What Did You Do to Your RX3 Today?

[superdude]

My buddy and I ordered some Kenda and Shinko tires for the RX3 from motorcyclesuperstore.com. Me a set of Shinko 244's him the Kenda k270's 3.50 size up front and 5.10 in back. After we ordered I saw the 3.00/18 front is actually smaller than the stock tire. Curious to see how that will work out and compare to his wider tires. He already got his tires in one day shipped to his door (free shipping) mine are delayed until Monday so they gave me a $20 credit to my order and free overnight shipping plus 5% off on my next order, which means I got two brand new shinkos and a tire patch kit for $69 total shipped to my door. Not bad. Will post pictures of install soon. didnt buy tubes hoping to avoid that if all goes well on installing new tires.

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by superdude

My buddy and I ordered some Kenda and Shinko tires for the RX3 from motorcyclesuperstore.com. Me a set of Shinko 244's him the Kenda k270's 3.50 size up front and 5.10 in back. After we ordered I saw the 3.00/18 front is actually smaller than the stock tire. Curious to see how that will work out and compare to his wider tires. He already got his tires in one day shipped to his door (free shipping) mine are delayed until Monday so they gave me a $20 credit to my order and free overnight shipping plus 5% off on my next order, which means I got two brand new shinkos and a tire patch kit for $69 total shipped to my door. Not bad. Will post pictures of install soon. didnt buy tubes hoping to avoid that if all goes well on installing new tires.

I first installed the Kenda, K270 tire in size 3.50-18 on my front wheel. It did a good job, and lasted about 12,000 miles. However, it wore unevenly. I'm sure it would have lasted even longer if I had flipped it every 3,000 miles or so.

I replaced the K270 front tire with a Shinko, S244 tire in size 3.00-18. It is my current front tire. It works very well, and helps to lower the saddle height a little bit. I'm sure you will like this Shinko tire on your front wheel.

[superdude]

Originally Posted by SpudRider

I first installed the Kenda, K270 tire in size 3.50-18 on my front wheel. It did a good job, and lasted about 12,000 miles. However, it wore unevenly. I'm sure it would have lasted even longer if I had flipped it every 3,000 miles or so.

I replaced the K270 front tire with a Shinko, S244 tire in size 3.00-18. It is my current front tire. It works very well, and helps to lower the saddle height a little bit. I'm sure you will like this Shinko tire on your front wheel.

Thanks for the awesome info Spud. Thats very good to know. Will be fun to compare the two side by side as we both ride them. One other question I wanted to ask you..you ride a lot of service and fire roads and have amazing pictures. When riding on those roads, what percentage of time are you standing vs sitting? I havent fully bought into the school of thinking that you need to stand 99% of the time when riding on gravel and dirt. But I dont know any better

[pyoungbl]

I'm planning to take the Zong for a trip to Willville Campground. That's near Meadows of Dan, Virginia and about 1/4 mile from the Blue Ridge Parkway. Meadows of Dan is about 265 miles away and I cannot leave until noon so this will turn out to be a two day trip to get there since I intend to meander and enjoy myself. Ah, retirement is great!

Willville is a motorcycle only campground. Odds are I'll meet up with other riders and have a great camping experience. Photos to follow.

Peter Y.

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by superdude

Thanks for the awesome info Spud. Thats very good to know. Will be fun to compare the two side by side as we both ride them. One other question I wanted to ask you..you ride a lot of service and fire roads and have amazing pictures. When riding on those roads, what percentage of time are you standing vs sitting? I havent fully bought into the school of thinking that you need to stand 99% of the time when riding on gravel and dirt. But I dont know any better

I can't tell you a percentage, but I spend a lot of time sitting down. I ride to visit beautiful places, and enjoy the scenery. I never race anywhere, so I usually remain seated when the trail isn't too rough.

[rideabout]

Hello Superdude,

Just my 2 cents..I just got back from a longish 3 day trip and I am glad I put the Tusk 30mm risers on the RX3 as it really helped the standing comfort and control. As I got sore on asphalt stretches I would stand and stretch for a bit, even at highway speeds. This helped a lot with discomfort and increased the miles I was able to do in a day. Off road I would stand to avoid losing control if an unexpected deep rut or bump hit hard and bottomed the suspension, but more often than not I would sit if the road was not too rough. So long story short, when and where to stand depends on how sore your backside is, how rough the trail is and your speed....IMHO. I also ride with padded mountain bike shorts under my suit, much happier that way

[superdude]

Originally Posted by SpudRider

I can't tell you a percentage, but I spend a lot of time sitting down. I ride to visit beautiful places, and enjoy the scenery. I never race anywhere, so I usually remain seated when the trail isn't too rough.

thats my kind of riding. Trying to familiarize myself with all the dirt
riding techniques and best way to do it, and so many instruction videos on
youtube guys are standing up and flying around. Definitely understand it for the rocky stuff but not for most of the stuff I ride. Great info from rideabout too thanks both.

[BlackBike]

Originally Posted by rideabout

Hello Superdude,

Just my 2 cents..I just got back from a longish 3 day trip and I am glad I put the Tusk 30mm risers on the RX3 as it really helped the standing comfort and control. As I got sore on asphalt stretches, even at highway speeds, I would stand and stretch for a bit. This helped a lot with discomfort and increased the miles I was able to do in a day. Off road I would stand to avoid losing control if an unexpected deep rut or bump hit hard and bottomed the suspension, but more often than not I would sit if the road was not too rough. So long story short, when and where to stand depends on how sore your backside is, how rough the trail is and your speed....IMHO. I also ride with padded mountain bike shorts under my suit, much happier that way

May I ask, how many miles did you ride?

[rideabout]

Howdy Blackbike,

About 700 miles from the SF bay area down to Taft Ca and Soda Lake area and back through Big Sur. Mostly offroad.

[BlackBike]

Originally Posted by rideabout

About 700 miles from the SF bay area down to Taft Ca and Soda Lake area and back through Big Sur. Mostly offroad.

Thanks,

[Eco Mouse]

Went for a quick ride with my friend Michael. He's the one that got a custom painted green RX-3 to match his helmet. Sky was ominous and brooding... we were running away from potential flash flood incident. But not before I grabbed this photo of him coming down the trail.

[detours]

Great pic! Looks like a good day to ride, ecomouse!

[Eco Mouse]

Well, that was our last cool day of the year. 100+ from here on out

[willy dog]

there is a rumor of snow sun night well it is only may

[pyoungbl]

As promised, I took the Zong on a road trip to the western part of Virginia. I live in the flat part of the state so it's a joy to get out into the part of the state where they have real hills and curves. The 285 miles to Meadows of Dan were mostly on US58, through three separate rainstorms. Of course I had to stop a few times.

South Boston, Virginia. Not far from here is a large field full of the type of steel sculptures behind my bike. We had a group of them displayed in our Arts and Culture Center a couple years ago so I feel connected to the art.

By the time I got to Meadows of Dan I was anticipating rainstorm #4 and the joys of setting up a hammock in the rain. At the campground Will (the owner) pointed out that since I was the only one in the campground he could rent me a bed in a bunkhouse for $5 more than the camping charge. Sold!! He even had covered parking for the Zong. Luckily I got settled in before the rain came.
This is a motorcycle only campground. Will has clean showers and bathrooms. He also has this covered patio for extended bench racing.

There is a covered pavilion, with power and lights
Campfire with wood and camping spots for about 150 folks. A few local bike groups have rallies here; Guzzi, Ural, and Twin Valley Riders.

Willville is located about 1/4 mile from the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The next day I had breakfast at Tuggles Gap, just off the Parkway.
This is a favorite meeting spot for local motorcycle riders, great riding and good food. Floyd County has some spectacular roads.

Just outside the town of Floyd I stopped in to talk to the folks who make bag liners for motorcycles. I asked them to measure the bags on my Zong and make a set of bags. They are pretty busy now but will get to this job in due time. They also make and sell Yurts.


This is serious stuff!
Here they are laying out the fabric for a Yurt.
Of course I had to show off the Zong to my brother and riding buddy Mark.
Today (Saturday) I rode home on US460 with a brief stop in Bedford, Virginia for the D-Day Memorial. Bedford had the highest percentage of casualties in the D-Day invasion, basically lost an entire generation of young men at once.


OK, that was 673 miles in three days. Note that I was using the optional Tall seat for the first time. It's better than what came with the bike so I'll recommend it. Nevertheless, a custom seat might be in the cards for later. I have my oil vapor valve in the official position and had no liquid in the tube. My volt meter showed a charge of 14.7V, seems a bit high to me but not dangerously so. While I was gone I got an email from Blackstone telling me that there was 3% fuel in my first oil sample. They recommend changing after another 500-600 miles so I dropped the oil as soon as I got home and pulled a sample to see if this is just a break-in situation or if I have a problem. More to follow.