General

So that was my 3rd year of riding and my most active by far. I bought the Versys in February and have just under 16,000 miles on it now. Add a couple of thousand commuter miles on the scooter and it was a busy year. Managed to get quite a few 3 day weekend trips into Oregon, Idaho, British Colombia and even Washington. Biggest trip by far was the 4,200 mile cross country trip from North Carolina to Washington. Wasn't entirely sure what to expect on my first big trip but absolutely loved it and started making plans for the next one as soon as I got back. Had all kinds of personal drama with other riders, every kind of weather and landscape but most importantly, countless miles of amazing roads and sights. At times I was even longing for some straight roads!

Some highlights of the year:

Killboy shots from Tail of the Dragon

Flaming Gorge, UT

I haven't been in here since May...so seven months...I had just bought my new to me bike and I was loving it...I put on over 8000kms this season (I was aiming for about 12,000kms, but I'll get to that)...did my first road trip through the mountains with some local riders...

And also did a couple of longer day rides with and without a riding buddy...then we decided to plan a three day tour through the Kootenay Mountains...WOOHOO...so me and two buddys put a plan together including a route and destinations...

We had a great day one, a couple of glitches but a really nice ride...

It's been a while since I've been here but I need help. Damn battery, or maybe something else, is giving me a hard time. I ride about 1-2 times a week. It doesn't get too cold here, about high 30s at worst. Anyways, this Friday I get on my bike and it won't start. Battery doesn't have enough juice. I hook it up to a portable charger and it starts right up. Stop it and start it and its just fine. Did this several times without riding it and it starts just fine. Took it to local shop and they are going to check the battery but they say its just weird. Any ideas about my little problem? By the way it's a 2007 Honda CBR. Thanks for any help.

Hey everyone...it's been about a year or so since I was here last. Work/life has been busy for me, and given a choice betweeen riding and surfing, decided to spend the time on the road. But it's been nagging at me to come back here and see what's up, since I've enjoyed this site so much in the past.

I still have my Buell Blast, though it barely gets ridden since I picked up a GS500f. Glad I got it, and it really is a great all-around bike. A little cold-blooded sure, but that's no problem. I love how easy it is to work on, and wow I had no idea how awesome having even a small fairing is.

But the cooler thing is that I've taken up flat track (dirt track) riding!

Went to an awesome school this summer (American Supercamp) and I'm hooked. Very different than "normal" street riding or track work, but there are parallels and stuff that does transfer. Never understood the concept of trail braking before, but I sure do now.

Hey everyone,

Been a while since I visited, but wanted to check in and let you all know how my first year as a rider went. FREEEKING AWESOME!!!! I figured it was time to get off the bike and a) thank the awesome folks here at BBM for all their great advice and b) try to provide some info of my own.

So I logged 4,576 miles since last October. Not a lot by some estimations, but it felt like the biker queen.. I put on about three-quarters of those miles in the last 3 months, as I have been commuting 5 days a week, leaving the car at home whenever possible. I learned to ride on rainy days, windy days, hot days and cold snap days. Funny thing is, they were all BEAUTIFUL days. I can honestly say I love riding, no matter what the weather is. What did I learn?

1. Take the course!

doing research and the book says to use 91 octane. can it run on 89 well or does it prefer 91. just getting info.
thanks for all assistance.

Just a fast question, I am interested in purchasing a Honda CBR 250R and was finding that it only lists speeds in kph. am i wrong or does it list speeds in mph as an option. i am downgrading from an old Kawasaki 750V Twin. (it had the original engine and finally gave out at 90k miles of which the last 30k were mine. was my fathers motorcycle before he "retired from riding".)

Hi there everyone, so long since I have been on here, but as soon as I saw the bike, I knew this would be the place to ask.

Well, it's been a year since my crash on my old Kawa Ninja 250cc, and I am tempted to get back into the saddle again... but not just any saddle.

I am 6'4" and noticed on the ninja my back would hurt after an hours ride... so I though if I am going to buy another bike, then at least it should be more accommodating.

I also wanted something nicer, safe, well equipped, etc.. and just today I think I found a winner.

I threw the photo on my server, the link to see her is at the bottom of the text.

She's a BMW F800 S 2007 with heated handlebars, ABS, etc.

Is this a good bike to go to from a 250cc (remember that although I crashed, it was the prick jumping the red light who was at fault, not me!)

Hey guys,
Hope you're all doing great -and still riding safe and having fun.
Haven't been on the forum for the last 16 months; crazy busy with work -- the whole tech company sale, integration, post integration layoff, rehire by selling company and happy thoughts and cash all the way around.
Me: Still having a great time riding my el-cheapo "proof of concept" 1994 Concours (not my first bike and not recommended as one). I'll have to put together my annual costs for those who care, but guarantee that my mileage is more than paying for the fun I'm having and for all the commute time I'm saving -- and newbies can check my past messages to see that I'm highly skeptical of the "new MC saves me money" argument.

I like this guy's writing- he has rode motorcycles about 500,000 miles, and did desert racing in the 1970s:

http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/MotorcycleIntroA.html