Pics of my RR in Saudi

sandrider · Post by **sandrider** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 5:26 am

My wife and I took our bikes to breakfast this morning and decided that today was the day to take some action shots of the RR. These were taken on a street near my house in Saudi. You can tell it isn't quite summer yet because there is a bit of greenery.

Post by **DJ Downunder** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 8:41 am

Great pictures...and nice looking bike...Have you seen any of those camel spiders.?..

..are they real.?

DJ

sandrider · Post by **sandrider** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 4:06 am

DJ Downunder wrote:Great pictures...and nice looking bike...Have you seen any of those camel spiders.?.. ..are they real.?

DJ

Oh they are real, all right. They have not been seen on camp since one was found in the horse barn a couple of years ago. Hehe, pest control on camp is pretty good. In the desert they are definitely thriving.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOXvdfcct8g
I'll be in Adelaide this September. Maybe we can go for a ride when my RR makes it.

John I. Stephen · Post by **John I. Stephen** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 3:34 pm

Hello sandrider ! I have lived in Saudi for many years and I was delighted to see this post ! Where in Saudi are you (Riyadh, Jeddah or Alkhobar I assume one of these ?!)

I assume still 90 halalas a litre for petrol !

The Velvet Monkey · Post by **The Velvet Monkey** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 3:39 pm

Hey, Sandrider--great looking bike! How's the RR handle the hot Saudi summer heat? How's the riding there?

Have fun. It's sure nice you're wife rides with you. I've been slowly turning mine to the idea.

Post by **DJ Downunder** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 7:26 pm

Oh they are real, all right. They have not been seen on camp since one was found in the horse barn a couple of years ago. Hehe, pest control on camp is pretty good. In the desert they are definitely thriving.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOXvdfcct8g
I'll be in Adelaide this September. Maybe we can go for a ride when my RR makes it.

Thanks for the vid...Who'd have thought..ten legs..and no humps..

Let me know when you're in Oz....I could meet you half way..maybe Mt Gambia..one of the other guys here lives there.

DJ

Post by **OU812** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 8:17 pm

My wife would not come to the computer to look at the spider. arachnophobia!

sandrider · Post by **sandrider** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 2:08 pm

Hello sandrider ! I have lived in Saudi for many years and I was delighted to see this post ! Where in Saudi are you (Riyadh, Jeddah or Alkhobar I assume one of these ?!) I assume still 90 halalas a litre for petrol !

Hello John. I am in Al Khobar. My reserve light came on tonight as my wife and I were riding. I stopped to fill up for a total of about 8.5 riyals (at 60 halas per liter for 95 octane). Of course the cheaper 91 octane sells for 45 halas per liter. In American, the premium costs about $0.61/gallon. Sadly, almost all of the extra you are paying at the pump can attributed to your local governments' tax.
We mostly ride in camp, which is quite spacious. The added benefit is that my wife can ride her bike without any problems (remembering that women cannot drive in Saudi). An expat Harley rider was killed on the freeway outside of camp a month ago. He was run over by yet another careless car driver. I'm afraid I haven't worked up the courage to drive off camp yet, but I did secure my Saudi motorcycle riding permit. The riders I know here tend to ride outside camp very early on the weekends before the locals wake up.

sandrider · Post by **sandrider** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 2:27 pm

Hey, Sandrider--great looking bike! How's the RR handle the hot Saudi summer heat? How's the riding there?
Have fun. It's sure nice you're wife rides with you. I've been slowly turning mine to the idea.

Velvet Monkey, I haven't been out in the real summer heat yet. It was over 100 deg F (38 C) yesterday when we were out riding. My Draggin jeans are just too warm at that temperature, but my Olympia is still quite comfortable (well ventilated, good protection, reflective finish that tends to deflect the sun's rays). My wife and I were both comfortable.
When the temperature gets about 120 deg F (49 C) the direct sun on skin can be quite uncomfortable. I do not think I'll be able to ride this summer in that kind of heat. Besides, the bike seat will be too hot to sit on!
As far as the RR goes, no problems yet. I understand that the Phonix police department uses the boxer and it proves reliable there. I have friends here with boxer engines and they haven't told me of any problems either.

I am indeed lucky that my wife likes to ride! Actually, she had a Harley years ago and encouraged me to pursue my dream of getting the RR! She has a Kawasaki KLE 500 dual sport. We have Bluetooth in our helmets and we talk to each other while we ride. We have a great time!
By the way, we are looking to sell the KLE. It is a nice for dual sport, but it is a little tall and tends to sail quite a bit with any kind of wind. She loves to ride pillon on the RR, but really wants her own street bike. She is a little concerned about the weight of the RR and is looking for something that will cruise well but weigh maybe 100 pounds less. Does anythone have any suggestions?

Post by **OU812** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 8:08 pm

I just love this thing!

Post by **zooomart** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 9:13 pm

Nice pictures Sandrider! At 100 to 120F what mileage will you get on a rear tire? 5000km? Thanks for asking about the camel spiders DJ, another hour lost on Utube

Steve

NachtRitter · Post by **NachtRitter** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 2:48 pm

sandrider wrote:She is a little concerned about the weight of the RR and is looking for something that will cruise well but weigh maybe 100 pounds less. Does anythone have any suggestions?

One thought... the BMW F650CS... essentially a street version of the similar engined GS. Low seat, light weight, and a good amount of "squirt" to get around in traffic. My wife enjoyed hers a great deal for commuting and going on day rides with me. Only concern might be that it's a thumper, but it was nicely balanced so at cruising speeds it wasn't noticable. (I would ride it at times simply because it was such a kick to zip through traffic with it)

My wife moved to an R-R, mainly so we could get some hard bags on it for longer tours, so I'm looking to sell the F650 now.