25k

Again the situation is that it's been quite a while since I've posted. Here's a recap of where all the miles have taken me.

Went on a trip to New Hampshire, went up Mt. Washington on the bike until the park service closed the road due to high winds and excessively cold temperatures and ice. Then went to Maine the next day, had some lobster, chowder, and great camping weather.


The much mentioned BMW 1200GS in New Hampshire

Yesterday I hit 25k on the BMW GS1200 odometer (7/31/11).

I've been wanting to complete an IronButt event, like the SaddleSore 1000, so I did that too. A minimum of 1000 miles within 24 hours. I couldn't see myself doing a ride of this nature on the East Coast for a few reasons. The potential traffic issues and the fact that I've seen the EC my whole life, time for something new! So, I figured I'd go to the land of Oz - off to Kansas to see some corn.

I left at 3:47 AM on Friday, 7/9 and 1150 miles later, and 19.5 hours later I was in Topeka, Kansas. No real delays, no mechanical issues, just heat and a rush hour arrival in St. Louis. Wow, that arch is really big - it needs a bungee swing to make it really fantastic!

The ride back home took two days because I wasn't feeling as motivated and strong on the way home. It took me by surprise, even though everything I read was you won't be able to maintain the same mileage on successive days - they were right. Another thing that I read, but didn't process until really doing it - you can't have enough water. I'd drink as much as I could at a fuel stop, then 5 minutes into riding, I'd be thirsty again.

An even hotter ride was taken with the wife when we went to Busch Gardens for a few days. OMG, it was hot on the ride, at the park, in the shade - all I remember was heat, the hotel pool being nice, and the AC in the hotel being bliss.

There will be more adventure and more miles this Summer for sure, but there is nothing planned currently. There are some thoughts to attempt a 1500 mile ride in 24 hours in the next 12 months, but I need to fit a fuel cell onto the bike to carry additional fuel to make fuel stops be on 280 mile increments rather than 200 mile to save on time. I might need a catheter for this ride!


another shot from Mt. Washington in New Hampshire in very cold weather in June


Owl City load in at Pier Six Baltimore, a work picture without a reference


Owl City close up - Impressions, Mac 101s, VL2500 Spots - the touring package

Five years in eight months

I purchased my current motorcycle at the start of the riding season this year. I was fortunate to pick it up used for about half of the current new cost with 8,200 miles and brand new tires. It is a 2005, BMW R1200 GS. I wanted to do longer rides and the small Ducati 695 sport bike design I was riding wasn't comfortable for me. The Ducati was a great beginner bike to learn on, but it wasn't for me, so I sold it to get the more comfortable and larger BMW this year.

This past Saturday I ran into a friend of a friend (Andy) at a cookout who always ends up talking about his Honda 919 and how it's fast and so on. I pointed out that I always hear about this bike, but I've yet to ever see him riding it. This phenomenon of motorcycle ownership without actual use was further exemplified with a quick tour of the showroom of a local used bike dealer. Last week I was helping my Uncle and Nephew pick out a used bike as their beginner bike and saw a mint condition sport bike with less than 400 miles! A few bikes later I saw two more perfect condition bikes with less than 1,000 miles on the odometer. You'd think these motorcycles were home fitness equipment.

I am by no means an accomplished long distance rider, but I have ridden 620 miles in a single day, and have recently tinkered with the idea of completing an Iron Butt - SaddleSore 1000 event. I would very much like to see the country and even Canada by motorcycle. Riding to Ohio this Summer for work was a great trip, but it's rare that I can ride a motorcycle to an event, let alone an out of state event.

As of today I have 13,186 miles on the bike and that is approximately how many total miles I have on all bikes to date. I have a goal of 16,500 miles by Christmas card time so I can send a card with a photo of the odometer reading to the original owner (Steward Manning) showing that I doubled the mileage on the bike in 8 months - what took him 5 years to clock.