BigLenny

IronMike, I think the FJR is a cool looking bike! And now that they have added cruise control to it, it makes it a viable "sport tourer". Still don't get why Kawi hasn't put a cruise control on the Concourse. However, I'm gonna throw a badoogle at ya. My cousin rode a Suzuki V-Strom for a number of years. What a wonderful bike. Heck, he and his wife rode that V-Strom 2 up all over the country. Anyway, a few years back he got the sport/tourer bug really bad. He test rode every sport tourer out there and the FJR was certainly in the mix until he test rode the BMW R1200RT. It was the game changer for him. It has been an unbelievable bike for he and his wife. They have ridden that thing 60K miles from California to Washington to Maine to Canada and tons of places in between. He loves the bike because he can unclip the trunk on it and it turns into a wonderful sport type bike that handles crazy good when he goes 1 up. A lot of the features that Yammy is just now putting on the FJR (cruise control, Electronic suspension, etc.) BMW has had them on the R1200RT for years. That means you can buy a used one that has these features and save some dough. It's just a suggestion, but I highly recommend you look at this bike. Or another real popular bike is the BMW K1200RT.

CONGRATS JDaniel!! I hope you and your honey have many years of relaxed bliss. South Florida is a beautifully nice place, but flat as board. LOL. You'll enjoy it though. By the way, you weren't "starting to ramble" at all. See some of my previous posts for examples of rambling. LOL. Good luck.

Neil, Can I have your insurance? LOL. I pay $600.00 with State Farm.

It looks like a 3 wheeled space ship. Are there licenses for space ships?

BigLenny is what my coworkers started calling me years ago because.....well....I'm 6'6" and 300lbs and my name is Lynn. LOL.

Puc, You and Freebird are right along the market that I was referring would like them. Good old fashioned Gearheads. LOL.

For 20 years my wife and I have hosted our two families (30 or so folks) for a Christmas afternoon fine dining affair at our house. My wife really gets into the event. Everyone has a place setting with their names on a tag and fine china is used. Very elegant dinner, and then we have dirty Santa and fellowship after the meal. Our families love it. However, this year we have a problem. Two weeks ago it was discovered we have a drain pipe leak under the slab of our kitchen floor about 4 feet in from the wall. The plumbing company is coming Monday to jack hammer our floor up and repair the leak. This is requiring us to tear all of the cabinets off the main wall of our kitchen, and it will destroy the floor and such. So, the good news is, my wife is getting a brand new kitchen with new cabinets throughout, new floors, and new granite countertops. The bad news is, our Christmas dinner that we have held for 20 years is cancelled. Maybe the good Lord knew we needed a break or something.

I agree that we Americans are down right goofy when it comes to money. I've been yakking to my family for quite some time now about the price of milk and several other grocery staples that we have seen sky rocket in recent years. People will whine and bawl about the price of gasoline, but to me, considering the extensive process it takes to bring us the gasoline product, it's amazing to me that it doesn't cost a lot more. Most of us in America, not all, but most of us routinely waste boat loads of money on trivial stuff that we never give a second thought to, but we (me included) gripe about the cost of milk and such. If our ancesters from lets say, 100 years ago could come back to life and see the way we live on a daily basis today, I feel very confident the cost of milk would be way down the list of what they would point out to how much money we waste. Case in point, I have a relative that recently asked me to help him look at new cars. He and his wife really fell in love with a loaded Toyota Avalon. The car was very nice and had everything Toyota could put on it. However, they also test drove a Lexus car that was the sister of the Avalon with an exception. The Lexus was about $18K more, and it had a nice gold Lexus emblem on it. Oh, and the Lexus dealerships showroom was trimmed in nice mahagony wood with salesmen in suits. Even Consumer Reports ranked the Toyota Avalon above the Lexus counterpart. So, which one did they buy? The Lexus. You can buy a lotta damn $4.00 milk with that $18K difference. But they'll be one of the ones, along with the rest of us, griping about how high milk is. LOL. It's the American way. Spend way more than we should for big ticket items, and gripe about low dollar trivial products. Another example is cell phones, internet, and cable TV. We pay sky rocket amounts for those and never do much about it. How about this; Our ancestors from 100 years ago would flip out if they saw how much money we spend eating out at restaurants. Okay, I'm gonna hush my mouth now. But, seriously, I could go on and on about how much money most of us Americans waste that goes way beyond the increase of milk prices, even though I hate the increase. LOL.

My wife and I saw one of those at Bikes Blues and BBQ. Got to see it, touch it, gander at it from every angle. Before I could really get an opinion out, Teresa said "don't even try to get me excited about that thing. We'll go buy a convertible sports car before I spend the money for that". LOL. Truth is, I kinda had the same feelings. While they're interesting looking rigs, I struggle with why Polaris decided to build something like that which is so close to a car type vehicle. I see it as something that will appeal to a very limited market of folks. I wonder if their funds would've been better spent if they had've designed and built a strong competitor to Can Am's Spyder. Just me 2 cents.

DITTO.

And there ya go ladies and gentlemen. Of all the talents ol Puc has shown us here on VR, now he displays song writing. He's dripping with gifts that I could only dream of.

Barry, Thanks for the info. I've looked at the new Voyager because it is an attractive looking bike. However, I had noticed the flimsyness of the bags and trunk lids. Also, the windshield is very flimsy. I did not know about the heat issue until mentioned on this thread, but I did see that Kawi has installed some kind of a blower system under the seat for that issue. I saw that they also have that blower system on the Vaquero. I guess they have failed at figuring out the air managment when they add a fairing to their bikes. At first glance the Voyager looks like a heck of a deal given you can buy a brand new one for $16K to $18K, however, closer inspection with the cheaper plastics and the heat from the motor, as well as it not coming with rear speakers and intercom, well, I guess it comes down to a matter of opinion. For what it's though, I do know that Kawi is known for long performing motors. If you're a Vtwin person, the fact that it is water cooled would be a positive discussion.

Wow! Somebody put a lotta time into that thing! However, that big ol cab/canopy looks like it would have a parachute effect while going down the road.

Yuckly, I looked at the Vulcan 2000 long and hard before I decided to go with the RSTD. I am 6'6" and the size and length of it attracted me. However, I am a revy guy. I like the sound and quick rev feeling of the 4 cyl. motor. That lopey thumpity thump of a v-twin kinda in the end doesn't come across as, I don't know how to explain it, but, it always sounds to me like it's got a miss or something. I love the smoothness of the V4. I do understand what you're talking about with the high rev at high speeds. The RSTD needs a 6th gear. But in our travels from one end of the country to the other, I just decided to accept it as a natural trait of this bike. My love for the V4 supersedes it I guess. Another couple key points that made me go with the RSTD over the Vulcan 2000 is; Cruise control and locking hard bags are absolute musts for me as I/we travel. I use my cruise all the time both locally and while on our long vacation trips. Messing with a freakin throttle lock is something that would annoy me. And hard bags that lock and match the paint color of the bike are aesthetically better looking to me. Thats just my humble opinion. But if you can't quit thinkin about that big ol oversized 2000 brute, go buy the thing and ride the hair off of it. Ya might like it. LOL.

Thank You Thank You Thank You to everyone! Now I understand. Learn sumpin new ever day!

This is an off the wall question, but Imma ask it anyway. Why do some websites end in .com while other websites end in .org? Did the .com world get filled up with sites or something? Or is it cheaper to have a website that ends in .org? Just my pea sized brain wondering.

Hey Folks, I'm asking that you say a prayer for a life long friend of mine that had a pretty severe crash Saturday. His name is Bret Winingar and he is a huge Adventure rider and lover of motorcycles in general. He is well know on ADVRider.com with many phenomenal ride reports. Saturday he and his grown son were on the second day of a 3 day trail ride. While landing a jump he went over the handlebars and landed belly flat onto a stump. He managed to ride a number more miles before abdomen pain became so severe his son had to leave him and go find help. They had to medflight him to a hospital 60 miles away from the area he was riding. once at the hospital it was discovered he had torn a pretty good sized opening in his colon and it had spilled out into his abdomen and completely contaminated him. Emergency surgery was performed and he is in recovery. He is on a colostomy bag for at least 3 months and will have to have another surgery to reattach the colon. He is very sick and struggling right now. I told his family that I would go to our family here on VR for prayer. Thanks so much, Big Lenny

The Yamaha shop close by me has a used 2005 Venture Liguid Silver beautiful! Pretty much perfect. Has 32K miles. Theyre asking $7900.00, but I could buy the thing in the mid to low $6's. Already has a center stand and bag rails as well as trunk rack and passing lamps. My 2007 RSTD has been absolutely perfect and I love the Red and raven color on my bike, But, that silver looks pretty dang slick in person. SOMEBODY TALK ME OUT OF IT!

Still prayin for ya Puc. Hang in man. You're gonna make it through this with one heck of a Puc story to tell. You're tougher than boot leather. It's gonna take more than a case of brain leaking to keep you down.

We have been to Vegas numerous times and it is a blast! We have stayed at The Wynn, The Bellagio, Bally's, The Flamingo, Planet Hollywood, Imperial Palace, MGM Grand, our relatives house, etc... And I completely concur with some others on here; The Flamingo is the best overall situation because it is exactly mid strip, and you can get rooms for a reasonable price. But, make sure you request a newly remodeled room. The buffet is good, and the atmosphere is great. We paid $400.00 per night to stay in The Wynn, and while it was SWANKY as all get out, you very quicky realize that you're not spending very much time in your room to justify the cost. The Bellagio is the same way, even though the cost isn't quite as high as The Wynn. The Flamingo is the deal. Let me say this; If you want to seriously gamble, don't go to Las Vegas to do it. I tell everyone who says "i don't go to Vegas because I'm not a gambler", YOU DON"T GO THERE TO GAMBLE! Heck, I'm not a horticulturalist or a master gardener, but I still like to go to botanical gardens and nature areas and enjoy the amazing sites. The bottom line is, this nation has hundreds of serious gambling sites that folks can go to to "gamble". You go to Vegas to enjoy the awesome gawdyness of what man can make with a ton of money. It's truly awe inspiring at the extent that they will go to draw the masses to their town. It's hilarious! Go see: The Bellagio Fountains day and night. The Bellagio botanical gardens inside their casino. The exact replica of Venice with the river and gondola rides inside the Venetian. Every hour the ceiling turns from daytime to night time. The exact replica of the Sistine Chapel ceiling in the Venetian. Go to Paris and walk through the streets. Go up into the Eiffel Tower. Go to New York New York and see the Big Apple. While you're there, ride the Long Island express roller coaster. Go to Ceasars Palace and feel the history. Imagine Evel Kneivel jumping over the fountains before his famous crash. Walk through the unbeliveable Ceasars Forum Shops. Go see the Farrari Dealership inside The Wynn. While you're there, check out there bathrooms. Crazy cool. Also, every hour they have laser,flower show on the lake in The Wynn. Go to Mandalay Bay and see the huge aquarium. Go downtown to Freemont Street and experience all that is there. Huge light show covering 5 blocks and bands every night. Step foot into the Golden Nugget. Go to the Stratosphere and look out at the city from 1000 feet up. Or ride the rides that are on top of that! Go to Museums, museums, museums. They're everywhere. Ride the largest farris wheel in the world. Go to the freakin Hoover Dam for crying outloud. It's 30 minutes away. Go to Red Rock Canyon State Park. It's 30 minutes away also. Go to the Rio Resort/Casino and watch the sky show in the casino. People riding around in hot air balloons and other contraptions throwing marti gras beads down to the crowd. Go to the City Center and marvel at the unfreakin believable architecture. Goodness Gracious! I cannot keep listing things to do because it would take up this whole thread. There are 10 times as much stuff as i've listed that you go to Vegas to do, and it doesn't even include the shows that you can pay to go see. But, one thing is for sure. Don't go there to hope to gamble and win. You usually won't. And as far as people getting agitated with the folks on the sidewalks that solicit customers for women of the night, both me and my wifes responses were to ignore them and never give them another thought. It's part of Vegas. You don't go to a national park and gripe about and focus on the mosquitos. You focus on the beauty, and the mosquitos are a minor annoyance. It's the same in Vegas. Focus on the awe inspiring fun stuff, and shuck the other crap that is there. Vegas is a fun ADULT place to go play and see a lotta things you aren't going to see anywhere else in our nation or the world. I highly recommend doing it at least once in your life. But, do it right. Do your research before you go and find all the things to go see that are free and fun to see. Don't just show up there as a 1 or 2 day stop on your vacation without proir knowledge of what to do. My 2 cents.

Oh brother. I about got a cavity reading this. Lol.

We rode through Jerome last year. Love that area! Very unique to say the least.

Flyinfool, I kinda have a soft heart for people that are getting beat on by society, so I'm gonna stand by you and try my best to show support for you during this rough time while the rest of the VR gang throw spears at you. But I gotta tell ya, if you turn that snow blowing machine toward the south one more time, I'll abandon you like a bad habit. This is your first and only warning. LOL.

I just thought it was the Polar Vortex causing it. No big deal.

Woke up this morning to find snow on the rooftops, cars, mailboxes, etc. What the heck?? This is Little Rock, Arkansas. We aint supposed to be getting snow before Christmas, much less Thanksgiving. It' about this time of year that I begin my 3 1/2 month spell of "I wish I lived in Florida" feelings.