Actual Riders Ride Reports

It was memorial day. With a day off from work, and such lovely weather, I was itching to go for a ride. Besides, I’m still test-riding the KZ750, ain’t I?

So, I checked fluid levels, looked for leaks or loose fasteners, and headed out for a short ride.

My first thought was to ride out to the pay station at the mouth of American Fork Canyon, turn around, and come back. So, I did that. But about 50 feet after doing the U turn, I realized that the Alpine Loop might be open, so I made another U turn, and headed back to the pay station. The nice guy standing out in the road taking care of the second line of traffic said the loop was open, and reminded me that I could go through for free if I didn’t stop. So, off I went. I would have paid the $3 fee if I’d had it, just because I like where the money goes.

It seems to be that way every year— my first trip over the loop every year is unplanned, and I’m usually worried about having enough gas or enough time. One year I just decided to take the loop on the way home, for example.

The Alpine Loop is the name given by the locals to a route that goes around Mt. Timpanogos, which is to the east of American Fork. A 1 1/2 lane blacktop road winds it way from American Fork Canyon to Provo Canyon; the name “Alpine Loops” seems to apply to either this stretch of road or to the entire circuit up on canyon, behind Timp, down the other canyon, and back to the first canyon.

The map above shows the location of the loop (first definition) within Central Utah. Click on the image for a larger version in a new window.

This more detailed map shows a bit more of the road’s curves. Click on the image for a larger version in a new window.

If you want to ride the loop clockwise, you go up American Fork Canyon through the fee station, past the Timpanogos Cave National Monument parking lot and offices, and past most of the camping areas. You’ll come to a fork in the road; follow the right hand fork that directs you to the Alpine Loop. Stay on the main road and you’ll wind up exiting through the other fee station and passing Aspen Grove and some resort facilities. Past a couple more sharp switchbacks you’ll pass Sundance and then connect to US 189, which will take you to Orem if you turn right.

To ride the loop counterclockwise, head up Provo Canyon and turn left towards Sundance as soon after you go through the tunnel. Ride past Sundance, the switchbacks, the fee station, and some campsites and you’ll be on the loop. Stay on it and you’ll exit past the other fee station, after which you have a few options to go elsewhere locally.

It is a very popular drive/ride for cages, motorcycles, and bicyclists. There are trailhead all along the way. See my page on the Alpine Loop for pictures and more detailed directions.

It was, of course, a lovely ride. I got behind an SUV that was going about the same speed as I wanted to go, so I hung back far enough that they didn’t feel I wanted to pass, but close enough that they were running interference for me. Any oncoming traffic had to move way over to miss the SUV, and by the time they reached me they were still far enough over to my left to be at a comfortable (to me) distance.

It’s funny, but over the course of the ride, it seemed as if the motorcycle was learning to turn. Of course, a machine made of steel, aluminum, and rubber doesn’t learn anything, and its geometry certainly isn’t going to change (unless a tire is going flat). So I must have been calibrating myself to how it responds and to its balance and physics. In any case, by the time I got to the other end, the bike seemed very nimble and a lot more fun to ride.

As I rode by Sundance, I remembered the nice, curvy drive along the creek from there to the highway. I love to take that fairly fast, since there is nowhere along the way that would be convenient for law enforcement to hang out and watch for speeders. But alas, there was so much traffic that I was compelled to plod along at old lady speeds. I even turned around and went back up to Sundance for another go, but there was even more traffic. I’ll have to go back on a weekday.

I have a couple of friends who take the loop on the way to work, as I have done in the past. I’ll have to start getting up just a little bit earlier in the morning, soon…

248 miles later………

Yesterday was my first group ride. All of us members of the Two Wheeled Texans forum, I was the last to join the group, meeting them all at the end of my road. They were all parked off the road in a dip of gravel and sand which serves as a pull-off for a fireworks stand.

I made a grand entrance and a very bad dismount. Not sure which was more embarrassing: this incident or the time a stubborn lazy Arabian I was jumping fences on put the brakes on right before a fence and I went flying over his head and over the fence alone. Neither were pretty dismounts. But you get back on the horse, flesh or mechanical, and try again, no matter what.

Whee slid in the soft dirt while attempting to simultaneously navigate a decline and turn: down we went. The right front signal broke off but amazingly still worked. Riders on the V-strom forums warn everyone that the signals are always the first to succumb. Whee proved them right.

The engine guard did its job, but the plastic fairing above suffered some deep scratches. I took the brunt of the fall on right shoulder, jamming my clavicle into my sternum. One of the riders came to the rescue with some Advil and another made a road repair on the signal with some electrical tape (also known as ‘100 mph tape,’ so I was told). I assessed the damage of the bike, then myself. My right upper trap tightened immediately and collarbone/clavicle weren’t moving right, but ya get back on the horse and go on.

I did smile, after my bruised ego settled down a bit. And then noticed the other three V-stroms in the group, admired the two Beemer RTs , a pretty red Honda Super Hawk, the silver Honda VFR and noted the lone cruiser, a pretty white RoadStar. A fellow TWT rider from Oklahoma rode the three hours down to join us on his yellow V-strom 1K.

In short order, nine bikes and 10 riders mounted back on the highway towards FM730. We headed into Weatherford and around the courthouse, stopping at a gas station for a few of us to fill our tanks before heading out on the country roads. While filling my tank I was asked if I was okay and wanted to continue. I assured them I most certainly was going on!

Riding FM51 thru Granbury and on to US67, we rode east into Glen Rose and through town. Rounding a curve I saw traffic backed up and flashing lights in the distance. Then we all noticed smushed ‘roadside apples’ on the road and I caught the faint smell of horse whiffing under my face shield. We stacked in behind slow moving cars and then saw the horses and flags ahead - we were riding the tail of a parade! Some kids and their parents even waved to us.

Turning down FM144, our lead rider, Stephen on one of the Beemers led us through some up-and-down tight twisties. Although I had to keep my eyes glued to the road nearly the entire time, I could tell we were in the northern hill country of Texas. I caught a few glimpses of fabulous views from the elevations we rode. The narrow roads and sometimes tight corners (did I say tight, tight?) were an adrenaline rush despite my conservative riding. Last week a rider went down on this same route and was rushed out by ambulance. I can see how that would be a common occurrence on these roads (there was another crash reported today).

We rode back east on US67 and had lunch at Hammond’s. Before going in, we mingled in the parking lot and gawked at each other’s bikes. Curious, Warren sat on Russ’s yellow hornet of a V-strom and was smitten!

I barely ate my grilled turkey sandwich, but drank two tall glasses of iced tea. The others eating the bbq ribs smacked their lips, an indication of a good meal. From there, several riders of the group split into their respective routes home for family obligations and I followed the leader and the rear rider back to Fort Worth area. We were showered on a few times which felt refreshing more than anything.

Whee did fine traveling at highway speeds of 75-80 mph, especially on the last leg back when I broke away from the others to hit the Suzuki dealer in Richland Hills. I bought the last R front turn signal assembly in stock and will install it later. Since I plan to put a decal on the fairings, one will hide the scratches on the right fairing until I replace it at a later date.

I then rode to the nearby CycleGear to pick up a tank protector. There, Tim teased me about spilling my ‘scooter’, as he calls my lowered Wee-strom, and I teased him about being tall as a tree. We talked bikes as we always do and he mentioned selling his Beemer 1150GS to pursue a V-strom. I warned him that he would then be Assimilated into the Collective (as we V-stromers say). I picked up the latest issue of the UK Bike rag, Tim urged me to have the collarbone checked and I rode out.

I spent the next 2.5 hours at Care Now for x-rays of collarbone and clavicle. Good thing I picked up the latest issue of Bike at CycleGear. No broken bones, but acute soft tissue sprains/tears and bruised clavicle and sternoclavicle joint. Taking superdooper anti-inflammatories and arm is in a sling to remove the pull on the trap and clavicle, but I’m still riding (doesn’t hurt to ride, just any adduction or abduction of R arm/pecs).

And I got that iced mocha from Starbucks after all.

Made it home after the pharmacy stop 12 hours and 248 miles after I left.

I did learn several things yesterday:

• soft sand/gravel, right turn, decline and short legs don’t mix well.
• Whee is so very different from the small cruisers I’ve been riding. Sometimes the handling is the converse (cornering, my U-turn on Whee was awful, what’s with all these gears?, cool - don’t have to muscle this thing, throttle is like a feather rather than a hand water pump, why won’t my heels touch the ground?, my back is much more comfy, twisties are like flicking rather than push and lean, get seat shaved down asap!, where’s reverse?!?)
• my first group ride. All of the riders were courteous and mindful of every member, and I especially thank Chuck for his patience (what happened to elusive first gear on that one turn? -scratching head) riding behind me and Stephen for leading us all into temptation. The twisties were fun.
• I met a group of really fantastic folks and I hope to meet and ride with them all again, hopefully with no disastrous dismounts next time. In fact, most of us are meeting for dinner on the Fourth. Even Russ from Oklahoma!

Thank you all!

‘Newbie’ for new bikes, new people, new riders, new eats, newbie, newbie, new.

Several of us from various online bike forums and groups met for lunch at Willhoite’s Restaurant in Grapevine, Texas. I chose that location for several reasons: reasonable food and prices, a biker-friendly location and the covered patio to dine, visit and watch. Despite the winds and scattered showers throughout the region, us die-hard riders made it on two wheels, except one (her bike is in the shop). The others who expressed intentions of joining us were either put off by the weather or other extenuating circumstances (wusses ;)

Dirk rode the 40 miles with me through the wind and a brief shower, which felt refreshing more than anything. Most of us had not met each other prior to our gathering, thus we had no way to recognize each other. Yet one or two bits of facts can easily be matched with a ‘real person’. I knew Brian rode a CBR, Morgan a new-ish Honda VTX, and Lisa would be on four wheels. Sure enough, we instantly found each other and exchanged bike and rider introductions.

Clockwise from the far left are Brian, Dirk, myself, Morgan and Lisa.

As we ate our lunch the sky changed from overcast to brilliant blue, with the Texas sun warming everything around us. After settling our tabs, we began the ‘bike tour’ with Morgan’s new-ish VTX. He was brave enough to park in “Bike Row”, the row of parking places in the front of the restaurant. I always find it amusing to watch people maneuver their bikes in and out of there. In between oggling the bike’s enormous size and expanse of chrome, we fondled the gel cushion on his seat. Too bad they don’t make those for sport bikes.

Walking to the parking lot across the street adjacent to the restaurant, we visited Red, my Shadow, parked all by herself and red as can be.

Across the parking lot were parked Dirk’s blue SV650 and Brian’s silver CBR. Lisa gestures while explaining something while Morgan and Brian are captivated.

Morgan left us to meet with a friend and I was able to capture him on his way off into the sun.

Brian, Dirk and I rode to CycleGear in Bedford to browse bike and riding accessories and chat with the staff. With the day heating up, we rode to Mustang Sally’s diner next to Full Boar Cycles in Euless (or fondly called “Eusless”) for ice tea and ice cream to finish the day. Under the shade of a large tree, we three chatted and said our goodbyes with handshakes and hopes to repeat this adventure again next month.

We all agreed to extend this into a monthly gathering. Perhaps next time, the others won’t be deterred by a few clouds in the sky.

I joined the riders from the Planet Honda Rider’s Club today for a group ride from Chaddsford, PA to Gettysburg, PA. 15 bikes rolled out of the Wawa parking lot, making their way down US Rt. 1 to Rt. 82. From the time we exited Rt. 1, we traveled back roads, enjoying the occasional twistie. A fuel stop, a break now and then, and we arrived in Gettysburg, PA; destination reached, everyone accounted for, ride is successful.

I have to say, for a portion of the ride, I was directly behind a guy with obnoxiously loud pipes. It gave me a headache, distracted me from my normal riding style, and generally soured my mood.

The majority of the group decided to ride a little further west in search of a restaurant that could handle the group’s size. After seeing two the riders not gearing up and joining, I inquired about their plans. Turns out they were respectfully ditching the rest of the group to enjoy some “spirited” riding, thus befitting their Sport Touring mounts.

Mike was astride his R1150-RT, Keith aboard is FZ-1 decked out for touring. I was on my Shadow Sabre. I suppose it seemed odd my asking if I could tag along with some Sport Touring riders on my cruiser - by appearances a cruiser set up for long distance touring and comfort, but I assured them that if I couldn’t keep up, or if they felt I was holding them back, I would fully understand if they chose to ride the rest of the way alone.

Well, no one asked to leave me behind and we three enjoyed some great scenery and spirited riding. I broke off from them on Rt. 30, and bee-lined it home. I was getting hungry and my shoulder was sore (I hurt it pulling some stuff off a high shelf this morning - nothing serious, just a mile strain).

All in all, a great 300+ miles of riding and I met a few new friends.

This morning’s storm brought in cold temperatures and gusting wind. I postponed my ride today until the ground dried a bit more, but the wind only increased. I was being buffeted from all sides from take off except the rear. It was a bit unsettling at first, but I brought my thighs and knees in closer to the engine, thightened my abs and relaxed my shoulders and grip. It reminded me of finding my center and balance when I was learning Tai Kwan Do and Tai Chi. The bike moved under and inbetween me, but my body maintained a flexible balance. I gave it room to move sideways under me, but it always immediately found its center again. Like the reed that bends in the wind and returns upright. It was also less wear on my body.

It was a short ride but a good and exuberant one. Cautiously turning onto the gravel, I put Red to bed. Time to fire up White Fang, the truck and go tool shopping. My favorite!