Just Ride.

Should this ride thread be just a.... well, thread? Or should there be a dedicated Forum topic?

  • Yes, it's own topic in the Forums

    Votes: 19 90.5%

  • Nah... threads good enough.

    Votes: 2 9.5%
  • Total voters
    21
  • Poll closed .
gggGary said:
How do you do it?
We KNOW there are crowds of admirers everywhere you stop...
Does your retinue take care of that with little posts and do not cross tape?
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It’s funny you mention that. Today while gassing up my bike, this guy approached me and he was just salivating over my bike. He kept me there a while, asking me all sorts of questions about parts availability and doing my own work and by the time he left he had gotten himself all worked up into wanting a project of his own. :D

Rasputin said:
On my bucket list is a visit to the airplane graveyard, people think I’m mad.
Your post has whetted my appetite again. It’s like an itch I can’t scratch.
Great post.
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Thanks! That one was nothing. We have some absolutely huge ones in Tucson Az.
 
The picture second from the bottom with the fountains in back looks faded like an old ad. Shame some woman with a beehive didn't walk by.
 
xjwmx said:
The picture second from the bottom with the fountains in back looks faded like an old ad.
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Yeah, I agree. I kinda like that photo, but I nearly scrapped it. What happened was, the sun was high and in front of me and it washed out the color in the background. You get no blue sky or green grass ( that’s a golf course driving range with sprinklers going) and the side of the bike facing me came out dim.
So I started playing with photo editing, trying to push up the color and the exposure and it came out looking like that.
Kinda yellowed and old, washed out looking, and I thought hmmm.....kinda weird, but I like it! :shrug:
 
Well, I’ve had an adventurous day which included two separate and lengthy rides with my ornery red-headed old hag ....errr, I mean my beloved riding companion, Lucille :yikes:

My day started this morning with the customary CVMG (vintage M/C group) Sunday breakfast ride. The plan was to meet at a certain Tim Hortons (we’re Canadian eh?) at 8:00 AM and then depart as a group at 8:30 AM for a nice little diner 35 km away in the picturesque town of Kingsville. Soooo, I got up, did the three “Ss” and then woke up Lucille. She started immediately but was “missing” at high revs (above about 4500 RPM). I didn’t have time to argue with her so I just resolved to short-shift today and behave myself with respect to speed.
I left on-time, stopped for fuel on my way to the Timmy’s and was there, sipping a coffee by 7:45 AM. I sat for about 15 minutes but nobody else turned up.....hmmmmmm. That seemed odd..but,....hmmmmm.
Eventually, I re-read the email notice from Our Fearless Leader and noted that the meet-up was at the Tim Horton’s in the town of Essex, while I had cleverly stopped 15 km away at the Manning Rd. & County Rd. 42 location. Smooth move Ex-Lax....
:oops:
Dammit. Anyhow, I gulped the rest of my coffee and then Lucille and I belted down the road to the correct location and found four of my compatriots just about to get going to the breakfast spot. NOTE TO SELF: learn to read, you stupid git. Oh well, one good outcome was that Lucille’s “miss” had now gone missing and she was her old rhorty self again.
I wonder what the issue is (suggestions welcome). We all had a nice ride out to Kingsville and a great breakfast at the Dutch Restaurant (highly recommended) and then I rode back home to do some chores before the next ride this afternoon.
The PM ride was going to be even more fun: one of our local CVMG members was hosting some of his Norton buddies who were on their way to the big Norton Owners Rally over in Berkeley, Michigan this week and we local-yokels were going to assemble at the aforementioned Manning Rd. Tim’s (i.e the WRONG one) and then ride out to meet the Toronto Norton people at a little restaurant in Blenheim - about 90 km away. The local group included a classic black ‘73 Norton 750 Commando, a new 2017 Norton 961 Commando, a couple of modern sport bikes, a nice ‘73 BMW R75/5 and of course...Lucille.
We got out to Blenheim in good time for the 2:00 PM meet-up with the Toronto contingent and after a delay of about an hour or so, they turned up. Apparently, one of the Toronto bikes had an electrical problem on the way...<imagine that - a British bike with an electrical problem> but they persevered and made it OK. Here are some photos of the group and note that the R75/5 and Lucille are both cleverly disguised as Nortons to make the Hogtowners feel welcome.
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Fortunately, the Toronto crowd had a good chuckle about the two ersatz Nortons (heck they had just ridden 450 km on two old British bikes - they must have a sense of humour).

All-in-all, a fun day with more than 225 miles of great riding and not one frickin’ drop of rain the whole time!

Pete
 
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Mailman said:
Nice rides Pete and some good photos too. That’s the first time I’ve seen ANYBODY outside of a magazine riding that new Norton. Did he let all of guys take turns ripping around on his new ( expensive ) Norton? :geek:

I sure wish we had Tim Hortons here.:(
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That new 961 is truly a beautiful bike Bob - BUT - from a quality standpoint, it has been one of the most disappointing new vehicles I’ve ever seen. The owner literally had to fight with the company because the bike had very bad engine issues right off the dealers floor. After HUGE heartburn they agree to fix it - but only if he shipped it back to the factory. So, he built a crate, disassembled the bike and shipped the entire engine ass’y back to the UK - and they remanufactured it from stem to stern. Apparently, it is largely OK now.

However, he told me today that Norton Canada has ceased operating and that he believes that they’ve also stopped bringing the bikes into the US too. It was a classic case of a good product - manufactured and marketed by people who weren’t ready for prime time.
 
MaxPete said:
Well, I’ve had an adventurous day which included two separate and lengthy rides with my ornery red-headed old hag ....errr, I mean my beloved riding companion, Lucille :yikes:

My day started this morning with the customary CVMG (vintage M/C group) Sunday breakfast ride. The plan was to meet at a certain Tim Hortons (we’re Canadian eh?) at 8:00 AM and then depart as a group at 8:30 AM for a nice little diner 35 km away in the picturesque town of Kingsville. Soooo, I got up, did the three “Ss” and then woke up Lucille. She started immediately but was “missing” at high revs (above about 4500 RPM). I didn’t have time to argue with her so I just resolved to short-shift today and behave myself with respect to speed.
I left on-time, stopped for fuel on my way to the Timmy’s and was there, sipping a coffee by 7:45 AM. I sat for about 15 minutes but nobody else turned up.....hmmmmmm. That seemed odd..but,....hmmmmm.
Eventually, I re-read the email notice from Our Fearless Leader and noted that the meet-up was at the Tim Horton’s in the town of Essex, while I had cleverly stopped 15 km away at the Manning Rd. & County Rd. 42 location. Smooth move Ex-Lax....
:oops:
Dammit. Anyhow, I gulped the rest of my coffee and then Lucille and I belted down the road to the correct location and found four of my compatriots just about to get going to the breakfast spot. NOTE TO SELF: learn to read, you stupid git. Oh well, one good outcome was that Lucille’s “miss” had now gone missing and she was her old rhorty self again.
I wonder what the issue is (suggestions welcome). We all had a nice ride out to Kingsville and a great breakfast at the Dutch Restaurant (highly recommended) and then I rode back home to do some chores before the next ride this afternoon.
The PM ride was going to be even more fun: one of our local CVMG members was hosting some of his Norton buddies who were on their way to the big Norton Owners Rally over in Berkeley, Michigan this week and we local-yokels were going to assemble at the aforementioned Manning Rd. Tim’s (i.e the WRONG one) and then ride out to meet the Toronto Norton people at a little restaurant in Blenheim - about 90 km away. The local group included a classic black ‘73 Norton 750 Commando, a new 2017 Norton 961 Commando, a couple of modern sport bikes, a nice ‘73 BMW R75/5 and of course...Lucille.
We got out to Blenheim in good time for the 2:00 PM meet-up with the Toronto contingent and after a delay of about an hour or so, they turned up. Apparently, one of the Toronto bikes had an electrical problem on the way...<imagine that - a British bike with an electrical problem> but they persevered and made it OK. Here are some photos of the group and note that the R75/5 and Lucille are both cleverly disguised as Nortons to make the Hogtowners feel welcome.
View attachment 143788 View attachment 143789 View attachment 143790 View attachment 143791
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Fortunately, the Toronto crowd had a good chuckle about the two ersatz Nortons (heck they had just ridden 450 km on two old British bikes - they must have a sense of humour).

All-in-all, a fun day with more than 225 miles of great riding and not one frickin’ drop of rain the whole time!

Pete
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G'day Pete,

Of course no drop of rain because the season is "Construction"
 
Mailman said:
Me and Elvis.........riding with the king.

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Nope, not that Elvis......this one.

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In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve decided to name my bike. I never have done that before, but I figured if I was ever going to do that, this is THE ONE.

So Elvis was in need of a proper road trip. I built this bike to ride and so I shall, as beautiful as it is, I hope to use it up before I’m all used up!

This morning was beautiful out, 70 degrees and sunny with a few fluffy white clouds, a perfect day for riding.
I was thinking about the ride as I was suiting up this morning, Elvis was patiently chuffing away.
Today I’m heading for Lake Pleasant regional park. As I was riding onto the property I couldn’t help notice how the hillsides were covered with native Palo Verde trees in bloom, there were also thousands of Saguaro cactus.
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When I arrived at the lake, I was pleasantly surprised to see the the lake was full. It has been a very long time since that has happened. In fact almost all the Arizona lakes are full, due to heavy winter rain and snow fall. We have been in such an extended drought here it’s a big relief to see water in the lakes again.
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There is a floating Marina with a restaurant out there.
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Turkey vultures were thick above the lake today, riding thermals coming off of the cliff faces.
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I was really hoping to photograph some sailboats on the water today but no joy. Nothing but fishermen and pontoon boats and jet skis.
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They have camp grounds and picnic ramadas and a very nice visitor center where you can learn the history of the lake and the dams construction and the history of the native Americans that once populated this region and also all about the native wildlife. It’s very nice and free to the public.
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A birds eye view of the dam, which is a modern earthen dam, which is surprising complex in its construction.
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Well I’ve explored every road and camp ground and the visitors center and with that , it’s time to leave.
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75 miles of some pretty hard riding and it never missed a beat!
Elvis, old buddy.......I think you and I are gonna be good friends! :)
Later Bob ( and Elvis)
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What a wonderful Ride and report..i love your bike...Arizona..and its Springtime in the desert..well it was with those bloomin Palo verdes..i spent 15 years in Tucson..many moons ago...This report and these pics...are seriuosly wooing me over to the XS650....I am retired..and can only afford to have one bike..Can i realisitcally have this as my only ride? That is what i am mulling over..but i have to say I am leaning more towards an XS650 than ever...BTW several of your pics are calendar worthy and are gracing my desktop homesceens...Very envious of everything I see out there...
Cheers! :cool::cool::cool:
 
madmax-im said:
What a wonderful Ride and report..i love your bike...Arizona..and its Springtime in the desert..well it was with those bloomin Palo verdes..i spent 15 years in Tucson..many moons ago...This report and these pics...are seriuosly wooing me over to the XS650....I am retired..and can only afford to have one bike..Can i realisitcally have this as my only ride? That is what i am mulling over..but i have to say I am leaning more towards an XS650 than ever...BTW several of your pics are calendar worthy and are gracing my desktop homesceens...Very envious of everything I see out there...
Cheers! :cool::cool::cool:
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Thank you very much for the kind words. As for your considering an XS650 as your only bike, I think it would depend on a number of things.
1. Are you handy with a wrench? You would need to be willing and able to do many of your own repairs.
2. What do you need your motorcycle to do for you? It can be ridden some distance, but in my opinion, it’s happier as a short distance fun bike.

I had modern bikes, but I really am not a distance rider anymore. I enjoy tinkering and tuning and fixing things, so this bike suits me.
 
Mailman said:
Thank you very much for the kind words. As for your considering an XS650 as your only bike, I think it would depend on a number of things.
1. Are you handy with a wrench? You would need to be willing and able to do many of your own repairs.
2. What do you need your motorcycle to do for you? It can be ridden some distance, but in my opinion, it’s happier as a short distance fun bike.

I had modern bikes, but I really am not a distance rider anymore. I enjoy tinkering and tuning and fixing things, so this bike suits me.
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Am I handy with a wrench? No not really...I have friends who could help but then again i hate to be completely reliant on them.
i am primarily a daytrip rider..Done with LD 1000 miles in one sitting..done with heavy bikes too...
My 2007 Bandit suited me quite well..it was basically turnkey everytime..it could be ridden near or far..2 lanes or 4...
So I may have already answered my own question...But i do like to hear other points of view and considerations..
 
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