WRIDR

Unfortunately, the one thing being overlooked in this link is the fact that all these potential store closings (i.e. the buy-out of Cabellas) represent a horrifying loss of JOBS for folks who desperately need the salaries that go with them. That's what worries us to death these days. We ran a small town Mom 'n Pop weekly newspaper back in the 80s. For nearly 150 years it survived the arrival of Radio, then Television, and finally 'Shoppers'. One day a large Chain showed up with "an offer we couldn't refuse." (The alternative was they'd start their own, and starve us out.) By that time we had installed a web press, and were printing most of the local papers in our area. The firm had grown from 4 full-time jobs, and 2 part-timers, to a staff of 26. In less than a year, the big Company's 'Centralized Production Facilities' saw the staff shrink to 6, with virtually no local news in the Paper; just Ads and filler material, plus a few stories clipped from other sources. But, it still survived... until the Internet Monster showed up, and established itself. Within a couple years our Paper vanished, along with most of the little 'Front Street Shops' that are the heart of every small town. Internet prices killed them all. Fortunately by that time our own Kids had established themselves with solid jobs that are unlikely to be affected. But... we wonder where THEIR Kids are going to find Jobs, and who is to blame...? Rgds, WRIDR

We bought the first Roadliner to arrive in Eastern Ontario, and it was a great bike... with two issues that eventually led to a swap for an FJR (another great bike). First on the ugly list was a real tough clutch pull. Caught in heavy traffic on a warm day you could easily find yourself wishing to be somewhere else... upon reflection, anywhere else! That suggests heat was also an issue, but it was no worse than other large, air-cooled twin. The Clutch Pull thing might also be a case of Olde Fart *****ing; we knew at least one Lady Rider who disagreed. The other thing we disliked was actually a 'positive' complaint. We love speed-reduction via downshifting (to save brake pads?). The 1900 cc 'Liner had so much torque, Big Trouble came calling in a hurry when failing to match revs in corners. More than once, opportunities to see 'what's over there?' created 'shorts changing' circumstances. A slipper clutch would have been a God-send on that Bruiser. Aside from that, it was a great bike: a beautifully packaged concept for The Day, totally reliable, great touring potential if desired, and a surprisingly comfortable ride. WRIDR

Geeze, dunno what's going on, but here we are making ANOTHER comment in the last few days, after almost zero participation since joining up in 2014! Thankfully, this one is a quickie, but possibly worthwhile for a lot of you with cellfones like our I-fone 6 'SE'. If you stroke upward from the bottom, off the screen toward the top of the fone, it brings up a bunch of options. Down in the lower lefthand corner is a flashlight icon (no kidding). Tap that, and bingo! You have a mini-flashlight. Don't forget to repeat the upwards stroke when you're done, or your battery is gonna go pffffft! nitey-night on you!~ Cheers, WRIDR

Trex, if you're serious about this, you don't need to hunt! You NEED to get to "Just above Richmond, Va" for a good long look at that bike the guy has for sale. If it seems in good shape, and the owner hasn't messed up its innards, you NEED to bring that home, in a covered trailer. We don't like your chances of riding it home - some of those hills between his 'n yours will quite likely see the odd flake of snow at any time now. Git'r done, Son!~

Welcome, Trex!~ Think we tried sending you a reply earlier, but lost it in a power failure, and haven't had time since. Fortunately BigLenny in the meantime covered it all. Only thing we'd add (couldn't see AGE in your profile) is to be careful leaning her over at low speed, or dead stop! It's an awesome bike, but seriously top heavy. If it starts to go over, you will NOT stop it, and if you are 50 or over, look for somebody around to help get her upright. Seriously. Oh... the seat; Airhawk for around $200 CDN is your cheapest, quickest solution. It will be used on every bike you'll own. Aside from that trivial issue, go get'r! The tip-off on reliability; in Canada we have a 5 year WARRANTY! On a bike???~ Rgds, WRIDR

Um, how far do you hafta ride on that front tire? If it's raining when you begin the run home, shut it down and wait, or go rent a trailer. Other than that, you'd be hard-pressed to find a sweeter-looking ride in the category. Congratulations; said The Olde Fart wishing he could still handle something that large! What a gorgeous Ride.~ Rgds, WRIDR

One bike that hasn't been mentioned yet is the 'undressed' Venture model made from 2005 to 2009 - the Royal Star Tour Deluxe. You might want to spend a little time researching that one as well. Not quite as bulky, but nearly as heavy, however the wind protection and comfort are excellent, and there are no issues screaming to be addressed aside from the tranny whine on some bikes. The bike also came with a five year warranty which was seldom - if ever - needed. You haven't mentioned your age, but the info provided suggests middle-age or possible a bit older? If so, be aware ALL these bikes are top heavy compared to almost anything you may have ridden. There are two ways to discover this; reading about it, or the HARD way. If the latter should arise, best hope help is nearby.~ Bottom line: for reliability, comfort, touring capability, and a host of folks on this site willing to provide you with advice on ANYTHING you might ever encounter, you will never find a better bike. Welcome to the group - you'll love it. Rgds, WRIDR.

Southwestern Ontario Canucks (London to Windsor) often employed "Flatter than piss on a plate" to describe the terrain. There are only two 'hills' while riding over 100 miles of hwy 401 between the two cities - both are railway overpasses. No lie, eh!~ Hugs, WRIDR

Hi Folks: We kinda let everybody else express their thoughts before jumping in, becuz: our 'final' move may cause some cringing amongst many Diehards. After 20 bikes over 50-odd years, with the onset of age (74), crippling arthritis, and Stage 4 Prostate Cancer, we had to settle for something eliminating the need to climb over a bike to ride. Fortunately, we were able to stick with Yamaha, and our dear friends at Motosports Trenton in Eastern Ontario. Let the cringing begin: our 'last ride' is a 2012 Yamaha Majesty Scooter! However... for those unfamiliar with the Breed, 'Madge' is capable of an honest 100 mph, and cruising all day long on The Big Road at 70-80 mph!! She also visits Wally World to bring home several bags of groceries under that huge cushy seat. There's more: Madge can store two full-size helmets in her top case (not shown, to reduce the Humiliation~) when touring, or riding two up to provide added safety for nervous passengers. We're pretty happy with the compromise, BUT still miss the 'leg over to saddle up' sensation at the beginning of a ride. One other 'bonus': Madge got our Daughter back in the saddle again, roughly three decades after our 'Cross The Continent, Two Bike Ride'. The smile on her kisser makes it all worthwhile. Rgds, WRIDR

Geeze, we were all set to jump in on this thread, but fortunately went back to the first post from IronMike to check on the two bikes he currently own(-ed?)~ Folks, somehow this thread made a quantum leap from IronMike's query - New Year's Eve of 2014 - to current days!!! For the record: we owned a wonderful/beautiful 2008 or 09 black FJR 1300 ABS, and LOVED every mile on it. Then age - and seat height! - got in the way (74 soon) so we moved to an equally wonderful/beautiful black'n grey 09 RSTD. We LOVED every mile on her too. Then AGE seriously got in the way. We're still riding... an amazing Yamaha Majesty 400cc Scooter - do not laugh. It will cruise The Big Road all day at 75-80 mph, delivers 50 mpg Imp., and continues to leave a smile on our kisser. Back to Mike - IF he's still wondering!~ - the FJR was awesome from the get-go; and with all those extra perks nowadays, you'd be hard pressed to find a better ride in any situ - but we can't see a trailer stuck behind it. Rgds, Wordpecker

Hi Folks: There is another option nobody ever thinks of, but based on this discussion so far, it might be a better fit for a 'newer' rider than the larger Honda 1100 cc. At 72 years of age, handicapped by advancing arthritis, last Fall we reluctantly downsized from our beloved '09 RSTD to a Yamaha V-Star 950cc Tourer. Over 300 pounds lighter at just over 600 pounds, and with a seat height of only 26 inches, this bike has kept us riding. It appears to be a full-size bike, but with far superior handling and maneuverability. It also gives away nothing in terms of performance up to 70-80 mph. With fuel injection it accelerates like a drag bike, and holds its own on the big roads. There is noticeable wind impact at high speeds with the stock model, but that can be overcome with add-ons. Here's where it gets really interesting: Yamaha's pricing of the wee Beast - brand new list - is under $10,000, and there are LOTS of used models available in the $5000 range from Newbie trade-ins who move on to larger machines. Unquestioned reliability, and styling that is very attractive to most. A lot of on-lookers assume it's a full-size cruiser, so no image problem. Might be worth taking a look at one of these? Cheers, WRIDR.

We totally agree with Cowpuc's KISS theory for this stuff. One thing not mentioned in our original text was an old tried and true method of fitting a long enough loop/string on your point and shoot camera to slip it over your neck so it sits high on your chest. We always prefer shorty windshields. If you can shoot over the 'shield it helps a lot in this scenario. Once the camera is properly positioned, with the Nikon S9700 (and most others) you just hit the record button whenever something worthwhile is seen, and you're in business. Then hit the button again when done. No mounts, no vibration, and better results than you'd think possible. WRIDR

Hi: Awfully tough to suggest anything without a budget, so we'll stick to what we just acquired, a slightly higher end Nikon S9700 'Point and Shoot' pocket camera. ( http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2457086,00.asp ). Price is $300-$400 depending where you buy. We paid $300 in Canada two months ago at Future Shop during a launch promotion, however most prices are higher up here. Until now we used Canons in this size range, but in our opinion the new Nikon blows away most with the S9700. We are definitely seeing better quality pictures with the Nikkor lens. Interestingly, although blessed with a 30x zoom, the little Nikon is only 2/3rds the size of the former Canon models we had, and actually does fit in a pocket. We are VERY impressed with the Nikon, and by habit we shoot a LOT of fotos (retired Editor). There are several manufacturers offering cameras of this type, and you really can't go too far wrong with most - we're just VERY happy with the Nikon. Btw: big zoom features are tricky things; even with the 'image stabilizer' feature added, it's impossible to hold a long zoom steady enough to obtain good focus, so DON'T make your decision based on the biggest zoom lens available. There are also several options for bike bar mounts, one of the best being offered by 'Marlin' in Detroit. You'll see his advts. in most bike mags. Hope this helps. WRIDR