TWT Forums http://www.twtex.com/forums Two Wheeled Texans is an online community for Texas motorcycle riders. Our riders are into sport touring, cruising, dualsporting, racing, and dirt riding. We pretty much cover the range of motorcycling. We have regular bike nights, rides and maintenance days for all makes and styles of motorcycles. en Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:59:46 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.twtex.com/forums/images/misc/rss.jpg TWT Forums http://www.twtex.com/forums WTB - 2008 or Newer Buell Ulysses XB12x http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86097&goto=newpost Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:31:27 GMT I am looking for a 08 or newer Buell Ulysses XB12x - I have found several out of state but don't really have time to travel that far to buy one.

I would like to pick one up for around $6k or at least that is what the out of state bikes that I am looking at are priced at.

If anyone knows of one for sale or has one for sale please let me know.:rider:

Thanks,

Brian

817-929-0392 ]]> For Sale / Wanted DRZBRI http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86097 Want to buy - Top Case w/backrest or backrest R1100RS http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86093&goto=newpost Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:36:02 GMT Checking to see if anyone has one, trolling ebay as well.

The wife wants a passenger backrest. I can't see myself paying $300 for just the plain backrest.

Looking for a top case (any brand) with backrest and mounting hardware, or a reasonably priced used backrest.

I have the factory rear rack on its way, looking for the support bracket now as well.

I've bought some vinyl, some foam, and I can (barely) weld. I'm trying to prevent myself from doing something ugly to a nice bike. ]]> For Sale / Wanted clarkgriswold http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86093 2013 Erzberg http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86092&goto=newpost Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:59:43 GMT What do you mean you forgot about this rodeo!:doh: :trust: Erzberg Rodeo 2013 - YouTube What do you mean you forgot about this rodeo!:doh:
:trust:
]]> Racing DaveC http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86092 Painting bikes - questions... http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86090&goto=newpost Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:17:20 GMT Couple things rolling around in my head at the moment....

1) Who are typically the 'best' folks for painting bike parts, specifically a gas tank, front beak/fender and a rear tail section? Are they custom paint and body shops? The big namebrand guys? Who does the best work? I'll bring them the parts...

2) What's an approximate cost to have the three items above properly prepared and painted? I don't know if this is a couple hundred dollar thing or a thousand dollar thing....


A bit more....
I've got this beautiful black R1150GS. Problem is, I really don't like black for a variety of reasons :doh: It's hard to see in traffic since it blends in with just about every other object out there. It sucks up sun and gets hot. If it's dusty you see it (not that i wash my bikes often, but....)

Thinking of BMW's Mandarin Orange or the flat-matte finish of Alpine White.

. ]]> General M38A1 http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86090 Two VStroms - Colorado Loop http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86089&goto=newpost Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:03:42 GMT My good friend Brian Lea needed a vacation desperately. Actually, so did I. So I planned a bike camping trip that would get us both to Colorado for a few days. Brian has a VStrom 1K; I, of course, have my 650. Here’s our story of 10 days riding, camping, touristing, two-wheel ineptness, surviving,... My good friend Brian Lea needed a vacation desperately. Actually, so did I. So I planned a bike camping trip that would get us both to Colorado for a few days. Brian has a VStrom 1K; I, of course, have my 650. Here’s our story of 10 days riding, camping, touristing, two-wheel ineptness, surviving, and generally having a blast.


Friday (June 7) –

I’ve ridden to west Texas before; no great treat. So we decided to do the hot, boring part of the trip the easy way – tow the bikes to Amarillo with my Jeep. We made arrangements to park the Jeep & Brian’s construction trailer at a church in Amarillo.



Saturday -

We left Arlington, as my daughter would say, at the butt crack of dawn. Had an easy trip across Texas and made Amarillo by early afternoon. Once there, we offloaded the bikes, locked the Jeep, and headed west.

Our route was the usual – north through Dalhart and Clayton, west to Raton, where we spent the night at a Super-8 motel. Some good news was that my favorite restaurant, The El Matador Café is still in business after all these years. Family owned, good food. I recommend the “green chili burgers”.

One thing about motel rooms – they all look alike once you unload your gear into them.



Sunday –

In the morning we rode over Raton Pass into Colorado & followed I-25 to Walsenburg. There we cut NW on 69 – a great two-lane road – up to Hwy 50, then along the Arkansas River to Salida. We found a campsite at the Angel of Shavano campground, toward Monarch Pass.


It was hot in the campground. So how better to cool off than to take a fast ride to the top of Monarch Pass.



Monday –

Brian is a fitness freak. No time off just because we’re on vacation.


We rode north from Salida through Buena Vista, and turned west on US 82. Twin Lakes Reservoir is flanked by some of the highest peaks in the state.




Then, the long climb up Independence Pass. As you can see, it was still quite cold up there in early June.


And pretty darned high.


Here’s the last switchback of the road we just climbed.


Then, westward down the pass, through Aspen, and up to the Maroon Bells.






Maroon Lake. Obviously, there’s a civil engineer in residence right now….


Aspen trees and high, red cliffs lining the valley.


Just to prove I was really there…



Tuesday –

Before breaking camp, we took a short walk up to the falls just above our campground.


Then we headed west through Gunnison, to Montrose. We ran into the usual problem. What would a Colorado vacation be without a little construction? We were stopped in a particularly bad spot. A steep hill, so we had to stay on the brakes. Road sloped right, plus a stiff wind, made it difficult to keep the bikes balanced. Taking this picture was actually challenging.


The closer we got to Montrose, the worse the wind got. Weather.com confirmed that it was blowing steadily at 32mph, plus much higher gusts.


Brian’s bike was top heavy and not handling the wind well. So we made a decision. He stayed in Montrose for a couple of days, and I pushed south to Durango. Sorry, no pictures on this leg. The wind got worse, and construction was heavy all through Red Mountain Pass between Ouray and Silverton. I’ve never liked that pass southbound. Toss in wind gusts, construction, bad traffic, and loose gravel – and a bike, of course – and it was pretty unnerving.

But I made it to the Durango area where I pitched camp at Lake Haviland. Beautiful spot.




At Durango, I met up with my old high school pal Mark Lubiszewski and his riding buddy, Pete Lizdas. Mark and I hadn’t seen each other since we graduated from high school in Munich, Germany in 1969.


Pete's in the Aerostitch. That's the only picture I got of him.



Wednesday –

We rode up to Mesa Verde National Park. Guess where it gets its name.


Mesa Verde was settled and farmed by the Anasazi nearly a thousand years ago. Spruce Tree House is currently the only ruin that you can visit unaccompanied.








Probably the most famous ruin at Mesa Verde is Cliff Palace.


The Anasazi lived in some challenging geography....


The bikes – That’s Mark with his brand new Triumph 1200 Explorer. Pete belongs to the venerable GS1200, with 80K on the odo.


Me & my Strom.


Back in town, we ate at Francisco’s. Good Mexican food.


Street life in Durango...


I also met a hot chick, although she wasn’t real chatty.



Thursday –

Thursday morning, I said goodbye to Mark, and headed east to Alamosa to join up with Brian. This picture is toward Wolf Creek Pass on US 160.


From Alamosa, Brian & I rode down to Taos. The wind turned nasty again. After surviving 100 miles of tricky winds, I got caught by this corner in Taos. A sharp right hand turn, two badly cambered streets, some nasty potholes, and slow crawling traffic conspired against me, and I dumped the bike in the dirt seen here.

No harm done, except to my already sagging ego. :oops: And it was my own fault. Never should have tried starting a turn so close to the curb, especially with a loaded bike. No wonder my wife won’t ride with me……

We got settled into the Capulin campground, on US 64, a few miles east of Taos.


Nice spot, except no water. And Taos merchants aren’t into giving freebies to tourists. On the cell phone, I told my wife we were in search of a city building that would let us fill a water bottle. Her comment: “Duh – go to Walmart and buy a couple of gallons.” Have I mentioned how smart my wife is?



Friday -

Had a rare lazy day. Brian went into Taos & used McDonalds’ Wi-fi and an I-Pad to get caught up on some college coursework. I hung around the camp, read, and generally veg’ed. Never even started the bike. It was a nice respite.


In camp, we met John from Corpus Christi. He’s spending the entire summer away from the heat and humidity of the Texas coast.


John rides an ’84 Yamaha with a V-4 1300 engine – I forget the model name. And he pulls a nicely crafted, handbuilt trailer. We had a few repairs to do and, surprise, he had jars of screws, nuts, bolts, etc. He was more or less towing his garage.




Saturday –

The weather was a bit dodgy, but we went up through Eagle Nest and over to Red River.


There was a wine festival in town. This gentleman was the entertainment. A consummate guitarist who played and sang jazz, blues, bluegrass, and mountain music. With his feet, he played bass on some kind of Roland rig.


We had lunch and did the tourist thing around Red River for awhile.


Then we headed back to Taos and did the tourist thing there as well.



Sunday –

Up early, out at 6:45am, we started home. Hwy 518 is beautiful. I’ve done it many times with the Jeep and trailer. It was a whole lot more fun on the VStrom.


The morning was cool and clear, a perfect riding day.


We dropped through Las Vegas, then down to I-40 where we super-slabbed it eastward. Here’s Tucumcari. I’ve been told it has more hotel rooms per capita than any other city in the US.


The wind was really getting up again, as seen from this picture. But Brian's bike was better packed, & we punched on.


This lady is half of a German couple. They rented Harleys, and are riding from LA to Chicago, following the old Route 66. I’d love to do that someday myself.


Back in Amarillo, we loaded the bikes, checked into the TraveLodge West, and panicked about potential theft. We bought a heavy cable & lock and secured the bikes within an inch of their lives, then walked across the street for dinner. We came back to find I had left the Jeep door standing wide open. Fortunately, nothing was missing. So much for security. :doh:



Monday –

We made it home in six hours. The trip was a blast. Brian is already planning a follow-up to Arkansas, his native state. Stay tuned.


The bikes –

We rode a little over 1900 miles in total. Both bikes ran flawlessly, except Brian had a little trouble on some long grades close to Leadville – noisy banging, and overheating. We concluded it was a combination of poor, low-octane gas and trying to climb the pass in too high a gear. We kicked up the octane with a tank of Super. No further problems.

My 650 loves mountain altitudes. It screamed up passes in whatever gear I offered it. Over the trip, I averaged 58mpg in total. The low was 48mpg, fully loaded and battling wind from Texline to Raton. The high was 67.5mpg, from Aspen to I-70 to Leadville and back to Salida.


The cameras -
* Most pictures were taken with my Nikon D60 SLR, and a Nikon 18-55mm lens.
* A few were taken with my Canon PowerShot pocket camera, or my Galaxy phone cam.



Idiot Award goes to….

• The Winner – The lowlife on a Harley, on Red Mountain Pass. I was behind a truck that was managing about 20mph. The Harley guy was in a pullout. He watched the truck appear, and at the last minute, pulled directly in front of him. And stopped. And forced the truck to stop. Then took off up the pass. It was pretty deliberate and just plain mean. No wonder so many truckers dislike bikers. :biggun:

• 1st Runner up – Bozo the clown in his Smart car. Coming up a passing lane near Durango, Mark & I were keeping right and letting traffic use the left lane. A Smart car was hovering behind us. As the lane ran out, he made his move just as Mark was pulling over. The Smart tried to trap me on the apron. I goosed it and got back in front of him & watched his finger wiggle around for the next 5 minutes. At the next passing lane I let him by, but he took a swipe at my kneecap anyway. I should have stuck my foot out and kicked his clown car over. :shooter:

• 2nd Runner up – In Molas Pass, a local yokel gave my rear flank his wrath. Presumably it was my fault the 20 cars ahead of me weren’t going faster. He tried to pass me in a no-passing zone, encountered an oncoming car, and had to quickly dodge back in – nearly into my rear wheel. Seriously???? :pound:


Observations

• Hairpin curves with thousand-foot unguarded drop-offs are intimidating, for me, in a car. On a bike, they’re downright unnerving.
• I need to practice certain skills. Like transitioning from gravel to pavement over a 4” bump, with a loaded bike.
• Don’t ever try to talk your riding buddy into doing something he thinks is dangerous or beyond his skill level.
• If you’re 62 or older, be sure to get a senior pass, good at National Park and National Forest Service locations. $10 for a lifetime card saved me a bundle.
• If you need a quick bathroom break, don’t pull up behind a bus that just disgorged 40 seniors all wearing “Hi, my name is……” tags around their necks.
• If you think driving by a feedlot smells bad through car windows, try it on a bike.
• McDonald’s. Wi-fi. ‘Nuff said.


Shout-outs

• Thanks to TWT members Bill Carmickle and Chuck Gilke for helping me with all sorts of prep work, including rejuicing the front forks and installing heated hand grips.
• Thanks to my cousin Tom for sorting out an electrical bugaboo that had been shorting my instruments.
• Thanks to the Central Church of Christ in Amarillo for allowing us to store the Jeep and trailer in their parking lot for over a week.

Hope y'all enjoyed our trip. God bless. ]]> Story Telling and Tire Kicking tshelfer http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86089 Note to self...... http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86088&goto=newpost Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:53:46 GMT Uh, don't be stunting behind a squad car?

Check out the yahoos on the wrong side of the road too. Lucky oncoming traffic is paying attention.....or unlucky depending on your outlook.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=sZBtP88wug8 ]]> General sharkey http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86088 <![CDATA[2014 Kawasaki KX250F & KX450F First Look]]> http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86087&goto=newpost Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:00:08 GMT Kawasaki has released the details on its 2014 KX250F and KX450F motocross racers. More... (http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/627/16438/Motorcycle-Article/2014-Kawasaki-KX250F---KX450F-First-Look.aspx) Kawasaki has released the details on its 2014 KX250F and KX450F motocross racers.

More... ]]> Motorcycle USA FeedBot http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86087 Major Hurdle Cleared for Johnson Valley OHV http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86086&goto=newpost Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:00:08 GMT Effort to protect California's Johnson Valley riding area clears major hurdle.

More... ]]> Motorcycle USA FeedBot http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86086 Suzuki Confirms MotoGP Return in 2015 http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86085&goto=newpost Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:00:08 GMT Suzuki confirms its return to MotoGP in 2015 – announcing a testing team including Davide Brivio and Randy de Puniet. More... (http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/913/16440/Motorcycle-Article/Suzuki-Confirms-MotoGP-Return-in-2015.aspx) Suzuki confirms its return to MotoGP in 2015 – announcing a testing team including Davide Brivio and Randy de Puniet.

More... ]]> Motorcycle USA FeedBot http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86085 The Mountaineer GNCC Results 2013 http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86084&goto=newpost Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:00:08 GMT The XC1 Pro points race tighthend as Kaliub Russell grabbed his third win of the season at the Mountaineer GNCC in West Virginia. More... (http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/505/16441/Motorcycle-Article/The-Mountaineer-GNCC-Results-2013.aspx) The XC1 Pro points race tighthend as Kaliub Russell grabbed his third win of the season at the Mountaineer GNCC in West Virginia.

More... ]]> Motorcycle USA FeedBot http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86084 MotoGP Catalunya Test Results 2013 http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86083&goto=newpost Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:00:08 GMT Many of MotoGP competitors remained an extra day at Catalunya following Round 6 of 2013 for mid-season testing, including the new Inline Four being developed by Suzuki for the 2015 championship. More...... Many of MotoGP competitors remained an extra day at Catalunya following Round 6 of 2013 for mid-season testing, including the new Inline Four being developed by Suzuki for the 2015 championship.

More... ]]> Motorcycle USA FeedBot http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86083 AMA Hillclimb Freemansburg Hill Results 2013 http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86082&goto=newpost Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:00:08 GMT Round 2 of the 2013 AMA Pro Hillclimb Series took competitors to Freemansburg, Pennsylvania. More... (http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/509/16443/Motorcycle-Article/AMA-Hillclimb-Freemansburg-Hill-Results-2013.aspx) Round 2 of the 2013 AMA Pro Hillclimb Series took competitors to Freemansburg, Pennsylvania.

More... ]]> Motorcycle USA FeedBot http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86082 Racer Mickey Gloves Review http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86081&goto=newpost Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:00:08 GMT Next up in our 2013 Summer Motorcycle Glove Review Series finds Superfabric coating on hard protectors. More... (http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-gloves/racer-mickey-gloves/review.htm) Next up in our 2013 Summer Motorcycle Glove Review Series finds Superfabric coating on hard protectors.

More... ]]> WebBikeWorld FeedBot http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86081 Kawasaki Lacks Budget or Desire To Race. Goes Lone Ranger. http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86080&goto=newpost Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:00:08 GMT More... (http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2013/Jun/130612loneranger.htm) More... ]]> Superbike Planet FeedBot http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86080 Bostrom Selling Malibu House http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86079&goto=newpost Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:00:08 GMT More... (http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2013/Jun/130617155.htm) More... ]]> Superbike Planet FeedBot http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86079