I'm sure this is not the kind of thing my loved ones want to hear about, but riding a bike isn't always roses. This last Sunday a couple of FJR owners (and one soon to be owner) got together for a ride north of Denton. Jim (FallenJimRidesAgain) laid out a great route down some really empty back roads.
We started out in Sanger at a convenience store named The Sportsman. I showed up about 45 minutes early and had a chance to pickup some breakfast and watch the local folks coming in and out. The store has seating outside and it really was interesting to see how many people knew one another. I'm guessing that around two-thirds of the people there said hello to one another and asked about how this or that was going. I'm betting the other third was mostly out of towners like me. But even though I wasn't a local, I did have a good conversation with an older gent who asked if "that scooter" was mine. As I finished up my coffee, the other riders started pulling in. Pretty soon we were all saddled up and ready to go. Jim took point and I did my best to hold a good 2nd position.
The first half of the ride was fairly straightforward with some scenic areas but nothing too technical. For a new group, that really is nice since it gives everyone a chance to see how the others ride. Jim took it easy on us during that stretch.
The second half got quite a bit more interesting. The first minor "whoooa" moment came as I started to drift down the right side of the seat setting up for a banked right hander. As I started to roll on the throttle, I noticed Jim put on his left blinker. From my position, I didn't see where he might be going, but I stood her up and got on the brakes pretty hard (gotta love linked ABS). Sure enough there was a road heading South. As I completed the turn, I noticed Jim open it up and take off like a missle. I figured it was time for BlueThunder to stretch her legs so we quickly followed. We never really got that fast but it was an awful nice feeling to hear that engine spin up towards redline. We regrouped and worked our way through some really pretty areas. This is about where the free-range dogs made their appearance. On this straight stretch with tall grass on either side, I see this dark little shape shoot out after Jim. At that point I was about 30 yards behind him and started slowing down. Well tiny apparently had a friend, I'd guess about a 50 pounder. The second dog darts out trying to catch up to tiny but then I guess he noticed a second strange animal and veered off to intercept me. He angled from the right side of the road to the left. I drifted left a bit then swerved around on the right side of him. It all happened so fast and I'm not really sure how much I had slowed down by that point but talk about a pucker moment. Luckily we all got through the free-rangers just fine.
We crossed under I-35 and continued west making our way towards Bolivar. Somewhere over there, the pavement ended. Jim (being a dual sport guy at heart) didn't miss a beat and marched on. Since I'd already taken my bike off-road a couple of times already (probably a story I'll keep to myself) I took off after him. Slowly the two riders behind us began to fade into the distance, though I can't blame them since these heavy bikes can be a handful even under good conditions. We probably trekked a couple of miles that way before the pavement found us again. We regrouped and headed on to Bolivar where I had to part company. All in all a great couple of hours with some great folks.
Thanks to the clock always keeping track of me, I was only able to be a part of the first half of the ride, but maybe next time.
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