Honey, I'm going out for a burger... Part 2- First Leg

Leaving home

I woke up Tuesday and checked on the weather first. We were getting a mix of rain and snow. Not great weather to start a trip in. I wasn't planning to leave until early afternoon, as I didn't need to be to Dennis's mother's house until around 6pm. I did want to leave a little early, as I wanted to stop at Radio Shack in West Lebanon to pick up an audio adapter and cord to try to get my GPS audio working through my J&M Integratr IV audio integrator. I also had a sly plan to move the Vermont tag on my way through the area.

I did a last minute checklist- GPS was programmed; everything mounted; supplies packed; I suited up and headed out. This was going to be my first test of my heated jacket liner, as temps were in the low 30s. I was hoping they would warm up as I headed south, which they did...for a while. I carefully left my driveway, which still had an inch or so of wet, sloppy snow and found the roads to be wet with very little slush. As I got further from home the temp came up a few degrees, leaving less chance of finding ice on the road. Once I got into Vermont and turned south the temps rose a bit but it was raining on and off on my way south. My first impression was that I LOVE heated gear! I was toasty warm. My heated seat actually gave some warmth through my beaded cover when on high, and my handgrips worked great. But the jacket liner was the most effective. I usually kept it on low or medium for the temps in the 30s to low 40s I was seeing. First stop- Radio Shack for my cables. The young guys working there gave the impression I was a bit off for riding in this weather. I'm getting used to those looks. I got what I needed and decided to grab a quick lunch while I was off the highway. Unfortunately even with the new adapter and wire the GPS still wouldn't send audio to my headset. Back on the road south, next stop: Curtis's BBQ in Putney, VT for the old Vermont tag. I got the photo and got back on the highway.

Next stop: Hogback Mountain, on Rt. 9 in southern Vermont. 9 is a beautiful road for bikes, with lots of turns and lots of hills. Hogback is the largest of these with an exceptional view from the top on a clear day. This was NOT a clear day. By this time I had no rain, but I was watching the thermometer on the ST drop. Over 40 degrees when I turned onto 9 from I-91. 35 by the time I got near the bottom of the mountain. I also began seeing snow flurries. I dropped my speed anticipating the road getting slippery as I started up the mountain. The flurries got a little heavier but the road was still clear. I made it to the top and got my photos. They don't accurately show how heavy the flurries were. I was happy I made it to the top, and thought all I had to do is drop some elevation and the snow would stop and I would be safe. Wrong.

I dropped down the mountain at a slow speed and sure enough the flurries let up a little. I was happy and picked my speed back up. I passed Wilmington but noticed the sky looked darker up ahead. Then I started seeing flurries again. The road gained in elevation, and the snow gained as well. By the time I got to the top of the next mountain the road had a layer of wet snow on it. I was riding in one of the well-traveled tire tracks which was the only place without snow. As I progressed I started having second thoughts. I debated stopping- but where would I stop? And the road wouldn't get better with time; it was evening, so it was only going to get worse as the temps dropped. I pushed on. I was moving at about 20 mph with my flashers on and my feet hanging just off the road. As the road got worse I let my feet slide along like outriggers. I stopped at the edge of a pulloff to let a couple cars by and once again weigh my options. Coming up with no reasonable solution I pushed on. I felt the bike slip slightly a couple times, and my heart was racing. A couple miles before Bennington a car came up behind me, and when I tried to wave them past, they just dropped back and put their 4-way flashers on. I very much appreciated that, as it could have possibly kept me from being hit on the way down the last mountain. I made it to the top of the last hill which drops down into Bennington and eased down it. The road was still covered with snow at the top, so I really wasn't crazy about adding a steep downhill to the equation. I kept the throttle steady and gently held myself back without breaking the tires loose. Half way down the hill the road started to clear up. By the bottom the road was wet but had no snow, and the temperature had risen from 28 degrees to 34. I found a good place to pull over at the bottom and took several deep breaths. I waved as the car passed, thanking them for their courtesy. From here the last few miles to Williamstown was easy- clear roads with no snow.

I arrived and met Dennis's mother, a very nice woman. She offered for me to hang my wet gear near the furnace, but I was surprised to find only my gloves were wet. I laid most of my gear out on the bike to air out, but hung up my pants and gloves. We made introductions and talked until Dennis arrived by truck soon after. We got to know each other and discussed the route and plans for the trip out. Its always fun to meet someone after only talking by internet and phone. We had a nice home cooked dinner and after a little more talking and planning went to bed, planning for our early departure.

Honey, I'm going out for a burger... Part 1

Before getting laid off one of my plans was to take part in the Moonshine Lunch Run, a ride to Moonshine, IL, home of the Moonburger. This event was started by Terry Hammond, "ACL" on the ST Forums, a farmer in Casey, IL who passed away suddenly last fall. His close friends and riding partners stepped up to the plate to take over the event. It was one of THE rides of the ST forums, so I had really been looking forward to going and meeting many of the people I had begun chatting with on the forums.

I debated not going because of my sudden unemployment. This trip would be somewhat costly, even though I am pretty good at doing these things on a budget. My wife encouraged me to go anyway. I think the deciding factor was a quote by ACL which hit home, especially due to the fact that he was no longer with us- "Live Every Moment,,, Love Every Day,,, Because,,, Before you know it,,, Your Precious Time Slips Away... ---ACL


I began making plans which including prepping the ST for a 2200+ mile ride. I originally planned to do an Iron Butt "Saddlesore 1000", which consists of riding 1000 documented miles in 24 hours, on my way out. I checked the bike over and made a list- I would need a new front tire before leaving; the rear tire was getting a bit low, but should make the trip- and I could change it out there if I needed to; I had to install my GPS, Sirius radio, and other audio components; change the oil; order and install exhaust tips to quiet the aftermarket mufflers; and the biggest task, replace the thermostat which I suspected was stuck open. I had a bit over a week to accomplish all this, which should be plenty of time. Right. I ordered the exhaust tips from an ebay seller, front tire from Dennis Kirk, and the thermostat from an online vendor. My wife and I made a trip to Whitehorse Gear, a local distributor of quality motorcycle gear, for a few small components for my GPS and cell phone mounts. While there I tried on a heated jacket liner to see if it would fit. I was quite surprised that they had one to fit me. After all the cold weather riding I had been doing I really wished I had one of these. I folded it up and put it back on the shelf. My wife started in about how I should splurge, and that I would be very miserable and wouldn't enjoy the trip if I was cold. Worse case, if I didn't find a job soon, I could always resell it at a small loss. She made sense...and I really wanted to try heated clothing...so I added that to our purchases.

Along the way I found other riders from New England going to Moonshine, and began making plans with MTN-Bike to do the SS1K with him. His bike was stored in Williamstown, MA so the plan was for me to ride there Tuesday evening, then we'd leave early Wednesday morning. I came up with a route that would get us the 1000 miles we needed, since we were now leaving from nearly 200 miles closer than I had originally planned. This resulted in a non-direct route, putting us on a few highways I had never been on. This was going to prove to be a mistake.

Electronics installed

The night before my departure

I was fortunate that a previous co-worker offered up his garage to use while prepping my bike. It was a good thing- I had planned to do it in my driveway, but it snowed that weekend! I brought my bike over just before the snow started and disassembled it before all of my parts arrived. I checked the tracking number for my thermostat and almost fell over- it was due to arrive the following Tuesday, the day I was due to leave! I got on the forums and posted a message stating that I might not be able to make it due to the timing of the t-stat arrival. Soon after I made that post a forum member responded that he had a t-stat in his possession and he could send it out immediately by Priority Mail, and it should arrive Saturday afternoon! This was awesome news, and I gladly accepted. Blrfl- Thank you VERY much for the quick shipping of the t-stat! As parts came in I began installing them- first my new tire, then my electronic gear and heated jacket wiring, and my exhaust tips. Saturday morning I removed the remainder of the plastic from the bike and removed the radiator and t-stat, and crossed my fingers that the new one would arrive today. I went home for lunch and sure enough, it arrived just as I was getting ready to leave. I installed that, buttoned up the plastic, changed the oil and did some final prep work. The bike was ready! Unfortunately the weather wasn't cooperating much. Snow was falling and more was predicted before I was due to leave. I crossed my fingers that I would have a safe trip out of town. -To be continued-

First Week of Ownership

Initial preview before purchase.

I thought I would catch up on the fun I've had since purchasing this ST1300. As I mentioned in my intro, I brought it home on Saturday, March 12th. I was very fortunate to have an enclosed trailer loaned to me, as we still had a fair amount of snow and ice on the ground in my area, and the previous owner lived up several miles of back roads that were covered with snow and ice.
We loaded it up and because of nice weather in central NH that day, decided to take a little ride. We unloaded the bike at a gas station next to the highway and rode it a couple exits south and had lunch in Tilton. This was my first time on an ST1300 and I found I made the right choice in buying it. My wife, Amelia, was also quite comfortable on it. We made use of the heated grips and heated seat. The electric windshield is great as well, allowing me to raise it in cold temps or rain, and lower it for more airflow on hot days.

Getting ready for the first ride!

After the initial 25 mile test ride the ST had to sit for a few days because of snow. Fortunately it warmed up a bit and I was able to come home and get it during lunch Tuesday, March 15th. After work I took the long way home- across Rt. 2 from Gorham to Lancaster, up Rt. 3 to Groveton, and across 110 to Milan and home. I rode it two more days that week, also taking the long way home. Come the weekend I put 600 more miles on it, including a ride to Keene on Friday afternoon and returning Saturday; and a game of Photo Tag on Sunday.

Old tag, Squam River covered bridge

Photo Tag: For those who don't know, this is a game which involves someone taking a picture of their bike with some kind of landmark, attraction, or interesting place, and post it to the appropriate Tag forum (divided by state on the St Owners forum). The goal is to figure out what and where the attraction is, ride to it and get a photo of your bike with it, then choose a new Tag and get a photo of your bike with the new tag, and post it. I found the idea interesting and gave it a try the first Sunday I had my bike home, and moved the NH tag from the Squam River covered bridge to the water tower at Clark's Trading Post. I got in around 150 miles or so, in temps ranging from 30 to 45 degrees. My riding gear worked O.K., and my heated seat and grips were great, but I was still pretty chilly when I got home.

I had a bonus when I arrived at Clark's Trading Post- I found something I had only heard about from my father in law, but I recognized it immediately. It was an old steam log hauler! This one was built in 1915. These used to haul "trains" of log skids behind them, often 3 skids at a time.

Unfortunately my first week of ST ownership ended on a sour note. I went into work Monday morning and was notified that I was laid off due to lack of work.

A good place to start...

Please bear with me, I've never done a blog before. This one will be about my motorcycle adventures and trips, and even some maintenance and farkles from time to time. I guess I should mention a little of my motorcycling past. I started with a brand new Honda XR75 when I was 6 years old. I learned to ride on that bike, and I spent more time on that bike than any bike I've had since. I owned it until I was 13, and although it still ran well, it was thoroughly worn out in every other way.

I moved up to a 1984 XL200R. Unfortunately that bike didn't last like the little 75 did. I did rebuild the engine once and got a little more out of it, but not much. When I was 16 the first motorcycle I legally rode on the street was my father's friend's Kawasaki KZ1300. For those who don't know, that was Kawasaki's monster, with an inline-6 engine and tons of torque. His model didn't have all the fairings and luggage; it was a stripper, and it was extremely fun. My next bike was a Suzuki SP250, another bike I put a lot of miles on. I estimated that I put close to 20k miles on it the first summer I owned it. Other than tires and chain and sprockets, it held up very well. Soon after I heard about a friend of a friend who was moving and had to sell his Suzuki GS700ES. I purchased that bike and ran it a short time before getting into a bit of trouble with it. I sold it to a friend, and a couple years later I traded a car for a 1987 Honda CBR1000 Hurricane. Although it was classified as a sportbike in it's day, it was actually closer to what we would now call a Sport Tourer, minus the luggage. It was long, a bit heavy, but powerful and comfortable for a large guy like me. I did some nice rides around New Hampshire with it, but still didn't get into touring yet. When winter came I needed 4 wheel transportation, so I traded the bike off to a friend for a 4x4 pickup. I have been sorry for doing that ever since.

I went without a bike for a couple years, then one warm spring day I was sitting in a college classroom and listened to all the bikes that were out. I had the itch again, and after class headed to my local Honda dealer to price out a new 1995 XR600. The local dealer wouldn't move on the price, so off to Manchester I went, where I found a good deal. I signed the paperwork and loaded up my new bike in the back of my truck. I rode that XR everywhere- trails, sand pits (southern NH's version of closed-course riding), and even lots of road riding. I had two accidents with that bike exactly a year apart, almost to the day- one resulted in lots of road rash, the second ended with a broken collar bone. That didn't stop me, I healed and got back on the bike. Unfortunately the end of my second year with it, the bike was stolen and vandalized on Halloween night,  then recovered. My insurance company, Progressive Insurance, fought to not pay out because the bike was a dirt bike and had some minor scratches, which they claimed showed abuse. After a fight I finally received a check over six months after the theft, for half the estimated damage minus my deductible. It would have cost more to repair than I had at the time, so I sold the bike and parts to a friend. That was another favorite bike of mine, which I still truly miss.

A few years later the motorcycle bug hit me again, and this time I had thoughts back to my Hurricane, and wanted a more modern, lower maintenance version, which I could use for longer trips. I located a wrecked 1995 ST1100 and repaired it. My test ride was a trip to Louisville, Kentucky. I nearly did an Iron Butt Saddlesore 1000 on that ride, even though I hadn't ridden more than a few hundred miles spread out over the past few years, and the ST was bone stock. I felt every mile, but I rode on through the night and arrived the next day. I was tired, worn out, and very sore. But I was also very hooked on long distance riding. Unfortunately family obligations and several moves kept me from doing any more long rides, and in fact I did very few rides at all until a couple years later when I had to let the bike go just before a move to an apartment, where I had no room to keep it.

Next in line was a new 2006 Kawasaki KLR650. I purchased that bike because I now lived in the North Country of NH, with many miles of dirt log roads and beautiful scenery. I planned to explore those roads and also use the bike to commute. As often happens with plans, things changed. I found the northern NH law enforcement didn't like "dirt bikes", even legally registered and insured ones, on those log roads. They also aren't allowed on most of the ATV trails. My KLR went through a bit of a transformation to handle road riding better, including a lower front fender, custom hard panniers, tank bag, Givi top box, and tank panniers. I racked up over 16k miles the first couple years I owned it. I took several long day trips, including a 400+ mile ride around Lake Champlain, several rides through southern NH and lower New England, and a 700 mile ride to the northeast corner of Maine. I was once again hooked on traveling. I scheduled a trip to Harlan, Kentucky and had a blast, even with some mechanical problems. I was back into long distance riding in a big way. My mind and body were ready, but my bike and wallet were holding me back.

After my KLR seized up on my way to work one day it went into storage for a couple seasons until I could afford to do something. Once it looked like I had the finances to get back into riding, I weighed my options- invest money in the KLR, which would really limit my long distance riding; or buy the bike I had always wanted, but just hadn't realized it yet. I went for the bike I wanted. Enter my 2006 Honda ST1300, purchased on March 12, 2011. As of this writing, I have logged over 6000 miles on it and there is still some snow on the ground if I look hard. I like this bike. No, that is incorrect- I LOVE this bike. Comfort, performance, and reliability rolled into 1.

Read my other posts to learn about my rides, both short and long.