Learning to Ride All Over Again, Almost

There's nothing like riding a taller, heavier bike to help you remember what it was like to learn to ride a motorcycle for the first time...  A few months ago, my husband bought this beautiful bike; a 2007 Triumph Speed Triple. It's completely stock, as far as the suspension and it's totally set up for his height and weight (5'10", 210lbs). Definitely not designed for someone of my size!

When I set out for a long day ride on Sunday, I had to forego riding my trusty steed, because it wasn't holding any air in the rear tire. I found a couple of cuts on the surface of the tire so I was worried that it wouldn't be very safe for an 8 hour ride. I was a little worried about taking his bike out since it was only my 3rd time riding this Speed Triple. The first time I took it I only rode to work which was a 15 minute ride to and from home. The second time was a few miles further to the Suzuki dealer for an oil filter. Piece of cake compared to an 8 hour, 270 mile day ride.

This bike is 1/2" taller than my SV (31.5" v. 32.1") that I have to wear my Daytonas, which give me maximum vertical height. It also weighs another ~30lbs so it's more top heavy as well. I definitely wanted to have as much stability as possible since I hadn't ridden his bike this much before. Due to the way the bike's engine is situated, I find myself sitting up much higher too. It reminded me of driving my dad's '82 Suburban back in college when I was used to driving my little '90 Honda Accord.

It definitely reminded me of the first time I rode our first motorcycle, a 2004 Kawasaki Ninja 250. It felt heavy, awkward, and tall. Ha! If only I could travel back in time and tell the woman in this picture what she was was in for:

I found myself doing things a little differently so that I could maintain control of the bike at all times. (I was terrified of dropping it, I just knew that my husband would be *very* sad if that happened) So I tried to be extremely strategic and conscious at all times of how I was riding, stopping and parking. Since I can only flat foot with my left ( I can barely get two toes down), that meant extremely smooth braking and making sure that I didn't stop on any weird slopes that my left foot couldn't reach. I also found myself using curbs to my advantage, especially at the gas station for filling up. Left foot on the curb, right foot on the rear brake. For some reason, I kept forgetting to kick back my sidestand before shifting into 1st gear. Rookie move!

I also had to jump off the bike every time to park it since it was a little harder to back up with one foot due to the extra height. Fine by me, since I do it all the time with my SV unless the pavement is perfectly flat. There were also a couple times where I couldn't just follow my friend Brian into the parking lot. The first pic above, for example, I parked the bike there after he rode into the parking lot to the right which was *all* gravel. Although, later in the day we met a brief gravel road and I miraculously made my way through it.

So my natural inseam is 28.5". This bike is 32.1" inches; almost 4 full inches of additional height than my own inseam. Pushing myself out of my comfort zone was SO worth it, I had a blast and CAN'T WAIT to go riding again with it. (although my husband may disagree.... heheh).

After awhile, I felt far more confident, and more importantly I was having SO MUCH FUN. Damn, this bike is evil. Because all you can do the whole time is scream in your helmet; "Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!" I can't be trusted on a liter bike, so I'll definitely be getting new tires on the SV soon to make sure I keep my driving record as clean as possible :D.

If you're looking for a fun, semi twisty route outside of Philly, take a look at the route my friend and I took to Shamokin, about 275 miles round trip.

Ride Report: Philly to Maryland to Virginia to West Virginia and Back!

I've been dying to ride to West Virginia since I moved here. Looking at the maps, it has the twistiest roads I've seen here so far. I had an ambitious plan and didn't pull off as much as I'd hoped but still found some killer roads with a quick stop to Gettysburg on the way back. We left Saturday evening after I got off work, around 6pm.  The day before we left was a bit hectic because someone needed to get new tires mounted and set up. The 2nd tires of choice were Michelin Pilot Road 4 front and rear tires. Unfortunately since this was left to the last minute, the first choice was out of stock. But, these performed very well apparently, certainly far better than the 7 year old Pilot Powers that came with the bike!

creative_motorcycle_tire_transport

So we left Saturday evening around 6pm. My friend and coworker Brian came with us for the ride. I love riding with friends!

riding_with_friends

The plan was to get to Hagerstown, MD because it was fairly close to the cluster of roads in W. VA that we were trying to get to for Sunday. Given that we didn't get in til after 11pm, it was definitely a good spot for us. We avoided the Interstates and decided to stick to Route 30. As we got started on 76W, I saw this cool car and had to take a pic. Someone told me that old cars were hard to see on the road in the East Coast, because of the weather. But I guess Philly doesn't fall under that statement, because I've seen so many classics around town. It was really nice to see this one.

coolcar

Map: Part 1, Philly to Hagerstown 170 miles

Our dinner stop was along Route 30 at this awesome local place called Jennie's Diner in the heart of Amish country.

best_country_fried_steak_pennsylvania

I had the biggest country fried steak, ever! It was delicious. This is what was left after I couldn't fit anymore in my tiny stomach

.

I booked us rooms for the weekend at the Country Inn & Suites, which I highly highly recommend. It's a very clean, non smoking hotel that you can pretty much find everywhere. I would say they were pretty affordable, $89-99/night with free breakfast and parking. They even let us park our bikes right out front! It's also pet friendly, which worked well for us when we drove across country.

country_inn_suites_motorcycle_hotels_hagerstown

Green, lighter green and blue. Not a bad group! (Left: Brian in his

Revit Ignition 2 Jacket

 & 

Gear 2 pants

 &

Sidi Adventure GTX Boots

; Right: Evan in his

Dainese Air-3 Jacket

and old Rev'it Gear 1 pants)

The gem in this route was Route 77 through Catoctin Mountain Park. A really nice, twisty little road which was beautifully paved too. Even in the pitch black, it was pretty nice. Luckily we got to see it in daylight on the way home. We rolled in rather late, after 11pm since we took the scenic route to Hagerstown. We were definitely happy to get in and climb in bed to get ready for our long day into W. VA.

Map: Part 2: MD to W. VA 413 miles

This was definitely the best riding I've had since moving to Philly. The roads were smooth, hardly any cars but lots of twisties! If you just look at the map, you can tell that the roads are fantastic. Route 250 was definitely a favorite, sweepers & twisties stretched out over ~20 miles. The roads were very quiet, hardly any traffic and not much time spent stuck behind cars.

Since we were riding as much as possible, we only took a few photos along the way:

riding_with_friends (1)

Needless to say we had a really really great day riding around WVA. I wish we had one more day to ride further south and west of Elkins, W. VA, I hope I can try again soon, because those roads are calling me back already. I definitely loved 50 and 250, I think those were my favorite. If we had more time, I would've checked out some of the roads off the highway, but since our time was so short we decided to try out the highways first.

Here are a few more shots I managed to get along the way while we rode through W. Virginia:

riding_with_friends 2

riding_with_friends 1

riding_with_friends 3

Day 3: Hagerstown to Gettysburg

On Saturday night we rode this highway in the dark which we definitely wanted to see during the daytime. It was twisty, smooth and glorious. It turned out to be Route 77 through Catoctin Mountain Park between Highway 15 and Smithsburg, MD. It was short, but sweet and a nice surprise. I managed to take a picture on Monday morning:

route77_catoctin_mountainpark_md

After this we took 15 north to Gettysburg. We did the auto tour and saw all the beautiful, historic sites that basically created this country as we know it. Riding through the park was beautiful and humbling. We saw battlefields, cemeteries, and monuments. I highly recommend visiting the park and seeing how the war was essentially won. Here are some photos that I took along the way:

The way home was uneventful, just a lot of traffic and slow going. We did have to stop and take pic in the buggy at a Hess though:

riding_to_gettysburg22

783 miles later, it was back to Philly. I had a blast, and can't wait to go back to W. VA!!

Stay Tuned! Ride Report Coming...

Just finished a 785 mile ride through PA, to MD to VA to W. VA and Back! Stay Tuned.

Ride Report: Central Pennsylvania

Our first road trip through Pennsylvania. Having just moved from CA, I knew that finding worthy twisty roads was going to be a challenge.  

The Gear

We loaded up the bikes, each of us carrying 20L of Kriega Packs on our backseat. Because look at those backseats, they're tiny! Since we were preparing for hot weather, we both packed ultra light. (3 nights, 4 days in 20Liters; not normal for me. I usually need all 40L). On the Speed Triple, we have 2 US-10 Liter packs and on the SV I have one US-20. I offered to carry all of it but someone was being chivalrous. Honestly, I can't tell the difference between having just one or all 3 even fully loaded!

As far as myself, I wore my hybrids, Revit Galactic and Gear 2's, which were perfect for the 70s-80s that we were riding in. Looking back I should've worn my Schuberth C3ProW but decided to go with my Arai Vector-2 since it flows so much more direct air. I was expecting a really hot weekend of riding so I opted for the lighter option. It was my first time riding a considerable distance on my new to me ride, without a fairing and windscreen. We also spent a lot of time on more scenic roads and the winds were pretty miserable. I know the Schuberth would've been quieter and a bit more stable at speed; and since it was cooler than I expected less wind in my face!

For the man, we picked up a new mesh Dainese Air-3 jacket (Euro 54; 5'11", 210lbs) for him, which he says flows an incredible amount of air. Definitely too much for 70s-80s but perfect for the hottest riding conditions. A pair of Alpinestars GP Air gloves  followed him home as well, a really nice pair of summer gloves with a nice balance of protection and ventilation.

Sidenote: this jacket is available all the way down to Euro 44 / US Women's 6. If you dont have a huge hip differential (more than 2-3 inches between the difference of your waist and hip measurements) then it's a great option for women too.

I also want to mention this cute little handlebar bag that the man wanted for his S3 instead of a tank bag. It had just enough space to keep basically what you see below; wallet, keys, small necessities. The GiantLoop Zigzag Handlebar Bag, $52.25 on Revzilla.com.

Friday July 4

I prepared a mighty route, mostly off the interstate/turnpike. Lots of local roads. We spent about 30 minutes on Interstate 76 before reaching 422.

The highlight of the route was 125 to Shamokin. It was definitely the longest stretch of a twisty road, maybe 10-15 miles? I figured out how to make a step by step map via google maps! It's 225 miles, about 6-7 hours from start to finish with quick breaks here and there.

Actually a really nice mix of sweepers and a few tight turns. I'd call it more of a beginner road, not really technical. This was one of the nice stretches of open space on 125, just beautiful. After we got to Shamokin, it was late so we decided on a more direct route from 61 West to 15 North and didn't get to explore the route I planned after that point. :(

Budget Inn Williamsport

I would say that most of the roads were very scenic, with some nice sections of twisties here and there. Being a California girl, my standards are high. Probably too high. But it was definitely one of the best roads I've ridden in PA so far. We also made a point to ride it again on the way back home.

However, one thing that did meet my expectations was the motel we stayed in. Motel price, but much much nicer than other motels I've stayed at. It's a family owned motel, very reasonably priced (less than $80/night), non smoking, and pet friendly! We were able to park right out front too

Since we rolled in rather late on 4th of July we ended up ordering from Little Caesar's Pizza, the only thing open in town. We planned a route for Saturday, pretty ambitious because our goal was to ride as many of the twisty roads we could find. A couple weeks before we left, MadMaps generously sent me a set of maps for Pennsylvania! Check out everything they have to offer on their website.

Saturday July 5

The day started with breakfast at the Texas Diner in nearby Lockhaven (tasty and cheap!). We decided to ride a few different parts of several different routes. We definitely found some fun stretches, lots of scenic routes that really showcased how beautiful the state of Pennsylvania is once you leave the big city.

Our goal that day was to check out the Pine Creek Gorge, aka Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. Our route started out like this out of Williamsport:

220 North --> 44 North --> 144 North --> 6 East --> 362 East

Since Sue was leading us into the park entrance, I'm not entirely sure where we entered. We took the turnoff from 6 and then entered on the North end to Leonard Harrison State Park. There was even free motorcycle parking right in front.

Unfortunately my mind is a blur as to what our return route was back to Williamsport. All I know is that we rode about 400 miles that day and it was a lovely ride back. Since we rolled in around 7pm we decided to pick up sandwiches and enjoy a nice meal outside.

Sunday July 6

I don't want to mention breakfast because it was rather sad, not nearly as good as the Texas Diner, so go there! Sunday's route was a little different:

After we all got our photos in, we decided to head back. Unfortunately this is where we decided on an improvised route. All I can remember is that we got over to 219 South and stopped at 22 for a gas break. :-(

Monday July 7

The good news, I saved my ride route back home! I overlapped a few roads without knowing it.

I basically looked at google maps and picked the twistiest routes I could. Of course, we had to do 125 again. The best part was stumbling upon 2018 and the covered bridge! It was beautiful, just like in the movies. I've never ridden or driven through one before. We found it off 143 just south of Lenhartsville. It's on the left, less than 2 miles south. You need to look for it because if you don't, you'll pass it. We were so excited we forgot to take pics of the front. But here are some awesome pics of the back!

Looking at the map, the road behind the bridge looked really fun too.

We hit some traffic on the way back into Philadelphia so the entire day was a long one, leaving at 10am and getting home at 6:30pm. I'd say we were out riding every day from 9am to 6pm. Overall we rode ~1,100 miles and I enjoyed almost all of it, except for my horrible stock seat. We can't wait to send our seats to this guy in Florida: A Great Day to Ride. The riders on the Triumph Rat forums swear by him, and for the price I can't say no. Especially since we can do both of our seats for the cost of one Sargent or Corbin.

I also have to mention my wonderful friends, Sue and Gin of the Women's Motorcyclist Foundation. Between the two of them they have well over 1,000,000 miles (literally) under their belts from all the roads they've ridden over the years. They won't stop riding even though they technically "should" due to them being at the age of "retirement". Not likely, anytime soon. I've learned so much from these two, I'll never stop riding until I absolutely, positively have to. They're living proof that riding motorcycles keeps you young :)

To sum it all up, I have to rate the riding as scenic, and nothing like the technical riding we have in CA. I know that there were a LOT of roads we didn't explore, because they didn't appear to be fully paved. If we all had dual sport bikes, I know we would've been more adventurous to find out what all these little roads were like. I found a TON of twisty routes in my atlas but none of them were clearly paved. I don't mind exploring every now and then and may do that on my next ride because I don't care if I hit some sand or gravel. If it's too much I'll just uturn. But I feel like there were a lot of potentially amazing roads that just need a slightly different bike...

Next Trip: Either up north to NY mountains or south to VA. Stay tuned!