Pics (broadband)

[Shuriken]

Just one of the many great places I get to ride (1.6MB):

http://singlebirds.com/ben/IMG_0260.JPG

The state my bike is in now (1.6MB):

http://singlebirds.com/ben/IMG_0271.JPG

When I first bought the bike (270k):

http://singlebirds.com/ben/79xs11sf_06-2004.jpg

Coming along... a lot more paint, polish, this and that...

Ben

[motoman]

Hey Ben............looking good!............Looks like to me it's good to haul you to Green River to meet ya some time soon.............So is that a yey or nay?.........whatca think?............Ain't goona let you off the hook easily, plus wanna check out your ride.

[prometheus578]

Yeah, that's Utah. I recognize the rocks."

(Pic took about five minutes to load... got to sit here and stare at the rocks before the top of the bike started to show)
Nice job, Ben. I think I once had those same pipes. Have to drop the exhaust to change the oil filter?

[AKMac]

Nice bike! It looks like she's came a long way from when you started. What pipes are those?

[mason79]

nice work

[xs650mike]

Hey AKMac, why not call your bike the Chrome Queen?

[Shuriken]

Thanks for the replies, guys. I do like the special a lot. I miss my 80g a lot but the little special feels like a dirt bike to me.

I reduced the filesize for those of us on crapband. (that includes me)

Motoman - sure thing. I'm still tweaking the carbs - a bit uneven and perhaps just a hair lean. Running 130 mains and will probably go up to 132.5. I have to make darn sure the bike is running predictably before I haul it down that long 2hr stretch of nothing on I-70. I do not want to break down there! ;-)

Ben

[Shuriken]

Oh yeah... the pipes:

I got them on e-bay probably 2 years ago for $75 bucks. I thought they were a smokin' deal. Perhaps they were, but they have rust and discoloration. I love the looks.

I don't know what brand they are, but yes, you have to remove the pipes to change the oil. You retain the center stand with these pipes. I don't think an oil cooler would fit.

I would really like a new set of 4-1s, but at $3-500 bucks, I'd be taking a substantial hit. Plus, it would make the rest of my bike look bad and then I'd have to spend even more. Finally, if my carb mix isn't spot on, I'd discolor a new set.

That's not to say I won't get a new set sometime. For now though, I'll stick with these. It would be nice to have the brand that allows you to keep the center stand and perform hassle-free oil changes.

Ben

[motoman]

Understand the carb 'tweakin' Ben. I'l be goin up to Salt Lake next Friday to a nephew's wedding I committed to going to. With the fuel prices I'll be on the quick and quiet ride this time(Honda ST1100) and at 50mpg @ 80+mph can make it on a tank having a 7.6 gallon tank............gonna do it rain or shine. Two weeks ago was bucking 40+mph headwinds with gust up to 50 on the XS tourer on I-70 west going up there. Hopefully won't have that this time as those conditions eat gas. Knocked the mileage down on the XS to bout 32mpg@75mph from its normal average of 37-39 at those speeds.

[Geezer]

That first picture is pretty enought to frame. It's like one of those magazine pix that looks to good to be real.

Where was it taken?

BTW, it took about 10 seconds to load with my DSL connection... ;o)

Geezer

[Shuriken]

Motoman, my puny special gas tank doesn't hold much gas. I'm getting ~ 35mpg. Wonder if I'd have enough gas to make it from Salina to the next gas station to the east?

Geezer - thank you for the compliments. That was from a point and shoot digital. I do enjoy photography, have had some training, and occasionally compose one I like.

I'd like to have shot that one without autofocus, etc. To make this picture better IMO, I could crop some off the left side and bottom. (or I should have backed the bike up another 3 feet)

Anyway.... I like to show off the beauty of southern Utah when I get around to it because I love being able to ride where I do - whether on my dirt bikes or on the road. This spot is called Kolob Canyons. Check out this link for info:

http://www.americansouthwest.net/utah/zion/kolob_canyons.html

The cool thing is that after 5pm you can get in free. South of Cedar City (maybe 15 miles) it's a quick hop off of the interstate and it only takes 5 minutes to get into the views.

Ben

[Geezer]

The 2 or 3 times I've been to Utah I left thinking is would be a nice place to live.

How's the housing costs in your area (out in the sticks, not in the big city?)

Geezer

[randy]

Hey, Ben

Nice work. Don't feel bad about the 35mpg. The best I could get on my 81SH was 33, but maybe I flogged it too hard. I see you got your grab bar!

[81XS1100-2006]

ae7f,
you give me great hope that my 81's gonna pull through...

Cheers & nice work!

Kp

[xs650mike]

Originally posted by ae7f
I'd like to have shot that one without autofocus, etc. To make this picture better IMO, I could crop some off the left side and bottom. (or I should have backed the bike up another 3 feet)

Sorta like this not so broadband?


Anyway, great shot, great bike!