Alan's Bike obsession
No matter what my other eccentricities, I'm completely obsessed with
motorcycles. I love to tour, commute, sport ride
and still have Walter Mitty-esque racing daydreams. In addition to
being a member of a few motorcycle organizations
I also run some motorcycle related mailing lists,
used to do a motorcycle blog and even
tried hosting a podcast that covered
the World Superbike race series.
I currently own:
-
'17 Triumph Tiger 800 XRxFor 2018 we decided to purchase new bikes,
mainly so we could take longer post-retirement trips on newer bikes.
After a few months comparison shopping we decided on matching Triumph
Tiger 800 XRxs. Alan went for the standard frame. Thanks to a Triumph
promotion the bike came with Expedition saddle bags and top box. Triumph
accessory fog lights, heated grips and skid plate were added at the
time of purchase.
-
'21 Can-Am Spyder F3-T After owning her Triumph 800 XRx-Low for
a few years, back problems necessitated Jonna change bikes. She no
longer had the confidence to balance a top-heavy bike so she bought
a Can-Am Spyder three-wheeler. No balancing and it has a reverse
gear so no pushing a bike backwards on tippy-toes. She has added
heated grips and an accessory power port. Otherwise, she is just
adding miles to the odometer.
-
'22 Zero S During the COVID-19 lockdown we bought a small RV so
we could continue to travel. One limitation we hit was being unable
run get groceries or drive to trailhead without losing our space at
first-come-first-serve boondocking sites. To solve this problem we
bought the low-end electric model S motorcycle from Zero Motorcycles
to carry on a bike rack on the back of the camper. Now we can leave
our camper at a campsite and zip off to run errands or go hiking
two-up on the Zero. The only addition on this bike was an accessory
power plug and a RAM ball so we can mount a GPS or phone for
navigation.
-
'88 Suzuki GSXR-1100J
which is an ex-Team Suzuki endurance racer. In '91 I returned it to street
legal condition, though cosmetically it still bares the scars of it's racing
days. Despite it's shabby appearance, it's quite powerful
(120 hp says Dynojet)
and handles remarkably well. In fact, its even more powerful than that
now since its had a Wiseco 1109cc kit installed since that dyno run was
made. The engine is good but I've never gotten the 1988 spec front
suspension to work well. In both power and handling, it is handily
spanked by new sport bikes but it is still a hoot to ride and has loads
of "character".
- I've also created a list of bikes I used to have.
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Alan Fleming