Hola again... this is Ricardo from California

first i try to post on the wisdom seccion but i was unable to do it, maybe Paul can update my status or something.....

anyway this time, the news are not so great business whise since my company is kind of dormant at the moment (Not making anything new, but I do have a lot of my standard (R1100/1150GS) bars and clamps and I'm able to sell them) and for sure my brain is kind of sleeppy too, anyway maybe you guys know about my predicaments but about two years ago i suffer a pretty serius menthal breakdown, to much work, not much money, girlfriend troubles, some ill intension comments on ADVrider out of people that don't even ride motorcycles, much less go anywere, you know the typical stuff, anyway is being two years and i'm still far from perfect, specially since "somebody" is being "Borrowing" my designs for sometime and I just don't feel like working and working to get my ideas stolen, anyway my inavility to protect my inletectual property is keeping from developing new products (i'm working on some patens at this moment, hopefully that will help) after all what is the point of doing alll the reseach and development like with the fastway pegs (that I'm being testing for about 6 years already) and then somebody comes and takes the fruits of my labor with out even saying thanks, in fact with out even accepting the ovius..

well the "Other bars" may look similar but what really matter is the selection process and for sure I have that corner cover after 20 years of doing similar work,

anyway i just like to say hi and that thanks to one of your member AlexB i decide to gatther suffient energy to write this little post.....

i have a lot of people i respect on this site even if is being a long time since I post (I try to stay away from the computer and live a "Fisical "life this days) some of them are extremlly dear friends, some others i admire, and a few of them i consider as my brothers.. you know spanish Bob, Mike werner, super dupper MiGSel...

well for now i say goodbye, if you need any ricky bars let me know ussing the PM sistem and if you find something fun or even better a interesting problem let me know maybe i can give you gals and guys a hand..

PS: HOpefully the JoMamma cancer did not contaminate this place and this forum still populated with people that actually ride Bikes, work on them make things with their own hands, as oppose to just talk about them

sorry I'm a little out of practic with the typing also a little jadded and somehow sad, so be paccienti do have a few good things to say..


Ricardo

Hola Ricardo,

Nice to see you posting once again. Hope things work out for the better sometime soon!

Saludos

Dave

Welcome back Ricardo, good to see you again.

I wondered where you had gone Ricardo, welcome back... things can only get better from now on

Very good to see you back Mr Suave.......we've missed you.

Stick around a bit......you're always welcome
Bill

Hi Ricardo - i've got a set of your risers and bars - second hand from a guy in New Zealand.

Very nice they are too

look after yerself and think positive

Ah,many greetings to you Ricardo.Trust me,I know exactly what you mean mate,there are far to many unscrupulous people out there at the moment,with no talent,and no imagination.Unless you're a huge company,with an even bigger legal department to fight for you,patents and copyrights are virtually worthless over here.I presume it's similar over there as well?

Get in touch through the PMs and we'll see if we can help each other out a bit.

Welcome back,and don't be such a stranger

4:45 in the morning and I awake to a happy morning...


thanks for the warm welcome, for sure I miss a forum were people are interested in improving things as oppose to just critize the ones that try..

if you have any fun treads going or extrage problems to solve let me know, don't proise much but maybe I can help....

Hi Ricardo

I don't know you but I've seen some of your stuff and I like!

Keep it up matey.

Nin

Vern said:

Ah,many greetings to you Ricardo.Trust me,I know exactly what you mean mate,there are far to many unscrupulous people out there at the moment,with no talent,and no imagination.Unless you're a huge company,with an even bigger legal department to fight for you,patents and copyrights are virtually worthless over here.I presume it's similar over there as well?

Get in touch through the PMs and we'll see if we can help each other out a bit.

Welcome back,and don't be such a stranger

Click to expand...

Hi amigo...

Oh yeah Vern somehow I have the feeling you suffer similar predicaments, brains (and hearts) like ours suffer from a very basic flaw, we need to love what we are doing to really feel alive, is a question of Honor, introspective satisfaction and the desire to be a little better everyday.

actually maybe the words from my dear friend Erik fit this to perfection...

one day seating on the side of the road when I was showing him my new moving headlight idea suddentlly he spin his head, look at me in the eyes and say "you know Ricardo, I think you try to fix all this things on your bikes and come up with new ideas all the time on your designs , because you are looking for a way to fix your own self in the process"

well I think hi hit the nail right in the head on that one...

anyway some people are Lucky enogh that they can be doing anything, from selling Hamburgers to REdBull or used cars or whatever, my self and I'm sure you too Vern, we can only work on things we love and really beleive in, hell selling SUgarwater call "elToroRojo" and making a lot of money in the process, no thanks not for me, I need to be doing somehow useful and morally sound..

Yes I wish I was a little less serius, but what can I do, to me my ideas are my life and the objects I make part of my closest family, so I get frustrated when somebody "Molest them" i also don't want to release a design until I'm sure is as good as it can get (the problem is that when the brain is really working, the desigs keep evolving minute by minute)..


anyway sorry if I'm a little incoheret (more than ussual) I'm just out of practice in the typing departmet and even more the "thinking hat" is somehow out of batteries

for now some fun fotos to open your horizons a little..



Yeah it can be done, In fact I do it all the time, With a passanger and everything.

motomartin said:

Hi Ricardo - i've got a set of your risers and bars - second hand from a guy in New Zealand.

Very nice they are too

look after yerself and think positive

Click to expand...

I hope they fit you well, one flaw of my bar design is that is very specific, in fact "Taylor" sellect for each individual client including not only his body type but his riding style and specific needs, on the other hand, even the worst fitted ricky bars (when you borrow somebody elses bike or something) are better than the stock bars by a long shot...

actually that is the problem i have, it takes a lot of menthal calculations to sellect the best possible bars (not just a Okay set) and since my brain is kind of weak at the moment I preffer not to be selling my bars do to the risk of making a mistake, but then again if you are a little paccient I can do it from time to time when my neurons are signing the same tune, for example I can write this at this very moment but I need to wait until my brain is warm to respond propertlly to AlexB e-mails..


thanks for the support..

come on Guys were are the Fun topics...???

remenber I get bored easy, specially this days..

well question will do too, if you have any just ask and i try to answer them..

ricardo kuhn said:

come on Guys were are the Fun topics...???

remenber I get bored easy, specially this days..

well question will do too, if you have any just ask and i try to answer them..

Click to expand...

All fun stuff is on my site....

Hiya compadre !! Nice to see you here now (again). I try to stay away from most threads at advrider.

ricardo kuhn said:

come on Guys were are the Fun topics...???

remenber I get bored easy, specially this days..

well question will do too, if you have any just ask and i try to answer them..

Click to expand...

If you could do only three things to the 1100GS, what would they be? Er to make it even better, that is ...

Mike Werner said:

All fun stuff is on my site....

Hiya compadre !! Nice to see you here now (again).

Click to expand...

Hi Mister Mike...

I know I view your site pretty much everyday (when i have the computer on at least...) and is always something fun to find out and for sure you are the first when it comes the time to find the NeW news.

how are my favorite DOggies...??

I try to stay away from most threads at advrider.

Click to expand...

you are right about ADVrider is getting more and more boring by the minute, maybe to many members that forget how to search,, man how many times can you ask the same questions about the same freaking tyres...??
to me a good tyre is the one that Holds air, that is all I need to know..

well it does help if they are not as bald as my little head.


anyway is very little inovation not even from the vendors, much less from the menbers but I do need to admite I like the Australian, new zelender style of actually making their own things..

do to that frustration I'm actually thinking in making my own forum, I want to call it ADDrider,,,aka Atenccion Deficit Disorder Rider..
basically focus in the people that actually do something important for the comunity from Media like your site, to teaching (Mecanical, riding ,Traveleing) cool rides and sopport to engeniering and geeky work all around, maybe will be by Invitation Only or you will need to show your OWN work before you can start to post or something like that and for sure will be no room for JoMamma BSanywere, just poosiblity critics, but not ill intension destruction

just a idea, well more than a idea a little dream of ricky, I just beleive that the potencial of so many brains convine can bring exeption advances in every field if somebody figure out a way to catalized correctlly

Nin said:

If you could do only three things to the 1100GS, what would they be? Er to make it even better, that is ...

Click to expand...

first most basic and the most important ....

Scratch the shit out of her right before the fluids start to come out and when ride her with absolute disregard for the cosmetic aparence of it until it breaks down and then fix it and fix it again (like a old pencil that you keep sharpening)...

basically i view and aproach the GS like a old pair of work boots, they are made to be worn and as a tool not a display of crome or anodixing acessories.....

second Spend money in tools from torque wrenches to welders and things like education (riding clinics, mecanical workshops, fabrication skills, etc) that way you become more in tune with the machine and at the end a better rider, not to mension if something happend in the middle of a trip you will know how to fix it too..... (specially since you have spare money to go places)

actually maybe a little crash out Honda XR100 or something like that will be a great tool to learn since you can get used to sliding, drifting and crashing all over and most of the skills translate into the big bike,, Do refer to the Old worn out Boot, because no matter what you are going to crash the big pig sonner or later...

and to complete Improve the ergonomics of the bike so she fits you like a glove, that way the bike will handle far better and in a more effordless way.. actually the stock shocks are a piece of junk, so better shock do help for the bike to handle better...

I don't really beleive in Pipes (even if I have them on my bikes, i get them for free so why not) or increase in horse power specially when you are giving away bottom end Torque after all i'm being riding one of my GS 's for 10 years already and i still don't have the balls or the skill to keep the trottle wide open all the freaking time, even if I'm getting there little by little...

hope this helps..

Oh and take you self and your bike away from your ConfoRt zone from time to time, that way you get to see the "metal" you and bike are made off.




is nothing better than a good "Oh ShiT" moment from time to time...

Good to see you around again Ricky.

I still love the bars I got from you for my 1150 Adventure.
So much that I want some more for my "new" Basic

Pick up where you left and sell them bars mate.
It's a great product and you're the absolute expert!

Good luck and good health!

Cheers,
Michel

MiGSel said:

Good to see you around again Ricky.

I still love the bars I got from you for my 1150 Adventure.
So much that I want some more for my "new" Basic

Click to expand...

Basic like in Airhead....!?!?
I love those little simple things...

most of the new ADventures look and for sure feel like ...


when they are soppose to feel like.


for the basic i'm out of the "proper" clamps but maybe we can figure something out if you want...

Pick up where you left and sell them bars mate.
It's a great product and you're the absolute expert!

Good luck and good health!

Cheers,
Michel

Click to expand...

well Michel before i made my first set of Ricky bars in 1997 nobody even know you need them, well they did see a problem but did not know how to fix it..

in four years of having my company running i sold about 1085 of them (Mostlly R1100GS/R1150GS but also R80 & 100G/S and R1150R bars too) not so bad, that way I have places to stay all over the world as a bi-product

ricardo kuhn said:

first most basic and the most important ....

Scratch the shit out of her right before the fluids start to come out and when ride her with absolute disregard for the cosmetic aparence of it until it breaks down and then fix it and fix it again (like a old pencil that you keep sharpening)...

Click to expand...

Yup, doing that, riding her like a KTM 450.

ricardo kuhn said:

basically i view and aproach the GS like a old pair of work boots, they are made to be worn and as a tool not a display of crome or anodixing acessories.....

Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more.

ricardo kuhn said:

second Spend money in tools from torque wrenches to welders and things like education (riding clinics, mecanical workshops, fabrication skills, etc) that way you become more in tune with the machine and at the end a better rider, not to mension if something happend in the middle of a trip you will know how to fix it too..... (specially since you have spare money to go places)

Click to expand...

Haven't really done that properly yet - I'll get onto it

ricardo kuhn said:

actually maybe a little crash out Honda XR100 or something like that will be a great tool to learn since you can get used to sliding, drifting and crashing all over and most of the skills translate into the big bike,, Do refer to the Old worn out Boot, because no matter what you are going to crash the big pig sonner or later...

Click to expand...

Yup, done that, all of it.

ricardo kuhn said:

and to complete Improve the ergonomics of the bike so she fits you like a glove, that way the bike will handle far better and in a more effordless way.. actually the stock shocks are a piece of junk, so better shock do help for the bike to handle better...

Click to expand...

Yup, doing that (got one Ohlins so far - who's got a rear one?!), sorting out the best bars I can afford just now, but if the tax-man allows I'll be after a set of yours sometime.

ricardo kuhn said:

I don't really beleive in Pipes (even if I have them on my bikes, i get them for free so why not) or increase in horse power specially when you are giving away bottom end Torque after all i'm being riding one of my GS 's for 10 years already and i still don't have the balls or the skill to keep the trottle wide open all the freaking time, even if I'm getting there little by little...

Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more, except maybe a skinnier pipe to save a little weight and slim it down a bit.

ricardo kuhn said:

hope this helps..

Click to expand...

You bet. Cheers Ricardo, I like your philosophy. Especially the "just ride it" bit. Thanks for taking the time to set it out. Come to England and have a beer sometime.

Nin

ricardo kuhn said:

Oh and take you self and your bike away from your Comfort zone from time to time, that way you get to see the "metal" you and bike are made off.
.

Click to expand...

I fine idea indeed.