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New Member SOCAL & Philippines

770 views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  REDHORSECA 
#1 ·
Located in Southern California. Inland Empire to be more accurate.

I've been riding dirt bikes since the age of 5 in the SOCAL deserts. I'm a middle age man now, but still very young at heart. I have several motorcycles in my garage: Sport Touring, Power Cruisers, Versys 650, and a few dirt bikes.

Commute to work on the SOCAL freeways to LA County off and on the bikes. Currently commuting on the Versys, but I like to mix it up.

I vacation overseas in the Philippines for about a month of the year. Our family has several homes scattered in Luzon, mostly around Pampanga.

I purchased a 2019 Versys 650 ABS in Feb '19 (@ San Fernando, Philippines) to get around more quickly in their traffic and the parking of the SUVs can be challenging in Manila. So this year I got the Versys 650, it allows me to be able to use the toll highways, as they have a minimum requirement of 400cc to ride in the tollways by law. I looked at some KTM street bikes and the Suzuki V-Strom 650. I selected the Versys 650 for the most bang for the buck. Since I'm only there for 1 month of the year I couldn't justify spending the cash for a more expensive bike. Paying cash for vehicles there is the only way to go, financing there is ridiculous. The interest rates are crazy there 40-50%+.

I plan on setting this up as an adventure bike and go island hopping to just a few of the 7,000+ islands in the country.

Coming back from vacation, I had such a blast on the Versys that I had to add one to my stable in California. I was saving up cash for new one, when I found a mint 2017 Versys in the high desert with just a tad over 4,000 miles on Cycletrader. So, I jumped on a very good deal, saving me tons of money from buying another 2019 model. More $$$ for mods. :smile2:

I was already buying accessories for my PH Versys for my next vacation trip, so I've started modding/installing the parts onto my California Versys for more off-road adventuring. I'll do the same with my Versys overseas, once I find out what mods/parts work for me here in SOCAL.

I've been reading up on what many of you have been doing to your Versys, and I'll be modding by bikes to suit me better. Looking forward to maybe riding with some you through our SOCAL canyons and off-road adventures.

Thanks,

Rich
 
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#2 ·
#5 ·
:welcome: from SoCal Cerritos/Norwalk area.....
 
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