LOL! A friend of mine rides a scooter because he can’t do the clutch/shift thing. It’s a 600cc Burgman.
When I first started riding, 600cc was a big bike. We rode everywhere on 350 & 400cc machines. Now bikes are closing in on 2 liters. Nowhere you can’t go on a 600cc scooter.
(Another friend of mine did the Iron Butt Rally - 11,000 miles in 11 days across the North American continent - on a 250cc Kawasaki Ninja.)
Kurt in 2015???
That was epic!
I had a couple of FZ1s and thru the FZ1OA community, know PhazerPhil. He’s from the UK, bought an FZ1 and flew over to prep it for the 2011 IBR. He then had it stored here until his next attempt, but I don’t think he finished…
Leon Begeman - 12th place in 2003! (On a 1990 Ninja 250) He did over 11,000 miles on that puppy. He’s retired now and has an RV toy hauler with a garage in the back for the bikes. Real dedication to the fun.
Ah… I’ve followed it for a few years - just since I started riding again in 2010…
Phil rode a Triumph in the 2017 IBR (but you’re right - he DNFed).
Lots of international riders in the '17 IBR.
I was tech inspection & scoring at the Butt Lite this year (yes, Jim Owen won 
) and it’s always great seeing some of these guys that you either only see a couple of times at checkpoints or bump into each other at bonus locations but when you’re riding, no time to just hang out. Leon helps out with the MD 20-20 every year (I do the BBQ for it). I’m one of the organizers of the NE Team Lyle (Sept 25th this year and do the bonus hunting & picks for the New England and Mid-Atlantic states for the Tour of Honor).
It’s a great intellectual & endurance challenge. Makes for some interesting riding. And then I take my wife and kids to places I’ve been on rallies - but we use a car
Small world, eh? I’ve followed and admired but never had a desire to push my limits. An all-day ride thru North GA, TN and NC, home for dinner, is good for me!
Yep. It’s funny we’re “Iron Butts” but most of us ride the most comfort-customized bikes on the planet. I’ve got 2 different saddles (both heated) molded off my butt - one for 1000 mile days and one for multiple 1000 mile days in a row. Electric jacket, gloves and socks! Adjustable windscreen, lights up the wazoo so forest rats get the heck out of my way, hydration piping, aux tank so I can do 500 miles, XM radio…and I’m just a regular rallyer. 
Most I’ve done in a day is under 1700 miles through the south over to St Louis for a Waffle House breakfast at 1AM 
Laam seats on my FJR…
I donated my 1800cc to Habitat for Humanity 2 years ago when we moved. I’m itching for another, and I don’t think I would enjoy riding anything smaller.
I’m the other way 
I’ve been riding big BMWs and getting too old to keep tossing the heavy bikes around. (Bigger engines usually have bigger & heavier bikes wrapped around them.)
The 600s & even some of the new smaller ones are way more fun for short jaunts but don’t have the ergos usually for thousand miles days. I still do enough of those that make the beemers stay in the fleet. But I am so tempted by a Ural with a remote control paintball machine gun mounted on the side car 
My problem is that my legs are just a bit too long for smaller bikes, so I feel cramped on smaller bikes. But, wrestling around an 800lb bike (including fuel weight) can be a bit tiring.
I’m more vertically efficient than many so the 31"+ inseam bikes are a pain for me. Add hundreds of pounds of high carry weight (my RT carries 7 gal of gas above my seat for instance) and I’m one dirt nap from a back injury
Sooo… while motorcycles are super cool, we sort of lost the main thread, yes? What’s it going to be @eflyguy?
Maxwell’s cigar bar in Woodstock! They got beer, wine, and fine cigars… perfect for any meeting.
How’s about the Atlanta Maker Faire Oct. 27th and 28th , 2018?
I just started a new thread for that discussion Atlanta | Maker Faire 2018
Come over and add your 2 cents ;p
Dang. I’ll be in Anaheim that week. So many cool things going on right around then
Any chance to spark this back up? I’d be absolutely down for this!
I’m a bit over two hours out, three to the north side but id sure come to anything that has three or more forgers.