slug
Pro
Out in search of my mind...
Posts: 1433
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posted January 28, 2006 04:20 PM
 Edited By: slug on 28 Jan 2006 16:26
Deal's Gap, January 28, 2006
Welp, the crane operators screwed up yesterday, and the wind screwed today up, so i got to ride!
Yay!
Got home from work about 10am, caught SVTlightning via AIM and started getting ready for a ride. Got the bike out of the garage (Mille) and keyed starter. got 3 good cranks, and quit. oops, forgot choke. But it was done cranking. *sigh* 2 months too long with that computer sucking juice....
PS: Bump-starting a Vtwin with 500CC cylinders without help is pretty much impossible, unless you have a really good hill. Just a FYI. 
Put charger on it and left it be while getting the rest of the way ready.
I left the house a bit late, SVT was already headed to the rendezvous spot (Hardee's at 360, in Vonore). So, i sucked it up and hit the slab. Took the higway 72 exit, and was making good time. Would have made it about the same time SVT did, if i hadn't got caught for 5-10 minutes behind logging trucks with no apparent destination, nor inclination to even come within 20mph of the speed limit.....
go figure.
Anyway got to lunch, and parked next to a sweet looking little blue yamaha.
Tiny looking bugger.
Ate lunch, filled the gas guzzler with petrol, and headed towards the gap.
The ride up was pretty uneventful, followed a cruiser up because of break-in limitations. Though he was a local, so took it at a pretty decent clip. PLENTY fast enough for a sighting run
Saw a cat ride up on an orange cat(yzf600r), with a solo tail fashioned from a Sharskinz rear cowling. Custom painted orange. Good job too.
Took a few pictures:
After that, we commenced to flogging the new R6. errr..breaking it in.... 
Took a run to the store, waited there a while, then headed back to the top. Each run got better, more confident after a few months away. Third run i started feeling the aging pilot race H2 on the back of the mille start to squirm a little. Probably had nothing to do with the big grin-inducing handfulls of throttle the rider was taking. Nope, not one bit. 
After that backed it down. I tried to gap SVT so i could stop and take some action shots, but no dice. car would NOT get out of the way. Oh well. I left the CROTch a few minutes ahead of the eveil R6, and stopped at one of Killboy's favorite spots. Caught some film of the new critter as it flew by.
Anyway, we got to the overlook,and SVT let me try his new r6.
Ok. here's the deal. The aprilia feels like it reads your mind when going to turn. You think, it turns. Compared to the YZF anyway.
Well, you would think the Mille was the biggest non-turning Hayabusa look-a-like out there compared to the R6. Smooth, just a bare hint of twitchy, but not enough to cause troubles onsmooth pavement. Low and midrange feels good, they've definitely aced the cat in this region of performance. The carburetion feels great, no perceptible lag, no feeling that you are not directly controlling throttle plates. Never even thought about it, the fly-by-wire was so well done. Because of break-in only took it to 11k momentarily. slight buzz at 10k, but smooth as can be once you got past 10k.
The seating position is closer to YZF than the mille, reach to bars is short. reach to pegs is short too.....but that's to be expected. Seat needs padding. Badly. Remove the 3/8" plywood and put some padding under there. m'kay? thx.
bumps, stock settings it is NOT nice with bumps. smooth gap pavement was great. the lake-side road was not so fun. needs to be softened up if you spend more time on the bumps than on the smooth. otherwise suck it up on bumpy roads, or re-route your trip
all in all it was a great ride. The temperature kept climbing, and stayed warm until sun snuck behind some upper-stmosphere clouds. Clear, sunny, awesome day to ride.
the photos: http://bike.s1ug.org/gap1-28-2006/
      
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frEEk
Administrator
ummm... yeah
Posts: 9660
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posted January 29, 2006 06:49 PM
deal's gap in Jan certainly surprises me, thoguth it was a colder climate. gotta love a good winter ride!
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slug
Pro
Out in search of my mind...
Posts: 1433
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posted January 29, 2006 07:57 PM
it was an awesome day, and pretty unseasonable. Makes up for the unseasonable wretched cold we had in december
and i am sure we'll get more wretched cold inthe next 2 months.
this area seems to get a short mild period in late december/early january. Then it goets down to the business of being winter and we get reamed in feb/march
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harryzx-12
Needs a job
Posts: 3643
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posted January 30, 2006 03:11 AM
Looks like fun slug!
____________
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways- Body thoroughly used up, totally worn out...Screaming "WOO HOO, What a Ride !!!"
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Ninjaman12R
Needs a job
as a Deal's Gap tour guide.
Posts: 4767
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posted January 30, 2006 07:04 AM
Excellent Slug......... looks like you boys had some fun. It was 60* here yesterday, so I took a short ride myself. Nothing like getting a warm day in January.
____________
What we're dealin' with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.
Sheriff Buford T. Justice of TEXAS
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Hells Dark Lord
Needs a life
living life, and loving it.
Posts: 7981
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posted January 31, 2006 05:20 PM
dammit, I miss the trees and the curvy roads......only thing the roads here are good for is practicing my wheelies....I am getting pretty good at them......lol
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When in doubt, lean farther and go faster....
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