ordnance3466
Junior Member
Inspired by Lone's "Lone v. World" post I wanted to create a thread for my annual motorcycle trip.
The background: I started riding in 2008 after coming home from a deployment to Afghanstan. Several of my friends and I wanted to get into bikes and riding and took the MSF courses together. I started on a Ninja 250 (as most do), and really enjoyed riding to the point where....today I have logged 11 different bikes and about 35,000 miles.
I used to be a mechanic prior to the Army and continue to buy and sell cars and bikes (that is the main reason I have had 11 bikes to date): Below is a quick list of the bikes and a number rank I gave them according to the overall enjoyment I got out of the bike combined with my opinion of the bike (taking into account quality, performance, comfort, etc...)
1. 2005 Kawasaki ninja 250 - 7 (great beginner bike)
2. 2007 Kawasaki vulcan 900 custom - 7.5 ( probably best bike in its class but just a bit underpowered for a cruiser)
3. 2003 Kawasaki ninja 250 - again 7 (bought to fix and sell)
4. 2007 Kawasaki ninja 250 - again 7 ( wife's bike,bought to fix and sell)
5. 2008 kawasaki ninja 650 - 9 (one of the best I have owned, great all around and torque, highly recommend)
6. 2001 Kawasaki ZX6E - 6 (heavy bike, more sport touring set up, fast but not too fast)
7. 2008 kawasaki zx6r - 8.5 (awesome looks, performance, but you have to like the supersport positioning....gets uncomfortable on long rides)
8. 2004 Kawasaki meanstreak 1600 - 8- (great muscle cruiser, comfortable power could be a bit more for a 1600)
9. 2009 Kawasaki KLX205 - 6.5 ( 250cc is a bit underpowered for my size (5-10-200lbs) and too tall for my liking, but a leader in its dual sport class)
10. 1993 Yamaha FZR 600 - 5.5 (first yamaha, bought as a project, complete dissassembly and rebuild, overall ok bike, but is from 93...technology has left it behind)
11. Current bike! 2007 Yamaha FZ6 - 8 ( great bike so far, "jack of all trades bike". )
Ok that was a bit off my original topic. Every year (08, 09, 10, and now 11) I break away either with a buddy or just by myself ( no wife allowed) and plan a trip. Normally I dont set specific daily destinations and just head in a direction. This year the goal was originally quebec, CA through VM, NH, and ME, but weather prevents this, so I will have to head West to Cleveland (rock and roll hall of fame) and then back through the state parks of PA. I will use this thread to update my progress.
Wish me luck and hopefully no bears...opcorn:
The background: I started riding in 2008 after coming home from a deployment to Afghanstan. Several of my friends and I wanted to get into bikes and riding and took the MSF courses together. I started on a Ninja 250 (as most do), and really enjoyed riding to the point where....today I have logged 11 different bikes and about 35,000 miles.
I used to be a mechanic prior to the Army and continue to buy and sell cars and bikes (that is the main reason I have had 11 bikes to date): Below is a quick list of the bikes and a number rank I gave them according to the overall enjoyment I got out of the bike combined with my opinion of the bike (taking into account quality, performance, comfort, etc...)
1. 2005 Kawasaki ninja 250 - 7 (great beginner bike)
2. 2007 Kawasaki vulcan 900 custom - 7.5 ( probably best bike in its class but just a bit underpowered for a cruiser)
3. 2003 Kawasaki ninja 250 - again 7 (bought to fix and sell)
4. 2007 Kawasaki ninja 250 - again 7 ( wife's bike,bought to fix and sell)
5. 2008 kawasaki ninja 650 - 9 (one of the best I have owned, great all around and torque, highly recommend)
6. 2001 Kawasaki ZX6E - 6 (heavy bike, more sport touring set up, fast but not too fast)
7. 2008 kawasaki zx6r - 8.5 (awesome looks, performance, but you have to like the supersport positioning....gets uncomfortable on long rides)
8. 2004 Kawasaki meanstreak 1600 - 8- (great muscle cruiser, comfortable power could be a bit more for a 1600)
9. 2009 Kawasaki KLX205 - 6.5 ( 250cc is a bit underpowered for my size (5-10-200lbs) and too tall for my liking, but a leader in its dual sport class)
10. 1993 Yamaha FZR 600 - 5.5 (first yamaha, bought as a project, complete dissassembly and rebuild, overall ok bike, but is from 93...technology has left it behind)
11. Current bike! 2007 Yamaha FZ6 - 8 ( great bike so far, "jack of all trades bike". )
Ok that was a bit off my original topic. Every year (08, 09, 10, and now 11) I break away either with a buddy or just by myself ( no wife allowed) and plan a trip. Normally I dont set specific daily destinations and just head in a direction. This year the goal was originally quebec, CA through VM, NH, and ME, but weather prevents this, so I will have to head West to Cleveland (rock and roll hall of fame) and then back through the state parks of PA. I will use this thread to update my progress.
Wish me luck and hopefully no bears...opcorn: