Topic: 26 Rides in 2026. Frank's New Years Resolution that we can all enjoy.

[willbird]

3-21-2026, #3. 86 miles. Rode over to Auburn, IN to grab a few oil filters for the riding mower. Then made my way home. 46F when I left home, 55F or so when I got back home.

Bill

[Terry in Australia]

I didn't go for a ride yesterday, but I will do #22 today. Spotty and I started a new project last weekend, to get his old (now my old) Yamaha XVZ1300TF Royal Star Venture going, and back on the road. Spotty bought it 5 years ago from a bike wreckers yard, but hasn't attempted to get it running, so last weekend we played around with the electrics (like a lot of older bikes, previous owners have confused the issue, with several sketchy wiring connections) and had no luck even getting the engine to turn, unless we bridged the two bolts on the starter solenoid. When we did that, the engine would only just turn over, so Spotty put the car battery we were using on the charger, and we left it until this weekend.

Yesterday we filled it with oil and topped up the coolant, and were farting around checking poor wiring connectors etc, when we found another cable that looked like an earth of some sort, so we attached it to the negative pole on the battery, and lo and behold (I wonder what "Lo" means?) the dash lit up, and we could hear the fuel pump doing it's thing. We removed a spark plug (that looked surprisingly clean) and got spark. We replaced the plug, and sprayed a little carb cleaner into the carbs, and it fired a couple of times. We then filled up his little gravity fuel bottle thingy, pulled the choke, hit the starter button and away it went, on 4 cylinders, just like it had been ridden yesterday. Amazing! 

Spotty's kept all the bodywork in his spare room since he bought it, so next weekend we'll work from the bottom up. We'll do some repairs to the wiring, remove both wheels and have new tyres installed, refit and service the brakes, then sort out the hydraulic clutch before we refit all of the bodywork, and the rider's seat that I had recovered last year. With luck, we should be riding it in the next few weeks, and hopefully it will also feature in this thead.

[Terry in Australia]

Well I didn't get a ride in on Sunday, but by Monday, I needed some wind therapy. Inspired by a previous post here, I made myself a big (for me) breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs, toast and baked beans. It was delicious.

Breakfast 22 March 2026 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

I drove over to the storage unit to sort the tail light on the XT660X. The "unregistered vehicle permit expired on Tuesday, so I needed to get it sorted so I could get the Roadworthy Certificate done. Just like the repairs on the front of the bike, the previous owner/s had "bodged" the wiring for the tail light and blinkers. Their wire joining method consisted of just twisting the wires together and slathering insulation tape over everything, just making a horrible sticky mess. Anyway, I found a switched wire from the harness and managed to connect it to the tail light, so it was good. I'll go back this week and join all of the wires with those fantastic heat shrink solder connections, which I love.

Anyhoo, I still needed to go for a ride, so I pushed the Yam back into the storage unit and rolled the K0 out. I warmed it up while putting on my jacket, helmet and gloves, then rode to the closest gas station and filled it up. I can't get over how much fuel costs at the moment, so I'm lucky that I'm riding bikes and not driving cars all over the place. I headed north, then East, and just did an 83 mile cruise, as it was getting late in the afternoon, and I didn't want to get caught up in Monday afternoon city traffic as I got closer to home. I was still pretty full after that big breakfast, so I didn't stop for food., but stopped at a fancy golf course/winery/restaurant that I definitely wouldn't have been allowed into wearing my dirty jeans and T shirt.

Yesterday I rode the XT660X over to Ace Motorcycles to get it inspected, and it flew through the inspection, so now I just need to book it in and take it to the DMV to give them some more money. Oh well, #22 down, 4 to go, and the wife is shooing me out of the house so she can do her vacuuming, so I think I'll head off for #23.

K0 Monday 22 March 2026 2 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr 

[Terry in Australia]

Well the weather report said rain yesterday. There'd been a few drops here and there, but my phone said that we wouldn't get any rain until 6pm. Good enough for me, so I fired up the VMax and headed north. I took a different route, and found this place.

VMax Wednesday 25 March 2026 1 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Sadly it wasn't open, or I would have wandered in for some drinks. I will remember it for next time I'm riding on a weekend. I took a couple of pics, then took off again. I did get a little rain here and there, but overall, ride #23 was a very pleasant 100 miler, with the exception of one giant pothole that I'm pretty sure drove my spine thru my helmet, as it hurts like hell today. Today is cold and bleak, so I might take the day off bike riding, and maybe do #24 tomorrow, or on Sunday.

VMax Wednesday 25 March 2026 3 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Meanwhile, Spotty and I will continue to put the big Yamaha land yacht back together, so I can take it for a ride. Here's a pic of what it is supposed to look like, It should be an interesting bike.

VMax Wednesday 25 March 2026 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

[BenelliSEI]

Geez Terry….. Looks like you’ll be done your 2026 rides by the time the snow is fully melted here! Great reads. Thanks!

[Kevin D]

ride #23 was a very pleasant 100 miler, with the exception of one giant pothole that I'm pretty sure drove my spine thru my helmet, as it hurts like hell today. Today is cold and bleak, so I might take the day off bike riding, and maybe do #24 tomorrow, or on Sunday.

Go Terry! Some newer bikes and some old ones. Will the Royal Star be ready for#26? Has the Harley been out yet? I’ve seen the VMax, the red CB750, the Yam thumper, the Z1.

I feel like a skunk, it’s going to be 26 rides to zero, but more power to ya mate! Your garage is a busy place.
I keep reminding myself it’s not a competition, it’s a merit. First In is the Feather in the Cap.

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks guys, and Kevin is right, it’s not a competition and if it was I have an unfair advantage as it’s great riding weather here in Oz from day one of each year. Plus now that I’m retired I can spend a lot more time riding than I ever could before.

So while I’ll probably be the first to get 26 rides in, the real competition will start when you guys can get some decent bike weather. It’s like winter here today, cold and wet, but it’s going to warm up again from Sunday, so I will try to get a few more rides in next week.

Regards the Royal Star Kevin, yes, as soon as we've done wiring, tyres, brakes, clutch and replacing all of the shiny parts and the seat that I had reupholstered last year, it'll be hitting the road. Should be a great winter rider.

[BallAquatics]

It's wonderful to see you enjoying retirement Terry!  Jumping on the bike for a ride with no destination in mind is the true spirit of what Frank was after in my opinion.

03/26/2026 ride #11, 50+ miles on the '82 Yamaha XJ650LJ turbo. Very warm, but quite windy here in Ohio. Just a long ride out through the country side.  Was thinking of switching bikes, but when I got to the garage my daughter had her car blocking my access to the bikes.  Switched the battery tender over to the CBR gave all the bikes the once over and wandered my way back home.

After a cool Friday & Saturday, it's forecast to be back to warmer weather so with a bit of luck I'll be out again next week!  =;-)

[jgger]

Well gents I think it is official, I'm a slacker.  Last year I had i think 3 or 4 rides that I didnt post before the 1 week expiration date, and I seem to be falling into the same bad habit this year. Being retired, like Terry, I should be racking up the count.........but I'm not. To my defense my time is spent coaching both my grandson's baseball teams (at different levels) , removing all the old insulation, rodent residue, and dirt/dust from my attic, then sanitizing with bleach, re-insulating and prepping for a new heat system, plus my regular " chores" around the house, my riding time has been limited.

But enough about me, let's talk about me. I had a chance to get a ride in last Sunday,   but dithered around until it was almost too late. So after kicking myself it the butt, which is hard to do when you are sitting on your butt, ride # 7 was finally born! I was really pissed at myself for wasting such a beautiful day and putting a limit on where to ride to, not the best attitude to start a ride. I decided to hit Mount Baldy but found myself doing stupid stuff on the road at the beginning of the ride and thought maybe I should turn around for my own safety,  then at about 15 miles into it the wind therapy kicked in! Just what the doctor ordered.

It's about 30 miles to the base of the mountian, then the fun begins. I thought i would go up to the ski area and get a standard ( for me) pic in front of the sign, then headed back home. As i was approaching Baldy Village I saw that Glendora Ridge rd was open, it has been closed for almost a year after a fire f'd things up. This is an awsome ride between Baldy and Azusa canyon, so I had to see how bad it was burned. I was bummed to say the least, besides all the destroyed trees the road had alot of small rocks and gravel in the turns, that sucks! Anyhoo i got a few pics and I think one before and after of one of the stopping places I like, it will be a long time before this place returns to it's former glory. It is still a nice ride and i will have to explore it better in the near future.

It was a good and needed ride and #7 is complete! Pics and state........

Stats first.
           Left home.                 88°f/31°c @ 4pm
           Lowest temp.            64°f/17.7°c
           Back home.                73°f/22.7°c

Distance.        100.1 mi/161km
                                     Total challenge distance.      674.6mi/1085.6km

Annnnnnnd pics

[BallAquatics]

Looks like a fantastic ride Jim.  Don't be too hard on yourself, even after retirement, there's just not enough time in the day on occasion.

When the weather gets settled around here, I'm hoping to go for a morning ride daily, even if it's just around the block and down to the Post Office.  A bit of wind in my face and a little time to enjoy a bit of old age...

[jgger]

Thanks Dennis. I was trying to be inspirational by showing that I, a mere mortal, can overcome these obstacles,  then others can not let small things like 12 ft of snow and ice stop them. Bawhahahaha! So get out there and ride and don't be a slacker like me!

[Terry in Australia]

Well done Jim. I’m hoping for some nicer weather here from today because it’s been cold and wet for the last couple of days and nowadays riding in crappy weather has no appeal to me at all. I spent a couple of hours un-fcuking some more dodgy wiring on Friday on the XT660X and managed to get the number plate light to work again, after removing several feet of insulation tape and using those brilliant little heat shrink solder connectors to fix the wires that had just been twitched together and covered in tape. I’m fairly confident now that I won’t have any electrical issues.

XT660 unfcuking 27 March 2026 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

I love this little tool. It holds the wires while you solder them. I thought it was a bit of a gimmick when I bought it, but it's turned out to be a really "cool tool".

XT660 unfcuking 27 March 2026 1 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr


Yesterday Spotty and I jacked the XVZ1300 up and removed both wheels so I can clean years of brake dust and road grime off them, then get new tyres installed, the Michelins that were on it look great, but are very old.

XVZ1300 Saturday 28 March 2026 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

One negative thing about retiring is that I get bored very quickly, so if I can’t go for a ride I need to keep motivated by fixing things to fill my days. I’m still not happy with the clutch on my Kawasaki Z1-B, it engages/disengages fine, but I think I must have a warped plate, as the take up is far from smooth.

It's also really heavy, I lubricated the cable but it made no difference, so I tried one of these "Torque Multiplier" devices that I've seen for years, but never tried. It uses leverage to reduce the pressure required to pull the clutch, and I must say, it really worked well, so if you're old and broken with arthritis in your hands like I have, they're definitely worth a few bucks.

Z1-B Clutch torque multiplier 27 March 2026 2 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

It still hasn't fixed my "harsh" clutch engagement though. I do remember having a similar problem many years ago when I used Valvoline oil in my Z900, like now, my cluch was either "one" or "off" with no gradual take up,  so I might give it an oil change before tearing the clutch apart, because the engine wouldn’t have done 200 miles since I built it 5 years ago. It’s annoying, because otherwise it goes like a rocket.

[PeWe]

Where did you find that "easy pull device"?

I ordered one before, but was made for mopeds with thinner cable adjusters. Not motorcycle as CB750.

I could improve the routing  (and strapping to frame) of the clutch cable where it pass the bracket for steering damper and  wrong side of tacho cable caused a small bend.
Lubed with cable teflon spray and dog leg type of clutch lever helped too.  Closer grip for a few fingers.
Brake lever of same model too.
My K6 must have the tougher Barnett springs for CB500 and smaller CB's

[Terry in Australia]

Where did you find that "easy pull device"?

I ordered one before, but was made for mopeds with thinner cable adjusters. Not motorcycle as CB750.

I could improve the routing  (and strapping to frame) of the clutch cable where it pass the bracket for steering damper and  wrong side of tacho cable caused a small bend.
Lubed with cable teflon spray and dog leg type of clutch lever helped too.  Closer grip for a few fingers.
Brake lever of same model too.
My K6 must have the tougher Barnett springs for CB500 and smaller CB's

Thanks Per, I bought it from TEMU. It came with 2 short cables to go between it and the clutch lever. Same diameter cable as the clutch cable. It was really cheap (maybe $15 USD?) with free shipping.

[PeWe]

Where did you find that "easy pull device"?

I ordered one before, but was made for mopeds with thinner cable adjusters. Not motorcycle as CB750.

I could improve the routing  (and strapping to frame) of the clutch cable where it pass the bracket for steering damper and  wrong side of tacho cable caused a small bend.
Lubed with cable teflon spray and dog leg type of clutch lever helped too.  Closer grip for a few fingers.
Brake lever of same model too.
My K6 must have the tougher Barnett springs for CB500 and smaller CB's

Thanks Per, I bought it from TEMU. It came with 2 short cables to go between it and the clutch lever. Same diameter cable as the clutch cable. It was really cheap (maybe $15 USD?) with free shipping.

OK, I found on Temu too. They always demand to install their app to order.
The app acts like a spy gathering personal data they share (sell) with third parties.

I'll try to order from their website. They have a lot of Easy pull clutch devices.

No problem to order from their website when doing it on my computer.
I ordered 2
I had to add
2 CB750 coffee mugs,
1 CB750 T- shirt to get free shipping.
Total $42US

[Terry in Australia]

Yep, I’m always fascinated when I do a search for an item on one website, then shortly afterwards am bombarded with ads for the same item from different sellers. I don’t worry too much about it, I check my bank balance and if there’s no suspicious transactions, I’m happy. Of course, my wife isn’t computer literate, so I don’t have to worry about her seeing how much I spend on motorcycle parts…

[PeWe]

I added bicycle stuff too...

If anyone will visit Temu and need to add stuff for free shipping
The mug in different inside colors. I ordered black

[Terry in Australia]

Nice Temu "Bargains" Per, I've just ordered some more crap from them, some s just rubbish, but some items (like the wire holder jig pliers are fantastic. Today I had a crappy day. I took the Yamaha XVZ1300 wheels across to my tyre guy after I cleaned about 70% of the brake dust, road dirt and crap off them. (They should be silver in colour, but the brake cleaner changes colour as it removes some poop.

Yamaha XVZ1300 wheels by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

I drove back to the storage unit and after stopping to buy two x 4 litre jugs of Penrite MC oil, (10W-50 for the Kawasaki Z1-B and 10W-40 for the Yamaha XT660X) which is really expensive recently, I'm glad I wasn't paying a shop to do it. I did the Kawasaki Z1-B first. Now to avoid staining the concrete floor on my storage unit, I had cardboard cartons flattened down to catch any oil, and I'm glad I did, as I spilt oil everywhere. Oh well, new oil and filter in the Kawasaki made me feel better, not to mention that the occasional oil drip from the big Kawasaki was caused by me not tightening the drain plug or oil filter cover back when I built that engine, which were both just "hand tight, oops.. I wheeled it out in the sunlight and rolled the Yamaha XT660X into the storage unit, to empty the oil, which doesn't take long, and even though I undid 3 plugs ("oil in frame", "oil filter" and "sump drain plug") I only managed to get two litres of very tired looking oil out of it. That's not counting how much hit the floor, but luckily I'd brought some spray degreaser and plenty of shop towels to wipe it all down.

I did the oil and filter change on the Yam and rolled it out into the sun, then practised my "parachute roll" when I went to lean it on to the side stand (as I was standing on the other side of the bike) only to discover that the stand was up, so the bike fell over to it's left, while I somersaulted over the top of the bike, landing on my head, back and elbows on the lovely warm concrete. I'm glad it was the 660 and not the VMax, as it is a lot easier to pick up, and surprisingly, I didn't appear to do any additional damage to it. I packed up and came home.

Yesterday was much better. I jumped on the ol' red K0 for ride #24. I did much the same run (103 miles) as I did on the XT660X a few days prior, and had a great ride. It was warm enough to be comfortable in my riding gear, without being too hot. I headed out thru Eden Park, Whittlesea, Strath Creek (where I'll stop next trip as they now have a cafe) Broadford, and back home up the freeway. The old red beast was happy scooting along at 80-90 MPH, which is about where the big Yam single seems happiest too. I had to stop here for a pic.

K0 Monday 30 March 2026 1 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Anyhoo, 24 down and 2 to go. I have to take the Yam over to the DMV to get legally registered tomorrow afternoon, so I might take it the long way home. I also have a back surgeon's appointment on Thursday, so I might ride over to the other side of the city for it. More soon.        

[BallAquatics]

Sorry to hear about your tumble Terry.  If you are like me, you don't bounce as well as you used to.  Hope you are not feeling any adverse effects of the fall.

03/30/2026 ride #12, 50+ miles on the NC770X.  Was another warm day for March with temps in the low 70'sF. If the wind hadn't been blowing in excess of 20 mph with gusts up to 30mph it would have been a perfect day for a ride. Wandered around the back roads over to Troy, Ohio and came back by SR 55.

[lash]

The lake effect snow on Saturday was bad enough that the roads were plowed on Sunday and the temp at +4 was good enough for ride #4. Monday was +16 so we got out for burgers and root beer, ride #5. The parking lot snow piles still have a ways to go before everything cleans up but its getting there! Big thunderstorms last night and tonight so no riding! Back to cold tomorrow. Going to be a long time before I ever get to catch up to Terry!

[BallAquatics]

04/02/2026 Ride #13, 70+ miles on the NC700X.  It was another warm, but very windy day here. Started out heading west on SR 55 over to Troy.  Stopped by a massive covered bridge that spans the Great Miami River for some photos...







Headed north from there up to Sidney and picked up SR 29 over to the Kiser Lake State Park.



From there I wandered down some back roads back to the house.  Bike ran great.  Other than the strong winds, it was a great day out.  Had planned on a trip to Hocking Hills, but morning fog kept me from going and with the wind what it was, I'm glad I didn't make the trip. Maybe next week, the forecast looks promising!

[Terry in Australia]

Well the weather here is finally starting to cool down. My old cat, Felix, who turns 17 this year can't understand why I won't leave the sliding door open for him like I do in summer, so meows at me until I open the door. I let him outside, and within minutes he's back at the door wanting to come inside again, then he forgets how cold it was and wants to go outside again, and once again, I open the door, let him out, and wait for him to change his mind and come in again.

I'm a bit like Felix. If it's sunny outside, I presume that I can wear the minimum of bike gear and I'll be fine. Yesterday was sunny and fine, so I put on my old Brando jacket, boots and summer gloves, and took the XT660X for a 90 mile ride. It wasn't too cold until I got up to 60 MPH or so, and riding on narrow roads with lots of shade from trees made it colder still. By the time I'd done 20 miles or so, my hands were stiff and sore. I'd gotten it registered on Wednesday, so on Thursday I installed the new Delkevic exhaust system, which was probably the easiest exhaust install I've done in years. I also installed a new air filter, checked the coolant level and tyre pressures. On Friday the taller screen that I bought from AliExpress arrived, so I installed that too.

The exhaust has a nice mellow note, there are little end baffles that I could remove for a louder note, but I'm happy with it as it is. The taller screen deflects the wind from my chest, but I'm still on the fence as to whether it forces more wind into my helmet. I'll do another couple of rides before I decide whether to keep it or not.

XT660X Saturday 4 April 2026 3 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

The exhaust (apart from being a lot lighter than the OEM pipes, seems to give it a little more "grunt", and I've noticed that the "Surging" issue that these bikes are known for seems to have disappeared, or at least been markedly reduced. It also pulls more smoothly from low revs, so I'm calling it a win. I am enjoying the suspension which seems to float over pot holes, unlike my bigger, heavier bikes, handles really well, and the brakes are excellent. I didn't stop for food as I'd had a big late breakfast, and I was looking forward to getting home and thawing out my hands.

I'll have to see if I can find the battery operated heated gloves I was using occasionally last year and see if they fix my poor old hands, which were sore by the time I got home. Anyway, I'm stoked that the bike is now road legal and I'm slowly "un-Fcuking" the PO's work, most of the zip ties and electrical tape are gone, and I bought another fairing screw kit (black, to replace a mix of grey, gold and green ones on it now) to make it look a bit more uniform.

When I bought the speedo and other parts, it came with another seat, which needs a new cover. I've ordered one from England in the original grey/black scheme, and will install the new cover as soon as it arrives, because at the moment it has a loose cover that the PO put on it, without stapling it in place, and it's shrunk slightly, so I can't fix it in place, and it looks like sh1t. Anyway, that was ride #25. I'm not sure if I'll get 26 in today, or Tuesday.

On Friday I scored a pile of Kawasaki H1 and H2 parts on FB Marketplace, including a complete '72 H1 engine, and most of a '74 H2 engine, plus carbs, ignitions, cylinders, pistons and heads, wheels etc for only 500 bucks (around $300 USD). There are a couple of pieces that I need for my '69 Mach III, and the rest will go to the big "Motorcycle Only" swap meet next weekend, and hopefully I'll make some money, otherwise it'll all go on Ebay. Tomorrow I'm taking it all over to Spotty's place to sort out what I'll keep, and what I'll sell, so no ride #26 tomorrow.

Kawasaki H1 parts 3 April 2026 1 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Kawasaki H1 parts 3 April 2026 6 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

No biggie, the weather is gonna be fine for most of next week, so I think I'll take the K0 out for a ride. I need to remember to adjust the clutch, after 5000+ miles I've noticed that it's taking up a little bit late. (i.e., the lever is almost all the way out before it engages) Anyway, I'm looking forward to doing ride #26, and awarding myself with a tag.    

[BallAquatics]

04/04/2026 ride #14, 70+ miles.  Very windy with temps in the low 70's.  Headed south towards Yellow Springs to check out a tiny little covered bridge and accidentally found my new favorite road around these parts.





It's called Grinnell Road and is a back way into Yellow Springs from the John Bryant State Park.  Lots of curves and elevation changes all while going through a heavily wooded area.

Leaving the bridge I headed east to Selma  and then picked up SR 42 over to South Charleston.  North on SR 41 to SR 54 and then back roads to my favorite little wildlife area before heading home.



Light traffic even though it was a Saturday, but I was mostly in very rural areas.  Bike ran great, lots of sunshine, but also lots of wind again.  It will be nice when spring weather settles down and fighting the wind isn't a big part of every ride...

[PeWe]

I'm still waiting. Yesterday photo.
Most snow is gone but still cold.

EDIT:
It's snowing again, huge flakes. +1.6*C
10:50 am CET
(Central European Time)