2talltim

All loaded up and set. The only thing left is the leaving. Rolling south in T-minus 9 hours. The Mrs. ( @R00 ) and I are headed to the Smokies and beyond for a week. Her first real long bike trip other than stlabbing to Niagara Falls once. Taking 2 days down through the heart of Ky, staying in Pigeon Forge with the family for a few days. Then taking the BRP and doing my named road trip in reverse to get home. Ill post pics and reports here through out the week.

New pads look just a tad thicker...lol

2 hours ago, what said:

My R1 has a linked system like that as well. It makes a noticeable difference when both tires are on the ground.

2010 and up C14s have it, people bitched becaus it sucked they then refined it in 2014. Guess its better now. I have one of the unicorns. 2008 nonlinked with ABS, love it that way.

11 hours ago, Pauly said:

I used to trail brake exclusively with my rear. Then @what told me it was dumb. So I stopped. Now I just downshift to oblivion or stop being a bitch and carry too much corner speed. Now? My brake pads are mint and I buy tires every other week. 

5 hours ago, what said:

trailing with the rear is a quick ticket to highside city if things go sideways. highsides are not fun.

 

all included puns intended.

I trail brake all the time. Only way to get 1100 lbs of motorcycle, big man and pack mule gear to handle as fast as I make the big girl do what she does. But trail braking is done with the front brakes not the rear.

58 minutes ago, Pauly said:

That's good mileage. I usually replace rear pads before fronts.. not sure how that happens. 

I almost never touch my rear unless I'm scrubbing just a little speed, killing the cruise or a flat out emergency braking situation.

Sorry lengthy PSA....

 So have to make a post about this because maybe some don't realize this when they do it. If you go the store and park in the end painted area that a car can not fit in I feel that is okay. I actually feel this is best because one your not taking up a whole spot a car could park in. And two somtimes when you do park in a regular spot people in cars might not see your bike and could hit it. So I'm fine with it even do it myself. I park in these half spots or end areas that are usually painted or checkered.
What I'm NOT okay with is the motorcycle riders that park in the ones right next to the handicapped spots. Especially the handicapped spots that are right in front of the entrances. If you do this you are an asshole. Folks with handicapped vans sometimes have ramps the need to deployed and need these areas to exit their vehicles. So as in the picture of my bike I think the is is acceptable. I'm off to the side of the entrance out of the right of way and most importantly not beside a handicapped space. Now as in the second pic the folks are just assholes. There is absolutely no reson to park where there are.
While pulling out of the parking lot there was another bike in one of these spots and the guy was walking up to his bike. So I pulled up and had a conversation with this gentleman and explained my thoughts on this. His reply is why I'm making this post. He said "damn im sorry, I actually never really thought of it that way". So maybe there are lots of folks that have never thought of it before and a PSA was in order. So here it is. 
So if you do this please stop, if you see someone doing this please explain to them why it not the right thing to do. And feel free to pass this message on and on. 

Thank you!

22 minutes ago, MSerfozo said:

Hmmm...  when did I last check my front brake pads.  😧

These were my rears just edited my post to say that. She's had (including stock) 4 sets on the front in her life.

FYI...the rear stock kawasaki brake pads on a C14 will last 82k miles

Need to make a trip to pony in mansfield tomorrow morning. They are holding a set of EBC HHs for me.

Well i was an asshole today and this is all I got. Fucking generic response. We are now 3 days past the promised delivery date and 2 weeks past order date. If they can't fullful when the promise they shouldn't promise. Just seems like COVID is just every ones excuse for shitty customer service now.

Like so many we are short staffed and backed up due to COVID 19 (including USPS). This is causing delays as order volume is at high levels and staff is at very low levels. I see your order is processed and will be shipped out any day. Thank you in advance for your patience. Please keep an eye on that tracking and it should start moving very soon. Thank you

And this is what the tracking has shown for over a week.

8 minutes ago, Tpoppa said:

It took me 10 days to get a tire from Revzilla.

Carriers are getting their asses kicked by COVID right now.

I usually get them in 2 days from RMATVMC, but they didn't have the size I needed in stock. I think this one slipped through the cracks, no reason that that shipping has gone cold after week. Doesn't even say it's been picked up yet. every time I have a amazon order that the tracking goes cold on after a couple day it's usually lost. 

3 minutes ago, TimTheAzn said:

I'm waiting on 2 things from BikeBandit. An air filter for my sv that I ordered on the 16th still hasnt been shipped.....

I ordered a rear tire from MC-motosports on amazon 9 days ago, 7 days ago it said shipping label was created, 4 days ago i emailed them because tracking has gone nowhere. They reply that sometimes it takes a couple days for tracking to show up. and here we are today. Nothing but a created shipping label on the 22nd. I'll give it another day or two before the asshole in me shows up. Today was the promised delivery day when I ordered. 

8 hours ago, Tpoppa said:

What psi does your bike recommend?  And what pressure were you running the the RS3s?

I was playing with this again today on some local curves.  I can basically get these tires to slip at will.  Pretty sure the slipping is happening when gassing out of corners and transitioning to the not-so-sticky middle compound.

42/42 is what I have to run the big girl. She eat tires fast enough as it is, any less than that she eats them even faster.

6 hours ago, Tonik said:

Anyone else remember when the rallying cry for the self centered was that the death rate was less than the flu?

Death rate is only accurate and relevant if everyone that's had covid19 is accounted for.

3 hours ago, Tpoppa said:

Dunlop Road Smart 3 tires are garbage.  Just posted this review on Revzilla

I installed a set of these on my BMW R1200R before a 5 day trip to Deal's Gap.  I've gone through many sets of ST tires (Conti RA, Angel GT, PR 2 3 4, Metz Z6 Z8, etc), I decided to give the RS3 a try.  I ran them at the manufacturers recommended  PSI, just like every other tire.

The Bad: 
First thing I noticed is that it doesn't take much lean angel to reach the edge of the rear tire.  When you do it slips...thankfully I have traction control.  The other ST tires I've used are capable of more lean angel.

Dry traction for the rear tire is not acceptable for spirited riding.  On corner exits with some lean angel, it's REALLY EASY to spin up the RS3.  First time it happened the rear slid way out before TC engaged.  After that I began to test the grip...On smoother road surfaces I could make make it spin in almost every 2nd or 3rd gear corner.  I went back to check some corners to make sure there was no gravel or sand...there wasn't...just black marks from the tire spinning.  I've never seen a tire that would lose grip so easily

I kept lowering the PSI trying to find more grip.  It helped a little but not enough.
            

The Good:  
Wet traction is pretty good
Would be a decent tire for commuting.
It seems to be wearing OK
The front tire was fine, it didn't slip like the rear tire. 

Verdict:
I've already spoken to a Dunlop tire tech.
After 2,500 miles (1 trip) these are going in the garbage before they wreck me.

 

Ive ran a couple sets of these and haven't had any of these issues. just had a new front put on at wheelers last weekend and railed it everywhere.I do know they are a very heavy carcass tire and it takes extra time to get any heat into them. But at the same time they last monger due to this too. Me and @JustinNck1 ran them for our trip out west and I ran a set for a gap trip the month before. maybe the heavier bike helps them perform better not sure. 

11 minutes ago, Tpoppa said:

The people at the visitor office are super friendly.  I hope this works for them because Lynch KY could use an influx of life.  It used to be a busy coal town.

I didn't have time to ride a loop around the area, only 160 which is just OK IMO.  On 1 section most of the right hand (the up hill side) turns are blind-unmarked-decreasing radius.  The road could really use some signage, those ones should be marked 10 or 15 mph.

I like the area though.  I saw 2 bears.

 

Absolutely  they were awesome. Got a personal invite and free t-shirt from the director ot the back roads of Appalachia to come back down and have him show me around the other roads. I told him maybe sometime in October. He was wanted to use my video footage for marketing and wanted to thank me for it.

Part 2 video is up...

https://youtu.be/yJrfNcb4LRQ

Check out the view at the 26:05 mark

5 hours ago, snot said:

I disagree. Some crotch rockets are bigger than others. Some can go for miles and miles, some use all their gas fast. Some have short shifting some long shifting, some go mach retard some just retard.... Some are white, some yellow, some black, some mixed...

Not all crotch rockets are the same. That's like saying all Mustang's are the same.

Jen wins the interwebz today!!!!  

1 minute ago, Tonik said:

Most of what I described above Tim, is required.

Well I got 6 months before I need to go back. Clean check up. Maybe they will get their shit together by then. 

33 minutes ago, Tonik said:

Your dentist isn't even close to following the rules on being open. It would make me wonder what else he isn't doing that he should, resulting in me walking right the fuck out.

I thought the same thing. Went home and had the same conversation with my wife and she couldn't believe it either. They had a sign on the door that said don't come in till your exact appointment time, they had plexi shields at the desk but not full coverage and the their were only 5 chairs in the waiting room about 8 ft apart. other than that it was everything as usual. 

41 minutes ago, Tonik said:

Most motorcycle videos suck and are boring. For some reason yours don't.

Well I guess I got that going for me  ..Thanks!

I do where a mask when I need to. Sat in the dentist office waiting room yesterday I was the only one including the women working the desk that had one on. I'm not going to wear a mask to keep me from getting it. I will wear a mask if i'll be in close proximity to folks I wouldn't want to give it to in case I would have it.