Hey, GB, you need to change your avatar. Not because you should change it to AK73, but because you NEVER RIDE WITH SIDE BAGS!!!
Oh, and sorry about not emailing you guys last night. I came home (about 7 hours!), fed the dogs, sat down and fell asleep. That was all she wrote.
Yeah, this was a fun little meet. Watching Smitty work in his shop was great. He's a super guy with some wrench skills! STAND BACK and watch him go! And then get him on bike and WOOHOO, that boy can RIDE!
I got a taste of the roads coming into Hooterville, just because I got blocked on the interstate coming in to St. Louis. I refused to be squidly (any more than I am naturally) by cutting through traffic trying to make an exit, so I took a different road in to Smitty's than I planned. I diverted through the sticks back in to Smitty's town from the west. Let's just say that I could tell that this was going to be a great ride based on the sample of roads I used coming into town.
As Adam said, we got to see the No Mar tire changer in action. Man, that Bridgestone was a bitch, but Smitty just sailed through the Avons. Even demoed and install and removal for KCFJR and I while GB was enroute, toting his "new shoes". I also got to see how Marc Parns' balancer is used. Very nice.
Smitty was cooking away at Adam's '05 when I decided to remove my front tire to check the balance. We confirmed (well, Smitty confirmed...) that the shop that did my static balance swinging the tire horizontally on a bubble aparatus got it pretty close. It was within 5 grams, I think. I couldn't tell any change when riding the next morning, but I did have more confidence in the wheel.
The next morning, I know I have my work cut out for me, because Smitty shows for breakfast in his full warm weather gear. And he brings his friend Dave, who is also geared up, and riding a TL1000R. Lemme tell you that Smitty's bike was very sharp (as are all FJR's!), but Dave's TL was one of the prettiest bikes on the planet. And one of the cleanest, too. It was better than show room. I LOVE that bike!
Off we go for the warm up round. Every leg is just a little different. First leg, I'm in the #2 slot. What up with that? I knew I was the lamest rider of the bunch, but there I was. Smitty takes off at what is probably about 50% of his usual pace. I keep up OK, but I can tell he's backing off repeatedly. I'm getting used to the terrain and the roads, which are awesome. Lots of 2 lane back country sweepers on really good quality pavement. Lots of elevation changes down there, too. Wooded hoots and hollers, rolling hills and some farmland. Very pretty area, 'cept we're going so fast that I can't really sight see. And grinning from ear to ear.
All of a sudden I hear this roar blip by me. A yellow streak goes passed at probably twice the speed of me. And we weren't exactly law abiding citizens all day. WOW! Dave has a racing history (as does Smitty) so as he blurs by me, fairly close, it doesn't bother me a bit. Then he gets up with Smitty, AND THEY'RE OFF!
Dave and Smitty pretty much ride in formation the rest of the morning. I'm watching their lines and how they are riding together as a clue of what to expect on the road. Single file with lots of spacing means road conditions are going south. Staggared close and they are heading for the horizon and nearly out of sight means let 'er rip! :thumbup:
Yes, we all agreed to ride our own rides, and I know I was the slowest and least bold, but it was great to have tour guides that gave a little back. They didn't just leave us in the bag, but shared the experience and looked out for us, pointing out hazards, and stopping for us to catch up at the intersections (and there weren't all that many!). I think they also got their chance to get a few grins in, too. It was cool to watch them just BLOW US AWAY.
After a while Galaxy Blue had his tires sufficiently scrubbed. He likes the high speed sweepers, so he did a nice pass and left me at the back of the pack. Man, most of the roads in the area south of Hooterville are EMPTY on the weekends, 'cept for other bikes and a few local cars. The area in there is not very populated and there just isn't that much traffic. SWEET! When we did come on traffic, a couple slow folks moved over, one guy even pulled off to let up pass. Now that was nice.
Smitty and Dave were very careful where they passed slower traffic, especially with us in trail. Where we road, if there were lines on the roads, there wasn't much but double yellow. I could tell that Smitty was a class act before we went out, though, because he was telling us about this turd he road with (just once) that scared the bejeebers out of some lady and her little kids due to poor timing and an unsafe pass. I think it's important to be courteous to other drivers, and above all to be safe. Most people know how fast a bike can blip around a cage, but that doesn't mean the cage drivers like it, or approve of it. So it's good to know that we had good heads at the helm.
Actually I think the manner in which Smitty and Dave ride together was elegant. I know that sounds kinda gay, but it just suits the experience. You could tell that they ride together a lot, they both are excellent riders, and they were also gentlemen on the road. And when they were riding in formation, they just flowed. Watching them work the roads was a real pleasure. It was a very high quality experience.
Not to say that we didn't have a couple hickups. Every one of us left a signal on longer that we should have. I was the first one with this oops, but at least I wasn't the only one. There was just a lot of thinking about driving going on. But there were opportunities to tease about Grandpa Blinker.
And Smitty did run off the road once. Yes, I DID see that! :bleh: HE was talking to Dave while riding side by side, going very slow, waiting for GB and I to catch up. All of a sudden, I see gravel spewing, a little dust, and a wee bit of a swerve over on the shoulder. Just that quick. And just that quick, Smitty was back on the road. I never even saw him flinch. Excellent! All those years riding motox surely have paid off. Dave didn't flinch either. Those boys got some SKILLS!
We were on our way to Eminence, and a pack of bikes caught us from behind. That really surprised me. Man, they must ALL run at warp speed down here! In the pack was every type of street bike. We all moved over to let them pass. Turns out that Smitty and Dave knew the lead and a couple others in the pack. But this one dumb ******* on a GoldWing made a bad pass and nearly wiped everyone out. It looked like he swung way out into a blind left turn very hot, then nearly collided with one of his mates in the pack. I think the other guy decided not to be left of the double yellow around the curve or something like that, and they nearly collided into their own and our pack. ********. Locked it up and swerved with pillion in tow. Man, that tank really would have taken out a slew of bikes. I'd never ride with that guy again if I was in that group. BAD DECISION of a location to pass, and poor execution of the move to boot. That's what get's people killed. At least no one got hurt, but it was VERY close.
At mid day, I was hot and tired, and needed to head for home. I had ridden for about 3 hours on some seriously fun twisties and sweepers. I bade fairwell to my new friends, and prepared to leave from our location not too far from the Arkansas border. I was getting ready to throw my leg over the bike and head for the flat lands.
SLAM! I lost my footing and fell square on my ass. <_< Other bikers right near by. :blushing: All I heard was "JEEZ, ARE YOU OK?" You could HEAR me hit the ground. :blush2: "Yeah, I'm just embarrased..." :blushing: Thankfully, I was wearing my leathers, and they took the entire blow, and the fall didn't hurt a bit. Maybe I should wear them full time?
If that's as bad as it ever gets, I will be VERY thankful.
Smitty is a great host, wrench, and rider. Nice guy, too. The guy lives in a great part of the world for some bike ridin' too. That area of souther Missouri that I road with him was VERY nice. The roads were high quality, and every bit as fun as the roads surrounding Deals Gap. With less traffic.
It was great to meet like minded riders and get together for some fun. I made some new friends, I learned a bunch, had a great ride and an excellent time.
Thanks Smitty, for your hospitality, your patience, and for sharing your skills and manners on and off the road. I had a great time and would love to come see more of the roads around "Hooterville".
