[SteveFord]

Daylight Savings Time begins today which officially kicks off biker scum season!
Who has their motorcycle(s) ready for the road this year?
I do - and it's the same as last year, 2006 Buell Useless and 2002 Buell X1W.
Keep the shiny side up!

[Scott F.]

It just so happens that we just got back from a trip to Arizona last weekend. Before the trip I looked at the weather and decided to rent a bike rather than a car. The weather was pretty close to perfect, 70 during the days and about 50 at night. A couple of nights were a little chilly but with leather and the heated seats and grips of the Goldwing, it didn't effect us.

Here's the Goldwing
 

Gotta love these things, they have GPS Nav systems and XM Radio
 

 

Here's a few picks from our week long exploration

Horseback riding
 

over the shoulder on the road
 

ATVs up in Sedona
 

Red Rocks of Sedona
 

Sunset in New City on the ride back to Phoenix from Sedona
 

[SteveFord]

That's a beautiful area.
I was there 25 years ago this very day.
It was around 50 degrees here today so I finally went for a 75 mile pleasure ride instead of my usual 50 mile dodge deranged commuters ride.  It felt great to blast the cobwebs off!

[bside123]

It just so happens that we just got back from a trip to Arizona last weekend. Before the trip I looked at the weather and decided to rent a bike rather than a car. The weather was pretty close to perfect, 70 during the days and about 50 at night. A couple of nights were a little chilly but with leather and the heated seats and grips of the Goldwing, it didn't effect us.

Here's the Goldwing
 

Gotta love these things, they have GPS Nav systems and XM Radio

Nice rig, Scott! Where's the kitchen sink? Sounds like a beautiful trip. I was lucky to take a motorcycle through the South West Desert years go myself. Spectacular!

[JakeJ]

Scott,

That's totally cool!  I didn't know one could rent a bike.  What was the rate you got?

I have been shopping bikes lately as I'd like to commute for that part of the year that allows it.  My commute is mostly open road and I'd save some fuel bux over driving the BMW.

Here's hoping everyone has fun and safe rides and that I get a bike!   

[Scott F.]

Hiya Din,

The sink was in the saddle bag  I almost called you today...we had zuchinni bread for breakfast but before I knew it we got invaded by grandkids

Jake, the Goldwing was $159 a day. You can find some cheaper bikes for rental all the way down to about $119 but we were looking to do a Goldwing specifically. We've done Harleys over the years, Fatboy, FLH Ultra Classics and the like but as loud and fun as those are, we wanted something a little smoother. It's definitely a nice ride. 

[JakeJ]

Thanks for the follow up, Scott.  I did some online research right after writing my post and found motocycle rental companies both large & small, international & local.  I had read many years ago about a company that specialized in European motorycle tours and that company was all-inclusive in that you chose a tour route (and there were many) and a bike and they take care of all the details such as accomodations, maps, restaurant suggestions, & things to do at various stops.  It seemed like a very cool way to take a vacation.

My current goal is a sport tourer for fun and commuting since we have six or more months a year to ride here.  The Bimmer gets about 22-23 mpg on the freeway so a bike that gets 45-50 mpg would cut my fuel bill almost in half.

[Mr. Orange]

What, there's an off season?  I've had mine out at least once a month or more all winter.  This was my last outing two weeks ago up at Lake Geneva, WI. It was 30 degrees out with the sun shining. It was a beautiful day for a little ride therapy. 

[JakeJ]

Sweet ride!  Is that why you're called "Mr. Orange"?

However, that's cheating, I wouldn't dream of taking a two-wheeled bikeout in snow conditions.  I did get caught once in Seattle on my Suzuki GS1100E at the beggining of a snow storm.  I had just gotten off work at around 11:00 PM in Pioneer Square and as I was warming my bike up it started coming down hard.  I had ~12 miles to go and by the time I was riding down my street I was going about 15 mph and had both feet on the ground "skiing" to stay upright in 2+" of snow.  Had to take the bus for two weeks after that night.

C'mon tax return!

[SteveFord]

Over the Winter I left the petcock in the On position and the float needle on my Buell S1 let all of the gas go right past it and into the crankcase and primary it went.  What a mess!
Two oil changes and all is good.  I don't think I'll trust float needles in the future!
Yesterday I somehow picked up a very large cotter pin in the Buell Ulysses' rear wheel and that Slime tire sealant is pretty good at not sealing things!  I had a Metzler 180 inner tube on the shelf so I got to put that in this morning.
Getting the tubeless valve stem out was a bear; I finally had to drive a T27 torx bit into it to keep it from spinning and then the nut came off.  Fun and games but I'm much bigger and meaner than any motorcycle part so I'm back in business once again.