Six Wheels Good

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 05/18/2020 at 11:48 • Filed to: None

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Went by an acquaintance’s house yesterday to pick something up and he was out in the garage with his son. I had no idea he owned these. Well, he’s flipping the orange custom bike . He was in the process of rebuilding the carbs and bleeding the brakes when I came by. He is originally from Germany, and said he’s been riding most of his life.

TheRealBicycleBuck > ttyymmnn 05/18/2020 at 12:03

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A GS is on the short list of my “one of these days” bikes. I t looks like he’s set up for some real  touring on his. I’m jealous.

ttyymmnn > TheRealBicycleBuck 05/18/2020 at 12:10

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He called it a “500-mile bike.” Not that it was limited in range, but the limits of rider endurance. 

TheRealBicycleBuck > ttyymmnn 05/18/2020 at 12:25

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That’s about right. I always thought of it in terms of hours. Five hundred miles is about eight hours and that’s just about all I’d want to ride too.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 05/18/2020 at 12:29

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And here I was, thinking you’d finally cleaned out your garage.

ttyymmnn > TheRealBicycleBuck 05/18/2020 at 12:32

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Interestingly, he said he could go farther if he wore earplugs. He said the wind noise was one of the most tiring aspects. 

ttyymmnn > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/18/2020 at 12:35

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His garage looked like a motorcycle showroom. Very clean and organized. Then again, he’s German. 

TheRealBicycleBuck > ttyymmnn 05/18/2020 at 12:50

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Wind noise can be bad, especially on unfaired or underfaired bikes. My Seca was more of a touring bike, so the fairing punched a fairly large hole for me. The wind hit my helmet right on the brow just above my visor. It was perfect for opening the brow vent and getting air flowing through the helmet.

The worst time I ever had was being stuck on 290 in NW Houston during rush hour in August. We weren’t moving at all, so I was just baking in the afternoon sun with the heat from the engine creating a convection oven right in my lap. Once we got moving, it was tolerable, but that was one of the worst experiences I’ve had on that bike. It was followed by a ridiculously stupid high-speed run through traffic, which was one of the most exhilarating  and scary moments on that bike. But that’s another story.

ttyymmnn > TheRealBicycleBuck 05/18/2020 at 12:54

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No lane splitting?

TheRealBicycleBuck > ttyymmnn 05/18/2020 at 13:01

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Not allowed in Texas.

ttyymmnn > TheRealBicycleBuck 05/18/2020 at 13:46

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No, but that doesn’t mean people don’t do it.

TheRealBicycleBuck > ttyymmnn 05/18/2020 at 14:28

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True, but this people wasn ’t keen on squeezing a full-size, fully-faired bike down the middle. It’s also a good way to get door-checked or cut off, especially in a place where nobody is looking for you because it’s not something that was common or legal. 

ttyymmnn > TheRealBicycleBuck 05/18/2020 at 14:59

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Was driving in CA last summer where it is legal and I must say it was a bit disconcerting first time a motorcycle suddenly roared in my ear. Had to be much more vigilant with the mirrors. 

DipodomysDeserti > TheRealBicycleBuck 05/18/2020 at 15:56

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A guy on my street has several GS750’s and 350’s. They’re all set up as flat trackers with custom bodies and paint. He cruises them around every day. They sound glorious.