swingset

In many of the trailhead towns I've ridden in, like those supporting the Hatfield McCoy trails, offroad only vehicles are welcomed...even seen a few signs that say "offroad vehicles, please obey the rules of the road". Cops give a nod, and sometimes wave. In fact, there are towns where ORV's are daily drivers and life just chugs along without much trouble. I guess I fail to see the issue with those situations either. Could it be that during an event like this, perhaps the letter of the law, while being the letter of the law, doesn't really need to be so firmly applied? I guess I'm a "no blood, no foul" kinda guy where scary reckless freedom is always a little preferable to orderly joyless enforcement.

Yup, having my rash scrubbed was without doubt the worst feeling of pain I've ever experienced....infuriating, nauseating, and it just went on and on. I cringe when I see people without gear and no scars from rash, not because I'm a nazi about it but because I know they have no fucking clue how sorry they're going to be.

And WEAR A FUCKING HELMET and some proper gear!!! Even the best rider, alert and within his abilities, can have shit happen completely out of his control. Deer, mechanical failure, blind pothole, etc. Ride long enough, you will go down. How many of the casualties so far this year were ATGATT?

+1

I'm thinking about doing it in October, when it's a bit cooler and I have some time off so I can prep during the week.

Absolutely...we'll do another one in a few weeks, maybe re-hit the Tar Hollow area that Buildit was nice enough to lead us through on the last ride (I saved the tracks!) It was a fun ride, we found some good new sections of trail, some places we clearly shouldn't have been in, a nice mix and the weather was just perfect.

Sorry I didn't see this till early Sun. morning....my net was out last night and this is the first I've had a chance. I'll drop you a text this am, but repeat it here we're meeting at Mizer's Restaurant in Warsaw, OH (Rt.36 east of Mt. Vernon) at 8:30, if you can make there between 8:30 and 9:30 that's cool, or if you wanna give me a call then we can meet up en route. 740-398-2171 /Craig

I knew it was short notice but thought I'd pitch it out there anyway, just in case....I ride pretty much every weekend so if your gang ever wants to come down this way and hit some good stuff, just drop me a line.

Hellz yeah. The WRX is a great little bike, and probably more versatile than most of the euro-motos in that it's easier to go dirt and get more out of your bike, plus it's a great dual sport in that trim. Also a bit cheaper and with a better lifespan, but it's not got the shear nuts that a 690 does either. Guess it depends on what you wanna do with it.

Me & a friend are planning on doing some riding Sunday, east of Columbus (Coshocton, Muskingum, that area)...mostly 2-track, quad trails, unincorporated roads and some back roads & gravel....hopefully culminating with a stop at The Depot for some fine BBQ in the shade....weather is supposed to be awesome. Won't be anything super hairy, maybe a couple small sections of single-track here and there. Anyone up for it? Planned on rolling out of Granville in the am, maybe doing 100-150 miles depending on where we go.

I'd look into the SW Motech racks, I think it's a better setup than the GIVI's, and is plenty tough I've had mine down several times and it didn't even budge them. Anytime you wanna go ride, drop me a PM! Strom owners need to stick together, ugly bikes look better in packs. :tongue:

I debated the same when I was looking, and really the only reason I went with the DL1k was because a mint used one fell in my lap. Honestly for the type of riding I do, the 650 is a better bike but now that I've got a lot of miles on the Vee, I really have come to appreciate the wider power band, especially for long distance, 2-up, etc. I think that's the big diff....if you're looking for more of a long-distance, 2-up or heavy-load tourer that will lug along at 85 all day long or if you're an amazonian giant, the Vee is your machine. The Wee is better at just about everything else, it's nimbler, better on gas, cheaper, better offroad, etc. You can do a lot to the Vee to make it a better handler, a fork brace, better shock/springs and a little setup will REALLY make it a fun bike in the twisties, probably on par with the stock Wee, but it's a bigger animal and on the trails it's an elephant...although I still try it! Where the Vee really kicks ass is above 5k, when that Vtwin makes its sweet power up high, it's a grin-machine.....when the Wee gets buzzy the Vee starts to sing.

Agreed, I'm hearing about rough surface, patches of gravel, and I'm like yeaaahhhh....now that's a fucking road.

Fixt.

I guarantee you're not louder than the horns on a firetruck/ambulance, and they STILL get people pulling out in front of them. Being seen is, statistically, much more important than being heard in traffic if you're trying to avoid someone hitting you. The one that will get you will happen so fast, you'll not have time to say "steel washer" before it happens. Been there. Just sayin.

Yeah, the thing about a Strom is it's entire appeal is the fact that it does nothing well....but it does everything. For what it costs, it's really amazing how versatile it is. It's not super fast but will hang with sport bikes, it's not a GoldWing but it's plush enough to take you on some epic long rides, it's not a dirtbike but will handle normal trails just fine. You have to try hard to find a ride it won't take you on, and reliably and affordably. It really doesn't have an equal in the bike world with perhaps the Versys being the closest as far as versatility/cost. I love mine, wouldn't own anything else in its place.

You know it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HkDke2XjTQ

Here's the Strom in camping mode, hauling enough for a week-long stay, camping gear: (with room left over to put an AR15 on top of the gear, cause you need that) This is a how it looks if we do 2-up, credit-card camping: I don't run a huge pannier setup like a lot of adventure bikes, I much prefer a smaller side case for normal tools/necessities and then strap on the luggage that I need for the trip.

I've heard that using a strong epoxy or silicone on the masterlink (cleaned & degreased) when you clip it will accomplish the same thing, but the benefit of the safety wire is you can clip it and take the masterlink off without trying to chip off the epoxy. I've never lost a link since using it tho, fwiw.

I ride in the rain, so no worries about weatherdorks getting it wrong. In fact, sometimes a cool shower is damn nice to ride through compared to hot & humid.

Use some safety wire on the masterlink (on the outside of the chain in between the links like so): You won't lose a master this way....I tossed a few chains before someone taught me this trick.

It was the longest trip my wife and I have attempted, but she did great. I sure as hell wouldn't have wanted to do it on a sportbike but the Vee is comfy and we had a great time. Here's a long ride report on it... http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=493729

Unfortunately, or importation & emission standards are the real culprit that keep a larger variety of bikes elsewhere, but the market is definitely a part of it....cruisers & sport bikes dominate here. I love the Tenere, and I think the XT660R is another very neat bike that's never getting here. To me the ultimate dual sport bike, probably the best "compromise" bike ever built is not available to the US, the Honda XR400 (e-start, street legal). And, of course my trusty TTR250 in it's Australian street-legal trim is a great bike the US never got to enjoy.

Here's one the wife and I just did, takes a few days...and involves everything from 2-digit interstate to state roads to gravel back roads.