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I had to go to Melbourne to pick up my I load that ended up down there, so what a better way than to jump on my trusty vfr and make a holiday out of it. Saturday dawned a bit overcast but that wasn’t going to dampen my enthusiasm. Headed out of Sydney and towards Goulburn, then to get off the main hwy turned right with no real plans of where to go other than south ,sort of. I did have 5 days to do the 1000km. Then it rained and rained did I mention it rained, my plans for a dirt run to Melbourne were washed away ( I may be silly ,but I’m not stupid) Heading for I don’t really know where at this stage , Boorowa appeared on a road sign , sounds good for breakfast. The clouds disappeared along with a large feed of bacon and eggs , let’s go. Wee jasper sounds nice . Beautifully winding roads to wee jasper and about 10 km of dirt. Camped at wee jasper for the night ,looked at the map and decided to tackle the 65 km of dirt to TUMUT. What a nice scenic road , a bit cut up to start with ,then widens out into a typical country road . The vfr even with its load handled it with ease , I do have suspension built by Jamie , so I’m sure that helps. These bikes just give you so much confidence in there ability to shrug off everything you throw at them. Spent the night at Jindabyne after an awesome run through the snowy mountains. Now onto The Barry Way , this road gets you through the mountains with fantastic scenery and steep drops on one side and rock walls on the other for part of it , and only 100 km of dirt , some of it single lane. I recommend doing this ride , it’s not wilderness ,when I stopped to take a photo a Toyota Corolla drove by lol ( and I thought I was playing adventure bike). When I arrived in Melbourne the van wasn’t ready , devastated I headed into the Dandenong ranges for brisk run through the mountain roads . The locals told me about a camping spot which worked out fine. Next morning at a local cafe for breakfast 4 hwy patrol officers in two unmarked cars pulled in, I casually asked them where I should ride ,their response took me a bit by surprise “ don’t head down that way , we patrol that road ,you are better off going over that way “ . What I nice bunch. I followed the advice and had a great ride with the road to myself . Unfortunately the van was ready , time to go home . Loading the bike in the back of the van didn’t require the fairings to be removed , but it’s tight so to avoid damage I take them off. I very boring run home down the hwy , beating the corona lockdown by 12 hours . A quick hose off and put back together and I’m ready for the next adventure . Excitedly I went to go through my awesome pics of the trip , not to be , the sad card in my phone corrupted so I lost all but a few pics , the great news , I will have to do it again . I made a small video of the dirt sections , I added a link to YouTube. There my be a bit of swearing in the video ,be warned . If I’m not allowed please delete mods.

If any one is thinking about purchasing a Kriega US 30 for an eighth gen and was wondering about the size and appearance heres a couple of pics. Hope they help.

It's that time of year around these parts when the weather is difficult to rely upon for consistent temps and the amount of sunlight diminishes significantly. What do you do before Winter sneaks up on you... you ride when you can. I took an extended lunch break this last week on a supremely beautiful day with temps in the 70's for a quick ride around Ispwich, Essex and Goucester. Had an enjoyable little hike to the ocean, a satisfying meal and saw some quirky roadside oddities. A great little stretch of road off of HWY 1, it's not fast paced, it's on the short side for distance but the scenery is really nice and the roads are a real treat with a few technical turns thrown amongst the sweepers, plus there is hardly any traffic which is so rare around these parts. Nothing beats the cod bites at JT Farnham's Famous Clams, so many clam shacks around this is my favorite with great outdoor seating. The Interceptor approves of the view. Hanging out at the gazebo in Stage Fort Park in Gloucester. I don't know the name of this location and I can never find it on a map but I find myself here often when I'm just meandering down roads that I like between Essex and Gloucester. The tree line before the ocean at Rafes Chasm Park. It's a very short hike off the road with some tremendous views. Some wildflowers along the hiking path at Rafes Chasm Park. Bird in flight looking south along the Atlantic coast. I saved the best pic for last! The elephant even has matching red, white, blue livery. Looking forward to a few more Fall rides before the bikes get packed away for the year but I don't think any of them will be as nice as this.

Last summers August adventure had already started, (see previous blog post) I had made my way to my uncles house in Boise after spending a restless night in Ogden UT, a place I am not so impressed with - being that it is the home of the IRS, or at least that is the place where I sent my tax returns? I was surprised at how pedestrian the place was - not nearly as nice as SLC just south of there, but not ugly by any means - its just the opposite of Colorado the mountains are on the east side! I am used to them facing the other way, but mountains none the less, I dont quite feel grounded without mountains within sight. After a ho hum meal at the restaurant next door, I decided to forgo any evening entertainment and just hit the sack and get up early and get to my uncles place in Boise, shoot I already wrote about that part - Albion Idaho - I should note the restaurant I like in Albion is called the Sagebrush Grill, I got it wrong about 20 times on my last blog post. In any case I made to my Uncle Lonnies place and we spent a day together catching up with the goings on in the Mayo clan, him? ~ not so great just another one of the many many folks in the "land of the laid off" currently looking for work, hes an IT professional who formerly worked for the state of Idaho as a contractor, that's the worst part about contractors - the contracts run out. So we went over to his favorite bar and shot the breeze for several hours and I met most of buddies. It was nice hanging out with Lonnie, I have never really spent that much time with him before other then Christmas and Thanksgiving surrounded by everybody else in the family. So the next day I had one more solo trip up to Coeur d'Alene. Thats a name I cannot spell to save my life. I always have to google it first! Coeur d'Alene, Coeur d"Alene - freaking frenchy names get me every time! Just like the Cache La Poudre in Colorado, just means lots of snow! They can make a turd sound good, or Grand Tetons - you can guess what that means! French place names always seem to resolve to something usual. Oh but NOT Coeur d'Alene, that was a name given to the local indian tribes by French fur traders and it means simply Heart of an Awl. Hey for once a name that has some thing a bit more interesting, it means "heart of an awl"? They found the locals to be shrewd traders apparently, but the indians they called themselves by the name the Schitsu'umsh which brings us back to stupid names again, it means (The people who are found here) aww jeez! I might as well be called "fat dude on a bike"! So I found every twisty road that lies between Boise and Coeur d'Alene on the map and took it, I headed a bit backwards at first going up to Idaho City on hwy 21 a great twisty road that finds the tightest twisties just south of Lowman Idaho. The road is a bit bumpy and in need of repaving on spots, lots of repairs but I took it fast, catching and overtaking several bikes along the way RV's and what not, I was having a good time on that road - then I turned west at Lowman and headed along a river bank, winding along with even more cars and RV's - it was the weekend and it seems all of Boise turns out to go to the mountains - that road was too short and soon I was on hwy 55 heading north to McCall, a good road if it where not for all the traffic! Thats the main road north in Idaho so there really is no getting off it, just plug away - I found it useless to pass the cars since there was so much traffic up ahead I was just wasting energy, it was more then I could see, once out of the mountains and onto the high plains the highway department slapped up 30 mph signs all over the place for 40 miles as they chip sealed the road - of course not on the weekend so NO CONSTRUCTION CREWS OUT but the cops were - handing out tickets for speeding over 30! I just sat behind a car that had gotten fed up and took off, I hung back far enough to save myself if the cops should see and well a rabbit is a rabbit is a rabbit, let the coyotes get the first one out of the gate! It was like this all the way from the point I turned off to McCall, all 64 miles of crawling along at 30 miles per hour, I was going insane! Finally in McCall I pulled off for gas. At gas stations the Veefalo seems to be a draw with its beautiful lines or some say ugly lines! I had to talk to every idiot who had never seen a bike before in their whole lives! Already irritated by the 2 hour ride up there - the obvious questions and idiotic warnings from total strangers about how "dangerous motorcycles are" - proved to be more than I could take. I retreated into my helmet and pretended I could not hear what they were saying to me. Hand gestures to my ear - just get back into your car woman and leave me the hell alone! Yea yea OK I will ride safe yea OK thanks - as I sat there waiting in line behind the next guy for a free pump, trying not to notice she just stuck a cell phone up to her ear as she drove off. Some people don't understand that unsolicited advice to a motorcyclist is not welcome! Especially if your going to get in your car and drive off with a cell phone to your ear! I hit the Detour button on my GPS since McCall was a total parking lot at Noon on a summer Saturday, I found an offshoot road to the west and was so glad to be free of that nonsense! I was a bit exuberant when I found some twisty roads just west of town and got on the gas and started to dip the bike into the corner, just in time to hear my Radar detector go off and a sherrif flashed me with his lights as I went past at some twice the posted speed limit! OPPS I saw him begin to turn around but I rounded the next tight turn and got on it hard! HEH the sight of open road ahead sort of shot down my hopes of getting away but to my surprise NO SHERRIF was behind me now? I guess he gave up and did not want to do any paperwork, its one thing to hit it in tight twisties and another to try to get away on a strange road that is strait as far as I can see! I thought I was toast! Well that was good for a thrill and it certainly took the foul mood right out of me, a scare can do that for ya! I was happy to be alive and enjoying the open road again! I pushed on up to Coure d'Alene at a better pace, I found a great road called Greer road, after Koosia pass I was really finding some nice roads now, Greer road Cavendish road all northern Idaho roads seem to be pretty good. All in all it was a great day of riding minus that McCall Nonsense, I had a good day soloing, but I was ready to ride with friends, I made it to Coure d'Arlene in one peice and thats where I met Radar, Fay, Craig, and Didit. We were about to go on another great adventure in the summer of 2011. Full Size Stay tuned next up - the Spiral Highway, stators, Rattle snake grade, Enterprise - ALL OF OREGON.

I am moving to the ATL area next month with my company and will be riding the 2014 Viffer down as part of the move. Its been quite a while since I taken such a road trip & I'm very much looking forward to it. I am asking for the collective wisdom here for advice. What's the best scenic route that will cover this distance in three days? I'm a little old and rusty so I'm looking for suggestions regarding simple cruise control/throttle lock, tire fix kit and a jump start box. Thanks! Bobby soon to be ex-NYer

I have always wanted to ride Beartooth Pass/hwy, Going to the Sun road, Independence Pass and many other roads along and around those area. I was going to go last year but my 4th gen gotten written off and my replacement VFR (My current 5th gen) was untested. Good thing I didn't attempt a long trip with it as I had to replace the Stator and R/R eventually. After some planning and some modifications to the bike (helibars, windscreen, Sargent seat, luggage racks) I embarked on this quite distant journey from my home in Toronto, Ontario. The plan was about 14 days but due to some Forest fires would end up being 11 days and just under 8,000kms/5,000miles. DAY 1: Toronto, Ontario to Ottawa, Illinois I left "bright" and early at 6am. I packed the VFR the night before. Luggage was a Givi 46L top box and 2x 22L side hard-bags. I strapped a tank bag to the pillion seat with emergency tools, tire repair kit etc etc. Regular Tank bag infront of me with miscellaneous stuff. Fully loaded the bike would rock backwards onto the rear tire when on the centerstand. I had to remove the top box whenever I wanted to lube the chain. lol First couple hours the Bike felt a bit "off", laden down with all that luggage but I got used to it. I encountered some light rain when it was time for my first fill up so I put on a rain jacket. I made it to my crossing into the U.S. without delay and without getting very wet. I decided to take a tiny ferry across to the States from Walpole Island, Ontario to Algonac, Michigan. It was an odd little ferry but real quick and easy. Cost me $5. The deck was wet and I just sat on the bike and held the brake during the crossing. On the American side there's a tiny little guard house for the US border. They asked a couple standard questions and I was on my way. It was on and off rain showers and I changed my route westward to get around the worst of it, but the rain gear stayed on until west of Ann Arbor, MI. The old PR3's did their job too. I made some stops here and there but I knew (and planned) that Day 1 was gonna be hard slabbing so I kept on. Some of the last legs of I-80 was a parking lot and I couldn't figure out how to use the Detour function on my new-to-me GPS. I eventually got to my stay for the night. An AirBnB in Ottawa, Il. Day 1 aprox 978kms (608 miles)

My lovely wife wants to join me on a 9 day road trip for the first time since before kids (the oldest is 18). I have a 2014 standard VFR800 and I need to outfit it with saddlebags, a trunk, and a back rest but I cannot locate any pics. I'd rather buy used but... Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Well, I am also looking for new boots. Waterproof sport touring boots that breathe and can comfortably be walked in for a mile or two. I refuse to pack shoes on the VFR, and I have suffered on some short hikes for too many years with my Sidi Vertebrae boots which really have great protection but suck for walking. Time for a change. I am not considering choices with full laces, such as the Alpinestars CR-4 which otherwise look perfect, because I have concerns about getting laces caught up in controls. I have tipped the bike over once because of it (in the driveway, I was wearing my shoes) and it won't happen again. Must have at least a quick lace system with a cover at the top. All (GTX) boots = GoreTex Have it down to: - Sidi Canyon GTX - Looks like a bit of an adventure influence: has one ratchet buckle and beefy tread on bottom. Expensive and hard to find where I have shopped. - Alpinestars Gran Torino GTX - Tried on. Feel a bit thick but comfortable to walk in. Wouldn't mind beefier sole for rougher terrain but pretty decent. Good price locally, in stock. - Alpinestars New Land GTX - shorter boot, simlar to Gran Torino. Grippier looking sole. - Dainese Lince GTX - Rugged Skywalk sole, again a cross between adventure and street like the Sidi Canyon, but appear lighter and shorter. - Dainese Latitour GTX - More street oriented boot from Dainese. Not much tread on sole. - TCX Jupiter Evo GTX - More of a tall riding shoe. Not sure if this is enough protection but it looks comfortable for walking. Only GoreTex waterproof boot/shoe I found from TCX - TCX AirTech GTX - touring boot with a lot of venting, while still being GoreTex waterproof. I don't tend to be too cold, certainly not in the feet. Not much tread on sole - Rev'it Apache H20 - Not GoreTex but waterproof. More light adv than street, grippy sole. - Gaerne G-Impulse - Again, not GoreTex but waterproof. Street sole with some tread. If it were your money, what would you buy and why? i would love to hear what you think. I don't want to buy anything else for a while. I also (sometimes) ride a KTM EXC 530 and have very stiff offroad boots, but I don't mind something that can pull double duty between gravel / light trail on KTM vs touring on the VFR. Probably not a great compromise to try to merge the two, but it is a consideration.

So, my wife and I were supposed to go to Cedar Point for three days next week (Monday through Wednesday) but we found out she is expecting (a while ago) and that means roller coasters and amusement rides are out. Before she hits that uncomfortable stage, we decided that instead we were going to go on a small-ish tour for 5-7 days (we're allowed some flexibility here). We will be leaving Windsor on Monday, and then riding around the bay, up to Sarnia, from there we will be riding along the lake to Owen Sound, and up Bruce Peninsula, at the northern tip, we will be taking the ferry over to Manitoulin Island, riding north, and crossing the oldest working swing bridge in the world, further north than east to Sudbury to visit some old friends, then east again to North Bay, then south to Huntsville, again for a reconnection. After that, we will be heading to Vaughan to stop by at my sister-in-law's and then Niagara Falls, after that, we will be traveling along Lake Erie on our return trip home. Fortunately, I had a bunch of lieu time at work, so took two days off, which finally gave me time to do things I've been meaning to do for a while. Bled the cooling system, added my USB Power, which will complement my clutch reservoir RAM mount that should be arriving tomorrow along with my phone mount, killed my battery in the process (after several starts, I very intelligently left the key in the ignition and left it on), I freaked out because I thought it had something to do with the USB charger I had installed, jumped the bike and ran around town to charge the battery. Good news is, the bike seems to run at about 85C now instead of nearly 100-110, and I'm not afraid to idle. I also heard the fans for the first time since getting the bike. Need to top up my brake fluid next. But that is a job for tomorrow.

Hello all, This summer I'm going to Iceland for 11 days (first two weeks of July), and one idea I'm toying with is to rent a bike and tour around. I know this a definitely a long shot, but if any of you have any experience motorcycling in Iceland and have recommendations for me (things to see, places where to stay, rental companies to contact, etc.), or better yet if you live in Iceland and would be willing to rent your bike to me for a week or so (or know someone who would), drop me a line. I'm currently exchanging emails with someone from the Biking Viking company over there, but if someone here has other options to recommend me, I'd appreciate it. So far all I've booked are my flights, if renting a bike is infeasible / too impractical then I'll turn to other activities (such as hiking / camping - which I'll still do but to a lesser extent if I end up riding). I've seen a few videos and it really looks like riding there could be a blast! Cheers!

As of right now, I'm planning a quick jaunt from Memphis to Mountain View, AR Friday afternoon and home Saturday evening. Not sure what I hope to get out this thread, except putting my plan to paper as a double-check on myself. Right now my goals are: One last long ride on the VFR Hammock Camping at Blanchard Springs Not freezing to death (low of 33f) Fly Fishing in the morning Hot coffee and breakfast maybe some backpacking/hiking around the area before I head home. It's only 3 hours and I've been over there several times for the Sylamore 50k. I love the area and figured it would be just far enough from home to feel like a real trip. I've been doing some spring maintenance this week including oil and filter, coolant flush and a really good clean up. Depending on cell signal, I'll try and update this thread with pics along the way. My phone is the only camera I'm taking, so it should be possible. I've also got a USB charging setup and iPhone Ram mount on the "dash" of the bike. Here's my planned route: And my trusty steed:

I plan to ride my VFR from SF to Denver in a month... - what type of MPG should i expect - what cheap rain stuff should I take - any other recommendations? Has anyone done this? Will my tires be done after this trip? (I saw some people putting car tires on.. thats and interesting idea for a long trip... what do you think? - entertainment? comfort? all long distance tips welcome! :)

Hi all! Yes, I know this is a stupid question. My dilemma is that I have planned to take a longer tour during two weeks in May/June this year. I'll ride from home down to the French south coast and back. I guess this trip will end up to be around 5-6000km. I bought the bike (new) in September last year and have today almost 2000km on the clock. Season is just starting here now and of course I'll ride a number of km.s before my vacation. Tyres on the bike now are stock Dunlop D222. Some post here say that stock tyres are gone already at 4-5000km. I'm not really interested to change tyres away from home. Even if they look allright when I start my trip I am a litte worried it will wear down more quickly than I expect. What do you think? Should I plan for new tyres before my trip?

Not exactly on a VFR, but every mile I rode I was wishing for my VFR!! After my ride cross country and back last year on the VFR, the 4 of us were itching for another bike adventure so this time we tackled the Alps this June. I really wanted to do it on my VFR but shipping really didnt seem logical for a 2 week trip. So we ended up renting two R1200GS' and set off from Heidelberg Germany on a 2198 mile tour over 14 days of the Alps and Dolomites through Switzerland, Austria, Italy and France. We hit tons of passes, hail, and an amazing adventure overall! Gotta say though, definitely not a huge fan of the R1200GS and missed my VFR every day of the trip! Got back home and the next morning at 6am jumped on the VFR and took was amazed at how great it felt, sounded, rode, everything. Anyway, enjoy the vid, I suggest watching in 1080p full screen with sound :)

Well guys... the film edit is finally completed The whole thing is far to long, so I decided to release it in 10 parts. I hope you'll enjoy it! ...and feel free to share Trip info: 13 bikes - 10 days - 3 200 km (2 000 miles) - Countries: Sweden, Germany, Austria, Italy & France Update 27 February 2014 Part 10 - The 13 Adventurers This last part of the film is a presentation of the complete route and of the 13 adventurers who made this amazing trip an unforgettable experience. Some of these friends will also participate in the 2014 trip to Fjord Norway and we look very much forward to this new adventure. ...or If Youtube doesn't work for you, try Vimeo Part 9 Cochem-Schwalenberg We haven't seen rain since day 4 on our way down from Grossglockner. This day starts in glorious sunshine but the forecast predicts heavy rain later on. Unfortunately they were right. A short ride after Cochem the rain is over us and we have to stop and put on our rain proofs. We make a short stop at the famous Nürburgring circuit and then continue north to our destination for the day, the small town of Schwalenberg. The roads are superb but the rain comes and goes so the rain proofs stay on. We now have only one day left on this adventure before we catch our ferry to Sweden and the weather forecast predicts rain for the last day as well. ...or If Youtube doesn't work for you, try Vimeo Part 8 Rheinau-Cochem We start by entering France and ride through some villages and small towns. After a while we cross the border in to Germany again and then follow the Mosel valley north to the picturesque town of Cochem. The following day we'll visit Nürburgring and then continue our tour north. ...or If Youtube doesn't work for you, try Vimeo Part 7 Füssen-Rheinau It's time to leave Füssen and head north west. We leave the Alps region and ride along lake Bodensee. The scenery isn't as dramatic as the high mountains but we enjoy the ride and have a wonderful day. The following day we'll cross the French border and after a while enter Germany again and ride north along the Mosel valley. ...or If Youtube doesn't work for you, try Vimeo Part 6 Neuschwanstein & Zugspitze We stay in Füssen two nights and have therefore an extra day for exploring the surroundings of this Bavarian city. The first place to se is of course the castle of Neischwanstein. This incredible building has inspired Disney when designing their well known logo. The weather is still very hot and it feels just wonderful when we visit our next site for the day. We ride back to Austria and take the cable car up to Germany's highest mountain top. Zugspitze is on the border of Germany and Austria and peaks at 2962m (9718 ft). Back down again we decide to take the long way around back to our hotel in Füssen and se some more of the Bavarian country side. The following day we'll leave Füssen and head towards Rheinau near the French border. ...or If Youtube doesn't work for you, try Vimeo Part 5 Fortezza-Füssen We start the day by riding up to the first pass, Jaufenpass or Passo Giovo, at 2094 m (6870 ft). The morning mist is slowly dissolving and lets the sun shine on us on our way down on the other side. The road surface isn't as good as in Austria but the scenery is great. We stop at a cafe sitting on a slope in the middle of a curve, overviewing a picturesque village down in the valley. After a nice cup of Cappuccino we continue the ride to next pass, Timmelsjoch or Passo Rombo at 2509 m (8232 ft). This one still has a lot of snow on the side of the road but the temperature is quite nice. On the other side we enter Austria again and the next pass is Hahntennjoch at 1894 m (6214 ft). The roads and views are just superb and we enjoy our ride tremendously. Just before we arrive at our next Hotell in Füssen, we cross the border in to Germany. The following day we'll explore the surroundings of Füssen, including the incredible Neuschwanstein Castle. http://youtu.be/17hVAaR6kXc ...or If Youtube doesn't work for you, try Vimeo https://vimeo.com/86504890 Part 4 Zeller Fusch-Fortezza We are finally in the Alps and today we start our ride up to the first pass. Just a couple of km after we start, one of the Harleys decides to take a break. It just looses all power and dies. The starter works but it won't start. We spend about two hours troubleshooting the damn thing and finally find a loose hose inside the fuel tank. Luckily it's just a matter of pushing it back in place on the fuel pump and we're on our way again. We ride the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse and turn off to Edelweissspitze that peaks at 2571 m (8435 ft). We also make a detour to the Pasterze Glacier at Kaiser Franz Josef Höhe 2369 m (7772 ft). The weather is just superb. At these heights we still have around is 22 °C (72 °F) but on our way down the weather changes from sunny to heavy rain and the temperature drops rapidly. We spent a good part of the day on this high alpine road already and therefore we decide to skip the original plan of going over two more passes this day. We put on our rain proofs and head straight to Fortezza in Italy where we have our next hotel booked. Despite the rain at the end, this day was just glorious! http://youtu.be/DKzYGgbRWo4 ...or If Youtube doesn't work for you, try Vimeo https://vimeo.com/86184500 Part 3 Landshut-Zeller Fusch We begin this day by visiting the old castle in Landshut, Burg Trausnitz. It sits on a cliff overviewing the old town and the medieval gothic Church of St. Martin, with its 130 meters (428 ft) high tower. Afterwards we continue our trip south through Bavaria and enter Austria just outside Salzburg, the birth town of Amadeus Mozart. The temperature now is 37 °C (99 °F) and we only make a short stop in the town of Salzburg, before we continue to our hotel in Zeller Fusch. We are now finally in the Alps region and the following day we will start climbing up to the Grossglockner pass. http://youtu.be/AADe3_raa2U ...or If Youtube doesn't work for you, try Vimeo https://vimeo.com/85927012 Part 2 Fulda-Landshut. We continue our trip through Germany and head down to Landshut. A very nice town in Bavaria. On our way south, we stop at Audi Forum in Ingolstadt and visit the Audi Museum. The roads get more interesting, the weather is fantastic and the fun factor is increasing by the minute. So turn up the volume and come along... http://youtu.be/AXL0mk_ziak ...or If Youtube doesen't work for you, try Vimeo http://vimeo.com/85449028 Part 1 Göteborg-Fulda The trip starts with a boat travel during the night, from Göteborg in Sweden to Kiel in Germany. The following day we ride from Kiel down to Fulda in Germany. ...or If Youtube doesn't work for you, try Vimeo http://vimeo.com/85172636Trailer - Austrian Alps Tour 2013 http://youtu.be/dzf9mLI96-4 ...or If Youtube doesn't work for you, try Vimeo https://vimeo.com/79874997

Hi guys! Here is a trailer for a video I'm working on, from a trip to the Alps last summer. I hope you will enjoy it! :-) http://vimeo.com/79874997 or Complete video will be finished in late January.

So I have decided next year to venture out of my comfort zone and do my first European tour. Going to look to start in Amsterdam and work my way south for a few days toward France and return back to the UK via rail before riding north for the final leg back to North Yorkshire. A good few days ride, but one I need to prepare for, fitting my VFR1200 DCT. Next summer at the earliest, since most of the upgrades are pretty costly. That in mind, I am looking for the biggest set of Givi side case(matte black) that I can fit on my bike, while having the stock exhaust. I want bigger than the V35. Mounting hardware(with part #s) and pics would be great help. Was probably going to do a Givi Maxia E55 for the top unless someone has a better idea. A set of Admore Lighting signals is also on the list. Also anyone who has any ideas on any particularly useful upgrades besides a gps to make the trip better would be helpful. Except for a set of Heli-bars the bike is stock. Thanks much for your input.

I did a 4-day motorcycle tour around Lake Michigan last month. I should have posted my ride report then, but wanted to wait until I could post photos from the trip at the same time. The pix are available on Flickr.com via the link below. (No registration/sign-in required.) I planned a clockwise route around the lake, taking the Ohio and Indiana turnpikes to the Chicago area. I left on Friday morning and returned Monday night. The turnpike is very boring, but it's necessary to make time to get to the main attraction: Riding around the lake, taking roads that keep me as close to the lake as possible most of the time. Unfortunately I hit major Friday afternoon rush hour traffic through Chicago on Day 1. It was an absolute nightmare. I took I-90 to I-94, but should have taken I-294 through the suburbs instead. I'm sure it would been better, as my route took me about 90 minutes to go 10-15 miles through town. It was the worst time I've ever spent on a motorcycle. Thankfully it was only in the upper 60s outside, but I was roasting in my gear nonetheless, and my VFR's temps soared most of the time, too, peaking at 250 degrees. I almost pulled off the road just to let it cool down, but was happy it wasn't necessary. I swear I'll never, ever ride through a major city after noon again. After finally getting out of Chicago, I made Sheboygan, WI, my destination for the night. I got off the freeway to cool off, eat an early dinner, and give my VFR a break before I got to Milwaukee - also so I could (hopefully) miss the last rush hour traffic through Milwaukee. It helped, but I still faced some traffic due to rush hour and road construction. Once clear of Milwaukee, however, the rest of the route to Sheboygan was fine. I used the Priceline app on my iPhone to find a reasonably priced hotel, a Super 8 in this case, and got there in the early evening. I had enough time to drop my luggage in the room and get to the harbor area to enjoy the sunset and call home. BTW, this Super 8 had the nicest room of any I've ever seen from that hotel chain. For students of history, the Great Lakes have a ton of it, and a lot of it is bad. Many, many shipwrecks on the Lakes, and most with lives lost. It gives you an appreciation for the power of these very large bodies of water during storms. The remnants of the hull of an old timber-hauling sailing ship are on display near the harbor, along with a few plaques about the ship and its fate. (Photos are in the linked set below.) For Day 2, I planned to ride to Mackinaw City, MI. My first stop was in Green Bay, where I took a few photos outside Lambeau Field, gassed up, and had a snack. From there I headed north and toward Michigan's upper peninsula. The sky darkened as I got closer to MI, and once a few drops of rain fell I pulled off the freeway and under an overpass to don my rainsuit. I rode through some light to medium rain over the next hour or more, but it wasn't an issue. I think this was the only rain I saw during the whole trip. Following the lakeshore as closely as possible means some beautiful sights, but also changing weather and temperatures. Be prepared for both when you're near major bodies of water. Knowing I was going to make it there with plenty of time to spare, I booked a room at a small independent motel in Mackinaw City during one of my stops in the UP. I crossed the Mackinac Bridge for the 2nd time in a month (and my 2nd time ever) under a cloudless sky in the late afternoon. The first time was in late May during my Lake Huron tour, when I had to ride on the steel grates due to construction/repairs in the paved lanes. Very nerve-racking, as it constantly feels like your wheels are slipping out from under you. This time, very thankfully, I was able to ride on the paved lane. Much more enjoyable, and I was able to go slowly enough to sneak a few peeks around me at the scenery and water. For those of you who don't know, the bridge is the separation point between Lake Michigan to the west and Lake Huron to the east. Very cool to be able to see two Great Lakes at the same time! My hotel in Mack. City was just across from the Old Mackinac Point Light, a beautiful lighthouse with an excellent view of the bridge. I walked downtown, bought my only souvenir for the trip (a new Case knife from the hardware store downtown), and had dinner at the Keyhole Bar & Grill, one of the bar/restaurants in downtown Mack. City. Definitely not fancy, but nice enough. I sat at the bar and talked to a couple locals. Would highly recommend the hot wings, onion rings, and Cheboygan Lighthouse Amber on tap. (I had two pints since I was walking!) On the morning of Day 3, I rode across the street to the lighthouse to snap a few more photos, then headed south on I-75 to US 31. My planned route took me west on C66 to MI-119 so I could follow the lakeshore again, back to US 31 and toward Traverse City. I actually had no idea I had accidentally planned Michigan's famous "Tunnel of Trees" into my route for the day! Stupid me, I had heard of the Tunnel of Trees before, but had thought for some reason it was in the UP. As soon as I saw the sign for the Tunnel of Trees Scenic Heritage Route, I got excited. This is a narrow, twisty road without a centerline that hugs the coast, but the trees are so dense in most areas along the route that you can't see the lake. And many of the trees grow above the road, making parts of the road actually seem tunnel-like. When I started down this road, which is about 27 miles in length, the weather was beautiful. Five miles down the road, however, I was in heavy mist and fog. The pavement was slippery and visibility very poor. It made for a slightly less enjoyable experience, but as the same time quite thrilling! I saw many cyclists, some motorcyclists, and passenger vehicles. If you take this road, and I highly recommend you do if you're ever in northern (mainland) MI, please watch out for the many bicyclists, and make sure to stay on the right side of the road, both for your safety and for oncoming traffic. Here's a Wikipedia link to route M-119 and the Tunnel of Trees: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M-119_(Michigan_highway) One of the unexpected treats of the trip was seeing the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. I'd never heard of these dunes but was amazed by their size. I've never seen dunes like these on any Great Lake. Pretty cool, and there are places to rent dune buggies, ATVs, and dirtbikes nearby if you ever want to go there. (See photos of the dunes in the link below.) My goal for the day was to get to Muskegon for the night, and to make it in time to photograph sunset on the lake. I booked a room at the Holiday Inn in downtown Muskegon (which from appearances is quite dead for a small city downtown area), left my luggage in my room and headed to Muskegon State Park to shoot the sunset. Weather was again very beautiful and the water was fairly calm. NOTE: The state park is not just outside Muskegon. It's a good 10-15 mile trek from town to the park. I got some great photos but had to ride back to the hotel in the dark with the temps dropping. Off-topic: I worked one summer during college near Muskegon at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, a camp for middle school and high school kids. I have some great memories from that summer, and earned enough to buy my first C trumpet, a Bach Strad 229 I bought from a friend. I had no plans to visit the camp, but it was neat to stay nearby 25 years later. For Day 4, I planned to ride along the coast as much as possible, to Michigan City, IN, and then home. I was getting a little tired, so I skipped some of the roads closer to the lake to make time. I had seen enough of the lake at this point and wanted to get home a little sooner. I did ride all the way to Michigan City, took a few more photos at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (a park with a beach), then started heading east toward home. I again took the turnpike, boring but fast, and made a bit easier with my EZ Pass. At one point in northern Indiana I passed an out-of-control vehicle fire on the westbound lanes, with emergency personnel and trucks on the scene. It was a large Ford Econoline passenger van. I said a prayer and hoped those inside the van had gotten out safely. I got home around 9 pm Monday night, after four days and over 1500 miles, tired but happy I had successfully completed my 3rd Great Lakes tour, including the 2nd in less than a month. I went around Lakes Erie and Ontario in one long weekend a few years ago, knocked Lake Huron out in late May, and now have done Lake Michigan. This was a great trip, it seemed easier than the Lake Huron tour even though it was longer, and the last treat during this trip was seeing my VFR's odometer hit the 70k miles mark on my way home. Now I just need to do Lake Superior to complete my tours of the Great Lakes. That's the big one, as it's the furthest from home by far, and will require (by my planning) a 5-day tour. And I'm planning to do that tour in a couple weeks! Below is the link to my photos from this tour. The camera used was a Fujifilm FinePix S4200, with 14 MP and 24x zoom. I'm not sure if it's still available in stores, but it's a great digital camera for the money. It has some nice features (including an electronic viewfinder) takes great photos IMHO, and has been terrific for me. http://www.flickr.com/photos/98983586@N03/sets/72157634678544840/ BTW, the last photo was taken at the Michigan City beach I mentioned above. If you look carefully, you can just make out the downtown Chicago skyline across the lake!

Finally the complete video Fjord Norway 2012 is released! For those of you who happen to live in Sweden, you can also read the full story in the February issue of Motorrad Magazine. Available from January 29. Turn up the volume and enjoy! http://vimeo.com/58382136 If you can’t watch the video on Youtube, try Vimeo below http://www.vimeo.com/boattail/norway-film If you missed the trailer go to: http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/73435-fjord-norway-2012-video-trailer/

Uppdate - Jan 17 This is for those of you who haven't been able to watch the trailer on Youtube. I uploaded it on Vimeo also. I hope this works better. Please let me know if it does or not. http://vimeo.com/boattail/norway-trailer ...can't get the embedded preview to work though. Just click the link. ------------------------------------------------------ Hi again guys! I originally promised to release the complete video of this trip in December 2012. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to do so yet. This is due to an agreement I made with Swedish Motorrad Magazine. After they watched the trailer they asked me to write an article about the trip, that they will publish in their February issue. They also want to be the first to publish the video on their site www.motorrad.se All this is of course very flattering for me, considering that Motorrad is Europe’s largest motorcycle magazine (and my favorite one) so I agreed to postpone the release to January 2013. The article is now ready and the February issue of Motorrad will be available here in Sweden January 29. I also edited the trailer and added a reference to Motorrad in the beginning and end. You can watch the new trailer below, although the main part is the same as before. If everything goes according to plan, the complete video will be released during this month, as soon as Motorrad has published it on their web site. I promise to get back as soon as that has been done. Ride Safe! ------------------------------------------------------- Hi all! I am currently working on a couple of videos from last summer's rides. In June, me and a few friends made a fantastic seven day trip from southern Sweden to the great fjords of Norway. http://g.co/maps/7mk8a The complete video will be ready soon. In the meantime, you can watch a short trailer I made. I hope you enjoy it. If the Youtube-version below doesn't work, klick this: http://vimeo.com/boattail/norway-trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=6553b16xNqo

After months and months of anticipation, I finally headed out on my solo trip out west. 21 Days, 10 National Parks and 7,248 miles later, I returned home last Friday. Incredible, amazing, and unreal are all fitting adjectives to describe this trek. Seeing some of the most beautiful landscapes on the planet is a humbling experience and it gave me a new perception of what really matters. Below are some photos from my phone. However, I will be posting mostly "real" photos from my Olympus EM5 in the report. I rode my 2007 Honda VFR800, a truly amazing bike that never quit. Maybe my next trip will be on a Commando? Clearing skies in the Grand Tetons A long but surreally beautiful day across the Hi-Line in Montana Many Glacier area of Glacier National Park, Swiftcurrent Lake. Monument Valley. So cool. I couldn't get enough of Montana. It's a dream. More Teton awesomeness. Chicks keeping me up all night. Glad I got a chance to see these guys close up. Sometimes you need to put your bike in the hotel room Camping at Muley Point This report will be photo heavy!

Last week, I was planning a mini VFR tour in Northern New Mexico, Utah and Nevada but the weather “froze” my plans for one last tour hurrah for 2011. I was leveraging a trip to Texas for a wedding and stowed my VFR in the bed of my pickup. My much anticipated VFR tour route included big miles, high altitude travel, twisties and mountain roads. Unfortunately after a day in the rain on the way to Albuquerque my launch point, the forecast that evening called for even more rain, thunderstorms, snow, ice and dare I say wind over the entire area to the north. The TV weather channel reports confirmed the Internet forecasts. While my Chevy routine gave me more options it also added a certain element of “what do you think…what should we do?” Ultimately a decision to forego the potential sleigh ride was a no brainer (if I had one), as my route traveled thru Torrey UT (about 7K ft). And I was planning to ride higher still. Not sure but the reports I saw indicated the storm was worse than forecast. This gets me to thinking what methods do you use for accessing the weather reports on tour? What sites do you visit?? This is what I access dependent on my bike and where I stay: 1. Wi-Fi Laptop… sometimes I sponge a Wi-Fi connection with a mobile hotspot if camping in an area with cell access. I usually tap into weather.com or the NOAA site for forecasts. 2. Weather TV channel if not camping. 3. AM and or WB radio. Other devices I am considering or have evaluated: 1. XM weather integrated with a GPS to include NEXRAD (weather radar). 2. iPad 3. Smartphone (most likely will add next year)……I am not any early adopter. Instead, I recorded this VFR tour highlight as I my bride shopped for some valuable RT66 heirlooms on the way back to San Diego. Should, woulda, coulda!!!!!!!!!!!!! May I should have saddled up the VFR but 500 mile days days in the twisties in that weather was not the best choice. I listened to the Winter Storm Warning...........in early October who woulda thunk? One always wants to justify a decision and I was good to have a German on tour tell me he was stopped at the Grand Canyon south rim for hours because of this.

Suspected some pieces from UARS will be falling down to Vietnam area, we heading to Vungtau, the most potential place for that. Our idea is to see whether we could utilize the metals and others for our bikes decoration and modification... hehe... 4:30am, starting my Candy Red - remaining gas in the tank should be more than enough to reach the place: @ Muster point: After more than one hour, we got the destination. Gathered at an open breakfast place: Dude, I got it cleaned: Our bikes beside: Stayed together by the beach: