MBR: (Motor Bike Related)

i got in two great dualsport rides last weekend

sunday ; north van to hope hwy 7 then up hwy 1 to anderson creek FSR . headed east into the hills past the coq , and then to brookmere , tulameen lunch at the coalmont hotel . after lunch headed west back up into the hills , eventually came out onto the coq in a downpour . back to NV on hwy 7 . 800 km

monday : back out hwy 7 , was considering harrison west if i could find a partner at the sasquatch . none showed up so i went with plan B , up hwy 1 to lytton . was going to cross the ferry and go up the west bank to lillooet , but the ferry operators went on a break and the weather was threatening so i carried on up to lillooet . took the road to goldbridge OMGOMGOMG up on the pegs for about an hour or so . . . 70 , 80 , 90 km/h 3rd , 4th gear with zero traffic unbelievable surface . up and over the hurley back home to whistler . 550 km .

i'm looking forward to pushing these adventure rides further north .

very cool skid. I wish I had more free time to add a dual sport to the mix. I find myself lusting after a BMW or triumph 800.

and that new honda….

I had lusted after BMW pretty much all my life , but when I finally had some money to buy a bike I took a long hard look at the type of riding I was actually going to do .

I realized that I couldn't afford to become a BMW customer , and my search eventually led me to a '08 Suzuki DR650 .

surprisingly , I had never been a Suzuki fan , but as it turns out , this is the bike I've needed all my life .

easy to work on , plenty enough power and performance for me , cheap to maintain , huge aftermarket support . . .

when I bought it last September it had 8000 km on it , now has 15000 and I've seen more different parts of BC which is the main reason I got it . made some new friends , too .

Nice work 'skid. Hearing about rides like that makes me want to insure my bike. Exploring is the reason I got a dual sport in the first place. Now I just need to not work so much, and then I can enjoy it.

When I put my bike back on the road we should hook up for a ride.

any time knight' . . . well not quite any time , fri , sat or sunday , monday is good .

i'm into big mile day rides , and would like to start doing some easy single track chilcotin style to get a feel for what the bike is capable of and what my skills can handle .

ultimately , i want to ride to inuvik , but that is a few years off .

right now i want to really get to know the bike , both riding and how to keep the bike on the road from a mechanical standpoint . i just got a centerstand to make chain maintenance and flat repair / tire changes easier .

next thing i need is a rack and then pannier racks and cases or bags .

i'm not a ripper by any means , just like to roll along at a good clip but it's gotta be safety first .

you got a big ktm , right ?

Anyone commute to work on a motorcycle without getting hit by cars/trucks/semis/buses?

Years ago I used to occasionally commute to work on a motorcycle but in the end stopped riding in town due to too many close calls.

When I bought my 690, I had dreams of riding to work……When I rode the first day, I stopped at my usual spot for a coffee. I made it halfway back to my bike when I realized that I couldn't ride my bike and drink a coffee at the same time. It had never even occurred to me before….Shit! I sat on the curb, drank half of it and went to work. I never rode to work again. Now that the weather is getting better, I have been thinking about it recently.

Coincidentally, on wed, from my vantage point at work(on a lift above a sidewalk) I saw a motorcyclist get hit while stopped at a light. It cured me from wanting to ride my bike to work.

I ride with a high viz jacket, and have an orange bike. I still wont ride in Richmond or downtown for fear of my life. People just don't pay attention.

I hear ya knight' . . . I have ridden in the city , and enjoyed the challenge because I don't have to do it every day , but I sure wouldn't want to have to do it all the time .

I drove out to Maple Ridge today to get some keys for a street bike I bought and the cops had a lane of the lougheed highway blocked off for most of the afternoon and sure enough a street bike was parked at the side of the road. I hope the rider is ok, but it sure seemed like a long time to have multiple cop cars at a scene and a one lane blocked off.

Lots of people drive motorcycles daily and they can be pretty safe, but one sure needs to take extra caution for their own safety.

strange as it seems , it is actually one of the aspects of moto that i find most engaging . it takes the experience of all my years of riding bicycles around the city , and takes it to hyper-awareness .

you are constantly scanning every thing around you , anticipating the " what ifs " , assessing escape lines , adjusting travel lines ; i don't think i've ever done an activity where your concentration is taxed to the same degree , mainly because you are making critical spot decisions based on what the other road users " might " do .

higher speeds = bigger stakes

You can be as aware as you want, but you often cannot stop in time regardless. I was hit by a 19 yo girl in a borrowed car from out of town. She turned left into me, just didn't see me.

I love riding on the street, just make sure your life allows it. For me, I'm gonna take a break until my two kids grow up and my mortgage is paid off.

just make sure your life allows it. .

Man I see a lot of guys out there riding like they just don't care if it does or not.

I briefly had a street bike, but got rid of it. I wanted to be around for my kids.

Dont hang out in blindspots and defend your lane. I am very comfortable on my 1985 shadow vt1100c because it seems people can actually see me. My 1993 xt350 on the otherhand seems invisible, thankfully very nimble to get out in a pinch.