The M/C Shop

Yeah the TM200 doesn't seem to be a highway cruiser. Found an '89 for sale. $750 and just a 4 hour drive each way to pick it up. Think I'll jump on it if someone doesn't buy it out from under me.

Hey speaking of Ural's, I've just read a few adventure threads with them featured. Here's a good one. Love the paint scheme.

D2D and the Arctic Circle on a Ural - ADVrider

Byte

 

Those pictures are way cool...........Thanks for sharing the link to them!

 

They don't ride like that anymore.

 

Just bought a KLR650 and really looking forward to getting back into riding. I haven't ridden in nearly 30 years so I have a big relearning to go through.

 

I was off bikes totally for 29 years, when I bit the bullet and bought my '05 KLR650! Got 41,000 plus miles on her now. I have an exel spreadsheet detailing all my maintenance, servicing and parts replacements since Day One. Do all my own maintenance too - saves a bundle on that over-priced labor cost at the 'stealership'.

A superb resource for KLR guys (and gals!) is the website "KLRWorld_dot_com" - replace the '_' with dots. Good folks, lots of ride pics, and excellent tech knowledge! I have built my own manual of sorts by printing their excellent photo-filled "How-to" articles.

We also hold perodic Dual Sport Meets in the various regions through the year. I am the contact guy for the one we have down here in January. When fifty KLRs get together revving - sounds like twentyfive Harleys!!!!

 

I also neglected myself for over 20 years without riding until last summer when I got back that horse. Bought myself a Yamaha FJR, got my MC license and proceeded to take a grand tour of Colorado with my wife. I found out that I am not as young as I used to be and had to stop a whole lot more than I used to but man, why did I ever stop riding? There's still life in the old boy yet!

Looking forward to getting a trail bike or two in the near future for fun and more serious use if needed. Lots of great bikes out there just need to narrow it down and find a good deal.

 

M/C

I got my 1st bike at 60 and a year later rode it to Alaska. I did not know how much I had missed all my life. What a HOOT.

 

One thing about riding though - it makes you a VERY observant rider! Our adage is "Ride like you are invisible and they are all trying to kill you!"

And when above about fifteen MPH, and anytime on wet pavement, there are NO brakes! Keep one or two 'escape routes' around you at all times! Applying power and blasting around idiots has saved my bacon several times! Hitting the brakes woulda killed me!

 

That's the spirit, never too late to start.

I got my first taste on a motorcycle when I was about 13. It was a brand new (at the time) Kawasaki Avenger 350 that my older neighbor bought. He took me for a spin and as I recall we hit over 90MPH and were running out of road and had to slow down. A couple years later and after a lot of jobs delivering newspapers and cutting lawns, as well as begging my parents to let me spend my hard earned cash, I bought my first bike. 1972 Suzuki TS50 Gaucho (yes a Gaucho) with a screaming top end of about 65MPH. I was in heaven. Well for about 2 years and then some scumbag stole it out of our garage.

 

I have had only two bikes in my life.
Had a little Honda CB175 streetbike in high school. I was shocked when Dad bought it for me! Got my first ticket - "Riding too large a motorcycle on a restricted license!" Hehehe..... I had told Dad that a 90cc was the limit for the restricted license. But I rode that little Honda everywhere! Even in the woods, doing dirt track racing and jumps..... a wonder I survived, and especially that the bike survived - I put it through pure Heck! Did little maintenance. Dad sold it when I entered the USAF in '76.

Fast forward to 2005, Katrina gave the Oil Barons another excuse to go crazy with gas prices, and I had gotten the bug to get into the woods. My old retired 4X4 truck woulda required a couple grand to get running and legal again.......
Then a friend at work turned me onto the KLR650! Her hubby and she had big touring bikes, and he was thinking of getting the KLR for a smaller trailbike. I ended up buying it instead! Been riding that old thumper for nearly six years and 41,000 miles now now. Been all over the local woods, over to Panama City, up into Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina - that's some adventure riding! Lots of folks were surprised on my food and rest stops, when they learned I rode a glorified 'dirtbike' from north Florida to North Carolina! Went by way of a buddy's place in Alabama the first time - 650 mile trip - ONE way!
This is the bike the Marines use for their long-range desert recon (though diesel powered now), so I knew it has the legs to go the distance. A buddy in 2009 rode from here to Oregon and back! And he's 65 years old and an MS sufferer! Robert is one of my riding idols!

You meet the best people on motorcycles!

 

Seawolf - I joined the USAF in Dec'75, wonder if we were in basic at Lackland at the same time? I was in the USAF until late 1981 and was stationed at Lowry for Tech school, Holloman, Kadena, and Luke. Were you at any of those?

 

N4S - I went to frigid Lackland AFB in January of '76 til March. Then to Chanute AFB, Ill. for tech training in Avionics, then the next three and a half years stationed 115 miles from home, in Tyndall AFB, Florida.

That's why my second hitch was USN - I wanted to travel!
Had I reupped into the USAF, I'd have spent the next four years there. Nice place, but boring......

To stay on topic, several buddies had bikes, mostly Harleys. But I got interested in muscle cars, and never touched a bike again til 2005. Wish I had stayed with them - I missed a lot of two-wheeled fun!

 

Seawolf - Yep small world we just barely overlapped since I was there most of Jan'76. I was all signed up for avionics and set to come in sometime in March and when they were talking about killing the GI Bill I pulled the trigger and changed AFSC's and came in a little early but only munitions was available. Sure it was fun messing around with all the great ordinance but I got bored really quickly.

Anyway back to MC stuff. Took the wife on a great ride (~300 miles) yesterday up through Salt River Canyon and into Showlow, AZ and back. Pulled into a senic overlook and as chance would havve it another Yamaha FRJ exactly like mine was already there. Chatted a bit with the guy from Showlow and headed out. Could not have asked for a better day.

 

A buddy at work said he saw many Yamaha FJR bikes in town last week - we wondered if maybe they had a 'meet&greet', like we KLR riders have periodically?
If I buy another bike, it would be the Suzuki VL650 V-strom - a buddy had one and it was much more to my liking than most 'sportbikes', and the handling was quite nice - the larger VL1000 V-strom (which Bob had before the 650, was simply too much for town riding - that beast wanted to RUN!!
But as big as I am, even the "Wee-Strom's" seat will need a bit of modding. I like the 'old school' straight seats that allow me to move around a bit. Sitting DOWN in the sportbike seats makes my 'boys' very unhappy.......
I'd really love the Indian-made Royal Enfield 500cc model in the psuedo-military trim - but I fear I would be too cramped on it. Love the 'retro' styling though!
Kawasaki made the W650 "Triumph clone" for a couple years that also look very good, and are considered closer to the old Trumpet than Triumph's new 'classic' bike. But it has reached 'collector price' levels - simply too rich for my wallet!

 

I ride... As much as I can, for living in a place with snow on the ground from November to April...

I am also "CaboWabo5150" on HDforums.com...