Ride

I'm going to be missing here for a few days. Car Guy will be here tomorrow and Friday morning we're loading up the motorcycles and heading out. Time constraints, and the fact that this is a first for me, preclude anything cross country. If all goes well on this ride though, I'll probably be doing a bit more of this kind of thing.

BigBandido is ready. I changed the oil and filter, lubed up the chain and bought a set of small saddlebags. Throw in my tank bag and whatever I decide to bungee to the passenger seat and I should be able to haul along sufficient supplies to take me where I want to go.

This is really a kind of minimalist touring. Call it sport touring lite. I've got the Bandit and Car Guy has his V-Rod. Well, one of them because he can't ride two at once. I mean, he's good but even Car Guy ain't that good. If I decide I like it and want to do more and further there will almost certainly be a BMW in my future. I have no idea how it's going to go and whether or not I'm going to enjoy it so I went with a motorcycle that, should decide touring isn't my cup of tea, will be a great around town bike.

We're going to Salt Lake City first. The Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA) has a new exhibition showing called The Art Of The Performance Automobile that I really want to see. From there we'll see. I'd like to run out to see Little Big Horn and then ride through the Rockies. Maybe do a big loop down to Four Corners, over to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and then home. Maybe. I'm planning on letting whim and the wind cast me where they will. I'm figuring on 3 to 5 days in total. That's for me. Car Guy will be riding here from California and then back. But then he's a lot more awesome than I am.

I'll be taking plenty of pictures and doing a series of posts on the ride when I get home. For this ride I just want to get away and forget everything for a couple of days. Clear my head and just spend time on the road with my best friend. See what's out there to see and travel some roads I've never been on before. Maybe find some nice twisties and let my inner squid out for a little fun. Forget what ails me and just have fun.

I hope you all are having a great Independence Day. We soaked in the pool and then threw some cow on the grill and made some garlic bacon burgers. Yes, they were yummy!The TDF is on the tube and I have some packing to do. You be well and I'll be back in a few days.

Six

Six Gets A New Motorcycle!

Say hello to BigBandido, my new (to me) 1997 Suzuki Bandit 1200S.

The engine is basically a bored out GSXR1100 motor, tuned for better low end power delivery and more torque. The saddle is a Corbin Lady and Gunfighter though this is strictly a Me motorcycle. I kept Black Beauty specifically for double touring.

I looked at a lot of bikes, including more than a few BMWs and I was tempted. Then that dang practical streak started whispering in my ear. That guy can really be a pain in the posterior some times. This bike has a small fairing, a comfortable saddle and an upright riding position. Plus round tube handlebars. I started riding in the time when all handlebars were tubular steel and I find I just prefer them that way.

I kept on looking, seeking the maximum bang for my riding buck. I wanted something I could take on a two or three day trip through the Rockies but that I could still tool around town on without carrying everything but the kitchen sink along with me. I'm not a cruiser or touring bike kinda guy. No offense, they're great motorcycles, it's just not me. I rode a variety of sport bikes from my Honda CBR600 F3 to my Honda 996 Superhawk. Throw in a couple of Yamaha standards (750 and 650 Specials) and my preferences are pretty clear. I did spend a few years in the saddle of a BMW R1150 RT(P) but I was priced out of that model fairly early into the search. I wanted a big bike I could take anywhere but that wouldn't tie up a significant chunk of my assets and irritate me every time I thought about it sitting in the garage,

A lot of the stuff that was for sale at a price I was comfortable with was pretty crapped out. What is it with some of you guys? Modified and junk shouldn't be compatible terms. Everything was hacked on, cut up, rattle can painted and just generally beat beyond my desire to resurrect. I found a few that I figured I could bring back to useful life but the end result was going to be a high mileage motorcycle that I was going to have to do a lot of work to before I could depend on it. Have I ever mentioned how lazy I am?

Then I found this jewel. Yes, it has been re-painted but it was done by a professional. The paint is deep, shiny and near perfect. It already has good tires, brakes, sprockets and chain. The odometer shows just a tick over 16,000 miles. Best of all, she's almost completely stock with the original fenders, exhaust and turn signals (seriously, the very sight of those tiny white blinkers on bikes just makes me grit my teeth).

Good enough. I plunked down the cash and rode her home.She's big, fast, comfortable and all mine.

Of course the fly in the ointment was a helmet. See, I have this irritating tendency to get rid of all my riding gear when I sell a bike, only to have to buy same once again when I inevitably buy another. So I had to run down to the local cyclery establishment to procure a new lid before taking to the streets once more. Hey, my life has been saved on at least one occasion by a helmet. I never ride without one.

I have a tank bag that was somehow overlooked during the last purge so I only need a tail bag and I may forgo that in favor of a small duffel and a bungee. Then I'll be all set. I called Car Guy and I'll talk to my uncle later this week. Ride The Rockies is on!

Yea Me!

Six