New Hampshire - Fresh Pavement Alert

[Fred W]

Was out on a lunch ride in Vermont with a couple of other red FJRs yesterday and when we were headed back home we found ourselves making the river crossing back into NH at Bellows Falls / North Walpole.

Rte 123 has been freshly repaved all the way from Acworth to Rte 9 in Stoddard (that section was in dire need of it). It was so fresh they do not have the lines painted yet. Route 136 between Greenfield and New Boston, and Rte 13 from NB to Goffstown were all repaved last fall. All together that makes for over 60 miles of freshly paved curves about as good as any you'll find in New England.

Ride it while it's smooth! A couple of bad winters and it will be back to the old frost heaved mess.

I'll have to head back over to the area and see if they did 123A too. That also desperately needed repaving and is even curvier than 123!

 

[ionbeam]

We rode across those same roads about 3 weeks ago and they were abysmal. Leaving Alstead the ES paid for itself again but in Stoddard they had dug large holes all over the road and filled them with loose gravel, they were hard to see in advance and deadly to drive into. Since the road to Hancock was been repaved I regularly get requests to go to Fiddleheads for breakfast

I won't dignify 123A as being called a road anymore, when you have to worry about skidding on the grass growing through the pavement it's no longer a road. It's too bad because it is a wonderful, scenic, winding road along a river.

 

[Mr Bill]

123 is pretty good for a paved road

I'll need to ride it this fall

Thank you Fred

 

[Mr Bill]

I won't dignify 123A as being called a road anymore, when you have to worry about skidding on the grass growing through the pavement it's no longer a road. It's too bad because it is a wonderful, scenic, winding road along a river.

Sounds like perfect condition for a dual sport

 

[08FJR4ME]

Sheeez, I didn't know there was a red bike club up in New Hampshire.

Dave

 

[Mr Bill]

Sheeez, I didn't know there was a red bike club up in New Hampshire.

you people in Mass

oh wait

those red bikes crawl out of the woodwork in New Hampshire

 

[lnewlf]

hmmm-breakfast at Dot's in Wilmington, up 30 and over ...sounds like a plan-just need a cool day

 

[BigOgre]

Got the in-laws here for a couple of weeks. Might be a good time to confirm Fred's findings.

 

[PJ4863]

I may be up for that too Mike

 

[gixxerjasen]

Mmmm, tasty fresh twisty pavement. Yum.

 

[El Toro]

I won't dignify 123A as being called a road anymore, when you have to worry about skidding on the grass growing through the pavement it's no longer a road.

I did not remember this phenomenon from childhood in New England. Maybe on those old sub 400cc UJMs, we thought grass growing in the road was normal.

The first time I saw this and made a mental note of it was in 2007 when I was in New England on my brand spanking new Moto Guzzi Norge. That was the bike that was going to be my last bike. Well, it did turn out to be my last Moto Guzzi .

In any event, I was heading from Princeton to Barre on an old familiar road in central Massachusetts, and I couldn't believe that there were large (yes, large) tufts and ribbons of grass forcing heretofore unknown levels of caution on something that was nominally a regularly used, paved road.

The other fun in New England is the sand in the corners. I've ridden quite a bit in Maine (not on tourist roads), and the sand in the corners is an even bigger problem than these spawning golf courses that must be swimming upstream to their mountain breeding grounds.

Sigh.....

 

[ionbeam]

Today we enjoyed the newish Rt 136 pavement from Francestown to Greenfield and new Rt 123 pavement from Hancock to Alstead. Still no painted lines but they are doing shoulder work and many corners are gravel covered. It does keep the pulse rate up.

It's tourist season in VT, take not the main roads and seek not the favorite tourist spots. While we didn't find new pavement we did find miles of traffic free dirt roads

 

[Fred W]

I'm sure that there were no stops made in Hancock at any certain Cafes, right?

I was somewhat surprised that the roadside gravel was not strewn on the insides of corners, as it is wont to in most cases, when we ran it on Friday. Maybe it was just too soon after laying for that to have happened? Or maybe the thunderstorms that ran through on Saturday night were responsible for some of the gravel pollution?

I agree about the greatness of riding the unpaved roads in VT (and NH for that matter). We need to get a NERDSOR (NERDS Off Road) plan going for this fall when the tourists really take over the tarmac roads in force. I could easily put together a multi-day, travelling off-road tour, for anywhere from 3 days to over a week of riding around Northern New England (no camping) that would be suitable for even two-up big bike dual sporting.

Maybe not so much on an FJR, especially an unscathed brandy new one that hasn't even seen a valve check, but... Didn't you ask for help on spending your excess money on motorcycles?

But on second thought, with EOM '16 in the gunsights, and everything else happening for us this year, maybe next year is a better idea. Gives you kids more time to find a good used 'Strom or Tenere anyway.

 

[FJReady]

Fred, That was a good time Friday. Hope we get another chance, and soon! I got an email from Rick thanking me for inviting you. Thanks again.

 

[Fred W]

"I got an email from Rick thanking me for inviting you."

:lol: