Bubba

@Jan Just a heads up. The shit is hitting the fan here as far as weather goes--wind, buckets of rain, lightning. I fully understand if you want to delay picking up the bike. It looks like I will be around the house most of the day if you want to reschedule. Lemeno.

Jan: Couple of questions and a suggestion: 1) Do you want me to put the soft luggage panniers on for your trip? 2) Do you need to borrow a helmet and or MC jacket? I have an extra that is actually very clean, but fit may be an issue. 3) Keep me in the loop as to timing. The earlier you can provide me with your schedule, the better. I'm assuming you'll be here Sat morning but the weather looks better for Friday evening than Sat AM. I have a scheduling conflict and may not be home later Sat after 3 PM. 4) If you are not crunched for time when you pick up the bike, you will be within 20 minutes of some of the finest roads within 100-150+ miles of Cincinnati-Columbus. I'd be happy to show some of the great rural routes in northern Kentucky--right across the river--where I do most of my riding. If you get here early enough, I can plan a 100-150 mile (2.5-4 hr) route to show you around the countryside just south of my house. If your schedule permits it, it's worth your time! Again, lemeno.

Joe: What's wrong with that? I mean as long as she's of the age of consent...I mean, how else ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm? There was a time not that many years ago that I'd have PAID someone to kidnap my teenage daughter and throw her in a pit.

Man, bunch of psychotic conspiracy theorists on this forum....LOL.

So your saying I may be dealing with John Wick? If so, he can take anything I've got, including my woman. That's one bad dude!!!

Meh, I'm old and crotchety. If he kills me and steals my Strom, I prolly deserve it and it's more likely karma coming back to bite me in the ass! Figger it this way: he's a Czech IT expert on an international assignment--if we don't accommodate him, he'll hack the OR website, steal all our identities and sell them to the Russian mob. ;<)

You may pick the bike up any time Sat 29Apr2017 and return it Mon 01May2017 in the evening. Let me know if you want the pannier luggage and I'll put it on before you pick up the bike. The bike is available for you at your convenience if you return from Akron earlier than expected--I'm retired and home pretty much everyday. Weather doesn't look promising for those days, so I hope you have good rain gear!!! I presume you plan on leaving your rental car here for the time you have the bike? Or will you find a ride down and back? No problem either way; I have secure off-street parking to leave the car if that's your plan. You can phone me at 1-513-598-8992 (landline, no text) or TEXT ONLY PLS to 1-513-560-1942. Address is 3910 Powner Road, Cincinnati OH 45248.

Jan: I'll make you an offer that might be better/cheaper than what your you've proposed. I'll lend you my '09 Suzuki DL650 (VStrom, non-ABS) for the time frame you've described. I have two bikes, and I can't ride them both at the same time. Here's the conditions: 1) I'm located in Cincinnati (SW Ohio) which is about 1.5-2 hours from Westerville--you gotta figure out a way to pick up and drop off the bike at my house; 2) I won't ask for any rent money from you--you are borrowing the bike gratis--but we will sign a contract saying that you will be responsible for any damage/loss/theft/speeding citations during the time you are in possession of the bike, and I will require a cash deposit of $500 to be refunded to you when you return the bike in satisfactory condition. Be aware that the drivers in the US are probably an order of magnitude worse in terms of driving skills, attention to the road and other drivers--ESPECIALLY MOTORCYCLES--thatn what you are used to in Europe. Fair warning to be aware and supremely cautious when in the saddle. Bike is in excellent condition, with nearly new tires, newer chain and sprockets, recent brake refresh including fluids, oil/filter change. Bike is equipped with touring windscreen, tank bag, and you can borrow my soft pannier luggage if you need to carry your gear. All I ask is that you check the oil after a long high-speed highway trip, as the Stroms are known to drink a little oil at 65-70+ MPH, and keep the chain lubed as needed. Lemeno. Bill Francis

Sounds like IP is the real deal with his advice. FS frames are less than ideal for most riders looking at recreational bikes. You'll end up with a cheap POS that will be heavy, undersprung, and prolly blow thru linkage bushings in short order. If you want to bit of extra 'cush' you can always get a suspension post that will mimic a bit of the FS feel and weigh less and be more efficient.

Only reason for fuel to overflow the bowls is either a float problem or a main fuel valve problem. Assuming the floats are good, not stuck, saturated or leaking, installed properly and set at the correct level, it's almost got to be a fuel valve not shutting off. Leaking fuel is not a problem related to the main needle position. I have experienced a fuel leak from the fuel cross-feed pipes on older i-4 carb racks. The plastic tends to dry out and shrink if it's not in contact with gas for long periods. In my case, it eventually (24 hours) stopped leaking after I reassembled and had fuel in the lines. No issues after that. I'm no expert at tuning carbs but that 5-shim stack seems like a huge, drastic rise (increase) in needle position, unless you did a lot of porting, head work, and motor mods. If the motor is still stock and only has aftermarket exhaust, I'd consider cutting that down to 2-3 shims and go up from there.

Suzy: Welcome to OR. There's a few of us in the Cincinnati area. Try connecting with some of us on FB at https://www.facebook.com/groups/Cinti.cafe.racer/ (closed group) and you'll also find an active scooter crowd in the city. Send Angie Buettner a FB friend request. She's a hardcore scooter gal that can introduce you to the crew. Now that the weather has turned, try showing up at Fuel Coffee https://www.facebook.com/FuelCoffeeCincy/ on Saturday mornings 8-12 to meet other two- and four-wheel enthusiasts. Also The Comet http://cometbar.com/ has bike night every Tuesday from 5ish till ? Great burritos served by a surly waitstaff and nice selection of cold beers. Have a fun summer!

Prolly a combination of "All of the Above"... Cold tires, cold road. I typically reduce pressure 10-15% from summer norm, i.e., if 36/42 F/R is summer, I'll drop to 30/34 when temps are below 55-60*F. That's for backroad hooning. Obviously if you're gonna slab it or go touring two-up, stay at normal pressure. Don't know anything about the new 6-axis IMUs, but I'd guess the mode you were in allows a certain amount of side slip before it intervenes. I'd back it down a level or two of nanny-ness and work my up to the more aggressive modes until you get more experience with throttle response. Even though mold release agents aren't commonly used in modern tire manufacturing, there is still the process of scuffing the surface rubber gradually as you ride. If that was the first time you went aggro with full lean, you were on 100% brand new shiny rubber. Wear those chicken strips off a bit at a time, not with one giant lurid slide!!! And BTW, I call dibs on buying this bitch when you get tired of it and move on to the next mistress!!! Already got the cash in hand...

Beee: Welcome to OR. There's a few of us in Cinti. I'd be happy to show you some of the great roads in NKY when the weather turns. Feel free to hit me up for info if you wanna roll solo.

Yeah, those guys definitely aren't human. Solid proof that aliens are already on earth...

Joe: Be interested in how smooth or vibey the motor is. Read a ton of reviews in the mags that bitched pretty loudly about the motor tingling. Sounds like some of the effect is fixable with heavier bar ends.

@ScubaCinci Gawd, Joe, what beautiful pictures. Truly captures what an alien and foreign place you were in. Makes me wanna go there...almost...except for the 16 hour plane ride. Pics of the dunescape are spectacular.

Here: http://www.harborfreight.com/motorcycle-wheel-chock-69026.html Frequently on sale for $29.95. Bolted it right onto the lift deck. Simple, easy, secure.

Oooo!!! Beautiful bike.

If it's overheating that quickly in this weather, I gotta believe it's not a lean fuel condition, the radiator cap or an air bubble in the coolant system. Sounds more like the coolant isn't circulating at all, which suggests to me some problem with the water pump or thermostat. I'd pull out the t-stat and see if the problem persists; if so, tear into your water pump.

Thanks. I needed that. Think I was stuck in 'apostrophe mode'. Damn grammar Nazi...

I think the Barber museum uses this company to ship their bikes: http://www.premiermotorcycletransport.com/?r=26f91z&gclid=CPvH14XP9NECFYY7gQodC4YDzQ No idea how their prices compare.

@magley64 Some maybe accurate...some maybe not. I just wish they'd get off they're damn phones and drive!!! Oh yeah, and get off my damn lawn.

Simple to test. If a magnet is attracted to the metal, it's definitely not aluminum. Still could be stainless, but that'd be highly unlikely...and heavy.

Bump for the event--today until midnight. Free admission! Great beer and awesome food vendors. Rhinegeist brewed a special beer--Apex--just for Garage Brewed show! They're donating a dollar from each glass sold to support the show for 2018. https://www.facebook.com/events/388099098198213/

Why? Those are modern rims. Lots of sticky rubber in those sizes. No need to have anything larger for a light bike. Prolly could shoe a 160 on the rear, but I doubt if it would handle any better.