Geezer with a Grudge

I hope you get the ride on the bike. It didn't...

2012-06-02T12:43:42.341-05:00

I hope you get the ride on the bike. It didn't blow my skirt up, but it is a nice bike with a lot of good features for the price point. Your take on it will be interesting.

I ride a WR250R and have it rigged as a mini adventure bike. It is the perfect bike for a lot of rides especially multi-day rides off piste. I will ride it to the Yukon next summer. I get better than 55 mpg with it - around 60 with stock gearing when riding off the freeway. I have plenty of time to ride to Inuvik as I'm retired and have no time restraints for that ride.

I also ride a KTM 990 Adventure. It is better off-road for me than the GS bikes I owned in the past, and lighter than the GS/Tenere; geezer manageable. Kind of a big WR really, and my Giant Loop luggage works on both the WR and KTM. The most fun of the big adventure machines IMO.

The bigger bike allows me to quickly cover 600 or 700 mile days to get to Utah, let's say, go explore the back country for a few days, and then blast home. Not the domain of the WR or bikes of its ilk. I have done this on 650 bikes, when I had to, but the bigger bikes demand less of me on long road days. I'm thinking here of things like prairie winds that bike heft and horsepower help to manage.

I'm fortunate to have a choice of motorcycles allowing me to ride like I want to with, or without, time considerations. But, a lot of folk are limited to one bike and the heavier more road worthy ADV Touring bikes afford a lot of flexibility for them. Hence their increasing popularity.

I suspect most will be ridden like an SUV is driven i.e. mostly on road in good weather conditions, and rarely off road, or off road for any extended periods. But, if the rider wants to take that once in a lifetime ride to Prudhoe Bay or Inuvik, they can do it with a big trailie more comfortably than on a smaller bike, and probably with less overall road time invested.

Gas mileage is a consideration, but tank range is more critical out west. Few of us buy big trailie bikes for the gas mileage, though it may influence a purchase. My GS bikes got me a routine 50 mpg. I live out west, and my 220 mile range on the KTM is an issue I have to work around, but I bought the bike for other reasons.

Cheers

Emission standards for motorcycles are in units of...

2012-06-01T12:12:29.977-05:00

Emission standards for motorcycles are in units of mass per distance:

§ 86.410-2006 Emission standards for 2006 and later model year motorcycles.
(a)(1) Exhaust emissions from Class I and Class II motorcycles shall not exceed the standards listed in the following table:

Table E2006–1—Class I and II Motorcycle Emission Standards

Model year Emission standards
(g/km)
HC CO
2006 and later 1.0 12.0

(2) Exhaust emissions from Class III motorcycles shall not exceed the standards listed in the following table:

Table E2006–2—Class III Motorcycle Emission Standards

Tier Model year Emission standards
(g/km)
HC + NOX CO
Tier 1 2006–2009 1.4 12.0
Tier 2 2010 and later 0.8 12.0

Emission standards for motorcycles are in units of...

2012-06-01T12:12:27.954-05:00

I don't think I'll have the choice of filt...

2012-05-29T10:09:31.902-05:00

I don't think I'll have the choice of filtering anytime soon. The trend is toward more restrictive laws directed at motorcycles, not less. When we keep reading about local squids getting arrested for going 150-170 mph on local highways it doesn't help matters.

Thanks Ian.

2012-05-26T18:24:36.959-05:00

Thanks Ian.

I think it's good to remember the two universa...

2012-05-26T18:24:03.385-05:00

I think it's good to remember the two universal infinite resources are hydrogen and human stupidity.

Actually, I do expect my government to be technolo...

2012-05-26T18:22:59.908-05:00

Actually, I do expect my government to be technologically current. However, since we have the cheapest government money has bought my expectations are tempered by the knowledge that this is not my government. In fact, since 2000 there is barely a pretense made that the citizens even matter anymore.

There is a delusion that Californians are somehow different than other "Americans." Clearly from people who have never been to or lived in California. Most of the Californians escaped the place in the late 80's after that recession finally moved to CA. What's left is people from all over the world. I have seen no evidence that lane-splitting or filtering is "a recipe for accidents" or crashes. One of the freedoms we still have is that you don't have to do it if you don't think it's safe.

The problem is that the one thing U.S. motorists c...

2012-05-25T12:33:04.038-05:00

The problem is that the one thing U.S. motorists can't stand more than being stuck in traffic is seeing someone else move faster than themselves. When I used to commute into Boston many cars would swerve to block your progress if they thought your lane was moving faster than their's. The other thing about filtering is I wonder if Europe has as many huge SUVs and trucks on the road with mirrors sticking way out on either side? I suppose they manage in California, but it seems like it could be a recipe for accidents.

I can remember reading about this in Car&Drive...

2012-05-24T19:57:44.030-05:00

I can remember reading about this in Car&Driver back in the late 70's. They were lamenting how this method basically encouraged Detroit to not develop small efficient engines, since it was easier to control certain emissions with existing technologies. We ended up with horrible running, fuel guzzling cars for many years.
You don't really expect politics to keep up with advances in science and technology do you?

I don't think the car driver could have been l...

2012-05-24T18:17:29.613-05:00

I don't think the car driver could have been looking at the road--I didn't notice any signs of braking or slowing down at all. Always drive expecting other folks to do the unexpected.

Geezer: you are right ! We are using stup...

2012-05-24T13:04:46.993-05:00

Geezer:

you are right ! We are using stupid rules over here.

bob
Riding the Wet Coast
My Flickr // My YouTube

"pollution-per-gallon of fuel used, rather...

2012-05-24T12:35:11.418-05:00
"pollution-per-gallon of fuel used, rather than emissions-per-mile driven."

Really, thank you for that insight. That really is dumb, I didn't know that...

Hi Thomas, Despite the danger, I thought you migh...

2012-05-23T08:21:47.939-05:00
Hi Thomas,

Despite the danger, I thought you might like this link http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motorbikes/9272532/Why-commuting-by-motorcycle-is-good-for-everyone.html. There should be a bit of 'grudge' mileage in it.

regards,

Ian

I have, officially, abandoned Facebook. Once the t...

2012-05-21T10:26:24.340-05:00
I have, officially, abandoned Facebook. Once the treasonous little assholes who lucked into that social network fad decided their obligation to the country that made them filthy rich wasn't worth citizenship, I dumped my link to FB. So far, I'm not missing the time I spent linking my blog to my FB page.

I don't know who the "worst offenders" are, but I do know that my definition of bimbo is anyone more interested in makeup and a cell phone conversation than the her 4,000 pound vehicle's direction of travel. I can't tell a "contractor" from a moron in a pickup with a cell phone, so you could be right. Even the cops are beginning to complain about the level of distraction all of their electronics is producing. $10 gas might be the only solution to all of this crap.

I live in a very busy small touristy city with tig...

2012-05-21T10:18:25.740-05:00
I live in a very busy small touristy city with tight streets and lots of bars and restaurants. It is appalling to see anyone and everyone wobbling down the street watching the cell phone or texting with the phone in their laps. Au contraire to the stereotype of the bimbos being the worst offenders, though I haven't been counting, it is the business types (white shirt and tie), the working men in the pick up trucks, the guys driving the big trucks, and the police that seem to be the worst offenders. The closest calls I have had were contracotrs in pickups who seem to always be on the phone.

You were in the right place at the right time and ...

2012-05-19T20:55:14.293-05:00
You were in the right place at the right time and able to do something. Thank-you.

Good for you, Geezer. BTW, can't find you on ...

2012-05-19T11:31:10.758-05:00
Good for you, Geezer.

BTW, can't find you on Facebook. What's the URL link?

Dave

It's here (http://scaryideas.com/content/20612...

2012-05-15T15:41:55.630-05:00
It's here (http://scaryideas.com/content/20612), until Nissan discovers it and takes it off, again.

All good to know. After struggling with my WRX tir...

2012-05-14T11:56:42.970-05:00
All good to know. After struggling with my WRX tires in deep sand Saturday, I'm missing my Sherpa in a couple of ways; seat height and 21" front wheel. I could own one again, for the right price and a newer model with the seal issue corrected. I'd put both Stockman racks on a Sherpa, if I could find them for a reasonable price. I don't know what the "clutch lock" is, but it sounds interesting.

I did a lot of highway/freeway miles with my Sherpa, but no long distance stuff; just commuting. My North Dakota trip would have been an LD test, but the oil seal changed that plan.

I've got an Aussie Sherpa. Unfortunately the...

2012-05-14T10:32:40.583-05:00
I've got an Aussie Sherpa.

Unfortunately the Stockman doesn't have a Australian Design Rules compliance plate, so it can't be registered for road use in Australia, but the special parts are readily available at rural bike wreckers since farm bikes tend to have fairly short brutal lives.

I've got a Stockman rear rack which is rated 20kg (44lbs) and is well built. I'd love to get a clutch lock and the swingarm with a right side stand, but I've never got around to it.

An IMS 4 gallon tank for an XR650L, $100 on ebay, delivered from California, solved fuel range issues. It basically doubled range to reserve and left me with about 80km on reserve.

The one thing the Sherpa doesn't do reasonably well is highways; the one thing I don't ask it to do for me is highways. The urban speed limits I encounter are strictly enforced with cameras and no more than 80kph (50mph) and I trailer it to the bush for trail riding, so 110kph flat out and 90kph comfortably is plenty for me.

Graham in Melbourne

Even for offroad or backroad touring use it is han...

2012-05-11T09:38:47.901-05:00
Even for offroad or backroad touring use it is handy having more gas. I go some places where even on the highway gas might be 50 miles apart. With only a 100-mile range you have to be careful, and I'd rather carry gas in the tank than strapped on the back in some jug.

Yep, you can't keep the damn kids off of the l...

2012-05-10T21:46:57.385-05:00
Yep, you can't keep the damn kids off of the lawn without firing a few rounds of salt block at 'em. I keep a 10 gauge loaded with a whole box of Morton's finest just in case someone puts a foot on my crabgrass. You know how hard it is to keep crabgrass healthy? It freakin' has to rain at least once a summer of the stuff turns brownish.

This post was more 'grumpy old man"-ish t...

2012-05-10T21:39:58.604-05:00
This post was more 'grumpy old man"-ish than usual there geez. Some kids playing in the yard again?

That is an absolutely valid point. It's hard t...

2012-05-10T18:42:59.589-05:00
That is an absolutely valid point. It's hard to imagine that this is less of a problem for the Stockman in Australia. My WR250X is a case-in-point. With the stock tank, the bike was good for about 100 miles to reserve. Even with the 3.1gal IMF tank, I am looking for fuel at 150 miles and out at 180. I don't think there is much market research going into Japanese motorcycle design. They don't seem to have a clue who their customers are or could be.

I wish they would put decent-sized stock tanks on ...

2012-05-10T17:22:03.527-05:00
I wish they would put decent-sized stock tanks on offroad oriented and DS bikes. I think a bunch of them would make much better commuters than most of the bikes people actually use for commuting. But, a commuter needs to be able to go at least a couple of days without filling up, IMHO. I prefer bikes with 200-mile ranges, without going into reserve.