F00 the supermoto is more on my mind then them racks right now but soon.

11/17/2012 7:40:09 PM

road trip report:

rode with my brother on his FZ1 on wednesday from kings mountain nc to mount mitchell. took the devils whip(nc80) on the way up and the diamondback(nc226a) on the way down. i love my new bike

11/23/2012 11:01:03 AM

Why is it on a trailer when it has a luggage rack that large????????

11/23/2012 2:35:34 PM

^baby momma won't let my daughter ride on the back.

11/23/2012 3:17:32 PM

Super happy to see the old girl out there being ridden!

even better with my number still emblazon on the side!

11/24/2012 12:02:36 PM

I must say that the windscreen looks pretty sweet for being made in garage out of a trash bin. Before I saw your post on the last page, I thought it was an aftermarket fairing.

11/26/2012 2:18:31 PM

i should note that when i mentioned looking for gloves, i wasn't looking for anything ballistic/protective...just something that would keep my hands warm at high-ish speeds (60mph, tops) and relatively dry for those few times i'm caught in the rain

i'd be using the gloves for cycling, too

anyway, i found these and the reviews seem to indicate decent wind-stoppage and waterproof-ness...on the off chance than anyone has experienced any of these brands, figured i'd post them

youngstown: http://www.amazon.com/Youngstown-Glove-03-3450-80-M-Waterproof-Performance/dp/B0000UJGY6/
heritage: http://www.amazon.com/Heritage-HG-22-Extreme-Winter-Glove/dp/B005X5DMO8/
planet bike (half-lobster): http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Bike-Borealis-Winter-XX-Large/dp/B000SEG5OI/
tenn: http://www.amazon.com/Waterproof-Windproof-Cycle-Cycling-Gloves/dp/B006GQUQ4W/

11/28/2012 9:07:09 AM

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/14/67/903/34610/ITEM/Teknic-Chicane-Short-Gloves.aspx
+
a pair of oversized cotton garden gloves to go over them when its cold

11/28/2012 7:16:16 PM

Nice meeting/seeing you t-dubbers yesterday!

12/1/2012 2:07:51 PM

^

yeah it was.

i am convinced i would never crash if i rode like there was a bike cop behind me all the time

12/2/2012 10:00:50 AM

[Edited on December 2, 2012 at 11:01 AM. Reason : yay fun times]

12/2/2012 10:57:49 AM

I don't know if it's gonna happen or not, but I'm starting to plan for a trip to Anchorage, AK from Raleigh, NC. Thinking about leaving work next year, taking the summer off from school, and just going on a month long roundtrip adventure. What do I plan on doing in Anchorage? Changing my oil for the return trip

[Edited on December 3, 2012 at 12:12 AM. Reason : .]

12/3/2012 12:11:14 AM

^^ what was that?

^ that would be sick. keep me in the loop, I graduate in May and there may or may not be an interim between that and the job I accept...and I've gotta spend my signing bonus on something irresponsible, right?

12/3/2012 12:59:55 AM

^ That was the Skills Day Event with bikesafenc.com I had posted about. We had lunch with the five-ooooh at a Mexican joint off hwy 70 after our morning ride.

I'd LOVE to go with someone, preferably someone I know. I think it would give my wife piece of mind, though I'm very comfortable going by myself... Not a lot of people can afford to take ~month away from life and go on an epic road trip. I understand that with no hard feelings. Heck, this may be the only opportunity I get to do something like this while I'm still young. Gotta go for it.

Tentative plan is Raleigh -> Seatle -> Anchorage and then back. I may mirror the return trip, I may not it just depends on if someone is serious with tagging along, their plans/interests, if there's a delay or time "crunch", etc. I'd like to avoid IL state, though it's not an absolute must.

So far, I've let google maps pick the route, avoiding tolls. Using the google maps direction from Raleigh -> Seatle -> Anchorage as a guide, I'm going to use motorcycleroads.com to try to find some roads I want to experience. Lodging will be primarily camping, though a motel/hotel is also an option. Trying to keep this a budget trip. I already estimated gas and food roundtrip is going to start me at $1000. I can eat pretty cheap, but I also need to include various other things (misc supplies, lodging costs, etc.) I have all the hardware and gear I need for this trip; the big thing now is planning it. I think $2k will cover anything/everything short of a crucial mechanical failure.

(http://www.motorcycleroads.com/)

The trip is already 5,250 miles one way, about 90 hours. I tend to make good time on my trips, but even make no mistake as this is not a rally; it's an experience. I plan on riding 6-8 hours a day (350-500 miles), picking up food and supplies as I pass through towns. There is not going to be a "hard" schedule, just a guideline of approximately where I should be and when I expect to be there by. So I figure about 14 days there, 14 days back. I'm looking at departing June 1st 2013. I've got plans early July that I'd like to honor, thus I can't afford to leave mid July only to return Mid-august just before fall semester. However, if something happens and I end up needing to come home late, July can be my time buffer.

I still have a lot to discuss with the wife. She's so damn supportive of all my adventures and ideas. I love my woman so much.


[Edited on December 3, 2012 at 1:53 AM. Reason : ..]

12/3/2012 1:40:24 AM

I would love to do something like that. And I have friends and/or family in several of the states along the way, so we could keep overnight costs down. Actually, Nienstedt (my roommate/brotherfromanothermother through HS and early college, if you didn't remember) lives in Seattle now. I may be able to negotiate my start date too.

Also, I'm signed up for the 12/14 bikesafenc event. Anyone else going that day?

12/3/2012 1:52:10 AM

I'm not signed up, but hell, I have that entire day off. I might do it just to see your pretty face! It's been too long buddy!

When the time gets closer, say March/April, I'll hit you up and see where you're at in life with this idea.

Heck, I'm not 100% sure myself. I've had a full time job for over 10 years now. It's a hard concept for me to willingly give up employment. But I need to finish college and stop dragging it out by taking 1 or 2 classes each semseter. If I don't leave my job in May to pursue full time school in the Fall, then this trip could all very well be Null/Void. I have to re-evaluate my own position in March 2013. But until then, there's a TON of research/planning that needs to be done.



[Edited on December 3, 2012 at 2:05 AM. Reason : .]

12/3/2012 1:56:59 AM

meh. I can just use the vacation time I've saved up to take the month off from work and just go anyways.

12/3/2012 2:39:41 AM

http://milepost.com/

12/3/2012 8:50:44 PM

I would go you know that....I'll be married all of two months in July...that's divorce quality timing...

12/4/2012 1:27:44 PM

I know you would buddy I want you to come with!

12/4/2012 2:56:13 PM

Quinn, here's something that might make you change your mind!

THE OFFICIAL OZARK TRAIL SON
http://www.nps.gov/ozar/index.htm

12/5/2012 12:01:43 AM

you guys should come to ireland with me for the isle of man tt and then rent bikes and explore europe with your wives while i bang out hoes

12/5/2012 12:13:01 AM

^ WIN! I might have to take you up on that offer for cinamon toast crunch cereal.

I've been staring at maps and looking up "must ride" motorcycle routes in various states. Already I've spent 8 hours and so far, I've got a route from Raleigh to Colorado Springs. I'm looking at 1,953 miles so far. I plan on going up Pikes Peak. Points of interest so far include Kansas Route 9, various state/federal forests and parks, Tail of the Dragon, and the Diamondback. I'm definitely going to ride through Yellowstone, then make my way to Seatle, Wa. From there, I'll head up through British Columbia, Yukon, and then into AK. I estimate ~ 6,500 miles to get there. I haven't even begun to think about the return trip...



Gonna have to get a netbook and an external harddrive so that I can save all the video until I get back.

[Edited on December 5, 2012 at 1:57 AM. Reason : .]

12/5/2012 1:49:28 AM

My friend that rode across the US last year and passed Raleigh on page 50 of this thread kept a blog that may be relevant to your interests: http://www.indirectredirection.com

As far as the actual routes research and touring tips, hard to beat ADVrider

12/5/2012 3:17:52 AM

You left out our favorite road and campground!!!!!

Gooooooose point!!!

Is there anyway you could plan it to have us in Utah in about a week? I could probably swing that.... I would just give my bike away for a plane ticket home!!! Or leave it with a friend of mine in SLC.

12/5/2012 8:49:19 AM

^ If serious, then we need to talk.

Revised the trip from Colorado Springs, CO to go past SLC, UT, through Yellowstone, and then to Seattle, WA



We can be there in 7 days, although with my pace I'll probably get there in 6.

I call dibs on the SV

[Edited on December 5, 2012 at 2:24 PM. Reason : .]

12/5/2012 2:06:44 PM

yeah I'm wondering if I have the ideal rig for a trip like that

My bike is great for long-distance comfort but it's not exactly a nimble SV and will be pretty unwieldy if we hit inclement weather or unsure terrain. Might not be a problem at all, might be prohibitive. I don't know.

I have the ground clearance of a mexican lowrider

12/5/2012 2:58:34 PM

^ Haha. all the roads are paved, up to Washington. I've got ground clearance and I wouldn't mind a little offroading (ie: gravel or dirt service road), but I don't know just yet what I want to do. Planning the roads in the US was easy. I have to sit down and do some research what I want to do going up in BC and the Yukon. There are plenty of service roads up there (though I'm hesitant to take them, but the thought is there) or I could just dead head it to AK on Canada's Hwys. Just depends on who comes with, time, etc.

I'm running tubeless radials. I really don't want to have to think about my tire going out in the middle of nowhere, especially if I'm alone. A plug kit, fix-a-flat, and an electric air compressor is all I will have in terms of tire maintenance. I wouldn't hesitate to take nothing but service roads if I could just throw in another tube and call it a day.

Even in a torrential downpour, riding isn't a problem; you just get slowed down. I believe in each and every one of you, unless you are on a Ninja 250 (amirite Quinn? )


[Edited on December 5, 2012 at 3:11 PM. Reason : .]

12/5/2012 3:03:35 PM

Yeah its the US and Canada not Afghanistan. hiro : I don't even pull over to put on a rain suit......

12/5/2012 5:47:48 PM

That's cause you always suit up and it's rainproof by default.

I've got enough people giving me damn grief about this trip next year that I'm postponing it for June 1, 2014.

Hopefully the world hasn't ended then or some other crazy batshit event that prevents me from going or I'm gonna be SAMCRO pissed.


[Edited on December 6, 2012 at 12:17 AM. Reason : .]

12/6/2012 12:16:47 AM

It ain't the rain I'm worried about. You're talkin about Alaska and northern Canada

12/6/2012 12:25:51 AM

in June, Anchorage experiences weather typically from 50-70*.

At least that's what the almanac said for June 2011.

12/6/2012 1:52:07 AM

Taking the dirtbikes up to ride Bunce school road in Roosevelt National Forest this weekend!

12/7/2012 12:49:56 PM

urban dirt bike riders in baltimore

http://youtu.be/p1C4A-D6p1M

[Edited on December 8, 2012 at 8:23 AM. Reason : a]

12/8/2012 8:23:04 AM

PSA: brand new tires are SLICK

didnt crash but it wasnt for a lack of trying

12/10/2012 6:02:45 PM

^^ daaaaamn

are we gonna see a change from brothers riding stretched out 1300 busas to pimped XR650Rs? That'd be a nice change

12/10/2012 6:15:14 PM

Quote :

"PSA: brand new tires are SLICK"

Yeah. I've heard you can take a can of carb cleaner/brake cleaner and wipe off the oil residue.

OR

Find a roundabout in an apartment complex or cul-da-sac. then just go around in circles, slowly leaning more and more to scrub the tires.

I haven't tried the former. I did the latter a couple days before a track day and it got the job done.

[Edited on December 10, 2012 at 10:57 PM. Reason : /]

12/10/2012 10:56:39 PM

put em on warmers and then go hammer the gas and brakes don't even worry bout the sticker

12/11/2012 7:01:53 PM

So my brother is giving me a 70's Honda Scrambler. He got several of them in a recent trade. He's a designer for one of the big 3 so he knocked up a sketch/photoshop of what he's going to make his look like (top). I'm gonna shoot for the same. Kind of a cafe dual sport? Should be a fun project to work on in my new garage .

12/11/2012 9:48:01 PM

Got an email today saying I'm no longer registered for the bikesafenc class on the 14th...apparently they moved some dates/locations around last minute and I can't make any of them

12/11/2012 11:43:18 PM

sorry to hear brother

12/12/2012 2:00:34 AM

^^^

cafe dual sport eh? personally it would be better to put 17" street tires on it. it would suck to ride off road leaned over like that

12/13/2012 12:26:34 PM

That flat seat's gonna kill you on the bumps too.

12/13/2012 12:31:38 PM

http://youtu.be/z5SVy2PyxEU


Onboard Honda 500 CR Supermotard - 2-05-2011 - Circuit du Vigeant

damn

12/27/2012 11:53:07 AM

Any other motorcycle racing fans ITT? I watch motogp, supercross and motocross. i have been looking foward to the the first supercross race on jan 5th.

12/30/2012 12:32:40 PM

almost looped it the other day and i blame the youtube

http://youtu.be/gcngpX_qFI0

1/1/2013 3:24:17 AM

huge racing fan - I watch AMA the most because they run the same tracks as me and AMA daytona sportbike is the best racing you'll see outside that crazy irish road racing (on actual roads). I'm very excited for motogp this year and went to laguna to see it last year. When I have time I watch WSBK and WSSK.

1/1/2013 10:51:45 AM

Same, I watch MotoGP, WSBK, AMA, etc

1/2/2013 12:10:10 PM

^,^^

cool i will try to check out more AMA and WSBK. i was watching motogp thinking they have the fastest bikes and riders but the races often are not very competitive

1/3/2013 4:29:49 PM

with stoner out and i believe bradl getting a real ride, and rossi back on yamaha, it should be a great year in motogp but the years with rossi on ducati have sucked.

1/3/2013 7:19:13 PM