Recent content by rivgar

I did a 5000 mile round trip last summer and I had my laptop with me for the ride. It traveled strapped in a laptop carrying case and packed amoungst clothes inside my Givi top box. It poured on the day I left but the box kept everything dry. Everything worked out fine, the laptop still works...

I don't know about the R & D cost factor, but 90 degree v-twins (more proper L=twins) are naturally balanced because of the crankshaft angles. The are no need for counter balancers on a 90 degeee twin. They are also much more narrow than an I4 so the bike can be built with a narrow profile...

I took a tour of MI this past summer. There are some decent curved roads in the northwest section of the lower penisula. Cadillac, Manistee, Charlevoix areas. I don't remember the route numbers though. This topo map will give a good idea where the best roads are. MI Topo map

Rocky Mountain National Park, August 2006

Since you and your wife will be shooting together I would recommend an .22 rimfire unless you reload your own. You can shoot a 500 rounds for less than $20, that's not the case with any centerfire. I have a Ruger Mark11 (.22LR) and my wife always prefers to shoot that instead of my .357 or...

I tried to order a bucket of steam for degreasing but it was on backorder :angry2:

I have been running Shell Rotella 15W-40 in all my bikes for years. I had one of those bikes for 25 years and never had any oil related problems with it. A couple of years ago I switched to the Synthetic Rotella and I have had no problems with that either. You can get it at the local Wal-Mart...

I have a Linksys cable modem and a Liksys wireless router in 802.11n. I think the whole set up was around $200 but that was last year so it's probably less now. My house is a 3 level house and I can get a good signal to my laptop anywhere in the house or out on my deck. You will need to buy...

I have had a black car, 1969 Lincoln Mark III, and a black bike, 1978 Suzuki GS550E. Both looked really sweet when they were clean and dust free, however to keep them that way was an ongoing task. It got to be a PITA after a while. Since then I have never owned another black vehicle.

I used to be weldor/fabricator. Something I learned; as soon as you smell that cotton burning smell you had best look down quick because in all likelyhood you are going to feel a very warm spot in nano seconds. If you are wearing a synthetic (which is a huge no-no when working with flammables...

I had a similar experience in Utah in 2003. I do not think I drove as far or as many directions that you did.

The Remington M700 is a fine and accurate bolt action rifle. I have one in 7mm STW and it shoots straight and fast but is too much gun for deer here in the Northeast. What I use for deer hunting here is a Browning Micro Hunter in .243 Win. It all depends on where you are hunting. If you are...

Here is another: It does not show any scenery, but the sign represents how my 2007 tour of Michigan went.

My answer is: if you can afford it. Get an FJR and a sportbike like a GSX-R750 or similar then you will have the best of both worlds. I have an 06 FJR and 01 TLR and life is good, very good!

I can't honestly say this is my absolute favorite because I have many, but I always liked this one which is from last years CT t0 CO trip.