motociclista

So true. Surprisingly unimaginative. And what the hell were the Groupon people thinking? They hired the ad agency that came up with the incredibly lame Burger King "King" ad campaign and then aired a series of ads that pissed off one third of the audience and left the other two thirds bored and disinterested. Great use of some of that $950 million in investment capital they got...

When I had my bike diagonally in the bed with the gate up, it was as solid as it could be. The front tire was touching the tie-down point in the front left corner of the bed, so in addition to the usual tie-downs, I strapped the front wheel directly to that loop. That bike was in there solid. Had I put it in straight, for the sake of appearance, it would have been less secure.

They're even better when moving. Actually, the enjoyment of a 675 is proportional to speed. Riding one slow, around town, is almost torture, both physical and emotional. Riding one fast is bliss. Someone buy this one so we can stop cluttering up the thread.

I'm confused by everyone saying that if you buy a Ranger or an S-10, you'll have to leave the tailgate down to haul your sportbike. I used to have a uber-cheap (no AC, manual trans., 4-cyl, 6-foot bed) S-10 that my father gave me when he was done abusing and neglecting it and it wasn't worth much. I hauled both my Speed Triple and Daytona 675 with the gate up and latched. I had to put the bike diagonally in the bed, and I had no room to spare. Wouldn't work with a cruiser. But with any modern sportbike, it should be possible. Nobody ever coveted my S-10, but it was cheap transportation, for four wheels.

Glad to have you aboard. I may call on your for routing advice. In my experience, "local knowledge" is always the best info.

Thanks Jason.

All subjective, of course, but I don't like the looks of that one at all, especially the tank. And since when is a 700-pound bike "pared to the bone." That gives new meaning to the saying "she's big-boned." I used to have a Sportster, and that was kind of fun. But today, even Sportsters are well over 500 pounds. Electra Glides are extremely comfortable and great for lazy two-up touring, but slow as hell. Everything in between in the H-D lineup is just overpriced, overweight, butt jewelry (IMO, natch).

Two basic rules I lived by in my single days: 1) Don't move in with her unless you want to marry her. OK, I realize that's a very personal decision, and although it worked well for me, it's not for everyone, and you've already broken that one anyway, so never mind. On to the more important: 2) Simple but not always easy: Live within your means. When the ads scream at you, "Buy now and Save!!!", just remember that spending is not saving. NOT spending is saving. If every month you spend a little less than you earn, time is on your side. If every month you spend a little more than you earn, time is against you. I've known people making six figures a year and people on welfare who both violated that simple rule, and they all end up in the same place eventually: broke. Set priorities, spend your time and money on what's important, be disciplined, and it will all work out in the end. I have never made what most people would consider a lot of money, but by always living within my means and being smart, I own two houses, three motorcycles and live comfortably. (And lest you think I'm bragging, let me say I still have a lot to learn. If I had known 15 years ago what I know now, I'd be a multi-millionaire, and 15 years from now I'll look back and think, "Man I was such a dumb shit back in 2011!") Good luck.

Of course it's a good looking bike, it looks just like mine! Oh wait, mine doesn't have Christmas lights. Never mind. bump/GLWS

This is a KwikLift front end stand I have had for a few years but with my current lineup of bikes I no longer need it. The way it works is you put the pin in the bottom of your steering stem and then lever the bike up. When used in combination with a rear stand, it's pretty stable if you keep everything straight. At least as good as front end stands that lift from the fork legs. It works best with naked bikes because the fairings on sportbikes may interfere. Of course if you're taking the fairing off for maintenance anyway, that's not an issue. Good condition. Some scuffs from normal use, but it's solid. Price: $30. Location: Near Mount Vernon and Gambier in Knox County.

Looks like fun... But I gotta ask, what's the story with the ATV? Is it destined to become an artificial reef at the first thaw?

When I saw this old thread pop up, my first thought was, "Oh no, don't tell me the soldier gave his life." It may be awful to say, but I was relieved when I saw it was his old man. I want to echo what others have said and commend you for doing a very good deed for both father and son. I compare it to a case on another forum I frequent, where a guy bought a nearly new sportbike with about 150 miles on it from a soldier being deployed to Afghanistan because the bike wouldn't run. Paid the soldier $3,600 for it. The problem? The main engine fuse had been accidentally pulled, came loose, whatever. Buyer replaced the fuse and had a new bike, which he's now trying to flip. Not illegal, but not exactly a good deed done to a guy who's halfway around the world with people shooting at him and trying to blow him up.

This is why everyone needs a rat bike. You have one bike you keep looking nice and another one that just runs and you don't worry if it looks like crap.

You uncle has a whoala? Isn't that like a cross between a whooping crane and a koala bear?

I'll likely be there, but too early to say for sure.

Well, just to clarify: It's a "World Championship" in name only. A few years ago, the FIM just took the AMA Supercross Series and tacked on a round in Canada and declared it the world championship. Which it effectively was anyway, because the best riders came here to race anyway (unlike roadracing, where the best riders escape the U.S. if they can). In recent years, a few rounds HAVE been shown on network TV, usually CBS if I remember correctly. The rest are on SPEED. The opening round is always in Anaheim in the first week of January (1/8 this year), so anything you see on TV before that is just pre-season hoopla-generation. That's your Supercross TV Viewing 101 summary.

Insurance varies tremendously based on your age, type of bike (in this case, a very expensive one to insure) driving/riding record, level of coverage, where you live, where the bike is garaged, and other details, sort of in that order of importance. Get multiple quotes. You can get quotes online from places like Progressive and GEICO, or through an independent agent. You definitely need to make some comparisons, because prices vary and it's going to be expensive. Make sure you can afford the insurance BEFORE you buy a CBR1000. To give you an idea, I have one bike fully insured for less than $200/year. If I had the same level of coverage on my sportbike, it would cost me nearly $800/year. I'm the same person. It's the bike that's different. And both of those are less expensive than a CBR1000 will be. Good luck. And yes, you have several years of riding experience, but a modern literbike demands respect. Be smart. And welcome to the forum.

Very few have factory anti-theft devices other than the steering lock, and your CBR is not one of those few exceptions. The steering lock mentioned above is when you turn the handlebars all the way to the left, then turn the ignition key counter-clockwise from the "off" position, which locks the bars in place. Not a big deterrent, but better than nothing. If someone sees a bike with a broken steering lock, that's a good sign it's been stolen. That's why the other poster asked.

Now if you'd written "drinks on the house" instead of "newb on the house," this thread would be up to ten pages by now.

Couple of weeks ago I had to drive my wife to the airport in Columbus. It was dark and snowing, lots of traffic with folks going home from work. We were on US 62 east of Johnstown and there was a car ahead of us going about 40 mph. Pretty soon, there were more than 20 cars backed up behind us. The driver of the car causing the backup had to be nearly comatose drunk because he was weaving all over the road, frequently forcing oncoming cars off on to the shoulder or to come to a near stop to avoid a head-on collision. We called the State Highway Patrol, but they said they were busy with other accidents. We couldn't give them a plate number because we were separated by two other cars. Finally, to our relief, he turned off on a side road and appeared to be pulling into a house. It was a miracle he didn't cause a head-on collision. Case number two was a couple of years ago, my wife and I on my bike on Route 664 north of Logan. Two guys in a pickup truck ahead of us, 2 p.m. on a Saturday. The driver so obviously drunk that he not only wandered off the right side of the road and came within inches of sliding over an embankment, but also drifted off the LEFT side of the road a couple of times. If you've ever ridden it, you know how many blind rises and turns there are on 664, and how popular it is with riders. I felt so helpless, thinking at any minute he was going to meet a motorcycle head-on over one of those rises. Fortunately, he also eventually pulled off into a driveway before killing someone. Some cases go beyond stupid and are downright murderous.

+1 My fave among your listed options. Of course it doesn't much matter what we like, as long as you like it. You know what opinions are like...

You probably WOUlDN'T be surprised how many people don't want a 13-year-old Triumph with 87k miles! One reason I still have mine. OK, to get somewhat back on topic, let me just admit that I must be getting old. The bikes like the Honda and the Kawasaki Z1000 are fine machines, I'm sure, but I'm having a hard time warming up to the Transformer styling. But then two of my three bikes have been called strange looking more than once, so who am I to judge?

I have never intentionally SET OUT to ride in the snow, but a few times I have found my self briefly doing it unexpectedly. Don't know if that earns me a

speedy, I'm amazed at how often I see low miles on the odometers of Speed Triples. Yeah, I realize it's not a touring bike. Hell, I know that better than anyone! I have that "wind-blown look" to prove it. But still, they're reasonably comfortable bikes. Mine's almost 14 years old, and 87,000 miles is just a little over 6,000 miles a year, which doesn't seem like all that much to me. But then maybe that's just me. Ride on.

The sportbike goes into storage mode when the weather cools off, but not the other bikes. There's always a chance to take at least a short ride. For example, yesterday afternoon the temperature was 50ish and my wife mentioned that she needed to return a DVD to the library and drop a couple of bills in the mailbox at the Post Office. "Don't worry, sweetie," I gallantly offered. "I'll take care of it." Two miles of riding took care of the errands, but then I turned down a country road I've often ridden, then another, then continued on that one a little farther than I've gone before and found a few unexpected curves winding through farmland. Then I found a little park with a waterfall that I didn't even know existed (I've only been in this area a relatively short time). That will be a good spot for us to revist two-up on the bike on some hot day when we're looking for a cool and shady destination. All in all, just a 25-mile jaunt to scrub the tires a little, keep my riding skills from rusting too much, and keep the battery charged. Home as the sun set early. That's why the bikes never totally go into storage.