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Thought I’d share some info and photos.
Honda offers quite a few accessories. Here’s a list of what I plan on.
- LED Fog Lights
- Luggage rack & LED brake light
- Trunk light
- Side accent lights
- Upper & Lower wind deflectors
- Saddle bag & trunk liners

Don’t have all the parts yet. Some are back ordered (no surprise, and I’ve got plenty of time before the snow & salt clears)

Started by taking the seat off. The power cord is short. Fortunately the connector came apart easily.

[url=http://s1231.photobucket.com/user/VWMX5Ray/media/7640DF59-3EF1-4B6E-8C5B-C44A73A01FFC_zpsfval27lm.jpeg.html]

Honda sells carpet liners for the saddle bags and trunk. Kinda pricey, so I thought I’d make some out of left over trunk carpet.
Made some templates out pieces of paper taped together.

[url=http://s1231.photobucket.com/user/VWMX5Ray/media/D9328F5E-5E24-4B1F-9992-039A4A23373E_zpshytvtqqc.jpeg.html]

Trunk

[url=http://s1231.photobucket.com/user/VWMX5Ray/media/0033D7A2-C3B2-46C2-8D4F-9848D4CCBCA1_zpsvofwgb1s.jpeg.html]

The carpet set was okay, but when I spotted a rubber fender cover...
Deb says I’m having way too much fun

[url=http://s1231.photobucket.com/user/VWMX5Ray/media/D0B3F504-5FB2-44C4-916D-396DB32FF17F_zpsh4sohbaw.jpeg.html]

Left saddle bag

[url=http://s1231.photobucket.com/user/VWMX5Ray/media/16B2242A-5652-4F85-8393-E64E99C7A6C6_zpsirtirjzq.jpeg.html]

Well, today was certainly interesting. Woke up to another sheet of ice but only on the roads and drive this time. Weather terrorists never said anything about this. It was supposed to be sunny and near 40 today. Bunch of schools closed. Kept an eye on my driveway and by 2 pm, as usual, it looked good enough to get out. Get about 1/2 mile down the road, and suddenly all the way across the road in a shady spot it was still ice covered (actually there were 3 spots but this one was the biggest, probably 40 feet long?). Made me stop and go "Oh Sh....crap". Put my feet out like outriggers and slowly rode straight thru. Whew. After that piece of cake. Got in 71 miles. Oh had to cross it on my way back home too but wasn't skeered by then lol



also turned over this on today's ride on the ST

Since I now have two bikes, I offered a buddy at work a day's ride out on both bikes, swapping back and forth. He's a novice rider, having logged barely any miles on the street. He's done very little freeway time, and even less time on twisty mountain roads. He briefly owned a 2000 VFR800 but never rode it anywhere except the one freeway slog home from the Bay Area, and a few days of commuting three miles to work on surface streets.

A couple of years ago he borrowed his cousin's clapped-out Sportster 1200 and a beat-up KTM dual-sport to join me on two exploratory rides to Mosquito Ridge. In both instances he hated the bikes he was riding, so he didn't really enjoy the rides.

Today promised to be different. He would have his choice between a brand-new '17 CB1100 EX and a thoroughly dialed XSR900, so he at least knew that he would be on two safe, well-running bikes.

He's 5'11", 250 lbs, so I adjusted the suspension accordingly on both bikes. Because the XSR has so much more legroom than the CB, he opted to start out on the Yamaha, figuring it would be more comfortable for him.

I took him on the identical run that I took Eric on a month ago, so we started off in the Sierra foothills west of Auburn. We stopped for lunch at the Mexican place at the corner of Hwy 49 and Combie Rd, and talked about the first leg of the ride. His initial impressions were that the XSR was like a dirt bike, it was so light, maneuverable, and upright. He hadn't expected the seating position to be so upright, which he rather enjoyed. He also loved how light the bike felt, but found the responsiveness of the handling and acceleration a bit unnerving.

"I feel like I totally have to be on my game at all times, on that bike. Coming out of a corner, it's so fast, I don't want to twist the throttle too hard or make any sudden movements. I don't want to hit the brakes too hard, either. It's a blast, but I really have to concentrate all the time."

After lunch, we swapped bikes for Combie Rd and Magnolia Rd, then to Dog Bar Rd up to Grass Valley. When we pulled over in Grass Valley, he was all smiles.

"This thing is so easy to ride! I feel like I can do no wrong on it. The acceleration is so smooth, and it goes exactly where I want it to go, the steering is so easy. Everything is so smooth, it feels like a Cadillac!"

When I offered to swap bikes again for the ride back through the same section and on over to Mosquito Ridge, he didn't hesitate to say that he was fine staying on the Honda.

He loved the beautiful scenery in those hills, with all the ranches and rolling grounds, and I knew he would love Forethill Rd. Whether first-time noob or experienced racer, everyone loves Foresthill Rd. It makes any rider feel like a hero.

Sure enough, when we pulled over at the gas station in Foresthill, he was still thrilled about how he felt making that ride. On the other hand, he was freaked out over how blustery the ride had been down the I-80 freeway to the Foresthill exit. He said the windblast was blowing his head all over the place.

"This thing is horrible on the freeway! That was hard work, trying to stay on the bike with the wind trying to blow my head off."

He hadn't said anything similar following our initial freeway stint to the foothills, back when he was on the XSR. I chalked up that info for later.

Before we left the gas station, I again offered a swap, and again he declined. He wanted to remain on the Honda. We rode down to the bridge on Mosquito Ridge, and, similar to Eric, this section of road proved to be more daunting for my buddy. Still, when we talked at the bridge, he was plenty jazzed about the whole experience. I offered him the swap again for the ride back up from the bridge, and he wanted to remain on the Honda, saying, "Now that I'm getting the hang of this, I want to take another run at it."

I followed him back up through Mosquito Ridge, checking his lines, his braking points, his general behavior on the bike. He was doing great. Being unfamiliar with the road and the bike, not to mention his own skills, he always braked too early and too long, and he didn't accelerate very hard exiting the corners, but overall he was smooth, relaxed, and well under control.

When we arrived back at the gas station in Foresthill, I again offered him a swap for the ride home, only this time I reminded him of how much he disliked the Honda on the freeway, so maybe he'd like the Yamaha better there. He agreed, and we swapped for the ride back down Foresthill Rd.

It was obvious he was enjoying playing with the acceleration, as he actually blew by me a couple of times on the long straights, just for the fun of it. On the final freeway slog home he never dropped below 80 mph, often nuking me in a flash, on his way up to 100 mph.

When we finally pulled into my place, I asked, "What was that?! When did you become such a speed demon on the freeway? I thought you couldn't stand the windblast?"

"I couldn't help it! The power on this thing is just intoxicating. It's sooooo fast! I'm going seventy-five, and when I just barely turn the throttle and look down, I'm already going a hundred! I never even notice the wind. On the Honda, I notice it at anything over seventy. On this thing, I have to be doing at least eighty before I feel anything, but I still don't really notice it. I'm so comfortable, and it just wants to pull. It never stops pulling. I'm telling you, it's totally intoxicating."

That was his new word, 'intoxicating.' He kept using it to describe the feeling of riding the XSR on the freeway.

Earlier, after he'd first ridden both bikes, I'd asked him which did he prefer, and which would he choose if he could only have one?

Without hesitation, he answered, "The Honda. It's just perfect for riding. It makes me enjoy everything; the road, the scenery, the feel of riding...just kicking back and enjoying being on a motorcycle. Plus it's such a special bike."

At a later stop he described the Honda as "Monica Bellucci, like you say. Classy, beautiful, just perfect in every way. You could take her to a formal ball. The XSR is the bad girl, with piercings and tats. All she wants to do is party."

Following his XSR joyride on the freeway, I asked him if he would change his answer, now that he was becoming addicted to the exhilarating power and lightness of the Yamaha.

"Nope, it's still the Honda. The Yamaha is better for certain types of rides, I'm sure, but I'm never going to try to do what you do on that thing. I'm never going to see what she can do in second or third, at ten thousand RPM. The Honda is perfect for everything. She is just so classy and pretty."

Now, I get some of what he felt and said. On the freeway, I also tend to go a bit faster on the Yamaha, despite its more upright seating position. It's that tiny windshield I added. It doesn't look like much, but it makes a significant difference, giving me back the five-to-ten mph I lost when I added the bar risers. That difference is just about the exact difference in comfortable miles per hour that he described: seventy for the Honda; seventy-five to eighty for the Yamaha.

Also, the Yamaha has much more legroom, and he noticed the same issue with his lower back on the Honda that I do, and neither of us have this issue on the Yamaha.

Conversely, while he was a bit intimidated on the Yamaha in the twisties, I found today's ride on the XSR at Mosquito Ridge to be absolutely revelatory. After spending so much time recently on the heavier, less powerful Honda, the Yamaha felt like a race-ready thoroughbred up there this afternoon. I don't think I've ever gone that fast, that effortlessly, before.

It's a mindset thing. Both bikes bring out the best in the other. Ride either one, and you'll appreciate the other that much more each time you swap. The Honda feels like a "high-end Lexus" according to my buddy, and I agree. The more I ride the Yamaha, the more the Honda feels like a precision piece, a luxury sports sedan. On the other hand, he described the Yamaha as a BMW M3, only a bit more stripped down and raw, and I agree there, too. Spend enough time on the Honda and the Yamaha will suddenly feel like an extremely comfortable track bike, just rip-snortin' and rarin' to tear up a twisty mountain road.

I'd begun to feel a bit stale regarding the Yamaha. After today's ride, I have an all new level of respect and fondness for her. She really is a world-class blast.

And yet...

As soon as I hopped back on the Honda for the ride home, I had to agree yet again with my "novice" buddy. The Honda is the one. It's plenty fast, as in seriously fast. Just twist that throttle and get her up above 5K, and she fast-trains you into the next dimension, as pretty as you please. Her suspension is simply sublime. So is her clutch, her throttle response, her braking...all of it.

She's a veritable freakshow of meticulously engineered excellence, wrapped up in the most beautiful finery imaginable.

This XSR could scarcely be better at what she does, yet there isn't the slightest sliver of doubt that the Honda is the One and Only.

I can't believe how good this CB1100 EX is, on so many levels. Even better, I can't believe I actually own one.

Hi All,

I joined up awhile ago hot on the trail for a cb 1100.

Don't know what happened....since.

Well, I kinda had the hots for a bonneville, but all the hipsters here seem to like them used. I've waffled/hesitated and lost out on a few good ones. But bonnevilles abound. They are everywhere here.

so now I might have an opp. to buy a 013 with abs. 8k miles.

Anything I need to know?
Its in the $5k range. It has a few extras like a rack and windshiels. Seems like a good deal but I'd have to buy sight unseen (yeah I know)and have it shipped. There are pics and I am in conversation with the owner but still... I've seen a few here on CL but most don't have abs. My next non-vintage bike will have abs.

It is my understanding that an 013 with abs is kinda rare. Would that have been a dlx model in 2013?

I plan to put bags on it and take a few longish rides (10days). This is my pre-retirement bike. I have 3 vintage Gwings. 2 are saying bye bye.

Thanks for the input!

Spent all afternoon and evening on Friday at the bike show. This is the third consecutive year where I took the afternoon off of work to enjoy the show. On the face of it, this might seem like a waste of a day since I am not in the market for a bike or gear, but I really do enjoy spending that afternoon at the show even though I wander around by myself for much of it. I think that the Chicago version of the IMS coming at almost exactly the midpoint of our riding winter has a lot to do with it.

Typically, I meet up with a group of (mostly) V-Twin riders at Hofbrauhaus before the show for some German food and beer and then we head over to the show and I kind of wander off by myself. This year, because of a major snow storm, I ate some German food and drank some German beer alone. Although, there was an Indian rider on the bar stool adjacent to my own and we had a nice conversation while we noshed on sausages and kraut.





I walked from the restaurant to the convention center, picked up my complimentary ticket (One small perk of being a Progressive Insurance agent is that I get 8 free tickets to this show every year), and headed in. Spent some time with my Progressive rep, got my free coffee mug, t-shirt, and swag bag and commenced to wandering.













I scoped out the new Goldwing, which is way more impressive in person than even in all the videos and photographs I have seen. Spent a lot of time in the vintage bike section, tried on some jackets and gloves, and meandered around for a few hours until Cheryl and some other friends arrived.



Almost bought the Mobile Warming heated jacket, but decided to wait to pull the trigger on it. That was the only item I was seriously going to buy.

Cheryl sat on a bunch of bikes. She really liked the lowered BMW R1200GS and, surprisingly, a couple of Harleys--She'd have the Sporster/Bobber (or whatever it's called) as a second bike, I think. She was shocked and impressed that she could 'fit' on a Wing. It's too expensive, but I bet she test rides one this spring. She sat on the NC700x because The Ferret wanted us to look at it...still too tall for her taste. In the end, the Indian Scout set up for 5'6" and under fit her perfectly and our friend Jennifer (a new rider) liked that one best, too. We will see if the CTX is traded in this year.









After the show, we went for pizza at Gino's East with Cheryl's brother, Mike and Jennifer, and a small group of mostly long-distance rider types. Great pizza and a couple of beers and talk of Iron Butt rides past and to come made for a wonderful end to my day.

Just a few more weeks and the season will be here again. Until then, I have a bag full of bike brochures peruse to while away the time.

Hi,

we are completing this collision repair/ custom build and its looking so nice...

GOT ONE MAJOR ISSUE!!! BIKE DOESNT RUN WITHOUT STOCK GAUGES!

The only info we can really find is it has something to do with the communication line between the ECU and stock gauges.

THERE MUST BE A WAY TO MAKE IT WORK ? RESISTORS ? JUMPERS ?

can anyone help please?

I have attached the images of the bike and its so close to being finished up !!

A recent report on a current affairs show which focused on the impact of distractions on drivers made me wonder about the question of when doing something other than riding or driving is OK. The show looked at mobile phone use, but it raised questions about the dangers of sat nav systems in cars being programmed or adjusted by drivers.

And then there was this exchange:



For those opinionated members frustrated by an inability to ride and in need of something to do, consider the following:

Any activity at all that distracts you from the task of riding or driving poses a hazard that should be avoided.

Discuss with examples of behaviours that you consider dangerous, safe or marginal.

I've seen some photos of '17 non-USA speedos of late and they look so clean with only kilometers...with the miles and kms it looks...busy.

Do USA models have both miles and kms by federal regulations, or is it "in case we ever convert to km"? Just curious.

66 degrees today but too wet to ride and rain projected for all day so I pulled out some of the new parts I accumulated over the winter and got 2 on this morning
Roxx 2 inch risers and black with red trim levers