Here is a pic of my BRP, affectionately known as the Mistress...
You know, the one that keeps you company on those long lonely winter nights... In the garage!

Purchased used in the spring of 2007 after nearly 6 years of watching everyone else drink the RED punch (coolaid, whatever). First time I owned my own bike in nearly twenty years. Test rode a couple bikes early on but never pulled the trigger. Rode friend's bikes now and then to keep the dream alive. A busy job and two new kids will do that to a man's soul, but in a good way. First rode it on short trips, to work a few times, forest roads and my own little A-loop around the property.

I guess I wanted to see if it would kill me after not having my own bike for almost 20 years. When the wife said "you need a hobby" it all came back, and I didn't kill myself. Spent it's first winter with me in pieces. Wanted to make sure the XRR "must do list" was complete. It was a good way to get through winter last year.

Work became a grind, but in spring of 2008 started riding the bike to work and finally did a 100+ mile day ride on ATV trails, forest rodes and asphalt connecting roads. What a dream.

So here it is, might not be the farkliest thing, the cleanest or the best kept but it's mine. Ready to ride.

2001 XR650R plated
Uncorked w/spark arrestor insert (I sure wish it had the USFS stamp, grrrrr)
Acerbis supertanker
Barnum's suspension front and rear (for my fat arse, and best upgrade ever!)
Magellan Roadmate 2200T converted to crossover GPS (bought a refurb and upgraded firmware)
Custom Polypropylene GPS cross bar mounting system (tie straps)
Gripper seat cover
Borrego rack
Renthal 666 bars (not a joke, the devil made me do it...)
Custom Moose barkbusters TBD (that means they would not fit and I beat them into submission and they still don't fit cause of the crossbar)
Tusk hand guards TBD (the dog ate one of them but I might use it just for "character")
Upgraded headlight optics (glass unit from Stanley, I think they used to be stock on Honda three wheelers. Made a big dif with the stock lamp)
Tail bag (junk in my trunk)
Old Excel DOT gold rims front and rear (OMG that is a story! Laced and trued with tent stakes, a straw and duct tape... no shit!)
Excel heavy duty spoke sets front and rear (drilled rims, laced and trued myself... about 7 or 8 times before it was right...)
Pirelli heavy duty rubber tubes/strips
Pirelli MT21's front and rear (I still need to practice tire changes, I boogered the front rim getting them off and whimped out and had the new one's mounted for me).
Good 'ole boy dual sport kit - rear brake switch/stock light, plated, velcro bar end mirror, velcro bicycle horn, GPS used as speedo
got some bar risers too but gonna need longer cables for that mod.

Nice bike man.

Nice!

"Twenty years from now you will be more
disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the
trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." ~Mark Twain

later,

griz