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Sunday, June 3, 2012

Everyday 'Stig'

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For those of you that don't already know Chris 'the Stig' Luhman of the blog Everyday Riding is riding his Suzuki SV650 from Minnesota to San Diego by way of Alaska.  He is on the home stretch to San Diego and on Day 34 Troubadour and I had the pleasure of hosting not only Chris but his lovely wife Mrs. Stig as well.

Because my boss is at a conference in Nashville I was able to set my own hours and took Thursday off to prepare for company.  I did my weekly cleaning that I normally do on Fridays, made up the guest room, baked some snickerdoodles and prepared a roasted vegetable lasagna so that when it was time for dinner I just needed to bake it.

Chris and his misses arrive late afternoon and we were soon visiting like old friends.  It is amazing how many things we have in common.  The weather was beautiful so we moved our visiting outside to the deck.

Troubadour arrived home and dinner went in the oven.  We had a nice leisurely dinner and for dessert Chris and Mrs. Stig had a surprise for us.  They had brought some treats from a bakery they discovered in Portland as well as some homemade brownies from the B&B where they stayed.  They made up little dessert plates that we took back outside to relax and unwind.

(The Stig & Mrs. Stig partaking in dessert)
The desserts were so delicious.  Thank you two for the treats.

After dessert we relaxed and visited some more.  We retired inside and the guys decided to go for a quick ride.  Of course I offered Max for a test ride.  What better judge of Max's attributes than an owner of a first generation SV650, who just put well over 8,000 miles on it in 4 weeks.

(Chris' SV650, Lucy & Max)
By the time they headed out it was close to 9 pm so Chris switched to a clear face shield.  Smart move as it was dark by the time they returned.

(Heading out)

(Chris on Max)

It was interesting hearing Chris' report on Max.  He confirmed that there is something wonky with my suspension and also that the angle of the bars also bothered his wrist even on the short ride.  Hmmmm.  This really makes me wonder about putting more money into Max.  It makes me wonder if it will fix the issues or if I will have a bike that cost more money with the same issues.  Troubadour thinks I need a Street Triple - it already comes with the upgrades.

We continued visiting and Chris suggested a picture of the three moto-bloggers all with helmets on. Laughter ensued.  Mrs. Stig graciously took several pictures with both cameras.

On the first try we had a plant in the way and I didn't have my legs out and feet up like the others.

(The three amigos.... and a begonia)

Time for another try.  Move the plant, legs out, feet up.......

(Trobairitz, The Stig, & Troubadour)
My only regret is that we should have set up the self timer and taken one more picture with Mrs. Stig.  We'll do that next time we see each other.

We were having such a great time we didn't get to bed until after 1:00 am Friday morning.  Luckily Troubadour was able to go in late so we didn't have to be up at 6:00 am.

Friday morning we visited, drank coffee and tea and got them hopped up on organic sugar and cinnamon via a Dave's Killer Bread Sin Dawg. Gooey cinnamon and sugar goodness wrapped in an organic whole wheat shell rolled in seeds and grains.  Sorry, I forgot to get a picture.

Troubadour headed to work and soon after Chris and Mrs. Stig were on their way. They had places to go and more people to see.  We gave them directions to take Highway 34 to Waldport instead of Highway 20 to Newport.  A much nicer road with a lot less traffic.  It is one of the roads favored by local motorcyclists.

We had an awesome visit, but it was over all too soon.  I am glad that we had the chance to meet two such wonderful people and I think our lives are richer for it.  

If you have not checked out Chris' blog please take a peek at Everyday Riding and watch as he progresses on his epic adventure.  Here is a link  ---->  Everyday Riding.

- Au Revoir mes amis
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" If a man does not make new acquaintances as he advances through life, he will soon find himself alone.  A man should keep his friendships in constant repair." - Samuel Johnson
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37 comments:

  1. It looks like the weather cooperated enough to enjoy some time outside on the deck. Did you have them wear their helmets so there would be more leftover dessert?

    It sounded like a wonderful visit...

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    1. We had really warm weather last week, it was nice. They were nice and brought dessert, we had to share, lol

      It was a great visit.

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  2. What a cute photo of the three of you on the couch, feet up, laptops on your laps. Classic!!

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    1. Thank you.

      We had a lot of fun doing it, but it was 75 degrees in the house so we were steaming up our visors.

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    2. But does the iPad count as a laptop?

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    3. It had too because we only have the one laptop that Brad uses. I usually use the iPad or big iMac.

      Shhhhh, you notice too many details Richard, lol. Good eye.

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  3. More moto-bloggers meeting up - that's great!

    I must have missed past mention of your suspension worries. I don't know whether you've ever done about measuring suspension set-ups but I have a simple check guide to determine whether it's within the normally accepted range for road bikes and the rider's weight and if you think it would be of any help, it's yours. I've used it on both the Street Triple and Blackbird to good effect.

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    1. The Gladius has always been shaky in corners and not planted. The front end likes to wobble a bit. Brad knew what it was doing and had a hard time describing it. Chris realized it was trying to stand itself up in the corners.

      We have the GSXR shock in it but it needs to be adjusted. If you have easy info on setting suspensions it would be appreciated if you shared. We've never done any adjustments. Can you email it to me or hubby or send a link? Thanks Geoff, you da man!

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  4. Brillant! The helmet pics made me chuckle. Chris is an awesome guy to talk the night away with.

    He stayed with us during the week, and while hubby needed to go to bed early to be ready for an early start, Chis and I chatted along until well after midnight...

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    1. Chris is just so easy to talk to. It was nice to visit and chat. Brad and I worked Friday but were able to go in late so it was nice to stay up and chat.

      Good times.

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  5. Trobairitz:

    as I stare at your photos, I can't help but think that you must have a "wear your helmet all the time" rule at your household. Rumour has it that NO ONE has ever seen "the STIG".

    I can't believe that no motorcycle fits your ergonomics. Perhaps you should look into a custom seat made for your "butt".

    http://www.mredsmoto.com/

    I have heard that Mr Ed does very good work and is located in Albany, OR. Maybe he could fit you to your bike ? Instead of all this buying and selling trial and error

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast
    My Flickr // My YouTube

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    1. Maybe the sunshine is so bright in Oregon we just have to wear our helmets all the time.......

      It isn't that the Gladius doesn't fit my ergos perfectly. In that respect it is quite good. And yes it could use a cushier seat that doesn't pitch you forward (just ask Chris).

      I enjoy the Gladius and Don from Mr. Ed's Motos (who we know personally) is a wizard with seats, but cannot help with the suspension issue, changing to heavier fork oil, dialing in the new shock, swapping to steel brake lines, adding bar risers which requires longer clutch and throttle cables, etc. At this point I can live with the eros for the most part, it is the scary corner wobble that bothers me. It is hard to explain. Suzuki used the cheapest parts possible when they built the Gladius and I think that is why so many owners are swapping out front ends for GSXR front ends, etc. And I don't plan on doing that. I'd rather put the money in a higher quality machine. And no, I don't have any plans to buy another bike soon.

      We did take the Bonneville down to the Triumph shop yesterday and put it on consignment. I am hoping for a quick sale and we don't expect to lose any money on it which is good.

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  6. Thank you for linking their blog. I'll have to go back and read from the beginning of the trip!

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    1. You are welcome. He/they are definitely on a trip of a lifetime. I highly recommend catching up on his daily posts and if you ever get the chance to meet them - take it.

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  7. Very cool......actuall very artistic!

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    1. Thanks Roger. I think Chris came up with the idea.

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  8. Wobble in corners could be down to tyres or as you say tires!

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    1. My tyres (tires) do have 4700 miles on them so that may be contributing. I just can't remember if it had that issue when new. Having just ridden the TU 250 for a year - anything felt better when cornering.

      I think they are starting to square a bit, too many straight roads.

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    2. Trobairitz:

      the V-strom had the same problem, so I installed a Fork Brace from Richland Rich, which keeps your forks parallel, even when flexing sideways, like on a corner. This could be your problem

      bob
      Riding the Wet Coast
      My Flickr // My YouTube

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    3. Sounds like I need to do more research.

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  9. Love the post and photos Trob! Love the bare feet and helmets!!!!!! I had the pleasure of entertaining Mr and Mrs Stig here in 2010 when they took a trip down the Mississippi, but only for an hour or two. I was so excited I served tea and forgot to feed the poor souls!! I'm pretty sure that's why they're still so skinny today! I've been so far behind on blogging, I haven't kept up with this epic trip. Chris is an amazing person and Vicki such a treat!

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    1. It is cool that you got to meet them too. They are good people. But you let the cat out of the bag. I was careful not to mention Mrs. Stig's real name as I've never seen Chris put it in any of his posts, lol.

      Ha ha, you did it, not me. I am sure it is okay, like you said they are amazing people so it's all good.

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    2. Trobairitz:

      you're safe, not everyone reads comments . . .

      bob
      Riding the Wet Coast
      My Flickr // My YouTube

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    3. I read comments... o_O

      SpartanBabe
      spartanbabe.blogspot.com

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    4. Sometimes the comments are the best part. He had mentioned her name a couple of times but I had forgotten what it was. Thank you for the reminder.

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    5. I too like the comments. I love the back and forth and good natured teasing that always arises in the comment section so I try to read the comments on all the blogs.

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  10. Hey you! Glad your week(end) visit was a good one - sounds like you guys had fun. You should tag Troubador in the dessert picture too - managed to get into the reflection (and he's sweet). I hope you find something that fits you better, but remember to ride your test ride well - the boys know what "you" want but only you can really know.

    SpartanBabe
    spartanbabe.blogspot.com

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    1. Hey you too. Did you get out and ride this weekend?

      Good eye on the dessert picture. If you look closely I am reflected in Mrs. Stig's visor as I take the pic. Aww you called him sweet. You made him smile.

      I am not out for any test rides in the near future, just going to bide my time. I am glad you found your dream bike right out of the gate. Of course, it is a Triumph..........

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  11. Cool pics! What fun to meet like that. I really think I need to head out to Oregon and BC to meet all you wet coasters. Maybe that's the trip for 2013?

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    1. You do need to come to the West Coast. Lots of cool places to visit and people to meet. You are welcome to stay in our spare room anytime. Open invitation.

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  12. Great to finally put a face and a voice with the names. We both had a great time meeting you both, and look forward to our next time together wherever it may be.

    ps: good post :)

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    1. Thanks Chris. It was great to finally meet you too. And..... we were lucky to be one of the ones to meet your wife too.

      Some day we'll get to Minnesota for a get together. We too look forward to the next meeting. Someday, somewhere.

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    2. Trobairitz:

      Hint, the great overland tour of 2014, coming soon . . .

      bob
      Riding the Wet Coast
      My Flickr // My YouTube

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  13. Hi there, it's interesting reading your comments on the Gladius' wobble. I have the same bike, same colour, same year and I've noticed a "loose" back tire wobble at times after going over bumps. Here in Saskatchewan, the roads are not great, so there are a lot of bumps, and it is disconcerting.

    After checking it out the first few times, have come to the realization that it is just something that I have get used to. The wheel is always firmly fastened, it must just be the suspension. We still check regularly though...I enjoy reading your blog and have to catch up with the rest of your summer and fall adventures. Have a great day!

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    1. Hey, thanks for stopping by. I now have 7000 miles on the bike and swapping out the rear shock to a GSXR shock and dialing it in seems to have made quite a difference. Either that or I am just used to it.

      I do think it is a great bike overall and I enjoy riding it. Hope you are enjoying yours too.

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    2. I agree, great bike and wouldn't trade it in. Too much fun, something to look forward to as we get through the winter.

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    3. I agree, great bike, would not trade it in, too much fun! Looking forward to riding again in May...have a good one.

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