Nearly 50 years in the saddle, approaching 70 years old. Finding it easier and easier to make excuses not to ride these days. Too much traffic, too many idiots and too sore after. 2017 Ultra Limited, big, comfy and the bike I wanted all my work life.
What goes man.. does this naturally happen or do I need to change things up?
I loved this bike, 2013 Ducati Multistrada 1200S Pikes Peak. It’s an absolute monster of a machine and a work of art with all of the carbon fiber. Unfortunately it just blew up on me 1500 miles from home.
I tried to do everything right before I left on its trip. DESMO done by a boss of a certified Ducati mechanic. Fresh fluids all the way around, rebuilt forks, new tires, new chain and sprockets, new brake pads. She was supposed to be ready for my second solid road trip. It only made it around 1500 miles; 3 national parks, a night of camping in between some rain, and an international border into Canada.
Was about to my destination in Banff, Alberta when the engine blew. Talk about a buzz kill! I ended up rented a moving truck and got the bike home.
It’s 13 years old, 46364 miles, and a motor that runs but has seconds left before it throws a rod out of the bottom.
What do I do with it? Would you fix it or let this one go? I paid $7k for it a couple of years ago, and the last round of maintenance was over half of that. I think engine swap would be the most cost effective way to get it back on the road, but I just put so much money into this one already…. I’m tired boss.
Keep the Pikes Peak alive or part it out for anything worth more than the cost of shipping?
Pick up a Yamaha MT-03 2022. Sunday 26/6. I'm so stoked to finally being able to ride!
Not a dealbreaker, but it does put a sour taste in my mouth after an already sour situation (warranty-ing gear I bought from them)
Ive found the CanyonChasers podcast is decent background listening about MotoGP, bike setup, interviews, etc. It's hosted by 2 track instructors; one with an engineering background and the other with former dealer/ brand marketing connections it seems. They seem to have enough pull to get decent interviews at least.
But I've heard a couple subtle shots at an unnamed moto YouTuber with a large following and it seems to be Fortnine? And it seems to mostly come from Dave's side.
In one episode they mention losing respect for an April fools video about gear armor which is pretty obvious. In their most recent episode they talk about someone talking about their peen and being wrong "80% of the time" in the context of a firing order conversation.
To be frank, I couldnt care less about influencer drama but I do care about the credibility/trustworthiness of these larger infotainment content creators. Especially when testing pieces of their advice in an inherently risky hobby.
Curious where this all stems from.
I had both Ducati and bmw on my wall as a kid. Proud to make them both happen.
Anyone else had this issue, all the 7/11s in my area have changed their pumps to have a sensor in the nozzle. They nozzle cant get deep enough into the tanks of either of my bikes to allow pumping. Seems like a huge oversight.
This happened about a week ago while riding my F800GSA. Sorry for the quality but you get the idea.
In my late 20s, after finding myself alone in a new country, I made one of the best decisions: buying a new motorbike. I chose the 2023 Yamaha Tracer 9. Now that chapter is ending, so I wanted to write a heartful review of this bike I'm very sad to sell. EDIT: I am moving to a far away country and won't be able to ride it, so best to let someone else start a new chapter ! :)
This is my 2nd bike. I'm no pro, I don't ride fast or do anything crazy. I use the motorbike as a way to enjoy the road safely and chill. I know very little about mechanics. I just rode the hell out of this bike for 3 years and want to share my experience.
To summary in one sentence: this bike is built to do everything well, but not the best of any category.
Sports riding – It has a real kick, I got scared many times at how fast it accelerates 🤣. It turns beautifully, but you can clearly see it's not a sports bike. I drove with some sports bikers and I could see the difference (I never rode a sports bike).
Touring – This is where the Tracer is stronger IMO. It handles any road: highways, mountain passes, soft dirt roads. I've done 8-hour drives smoothly. My record: 450km in one go, putting 18L of gas in it.
City riding – It's ok for a city riding bike, not too heavy to maneuver in tight spaces. The riding position is upright, so you have good visibility.
Sound – The engine has a "normal" sound I would say. It's pretty loud but if you have the money to put another exhaust, obviously it's going to make a big difference.
Comfort – Swap the basic seat for the GT one for more comfort as a driver. The passenger basic seat is already super comfortable. I'm 1.85m tall and felt I needed the extra windshield to reduce turbulence (I never bought it, something I'd do differently now).
I shared this bike with my beautiful girlfriend. We did so many trips, had countless conversations, experienced so many emotions on it. It even helped us move, carrying boxes loaded with our stuff. I'm grateful I never had an accident. I saw beautiful landscapes, made friendships. It was fucking worth it.
Final thought: if you have the money, do it. You'll never get those years back. When you're older, you'll regret not taking the deal,not driving through landscapes, not experiencing the world, not connecting with people. Riding a motorbike makes any trip exciting, and feel like an adventure, no matter how small it is.
If you have questions, reach out. I'm happy to share more experiences and recommendations about motorbikes and the Tracer 9, as a noob !
Drive safe :)
I need a scooter for doing groceries and carrying gym bag. Im inbetween 2023 600 km burgman 400 with no topcase for about 8k dollars or 2024 xmax tech max 250 at 9500km for about 6.4k dollar. Which one do you feel deserves the prices and more fun to ride. I live in Turkey so prices are a bit high.
Hello everyone!
I need a new exhaust for my Honda CBR600F4i from 2006. It is an awesome bike and I would like to ride towards Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italia. But I am stuck in what to choose… I saw a very good looking Roadsitalia exhaust, but I can choose between 285mm or 400mm. I don’t know what the difference will be in sound. I like the idea of a screaming exhaust when going up in speed, but I don’t know if this is permitted in those countries. The idea of a deeper sound when accelerating sounds also very good…
What is your opinion about this?
I also included a picture of my beauty :D
For those who have a GPS tracker installed, has it ever actually been useful?
Whether it helped recover a stolen bike, let you keep an eye on it while traveling, or simply gave you extra confidence when parking, I'd love to hear your real experiences.
Also interested in hearing from riders who decided not to use one and why.
Thanks in advance
R18 Classic with stock pipes
So I’ve been riding for 8yrs now and it finally happened, I crashed into someone, luckily I wasn’t going fast plus I managed to turn right so just scraped the side of lady car. It’s completely my fault, she stopped at red light I got distracted by NHS protests on the side of the rode and didn’t stop on time. Smashed my radiator so all coolant is gone and need new radiator, indicator broke off but that can be fixed. Luckily for me lady was really chill about it, didn’t want to go through insurance and told me she probably not even gonna be bothered about fixing scratches on her car. Lesson learned from now on I’ll definitely not gonna look anywhere else apart in front of me 😂
Some great time spent in Idaho. Riding with friends in the south and working Silver Kings followed by kayaking lake Couer D Alene. I cant wait to come back in August. Fun fact: Idaho has the most public land out of any state, about 62%.