Tiger 1050

[OneCheekRider]

Thanks, these are standard things I encounter on a daily basis, even with it fully legal and virtually no restrictions. There are stretches where I'm splitting 20+ miles straight. It's pretty ridiculous how careless and even angry people can be. Just when I think I've seen it all, there's always someone to add to the ridiculousness.

[e30addict]

Was stuck in the typical shitshow on 93 this morning. Statie was right behind me and didn't seem to care when a dude on a cruiser split us like the Red Sea.

[Garandman]

Finally got my bike out this week after a wet spring. Aired up the tires, checked oil and coolant, and went down to get a sticker. Now I remember why I still have this bike after 12 years! Everything is dialed in, effortless acceleration, braking, and handling is much improved with the Penske rear shock and front inserts. Tall, not particularly attractive, but a great bike and an absurdly good value with what they are going for.

Thanks, these are standard things I encounter on a daily basis, even with it fully legal and virtually no restrictions. There are stretches where I'm splitting 20+ miles straight. It's pretty ridiculous how careless and even angry people can be. Just when I think I've seen it all, there's always someone to add to the ridiculousness.

The ONLY time in my life when lane splitting was "Chill an relaxed" was riding from the Nantucket ferry back to Marblehead a BMW Airhead in the 90's.

The traffic was horrible, as usual. Most bikes were air cooled and even the R65 was starting to overheat. So I very reluctantly followed a steady stream of bikes between the nearly-stationary two lanes.

People seemed to hug the far sides of their lane to give a little extra space. No one pulled any stunts. It was amazing. And before cll phones were invented...

[Garandman]

So what’s your itinerary?

[OneCheekRider]

I flew into Boston late Thursday night and saw the bike for the first time on Friday. I bought a battery powered portable compressor, jump pack, tool kit, and plug kit to keep in the bike at all times. I used the compressor and jump pack to remove the bike from the storage unit its been sitting in since I started this thread. I later used the tool kit to install a USB outlet and adjust the controls.

After bike was setup with a USB outlet & a phone mount, we tested it out by riding to Station 101 in Milford:








I ended up leaving Merrimack late Saturday afternoon


Wanting to maximize time with my friends, I took the fastest route per google maps at the time: 495 to 290 to 84 to 15 over the George Washington to 95. The weather was amazing, traffic was minimal, and I made it there in under 4 hours. While it was straight hwy, I found it scenic enough to keep me entertained.

What I didn't realize is my non-riding friend in NJ thought it was so cool I rode down and likely made a life-long memory for us all. Both my friend and his wife loved telling everyone how I rode there. She even drew a picture on their wall in chalk I hope stays on long enough to see it again next month when I fly back there to pickup the bike and continue my journey south.






Overall, the bike handled well, pulled well, and was comfortable. The timing chain seems pretty loud compared to the Speed Triple 1050 I picked up from Kenn so I'm hoping that won't become an issue as I continue my journey on this Tiger. My biggest gripe is the lack of cruise control, but I knew that going in. I was expecting the luggage to be larger but turns out it is more than enough to swallow my travel backpack, tools, shoes, and extra layers/rain gear with a little room to spare, if needed. I'd like to swap out the grips but they're heated and not sure I'll have the time/patience to deal with a swap while traveling. I think this bike is ideal for how I'm using it and storing it. Looking forward for the ride to North Carolina next.

On a side note, I had my EZPass transponder in my jacket pocket and the only toll which had any indicator whether or not it had been working, was the last toll I went through in NJ where it said "Unpaid toll" or something along those lines. So not sure if I'll be getting some unpaid toll bills in the mail or not, even though the bike/plate/transponder are all registered.

[Garandman]

I just use a Crampbuster.

https://www.crampbuster.com/

[OneCheekRider]

Unfortunately, crampbuster doesn't alleviate the fact you have to keep your hand up there. I've tried many devices over the years and unfortunately once you've experienced electronic CC there's just no comparison. I still own a lot of bikes without CC and can knock out some high mileage days on all of them but it's just not as comfortable without that CC. Again, I knew that going into this.

On a side note, checked my EZ Pass account and looks like I got hit with 3 tolls: $0.60, $8.25, and $6.84. Several of those are like Golden Gate bridge pricing, glad I'm not doing that daily. Not sure if I went through more tolls (pretty sure I did) but figure I'll see if any violations come in the mail and deal with them. Hopefully an easy conversation where I say hey I have EZPass here's my info but I'll cross that bridge if I get there.

[Garandman]

The [Delaware and NY] bridges are expensive. Just made a round trip to Baltimore.

[02redhawk]

The bridges are expensive. Just made a round trip to Baltimore.

https://youtu.be/YVdVpd-pqcM

[Garandman]

My daughter lives in the Federal Hill area, west of 695 and the now-absent Key Bridge.

[OneCheekRider]

If you have the time I think you’d do real well to just follow the Appalachians as far as Boone, NC then start tracking your way to Wilmington.

I just made a GPX file from NJ to NC, but it's essentially just Blue Ridge Parkway until I hit 77 then I'd just book it south toward Charlotte. Debating if I just do the entire BRP and then hit the Dragon and leave the bike in Nashville for a bit before bringing it to Charlotte/Wilmington. Where else should I be looking to ride from NJ?

FWIW, I'm planning on keeping the bike primarily stored in Charlotte, way more flight options and significantly less expensive than flying out of Wilmington.

[OneCheekRider]

Flight is booked and will be riding from NJ to NC in 2 weeks. Current plan is to slab it into DC and stay with a friend for a night, leaving the next morning early to head to Skyline Drive in Virginia to connect to the Blue Ridge Parkway and take that until I basically hit Charlotte.

[OneCheekRider]

Installed LED bulbs and wired in GPS. Rode in the dark to DC from NJ to meet up with another friend. Bulbs made a noticeable improvement.

Next day I rode to Skyline Drive in VA. Speed limit was 35mph the whole way which I quickly forgot. Luckily the park rangers just flashed their lights at me instead of pursuing. The views were epic, road flowed well.

Skyline drive turns into Blue Ridge Parkway and the views continued. After a few hundred miles BRP dropped in elevation and the views turned more farmland than scenic overlook. Was a great ride. I did ~600 miles in 1 day. Bike performed well.














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[Garandman]

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