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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 .
I think a manufacturer started it as an additional gimmick, some copied it, a few eager representatives of the back row noticed that and then the whole thing took off. Another example is an acoustic alarm signal when the local speed limit is exceeded. Initially a nice, switchable gimmick from a single manufacturer. Since 2024, big surprise, it is mandatory here for every new car. Cannot be switched off.

But sometimes the manufacturers themselves come knocking on their door. In a neighboring country, for example, foreign bikers are now being caught and fined heavily. The reason is that they are wearing the wrong gloves: They now need a certificate. That's what we call here “whistling in the forest” 🤭
 
Turning into an annual tradition? Took the big BM
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down to Wyalusing State Park last night.
Just wandered around aimlessly, bumping back and forth between the driftless area and Wisconsin River bottoms.
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A couple of the premo ridge edge campsites are tent only, can sometimes be snagged last minute on weeknights.
I saw a dead elm on the way in, so went back and sawed up some firewood.
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stopped at the former park headquarters, a CCC building project.
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Overlooking Prairie du Chien.
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The Mississippi is a busy freight corridor, trains run constantly on double tracks both sides of the river.
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Got up at dark o'clock, coffee and oatmeal then;
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Was a foggy 100 miles home this morning, Haul bikes called and I had to get Sodak out to the freeway truck stop, on it's way to California 😢
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The other parts already delivered via UPS.
 
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Thanks Marty, I just read a bit about it, very interesting. Here too, only ruins remain of most of the old castles. But it's fun to climb up, learn about their history and enjoy the wide views.
 
Not a ride but a drive. I took the sad Spit on a 385 mile road trip last weekend to a British car show in Asheville, NC. I missed all the carnage by a week. Anyway, I was on the Blue Ridge Parkway for about 50 miles which was like magic except for the tourist in the TLX who somehow couldn't manage getting up to the eye-blistering speed limit of 45 MPH and was swerving all over the road. I know crossing the double yellow is a big no-no so after about 10 miles I was able to get around him. Other than that, and breaking down two miles from my house, it was a great trip.
BTW, in the last pic that's my Dad in the green container shaped like a TR3.
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Yesterday, I attended a local blues festival.
https://hemphillhillcountrybluesfest.com/
Not a big crowd, but that made it so much the better.
When I arrived, parked outside the building was a loaded up 2012 Triumph Bonneville America with an Ontario plate. Once inside, I easily found the owner. He’s a 69 year old retired man who just came back to motorcycles after many years away. He is both camping and indoor lodging. He had just spent perhaps two weeks in Clarksdale, saw a flyer and rode to Holly Springs. I very much enjoyed conversation with this man. I expect he is on his way to Vicksburg today. Then on to New Orleans. His goal is to be home for Canada Thanksgiving. So, he’ll miss the King Biscuit Festival in Arkansas coming up. I suggested he ride US-62 from north of Nashville back to Niagara Falls. I envy his journey.

If he could haul all that stuff on a Bonneville, surely an XS650 can handle a similar load.
 
SolidGhost said:
Not an epic ride by any stretch of the imagination but my bike had some vexing problem that coincided with my own life getting in the way and my most helpful friend was grappling with his own stuff (both his bike and his life) so my bike sat for a few weeks, then almost like magic cured itself of its latest frequent tiny mystery. In that time I got another bike and was trying to get that up to speed, so to speak. Today I dusted the old girl off the best way I know how – with speed. Blasted out to a nearby lake on a mix of back roads and…backer roads. Grabbed some pics and some coffee.

After spending so much time away from the XS and riding another company’s…sporty option…my 77 XS felt so light and nimble and…let’s just say I have one bike because I like the road and one bike because I actually love the bike. What a beauty of a machine with its own idiosyncrasies and joys.
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Anytime you have an XS650 in the lot of your collection, you have at least one perfect bike...
 
Downeaster said:
Maine law - and common sense - says you must turn your headlights on in the rain. A dark vehicle on a dark road on a dark day is a recipe for disaster.

Yet EVERY FUCKING TIME, the majority of vehicles I see are running without lights. I flash mine at them in case they just forgot. 1 in 10 turn their lights on. 7 in 10 flip me the bird.

Folks, it's not 1950 any more. Running your headlights is not going to kill your battery.

If I were a cop, I'd stop and ticket every damn one of them.
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Bigger problem is winter. Sun is low in the south, sunlight well filtered by 30 or 40% more atmosphere and all colors go flat, particularly grey cars.
 
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