aldrichster
Member
Some of you may have seen a posting recently describing the first part of a ride I took with Luke, from D&H in Cullman to Oklahoma City where Luke and I parted, as that is where he lives. Well, I continued on west and then north and returned home to Seattle this Tuesday. Here are some particulars from my ride:
* 4167 miles in all - in 12 days of riding
* 1261 miles ridden in the state of California
* 47.5 average mpg
* number of fill ups - 21 - $240 fuel cost
* met up with the Pacific in Malibu and rode next to it all the way to Astoria, Oregon
* longest day - 521 miles (Jenner Cal. to Yachats, Ore.)
* most miles ridden without getting off bike - 211 miles
* temperature range: 42F on a chilly morning in northern New Mexico - 98F in the Mojave Desert
* cheapest gas - $2.69 in Oklahoma
* most expensive gas - $3.88 in Big Bear Lake, Cal.
* number of FJR's seen along the way (not counting Luke's) 1 - in Santa Cruz, Cal.
* number of Harley's seen - 100's
* best kept secret highways - US 64 east of Buffalo, Okla., also US 64 west of Tierra Amarilla, NM
* worst stretch of highway: NM 456 - 17 miles of unpaved, washboard, gravel and dirt just west of the NM/OK border
* most annoying weather condition - strong crosswinds, especially in the desert southwest
* friendliest gas/food mart employees - Alabama and Mississippi by far (there is such a thing as So. hospitality)
* wildlife seen: wild turkey (Ok.), pheasants (Ok.), fox (NM), dead skunks (Ca.) dead armadillos (Ok.) grey whale (Or. coast)
I have named my bike 'Dulce' because she is so sweet. I had no trouble with the dreaded heat issue even in the Mojave. A Vista Cruise added in Texarkana greatly alleviated my only discomfort, that being my right wrist and thumb joint. I would add highway pegs for the next long trip. I kept the windscreen at about 1/3 up, that seemed to work best for my height (6'). I wore First Gear Kilimanjaro Air Mesh jacket and pants - they were great! Highly recommended. One time Dulce wouldn't start in the morning. I thought I had checked everything, so I called Jerold at D&H. He patiently worked with me over the phone and helped me discover it was just the kill switch. He was great!
Needless to say, it was quite an experience. I hadn't ridden for 28 years before this trip. I was sincerely rusty at the beginning but each day seemed to see my confidence and skills increase. Of course part of that if not almost all can be attributed to the marvellous machine that is the FJR. But you guys already know that!
I will send a link to the pics when I have them uploaded this weekend.
~Murray
* 4167 miles in all - in 12 days of riding
* 1261 miles ridden in the state of California
* 47.5 average mpg
* number of fill ups - 21 - $240 fuel cost
* met up with the Pacific in Malibu and rode next to it all the way to Astoria, Oregon
* longest day - 521 miles (Jenner Cal. to Yachats, Ore.)
* most miles ridden without getting off bike - 211 miles
* temperature range: 42F on a chilly morning in northern New Mexico - 98F in the Mojave Desert
* cheapest gas - $2.69 in Oklahoma
* most expensive gas - $3.88 in Big Bear Lake, Cal.
* number of FJR's seen along the way (not counting Luke's) 1 - in Santa Cruz, Cal.
* number of Harley's seen - 100's
* best kept secret highways - US 64 east of Buffalo, Okla., also US 64 west of Tierra Amarilla, NM
* worst stretch of highway: NM 456 - 17 miles of unpaved, washboard, gravel and dirt just west of the NM/OK border
* most annoying weather condition - strong crosswinds, especially in the desert southwest
* friendliest gas/food mart employees - Alabama and Mississippi by far (there is such a thing as So. hospitality)
* wildlife seen: wild turkey (Ok.), pheasants (Ok.), fox (NM), dead skunks (Ca.) dead armadillos (Ok.) grey whale (Or. coast)
I have named my bike 'Dulce' because she is so sweet. I had no trouble with the dreaded heat issue even in the Mojave. A Vista Cruise added in Texarkana greatly alleviated my only discomfort, that being my right wrist and thumb joint. I would add highway pegs for the next long trip. I kept the windscreen at about 1/3 up, that seemed to work best for my height (6'). I wore First Gear Kilimanjaro Air Mesh jacket and pants - they were great! Highly recommended. One time Dulce wouldn't start in the morning. I thought I had checked everything, so I called Jerold at D&H. He patiently worked with me over the phone and helped me discover it was just the kill switch. He was great!
Needless to say, it was quite an experience. I hadn't ridden for 28 years before this trip. I was sincerely rusty at the beginning but each day seemed to see my confidence and skills increase. Of course part of that if not almost all can be attributed to the marvellous machine that is the FJR. But you guys already know that!
I will send a link to the pics when I have them uploaded this weekend.
~Murray
