Motorcyclists come from all across the planet to ride The Tail of The Dragon - 318 curves in 11 Miles!, or Ride The Snake, 489 Curves, 33 Miles, 3 Mountains, 1 Valley!, The Back Of The Dragon, The Claw Of The Dragon, the list is as endless as the roads. I have a map from a company called Butler that specializes in seeking out, grading, highlighting, and color coding all of the best motorcycle roads in North America (I WANT THAT JOB!!!!). The one they printed that overlaps portions of Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, , and Alabama, looks like a bunch of children hung a map on the wall then stood back and splashed paint all over it. Which isn't very far from the truth. we could spend the next several months there and still only cover a fraction of them.
We only have 9 days, that includes getting there from Ottawa so we'll have to drive really really fast.
Any of you who are reading this and are aware of how my last road trip ended may be a little concerned by the really fast part, but having given it much thought I have come to the conclusion that the reason my bike wound up barrel rolling down the highway launching me at a stationery vehicle is that I wasn't going fast enough.
It's not that I wasn't going fast, because I was, but going fast along a scenic highway with lovely vistas is quite different from tearing along a piece of pavement that bares more resemblance to a roller coaster than to a public road. When you're constantly going from full throttle to grabbing a handful of brakes as you lean into a corner trying to guess which way the road is going to turn as you crest the next rise doing 110 km/hr only able to see 30 yards down the road, praying there isn't yet another kid driving a hay wagon (it is harvest season) filling most of the road in front of you, it has a way of FOCUSING you, of claiming your Total, Complete, Undivided Attention.
Therefore I would like to steal a handy excuse from several of the participants on "Canada's Worst Driver" and say that "Speed Is Safety". The faster we go, the safer we are.
This is the second road trip I've been on with Ray, and the first one was Epic. We shipped our bikes to my sisters place in Surrey before flying out, mounting up, then heading south down the Pacific Coast Highway. It took us more than 3 weeks to get back to Ottawa, taking the most circuitous route that we could. We dodged Wildfires, Downpours, Tornadoes, Blizzards, Buffaloes, (Really! I have Video of Momma Buffalo giving Ray the evil eye as she walked past us while I sat with my bike in gear holding the clutch with my thumb hovering over the start button ready to abandon him to his fate -I only have to outrun YOU!), great big cracks in the Earth (again, I have video) and God knows what the Hell else.
For that trip we had 20 plus days, this time we only have 9, and at least as far to go.
Really, Really, Fast.
On this Road Trip Ray is bring the same mount he had the last time, a Honda Blackbird, his CBR1100XX. Probably one of the most outstanding Sport/Touring machines ever built. That was before he began modifying it. Now it's just one of the best machines ever built, period.
The bike I rode last time is, sadly, no longer with me. The last time I laid eyes upon it's crumpled remains was at Brotherton Towing on the Gaspe Peninsula. It didn't bother me much then, I was happy merely to have survived. But as the days passed and I searched for a replacement for it I began to feel it's loss more and more keenly. It was the best friend I ever had, we had been through so much together, seen so many beautiful things, been to so many places.
I had a file folder at home crammed with reviews I had saved of every motorcycle I had taken so much as a passing fancy to over the years. Chock full of Ducati's, Aprillia's. MV Agusta's, BMW's, as well as all the usual Japanese rides available. One by one one I tracked them down. One by one I either rode it or at least threw a leg over it, and didn't like a single, solitary one. I had no budget, no limits, but I did have some very specific criteria.
Fast. Comfortable. Reasonable range. Can stay on it all day. Could carry luggage. Anti Lock Brakes. Did I mention Fast?
Nothing met the standard. Nothing........... fit.
I spent a lovely afternoon tearing around Montreal completely lost on an MV Agusta Turismo Veloce, a machine that met all of my specifications on paper, but simply didn't fit me.
I rode a BMW F800R, and knew before we left the parking lot that I would never buy one.
I tried so many bikes, searched everywhere I could think of, and didn't find anything that spoke me me.
Then one day I was perusing ads for used bikes trying me put a value on my wreck to help me in my negotiations with the insurance company, and I saw it. Shining in the sun, Bright red, Gold wheels, a 2010 Yamaha FZ1. My Bike. The twin of the one I last saw at Brotherton Towing. It was for sale in Alberta, low mileage, excellent condition, no modifications. stored properly, treated with the love and care that I had treated my own.
After 2 1/2 weeks of searching I had an epiphany - I WANTED MY BIKE BACK!
It is now 6 weeks after the accident, and my life is once again complete. Out in the garage is my new Baby, my best friend, travelling companion, trusted steed. I didn't buy the bike from Alberta, and I had to compromise on the ABS. A 2014 Yamaha FZ1. Still under warranty, 2200 km on it, registered this year. It's White. Wasn't so sure about that at first, but it's growing on me. I've spent the last 3 days crawling all over it, disassembling it, reassembling it, customizing it, personalizing it, making it MINE.
And it's Fast, Very Very Fast.
But I won't drive it too fast, Cassandra made me promise.
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