Northwest Cycle Report - Latest Comments

Re: How I Spent My Summer Vacation - Part 1

paulie d — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:48:07 -0000

i own a 2005 mac daddy that was left over in a long island new york show room. it had 560ish miles on it and it looked great in its pro street stance of 46 total rake amer. susp.phantom front end s/s 113 and the brakes were per. machin 4 piston f/r.
after riding it in my first year i came to the conclusion thjat it was built for more of a weekend rider with some supioior components.
but to take it as a seriously riding daily bike the cheap no name lights, shocks, weak rear noy made for 2 up rear fender and korean roadmax trannie was not going to keep up with the torque/ vibration/ road conditions.
i paid to much.

but as a base to work from and the warranty in place, which i did get the other than original owners to honor, i began to rebuild.

please note the bike always had a superior handling aspect to it even with the 300 rear, and it felt like it had the ability to be a monster as it looked to be but it was going to have to be upgraded to put out what a riders rider or travelering rider would demand.
even as a weekend rider night rides would require real lighting and chance of a wet ride, would require qaulity tail lights.
got a baker now-torque box- shocks failed twice- shotguns are on order headlight is an old fatboy shell with visor from a swap and the dakota digital instruments got toasted on one of the shock failures- will opt for analogs.
i have since called ultra after i found out that the original owner/founder was back involved and spoke to karsons- he was somewhat helpful and might have made a difference on getting some restitution from roadmax.
there is mor to do and i still feel i paid to much and used the wrong long island dealer who trashed my enclosed primary when i called to pick it up after i left without it and reply from a person on the phone states that after 30 days they were not obligated to hold on it.
after spending 30000. not one phone call to see how the bike was runing.
screw him.
i might small claim him for the porimary we'll see.
but the fact that ULTRA does not have a dealer base or confident fan base dealers just will just want them off there hands with no threat of retaliation from ULTRA.
thats all for now folks
paulie d

Re: 2009 Tulip Ride - April 19

Rider — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 17:55:03 -0000

Really disappointing tulip fields this year. Mostly saw daffodils. Tulips that my family and i did see were being trampled by tourists.Seemed like most of the fields were empty this year.

Re: Old Snohomish Motorcycle Show Cancelled

Snohomish Local — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 22:06:04 -0000

The shows in the past have been peaceful, fun, and security has been good. The City of Snohomish has welcomed this event with open arms...as have the businesses in town. However, this year because of extreme economic conditions, the nearby cities who previously donated their officers' help for this event for FREE can no longer afford this generosity. Unfortunately, most towns cannot. Snohomish, too, was left suddenly with a responsibility to foot this HUGE unexpected bill. That said, Chief Turner offered to reduce the number of officers req'd for this event from 70 down to 44. He did increase the security requirements. They were in fact reduced in consideration of the situation, while still ensuring safety considerations. And, he notified Abate immediately that there was a financial issue to solve. Further offering ideas to consider to offset costs (from charging $1-$2 to attend...with projected attendance figures, that would have covered the add'l cost incurred to pay for officers). We are ALL disappointed that things have changed so drastically and that Abate wasn't able to alter plans in time for the show this year. Timing is everything sometimes. Please continue to support the businesses and town who have supported this event for the past 12 years. Everything I've heard leads me to believe that the Chief of police, merchants and others have worked very hard to find solutions and compromise in order to make the 13th event another safe, fun show. These are tough times and it's impacting EVERY budget...mine, the City's, merchants, and clearly Abate's too. Wishing you well in Sultan and sorry to see you go.

Re: Help Save Washington Nonhighway and Offroad Vehicle Activities (NOVA) Funds

Kite board — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:44:54 -0000

Hey John, you are so good with your work that I just can't even miss a single post by you, bookmarking your blog right now! keep blogging.

Re: Bigger Isn’t Always Better

Matthew — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 08:47:42 -0000

Some of my favorite bikes are mid-level bikes; 750 or so. The only reason I want a larger bike than this is so that my wife and I can tour on them. If I was single and living in the city (like I currently am due to school) I would go for a smaller cruiser. It would get me everywhere I want to go, get better gas mileage, cost less to insure and be cheaper to purchase up front.

Re: WSP: Motorcycle deaths spinning out of control

AdrianK — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:15:42 -0000

Funny that. I see more stupid driving stunts by WSP officers cutting through traffic at high speed in their cruisers than I see from motorcycles.

Like the WSP that cut through the shoulder and almost whacked a gore point exit sign in Auburn on Tuesday.

Or the WSP cruiser doing well over 100mph through downtown Bellevue 520 traffic on I405 on Wednesday.

We'll see what cute stunt they think of during this morning's commute. I worry more about getting hit by WSP officers than I do other motorcyclists.

Re: Bigger Isn’t Always Better

Doug Cushing — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 09:37:29 -0000

Nicely said. That is why I rent Vstrom 650's and that is it. When folks come back from a 4 day 7day or even as long as 14 day riding Adventures in the Northwest US they get it, and now understand then why bigger is not better, most renters upon there return need to be unsrewed from the ceiling because they now have experienced the magic of riding and not biker-ing.
Doug
Owner
Northwest Motorcycle Adventures LLC

Re: Motorcycle Industry Council Launches HELMETCHECK.ORG

Harley_Davidson_Owner — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:23:04 -0000

Has to be said.... helmets do not prevent accidents. We need rider training and automobile driver education to AVOID the wreck.

Re: Old Snohomish Motorcycle Show Cancelled

Allen S — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:02:38 -0000

I have written a letter to the city council as well, beit that I am not actually from that area, I do however ride a motorcycle and find it rather disheartening that the city of snohomish would act this way, but then again, I'm not surprised that city officials think of themselves before thinking of the people that put them in office.

Re: Old Snohomish Motorcycle Show Cancelled

Frank G. — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:53:55 -0000

I just wrote a letter to the Snohomish City Council regarding this matter. I find it hard to believe the Council can award themselves raises and signing bonus's and totally disregard the businesses and vendors that pay taxes and look forward to this show every year for income... They should be ashamed! All we can do is wait for the next election... I am a Snohomish County resident and really embarrassed for them.

Frank G.

Re: Kickstart in Zambia

Brady Wright — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:07:05 -0000

Hey, Kickstart here!

Just wanted to thank John for putting up the link and the story of this build. For those who may ot know, habitat for Humanity does these projects all over the world, including the US. I've done some benefits for them in year's past, but never had the time available to do an actual build.

The obvious question is: "Hey, there are lots of deserving folks right here in the US of A who need places to live. How come you're going all the way to Africa?" The answer is, timing and availability. The build that were scheduled for the time I had a open are there, so that's where I go. I'll get to take a few days after the actual build to do a camera safari and visit Victoria Falls, and I may see about the riding conditions there and report back on what I find.

It's going to be the trip of a lifetime, I know, and I sure am thankful to everyone here at NW Cycle News for your support and good wishes!

Brady (Kickstart)

Re: University Honda Closes Its Doors

Delta88 — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 11:10:02 -0000

That just plain sucks. I gladly dropped my bike off at U-Honda for service even though it is far out of my way because their service dept. was vastly superior to any that I have available in the south end. They were a good friend of the long distance riding community, as well. They wil be missed.

Re: H-D Brings the XR1200 to the U.S.

Open Road Biker — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:56:34 -0000

That would be a nice bike to own, I can't wait to see one when I get back to the US, I imagine they would be great handling bikes too.

Re: Looking Back

Susan — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:11:18 -0000

Hi John! I did talk to one group, but they were not interested in my participation until I've logged over 3,000 miles. That's a lot of miles when you mostly putter around town and make a few overnight trips in the summertime. So I guess I need to keep looking for a group to join with.

Re: Looking Back

John — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:28:18 -0000

Susan, Don't let inexperience hold you back for too long. A good riding club can be a great source of information and skill development. I have found my local Star Touring & Riding Chapter (Chapter 154) to be full of great people who welcome new riders and take extra care to make them feel comfortable. (I don't ride a Star motorcycle and they let me hang out with them anyway!)

Re: Looking Back

Susan — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:58:28 -0000

My husband and I both ride but neither of us belongs to an organized riding club. We don't feel confindent enough in our riding skills yet (he's a retread after 35 years and I'm a newbie) and we don't feel confident that other riders have the skills they should either.

Re: Happy Holidays

Lucas Co. Choppers — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:00:44 -0000

Merry Christmas!!

Re: Happy Holidays

John — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 00:52:14 -0000

Jeff, Thanks for the kind wishes. I am just hoping this snow goes away soon.
The bike is starting to grow roots in the garage!

Re: November Events

fetch — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 05:14:20 -0000

Sept 13, 2009 Puget Sound, Wa: www. RideForKids.org a fundraiser for pediatric brain tumor research

Re: The Dog House

Hund — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:41:53 -0000

whole place would hold, maybe ten people,
and the parking lot is about three cars-worth
not to pets

Re: Don Mason - 2008 Washington 120 Winner

John — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:18:39 -0000

Motoman,

Of course you are correct. Thanks for the correction.

Re: A Road Story - Part 3

Mac @ Motorcycle Fairing — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 09:53:21 -0000

I'm pretty sure the story doesn't finish here right??

Re: A Road Story - Part 4

Mac @ Motorcycle Fairing — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 09:52:10 -0000

Awesome story. I wish I could ever tell my personal story like this.

Re: Interview with Reuven Carlyle

Mac @ Motorcycle Fairing — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 09:49:22 -0000

Definitely we always find happiness on the things we never expected to do or make.

Re: Karma?

John — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 01:28:53 -0000

Rick,

I am very sorry for your loss.