hppants
Well-known member
I suppose by definition, all riders get to experience that “new bike” excitement at least once. I don’t believe it takes a BRAND NEW bike to qualify. After all, a used bike is still “new” to its new owner. To me, having bought new and much more often used, the feeling is the same. As long as I own it, this is the machine that will take me to the next adventure, be it four or four thousand miles away. This is the machine that will give me an unlimited ceiling, a depth of field that non-riders will never get to experience. This is the machine that will allow me to see the world for what it is: peaceful and beautiful.
This is that machine. And its mine, all mine….
Tom’s been riding with us for over a year. His Suzuki Wee Storm is a great bike, but he’s been looking for something else a while now. We all let him try our bikes out to help him decide. In the end, he chose the 2017 Kawasaki Versys 1000LT. He shopped a few local dealers and on Thursday, he made his deal.
With the weather forecast to be perfect, it was more than we could resist. In 10 minutes, I threw together a two-day ride that would break in that new bike proper. Randy was up for it, and his step son Andre’ joined us as well.
We had a great time. I hope you enjoy the pics.
Day 1: Lafayette, LA to Vicksburg, MS. Approximately 350 miles.
I woke up excited and thrilled to feel the dry north wind and temperatures about 50 degrees. I packed quickly and lightly. After all, it’s only one night.
I arrived at the meeting place on time, and the others were ready to go. Tom’s new horse sure looks nice.
We discussed where to go, and seeing as though this is Tom’s celebration, we deferred to his vote. Southern Mississippi, it is!!
We jumped on US190 trying to make some time getting to the better riding and got caught in some road construction. Looking quite well, sir!!
Randy’s got several motorcycles, but chose the Yamaha cruiser for this ride.
Andre’ recently moved up to the Yamaha FZ-09 from his former Honda CB500X and he likes it a lot. It’s a fine bike for him, and he is a very good rider, especially mature for his 17 year age.
We stopped at a gas station to rest and Tom pulled out the owner’s manual to figure out how to adjust the suspension. He really likes the bike so far, and who could blame him?
No adjustments needed on the FJR. Pants has got that puppy dialed in just about perfecto.
We crossed the Mississippi River on the Audubon Bridge and I led us on some of my favorite curvy roads in the area. I’m not really worrying about going in a particular direction, and to be honest, it doesn’t really matter. The sun is shining, the air is crisp, and my music is good.
The kid’s fuel range is only about 150 miles, so I have to remember that. About lunch time, we run up on the one horse town of Woodville, Mississippi. Not much to pick from. I don’t think I’m up for this one.
I’ve eaten here before, and it’s pretty good.
Now here’s an undeniable fact. In southern Mississippi, they like to dunk their food in hot grease, and they’re pretty good at it. Check your diet at the State line. Hey, I don’t make the rules here and so when in Rome, order fried chicken.
After lunch, we continue north through some nice curvy roads through the Homochitto National Forest. About 10 miles into Bunkley road, we discover a bridge closed. Nice of them to not post a sign 10 miles back. Hmmm… we don’t feel like doubling back 10 miles. Easy on the clutch Randy…
Tom had to figure out how to remove his left saddle bag before making the crossing.
No harm, no foul so we continue on. At each intersection, I check the map, check the GPS, look both ways, and then pick a way. The navigation on that trip was just that simple. Meadville. Union Church. Pattison. We run though these little villages like a posse on an important mission: to witness our friend on his new toy.
In Port Gibson, I turn northeast on the Highway 462, the Old Port Gibson Highway. This is a great road with plenty of high speed curves and it’s been recently re-paved. So with the kid in tow, I down shift the FJR and start leaning her over. We had a hoot ripping that road at good speed, although at times the kid got a little too close to me and at the next stop, I asked him to give me a little more room.
The others caught us shortly thereafter and we plotted our next move. I know of a little water fall not too far away and suggested we pop over to see it. Randy and Andre were worried about running out of gas. I knew there was gas about 12 miles away but they were nervous. So they decided to run to the gas station while Tom and I went to the waterfall. We’d catch up with them after that.
This is Big Sand Creek
Pretty cool place.
Good times.
We jumped on Fisher Ferry Road and met the others at the gas station. By now, it’s about 5:00 pm and it looks like Vicksburg will do for the evening.
I stayed here before and for the price, it’s plenty good. Nice clean rooms.
Nothing like a cold beer after a good day’s ride.
We rode 2 miles downtown into the historical district for dinner.
I’ve eaten here a few times. This place is located in an old Nabisco Cracker factory. This is a crappy picture, but if you look close, you can see the name painted in the brick.
Good burger at this place.
The Mississippi Mud Cheesecake ain’t too shabby either.
We went back to the room for a night cap and some sleep.
Day 2: Vicksburg, MS to Lafayette, LA. About 300 miles.
I slept pretty good with the white noise from the hotel air conditioner. After the crappy free continental breakfast, we loaded up the bikes and took off. The temperature was a nice 45 degrees when we left. Of course, the kid didn’t bring any clothes, so we all threw something at him to put on, and it worked out.
This is near Edwards, Mississippi and it is the intersection of four roads. This place had some significance during the Civil War, and we stopped to read the sign.
Tom is a retired Geologist and I thought he might like a walk through the Mississippi Petrified Forest. Like many, he didn’t even know there was such a thing.
This was once a North American Camel. They were smaller than their African cousins.
It’s a self-guided tour with a short walk through the forest. Tom seems to be enjoying this.
A petrified log has made it difficult for this tree to grow, but persistence does eventually pay off.
They call this petrified log The Bullfrog Log. I see the resemblance.
This sofa is between 36 and 38 million years old.
Pretty cool place.
There’s a rock shop at the end of the trail.
After the walk, we hit the road for some more fun.
I though this was a nice looking bridge over the train track in this little town.
What a great day to ride. Southern Mississippi has some pretty good roads. They are not overly technical, but most are in pretty good shape and the whole time we have had VERY little traffic to deal with.
This is my favorite picture of the trip. I think Tom likes his new toy very much.
We rode a few miles on the Natchez Trace for a change of pace.
About lunch time, we found ourselves in Lorman. And when you are in Lorman at lunch time, this is the place to eat.
We parked next to a some pirate ships. I’ve been here a few times before.
With this buffet, nobody’s going hungry…
I suppose that was the last picture I took. After lunch, we crossed into Louisiana at Natchez, and I ran down the levee to Simmsport, where we stopped for gas. Then I picked a new to me road heading further south. As I climbed over a levee, a cow was standing in the middle of the road and I grabbed the brakes hard. I was able to stop my bike before hitting the cow as she was running left to right in front of me. As he was doing all weekend, Andre was following me too close and how he didn’t hit me, I’ll never know. At the absolute last split second, he shifted left and just got damm lucky. We creeped up the road a few yards and pulled over. I wasn’t upset, but I wanted to use this as an opportunity to tell Andre that this is what I was talking about earlier. He didn’t have enough road to make a good decision and we both got very lucky. He got the message and did much better after that.
From there, it was about 50 miles to Lafayette, and we all arrived safely right at dusk. It was a great trip and for not having much time, we did pretty good with it.
So the brand new bike feeling may be worn just a little for Tom. But he will have plenty of good memories ahead on that machine. And I hope to be part of as many of them as possible.
Stay thirsty, my friends….
This is that machine. And its mine, all mine….
Tom’s been riding with us for over a year. His Suzuki Wee Storm is a great bike, but he’s been looking for something else a while now. We all let him try our bikes out to help him decide. In the end, he chose the 2017 Kawasaki Versys 1000LT. He shopped a few local dealers and on Thursday, he made his deal.
With the weather forecast to be perfect, it was more than we could resist. In 10 minutes, I threw together a two-day ride that would break in that new bike proper. Randy was up for it, and his step son Andre’ joined us as well.
We had a great time. I hope you enjoy the pics.
Day 1: Lafayette, LA to Vicksburg, MS. Approximately 350 miles.
I woke up excited and thrilled to feel the dry north wind and temperatures about 50 degrees. I packed quickly and lightly. After all, it’s only one night.
I arrived at the meeting place on time, and the others were ready to go. Tom’s new horse sure looks nice.
We discussed where to go, and seeing as though this is Tom’s celebration, we deferred to his vote. Southern Mississippi, it is!!
We jumped on US190 trying to make some time getting to the better riding and got caught in some road construction. Looking quite well, sir!!
Randy’s got several motorcycles, but chose the Yamaha cruiser for this ride.
Andre’ recently moved up to the Yamaha FZ-09 from his former Honda CB500X and he likes it a lot. It’s a fine bike for him, and he is a very good rider, especially mature for his 17 year age.
We stopped at a gas station to rest and Tom pulled out the owner’s manual to figure out how to adjust the suspension. He really likes the bike so far, and who could blame him?
No adjustments needed on the FJR. Pants has got that puppy dialed in just about perfecto.
We crossed the Mississippi River on the Audubon Bridge and I led us on some of my favorite curvy roads in the area. I’m not really worrying about going in a particular direction, and to be honest, it doesn’t really matter. The sun is shining, the air is crisp, and my music is good.
The kid’s fuel range is only about 150 miles, so I have to remember that. About lunch time, we run up on the one horse town of Woodville, Mississippi. Not much to pick from. I don’t think I’m up for this one.
I’ve eaten here before, and it’s pretty good.
Now here’s an undeniable fact. In southern Mississippi, they like to dunk their food in hot grease, and they’re pretty good at it. Check your diet at the State line. Hey, I don’t make the rules here and so when in Rome, order fried chicken.
After lunch, we continue north through some nice curvy roads through the Homochitto National Forest. About 10 miles into Bunkley road, we discover a bridge closed. Nice of them to not post a sign 10 miles back. Hmmm… we don’t feel like doubling back 10 miles. Easy on the clutch Randy…
Tom had to figure out how to remove his left saddle bag before making the crossing.
No harm, no foul so we continue on. At each intersection, I check the map, check the GPS, look both ways, and then pick a way. The navigation on that trip was just that simple. Meadville. Union Church. Pattison. We run though these little villages like a posse on an important mission: to witness our friend on his new toy.
In Port Gibson, I turn northeast on the Highway 462, the Old Port Gibson Highway. This is a great road with plenty of high speed curves and it’s been recently re-paved. So with the kid in tow, I down shift the FJR and start leaning her over. We had a hoot ripping that road at good speed, although at times the kid got a little too close to me and at the next stop, I asked him to give me a little more room.
The others caught us shortly thereafter and we plotted our next move. I know of a little water fall not too far away and suggested we pop over to see it. Randy and Andre were worried about running out of gas. I knew there was gas about 12 miles away but they were nervous. So they decided to run to the gas station while Tom and I went to the waterfall. We’d catch up with them after that.
This is Big Sand Creek
Pretty cool place.
Good times.
We jumped on Fisher Ferry Road and met the others at the gas station. By now, it’s about 5:00 pm and it looks like Vicksburg will do for the evening.
I stayed here before and for the price, it’s plenty good. Nice clean rooms.
Nothing like a cold beer after a good day’s ride.
We rode 2 miles downtown into the historical district for dinner.
I’ve eaten here a few times. This place is located in an old Nabisco Cracker factory. This is a crappy picture, but if you look close, you can see the name painted in the brick.
Good burger at this place.
The Mississippi Mud Cheesecake ain’t too shabby either.
We went back to the room for a night cap and some sleep.
Day 2: Vicksburg, MS to Lafayette, LA. About 300 miles.
I slept pretty good with the white noise from the hotel air conditioner. After the crappy free continental breakfast, we loaded up the bikes and took off. The temperature was a nice 45 degrees when we left. Of course, the kid didn’t bring any clothes, so we all threw something at him to put on, and it worked out.
This is near Edwards, Mississippi and it is the intersection of four roads. This place had some significance during the Civil War, and we stopped to read the sign.
Tom is a retired Geologist and I thought he might like a walk through the Mississippi Petrified Forest. Like many, he didn’t even know there was such a thing.
This was once a North American Camel. They were smaller than their African cousins.
It’s a self-guided tour with a short walk through the forest. Tom seems to be enjoying this.
A petrified log has made it difficult for this tree to grow, but persistence does eventually pay off.
They call this petrified log The Bullfrog Log. I see the resemblance.
This sofa is between 36 and 38 million years old.
Pretty cool place.
There’s a rock shop at the end of the trail.
After the walk, we hit the road for some more fun.
I though this was a nice looking bridge over the train track in this little town.
What a great day to ride. Southern Mississippi has some pretty good roads. They are not overly technical, but most are in pretty good shape and the whole time we have had VERY little traffic to deal with.
This is my favorite picture of the trip. I think Tom likes his new toy very much.
We rode a few miles on the Natchez Trace for a change of pace.
About lunch time, we found ourselves in Lorman. And when you are in Lorman at lunch time, this is the place to eat.
We parked next to a some pirate ships. I’ve been here a few times before.
With this buffet, nobody’s going hungry…
I suppose that was the last picture I took. After lunch, we crossed into Louisiana at Natchez, and I ran down the levee to Simmsport, where we stopped for gas. Then I picked a new to me road heading further south. As I climbed over a levee, a cow was standing in the middle of the road and I grabbed the brakes hard. I was able to stop my bike before hitting the cow as she was running left to right in front of me. As he was doing all weekend, Andre was following me too close and how he didn’t hit me, I’ll never know. At the absolute last split second, he shifted left and just got damm lucky. We creeped up the road a few yards and pulled over. I wasn’t upset, but I wanted to use this as an opportunity to tell Andre that this is what I was talking about earlier. He didn’t have enough road to make a good decision and we both got very lucky. He got the message and did much better after that.
From there, it was about 50 miles to Lafayette, and we all arrived safely right at dusk. It was a great trip and for not having much time, we did pretty good with it.
So the brand new bike feeling may be worn just a little for Tom. But he will have plenty of good memories ahead on that machine. And I hope to be part of as many of them as possible.
Stay thirsty, my friends….
