LT - Year one

[wrestleantares]

My story actually begins more than a year ago. I started riding when I was twelve. I didn't have a dirt bike. I didn't have a scooter. I was a little guy weighing about 78 pounds and I was riding a XS650 from the 70's. It was a "for real and true" barn bike.

 

My family had bought the farm and the bike came with it. Actually it was tucked away in a shed rotting away. I dragged it out and began to tear it down, not knowing what in the heck I was doing. I took parts off, labeled the screws and bolts and began to clean up the bike. My father watched me at it for a couple of days and then began to help.

 

We actually got the bike running. I rode it for the next several years as a dirt bike on the farms old dirt roads and trails.

 

I took a hiatus from biking during college. A bike was just out of reach since I had to pay for college myself. My hard work paid off though, I came out of four years of a private college owing just over 2K. Working as a plumber really helped.

 

I got married and still went without a bike - but after our first year of marriage we bought/built our first house.

 

Then it came - my next bike. It was cheap. A 1982 CB750C with under 15,000 miles on it. In the next 8-9 years I proceeded to put about 150,000 more miles on it, the bike was practically indestructible.

 

Then came my first brand spanking new bike. It was 2003. I had finally gotten around to taking the MSF course - a good thing - to encourage my wife. We took it together. I think having kids must have encouraged her adventurous side as she had never expressed an interest in riding by herself before.

 

I went looking for a bike. At this point I had never ridden a cruiser. I test rode a Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 Classic. It felt right, was big enough for comfortable touring, low enough for the wife to handle, and cheap. I have to admit the cheap part worked the strongest in its favor.

 

It was not long before I realized I had made a mistake. Cruisers were not for me. However, I did set it up for touring with lockable hard bags, backrest for the wife, front shield and lowers. I also took the bike across country solo. I loved the trip, and the bike is as bullet proof as they come. It just did not fit me right.

 

So began a quest for more what I wanted. I tried Honda first - after so many good miles on the CB750C I owed them that. The Honda dealer near me had barely heard of the ST1300 - much less had one on the floor. But they did get one in on trade and called me up. It was a dream, but a very expensive dream. I looked at the V-Strom, I looked at a used RT, and an old K1100RS. Nothing called out to me.

 

Then I discovered Cycles Recycled. A BMW salvage yard in the next county over. I watched his online ad like a hawk. I talked with him and checked out a couple of bikes that he got in over time (I must stop here and tell you that this search was over a year long).

 

Nothing seemed a match. Then he got in a wrecked 1999 K12LT. I called him up and talked to him. I then went over and looked at the bike. There was something about this windshield crunched, tupperware hanging, oil spewing beast that called out to me.

 

Except for maintenance I really had not done anything to a bike since the old SECA. But I decided to undertake this project.

 

I bought the K12LT. That was back in April of 2006 so it has been a little over a year that I have had the bike. The repair and rebuilding took 72 days. I meticulously removed almost every nut, bolt and torx screw from the bike. Cleaned, repaired, junked, and bought replacements. The back end is from another LT, the engine I just rebuilt, the fairing frame - needed some work, and a myriad of other details had to be seen to before the bike was ready.

 

Finally it was done and I rolled the bike out of the basement for the first time. Man was it ugly/beautiful. A five color 800+ pound monstrosity. I started it up and took it to the gas station where I filled it up.

 

Then I rode it - slowly at first. I was both getting a feel for the bike, and listening carefully to every sound it made. Despite my care in reassembly, I half expected parts to start dropping off by the roadside.

 

Nothing bad happened. The engine purred with nary a miss, the bike responded well to every command.

 

It has been a year now and the bike has been great. It is a comfortable commuter, a decent twisty bike, and of course an excellent tourer. I have only ridden it about 8K in the last year, but surgery interferred with 3+ months of ridng and made me cautious about getting back into distances (anterior cervical fusion).

 

We did take a 600 mile round trip to the beach in November - it never got higher than the high 40's but we were nice and comfortable on our heated seats.

 

It surprises me how well the bike performs in the twisties. I take it to 181 every chance I get and zoom up and down the road. Make no mistake, it is NOT a 400 pound sportbike. But it gets me up the mountain with a bit of panache.

 

Is it the perfect bike (for me)? I don't know, maybe not. But it does a little bit of everything I ask - with a stereo to boot. If, okay, when - I get another bike it will be an addition, not a replacement.

 

That Sprint ST looks nice.

[Timmer]

Great story, but we need pictures of this 5 color beauty!

[wrestleantares]

LT in stealth mode

 

This is a recent thread in which I posted a pic.

[waylap]

I needed a story like that today. Sometimes I complain that I don't have enough when I need to realize I haven't worked half as hard as others for what I do have.

Your bike has more spirit than 100 others I've seen.

[floresb]

Very nice. You should be extremely pleased and proud of your efforts. It always means more when you've earned something - especially when you create something that others discarded

[drzep]

Right on.