2006 Yamaha MT-01 ~~~CRASH~~~

It's been a long time since I have made a post...4 months??

It was a weird summer for weather, so I didn't get as much riding in as I would have liked but I still got in 7700kms...so it isn't too bad!!

In late May, I joined the AlbertaMoto crew and we went for a ride through Rocky Mountain House, Saskatchewan River Crossing, down the Icefield Parkway and on to Canmore...then home...here's a few pics from that day...






Then I did a bunch of commuting and some rides with just one other rider...they were nice days of riding...some kinda windy, but nice to get out none the less...

Then the summer came to an end, so we planned a multi-day ride (which I had never done before)...our plan was to ride into BC and find some nice twisty roads to ride...along with some beautiful scenery...we picked a route and headed out...September 10th saw us leaving Sylvan Lake around 11am with a destination of Cranbrook, BC...WOOHOO~~~HERE WE GO!!

We stopped in Canmore for some icecream and lunch...



Then we headed down Hwy 93 toward Radium Hot Springs...we stopped to take some pics and hook up our POV cameras...




We rode down to Radium and stopped for fuel...as I was fueling up, I noticed that the other guys were just standing around talking and looked worried...so I finished, then asked what the problem was..."maybe we should head back...", "I don't know if we should keep on riding..."...???...what the $#@%??...Okay, what happened that I don't know about?? Then the guys proceeded to tell me about an off duty RCMP officer that had stopped in the gas station, reamed them out for riding like TOOLS and had taken photos of our motorcycle plates...he didn't bother talking to me, so I wasn't sure what they were talking about...he told them that they should watch themselves because he had called his "buddies" and told them about us, and that they would be looking out for us...

The guys were paranoid for the rest of the day (we might have gone 1kph over the speed limit...maybe)...it didn't take me long to realize that if the guy was really that ticked off, he would have called his "buddies" and had them come right then and write tickets...so the day started to get a little long...we stopped about 30mins outside of Cranbrook to take a break, stretch & take some more pics...




We finally made it to Cranbrook...tired, hungry and in need of a few beer...so we found our hotel (Lazy Bear Lodge), checked in...and went in search of food and beverages...10pm on a Saturday night...and there was no-one on the street...like the town folded up at night...it was wierd!! We found a pub, but their kitchen had closed...they suggested a pub around the corner so we tried it out and they were still serving food...so we ordered food and a few beer...but the other Pub had been so friendly that we went back there for a few beer as well...had a great night (except some biker dude bought me a shooter...a little strange to say the least)

The next day started with a broken key and a hunt for a blank on a Sunday in a small town in BC...what a morning...we finally found a key that would work (with some filing and sanding)...and we were off, at 1:45pm...our destination was Revelstoke...

We headed out to Creston, turned off at Hwy 3a and headed north toward the ferry across the Kootenay Lake...WOW, WHAT A ROAD!! Sweeper after sweeper, some tightening others just a nice turn along the lake...it was absolutely awesome!! We were starting to get used to leaning the bikes over, I was really starting to enjoy my bike...then I got to the third from last corner before the ferry loading dock...then...









That was the end of the road for my bike...we had to limp it to the ferry to get across the lake...then the tow truck took it to a storage yard for me, until I could pick it up the next weekend...the rest of the ride was on the back of a Honda VFR800 Interceptor...not bad, but not great either... at least it wasn't the back of the R1 the guy normally rides...

We ended up only making it to Kaslo that day...more search for food, lodging and beer...I wasn't really hurt (thankful for my gear!!), but my ankle didn't like me much...day 3 saw a long day in the saddle, 12hrs...but we made it...obviously...

The next weekend I headed back to Nelson, BC to pick up the bike from the storage yard...left the house at 7am...800kms later I was loading the bike into the back of the rental trailer...




Time to head home...about 10kms out of Salmo I come across a couple of bikers waving me down...I was thinking someone had gone over the edge, but luckily it was just a rear tire blow out...another truck stopped and I helped them load the bike into the back of it and wished them better luck...at least he didn't dump the bike over, since he said he was doing 120kph...could have been quite bad...

I was hoping to make it all the way home in one day...but around midnight I started to get pretty tired...so I stopped just north of Nanton, AB...I ended up "camping" in the back seat of my truck...with the back seat folded down, there was enough room...but man, is the load floor hard!! Uncomfortable all night and it got down to 1C, so it was cold too...so I was up again around 5:30am...stopped just south of Calgary for some breakfast and then made my way home...what a trip!!

So, that's how my biking season ends for 2011...CRAP!! Bent forks, broken shift lever, scratched up headlight, scratches on the oil reservoir & the heat shield is scratched and the trim ring is broken...could have been much worse, but if I had been riding more cautiously it could have been much better as well...

Now it's time to play with the camera and see what winter brings...yay...not

Later.

Finally made a decision and bought a new toy...

I really couldn't decide if I wanted to be on a cruiser, sport tourer or a dual sport...so I had resigned myself to riding my GS500 for another season. It's a great bike that will work in most situations...but then I went in and sat on THE BIKE...

I was really sold on the sound and attitude of the cruiser, but the riding position of the bike really wasn't working for me...so I went into the Suzuki dealer and started talking to the salesman about what the best price he could get me on the Bandit was...it was a 2009 old/new stock, so I thought I could take advantage of the incentives that Suzuki was offering and dicker them down...but they were still $2000 higher than I felt comfortable parting with...so out the door I went...got onto my GS500 and rode away...(they wanted the same price for the V Strom...atleast the Strom was a 2010 and they only had the one)

So I was really thinking that my new bike for 2011 season dreams were over...then I stopped into the Yamaha dealer...they had a used Kawasaki Versys on consignment, so I went in to see the bike. I had sat on it in the fall and it was a nice fit, but something about the bike just didn't work for me...I can't put my finger on it, but I just didn't have any passion for the bike...

Well, I can put a finger on it...it was parked right next to it...and now it is parked in my garage...



Yup, 2006 Yamaha MT-01...I sat on the bike, and that was it...I went home and told the wifey that I was going back the next day to buy the bike...they were eager to get that bike off the show room floor (could have something to do with having two more to sell yet...)

I bought the bike on April 30th, 2011...and I have put on over 2,000kms so far...

The bike is a total beast, and that is what I have named the bike "The BEAST"...the torque is incredible. Would I have been just as happy with the 650cc bikes that I was looking at...probably, but now that I have this bike...how can I ever get anything without the torque...WOO HOO...

The only real down fall of the bike is that it isn't for everyone...that really isn't the big deal, it's when/if I ever want to sell it, I will probably have trouble finding a buyer...so I will ride it until it dies...problem solved...

Everytime I start the bike, I get a silly grin on my face...and when you are riding and play with the torque of the bike...it's hard to describe...electric motor type of torque, any gear, any time...just a huge wave of torque...but after riding the GS500 with the redline at 11,500rpm, it took some getting used to the 5,500rpm rev limitter...slammed into that thing a few times on my first couple of rides...I now think of it as my cruiser...one that can turn and stop really, really well...really well...

Anyway, here are a couple of shots I took of the bike and a video that I made on the first full day of ownership...rode it over 500kms that day...









I hope you like the pics and video...I know I like seeing them...

Later.

Coping with the "itch to ride"...

The last ride I took on my bike was on November 13, 2010...my little GS500 has been parked in the same spot, waiting for a "nice day" to sneak out for a ride...that never happened, and either did the winterizing that I should have done...

This past week has been a week of getting ready for the spring season and trying to make up for not winterizing the poor little bike. The bike needed a new rear tire at the end of the summer, but I used the same tire though the fall (not that we got to ride much, but still...). So I finally got around to buying a new tire, but not before trying to decide..."am I going to keep it for another season", and "if I am, should I get a dual sport tire to allow more gravel?"...in the long run the tire size availability and cost helped me make that decision, so I ordered a cheapo Kenda tire for the bike and had it installed...

I still haven't decided what type of riding I want to do, but I am going to keep the little GS until I make up my mind. I don't see any sence in buying something now that I may not really want in a couple of months.

So on that line of thinking, I proceded to do some seriously needed maintenance on the bike...the mentioned tire change, cleaning of the chain and rear sprocket (man, were they disgusting...I though the rear sprocket was anodized black...nope), I re-lubed the chain and added some fuel stabilizer (if for no other reason than to help clean the carbs if there is any build up in there...my bad)...then I tried to start it...



Well, as you can tell it didn't go quite as planned (I also forgot to charge the battery...duh)...then on Sunday, it snowed...and snowed...then a little more...Sunday ride was out, so I didn't even bother trying to start the bike...hopefully the weather is warm enough to start to melt the snow away again so that I can possibly get a ride in next weekend...

During the week I will lube the cables and make sure everything is adjusted and ready to go...I want to ride for atleast a month before I make any decisions on what type of bike to get...I may just find that my little GS500 is the bike I really want...

Later.

It's been a while...

I haven't been keeping up with my blog...it was kind of a crappy summer with the weather, and we crammed in camping and I put in over 8000kms on my motorbike...

I am currently flip flopping about whether or not to upgrade bikes, and if so, to what?

My current bike as you know is this...



I am thinking of these bikes as replacements...

The Suzuki Bandit 1250S...



The Suzuki Boulevard M90...



The Suzuki V-Strom DL650...

On road version...



Off road version...



or the Yamaha MT-01...



Sound clip...



So until I decide, I will just keep the bike I have...