350 miles up into the mountains today. Max altitude 12500 ft. Big scooter, three sport tours and a cruiser. We had the smallest displacement by half and the only bike 2 up. Yeti ran like a champ. Nobody had to wait for us. Gained a lot of respect and cred for the scooter camp.
Enough about Suzuki engineering. The independence pass is a bomb ride. All vehicles welcome. There are bicycles, cars, bikes, trucks, and rally cars. Beautiful, challenging, terrifying. A couple of stretches where, if you make a mistake you have 1000' to figure out how to land. Aspen is a beautiful town full of beautiful people. I felt kinda bad uglying up the place.
If you find a path down here, I know this guy who is a pretty good tour guide.
Keep em shiny kids.
T
Long ride today
Moderator: Moderators
-
coyoteran
- Posts: 824
- Joined: Tue Sep 19, 2006 8:39 pm
- Location: X Marks the spot...X stands for danger...two lines crossing over one another means to me...stay away
Long ride today
Vy is it vee get too soon olt and too late schmart?
-
coyoteran
- Posts: 824
- Joined: Tue Sep 19, 2006 8:39 pm
- Location: X Marks the spot...X stands for danger...two lines crossing over one another means to me...stay away
No lie, the birks are in the shop for a resole. But if they weren't, you know they were the "safety footware" of choice. Aside from riding a scooter, Charlene and I are a bit out of the norm for the local defender club. Don't get me wrong, great folks all, and I am proud to be associated with them, but a tad.....ummm....uptight. They would make John C proud with their attention to safety.
Pre-ride briefs. Mid ride briefs. Ride and stagger positions altered to fit the skills/attributes of the rider and bike. Actual position numbers in the stagger. ATGATT is the norm vice the exception. Got a couple of curious glances when Char and I went SOTGABOTT. (some of the gear, a bit of the time) but it is a learning experience for all of us.
I have to mention, (in case you missed it) the former Commanding Officer of the Canadian Forces Support Unit in Co Spgs died in a motorcycle accident on the weekend of our rally. Big emotional hit to the local community as she was a well liked and highly respected. The result now is an overwhelming outpouring of concern and "ride safe" mentality. So perhaps overriding caution is to be expected.
But there is this dude that drives nothing but scooters, wears sandels (I got a replacement pair) and has a big ass pad with spare rooms for anyone that cares to make the trip. If you don't take up the offer, I promise you, you will kick yourself in the ass.
T
Pre-ride briefs. Mid ride briefs. Ride and stagger positions altered to fit the skills/attributes of the rider and bike. Actual position numbers in the stagger. ATGATT is the norm vice the exception. Got a couple of curious glances when Char and I went SOTGABOTT. (some of the gear, a bit of the time) but it is a learning experience for all of us.
I have to mention, (in case you missed it) the former Commanding Officer of the Canadian Forces Support Unit in Co Spgs died in a motorcycle accident on the weekend of our rally. Big emotional hit to the local community as she was a well liked and highly respected. The result now is an overwhelming outpouring of concern and "ride safe" mentality. So perhaps overriding caution is to be expected.
But there is this dude that drives nothing but scooters, wears sandels (I got a replacement pair) and has a big ass pad with spare rooms for anyone that cares to make the trip. If you don't take up the offer, I promise you, you will kick yourself in the ass.
T
Vy is it vee get too soon olt and too late schmart?
-----------------
rant on
-----------------
You don't wear safety, you wear protection. Riding safely means riding so you'll never have to use your protection. Riding stupid is not riding without the gear, it's riding in such a way as you'll use it or wish you had it.
Protective gear is in-of-itself not safe in that wearing it raises one's level of acceptable risk. In other words, something you'd never do if you were riding in, for example, shorts and Birkenstocks, you now feel is OK because you're "protected".
The reason I wear protection is that I, knowingly or unknowingly, sometimes ride in an unsafe manner. Or, to put it simply, I have crashed before and I probably will crash again.
-----------------
rant off
-----------------
When does your tour wind down? A firm deadline may shake us out of our humming and hawing.
rant on
-----------------
You don't wear safety, you wear protection. Riding safely means riding so you'll never have to use your protection. Riding stupid is not riding without the gear, it's riding in such a way as you'll use it or wish you had it.
Protective gear is in-of-itself not safe in that wearing it raises one's level of acceptable risk. In other words, something you'd never do if you were riding in, for example, shorts and Birkenstocks, you now feel is OK because you're "protected".
The reason I wear protection is that I, knowingly or unknowingly, sometimes ride in an unsafe manner. Or, to put it simply, I have crashed before and I probably will crash again.
-----------------
rant off
-----------------
When does your tour wind down? A firm deadline may shake us out of our humming and hawing.