My Bikes
2007 Suzuki DL650 “V-Strom”, purchased February 12, 2007
I like to go on multi-day touring trips around the Pacific Northwest and this bike offers me the biggest bang for the buck. It is more reliable and less expensive than similar BMWs, is very easy to ride for long distances, has a lot of after-market accessories available for it, and has a large dealership network (in North America, anyway).
I’ve purchased Givi hard cases (pronounced ‘jee-vee‘) for the bike (V46 top case and both E21 and E41 [pictured] side cases for shorter and longer trips respectively). I wear an HJC SY-Max II modular helmet, Aerostich Darien jacket, and FieldSheer Mercury pants. This picture was taken overlooking Whitebird, Idaho on a solo trip to Montana in August, 2007.
As of December 2011 I’ve got over 44,000 miles on this bike and have had zero problems with it. I’m on my fourth set of tires (currently Shinko 705′s) and third chain, and other than oil and filter changes every 3,000 miles and a few scheduled-maintenance events it’s been absolutely reliable.
I have added some upgrades to the bike (commonly called “farkles”) some of which are visible in this picture, listed here in no particular order:
- Wolfman Explorer Lite tank bag w/waterproof cover
- Givi V46 top case and mounting plate
- Givi E21 side cases and mounting racks
- Givi E41 side cases
- Powerlet 12v outlet
- Givi windshield
- Madstad windshield adjustment bracket
- Grip Puppies grip wraps
- FendaExtenda front fender extender
- Suzuki OEM center stand
- Suzuki OEM hand guards
- Nelson-Rigg MC100 touring cover
- Sargent WSP CFX w/Carbon welt seat
- NEP CC4 throttle lock
- Garmin Zumo 450 GPS
- Fork brace
- Touratech turn signals (front only)
When riding I often listen to an iPod Touch using Etymotic Research ER6i in-ear earphones. Otherwise I’m wearing foam earplugs. I’m an ATGATT kind of guy (all the gear, all the time).
1986 Honda Rebel 250 Limited Edition:
Purchased September 26, 2006, sold March 2nd, 2007. It came with after-market saddle bags, but was missing the owners manual and original tool kit. This was my first street bike (as an adult). It’s an outstanding ‘first bike’ and proved to be very fun and easy to ride. My skills noticeably increased while riding it. I sold the bike because it was too small for me (I’m 5’10″) and I wanted something with better speed, comfort, and luggage capacity for long trips.
The very first bike I ever had was a Honda 50. I wrecked it in the 2nd grade, doing a flying Superman nose-dive into the pavement, landing chin first, and bending the front frame in the process. A few years later we sold it and I upgraded to a Honda 80 (pictured below). My Dad gave it to me when I was 12 or 13 years old. I rode it everywhere, even to school and back, right up until I got my drivers license at the age of 16, at which point we sold it. In case you’re wondering, tube socks are not considered effective safety gear in the event of a crash.
