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Steve's Adventure into Motorcycling & Modifications

Is a short centerstand available from BMW or aftermarket?
Thank you for the posts and thank you for helping the economy :)


Ha, yep, but from what I see at my local dealer...looks like a lot of folks are trying to lift the economy all on their own....like me! :blah


No center stands made for low chassis 850GSA. A few people have had success buying a full sized one, cutting, and welding. I may do that, but now that I have the Pitt Bull Stand, its really not an issue.
 
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How far across, at widest point, is that seat? Is it twice as wide as stock seat?

Widest part is 17 inches for the Day Long seat.

M comfort seat widest part is about 13 inches. I never measured the low seat, but I'd bet money on it being more narrow.

I'd assume RDL would change the width of their seat based on your waist measurement you send it. I'm a 34-35 inch waist.
 
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Handsome GS ya have there Steve. And you're certainly getting into the Farkle business - Bigly!

Good luck in finding some training in your neighborhood. U might consider Jim Ford's class that we took years ago. Our class started out in Thurmont, MD, and rode south to Natural Bridge, VA on many "Invisible roads." We enjoyed the class; look for yourself at http://www.ridersworkshop.com

Further afield is MotoMark in NC. He offers both on-road & off-road skills training {which Mrs HSV liked.}
https://www.motomark1.com/coarse_category/2-wheel-course/


I'm USAF (Ret) & I'm 6' tall, and I felt 'mostly' comfortable on my F800GS for ~120k mi. I can't fathom why you'd buy a factoty-lowered GS, except for the fact that you're a N00b? Spect you'll regret it when you eventually get your first Iron Butt Saddle Sore Certificate. http://www.ironbutt.com/themerides/

Lastly, consider at least Following or Joining the Metro-DMV Beemer Club.
https://www.bmwbmw.org

Happy Trails on that shiny, new GS; Ciao! HSV-Phil & HSV-Karen
{USN (Ret)}
now happily ensconced in Rocket City, AL! :drink
https://www.rocketcenter.com/saturn-v-hall
 
Handsome GS ya have there Steve. And you're certainly getting into the Farkle business - Bigly!

Yeah....I'm not so proud of how much I've spent on the bike. :whistle

Good luck in finding some training in your neighborhood. U might consider Jim Ford's class that we took years ago. Our class started out in Thurmont, MD, and rode south to Natural Bridge, VA on many "Invisible roads." We enjoyed the class; look for yourself at http://www.ridersworkshop.com

Thanks! I've been able to get myself into the MSF BRC2, ARC and I've been to the Yamaha Champions Riding School Street Course. I feel much better with the bike than when I got started between those classes and the 4k miles I have on the bike so far. I also know that I've entered the "most dangerous" phase of noob riding after about 6 months of riding. Staying humble and being careful on the bike are my primary concerns.

Further afield is MotoMark in NC. He offers both on-road & off-road skills training {which Mrs HSV liked.}
https://www.motomark1.com/coarse_category/2-wheel-course/

This is my next expense. I need to get some dirt training on a smaller dirt bike. That should help me a bunch for my on road skills!

I'm USAF (Ret) & I'm 6' tall, and I felt 'mostly' comfortable on my F800GS for ~120k mi. I can't fathom why you'd buy a factoty-lowered GS, except for the fact that you're a N00b? Spect you'll regret it when you eventually get your first Iron Butt Saddle Sore Certificate. http://www.ironbutt.com/themerides/

You hit it right on the head. I bought an expensive and big bike for a noob's first bike. Had I known Corona Virus would make us work from home for 3-4 months this year, I would have bought a Ninja 400 ABS and would be trading it for an R1250GSA now. I thought I'd be commuting to work on my first bike and I really need the storage to hold my helmet and gear. I go places where I don't have an office and can't be walking around with all my pants/jacket/helmet vest in hand.

Lessons learned. I already regret the low chassis and a lot of money has been spent on the bike trying to make it comfortable for me...but I imagine I would have needed a seat even on a full height GSA. I never was comfortable on the Can Am Spyder F3L I had before.

Lastly, consider at least Following or Joining the Metro-DMV Beemer Club.
https://www.bmwbmw.org

I did join and have been following them. I need to get to one of their rides...but its a tough balance right now with work from home for my wife and I. Daycare just opened back up this week.


Happy Trails on that shiny, new GS; Ciao! HSV-Phil & HSV-Karen [/B]{USN (Ret)}
now happily ensconced in Rocket City, AL! :drink
https://www.rocketcenter.com/saturn-v-hall

Thanks soo much! I go down to Rocket City fairly often for work (visiting Dynetics). My brother (US Army) just moved there this week as well. I am sure I'll be in your neck of the woods in the next few months!
 
Report back on the Champ school please! I have been eyeballing that one.

I've already went, but keep in mind this write up is from a noob perspective.

https://ridelikeachampion.com/

Instructors:
MARK SCHELLINGER
BEN WALTERS
Course: Marine Corps version of Champ Street
Duration: Full Day

Topics of Instruction
Trail-braking
Bike dynamics
Traction study
Mental approach
Visual techniques of champions
Mid-corner stops
On-track changes that mimic the real world
*and more!

Warning:
This course and instructors are not there to teach approved MSF techniques. They continually emphasize that they teach what the best riders at the time are doing. My belief is they have the agility and technical capability to assess the pulse of professional riders much faster than MSF. When combined with the fact that generally, dedicated riders take their courses (i.e. motivated to improve), there’s a winning combination here.

Overview and Class Flow

The day starts out with short introductions and instruction right into tire traction. For me, it seemed like the major theme of the day was “loading the tire before working the tire.” A lot of instruction, practice and assessment went into how we load our tires for traction with the overall focus on “Eyes, Brakes, Body.”

You basically go through lessons that teach and demonstrate a certain skill. Then they provide you a demo of how to do the skill correctly and what the skill done incorrectly looks like. Some of these demos (purposefully incorrectly) were very useful to me because I’m never going to willingly do a skill wrong to “see what happens.” That just exceeds my risk tolerance (already low) on the bike. To have a professional do the demo is likely lifesaving.

After the demo, you get on your bike and practice. Each practice is about 20ish minutes. The structure is very much like a track day if you’ve been to one in your car or motorcycle. The course is built to allow safe areas (when you come to a stop) for faster / more proficient riders to pass. All of the time that you’re practicing, the instructors are evaluating. Evaluation can be one-on-one instructions, watching you from a distance with group feedback, or you’ll find them following you on their bikes watching what you do.

Review

I’ve been riding for about 6 months. I took this class with BRC, BRC-2 and ARC classes under my belt with about 3,300 miles on a motorcycle. I was easily the least “experienced” rider in my class and at the beginning of the day it showed.

My issues:
No real trail braking skills
Body position was straight up and down causing excessive lean in corners
Corner apex was sometimes too early
Not looking for my corner exist soon enough
Most of my braking practice before this class was emergency braking in a parking lot. While this is good practice, I learned that I was transitioning some of those skills to everyday braking and those were not good. I had to relearn how to load my front tire, brake effectively with good brake pressure and trail off the brakes to keep my front tire / shock loaded.

I’d say this class was easily the best thing I’ve done on the bike to help me gain confidence in corners on the road. Lots of the other training we can get from YouTube instructors have helped me get my bike out of my driveway and onto the pavement. The slow speed practice maneuvers and other road skills learned on MC Rider easily allowed me to be in this class with enough skills to effectively learn. I will say this though, YouTube training is not a replacement for in-person training / evaluation. It’s great to watch videos and practice what you see, but I think it’s important to have a professional give you feedback as well. There’s no replacement for this type of learning.

Taking a class like these (there are various schools around the country) is a good use of your money and time. For the cost of 1 or 2 aftermarket accessories that likely won’t improve your bike or your skills, you can take a class that will likely change your riding forever. Additionally, these changes could also save your life if you push your bike. This class just reinforced the fact that I should change my budget for more continual professional training and less on things that won’t improve my skills.

Lastly, Mark and Ben are really talented motorcycle racers and instructors. They take their teaching seriously and you can tell they’ve spent a lot of time honing their teaching skills to accompany their motorcycle riding skills. Top notch dudes.
 
Warning:
This course and instructors are not there to teach approved MSF techniques. They continually emphasize that they teach what the best riders at the time are doing. My belief is they have the agility and technical capability to assess the pulse of professional riders much faster than MSF. .

I attended several seminars or sessions with my good friend and menor David Hough - the author of Proficient Motorcycling, More Proficient Motorcycling, and Street Strategies. He was quick to point out that what MSF taught for beginning riders was OK, but that as rider skills advanced more appropriate techniques were possible. I agree 100 %. There are advanced skills that MSF cannot possibly teach to new riders and expect success in the parking lot of their choice. Just try explaining "trail braking" to a new rider in a high school parking lot. It fails immediately.
 
I attended several seminars or sessions with my good friend and menor David Hough - the author of Proficient Motorcycling, More Proficient Motorcycling, and Street Strategies. He was quick to point out that what MSF taught for beginning riders was OK, but that as rider skills advanced more appropriate techniques were possible. I agree 100 %. There are advanced skills that MSF cannot possibly teach to new riders and expect success in the parking lot of their choice. Just try explaining "trail braking" to a new rider in a high school parking lot. It fails immediately.

I'll be honest, you don't really get it until you see a lap time change from doing the entire process correctly. It was eye opening and the class convinced me that its something I'd like to do many more times as I gain more experience on the bike.

I still have a lot to learn for sure, but the class was life changing.
 
I still have a lot to learn for sure, but the class was life changing.

My point exactly, Steve!

We've also ridden 'their' m/c's on the dirt/sand/mud at BMW's Off-Road training center nr Spartanburg, SC.

I had a good time; Mrs-HSV, well, not so much! Food was very good tho!

It is all Eye Opening; just what U can do on these machines if U understand body/clutch/throttle positioning! :wave

Too Bad U have to work for a living...
:nyah

Sláinte! HSV-Phil & HSV-Karen 🍻 🤗
 
I ordered a Geza cover the first week of July 2020. Received it last week.

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I saw the cover on a few bikes at the Pentagon a year ago and its really a sharp piece of gear (and expensive). This is the Elite Plus
 
Greetings Steve!

Glad you're still finding useful items to travel with... Covers offer some protection from prying eyes, but don't forget to lock your locks and remove the easily stolen travel items (like an add-on GPS unit).

Have U got a good set of tools (mini-&-packable), and a tire plugging/tube patching strategy? You're gonna need it - Sooner or Later!


I experienced four flats today: one Long nail in my rear tire in the AM (found the 2nd hole hours later). Much later, a Big mystery hole in my front tire was encountered. It later spit out the first plug so I plugged it again 30 miles later along the side of the road. I've Never Even Imagined 4 flat tires in one day... You need extra plugs/patches and a reliable, electric air pump that actually fits your accessory plug or battery compartment (easier on my bike than yours)!

Happy to have made it home in one piece from a simple 'club rendezvous' - a BBQ lunch south of Birmingham.

Flat-Nbr-Four.jpeg

ENJOY YOUR RIDE, as much as U can!
CIAO! HSV-Phil & HSV-Karen HSV-Phil & HSV-Karen
🏍+🏕+🏞 = 🤗&😃
 
Four flats!?!

I haven't had one yet on the bike. Scares me actually b/c I'm such a new rider that I wonder if I'll feel it in time to prevent an accident. Hopefully, TPMS helps me there.

I do have the Cruz Tools RTB2 kit made for my bike as well, a small socket / torx / hex socket set, Dynaplug tire repair kit, Dynaplug compressor.

Also carry a Trauma kit on the bike....hopefully it will never be needed!

I'm actually getting ready to do the 6k service on the bike. Brother is getting married in Georgia on 10 October and I'm considering a road trip on the bike. Currently can't bring the wife / daughter because Pre School is going to make us quarantine for 14 days before my daughter can go back to school . . .
 
Fuel Dilution?

I always do oil analysis on my oil changes...mostly to have the data and because I'm genuinely interested in the oil.

This was the bike's second oil change. The first one was at the 700ish mile point for the running in service. I didn't do a sample then because the dealer did the change.

I did this change and was pretty surprised to see 2.5% fuel dilution in the oil on a bike that, during COVID, only sees 1 ride a week and that ride is generally between 120 and 180 miles in a day. There's no reason for fuel dilution . . .

Anyone see anything like this before?

19 F850GS-200918.jpg
 
Barkbusters

I’ve been eying the Machine Art Moto guards for more than a year…and just got tired of waiting for them. I’m sure they are good, but the Barkbusters are proven and more importantly, now on my bike protecting it.
2019 F-850GS Adventure, I’ve been waiting for Barkbuster to come out with a specific kit for this bike and they did

https://twistedthrottle.com/shop/pr...50gs-adventure-19-20-two-point-mount-bhg-048/

The install is pretty straight forward
1. Remove mirrors
2. Use your torx bit to remove both of the BMW plastic ‘wind deflectors’ from the bike
3. Follow instructions to put the new bars back on the bike

Helpful notes:
I had to loosen the brake assembly to allow for clearance to install the bracket on the brake side of the handlebars. You can see why in the photo below
s5ePPjZ.jpg

FGWbopQ.jpg

H0KMyl0.jpg
 
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