Extreme Farkling begins..

[Beemerphile]

Thanks for clearing that up. I had just assumed that it was another way of saying that you were "effing" with it or something to that extent.

I was a member of the ST Owners Club at the time this originated so it is pretty well engrained in me. I don't remember if it was Pete who coined it, but it seems to me that it was in use earlier than 1997. Back then, it was an email list as web pages hadn't come into common use for enthusiast groups.

Historical Note: The founder of STOC, Derek Catt was unfortunately killed on his ST and his father, George Catt took up some of the work of running it. I met George at a campground in North Carolina once during an EASTOC event. He was riding a nice VFR 750 at the time. The bikes were fast and heavy (at over 700 lbs.) and they had a history with new riders of going wide in the turns when they ran out of tire bite. All that centrifugal force had to be resisted by the centripetal force of the tires. Often centrifugal force won and the rider hit the trees. I can remember people counting the bikes as they returned to the campground from a spirited ride kind of like counting the B-17's returning to England after a round trip to Berlin. How many would there be? Who could be missing?

 

[happy]

You make us all so green with envious, Lee....
dammit...> I wish we had that sort of companies (race tech and ohlins) within easy reach here...
I did not push the bike so hard, but I sure agree that suspensions are the first basic thing to farkle on this.

You da man...

 

[Rocker66]

I must admit that I had never heard the word "farkle" until I went onto an American forum. It is certainly not a common term in the UK

 

[Beemerphile]

You make us all so green with envious, Lee....
dammit...> I wish we had that sort of companies (race tech and ohlins) within easy reach here...
I did not push the bike so hard, but I sure agree that suspensions are the first basic thing to farkle on this.

You da man...

Happy, I think Sweden is closer to you than to me. Ohlins can do fork upgrades too, but they cost like a queen's ransom.

 

[Beemerphile]

I must admit that I had never heard the word "farkle" until I went onto an American forum. It is certainly not a common term in the UK

Well, we didn't want to upset you any more by continuing to call them "mods".

 

[Rocker66]

Well, we didn't want to upset you any more by continuing to call them "mods".

Love it!!

 

[happy]

Happy, I think Sweden is closer to you than to me. Ohlins can do fork upgrades too, but they cost like a queen's ransom.

I "wish" I could do these farkles, etc... But then I am easily contented to just ride the bike as vanilla as possible (for now).

 

[duk2n]

Just returned home from a weekend trip. I'm glad to see the serious farkling has started! Of course, I'm subscribed

 

[dduelin]

Good luck and godspeed.

 

[radiotinnitus]

So your project reminds me of the story of the guy who's got a 150 year old broad axe. The handle rotted out and was replaced three times over the years and the head replaced twice.

So for you, what will remain of the stock bike, why do you do it and why not buy some other fantastic and more expensive motorcycle? I suppose it's the new engine and the geometry of the frame which will remain and that which you are perfecting?

 

[Rocker66]

I wouldn't be surprised if beemerphile reply to Why is along the lines of "Because I can" and " I enjoy the challenge". Of course I could be completely wrong in which case I apologise to him

 

[Mark9911]

me subscribed too....u r so inspiring Lee!
cheering u fr Singapore....
Mark

 

[duk2n]

I wouldn't be surprised if beemerphile reply to Why is along the lines of "Because I can" and " I enjoy the challenge"

+1 And I'm sure most of us here enjoy to see his progress

 

[Beemerphile]

So for you, what will remain of the stock bike, why do you do it and why not buy some other fantastic and more expensive motorcycle? I suppose it's the new engine and the geometry of the frame which will remain and that which you are perfecting?

Every bike on the market is a compromise. Some have broad appeal and some have narrow appeal, but every one is built to a compromise of:

- price / performance
- rider height / weight / arm length / inseam
- intended use / range of uses
- marketing segment appeal

People accept compromise to differing levels which may be determined by their budget, available time, level of hobby interest, skill, or creativity level. Some uses are more demanding than others. A small compromise can become unbearable under demanding use or if the rider is particularly inflexible about the particular compromise. In short, any bike I bought whether basic or fantastic and expensive would have required extensive modification to fit my purposes. As a historical example, the modifications to my BMW equaled its original purchase price. After winnowing the field down to two, the other bike I was considering was the KTM 990 SM-T as a starting point. It is fantastic and expensive. Either bike would have filled my core objective of a sub-500 lb. standard (unfaired) motorcycle upon which to build a long-distance lightweight touring machine. The KTM would not have required any suspension improvements and the seat would have been an easier fix. Otherwise, the required modifications would have been very similar in scope. In the final analysis I chose reliability, ease of maintenance, and economy of operation over absolute thrilling performance. I sulked for three days over the hot redhead that I let get away in order to marry this Mennonite girl. But then, while all the guys are goo-gooing over the hot redhead, somewhere there is a guy who is tired of putting up with her crap. As an example, the Honda is supplied with an old-timey cable-actuated clutch. the KTM has the more top-drawer hydraulic clutch. Roam around the KTM 990 sites for a while and you will find that the engine heat eventually destroys the clutch slave cylinder and everyone is fitting a high-zoot billet aftermarket replacement slave cylinder. Also, they routinely replace the water pumps, also... As far as the performance difference, the KTM 990 SM-T is the most exciting motorcycle I have ever piloted. It can do 3rd gear power wheelies in stock form It can stop on a dime and leave six cents change. The suspension is so plush you can run over a microwave oven in the road without feeling it. With the Honda you can run over a quarter and tell whether it was heads or tails. But a man has to know his limitations, and in the final analysis I determined that I might live considerably longer with the Honda and I was not responsible enough at the tender age of 60 to restrain my enthusiasm on the KTM. Riding the KTM was like going to bed with an aerobics instructor. I couldn't use all she had, and if I tried to it would likely kill me.

That's how I arrived at the starting point of the NC700x. Other lightweight bikes like the Versys and the Wee Strom did not offer as much in exchange for their boring nature as the Honda. While purchase economy was not one of my decision criteria, operating economy was. I learned touring Alaska and south of the border that regular gasoline and not much of it is often the only thing on the menu.

As far as the modifications. My "thing" is extreme long-distance riding. This easily turns small compromises into large ones. I am 6'-2" tall and 200 pounds - somewhat outside the 2-sigma mark on the people size bell curve. I am old and arthritic which doubles down on all the ergonomic issues. Plus, I am a trained ergonomist and have a passion for getting that element correct. I am a retired engineer with a hobby interest in improving motorcycles and the free time and money to make it happen. I will end up with a no-compromise light-weight long-distance tourer built for a market segment of one.

 

[turbodieseli4i6]

Good post bemmerphile and I agree completely. The microwave/quarter comparison is funny! Riding over that tree limb the other day made me realize, I want that upgrade also! I'll put it on the bucket list.

 

[Loomis]

I have decided to send my entire bike to race tech (friend works there, and they are fairly close). I am 6'2" 190. This should help us out, as they will have the bike there to test setups with. 2-3 week process apparently. Going to miss her.

 

[turbodieseli4i6]

That's great another Guinea pig! Er I mean Pioneer. You guys will probably cost me a fortune!

 

[Beemerphile]

I have decided to send my entire bike to race tech (friend works there, and they are fairly close). I am 6'2" 190. This should help us out, as they will have the bike there to test setups with. 2-3 week process apparently. Going to miss her.

Wonderful. We may get different setups depending on what you tell them about loading and use of the bike. I have asked for rider only, no passenger, with up to 40 lbs. touring load. Looking for dual sport setup with high compliance over rough roads and resistance to bottoming.

 

[happy]

Every bike on the market is a compromise. Some have broad appeal and some have narrow appeal, but every one is built to a compromise of:

- price / performance
- rider height / weight / arm length / inseam
- intended use / range of uses
- marketing segment appeal

People accept compromise to differing levels which may be determined by their budget, available time, level of hobby interest, skill, or creativity level. Some uses are more demanding than others. A small compromise can become unbearable under demanding use or if the rider is particularly inflexible about the particular compromise. In short, any bike I bought whether basic or fantastic and expensive would have required extensive modification to fit my purposes. As a historical example, the modifications to my BMW equaled its original purchase price. After winnowing the field down to two, the other bike I was considering was the KTM 990 SM-T as a starting point. It is fantastic and expensive. Either bike would have filled my core objective of a sub-500 lb. standard (unfaired) motorcycle upon which to build a long-distance lightweight touring machine. The KTM would not have required any suspension improvements and the seat would have been an easier fix. Otherwise, the required modifications would have been very similar in scope. In the final analysis I chose reliability, ease of maintenance, and economy of operation over absolute thrilling performance. I sulked for three days over the hot redhead that I let get away in order to marry this Mennonite girl. But then, while all the guys are goo-gooing over the hot redhead, somewhere there is a guy who is tired of putting up with her crap. As an example, the Honda is supplied with an old-timey cable-actuated clutch. the KTM has the more top-drawer hydraulic clutch. Roam around the KTM 990 sites for a while and you will find that the engine heat eventually destroys the clutch slave cylinder and everyone is fitting a high-zoot billet aftermarket replacement slave cylinder. Also, they routinely replace the water pumps, also... As far as the performance difference, the KTM 990 SM-T is the most exciting motorcycle I have ever piloted. It can do 3rd gear power wheelies in stock form It can stop on a dime and leave six cents change. The suspension is so plush you can run over a microwave oven in the road without feeling it. With the Honda you can run over a quarter and tell whether it was heads or tails. But a man has to know his limitations, and in the final analysis I determined that I might live considerably longer with the Honda and I was not responsible enough at the tender age of 60 to restrain my enthusiasm on the KTM. Riding the KTM was like going to bed with an aerobics instructor. I couldn't use all she had, and if I tried to it would likely kill me.

That's how I arrived at the starting point of the NC700x. Other lightweight bikes like the Versys and the Wee Strom did not offer as much in exchange for their boring nature as the Honda. While purchase economy was not one of my decision criteria, operating economy was. I learned touring Alaska and south of the border that regular gasoline and not much of it is often the only thing on the menu.

As far as the modifications. My "thing" is extreme long-distance riding. This easily turns small compromises into large ones. I am 6'-2" tall and 200 pounds - somewhat outside the 2-sigma mark on the people size bell curve. I am old and arthritic which doubles down on all the ergonomic issues. Plus, I am a trained ergonomist and have a passion for getting that element correct. I am a retired engineer with a hobby interest in improving motorcycles and the free time and money to make it happen. I will end up with a no-compromise light-weight long-distance tourer built for a market segment of one.

With 2 BMWs, you can probably get in bed with that aerobics instructress....or do you prefer instructors?

Hmm...
Thanks for the write up. I love this guy...!

 

[Beemerphile]

With 2 BMWs, you can probably get in bed with that aerobics instructress....or do you prefer instructors?

Hmm...
Thanks for the write up. I love this guy...!

Whoa! I should have used gender-specific terminology. I definitely don't roll like that.