the NATO garage

[Eric 951]

Sticking with the NATO theme, does this count? German, British, American and Italian--you have to look in the background.

[nostatic]

Rode the MTS into work this morning. I got it back yesterday after a few days in the shop...gas tank had a leak (!). Glad it was under warranty...$1800 for a gas tank (yikes!). But truth be told it was pretty painless...was less than a week from me dropping the bike off to getting it back. Had a rear top case put on while they were in there. Have a tank bag coming, so I should be set for commuting and some short tours.

I sent the payoff for the Speed Four so I can have title in hand. Had one guy look at it and was ready to buy but didn't want to wait for the title. Had 3 or 4 other guys ping me about the bike, so it should sell. Helps is has 11 months of warranty left on it.

Pics in a bit...

[911boost]

Bummer about the gas tank, but like you said, it was under warranty.

How do you like the top case? I have never really been a big fan of them. I actually just bought the Jesse Odessey hard bags for my GS, and am looking forward to installing them. They will make it an even better commuter.

Looking forward to seeing the pics...

Bill

[nostatic]

Top case will take a little getting used to, but it is really convenient to be able to haul stuff and leave it locked on the bike. I might end up with hard or soft panniers, but i'm thinking that between the tank bag and the top case I can haul a lot of stuff. The top case can hold two helmets, and the back rest should be good for 2-up.

[nostatic]

v-twin is totally different than the I4. The grunt down low of the 1000DS engine is pretty amazing, although it is down on power compared to the Aprilia. But plenty for getting around. The bike has a very sharp turning radius, and is very easy to toss around, in part due to the leverage of the wide bars. I'm going to go to clipons though as I need a bit more bend back and want a narrower profile for lane splitting. The bike has a head angle of a sport bike with a longer wheelbase...makes for a good compromise between quick handling and stability. Most importantly, the leg room make a huge difference for me, and my hip is happy.

[911boost]

Very nice, looks good. I can see where the side bags might make lane splitting a little bit more difficult. Fortunately I don't have that concern.

Does the windshield give you good protection at highway speeds? Since I am 6-4 I bought a 4 inch taller windscreen to hopefully deflect it higher. I'll post some pics after I get it installed.

[nostatic]

Decent protection, but at 6'1" I need to crouch to get behind it. If I sit up I get hit in the chest...which isn't too bad. There are extensions and other screens, but stock it vibrates some. Much better than the Triumph either way though.

[911boost]

I hear you, the wind hits me right in the chest too, and I get a little bit of helmet bufetting, which can be annoying.

[911boost]

After waiting for a while I finally bought some sidecases for my GS. I also replaced the windshield with one a couple of inches taller and installed some new mirrors off of a K1200 (enough of the round ones that you can't see anything out of).

The bags are Jesse Oddessy bags, and I really like how light and easy they are to put on and take off.

The commuter traansformation is complete. 50 mpg here I come.

[5axis]

On my aprilia rs250 at putnam park making like a monkey effin a football

there is a limit to traction

Off to road america 5/29-30

[}{arlequin]

no idea wtf i'm thinking, but i knew i'd try one out sooner or later. apparently one vehicle to tinker with wasn't enough...

we'll see whether i'll be able to put up with it for a while or just get fed up and sell to get another sportbike. miss those too. lucky for me, depreciation on this one is nil, wheras the sports are losing close to $1k per year.

so, it's a '73... just like my car.... and just like me. i know, how gay!

the rest is pure mystery to me.
first: down is up, up is down. 4 gears. 1st up, the rest down. wait, it gets better. shifter on the right, rear brake on the left. clutch takes huge strength to use. yes, it leaks. a bit. yes, it sputters and pops, but it sounds glorious. think harley but more refined, therefore cooler.

the guy before me went hardcore on this one, so it has no blinkers, no horn, brake light only works w/ the rear brake (i FINALLY stopped UPshifting when i wanted to brake, even if just to light up the brake light). kickstart ONLY. good and bad. you get mad props from the electric-start-using-harley-pussies, and that's FUN!!!

carbs jetted rich so it fouls the plugs. if you don't know (i didn't) you'll be kicking like a mule for half hour w/ no results. weak battery will make you look like a fool for the same reason. when you take care of plugs and electricity (think british, think prince of darkness LUCAS himself) it fires on the first kick, almost shocking me w/ surprise. yes, it already has left me stranded, but so has my car.

knowing exactly, just the right way to start YOUR beast is half the fun. it'll either end up being good and reliable (eventually) like my car, or i'll ditch it after a season (or two).

i'm not discounting the peanut shell and some leather goggles just yet...










for scale:

[nostatic]

cool

[Mulhollanddose]

Impressions?

I saw Peter Fonda throwing one of these around on Sunset Blvd., like it was a sport-bike...very impressive handling.

[steve185]

Heres an oldie from Canada.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Harlequin: that NOTRUN (j/k) is awesome! What a bike *should* be. Something that makes you work for it.

Mul: I test rode one of the 900cc versions of that, the XB9R. That's an -S, the "street fighter" version. Don't know if it's a 900 or a 1200. They're pretty decent bikes but tiny. And miserable in hot weather. Nearly cooked my thighs.

[singpilot]

Originally posted by BSiple
After waiting for a while I finally bought some sidecases for my GS. I also replaced the windshield with one a couple of inches taller and installed some new mirrors off of a K1200 (enough of the round ones that you can't see anything out of).

The bags are Jesse Oddessy bags, and I really like how light and easy they are to put on and take off.

The commuter traansformation is complete. 50 mpg here I come.

The bike and bags look great, but what is it about the bike that attracts the dogs?

[Mulhollanddose]

Originally posted by BlueSkyJaunte
Mul: I test rode one of the 900cc versions of that, the XB9R. That's an -S, the "street fighter" version. Don't know if it's a 900 or a 1200. They're pretty decent bikes but tiny. And miserable in hot weather. Nearly cooked my thighs.

No, that is their newest "dual-sport" offering. The Ulysses. Anyone under 6 foot is reaching for the ground. Very comfy, great distance traveler. Has all the hard case/saddlebag upgrades.

[motion]

Originally posted by 5axis
there is a limit to traction

Nice form!!! Trust the bike is OK?

I love these Aprilias. Have had a blast on mine at Willow Springs, Infineon and California Speedway in the past month.

[Wrecked944]

Originally posted by }{arlequin
no idea wtf i'm thinking, but i knew i'd try one out sooner or later. apparently one vehicle to tinker with wasn't enough...

Whoa! That thing rocks! And dayyam, I forgot how sweet your green 911 is...we gotta get you back to New England for the next swap meet/social gathering.

[nostatic]

I think Buell makes some interesting bikes. The Firebolt is cool, and the Ulysses looks interesting too. I've read bad things about some aspects of the bikes though...I believe the transmissions are usually referred to as having come from a tractor, and the engines run out of breath just as it gets interesting.

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