I don't know where to start.
I currently ride a street-legal '04 Yamaha R1 set up for both the Supersport and Superbike classes. I hold an expert road racing license, and have instructed a little.
I relocated last year to a tropical island with weather that allows riding 365 days a year, but there is no race track (I do have keys to the local go-kart track though). We have some spectacularly twisty but low-speed public roads here, and the police pretty much leave us alone.
I commute 15-minutes each day at 20-45 mph. Mostly about 45 mph. And when I can, I like to take the bike out and remind myself why I don't own a car.
I'm considering pulling the trigger on a new left-over '05 FS650e.
I have no problem with changing oil and filter on schedule, as well as running the valves when they're due, throwing in a new spark bolt, etc.
But the prospects of performing regular engine overhauls on a European exotic, 2500 miles from the nearest dealer, in a place that is basically a third-world country, causes me to pause for consideration.
I am not a stranger to the extreme when it comes to motor vehicles. My first bike was a Hayabusa- I earned my expert road-racing license on it after my first weekend on track. My first four-wheel-drive was a mud truck with 44" Swampers, 20" of lift, 5.13 gears, Detroit lockers in both ends, and absolutely no chrome. I built the engine and transmission for my 600 horsepower GMC Typhoon with my own hands. And I drove all three back and forth to work every day for years. From time to time, things happened, but the trade-offs were calculated, and for me it was worth it.
I currently ride a street-legal '04 Yamaha R1 set up for both the Supersport and Superbike classes. I hold an expert road racing license, and have instructed a little.
I relocated last year to a tropical island with weather that allows riding 365 days a year, but there is no race track (I do have keys to the local go-kart track though). We have some spectacularly twisty but low-speed public roads here, and the police pretty much leave us alone.
I commute 15-minutes each day at 20-45 mph. Mostly about 45 mph. And when I can, I like to take the bike out and remind myself why I don't own a car.
I'm considering pulling the trigger on a new left-over '05 FS650e.
I have no problem with changing oil and filter on schedule, as well as running the valves when they're due, throwing in a new spark bolt, etc.
But the prospects of performing regular engine overhauls on a European exotic, 2500 miles from the nearest dealer, in a place that is basically a third-world country, causes me to pause for consideration.
I am not a stranger to the extreme when it comes to motor vehicles. My first bike was a Hayabusa- I earned my expert road-racing license on it after my first weekend on track. My first four-wheel-drive was a mud truck with 44" Swampers, 20" of lift, 5.13 gears, Detroit lockers in both ends, and absolutely no chrome. I built the engine and transmission for my 600 horsepower GMC Typhoon with my own hands. And I drove all three back and forth to work every day for years. From time to time, things happened, but the trade-offs were calculated, and for me it was worth it.
