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Show Us your Bike

CaddmannQ

Will TIG for Food
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Gas, electric, diesel, pedal power, solar power, no problem.

As long as it has two wheels post up a pic of what you ride. (<edit> . . .Trikes OK too.</edit>)

I started about 1969 & this is my 7th bike. It's a 2004 Kawasaki Nomad 1500. Fuel injected, overhead cams, and water cooled, with a spicer type driveshaft.

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They call it the Slow-nad because it's so porky, top speed in the 1/4 mile is only about 88 MPH. It weighs way over 800 lbs wet.

Here it's very wet. I just rode it over Tioga in a thunderstorm. 10,000 ft elevation at the pass.
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But on the road it'll do 100 MPH as long as you want to hold the throttle, or for about 200 miles, where it runs out of gas.

These bikes have one weak spot. There's a bearing in the bevel gear box that wears out if you hot-rod too much. Mine started to go at about 56,000 39,000 miles. The dang thing only cost $24 but it costs $2000+ to have a dealer change it, because it's a pain to set up the preload and tooth contact, you have to remove a lot of parts, and the book actually says to take the whole engine out. I didn't.

I've done a few differentials in my life, so I knew how to set it up, and only had to make a stand for the bike that would allow me to take the engine loose in the frame and move it sideways a little, then I didn't have to actually remove it.

Otherwise, these motors have a reputation for going over 200,000 miles, and the issues people have with them are mostly related to drag racing (It has "highway" gears in it) and lack of maintenance.

Here it is torn apart for the new bearing.

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BTW I held a contest at MC USA to name this bike, and the winner was Baggins The Nomad.
 
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Only bikes I have now are pedal powered. A fixie. Since changed the tires to black Continentals.


My rat bike built from spare parts.


This is the first time I haven't had a motorcycle since I was 17. My past 2 last bikes. Yamaha FJ1200's. The first one I sold in good running condition at 143K miles.


This one I put 124K miles on. Putting on new pipe.
 
image.jpeg Sold this one back a few months ago. Had a few bucks into her, full Ohlins custom rear suspension, precision concepts worked forks, de smoggeded with euro mapping. Hauled the mail. Miss her
 
Been looking at new Husqvarna 501 dual sport. De smog em and re map and you have a full blown dirt bike with turn signals and a plate. I think I am going to wait till 2017 as Husqvarna will have there own engines, right now it is a rebadged KTM motor.
I have had a lot of bikes, I enjoy them, but I much prefer something that can go on and off road. I wish ktm or husky would build a twin cylinder adventure bike in the 6 to 800 cc range. Something that holds over 5 gallons of fuel and is just under promrider status in the dirt. I just don't understand these new huge BMW adventure bikes, there enormous and only ok for graded roads. I want something I can pound Baja on all the way to cabo in the dirt, then haul ass back on the highway. My favorite street bike I owned was a Honda vfr800, what a awesome comfortable machine. Had a BMW K1200 that was a rocket, but uncomfortable. Had a street glide, dont hate me, but Harley is just a loud non impressive overpriced machine. Oh, I still have a 1972 CZ 2 stroke 500 that I once upon a time raced in district 37 vintage class. Thing sounds like it is going to implode and is crazy scary fast, just the suspension is old school and non impressive compared to modern machines. I have had my share of spills, was airlifted to the navel hospital in San Diego from San Felipe in 99 after I zigged when I should have zagged and cracked my sternum, broke my top 4 ribs and shattered my wrist and face planted the handlebars. I plowed a buried rock in silt going about 65 miles an hour. Cheers.
 
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Hey, Jr, I would probably not turn down the chance to own a nice used Yamaha, and particularly a red FJ.

I thought the frame was the coolest thing when they first came out.
 
I never owned anything near so exotic as Deog, but I did own a pair of Italian stallions. Well, ponies really. :rolleyes: '59 & '60 Lambrettas.150cc scooters with the bulby sponsoon bodywork, Heavy sprung saddles, chrome rack with spare tire. Magneto ignition that refused to fire the plug if you tried to start it with the lights on.

The first time that happened I kicked it so hard the lever fell off.

THEN I SAW THE LIGHT..........switch. :mad:
I flicked it off, bump started it on the first try, and rode home to weld up the kick-start lever.
 
. . . Harley is just a loud non impressive overpriced machine . . .

Well a 500 cc 2 stroke is a lot more fun!

Mine is bigger, more complicated, fatter, longer, lower, taller, slower, and heavier than an Electraglide. It's a total chrome boat anchor.

It does one thing really well, and that is haul us and our heavy bags down the freeway, & go from 60 to 90 really well, allowing you dice the traffic.

Gas mileage is awful. Commuting, only about 33 mpg. Cruising the Sequoia gently at 45 MPH you can get 50.

It burns any kind of gas, but also can ping on any octane in hot desert weather, if you nail it. Ridden sensibly, its pretty faultless in normal use.

Hopped up like mine, and ridden like a wingnut, It'll cup tires merrilly, make enough noise to please most moto-ears, suck gas alarmingly, and chew up that one bearing.

It's seeped coolant since day one. I had to tighten 8 hose clamps as I recall.

I go through a lot of rear brakes, as this thing requires a heavy drag on tight parking lot maneuvers. The front tire is huge and the forks are too, and it's got way more rake and trail than a HD, plus the frame is goosed!

All the heavy chrome accessories just makes it worse.

It's a luxo-yacht, but being a Kawasaki, it's a budget one. I can't complain. A comparable Roadking was nearly $4000 more, and it's a smaller bike. The neighbors on both sides of me owned Road King on the left and Fat boy on the right.

I caught a lot of flack when they heard I paid cash for this pig. 12 years later, their HDs are long gone....

I am hoping to like the water cooled HD, but I will probably pick up something else when I'm ready for another bike.
 
Nice shots and rides guys! I'm celebrating 35 years of motorcycling this year, and got back into bicycling a couple years back also. The bicycle for most of us is our first taste of true freedom as a child, it's your vehicle, and can take you anywhere you want to go. And some places you probably shouldn't and will get in trouble, as I'm sure I'm not the only one to find out as a kid. :D The motorcycle just takes that one step further is all, and to this day, I'm still at my happiest when on two wheels.

And I've said it before, but I'll say it again; I'm very, very fortunate to be able to make a decent living, yet stay here at home in my mountains. I've left multiple times, but the mountains always draw me back. It's hard to explain to someone from flat country, but the mountains become a big part of you and your hobbies, and without them, I always feel like there's something missing regardless of how full or busy my life was when I lived elsewhere.

More supermoto stuff

Out near Brevard

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My Avatar shot, leading some friends into a corner on the Tail of the Dragon, I always liked these shots of multiple bikes in various stages of corning throughout multiple corners

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We've been known to organize some pretty large group rides

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I'm into pit bikes also, I got rid of this one before it hurt me too bad. :D TB 146cc motor, TB 411 race cam, full Pro Circuit exhaust, four speed, manual clutch etc, etc. All on a 50cc chassis and 10" wheels.

At a private pit bike track exiting a berm

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In Motard trim (well, you didn't think I wouldn't have a motard setup for it now did you? :D)

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My XR50 that I still have. TB 88cc big bore, pretty much one of everything that Ryan at 50 stunt makes, and a lot of other mods. I love this thing like a fat kid loves cake!

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And, lastly the bicycles. I turned 40 last year, and treated myself to both a new mountain bike, and a new road bike now that I know I'm going to stick with riding.

New mountain bike, Trek Fuel EX 9 full squish, 130/120mm of travel, 29er. Fox collaborated with Penske racing on the suspensions setup, and it's incredible! This is the next toy that will get me hurt LOL.

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New road bike, Trek Domane 4.3 disc, full OCLV carbon frame, Shimano 105 drivetrain, TRP RY/HD disc brakes

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My custom built single speed mountain bike. Soma B Side frame, Race Face cranks, stem and bars, Stans Flow EX rims laced to Hope Pro 2 EVO single speed hubs, Avid BB5 discs.

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My single speed Fat Bike. Cheap Gravity bikes frame that I upgraded a few components, lots of fun! This is after a BIG summer storm rolled through Tsali.

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And my dirt jump bike, Haro Steel Reserve 1.2

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And I also have a 29er hard tail, mostly a loaner bike these days. Trek X Caliber 6 with a few upgrades.

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Man, that's a long post.
 
Owning bikes in the mountains is like living at disneyland. But I don't like to shovel snow or drive a jeep to work in the winter.

I commuted over the Wasatch to Cache Valley in the winter as a new driver, 18 years old. I had maybe 2000 miles under my belt on a Ford dad & I fixed up in the garage in Minnesota.

I rode the Llambrettas and a Yam 180 over that pass too, once in the snow.

I looked like the Michelin tire man when I got to Layton UT. Snow 6" thick on me except the helmet. Icicles on every spoke. The wheels had gained several pounds each.

Not my only snow adventure. but enough. I gotta work.
 
^^Yes sir it is, it's literally like owning your own personal amusement park. LOL, I can relate to the Michelin man thing. When I first got my supermoto, I would go ride will into late fall /early winter, but not anymore now that the new has worn off. Luckily, we get some cold temperatures in the winter, but very little snow down here in the valley.
 
Yeti 575. These are from the Wydaho area this past summer. Forest fires blocked a few views.

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Lovely country there. I haven't been cow trailing in 30 years...
 
image.jpeg Had to share this, found on the web somewhere. Some dude turned a ktm 1290 Super Duke into a enduro. The rear won't have much travel though. I like when people think outside of the box, and I am a KTM / Husqvarna guy, so I like it.
 
Some new Husqvarna bikes coming down the pipe soon. 2017 will be a big reveal year for Husky. All new Husky engines and some street platform bikes should hit the streets.image.jpeg
 
It is a concept bike, but there are interesting things in the works. Makes me very happy KTM bought Husqvarna from BMW. BMW had no interest in the brand, KTM is on a huge push and has lots of development going on. Things will be intersting in the next few years.
The interesting thing about the husky above, is a twin cylinder 700 cc motor. What I have been waiting for in a small adventure bike.
 
image.jpeg This is what I want, but waiting to see what motor Husqvarna comes out with in the next years. Right now, this bike has a KTM 690 Lc4 engine, a great engine, but o want to see a small displacement lc8 type engine.
 
image.png I love this Husky enduro, the fe 501. It is a full blown dirt enduro with license plates and turn signals, but it's draw back is that it is just not a long distance bike, no single cylinder bike is. I want something that is light enough to be agile and handle rough dirt, yet be able to get on the highway and ride long distance to get to cool adventure spots. This bike with a twin cylinder 750 cc engine, ability to mount luggage, a Dakar style front fairing, 250 mile range without stopping for fuel. and HUsky and KTM would have a complete winner. They are not listening to me.
 
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