RC1237V

^ Yes, and plenty of you tube videos to prove it!

Ouch! Thank goodness there was no oncoming traffic in your driveway! Crashed my Tenere, and DRZ both in 2021. Luckily each bike only had a few scratches, DRZ was hot-shoeing on knobbies, and Tenere was on knobbies in the wet. Embarrassingly enough the Tenere crash was on a VFRD ride . The crash bars are now broken in... You will get over it, and know what not to do next time. Glad you were not seriously injured!

If I had half the knowledge, and 1% of the patience of Danno and Grum, I would be so much further ahead on all my bikes...😬

Nice! I used the Corbin soft luggage on mine before I eventually got the hard bags. Very similar to the Ogio, and I think it was only around $350 for all 3 bags... of course that was in 2015. Prices seem to be going way up on everything nowadays. All 4 bags have zippers and can expand another 30% ~ 50% - It looks like those have the same feature.

Like above, I just make sure I'm on the base circle of the cam for the lifter I am adjusting. Never paid attention to that other stuff, unless I'm setting cam timing, then it's very important! I remember it not being that bad of a job, but it was hard to get the feeler gauges in there sometimes, and access for tools was tight.. My intakes were spot-on, exhaust needed a micro-adjust, but it was easy once you "learn" how much to turn the adjuster to make a difference, including tightening the jam nut. Take your time, and only have beer when you're done 😜

Yes, good to get back together with you guys! Once it turned dry Mason and I tore it up in an effort to scrub off the rain soaked misery! My gear did it's job, and the Tenere took it like a champ, the left crash bar is scuffed, as well as the left hand guard - no damage to the plastics! Will be riding quite a bit of offroad on this bike, so it will probably see a few more incidents, hence the crash protection parts. Many on the Tenere forum warned the stock tires have very little lateral grip in loose, and slippery conditions. My wife asked if I was riding offroad because of the amount of mud on my gear😂 and I said, "No that was from me sliding down the road on my arse!" I blame it on the combination of clay spots in the wet road, and knobby tires...😬 Right thumb got sprained, and ribs are sore but I need to go practice on the RC51 for my track day this weekend. I bought a thumb brace, so I hope I can fit it under my glove... gotta get back on that horse!

Ahhh, the Buckhorn, I think that's where Anderson Valley Brewing Co. got started selling their beer. I was there some 23 years ago on our 2nd anniversary. The wife and I had fun passing people in the Porsche, on 128 and then as we were eating, some of them came in. 😂 I started talking to the guy next to me and he was a logging helicopter pilot/mechanic. We started out talking about logging, the spotted owl, and pot farmers in the Emerald Triangle. After many beers we were discussing the rotor mechanism on helicopters. He was probably the guy from Dos Equis, "The most interesting man in the world". Anyway, after too many beers, and taking a leak, I came back out to my seat at the bar and he was gone. My wife and I had a nice dinner, and when we went to pay, they said the helicopter guy paid for everything! Anyway, back on topic - Lauren's looks good, so does the Redwood Drive In, but there is no gas, so we will top up in Gualala. Looks like a fun ride, and yes Noel, bring the multi-strada as you will be much more comfortable. Someday we will get a ride together on the RC51's! Just put new slicks on mine for the track, so no chance I can take it this time. Speaking of time, I hope there is enough to do the Calistoga grade once or twice! Yes, we will keep it easy as cops love to hang out by the reservoir! Looking forward to Saturday!

It seems we may alter the route slightly, let me know if anyone has an issue with this plan.... https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Starbucks,+260+Northgate+One,+San+Rafael,+CA+94903/38.0730286,-122.8013257/38.9511244,-123.6904495/39.1056211,-123.1947838/Middletown/38.431144,-122.7109689/@38.5964413,-123.1647133,9.5z/data=!4m23!4m22!1m5!1m1!1s0x808597855c5e66a1:0x9549eb33c08a807d!2m2!1d-122.5474664!2d38.0079433!1m0!1m0!1m5!3m4!1m2!1d-122.71858!2d38.8689929!3s0x80840ab5abad059b:0x6da26b4ced0a8b09!1m5!1m1!1s0x80846e6d7ee4150d:0x95901ec08cdfba97!2m2!1d-122.6149853!2d38.7524045!1m0!3e0?hl=en

I will bring the Tenere, and the 1200 as a friend will most likely be joining us 😁

Saturdays are good for me, and Sundays too, if it's not too late in the day..... I better start practicing on the 1200 as I have not ridden it more than 5 minutes at a time since getting the Tenere 😕 The VFR 1200 has the Spiegler supermoto bars on it, and jumping from the Tenere to the 1200, feels as weird as jumping from the 1200 to the RC51...

I rode Calistoga Grade (twice) and Skaggs Springs Road last weekend, and thought of you guys! Took highway 1 home, and was riding the Tenere like a supermoto. Lent my buddy the 1200, which was great in the beginning of Skaggs, but once you pass the bridge, it's 40 miles of nothing but turns! Owning the T700 makes me realize that 75 hp really is enough for almost every type of riding I do. Everything above that is just excess, but this is 'Merica, and who doesn't love excess! 😆

Well, after 1,200 miles of on and off road riding I still like this bike. For it's intended purpose, it's probably 8.5 - 9 out of 10. It is not a dirt bike, and it is not a touring bike, but it is a great mid-sized adventure bike. You can really hustle this thing around once you get the suspension dialed in, but like most bikes, it's a bit on the soft side, but not too bad. The engine makes way more low end torque than you would believe a 700 could, and the midrange punch is decent. It falls flat on it's face above 7K so no need to rev it unless you are trying to get past a car, or through a corner before shifting. Yamaha could have given it just a bit more top end, but it will keep me from revving it excessively, as it does not produce any more power, just spins the engine faster. Gas mileage is ok for the way I ride it, but could probably get 50+ mpg if I rode it a little easier. Range is decent at about 170 the way I ride. Seat is grippy and comfy, but a weird shape that splays your inner thighs so it makes it tough for shorty's like me to touch the ground. Bars and controls are all good, maybe a smidgen below Honda quality, but only just. Offroad the bike works well, and may even be a bit over-powered as 70hp in the dirt is easy to get into trouble. The low-end is so strong, you have to be careful over bumps so you don't whiskey throttle. Hooks up nicely when pointed straight, and can throttle steer it almost as good as the DRZ. - has more power, but it's heavier. Feels balanced and easy to maneuver, except when going really slow, it gets a bit heavy/awkward. You can cook along fire roads with ease even on the stock tires. It does not have as much compression braking, and weighs more than the DRZ, so going downhill requires more skill. Need to learn how to feather the rear brake with the front, with the ABS off, as it's useless on all but flat hard packed dirt roads. Plenty of room for luggage and a passenger, wife and I rode it to Carmel for lunch last weekend. Saturday was interesting, did an endo, had a HUGE front end slide, a good sized rear end slide, and lived through all of them. The front slide left a 30 foot skid crossing into the other lane. 90 degree right hander uphill up to an intersection, must have hit some oil, or debris while fully leaned over and the front end tucked. The front wheel stopped moving as the bike was leaned and bars were opposite lock. Once the front tire grabbed and I was upright, I had to brake with full ABS as I was headed for a T intersection in full pucker mode. I knew I was coming to a stop sign within 100 feet, so I wasn't hauling ass, still have no idea what caused it, but there were some dark black spots, so maybe it was fresh oil that started the slide, and the front tucked until it wiped the oil off, then gripped. Reminded me of off-roading on the DRZ in the Sierras during winter when I hit ice, and the front end went one way, and the rear went another. All in all, a great bike with a great 70hp engine, and decent suspension for on and off road riding, as well as light-medium touring. IMHO the few misses from Yamaha are: Blinkers are the cheapest flimsiest I have ever seen on a bike Seat shape is weird if you have large thighs, or thigh muscles Gas cap comes off with key in it - prone to dropping while fueling up - SHOULD BE HINGED! Slightly wider ratio transmission would be better - a bit lower 1st, and higher 5th and 6th Slightly larger gas tank would be nice Tubeless wheels would have been great! Upgrades so far: Seat Concepts Seat Tusk Rear Side and Top Racks and Textile Panniers Nelson Rigg Tail Bag Nelson Rigg Tank Bag Windshield adjuster brackets - to move it up and down 4" Ultra Wide Pivot Pegs Tusk Supermoto High Fender Kit Acerbis Hand Guards Oxford Heated Grips Flip-up Gas Cap Adventure Spec Aluminum Crash Bars Tech Spec Tank Grippers Headlight Protector - Headlight is only sold as a unit, and is over $500 Battery Tender Pigtail Still to do: Tail Tidy LED Blinkers Someday: ECU Flash Exhaust Front and Rear Suspension

They could also be the collars that hold the headlight on. In both cases the collars go through a rubber bushing, and a bolt/screw goes through the collar, thus making the item "rubber mounted".

They look like the radiator mounting collars...