What did you do to your FJ-tracer-gt today?

[dazzler24]

Not the right thread but seeing the precedent has been set....  after reading about the time of the day that people get up and out for a ride, I realised that it was nearly lunch time here and I was one of those people that thought more about planning a trip than actually going!  What the hell!  So, I called on the inspiration of that well-known sneaker brand NIKE and well, just did it!

Glad I did.  Nice but shortish 200km ride in the country.  Got to test out my recently installed braided brake lines along with the newish Michy Road 5s in some twisty back roads.  Got to say that I'm very happy with the Michelins.  They do feel very planted and inspire confidence.  A bit too much confidence - I was pushing the envelope (sensibly) in a zone that has been classified as a 'high crash zone' for motorcyclists when I spot what looks like an oil slick on the line that I'm taking.  Pushed a little wider to avoid it and rode onto the double white centre line only to look into the eyes of the local constabulary coming the other way towards me!  Woops!  Must have given him some cause for concern because he went to the road shoulder while giving me the 'you're a very naughty boy' finger wag as I went by.

Thankfully he wasn't able to turn around and I made a sedate/spirited exit through those twisties and was on my way.  Murphy's law strikes again.

As they say - pictures or it didn't happen.

Other than that, a great day out...

Almost forgot - the crash bobbins worked a treat as highway pegs.  Thanks @betoney for the tip.

[wordsmith]

Wow!   I almost lost a friend!

[fddriver2]

19 hours ago, betoney said:

 

Even when on a road trip, I keep interstate highway riding to a minimum unless I absolutely have to make up time.  When riding from state to state, I still plan the route through 'fun roads', sometimes even going out of the way to reach those roads.

From where I live, I could get to Missoula Montana, Boise Idaho or Redding California in just over 8 hours on the interstate but the 'enjoyable' route takes me 2 full days.

^^^^ THIS

If I was to run the Interstates I would be in my truck with it's AC, sat radio heated seats with lumbar support. 

I traveled all over the USA picking up antiques for a private collection mostly on the "I's"  If you see me on a bike on the Interstates it's because I had no choice. 

2 exceptions. 26 between Asheville NC and Johnson City TN and I 70 between Salina UT and Grand Junction CO.  Oh and maybe to get the End I 95 picture up in Maine

I picked up a lot of this stuff for them.     http://ourbackyardmuseum.org/

 

 

[koth442]

7 minutes ago, fddriver2 said:

Asheville NC and Johnson City TN

Yeah that's actually decent riding! 

[MemphisTracer]

Helmet lock from Amazon ($20) looks like stock.

[nhchris]

Did a spirited 230 mile toot through some of our beautiful NH north country wearing  new mesh riding pants. 

Scrubbed more side wall off the Michelins and stopped long enuff for a few pictures and a dunk in Lake Winnipesaukee.  The mesh pants worked well in 90 deg heat, but the lake was really heaven on this hot day.

Albany covered bridge along Kancamagus Highway

Mount Washington - the mountain

Mount Washington - the boat

Edited May 28, 2020 by nhchris

[skipperT]

I miss the Old Man....

-Skip

[betoney]

Today I practiced social distancing with a 300 mile ride to Astoria, Oregon and up 101 on the Southern coast of Washington.

Social Distancing 😎

[keithu]

21 minutes ago, betoney said:

Today I practiced social distancing with a 300 mile ride to Astoria, Oregon and up 101 on the Southern coast of Washington.

Social Distancing 😎

 

You are piling the miles on this week. Well done!

[betoney]

6 minutes ago, keithu said:

You are piling the miles on this week. Well done!

I crossed over from Longview and rode through Clatscanie, Mist, Jewell and then OR202 into Astoria.  Fantastic weather for a ride today.

[trevinator]

ordered a 15 tooth front sprocket for her today!

[riding_tall]

Found some new fun roads.

[keithu]

14 hours ago, betoney said:

I crossed over from Longview and rode through Clatscanie, Mist, Jewell and then OR202 into Astoria.  Fantastic weather for a ride today.

You're making me jealous. I'm stuck working all week so I can look out my window at this beautiful weather, or even step outside once in a while. Looks like the rain comes back on Saturday, just in time for the weekend. 🤬

[riding_tall]

[2and3cylinders]

Give me a break enough sunsets and sunrises

And Pitt and lunch stops at Scenic outlooks and Vistas

Be considerate of us urbanites and suburbanites who have to suffer through an hour or more to get on a 2 Lane twisty and even then you got to watch out for the farmers cager bound vacationers Sports enthusiasts with their bicycles and kayaks let alone the guys trailering a boat

And to add insult to injury we have all manner of Critters up to Deer size to trip you up I hate the birds though they seem Manic and try to take your head off and the turkeys try to take out your front wheel

Threats made of steel flesh bone and feathers create perils for the unprotected Speedster but what else can we do when we ride but speed?

Stay safe out there brothers and sisters though I was just commenting to the better half how on almost all my forums there's Nary an estrogen driven thread

However is I've grown older I've stopped more often on a ride to smell the flowers so to speak and realized my will it's too fast for my body so the only answer is to slow down and live long and prosper

I want to enjoy my family more than ever now that they're grown and have careers that are fascinating and contribute to society I don't understand how despite the things I've done my children have turned out so wonderfully now that's not to say they're not creeps

Children are little creeps they start as Rugrats and progressed to rodentia but they're so sweet you have to love them because you know from where they came and what they represent

And as you observe and interact with your children you see how much of your yourself is in them and what's wonderful hopefully, is that they see how much of you are in them

So while I continue to ride I understand more and more my fragility and how dear what you have is and how it makes everything whole yet if you devote yourself to motorcycles there's always that selfishness that says yes I love you but I have to ride

I guess this old motorcyclist is thinking back to his freshman year in college as a philosophy and theology major with an emphasis in Middle Eastern studies which is where man began and how history is a continuous series of wars with peace in between and how my generation that of the Baby Boomers inherited a legacy that we tried to explain and change in our image but now we are the Vanguard of the things that are wrong with Society which is so much a dichotomy from what we tried to do in the 60s and 70s

And I am a somewhat different example of my generation that I went from the extreme philosophical perspective to that of a laser focused engineer at the forefront of forever life-changing technology to travel into dark space beyond our Blue Planet and I was raised during the intricacies of the Cold War and the constant threat of nuclear annihilation yet today even with the fall of the Soviet Union we still are closer than ever on the Doomsday Clock

the question is will we destroy the planet environment with our are greed and over consumption or by pushing a button?

That's why after War men push themselves on motorcycles and in airplanes to speeds and Heights that can only thrill which makes you feel alive and in control

From this came the coy response when someone asks you why you ride a motorcycle, " life begins at a hundred and forty miles an hour on two wheels"