Any motorcycle riders here?

[DrDoug]

I was wondering how many here ride, and are there any favorite places that you like to ride through. We live on the Pacific Coast, and Highway 101 has some of the best riding. To the south into California ok, but north into Oregon has lots of pullouts, state parks and vista points. The curves are just right for a cruise, and the scenery is great. Just watch out for deer...lol! Lots of long stretches of rugged coastline that is sparsely populated in many areas. I take the bike out at least every other day, and put 40-60 miles on it. Sometimes the wife comes along, but mostly it is just me. It is nice to have a few to myself.

We are getting a second summer here, and temperatures have been in the 70's to 80's for the last few days,and the low 60's, high 50's at night. So it is still great riding weather here, and I have not stored the bike yet. In fact, I am gearing up for another ride in just a few. Gotta do it before monsoon season kicks in.

Well?

[RacerX]

http://www.jcfonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33640&

http://www.jcfonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52155&

http://www.jcfonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70628&

[DrDoug]

Thanks Ron! Those are some cool bikes too! I will have to post a pic of mine when I get back later.

How about favorite riding areas? I travel quite a bit, and if there is a new route worth riding then I want to hear it if you have the time to tell of it.

Again, thanks Ron!

[Madness]

I live in VT and really like taking a trip through the "Notch." It's the road that goes through the mountains by Smuggler's Notch ski resort and Stowe ski resort.
The road is perfect (condition wise). The 1st half of the road is thin and takes you through the most beautiful scenery that VT has to offer, especially during the fall. It's like your driving through an orange and yellow tunnel... literally. This section is slower paced due to the pulloffs about every 50 feet or so and it is very twisty, narrowing to one lane for a split second around one of the last corners before you start the descent. We usually take a break during this section, climb up a huge rock that overlooks some of the other mountains and soak in our surroundings for a bit.

The second half is totally different with the exception of the scenery. The speed limit is 50 and it's nice and wide with longer sweeping corners...you can definitely pick up the speed through here if you wish.

Here's my bike, an '00 CBR600F4. Used to be yellow and black but, I repainted it. I couldn't stand the stock school bus yellow so I went with Dodge Viper yellow ('96, I believe) and the Candy Pheonix blue that come on the new CBR1000's.

[thetroy]

That's a great color combination

[DrDoug]

I bet that carves corners just nicely. I like the color combo too (plus I am a sucker for blue), and that blue is about the color of my bike, except I have glass flake and purple pearl in it. Damn close though. I used the Sherwin-Williams Ultra 7000 2K system, in PT Cruiser blue.

I have been as far as upstate New York (Rome/Clinton/Utica), and have traveled just about every state in the upper half of the country. I wish I had the time when I was in NY to cruise up to Vermont/New Hampshire, I hear it is really beautiful up there. We will be having another family reunion in 08 or 09, and if we get the chance we will try to head up that way.

I have nothing against the south, I just have not had much occasion to travel there. I have ridden as far as the Shreveport/Bossier City area in Louisiana, so I have been through Texas and the DFW area. One place I really want to head to is what they call 'The Tail of the Dragon', US129 between Tennessee and North Carolina. Over 300 curves in 11 miles and great scenery to boot!

[DrDoug]

I have some recent 35mm shots of the bike that I need to get developed (yes, I am a old school camera nut!), but here is a digital one of it right after I finished the frame off restoration.




It is a 1980 Yamaha XS850SG that I completely restored. New chrome, all polished stainless bolts, powdercoated just about everything on it, ported, polished and cc'd the head, redegreed the cam (increased overlap and retarded), tossed the Hitachi carbs and put a set of Mikuni 34's on it, 3-into-1 header and a whole lot more. I had to haunt ebay for NOS stuff for over a year, but it is like new now. I have put over 25,000 miles on it in three years now, and it has run like a champ all of the way.

Parts are a bitch or expensive, for example the voltage regulator is about a hundred dollars, special order and they fry regularly. So I rewired the bike to use an adjustable external regulator for a mid 70's Volvo 240DL (custom harness and all), and now it costs $28.00 for the regulator and I can get them at any parts house! I had to build my own rectifier too, but the one I built has a Pentium III heatsink/fan, and dual 50 amp bridge rectifiers. It should be just about indestructible. Plus, I left a pigtail so I can use an original regulator if the need arises.

The tires on it in the pic are pos chinese Chin Shen's that came with it, which I ditched right before I took it over to get licensed. It has Dunlop Elite II 491's with raised white letters on it now.

The best part was the bike was a gift. I grew up on dirt bikes, and graduated to street bikes when I got my license. I quit riding in the late 80's after getting married, and around 2000 I started getting the itch again. A good friend was retiring from riding, and the bike needed restored, so he just handed me the keys and said 'Enjoy!'. I have...lol!

Enough tech talk, I am an old mechanic and I can talk the stuff forever...lol!

Ride safe!

[Madness]

Thanks guys.
Wow, that baby's in nice shape! I've only been riding for 2 years now and I do all my own work as well (bodywork too). It's been a learning process for me from a tech standpoint the last 2 years. I've been working on cars for about 15 years so it isn't too, too bad.

One place I really want to head to is what they call 'The Tail of the Dragon', US129 between Tennessee and North Carolina. Over 300 curves in 11 miles and great scenery to boot!

I was down there this summer to visit relatives...didn't bring the bike though. Can't wait untill next time, it's comin' with me for sure.

[SouthernXer]

Here are mine...

[Ralph E.]

Victory Jackpot LE Cory Ness:

[DrDoug]

Nice collection SouthernXer, it looks like you have the street and dirt well covered! I really love the pair of Yammy dirt bikes. I would love to get my hands on a YZ360. I spent my high school years on mine, and that mother could just about climb trees.

I love the Victory there RalphE, those bikes just ooze cool. They look like they are doing 100 just sitting there parked. Now if I could only find another friend that is retiring from riding who has one he wants to give me.

Wishful thinking...lol!

Cool toys guys!

[mattsmusiccenter]

Love that Victory Ralph!

[DrDoug]

So Matt, I take it that the bike is a rental too? Can I rent it? :ROTF:

That just looks nasty/wicked Matt, and the RedLines add just the right touch to it. Sweet!

[Madness]

Man, that thing is mean!

I love the body lines on the Victory too, Ralph E.

[mattsmusiccenter]

Man, that thing is mean!

Yup... just like me...

Bwahahahaha