I had me first real experience with GPS while on a trip. I had the opportunity to take along both a TomTom ONE XL and a Garmin nüvi 265W. The TomTom was lent to me at the last moment, I had already planned to use the Garmin. Both are USB powered so I was able to use one cord for both devices plugged into a USB lighter plug attachment.
I started out the trip with the TomTom in my tank bag. There was no mount included with this version. It’s rounded back made the fit in the pouch of the tank bag a bit aquard. It’s touch screen was a little rough to use with gloves but honestly I didn’t think it would be very good to begin with. The keyboard was touch but it was not QWERTY so slowed me down. I didn’t have time to try any software so I was using on the fly route planning on the device.
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Last night I installed new tires on my Sabre.
There was much drama leading up to the tire purchase. Some cheese ball internet tire shop screwed up and sent me two rear tires of the brand I really wanted.
Come to find out that Pirelli quit making the front tire for my bike and I wasn’t going to have much luck finding one.
So I stick local and have Mike order up a set of Avon Venom-X tires and mint them on the wheels.
I got to put the wheels with new tires on last night.
I took her for a quick spin and could tell the difference right away. These are going to be some nice tires.
I rode to work today with the ground still wet from this mornings rain storm. The tires, dispute being so new, felt pretty good. I’m taking it slow to break them in and wear off the new goo. But so far with the two quick rides I like what I am feeling.
Here are some pics from after the first ride last night.
Sunday was a great day for a Motorcycle ride!
PB&J on his ultra, me on my Sabre and a new member of the riding clan JN on his Beeeeemer!
We had a great lunch at JN’s place and then headed out. First into Cheney and through the Turnbull reservation. We headed south to St John. We took a short break in Colfax before heading to highway 272 over to Potlatch, Idaho.
Now 272 was not a road I had taken before. This is where the ride really started to get fun! The twisty rolling hills were great and it was a nice quick jaunt over to Potlatch where we merged onto Highway 95 and headed north.
We stayed on 95 until the casino where we jumped the border and went through Rockford. Valley Chapel road was open, after being closed most of last year. I forgot how much fun that road is. The twisties are fun and that switchback is a nice addition to any ride.
We ended our trip at PB&J’s place on Brown Mountain. Something like 220 miles and a bit over 5 hours. It was a fun ride with a few friends!
How interesting is this?
Ryuta Kawashima worked with Yamaha and Tohoku University on a study to see how motrocycling effects the brain of middle aged men.
They took 22 Men in their 40′s and 50′s whom had their motorcycle endorsement, yet had not rode in over a decade. 1/2 the group were made to ride motorcycles every day for 2 months, the other 1/2 were not allowed to ride at all.
“Our final conclusion is that riding motorcycles can lead to smart ageing.”
“The group that rode motorbikes posted higher marks in cognitive function tests.”
“Mental care is a very big issue in modern society,” said Kawashima. “I think we made an interesting stir here as data showed you can improve your mental condition simply by using motorbikes to commute.”
Sources: Hell For Leather via Yahoo News via AFP
Yesterday, Sunday, I worked the WMSP (Washington Motorcycle Safety Program) booth during the RV show at the fairgrounds.
I handed out tons of WMSP shwag to people attending the show. The kids loved the bright Green and Orange sidestand pucks, even if they didn’t know what thell they were for.
We were giving away the Washington state Mad Map, for riders by riders, if people would fill out a 12 question survey. Got tons of surveys filled out and was able to tell many people about the Motorcycle Safety Schools in town.
What a fun time it was. This was my first time tending a booth at an event. I can not wait till Feb for the bike show when I will be working 3 booths – SMS, Westside and WMSP.
This post is just going to be a general summary of the trip.
I plan on making a post fir each leg of the journey, but im finding it dificult to find all the words to describe the beauty of the trip.
The bike trip ended up being around 1700 miles in 5 full days of riding.
We were planning on leaving Monday the 25th but the rain in town made us change out minds, boy are we glad we did, the rain would have followed us all the way to our first stop. Because we chose to stay home mondya that meant we needed to change the trip around a little bit to stay on course. We moved staying at Grandmas to the last night instead of the first.
Tuesday morning we rode to Bozeman, Montana.
Wednesday was the ride from Bozeman to Jackson Hole, Wy. We went through Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.
Thursday was our ride back from Jackson Hole to Bozeman. Again through The Tetons and Yellowstone.
Friday we rested, rode around some local Bozeman Roads and visited the Harley shop in Belgrade. We also partied hard with Rylan that night. Montana Gentlemens clubs are much better than the ones in Washington.
Saturday we left bozeman and Headed to grandmas in Kooskie, Id. We rode the Lolo pass that day. My favorite road sign of the trip was on this road – “Winding Roads Next 77 Miles”
Sunday – My Birthday – We road from Kooskie back to spokane. We hit the Old Spiral highway and Hells Gate in Lewiston.
That was the schedule. We had one hell of a fun time riding.
I’ll post more on each leg of the journey in the coming days.
TTFN.
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