Dr. Greg & Wotan take a 4-day "Tour of Southern New Mexico"

Sorry, fellas---got a little behind in my correspondence.

Glad you "liked" it---I tried to be as complete as possible. I get a little carried away with some of that stuff, but I thought---with a fair number of miles on each bike (and both being pretty "fascinating" bikes)---I might be in as good a position as the next guy to write up my thoughts.

Well, ya gotta understand that I've spent the VAST majority of my near-seven-decades on Planet Earth in very BROWN country---and pretty "junky" brown country at that. So a tidy village with lots of greenery, a little common at the center, and the odd steeple sounds PRETTY DARN GOOD from where I sit.

I love the desert (I hope that comes through in my Ride Reports), but---as I've said numerous times---I love pretty much ALL country (ain't no "flyover" country in Dr. Greg's store of maps). But I've seen almost all of the US West (and I plan to see a lot of it again over the next 26 years), but not so much east of the Mississippi. Gotta give some of that country a chance, too...

And I'm glad that you enjoyed the comparison. We've had discussion about bikes over the years, and---while I appreciate your thoughts on "going smaller" (and I value your opinion highly, BTW)---I guess I really wanted a big-enough bike to ride across the country, and then back again. Plus as I said I always thought I should be on a big GS. And they finally built one that I like (and yes, it impressed me as a LOT different). The KTM 1190 is undoubtedly awesome, but it's got that friggin' chain (oh yeah, we had THAT talk, too ).

You're most welcome Ol Man (hey, that oughta be MY screen name ) Glad you followed along. I'll try to do a little more riding (and writing) in 2014 than in 2013. Dunno what happened last year ?

Did I tell you I knew you from BadWeB? I meant that comment for "OurDee"---oh, well, no harm done. But with two Ulys you SHOULDA bumped into me on BadWeB---that's THE forum for all things Buell

Sounds like you had a great trip right up until the fuel pump went. Since I've owned FI bikes, I've never had a fuel pump bite the dust :eek1, but man, once it goes you're up the creek, aren't you...there's still a lot to be said for a good ol' gravity-fed carburetor . Well, I've still got my '91 Hawk (sure feels SMALL after the big ADV bikes )

And after all that, SIX WEEKS?!? No wonder you traded. I had generally quite good luck with my two '06 Ulys; they both gave me a little trouble...just enough trouble so I still kept thinkin' about 'em. That's prolly what they wanted.

And thanks again to Kimberley for that "Drive Friendly" grammar correction---I try to be grammatically correct, except when I'm not. Make sense?

FINALLY someone enlightened me---thank you very much. CONCRETE RAILROAD TIES! Who'da thunk it? Concrete seems almost sacreligious---whatsa matter with good ol' creosote-soaked hardwood? Come to think of it, I've got much better uses for hardwood than railroad ties (like beautiful picture frames, which is my current woodworking project).

Oh yeah, glad you enjoyed the Ride Report. I enjoy writin' those crazy things, but it IS nice to get the odd compliment .

Gale, your opinion is the most valued one---thank you, sir.

I, too, will never forget our first meeting---ADV WestFest 2007 in Sipapu, NM, IIRC. You said on FR 76 I rode that Uly "like a 250 2-stroke"---I've often remembered that comment when I've felt bad about my riding skill (especially coming from you). That was a great ride, and I, too, have often reminisced about that time. However, I will correct you on one thing: I had shod the Uly with (fairly) rare (or at least unusual) "SuperMoto rain tires" for that trip---closest thing available at that time to a dual-sport shoe for that size. IIRC the rear was shot after about 1,000 miles, but the front hung in there for quite a while

Sure nice that there is now a better choice of tires for the big ADV trailies...now, if I could just get the nut between the handlebars to tighten up a little...

Wow, VERY COOL! The "double-integrator" experiment---now here's someone who can attest that I'm a real controls engineer! Actually, I'd appreciate you PMing me (or I'll ping you) your "real name" because I'm sure I remember you from the early 80s. Ah yes, that was back when I still enjoyed my "professor" job. After about 25 years, the enjoyment dropped off a bit ...

Please climb back ON YOUR CHAIR because I didn't do the programming---I simply flashed in S/W that "Wayne" at Australian company Tuneboy, Ltd. had developed. Wayne is a certifiable genius (IMHO), with the rare combination of skills (controls engineer, fieldbus knowledge, motorcycle guru) to develop such a product. In all fairness, I did write a paper on the "tuning" of the cruise control gains that I sent to Wayne to show him what I meant (can't find it now), but HE deserves ALL THE CREDIT for the Ducati Multistrada cruise control.

Congrats on your new Super Tenere---I rode one, and they're very solid bikes. I'm sure you'll love it. It really surprises me when a manufacturer doesn't fit a cruise control to a "touring" bike that is ALREADY throttle-by-wire. All it takes is software (and trust me, the software alone (typical proportional-integral-derivative stuff) isn't that hard for a controls engineer). I mean, most cars have had them for decades.

Thanks, WoodButcher (man, that oughta be my screen name considering some of my woodworking projects :eek1 ). I joked that GB's appeal for it was what sparked me, but I hope that MANY readers got something out of it. It was fun to write up that comparison, although I gotta admit that when I looked back over my MANY photos of my Ducati Multistrada (that bike is GORGEOUS) I had a couple second thoughts. But NO, not really. I honestly do like the GSW better, at this point in my life, for the riding I do now.

You, sir, are MOST welcome. For both. The Ride Reports are always fun to write (mostly because next winter I read them again myself and think "warm" thoughts ), and the "comparison" was something I've thought I should write up. Just took a little proddin' (thanks, GB) for me to finally do it.

YAWN... Doesn't EVERYBODY know those are concrete railroad ties? HA, ha, just kidding---I just learned that a few minutes ago, couldn't resist bein' ornery. I suppose that wooden ties DO have a finite lifetime (don't we all ) and concrete will be a longer-lived replacement. Thanks very much for your answer!

PS. Hmmm, "oldandgray"---another screen name that should be MINE I guess there are a bunch of us.

Ah, the man for which this "comparison" was written. Interesting that they've finally got the fueling straightened out...excellent. Also glad you have a rear brake. I don't use the rear much, but when ya want it it should be there. My rear brake drove me nuts---they couldn't do anything with this. And the maintenance thing was big for me---I'll be doing the 12,000 mile maintenance on the GSW next week.

But I had many, MANY wonderful trips (and day rides) on the MTS1200S. That bike still fits me the best of any of the "big" ADV bikes. And I do have a history with Ducatis. So I'm tickled with your new ride, and I wish you the best of luck. Great bike.

Re sound: the whole topic of "aural sex" is, um, rather subjective. The main thing is that YOU like the way YOUR bike sounds. And looks. And feels. And all that kinda stuff.

The DESMO DEVIL and I have a long, and checkered relationship . We've agreed to disagree, and even agreed to AGREE on occasion. Let me know when you hit the 50,000 mile (km?) mark on your MTS, and I'd be interested in how it's treating you. Like I said...great bike.

Most of these "newer" bikes are so good, that it's entirely a matter of personal preference. I guess that's what we've been talkin' about in all these comparisons. To each his own. It's a free country. And all that. Ride what you like and like what you ride. To each his own. A dollar down and a dollar a day...oops, better quit typin'...





OK fellas, perhaps this RR is well and truly coming to a close. It's been fun. I'm thinking a nice April trip would be to the Great Basin National Park, in eastern Nevada. GaleBT, I might be stoppin' by your place sometime during that trip.

Cheers,

--Doc

Great RR! I found it way late, doing a search on the Guadalupe Mts. Much of that country is my stomping grounds, and I see we've taken some of the same pictures going down to Carizozo. I guess it's pretty cool country, no?