Thoughts

Steven

Member
As I've said in a previous post, my bike is apart and I adjusted the valves and changed the air filter. It had been while since I rode it because of the humidity, but the last two days have been very nice. Tonight was 65 degrees which is one of my favorite riding temperatures. The bike is still stripped down from all of it's plastic so in a way this is more like the naked bike. With the seat on the bike the gas tank looks very small and I got to thinking about that. If Honda had made a regular metal tank (without the plastic), it could have easily made it a 5 gal, perhaps 6 gallon tank. It also seems to me that half of working on the bike is removing and reinstalling the plastic. With a regular gas tank, maintenance would be cut in half.

The other thing is that the naked version felt lighter. Granted the plastic weighs almost nothing, but for some reason it felt much lighter. With a good fairing like the plexifairing 3 which covers the hands and has lowers built on it, it could be better than the fared version of the CTX in terms of wind protection. Too bad they don't make a full sized fairing for the naked CTX.

In any case, I really enjoyed my ride. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80NoPLp-Zl0
 

randy1149

New member
Perhaps the reason they didn't put a metal 5-6 gallon tank to keep the center of gravity as low as possible. Adding 2-3 gallons with a metal tank above the engine would put another 15-20 lbs. above the engine changing the CG.
 
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Steven

Member
That makes sense, but an extra gallon would have been nice.

After I posted my first post I went on a ride about 35 miles from me. I had looked up where to find the darkest skies and one of the places (near me) was a little town called Campus. It certainly was darker and I saw way more stars that night than I saw over the last ten years combined where I live. I pulled over on a side road surrounded by crops, it was too dark to see what those crops were. It felt rather strange as my primordial fear of the dark kicked it. I left the bike running as I adjusted to those feelings but shortly I shut the bike off and gazed at the multitude of stars, while at the same time scrutinized the fields near me in case Godzilla or something else jumped out to get me, he/it didn't.

Anyway, the bike purred along beautifully and except for the seat, I could have ridden the entire night. The seat wasn't what I'd call bad, only that it could be better. A little more thigh support to spread out the pressure and get rid of the forward lean and it would be near perfect.

Another reason I went on the ride was to get used to my new HJC RPHA MAX modular helmet that I bought a couple of months ago. It was too hot for the weather at the time but last night it was too cold with the improved venting compared to my last helmet. Closing the vents didn't stop the cold air from coming in so a little duct tape inside the helmet over the front vent holes fixed that, except it made the shield fog up easier. One thing odd about this helmet is that it comes with an internal visor, but it's very lightly tinted so doesn't do much to cut the light on a bright day. Many people complain about that, but it occurred to me that it has it's uses. When the front of the helmet is open like it might be on a warm day, the internal shield works great as added protection from the wind and bugs while allowing more wind on the face for cooling. It's also not so dark that it couldn't be used at night. The helmet is a little tight, I wear a 3X and it's a 2X, but the padding should compress some over time and it should be okay. The one thing about the RPHA is that the bottom is completely sealed around the neck when closed so it keeps the wind from blowing up from underneath like my other helmet. Anyway, while I was going down the road with the new helmet, I was as snug as a bug in a rug.
 
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randy1149

New member
I don't believe there's a Godzilla in that area... it's Sasquatch / Bigfoot that you need to watch for.
 

Steven

Member
I went to the bank to give them some money, they were a little short and needed it, besides they had free popcorn. It always feel good to help people out. While there I ran into a member from the other site that I had spoken to there and now he owns a 2015 blue CTX. He sold his Honda Valkyrie so I guess it's safe to say he is a convert. He is the very first CTX owner I've met so it's easy to understand that I was excited about it. I invited him to this site, so let's hope he stops by.
 

Steven

Member
It was a beautiful, wonderful, It's what life is all about day... Went riding and riding... I was on two lanes, one lanes, gravel, dirt, and roads that ended in corn fields.

DSC00112-1.jpgDSC00131-1.jpgDSC00142-1.jpg

Bike on road-1.jpgBike on road 2-1-2.jpg
 

Steven

Member
I have to tell you that the CTX is the most relaxing motorcycle I've ever owned. There are no pretenses with it and it's so easy to just stop where I am and drink in my surroundings. This is truly a wonderful machine.

One last picture, as you can see I'm not finished upgrading the bike...

DSC00128-1.jpg
 
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Steven

Member
I've often taken mini rides like this, out in the country away from traffic and not caring where I am. When I'm done I punch HOME on the GPS. Yesterdays ride was 100 miles, a half a tank of gas, and an all day affair. I stop often when I'm somewhere that is beautiful. All I bring with me is something to drink and I'm good to go. It's a lot of entertainment for the $2 I spend on gas.

During this ride I found a nice little fruit/vegetable farm and loaded up on some goodies. I also found some Bison, they have to be the most nasty smelling animals on the planet. I now understand what they're talking about when they speak of how bad buffalo hunters smell in the old western movies. A skunk smells very pleasant in comparison. When out in the country, many people are very friendly and wave when I go by, even people in cars and trucks wave. I'm often going 40 mph or less just so I can look around without veering off the road.

It's a different world out there in the country, the scenery is different, the people are different, not at all like it is large towns and cities where everyone is in a hurry to get nowhere fast.

The plastic is still off the bike because I'm getting ready to send the forks to Boston for an upgrade. I just couldn't stand not riding one moment longer.
 
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Steven

Member
One more thing...

I use my bike for most everyday things, but I also try and find reasons to go for a ride. Lately I've taken up taking pictures of my rides for a couple of reasons. First, when I can no longer ride I will have those pictures of when I could. Secondly, it adds to the fun of riding. Rather than just go up and down roads relying on my memory to remember the ride, I have expanded what I do while riding which makes it even more fun. We all do what we do, just differently. I sometimes get the impression that folks don't care about the pictures I post and that it's not part of owning the CTX, but in reality it has everything to do with it. Of the past trips I've taken on bikes, one of the things I regret most is not having a record of the trip. I know of one other rider that uses his bike to do the same thing that I do (take pictures), and it makes sense because it's often the case that there is nowhere to park a car, but a bike can be parked almost anywhere. The photography part is just another hobby that works well with owning the bike.

On that note, here is one last picture I took yesterday on my ride. I converted it to black and white because I thought it looked better.


Bike on road 3-1.jpg

And just to make it bike related here is another picture of the same thing...


DSC00191-1.jpg
 

Steven

Member
Thanks...

More of the same yesterday except I trusted that the windshield would stay attached, but I was wrong. It blew off at 75 mph and hit me in the head, so no damage except for the fact that it got run over by a gazillion semi's. Ahhh, one of life's little lessons to prove how incompetent I can be at times. Oh well, I'm ready for the next lesson. :)

I'll leave you with the last photo of the day...
 

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Merlin III

New member
Clarification needed: Your Cee Bailey blew off? That is one of my fears when riding. What was the cause? Need to know. :)
 

randy1149

New member
Steven, sorry about your Cee Bailey blew off... you are NOT incompetent!!!! Your one of the UNLUCKY ones. That windshield is well documented of blowing off. With all due respect to Cee Bailey they should step up to the plate and make everything whole by providing the hardware to fix this problem. I was one of the lucky ones in not purchasing one because of all the complaints.

It appears the added square inches creates added PSI at highway speeds that the mounting hardware can't handle. Have you called Cee Bailey to see what they can/would do? It would help all the other owners what Cee Bailey's position is? IMHO leaving resolution to this issue by all us shade tree engineers is NOT what I consider what Cee Bailey should do! Last I heard it's documented in other forums that Cee Bailey KNOWS about this and is not doing anything.

Your getting really good with that camera!
 
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MJC

Super Moderator
Thanks...

More of the same yesterday except I trusted that the windshield would stay attached, but I was wrong. It blew off at 75 mph and hit me in the head, so no damage except for the fact that it got run over by a gazillion semi's. Ahhh, one of life's little lessons to prove how incompetent I can be at times. Oh well, I'm ready for the next lesson. :)

I'll leave you with the last photo of the day...

1st, I like the photos! More please. On the windshield mine (CB) broke when my bike fall over in the garage (long story) and cracked at the same line has where the cover goes over it (side ti side). I installed the stock windshield cut just below the cover line, then added the (fixed) CB over that, (which also changed the angle) glued them together, and used bolts and big washers to hold it on and make it more sable. I also added side wings to the windshield and made extra brackets to hold them and the windshield, it is not going anywhere.
 

Steven

Member
Clarification needed: Your Cee Bailey blew off? That is one of my fears when riding. What was the cause? Need to know. :)

I could be for a number of reasons... Perhaps because I didn't have the plastic fairing on the bike so wind got underneath it or that without the plastic the windshield was more prone to moving around (I did notice this a little during my rides). If you look at the picture you can see where the shield mounts and what stands out to me is that if the shield drops/slides down it just comes loose (design flaw?) (The mounting hardware is gone, of course... It went with the shield) For the record, this is entirely my fault.
 

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Steven

Member
Oh, btw, I'm thinking about getting a new CB screen "without" the vent this time. Any thoughts?

Here's another sunset - same day. close to the same spot.

Sunset 2-1.jpg
 
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Merlin III

New member
If I were to buy another shield, I think I would like one that is mounted to the handle bars where you can see and check the connections from time to time. I have no idea what is available for the faring model.
 

Woodswoman

Member
Stories like Steven's, which I keep hearing, make me a smidgen happier I bought the naked model. I have toyed with the idea of trading my N in a few years for a faired model ... but wow!

Glad you're OK, brother!
 
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