Another lame-ass video

[UselessPickles]

I finally followed extrememarine's advice and went for a ride in southeast Ohio. I've lived in southeast Michigan my entire life, so I've never really seen a curve in the road. I thought they were just a myth. OH-555 made me a believer. That road is full of surprises over each hill crest and around every corner, so it was a nice crash course (but without the crashing) in how to respect a curvy/hilly road.

Here's a video from the following day when I was having fun more often than I was fearing for my life. This is OH-537. Keep in mind that this is a wide-angle video (128° view), so curves and hills are quite subdued compared to how they look in real life. Or maybe they just looked scarier to me at the time


(available in HD, so be sure to full-screen it!)

 

[ionbeam]

Nice video, nice road! I love the sound track, you located my favorite quartet and let them sing a cappella. Given the travel:thrill:scenic ratio I'd rate this one 8.0 on the Fred W Rotten Tomato Scale. 1 = rotten; 10 = pure bliss. Welcome to the world of curves!

 

[wheatonFJR]

I love me some SE Ohio...I plan on running it the weekend before EOM on the way down.

EDIT: Nice video! I have been on that road before...but it has been awhile. I love hearing the raw audio of the feejer running through the gears. :clapping:

I have some lameass video of me chasing others out in Kali, but it is too long, no music and generally lameass for watching...except for me...as I remember the fun and adrenalin chasing Fairlaner and FJRonaMission. I would post it except for the lameass nature of it.

 

[SacramentoMike]

I do enjoy watching ride vids like this just to get a look at the countryside where the rest of you ride. This one sure reminded me of Upstate NY where I grew up and never have ridden a m/c yet. Someday I really have to.

OTOH, I'm glad I don't have to go so far to find curves, and put in so many straight miles to do it.

And not lame at all.

 

[extrememarine]

You see what I've been talking about now?

Sweet soundtrack; and fyi, the FJR likes to sing a couple octaves higher too.

book your room for EOM. There plenty more of those roads down there...

Wayne

 

[Fred W]

Sweeeet!!

It seems that some peeps are starting to understand my earlier "lame ass video" comments.

This vid was not lame at all. Hell no.

The road was exquisitely smooth and curvey. I liked the soundtrack being just the engine, as anyone can relate to what's happening.

It wasn't too long, nor boring at all.

2 big thumbs up! (keep 'em coming)

 

[Bustanut joker]

Nice work Jeffie!

 

[Bungie]

Lame lame lame. Damn I gotta get down there sometime this month.

 

[kolonial72]

UP, I agree with Fred - not lame at all. I wouldn't have complained about a few more minutes. Hey what gives with actually going 20 mph around a curve that was posted 20 mph?? Don't you know you're supposed to double the number on the sign, and then add 10? Oh, that's right, you were a curvey-road virgin. I remember my first time....

 

[RaYzerman19]

Nice, Jeff!! I've been to SE Ohio a few times and I NEVAR get tired of it. Lots of third gear roads!!

 

[dcarver]

What up UP?

No topless chicks on the ride? :lol:

oh, btw, good video - I liked the low right angle...

 

[wheatonFJR]

Hey what gives with actually going 20 mph around a curve that was posted 20 mph?? Don't you know you're supposed to double the number on the sign, and then add 10?

Not all the corners on that road.

Tell me when you're gonna ride it, and I'll sit back and watch.

 

[gearman]

Nice video. Not sure if I've been on 537.

a 555 teaser from last year.

 

[Bugnatr]

What up UP?

No topless chicks on the ride? :lol:

oh, btw, good video - I liked the low right angle...

Agree, I didn't see the front wheel leave the ground at all. No hooters, no wheelies? Oh so lame....

The grass on the road from the guy mowing was almost scary :lol:

Thanks for sharing.

 

[ULEWZ]

Nice video. I like the prospective from down low, but it is hard to judge the lean angles.

 

[UselessPickles]

I love the sound track, you located my favorite quartet and let them sing a cappella.

My quartet doesn't have any congestion problems like most FJRs (Remus Hexacone slip-ons), so it sounds even better

I often pause my music when I get to curvy portions like this just so I can listen to the bike.

You see what I've been talking about now?

Sweet soundtrack; and fyi, the FJR likes to sing a couple octaves higher too.

book your room for EOM. There plenty more of those roads down there...

Wayne

Yeah... only problem is that riding around near home is even less exciting now.

I think I'll experiment with these higher octaves by staying in first gear for my entire ride to work in the morning. Maybe it's even safer, because other drivers will hear me?

As for EOM, I have to figure out if I'll have the $$$ for it. Anyone looking to share rooms for savings?

Hey what gives with actually going 20 mph around a curve that was posted 20 mph?? Don't you know you're supposed to double the number on the sign, and then add 10? Oh, that's right, you were a curvey-road virgin. I remember my first time....

On these roads, 20mph often seems to mean that you better slow down to about 20-25mph so that you can assess the corner, then maybe accelerate through it. There were lots of strange hill/curve combinations and steep drop-offs with no shoulder that trained (frightened) me to play it safe and slow down before entering the curves.

I would agree with you for corner speeds in Michigan. We must really have no idea how to negotiate curves here, because there are some corners marked for 25-35mph that I continue through at 50mph (in car and on bike) with absolutely no effort/concentration necessary, wishing that the speed limit on the road was higher than 45mph so that I could actually go around the curve fast enough to have fun.

What up UP?

No topless chicks on the ride? :lol:

The topless chick was on the passenger seat

I didn't see the front wheel leave the ground at all. No hooters, no wheelies? Oh so lame....

The front wheel left the ground quite a few times on other roads. Rolling on the throttle while cresting a hill does it quite easily, I discovered. It even came up in 3rd gear over a hill once

 

[wheatonFJR]

Quite often when you crest a hill in SE Ohio, you will be making a hard left or right...and you won't know until the crest of the hill which way that is.

 

[Fred W]

As you might imagine, this is true in hilly New England as well. One "trick" is to look up at the break in the trees and / or any roadside power lines for hints as to which way you'll be turning after you come over the rise.

 

[UselessPickles]

Neither of those tricks work when riding through Amish farm country. It's mostly hilly farmland next to the road, so no trees to help you. And what are power lines? You can often see where the road is far ahead when you're at the top of a hill, but you have no idea how it gets there past the next hill.

Google maps satellite view of a portion of OH-555: https://maps.google.com/?ll=39.523243,-81.927881&spn=0.042372,0.069523&t=h&z=14