July 31, 2004
D-Day - 12
Didn't ride too much today. Got back from the party down route 5 and went over to Jake's hoping for some company to ride with. Jake was at a wedding but Larry was home and I taked him into it. But we didn't go far. He strapped his saddle bags on and we went to Walmart. He didn't find what he wanted, so we pickup us some ice cream from Big Y instead and headed back.
Then we rode up to the northampon brewry and got some free dinner, and then back to jake's place. I only put on about 60 miles today.
Running total so far: about 520miles
Posted by Cyclops at 08:04 PM | Comments (0)
July 30, 2004
D-Day - 13
I am feeling quite confident now. None of the issues I was having in the past few days really remain.
I strapped my backpack to my sissy bar (I really need to get saddle bags soon) and headed back up route 5 towards ...(drum roll)... Brattleboro, in VT. I needed to pick up a 1 person tent for the road in case I can't crash at someone's house along the way. And this particular tent they didn't have at the local camping store, so I had to travel some (oh no, don't make me ride my bike somewhere...)
I stopped once more at the Whately Diner for lunch, and a quick stop at Chris's in Greenfield to say hi (he lives on route 5, so it's not a detour). Then I was on my way north.
I must say, route 5 is a very pretty drive. The funny thing is, as soon as I hit Vermont, the roads were freshly paved. It made for a smooth ride. Also, the speed limit in Vermont is 50mph so I got to get some wind in my hair.
A note about that... I now know why biker's use multiple hair ties spaced out a couple inches. It really helps prevent the hair from getting tangled up into impossible knots...
I finally got to Brattleboro and hit traffic. The good part about that: I can handle stop and go traffic just fine, even on hills. The bad part, it sucks more than in a car, and the leather jacket makes me sweat my ass off when I'm not moving.
Anyway, I got the tent, dodged out of the main roads and used the back roads to find my way back onto route 5 free of traffic (thank you GPS).
I then headed back home for dinner, after stopping again at Chris's for a quick chat.
Then I headed back to Amherst to say hello to Keith and Jared who hadn't seen my bike, and maybe say goodbye to them one last time before I leave.
Michelle was having a party up in Greenfield and I decided I would go there and spend the night so I could take my bike. I've been doing route 5 so much I wanted something different. So I rode up 116. I stopped to say hello to Jeff and Jen, but they weren't home (probably at baseball or something), so I hit the highway. Ah... first ride on the highway. How smooth...
Now, don't get me wrong, I like to ride slow, it's comfortable, and you get to see the view, but this baby has got some balls. I can hit 70mph in 4th gear. That is, I have a whole nother gear to go.
I did notice a few things though. I think she needs new sparplugs cause she skips a beat every now and then. Jake has recommended (and others have supported this recommendation) that I get platinum tipped ones for better performance and durability. I should be able to do that on monday.
All in all, I put another 150 miles on my baby today, and I'm in love.
Posted by Cyclops at 08:43 PM | Comments (0)
July 29, 2004
D-Day - 14
Today I rode some more (of course). I took the bike down back roads up north, to meet up with rout 5 and drive up to greenfield. Let's just say I'm glad I have a GPS cause I found myself places I had never been before...
I was still having issues turning right, and I stalled 3 times at a stop sign with cars behind me (really embarrassing). Things got a lot better after that.
I was gonna stop at Castaways on my way north (cause I figured I have a bike, I might as well act the part, right?) but they didn't open till 1pm, so I went to get lunch at the Whately Dinner instead. A truck stop is good enough.
Then I went to my insurance agent in Sunderland (I used to live there so it was convenient, and they are nice people so I stayed with them). I got myself the maximum health coverage they offered. Motorcycle insurance is dirt cheap I gotta say.
Then, still following route 5, I went up to Greenfield to Chrispy and Michelle's place. I looked at motorcycle parts in Chris's catalog. Gonna have to order some gear... Then I followed route 2 to route 63. Or at least that was the intent...
You see, I had gassed the bike up yesterday, and I wanted to learn how many miles I could go on a full tank (sounds like a valid thing to learn before going on a long road trip, no?). Now, for those of you who don't are ignorant to all things 'bike' (as I was a few days ago), most bikes have a reserve setting on their gas tank. You run out of gas, you flip it to reserve and you get to the nearest gas station ASAP. So, I'm on route 2, about 2 miles from route 63 and I run out of gas. No problem, I pull over to the side of the road, flip the tank to reserve and... nada. I try a few more time. Nada. The starter is starting to tire out, so I stop. I call Chris (the nearest bike knowledgeable person I know) to see what I'm forgetting to do. Well, it was supposed to work... I try shaking the tank to get what little gas is there to go. Nada. The starter is really starting to feel tired now so I shut down the bike while Chris figures out how to get gas to me (his car needs to be jumped).
Long story short, my bike went 234 miles on a full tank and I don't have a functional reserve on my tank. Chris got me some gas (thankyouthankyouthankyou) and I got back on the road. The lesson hear is: refill every 200 miles. By the way, that's some good gas mileage. The tank is about 4 and half gallons is 52 miles/gallon, a good 2/3 of that being the stop and go miles I did yesterday.
So, I get onto route 63 (and stall again, arg!) and work my way down towards Amherst. An SUV starts tailgating me. Now, this is annoying in a car, but it is scarry on a bike. I signaled the driver to back up a few times and he finally took the hint and gave me some space. I gave him a thumbs up and he followed me at a safe distance the rest of the way. That was nice.
I stopped to say hi to Carol in Amherst when I got there, and ran into Josh when I was leaving. I love people oogling my bike... she is a beauty...
Then it was down 116 to South Hadley, and back up route 5 to Jonathan and Allison's house. Then back to Jake's before dark.
All told, I put another 200 miles on her today, and I can take my right turns almost perfectly, even from a stop sign now.
Posted by Cyclops at 08:20 PM | Comments (0)
July 28, 2004
D-Day - 15
It stopped raining early, so I went to see my bike. Time to learn how to handle her... She's a big girl, be she's loving. After figuring out how to get her in gear without stalling (she's really really sensitive, kindof an all or nothing clutch response) I took her for a couple counter clockwise spins around the block. Ok, more like 7 or 8. Now these are the back roads of back roads we're talking about. The only things I crossed on these roads where a couple of dogs and a lawnmower. I got the feeling for how to start her, shift into second, break etc... Once she gets moving, she's a beauty to handle.
Then it was time to take right hand turns, so I started doing clockwise turns around the block...
Lets just say that it is much harder to turn right than it is to turn left. You see, in a car, ballance isn't such an issue, so you just crank the wheel to the right, and accelerate slowly. Now on a bike, moving slowly is the hardest thing to do, and moving slowly while turning is even harder. Which means that taking a right hand turn while staying in lane is ... let's just say I'll get it down eventually...
The other thing that is really rough is taking a right hand turn from a stop sign. Not only do you have to turn and try to stay in lane, but you also have to get the bike into first gear without stalling. With practice I'll learn to control that.
I went home for dinner, and Larry called me to go riding, so we rode some more back roads for a couple hours. Here's some more things I learned: my bike is really comfy. After 2 hours, I was pretty much fine (sorta like sitting in one of those massage chairs for a while). Larry was all sore on his bike. Also, my bike has some guts... we found a road in westhampton (I think) called Reservoir rd that is wide long and very very straight. There was no one around, great visibility, so I hit the gas a little and before I knew it I was easing up to 60 mph as Larry was becomming a dot in my rear view mirror. I found out later that he was in fact trying to keep up, while I was just gently cruising... That's my girl...
Anyway, I put 110 miles on the bike today with a daily average speed of 25 miles and hour. I was riding for about 4 or 5 hours. Not bad for my first day on a motorcycle (if you don't count the time Larry let me ride his bike down Jake's driveway and back.)
Posted by Cyclops at 08:18 PM | Comments (0)
July 27, 2004
D-Day - 16
Jake finally picked up the bike. Of course it was raining out, but Jake's been riding for 7 years so that wasn't a problem (other than him getting wet, hehe). It's scheduled to rain tomorrow, but I really want to start riding...
Posted by Cyclops at 08:13 PM | Comments (0)
July 26, 2004
D-Day - 17
I bought the bike today. It is so beautifull... Of course, I can't ride it yet and am dependent on Jake to take it home for me but I'm still in love. It is a Cream and Jade Honda Shadow A.C.E. VT1100. A big bike. Very classic curves. So beautifull...
Now, nothing can work perfectly, so when Jake and I went to pick it up after he got out of work, the place had just closed... Will have to wait until tomorrow to pick it up, wich means I lose a whole day of riding...
The bike's stats...
| General information | |
|---|---|
| Model: | Honda VT 1100 C2 Shadow ACE |
| Year: | 1998 |
| Category: | Custom |
| Engine and transmission | |
| Displacement: | 1099.00 ccm (67.06 cubic inches) |
| Engine type: | V2 |
| Stroke: | 4 |
| Power: | 50.00 HP (36.5 kW)) @ 4500 RPM |
| Torque: | 88.00 Nm (9.0 kgf-m or 64.9 ft.lbs) @ 2500 RPM |
| Valves per cylinder: | 3 |
| Cooling system: | Liquid |
| Gearbox: | 5-speed |
| Transmission type final drive: |
Shaft drive (cardan) |
| Physical measures | |
| Dry weight: | 261.0 kg (575.4 pounds) |
| Seat height: | 730 mm (28.7 inches) If adjustable, lowest setting. |
| Chassis and dimensions | |
| Front brakes: | Single disc |
| Rear brakes: | Single disc |
I'm so exited to try it out...
Posted by Cyclops at 08:23 PM | Comments (0)