 954 weight 40 pounds more and had 30% more power. Damn that thing could scream. Anyone needing more speed than that should invest income quality psychological evaluation.
Incorrect. The F4i was the evolution and final design of generations of the original middleweight 600cc design. The 954 was a bassackward attempt to improve the 929 by applying mass centralization ideas to the upcoming liter bike class. They finally began to get it right with the 2004 CBR1000RR.
The F4i was eventually replaced in production with the 600RR when Honda decided they could not support production of two models of 600cc displacement. Miguel Duhamel won most of his championships in the F4i and its predecessors and 2 Formula Xtreme titles on the 600RR.
-
2016 Triumph Thruxton R
(http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a179/KahunaGrande/Triumph%20Thruxton-R%202016%2014500_zpsbdridsob.jpg)
That Thruxton is gorgeous.
But one styling cue bugs me - it is fuel injected, but they molded covers for the F.I. workings to mimic carbs and their associated air cleaners.
It violates the mantra of "Form follows Function".
Hardly the first bike maker to do this, but I'd still rather have mechanical things not pretend to be something they are not.
-
Everybody who has ridden it is giddy over this thing, performance to match the styling - I think it is shit hot!
'Gimp
Looks great, and are those Ohlins forks and shock? Looks like it, I need to check out Truimph's web page.
-
Looks great, and are those Ohlins forks and shock? Looks like it, I need to check out Truimph's web page.
Showa big piston reverse fork up front and external reservoir Ohlins on the rear, ABS and traction control - supposed to handle really well, literally Street Triple class on the track.
'Gimp
-
Showa big piston reverse fork up front and external reservoir Ohlins on the rear, ABS and traction control - supposed to handle really well, literally Street Triple class on the track.
So finally, a modern classic that can actually be ridden in s sporting fashion? Sounds good to me.
-
BMW is coming out with an RnineT Scrambler model:
(http://cdn.bmwblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/BMW-R-nineT-Scrambler-33-750x563.jpg)
Pushes all the right buttons for me, but I can't quite get past BMW's recent decline in reliability.
-
Incorrect. The F4i was the evolution and final design of generations of the original middleweight 600cc design.
They shared parts. Lots of them. Don't ask me how I know.
The 954 was a bassackward attempt to improve the 929 by applying mass centralization ideas to the upcoming liter bike class. They finally began to get it right with the 2004 CBR1000RR.
The 954 was the culminating achievement of the motorcycle visionary Tadao Baba, who invented the modern sportbike. Honda didn't approach it's power to weight ratio until very recently, and certainly hasn't made anything better looking. Like I said, 40lbs heavier than your bike, but lots more ponies. I did triple digit speeds on mine purely by accident.
The F4i was eventually replaced in production with the 600RR when Honda decided they could not support production of two models of 600cc displacement. Miguel Duhamel won most of his championships in the F4i and its predecessors and 2 Formula Xtreme titles on the 600RR.
All true, though I suspect modern 600cc bikes go faster than the old 650's. They kept them light, and put in oodles of good technology. Put in stuff I could live without, too.
-
Quote from: Jaybird180 on May 31, 2016, 05:26:21 PM
The F4i was eventually replaced in production with the 600RR when Honda decided they could not support production of two models of 600cc displacement. Miguel Duhamel won most of his championships in the F4i and its predecessors and 2 Formula Xtreme titles on the 600RR.
All true, though I suspect modern 600cc bikes go faster than the old 650's. They kept them light, and put in oodles of good technology. Put in stuff I could live without, too.
The Honda CBR600Fx series of bikes were a fantastic platform. Sporty enough for all out sport riding yet relaxed ergos allowed one to use it as an everyday bike. I had an F2, then later an F4i, both great bikes. I put soft tank/saddlebags on them and toured all over the eastern US.
By the time the 600RR replaced the Fx series, sportbikes had become hard core track weapons, lighter build doesn't stand up to everyday use, higher but peaky power, track only ergos. That is about when I jumped ship on sportbikes and switched to sport tourers.