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Boy I LOVE riding!
Just returned from a round-robin ride (York PA-Myrtle Beach SC-and back to York PA). SR1, sorry we couldn't hook up.
Left Tuesday evening at 5pm and made it to Roanoke VA at 10:30pm. Weather was clear and a nippy 37F. Toes and fingers got chilly. Woke up at 4am from a great sleep at a local motel. Due to inclimate weather south of me I waited till 8:30am to depart. This 6 hour stretch was nice until Greensboro NC where it poured for about 2 of those hours. Not only was it wet, it was a cold storm. Temperatures were around 40F. A pit stop allowed me to wring out my rain soaked gloves. Fingers and toes were very cold this stretch. NOTE: buy heated grips, waterproof glove and thermal/waterproof riding boots. Surprisingly, everything else remained completely dry. Visor did fog up..huge inconvenience. Made it to Myrtle Beach about 3:30pm.
Thanksgiving was great and Friday's weather let us soak ing the warm sun on the beach.
Saturday I departed around 4pm (65F) and chose to come home via I-95 through DC. Traffic was busy but able to cruise at 75-85MPH for most of it. DC allowed me to pick up the pace, and the last hour I was able to cruise considerably faster. I was home by 12:20am Sunday morning. Temperatures dropped from 65F to 35F as I traveled north. Fingers and toes were cold but constant excercising of the muscles kepts blood pumping through
I purchased a few gadgets to make my riding time more entertaining. Here are my thoughts:
For starters...2002 Sprint ST. Flawless ride. What other bike do you know with knee dragging charactoristics that can take you 1200+ mile in just several days with relative comfort? Bike remaind strong and solid no matter the tempeture or inclimate weather
Impressions of Metzler Z6's... I have several thousands miles on now. Seem to hold up better than others' I've used and did very well in the down pour.
Impression of Throttlemeister...I've had for several years now. Very useful for longer rides.
Impressions of Honda VFR Y2K Mirrors...Better than stock ST mirrors. Better view, more positions available to find that 'perfect' fit. Less vibration.
Impressions of Autocom Super Pro Avi...Very clear and versitle . No problem hearing my wife over the cell phone at 80+MPH. Music was not as easy to hear. Might have been the Ipod I was using, or maybe the speakers are not made for music, either way, music was either too loud (high pitch) or unable to recognize some of the instruments playing. This was all above 55MPH. Below 55MPH music was very clear. In all I rate it a great product!
Impressions of Garmin C330 & motorcycle mount...How did we survive before the GPS? Kinda like surviving without a cordless phone :wink: . Although not as user friendly (on a bike) as the Zumo 550, it took most of the guess work out of long trip planning. Looking forward to moving up to the Zumo in the near future.
Impression of Homemade APU plug...The John Deer plug worked flawlessly. I did have a problem with one of the male cigerette lighter plugs backing out over a period of several hundred miles (I will be replacing this plug). This unit allowed me to plug in my GPS, Autocom, and the cell phone (if charge needed). Otherwise, As a whole, this home made connection served its purpose without any problems.
Although I & the bike were 'wired' via the APU plug near the left side knee, it made for a rich riding experience and I would recommend the above products to anyone.
A friend called this morning. We may be taking a short ride in the local hills today :-D
Have I mentioned that I LOVE riding?
For you pic junkies. Although most of the ride took place at night, pics of Myrtle Beach will come after developing.
Thank you again for those who offered suggestions
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