Pictures are in the ... picture section.

Went for a ride Sunday with some of my mc buddys, rode about an hour in the rain and ended up 20 minutes from home at a restaurant for lunch. The Connie did great in the rain. The heated seat felt good too, it was only 43 degrees out. Good insulated 1-piece rain suit helped, waterproof gloves and boots too. Wish I had worn my heated jacket liner though.

I've fully tested the Rostra electronic cruise control now, it works perfectly.

Haven't been out at night yet so don't know how much help the LED driving lights are going to be.

Still have some odds and ends to install but she is 100% rideable now. Just in time for riding season.

Getting the initial service done on the 14th of May, I leave for Deals Gap on the 17th. She will be well broken in by the time I get home from that.

New pictures will be added soon showing the rear saddlebag guards, dropped passenger and rider pegs, and possibly Baker-Built Air Wings, but I'm not too worried about those until it gets cold in the fall.

(tm)

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 4/24/2012 @ 3:41 PM *

Looks like somebody got perky since the weather broke.

Perky because I made a post? Hmmm could be....

All in fun...all in fun.But yeah...it's been REALLY good riding weather here.Just putting the finishing flogs on that Metzler.....she's done....history baby!

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 4/24/2012 @ 11:05 PM *

{Green} weren’t you just bitching about privateer posting in the ZX-14R selection???? I guess you just like to start drama!!

{Privateer } have fun on the dragon and if you can go-pro that ride id enjoy seeing it!

I wish I owned a GoPro, Cooter, but I've spent every dime I have for the next 6 months setting the C14 up for touring and a HD video camera isn't on the farkles list. Or least, not high enough to get attention, yet.

I'll buy a picture from one of the photographers on the Tail. "Here is JR going very slow...." yes that is just the ticket.

Seriously, I'm done going fast. Not to say I won't break the speed limit almost everywhere I go by 10 or 15. Ohhhhhh big whoop, right? I just want to ride places and see things, and experience new roads, and stop everytime I see someting interesting. Maybe I'll finally find out my old digital camera is obsolete and won't hold enough pictures and have to buy a new one. Because I've never filled it up before.

There is a rumor the 2013 COG National will be in California. I don't think its ever been there before. I don't know where they'd hold it, I lived all over the north half and it was super expensive. But wherever they hold it, I'm riding to it. Not trailering, riding.

And there is no good reason to do that fast.

Maybe in the fall I'll get the Saddlesore / Iron Butt 1,000 finally. I'll speed then. Heh.

* Last updated by: privateer on 4/25/2012 @ 6:36 AM *

Well I’m sure someone in the group will have a go-pro just post up the ride on here!! And have fun!

privateer; Wish I could take one of those long trips again. My favorite was 3 weeks, 5000 mile, 14 states, and camping under the stars every night.

alg8er, my longest was 30+ days, about 7,000 miles. I don't think I will be doing that again.

Once I retire I will have longer trips, but not so many miles. Well, tons of miles, but not for miles sake.

Cooter, actually, nobody in the mc runs a video camera. Its just not something we seem to do, or care about.

I'm going to move the Rostra cruise control box to the right side, just under the air tunnel cover, with the cable going under the tank/frame above the valve covers to the left side to the bracket (cable stay). This does a couple things, it gets it in a cooler location (pretty darn cool actually - heh) and its easier to wire up there, and if something goes wrong (like it eats a drive belt or something) I can take the air tunnel cover off and open the Rostra box up right there.

First I need to move my Dispatch 1 electronic fuse box, but I think I have a new place for it, which might be better than where is is now.

I hate to do this at the start of riding season, but it needs to be done to make future maintenance easier and avoid some downtime with body panels off if something goes wrong.

Got the dropped rider pegs (Murph's) on and they are nice, a lot like the Ulyssess I had on my ZX14 but these aren't powder coated black, they are natural aluminum. Murph even drilled and tapped them to take the stock hero bumps from the stock pegs.

MCE, who made the rear saddlebag guards I have, is coming out with a set of front guard bars they are calling Canyon Bars which remind me of the StuntWorx "cages", just not a much tubing or coverage. They actually blend in pretty good, a lot like Barrier Bars for a ZX14. And Ryan, the owner, is providing really high grade engine bolts, so you can take them off and use the bolts over again. That drives the price up $40 or so, but its worth it. So when they come out, since I've moved my Rosta out of the way, I'll get a set.

One of the COG guys has the old version of MCE's front guard bars, and dropped his bike and it slid a dozen feet or so, and the only mark on the bike was on the bottom of the front guard bar, like a penny size abrasion.

Worth every penny!

Is he OK I hope?

* Last updated by: hagrid on 4/30/2012 @ 4:06 PM *

Yes, he sort of "fell off" like low-sides often do, and since it was relatively slow speed (just oil on road and raining hard in a corner) the bike only slide a dozen or so feet.

He got up, and since he was wearing good gear he was unhurt and no rash, and someone helped him pick the bike up.

He was really surprised to see no damage. We are all stoked he proved the bars work in a real world low-side, even if we were sorry he had to experience it. You all know how bad that feeling is if you've ever thrown your bike away.

one of the guys I ride with has a green GTR 1400 the same, his only complaint is fuel capasity, very happy with it

did a 7000k ride with him, traded his ST 1300 for it never looked back

Nice picture privateer

Yes, we'd all love a 7+ gallon tank because even in Econo mode she will only go as far as my ZX14 went on a tank.

That is still far enough, you need to get off and stretch for a couple minutes anyway, but some of the hardcore guys think they should be able to ride for 4 hours without stopping.

More power to them!

One guy actually fabbed a mount for a fuel cell on the rear rack, and plumbed it into the main fuel line from the main fuel tank. Other than being illegal and tail heavy, it was actually kind of cool. The fuel cell held like 3 gallons or something, enough for another 120+ miles or so.

Moved the Stebel compressor to the left side, mounted above the cooland reservoir. Just had to patch a pair of wires (stout enough to handle 20A) from the wiring harness (Murph's... so I can use my stock horn button) across to the compressor on the left side.

It works perfectly.

know what you mean, small breaks will let you ride all day.

25 liters for a sports tourer for my money would be great , not just for distance but so as to be flexible as to where you go, and in case you have to turn back for some reason.

If you push it it will drink plenty.

Well, the city had the street torn up over the weekend, with a 4 foot deep 2 foot wide trench running along the curb, keeping me from putting my car in the garage, or getting the bike out.

So I used it as an opportunity to do some more of the optional stuff. I put the Murph's Kits lowered pegs on, and they are quite nice. Needed to do some grinding to shorten the push rod so I could lower the brake pedal enough.

Also did more to get my Givi E52 ready to use. I need it for the ride to Arkansas in June, for sure.

I placed an order on the group buy for MCE Canyon Bars. I have their small rear saddlebag guard bars, and they look great. Quite sturdy too. So the Canyon Bars in black will blend in with my black cowling, and provide excellant protection. Lindby makes some nice clamp-on pegs, I think I'll eventually put them on. No rush, since I lowered the pegs.

More pictures in the Pictures sections, nearly same topic title.

I'm slowly putting cleaning and putting all the tools back away into their proper places in the rollaway.

All I have left to do is the E52 Givi top case, and that will be done in plenty of time for Arkansas. The bike-side wiring harness is done and has been tested, so all it needs is a zip tie to anchor the fragile side of the pigtail. I'll probably have to drill a hole in the case to exit the case-side pigtail.

2012 COG National, Eureka Springs AR ....

Man, doing 500 miles plus a day on the Connie is way easier and more fun than on my ZX14.

The Rostra cruise control is working great, and it gives me a chance to relax my gimp right wrist a lot.

I put the factory optional gel seat on for the trip, to make sure I could flat-foot her, because the Connie seat height is higher than the ZX14. I will tune to suspension when I get back to make her ride a bit lower, and put the Baldwin GT saddle back on and after I ride it a few thousand miles it will settle a little.

I've got the Baldwin Grand Touring saddle back on, man is that seat comfortable even at the end of the day's ride.

I never thought I'd do this, but I'm going to put Muzzy rear shock lowering links on, and drop the rear end 1-1/2", then have the fork tubes raised about an inch.

With my knees as bad as they are, I need to be able to get both feed solidly on the ground.

When the VA replaces my knees in the November time frame, I hear I will gain an inch or so of leg length as a result. So I may end up being able to take the lowering links off. But until then....

* Last updated by: privateer on 12/10/2013 @ 1:43 PM *

Put the Muzzy lowering links on the shock this morning, and raised the fork tubes 3/4" as well. Also put an adjustable sidestand on it, and removed the centerstand until I have my friend the machinist cut 2" out of the centerstand. Then it will go up on the centerstand easily.

I admit to having become an old man biker. I am more concerned with being able to flat foot as stops than I am in maintaining ground clearance so I can get around corners faster.

It feels really good. Since I did a symmetrical change, I really didn't change the geometry very much at all.

I admit to having become an old man biker