I just came back from a two week trip out to Minneapolisfrom Western MA to see my brother and his family. I took four days out and four days back, did some riding while I was out there and enjoyed the first days I've had off since last fall. First some observations: 1) I find the the Zero Gravity Sport Touring screen to be so much better than the stock screen for stints on the highway. I'm 5'9” with Helibars, and the ZG screen takes all the wind off of my chest. I have to admit that I prefer the way the stock screen looks, but for touring the ZG screen is excellent. 3) The VFR is a great touring machine. I have so much run riding it around here, but it really is no problem riding 400+ miles in a day. I get tired, but by the next morning I am ready to do it again. I do have a Sargent seat, which I think is a must for long rides 3) NY roads are great compared to MA roads. Here in MA, there are is no unincorporated land—everything is part of a town—and every town puts up its own speed limits. Worse, rather than set a speed and then indicate a suggested speed when the road gets twisty, they change the speed at every turn. It is insane. In NY, outside the villages, the speed is 55 and when the road gets twisty the state puts up one of the yellow recommended speed sign with an indication of the turn the road will take. Plus the roads are in good shape. 4) Routes 23, 10, and 417 in NY are a lot of fun, and I did a quick blast up Rt 14 to Geneva and a blast down Rt 89 to Ithaca just get in a few more miles before I called it a trip and to check out a couple of the lakes. NY is one beautiful state. I also recommend Rt 60 from just above Rochester, MN to Wabasha, MN, Rt 35 along the Mississippi in WI, and Rt 52 in Iowa from where it connects to Rt 18 to down into Dubuque. That is some beautiful pastoral scenery on good roads with enough turns to keep you focused. I did have two incidents that I guess are parts of every rider's rite of passage: I got flat in Madison, WI. I noticed it the next morning. I had a nail dead center in my rear tire. I pulled it and plugged it with a stop and go plug kit. The instructions were good, and I had no problem plugging the tire, though I did have trouble inflating it with the CO2 cartridges and the small bit of hose the kit comes with. I will replace the hose with the adapter I use for my bicycle (but with a shrader adapter). Aerostich sells the adapter. I was running Pilot Road 2s with 13,000 miles on them, and though they were getting near the end of their lives I was hoping to finish the trip on them. The plug held just fine the rest of the way to Minneapolis, but I decided to get two new tires while I was there rather than risk having the plug fail while on my way back. I bought Metzeler RoadTec Z6s. They seem to be fine and showed very little wear even after a long stint on Route 80 from the middle of IL to PA, but they definitely turn in more easily than the Pilot Road 2s and have taken a little getting use to. So far I like the Pilot Road 2s better, but a more aggressive rider might like the Metzelers better. (I bought the tires at Leo's in Apple Valley(?), MN, and they were absolutely excellent. Plus they had lots of nice BMWs to look at.) And my second incident broke my heart. I dropped my bike in WI, actually the day before I got the flat. I was on Rt 69, and it took a detour, and I got a bit lost. I pulled into a parking lot to look at my map and either I didn't put the kick stand down all the way or possibly not at all. I was preoccupied with finding my way and not paying attention. It was a slow drop. I bent the clutch lever, though it did not break, and I scratched the front and left side cowls a bit, though not badly. But I did incur more severe scratches on the left hard bag. They are really gouges, and though the bag is functional, I want to get it fixed. So my question is what are my options for fixing the bag? I will wait until winter now that I have gotten past being upset—nothing like riding some more to cure a broken heart. Is this something I should try myself or would I be better off having someone do it? I see some threads on painting the bags, but it seems pretty involved. I would like the bag to look as good as it did. Though it is not my goal to drop my bike on a regular basis, it is good to get it over with , and it was good to have to deal with some of these things far from home. I haven't been very active on VFRW recently, work has been all consuming, though it is good to work. But I appreciate, as always, all the excellent guidance and perspective I get here. And all the shared stories of dropping bikes that I have read over the last few years gave me perspective when I would otherwise have been more upset with myself. I appreciate that. Ed
Great write up. I love to road trip on my VFR. Like you I dropped my bike on a trip a couple years ago down in Monterey, Ca (I was down there for the Laguna Seca races). I got in a hurry and forgot to take my disk lock off (what and idiot!!) and dropped it on the left side in front of the Marriott hotel in Montery. That's where the Ducati factory team stay while they're in town. Lots of pointing and laughing from the folks staying in the hotel while I picked up my bike.
