Kawasaki Concours "Classic" Ride Review

What is it like to live with a Concours Classic?  Well the short answer is that it is like living with a good friend that lives on coffee and energy bars.  It wants to go someplace and wants to go now.  No matter where, it just wants to hurry up and get going.

As always it is a little hard to be completely unbiased about something that you shelled out your hard earned cash for, so, without any apologies, let me tell you what I think about the Concours.

When the Concours was introduced to the US market it was one of the first of what we now call "sport touring" bikes.  Even though it came with saddle bags, it leaned more toward sport than touring.  The engine was pulled from the hotrod Ninja 1000.  The engine was modified to mate with a shaft drive and to provide more torque down lower in the rev department.  Still, it is a strong engine and a good one can put 100+ horsepower to the ground.

Speaking of the engine, it has to be one of the easiest to live with.  It pulls strongly and smoothly from very low revs.  As the revs build the engine really comes alive.  At 5000, 6500, and then again at 8000 RPM it feels like you lit an afterburner.  Not only does it accelerate with increasing strength, the sound turns from a guttural purr to a howl.  The sound and the acceleration produce a very satisfying experience.

The suspension gives a sporty ride and the handling is completely unflapped by road irregularities - at least at the speed I am comfortable riding.  The bike rolls into and out of curves with the ease of a much lighter bike and can easily change direction mid-curve it needed.  The brakes are a good match for the handling and an adrenaline aided two finger pull can make the front tire howl, yet the brake is easy to control right to the edge of adhesion.

For me, the seat, handlebar, foot peg location is nearly perfect.  Most weight is on the seat, but you do support a bit with your arms and hands.  I find it very comfortable.  How comfortable?  I once rode it 1200 miles in 23 hours including a short four hour break to take a nap.  This was with the bike completely stock. Since then  I have put a Corbin seat on it.  Not that it needed it, but the original split a glued seam and I was able to convince myself to put the Corbin on it.  My best friend and riding buddy Kim feels the tiny back rest on the Corbin gives a feeling of security, but the OEM seat really was good.  We also added a Clearview windshield to the bike.  When riding in a quartering headwind the still air pocket behind the original screen began to collapse on the back seat passenger and caused a fair amount of buffeting.  Something a solo ride never feels.  The Clearview is a little wider but the same height as the original.  It did help the buffeting, but a properly fitting helmet made a much better solution.

So we made two minor modifications to the bike and while I like the seat and windshield a little better than the originals, there was actually little true improvement.  It seems the bike was mighty good as it came from the factory.  If I were to do it again, I'd keep the EOM parts and spend the cash on a weekend trip.

The fairing offers good protection and it keeps legs and feet nice and warm clear down to about 20 degrees F.  At least I thought so when I lived in the north, different story now that the blood has thinned in the Florida heat.  In the hot south, the fairing can draw engine heat up on the rider, especially when crawling along in city traffic.

Are there negatives with the Connie?  Not really. At my height (5' 8") it is a little tall and heavy when sqeegying around the garage, but as soon as you are above a walking speed it all becomes easy.

The classic Connies have a timeless beauty.  Park it among more modern rides and passers-by will walk past the newer bikes but usually stop to give the Concours a good eyeing.  Our bike is a 2004 and I call the color black, which it is.  It also has a subtle blue metal flake.  When it sits in the sun it is a very shiny black that seems to give a faint dark blue sparkle, when the angle is right.  I have always thought it reminded me of a steam locomotive.  It gives the look of raw mechanical purity, strength, and competence.

Hit the start button and the bike settles into a gentle idle.  The stock exhaust is a quiet and muffled sound that cannot hide the underlying strength of the engine.  I have read that the Connies can be buzzy.  I have to say that I don't notice this.  That could be because my other bikes make this one seem smooth by comparison, but I have never felt fatigue or tingling even after long rides.  One thing I do is to set the valves at the recommended interval and I take the time to sync the carbs at the same time.  Maybe this simple maintenance is what keeps the buzz at bay.

The gas mileage runs a consistent 44 MPG on the highway and at interstate speeds.  A heavy hand could lower it of course.   When I ride the back roads that I prefer, the mileage ranges from the mid to upper 40s and has topped 50 a time or two.  You can expect to ride 240 miles before it goes on reserve.  I once rode just a shade over 300 miles on a tank, but I was sweating a bit by the time I found a gas station.

The classic Concours can no longer match the performance of a modern sport tourer, but its' performance is probably greater than the abilities of most of its' riders.  Certainly it has more performance that I have ability.  The bike has a timeless beauty that it has retained with grace as it has aged.  I suspect it'll have a strong and loyal following for many years!

A Picnic In Old Florida

We enjoyed a nearly perfect day for a ride on the TU250 and the Vulcan this past weekend.  The day dawned crystal clear and cool.  By the time we rolled the bikes out of the garage at 1000, the temperature had risen to 65 degrees and the sun felt warm on our faces and backs.

Our plan was to ride down to Lake Marian where we would picnic along the shoreline near the southern end of the lake.  We had ridden only a few miles when we stopped to watch a pair of eagles playing in the sky.  If you have watched eagles fly you'll agree that they often seem to fly just for the sheer enjoyment of flight.  One bird flew in large lazy circles while the other would climb above the first then swoop down below and steeply pull up and roll on it's back and reach up with it's feet trying to grab the other.  They repeated this maneuver over and over as they called back and forth to one another.

TU 250 & Vulcan along the lake

Eventually they flew out of our sight, so we hopped on our bikes and thumped and chugged our way south down the Canoe Creek Road toward our next planned stop at Camp Hammock along Lake Kissimmee.  We turned southwest onto a gravel road that leads back to the lake.  The road is only about five miles long, but it cuts through a beautiful mix of wooded and open pasture land.  Because the road dead ends at the lake there is very little traffic on it except for the occasional pickup pulling an airboat.  There is so little traffic that the cattle stop grazing and stare at us as we thread our way through the loose gravel and pot holes.

My riding partner led the way and pointed to an eagle sitting on a fence post.  As we neared, it took flight and flew past an old tree that held another eagle.  Both took to the air and flew a big circle around us before re-landing in the old tree.

At the end of the road, we stepped off the bikes and stood at the edge of the lake listening for gators and watching herons and egrets fish the shallow water along the shore.  Rested and content, we climbed back on our bikes and jittered and bounced our way back up the gravel road and onto Canoe Creek.

We eased south for another fifteen or so miles where we turned onto another gravel road where we had planned a stop at a small park on Lake Marian.  The park is seldom used and most of the time when we visit, we are the only people there.  That was true this trip as well.  The park has a little gazebo at the end of a short pier and this is where we planned to have our picnic.  The park was filled with wading birds and osprey as so many of the inland lakes are.  This time there was a special guest waiting for us.  Sitting on the railing around the gazebo was a pelican.  Pelicans are often seen soaring up and down the ocean coast but only rarely around the inland lakes.  We decided to inch our way out the pier toward the gazebo in the hopes of not spooking the pelican and maybe enjoying our picnic at a table within a few feet of him.  This plan worked and we sat within ten feet of the pelican.  What we hadn't expected was the huge insect hatch that was going on.  The hatch made the picnic impossible as we could hardly breath without inhaling the bugs.  Our picnic would have to wait.

Blue Heron

Inland Pelican



Egret

We packed our sandwiches back into the saddle bags on the Vulcan and after taking time for a few pictures, we left the birds and bugs behind as we headed further south.  We stopped at a small retirement community where we sat on the ground near the shore of the lake and enjoyed our picnic in peace.  As we ate, the sun warmed us and we watched hawks and vultures wheeling in the sky.

Limpkin

After lunch, we continued south to Kenansville where we turned north and rode by and through a few ghost towns on our way to Holopaw.  At Holopaw, we turned west, riding through orange groves and pasture land on our way home.

Sandhill Cranes

Although we only rode 100 miles, we were treated to a fine sampling of old Florida.

Cross Creek, Old Florida, and The Yearling Restaurant

We spent a wonderful day on the bike today. The goal was much the same as it usually is, we set out to explore back roads and see rural America. Today the ride went to Cross Creek Florida, the home of author Marjorie Rawlings.

North of Orlando we joined state route 19 at Altoona, population 89. Altoona sits on the southern end of the Ocala National Forest, an area that I enjoy riding for the chance of sighting a black bear. There were none today, but there are always many types of birds to be seen. That could explain why I seldom see the bears, I am always looking up at the birds.

At Salt Springs, we turned west on 316. This road exits the forest and enters what everyone calls horse country. There are many beautiful horse farms in the area. The roll of the terrain and the pristine horse farms are reminiscent of parts of Kentucky. Yet the area is all its' own. 316 is lined with live oaks dripping with Spanish moss and in many places this forms a kind of canopy over the road. It is like riding through a moss covered tree tunnel.

Turning north again on 200A, we slipped through the small town of Citra. Population not mentioned on the town welcome sign, but this is a bigger town that Altoona, I'd say it has closer to 100 residents...

It is a true pleasure to ride through this area and to enjoy the small rural towns. We turned northwest on 325 and after about 4 miles, we found a sign that welcomed us to Cross Creek Florida. It is good the sign was there as there is little else to let you know you have entered a town. Cross Creek seems to be more an area than a town and there are very few houses in the area. If I must live in a town, somewhere like Cross Creek would be about right.

What there is in Cross Creek is magical. There is a very small creek that runs between Lochloosa Lake and Orange Lake. Sitting right on this short creek is the Yearling restaurant. This place is a glimpse of Cracker style old Florida. Florida Cracker is a term used for a native Floridian, but most likely the word Cracker came from the crack of the whip the early cowhands used to herd and guide the cattle. The cattlemen were called crackers and eventually people born and raised in Florida became known as "crackers".

Outside "The Yearling" restaurant

We stopped for a sandwich at "The Yearling" restaurant. The menu includes many local favorites. I suspect the menu changes a bit with the season, but while we were there they offered; Venison, Quail, Alligator, Cooter, (that's turtle), frog legs, catfish, as well as more typical land and sea food. They also have live entertainment. There was a blues singer sitting on a chair singing the blues and chatting with the patrons. We noticed they also have a small stage that could accommodate a small band in the main dining area. The decorations are perfect for enhancing the atmosphere and include many items that a country family would have put to daily use back about sixty years ago.

Inside The Yearling

There are a few small cabins on the grounds that can be rented at very reasonable prices. They have the appearance of being either small tourist cabins from years past or possibly the homes of people that worked the orange groves or hunted and fished for their living. This would be a perfect and very quiet get-away.



The above photos are from the grounds around The Yearling

One more picture of the bikes outside the restaurant.  That is a US Motors generator in the background, used before electricity came to the area.

After leaving the restaurant, we rode about 200 yards and stopped at the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings homestead. Rawlings was an author that wrote much about the life of rural Floridians and in particular, those that lived in and around Cross Creek. Florida really has two very different personalities and histories. The coast and coastal history is very exciting and interesting. At the same time, the inland history and the lives of those that made a living there is equally interesting and exciting, but very different.  There is so much history here and you can get a good look at life in central Florida by reading some of Rawlings stories.  The Yearling, the book the restaurant is named for is one of her most well known.  All are good reading though.

Above from the Marjorie Rawlings homestead

Much of the old Rawlings orange grove is still there and the buildings have been preserved so we can better see and feel what it may have been like to have lived in this very remote section of Florida 60 years ago. Wandering the grounds made me realize how far the life of today’s children and adults is from what it was when Rawlings lived here. There is a bit of sadness at what has been lost. Even the fact that these simple, yet complex times even existed have been lost to so many...

As always, it was a pleasure to get out with my good riding friend and father in law Gary. We certainly enjoyed seeing the back roads and small towns of Florida. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Tail of the Dragon, Moonshiner 28, The Gauntlet, and other great rides

My good riding buddy, and father in law, Gary and I took a nice bike ride last week to ride the Tail of the Dragon. The Dragon is a great destination in itself, but there is so much great riding in that area as well as on the road to the Dragon that I thought I'd share some of the roads with you.

We travelled through central Florida, north through the Ocala National Forest and picked up route 100 in Stark and US 129 in Jasper, Florida. We stopped for a BBQ sandwich in Jasper before continuing north into Georgia. The Tail of the Dragon is a section of US 129 so we could have taken 129 all the way north to Tennessee, but we deviated here and there in our efforts to stay away from the larger towns.

US 129 passes through Lakeland Georgia. Lakeland is a clean small town and county seat of Lanier County. Continuing north, you begin to parallel a railroad at Ray City. The ride along the railroad is very pretty and continues for a number of miles. The road has tall trees lining both sides and little traffic. The afternoon smells of pine drifted on the air as we kept eyes open for deer and other wildlife.

A bit further north we passed through Fitzgerald, a town that was founded as a settlement community for civil war veterans. Fitzgerald is just a few miles from the location where Jefferson Davis was captured.

We stopped for a break in Abbeville. Abbeville has an impressive courthouse and also some older abandoned and semi abandoned buildings that add to the feel that you have travelled back in time at least fifty years.



Abbeville, Ga.



Abbeville Courthouse

From Abbeville you pass through miles of cotton fields and pecan groves. The cotton is now picked by machines, but just looking at the size and number of cotton fields makes you realize how many people must have worked the field in days past when the work was done by hand. The pecan harvest must be something to see. My riding friend and father in law, Gary told me they grabbed the tree with a special large machine and shook it to knock the nuts down.

Well Gary has been known to tell tales and I was a little skeptical that this was one of them. Pecan trees are big, and in my mind they seemed too big to shake. Turns out he was spot on. The trees are shaken with a large tree shaker until the nuts are dropped, and then a sweeping machine sweeps the ground and puts the nuts in piles. Lastly another machine scoops them up and separates all the unwanted twigs and leaves from the nuts. The tree shaker is a machine like none I have ever seen. A person sits in it and grabs the tree with a large pincher on the end of an arm, then begins the shaking process. I'd really like to see it being done, has to be a nasty ride if you happen to be the person that operates the shaker. I bet he sees double for a while afterward.

We continued the ride north toward Hawkinsville, where we picked up 129 alt to stay away from Macon. Near Hawkinsville was a large complex that seems to have been built for the training of horses for harness racing. Not much was going on when we passed by, but given the size of the facility, it must be a jumping place at times.

We meandered around the back roads and stopped in Gray by early evening. From Gray to Monticello, the road follows a railroad and once again tall trees border the road as you search the edges of the trees for deer. Last year we stopped in Monticello for lunch. We had climbed off the bikes and were wandering around the city square when a well-dressed gentleman stopped to ask if he could help us find our way. We told him we were looking for a bite to eat. He kindly told us of a couple options, but recommended a cafe called the corner cafe. The food was great and was closer to the size of dinner than lunch. Tab was around $7.00 each and we had the pleasure of visiting with the owner/cook/waitress while we ate. There are many nice towns along this route, but Monticello is among the best.

We continued north on 11, picked up 52, and then transitioned back to US 129 in Clermont. As you leave Clermont the land becomes alive with hills that slowly become mountains and sweeping curves that turn into switchbacks the higher you climb.

Once you realize the ride is the goal rather than a destination or timeline, the navigating gets pretty easy. My method of navigation amounts to reviewing a map and remembering as much of it as possible before storing it away in a saddle bag. Then I ride until I am longer sure I am still on track, or until I am sure I am no longer on track, then I stop and review the map again. Gary has a more sophisticated system than I do. You see he has a tank bag with one of those little windows in it. He writes down the route he wants to take and puts the directions in the little tank bag window and more or less follows it. The end result is about the same. That is we take turns leading the other into planned and unplanned areas. This way we get to experience the joy of new and unknown roads that may or may not be close to where we expected to be.

This was the case as we attempted to ride the Gauntlet in north Georgia. After passing Turners Corner on US 129 the road climbs steeply and the sweepers become tighter and tighter until they are nice sharp curves. Leaving 129 for 180, we rode west through some very pretty country. Using our "navigation systems" to their fullest, we found ourselves in Dahlonega. Not too far from our intended course. Dahlonega is the site of the first gold rush in America and it is believed the phrase "thars gold in them thar hills" originated here.

After a careful review of our map and tank bag navigation window we found we had accidentally blundered into Blue Ridge after leaving Dahlonega. We wondered how we could be so far off track so quickly, but didn't really care because the countryside was so beautiful. Once we sorted things out, we rode the Gumlog Road to the Unicoi Turnpike. (Don’t let the name fool you, it's a winding narrow two lane.) We missed another turn and wound up in the touristy, but very nice town of Helen, Georgia.

We stretched our legs and consulted our nav systems once again. This time we found our way to the Richard B. Russell Scenic Highway. The Highway is a winding two lane that climbs and crosses a mountain ridge on its' way back to US 129. We pulled off on an overlook and while we were looking out over the mountainside we heard a car pull in behind us. When we looked at who was sharing this fantastic view with us we saw it was Santa! Yep, the old man himself. After looking at the view for a few minutes, he turned, gave a two handed wave and disappeared down the mountain. I guess we all need a vacation now and then.

Santa vacationing in north Georgia

After recovering from seeing Santa on a remote mountain top in north Georgia, we wound our way back down to 129 and rode toward our day 2 destination of Robbinsville, NC.

Robbinsville is a friendly town and home to the Two Wheel Inn and I highly recommend it. Each room has a private garage sized to fit a motorcycle. The rooms have a nice roof overhang you can sit under and you park your bike right on the sidewalk while it cools and you prepare it for a night in the garage. They also have a pavilion with a fire pit nearby. Riders sit in front of their rooms and relax while telling each other basically true stories about the days' ride and their bikes. There is a club type atmosphere to the place. What a great way to end the days' ride.

Relaxing after a long day of riding

The Two Wheel Inn

Next morning we were up at dawn and readying our bikes for the days' adventure. We enjoyed the smell and feel of an early fall morning as we watched the fog slowly burn off from the mountains. Our plan was to ride the Tail of the Dragon, the Foothills Parkway, then spend time in the Great Smoky National Park.

The Dragon is a great ride. We started at Deals Gap (another great place to stay, but with a different atmosphere) and rode north into Tennessee. For those that have not ridden the Dragon, let me say that the road is a safe road but it is challenging. There are many sharp and changing radius curves as well as a number of off camber curves. Something like 318 curves in 11 miles. It feels like one big curve that changes direction frequently. All the while you are steeply climbing to the ridge top then steeply descending into the valley below. It is fun from start to finish and I recommend it if you get to this part of the country.

Deals Gap

Aside from the enjoyable challenge of the road, riders must be aware that a leaned bike takes much more road space than an unleaned bike. It is easy to have your wheels in an autos' left wheel path, or even in the center of the road, and have your head and shoulders in the oncoming lane even at pretty low speeds. Also watch for oncoming traffic that may blunder into your lane. The scenery is pretty and the road challenging so riders need to pay extra attention to what is going on and not get distracted. The road is narrow and the curves are very tight.

From the Dragon we turned onto the Foothills Parkway. The Parkway is very much like the Blue Ridge Parkway, but with even less traffic. It is about 70 miles of climbing and descending sweepers. All the way the views are outstanding.

From the Parkway we rode down into the Great Smoky National Park and into Cades Cove. Cades Cove was an area of settlement in a largish valley that lies in the Smoky Mountains. There is plenty so see there, old cabins and barns as well as churches and mills. Just beware; it is pretty crowded with the automobile types.

Cades Cove

It was in the Smokys that we saw eight black bear fattening up for the winter. They look so adorable, but give them plenty of room as mommas separated from their cubs can be very un-understanding of intruders.

Leaving the Great Smoky Mountains, we rode south to Cherokee, and then picked up highway 19 through the Nantahala Gorge. The gorge is known for the scenery and for the spectacular whitewater. The river varies from mild to wild, so check with an outfitter if you are planning any rafting or kayaking.

We made it back to the Two Wheel Inn tired and content after only about 200 miles of riding.

Next morning we were up early getting our bikes ready and enjoying breakfast while we waited for the fog to burn off. The plan for the day was to ride back to the Nantahala gorge and pick up the Wayah road. Some maps and most locals call Wayah road Warrior road. We planned to ride Wayah into Franklin and join US 28, known as the Moonshiner 28, for a ride south into Georgia. The Moonshiner actually runs from the Dragon all the way down to Walhalla, South Carolina.

Wayah road is a pretty ride as it climbs and winds its' way through forested mountains. Wayah road ends before reaching Franklin, but, using our navigation system we wandered into town without much trouble.

Franklin stands in the midst of what was once the Cherokee Nation in times past. Then it was known as Nikwasi. You can still see some of the Indian Mounds in downtown if you know where to look.

As it turned out, US 28 was one of the most scenic roads we travelled. The curves are not quite as tight as some other roads so you have more time for sightseeing. There are a number of falls along the road. Bridal Veil Falls is well known and you can ride your bike behind the falls for a cool photo if you like. We stopped at Dry Falls. They were spectacular when we were there. US 28 winds and snakes south into South Carolina, but we turned off on Warwoman road in Georgia. From there we poked around the Georgia mountains for a while before turning north again in Clayton. North took us back to Franklin where we backtracked the Wayah road to the Two Wheel Inn.

Moonshiner 28

Dry Falls

As we climbed along the Wayah road, the air was still and the leaves were dropping slowly and gently from the trees. The falling leaves reminded me of that beautiful and gentle snow that is sometimes seen on a still winter day. It was on just such a section of road that we saw four bears getting ready to cross the road ahead of us. The momma bear saw us and said something that sent the three cubs scurrying back up the side of the mountain. She then took to high ground and stood on her hind feet to show us we had no business there and that we should continue on. You can just see her as the black dot over Gary’s' left shoulder in the picture.

Momma Bear

That evening we sat around chatting with our Two Wheel Inn neighbors and comparing rides. Our last day in North Carolina was approaching, so we decided to ride the Dragon once again as well as spend time on the Foothills Parkway.

Bright and early the next morning we climbed to Deals Gap for another ride on the Dragon. We were there early enough that the smell of the fog and dew still hung on the leaves and fall flowers. What a ride! The air was cool and crisp and we saw very little traffic.

At the bottom of the Dragon, we discovered the Foothills Parkway was closed so we turned our bikes west.

Using our Navigation Systems, we chugged and whirred into Tellico Plains. Tellico Plains sits on a past Indian settlement. The area has a busy past that includes the Cherokee Nation among others and gold mining that continues today.

We had a great lunch at the Tellico Grains Cafe. After lunch we wound and wobbled our way through miles of eastern Tennessee mountains and found ourselves back in camp just as darkness set in.

Tellico Grains Cafe

We stayed up far too late talking with other bikers, comparing bikes and adventures. We slept in later than usual the next morning and reluctantly packed our bikes for the ride home. It was another fantastic early fall ride that was coming to an end. Already we have started plans for next year.

A Story of Nothing

Well we have had a very slightly cooler, but still hot summer. We have also had an unusually high amount of rainfall. The monsoon season is slowly coming to an end and with that is the arrival of our good riding season.

 

It rains everywhere and most riders just keep riding, but our summer rains are accompanied by fierce thunder and lightning as well and this alone keeps us mainly to short rides that get us home by noon. We have taken a few rides for breakfast or early lunch and a ride in to work once a week or so, but nothing blog worthy. Hurricane season ends in November, so we should be able to get out for a better look at central Florida again soon.

 

It is not just the weather that has kept us (me) from making any significant rides, but I also took this summer season as an opportunity to learn to play the ukulele. I know, the sound of it makes me smile and laugh too, so go ahead... If you pass a bike on the back roads and happen to notice a ukulele strapped to the riders' back, that is most likely me. Be sure to flag me down.

 

We do have a nice ride planned for the near future. We'll be riding the Concours and the Vulcan to north Georgia, eastern Tennessee, and western North Carolina. We'll be riding some of the more familiar rides in those states as well as exploring the back roads and small towns. It should be big fun and we'll take a few pictures to share as well.

 

Earlier this summer I changed the tires on the Vulcan. Have to tell you that I had Dunlops on it front and rear and was very pleased with them. They held well in the rain and rain grooves and other road irregularities caused very little squirming.  I switched to Metzeler 880 Marathons more to try something new than for any performance deficiency of the Dunlops.  The report on the Metzelers is also very good.  They hold tight in the rain and are not much effected by road irregularities.  They do seem to roll in and out of the curves with very little effort, but that may be because they still have a nice round profile and the center of the Dunlops were gone.

 

One thing that came to light when changing the tires was a bit of corrosion on the inside of my rims.  Our bikes are kept in the garage except when being ridden or when sitting in the parking lot on trips or at work.  Seems the rain must have found its’ way into the rim by following the spokes, then it went to work on the inner rims.  They cleaned up nicely, but it still puzzles me that there was any corrosion at all.

 

The last little bit of nothing to pass on today involves a germ of an idea that I both hope comes true and also hope does not come true.  Because I am one of those that sings the praise of simple bikes, I have been thinking it would be fun to take a long trip on a small displacement bike. 

 

Two events have entered my head and have been taking up way too much of my free thinking time.  The first is a notice I received that there will be another cannonball run in 2014.  This time the ride is limited to bikes built before 1937.  In 2012 the cut off was for bikes built no later than 1929 and in 2010, the newest machine eligible was made in 1915.

 

The second thought that keeps running through my brain is that 2014 is the 110 year anniversary of the start of the Lewis and Clark expedition.  Why not combine these two events into a just for fun, small displacement trek from the Atlantic coast in south or central Florida, northwest to St. Louis to pick up the trail of Lewis and Clark, then continue northwest for a final destination of Oregon?  Well, it would be fun and it deserves more thought.  I’ll get to that later, I have to practice my ukulele now…

Suzuki TU250X Does it Again

The weather in central Florida has been wetter than usual lately.  We are known as the sun shine state and the sun does shine nearly every day, but summer is also the wet season.  For the past six weeks we have had rain in the form of afternoon thunderstorms nearly every day.

The storms are grand affairs with huge rain drops that can come down at a rate of 2 inches an hour.  To keep our minds off the heavy rain, the storms also produce some of the most intense lightning anywhere on Earth.  We have the nick name of the lightning capitol of the world.

After a busy weekend with no bike riding, I had been feeling pretty antsy to get a ride in.  There was plenty of moisture in the air this morning, but my plan was to ride to work before the rains came and, depending on lightning severity, ride home through the afternoon monsoon or wait until things died down in the evening to make a run for home.

The ride in was so nice.  I left home a bit early and had very little traffic.  The clouds had that beautiful pink and gold hue that we get when the moisture is high and the dawn is young.  Last nights' dew still smelled nice and fresh on the air as I slipped down the road.

Once at work, I stuffed my helmet and jacket into my office and nipped out to greet customers and fellow employees as they arrived for the day.  (some would view this as dodging work, but I like to think of it as relationship building)  I should have had a camera.  The TU250 attracted attention all day long, there would be individuals and little groups of 2 or 3 around it off and on throughout the day.  A couple of my coworkers stopped by to see how old it was and to learn if I had rebuilt an older bike.

It hadn't rained by 1 PM so I slid out to grab a sandwich.  As I walked to the bike I was chatting with a customer that I thought was also heading out to lunch.  Turned out he had seen the helmet in my hand and just wanted to take a look at what he thought was a restored Triumph.  Now, I don't think the TU  looks much like a Triumph, (maybe a 250 Ducati Mach I) but I was flattered that he thought it was a beautifully restored vintage bike.

After returning from lunch I was hanging around the break room, building relationships again, when 2 of our long term customers sought me out to ask if the bike was an old BSA.  They were plenty surprised to learn it is a modern Suzuki.  Later it the day I saw them out in the parking lot giving it a good looking over.

Around 3 PM the monsoons hit and dumped a good amount of rain on us but not too much lightning.   By 5 the sun was back out.  Whahoo!  As I worked my way out to the parking lot, I was joined by another that had thought the bike was an older restored bike, but the rumor had made it to him that it was in fact a newish Suzuki.  Still, he joined me for the walk out to look it over and listen to it run.

I have to say that this bike draws a lot of attention where ever it goes.  I am flattered that so many people think it is a vintage bike that I have rebuilt, but in truth, it is a thoroughly modern bike and I am very happy that it is.  The TU250X manages to retain some of the beauty and simplicity of the vintage bikes many of us enjoy, yet it is a completely modern machine with an oil filter, fuel injection, disc brake etc.

The ride home was super.  My route neatly split between two big areas of thunderstorms.  Great towering giants to the east and the west.  I had the nice benefit of enjoying the smell of the rain and riding in the cool outflow air of the storms.

So the TU250 did it again! It gave me a great ride both to and from work and helped build relationships with customers and coworkers.  If only it would have done a little more of the work I needed to accomplish in my office...

Little Switzerland, N.C.

We had a chance to get away over the long 4th of July weekend so decided to head for the hills of North Carolina.  Because time was limited we decided to trailer the bikes up rather than ride them.  This would have been my first experience at trailering bike, as I prefer to ride them to the destination.  This of course makes getting to the destination part of the fun rather than something to "get through".  Our plan was to rent an open U-Haul.

We had every thing packed and ready except for loading the bikes.  We'd been watching the weather and in the last few minutes before departure decided to leave our bikes at home.  It was a choice that hurt, but was the best.  I don't think we'd have taken them from the trailer.  It not only rained but rained extremely hard the entire time we were there.  They had flash flooding all through the area and the visibility in the mountains was often less than 100 yards.

Even without the bikes we had a great time and still plan to get back up to the mountains later this summer.  Because we had packed for riding bikes we had plenty of rain gear with us and thought maybe we could rent a couple bikes if the weather gave us a break.  We had made contact with Action Cycle Sports http://actioncyclesports.com in Boone, NC.  Turned out the weather did not give us a break, but we'd still recommend the good folks at Action if you need to rent while staying in the area.  They had a number of bike choices and we had planned to ride a BMW 650GS and a Suzuki V-Strom 650, two bikes with great reputations. 

We spend our nights at the Big Lynn Lodge http://www.biglynnlodge.com in Little Switzerland, NC.  The lodge is located on NC 226A, a well known bike and sports car road that is known as the Diamondback.  Lots of twisties and steep grades, similar to the Tail of the Dragon in Tennessee, but without all the traffic.  The view from the Big Lynn was spectacular during those short glimpses we had during breaks in the clouds.  Our room was a cabin that was clean as a whistle and finished in knotty pine.





View from our porch at the Big Lynn Lodge

 

Breakfast and dinner were included in the price of the room and they have space to park bikes and welcome bikers.  There were a couple other places to stay in the area, but no gas at the top of the mountain, so you don't plan to gas up when you get to Little Switzerland.

One really nice part of being in the mountains when there is so much rain is the waterfalls run full.






The rivers and waterfalls ran full

We spent a good part of our time hiking and taking pictures between rain showers.  The Blue Ridge and the nearby areas are some of the most relaxing back roads to explore and there are so many trails to hike that you could spend a lifelime and not walk them all.





A creek along a foot path





Foot path to a rushing stream

Above is one of the many footpaths we walked.  Because there had been good rain, most foot paths led to streams and waterfalls that might not exist during drier days.  I have to say we were fortunate to be here during this period of heavy rainfall.





The view from the roads is beautiful, this is biker country

During times of good visibility the views were spectacular.  We noticed that we could be in heavy rain and fog that reduced visibility to a few yards, then round a bend that put us on the other side of the ridge and into clear weather for a few minutes.  These little gifts really added to an already fantastic trip.





Sunshine! What a surprise to round a bend to see this.

We have been on the Blue Ridge many times and it is always beautiful and it changes so much with the season and the weather that we are compelled to return time and time again.