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Was pointed over here from the Triumph Rat forums by GearHd6. Figured I'd register since it's my part of the country and I may be crossing paths/lanes/roads with some of you. Born in Bangor, ME like my dad, his dad, and his dad - and maybe a few more. But I grew up in NH, and live on the seacoast currently. Even went to Plymouth State College (er, I mean university).
I'm 39, and just started riding a few years ago. It started one drunken night in Portsmouth (how many stories could I tell that start out like THAT) a buddy says to me, "let's go buy some scooters tomorrow." And we actually did. This is the same friend who used to have a HD Sportster and a Low Rider and tried to get me into riding but I was always too intimidated by bikes. Had no interest.
A scooter, it turns out, was the perfect catalyst. We grabbed a pair of 50cc Piaggio's from the local Triumph/Ducati/Vespa dealer. Couldn't believe how fun the stupid little thing was for zipping around town and the seacoast. The lack of power eventually got to me so I upgraded to a 150cc so I could at least keep up in traffic. I rode that for a couple summers and then decided I finally needed a real bike because I wanted to ride further and further and little scooters aren't they greatest for that sort of thing unless you get a burgman or silverwing. I still have that 150cc scooter and use it for around-town errands, shooting down to Prescott Park or the beach, etc.
So in July 2011 I bought a Honda NT700V. It's a mid-size sport tourer. 680cc V-twin. Little brother to the ST1300. Sort of. I'm not a street bike guy, or a cruiser guy. They just don't appeal to me personally. So I went the sport touring route. I kept it for 13 months and put 13k miles on it in that time and even laid it down once (low-sided at 60mph west bound on 202 in Henniker, NH on my way to Keene). I wasn't hurt much at all (ATGATT) but waiting for parts kept me off the bike two months which drove me crazy.
So the 2012 riding season comes along, I do some camping trips on the NT - long ride overnights. One to upstate NY, another near St. John in New Brunswick. 8-11 hours in the saddle a day. Loved it. I realized the long distance stuff is what appeals to me the most. I generally won't even hop on my bike unless I know I can be out for at least two hours. But then I started to want something different. The NT is a GREAT bike for what I was using it for. Great fuel economy (60+ mpg), integrated luggage, fairing, etc but not quite enough power. The engine in that bike greatly favors high rpm's. I got tired of feeling like I was winding out the engine just cruising along. I wanted an engine with more guts.
So in Sept last year I bought Triumph's new Tiger Explorer. I had considered the Tiger 800 and 1050 prior to my Honda, but really favored a shaft drive. When the Explorer was released it was love at first sight. It had lots of the advanced features I wanted and the sound of that triple...! So I rode it until January sometime and put 4500 miles on it (love heated gear). Itching to take it back out as I just got my saddle back from Russell Day Long...got in on the group buy this winter. Currently planning a trip to GA this spring so I can hit the Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway.
So if you see a 6'2" dude in a high-viz yellow jacket on a big GS-looking Triumph going down the road, it just might be me. If I write another sentence will I win an award for the longest introduction post? heh.
And.....some pics:
The Honda:
And, the Explorer:
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Originally Posted by Seacoast-Rob
...you're last!
