russell_bynum Posted June 12, 2006 Share Posted June 12, 2006 One of the guys at work organized a short ride from our building in Newport Beach to Cook's Corner (local motorcycle hangout). The ride itself wasn't all that interesting, but we had a nice collection of bikes, and had fun kicking tires, telling lies, and breaking bread together. One of the main reasons for doing that ride (and making it so easy/short) was because we've got several newbies who've just bought bikes but are affraid to get them out and use them. So...the idea was to give them a setting with people they were comfortable with, on familiar roads, that would be fun. As it turned out, really only one of the newbies showed up...a lady on a really pretty Road Star, and she did very well. I took a few pictures before we headed out. We had an interesting collection of bikes: two Gixxers (1000 and a Telefonica 600), an FJR, two Road Stars, two Harleys, a Pacific Coast, my Tuono, a 999, an R1100R, and a Boss Hoss. We all stood around for a while, kicking the tires American Iron Italian Art Superior German Engineering Touring Tuono Others need not apply Everythign about this bike is BIG Demons Within After the ride, I dropped by Laney's place to return some stuff she loaned me, then I took Ortega Highway back home. Ortega wasn't too bad...there was one accident/lane closure, and only about a half-dozen cars straying into my lane around blind corners...much better than usual. Link to comment
Mike O Posted June 12, 2006 Share Posted June 12, 2006 Russell, I've done those sorts of rides with folks from work. They can be fun, provided everyone recognizes the different calibre of bikes and riders. It's when the testosterone gets in the way that things can get interestingly unpredictable. Everythign about this bike is BIG But your choice of 'tanks bags' are far greater, don't you think? Regards, Mike O Link to comment
russell_bynum Posted June 12, 2006 Author Share Posted June 12, 2006 I've done those sorts of rides with folks from work. They can be fun, provided everyone recognizes the different calibre of bikes and riders. It's when the testosterone gets in the way that things can get interestingly unpredictable. Yeah, there was none of that. The husband/wife team on their Gixxers led, but they pretty much stuck with the speed limits. I was #3 behind them. The new lady rider on the Road Star was behind me. I'm not sure how things unfolded beyond that. Next time, we're talking about doing the same ride, then letting the newbies go their own way while the more experienced riders hit some fun roads. Link to comment
Tasker Posted June 12, 2006 Share Posted June 12, 2006 and only about a half-dozen cars straying into my lane around blind corners...much better than usual Whiner! Jeez! Link to comment
russell_bynum Posted June 12, 2006 Author Share Posted June 12, 2006 Whiner! Jeez! I was actually being serious when I said it was much better than usual. I was pleasantly suprised. Link to comment
norah Posted June 12, 2006 Share Posted June 12, 2006 Okay, I'm not one to complain but, where's the picture of the Pacific Coast? You should have taken a picture with the trunk open. As a former owner of one (yes really!) I think it should at least get a little representation . Kidding aside, sounds like you had a good day. Thanks for sharing. Link to comment
RFW Posted June 12, 2006 Share Posted June 12, 2006 Had to laugh at the closeup of the harley engine. Harley must be the only bike manufacturer on the planet that thinks "sequential port fuel injection" is something to brag about. Like, big whoop! What an absurd looking bike! (in my not so humble opinion, of course) Bob. Link to comment
russell_bynum Posted June 12, 2006 Author Share Posted June 12, 2006 Sorry, Norah. I put my camera up before the guy on the PC showed up. There's certainly a TON of storage space under there. Link to comment
russell_bynum Posted June 12, 2006 Author Share Posted June 12, 2006 Had to laugh at the closeup of the harley engine. Harley must be the only bike manufacturer on the planet that thinks "sequential port fuel injection" is something to brag about. Like, big whoop! No kidding. I feel the same way about companies that put "4-valve" on their valve covers, and "Electronic Engine Management" on the lower fairings. I mean...who are they trying to impress with that baloney? Link to comment
Doppelganger Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 I too went on a ride with a group (maybe 15) I had never met before. The vast majority were HD. but there was a nice Yamaha. There was no commentary about my RT-P until we went to top the tanks. I had 180 miles on my tank, and had plenty of miles left in it. The only other bike that didn't fill was a single HD rider who asked when it all was done, "Am I the only one who didn't fill?" The rest of the group all turned to me, parked quietly to the side. I explained I was halfway through my 7 gallon tank. There were nods of approval. The group decided to call it a day at that point. The rain was due in and we wanted to be home before it started. One rider turned to me and asked if I had 'windshield wipers' on that thing. I reached over, raised my windshield to from the lowest to highest position and replied "I got my windshield wipers right here!" They all chuckled. We mounted up and parted ways. Link to comment
RFW Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 No kidding. I feel the same way about companies that put "4-valve" on their valve covers, and "Electronic Engine Management" on the lower fairings. I mean...who are they trying to impress with that baloney? Not too many years ago, Detroit had a habit of putting "Multiport Fuel Injection" labels on their cars. What this ACTUALLY said was they were 20 years behind VW and nearly every other European car manufacturer. What it also said was that this was to differentiate these cars from the normal Detroit fuel injected Detroit products that had el-cheapo single point throttle body injection, which was something that European manufacturers had never used. Why they would make such a big deal out of something that proved how backward they were, I have no idea! With regards to the "16 valve" thing, I often wondered why the rest of the world should give a damn how many valves the car had. What next, "4 platinum spark plugs" festooned on the outside of the car? Bob. Link to comment
WayneM Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 With regards to the "16 valve" thing, I often wondered why the rest of the world should give a damn how many valves the car had. What next, "4 platinum spark plugs" festooned on the outside of the car? Bob. When you have so little to flaunt, you flaunt what you have......... Nowadays four valve heads in cars are common. There was a time when four valve heads where an indication of more 'cutting edge' high performance technology. Too bad domestic manufacturers discovered so late they were so many years behind everyone else... Wayne Link to comment
russell_bynum Posted June 13, 2006 Author Share Posted June 13, 2006 With regards to the "16 valve" thing, I often wondered why the rest of the world should give a damn how many valves the car had. What next, "4 platinum spark plugs" festooned on the outside of the car? Bob. When you have so little to flaunt, you flaunt what you have......... Nowadays four valve heads in cars are common. There was a time when four valve heads where an indication of more 'cutting edge' high performance technology. Too bad domestic manufacturers discovered so late they were 10 years behind everyone else... Wayne I'm wondering if you guys missed my sarcasm. My RT said "4-valve" on the valve covers, and "Electronic Engine Management" was proudly displayed under the "R1100RT" model number on the big decal on the fairing. RFW's bike is a 20 year-old machine with a late-70's tech. motor. So the lessons of the day are: 1. People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. 2. What the hell difference does it make if the bike doesn't have all the latest and greatest wiz-bang gadgets and gizmos. I'll bet you that poor, uncultured Harley guy on his antiquated, old-school, non-servo-abs-linked-EFI-ESA bike had just as much fun as I did riding a modern high-tech sportbike. The biggest smile I saw all damn day was a guy who tooled past Cook's Corner on an RD350. Bikes are about providing enjoyment to their riders. Technology is great where it assists with that goal. Otherwise, it is a waste of time and money. Link to comment
RFW Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 RFW's bike is a 20 year-old machine with a late-70's tech. motor. Yup. Of course it is. And your point? The bike was pretty advanced for its day, and had a lot of "firsts". First production bike with fuel electronic injection. One of the first with fully electronic ignition. First with electronic warning of burned out bulbs. And so on. But the REAL point is that it had this sort of stuff without a single decal or logo saying so. All it "wore" was the BMW roundel and a chrome "K100". Nothing more. Bob. Link to comment
russell_bynum Posted June 13, 2006 Author Share Posted June 13, 2006 But the REAL point is that it had this sort of stuff without a single decal or logo saying so. All it "wore" was the BMW roundel and a chrome "K100". So? Does the lack of that stuff enhance your enjoyment of the bike? If "electronic ignition" was machined into the valve cover, would it diminish your enjoyment of the bike? Link to comment
Carnadero Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 ..was because we've got several newbies who've just bought bikes but are affraid to get them out and use them. That seems rather odd. Link to comment
RFW Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 So? Does the lack of that stuff enhance your enjoyment of the bike? If "electronic ignition" was machined into the valve cover, would it diminish your enjoyment of the bike? Actually, yes it would. Marginally. The more tacky a product appears, the less I will enjoy using it. Bob. Link to comment
russell_bynum Posted June 13, 2006 Author Share Posted June 13, 2006 So? Does the lack of that stuff enhance your enjoyment of the bike? If "electronic ignition" was machined into the valve cover, would it diminish your enjoyment of the bike? Actually, yes it would. Marginally. The more tacky a product appears, the less I will enjoy using it. Bob. Well, the big thing that I took home from the ride was this: Even though we had a vast array of bikes (From a 600cc Sportbike to a Boss Hoss) and experience levels (From 20+ years to less than 6 months) we all enjoyed being motorcyclists together. We spent just as much time crawling around under the Ducati as we did the Harley. And the Pacific Coast's "trunk" got almost as many "wow's" as the sexy suspension bits on the Tuono. The shaft drive and telelever on the R1100R got just as many pokes and prods as the bigass V8 in the Boss Hoss. Nobody made fun of anyone's bike for advertising antiquated technology. Nobody bashed the fact that the Boss Hoss is about as manuverable as a 59 Caddy. It was just a bunch of people getting together to enjoy each other's bikes and company. Link to comment
russell_bynum Posted June 13, 2006 Author Share Posted June 13, 2006 ..was because we've got several newbies who've just bought bikes but are affraid to get them out and use them. That seems rather odd. Not really...it's probably more common than you realize. Lisa was that way when she started. It's the confidence/experience paradox. Without any experiece, they don't have the confidence to go out and ride. Of course...until they go out and ride, they'll never get the experience or confidence. Link to comment
jgrant Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 Too bad this thread took an ugly turn. The only bad thing that I was going to say was that your co-worker picked the slow color for his 999 Nobody else at my job rides on the street so my "short ride with some folks from work" thread would be just me! Glad that you have some others at work you can relate with. Oh, did you try out that Boss Hoss? I would not want to own one (it has to get worse MPG than my car does) but it would be a blast to test one! Link to comment
russell_bynum Posted June 13, 2006 Author Share Posted June 13, 2006 Oh, did you try out that Boss Hoss? I would not want to own one (it has to get worse MPG than my car does) but it would be a blast to test one! No, I didn't. The paintjob on the bike is incredible....translucent blue "flames" with these evil looking demons behind them. I'd never own one, but it's definitely beautiful. Link to comment
Carnadero Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 ..was because we've got several newbies who've just bought bikes but are affraid to get them out and use them. That seems rather odd. Not really...it's probably more common than you realize. Lisa was that way when she started. It's the confidence/experience paradox. Without any experiece, they don't have the confidence to go out and ride. I guess it was the "afraid" part that got me. I never had any fear of the bikes I had newly bought - it was always eager anticipation at the prospect of riding for the purpose of getting acclimated... Link to comment
russell_bynum Posted June 13, 2006 Author Share Posted June 13, 2006 I guess it was the "afraid" part that got me. I never had any fear of the bikes I had newly bought - it was always eager anticipation at the prospect of riding for the purpose of getting acclimated... Did that include your first bike? Link to comment
rocks Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 Well, the big thing that I took home from the ride was this: Even though we had a vast array of bikes (From a 600cc Sportbike to a Boss Hoss) and experience levels (From 20+ years to less than 6 months) we all enjoyed being motorcyclists together. We spent just as much time crawling around under the Ducati as we did the Harley. And the Pacific Coast's "trunk" got almost as many "wow's" as the sexy suspension bits on the Tuono. The shaft drive and telelever on the R1100R got just as many pokes and prods as the bigass V8 in the Boss Hoss. Nobody made fun of anyone's bike for advertising antiquated technology. Nobody bashed the fact that the Boss Hoss is about as manuverable as a 59 Caddy. It was just a bunch of people getting together to enjoy each other's bikes and company Amen Link to comment
Carnadero Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 Did that include your first bike? Yes. (CB360T back in the late 70s) Link to comment
russell_bynum Posted June 13, 2006 Author Share Posted June 13, 2006 Did that include your first bike? Yes. (CB360T back in the late 70s) You're like me then...not smart enough to be affraid. Link to comment
Carnadero Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 You're like me then...not smart enough to be affraid. Link to comment
Tasker Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 It was just a bunch of people getting together to enjoy each other's bikes and company. Sounds to me like a mini-UnRally or mini-El Paseo! Link to comment
russell_bynum Posted June 13, 2006 Author Share Posted June 13, 2006 Sounds to me like a mini-UnRally or mini-El Paseo! Except without the riding. Link to comment
John Ranalletta Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 It was just a bunch of people getting together to enjoy each other's bikes and company. Sounds to me like a mini-UnRally or mini-El Paseo! No way. UNs and EPs take months of planning and forethought; ride routes; hotel charters; catering and sag wagon service. Takes of lot of work to do and UN these days. Link to comment
norah Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 Well, the big thing that I took home from the ride was this: Even though we had a vast array of bikes (From a 600cc Sportbike to a Boss Hoss) and experience levels (From 20+ years to less than 6 months) we all enjoyed being motorcyclists together. We spent just as much time crawling around under the Ducati as we did the Harley. And the Pacific Coast's "trunk" got almost as many "wow's" as the sexy suspension bits on the Tuono. The shaft drive and telelever on the R1100R got just as many pokes and prods as the bigass V8 in the Boss Hoss. Nobody made fun of anyone's bike for advertising antiquated technology. Nobody bashed the fact that the Boss Hoss is about as manuverable as a 59 Caddy. It was just a bunch of people getting together to enjoy each other's bikes and company Amen Amen again Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.