Well, the ride up to Wilberforce was awesome. Bike ran like a champion as usual and once I was off the 401 it was quiet and scenic. Closer to the cottage I hit a bunch of twisties and rolled up to the cottage just as I was losing the sun. Perfect.
The ride home however was not so fun...
It started out great until I caught up to the storm... Then I got to play bridge troll under a number of different bridges all the way down the 115 for about 3 hours. I was SOAKED. But, it was still great and as soon as the rain finally stopped I was up and running, air drying in no time.
I think this trip has finally sold me on picking up an aftermarket wind screen for the bike. I have the stock fairing but unfortunately it was damaged before I bought the bike and I can't mount it. Some waterproof riding boots would have been nice too...
Good thing my birthday's coming up.
Showing posts with label Motorcycle Trip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Motorcycle Trip. Show all posts
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
My Tour de Wilberforce
Have another long ride lined up for this weekend. Unfortunately riding solo again so I'll have to make sure I double check everything on the bike before I hit the road. I'll do a checklist and add it here.
Here's the trip :
Like the last trip I'll be taking some pictures and updating my location with geotags along the route. If you're interested in that sort of thing you can follow me on twitter @jamieparkhill I should be getting started in the mid to late afternoon on Friday.
Ok, so plans have been evolving! I'd start another post but I think it would be more efficient to just load it all up here.
Before I head home on Sunday I'm going to ride west of Wilberforce to Midland to visit some friends! Here's the route from Wilberforce to Midland:
View Larger Map
View Larger Map
Pre travel check list:
- Tire pressure. It's a continuous high speed ride so make sure the front's at 28psi and the rear's at 32psi.
- Chain. Make sure the chain isn't too tight or too loose! Also check the rear wheel alignment while you're at it.
- Fluids. Make sure you're oil is topped up. If you haven;t changed the oil in a while pay attention to how far you'll be traveling and consider an oil change before you leave.
- Lights. Make sure your head lights and turn signals are all working properly.
- Fork pressure. Did you know that there is a psi in your forks you're supposed to be maintaining?? Each fork should be at 7.1 psi. The first time I checked mine one was at 36psi and the other was at 25psi! Obviously the previous owner didn't know to check this.
- Tools. Don't bring your whole tool box but it certainly will come in handy if you have a few select wrenches, pliers, duct tape, electrical tape, and anything else you may think could come in handy. It's better to assume you will break down and be prepared.
- Food and drinks. On a long ride it's always a good idea to pack some water and some snacks. You'll enjoy the ride a lot more and you won't be spending all your time thinking about the next gas station.
Here's the trip :
Like the last trip I'll be taking some pictures and updating my location with geotags along the route. If you're interested in that sort of thing you can follow me on twitter @jamieparkhill I should be getting started in the mid to late afternoon on Friday.
Ok, so plans have been evolving! I'd start another post but I think it would be more efficient to just load it all up here.
Before I head home on Sunday I'm going to ride west of Wilberforce to Midland to visit some friends! Here's the route from Wilberforce to Midland:
View Larger Map
View Larger Map
Pre travel check list:
- Tire pressure. It's a continuous high speed ride so make sure the front's at 28psi and the rear's at 32psi.
- Chain. Make sure the chain isn't too tight or too loose! Also check the rear wheel alignment while you're at it.
- Fluids. Make sure you're oil is topped up. If you haven;t changed the oil in a while pay attention to how far you'll be traveling and consider an oil change before you leave.
- Lights. Make sure your head lights and turn signals are all working properly.
- Fork pressure. Did you know that there is a psi in your forks you're supposed to be maintaining?? Each fork should be at 7.1 psi. The first time I checked mine one was at 36psi and the other was at 25psi! Obviously the previous owner didn't know to check this.
- Tools. Don't bring your whole tool box but it certainly will come in handy if you have a few select wrenches, pliers, duct tape, electrical tape, and anything else you may think could come in handy. It's better to assume you will break down and be prepared.
- Food and drinks. On a long ride it's always a good idea to pack some water and some snacks. You'll enjoy the ride a lot more and you won't be spending all your time thinking about the next gas station.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
First big trip
I can't tell you how many people told me I was crazy for wanting to ride the 400 from Hamilton, Ontario to Ottawa, Ontario. All I can tell you is they were all wrong!
Sure, I bet it would have been more comfortable on a 750 or a 1200 but I can honestly say that the 400 GS handled all 1000kms with no problems and I loved every second of it.
I had a wedding to attend over the Canada Day long weekend so I decided to map out a route and have my first adventure on the bike. Up to this point the longest trip I'd done on the bike was about a 2 hour ride to go camping one weekend. This trip was going to be a good 1000km round trip. About 7 hours there and 7 hours back if I stuck to all the back roads, a little shorter if I decided to hit the major highways.
Before leaving I made sure my chain was lubed up, plugs were good, oil was good, and all my lights and signals were working. I packed a few wrenches, spare plugs, chain lube, and most importantly a small spray bottle full of Windex and a cloth to clean the bugs off my visor. Strapped my bag down to the back seat and off I went.
Here was the route I ended up taking out there. A major traffic jam forced me off the 401 a little earlier than I would have liked but being on an air cooled 25 year old bike I didn't want to take any chances of overheating. Needless to say this ride was much more scenic and I made many stops in a lot of neat little towns along the way.
Looking forward to my next trip!
Sure, I bet it would have been more comfortable on a 750 or a 1200 but I can honestly say that the 400 GS handled all 1000kms with no problems and I loved every second of it.
I had a wedding to attend over the Canada Day long weekend so I decided to map out a route and have my first adventure on the bike. Up to this point the longest trip I'd done on the bike was about a 2 hour ride to go camping one weekend. This trip was going to be a good 1000km round trip. About 7 hours there and 7 hours back if I stuck to all the back roads, a little shorter if I decided to hit the major highways.
Before leaving I made sure my chain was lubed up, plugs were good, oil was good, and all my lights and signals were working. I packed a few wrenches, spare plugs, chain lube, and most importantly a small spray bottle full of Windex and a cloth to clean the bugs off my visor. Strapped my bag down to the back seat and off I went.
Here was the route I ended up taking out there. A major traffic jam forced me off the 401 a little earlier than I would have liked but being on an air cooled 25 year old bike I didn't want to take any chances of overheating. Needless to say this ride was much more scenic and I made many stops in a lot of neat little towns along the way.
Looking forward to my next trip!
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