I has me a Versys

[Homer]

I wants me one, so I gots me one.

Pics tomorrow at 4.  Dealer's having it trucked over from another state. 
He said the closest one was in Texas.... until I put cash on the counter. 

Tried to get a free helmet for the better half.  No dice.  Just 15% off anything in the shop. 
Oh wellz. 

[manofthefield]

IDK what time zone you're in, but it's 5:30 eastern, so




edit: and that was "tomorrow" two days ago 

[tt_four]

I think it takes about 2 days to get a response out of anyone who just bought a new bike. Too busy riding to post up the pictures.

[Deros514]

haha thats so true

[Homer]

My dog tried to drink muriatic acid last night, so I'm stuck at home all day watching her. 
What pics would you like? 

Nearly done with the 500 mile break-in. 
Haven't tried adjusting the front, yet.  Dialed the rear out to #3, I may bump it up another notch. 
Right now, it's so tight I can feel the tread on the new tires between 30 and 50 mph.  I like it that way. 

The brakes are firm.  Maybe 1/2 inch of lever travel until they fully grab.  The rubber lines must be Trojan Ecstasies.  Not gonna bother with SS braids. 
The headlight is brighter than my little Scion's.  Comparable to the GS's big round eyeball, but whiter.  I think I like yellow light better.
I'll add two PIAA 1100X's later, to sweep the fields for Bambi. 

I really like the height. 

The handlebar was slightly less buzzy than the GS, before I got clip-ons.  Same motor design - parallel twin, but fuel injected. 
I filled the bar with steel BB's, now it's much better. 
I have left-over BB's if anyone wants them.  Preferably local. 

The seat feels like a gel, but it's not.  Put in 5 hours yesterday.     I'd say it's comfortable.   
I don't use compression shorts or extra padding, and my @ss is bonier than a leftover turkey. 


Anything in particular you'd like to know? 

[Homer]

Adjustable rear:

Adjustable front:

No cheesy "gold forks" here:

Oil sight glass (looks low cause it's on the kickstand)

Pegs are comfortable, non-slip with only the slight P-Twin buzz:

Some internet genius says the fit and finish is sub-par.  Right....
Look at this master cylinder!

Rear strut is removable.  I'm gonna keep it. 
Jury is out on whether it's structurally important:

Engine is sexy:

Right side of swingarm looks like this.
5 lbs lighter than the Ninja's and much stiffer. 

Thought went into the handlebar mount:

Windshield works well.  2 hours on the freeway, no buffeting. 
63 mph below 4000 rpm, so don't b!tch about "break-in period"

What are these curvy pipe thingies? 
Notice the crossover tube. 

Stock muffler is nice and quiet, but it's very heavy.  Around 19 lbs. 
Had a Scorpion on the Ninja (same motor), sounded like a cross between Harley and Honda.  It was $500, though.
An Arrow exhaust is $200, and sounds about the same.
But, it runs richer without a Power Commander or dyno tune. 
I like fuel mileage better than impressing squids, so I'm staying stock.  Low-slung boat anchor helps the COG, anyway. 

[Homer]

Paint is "Candy Lime Green".  And it IS candy.  
The pictures don't come close.  
It makes me feel funny in my privates.

Heavy-@ss muffler in question.
19 lbs of stainless steel.
No center-stand because it's underslung.
There are bungs on the swingarm for spools, however.  

Flash-to-pass trigger, kinda fun:
I'm gonna wire it to an air-horn as well, with a relay.  

Wheels are cast.  Don't know the alloy.  Lightened hubs:

Tokico calipers, 2-pot.  
They do a d@mn fine job, but I'd like sexier ones.  So my private parts feel funny some more.  

Rear caliper:

Standard bulbs in the turn signals, VERY bright:

Interesting headlight.  Like the Punisher symbol.  
Parking lights on the upper sides.  H4 bulb, 55W.  Top is highbeam.  

Tail is clear.  Haven't looked to see if it's LED.  Very bright, that's all I care about.
Big, honking rear fender.

Gauge panel is very nice.  
Has a fuel meter, not just a reserve light.  I wanted that very, very much.  
Standard ODO, Trip A and B, clock, MPH.  Indicators are flat across.  I wish they were closer to the front, though.  They're kinda recessed.
Those aren't scratches - I just had a haircut.  

Upper left of engine.
Has NGK Iridiums, stock.
Up-swept throttle bodies and standard huge plastic airbox. 

Upper right of engine.
All the tricky bits aren't as noticeable as they seem.

Dunlop Sportmax 160/60-17 Rear:

120/70-17 front:

[Homer]

Seat-release lock is on the side.
On the Ninja, it's on the bottom - you can't see it at night.
Black textured plastic in that area, not paint that can be scratched by a key.  Thought went into it, for sure.

Underseat area:  

Storage compartment holds my flat tire kit:

Extra storage:

Tool kit:

Battery area, w/ rear reservoir:

A little extra space here:

Diagnostics hook-up:

Helmet lock.  One on the other side, too.  I don't like these.  
The Ninja had cables.  These brackets are hard to use.  
Notice the broken plastic tab for the small black fairing.  I'm calling the dealer about it, in a few minutes.

Seat is skinny like the GS up front, wider in the rear.

Pretty cushy.  5 hours, no monkey butt for me.  

Left side of swingarm

Muffler looks ugly from this angle.

Radiator housing/fairing

Plastic.
Soon to be replaced by a skid-plate.  Donations accepted.  


That's about it, I guess.  
Lemme know if you want more.  

I've never given a ride report, before.  Don't know the SOP.  

[Homer]

Dealer is closed on Saturday. 
Something tells me he's not gonna repair this:

[tt_four]

it's hard to say. I would think they should, but they'll probably say it was from putting your helmet on there too rough. That's a pretty poor placement of the helmet hook. I with I had a helmet hook.

[PachmanP]

Sweet ride!

[steitsma]

Nice, what kind of mileage are you getting and is the insurance more over the 500 besides it being brand spanking new bike!!

[Homer]

I estimate around 53 mpg, but I've been having too much fun to keep perfect records. 
I'm switching to a 17t front sprocket sometime, anyway.  And a smaller rear. 

It's in the same insurance bracket as the GS.  I have Progressive - $14/month for liability, collision, theft and vandalism.  My only coverage gap is if I drop it. 
I paid a one-time fee of about 80 bucks, because it's a new bike.  If I had LoJack, it'd only be $40... what a rip-off....
No fee for transferring coverage from one to another. 
Tags and title came up to $206. 

The profit I made from selling the Ninja covered it all. 


Harris Nuclear plant
http://www.nucleartourist.com/us/harris.htm

I was chased out of here by an angry militant lesbian in an '89 Ford Ranger:

The guard shack in the background called the fuzz on me:




My iPod blew out on the way home. 

[manofthefield]

The guard shack in the background called the fuzz on me:

LOL... nuclear power plants are pretty serious about security.  I worked at one for a while and it takes some time to get used to get used to guards walking around everywhere with machine guns. 

I felt a bit uncomfortable when one was next to me in the bathroom; the way his gun was hanging over his shoulder it was aimed at my junk.

Bike looks good, congrats

[Homer]

Yeah, but look:
http://www.nucleartourist.com/images/harris4a.jpg
Locals told me you can take a boat all the way up to the cooling tower. 
Two kids on dirtbikes said there's a RR track with a straight shot inside, but I don't have knobbies. 

[marcusk]

Quick question about your new bike ??  do you think you could get one for men




just kidding very nice man love the color.  enjoy !!

[Elijafir]

Weird.. the nuclear plant in NW Oregon (Trojan) you can fish in their ponds... you do need a decent excuse to get past the guard station.. "My dad works here" or something along those lines.. of course you have to have "your dads" name.  But, the ponds and "park" (biking/walking paths, picnic tables, etc) and everything are open to the public and not more than a few hundred yards from all the functional buildings and cooling towers.  I never remember seeing anyone with machine guns!    Maybe it's different these days.. after all that was 10 years ago..  Either way I'm sure you could get even closer with a boat on the Columbia river.

Edit: Apparently they don't use it anymore because I just found this video of them destroying the cooling tower 4 years ago?? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr2TFLlA3jA

[Homer]

Nice video, but kinda sad. 
Those things are about 545 ft tall.  Have you seen the rebar that goes in them?  Over 2 inches thick, and they criss-cross 4 layers. 
It's just a stupid convection tower, but I think they're cool. 
They could have kept it for something, you know? 

One of these days, when I get back to Europe - I'm going to the Red Forest. 
I know the trees are mostly gone now, but I'm still going.  Props if you know what I'm talking about. 

[Elijafir]

The Trojan tower was only 499ft.. still a shame.. if nothing else it was cool to see it there.  I guess it was decommissioned in '93.. which explains the lack of security.  Only 13 years to complete the "deconstruction."  Good job guys!  As far as the red forest goes.. I suppose it would be neat to go see... I wonder if you need a hazmat suit?

[Homer]

Not if you go the day after a hard rain.  

If it weren't for the pesky cancer, I'd move to Pripyat in a heartbeat.  


Edit:
Wormwood just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?