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I decided to pop in here and it's a dead zone! What's everyone up to? I'm still out in AZ, loving it here for the most part. I work at a Tribal hospital, which is classified as IHS or Indian Health Service. It's so much better than slaving away at a corporate chain. I do miss St. Louis though, and plan to come back once Covid is over. Hopefully with a bike so I can sneak out to some of my favorite places. I moved out here with no bike. Sold my FJ a few days before coming out. In June I got a used '13 1050 Speed Triple. I couldn't make up my mind if I wanted a real dual sport like an Africa Twin (there are a TON of forest service roads, primitive roads, etc out here) or another naked or a sport touring bike. After riding a new 2019 Speed Triple, used 1290 Duke GT, and used Ninja 1000.... I decided on the '13 Speed Triple. I didn't feel the 2019 was worth double the cost. I love my green one and the price was right. The 1290 I didn't like at all. It got very hot on the test ride, and I felt like it had no bottom end. Whack the throttle and it just lugs and tries to shake itself apart. The upper mid range was pretty impressive, though. The Ninja 1000 was great. I would have bought it if it wasn't dropped by the previous owner. It was butter smooth and felt the fastest, though by the magazine numbers it's the slowest. But one thing I like in motorcycles is low-mid range power and smoothness. My triples all had it, and so did the Ninja 1000. I also considered a Hayabusa.... I actually put a deposit on one but backed out for a couple different reasons. Funny story. To actually buy the speed triple I ended up driving to flagstaff, taking a greyhound bus to phoenix, riding the bike all the way back to my quarters, then catching a ride back to flag with a coworker. The sales guy thought I was insane. But I felt that was the easiest way to get things done 😂 Put about 4500 miles on Speedy from June to now. Two of my favorite routes are to go north past the canyon north rim and into Utah, through Zion park, then back down through Page/Lake Powell. Another is 89a from Flagstaff down through Sedona, Jerome, and Prescott. Both of these are about 400 miles round trip so the mileage adds up quick. I attached a pic of it in front of a random building I found just off the road on Hopi tribe land. The blue thing with a face is Tawa, which is the sun spirit. In Hopi mythology Tawa is the creator of everything ,basically. I think it looks super cool. Anyway, Speedy has been a fun bike. It sounds quite good with that Arrow exhaust. Lots of crackles and burbles on de-cel. Feels way more planted than my '99 Speedy or my FJ09 did. But I think it's a bit too refined, and lost some of that hooligan character. It's a little faster than the FJ, but the FJ was kinda fun in that it liked to rev out. The 1050, not so much. It's just a super linear powerband. I'm also living with 8000 ft density altitude, so everything feels way down on power. And on top of that, I have to ride 70 miles of highway (one way) for me to get anywhere interesting, lots of super slab. I wanted something with cruise control and that can't be added to the speedy. I tried the throttle locks. Everyone told me I would hate them and I did. They don't work. It'll slip off, or your speed will fluctuate wildly with wind and hills. So something with a bit more power and cruise control would be nice. Another big thing is dealer support. I've learned a ton from everyone here on bike maintenance and feel very confident doing pretty much anything myself... BUT...... I don't have a garage out here so that can make life difficult. I'm not one to pop a valve cover off and try to measure clearance when a sandstorm could happen any second. The closest Triumph dealer is over 200 miles away down in Phoenix. And there are none up in Utah. I bugged @SprintST and @Morbo about their bikes and what they thought. I was very interested in a ZH2 or the MT10. Also bugged @ZRX4ME about his thoughts. They were all very helpful. After watching several youtube videos and reviews, debating on value, and their input..... I decided to go with a 2017 FZ10. It's in San Diego. I'll go get it Nov 17th. I made the deposit and they're holding it. They made me a great trade in offer for my Speed Triple, and this particular FZ10 is the right spec. It's in the color I wanted, has the comfort seat, Pilot Road 5's, and swingarm spools already installed. Yamaha dealer is 70 miles south in Flagstaff. Plus there are Yamaha dealers up in Utah around Moab or St. George. By the numbers, it's quite a bit faster than my Speed Triple despite not that much more hp. The 100-200 kmh sprint is around 4-4.5 sec. Speedy is 6+. FJ09 is 7+. So this is going to be a different animal. Believe it or not, it's within a few tenths of the V4 Tuono, 1290R, and ZH2 in a 4th gear roll on 100-200 kmh. I'm sure those other super nakeds would eventually outrun it but I have no need to go that fast. All of my hooliganing below 200 kmh. Pretty excited to get it. Not sure how much I'll get to ride it this year. The temps are starting to drop to the 20's over night. I definitely plan on taking the FZ on some baller trips. My work schedule is changing to 7 on 7 off, or 8 on 6 off. So plenty of time to ride. I want to hit 191, Mt Lemmon, Tonto Forest, and Petrified Forest. Also want to head over to Cali. I'm hoping to do some of Angelas forest and/or Malibu after picking up the FZ10. It isn't that far out of the way to come from San Diego north to LA then back over... Like an additional hour or 2. Somewhere along the way I traded in my car for a Tacoma truck. So that should make hauling a bike easy. Even if it's too cold to ride, just load it up and drive to a warmer area of the state 😀 What's new with everyone else? Anyone else get new bikes or have any plans for one?

I thought you already knew how to pole dance 😉 Just kidding

If it Doesn't Say Made in the USA,Let it Lay !!!

I guess that means my track bike is now street legal?

I made it home with No issues. Until I spun the rear tire for my post ride inspection. LOOK, a nail in the rear tire !!! No wonder the rear had a slight instability. But,I had fun riding with Stuart & Nate !!!!

How about Hermann? Meet at the 109/44 QT at 9:00 and take the "Bixby" route to 185. Then north on 185 to Sullivan and onto Hermann. If the chipseal on U has settled down, we can hit B and U on the way back into St. Charles. The afternoon is open to suggestions but I'd really like to ride the roads north of Sullivan in the AM. KSU @ 9:30.

Hello buddy. I just clicked on the site and saw one post and decided to check it out. I enjoyed reading your post and have to say working 6 days on and 6 days off is ideal for a motorcycle rider. Not much happening here in Missouri. I did end up trading my 2017 FJ09 for a 2020 Mt10 with orange wheels and so far it has been fun. It’s stiil in a stock mode and i love the quick shifter on it. 2017 can have it as an add on. Wish you the best and hope to see you in Missouri when things get closer to normal.

We're IN !!~!

Looks like a cloudy, cooler day but I think the showers will hold off till evening or we may have a little sprinkle here or there we have to ride around. So, I think I am good for riding today.

Week day Delight

Just renewed both bike's plates online wrote this post and scrolled down to see it's old news...

Sorry I missed this. I was doing something a little different this weekend.

I'll be at at Speed's house between 7 and 7:20. I have 1 duffle about 24x10x10 inches. Chicago Weather Friday: Lake effect snow early, then partly sunny. High: 33, Low: 24 Saturday: Cloudy with flurries. High: 32, Low: 23

Well Paul didn’t fly too far. But it was great seeing paul and Galen. Despite salt,gravel and mudd it still was a fantastic day. Eric it was nice meeting and riding with you. As always Dave set out great routes.

But HP and Torque? And the 3 cylinder sounds so good I have not even changed the exhaust.

Can’t wait to ride this season!!

My accessories are all in I guess it’s time to put it back together.

Donna and I will be there at the 10 am service, we registered. I am so dad over this.

There is a lot more on Facebook hope you can see it.

Kathy, my sincerest condolences to you and your family. Will be thinking of you both.

Kathy, so sorry this hear this news. I know that we all are saddened by this and I personally wish to convey my heart felt condlemces.Due to the pandemic I can not attend services but please know that I will be thinking of both of you during that time.

Wow that's quite a post. Congrats on the new bike. I have wanted one of those for a while but anymore I just do "need" what it has... I got 2018 Kawi Z900RS and have been enjoying it quite a bit. I still have my 2018 FJR as well... they both are suiting me well. I think you might be able to tell... but I don't think a lot goes on here anymore... most activity is over on the FB pages.

Try to come out Friday afternoon to help with set up. Any questions you have will get answered on the spot. Set up in the paddock area around spots # 20-22-etc. It's where we set up most of the time.

Yeah what he said

You should really check out STLAR Facebook page ... that info was all in there.

Thank you to everyone that came. I ended up taking T to A to 47 then 94. Very busy out there. I guess everyone is off.

Belated Happy Birthday 🏁

Don't you own a German and a British motorcycle? 😄

Thanks to everyone that came out. Great ride.

Meet at eureka QT ksu 10:30.

aaaaand I scrolled down far enough to read this post.

Beat me to it, Dave. Was getting ready to pay the link. This should make Austin much more interesting being the kickoff for the GP class.

I’m planning on riding somewhere 😎

Soooooo many things still to learn...👀

Probable.

In

Hey this is a cool pic.

U guys have fun I’ll be doing a shorter ride with Kathy today🙂

Planning on it if my neck cooperates.

The smoothness of the inline 4 is what attracts me. I've ridden both and the smooth operation without much of a noticeable difference in performance plus the taller stance and comfy seat are attractive.

This is a nice riding area.

I’m older than you that’s why I got a mini moto:)

I wish I could ride dirt :( I tried Todd's bike and sucked so I gave up. I wish I kept it and tried more but maybe I'm too old to learn new stuff.

http://www.fim-live.com/en/article/motogp-class-cancelled-at-the-grand-prix-of-qatar/ They're still having Moto3/Moto2 because the teams have been in Qatar long enough already. Thailand is also already cancelled.

March 25, 2020 Ex-AMA Superbike Champ Mat Mladin Accused Of Child Sex Crimes © 2020, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. By David Swarts. Mat Mladin, circa 2005. Photo by David Swarts. By David Swarts Seven-time AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin has been arrested and accused of four child sex offenses in Australia, according to an article published March 25 at DailyTelegraph.com, the online presence of Sydney, Australia’s largest newspaper. According to author Daniel McGookin, Mladin, age 48, has been charged with sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 10, two counts of intentionally carrying out a sex act on a child under 10, and one count of intentionally inciting a child to perform a sex act. After a lengthy investigation, according to the article, Mladin was taken into custody on March 13 and spent days in jail before he was released on $50,000 bail and had to surrender his passport. The matter is being handled in Campbelltown Local Court, in New South Wales, Australia. Read the entire article behind a paywall HERE Mladin’s court case number is 2020/00081386. Online court records under that case number refer to a court appearance Mladin made via videolink March 25th Australian time. In recent years, Mladin has returned to racing as a team owner, fielding Max Croker in the Australian Supersport and then Superbike National Championships under the Mladin Racing banner. Mladin’s Facebook page, which appeared to have been the source for some of the photos used in the DailyTelegraph.com article, has been taken down.

The Formula 1 and MotoGP season-openers face fresh uncertainty after the Italian government announced plans on Saturday to impose strict quarantines on a number of regions where teams are based. https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/italy-quarantine-threatens-F1-MotoGP/4727538/

Coronavirus: How the virus has impacted sporting events around the world https://www.bbc.com/sport/51605235 WSBK Qatar has been postponed https://www.crash.net/wsbk/news/937000/1/coronavirus-qatar-world-superbike-round-postponed https://www.bbc.com/sport/northern-ireland/51720751

MotoGP's Grand Prix of the Americas event has been thrown into significant doubt following the declaration of a state of emergency in host city Austin due to the coronavirus outbreak. https://www.motorsport.com/motogp/news/cota-austin-emergency-coronavirus/4725855/ https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/937122/1/austin-motogp-doubts-increase-after-local-state-disaster

https://blog.motorcycle.com/2020/01/29/motorcycle-news/yamaha-motor-racing-signs-quartararo-to-21-22-rider-line-up-hints-at-rossis-future-plans/