Made it to Deal's Gap before trading the ST1300

That's right, I have traded my '06 ST1300 -- more on that to come -- but before doing so, Keith and I made a weekend trip to Deal's Gap so I could "earn my wings". We stayed at the Two Wheel Inn and dodged rain while we were there. In fact, we came home one day early because of threatening weather. We were able to eat at Fat Buddies Ribs & Barbeque in Asheville, NC -- one that we've never been to. We also spent alot of time on the Blue Ridge Parkway this trip. We took the skyway into TN and found out about a ~90 mile loop through some really nice scenary.

First Mod - First Ride

I added my first mod to the ST. It's a Pirate's Lair Stealth Backrest. I made my first trip on the ST this past Sunday. I, along with Keith on his '07 ST, rode down to Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, SC to check out our friend, Earle, at the US Desmo TrackDay. Even though the roads were "less than ideal", the bikes performed great and we had a good time.

Finally - the bike I needed, but didn't know it!

Well, I'm on my third bike in ~5 months. The ZX-14 was an awesome ride, but it looks like i'll be riding with my wife more in the future and the Ninja just wasn't the bike for that. I rode several cruisers (Honda VTXs) thinking I would have to make the change to that style bike. They rode great and would probably have worked out just fine ... enter the ST1300. We got the chance to ride a used bike that was on the floor at Sport Cycles and it was immediately clear that the ST is the perfect bike for us now. They were offering NEW 2006 models for a steal, so I made the trade. You can find additional pix in my Picasa Web Albums.

Deal's Gap Slideshow

Deal's Gap - Summer 2007

After four years, I returned to the Deal's Gap area this past weekend. I made the road trip with Keith, from Raleigh. We met up with some other friends from Virginia. I did a total of 1175 miles in four days -- WAY more than ever before. The ZX did great and we had a great time riding. Lots more details and pix to follow.

Mods for the road...

I've added a few items to my bike for the roadtrips I'll be taking. First, I installed a set of risers from Heli-Bar. Also, I will be changing my grips to a set from BMW and I will be trying a Throttle Rocker. I've ordered a Tank Protector and Bag from Bagster and, hopefully, they will arrive before my trip at the end of the month. Finally, I installed a set of swingarm spools to make it easier to get the bike on my rearstand. Pix of all the mods will be up soon.

I have decided NOT to make any changes to the exhaust or throttle plates until I can see a bike - in person - that's had these mods done. I just don't want to lose any of the smoothness that this bike has.

2007 Kawasaki ZX-14

Well, my troubles at CMP left me trying to figure out what type of riding I really need to be doing right now. Even though I love the track, my mind and body are telling me that maybe I shouldn't be to doing trackdays right now. I wanted to get a bike that would allow me to enjoy "sport" riding and still be able to strike off on a long ride in relative comfort. I talked to lots of people and I rode a couple of sport-touring bikes. I settled on the big Ninja. This is my first non-Honda motorcycle of any kind so while some things are a little different, I think I made a good choice. This bike is very powerful, very smooth and very comfortable. We will get our first long ride experience later this month with a ride TO and ON the Tail of The Dragon!

I plan to keep the bike stock until the first service. At that time, I will probably add a Power Commander and get the secondary throttle plates removed. This mod is supposed to bring the power curve down from ~6k rpm to ~3k rpm. While I can shave nearly 25 pounds by switching to a full Yoshi or Muzzy exhaust, I really like the look and relative quiet purr of the stock setup.