On a steel horse I ride...

**S Mitchell** · 9th April 15, 04:24 PM

Here's a couple photos of my Honda VFR800, taken not long after I bought it new in 2003.

That's my younger son. He's 5'10" now!

These days, the bike has Pazzo levers (long since worn and faded,) Scorpion slip-ons, a Second Look seat cover (also worn and faded) and tons of wear and tear and bug bits and road grime.

It's got about 75,000 miles on it.

**ratspike** · 9th April 15, 05:01 PM

Originally Posted by CDNSushi

I guess you've never been stopped by some cop questioning the road legality of that contraption then. Lol!

Seems reasonable enough, but I've never seen anything like it till now.

Nope, never got pulled over. AFAIK there's nothing illegal about a bike rack on a moto, at least in Oregon. I did normally have a flag at the end of the tray though, same as you'd do with any other long load sticking out the back of your vehicle. There are, or were anyway, a few commercially available racks for ADV type bikes but mostly it's a DIY thing. I've seen a few in person and they're usually pretty ingenious.

**ratspike** · 9th April 15, 05:04 PM

Originally Posted by SeumasA

Here's a pic of my baby, loaded up for a trip to British Columbia. This was taken coming up out of the Salmon River in northern Idaho. It's a 2000 Triumph Sprint RS, a relatively rare model. I've only seen one other here in Utah.

I love me some Triumph! Those big triples are such sexy motors.

**SeumasA** · 9th April 15, 05:15 PM

And here's a pic of the RS's older brother, a 1995 Sprint. I really like the triples too. This was near Lake Tahoe.

**JohntheBiker** · 10th April 15, 05:46 AM

Originally Posted by Tarheel

Tobus, you should know by now that pre-AMC Harleys didn't leak; they marked their territory. This from a former 1971 900 Sportster XLCH owner-operator.

Think you mean AMF Harleys and they did leak - no marking of territories, unless you mean puddles. But then, anything that wasn't German or Japanese had a tendancy to leak and vibrate. There was a reason why you wore jeans and kidney belts and always smelt vaguely of oil.

**CDNSushi** · 10th April 15, 10:58 AM

Originally Posted by ratspike

Nope, never got pulled over. AFAIK there's nothing illegal about a bike rack on a moto, at least in Oregon. I did normally have a flag at the end of the tray though, same as you'd do with any other long load sticking out the back of your vehicle. There are, or were anyway, a few commercially available racks for ADV type bikes but mostly it's a DIY thing. I've seen a few in person and they're usually pretty ingenious.

Yeah, I think it's probably a West Coast thing. Lol. I could see some cop having a bad day trying to cite someone for riding with an "unsecured load" or something similar though. I know that when I was in Japan, I would frequently load down my scooter with all kinds of bags and boxes of groceries, and pass by cops who wouldn't even look at me twice. And then, once in Tokyo, I saw someone trying to transport some lumber in a similar manner (not too much different from what I did frequently) and he didn't get 3 blocks before he got pulled over. Tokyo cops tend to be a bit stricter and somewhat more zealous than out in the countryside... I imagine even in N. America you'll probably get more leeway in a sparsely populated area than you would in a big city.

**Bluescelt** · 10th April 15, 02:27 PM

Here's my ride. 2001 roadstar with Corbin beetle bags and a Chief front fender. The paint was done by the original owner. It's a take off of bomber nose art. Lucky Irish w/ a hoola girl. And since I'm part Irish along with Scottish it worked for me.

**Piper** · 11th April 15, 05:27 PM

[QUOTE=CDNSushi;1283828] Plus, motorcycles and scooters are ideal transport on the island! Year-round riding FTW!

I'm a bit of an interloper here, I don't ride. My son does though. The above statement brought his situation to mind. He retired just over a year ago after 20 years in the Marine Corp. The last third of his career, his home base was always somewhere warm. Pendleton, and then at the the end, the Naval Air Station in Key West FL (when he wasn't off doing things most folks wouldn't care to try in some very unpleasant parts of the world.). He had a Triumph 650, and then he treated himself to a Victory Judge, I think that's a 1600cc motor. That was fine in the warmer regions. He had the bike, and they had a minivan for the wife and kids. Now he's a cop in NH. Sub zero temps and over 4 feet of snow are not compatible with two wheel transport, so he's been forced back into a car, at least for the winter months. Up there that seems to be almost 10 months of the year.

**Tarheel** · 12th April 15, 04:30 AM

I can help with a little "nomad biker" train of thought for your son Piper. Bike week is Feb. in Daytona Beach, Fla. The Sturgis, South Dakota rally is held in August. Go South for winter and North in Summer (migrate on two wheels to fit the climate.)

**sailortats** · 12th April 15, 06:33 AM

OK, I have had to sit here quietly while you guys have shown off your fancy new bikes. Well I cannot sit here any longer in silence. Here is my bike from back in the 1970s. It is a 1947 HD panhead with ape hangers and a sissy bar (anyone remember those terms?) and green metal flake paint. And she definitely marked her territory.
Bought a new 1976 HD xlch when I moved back to New Hampshire. Piper you can ride about 7-8 months of the year in northern N.H.
I don't ride any more but I still drool over every bike I see on the road these days. Once a biker always a biker.