North Shore, Boston area

[zip]

I'm a new FJR owner/rider in Salem, MA. I don't ride fast or take chances just yet. Still gathering good gear, learning about the bike, and getting into riding after a many-year hiatus. Taking the motorcycle safety course at Cycles128 in early August.

I am sure that you're a better rider than I am, and I'd hate to slow you down on a great rural ride. But it would be cool to have some company and learn a bit from you if you're interested in riding with someone relatively new on a day trip, or half-day sortie. I'd be happy to ride with a group, though I'm sure I'll be the trailer for much of our outing.

I was thinking of a really early morning Saturday ride in/near the less-populated areas due North of Boston - like meeting at 5:30 or 6am to avoid traffic (or even earlier), and enjoying some of the nice, windy New England roads up there.

FJR owners seem like a terrificly friendly bunch. I'm a civilized, friendly, former Californian and enjoy meeting new people. If you need a label, I probably used to be a yuppie, but now in my 40's (so the "y" in yuppie no longer applies...). I'm now more a regular family guy - wife, two young kids, urban white collar job, new motorcycle for commuting and sport, all that.

Drop me a PM if you've any inclination for this.

 

[sullivan]

Hi Zip,

If you/others get a NH/MA/ME day trip going, let me know. Lots of forum members doing the big trips and passing through but coffee runs or ice cream runs are always a good thing for locals.

Sull

 

[Charlie Hoss]

Hey zip.

If you don't mind doing the limit or just slightly over, you won't have any trouble "keeping up". The faster guys may crank it a bit thru the twisties, but they will always wait for you at the end of the road or next intersection. I look forward to riding with you sometime and welcome to the forum.

Charlie

 

[zip]

Sull, Charlie,

Thanks for the encouragement and the kind invitations. I really look forward to riding with guys like you. Nearly every poster I've seen online here has a similar sense of esprit de corp. Pretty cool. I certainly don't mind being over the speed limit a bit, but know I've got limitations in the twisties for lack of experience. It'd be cool to watch and learn, though, to help understand arcs and lines, and what to watch out for.

May just get up to Maine sometime soon, guys. It's not that far, and I like getting to the ballpark in Portland. I'll drop you a line when thinking about it. Would love to see some local, off-the-beaten-path sites.

Thanks again, gentlemen! Very generous.

Barry

 

[cota95]

pm sent

 

[DE OPPRESSO LIBER]

Zip.

Welcome! Nice back roads up towards central mass/ southern NH. PM if you have a timeframe/dates available for a ride up this way.

CJ

 

[bergs]

I don't have work from 4pm today until Monday. Regardless, hit me up any time if you wanna go for a scoot somewhere.

This Saturday I have a b-day party to attend but that's about it.

If it's what you desire, I'd like to assist you in getting comfortable with advanced riding. Surprisingly there are only a few small things that a rider needs to do (or not do) to making saddle time smooth and enjoyable. The hardest part is breaking bad habits and instilling new ones.

 

[ionbeam]

Hi zip! Here is another one that is willing to ride with ya! There are some fine rides just outside Salem that my wife and I enjoy; we would love to have you join us. Maybe we could find a meeting location someplace in the Beverly/Danvers/Topsfield area and go from there.

 

[zip]

Great responses, friends! I'll post a time and place soon and see if some of us can't meet up. Since several of you are in NH, I'm thinking somewhere closer to your neighborhood - maybe near Plaistow, or Salem, NH? Posting again soon.

Barry

 

[Fred W]

Welcome zip!

There are quite a few of us FJR Forum-ites in the Mass, NH, ME area. And being as we're mostly a bunch of older guys, I think you'll find we tend to ride at a "comfortable" speed most of the time. What will probably take more getting used to is for how long and far. But that's just a matter of getting out and riding to build up your bike butt. Not a lot of skillz required, just get out and do it!! :yahoo:

Eastern Mass tends to be a bit congested. Too many cars. Being a Massachusetts refugee I can relate. But there is some great riding just a short way to your North and/or West. It just means making longer trips to get to the choice stuff.

Looking forward to sharing some asphalt with you.

 

[ShawnKing]

I'm a new FJR owner/rider in Salem, MA.

Congrats and welcome!

but now in my 40's

Looks like you and me might be the young pups around here. Most of these old coots are in their 60's!

But I wouldn't want to race a one of them.

 

[bluejag]

Glad your aboard this crazy ship I'm close to your hood, and are up north shore area quite a bit, give us a shout

 

[HaulinAshe]

Paging FJRed... Here's a chance for you to get some more miles on with the SO, without getting your helmet slapped running around with me.

 

[ionbeam]

Paging FJRed... Here's a chance for you to get some more miles on with the SO, without getting your helmet slapped running around with me.

The New England "Born to be Mild" riding club. Fuzzy critters mounted on our trunks, everyone is an AARP card carrier, traffic laws are to be inflicted abided by and maintained to regulate the traffic around us. Hopefully some wild man will drink caffenated coffee before the ride to spice things up to the point of riding all the way up to the speed limit.

One of the most coveted farkles for us Yanques (French New Englanders) is a titanium piece that has been cryogenically hardened, nitrided, and polished up to a 10 micron surface to provide a positive throttle stop to limit the engine to not more than 4,500 RPM.

Boy, you southern guys are tough!

and and :lol:

 

[cota95]

I'm a new FJR owner/rider in Salem, MA.

Congrats and welcome!

but now in my 40's

Looks like you and me might be the young pups around here. Most of these old coots are in their 60's!

Not yet but I'm sure banging it on the ***

 

[zip]

You know, I'd started to notice that the FJR crowd was a bit more, well, "experienced." (Was going to say mature, but I've seen some of the posts and avatars, etc. on this site ) I might've used the adjective "wise," but thought better of that, too.

Happy to be garnering any of the collective wisdom on this site, and out on a ride with any of you sometime soon! I'm learning something nearly every time I check the forum.

Barry

 

[ShawnKing]

You know, I'd started to notice that the FJR crowd was a bit more, well, "experienced."

You can say it - they average FJR rider is old (I wonder why that is?). But there ain't nothing wrong with getting old. It sure as hell beats the alternatives...

 

[bergs]

You can say it - they average FJR rider is old (I wonder why that is?).

At 29 I hope I'm doing my part in bringing that average down...

 

[Fred W]

You can say it - they average FJR rider is old (I wonder why that is?).

At 29 I hope I'm doing my part in bringing that average down...

Oh, you are...