Porter
Junior Member
Finally getting around to posting my recent journey:
I went to North Carolina over 9 days ago for work. My father made some comments to me (he doesnt ride) that he would love to tag along for a trip. I borrowed some gear for my father, checked the weather and we hit the road. At the time, the forcast said there was a 30% chance of showers on Wednesday in NC and we would be heading back when it was 70 and sunny on Thursday or Friday. We left and it was 26 degrees and 6 hours later it was 70 in NC.
Work went well and my dad (retired) and I got to spend some time together that hasn't happened all that much with the "daily grind". I had been making excuses or always "to busy". Not this time! So, we made some memories.
Of course, the weather dramatically changed and the remanants of hurricane Ida sat over the our path home. Early Thursday morning we had a wedge of no rain on the radar from Raleigh to Richmond. I decided to go for it.
We never made it to Virginia before the rain began. Oh, and I forgot about the wind.... Anyway, after 7 hours we made it home, and aside from crossing the Potomac River Bridge at 25 mph with my hazard lights on (the wind was impressive to say the least) the Ultra Classic handled very, very well.
Some things I learned:
Z-Wax (anti-fog) works pretty well when it is cold. Cold and wet: doen't work at all.
First Gear Rain Suit/Gerbing gloves/HD boot covers= dry. Really, I was completely dry after being sprayed with a firehose for ~6 hours. The only thig wet was the padding in my helmet from capillary action.
I know the weight of the bike and a full load helped with the wind and being blown around the lane a bit, but I kept the speed at 55mph or less for most of the trip (not many 4 wheelers were going any faster). The bike handled great and never go "loose". I did have new tires: 4 weeks old, and that was important. "Baloney skins" with minimal tread would not have been an option I would have attempted.
Probably a little too much risk, but since everything turned out well, my dad and I now share a great adventure. How many we have left: I don't know. But I am sure glad I didn't put this trip off. We loved every minute of it!
I went to North Carolina over 9 days ago for work. My father made some comments to me (he doesnt ride) that he would love to tag along for a trip. I borrowed some gear for my father, checked the weather and we hit the road. At the time, the forcast said there was a 30% chance of showers on Wednesday in NC and we would be heading back when it was 70 and sunny on Thursday or Friday. We left and it was 26 degrees and 6 hours later it was 70 in NC.
Work went well and my dad (retired) and I got to spend some time together that hasn't happened all that much with the "daily grind". I had been making excuses or always "to busy". Not this time! So, we made some memories.
Of course, the weather dramatically changed and the remanants of hurricane Ida sat over the our path home. Early Thursday morning we had a wedge of no rain on the radar from Raleigh to Richmond. I decided to go for it.
We never made it to Virginia before the rain began. Oh, and I forgot about the wind.... Anyway, after 7 hours we made it home, and aside from crossing the Potomac River Bridge at 25 mph with my hazard lights on (the wind was impressive to say the least) the Ultra Classic handled very, very well.
Some things I learned:
Z-Wax (anti-fog) works pretty well when it is cold. Cold and wet: doen't work at all.
First Gear Rain Suit/Gerbing gloves/HD boot covers= dry. Really, I was completely dry after being sprayed with a firehose for ~6 hours. The only thig wet was the padding in my helmet from capillary action.
I know the weight of the bike and a full load helped with the wind and being blown around the lane a bit, but I kept the speed at 55mph or less for most of the trip (not many 4 wheelers were going any faster). The bike handled great and never go "loose". I did have new tires: 4 weeks old, and that was important. "Baloney skins" with minimal tread would not have been an option I would have attempted.
Probably a little too much risk, but since everything turned out well, my dad and I now share a great adventure. How many we have left: I don't know. But I am sure glad I didn't put this trip off. We loved every minute of it!
