How fast can you really go?

It seems like at some point somone who doesn't ride is bound to ask someone who does, "how fast can that thing go?" Thankfully, I've managed to keep enough sanity between my ears to be able to honestly answer, "I really do know how fast it can go since I chicken out long before then."

Besides, its hard to explain to a non rider that the thrill of riding a bike doesn't really come from cranking a throttle wide open on a long straight stretch of asphalt and just letting it rip... ok, so may be there is some thrill there, but it doesn't come close to the thrill of railing through a tight turn with the bike leaning over, wondering how much traction you may have left. Here again, some measure of sanity is required to remind yourself that public roads really are not the places to find out how far the bike can lean.


Ok... lots of preaching to get to the point of this post. October 23, 2006, I finally got the chance to do something I've been wanting to do for ages. I took a bike out on a closed road race course and just let her rip. There are organizations out there that sponsor what are called track days. You sign up for an appropriate skill level group, pay your fee, show up, have your bike inspected and then ride with your group on the track.

I ended up doing an even sponsored by Ridesmart and headed out to Cresson, Texas to Motorsport Ranch . My day started at about 5 am as I grabbed a quick shower and headed out, the bike already secure to the trailer and the van packed with tools and ready to go. I rolled into the pit area at 6:30 with not much of a hint that the sun was planning on making an appearance. I was lucky enough to stumble into John one of the riders from Texas Sport Riders that I knew would be there. I pulled in, unloaded the bike and before I knew it, had completed the paperwork, the tech inspection and was putting on my leathers and getting ready to go around the track.

Looking back on the day now, it really seems like it went by so quickly.

Overall I'm really glad I went and would do it again in a heartbeat. That being said there were a couple of less than stellar parts of the day.

1. The night before was really cold and the day of it never got very warm so the track temps made it hard to build up much heat at all in the tires. I think it was the lack of good traction that led to #2.

2. There were three incidents that red flagged us off the track for extended periods. Ambulances took the riders away, but the buzz was that there was nothing major. I'm glad no one was seriously hurt, but it was a shame to lose that much time.

3. Seemed like more people, especially in level 1 where I rode, should have been more willing to let faster riders move past them. I hated being stuffed behind guys on liter bikes in the turns, beating them out of the exit only to have them wind it out on the straight aways and shoot past. Then jam me up in the next turn.

4. Perhaps a few more instructors on the track would have helped that as well as given more opportunities for riders to work with instructors.





Again, I would do it again in a heartbeat and have no problem suggesting that anyone considering this give it a try. We ran on the full 3.1 mile course and I took it easy during the morning trying to get familiar with the course. By the afternoon, I was feeling pretty good about a handful of the turns but felt like there was so much more that I didn't even know I didn't even begin to comprehend about the track.

As far as lessons learned. I realized how important it is to be patient. On one lap I was stuck behind a shiny new gsxr. He was slow and erratic in the turns so it was hard to get past him and I started to get a little frustrated. I finally got a good run on him coming out of fast sweeper and opened it up in the straightaway trying to put some distance on him. Being on a bigger bike he started coming on almost immediately. I held my ground going into the first of a series of three tight turns, but I was carrying more speed than I would have preferred. I ended up with a bad line through turn 1, a lousy line through turn 2, and a thank God I made it through that one line through turn 3.

Going to have to work on that one...

**Slideshow of other pics**

"Woooooooooo, Pig! Sooie!"

So why would a born 'n bred Texan ever even think about saying those words? Well, a funny thing happened back in early August of this year. A fellow FJR rider, fjrchik, started a post to get some of the DFW area owners together for a ride to NW Arkansas. It seemed like a great idea, so I checked my calendar and signed up to go along. Little did anyone know how large of a turnout it would generate. I was hopeful of maybe seeing 5 or 6 bikes go. I think our final count was something like 27 bikes from several states.

10/6/06
We couldn't have asked for better weather. Forecast in Dallas called for temperatures in the low/mid 80's. I started the day at about 6:30 with a quick stop at Starbucks to get a morning jump-start and to have a quick breakfast with the family.



The plan was for me to meet up with Ray at a gas station near the DFW airport at 7:30 and then head up to Plano together where we would meet up with the rest of the DFW riders by 9:30.
(FJR in mile-muncher mode)

By 9:30 am, eight FJRs were fueled up and ready to go. We headed out from Plano towards Greenville and from there made our way up to Paris where we had some wonderful french pastries in the shade of the Eiffel Tower -- ok, so Paris, TX isn't exactly like Paris, France but I still had a mean breakfast special for lunch at a little cafe that hit the spot as well as any fruiffy french lunch could ever hope to. From there we made our way north to the Talimena Parkway, http://www.talimenascenicdrive.com/. I'd never been up there but give it a big thumbs up. The roads weren't very technical but the scenery really makes the drive worthwhile. We stopped for pictures and a stretch break before heading on down to Mena.
A few fuels stops later and we were rolling into Russellville. We arrived around 8pm and though it made for a long day, it was nice to have all the stops in between to make sure none of us were too worn out. That night we met up with a few other riders and discussed routes for the next day. After considering various options, I decided to connect with the group heading out at 10:30 so I could sleep in a little bit. Big props to Bounce who did a great job of leading us out there.

10/7/06
The morning of the 7th was absolutely gorgeous. High temperatures in the area were forecast for the mid 70's so the morning was crisp as I walked to the Waffle House for breakfast. A ham an cheese omlette and a couple of cups of coffee later and I was ready to fuel up and head out.
(FJR ready to slice and dice)

Unfortunately we found out that the previous days ride had been a little hard on Bounce's newly re-surfaced knee and he decided to take the day off. By 10:15 eight bikes were prepped and ready to head out.
Part of me wishes I had paid closer attention to the route we followed, but it really was nice to not have to worry at all about where we were going. It was just a matter of following along. I know at some point we hit Jasper on the way to lunch, but I guess I'll have to track Adam down sometime to find out exactly what roads we were on.
As to the roads that morning, I just can't say enough about how fantastic they were. A nice blend of medium and longer length sweepers with tighter sub 30 mph curves. Traffic was really light and it didn't take much effort to stay together as a group. The other riders were all fantastic and did a great job of giving one another plenty of space. No one had anything to prove and everyone rode their own pace.

Lunch was at this great place called the Cliffhouse. I wish I knew exactly where it was, but it seems to be a popular lunch destination for the two-wheeled crowd. We showed up a little earlier than they were expecting so we took some time to relax on the back porch and enjoy the great view.

We were soon seated and ordered up some tasty lunch. I ordered the special which featured beef brisket. As a proud Texan I set a pretty high standard when it comes to brisket, but I have to tip my hat to the folks at the Cliffhouse, though nothing out of this world, it was tender and definately a good choice. A cup of coffee later and some dessert and I was ready for a nap. Unfortunately the group was soon gearing up and ready to head out.

The afternoon ride was much more exhilerating as I tried to keep Adam in my sights while he led us through much more technical roads. Tight switchbacks with elevation changes forced my to keep my feet way back on the pegs while the big bike leaned a lot further than she ever has occassion to back home.
Traffic got a little heavier which made passing a little trickier, but all managed to stay together any my appreciation for the skill level of all the riders in the group moved to the top end of the gauge after watching them smoothly handle some really tricky curves. Adam and Mark did a great job leading us that day and really made me wish I could spend more time up there. By late afternoon we rolled back into the hotel parking lot and started lining up the bikes for a group shot with the other riders.
Seems we had trouble getting the final shot since bikes just kept pulling into the parking lot. That night over dinner, those of us that were heading back to DFW the next day agreed to be ready to roll by 8:30am.

10/8/06
Just like the previous day, the morning was about perfect. Tires checked, fully fueled we were soon heading out of Russellville. The morning had some of those postcard perfect moments where you wish you could quickly snap a picture from the back of the bike, like the one of the duck flying low over the lake surface. Scott had programmed the route home into his GPS the night before and led us on a very smooth route down towards New Boston. There was a funny camera moment when we stopped at a rest area for a break and someone pulled out a map. A huddle quickly formed to confirm where we were and where we were headed.
We pressed onward and stopped somewhere (I know... really helpful) for Mexican food. We managed to barely beat the church crowd and had a really great meal. The chips weren't greasy and the salsa had just enough zing to make you want more. Maybe I'll see if someone from this group remembers where we had lunch.

After lunch we saddled up and rolled on to New Boston where we hit Interstate 30 and headed West towards Dallas. There really isn't much to be said for eating miles on an interstate but it certainly gets the job done. We stopped one final time East of Greenville to stretch and refuel.
That's also where the group split up. Ray and I decided to head down Interstate 30 to 635 to 20 and then West to 360. The others headed North of the Metroplex on 380. I finally arrived home none the worse for the wear around 5:30pm

I can't say enough about how well the bike handled the trip. On the long interstate stretches of flat straight road, the bike just chewed away the miles while I sat on the comfy seat and re-lived Seinfeld episodes in my mind. She can back tons of stuff with the addition of the tailbag without feeling bogged down at all. Once there and sans-luggage, she'll just scream and tear up the twistie stuff like nobody's business.

If I have anything to say about it, there will definately be a return trip to the land of Razorbacks.

More ride pics here:
slideshow

What do Germans have for Breakfast? (06/08/06 entry)

The weekend was a short one as is usually the case when you have a Monday holiday. You pay for the long weekend on the front end by having a short weekend on the tail end. Regardless, the weekend feels like it's slipping away and taking a piece of my sanity with it. To say the stress level on my current project is rising would be like saying the Titanic sprung a leak. All this means... I really need to ride. Not that there's ever a bad excuse for going for a long ride, but whenever I ride it's like everything slowly melts away. Every mile that passes seems to take with it some issue or concern tucked away in a corner of my mind somewhere. The harder you ride the more things get filed away for later consideration. Before long thoughts are focused on selecting the right entrance speed to the next curve and setting up for a good line that balances the fun factor with a reasonable margin of safety.

So back to last weekend... I'm needing that kind of fix. I had thought about trying to do one of my quick solo Sunday morning dashes where I get out before the sun comes up, but Saturday night I decided to join a group of riders that was planning to head out at 8:15 am. I only knew a couple of them but why not? After all if you mis-judge the whole fun vs safety equation, it's nice to know there is likely someone around to make sure you have some kind of help. The group meets at Trophy Club Dr and 114. Thanks to the new diet it seems like I'm always hungry so I was pretty relieved when I had some extra time and found a Whataburger right up the road and picked up some quick breakfast. I love being on the road on weekend mornings before most people are out and about. The crisp morning, the empty roads, it's perfect. As I get off the bike and start pulling off the helmet I realize I'm likely to get a few snickers from the early crowd as I walk in wearing my white power ranger outfit. Oh well, if I really paid attention to what other people thought, I probably wouldn't be riding anyway. Besides, that one piece leather suit isn't going to get broken in hanging in the closet. A cup of coffee, a mess of scrambled eggs, and some sausage quiets my noisy stomach and crosses off the last item on my morning checklist. I'm ready to ride

I get back to the convenience store where everyone is meeting and find a pack of bikes there. I pull in and before long there's a group of about 8 bikes and riders. I meet most of them, but I'm so bad with names that only a couple of them stick. Usually it's easy to connect a name with a bike, but since 5 of the bikes there are FJR's it's not going to help much this time. Anytime you ride with a new group or a group rides with a new rider, one of the initial challenges is figuring out a good riding order. You typcially want the faster more experienced riders towards the front and those that ride at a more moderate pace towards the rear. Fortunately with this group it seemed we found a pretty natural order and proceeded without any problems.

A group of about eight of us got underway at around 8:30. Final destination -- Muenster, Texas. I can't help but pronounce that name with a heavy slow drawl in my mind, but Muenster really is a cute little town worth working in to a visit if possible, especially if it's around their German-fest celebration. It seems Muenster was settled by German Catholic immigrants and Muenster has one of the prettiest churches around.

So back to the ride... Everything was pretty uneventful as we left the metroplex and worked our way north on small two lane backroads. About twenty minutes out, we came up on a couple of large slow moving trucks. I've got to give the lead rider props for being so patient and waiting for a good time to pass. Then once he had passed he stayed in the left lane to let us know the road was clear. Riding in about the 4th spot, I loved cracking that throttle open and feeling that big bike turn into a missle. In the blink of an eye I was past the truck and back on the brakes to get back in line. Surprisingly no one else following came with me. We cruised along for a few miles but still no one followed. We were going to double back when one of the riders in our pack said he knew the other guys and they like taking their time and might even take a different route so we shouldn't worry about them.

We rolled on and finally hit stretches of twisty road. The roller coasters up hills and down to bridges over creeks was fun, but there's nothing like slowly sliding off the seat in a lean and rolling through a fast sweeper. We had a blast for the next 30 minutes or so. I'm really glad I was following someone who rode at a quick pace and really knew the roads well. His visual cues really helped me anticipate road changes and helped me set good entrance speeds for turns with which I was unfamiliar. By the time we finally pulled into the restaurant in Muenster, I had done a pretty good job of scuffing my boots on both sides and shaving the chicken strips on the tires down to about a 1/4". Not bad for a big ole' bagger.

.Second breakfast was great. I only wish my tubby body wasn't on a diet so I could have had some of those wonderful looking pastries. Maybe next time... or maybe 15 pounds later. I really enjoyed visiting with those guys and when the 2nd group caught up with us, we found out that right as I was getting ready to make my pass, a patrol car pulled out and followed the trailing rider. He paced them for about 10 miles and that's when we got really separated. I couldn't help but flinch thinking that probably only a few seconds kept me from a speeding ticket. Sometimes lady luck smiles

After breakfast, I had to get cooking to get back home since I had started later than usual, so I super-slabbed it. When I rolled in the driveway, I really couldn't help but smile when I looked at the bike. The FJR felt like a 600cc sport bike in the twisties and never felt sluggish or unstable and on the road back, the ride was silky smooth and so comfortable. Maybe you can have your cake and eat it too. (can't wait for those 15 lbs to come off to put that to the test)

Who says West Texas highways are straight and flat?

Well... actually I do. Having grown up in Odessa, TX, flat smack dab in the middle of the West Texas Badlands, and making trips to El Paso every couple of months, I got a pretty good look at just how straight a piece of interstate can be at an early age. Later on, treks to Lubbock and Dallas only confirmed my belief that someone had stretched a really long chalk line out between cities and then snapped a line for the highways to follow.

Last weekend however, I got a chance to see what happens when you leave the beaten path behind.

Around 6 am Friday morning before Memorial day, I saddled up on the Feejer and left the Metroplex. A few weeks prior I had arranged with my brother to give my mom a surprise. The plan was for him to take her to lunch and then I would walk in and surprise her. The ride out there was fairly uneventful and getting an early start put me ahead of much of the traffic. I stopped in Weatherford to top off and grab a quick bite before settling in for the long-haul. The weekend prior to this, I had installed a Vista Cruise throttle lock on the bike which proved it's worth in gold. Even on a big sport tourer like the FJR, it's nice to be able to take your hands off the handle bars to give them a break. Everything went pretty much as expected for the next several hours until I glanced down at the guages and saw my last fuel bar blinking. My mind immediately started digging through rusty file drawers trying to remember how many more miles I could likely coax out of the bike. 92 degrees on the back of a bike going 75-80 mph isn't that bad, but 92 degrees footing it to the next gas station would be a killer. Fifteen miles later Coahoma, Texas came in to view and all was good. I filled up the bike, put a couple of cups of ice in the Oxio and took off again.

Funny what can happen when you've got nothing but your thoughts to keep you company. It's like one giant free-association session. Thoughts seem to wander up and down, left and right, backwards and forwards. Memories of breakfast somehow triggering thoughts of your favorite baseball player of all time. I've thought about wiring up my helmet so I can plug in an mp3 player, but I really like the silence of popping in my ear plugs and traveling in my own world.

I showed up at my brother's house around noon and about half an hour later as they were being given chips and salsa I walked into the restaurant. My mom about fell out of her chair and she got teary eyed, made the long trip out there worth every minute. We had a great rest of the day just sitting on the porch and talking and then spent a couple of hours at Starbucks later that evening. All in all it was a great visit and though I hated having to turn around and head back the very next day, it really was worthwhile.

The next day I headed back around 8:00 am. Though feeling a little beat up, it wasn't too bad and I was making good time but slowly and steadily a cross wind starting building up. By the time I was approaching Big Springs, the wind gusts and the heavy traffic was really starting to be a pain in the butt.


Somewhere between Big Springs and Sweetwater, I pulled off the interstate and headed out for a road less travelled and as Mr. Frost stated so wonderfully, that made all the difference. (Ok, so sue me for doing a poor job of paraphrasing)


I wandered down small FM roads roughly paralleling my original course and ran across some wonderful roads and sights and passed through this wonderful looking little town called Buffalo Gap. Approaching Abilene, I decided to get back on the interstate to see if things were any better. Twenty minutes later I was off again following some two lane highway in a generally eastern direction. The bike handled like a dream. I hadn't really pushed it much up until then. The brakes were wonderful even under really hard braking. Dropping that thing down into a turn felt really stable and composed. I scuffed my boots several times before I started to put my feet way back before going into a turn.


There's nothing like the big grin you get on a bike as you approach a sign that indicates a series of curves up ahead and a recommended speed of less than 30 mph. Pounding through turns with increasing elevation is one of life better pleasures. As I left the Possum Kingdom Lake area behind, it was nice to know I was getting close to home and I was pretty relieved to pull in the driveway around 4:30. The trip took much longer than it needed to, but getting away from the traffic and wind gusts and getting to enjoy some pretty scenery to boot was worth it.

Remaining Pictures on Photobucket

Free range dogs are dangerous

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.

Blue Thunder comes home

So the forecast called for rain and thunderstorms later in the day. Most agreed that it wouldn't get bad until late afternoon. Texarkana is only about 230 miles, so I figured I'd get an extra early start and should have no problem getting there and back before the weather got bad. But the best laid plans of mice and men...

The first monkey to throw a wrench at me was when I found out my girls had their field day at school on Friday. So much for O dark thirty. I couldn't and wouldn't have missed their field day for anything. I'm just glad I was able to go and watch. So it would be a slightly later start, that's ok.

Then the second monkey popped it's head up and thew yet another wrench at me, only this one was a big heavy air impact wrench. Turns out Grandpa won't be able to pick up the girls after school as we had planned and a quick pass through the usual suspects of people to watch the girls comes up zippo!

So now it looks like a later start, dash to Texarkana, dash back and hope the weather doesn't slow us down so we can be back before school is out? Hmm... I can just see another monkey and a wrench waiting to fly. Besides, that just sounds like a bad idea all the way around. Wait till the next day? Forecast sounds even worse and saturdays belong to my kids.

Time for an executive decision. "Girls after your field day tomorrow morning guess what? We're going to Texarkana!" Response, "Going where?"

Turned out to be a smart choice. The teacher said it was going to be a very relaxed day, a couple of movies and some free time. So... we took our time there. Ate at a burger joint. Got to Yamaha Sportscenter and met Tony O face to face. From here forward I'm pretty sure I'm going to try and buy any future bikes from Tony. He's just been a pleasure to work with. So we get there and the weather is a little cloudy but looks like it might even clear up. Could have sworn I saw a faint patch of blue in the sky. Go through the pre-flight inspection with Tony. Complete the paperwork. Saddleup and get on the road.

Half an hour later... Is that wet stuff coming down? Time to pull a Clark Kent and turn into The Gordon's Fisherman. Put on the rain gear and got back on the road. There were a few times that it came down a little heavy and it sure was nice to move that windscreen up just enough to avoid most of it.

Pulled into the driveway to hear thunder in the distance and so... Blue Thunder made it home.




More pictures of the bike here. (sorry about the goofy grin on my face)

Riding the 3 Sisters

March 10th I wake up hardly having slept at all. The reason? Probably too eager to get started on my trip to the Texas Hill Country to ride the famed trinity, 337, 335, and 336. If you don't ride or aren't from that part of the state those numbers likely don't mean very much. But if you are in that small group that knows the signifance of those roads or better yet have actually ridden the trinity, you know why the mention of those roads is enough to bring a smile to any rider's face.

Tucked away South of Kerrville and West of San Antonio is some of the most beautiful country the Lone Star State has to offer. Dramatic landscapes, rivers, valleys, hills, and gorgeous roads.

I've uploaded a sampling of pictures taken during the trip and they're available here:

Photobucket Pics

Our trip started at a Starbuck's. Jim, a friend who shares the love of motorcycles, flew in to Dallas and rented a fantastic FZ6 for the trip. We were joined by Bill who I met through twtex.com, a great site for Texas riders. Bill was only able to join us for the first day as he was trying to get to San Antonio.

Here we are getting ready to leave Starbuck's:

Day one came to about 350 miles. Big thanks to Stephen for an excellent route recommendation to get us to Bandera. Toward the end of the day Bill suggested we stop for pie in Medina and boy, that apple pie really hit the spot.


Day two started with a gorgeous morning, a little foggy but it soon cleared to a beautiful day with clear blue skies. Our route took us along 337 from Vanderpool to Leakey and on to Camp Wood.

From Camp Wood we went North on 336 to 41. We took 41 East to 335 and headed back South towards Leakey.






By end of the day we were pretty much done in and had clocked about 250 or so miles. The scenery was incredible and we couldn't have asked for better conditions.



Day three found us pretty worn out and eager to head back home. Jim had a flight out of Dallas that evening so we had to make pretty good time. We took a more direct route put still managed to make a few good stops.


The final total came in at just a bit shy of a thousand miles and the last couple of hours were hard on the backside, but we hadn't been off the bikes for more than half an hour before we started talking about when we might be able to do it again. Hopefully I'll have a chance to do it again this coming fall and who knows, maybe Jim and I will make it a yearly event.

Red Raider

So... I'm cruising along trying hard to be patient. How hard can it be to wait for April right? I was getting the occcassional fix by taking the little ninja out every now and then but with such nice weather I really kept wishing I had my bike so my wife and I could go riding together. She said she didn't quite feel ready to ride on the streets alone yet, and to be honest, I didn't think she was ready for it either. Then it happened. The deal that was too good to pass up. I saw a listing for a Yamaha YZF600R. The bike was in excellent condition and priced so well that I knew I could ride it for 6 months and then turn around and sell it and recoup most if not all of my money. It seemed like a great interim solution.

Here's a pic of "Pokie" (name the prior owner gave the bike)


Now comes the catch. "Pokie" which I have since started calling "Red Raider" is sooo much fun to ride. It's so capable yet so forgiving. A really nice blend of performance and all day comfort. My plans with the FJR haven't changed, but I'm thinking the Red Raider has likely found a permanent spot in the stable. Time will tell.

What now?

So here's the scoop. I've always been more than a little leary of these blogger types who feel compelled to share all sorts of things with the world. So why am I doing this? Maybe for posterity's sake but primarily as an easy means of sharing some of the goings ons of one particular aspect of my life with family and friends. So you're not going to come here and find all sorts of drama or angst. What you will find here are regular updates of my developing life on two-wheels.

About a year ago I started to consider getting back on a bike. I've never been much of a cruiser type so a Harley was never really an option, but I really didn't think my body (especially my back) could stand up to the contortions of a modern sport bike. I spent a lot of time thinking and reading and finally decided a sport tourer would not only fit the ergonomic part of the equation but would also preserve the fun factor while allowing me to get out and see the sights.

As I started looking I found that there were many solid options out there. BMW has some great models but I'm not sure I'm ready for that kind of initial investment along with the maintainance cost associated with them. Honda has a fantastic ST, but a little more on the tourer side of the equation. I finally decided the FJR1300 from Yamaha had the right mix of sport and tour. The downside is that Yamaha does this funky PDP program which means I had to deposit last October and have been not so patiently waiting for April to roll around so I can take delivery.

You can dig up more info on the FJR here: http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/products/modelhome/180/0/home.aspx