Sun… er… Saturday group ride
Today we had an out of town visitor who was up from Miami. So in his honor, we had a little group ride and lunch today.
Since he was staying in Fernandina, we did the ever-popular north run via Heckscher. It was a phenomenal day — one of those days that reminds us just why we live in Florida. Sunny, clear, 74 degrees…. Just an amazing day. And were it not for a truck towing a large boat in front of us for a great deal of the ride (cruising along at a whopping 37 mph), it would’ve been an even more fun ride! But slow traffic aside, we had a great time.
Lunch at The Surf was, as always, great, and the view is hard to beat. Following lunch, we stopped in to visit a friend at Nassau Powersports and then headed home.
Miles Ridden: 85
Scarlet’s hiney got cleaned up today….
So all the lovely new goodies I had on order for Scarlet had come in, but I had to hold off for a couple weeks to get them installed. So today was Scarlet’s makeover day.
I went with the Pazzo levers in the standard length (versus the ever-popular shorties) and I’m pleased that I did. They look gorgeous, and they’re quite comfortable when riding.
We also installed the Greg’s flushmount front turn signals, and Clear Alternatives Taillight/turn signal intergrator, the new tag bracket, and the clutch slider. All in all, no major changes, but just subtle changes that really clean up her overall appearance (especially from the back!).
Doc’s 5th Annual New Year’s Day Ride
So to ring in the new year, it was time for the 5th annual Doc’s New Year’s Day Ride.
This is a huge group ride, posted on at least 3 local riding forums, and draws quite a large and diverse crowd. We converged on Larry’s Giant Subs around 11:00 a.m., and with a motley crew of about 50 bikes (and a handful of passengers), we headed north.
Our route took us north into Fernandina and then into Yulee. I’ve been nursing a pinched nerve or something in my neck however, and at this stopping point, we split off and headed home.
It was a great group — for so many people and such varied riding styles, it was really sane and fun. But pain ruled, so we had to cut the day short.
Miles Ridden: 93
The Month in Review: December 2008
Well, I didn’t get quite as many miles in as I’d have liked to during the month of December. Between some bitter cold and the rain (oh, not to mention, the holidays), it just didn’t leave as much time for fun riding (or even commuting!) as I would have liked.
We did participate in two wonderful community events however, which I’m proud we were a part of.
Commutes: 1
Group Rides: 2
Community Events: 2
Total Miles Ridden: 529
Mods Completed: Tank pad, Tech Spec tank grips
Making up for lost time….
Ahhhhhhh…. so nice to get some good quality seat time in today, after a few weeks of no riding.
As mentioned yesterday, today was a big group ride… 20 of us to be exact. Sunny skies, 80 degrees, a soft breeze, and 1000cc’s between my legs. Yeah, not a bad way to spend the day.
We met at the appointed spot, and to my surprise, most everyone who said they were coming out today actually DID (so often people wuss out at the last minute, having slept in or whatever). The enthusiasm in the air was palpable.
We headed south on 13 (a typical route), and then to 207 into Palatka (again, a route we travel often — the scenery along the St. John’s River is just amazing, dappled sunlight shining on the pavement before us). Following a stop for lunch in Palatka, we headed south and west into Hastings and beyond (in truth, I don’t know exactly where we were). It was this leg of the trip where we really got to get out and enjoy the ride… sweeping turns, dips and hills, thick forest dotted with open farmland, and very little traffic between us and the horizon. Simply perfect.
We paused once more in Hastings for a bottled water and some fuel, then headed out some more 2-lane deserted roads before reconvening at a friend’s house (to meet their new puppy). A spirited ride home found us tired, but grinning from ear to ear.
I got to test-ride the new Tech Spec tank grips for the first time today. For the first few miles, I found them a bit odd, and I felt I needed to make a more concerted effort to move my feet/legs in order to shift and brake. But once I got used to this, I realized I felt so much more connected to the bike (literally) in cornering and stopping – just gently gripping the tank with my knees, and I felt very stable and in control. Definitely a wise investment.
The odometer reading for today is in question – our ride leader indicates he showed 222 miles; my reading showed about 196 (so I’ll just go with that).
Miles Ridden: 196
‘Tis the season….
…to not be riding (apparently).
*sigh*
While the weather outside isn’t frightful right NOW, lately it’s been a tad… well… craptacular. Either very cold, very wet or very foggy almost every morning. And the days it’s been nice? It seems I always had errands to run in preparation for the holidays.
I’m going through withdrawals!! I haven’t ridden in a couple of weeks, and were it not for Chris taking her out one day (to ride to work), she’d be feeling unloved (and might have a dead battery!).
Tomorrow, however, we’ll make up for lost time (and miles). We have a HUGE, long group ride planned, with both local friends, as well as some from Lake City, Ocala and Gainesville. Should make for an amazing day.
In the meantime, however, we have gotten a lot of the parts on order for Scarlet, many of which have come in (I’ve updated the “Wish List” page accordingly). Hopefully in the next couple of weeks, we’ll get some of the bigger projects installed, including the new taillight, turn signals and levers. YAY!
Middleburg Christmas Parade 2008
Last night, Scarlet made her parade debut. Beatiful as she is, no, she was not the parade queen. Not even a princess. However, we did ride with a local ABATE chapter in the 2008 Middleburg Christmas Parade. The group rode in the parade in order to encourage awareness of motorcycles on the road, and since ABATE has traditionally been a very cruiser-oriented group, they’re trying to encourage more sportbike riders to join as well (hence our appearance — with some friends — in the parade).
For me, this whole parade was just a blast. I’ve never lived in a small town like Middleburg that actually reroutes traffic to have a little hometown celebration of this nature. There were several local schools with cheerleaders and drill teams, Shriners, Church organizations, horses, dogs, classic cars and more. Most of the “floats” were actually car/motorcycle trailers decorated almost like life-size dioramas, with lights, tinsel, trees and music. There were Nativity scenes, Snoopy’s doghouse, Santa and elves, outhouses… and lots of blinky lights!
The parade route was only a mile long, but the families (particularly children!) came out in droves. The kids were by far the most fun part of the whole experience. It seems most kids, regardless of age or gender, love motorcycles. And they love them even more when you rev it up for them on command. They’d squeal and clap when we revved it up for them (and then inevitably, a few would ask us to pop a wheelie for them, which we just couldn’t do under the circumstances).
While there were a few other women riding passenger in the group, Brenda and I were the only female riders, which many of the kids seemed to notice. At one point, two women standing with a group of little girls noticed, shouting “It’s a girl! LOOK! They’re GIRLS!” and then proceeded to scream and cheer, like we were some sort of celebrity or something!! Admittedly, that was kind of cool, because you hope that the underlying message they were trying to send to their little girls was “See, you can do that too!”
Following the parade, we reconvened with the rest of the group, then headed out to grab some dinner. It was exceptionally cold and windy, and no amount of layers seemed to keep the cold out, but it was still a great experience, one we hope to participate in again next year.
Miles Ridden: 102
Toys for Tots Ride
Well it was a chilly morning, but I ventured out this morning to participate in a ride for Toys for Tots, sponsored by a local dealership (North Jax Motorsports). This was a combined effort of three dealerships (under the same parent company) doing three rides from three locations, culminating in a meet at the Conch House in St. Augustine.
It was a balmy (hah) and breezy 42 degrees when I left home, and by the time I reached the meeting spot (a mere 15 miles from home), I was already frozen to the core. Upom arrival, I was a little disappointed to see only 3 or 4 bikes, however before we left, we had about 17 in total.
The ride route was a familiar, yet favorite of mine, snaking down US17, across the Shands Bridge to 13, continuing south along the river and into St. Augustine. All told, it was just over 90 miles, and while cold, it was gorgeous.
The ride was, for the most part, without incident. We did have one rider (an older gentleman on a cruiser, whom we later found out, has only been riding for about a month). He apparently had no clue what staggered formation was, or how to ride in a group, which made his maneuvers unpredictable, to say the least. Still, once we realized he was somewhat of a less-than-skilled rider, we simply gave him a wide berth, and kept a relaxed pace.
Once at the Conch House, I was thrilled to see well over a hundred bikes, and even happier to see how many sportbikes were in attendance (since charity rides of this nature are typically attended more heavily by cruiser riders).
Lunch was delicious, conversation with friends was, as always, fun, and it just made for a nice, relaxing day. The ride home was quick (and cold), just a straight shot up US1.
Kudos to the sportbike community for making such a great turnout for this event.
Miles Ridden: 144
A bit moist….
After a rather frigid week, I was jonesin to ride to work yesterday (besides, being Friday, I could get away with wearing jeans all day, and didn’t have to bother with bringing a change of clothes to work!).
It was in the upper 40’s, so I decided to test ride my new Turtle Fur neck tube thingie. It’s not really a balaclava, as it doesn’t cover the head, but rather it’s a tube (made of super soft, fuzzy, fleecy material) you slip over your head to cover your neck; it blocks the wind from going into the collar of your jacket, and can also be pulled up and over the chin to keep cold air out of your helmet.
Well, truth be told, the Turtle Fur ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. While it is super warm, and did block wind, it’s bulky, and when you combine the helmet, my hair in a braid, the top of the armour in my jacket, and THEN the bunched up Turtle Fur, it made for a rather uncomfortable ride to work. I dunno… I like it, but it may need some ‘mods’ to be useful for me.
Aside from that, the ride in to work was lovely… clear, sunny, and beautiful. The Ospreys have been out in full force all week — there were at least 4 (all appeared to have tasty morsels clasped in their talons) sitting atop the light posts on my way in.
The afternoon ride home, however, didn’t prove to be as lovely. It had been drizzling all day, so my bike was soaked when I got out to leave (few things are as unpleasant as straddling a cold, wet vinyl seat — except the resultant wet JEANS). The rain got a bit harder on the way home (still just a light rain, but enough to be a bit annoying), and then I hit bumper to bumper traffic for the last 2 miles home. Still, I’ve ridden in worse weather before, and I’m sure I will again.
Miles Ridden: 25
Night Swimming….
(…because Night Riding just sounded too corny).
As I’ve mentioned before, since getting the R1, I’ve rediscovered the joy of night riding. Last night we did another short little jaunt, once again down US1 and 210 into Nocatee and Ponte Vedra, stopping in Jacksonville Beach for dinner. It was just four of us, which makes for a nice relaxed and stress-free ride.
I’m finding that I’m getting more comfortable with the bike. I’m starting to second-guess myself a bit less in the turns, and trying to improve my lean angle and speed through them. It’s 50-50, really…. half the time, I kinda get nervous and slow way down, and the other half of the time I just GO for it, and come out grinning, squealing “OH, that was fun! Can we do it again?” As long as I can increase the squeal to chickening-out ratio, I’ll be alright. I still feel like a completely newbie rider though… *sigh*
Miles Ridden: 62
