Thinking of packing it in on the street...

[Lightcycle]

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[matt365]

I was in a similar situation. I loved my 2017 Tuono, but only rode it 3 times this season. I had mostly been riding my wr250x on shorter rides, and riding it offroad with my dirt setup.

I did 7,000k on the wr last season. Only did 3,000 or so on the Tuono. I did a trackday at Brechin motorsports park on the wr. Lots of single track.
My .02
Buy a drz400 with two sets of rims (sm and dirt), or a ktm 690 smc, or husqvarna 701.
@Priller pm me if you want. I had lots of kijiji tire kickers and stupid offers on the Tuono. Traded it to GP Bikes for a very fair number. Sold off most of the aftermarket bits. Sometimes I regret it, but I'm not doing any longer distance rides right now. We'll see what happens next year.

Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

 

[bigpoppa]

Dont forget the kawi, has a 6th gear and fuel injection

 

[timtune]

I was looking at a klx300sm, at 300lbs wet, with half decent suspension and breaks, it sounds hella fun

the v85 basically fulfills this role, its an italian harley adv bike, that you can chill and cruise on, but can also rip around on and do mild offroad on

BP get the KLX. I have 250KLX and spent Friday riding the Ganny. More fun dodging trees than texters.

 

[timtune]

If you make something dependable, it can be ugly.

if you can’t make it dependable, it better be pretty.

The definition of my klr

 

[bigpoppa]

BP get the KLX. I have 250KLX and spent Friday riding the Ganny. More fun dodging trees than texters.

unfortunately I live in concrete country, anywhere decent is like a one way, 3 hour highway ride

 

[timtune]

unfortunately I live in concrete country, anywhere decent is like a one way, 3 hour highway ride

I trailered about 4 hours to get the Ganny - luckily a buddy lives right next store so I could crash/party at his place.

 

[Relax]

The definition of my klr

Also the definition of my SXV!

 

[Priller]

the v85 basically fulfills this role, its an italian harley adv bike, that you can chill and cruise on, but can also rip around on and do mild offroad on

I think if proper distance riding was in my plans, the V85TT would be a real winner, though the Africa Twin offers real competition. Medium weight (by ADV standards), good touring, capable for light off-road work, look good. Honda wins for reliability and performance, Guzzi wins for style (if you dig the retro thing).

I have a better idea - don’t sell the bike. Drop it off at my place. I’ll take care of it till next April. I’ll provide her regular exercise, and a safe place to rest. No charge.

Then decide in April.

A very kind offer, I'll keep you posted. I'm sure you'd be happy to wear the edges of the tires, too, so no flat spots develop...

enjoy the roads while you can now. in 5-10 years it definitely will not be worth it to ride on the street!

Not sure how much more draconian they can make the rules, but I guess it's possible. Crowded roads and development on rural roads is also an issue, as finding somewhere quiet on a summer weekend is pretty tough.

I know where you're coming from, especially since you made the opposite move I did, coming from BC to Toronto. I can see how the city congestion, lack of any good riding roads close-by, HTA172 and just general urban asshattery on the streets can quickly kill the joy of riding in the GTA.

I did a fair amount of street riding when I lived in Toronto, but track days and dirt biking really made motorcycles enjoyable. The street riding became mainly a social thing to hang out with other riders at the Timmies or one of the many weekly meets. An all-day ride north or east on the weekends became such a major planning chore since everyone was so spread out and getting out of the GTA became an obstacle course.

I lived between Maple Ridge and Mission, and while there weren't as many great roads as you'd think with the mountains, there were enough to keep me happy. Ruskin Dam was about 10 minutes away, and the roads around there are decent. Weekend laps at the top end of the Sunshine Coast were great for burning off the chicken strips, too. I'd put that road up against most in the world. BC technically has more extreme roadside punishment, with a tow at >40 over, but the limits aren't artificially low and the roads aren't nearly as developed or busy.

On the other hand, the GVA is a racetrack wasteland. Mission is a bumpy go-kart track, Area 27 is a long way away, as are Ridge/Portland/OMP...

Swapping to cruiser is really only viable because that’s more or less the riding I want to move toward.

If you’re in it for the corners then it’s either make the trek to find some or take it to the track.

Only had a street glide out for 10 minutes yesterday but it handled better than I thought it was going to

It would simply be to scratch a different itch, I think. Unlikely for me, but definitely a better way to sit back and enjoy the scenery.

I had similar thoughts 2 years ago. In short:

• 2019: Picked up a 3rd gen SV that summer with the intent that it would be my last street bike and first track bike. I figured I would take my time to slowly transition to a track-only setup and learn a few things in the process.
• 2020: By May, license plates and lights were off the bike. Started to do a few track days in June/July but still felt like I wanted something to ride around on the street every once in a while. Not interested in group rides, long distance touring or getting a rush of adrenaline on the street. An hour's ride on Sunday morning every 2-3 weeks does it for me (in addition to track days of course). As has been mentioned on here, I wanted to keep insurance going as well, just in case, but at minimal cost. Shopped around and decided on a TU250X - cheap, reliable, light, fun - probably ended up doing 75% track and 25% street last year.
• 2021: So far this season, I've done 95% track and 5% street. I only get the urge to ride street when I haven't been to the track in a few weeks. Even if it's only 5% of my total riding, I intend on keeping the street bike for the convenience.

No regrets whatsoever on my end. I find it suits me and my circumstances very well and I'm enjoying motorcycling more than I ever have.

I think I'm going to end up following a similar path, albeit with a bigger v-twin on the track.

I sometimes feel like we expect too much from our motorcycles, as if they can solve all our problems in life


"it should be good on the highway!"
"it should be good in the twisties!"
"it should be good in the dirt"
"it should make traffic more bearable "
"it should cure cancer!"

buying something external to fix something internal never works

In my case the problem isn't the bike. It's mostly perfect for me, though I would add another 100km to the tank range to make for an amazing sport-tourer. I'm not really looking to buy something different, just get rid of the one for the street. I could also keep the Tuono for track use, as per @Katatonic , but it's a bit overkill for everywhere but Mosport/CTMP, and I prefer clip-ons at the track. At least for now...

The problem is the roads and the rules, at least for the riding I currently enjoy. The only way to change that is to move, and as we're otherwise very happy where we are as a family, they ain't happening anytime soon...

Sometimes you just need to take a break.

What is the saying, if you love something, set it free and if it returns?

I wouldn’t sell it.

Just check with your insurance agent/broker about parking it for a year and what options you have to avoid taking a hit financially if there is a gap in coverage because It was cancelled etc.

I completely understand where you are coming from.

So pivot accordingly. Park it, get something else, sell it and forget about it.

I’d be inclined to get something smaller to zip around in but no matter what you ride, you won’t be leaning at 9/10ths on public roads.

But I’m fat and old and it doesn’t take much to put a smile on this fella. I just cruise the back roads of the Niagara Region and it seems to keep my heart pumping and wanting to ride those same roads. Fast or slow

At this point, I'm leaning towards hanging onto it for the winter and see how I feel in the spring. It's a better time to sell anyway. The only reason to rush the sale is to take advantage of the Covid used bike rush to make a quick sale instead of enduring endless lowballers, tire kickers, and no-shows...

suggesting men try to understand feelings?

OP, get a new bike
it always helps

Maybe that's part of the problem: my RC51 is my new bike...

I totally get this. I stopped street for the same reasons; I was riding to safer public roads with no hidden intersections or whatever to train cornering. I also had a budget section called "traffic violations"; luckily I never had to use the funds tho!

Kinda hard to ride a cruiser fast through a corner, as you likely know, without dragging some part of the bike so that makes sense too lol

I'm less worried about the cost of a 172 ticket and more worried about the license suspension. The first I can handle as a fun tax. The second is catastrophic for my job...

As for dragging hard parts on a cruiser, that's part of the appeal as an in-built speed limiter. The trouble is they do nothing for me, looks wise.

Many people who race quit street riding and some of the top pros have never even had a motorcycle license.

This is my first year back on the street after 7 years of track only. I feel way safer on the track but I now live in Muskoka area so a street bike is more fun than before. And I have more money to afford the toys

As for insurance, until this spring I hadn't had bike insurance for about 9 years and my coverage is about $55/month. They didn't care about the time lapse as I was still an insured car driver. To me I think that's a cheap rate for a 599 and being still under 30.


I'd say make the switch. If you miss the street later on you can always buy again.

I think Muskoka would be a lot more fun, especially on summer weekdays and shoulder seasons.

My problem with insurance is I can't get a straight answer out of anyone in the business as to what the costs actually are. My main vehicle is a company-owned truck, so not under my name, and I'm a secondary driver on my wife's CR-V.

Personally, I think an RC51 is also overkill for the smaller tracks like Shannonville, TMP, and the RDT. I couldn't stand my 998 on the RDT, so it only sees the main track. I also vote for trying out a supermoto next, whether it's just for the track, or also gfor the street. Hamilton's a great place to live if you own one of them.

I think the back straight at Shannonville would let her stretch her legs, though I'm unlikely to hit the limiter in 6th. Grand Bend would be my other main destination, as I actually really enjoy that track. TMP only if I needed a day and nothing else was available. It's not my first choice. With her porky weight, I think the RDT would just be a lot of work...

Honestly, an SV would probably have been a better choice for me, but the RC was cheap, and it's an iconic bike for my age, so I couldn't resist. The hp is well short of any four cylinder litre bike and lots of torque, so should still be fun...

saw this in the comments section of 701 supermoto video:
View attachment 50278

It's hard to say. The issue for me is less about feathering the throttle and more about being able to get a lean on. I don't mind not riding WOT, but when a marginally twisty road has a limit of 60 and a really twisty road has a limit of 40, I don't think being on a supermoto is going to change much. Maybe a Grom or a Monkey Bike...

Thanks all for your kind replies. To be very clear, I'm not going sour on motorcycling in general, just riding on the street for my particular wants. Track days will scratch my itch for now, and when I inevitably get tired of just riding laps, maybe by then the VRRA will have a P6 class and I can live out my Colin Edwards dreams by racing the 51 against some 916's, GSX-R750's, Mille's, and ZX-7R's...

 

[shanekingsley]

While getting something in the touring/ADV segment is an option, I don't really have much desire to do much distance stuff. Getting anywhere decent in Ontario from here involves either getting through Toronto all the way from one side to the other, or doing lots of dull zigzag backroads to work my way over the top. Doing that twice in a weekend is no fun, and I don't see myself doing longer tours at this point in my life. If I have a week or more off, I'd rather spend it with my wife and family. And before anyone says to move out of Hamilton, we absolutely love it here, especially as a family, and have no desire to live anywhere else.

I've never ridden on a track so I can't offer any insight to compare, but I will offer up that a comfortable bike can make day long rides or overnighters a pleasure. While there is the straight line travel time to get to the good roads from the GTA, being in Hamilton you are equidistant from either the good stuff in Ontario or Pennsylvania. Once you reach the good roads, you might not be reaching the same speeds, lean angle or adrenaline rush you can achieve on a track, but there is the added benefit of ever changing roads, scenery and places to stop.

There are a bunch of roads that a skilled rider can explore and have fun on while staying below 172 territory, as long as you accept that the speeds will be less than on the track for both safety and your license. But you must be fine with doing a full day ride at a minimum to scratch that itch, otherwise 200-400km round trips just aren't going to cut it for technical or challenging roads. Or you load up your bike onto a truck or trailer and park it at the starting point of the good roads (ie. Muskoka, Kawartha's, Frontenac, Calabogie, etc). If and when my body starts to break down and I can't do the longer days anymore, or I can't handle the 2hrs of highway to get somewhere nice, then I think I will be loading the bike up and bypassing the boring stuff.

If I were in your shoes and could only have 2 bikes, I would have the dedicated track bike and also a quick and comfortable adv/sport tourer that still allows me to ride the back roads.

Personally, I'm not very interested in riding around the GTA for fun, so I don't bother with the 2-3hr rides anymore. But strangely enough, I love commuting on the bike.

 

[Lightcycle]

Track days will scratch my itch for now, and when I inevitably get tired of just riding laps, maybe by then the VRRA will have a P6 class and I can live out my Colin Edwards dreams by racing the 51 against some 916's, GSX-R750's, Mille's, and ZX-7R's...

If I can rustle up a 998, I'll be Troy Bayliss to your Colin Edwards and we can recreate the Showdown at Imola!

Except much, much slower...

 

[bigpoppa]

I went on a longer trip recently, and realized how much I enjoy that sort of thing, but
realistically speaking, a cool supermoto would fit most of my riding pretty well for the foreseeable future, as full day rides or multiday rides
will be quite rare/impossible given family/work obligations

But I like the IDEA of going on long adventures into far away lands and the unknown, like captain picard on a motorcycle
but fantasy and ego is driving my desire to get a cool adventure bike


anyway, thank you for coming to my ted talk.

 

[canw650]

The insurance came off of my street triple last month. With a little one at home, the time and the enjoyment levels were not there for street riding. I think I put <500 km since COVID began, before that i would commute and take long trips with friends. The money I save on insurance goes to track days and making it a dedicated track bike, that can be converted back to street in the future. Maybe you could do that with your tuono?

I found that i gained some brownie points with the BH (now that she's not worrying about me getting hurt by a driver) and these can be applied toward track-day excursions. Haven't really missed the street riding and still feel like i'm able to scratch the moto itch.

Good luck in your decision, everyone is different.

 

[Dirty Frank]

Kinda hard to ride a cruiser fast through a corner, as you likely know, without dragging some part of the bike so that makes sense too lol

There is this little cheat that you can do by preloading the rear suspension with some rear brake loaded against the throttle.

 

[Low rider]

I have many neighbors who have bikes in the garage, that never see light of day. And yet they call themselves riders................

If your bike spends more time in the garage than on the street, it needs to be set free.
It's a disgrace to the bike.

Poor thing, sitting there ready to go at a moments notice, and you just keep ignoring it.

Sell it now while it's still ridable.

 

[Priller]

If I can rustle up a 998, I'll be Troy Bayliss to your Colin Edwards and we can recreate the Showdown at Imola!

Except much, much slower...

I'm down anytime, anywhere. Would be so much fun. Just need someone with an R7 and a bottle of diet pills to play the Haga role...

I have many neighbors who have bikes in the garage, that never see light of day. And yet they call themselves riders................

If your bike spends more time in the garage than on the street, it needs to be set free.
It's a disgrace to the bike.

Poor thing, sitting there ready to go at a moments notice, and you just keep ignoring it.

Sell it now while it's still ridable.

Haha, wow, fair dues. Though I don't think I've ever had a bike that spent more time on the street than the garage, even when I commuted on one regularly! At least as long as I've had a garage...

Better surrender my 'Real Biker' card....

 

[FullMotoJacket]

I'm down anytime, anywhere. Would be so much fun. Just need someone with an R7 and a bottle of diet pills to play the Haga role...


Haha, wow, fair dues. Though I don't think I've ever had a bike that spent more time on the street than the garage, even when I commuted on one regularly! At least as long as I've had a garage...

Better surrender my 'Real Biker' card....

Stop sleeping. That's 8ish extra hours to ride right there.

 

[mimico_polak]

I have many neighbors who have bikes in the garage, that never see light of day. And yet they call themselves riders................

If your bike spends more time in the garage than on the street, it needs to be set free.
It's a disgrace to the bike.

Poor thing, sitting there ready to go at a moments notice, and you just keep ignoring it.

Sell it now while it's still ridable.

Time to sell I guess….sad face.

 

[Priller]

Stop sleeping. That's 8ish extra hours to ride right there.

 

[Lightcycle]

I have many neighbors who have bikes in the garage, that never see light of day. And yet they call themselves riders................

If your bike spends more time in the garage than on the street, it needs to be set free.
It's a disgrace to the bike.

Poor thing, sitting there ready to go at a moments notice, and you just keep ignoring it.

Sell it now while it's still ridable.

Impressive! >12 hours a day, every single day, on the road riding.

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