Richmond Va chatter

[skychs]

Todd ..... you suck! Don't get sun burned .... the first burn of the winter really hurts. Alcohol makes it feel better.

Jeff .... Thanks for all that you do. Great job. I need to talk to you about fixing my headlight on the GS. The adjustment mechanism is broken, one of the swivel balls on the inside broke off. Grrrrrrr Its a sealed housing.

Boots
I need a new pair of boots. The BMW Allarounds have been great boots but they are worn out. I need waterproof and more protection. I have some nice Alpinstar motor cross boots but they don't fit inside some of my pants. I prefer to have the pants over the boots.

Does anyone know anything about Gaerne Balance Oiled Dual Sport Boot? I think I have seen them on a couple inmates but I can't remember who. I hear a lot of good things about them. Any other advise is appreciated.

Waterproof ..... protection ..... under a pant leg ..... comfortable.

[MAN OF BLUES]

Originally Posted by higworld

Hey Kurt ... what handlebars did you have on the Connie you recently traded in? I found them very comfortable when I sat on the bike at Mortons.

as kurt noted, Murph's has adapters to mount tubular (7/8") conventional bars to Conni.
I found the stock bars a bit too narrow, and forced my elbows in against my sides, causing discomfort...
(common to us "security squad sized folks"..
I went with a low but wide bar style, either "daytona" or "superbike" bends were my choices, had both on my bikes.
look like this;
Superbike bend style;








vs.



Daytona bend bars:

[Michhub]

Originally Posted by skychs

... Any other advise is appreciated...

I got the Sidi Adventure Gore Tex boots from Biker-Land.de on Ebay...great price took about 10 days to arrive...super comfy out of the box...maybe not suited to a wide foot from what I hear...fits under jeans no problem. I submerged 'em on the last mud run ride and stayed completely dry...

[Eddy Alvarez]

Originally Posted by Michhub

Its an adventure bike land slide....BMW, KTM & now Suzuki...all three featured in this months Motorcyclist mag.
I know which one I want

I'll agree that the KTM is sweet! The 1000 V-Strom with the exact copy of the BMW rear fender, pipe, windsheild and beak...not so much.

FYI, if anybody is looking for a nice ADV bike. I was within a millimeter of pulling the trigger on this bike until my GS buyer backed out...

2009 F800GS-Click on link for picture- Dark magnesium, 22K miles, ABS, heated grips, onboard computer, center stand, Sargent seat, SW Motech engine guards, aluminum engine bash plate, Caribou topcase, Wolfman soft saddlebags, LeoVince exhaust, Denali LED lights, MRA adjustable windshield, ROX handlebar risers, Touratech hand protection, cleated footpegs, additional power sockets. $8,995

Jeff, did your Yankee friend make it out okay this morning?

[btblueskies]

Originally Posted by Michhub

I got the Sidi Adventure Gore Tex boots from Biker-Land.de on Ebay...great price took about 10 days to arrive...super comfy out of the box...maybe not suited to a wide foot from what I hear...fits under jeans no problem. I submerged 'em on the last mud run ride and stayed completely dry...

Just ordered.. indeed a great price!~

[Jeff Munn]

Originally Posted by Eddy Alvarez

Jeff, did your Yankee friend make it out okay this morning?

Young Tom is on the way to an ADV lunch meeting down south of Raleigh. We spent hours last night talking. He's just out of college and and is starting a new job next week, hence the need to hit the road for one last trip. Hmmm. NYC to NC and back again in January. Yup, he passed the adventure rider test. On a KLR with Continental Attack tires no less.



He's backpacked around China, and spent some time in Australia, so we actually did dualing slideshows last night on our respective trips. Can you hear the Twilight Zone theme in the background? We had the EXACT SAME photo of the Twelve Apostles off the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, taken 35 years apart. I think he was amazed that we had done the same motorcycle trip, only I did it before he was born. Ahhhhh... to be 22 again. The funny thing is, over the years, four of the limestone sentinals have collapsed, leaving only 8 Apostles now.

Here is a scanned version of my Ektachrome 64 slide from Feb 1987. The Apostle closest to you is now gone.



It was a great evening, and I was just paying forward all the favors people have done for me on the road over the years. I'm sure he'll do the same for someone else someday.

jeff

[ddlewis]

Originally Posted by Michhub

Its an adventure bike land slide....BMW, KTM & now Suzuki...all three featured in this months Motorcyclist mag.
I know which one I want ...

Those are some sweet 500 lb street bikes with genuine adv styling.

[jgiacobbe]

Originally Posted by skychs

Does anyone know anything about Gaerne Balance Oiled Dual Sport Boot? I think I have seen them on a couple inmates but I can't remember who. I hear a lot of good things about them. Any other advise is appreciated.

Waterproof ..... protection ..... under a pant leg ..... comfortable.

I have the non-waterproof version, the balance pro. Very comfortable right out the box. They fit inside the leg of my tour master over pants and my aerostitch. They are not as protective as a full mx boot but seem decent to me. They were originally designed for trials riders. I don't have anything bad to say other than I wish I paid more for the waterproof version.

[Downer]

We would have a set of twins!

Originally Posted by Eddy Alvarez

I'll agree that the KTM is sweet! The 1000 V-Strom with the exact copy of the BMW rear fender, pipe, windsheild and beak...not so much.

FYI, if anybody is looking for a nice ADV bike. I was within a millimeter of pulling the trigger on this bike until my GS buyer backed out...

2009 F800GS-Click on link for picture- Dark magnesium, 22K miles, ABS, heated grips, onboard computer, center stand, Sargent seat, SW Motech engine guards, aluminum engine bash plate, Caribou topcase, Wolfman soft saddlebags, LeoVince exhaust, Denali LED lights, MRA adjustable windshield, ROX handlebar risers, Touratech hand protection, cleated footpegs, additional power sockets. $8,995

Jeff, did your Yankee friend make it out okay this morning?

[jgiacobbe]

Originally Posted by ddlewis

Those are some sweet 500 lb street bikes with genuine adv styling.

What he said. I also swear that Suzuki photo looks like a Photoshop. If you look close though the frame and swing arm look pretty much just like the current DL1000 which makes it truly what Dan said.

Originally Posted by Downer

We would have a set of twins!

I thought that too when I saw his post. Somehow though after you say it, something sounds habit funny.

[pplassm]

Originally Posted by Jeff Munn

jeff

That guy is awesome!

[Guy Young]

Originally Posted by Jeff Munn

Young Tom is on the way to an ADV lunch meeting down south of Raleigh. We spent hours last night talking. He's just out of college and and is starting a new job next week, hence the need to hit the road for one last trip. Hmmm. NYC to NC and back again in January. Yup, he passed the adventure rider test. On a KLR with Continental Attack tires no less.

He's backpacked around China, and spent some time in Australia, so we actually did dualing slideshows last night on our respective trips. Can you hear the Twilight Zone theme in the background? We had the EXACT SAME photo of the Twelve Apostles off the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, taken 35 years apart. I think he was amazed that we had done the same motorcycle trip, only I did it before he was born. Ahhhhh... to be 22 again. The funny thing is, over the years, four of the limestone sentinals have collapsed, leaving only 8 Apostles now.

Here is a scanned version of my Ektachrome 64 slide from Feb 1987. The Apostle closest to you is now gone.

It was a great evening, and I was just paying forward all the favors people have done for me on the road over the years. I'm sure he'll do the same for someone else someday.

jeff

Good job Jeff.

I can somewhat relate to this young man's journey at this time of year. I rode up to Edison, NJ in January of 1973 to attend a Kawasaki Service School. This was back when I was working at a Kawasaki shop in Lynchburg.

Since my family only had one vehicle at the time, I left the car for my (then) wife and rode up on a 750 H2 triple that got terrible gas mileage…. like right around 20MPG. This was before they swapped out the carbs during a sticking slide recall and the mileage immediately jumped up to around 45MPG. This was all pre-riding gear of any type for me and I wound up putting on my rain suit somewhere in NJ to help keep the cold wind on me to a minimum. Dayam it was cold.

After class let out on Friday evening, I headed home. I was doing fine until I got on a stretch of Rte. 29 right around Charlottesville and it began to snow. I remember passing houses along the way being envious they were all snuggled up in their warm beds, and I was out here freezing my arse off. I finally pulled up to the house just as the sun was coming up in about 2” of snow. My knees were so cold I almost couldn’t get off the bike; they weren’t working.

The next trip up to a service school in January of ‘74 I drove a car.

.

[pplassm]

Originally Posted by Guy Young

That's a common malady on those bikes when the temps get waaay down. A little moisture gets up in the switch, it freezes, and the plunger sticks or gets sluggish.

Every so often I'll slip a WD40 tube up inside the bellows and give it a quick shot. Of course, you have to stand on your head to even see the switch, let alone do the deed.

Another trick is to just allow the bike to sit and idle for a spell. Heat from the pipes usually thaw things out in short order.

And congrats!! I think you'll enjoy it.

.

Ah. That explains why it never really failed on me, just got sticky. My garage has heat, and the trailer ride was the first time it's been really cold.

[pplassm]

Speaking of ugly VStroms, here's what followed me home today:

[Dr WhipIt]

Originally Posted by skychs

Todd ..... you suck! Don't get sun burned .... the first burn of the winter really hurts. Alcohol makes it feel better.

Jeff .... Thanks for all that you do. Great job. I need to talk to you about fixing my headlight on the GS. The adjustment mechanism is broken, one of the swivel balls on the inside broke off. Grrrrrrr Its a sealed housing.

Boots
I need a new pair of boots. The BMW Allarounds have been great boots but they are worn out. I need waterproof and more protection. I have some nice Alpinstar motor cross boots but they don't fit inside some of my pants. I prefer to have the pants over the boots.

Does anyone know anything about Gaerne Balance Oiled Dual Sport Boot? I think I have seen them on a couple inmates but I can't remember who. I hear a lot of good things about them. Any other advise is appreciated.

Waterproof ..... protection ..... under a pant leg ..... comfortable.

I think you already ordered the Adventure but I thought I'd chime in. I was set on getting the Sidi Adventure at a Mortons club day (15% off) but when I tried them on I thought they were too stiff and somewhat bulky under jeans. I was more pleased with the Sidi Discovery. I initially disregarded them because I normally like the "notch" formed by a raised heel, and thought I would miss the easy placement of my foot on the foot peg using the front edge of the heel as a reference. Not an issue. I've had them under water a number of times, including over the top of the boot and they stayed dry. The elastic around the top really does it's job. They are very comfortable to walk in as well. And they were about $50 less.