I just couldn't help myself. The CB1100 is great for day trips and did serve me well during our annual trip last year. However something caught my eye a couple of weeks ago.

I just bought a beautiful mint condition 2008 Triumph Sprint ST. This was a one owner bike who lavished it with great care. Further he was almost obsessed with with weight reduction. He added forged Carrozzaria wheels, Ohlins rear shock, swapped out almost all fasteners for titanium and added copious amounts of carbon fiber. I could go on forever with the tasteful and well executed modifications to this bike.

Given that it came with the panniers, top box, as well as Triumph tank and tail bags packing for trips shouldn't be a problem.

BMV here in town doesn't open until Tuesday so will have to wait until then for a ride assuming it doesn't snow.

Was lucky enough to get in on a private track day at Buttonwillow last Sunday. It was organized by the friends I often ride through the Santa Cruz mountains with on weekends.

I think private track days, as long as properly organized by an experience track rider, are the best. And if you know the riders,and they know you, it’s also perhaps the safest and most comfortable way for a street rider to get on a high quality track. You can also ride as mich or as little as you like, in contrast to more rigidly structured track days put on by providers, though they’re good, too.

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I’ve never been to Buttonwillow before at all. It’s about a 240-280 mile trip from my home in Belmont. While I had a few friends with space for a sport bike in their rigs, or on trailers, my relatively heavy CB11 either put them above their load limits (not advisable when you have to pull/tow across some mountains) or it wouldn’t fit with its relatively long wheelbase and 18 inch wheels.

I’m confident if I put a little more planning and effort into it, I could’ve arranged a sweet ride down with my bike trailered. Truth be told, I didn’t want to miss my cars and coffee early on Saturday morning near Capitola. It’s a delightful ride to the coast wher I get to spend an hour or two with great folks, and amazing cars and bikes. It also puts me 55 mile down the road, mostly south, which is where I need to go, but also a bit west, when I need to be a bit east. No biggie, though. Mostly the right direction, and interesting roads, not the boring interstate. Several of the old car aficionados are avid bike fans, too. Some have impressive riding histories or collections of bikes. Some are active riders, too.

It was late Friday evening when I finished the oil and filter change, thorough chain cleaning, and wash of the bike. I would wipe her dry tonight and warm up the bike and chain in the morning and lube it then.

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It was unseasonably cold when I started out. With my minimal luggage capacity, I throw only the basic clothes and a few tools in my bag. My track boots and leathers won’t fit, so I wear them for the ride, with a windbreaker and firstgear textile pants with the knee protectors removed so they don’t conflict with those already in the leathers. Tending to the chain lubing and checking all the track day packing items, plus dressing in layers for warmth, and donning the bulky leathers and fussy track boots conspired to get me headed out a few minutes later than usual, so my departure was at sun up rather than pre-dawn.

Yes, that’s frost. I don’t expect any sympathy from most in this hemisphere who are experiencing “real” Februaries, but it’s cold by our standards at 37F.

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I’ve yet to complete the transformation of my bike to the touring model, by bungeeing on my little, but oh so handy, Samsonite bag. You can see it on the ground in these pre-takeoff pics. Once that’s affixed, you may refer to my bike as a CB1100 Interstate model.

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Swinging my leg over the bag, with leathers and textile pants is a feat best taken seriously. I’d say a degree of difficulty of 9.5 using standard gymnastics ratings, perhaps higher, corrected for my age.

Now, off to the gas station and over the hill to cars and coffee in Soquel. Crosssing the summit I’ll watch carefully for any signs of water or ice, but there will be neither.

Son-in-law bought a new 2017 Yamaha FJ-09 (from Beechmont, ferret!)...such an exciting day for him! His first bike was a used 2012 Honda CBR250R in 2015 that he’s put over 30,000 miles on. This is a big step up!

Switched from black tank and side cover to red tank and silver sidecovers

A little over two months ago, I traded in my '14 standard...long standing idle issue that I didn't feel like being patient with in time and $$$, coupled with it in need of valve check, tires, oil-n-filter...coupled with great price on a new '17 Triumph Street Twin...4 years free interest, 2 year warranty...it seemed like a decent move at the time.

Took me about two weeks to realize that I didn't like the Twin like I did on the test ride. Maybe I was just excited about the idea of being idle hassle free. 700 miles later and what to do? Ride all summer on a bike I'm not that excited about? Or...go back to a bike I knew I liked?

Did you know previously used RLETs go on rather easy? with 1/2 drop olive oil and 14 seconds in microwave





I've never done a quick vehicle turn-around like that before in my life. But I'm at peace with the decision.

Received my Corbin Gunfighter & Lady seat today and just finished installing it. Off and on much easier than the original seat. One thing I noted is the clearance between the front of the seat and the rear of the tank. Original seat had been scuffing the finish on the tank in that area. As far as comfort, that I will find out in a few miles or so.

Has anyone attempted this on a 2014 Standard?
I was considering sending my header to Jet Hot and thought I would look into this option also.
Haven’t been able to find any 4 into 2’s or rearsets to attach to.
Any ideas or suggestions?

Great philosophical take on riding with buddies.

[url=https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/how-to-be-a-good-riding-buddy]How to be a good riding buddy.

The family is going to Keystone, CO spring break. I rented a snow mobile last year and wasn't that impressed.

I saw these converted motorcycles called timber sleds that look really fun and much more maneuverable than the snow mobile?

Has anyone had any experiences will these?

Timbersled.com

I took my '17 EX in today for a warranty-repair service for the front brakes, which squeal every time I come to a slow, gradual stop. Unfortunately, it was pouring down rain this morning, so the dealership said there was nothing they could do today since they can't ride it in the rain. Also, with the pads and rotors and everything being so wet, they wouldn't be able to see anything anyway.

He offered to clean the pads and rotors, no charge.

The first rather ominous sign that this might turn into a long, drawn-out saga is when he presented a repair order showing a $109 charge, which he explained wouldn't come into play today, but could come into play whenever they can get a dry day and a proper look into the problem. He said, "Honda doesn't warranty noises, which they consider to be a symptom of normal wear and tear. There has to be a manufacturer's defect in the parts or construction before Honda will cover something under warranty."

Uhhh, no. "Noises" that shouldn't be there are generally good indicators that something is amiss, and a case of squealing brakes a week or two into a bike's life (which is when my brakes started squealing) is definitely not an example of "normal wear and tear."

He also wondered whether the original dealership failed to clean off the Cosmoline from the rotors during the Pre-Delivery Inspection process. He had no reason to suspect this, he admitted. He was simply offering up possible causes.

Checking the weather, it shows the possibility of rain every day for the next couple of weeks, so we won't be able to address this issue again for a decent while. During the ride home the front brakes were still squealing. Cleaning the pads and rotors didn't fix the problem.