Exploring the great outdoors on two wheels. Come along for my adventures and discover everything that this country has to offer. Some of the products and gear that I use for my exploits and even some tech videos for those that want to try some basic repairs and modifications at home. My name is Dan, a retired professional firefighter, and this is my channel.
I no longer wear this helmet and have moved to a Shoei Hornet X2. Unfortunately, the clamp doesnt work with this helmet and I have installed a chin mount and run the mic wire into the helmet, under the pads. But yes, this setup worked really great for the LS2
Thank you so much for your precious video. I also have a 1290 MY 2024 and I was looking at this beautiful seat. Can I ask if you had any feedback from the passenger? I would like it to be a comfortable seat for my wife too. thanks again and have a good trip.
I like to go to Michigan and Tennessee to ride and my Brother i Law has a hunting camp in Georgia. I've got a window for the door ordered and when the Lap sealant is cured I'll insulate the ceiling. Not sure what I'm doing for a ceiling finish material yet
@@retiredbiker Cool. I am finding the electrical is the hardest to engineer depending on how complicated and fancy you want to make it. I love riding TN and GA and those are my plans too. Central FL is too hot, too straight, and too flat.
@@recub13 mines pretty simple. Just did a 110 bulkhead with 2 pigtails. One runs the Noco battery charger and the other goes to the wall outlet. 12v is just a marine battery run to a fuse panel. Then ran an 1100w inverter off the battery in case I need it. If I were to do it again, I’d go with a power dynamics power center and use a 30amp service. Then both AC and DC would connect to that and also charge the battery
@@retiredbiker yep. I really want to have the capability of being off shore power for 2 days off just battery and solar. It’s hard (for me at least) to determine the battery and solar requirements for running what I expect to run. Not a lot. Some LED lights, phone chargers, and maybe a small coffee pot.
@@recub13 Thats pretty much all run. I have a 100 watt suitcase solar charger. Coffee can be made on the propane stove or over the fire. I may add a 12v fridge down the road
Can you please make a video comparing the Pan America with the 1290 SAR? One of those 2 bikes could very well be my next bike....Thank You! Hope you are staying safe and dry right now!
@@justmyself1000 thanks for watching. Yes, I was planning on making a review video of the KTM but it’s just been too blasted hot to do much of anything lately. I’ve had a few people asking how the two bikes compare. I can tell you that I’m much happier with the KTM. I’ll try to get to work on that video soon
I do mine by hand, but trust me when I say this. You live in FL. Use that big globe in the sky to help. I lay mine on the hood of my car in the boiling sun for at least 30 minutes. They go on, come off so much easier!
Look, I don't know how much you paid for your Rabaconda but is it really worth it? How many tires do you change in a months time? I mean you had a tough time getting your new tire on!
Thanks for watching but, the phrase "Look" isn't really a good start to a conversation. Quite offputting really. But, I'll engage. The trouble I had was my own lack of experience with the Rabaconda. This was only my third tire I've changed using it. But even with the so called struggles you think I suffered, it is still much easier than spooning a tire on while kneeling on the floor. My grunting and groaning is my age, and that alone makes it worth the expense while still giving me the self gratitude of doing my own maintanence. Is it worth it, you ask? It's worth is completely inherant of who's spending the money. If you change 2 sets of tires with it, it's paid for itself. I like to do my own maintaence and I don't mind spending money on tools. I have a garage full of them that I feel are worth every cent spent on them. The lift was a much more expensive tool in the garage than the tire changer and it doesn't get used that much either. Still money well spent.
@@retiredbiker Thank you for your reply. I too am a retired biker and enjoy every time I go riding. I currently ride a Road Glide Limited but have always had the itch to do a little off roading as well. I watched your Pan America video and appreciate your honesty with the aggravations you had with it. Before watching it I was leaning towards buying a used 2021 PA for $15000 but am now putting the brakes on. Thats why I went to your KTM video. Maybe you’ve already uploaded a review video on n it? Anyway, I’ll watch some of your other videos and not be as grumpy. Thanks
@@ronwigginton3880 I haven’t yet done a review of the bike. But will probably be doing one when the temperature drops to a more suitable degree. I understand that Harley has worked out the bugs on the 24 models and I won’t really say that the bike is a bad bike. It was a fun bike but the electronic gremlins were just many to enjoy it to its full potential. Gremlins aside, the KTM is a more powerful, more comfortable better handling bike while coming in lighter.
Did you use the 'grounding plate' that came with the relocation kit? Meaning, did you cut the grounding plate smaller (to the size of the antenna puck) and then attach that that to the cowl panel, and then the antenna to the grounding plate? Or is there metal under the plastic cowl panel and you attached the antenna direct to that? Or is the antenna attached to the plastic cowl panel direct? Thanks
Had one for years. They work well enough other than getting wet a bit (which is fine in hot weather anyways) I’ve worn them up to around 35c or so and they work great. But in surprised we don’t have some battery option by now for a cooling vest.
I just sold a 1290 Super Adventure S in New Smyrna Beach. It was a great bike but I just wasn't riding it enough. Might have to try this vest for riding my other bikes.
Woke up this morning and rode from the house in Saint Cloud to Sebring for lunch. 441 across 60 through Frostproof and Avon Park. One of my favorite 4-5 hour rides I have found so far in central Florida. Anyways the morning was great. Coming home I hit one stoplight for about 3 minutes and the heat was almost unbearable.
@@retiredbiker I’ve ridden 3 lakes and triple n ranch but haven’t tried bull creek yet. I sold my 2021 pan america a couple weeks ago. Fun while it lasted but wanted something different. Looking for a smaller dual sport / adv, possibly Ktm 390, Honda 300, cfmoto 450 Himalayan 450, or Ducati desert sled.
@@recub13 Triple N is usually closed to traffic. The only time I've ever been able to get in there was before spring turkey season and they thought I was going in to scout. I'm actually considering selling my 300 Rally.
@@retiredbiker that’s odd. I’ve gone in trips N several times and never had any issues. The lady at the gate said as long as there is at least 1 game active then i could go as a non hunter. I’m not a hunter so not sure what the schedule is in Florida but never had an issue or been turned away. She just told me to stay on the main trails. Why you selling the 300? Ktm 1290 doing everything you need?
@@recub13 the KTM pretty much covers everything for here in Florida. We don’t have the tight single track riding areas that most other places do. The trails I rode recently in Michigan were better suited to the Rally. It just doesn’t get used here. It still has less than 1000 mikes on it.
I've had it now for a little over 3 months. I've got 2500 miles on it and I'm liking it more every day I ride it. Rally mode just puts a smile on my face every time I twist the throttle. All this time I've been afraid of KTM because they are an Austrian brand but ownership is prooving that fear unfounded. I love it so far!
@@motojon76 great jersey but it isn’t rated for a slide on asphalt. They only rate it for off road use. I actually contacted them about it and they gave me that information and also let me know that they are developing s jersey with a higher slide rating. How far out that is, they couldn’t say.
@@retiredbiker Ah. I assumed you were aware that "asphalt" jerseys don't exist. I thought you meant just something for gravel etc. Asphalt protection is heavy. Just the way it is, and us FL riders just suffer through summer. LOL
@@motojon76 I have a feeling they're working on something to compete with the AS Supershirt, and I feel the Knox Urban Pro is pretty close to it as well.
I'm here in North Port, to say it's hot is an understatement. How hot? Put on your normal riding gear and go sit in a sauna. Now, turn a blow dryer on in your face. I have the Klim Baja S4 pants, mesh armored shirt with a Klim Mojave jersey. It's either that or I stay home.
@@Hammerhead812 I'll be trying the Mojave pants here soon. They're supposed to be the same material as the induction series but made for off road riding.
This the one they recommended for this bike and I don't take a passener with me. The Dual Sport is made for the long skinny seats that only have one level.
This is not the XL and yes it is better than stock. The larger platform give you something solid to sit on and makes it more comfortable. It's still a hard seat but its wider
Thanks for the video. What part of Florida are you in? I’m going to install mine tomorrow but I already have the pannier racks installed so it’ll be a bit more involved.
@@retiredbikerNice! I’m over in Daytona Beach. You’ll have let me know if you have any awesome secret rides. Also, any recommendations for service? I’m getting ready for my 10k.
@@BlvdKing503 Florida is so hard to find good riding, but i do tend to hit the WMA on a regular basis, 3 Lakes, Bull Creek and Tosohatchee are all relatively close to me. ONF is another good place but have found it to be pretty sandy. Last time I was there the PA went into melt down mode and had to take it back to the dealer for warranty work (again). I'm now riding a KTM 1290 Super Adventure. The PA was fun, but proved unreliable. Unless you call clearing codes every ride reliable.
Great video! I have the same bike and will be ordering one soon. Either identical or with the carbon fiber look on top....Thank you for sharing your impressions!
Thanks for watching. Their customer service is top notch. Reach out to them and ask if they can send you some fabric samples. I didn't ask them about such a thing but I have a hunch theyd do just that.
All you can do is loosen it up and twist it around until it doesn’t hit it. And even then it will probably make contact when riding rough terrain. I never really found the perfect placement
Thanks for the vid. I basically did everything you did and now I have USB ports. Kinda lazy on the part of any manufacturer who doesn't have these standard with their vehicles.
I think Michigan is great due to easy access for those of us who live in the southeast US. Nice scenery! For REALLY SPECACULAR I head out to British Columbia whenever I get the chance. It’s like Michigan on stearoids! Mountains, ocean, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, forests, even desert and vinyards in the interior. If you get a chance haul your bike out and ride for a few summer months! If you love Michigan you won’t be disappointed with BC!
Wow i cant believe you got rid of it. I have had zero issues so far with my 2023 pan going on 6,000 miles and i pound it too. Time will tell i guess.🤷🏻♀️
I wasn’t really looking to get rid of it, but when I took it in to the dealer, they had it for another week waiting on their one and only Pan America Tech to come back from vacation before they could fix it. The fuel pump was covered under warranty and I had about a week left before the warranty expired. I was left with the decision of whether to buy the extended warranty and when I found out that it doesn’t cover computer updates and would be paying for them, I decided not to. At that point, I was fed up with the dealer and having to clear trouble codes pretty much every time I rode it. So, I looked at the KTM and the dealer made me a deal I couldn’t refuse. I’ll never say anything bad about the Pan America, it was a great bike and I hear they’ve gotten the bugs worked out of them now. Mine just happened to have a lot of bugs. The pesky knats that don’t really cause any problems but just drive you nuts swatting them away all the time.
@@retiredbiker i hear ya if i have any problems with mine before the warranty runs out its going for a ride too. 👍 hope the ktm works out for you. Keep the rubber down.
I honestly couldn’t say why they did that. My guess is to give it that conventional appearance because the Harley fan base has typically been into the retro styling. Kind of the same reasoning behind them still producing air cooled engines in their most popular models.
I've used it a few times now here in Florida and it does allow some airflow under you, helping to keep the heat down. For long rides, it's definately going with me.
i've been hearing about those pads for years. The people that I ask about it love them. I really like the idea of the extra cooling when things get hot. Ride safe!
Thanks for watching. Stay tuned for some upcoming single track videos. Manistee National Forest has some dedicated motorcycle single track trails that I rode the smaller 300 on. I can’t wait to go back. Western Michigan has some great riding areas.
@@retiredbiker I grew up in Michigan also, seeing you ride there make me want to take the Africa Twin up there ! Guess I won't be looking for you on the Harley at Bull Creek lol.
@@advbull The Harley has been replaced with the KTM 1290 Super Adventure R. Bull Creek and Three Lakes are both just down the road from me and those tend to be the places I go on my day jaunts. I could use a change of scenery though. Already trying to figure out where I want to go to next. This heat is already gotten to me.
The mounting screws for the mounting plate are too small so you need to check them for tightness now and then. I very rarely take my top case off and when I did recently found all four had loosened
Did you do anything with your front fork?? thanks for the video. after watching I think I will go with the adjustable preload for the extra $$ I see you made another vid of that. how was riding it with just the back shock....?
@@wmbushUT I rode a for a couple of weeks before I did the front.Doing them both certainly made the bike much more manageble. I'd recomend doing both ends but if you're tight on funds, then definatley start with the rear. It'll make a huge differnce.
It’s no problem to ride after upgrading the rear and leaving the front stock, or vise versa even. But that front nose dive was kind of ridiculous, and definitely annoying.
Love this helmet! I ride only on the road. It’s got great space up inside front for excellent ventilation & ease of breathing. It’s also got cool factor in the looks dept. The visor does not pose wind buffeting issues enough to make me dislike it. This is an 80/20 dual sport helmet. For it’s a 100% single sport. Something different for the road. The Tron look. Again love it.
Thanks for watching. I grew up in Western Michigan and try to get back as much as possible but I think the last time I was there was in 2020. I've been in Florida since 1984 and really miss Michigan.
@@retiredbiker That is awesome. My family is from Michigan (Go Blue) but I grew up in Ohio. Spent a lot of time in Florida when I was a kid. Hope you have a good summer ahead and look forward to seeing more of your travels.
