Five days on a CBR
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Five days on a CBR - 5/21/2008 4:04:32 PM
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woot
Posts: 743
Joined: 7/24/2006
From: NS, Canada
Status: offline
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So - I'm working on a road trip report - the ultra short version is that I packed up my F4 and dragged a buddy of mine from Halifax Nova Scotia, through New Brunswick, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York and up to Ottawa, Ontario.
From there I met up with a different buddy - leaving the first guy at his new digs. Road up to Renfew, down through some fantastic back roads... testing the off road capability of the F4. When we passed a 3-wheeler we knew we'd gone far enough to take pictures.
From Kingston, I solo'ed the 1000 miles in 17.5 hours of piss-pouring rain back to Halifax to finish a documented SS1K.
For now I leave you with Day 5 - SS1k?
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2000 CBR 600 F4
Full M4,
-1,+2 520,
Speedohealer (-11.4%), AutoCom Pro, Garmin Nuvi 360 GPS/MP3, Cobra FRS/GMRS , Vortex sliders, mirrored windscreen, Cortech bags and Aux Fuse box.
Safety wired and ready to go
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RE: Five days on a CBR - 5/21/2008 4:05:29 PM
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woot
Posts: 743
Joined: 7/24/2006
From: NS, Canada
Status: offline
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Woke up the regular time and started thinking about the SS1K. Was it possible? What's the weather like? Turns out that this is more a mental game than it seems at face value. 1000 miles - pushed near that distance several times.
Wes and I chatted over our morning coffees and it seemed like as good a time as any to start rolling. After the success the day before of Wes's Canadian Tire hi-vis rain suit, I figured that's where I'd start. Who wants to ride soaking wet?
I stopped in at the Canadian Tire in Kingston, got the suit (and many strange looks), got my starting receipt and called Wes. Anything I need to remember? Keep the receipts for everything, if you stop longer than 30 minutes get another receipt. Easy enough - I'm in the habit of marking all my receipts with mileage anyhow. (I'll do the math later but right I'll start the typing instead)
So - at 10:56 ET I got my starting Gas receipt. It was raining and hovering around 7C
2 hours in and my feet are soaked. I bagged my boots - tapped the toes - water proofed them before leaving Halifax, and on the tag is says "Water Proof" but no matter how you slice it - my feet were in puddles. I was cold. REALLY cold. Your mind wanders between getting home and having a hot shower, and calling it a day.
I rode until the reserve light came on in Montreal area. Stopped for gas and met my first gas station attendant. It is p!$$ pouring rain and a guy pulls up on a CBR. Saddlebags, tent, tank bag GPS and a high VIS rain suit. It almost demands the questions; where are you coming from and where are you going? Kingston - Halifax - <24 hours. A look of shock. Really? Don't you have to go slow in the rain? Not really - I have every confidence in these tires... and I know these tires can be pushed north of 200 in the rain, and I'm no where near that today.
A look of shock and bewilderment as I down my first hot chocolate and muffin. My only question? What's hot here?
That hot chocolate hit the spot. For the next 100km I was feeling great, the world was a better place and I knew I could do it. As the next 150km wore on I got colder and colder. I split my pants at this stage so rain was running along the gas tank, into the crotch of my rain pants, through my 'waterproofed' '100% waterproof pants' and soaking my jogging pants. I sat on a cbr in wet pants for the entire ride it seems.
I made it to Levy on this tank of gas, and had a minor re-route into Quebec city when my GPS kept saying go left young man. I did - and realized too late I was a lane too far left and was now on a bridge taking me into Quebec city, as opposed to bypassing it as I had planned. No problem, first exit, back over the bridge.
Gas stop 2 - Levy Quebec I grabbed a cup of cauliflower soup and hot dogs. It was warm and the Quebec police arrived and gave me an interesting lunch time show... not sure what had happened exactly, all I really understood of the talking was there was a repeat gas thief...
Off I went, and finally a hole in the clouds, the rain stopped and I saw my own shadow. Now I know I can make it... I'd checked the weather maps and thought if I got to Quebec in short enough order that I could get under the rain band.
Passing Rivier-du-Loup the rain started again - and by the time I made it to the Irving Big Stop at the NB/Quebec border it was hammering down loudly enough to trigger my AutoCom mic. The reserve light had been on 20km at that point so I was happy my geography held up to the test. Gassed up and went inside for a bowl of chilli. Unfortunately they were out of chilli so I had a big bowl of barley and beef soup - on the house. It seems that if you arrive in hi-vis, people know you're insane and want to do something to make it better... hot soup was the perfect cure. I unplugged the mic in the helmet - as getting at the vox setting was too arduous at this point (under my seat, which was under 30-40lbs of wet
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2000 CBR 600 F4
Full M4,
-1,+2 520,
Speedohealer (-11.4%), AutoCom Pro, Garmin Nuvi 360 GPS/MP3, Cobra FRS/GMRS , Vortex sliders, mirrored windscreen, Cortech bags and Aux Fuse box.
Safety wired and ready to go
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RE: Five days on a CBR - 5/21/2008 4:06:03 PM
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woot
Posts: 743
Joined: 7/24/2006
From: NS, Canada
Status: offline
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The only pictures I have of the whole trip... next time I'll bring a helmet cam or something.
http://gallery.atpic.com/19866
_____________________________
2000 CBR 600 F4
Full M4,
-1,+2 520,
Speedohealer (-11.4%), AutoCom Pro, Garmin Nuvi 360 GPS/MP3, Cobra FRS/GMRS , Vortex sliders, mirrored windscreen, Cortech bags and Aux Fuse box.
Safety wired and ready to go
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RE: Five days on a CBR - 5/21/2008 5:42:35 PM
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woot
Posts: 743
Joined: 7/24/2006
From: NS, Canada
Status: offline
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You could spend a week in the NY/Vermont area easily... we missed so many good roads in an effort to get from A to B. Best day for twisty roads was from Lake George - along to the 10... up to Speculator, and up to Tupper. That whole section was good road, low traffic too when we were there.
Ya - wind burn and the wet strap.
The stuff on his headlight was chad flies - he hit a cloud of them - in 300 feet he got absolutely covered in one cloud of them... said it stunk too!
All of this was good:
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=10412559094438346981,43.401840,-73.713870%3B14482833455903696585,43.489800,-74.374680%3B8434073912437714906,43.860990,-74.434580%3B10694482656379999794,44.197920,-74.472840&saddr=RT-9N+%4043.401840,+-73.713870&daddr=43.19116,-74.533997+to:RT-8+%4043.489800,+-74.374680+to:RT-28N%2FRT-30+%4043.860990,+-74.434580+to:RT-30+%4044.197920,+-74.472840&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=9&via=1,2,3&sll=43.53262,-74.275818&sspn=1.340068,1.590271&ie=UTF8&z=9
And this was REALLY quite fun - the gap was great!
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=16965137609775409224,44.180960,-72.839960%3B7150990465888323987,44.095320,-72.982320%3B12370872191423824255,44.064950,-73.405000&saddr=43rd+Infantry+Division+Memorial+Hwy%2FMain+St%2FVT-100+%4044.180960,+-72.839960&daddr=44.205835,-72.91626+to:VT-17+%4044.064950,+-73.405000&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=11&via=1&sll=44.130478,-72.927246&sspn=0.331683,0.397568&ie=UTF8&z=11
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2000 CBR 600 F4
Full M4,
-1,+2 520,
Speedohealer (-11.4%), AutoCom Pro, Garmin Nuvi 360 GPS/MP3, Cobra FRS/GMRS , Vortex sliders, mirrored windscreen, Cortech bags and Aux Fuse box.
Safety wired and ready to go
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RE: Five days on a CBR - 5/22/2008 2:23:00 AM
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woot
Posts: 743
Joined: 7/24/2006
From: NS, Canada
Status: offline
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For the GPS mount I went to Ram Mount online... I brought the kit for my Nuvi which included a backing place,
a 3" arm, and a pair of balls. Unfortunately the second ball had a big round foot, so I knew that wouldn't work.
So I ordered a third ball with a diamond foot print.
I unbolted the tank - put the ball on top of the tank mounts and looked to see what I'd need to do. I had to grind
1/4" off the tip of the diamond to get it to miss the tank... and I had to stretch the holes with a larger drill bit to
get the tank bolts to line up.
After that I mounted the 3" arm on that bolt, and the backing plate and ball on top of that. Best picture of it is this one:
http://pic.atpic.com/874513
You can see the silver GPS sticking up between the speedometer and gas tank.
All of the bags are Cortech by Tour Master - and I got them from New Enough. All of the bags have a neoprene backing so they don't mark the bike up (unless you leave grit between the bags and the plastic)
_____________________________
2000 CBR 600 F4
Full M4,
-1,+2 520,
Speedohealer (-11.4%), AutoCom Pro, Garmin Nuvi 360 GPS/MP3, Cobra FRS/GMRS , Vortex sliders, mirrored windscreen, Cortech bags and Aux Fuse box.
Safety wired and ready to go
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RE: Five days on a CBR - 5/23/2008 5:35:03 AM
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redzintimidator
Posts: 1745
Joined: 8/6/2007
From: Greene, NY
Status: offline
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looks like a fun time..i live in NY not far from there and im hopin to explore a little this summer
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OKIEZAC - CBRforum buddy
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RE: Five days on a CBR - 5/31/2008 3:51:46 AM
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woot
Posts: 743
Joined: 7/24/2006
From: NS, Canada
Status: offline
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For those interested - I finished typing up the ride report over in 250 land:
http://forums.ninja250.org/viewtopic.php?p=671850#671850
I still have to add a few maps and mileage reports but - the story is there now.
_____________________________
2000 CBR 600 F4
Full M4,
-1,+2 520,
Speedohealer (-11.4%), AutoCom Pro, Garmin Nuvi 360 GPS/MP3, Cobra FRS/GMRS , Vortex sliders, mirrored windscreen, Cortech bags and Aux Fuse box.
Safety wired and ready to go
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