Nice video of a ride in Thailand.
Nice video of a ride in Thailand.
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1431 to Gloster Bend
I had a couple hours free on Saturday morning before we went camping so I took a ride out on 1431 east from Cedar Park. 1431 is supposedly one of the better motorcycle routes in Texas and the many times I’ve driven it in a car I have seen tons of motorcyclists. I knew I didn’t have too much time so I figured I’d just ride a little bit of it until 8:30am, and then turn around and head back home.
My weekend morning rides have been lots of fun. There aren’t a whole lot of cars on the roads, but I do see a lot of other motorcyclists which is pretty cool, Usually they give a wave to me and I’ll wave back. Everyone is enjoying the morning! 1431 just past Lago Vista changes from four lanes to just two and is filled with lots of twisties and elevation changes. As a new rider, the curvy roads are pretty exhilarating even though I’m not traveling too fast. Usually I keep a little below the speed limit. It’s still really cool to lean into the turns.
I turned off 1431 and followed a sign to the Gloster Bend Recreational Area. I’ve never been there before so I thought I’d explore a bit. The road was narrower with a speed limit of 40 and decorated on the sides with the occasional mailbox. I only saw one other vehicle on the road, and they were just cruising along at around 30mph, and I decided to do the same. It’s so relaxing to just ride and take in the sights (while still keeping an eye out for deer or other critters) especially after the faster riding on 1431. I eventually found the recreational area, which looked like just a boat ramp and some nice picnicking areas. I stopped and had a drink of water and took a couple photos, then headed back home. It was a really great ride and I cannot wait to ride farther on 1431 to Marble Falls at some later date.
Distance: 50 miles
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Makkuro Kurosuke Keychain
I needed a different keychain for the bike’s key. The first one I used was a little Japanese charm with a bell on it. It was great, but you could hear that bell jingling when riding. Next, I used a pokemon bulbasaur, but it was too big and would get stuck in the little space between the ignition and the handlebars. This one is perfect because it’s soft and compresses so won’t get stuck.
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Weekend Riding
I went for a couple nice rides this weekend and put 179 miles on the bike. On Saturday I rode up Parmer north past 1431 where it turns into Ronald Reagan Blvd. I had never been up that way before, so it was fun to head out somewhere new. The street was nice and deserted: only a few cars and a lady riding her trike were on the road with me. Soon I found myself all alone riding past older homes on their plots of land and a few sprinkles came down from the sky. The temperature was perfect, in the low-70’s. I rode to the end of that street, where it Ts at 2238 and I took a right and headed towards Georgetown. The low-fuel light came on so I stopped at an Exxon and filled up the bike and had some water.
Crossing I-35, I continued on the road towards the town of Weir and then Granger, where I went the previous week. I decided to head around the lake again and I took a little break near the dam.
It was here that I put in the earplugs to try them out. I only rode a couple miles before I decided I didn’t like the isolation so I took them out. Next I headed down 95 through the town of Taylor. The winds were pretty strong, and heading south at more that 60mph was difficult and not at all enjoyable. I ended up pulling off the main highway and rode on some county roads, so I could just cruise at a slower 35-40mph speed and take in the sights This was really enjoyable. The people who lived in the houses I passed were all friendly and waved as I rode by. Returning to Taylor and route 79, I headed west back towards Hutto, then Round Rock where I turned south and rode through Pflugerville and Wells Branch near our old house. I eventually made my way to Lonestar BMW/Triumph where I took a nice little break and checked out all the nice bikes. They had a G650 GS like mine there, but it was a police model with sirens and lights. Was kinda cool, but also a bit odd seeing my bike kitted out like that. After that I headed back home via Rutland, Metric, then Parmer. It was a total of 132 miles and a fair share of regular in-town riding.
Sunday morning I struck out west on 1431 from Cedar Park. I only went as far as the outskirts of Jonestown, where I turned right on Nameless Road. This is another road sign that I had seen many times and wondered about. This time, I saw two bikers on their Harley’s leaving Nameless Road, so I decided to go check it out. It’s a pleasant little 45mph two-lane road with a lot of elevation changes and a few twisties to keep it fun. I passed four other motorcyclists on this road, I think they were coming from Leander towards 1431 and then Marble Falls.
I didn’t have too much time so after a little side trip down Round Mountain I turned back and headed to 1431. I knew that I needed to pick up some breakfast tacos so I decided on Rudy’s. I went down Lakeline Blvd south, Cypress Creek, Anderson Mill and then took a quick 65mph run down 620 to get the tacos. After that, I was back home with the breakfast delivery for the family. A nice 47 mile Sunday morning ride in beautiful weather.
A couple things I noticed while riding this weekend:
- Strong headwinds/crosswinds suck. Not only does it blow you around your lane, but it makes the ride a lot noisier.
- I don’t like wearing earplugs while riding. Maybe this will change, but I felt that I was too removed from the environment while wearing them. Some people really swear by them, so maybe I just need a different kind of earplug.
- Feeling my backpack/tailbag hitting my lower back is reassuring. It doesn’t provide any kind of support but it makes me feel more protected and therefore more comfortable.
- I learned to use my knees to stabilize myself on the bike. Now I can keep my arms and hands more relaxed which is much less fatiguing plus it’s easier and quicker to maneuver the bike when I don’t have a deathgrip on the handlebars. Also, by pivoting my body at the waist, it’s a lot quicker to lean the bike into a turn.
- Accelerating while exiting a curve is a heck of lot of fun.
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Accessory Power
I started following Chris Sorbi’s round-the-world motorcycle trip in support of raising awareness for world hunger. It’s an amazing five-year journey for a great cause. He is riding a Suzuki GS850 and has a couple of really good videos that detail his setup on YouTube. Go check out his site at www.motorcyclememoir.com to follow his journey and donate a little money if you can.
I have an old Garmin eTrex Legend on my bike, but it’s really flaky. It sometimes just turns off by itself, and I’m not sure why. Plus it’s so old that it’s a chore to get the data off of it. I’ve been using my G1 phone in my car and figured I could use it on the bike as well, at least to record my tracks (routes I travel) using the My Tracks app by Google. My bike has the optional accessory socket but I needed to use a Powerlet cord to convert the BMW plug to a generic cigarette lighter socket, then plug in the USB adapter so I can run the cord to the G1.
The accessory socket
I originally thought that I would run the Powerlet cable to the handle bars and then attach it using cable ties, but after threading it up, I realized that the socket was too big and since the USB adapter would be attached, it just wouldn’t fit nicely. Plus I am keeping the G1 in my backpack/tailbag, so why should I run the cord up front, when the hardware will be in the backpack? I ended up just guiding the cord underneath the seat where there is plenty of room to put the socket and USB adapter. It’s well protected under there, both from the elements and from any tampering since you need a key to remove the seat. (Click the photos for a larger view at Flickr)
Powerlet plug
Under-seat Routing
More Under-seat Routing
The cigarette lighter socket and USB adapter
With Seat On
Exiting the seat
USB cord ready for the G1
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Goodbye to the Supercub
It was a sad day yesterday as I let my beloved Honda C70 go to a new owner. I’ve had this bike for several years now, rescued it from a really sorry state and got it running and looking pretty good. I also got it legally registered again. I’m hoping the new owner enjoys it! I do think she found a nice new home.
During the restoration process, I learned a lot about motorbikes. Mechanically, I learned how to rebuild and adjust a carb, adjust valves, adjust timing, change sparkplug and points, change a tire, replace a chain, and do some basic electrical diagnostics. The C70 also taught me about riding a motorbike on the road. I got a lot of practice riding on this small bike. It was easy to apply the basics that I learned in the MSF class I took to this very lightweight but capable motorbike. Maybe someday I will get another one but that’s far in the future.
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Motorcycle Memoir
I started following Chris Sorbi’s round-the-world motorcycle trip in support of raising awareness for world hunger. It’s an amazing five-year journey for a great cause. He is riding a Suzuki GS850 and has a couple of really good videos that detail his setup on YouTube. Go check out his site at www.motorcyclememoir.com to follow his journey and donate a little money if you can.
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Makeshift Tail Bag
I strapped on my old backpack to the back of the bike. It actually fits pretty good! Sure, it’s not enough space for a round-the-world excursion, but it will be plenty capable of bringing home breakfast tacos on Sunday morning.
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Ride to Granger
Today I rode the BMW to the town of Granger, and then around the little lake there. It was an 85 mile trip which was longer than I thought it would be. I took no photos even though I brought my camera. There were a couple places just north of the lake on FM971 that were really cool-looking, but I was having so much fun riding that I didn’t want to stop. Most of the time I was moving at about 60-65 mph and the bike was just cruising along. It’s so nice to be able to go from 50 to 65 with just a simple twist of the throttle, but also you need to keep watch of the speed since it is so easy to just gun it. I did go up to around 80 on one stretch where it seemed safe to do so. That was a blast. I’m also really enjoying accelerating from a dead stop more smoothly than before. The shifting is becoming second-nature now, and I have raised the suspension up from its lowest setting (where I could balance on the balls of my feet) to the normal setting (where I have to tiptoe at a stop). The twisties are so much fun. I love leaning the bike (even as a noob) to take the curves. So neat to have the horizon tilt like that. It’s a unique and cool feeling that non-riders never experience.
From the GPS:
Total moving time: 1:53
Average moving speed: 44.9 mph
Maximum speed:79.3 mph
Odometer:85.37 miles
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Doh!
Went to the drug store this evening to pick up a prescription. Still getting used to the process of parking the bike, taking off the gloves and helmet and unzipping the jacket before going into the store. When I came out, I realized that I had left my headlight on. I’m not sure how that happened. Now I am paranoid that the headlight is on in the garage now!