Hub you are crackin' my a$$ up , yea I agree, it may be time to cull the herd starting with the cruiser, only gets a few rides a year to the local Starbucks and then parked in the corner of the garage. Probably next up is the 14, much as I love the old girl she is starting to get a bit long in the tooth and at 18 years and almost 32,000 miles, she's still got some spirit left in her but lettuce face it, her best days are behind her. That would be a good start towards getting the garage cleaned out and free up some cash for updates and maintenance on the newer machines....

* Last updated by: Kruz on 7/28/2024 @ 10:41 PM *

Nice looking bikes. You must have got out and rode them today. I had a ride on the new 14R. Nothing too radical, I just did a couple blasts of speed. I really need my Brocks pipe on there. I imagine it will be available by next summer. I sure hope so.

Yessir, going out again this morning on the little RS660, good to hear you are getting some rides in on the new ZX-14R.....

I may have to do a Part III encore to this thread Rook, the RS660 has shaken everything up, probably in the 3rd spot now of all time favorites right behind the BMW and 2016 ZX-10R. If based on fun factor alone and performance and adrenaline are not factored in, it might be top dog or at least tied with the BMW. The bike is really that good and a blast to ride and punches waaaay above it's weight in terms of pure performance.

I'm glad to hear you're having fun with the bikes too.

You're right Kruz, damn good looking bike that 25th anniversary Hayabusa is. I saw one on the org with CF headlight cover and wings. I'm not sure if the wings do anything or if they're just for looks but that bike really does look BAD! I'd still take my B/O Gen2 over it but I wouldn't mind riding around that Gen3, she's a beauty. That lack of ability to reach 180 mph is disappointing for such a big bike. Who really does that anyway though? Looks like the Gen3 busa does pretty good in the quarter mile even against a Gen2 14R. I'll stick with the 14R. She's got it where it counts.

LOL Vic does it! ...or he did. IDK if he's going to do it again.

Dam Rook, that does look good, from what I hear, the retune added midrange/lowend right where you need it on the street, I'm sure they're still very quick.

Wouldn't mind having that bike but no room left in the garage at present I'm afraid.

Besides I am dealing with a potentially life threatening illness right now, no time to be thinking about more bikes.

My venerable old ZX-14 still soldiers on, it's still as quick as anything I have back in the twisties.

John

Take care of yourself bro. Maybe it is time to give up the 9 to 5 life and just focus on your health. Life takes at least a couple sharp twists for everyone. It's rough settling in to the new normal as you always say. We gotta do it though.

As for me, my BP has been good. Not perfect but well within the acceptable range. I think completely avoiding salt is what helps the most along with the meds. Saltless food is not very enjoyable but I cheat every now and then. It doesn't seem to hurt. A buildup of sodium really does seem to hurt and it takes a while to get it out of my system. I thought it would be a day or two but no, it seems to take several days. Sweating and drinking a lot of water seems to get it out faster.

Mine is a little more serious than high BP bro, I have been bleeding internally into my bladder for almost 6 weeks now, spent three days in a hospital which was a joke, they didn't do much of anything for me.I get scoped by a urologist tomorrow and should know what I'm facing. Hoping for the best but bracing myself for potentially very bad news.

John

I remember our conversation. It sounds like the bleeding could be related to high blood pressure since it coincided with a pretty dramatic change in medication. Maybe some delicate blood vessels burst when they were reintroduced to super high blood pressure after acclimating to normal blood pressure for some time. That's my hope but I'm not a doctor, of course. We'll have to see what the tests reveal. I'm not in the same position as you are but I think being realistic about the possible outcome is the way I would go about it too. Whatever it is will be treatable and let's hope curable or at least something that will stabilize if it doesn't go away.

Hope you are right on this one Rook, fingers crossed, going in at 3 o'clock today to find out.

John

I'll pray for the best, buddy. You know I'm not the most religious person but I'll give it my best shot.

Thanks Rook, I had my cystoscopy this afternoon, it's not cancer, my bladder and prostate were clean. I'm going to get a laser resection next Friday to clean up scar tissue from 17 years ago when I had a TURP.

Hurayyyyy! It's not the worse case scenario then. So they think it's the scar tissue that's causing the bleeding then?

Not sure yet Rookster but the Urologist didn't seem all that concerned. I'm out riding despite the heat here in Texas, I need the Rook seal of approval for the new colors, I think there is too much white in the white/black Dainese pants, going to try my black ones next.

It works. Yes, all black pants and mostly black boots would be just a bit better withthe bike but you gotta draw the line somewhere. ...I think!

My thoughts exactly Rook on the all black pants, I'm going to wear my black Dainese pants tomorrow and see how that looks, the high viz boots will stay.

BTW, may be adding another bike to the collection, found this gorgeous 2016 Ducati Panigale 1299, last year of the big V-twin motors before they went to the V4 configuration. 1500 original miles and all stock, these things are known to be BEASTS!

Hubster, what sayest though?

* Last updated by: Kruz on 8/17/2024 @ 8:33 PM *

That bike had my intrigue in about 2012. Remember us talking about it? They bumped it up a hundred ccs and hopefully resolved the frame issue. It had no frame if I remember correctly, the front was simply bolted onto the engine. I remember talking to Dogo about it. There were a number that broke in half on the track. If you get a reasonable deal, I wouldn't let the still evolving design stop me. Swap one bike into the house for storage every three or four months. Do not thin the herd. Bikes are what your life is all about so let it in your house. Drop the cruiser from the roster if you need to. Yes sir, that Panigale is one bike I seriously would have taken if I could have afforded it at the time and that stands regardless of the sluggish exhaust note. The I-4s will never be topped for sound, especially the smaller engines. That Panigale is a bike in our history that stands out. The rumbling exhaust has acquired a place in my heart now too after 16 years of this business. I expect it from an exotic sportbike. It's not about faster at this point. You already have everything. They all do pretty close to the same thing. It's about love at this point so do what your heart tells you as long as you have the means.

Good points Rook, the 2016 was the ultimate development of the V2 big bore Ducati race bikes, super lightweight and massive torque from the 1300cc motor, they're still considered a real weapon 8 years on and a worthy addition to the fleet.

Tried the black Dainese pants with the new hi-viz riding gear this morning, looks awesome!

* Last updated by: Kruz on 8/18/2024 @ 12:32 PM *

* Last updated by: Kruz on 8/19/2024 @ 4:03 PM *

Yea Kruz, I hopped on a twin duc and found it was too small for my fat ass. Love the sound of those. Better you take care of the body than the fleet. Fleet is no fun without the body in good condition. Man, going into retirement seems to send people off to a short spell of geez us, is that all there is in life? Stay healthy there boy.

Agreed Hubmeister, without your health, you have nothing. It seems they have it calibrated that when you retire you start into an inevitable health decline. I'm fighting back and hope to stay healthy for a few more years, still have not retired yet, hoping to finish out the last three years on my current contract. BTW, any word on what happened to Morgstang? My guess is he had a riding accident, no other word on his demise.

* Last updated by: Kruz on 8/20/2024 @ 11:22 AM *