Bubba

Welcome home...although your timing could have been a bit better, in that you've arrived just as the weather is going to get cold, wet and gloomy. You probably already knew that. Hope you kept some good friends as contacts in the balmy southwest, where the brutal heat is giving way to a warm, sunny winter. :o) Not sure exactly what you mean when you say your fork is leaking (I assume you mean the fork seal?) but I'd take it to the AFJ Race shop (http://www.afjraceshop.com/) on Eastern Ave first and talk to Brandon or Eric. There are other shops that are qualified--Cadre (http://cadrecycle.com/motorcycle-service-and-repair/) and Pro Stock Performance (https://www.facebook.com/pg/Pro-Stock-Performance-Dyno-194361860610764/about/?entry_point=page_nav_about_item&ref=page_internal) come to mind--but they're out in the suburbs. There are a few groups here in Cincinnati that would be reasonable first contacts to connect with the biker community, and then filter out what doesn't have relevance. I'd check out Cincinnati Cafe Racers and LocalRiders on FB Groups, where you'll find a list of meet-ups in the area: Comet in Northside every Tuesday night (everything you could want in a bar--hipsters, surly waitstaff, and burritos bigger than your head!), Fuel Coffee on Riverside every Saturday morning from 8-12 (cars and bikes), and Northeast Tuesday Bike night every other Tues in Milford by MJ's on Main. You just missed the MotoberFest event but the next worthwhile gathering is the Alley Meet at Fuel Coffee on Sunday morning, Oct 9th, 8-12. Big gathering that Fuel opens for on Sunday (normally closed) prior to the Devil's Staircase Hillclimb event in Oregonia. Guaranteed to keep you entertained for an hour or two, plus good coffee, lattes, mochas, and bisquits'n'sausage gravy.

@Ghostryder1krr It was probably me who gave you the advice to check out AFJ. The forum was far more active several years ago, but it has definitely fallen off in recent years. Many of the members have given up street riding and just ride track now. Brandon is still the man-in-charge of the forum, but he's also trying to run a shop and his life and he's not really an IT kind of guy, so the forum duties go untended. Try giving the AFJ shop a call and ask for Brandon or Eric and see if either is willing to add you to the forum, but truthfully, you can get as much information on rides happening without being a member. You can lurk as a guest and still read the threads, you just can't post. Your best bet is to hit some of the locations where bikers met up: Comet on Tuesday nights, Fuel Coffee on Saturday mornings, Euro Bike nights (in Milford across from MJ's on Main) on the last Tuesday of every month (that'd be tonight!) and just BS with the folks. Even the LocalRiders forum has been dead for months, but they also have a group on FB that you can be added to (if you do FB). Majority of the rides in your area (SW OH) won't be posted on OR since most of the members are located in central and NE. Now that the brutal heat of the summer is subsiding, I'd bet you'll see an uptick in rides posted. If I see anything, I'll keep you in the loop.

Mike, you make it WAY too easy to spend money... ;<)

PM'd you.

Clearly, it's because he's riding on the wrong side of the road.

Just an FYI. Finally sold the Mo-Tech bags...

Never used this outfit or shipped a bike, but Federal Motorcycle Shippers offers an AMA member discount. http://www.funtransport.com/

Got a riding buddy (here in Cinti) who's got one that I think is (or will be) for sale. Can't remember if it's a '98 or '99, but it's the gear-drive cam pre-VTEC model. Red with a 2 Brothers exhaust. I've ridden it and the sound is sweet!!! Has some minor cosmetic issues, but pretty sure the price would justify the boo-boos. I'll PM you his contact info.

Joe: Pilot Road 2. Not really a soft sport tire. But there weren't many traffic laws in KY/VA/TN/NC that we didn't break.... The big v-twin motor and torque isn't very kind to back tires. Nor is the diamond grit pavement in the area. Oh, and the link shows fine on my computer. Once again, I think it's your device that's funky.

Joe et al: I know you guys are pros, but two words: "NEW TIRES" I put a new shoe on the front of the KTM but the rear only had 1000 miles and I thought it'd be fine....WRONG. Did make it home, though. Lesson learned. Always leave for NC with fresh rubber!!! 'Nuff said.

Think about the swept area, though. Figure you've got twin front rotors that are +/- 320 mm diameter, vs a single rear that's about 245 mm. That's about 3 - 3.5 times the swept area front vs rear, which means lots more mass and surface area to both absorb and shed heat. Given, you prolly use your fronts more, but that difference coupled with your observation about the rear cylinder/exhaust header temps and I'd bet that would account for the difference.

Most rear brake set-ups require some free-play in the brake pedal before it starts to pull on/actuate the master cylinder piston. That'd be one of the first places I'd check. Pretty easy adjustment. Sounds like you've disassembled the caliper and done the proper maintenance and care, but I'd also check that your caliper pins are clean and rust-free to allow easy movement of the the caliper as the pads wear in. The only other explanation I can offer is to make sure your rear brake pedal is positioned so that your foot isn't resting on it and inadvertently activating the brake. To be fair, 135*F is too hot to touch, but nowhere near max operating temp. Brake fluid boils at over 400*F. So, your rotor isn't really that hot.

In CO, hit Pikes Peak around Colorado Springs (busy place, tho), ride up Mt Evans on the highest paved road in NA, do the San Juan Skyway loop around 160/550/145 Durango/Cortez/Delores/Silverton/Ouray/Telluride, Loveland Pass on US6. Check out historic Leadville and then ride over Independence Pass on CO82 to Aspen just to rub shoulders with the cognoscenti. Sounds like you'll be pressed for time, but if you get farther west into UT, you can't go wrong visiting the Arches and Canyonlands NP, or take the ferry across the Glen Canyon Reservoir to Bullfrog. Lastly, if you ever get the chance to see Zion NP, do the Angel's Landing hike. Pretty sure that's where God--or Yaweh, or Mohammed, or Budha--go when they need a vacation. When you head out riding for the day, be prepared for just about anything weather related, especially if you plan on bagging the higher passes. I've been out there in the July/August time frame and run into snow/sleet/freezing temps...and that's after leaving in the morning with temps in the 80s. This time of year, there are frequent late afternoon thunderstorms at the higher elevations from 1 until 5ish, with torrential rain and a lightening show worthy of admission. Do your road tripping early!!! http://www.colorado.com/articles/cruise-worthy-curves-colorado-motorcycle-touring

Attention: Paging @MidgetTodd to the house phone...

Nice, Joe, real nice. When I bring the Dome of Hate to Cincinnati, you will feel the burn!!!

Sweet! Balance is restored to the universe.

This forum has been so wonky lately, I can't wait until winter... Oh wait...it's an election year. Now, everything is becoming clear.

@Tonik Dude, you're slipping. You're supposed to hate EVERYBODY. Is everything ephemeral? Is nothing sacred?

"Going off your avatar, you're an obvious homophobe. You fit the hater mold to a T." This is totally awesome. I have finally achieved the same level of infamy as Tonik among the OR cognoscenti. @Tonik Better watch it or I'll steal that "Dome of Hate" and bring to SW Ohio.

DPG: Sent you a PM. Got a buyer in Cinti with cash! Hit her up.

I think @ScubaCinci has finally hit on something. This is exactly what needs to happen so @Bad324 can get to ride again! ;o)

Boy howdy, you are really good at twisting words and blowing smoke out yer ass. I don't recall bragging about having "a few million"...s'matter of fact, I live pretty frugally on less money per year in retirement than I made when I was working. If you try really hard, go back and concentrate on reading my posts. Not one of them was written in a partisan tone or espousing either candidate. I was under the impression we were having an economic discussion about the future of America. Based on your emotional and disjointed responses here, you must be one of more opinionated and unintelligent posters in this thread. But you sure got a loud mouth! I'm done.

You're right. I don't believe the future is the bright sparkling jewel we all anticipated it to be. Still not quite ready to embrace the 'zombie apocalypse' vision, though...