Wooo! picked up a new motorcycle this weekend (1 Viewer)

[Philip_G]

the pics suck, but it's all I have, it started to snow shortly after this fuel stop, and didn't stop snowing for some time, I'll take better once I wash and wax it.
left saturday at 6am, drove down, left sunday at 10am to head home, 2000 miles round trip by myself.. but soooooooo worth it. 2k2 aprilia falco R

 

[Shawn C]

Extreme coolness. Nice! Let us know how the first ride is!

 

[Philip_G]

hee hee I took it out this morning even though it was 34F out. it's pretty cool! A little dfferent than I'm used to, the bars are REAL wide so it feels pretty nimble, it's tall, which is OK since I'm 6'2, but the rearsets are pretty high and back, nothing major just weird. I'm limited to 6k rpm for 600 miles for break-in, so it's pretty hard to keep the engine below 6k but not lugging, and you really have to work the gears a lot more on a v twin than any inline I've ridden, but so far it's great!
I took more (better is questionable) pics

 

[Jay H]

Nice pictures! I sometimes like to think us cyclists and you motorcylists have a thing in common in that we both are more attuned to looking at weather forecasts and road conditions than the average car driver.
Keep the bugs out of your teeth and the rubber side down
Jay

 

[Philip_G]

Bah the average cage doesn't pay attention until they see a car off the road. Driving across wisconsin was a nightmare this weekend with the snow and traffic

 

[Terry Hansen]

Gorgeous bike, Phil! Looks like it will be more comfortable than the R1. Does it have the same motor as the Mille?

 

[Aurel Savin]

Philip:

Awesome ride ... It looks like you got nice wide open roads in ND to really ride!

Question?

A friend of mine just bought a Ram 1500 Dodge to haul around his new Ducati 748. He did not get a ramp just yet to load and unload it. What are you using for that purpose and do you have a picture of it?

Thanks much!

 

[Philip_G]

Yes, it is the same engine as the mille, with a different EEPROM and slightly lower compression (different pistons probly? I really dunno) the gearing is different, and that's about it AFAIK. Oddly enough motocyclist tested the mille to like 108 RWHP and the falco to like 110 RWHP, so go figure. They also weighed them and the falco was only like 5 pounds wet heavier, when it should be 15 or so (as published dry)
it is MUCH more comfortable, the seating position is still very sporty, the rearsets are high and rearward, but I just clocked 50 miles on it like it was nothing, the R1 I'd be hurtin pretty bad. The more I ride it the better it runs too, the gearbox is loosening up and is just smooth as glass, I was a little dissapointed the first 15 miles but now that the motor is a little looser I'm REALLY impressed.
ANYWAY on to ramps.. I have one, 8 foot aluminum folding ramp, I bought it at Sam's Club for $54, it's rated for 500 pounds (just right!) and fits in my car. The down side is that it doesn't have any rails on the side, so it's pretty easy to roll the tire right off the edge of the ramp.
the pickup wasn't mine, I have a car and a utility trailer, but towing a trailer 2000 miles in 2 days was too much, so I rented a truck from enterprise (VERY glad I did too)
here's the ramp

let me know if I can answer any more ?'s for him

 

[Jack Briggs]

Philip: I am very happy for you. You have every reason to be proud. Tell me, are there many sportbike riders in Wisconsin? Back when I would ride through the middle sections of the country it seemed all I saw were cruisers and touring bikes. If that's still the case, you are definitely going to stand out from the crowd. You should visit the canyon roads of Southern California someday. And, of course, make an obligatory Sunday-morning visit to The Rock Store on Mullholland Highway. Be careful, and watch out for the braindead motorists who claim they "can't see motorcycles." Again, congrats! JB

 

[Philip_G]

I dunno about wisconsin but there are a LOT in North Dakota, more than anywhere I've lived.
but you just don't see sportbikes on the freeway, it's not what they're for
if only we had some decent roads up here to ride.. there's a few backroads I hear are nice but I haven't explored them yet
as far as dumb ass drivers I know all about them. I've already been rear ended once... and the daily irritations.. lucky for me the falco has nice bright lights, it seems to get noticed OK despite the nice asphalt colored black that blends right in
Now, I have to get the bike broken in before my track school in June!

 

[Jack Briggs]

Which school? I've done Keith Code's--for free, as part of a magazine thing. Can't recommend it enough.

 

[Aurel Savin]

Philip:

Thanks for the pics ... looks like a good ramp for the few times you need to load and unload the bike.

Will pass it on to him.

Have fun with the Falco!!!!

Aurel

 

[Philip_G]

Which school? I've done Keith Code's--for free, as part of a magazine thing. Can't recommend it enough.

nooooo nothing like keith code, can't afford it by the time I drive all the way down. Just a local one at brainerd international, it's close, and fairly cheap at $250 for the day. To be honest I'm not much of a learner from watching, I've got to go out and fuck things up for myself, once I get the basics I'll hit track days as I can afford and see how it goes. the falco sure is stable, I've had it leaned over on the street a little bit and it feels very confident, even on these crappy metzlers