Anyone got any good roadtrip stories?
I have a few.
Had a rear brake hang up enough to turn my rotor cherry red and start my leather saddlebag on fire in the first 5 miles of a solo 6 day, 1300 mile road trip on a (at the time) 24 year old Shovelhead.
It poured rain every day and besides the brake occasionally hanging up, I also had to take the SU carb apart along the road after a small piece of the plastic fuel filter broke off and became lodged in the needle and seat.
Then, the front pin holding the rear caliper fell out and I had to take the caliper all the way off to finish the trip.
Did I mention that I also dropped the bike in a curve in Rockford, Illinois on that trip?
It had been raining hard all day and as I leaned and hit the nice shiny newly painted stripe I thought "Not a good place to lean" and just like that, down she went.
After sliding to a stop, I picked her up repositioned the broken clutch lever and rode off.
Funny part was when I finally pulled into the bar in Tomahawk, Wisconsin (it was their bike party weekend) I couldnt find a spot to put the bike for all the cars and pickups.
Not a bike to be seen.
Keep in mind, it was pouring rain (again).
Walk in the bar and it's nothing but head to toe black leather on every swinging Richard in the place.
I turn back around and look outside. Nope, about the only bike out in the parking lot was mine.
Good times.
Been riding on the street for about 20 years now, I'm 34, got my motorcycle endorsement when I was 15. Hit a deer on my 2 year old (at the time) ninja when I was 20, going entirely too fast, didn't go down though, enough forward momentum to stay up ha ha.
Then on the last 75 mile stretch of a 900 mile road trip (on the same ninja) a year later, low sided on highway 36 between Chester and red bluff, California. It was March, and there was some sand on the mountain road, and I was, again, going too fast. That was some painful road rash, but rode the rest of the way anyway. Road it home a week later too after replacing my front brake lever that had broke.
Another time, I was helping my sister move from Wyoming to Decater, Texas. Loaded the ninja up in the front of the uhaul, and drove it down. Unloaded her stuff, got my bike out, and road home. This was in the time before my phone had gps.....was planning on stopping in Colorado Springs to stay with a friend for the first leg of the trip. Well, me not knowing the area well, got all the way to Denver, figuring I was close before I pulled out my map, and figured out I missed a turn that set me back 70 miles, after already riding over 700 that day. I had replaced my chain and sprockets before I left, and was adjusting my chain every gas stop as it was doing it's initial break in, but noticed that it was stretching more than my other chains. I got to colorado springs, took off from an intersection making a left hand turn, and my rear tire locked up as my chain came off the sprocket. I managed to not go down and not get hit, then drug my locked up motorcycle off the road, to see my chain again extremely loose and had came off. I adjusted it again, and finished getting to my friends house. The next day, made it to cheyenne, and ran out of chain adjustment, and it was still a little loose. Probably not the best choice, but it was a Sunday and nothing was open, and I had to work Monday, so I just decided I wouldn't lean much, and headed home, thankfully making it. Turns out, the new chain had not had the inner o-ring seals installed from the factory!!
I still have that same 2008 ninja, though a couple other bikes have come and gone. As I have aged and learned, my crazy stories have faded. Now I have a "vintage" 1989 honda gl1500 goldwing as well, which I love for going on long trips with my wife. It still blows me away the technology that was available on a 1989 Goldwing compared to even some of today's bikes. Cruise, heat vents, adjustable windshield, stereo, with speed increasing volume, air suspension, decent handling, and more storage than you can shake a stick at....it's as old as I am, cost me $1500 plus another $700 to fully restore, and it does touring better than a lot of $20k+ baggers I have ridden. And doesn't leak oil.....lol sorry guys, had to throw that one in there!
The old ninja now stays around as a "learner" bike. My wife just got her motorcycle endorsement, and my kids will probably start on it when they are older. I want to get an in-betweener bike next for myself, not the full on sport bike, but not a heavy touring bike either. I think the next one will be one of two KTM'S, either the 1290 Super Duke GT, or the 1290 Super Adventure R.
