Cars R OK, but what kind of motorcycle do you have
More specifically, the DAYTONA 675 Triple. Suweeeeet, CW! Looks like a cross between a Ducatti and an R6. Very nice. Yeah, my bud's bike is a late 90's buck naked Speed Triple with the bug eyes. Quite a bit less refined than this I'd say...more of a rat bike. I can't do the sport bike thing anymore. After twenty years in the saddle, and at 46, my back and knees can't take that riding position for very long. I like long-distance riding, and camping, hence my choice of bike for the past eight years has been a BMW GS (currently an 1150GS). Makes for a great urban assault vehicle as well, and has plenty of low-end grunt to pull out and pass. Triple digits don't thrill me no more, though I still ride rather briskly. They used to when I was younger, but too many scares and slower reflexes, and some really stupid cagers have all caused me to slow down. Can't imagine doing that stuff in NYC...too much debris about, and my memories of the roads that would allow enough room for that speed would cause me to prefer a GS with Ohlins and plenty of travel over a sport bike. Perhaps they're in better repair now(?). That said, my first bike was a 82 Yamaha Vision with full fairing (that's what I learned on in the city). Had a Ninja for a while too. Fun stuff! I rode 12 months out of the year there. I recall riding in the snow and dropping it real slow getting on the Manhattan Bridge. Managed to pick it up as quickly as I went down and get home safely. Ah, those were the days. Marco |
So we are now into the musical portion of the program. My ride is a Honda VTR 1000 sportbike which is just a clone of the basic Ducati design (same bore and stroke--but not the exotic valve arrangement). I used to be a Honda V-4 man and that beast was quite musical. The V_4 had a rather pleasant mellow attack with a beautiful resonant soundstage. Most people would comment on the excellent midrange but I am the kind of guy who likes a liitle more authority and attitude so the VTR (V Twin)fills the bill quite nicely. Now I have serious bass and very fast attack and well the imaging is beyond anything you can imagine. Color me crazy but that big savage beast can really sing. As a drummer I quite appreciate the thumpa thumpa cadence that exits the tuned exhaust (no black diamonds here!) Indeed I have been known to drive for hours while working on beats----HEY it sure beats practicing with a metronome! As anyone who enjoys riding will tell you having a partner to ride (with) can be a lot of fun. My partner (wife)couldn't stand me having all the fun so -----you guessed it she found her own twin which is identical to MY!! twin. So much for being manly. So there you go a little story about Mike and Barb two twin biker folk. Oh I almost forgot to mention that she likes tubes, Miles Davis, plays a mean Fender bass and has absolutely no fear of cueing up our Rega P-25 turntable. How bad is that? |
Marco Very impressed to hear that you drove year round in NYC. Since moving out of the City in 2004, I have been driving 40+ miles in and out of midtown, every day I need to be there, in all weather conditions barring snow and ice on the road. The sand, the salt, the freezing cold, the pouring rain, high winds over the bridges, fog etc. I really love it. It has also improved my riding immensely because, as you know, you have to learn to ride very, very smoothly, with every downshift perfectly matched in its revs, and very defensively in order to stay alive. I cant wait to get the new, bike, tweak the radar detector, and enjoy some sunny, dry weather. Everyone looks at me like I am a total nutcase. Now I can't deny that, but deep down, I know they are secretly envious. |
Very impressed to hear that you drove year round in NYC. Aw' shucks, that was just a walk in the park. I still ride year round here in Seattle, though I've been slacking off these past two years since we've been working on the never-ending house renovation. Every Martin Luther King Day weekend, a group of fellow hard-core two-wheelers go on a little snow-camping weekend trip out to the mountains. Here's a favorite picture of me (left) and two of my friends up at 5400 feet back around this time of year in 02'. The next year we attended I went down on some black ice on the way up so we turned back at around 4200 feet that year. The last two years it's actually turned out to be Rain-Camp. Still well attended, but not by me. The last one I attended had about 75 folks show up. Some come with four wheels, but the vast majority are on two, and most camp in tents. There's been all kinds of creative traction solutions two, from ropes, to chains to actual studs. I think someone actually bought one of those stud inserting guns (not cheap). Some culinary highlights are the turkeys fried in oil (there are usually two or three), pancake breakfast, and the alter of whiskey. It's called "Snow Camp" and it's been going on for over ten years as I recall...I think there was a birthday cake a few years back. Open to all makes and models, as well as to those who just love to ride but are not crazy enough to risk it in February at high elevations. Too late for this year, but hey, if you're in the neighborhood of Mt. Rainier around MLK Day, come join the party! Marco |
