Saturday, June 6, 2009

Scooter Resource -- Road Trip !


Initial feedback showed interest from various folks --

so a trip summary follows. The quick, unscheduled trip was needed to get
to my dad's funeral. I've been reading blogs and working too much.

This is a stock 2007 SWing with a Givi windshield. (With a
custom seat, 1k miles a day might have been easy.) I had just
put on new Hoops and completed the 12K maintenance. (I had
changed my belt at 8K and kept it for a spare -- almost no
wear.)

(I'm a year-round rider; the 12K was in the prior 12 months mostly
20-mile commutes.) (My 2005 Harley Road King wasn't up to the
quick trip.) Lots of throttle wrist cramps -- no cruise control
of any kind. I'm 6' 230lbs -- that blasted butt bump kept
putting my butt to sleep -- I haven't shifted it to a lumbar
support yet. Mileage kinda sucked due to high speed & my size
(6.5-to-7-to-7.5K rpms) ranged from low 40s to high 30s. Still
cleaning bug guts off the SWing! But, I think it is easier than
cleaning it off the Harley :)

TRIP Denver to Fredericksburg VA - 1,680 miles
Return trip - 1,740 miles
Total superslab - 3,420 miles

SUMMARY: Denver I-70 to St Louis next
I-64 to Charlottesville VA then
US29 to Culpeper VA and finally
State route #3 to Fredericksburg, VA
===============================================================
LV Wed 20 May 2009 11:00 am Denver
ARV 9:30 pm Overnight Higginsville MO
about 50 miles inside west MO 655 miles
LV Thu 21 May 2009 6:00am Higginsville MO
ARV 10:00pm Overnight Huntington WV 686 miles
ARV Fri 22 May 2009 6:00pm Fredericksburg VA 340 miles
===============================================================
LV Sat 30 May 2009 8:30am Fredericksburg VA
ARV 10:00pm Overnight Mt Vernon IL 792 miles
LV Sun 31 May 2009 8:00am Mt Vernon IL
ARV 9:30pm Overnight Colby KS 707 miles
ARV Mon 01 Jun 2009 2:00pm Denver 242 miles
===============================================================

The GOOD
========
- Seeing family again after too many years
- My dad's funeral service and military honors given by US Marine Corps (WWII, Iwo Jima, retired USMC)
- No road rage incidents
- 99% mostly pleasant cagers (big and small)
- Hot showers & comfortable beds
- Good fiber!
- Kansas state trooper with 2 gallons of gas in a can in his trunk
- Spending five hours visiting in the Marine Corp museum http://www.usmcmuseum.com
- Stopping at every other rest area: Talking to folks, walking the area, sitting flat on the grass under trees eating walnuts,
almonds, carrots, water, and grape juice
- Return trip: Missing my exit in Charlottesville, VA for I-64,
continuing on south US29 to go west on US60 at Amherst (a town I
used to live in) for another 60 miles and getting about 30 miles
of twisties :) Eventually picked up I-64 again
- Return trip: Meeting at a gas station a mixed group of all
types of bikes including some SWings -- nice visit about 15 bikes
- Riding with a group of about 20 riders from NC riding on their way to the Wall from Charlottesville VA to Culpeper VA (about 40 miles)
- My sister-in-law's good cooking
- Hooking up with a Harley guy named David in Columbia MO and riding to St Louis
- No rain eastbound trip

The Funny
=========
- Darth Vader riding a bike behind a big truck: There is a disturbance in the force
- Talking to a rider who named his group of Silver Wings and Burgmans: Burgers 'n Wings

The not so Bad

==============
- Riding 650 to 700 miles a day
- Losing two ballcaps to Kansas winds; one I bought for $10 lasted about 15 mins
- SWingers: Riding 7-7.5K rpms for many, many hundreds of miles
- Losing my bungee-corded clothes bag at 75mph about 80 miles into the trip, the bag not busting open, just bouncing -- then keeping it double bungee corded for the rest of the trip
- Return trip: Two rain spots (near Limon CO & west Kansas) for a total of 10 miles and stopped riding for about 15 mins total

The Bad
=======
- My dad's passing
- Tired butt: Riding on a stock seat -- wishing for a Corbin, the Mustang on my Road King, or something
- Running out of gas: Kansas eastward MM 167 walking the bike for 20 mins up hill
- Kansas heat on return trip: Plastered with sunblock
- Once in each direction: Bug hitting glasses, remnant of it
pulled under into my eye -- flushing with Visine

The Ugly
========
- Wind buffeting: Riding behind SUVs, minivans, roundish or odd-shaped 18-wheelers (Normal-sized big trucks more
predictable)
- Kansas winds: Eastbound, for about six hours, fighting south-to-north crosswinds -- angle riding
- Swarms of bugs east of Mt Vernon IL: Headed westbound, 9pm, clouds upon clouds of bugs smearing widshield, helmet, and some on glasses
- WV eastbound toll road (I-64/I-77): Worst road and I had to pay to drive on it
- Being so close to Deal's Gap and not being able to ride the Tail of the Dragon

Jeff
Arvada, Colorado, USAF retired MSgt (but,working full time)
'05 Honda Reflex 4500 miles (Jul 07 - Mar 08)
'07 Honda SWing ABS 16K miles (Mar 08 - now)
'05 Harley Road King 700 miles (Apr 09 - now)

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