The ride from Rome

Had a nice ride home. The roads, backroads, major roads, secondary streets, highways, were all great riding in Maine. The drivers were courteous and aware of motorcycle riders. Compared to what I am accustom to in Massachusetts. When I saw the sign, welcome to Massachusetts, I soon saw a change in the road conditions and the drivers attitudes. Traffic got nasty and I got off the highway. The back roads were a bit slower but I didn't care to deal with Massachusetts highway traffic.

Around the Lakes

Took an afternoon ride around the Belgrade lakes area. The lakes were a little choppy because the wind kicked up now and then. I went around Great Pond and stopped at the Lazy Lab Cafe in the center of Belgrade. Had a coffee and a little conversation with the owners. They were grateful the tourist season was over. I found the ATV trail out on Rt. 27 near New Sharon. It was very rough, so I didn't travel it far. The bike now has over 20,000 miles on it! I only got it last May with under 7000 miles.

A circle around the block

Didn't get to ride too much today. Just a short jaunt around North Pond. I started on Wooster Hill Rd., and went down a road/trail called Ladd Rd. that turns into Bacon St. I saw a large group of turkeys making their way along the edge of the field. They just took their sweet time, checking out me and deciding I wasn't going to eat them, then ambling off to look for more food. Then Beech Hill Rd. then stopped at the boat ramp at the stream at the north end of North Pond. Around into Smithfield, I stopped to look out over the pond. It was quiet with only one boat fishing out in the middle. A couple of kayaks were heading out for an evening paddle. It was calm after a windy day.

Strange winds

Had a nice ride around some farmland where I saw a odd phenomenon. As I passed a large open field, I saw a lot of hay being swirled around, like a cyclone. The amount of hay was impressive, but the height the hay achieved was incredible.

Maine back roads

Got into some really rough stuff. Road around the Sandy River area on Mercer and found a trail the a 4 wheel drive truck would've had trouble. But the F650 found the right path and just rode through. This bike is made for Maine! It does the pavement well and it seems to enjoy the rough roads.

A Saturday Ride to Philips

Met up with my friend, John (riding a Ducati 996) and we took a ride out to Farmington the out to Philips. That was a nice ride out Route 4, which had a little construction, but wasn't too bad. One road we took, Mercer St., was fine going until we hit a long spot where the re-paving will be happening. My bike handled admirably, but I think John was a little uncomfortable on the Ducati. That bike is made to go fast! He barely got it out of 3rd gear and we approached speeds of 60mph.

A ride to Maine

Rode up to Rome Maine. I followed my wife up the highway, which I tend to avoid, and 254 miles later, we were in Rome. The ride was a bit tough until I got across the Piscatua bridge. Then, things seemed to smooth out. The roads were better, the drivers were more considerate of a motorcycle rider. It made for a nicer ride.

First summer ride

The weather in this area hasn't been at all like summer. Rain and cold was not normal and I have not been on the nice weekend rides that I enjoy. So, after many wet weekend, I was happy for a nice one. This morning was cool for the middle of July, but the riding was nice. Traffic was minimal and I thought I might ride to the beach. As I rode route 102 south, I changed my mind and rode west on route 101 into Connecticut. It was a nice ride with a few twisties and low traffic. After a bit of riding, I made my way onto route 169 and went to the Vanilla Bean for breakfast. While there, I had the chance to talk to Tim, riding a 1200GS, before his breakfast came. I parked my bike next to a newer 650GS. It had a whole different look to it. We chatted about the F650GS and how Tim would rent one while he vacationed without his bike. We also talked about his bike and how much fun he has had on it. After a nice breakfast, I headed towards home. I continued north on 169 then made several turns and found my way on route 12. The traffic started getting heavier as I made my way on the final roads home. All in all, a nice morning ride.

Independence Day 2009

This year, I spent some time with my friend, who was RV'ing it this summer, at a campground. There are two kinds of campgrounds; the quiet ones and the other. This was not a quiet one. There were many campers providing a non-stop display of fireworks until about 10:30pm. Then the DJ on the pavilion kept doing his thing so the kids can dance around. Then, around 11pm I rode home. There was no one on the road; they were all still partying. It was a nice ride in the backwoods roads on a nice quiet night. Sometimes, it pays to dance to a different drummer!

Late morning Sunday Ride

I took a morning ride out to an event a couple of towns over. The ride was a little cool, at first, then it warmed up. I watched a race, sponsored by NETRA. It was an enduro run. I missed the start, but I caught a nice uphill run in the woods. I had to ride my F650 up a dirt road and into the woods up a hill on a minimal path. The bike went along well. This bike continues to amaze me with it's versatility.
While at the race, I got some great advice where to watch from a couple of Yankee Beemers. It was a nice morning for a ride, but the rain was coming and I made my ride short.

A ride to New Hampshire

This morning, the chosen Sunday ride leads to New Hampshire. It was a nice morning so there was an early start time. It was a little chilly, so I stopped and put the liner in my coat and changed to the cold weather gloves. With the heated hand grips, the ride became more pleasant. I had a general idea of where to go but not having the GPS hooked up made it somewhat an adventure. I just kept the sun over my shoulder and I was able to make it in a little under two hours. That's about an hour and a half with all my breaks. After arriving, I noticed the low fuel light on so I filled up with gas. After 8800 miles, the F650GS gets 69.56 miles per gallon.
For the most part, the trip was secondary roads, but a small part of the trip up was on Rt. 495 and 3. The highways didn't have much traffic for that time of the morning so I just kept up with the few cars on the road. Unfortunately, I didn't see the section of sod, that some truck dropped, until it was too late. Fortunately, route 3 was slow and I managed to maneuver so my tires hit it, I was able to maintain control. The car in front of me softened it up a bit, I imagine. I also traveled along parts of routes 2, 2A, 3A, 4, 27, 62, 117, and 225. The start of the trip was quite hazardous. Through a couple of small towns, much of the roadway was covered with, what appeared to be, freshly shredded vegetation. I guessed this was due to some hail as a storm hit the area the previous night. While I got caught in the rain, and I thought I got a very brief period of hail, perhaps not too far away, heavier, more damaging hail occurred. In any case, the debris made riding tricky, until I got out of the area. The rest of the roads were clear and just a few puddles remained.
There were many detours on the return trip due to Memorial Day parades. At that time, the sun was almost directly overhead so dead reckoning wasn't easy. Once I found myself on some back road, off of the main routes, I would just guess and hope for the best. These trips are nice because one may find themselves in areas off the beaten path. These areas are my goals on these rides. Coming across a nice area makes it all the more fun. Before I left, I went through the trouble of printing out a route map with turn by turn directions. Those got forgotten at home, but that might have made the trip more enjoyable.

Caught in the rain

It finally happened. I knew it would, it was just a matter of time. I went out to pick up a few things at the grocery store and when I got out, a downpour was occurring. I waited a little, hoping the rain would stop and it didn't. I waited a little longer and it seemed to let up. So, I made my way home. It was a short distance, but the road didn't drain well and there were deep puddles everywhere. I tried to stay on the high road and was mostly successful. This incident makes it even more imperative that rain gear is obtained. As I proceeded home, the rain worsened. Hail might have even been involved; it was hard to tell as the velocity was high. Lightning was striking in the distance and the wind was increasing rapidly. These symptoms sometimes suggest tornado. This didn't occur today, thankfully, but the threat made the bike go faster. Arriving at home, soaking wet, but safe, was a good sight. The rain gear hasn't been decide upon, yet. Stay tuned...

Addition to the bike

The F650 got a top case. I paid a little too much for it, but it's a big case; it'll hold 2 helmets and some small stuff. I still need side cases, but I will wait 'till a good deal comes along. It is a Givi case that fits onto the Givi rack, mounted on my bike. It fits well, even on the rough roads it stays on tight. I got lucky as the case colors match the bike, silver and black.

Another Quabbin Ride

I met my friend George in Framingham at 8 in the morning. Actually I was a little early and so was he. We stopped in Shrewsbury to fill up the gas tanks then off we rode. We stopped at the end of the Worcester Airport runway in Leicester for a short break. Then it was out towards New Salem, where we had a quick breakfast. We stopped along the way to take in the view, from a nice quiet spot on the hill. We saw many police cars in speed traps along the way, many more than usual. It was because of the bicycle race. We got lucky and choose the correct way, because the race was going the other way. We would've been caught behind them and spent the next two or three hours just putting along. All in all, it was a very enjoyable ride; the weather was great! One hundred and fifty miles went by rather quickly. Get out there and enjoy riding season while you can!

Mid April Saturday Ride

I went to ride out with my motorcycle club, the Yankee Beemers, on their first ride of the season, the Gould's Sugar House. The weather report said a good chance of rain and cool. I don't mind the cool, but the rain didn't thrill me. I started out from my house at 14,082 on my bike's odometer and made it almost to the Worcester Airport end of the runway (a place I like to stop for a break) before it started clouding over. I didn't want to get caught in the rain because I didn't have any rain gear and my tires have just a few too many miles on them for me to feel comfortable riding on wet roads, When the clouds got heavy, I decided that it would be in my best interest to start back home. I made it back before the rain started; there will be more weekends and more nice days. For now, I'll keep it closer to home.

Early season Sunday ride

Took a short ride today. Stayed local, but I put about 70 miles on the clock. Nothing special; I just want to burn up the old gas. It was chilly, but bearable. The wind was quite hardy, gusting to 35 mph. All things considered, it was nice to get out on the bike again.

First ride of the year

I finally got my bike out of the cellar. Had a nice day and I took advantage of it. I rode out to a few friends houses, then rode out to my dad's house but he wasn't home (probably at the airport), then I had a nice quite ride down roads with little or no traffic, over the back roads, to my house. Overall, I just did a short ride, about 80-90 miles. It was a great day and I had a great ride. It's a nice way to start off the riding season!
The F650GS ran well; it started right up. After starting the first time in five months, it died. I turned the key off, waited about 10 seconds, then started it again. It didn't need starting again until I was ready to leave my friend's house, and it fired right up and took off. I'm very happy with my acquisition of this motorcycle.