I've said before that I fully intend to do some long trips on my 2014 DLX. With that goal in mind, I've already added the OEM luggage rack, relocated the turn signals back to the the license plate bracket (to make room for larger saddlebags), fitted Motech engine guards, had the tank protected with clear film, added fork gators, electrical leads for heated jacket and battery tender, and last but not least, a Comet II road fairing.

The only two pieces left that I had thought about were heated grips and perhaps something with the seat. I have electric glove liners, but they're no fun to wrestle with and add a fair amount of bulk -- enough so that they're fatiguing if you're caught in traffic at all. The stock seat on the DLX is actually fine; I'd give it a B for touring and I could easily put in 4-5 hours of saddle time before serious discomfort settled in. The thing is...I want to be able to put in a full day of riding with NO discomfort. Is that too much to ask?

So Friday, I had I90 Motorsports install the Honda OEM heated grips. They even saved my Grip Puppies from my stock grips and put those back on for me. The install looks clean, everything works great, as it should. It takes a minute or so for the heat to soak through the neoprene but once it does, my hands were cookin'! It was 37 degrees when I rode home from the shop, with plain uninsulated elkskin gloves on, and I had to turn the grips down to medium after a mile or two! So far, so good!

The seat...many riders have heard of [url=http://www.richscustomseats.com/]Rich's Custom Seats in Kingston, Washington. Rich is a legend, especially among the Iron Butt crowd. He has been custom fitting seats for years for customers who come to him from all over the world. My wife and I made appointments to go see him since he's only a short ferry ride away from us in Seattle. We got there yesterday morning around 9:30, and were done around 3. Not a short day, but well worth the wait and the price.

Rich loved my wife's new Indian Scout, but he really LOVED the CB! He was kind of in awe of it and vowed to maintain the original spirit of the seat and preserve the lines of the bike as much as possible. He even reused the original cover, adding just a few inches of extra material around the base. I'm rambling too much. Pictures!

First, before and after shots. The stock seat:


The upgraded seat, from a few different angles:





Here are a couple shots of the work they did on the Scout. Fine craftsmanship!



Rich and his team are incredible. He interviews you, asks about your concerns, watches you get on and off the bike, carefully makes marks on the stock foam as he goes, sends you out for a test ride and asks for feedback. The process is thorough and the results outstanding. Before putting the revised covers back on, he even strategically inserts gel pads right where he has determined your "sit bones" would create pressure points with stock foam. He allowed me to take a few shots around his shop while we were waiting...you have to check out the cool Enfield with sidecar that he built:






I came away very impressed with Rich and his operation. I can't wait to put the new seat to the test with some nice long adventures! My wife loves her new seat too, the stock Scout seat was a bit of a problem for her, but she says what Rich did was like magic.

Anyway, I think I'm all set for touring now. There is literally nothing else I need, other than some warmer weather and a little vacation time. In 2016 we're talking about going down the Pacific Coast Highway, maybe Eastern Oregon, maybe Canada...who knows!!
- Karl

May be dumb question, but no issues in only replacing front tire? I am @ ~6500 miles and it looks like I should change the front. Had the stock tires on her, thinking of going with the Michelin PR3 front. Any issues with just replacing the front?

Hey... I'm Puerto Rican, anything below 70*F feels kinda' Artic to me.

Looking to buy motorcycle cover for winter. It is under the carport. Looking for something inexpensive. I never cover it during full on riding season, but in winter I am looking for something. Thoughts?

This morning's ride was on my ST over to a lake I like to ride to. Round trip is about an hour and a half. I usually ride there, drink a cup of tea while staring at the lake and whatever bike I'm on, the bird life and usually the people. There is a single picnic table I grab to sit at.

This morning it was nippy, in the 40's, so I knew no one would be at the beach and I indeed had the place to myself

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I was about 3/4 of the way thru my thermos of tea and heard a noise. I looked up and saw a car coming.. then 2, 3 4 and finally 5. All close together and coming pretty fast thru the curves that lead to the parking lot.

At first I thought rats, there goes my quiet morning. Then I noticed all the cars were the same. Ended up it was the Queen City Mini's or something like that out for a run before the rain that was coming this afternoon.

[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/ST%20ride%20Nov%2021%202015%20005_zpslwxhqhok.jpg.html]

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I finished my tea and then on my way out stopped and talked to them for awhile. Nice folks. Cool little cars. Must have all had custom exhausts they sounded like mini Ferrari's or something. Looked like fun. Not as fun as a motorcycle but fun none the less.

Oh and here's an interesting sky shot pic from last night's ride, right at dusk

[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/ST%20ride%20Nov%2020%202015%20006_zps5ea5qoa4.jpg.html]




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Just wondering if anyone has actually dropped their CB with the Skid Pads installed? If so, what were the results? I am thinking of getting them but not sure they will give enough coverage?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/137039561@...res/hP825f

So I was fiddling around on the web today and ran across an ad for Yoshimura RS-3 slip on muffler on sale for less than $300 in stainless steel. Sounds like a great deal but someone tell me why I should have one of these things? How much louder are they versus the 4 to 1 exhaust on a 2014 Std? What do I gain by having one? Can the factory heat shield be used on the Yoshie? What about the factory Co2 sensor? Will the fuel/air ratio need to be modified? Any other points to consider? I've had my share of exhaust burns on my bare legs with a 1100 Cruiser during the warm months. Don't want that ever again. Thanks.

I attempted a very slow but sharp U-turn on the Blue Ridge Parkway without informing my passenger of what I was about to do. No good thing was about to happen. I got the bike stopped but it still hit the ground on the left side. No one was hurt. I have now come to this forum looking for advise on what I should do if anything. My biggest questions are (1) can I replace this cover myself and is that advisable? (2) Can this affect my warranty and/or my extended warranty? (3) When that cover is removed does such a removal allow engine oil to drain out? (4) Are there any other reasons to have this replaced or just leave it as is.

Ok and yes I now know why so many forum members purchase engine guards.

[url=http://s651.photobucket.com/user/activedirt/media/CB%20second%20half/Sratched%20CB_zpssbfds9vi.jpg.html]

While cleaning the CB I noticed a label on the rear tire that read “for rear use only”. Hmmmm. Next step was the habitual web search looking for information. The result of that search was as expected, the good the bad and the ugly.

The purpose of this post is to ask if we have members in this forum that have significant and informed knowledge of this rear tire - front tire only issue? So far I have found that: (1) not all tires are made such that the front is different than the rear, (2) the internal structure is different (but no real technical believable details were listed), (3) the tread design is often different. Like all or our esteemed members I can search and read but with the experience level and depth of motor bike knowledge floating around this forum I recon some real meaty details could come forward (where the rubber meets the road so to speak).

So I put a new Bestem top box on about a week ago. The box was really priced reasonable and I was impressed with its looks, however the first time I tried it out I noticed the top rattled when going over bumps. So I experimented with putting rubber around the lid to prevent the rattle. I tried several places to put the rubber stripping and tried each out. I pretty much eliminated the rattle after about 3 tries.

However on the last try I ran over a nice size bump to be sure it was tight with no rattle. When I went over the bump (not to big of a bump) I heard a louder rattle than ever. Then there was quiet, I glanced in the mirror as the box hit the road surface and bounced into a ditch. I guess with all the putting it on and taking it off, the last time it wasn't fastened securely. Dang it! Brand new box toast I thought. I turned around when I could and tried to find whatever was left of it. Took me a while but I found it. I was surprised to see the lid was still closed. When I got to it, it appeared to be in one piece. I inspected it, it had a bunch of scratches, but otherwise was intact. I put it back on and made sure it was latched on securely this time. Rode back home, checked how the lid functioned, except for the scratches it worked fine. I got some black gloss enamel paint I had and touched up the scratches. From 3 feet away you can't tell it was damaged. So I can safely say the inexpensive Bestem top box in a pretty tough box.

From now on when I put it on I'll make sure it is latched on securely. I've been riding 50 years now and that was the first luggage I've lost. So be sure to check your top box latching real good every time to put it on. I would have never thought that would happen. Luckily there was no traffic behind me.