At the last weekend I've gone for my first longer ride with the R6 and slowly start reaching the conclusion that this might be not the ideal form of long distance transportation.

Don't get me wrong it's a lot of fun and I enjoy 2 hour rides, but that's pushing it. After 3 hours I felt miserable, after 4 I just wanted to toss it into a corner. (Happily I did not run into any corners) and after 5 hours I was seriously considering selling it and getting a cruiser like this (2009 V-Star 950, they are really comfortable). Luckily there are none for sale on craigslist right now, except for 650s which are to small for me...

Yes I'm considering selling the bike, since it's more a toy at the current point in time, but it makes no sense with the current visa issue and I really need to stop being so impulsive.

So I started reading up what I can do to make it more comfortable

• buy another seat - 300$
• buy a bigger windshield - 80$
• throttle lock - 100$

out of options. I do have a tire patch kit now...

Translates into one thing for sure, except for getting coffee or short rides ashley is not gonna be on the bike and for sure not comfortable. I might give it a try for a road trip in a couple of months and limiting my self to 200-300 miles a day. Once I figure out how to get corners right. The bike is just so unstable and the advice from a fellow rider is not really helping

if the corner says 20mph go at least 40-50mph otherwise the bike topples over to easily.

I'm not going faster than the recommended speed in such a corner. Sure to take a 50mph corner with 60-70mph is not the big problem. But I'm happy to get around a series of 25-30mph corners.

Otherwise our weekend was great, after me being lost for 3 hours in the mountains and having the battery die on me in on 'Big Hill Road' (yes it was a big hill)...

Well we enjoyed 4 days of reading, relaxing and wood chopping. Oh and don't forget, some tasty tasty cooking. Ashley and I both realized our relationship really evolves around food and traveling.

completely unrelated, I start to consider thinking that the R6 is maybe a bit much and belongs to a race track and not to the street...
Short I try to take the advanced riders course next month, if time and money permits.

Update:

after sleeping a night and reading up this morning on how to take curves and testing it I still love 'jasmine' she just needs to be treated right and a more comfortable seat...

well after I scraped the required money together to:

• buy shin guards for ashley
• buy a jacket for ashley
• buy a chest/back protector for me

I drove happily home and promptly got a flat tire. Which surprise surprise cost 300$ to replace. Luckily nothing happened and some other rider pulled over and helped me to get the bike of the highway and to his 'biker society meeting' where they patched the tired and inflated it, so that I could get home.

Now tomorrow we will move the bike to the shop and waiting to hear the bill. Since I have these wonderful absolutely ridiculous expensive tires, which are most likely have to be special ordered, will translate into me not taking the bike to twainheart and eating oatmeal and top ramen for the rest of the month.

I never felled so stranded in my life and reminded me to the conversation last weekend.


Gert: Tj, short question. I'm doing a 400 mile kit and thought a tire plug kit would be a good idea
Tj: it's so rare that a tire blows out or goes flat, you really can save these 165$ right now and invest them in some protection

today:


Gert: Tj guess waht,
Tj: what?
Gert: remember the conversation about tire plugs last weekend
Tj: yip what about it?
Gert: guess... I got a flat and I'm stranded...

The people standing around me just cracked up...

Well 3 days ago I got paid and this means I started to full fill my promise to ashley and start shopping with her for motorcycle gear. So she is nice and save in the back of the bike.

So far we only got a helmet for her and found one jacket which fit her. But we did not buy the jacket yet, Main reason is that it's a very new brand and I can't find much informations about there quality.

I one the other hand bought a mesh jacket for the summer, which was reduced by 60% and should keep me cool.

Now I'm really unhappy with my pants. Why?

Well my legs are too long and the knee protection is more in the thigh area, than over the knees And after riding home tonight, avoiding 2 animals and about 40 garbage bags randomly spread over the highway I started thinking.

Is what I have enough or maybe should I improve some things?

My main thinking was a dedicated Knee/Shin protector and a dedicated hard back/spine protector.

I'm quite sure that I invest the 70$ into the knee/shin protector for my 400 mile trip in 2 weeks. But 230$ for a back protector is to much right now.

Let's see if I can sell the following things on craigslist right now

• ebook reader - 150-200$ - it works, but books are so much nicer and people constantly asking me what it is, well I like to be left alone and read. I have my anti social moments...
• volkswagen tools - 50$ sold
• code reader - 80$ sold
• 2 speed sensors - 120$
• tele converter - 100$
• ramps - 20$
• head phones - 150$
• xbox 360 + Games 250$ sold

the more I think about it, the more I think that 400$ are nothing compared to being paralyzed/dead