Got up to 50 F (11 C)! Went for a ride!

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Actually, it was just to run the old fuel out to get the tank as light as possible (2012 Honda CBR250R) for removal.

I am getting ready to install a rear shock from a Yamaha R6, which comes with a multitude of adjustments and is generally a far superior item than the stock shock.

The stocker is fine, until you start adding a lot of tare weight on the back of a little 250.  I hope to get the forks done (emulators) before 2014 is out.

But it was a beautiful day, I saw many bikes out, and not too much sand in the streets.  I think it has rained since the last time they put stuff down for the snow.

I didn't have to go far to run the fuel out, maybe an hour.
I came home and backed the bike into the garage, getting it ready for surgery.
I have all of the bodywork and the fuel tank off.  

Here is the Givi luggage I added.  Those are the smallest saddlebags they make, and that is the smallest top box, as well.



I didn't weigh the Givi hardware before I put it on.  If it has to come off for the shock R/R, I plan to.  It is not light, and obviously this bike was not designed for this kind of duty, but ridden within it's limits it does fine.

I figured you would want proof that I actually did something today...

[Bob_Roller]

Got it moved Rob !!!

That is a great lookin' bike, didn't know that you got this bike, you were talking about it, but i must have missed the posting that you actually got one !!!!!!

Great riding weather here, about low to mid 40's in the morning and upper 60's to low 70's in the afternoon . 8-)

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Thanks Bob.  I bought it a year ago August.  Coming up on 18 months.
I managed to leave the car home for 3 1/2 months straight this last June/July/Aug/Sept.  Mostly I wanted to see what kind of a record I could pull off.  I can't say I will duplicate that this year.  Now that kitty is gone, I am having all kinds of thoughts of travel.  Blue Ridge is always good.  And there is a great Honda museum in Pennsylvania I want to get to again.  

This "little" bike will get you tickets - even on the expressway.
The practical top-end in stock form is around 95 MPH.
Way more torque than the Kawasaki, from what I hear.

That is my Butt Buffer gel seat pad on the seat.  I bought it when my R65 seat broke down, but even that pad couldn't save that seat.  (A new seat did)
But on this bike, it is fantastic at isolating me from the buzzy engine.
I am getting ready to ship my seat off to BB to have them build a pad into my seat.

[Bob_Roller]

The mindset of 'bigger is better' in bikes, isn't always the case .

Up until I got my oilhead, my '81 R65 is the largest bike I had ridden .

The oilhead is a heavy bike and the center of gravity is a lot higher than the airhead .

I'm short, 5'6" with a 30 inch inseam, my feet aren't 'firmly' planted on the road at a stop on the oilhead, I have even had the seat reworked, it improved things but still not like it should be .

I 've gotten my Guzzi ' sorted out ' and have been riding it a couple times a week,  all of last week and next week as well, seeing as the traffic in the morning is about like a weekend with the holidays falling in the middle of the week this year .

Starting to feel ' comfortable ' with it now .

The Guzzi seat height is lower than an R65, no ' balancing act ' when stopped .

I do believe that my oilhead will be my only ' big ' bike .

I'm looking for 500 cc Guzzi's now, but they are few and far between .

Kick myself in the butt for selling my '79 Yamaha XS400 in '92, if I had known then that I would be in Phoenix in a year, I would have kept it, only had 14,000 miles on it when I sold it .

[SCJJR65]

Glad to see you on another bike, Rob! Good on ya! [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

[nhmaf]

I think the Givi luggage looks nice on the little Honda!

As they say, it is alot more fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow - and just how fast do you risk going before you get a performance award that jeopardizes your license?    Save for certain places out in Montana or elsewhere without a speed limit and lots of straight road, I'd say that 95 mph is plenty fast enough for 99% of the riding anyone would do on the street, unless you are trying to escape a crazed, murderous gang of zombies or something.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

On my commute where the speed limit is 55/50/55 mph going across town, I try real hard to keep it within +10, but that is twofold:
1) so I don't get killed
2) so I don't die of boredom

Oh, there is a third:
I am not as patient as I used to be.  Must be something to do with getting old.

I don't think I would own one of these if all I did was ride the open roads of the West.

[montmil]

I don't think I would own one of these if all I did was ride the open roads of the West.

Some highways in Colorado I've been on had 80mph speed limits but the Great State of Texas now has a highway with the highest posted speed in Mu'rica... 85.

85 Miles Per Hour just west of Austin. Of course, that '85' sign gets you 90 as TX DPS gives you a 5mph "benefit of the doubt". That leaves only ten miles per hour until you're cruising at an easy ton.

Woo Hoo. Fellas, it's like an open road race when I've been on it!