From what? You're retired.
I sometimes take Sunday off from a blog post, but that moved to Monday (yesterday) this week. The weather was cold and windy, and I went down "the black hole" of YouTube. I started by looking at a couple motorcycle videos, which turned into "a little kid looking at the Sears Toy Catalog" at Christmas.
I can picture myself on most two-wheel conveyances. Some make more sense to me than others, but it doesn't really matter... one bike at a time for me and I'm not ready to give up the Vespa; it is just easy and fun. Which led me to looking at DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission) bikes, which means: Honda, 'cause they are the only ones using that technology on motorcycles. Fortunately, Honda dealers are not able to get their hands on a Honda 1100 Rebel... well, not fortunate for them, but it works out for me. I'm afraid if I ever got a test ride on one, I would be seriously conflicted due to that "one bike at a time" situation I'm in.
Doing more YouTube diving on the DCT, led me to the Honda CTX 700... which came out in 2014 and was available with DCT. Hmmm... that looks interesting; similar technology on a whole different kind of bike... the fairing looks nice, good wind protection... the DCT technology is dated compared to the latest versions. Doesn't matter, 'cause: one bike at a time.
Oh, look - a BMW GS. That's a big, heavy bike designed for off road use that costs about the same as a typical compact SUV, and much like that SUV, it isn't going to taken off road. What? BMW makes a "little GS"?? Oh, look at those videos. Hey, that makes more sense. Well, except for the part where it has no onboard storage and you lose that carefree idea of a DCT. But, you can take it off road for some adventures and it will still do highway duty... yeah, that's cool.
In the meantime, due to the crappy weather yesterday, I only got out for a walk late afternoon. So much for "adventure." ;-) Well, there was a bit of adventure when I took Rufus out for a walk in the wind - he surprised me by actually taking a bit of a walk. No, I got him out the door before it was deemed necessary for him to put on a sweater.
All the way up to 64º today, still some gusty north wind, but not as strong as yesterday. There may be some two-wheel time.
2 comments:
Back in the day in Alaska we rented a GS-1100 for a weekend because Alice was interested in moving up from her K-75 (a great bike). Running it up and down a twisty mountain gravel road to the ski area, I was able to comfortably maintain average 35-40 mph. Out of curiosity, I swapped back to my Gold Wing 1500 and ran the same road, same day. I could handily go ~10 mph faster with more control and comfort. Granted, the Wing's Tupperware was rattling quite a bit on that rough road but the Gold Wing handled it marvelously. She did the same and agreed. That was the end of the GS experiment.
One day I might try riding a scooter, but I'm quite a big load for one of those. It is not clear that my big feet and long legs will fit. We have pretty much given up riding now, and vicariously enjoy your rides and videos.
Hey Captain Jim,
My dad follows your blog, and started after considering getting an RV after retirement, or possibly trying out a house boat. I guess he corresponded with you quite a bit for some tips and trading ideas. He will sometimes tell me about your motorcycle posts and talks about how you ride Iron Mountain Road nearly every day when you're staying in the Black Hills. Today he mentioned you posted about a GS, so I thought I should check it out! It's one of the bikes I considered when I was wanting a little more than my Yamaha Super Tenere.
I ended up going with a KTM 1290 Super Adventure S, and it's just an insane bike that I don't think I'll ever find its limits outside of a track. I'd probably go for the GS over the KTM in terms of comfort, though. The KTM is fairly sporty for an ADV touring bike. You also mentioned checking out the DCT bikes from Honda. I've heard mostly good things about the DCT, but have never demoed one. The new NT1100 looks like a nice sport touring option, if the Africa Twin feels a little too off-road biased for your tastes. Honda makes a great bike. If you make the change back to a larger bike some day, I'd be interested to see what that ends up being!
I get out to the Black Hills to ride a couple of times per year, typically. Just a few short hours drive from Sioux Falls, SD and one of my favorite places to ride. If you ever do spring for that new bike, maybe I'll catch you out in the hills one of these seasons! I have a YouTube channel that is mostly for my own enjoyment, and it makes it easy for me to upload, store and share my videos with friends and family. I don't advertise it much, except for people who I know enjoy two wheels and the Black Hills. I've been watching these videos again to help cope with the miserable SD winter cold. Maybe they will make you miss SD and the Black Hills...although I'm sure you're happy in TX during these winter months! Take care, and be safe!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiwftX0csChicGpWCHK5ZOA
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