Two bikes, one Soul

I have the two xs11s. One is a standard, all set up for touring with hard bags, music, CB, a comfy seat, extra lights, more wind protection, etc etc. And I have a couple of road trips coming up, so the standard is a natural choice.

I also have the factory Special, or just Special. It has really no weather protection, cumbersome music, no extra lights, a stiff suspension, and a tiny gas tank. Not really a design touring bike.

And yet I find myself thinking, on my upcoming road trips, I should be taking my Special, instead of the standard. I mean, I just got the standard last year, and before that I traveled with the special and had no problems. I rationalize, saying I can ride mostly during the day, so the lack of extra lights means less. I can pack less. The list goes on.

In the end, there is a simple truth. The standard is the bike I got for touring, and set up for touring, and should be touring on, regardless of my sentimental feelings towards the special. Yes, it used to be all I needed, but I used to pee in the bed too, until I discovered the bathroom was much better. The standard is better. Anything else on a long, long trip is like peeing in bed.

The Beemer

I have a 1985 k100RS. It was going to just be a temporary bike to get me through the winter, since both my XS11s were ill with mechanical or electrical problems. Obviously winter is over, and I still have the beemer.

I am really hot and cold towards it. Sometimes I think it is a great bike, and I think I would be able to get rid of the xs11s and just run the K. Then a few days later I hate it, and think I am going to stick it in the front yard with a for sale sign.

The last two days I have been riding it. No real reason, other than my Special has a dead battery, and I wanted the locking luggage. Locking luggage on a bike is a great thing, even more so when you are going to a lakefront where there will be several thousand drunk party goers.

Anyway, before these two days, I was very cold to it. To the point of mentally composing ebay ads. Now I like it again, and am glad of the money I spent on new tires. I want to figure out why the brake warning light flickers, and work on the intercom wiring.

The K bike. It is like a old girlfriend, who you hate, but every now and then find yourself in bed with. It is good, and you like it, but you always wonder when whatever happened that mad you hate her will resurface, and you have to change your phone number.

Misery and Suffering

I have 2 xs1100s. When I got the second one, it was kinda confusing to my significant other, now my fiance, as to which was which. They looked different. One was a standard, and the other a special, but those words were meaningless to her. So I decided to name them. Misery was the special, a facotyr custum with a small gas tank and no fairing. I added an aftermarket windshield for some wind protection, but that was it. Misery, since you would be in misery if you got caught in any kinda of bad weather.

Suffering was the standard, a full dress touring bike, which woul dhave to suffer through all our road trips. The rule was simple, more than 100 miles one way, and we would take Suffering.

Both bikes broke last fall. Suffering blew and engine. Misery a wiring harness. Both have been fixed, though I got Suffering back first. Lately I have been riding Misery more. Misery was my first xs11. It is loud, with an aftermarket exhaust. A sharp note. Fast too, or seems it, the wind blowing by. I wonder sometimes why I got the other bikes. I do remember, though, when it is time to go somewhere, and the lack of luggage becomes a problem. Suffering's hard bags then seem so inviting, so perfect. but I wonder if I am missing something, behind the big windsheild listening to the xm radio and talking with my passenger with ease. Something viseral that Suffering shields me from, and Misery does not. Something about the feel of the road, and my place on it. Something that makes it all come together....

More about Not Riding.

My Girlfriend goes to school in River Falls Wisconsin. Apart from being in one of the prettier areas of the state of Wisconsin, it is also over 300 miles away from my home in Milwaukee.

I try to visit her every couple of weeks, and since I prefer to ride whenever I can, this means I take my motorcycle there with some frequency. Motorcycle parking is free on campus too, which is a nice bonus.

With Valentines day this past week, it was a natural time to go and visit. The temperatures were only in the 20s, but I can easily deal with the cold, and was thinking the ride would be nice.

Then I checked the weather for the ride back.

When traveling in the Midwest in winter, a close eye has to be paid to the forecast, since we can get some pretty good snowstorms. I was traveling to RF on Monday, and returning on Thursday, in time to work at 6pm. The forecast for Thursday was very bad, with a large snowstorm across the entire state, and temps in the single digits - a little cold for riding. I did think about leaving on Wednesday instead, but the woman didn't like the idea of cutting the visit short, and so I was in my car.

There is a lesson here. I really wanted to ride the bike. In fact, the bike was packed, and I ended up bringing the saddlebags in the car. But Febuary is just a little too early in the year for longer road trips, and so I took the car. It was saver, and it is early in the year. There will be other trips.

Be safe, and keep the rubber side down.

Riding in the winter

It is Febuary, and I live in the Midwest. This means that on a good day, we hit the high 20s. Teens are frequent, and the only good news for this year and motorcycling is the lack of snow. So far, anyway.

I got my full dress touring bike back a few months ago. Prior to that I had been riding a BMW K100, a nice bike, but it needs tires. It is, however, much lighter, so even when I got my full dress bike back I kept riding it.

Lately, however, it has been the full dress bike all the time. I missed the XS11s, they are smooth, powerful, and the full dress bike cuts the amount of cold wind to a minium. I am sure people are looking at me like I am nuts, but that is life, sometimes - I am nuts.

Now, to ride in the winter, you have to dress warm, but the reall key is to reduce windchill. So at least, you have to be completely covered from head to toe with something that will eliminate the wind. To just be warm, I use Underarmor Cold Gear, under jeans and a fleece top. I have various warm socks, and when it is really cold or I have far to go, I wear silky dress socks under them. Like the Underarmor, this keep moisture away from my skin, which helps a lot.

For Motorcycle gear, I have First Gear, um, gear. A Kilimanjaro and HT overpants. I have waterproof winter EMS boots, which I only use in the winter, since they are not to comfy for walking. For my hands I have snowmobile gloves, which I can either use the included liner, or another, light pair of gloves under. My head gets a fleece balacava and a full face Shoei Helmet. You can use a flip helmet, if you want, but you should always have a helmet on. Perhaps more so in the winter, where the roads are less than ideal.

Since the Yamaha is air cooled, I give the bike a lot longer to warm up, and have winter weight oil in it, to reduce engine wear. After it is idling nice, I jump on, and on on my way.

Defining the Rides 1

The Yamaha XS1100 has been called the best bike ever built. I am not sure about that, but no one who has ridden one can complain about the ride.

The XS11 was produced in Japan from 78 to 81. The xj1100 made in 1982 was basically just an XS11, with a brush type alternator, instead of the older technology of the stator, and is often cosidered along with the XS11's.

The XS line included a 400, 650, 750 and 850 engine displacement, along with the 1100. After the 1100, the 650 is the most popular, with a twin cylinder configuration. The 1100 has 4 cylinders in an in-line configuration, like a small car.

When the first XS11 was unveiled for review, it was actually called the XS1000. Yamaha's answer to the GL (Called a Goldwing by normal people), it had an engine displacement of 1101cc, far more than the GL 954cc, so it was not much a surprise that the bike far out-performed the bike from Honda. When it was released the name was changed to the XS1100, or XS11.

The first Japanese liter-plus bike, it was also the first production motorcycle to run the ¼ mile in less than 12 seconds. The 95 horsepower and 5 speed transmission provided more than enough power for just about anything.

Of course, newer bike have more horsepower, better transmissions, more comfortable seats, what is so great about the XS?

Well, Yamaha wanted to make the best motorcycle ever, and so when they were designing the parts, they went to great efforts to make sure they would not wear out in only a few years. While the XS came with the same warrant as other bikes, they did not start to fail or fall apart in a few years. In fact, the engines were immune to just about everything but abuse, and a tendency for 2^nd gear to fail (Fixable at the side of the road, if you have the tools).

So, as you might expect, while the XS sold very well at the start of it's production run, after a few years, the newer models just were not moving off the sales-room floors. Why get a new bike? The old one was fine. The Goldwing increased it's engine displacement, power and handling. The XS slowly evolved into the Venture (The 1981 XS11 had a factory option called the Venturer, with a larger gas tank and Vetter touring hardware), which some called Yamaha's Goldwing Clone.

Over the years, accidents and neglect have taken their toll on the XS. While Honda has their “Honda Line,” which provides parts for older models, the XS has become the haunt of trade shows and ebay.

So why do I ride one? The bike is smooth, responsive, and has massive power. I can keep up with modern sport-tourers, and know that if I break down on the side of the road, I might be able to find what I need at a hardware store. A friend of mine was recently on a trip with a new Triumph, broke down in Montana, and had to rent a uhaul to make it home. I blew the engine on my XS last summer, and managed to limp the bike 80 some miles home.

Try that on your Hya-whater.

Starting on the Road

Starting a journey normally requires some planning. You have to get your stuff together, figure out where you are going, and make sure your ride is good to go.

I love motorcylcing. I have 3 bikes. 4, techincally, since I have one that is just for parts. Two of the bikes are yamaha xs1100s, considered by some to be the best bike ever built. The third is a BMW k100rs, which was something of an impulse buy at the end of last summer, when both the Yamahas were down with mechanical problems.

Since then, one of the yamahas, the full dress touring bike, has returned to my garage, and I have been using it more. The BMW is still there, but need a new rear tire. I want to get that in the next couple weeks.

It is January, here in Milwaukee, and winter. But I am still planning on getting out today for a ride. You have to ride, you know. It just makes life a bit more worthwhile.

Be safe, and keep the rubber side down.