Jeff Fauster, one of the organizers of the Northeast Jailbreak, said I was the heartbreak story of the rally. I didn’t know why he thought that. He said it was because of having to stop in Louisville because my motorcycle was broken.
I quickly disagreed with him and told him that breaking down along side the highway with no shade in 104 degree heat would be a heartbreak story. Getting help from a fellow F650 rider, being able to ride the motorcycle up to the service door of a BMW dealership, having them immediately work on it and get it back on the road was most definitely not a heartbreak story. It was just a delay.
If something went wrong, it went wrong in the best way it possibly could have, so no complaints from me. And the motorcycle ran perfectly for the rest of the trip. Definitely no complaints from me.
I wish it could have been cooler getting out of and back into Texas, but I’m still very glad I went north. It was worth meeting the other F650 riders and it was nice to be in green mountains and cool temperatures for a while.
Not a bad summer — 4200 mile ride west to California in May and a 4200 mile ride east to Vermont and Canada in August.
Gear
I don’t know scientifically which is best in extreme heat — zipping yourself into a solid suit or wearing mesh. The mesh gear worked well for me and I used the liners for both warmth and rain protection at different times. I would also like to know scientifically if the evaporative cooling from the vest really does any good. It felt like it did. I do know that hydration is critical so I’m glad I have the compartment for the water reservoir in my tank bag. I think if I had to tackle high heat again I would stick with the same gear, but then again I was in Death Valley in my Aerostich and Gerbing jacket and pant liners and was shocked when 90 degrees just wasn’t that bad. It was almost like I was being insulated from the heat. But then Death Valley was a tad drier than the humid air I was riding through on this trip. For summer I think I’ll stick with the mesh.
My little $55 Sandisk Sansa-Clip+ was great. I don’t watch video on little portable devices so at the moment can’t imagine investing in a big expensive MP3 player again. 8GB of music kept me nicely entertained for the ride.
I really like my new Nolan helmet. The visor on my old helmet would not stay at a partially open position at highway speeds and the Nolan does. I can hear my music equally well whether the visor is open or closed and the helmet is extremely comfortable too.
Not quite sure what I think of the Ztechnik windscreen. I suppose the additional wind that hits my body did help in the heat (it does not help in the cold). It vibrates at an alarming rate from the wind wash off semi trucks when I pass them. I’m not sure if it’s going to get ripped off at some point. It does shoot insects up and over my visor where my old windshield was a finely crafted insect delivery system straight onto the visor.
A sampling of questions/comments I received when people found out I was traveling by motorcycle alone:
“So you’re a thrill seeker?” “No, not at all. I just like to do fun things and see beautiful things.”
“Wow, you’re really brave.” They should have seen me crossing the steel grid bridge and riding through the severe thunder storm…
“Are you crazy?” — “Maybe, but stupid may more likely cover it.”
“Do you like traveling alone?” — “No, but it beats the heck out of staying home and sitting on the couch when I have no one to travel with.”
“Are you straight?” — this was at 5:00 AM in the morning and made me laugh out loud “Are you asking if I’m heterosexual??”
“I didn’t know BMW made motorcycles.” I didn’t quite know how to respond to this one.
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