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| My bike rides into winter storage. |
I just checked the weather in Nashville and it's 16°C (61°F) and sunny, so a little more two-wheel friendly than it is here today. In Toronto, it's 9°C (48°F) and windy with some nasty-looking clouds getting ready to unleash. Though, I do a little bright spot trying to fight its way through. Still, a very autumn vibe in the air. I half expect to see Ichabod Crane ride by. I just hope it's not on a bike!
This is my first bike. A 2005 Suzuki V-Strom DL650. I guess every little boy wants a motorcycle. But I never did anything about it until 4 years ago. I'd just gotten back from a couple months in Thailand where I'd been renting various little scooters to roam around the country side. One ride in particular, I was roaming aimlessly on a gorgeous snake of a road through the mountains north of Pai. Absolutely incredible views, luscious tree canopies so that you're riding through a thick green tunnel half the time. And omigosh the bends! It was the biggest scooter I'd been able to find on the entire trip. I think it was a 150 CC! And I was riding with a new pal from Hawaii on the back! We nearly ran out of gas. I think that was the ride that got me hooked. The little boy was back, and he wanted a motorcycle.
When I got back to Toronto, I went to see a buddy's band play and they had an old motorcycle video playing on the wall behind them. I was entranced! I heard the band play, but I don't think I caught even a glimpse of the boys on stage! After their set, I asked Mike the drummer what the video was. He said it was a documentary from the 70s called On Any Sunday, following two groups of motocross riders around the weekend racing circuit. One of the pro-am guys was Steve McQueen! He rode a Triumph.
Anyway, next thing you know, I'm surfing the web looking for safety courses and licensing info. Come spring, I had the V-Strom, and I've put a whole lotta miles on it since. About 10,000 km each season.
The coolest ride so far was 1,301 km (808 mi) from Toronto, Ontario to Deals Gap, North Carolina in September 2010. The reason for the trip was the last 11 miles of US 129 in Tennessee. They call it the Tail of the Dragon. 318 turns in 11 miles. It reminded me of the mountain ride in Pai, except different trees, a bigger engine and a lot more fun.
I'd had a few stalls between West Virginia and Knoxville, so I stopped into a shop to get it checked out. The guy said it was strange for a V-Strom to have any trouble, so figured I must have gotten some dirty fuel along the way. He cleaned and tuned the injection system, popped a new air filter on for good measure, and I was on my way. Of course, it was getting late by then and, for the last hour or so, it was pretty slow riding in the dark on a hairy little mountain road. I was thinking, if I make it out of this alive, I don't know if I'll have the nerve to try the Dragon tomorrow. Just as I was thinking maybe I was on the wrong track, I saw the Deals Gap hotel sign. Could not have felt more relieved!
I pulled up and pitched my tent in the back field (something like $5-10 a night versus a room). A few Harley guys invited me over for a cold one with them and let me tell ya, did that beer ever go down good! So I told them about my ride and that I was a bit spooked about trying the Dragon. One of them asked "which way did you ride in?" I pointed up over the hill and they all let out big belly laughs. Turns out I'd just had my first ride on the Dragon – in the dark!
Well... all this talk of motorcycles and, wouldn't you know it, looks like the sun's coming out. Too bad my wheels are 40 km (25 mi) away by now.
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