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New Year's moto resolutions
- Thread starter TK4
- Start date
Same but with kids and family obligations at this age…almost non starter.
Maybe one day.
Also the scrambler is not the bike for the JBR.
Forest fires might be an issue again this year however by then, which is what foiled us *this* year. If how warm this winter has been is any indication, next summer isn't going to be exactly cool. This is why our small group is thinking as early as possible. I emailed the dam yesterday to see exactly when tours start.
1 day up, 1 day there, 1 day back was a plan for me at one point when I was looking at doing it solo, but yeah, the iron butt blood runs deep and causes you to do stupid stuff sometimes lol. And the new bike has just never been comfortable enough for that, ironically, despite being a bike better suited for touring. On my old VTX I could have pulled it off easily, and given the super long daylight hours up there surrounding the solstice, totally doable inside mostly daylight hours as well if I left 3-4 hours before sunrise from the GTA.
Now, I think we're looking at 5 days. We had a 7 day thing planned last summer that would take us out into Quebec to ride some roads there and then go up through Quebec instead, but it may not be in the cards this year due to vacation limitations, plus we discovered some of the roads we'd planned to take between MTL and Radisson were dirt, and doing 100km of dirt roads (I think it was) in one section took some of the shine off that route option.
matt365
Well-known member
A couple fuel cans, and camp gear strapped to your seat, a set of tkc-80 tires, and you're good to go.
Guys have toured the world on an r1, through African dirt roads stricken with potholes.
Ride what you have, and make it work.
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Why what? The scrambler or family obligations?
Family obligations are just that. I’d feel bad for my wife having to stay home solo while I go play.
As @matt365 noted the scrambler can be made to tour, and one I looked at and spoke with the owner has been all over the US.
A few spare cans of fuel, different tires, and a windscreen would probably make it work.
matt365
Well-known member
You just seem like your never content.
A v-strom or a Versys won't change that.
If motorcycling is not part of your life right now, so be it.
Priorities change.
I'm thinking of getting off the street, and mostly doing dirt.
I can get out for a couple hours, but day rides take me too far from family.
If I did a Gap trip once a year, with my wr250x in supermoto trim, and rode dirt, I'm content.
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Well said thanks. The first sentence hit the nail on the head, but I already have an existential crisis thread so no need here.
Winterize the bike mid November.
Priller
Well-known member
I resemble this remark. Since I gave up the pickup and trailer, I can't be arsed to go through the BS required to get to the track, and living in Hamilton means the closest roads worth riding are hours and hours away (anything even mediocre nearby is overrun with traffic on any summer weekend, and/or the posted limits are so low that I'm in impound territory in 1st gear).
My Tuono is massive overkill on my local roads, but I can't bring myself to pay more for less by trading down to something like an RS660, especially with thousands put into K-Tech suspension and getting it set up just so. I'm still hanging on to memories of BC roads where it was genuinely the perfect bike for me and could actually be used as intended. The addictive stability at lean was perfect for those sweeping coastal and mountain roads.
So for me, the 2024 resolution is to get past my range anxiety, kit the Tuono out for some light touring, and plan long weekends and weeks away to reach roads where the bike can be used as intended. I might sell the RC51 track bike (at what will inevitably be a huge loss), and track the Tuono more, too...
matt365
Well-known member
I've still got an sw-motech tank ring for the Tuono, and a rack/set of Hepco Becker bags for the tuono if you go that route.
Loved my '17 Tuono rr, but sold it mid-covid. Wasn't doing any distance riding, and like you say, too far to go for proper roads.
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Been up twice. I think we took about a week the first time and maybe 9 days the second time because we included the Rue Nord and the Trans Taiga. We weren't rushing it.
bigpoppa
Well-known member
1000% agreed, that thing is made for the racetrack. (Or the mountains)
The only bike I ever rode that mocked me for my lack of speed.
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Parenthood doesn't mean giving up everything, you need not give up your hobbies (albeit you will certainly have less time overall than before kids.)
You risk resenting your family if you keep thinking that way. So does she.
Both my wife and I trade off "me" time. She does alot of stage shows and dinners with friends. I can usually get out a few evenings and a Sat or Sun every week through summer.
bigpoppa
Well-known member
Priller
Well-known member
If the ring and bags are up for sale, let me know. I'd definitely be interested. Both are top of my shopping list for 2024. Mine is an '18 RR, so if it fit on yours, it'll fit on mine...
Maybe because I had a year in BC where I had more fun on the Tuono than I've ever had on any motorcycle, but the problem (for me!) isn't really the bike, it's the Southern Ontario roads. I love almost everything about the bike with the single exception of the tank range, and that can be addressed by carrying some extra.
I've long considered trading for something lesser, but have ultimately decided against it because it wouldn't really solve the problem that the Hamilton and Niagara area is a bit of a black hole for good roads for the kind of riding I want to do, and any asphalt worth riding means either a trip through or around Toronto (which I don't have the stomach to do twice on a day ride), or heading into the US (which for a variety of reasons I don't have much appetite for these days). Having a slower bike like an RS660 would only mean that I'd be frustrated in 2nd gear instead of 1st. Not to mention, I'd be paying a few thousand for the privilege of a crappier (though newer) bike on a trade-in.
I've also looked at something better at touring (like an AT, a bike you know well), but just doing distance isn't really why I ride. Or something better at offroad, like a Tuareg, but it ends up being a compromise that wouldn't really fit what I want, not good enough on or off road to be worth it.
Ultimately, I just need to find a way to get to roads where I can enjoy the bike, even if it's only a few times a year. At least then I won't feel so irritated burbling down the Niagara Parkway with an elbow on the tank or being stuck behind a line of white German SUVs gawking their way along the escarpment at 40 km/h...
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