I have a Versys 1000LT, and it’s damn near perfect. I’m maybe taller than you, and I do tend to do a lot of 100+ mile rides (although all on road). I got some Battlax A41X tires, which are 90/10 dirt/road split and I’ve been doing some easy fire roads recently...

I just gate check my bag and they allow me to join Group 1 or 2 because I'm nice. Simple!

I mean... It wasn’t a BAD experience - just weird.

I mean, the two finger wave (often more of a ‘curled hand’ from Harley riders IME) is important, but far more important is the helmet tap, meaning “Cops ahead”.

As an ex-pat Brit living in the US for 27 years, they went metric while I was ‘away’ - at some point I went back and people were all talking funny - temperatures were fucked up, weights and measures were fucked up. My US-born daughter is now in college (‘uni’) in London and she has trouble talking to me, trying to…

Yes, The UK went metric for money in 1971 but only went full-on metric for the other stuff (weights, measures, temperatures) about 20 years ago, with exception for distances (miles) and pints (beer). Also a pint is 20oz. 

Um... Hands is used for horse shoulder heights only, and it’s used everywhere. Including the US.

Because it was too expensive to change all the highway signage. Seriously. Speed limit signs, anything with distances on them. That's A LOT of signs...

Meanwhile, up on the bridge, the Dave Matthews Band tour bus is waiting...

Honestly, I don’t see the benefit of a flat seat. All my bikes have a higher pillion seat, meaning they can see the road and we don’t bang helmets when I slow down...

If you don’t like rolling coal, that’s fine - I agree with you 100%

“...you could also cause a crash, which takes forever and can cost a ton of money.”

Without speaking to his misdeeds or his apology, his return material just wasn’t very good.

Yeah, at least when my teenage daughter was putting cones on the hoods of driverless cars in SF to cause them to get stuck, it was funny (unless you were behind the driverless car, I guess)

In response there’s this good act:

Well that sucks.

To be fair, it’s only about an hour (maybe slightly more) to ride across the entirety of the park if you’re taking the main road, and only a short period of that (maybe 15 minutes) is at the top temperature. When they say 128°F, the vast majority of the ride will be in the low 100°s or even high 90°s... Again, if…

I rode my motorcycle through Death Valley about 2 weeks ago, when it was ‘only’ 117°F. On the downside, black boots, black pants, black jacket, (heavy) airbag vest. On the upside, reflective Fire Dept fluorescent vest, white helmet, silk scarf soaked in water and elkskin gloves literally filled with water before I put…

But don’t set them off here in California - we have enough wildfires as it is.

To be clear, it’s perfectly possible to be a military veteran and not be a citizen.