The ONE Picture Ride Report

[jmgrif]

This picture showed up when the wife was sorting through her photo's. The passenger is a friend of my wife and she had been in a bad motorcycle accident many years before the photo was taken. I was very careful not to make her fear any worse! I do miss the thrill that bike had to offer!

[img=[URL="https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/166619-the-one-picture-ride-report/"]https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/166619-the-one-picture-ride-report/[/URL] ]

 

[rbentnail]

Back in '09, you remember, business was slow, not much going on in the manufacturing sector I was working in. So we all (even we salaried folks) had a week off due to plant shutdown. A riding buddy, Ken the HD Guy says we should get together for lunch that week. See, Ken lived in Lynchburg, VA but worked in central NC. He kept a small apt here in NC but beat feet 2 out of 3 weekends or so. So anywho, I says, "Ya know? I feel like a lobstah." Ken says he's never had a lobster and asks where we should go. "DuhHuh. Maine!!"

So bright and early Monday morning I hit the road heading north to Lynchburg. He knows I'm coming. We meet, gas up and head north some more. We've only got 5 days for this so we gots to go!! Across the hills NW and up the slab we go. Overnite in Scranton, PA. Up and off we go again, east across I-84. One of the highlights of the trip we still talk about- toll booth from NY to CT. Ken goes first. I stop, lady in the booth starts asking where you going, where you from, etc. A few minutes later I find Ken on the shoulder of the road, tapping his foot, waiting. WTF he asks. "Just chatting. You gotta lighten up, man!"

Ken is a southern boy- Alabama, Mississippi, Florida kind of southern. He's never been up this far. Loving it, commented more than once about the hills and the wildness. Wants to see some of all of it. So into CT we make a right, down to I-95. BTDT but oh no, Ken's gotta: Norwalk, Bridgeport, New Haven, New London. Providence, RI: no wussy bypass for Ken, no siree! I-95, right through it! Geez Louise, WTF dood? Boston- think we'll stay on I-95, it goes around. Oh hell no, I-93 right through Beantown. We live, no damage other than blood pressure. Pull off for a breather into a little convenience store/gas stop. I say to the little feller behind the counter, "this is gonna sound kinda stoopit but we've been on our bikes for 2 days and haven't really been paying attention. What state are we in?" "Taxachusetts." "Damn Ken, you'da thought we'd made New Hampsha by now!" "4 miles", kid says. Great. Rest of the ride was comparatively uneventful and we watched the sun go down standing in Wells Beach, Maine; the first time either one of us had ever set foot in the state.

Wednesday, we ride around see some sights. Got to Kennebunkport early. It was just we two and the street sweeper. Lady at one of the shops invites us in for coffee. We chat, buy a souvenir. We head north, meandering along the coast line, checking out every little road. 'Til lunchtime!!

Billy's Chowder House, Wells, ME. We got our lobster....

So we head home, Across NH, into VT outside of Brattleboro. Stopped in a little store. Lady walks by, looks at our license plates and asks if we rode up here today. "No ma'am, actually we rode up 3 days ago and now we're headed back." Down here in the south we say "bless your heart", I guess every region has it's little saying meaning "good for you!" but then she says something I haven't heard in at least 30 yrs: "Gaad Blesss Ya's!" Strung out, like in the south but with a sharp VT accent. Ken stills says that.....

 

[Niehart]

Sometimes the roads to nowhere are the best roads. Just have to use a little care.

 

[jmgrif]

I was lucky this time!
[img=[URL="https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//"]https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//[/URL] ]

 

[Uncle Hud]

Finished the Hooterville 400 this past summer with a nice crowd of young men, then headed home. Griff and I decided to home ride together, so I mentioned three stops I wanted to make -- not out of the way, really, but stops add time and Griff has a wife waiting. Chilly and drizzly all day long, but a quick stop at the Chester, Illinois welcome center adjacent to the Mississippi River yielded this photo:

That was my first really long moto-trip -- overnight and not an adjacent state -- and is memorable for several reasons: crossing the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers in the same day on the way north (although the Dorena-Hickman ferry wasn't operating

); proving the worth of my brand-new Big Banana Aerostich; and weaving in and out and through a long line of Harley riders in north Georgia that were wearing garbage bags for foul weather gear.

<edited 7-25-17 to rectify Photobucket bullshit>

 

[hppants]

August 2011

I'm about 30,000 miles in now. I've tasted touring, and it is wonderful. But the nighthawk is smallish and the wind protection is limited. I can ride it 400 miles in a day, but tomorrow, I'm going to pay for it. If I'm going to go where I want to go, I need to re-consider my bike.

Back in May 2010, at the Inaugural Nighthawkers rally at Deal's Gap, forum moderator Designflaw06 (Tim) and I started chewing the fat at the Kickstand Lodge in Robbinsville, North Carolina. The adult beverages are flowing and the mood is light. He tells me that he has always wanted to ride a Honda Nighthawk 700s. I notice that he is riding some kind of big bike. It's not a crotch rocket, and it's not a gold wing-type. This thing is gorgeous. It looks like it is running 75 mph just sitting still. But unlike a squid machine, this thing looks very comfortable.

(Pants) "What is this?"

(D/F) "It's a 2006 FJR1300, by Yamaha"

(Pants) "What can you tell me about it?"

We kicked the tires a bit and I learn a lot about this bike. I'm intrigued. This may be what I'm looking for. We agree that during the weekend, we will switch bikes for a run and see what the other half is like.

Saturday afternoon, the timing was right. Tim and I swapped bikes and took a 20 minute run along Hwys 28 and 441 in the Great Smokey Mountains.

Oh my figgin G - where have you been all my life, you beautiful blue 2-wheeled wonder?

This thing is awesome! First, it is smooth as Chinese silk. Now I know what they mean by "watch your P's and Q's the first time you ride a liter bike. Holy crap on a cracker - does this bike go!!!! The engine is fantastic -the fuel injection is spot on and there is HUGE torque from 2,000 rpm and it pulls linearly at just about any throttle position. The riding position is wonderful - mostly upright with just a slight lean forward in the hands. The electric windshield is so cool! Hard Luggage. 6 gallon fuel tank. Shaft Drive. Etc. etc. etc. etc etc etc etc

That's it!!!!! I want an FJR1300 and I want it right fucking now! Craigslist, get ready 'cause here I come!!!!!

(Pants) "Hey Tim, how much do these babies cost?"

Well, that just sucked the wind right out of my sail. Mama and I have had a agreement for well over 20 years now. Pants pays cash for his toys. No cash - no deal. Plain and simple. No way I can swing that kind of money now, its just too much.

So I'll save my nickels and one day, maybe....

Eighteen months later, on a hot day in August, my neighbor Brody calls me. Brody is a Harley man, true and true to the core. But he's a good rider and we often go together on day trips when I'm looking for a laid back ride.

(Brody) "Hey Joey, I'm in Abbeville now and I see a motorcycle for sale. I think its that crotch rocket bike you are ape shit over."

(Pants) "What kind is it?"

(Brody) "I'm not sure, but it looks like what you described with the luggage on it."

(Pants) "Can you read anything on the plastic?"

(Brody) "It says FJR1300. I think it's a Yamaha."

(Pants) "Yep - that's the one. Gimme the details."

2 days later, I negotiated my way into buying this bike. A gorgeous Blue 2005 FJR1300 with 5,000 miles on the clock and only 1 previous female owner. I still can't believe I talked the seller into taking the only money I had - $5,000.00.

Well, this is it. I've got the right bike to take me anywhere in the country I want to go. There are no limits now. I can't wait to see what's beyond that next curve.

 

[escapefjrtist]

You've probably heard it rains in the Pacific Northwest.

In the interest of science I searched my foothill roads high and low, couldn't prove it this afternoon...

--G

 

[BugR]

Another picture from the Alpine Extreme trip organized by BeemerDonS.

This is Diana and I chasing Mario our guide (orange helmet ahead) on our R1200RT up Stelvio pass.

The straights are just long enough to redline 3rd gear, double shift down for the next hairpin with Diana spotting and calling down stream traffic on the radio, hit the throttle exiting the apex and feel the front end go light.

I just love riding rentals.

Chris

 

[Niehart]

Sorry HP

 

[Bungie]

Sept 2010. Cabinet Mountains, Hwy 200 Montana. Rob, Tom and I stop for a little break. While reading the sign which explained about grizzly bear natural habitat, several gunshots were heard. We didn't see any grizzly, so we assumed they were shooting at us and fecked off.

 

[Old Michael]

Great photo, Bungie.

 

[101stpathfinder]

The Haul Road…

I thought it would be cool to put up a triple digit speed on the Dalton. I hit a frost heave and the top case went tumbling off on its own.

I was launched over the handle bars, hanging on for dear life… I stayed on but the top case did not. Duct tape !!!

 

[Dr. Rich]

Riding scooters in Italy last year with the Irishman and Donna...

 

[Cav47]

This one picture will clearly not fit in with all the others on this topic, but the correlation is real.

I could have posted this report in the Presidents' Day thread I started because I did it on this weekend instead, but that ride did not happen.

I could have posted it up in the RTE thread for D&H because finishing this picture allowed me to check it off my list.

I could have also posted it up in the Valentine's Day thread since this is what I was doing all day Sunday.

But I chose to put it here since only one picture is needed for this ride report. I rode this beast on Friday Night for 5 hours stripping all the farkles put on by the previous owners. I rode it Saturday 2 up with the help of my son. Then Sunday I finished detailing it. Finally, Monday, I put her back together and even added a few farkles.

New Tile, Toilet, Fixtures, vent, trim, and some other stuff.

This "ride" for the better part of 3 days should qualify me for something..........maybe an Iron Knee certification

Ultimately, this ride report will allow me to create some other ride reports. Loose connection, but worthy nonetheless.

 

[jblanken64]

Overlooking Lake Jocassee in upstate South Carolina.

 

[lonerider]

One of my favorite roads for a day trip is Little Cove Rd. (PA 456) between Hancock, MD and McConnellsburg, PA. When heading for McConnellsburg, I passed this old traction engine, sitting in a farm driveway and under a head of steam. Definitely worth turning around to get a picture, IMHO. Unfortunately, no one was around; I would have liked to have gotten some info concerning it

 

[Big Sky]

Those old steam engines make the most fascinating noises...

 

[hppants]

Just a gentle reminder of my OP suggestion - please be discouraged from posting commentary on this thread unless that includes your own picture and story. I'm not playing thread snob to be mean. I'm trying to develop a collective story from the sum of its parts. I hope you understand.

Practicing what I preach....

I love the mountains. The front door of my house resides 24 feet above sea level. I've lived in south Louisiana all my life, so perhaps my fascination with the mountains stems from my normal 2-dimensional point of view. I go to see mountains every chance I get. And when I do it on the motorcycle, it's simply icing on the cake.

This was taken in the Fall of 2013 in the Appalachian range near the Cumberland Gap. The 3 of us were well off the beaten path and the smell of the forest was intoxicating. The road was smooth, clean, and absent of any appreciable traffic. We wandered in and out of Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Virginia all day. The views from the road were plenty, but there were very few opportunities to pull off and gaze. We took turns leading and following, and no one really cared which way we went. It was all good, and we knew it at the time.

In my memory, this was one of my favorite bike trip days.

 

[Niehart]

Loved one and really like the other. Sadly both are gone now.

 

[Cav47]

I sold the FJ around in the fall of 1996. I knew the bike that I wanted. The 1996 Honda CBR 900RR. It was all the rage in Cycle World. I lusted over the machine but there was no deep connection. I was a squid and rode like one. I am not proud of it, but it was a stage of the evolution. I had no real relationships with the next few toys with motors. That is evident in the little time I owned them.

My wife was not a fan of it and prob how I rode it. She kinda convinced me to buy a Sea-DOO. We both would be able to enjoy it more and we lived pretty close to a power plant lake. So I traded the CBR in for a new GTX after just a year. The Sea-DOO was a ton of fun and we took it to my Grandpas in Texas and even to Florida a couple of times. Eventually, she quit riding. I liked to ride fast and pull skiers and tubers. She was all about put-putting around and laying on the beach. I rode it one more summer and traded it in. I justified it somehow in my mind and bought a barely used 97 GSXR 750. I went back to riding one machine by myself. I really didn't even have any pictures of these machines. They just didnt mean very much.

The next summer, the wife graduated from college and we moved to a town with a lake. Guess what, we bought another Sea-Doo with the promise that we would be able to enjoy it together. Well, that did not happen because she was actually working all summer as an accountant. After about a year, we built a house since we were both employed now and we wanted a really nice deck. The Sea-Doo was basically traded in for a bunch of outside projects like a deck, patio furniture, and a few other landscape items that we wanted. Maybe when we saved some money I could get something else to ride. Home ownership denies that Especially when 4 kids later you have no money

11 LONG YEARS pass before I was able to save/rathole/squirrel away enough poker money, odd jobs, overtime, and summer work. It was a long 11 years. I did some research and bought a mid-life crisis purchase at 36. The bike was way too young for me. I did not ride it very far and it was not the best tool for the type of riding I was doing. I knew my riding would be solo since the wife was not riding on this kind of bike now.

This is the only picture I have. The bike was not as special as I wish it could have been, but it did lead me to the FJR. For that I am grateful.