It was nice......

[nickjtc]

.... hanging out with all of you august chaps over the last 20 months or so. I learned a lot about my trusty ride, Stanley.

Alas, he has moved on to a new home on the other side of the Rockies, and gone to live with a nice fellow who used to own a Steamer in the UK and who always wanted another one.

So, of course, I am now on the horns of a dilemma, since the rule in Nick's garage is "when one bike leaves, another takes its place". I really would like another Thruxton, but a friend has a 2008 Roadie which has been sitting in his garage, unloved, for the last year since being ousted by a brand new KTM. If I end up with the latter I'll still be hanging around this forum, albeit with a different bunch of chaps.

Thanks very much for the entertainment and information everyone, and remember: ride safe and ATGATT!!

Nick

[motoOzarks]

Fairly drastic move to get out of the 2016 USA meet

[nickjtc]

Fairly drastic move to get out of the 2016 USA meet

Har har, har de har If I get the Roadie I would still be welcome...??? But who knows where the band of merry men will end up if they make it over to this side of the water.

If they end up somewhere hereabouts (as in on the west side of the continent) I would make the trip to join up anyway, whatever the blasphemous motorcycle I am riding.  :icon_wink:

[nickjtc]

Stop press: negotiations in place to get the 2008 Roadie.

If I do I am bound and determined to jump start the 1050 section of this forum. It's much more fun playing with old friends than trying to make new ones!  :icon_wink:

Here is the bike on a road trip in 2012 to Idaho, Oregon and Washington. I was on my XR650 in the background.

[Sin_Tiger]

If it's the right money, go for it. They are still flying under the radar as a capable comfy sports tourer in my opinion.

Budget for:-

Palmer or Madstad screen adjusting brackets, the additional flip helps but doesn't really work for 90%.
HID conversion for the low beam. The first time you ride an unlit country road you'll know why  steer clear of cheap"Asian" imports,  horrible beam pattern and often don't last. Try HID50.com.
If you struggle with the seat height (about the same as a stock Steamer) go for lowering dogs bones and slip the fork ties up 15-20mm. Don't waste your time and money trying to sculpt the seat, you'll achieve nothing other than ruining a perfectly comfy seat,  the problem is the width at the thigh.
The chromed bars are OK for most but some like a tad more height, personally I think they look ridiculous on a Tiger.

[nickjtc]

Thanks for that. More news as it progresses.

I do not ride much at night any more, so will be interested to see what a difference the auxiliary lights make. Gerry, the current owner, swears by them and puts them on every bike he gets.