The ATK/Hyosung GT650R I’ve been evaluating for ATK is doing fine. I’m convinced that, given some ergos more forgiving to my 46 year-old frame, it’d be a fine commuter/city bike. It’s easy to ride, with predictable performance, and has a surprisingly comfy seat.

The Honda CBR1000RR is about the deadliest racing weapon imaginable in the hands of Casey Stoner.

Is the new Kawasaki ZX-10R good enough to beat the BMWS1000RR in a head-on comparo? No. Seems like a close call, though.

I got my FJR back from the shop on Saturday. Embarrasingly, I had managed to hang my good luck bell in the perfect place…to cut the main wiring harness with the edge of the bell in a full-lock left turn. I’m glad I was backing out of a parking space, instead of trying to do a U-Turn, when the engine went dead.

Instead of spending money on a second bike, I’ve begun wondering if I shouldn’t just get an exhaust system, PowerCommander, and K&N Air Filter.

Very disappointing.

On the bright side, I’ll be going to pick up the GT650R in Orange County tomorrow, so I won’t be bikeless while the FJR is being fixed.

The Blue and The Gray WordPress Theme

This theme was inspired by the first studio shots ever released of the Motus MST-01 sport-tourer. It also has the vertical menu system on the sidebar, instead of the horizontal one in the header.

Another feature of the price system is that it forces producers to put resources to their most valued uses. This is important because, quite often, consumers demand different goods that use many of the same components.

Let’s take petroleum, for example. People don’t just need gasoline; they need plastics to make computer keyboards and ugly furniture for college students. Businesses need chemicals for industrial production and dyes. Textile companies need artificial fabrics that don’t fade or discolor. Perverts need Vaseline.

So, in bidding for each of those items, their producers are also bidding for the petroleum required to make them. When more people buy Vaseline, Johnson & Johnson has to bid away some of that petroleum from refineries or textile mills. In turn, this increased demand in petroleum causes the price of oil to rise for everyone who uses it.

In order to keep buying oil, everyone now has to pay the price that Johnson & Johnson is willing to pay. As this raises consumer prices for these items, consumers are likely to buy less of them. For example, a consumer, noticing the increase in the cost of Vaseline, decides to spend Saturday night alone.

So, the price that Johnson & Johnson is willing to pay for oil becomes an added cost for all of the other businesses that use oil. If they want to bid away some of that oil, they have to be willing to pay the higher price. But since higher prices tend to mean lower sales, other producers will only bid away as much oil as they think they can use, now that sales are dropping.

The end result is that Johnson & Johnson ends up with a relatively larger portion of oil. In other words, the resource of oil has flowed to the highest valued product, an important…uh…medical lubricant.

Eventually, because there is an increasing supply of Vaseline, demand is affected. At some point, consumers are unwilling to buy it, because there’s enough of it on the shelves. And, of course, with all this petroleum bidding going on, the price has been increasing. So, some consumers may notice that the price of Vaseline has now increased relative to, say KY Jelly, and they may decide to purchase that instead.

Of course, either way, Johnson & Johnson wins.

So, if you’d like to get a better understanding of how economics work, and maybe get a few good laughs on the way, you can get it tomorrow for about 1/6 the price of the physical book.

I’ll provide the direct link to Amazon to purchase it when it becomes available tomorrow.

As I reached the entrance to the road from the parking lot, I saw a CHP motor cop almost directly in front of me. I stopped at the edge of the exit from the parking lot, looked to my left to see if any motorcycles were coming up the side of the lane–as hundreds do every day on this stretch of road, since the traffic is always backed up about a block back. Seeing no one coming I turned into the lane, and followed the path shown below  by the pale blue arrow.

Traffic Diagram

The CHP cop pulled out of his lane and lit me up.  I stopped and asked whyt he stopped me, and he said it was for illegal passing. To make a long story short, an argument about lane-splitting ensued, in which the CHP officer denied that the California Vehicle Code allowed lane-sharing in California, and demanded I cite the CVC section that allowed it.  I had my smartphone with me, and punched up the CHP official web site, and showed him the FAQ on lane sharing that is on the CHP’s FAQ page.  His response was to say, “Well, I don’t know why they put that on there.”

In other words, a CHP motorcycle officer denied that California allows lane sharing for motorcycles, and had no knowledge of why the CHP’s official web site said it was legal.

He cited me for unsafe passing on the shoulder, despite the fact that at no time did I cross the white shoulder line, and stayed entirely in the traffic lane. Moreover, it should be obvious from the diagram above that, with the traffic stopped as it was, it would have been physically impossible for him to observe whether or not I crossed the shoulder, as a line of stopped vehicles completely obscured any possible line of sight to the roadway.

In the 12 years I’ve used this gate into the installation, the common practice is for motorcycles to share the #2 lane. It is done constantly.

But what really burned me up was that after he had cited me, and handed me the yellow copy, he then proceeded to question me about my usual route to work, times, etc. From his tone and demeanor, I inferred that to be a threat to single me out for special attention on my morning commute, solely because I had the temerity to argue with him over the legality of lane sharing, and informing him that I would be fighting the ticket in court. When I asked him why he was questioning me in this manner, he said, “I’m just asking questions.” So, I told him that I had been a police officer for ten years, so I knew exactly what the import of those questions was.

I respond poorly to threats, so, as soon as it opened, I called the Oceanside CHP office and lodged an official complaint against the officer for this.

And, yes, I will contest this in court.

2009 Buell 1125R, Arctic White

I’ve pretty much decided what bike I want for a used 2nd bike. That’s it right over there on the left.

I want the 2009 Buell 1125R, in Arctic White, with the blue screen and wheels. I don’t want the 2010, with ugly “R” on the intake cowlings and the blue stuff blackened.

I want that bike in that color.

I’ve ridden it, and it has fantastic handling.  You’d think the steep rake would make it twitchy, but it isn’t.

It’s a vibey, growly twin that weighs 450lbs wet, and, in stock configuration, puts 130 HP and about 75 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheel, according to Sport Rider. It’d be a big change from my FJR, that’s for sure.

It also has really comfy ergos for me–in sportbike terms, at any rate, and would be great little commuter, especially on the winding roads through Bonsall that I ride twice a day.

The only possible problem I can see is that, looking at Cycle Trader today, there is exactly one available.  In the entire US. And it’s 3,000 miles away in Florida. So, there is the slight possibility that finding exactly this bike, in decent shape, may have some degree of difficulty attached to it. But I remain stupidly optimistic that this obstacle can be overcome.

At the moment, it’s not really an obstacle at all, since I wouldn’t be able to buy so much as a creme-filled donught until I pay of my income tax bill for this year. But, perhaps in late summer…

By the way, I’ve been perusing Craigslist, Oodle, and Cycle Trader a lot over the past week or so.  Here’s an observation for prospective motorcycle sellers. Just because you had a custom paint job consisting of electric blue and gold skulls and half-naked ladies on the fairing, and then chromed the swingarm and all exposed engine parts doesn’t mean that your seven year old CBR1000RR is worth $8,000. Seriously. Trust me on that.

These are the options I’m thinking about.

Yamaha FZ1. Fast and fun, but maybe a bit weak down in the lower end of the rev range, where a lot of my commuting would be.

Bandit 1250S. Gobs of torque, but, sadly, flops like a lead balloon on the top end.

GSX-R1000. Screw it. Just go pure sportbike. But not one with an excessively committed riding position.

Those are my top three choices for a used second bike. Any other suggestions?

UPDATE: I forgot about the Buell 1125R. I wouldn’t mind one of those, either.

I also bought a Tourmaster tail bag.  I’ve been keeping the hard bags on the bike, even when commuting, because I needed the space to carry my laptop, etc., but with the tailbag, I can leave the hard bags off.  The FJR looks really good without bags…or, at least it’s supposed to.  What makes it look good are the six plastic covers that conceal the mounting holes for the hard bags.  They’re color-matched to the bike, so the FJR without bags looks like it’s supposed to be without them.

Sadly, I can’t find the mounting hole covers.  I know where they used to be…which turns out not to be helpful. On the way to get some groceries, I stopped off ay North County Yamaha to order some. Each of the three covers for each side has it’s own part number.  So, one set of covers is in California, and can be here in a couple of days.  One set is in Georgia, and can be here in about a weeks or so.  The third set of covers…well…there are none currently in the United States, and none are expected until March 14.

Oh, and each of these little plastic rectangles, they cost $15.  So, it costs $100 to buy 6, 2 inch-long pieces of plastic.

I didn’t want to order them, but I ripped the garage apart and can’t find the originals, so I didn’t have much choice.  I’m sure I took them out of the garage to put them in a safe location…and now I’ve forgotten the safe location. Which, in one sense, means that they’re as safe as can be.

If I could have a dream sports-tourer, it would have the following characteristics:

• Wet weight: under 600 lbs.
• Great handling
• Hard bags
• 90lb-ft of torque and 140+HP at the rear wheel, enough to give me a 1/4 in the mid 10s.
• Good wind protection, including an adjustable windscreen.
• Handlebars that allow easy mounting of electronics.
• Heated grips
• 2 aux. 12-volt electric outlets
• ABS

Give me that, and I’ll happily live with a chain drive to save weight.

But what I think I’ve actually just done is designed a K1600GT with a chain drive. Let’s see, wet weight, 703 lbs…

Yeah. That’s what I did.

Huh.

Maybe that extra 100 lbs isn’t a deal-breaker.

Oh, speaking of the new BMW K1600 bikes, BMW released the prices today.  $21,000 for the GT, $23,000 for the GTL. Compared to the inflated price of a Gold Wing, that $23k for the GTL is a steal.

Sometimes my perspective changes fast. For instance, 4 months after I got a Harley-Davidson, I just wanted to get something different.  The cruiser side just didn’t appeal to me like I thought it would. I wanted something more than I could get from a Harley, or, for that matter a V-Star or VTX.  I toyed with the idea of a Triumph Rocket III for a bit, but ultimately I moved towards a sport-touring bike, and got a fantastic deal on my ’07 FJR1300AE.

For a long while, the FJR seemed like the best bike for me, and I still have no complaints about it at all–except that it’s in the shop right now.  If I were to have a complaint, it would be the electronic clutch. It’s certainly convenient, so it has its pluses, but there are drawbacks to it as well, especially in terms of low-speed handling. Other than that, the sport-tourers seemed to offer the best combination of performance, comfort, and luggage space. I also liked the maintenance-free shaft drive a lot.

2011 BMW K1600GT

Three years into owning it, however, my mind has started to turn towards what my next bike would be.

One of the big candidates has been the BMW R1200RT, a fantastic bike in many respects, except for the lack of top-end speed.  Everything else about it is really top-notch, and it has fantastic handling compared to the FJR.

I tried the K1200GT, and I felt it was kind of “Meh” in the excitement department, and it had a surprisingly uncomfortable seat. So I kind of crossed any of the K-bikes off my shortlist…until the K1600GT was announced last year.

That bike has really interested me.  Enormous torque, and that 6-banger engine will no doubt have a top end that I’ll never reach. Like the R-bike, it will have all the creature comforts you can imagine, too.  I fully intend to test it out as soon as the GTs make over to this side of the pond.

Still, in looking over the specs, I see that it weighs even more than my FJR, tipping the scales at 703lbs soaking wet. And, of course, as always with BMW, there the little issue of price…actually, not little at all.

So, I wonder…

2010 Ducati Multistrada 1200 S

What happened, you see, is that I took a test ride on that bike you see to the left: the Ducati Multistrada 1200S. What a fantastic motorcycle that is!

It wasn’t just the sweet engine, or the stable yet responsive handling.  It was sophisticated technologically, seemed to do everything well, and had an unbelievable hooligan factor along with the great comfort.  It also weighs 487 lbs. wet, and seemed light as a feather compared to my FJR.

Sadly, like the BMW, price is problematic on the Ducati, too.  And, the chain drive didn’t excite me.  What is this, the 1970s?  Chain drive? Pshaw, I say!  Pshaw!

Oh, and the MTS is, not to put too fine a point on it…ugly.

But the thing is, the much lighter weight of the MTS, started me thinking.  The bike was so much easier to handle, and performed so much better than my FJR.

Leave aside all the impressive electronics on the BMW, the MTS, or even the Kawasaki Concours14, I find I don’t miss their absence on the FJR. What I use on the FJR is the heated handgrips, and the electrical socket that I use to power my little XM unit and Magellan GPS. The thing I really liked about the Ducati was the performance and the light weight–which are, of course, not entirely unrelated.

When I got the FJR, the plan was that my chick would have a nice pillion seat to take rides with me.  But she is…uncomfortable on the back of a motorcycle. Street riding as a passenger just terrifies her, especially with the madness that goes on on California streets on a minute-by-minute basis. She used to be a rider, and has been looking at scoots herself occasionally, but passenger riding is right out.

I also had these visions of actually doing some real touring, which also never came to fruition.  When we go somewhere, it turns out that we take along an 18′ Nomad travel trailer, so there’s no long-distance motorcycling involved on our trips.

So, I’ve been thinking, what is it that I want to live with with as a commuter and pleasure bike? The more I think about it, the more I think that what I don’t want is a 700lb behemoth with a 61-inch+ wheelbase, even if it has every electronic bell and whistle you can imagine. What I really want is a bike with sporty performance, decent luggage capacity for short trips and errands, a decent amount of wind protection, and comfy ergonomics.

That’s not to say I’d thumb my nose at a really good deal on a Connie or K-bike, but they aren’t at the top of my shortlist any more.

But, looking at the sporting side of things is depressing.  The bikes with decent ergos for my 46 year-old body–your Bandits and V-Stroms–seem slow and boring, or are unfaired and, hence, windy.  The exciting bikes stretch you over the tank, with your knees tucked into your armpits. Neither appeals.

2011 Kawasaki Ninja 1000

But now there may be an alternative that’s starting to attract me. Kawasaki has the new Ninja 1000 available now, and everyone that’s ridden it says it’s a great bike, with many of the features I’m looking for.

It’s got a 58″ wheelbase, weighs 503 lbs at the curb, has heated grips and OEM hard bags (made by Givi, actually), and puts a stompin’ 74 ft-lbs of torque and 123HP on the rear wheel. And it produces them at far lower RPMs than the ZX-10 or R1. My FJR, by comparison, weighs 687 lbs wet, has a 61″ wheelbase, and puts out 127HP and 89 ft-lbs of torque. The tale of the tape in comparing the 2 shows up in 1/4-mile times, with the Ninja coming in at 10.55 secs @ 130.71MPH, and the FJR1300AE at 11.86 secs @ 118.8MPH. Apparently 184 lbs of extra weight slows the FJR down a bit.

I’ve gone into the dealership and looked at the new Ninja, and sat on it.  The ergos are right.  Not sure how comfy the seat would be–reviewers say it’s average, but better than a pure sportbike’s–but there’s aftermarket solutions available from all the usual suspects.

But what about that chain drive? Well, the thing is, that shaft adds about 100 lbs to the weight of the bike. So that’s really a difficult decision for me.  I guess I could get a chain oiler installed…no, let me rephrase that: I would definitely have a chain oiler installed. I’d just have to spend the regular $300 to replace the chain and sprocket set.

There are other issues, too.  I’d have to have the wiring installed for my Magellan and XM unit, and spring for new Ram mounts, too, since they’d have to be mounted differently. I don’t know if that’s even possible.  Oh, and that strangely shaped windshield–manually, not electrically adjustable, sadly–would have to be replaced by a Cal-Sci shield first thing, too.  Also, it doesn’t have a gear indicator on the dash. I kind of like that. Finally, those mufflers would be gone before I took it home from the shop, too.  I like the look of the CS One Urban Brawler Dual Slip-ons from Vance & Hines.

Another big sticking point is that the American version of the Ninja 1000, unlike the European-spec model, doesn’t come with ABS brakes.  I like ABS systems a lot, and not having one on the Ninja is disappointing.

But, even with all those negatives, with a base price of under $11k, some farkling would overcome most of them, and the bike would still be more affordable that a Connie or even a Triumph Sprint GT.

So, the Ninja 1000 is worming its way onto my shortlist of possible FJR replacements. No doubt a test ride would help me make a more informed decision, but that’s not gonna happen.

Unless someone at Kawasaki USA is interested in offering me a test opportunity, in return for a test report.

Hello? Anyone? Hello? Is this thing on?

Once I got there, they played around with it, and were able to reproduce it several times.

So, the bike is in the shop, and I they won’t even be able to look at it until Monday.  They will be taking $100 just to diagnose the problem, so I’m bikeless until sometime next week.

It turns out my web host has installed a new firewall setup in the servers that interpreted my posts as SQL injection attacks on the web server and refused connection, based on some of the words or phrases in the posts.  Very common words like “alter” or “drop” are actually key words in the SQL language.

So, I was limited to slowly and frustratingly write small posts.  As of today, however, the web host tells me i should be ship-shape to post whatever I want via WordPress.  Sadly, tonight’s blogging is limited to this, as its 11 o’clock, and I’ve spent the last 6 hours going through the year-end accounting for my business.

I just hope that the next time I do a long post, I don’t learn that the firewall problem still exists!