St. Stephen

+1 mello dude. To be spread on toast. Not to my taste, but superior to cooked tomato...for brekkie! 😄

Good points Cogs. A comprehensive review of U.S. vehicle registration data today would probably show that the average age of a currently titled, licensed and insured VFR is many years older than it was in, say, 2010. And therefore VFRD follows that trend, creeping towards the fun (and necessity) of maintaining and improving VFR's versus riding. And, VFRD has experts. Lots of them! New owners come here to learn and fix. I sometimes compare VFRD to the RC-51 forums I visit. These forums still have great useful information for my bike, but I do feel them slowly fading into the "histor

Had not seen that, thanks Duc. Definitely has implications beyond the AT, particularly smaller displacement bikes.

ShipFixer, couldn't agree with you more. The original Multistrada was one of the ugliest bikes of all time, with the breadbox fairing, and I continue to be embarrassed about all the criticism I hurled in its direction back then--not because it wasn't justified, just that I now own one.

As expected, Ducati has rolled out an 1158cc V4 for the next Multistada. The surprise is normal valve actuation--springs not desmo. Have to think that over the next year or two there will be a Ducati that looks and feels very much like the 8th gen VFR. C'mon Honda!

Thanks for taking the time to write this up and post the photos. As I may have already mentioned, your niece might be too cool right now to say how great this trip was, but in five or 10 years this will probably be one of the great adventures of her life story. Nice bike also!

Captain, I am an admirer, might pay $30 just for a tour of your garage and all those great bikes! So... ...your comment got me thinking: Features that make riding better but wrenching worse. How dumbed-down can a bike be and still be fun (for me) to ride? VFRD has creeped oh-so-slightly towards wrenching and away from riding in my 10+ years on Miguel's creation. Maybe bicycles (for example, I am not a bicyclist) aren't fun to work on because they are not complex enough--is there a complexity sweet spot? My two bikes are each at the opposite ends of t

Do not--I repeat--DO NOT--ask Grum for help if you don't have a multimeter handy! OK, maaaaybe a tire change, but still.

+1!

(spoilers here) Fun seeing the young guns at the front, although I was hoping for Vale to hang onto 3rd. Also fun to see some fans. I think there was even one guy who wasn't rooting for Rossi. And the opposite of Rossi (best on Sunday) is his teammate. This has been going on for years now. And Mr. Consistency is leading the championship!

Great write-up FromMaine, brought me back to my New England riding days. With me in western MA, my brother (ancient K75) living between Augusta and Belfast, and my best riding buddy (new bike every other year: 5th gen, 6th gen, FJR, ST4...) in Lexington MA, I spent a lot of time on those roads. One summer near the Maine coast we noticed that the rear Dunlop on my 6th gen was now a slick. Emergency calls led me to the Harley dealer on Rt. 3 just east of Augusta. Got me in and out in an hour, cheap, one of my best dealer experiences ever. You just never know.

one more epic Sierra photo of the north bay hooligans, couldn't resist:

Yup, we need to do a Sierra overnight next year. I think our old crew's biggest issue--or at least mine!--was being too lazy to call a ride. Either Brian or Jeff would organize everything or it didn't happen. Jeff has disappeared (to Morocco all year?) and Brian has turned into a Ducati guy (what could be worse? 😉). Anyway, you make me want to buy a DR or small KTM, looks like fun!

C'mon man, those bikes are waaaay too clean! (great photos though)

Good point about Ducati dealers. Mine is only 25 minutes south of me in San Rafael, but I believe that the next dealer north is in Portland! And wow, they do charge a premium! There is just this assumption that if you buy a Ducati you are filthy rich or willing to spend the rent on bike, service and accessories. Quoted me 50% more for a set of tires out the door compared to my independent guy down the street, for example. I'm sure you will be very happy with the boxer BMW. Five years ago I spent two weeks riding an R1200RT, one of the first liquid cooled boxers, and wa