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The swingarm on my Daytona 675 has two lugs for a lower chain guard. But the accessory that Triumph offers is made of carbon fiber and costs over $100. I'm too cheap and slow for carbon fiber, and a single carbon fiber bit on a bike (IMO) looks out of place. So I bought a right-hand heel guard off a guy who crashed his 675, Earache applied a matte black powder coat, I picked up a couple of fasteners at the hardware store and the job is done for under $20. Earache not only applied the paint expertly but did a better job packing the piece for shipping than I did. Herewith the before and after: It's the little details that make me happy. Thanks, Earache.

Definitely not too early to go out. Just too early to go out and ride all-out. Wait until the roads clean up a little. And for those who say "I'm not riding because I hate getting my bike dirty," I'll say it again and probably keep saying it until y'all get sick of me and I'm on universal ignore: This is why everyone needs a rat bike.

To me, the most amazing part was not only that he served in WWI, but that he also was a POW in WWII!

I think we'll have to agree to disagree on that. Everyone should ride what they like, but smaller bikes are plenty capable and reliable these days. A one-up loaded DL650 at highway speeds will be just over half its GVWR and just over halfway to its redline. With regular maintenance, that engine will do that all day every day to 100,000 miles and beyond. Just ask the guy who has 200,000+ miles on his CBR600. Heck, I rode a less capable and older BMW F650 single-cylinder bike across the southern U.S. and deep into Mexico, fully loaded on Texas interstates and bashing off topes in little towns in Mexico and on dirt roads in the rain, the whole experience. No sweat. Nothing gave me an issue except the chain wore out, probably due to the bad weather. And that bike had 40,000 miles on it when I started the trip. In Mexico, I was usually riding the biggest bike on the road. The "bigger is better" idea is generally an American concept that I find to be true only part of the time.

Actually, about 180 plus gear. I've ridden a V-Strom on a week-long trip through seven states, one-up, with all the luggage needed for that amount of time. In that state, a V-Strom will still accelerate faster than 95% of the cars on the road (a conservative estimate) and will easily carry you along at 100+ mph. Not that you can ride from Ohio to Minnesota at 100+ mph without causing an interstate high-speed pursuit, but the V-Strom could do it. So why do you absolutely have to have 1,000cc to ride to Minnesota? So you can accelerate from 0-60 in half a second less on a 1,000-mile trip?

I've ridden a V-Strom 650 on a much longer trip than that and I had no complaints. I've ridden my Versys, another 650, on longer trips than Ohio-Minnesota and had no complaints. I'm not sure what the issue is.

I picked Stoner, too. I'll be shocked if he doesn't win the title this year. He's been periodically unbeatable on a Ducati that nobody else in the world can ride and that occasionally tosses him into the kitty litter. What will he do on a plain old Honda that looks particularly well sorted this year? Anyway, the point is to pick the winner, not pick the guy who'd be most fun to go have beers with.

Woo-hoo! I'm tied for first place.* *I just wanted to mention that now in case this is the last time this year that happens...

I have ridden and written about both the DL650 and the C14 and I think both are very good bikes. But very different. For what you described, both about yourself and your intended use, no question in my mind: DL650.

One of the things I've learned with experience is that there are very few actual once-in-a-lifetime chances. Especially if you're willing to make some of your chances happen. On a more practical matter, here are two salient facts: 1, it's a buyer's market in the motorcycle world. 2, it's going to stay a buyer's market for quite a while. Don't worry about missing a great deal (not that I think this bike is a screaming great deal). Worry about doing what's right for you.

That's where I found the best price on a new leftover last year.

You think your dog is stupid? My wife's dog (I refuse to take responsibility for ownership) got sprayed three times by the same skunk before finally giving up.

OK, I'm in. WSBK starts this weekend! Get your teams together, slackers.

Erik Buell makes a lot of weird comments if you start examining the record. The man's an engineer, not a communicator. I can point you to a video of Buell in early 2009 with a deer-in-the-headlights look in his eyes talking about how 2009 is going to be a great year for the motorcycle industry, a great year for Harley-Davidson and a great year for Buell. Yeah, right, 2009, the year motorcycle sales hit bottom, Harley cut production and laid off workers, and Buell Motorcycles was killed. I don't think he's malicious, I just think sometimes he doesn't know what to say and comes up with out-and-out misinformation, such as he doesn't know the stats on his own bike he just built.

Way back when I bought my Speed Triple, the two finalists were the Speedy and a SuperHawk. It was a tough decision and I probably would have been happy either way, but the triple won in the end. So since I have never owned a Superhawk, I'm no expert, but the one common complaint that nobody has mentioned yet is range. Those big carbs are thirsty and the tank's not that big. Maybe not an issue, depending on how/where you ride, but some sport-touring types find it annoying to have to stop for gas every 110 miles or so.

I chipped ice several times recently just in preparation for Sunday, so I had a two-foot-wide melted spot in my driveway, which otherwise resembled a glacier. Had to go pick up some stuff I had printed. Took the rat bike, so I don't care about salt or sand. Two miles from my house to the store. Somehow turned into a 25-mile round trip. Don't know how that happened.

@Hoblick: It's a heel guard I'm repurposing as a lower chain guard, so it should get no wear, just maybe an occasional road pebble bouncing off it. @Earache: Thanks for the offer! As soon as I get the part, I may take you up on that offer. I'll PM.

All my stuff is in order, but I still worry about getting singled out just because I ride a motorcycle while anyone going by the same checkpoint in a car, truck, whatever, gets an automatic free pass. Well maybe not so much that I worry about it but that I get PISSED OFF about it.

OK, I've never painted anything in my life except my grandfather's house, so I'm turning to the wiser minds here for some advice on a very small question. On my Daytona 675, there's a place on the swingarm for a lower chain guard but they want like $100 for a carbon fiber piece. I have no carbon fiber on the bike, so one piece just would look stupid, IMO. So I'm taking the cheap and easy route and buying a used right-side heel guard, which bolts right in place, no problem. The heel guard is bare aluminum. I want to come close to matching the swingarm, which is non-glossy black. It seems way over the top to powder coat a small used part I'm buying for $10. So my questions: If I rattle can it, will the paint stick? How do I prep the surface of the aluminum? Any other tips? It doesn't have to look perfect, because a flat black part under the swingarm is not exactly the focal point on a red sportbike, but I'd rather do the job once and be done. Thanks in advance for any tips for a paint noob.

This is why everyone needs a rat bike. To me, a single $10,000 sportbike isn't nearly as good as a $8,500 sportbike and a $1,500 rat bike I can ride on salt-encrusted roads and not worry about it. Dual-sports are great for that...

Thanks DRC! That's the best compliment a non-fiction writer can get: that he got it down on paper just like it really is. The Rider article that's coming up is about a fall camping tour of some of my favorite West Virginia roads (with a little bit of Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia tossed in). Still not sure which issue it's coming out.

I've heard lots of comments about it, but I think you're the first to call it hilarious. You didn't like the big-headed Burger King guy by chance, did you?

It's a very long street. OK, honest answer is that I used to live on the street where he lives.

Thanks. I've had a few articles published in Rider. Should have another one coming up in the next issue or two. Not 100% sure which issue it's scheduled for, but I know they have it in the works.

I spent two hours chipping away the two-inch-thick solid ice on my driveway just on the chance I might want to get the bike out next weekend when temps get above freezing. On days like this, it's good to recall better times for riding. Fortunately, Accelerate online magazine recently published my little account of a ride down to Kentucky last summer. Story is here if you're interested.