First real ride of the season...

 A sunny Sunday, and a freshly-serviced bike meant it was time to get back into the saddle and go for a ride!
Today's offering did not disappoint.

Read about it HERE.

Ready for the new season...

 Winter officially began today...here in this corner of BC we should experience a few snowfalls, much rain and a few days of frigid Arctic cold.
I'm usually riding again by mid-February, and hope that 2024 is no different from the others.

With that in mind, I set upon replacing my rear-spring yesterday. Installation was fairly easy and straight-forward...I took pointers from the many YouTube videos and had the installation completed within a couple of hours. Replacing all of the plastics took longer than rebuilding the shock!

So now, I have a re-sprung bike....a rear carrier...and re-located footpegs.

I think I'm ready for the season!

Slowly but surely.

 I really should take some pics of this new ride...

I've started working on this check list below...fabricated a rear rack for this one that will serve as a base for my top case, which also serves as a backrest for the passenger. I built the rack using some ¼" thick PVC plastic, then a wooden deck, supported by aluminum angle. Each one of these materials was specifically chosen for its ease of use and "workability".

Shortly after bringing the bike home, I ordered a stiffer rear spring and am waiting for my insurance to expire, before installing it. I manufactured a spring compressor just for this task and can't wait to try it out...

I also manufactured some Footpeg Extension Brackets as seen in these photos.

They move the footpegs DOWN and BACK about 4 inches and the wife says it feels much better than the stock position. After posting these photos in forums, I got a few other examples that others designed for their bikes...so this may not be a finished product yet...

...observations.

 

As to be expected...this new Rally has a few bugs that I'll need to work out. Since it is already mid-September, this year's riding season will be coming to an end soon (although I usually ride all year long) and I'll have the opportunity to make modifications through the Fall/Winter seasons.

First up:
Rear rack...Can't even carry my lunchbox to work the way it is, so I am crafting a rack for a Top case. This was a necessary step for every bike I've ever owned, so this isn't a big deal.

Suspension...When they said the suspension was "plush"...they meant it. Rider sag is around 30%, without full riding gear, so this is definitely something that will need to be addressed. This was the same for every other bike as well, from the mighty DR650 to the tiny TW200...all of them needed suspension upgrades to handle a passenger.

Foot pegs...This one, I wasn't ready for. Stock position for passenger footpegs on this Honda is too high and too far forward.. I'm going to have to come up with some "Tree" type footpeg-lowering brackets in order to accommodate my passenger, but due to the design of the stock pegs, this might prove to be a bit challenging.

Aside from that, there seems to be enough power to handle a pillion...as if there was enough "power" in a TW...

A new age....

I purposely deleted all the posts I had concerning the BMW F650 that I had purchased in March.
To make a long story short, I was sold a piece of junk from someone who likely knew what he was getting rid of.
I did my usual pre-purchase inspection and found a couple of minor issues...it wasn't until I got it home and did some "preventive maintenance" that I began to see how neglected this one was. There were issues from the tailpipe to the wheel-bearings...all of which I repaired. Then came an annoying little low-speed stumble that I tried to fix, without success...I purchased carb kits, new ignition leads and spark plug sockets...a new voltage regulator, even a new battery...but still couldn't get it to run properly. No matter where I went for advice and assistance, I got the same familiar chorus: "These models are usually so bullet-proof!"
I ended up taking it to a shop in Vancouver and the guy was able to get it running decently again. In total, I spent about $1000 to get it going, but by then I had lost all patience and trust in this thing, so I got rid of it. The new owner got himself a decent bike...and when all the math was done, I had basically sold my functional TW for under $2000.

So...yesterday, I pulled the trigger on the purchase of a brand new 2023 Honda CRF300L Rally...similar to the one seen here:

Went to the dealer with intention of getting a plain-old CRF300L, but then took the bait at his offer. The difference between the two models?
Rally comes with:
Larger fuel tank
Engine skid plate/armour
Windscreen
More fairing
Better brakes
Better seat
Dealer claims they have slightly better suspension, but I don't think so.

Looking forward to spending some quality time in the seat.

...the end of an age?

 February 16, 2023.

Today, I sold my 2008 TW200. I will no longer be doing any "single track" and I yearn for the day-long trips that I read about...so with this sale, there will be no more TW's finding a home in my garage.

Just as it happened last time, I'm sure there will come days when I miss the old girl...she was as reliable as the sunrise and very dependable. Unfortunately, over the last year, it's limitations have become glaringly obvious, even though they were already known.
Highway-use was unsafe and impractical...I know there are some that do it, but I'm not one of them. 
On our trip to the Okanagan last summer, our trip was to take us over the mountain and into Beaverdell, for some more KVR exploration but the return trip would have necessitated MORE logging road, in order to avoid the highway...IMPRACTICAL...and this is only one instance where this has been an issue.

So, I will be going to a larger model, something I won't be so willing to ride onto a quad trail, but will carry me hundreds of miles in a day.

Looking forward to this season.

Update on the CT90

Haven't really mentioned Cheryl Tiegs lately....but that's a good thing!
Since I finally got her running properly back in May...I've been doing some minor tweaking here and there. I decided to splice a new hi-voltage lead into the ignition circuit, so I ordered an NGK version and I have to admit it looks pretty sharp with the bright red boot and all. Threw in a new spark plug for good measure.
A few weeks later, I ordered a bullet-connector kit to replace some of the OEM connectors that have seen better days. Only did a few so far, but they were fairly easy to do...wanted to solder them, but didn't really need to after all.
One thing I am definitely going to need is a new battery in the future...I don't know how old this one is.

I also ordered a new set of points and condensor, since everybody in forums told me I should replace those. The points that I was sent were the wrong type, so I had to file down the old ones to make them work properly...but at least I got a new condensor in there now!

Wife and I took the old girl for some off-roading in late September....the only problem I could notice was that irritating little off-idle bog, when shifting gears....I'll get to the bottom of that one of these days.

Otherwise, she ran like a trooper...it was only a 25 mile ride, but it's something that we've NEVER done as a couple before.
Sure....she was a little apprehensive and nervous, but I let her set the pace- even if it was only 15 mph - and we had a great day of riding together.