SpeedTriple44444

I like this a lot, other than the tank (what's with the funky looking horizontal thing) and the headlight that they must have co-developed with Kawasaki.

Naked bikes suck. Nobody here wants a naked bike. I agree about the Harley comment... oh wait! They tried that! It was called a Buell.

Geez... if I wasn't an ugly old married loser, I would be stalking you on a daily basis.

Not bad! Looks like fun. I wonder how much better it would have been with some TKC80 or similar tires.

Further proof that the internet is the realm of bullshitters. I think he meant to say 215 Km/hr.

Excellent... thanks. The trails I was riding last weekend were anything but groomed. I don't know what is considered technical, but they were barely trails at all, going up some fairly steep hills. They were a rutted up rocky mess with trees and stumps in the way. I definitely felt what you were saying on the XRL. If it wasn't pointed the right direction it was a handlful to get it there. If I stopped, it was difficult to keep it upright. I liked the "tractor-like" quality. It just chugged up the hill like it was nothing. It had full knobbies on it. I'm surely not ever going to be a good motocross guy, and I don't expect to be... so I guess I have pretty realistic expectations. Part of the fun will be seeing how deep in I can take it before having to get pulled out, lol. I probably couldn't afford the Husky or KTM. Have you taken your Strom offroading much? I've done some light trails and dirt roads on mine, and found it to be fun, but I can tell the bike isn't really made for it. The tires definitely weren't helping (Conti Trail Attack). I was wondering how close I could get it to one of these thumpers we are talking about with proper guarding and some knobby tires.

Good info, Swingset. Thanks. I was wondering about the DRZ compared to the XRL. I would like to ride whatever I get pretty hard off road. I would get an all-out dirt bike, but I like the idea of being able to ride down to my grandparents house in Carrollton to get to the trails, and not being hassled by the cops around here when riding to local trails. And, I like the big low end torque of the large thumpers. Which of those 2 is the better bike for someone that is fairly big and wants to ride it like that?

Nice bike, BTW

Very cool. I have done 400+ miles in a day on mine, and it was pretty comfortable for a sport bike. I have to get down to Deal's Gap one of these days.

Posted in this thread: THey're both naked sport bikes.

B-king is a pretty decent looking bike, once you do something about that exhaust. What were they thinking with that? Wish I had that kind of power on tap. BTW, I'm 6'4", 250 lbs. with gear, and the Speed Triple fits me pretty well. Yeah, it's a little small, and it could have more power. Other that that, it's a great bike that handles pretty well, is comfortable for long days, and is unique and fun to ride.

Thanks for the advice... much appreciated. No, I've kept the Triple up so far. I have taken it on some dirt roads out of necessity. One of these days I'm sure I'll be posting about pulling it out of a ditch somewhere. I like to ride a little fast.

Ben, That really sucks. I'm sorry you're having so much trouble. A guy I work with is dealing with something similar. He is losing feeling and control of his right arm, and muscle mass as a consequence. They are pretty sure it's something pinched in his upper spinal area, and are now talking about surgery. I thought that's what you meant at first by the "s" word. Any chance of surgery to correct your problem? If there's anything I can help you out with, let me know.

Thanks... that definitely applies. I hear the Honda is bulletproof. I'm sold on that bike, but I was wondering if there was anything else out there comparable. From what I've read, the XR is the most dirt-worthy of the big dual sports.

That's exactly what I want to do. What do you think of the XR650L? Good choice?

I had a run-in with a huge tractor on route 9 one morning (I swear the friggin thing was as big as a house). I came up on it creeping up the side of the road, with a white car following behind it. Traffic was clear, I couldn't figure out why the car was waiting, so I started to go around both the car and the tractor. Tractor immediately starts to take a left into a driveway. I stopped beside the car.The signals were like 6' or better in the air, and the sun was shining on them. I honestly didn't see them. The guy stops, gets out of the tractor, and proceeds to tell me how dangerous my motorcycle is, and why do I want to ride so fast. I tell him that it's my choice what I do. He gets back in the tractor. An Irate red-haired mennonite woman driving the car (his wife, it turns out) proceeds to rip me a new one, about how I almost rear-ended her car (not a chance... came to a controlled stop when I saw him moving) and on and on. I tell her she doesn't have a clue what she's talking about, which pisses her off even more. So, I'm sitting there with the tractor blocking the road for like 5 minutes, listening to these 2 bitch me out. Finally the guy moves the tractor, and I get to continue on. How is it that a licensed plated motorcycle has no right to make a legal pass of a slow moving vehicle on a state 2 lane highway? Yeah, we have no rights. As far as the rest of the population is concerned, we are all just a nuissance they have to put up with.

It is really strange if you haven't been on one. Think of having no power at all when you're in the low end of the powerband, and then go to having most of the power like flipping a switch. You go from boggy- can't get moving- to holy shit this bike is CONNECTED to my right hand! It requires a lot of clutch control. I know I could get it, I was doing alright, but I like the thumper single cylinder 4 stroke pulls-like-a-tractor grunt. The main difference was weight. That 650 was a beast compared to the ultra-light Yamaha I rode. With that 2 stroke, you can launch the front wheel when you need to easily, which is a definite plus. The 4 required a little more thought to do the same (probably due to the weight).

I rode my uncle's XR650 on some trails this weekend... had a great time. I'm really thinking about getting something like that. Anyone have suggestions as to which bike, and where I would ride it? I was thinking the XR would work for me because it would get me to the trails without a pickup. I liked the big torque- it seemed pretty easy to ride. There were a couple times on the steeper hills that gave me trouble... thought I might drop it. Not stopping seemed to be the best thing to do. I also rode a Yamaha 125 motocross bike... first 2 stroke I ever rode. Totally different experience. I think I prefer the 4 stroke, but that's probably because I'm used to the way they respond. I live near Newton Falls (between Akron and Youngstown).

Hate to tell you, comrade, but we're already there. Did someone really say "irregardless"?

lol... awesome.

The only problem with SACD these days is that there are few mainstream releases. If you're into classical and jazz, there is a lot out there. I really like old Coltrane and Miles Davis on SACD, as well as the reissues of the living stereo classical recordings. Heck, even the cd layer of those sounds amazing! From what I've read, Bluray has uncompressed high resolution audio capability, so we should start seeing some music in that format. Ahhh... forgot about the clock mods and damping. That's a very common thing to do. Also power supply mods. I remember looking into adding a "Kwak clock" circuit to one of my players. I haven't done too much on the digital side, but I do design and build amps / preamps / speakers. Maybe it's time to tear into that old Sony.

If they get you in the right place, it's better than Viagra!

lol... just like a little girl. Actually, not really. Just did the fire dance. You ever see "Tommy Boy"? "Bees! Killer Bees! Bees everywhere! God, they're huge and they're skin crazy!"

+1

If I'm being honest, I have to say both the rider and the cop were at fault. However, I think the cop over reacted, and didn't exactly take a smart approach by pulling his gun and approaching before saying who he was. The actions of the PD after the fact are appalling. The police are not going to like the backlash if they keep this stuff up. They are going to alienate even law-abiding citizens if they keep walking all over our rights, and have a real war on their hands.