FJRiders.com

This State governmental servant is getting dangerously close to the end. 29 years ago when I started with the State, and accepted about 70% of market value in salary for someone with my education and skills, people thought I was nuts. For the most part, they were right, but that's another story.

Now, things are coming back to me multi-fold. I'll be able to quit at 55, and if I live as long as the world says I will, these people will have paid me a pot of money that I believe NO one could earn investing the difference over the span of my career. Not a snowball's chance in hell.

I do realize that I am a dying breed. 27 months can't get here fast enough. I'm ready to go play....

Redfish wrote: ↑Wed Apr 11, 2018 7:07 am

Harald wrote: ↑Tue Apr 10, 2018 11:10 am

fontanaman wrote: ↑Mon Apr 09, 2018 9:40 pm I road it over 300 miles today. I sure is great to be retired.

I think we need a "hate" button along with the "love" button.
Okay, maybe a "jealous" button would be more appropriate for all those retired folks rubbing it in to us working stiffs or perhaps all those southern riders antagonizing the poor suckers in the frozen north that can't ride half the year.

Living in the South isn't all peaches and cream you know. This morning's ride home was a perfect example. After working all night I had to endure a bitter 48 degrees. I had to zip the vents in my Tourmaster, put on my midweight gloves and turn the grip heaters to medium. I even had to raise the windshield a couple inches!

I sure hope it warms up enough to wash it today.

48 degrees? Oh cry me a river. 48 degrees is a warm winter day in the Pac Northwet. I used to ride with the Washington State BMW club and road in all kinds of nutty weather. Anymore I prefer temps starting with the number 4 or more and dry roads. Galvanic corrosion is a great way to kill a motorcycle. 48 degrees nuts.

fontanaman wrote: ↑Wed Apr 11, 2018 1:13 pm

Redfish wrote: ↑Wed Apr 11, 2018 7:07 am

Harald wrote: ↑Tue Apr 10, 2018 11:10 am

I think we need a "hate" button along with the "love" button.
Okay, maybe a "jealous" button would be more appropriate for all those retired folks rubbing it in to us working stiffs or perhaps all those southern riders antagonizing the poor suckers in the frozen north that can't ride half the year.

Living in the South isn't all peaches and cream you know. This morning's ride home was a perfect example. After working all night I had to endure a bitter 48 degrees. I had to zip the vents in my Tourmaster, put on my midweight gloves and turn the grip heaters to medium. I even had to raise the windshield a couple inches!

I sure hope it warms up enough to wash it today.

48 degrees? Oh cry me a river. 48 degrees is a warm winter day in the Pac Northwet. I used to ride with the Washington State BMW club and road in all kinds of nutty weather. Anymore I prefer temps starting with the number 4 or more and dry roads. Galvanic corrosion is a great way to kill a motorcycle. 48 degrees nuts.

I would type a witty rebuttal but my fingers are still frozen and stiff from the bitter cold of my morning commute.

Redfish wrote: ↑Wed Apr 11, 2018 1:18 pm

fontanaman wrote: ↑Wed Apr 11, 2018 1:13 pm

Redfish wrote: ↑Wed Apr 11, 2018 7:07 am

Living in the South isn't all peaches and cream you know. This morning's ride home was a perfect example. After working all night I had to endure a bitter 48 degrees. I had to zip the vents in my Tourmaster, put on my midweight gloves and turn the grip heaters to medium. I even had to raise the windshield a couple inches!

I sure hope it warms up enough to wash it today.

48 degrees? Oh cry me a river. 48 degrees is a warm winter day in the Pac Northwet. I used to ride with the Washington State BMW club and road in all kinds of nutty weather. Anymore I prefer temps starting with the number 4 or more and dry roads. Galvanic corrosion is a great way to kill a motorcycle. 48 degrees nuts.

I would type a witty rebuttal but...oh yeah...oh, what was that....oh, ah, never mind.

That's alright, we'll wait...

I turned off the grip heaters for the first time in 6 months. Spring is making a temporary appearance...high on Sun: 34F. Or Unrideable for Redfish.

Hppants wrote:This State governmental servant is getting dangerously close to the end. 29 years ago when I started with the State, and accepted about 70% of market value in salary for someone with my education and skills, people thought I was nuts. For the most part, they were right, but that's another story.

Now, things are coming back to me multi-fold. I'll be able to quit at 55, and if I live as long as the world says I will, these people will have paid me a pot of money that I believe NO one could earn investing the difference over the span of my career. Not a snowball's chance in hell.

I do realize that I am a dying breed. 27 months can't get here fast enough. I'm ready to go play....

I was an Illinois State servant for 7 years barely scraping by making ends meet because the position was on the lower grade. They kept cutting pension benefits every year. Then, mandatory furlough days were imposed due to budget crisis. Couldn't deal with the instability anymore for something that isn't as worthwhile at retirement. Left that job August 2016, went private sector and haven't looked back. But boy do I sure have a long way to go...

Sent from my F5121 using Tapatalk

CraigRegs wrote: ↑Wed Apr 11, 2018 2:12 pm I turned off the grip heaters for the first time in 6 months. Spring is making a temporary appearance...high on Sun: 34F. Or Unrideable for Redfish.

Not quite. I will still ride all the way down to 33F.

I just bitch and whine a lot more.

I rode when it was 26 degrees when I lived up north, I believe it was Jan. 1, 2004. I went 350 miles and did not have grip heaters, electric gear or winter gloves.

For the life of me, I cannot remember why. It seems quite silly now.

Even though I live WAY up north now (although in a temperate Seattle climate) I spent a lot of time riding in Cobb County, GA and Daytona Beach, FL.

I know it gets cold there because my record cold ride was in the mid 80's in GA when it was 17 degrees one evening. Luckily I owned a snowmobile suit and a Plexifairing shield for my 83 GS1100 ES. Heated "grips" consisted of trading hands behind the air cooled cylinder head. :LOL: I finally broke that record on the FJR a few years ago when we hit 12 degrees here in the Seattle area. The heated liner, heated gloves, heated grips and Vstrom handguards on the FJR made it much more comfortable than 30 years ago in Georgia.

I also remember the day in Daytona in the mid 80's when the day started at around freezing as I headed off to classes at college and the temp just kept DROPPING as the day progressed. Not a good time to be an orange grove owner.

Redfish wrote: ↑Wed Apr 11, 2018 2:50 pm I just bitch and whine a lot more.

There's more?

Today is one of those odd Texas days where you hem and haw about what gear to wear to ride to work in. Too cold this morning for the mesh gear even with the quilted liners for the one hour commute. I could put on additional layers but then I feel like a balloon and that's a lot of unlayering at my desk. It's like a tease to all the nearby ladies as I remove each layer one by one from this sexy body. Ok, all of that is a lie, it's only Indian dudes sitting around me and no one gets there that early, but still. So today I opted to don the Gerbing winter suit complete with Gerbing liners. I plugged them in and set them to very low. Turned on the heated grips to low. It's only 44F today.

This afternoon was the process of removing and packing away the liners and opening all the vents to deal with the 79F temps on the way home. Mesh would have been bliss this afternoon but I got by with what I had. Still was able to ride the bike today and that makes me happy.

Here’s what I did to my FJR today...

I rode it. I opened it up and slapped it. Hard...and it seemed to like it.
First ride (approx 80km) impressions:
Smooth, damned smooth and omfg fast. Great brakes, windshield needs to be replaced ( yamaha windshield ordered), seat-peg distance not bad, could be greater. Did I say fast? Multi-screen menu will take some memorizing because I can’t see it clearly. Mirrors are good, heated grips are wonderful.

Harald wrote: ↑Wed Apr 11, 2018 5:18 pm I also remember the day in Daytona in the mid 80's when the day started at around freezing as I headed off to classes at college and the temp just kept DROPPING as the day progressed. Not a good time to be an orange grove owner.

...or a Shuttle pilot.

CollingsBob wrote: ↑Wed Apr 11, 2018 8:05 pm Here’s what I did to my FJR today...

I rode it. I opened it up and slapped it. Hard...and it seemed to like it.
First ride (approx 80km) impressions:
Smooth, damned smooth and omfg fast. Great brakes, windshield needs to be replaced ( yamaha windshield ordered), seat-peg distance not bad, could be greater. Did I say fast? Multi-screen menu will take some memorizing because I can’t see it clearly. Mirrors are good, heated grips are wonderful.

Congrats on your first real ride!

Thanks...it was really nice. It’s the first time I’ve ridden a 4 cyl bike since about 1982 - and that was a 750 Honda, no comparison. My only bike from 1986-2010 was my trusty Vincent...and the FJR is light years different from it.

CollingsBob wrote: ↑Wed Apr 11, 2018 8:05 pm Here’s what I did to my FJR today...

I rode it. I opened it up and slapped it. Hard...and it seemed to like it.
First ride (approx 80km) impressions:
Smooth, damned smooth and omfg fast. Great brakes, windshield needs to be replaced ( yamaha windshield ordered), seat-peg distance not bad, could be greater. Did I say fast? Multi-screen menu will take some memorizing because I can’t see it clearly. Mirrors are good, heated grips are wonderful.

Nicely done...and yes, it's fast! FWIW, I went with a sport touring size VStream and it's a fantastic screen.

--G

Well done, Bob!!! Welcome to the group - we've been expecting you.

Wish you would have given us a chance to weigh in on your w/s choice. I'm afraid there are better options out there than the Yammie touring shield. Meh - it's only money, right?

Hppants wrote: ↑Thu Apr 12, 2018 8:36 am Well done, Bob!!! Welcome to the group - we've been expecting you.

Wish you would have given us a chance to weigh in on your w/s choice. I'm afraid there are better options out there than the Yammie touring shield. Meh - it's only money, right?

Windshields are like gloves...too many variables, rider torso height, arm length/lean of rider, rider's personal preferences of how much wind flow they wish.

I have seen countless Windshield threads on what was the perfect shields, people would go out and buy one based on a thread and turn around and sell them later.

I am just lucky that on my Gen 3, the stock shield air flow is perfect for this 5'-9" southern gentleman....with long torso and short legs...no back pressure at all. Sometimes when things are chilly, I put the screen all the way up...still no back pressure. Maybe a little too much airflow if it's in the mid 30s, but I will take it as I have electrics and other means to take care of that.

EDIT: Oh, what I did today/last night. Figured out my brake pad issue...I'm glad I did not post it up or a good dog pile would have ensued.

So today, I will put on the new PR2, and put on a new front T30. I might wash it this weekend.
Might.

Washed it last night after I got home form work so this morning I got to ride a nice, clean bike to work. Day 389. Supposed to hit 70 today and possibly 80 on Friday and Saturday.

wheatonFJR wrote: ↑Thu Apr 12, 2018 9:00 am Windshields are like holsters

Fixed it for you.

wheatonFJR wrote: ↑Thu Apr 12, 2018 9:00 amI am just lucky that on my Gen 3, the stock shield air flow is perfect for this 5'-9" southern gentleman.

Wish I could get my hands on a stock Gen 2 shield again. Seems it was just right for me.

Installed a new battery yesterday and made sure all connections were perfectly clean. Starts like new again!

Need to remount air horn after Pants noticed it hanging by the air hose in Georgia. Lucky I had a hose clamp on it or I would have lost the horn.