Niagara and New England: A maiden voyage

[swedstal]

I didn't see any 'wind breakers' in your 11 layers of clothing. Simple nylon top(I wear one under my jacket, not on top, in cold weather) and pants will make a huge difference

Although I've been riding since I was 17, this is really my first long distance trip. (Not enough money in college, not enough time with a job) I'm still learning how to dress for the elements. "Put on more layers" is kind of a family joke, but I found it to be fairly successful on this trip. I didn't have much issue with my torso getting cold. Maybe a nylon top would allow me to cut it down to 7 or 8 layers. I will definitely try it. Thanks for the input!

 

[swedstal]

Day 14, Saturday, 10-26-13: Miles 4,221 to 4,650

It was a chilly morning, but the sky was clear and the wind, though still from the west, was less intense. I was glad to be packing up all of my camping gear for the last time. Knowing that a warm bed awaited me at the end of the day made the cold feel less intense. On this day, the Huskers were playing away to Minnesota. Originally this is what pushed my pace. Had I taken the return route through the upper peninsula, I probably would have tried to swing through Minneapolis to catch the game. I had given up on this option once the weather changed my route.

My destination now was a far more important one. I was en route to celebrate my grandma's 90th birthday! She is an amazing person, well worth celebrating. She still lives on the family farm just outside of Wausa, NE; which as of this year has been in the family for 100 years. Lucky for me, her birthday just happened to coincide with the annual Swedish Smorgasbord, which is always a treat.

Back on I-80, the traffic was fairly dense. Lots of college football fans. An important point in a return journey for me is the point at which I see my first Nebraska license plate. I once saw a Seward truck in the Oklahoma panhandle that almost brought a tear to my eye. Just outside of Des Moines I passed a 7-county truck that had a Harley in the back. It put a little smile on my face.

The Huskers were playing at 11 so I stopped at a sports bar in Des Moines to get a burger for breakfast and watch the game. I will not be commenting on the outcome of the game! Back on the road I passed the first motorcycle I had seen in 6 days, a fully-faired Harley. It was good to see another rider.

The skies were still clear and the temperature was pushing up into the high 40s as I merged on to I-29 heading north. Iowa seemed reluctant to relinquish its grasp on me, judging by the closed US-20 exit. I finally crossed the Missouri River into my home state, honking the horn in celebration. Everything seemed a little brighter being on roads that I knew. The rest of the ride was a breeze.

I pulled into Wausa, a little town of about 600 people, just before the Smorgasbord began. You know a town is serious about their Swedish origins when their welcome sign looks like this:

Outside of the auditorium I met my family. I gave them all looooong hugs. It was so good to see them. The smorgasbord is an awesome event. Later that night we found out that my grandfather, who owned the grocery store in Wausa, began the tradition.

Swedish dancing!

The food was great, classic Scandinavian fare. (No lutefisk unfortunately. I'll have to wait until Christmas). I didn't strip off any of my layers as I was still chilled to the bone. I had a good time telling my stories to the family. It was kind of nice to talk to people again!

By bedtime I was finally warming up. Being in a bed for the night was a real treat. I fell asleep in a wink.

 

[swedstal]

Why the ride?

I debated about whether to include this post. It is purely a philosophical rambling and I don't anticipate it will be terribly interesting to any readers. I decided to post it since this report is not just for others, it is also a diary of sorts for myself. I want to look back years from now and have a comprehensive snapshot of these two weeks of my life. If up to this point you've been turned off by my affinity for non-motorcycle subjects, this may be a post to skip.

In the simplest of explanations, riding is a decompression for me. Though I must admit many areas of my life produce little to know anxiety, I have a stressful vocation. I am currently working as Director of the Men's Shelter at People's City Mission, the homeless shelter in Lincoln. It sounds like a job title one would make up to impress a girl in a bar, but it's really what I do. I have served there for five and a half years, beginning shortly after earning my degree in Physics (it's kind of a long story). It is the business of jobs and Jesus and connecting our guests to either can prove quite a challenge. My mantra is, "If you're not ready to get hit in the face or clean up a mural drawn with feces, you might as well stay in bed."

In Psalms it says "Be still and know that I am God". Whatever your eschatology, this is practical advice. I really struggle to be still. Even the couple brief pauses I make each day to shove some food down my throat are usually done in front of a computer or TV screen. Meditative stillness can be an uncomfortable thing, but it is a valuable practice for humans to take part in.

Riding is stillness for me. Barreling down the highway at 60mph is far from physical stillness, but it is the paramount of mental and spiritual stillness. Riding is a release for me, a chance to gain context of the things done when not on two wheels. I can't quite define why this is, but that makes it no less true. These two weeks, though demanding in many ways, were a sort of rehabilitation.

Posting these thoughts does make me feel a bit odd. The information age might be defined more accurately as the age of anonymity and revealing things that expose ones soul seems to be rare. The purpose of this report was not to bring the reader along on some sort of digital pillion, but rather to describe what is actually happening inside my helmet. My mind can be a scary place, exposing it to others is even more frightening. If nothing else, I hope these posts can inspire a modicum of thought or reflection.

Oh, and by the way, my name is Brett.

 

[Fuzzy]

Thanks you for sharing Brett. Few can do what you are called to and I am sure the Lord has changed lives through you.

 

[swedstal]

Last day, Sunday, 10-27-13: Miles 4,650 to 4,814

Woke up refreshed, feeling better than I had the last two weeks. We headed to the little Covenant Church in Wausa where they took a special time in the service to honor grandma's 90th birthday. She seemed pretty embarrassed, but it was obvious how many people there really cared for her. We ate at the cafe on main street and went back to the farm for a celebration.

It was about time for me to go so I began to get packed up. My sister also lives in Lincoln, so I was able to send my luggage home in her car. As I was getting ready, Grandma asked me if we were going for a ride. Alas, I only had my helmet, so that was not possible. We decided to at least get a couple of pictures though:

Talk about a biker babe!

My final leg was a familiar one, going through my home town of Norfolk. The two hour trip between Lincoln and Norfolk is one I have ridden dozens of times. I found myself getting strangely nostalgic as motorcycle memories filled my head:

The short stretch of highway which marked my first time over 35mph on two wheels (during my motorcycle license test). It was a harrowing experience!

The gravel road where I awaited rescue after the cam sprocket bolts sheared on my CB350.

The only gas station for miles where I waited out a golf ball sized hail storm. That day went from sunny to raging torrent in about 10 minutes.

The highway shoulder where I learned the hard way about securing excess straps.

The gas station where I discovered a broken clutch cable. I made the remaining 100 miles with the bike in bobsled mode .

It was a gorgeous day, with temperatures in the 50s. I rode merrily along, taking in the scenery. It was good to be in my home state. The miles crept by as I prepared myself for reentry into normal life. Abandoning the nomadic lifestyle would be an adjustment. Tomorrow I would be tying a tie rather than luggage straps and taking my trusty steed for just a short commute. Thankfully I would be arriving at a job I love, refreshed and ready to get back to action.

I coasted into my driveway and dismounted, full of thankfulness for the 4800 safe miles.

Home!

....and the next project

What an adventure! I have a lot of thoughts about the bike which I will sum up in a final post.

 

[swedstal]

Thanks you for sharing Brett. Few can do what you are called to and I am sure the Lord has changed lives through you.

None more so than mine. That's the funny thing about it. Thanks for the kind words!

 

[swedstal]

Afterward

It has been nearly four months since I ended my journey. I now have a little over 6,000 miles of saddle time on the NC and feel comfortable at this point making some observations.

It has been the coldest winter I can remember. This has limited my riding slightly, but probably not as much as it should. I usually still ride when the weather is in the teens, which can lead to some interesting rides.

Exhibit A:

This weekend I broke the negative degree barrier by taking Annie to the Husker basketball game. It was probably not a wise decision, but I have an irrational aversion to paying for parking. I have only dumped it once all winter, and that was my first time riding on the snow. Fortunately I was going slower than walking pace.

So far I have made just three alterations/upgrades from stock:

1. Oxford Heaterz heated grips.
These have been an absolute revelation. Arguably the best $68 I have ever spent. All other places of the body can be bundled and layered, but the hands need to move freely. In order to do so, they cannot be 10 little popsicles. These grips make riding in frigid temperatures feasible. If only I'd had them on the trip! My journey surely would have featured less crying. They were fairly easy to install, but it is necessary to file down some edges of the throttle sleeve.

2. Trackside handguards.
Work well with the heated grips. I think I will especially like them for riding in the rain or behind gravel spewing trucks.

3. Centerstand
Gotta have it. Chain maintenance was a real pain on my trip without one.

Other than that, Annie is still stock as stock can be. Moving on....

Too often reviews of motorcycles focus on singular parts, rather than the sum of those parts. Though I will comment on some of the bikes individual features, I would first like to sum it up in a bigger picture. The challenge I posed to myself was to choose just a single word to define the NC. I danced around words like "versatile", "reliable" and "efficient"; but ultimately felt those words are already overdone. I wanted a word that would capture the bikes personality as well as its functionality. After much internal debate I settled on the following word:

Ambivalent

Yes, ambivalent.

It is maybe not the best word, but I have not thought of one that I like more. What I mean by ambivalent, is that the NC just does not care. Anything you ask it to do it will do. Maybe not with rampant enthusiasm, but always without complaining. If the NC were a sitcom character, it would be Duane from Full House. What's that...you didn't grow up in the 90s? No worries, here you are:

[video=youtube;5Do-T28tY08]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Do-T28tY08[/video]

If you didn't watch, basically Duane only says one word: "Whatever". No matter what someone asks him, whether he is happy or sad, he always gives the same deadpan reply. Annie has been on interstates and backroads, on gravel and dirt, on sand and snow(3 or 4 different kinds), in rain and hail, in mild afternoons and frigid mornings, drinking 93 or 86. Indeed, about the only thing I have not faced on this bike is a day warmer that 70 degrees . Regardless of the situation, when the starter button is pressed she roars to life with a resounding......whatever. Can an absence of personality be an alluring personality in and of itself? I think so.

Bottom line:
Is it fun? Check.

Is it functional? Check.

Now to some of the bikes individual parts.

Windshield and seat
I initially thought these would be the first two things I would alter. I now feel very little urgency to do so. The windshield could do with being a little taller, but it does an incredible job for its size. It almost seems like Honda's aerodynamics engineers just wanted to thumb their noses at everyone by creating the worlds best "pound for pound" windshield. Maybe it is due to my years of riding old 70s bikes, but I really feel incarcerated behind large fairings. This windshield is a good compromise.

The seat took some getting use to for me, but I find it quite adequate. I guess some more padding would be nice, but not completely necessary. The only thing I don't like about it is the inability to switch positions. The seat on my CB350 is about the same softness as a locker room bench, but it is flat the whole way so you can easily shift around. It is nice to be able to take pressure off different areas.

Suspension
I made mention early on in my trip that it was awfully unforgiving, but it has loosened up to a good point. I am satisfied with the way it rides.

Brakes/Tires/Handling
This is probably my most major gripe. All of these things are great when the road is dry, but slick conditions get a little sketchy. (I know you're not supposed to ride on two wheels in the rain and snow, but I love riding too much. I fully acknowledge the irrationality of it all.) The first thing I've found is that the rear wheel really likes to wander. Perhaps it's a function of having the weight so focused forward. Turns are always tricky when it is slick, but I've had some rear wheel wandering happen while going pretty straight. I'm hoping some different tires might help with this. The stock tires have worn wonderfully for me (perhaps due to cooler temperatures) but I don't think they are meant to stand up to precipitation. I'll probably switch to a beefier tire around autumn.

The brakes are also not great when it is at all slick. I have a hard time keeping the front wheel from locking up when making an abrupt stop, no matter how easy I try to feather the lever. I'm fine with the rear wheel locking. That can even happen in dry conditions since so little weight is on it. But front wheel locking is really dangerous. Maybe tires will help with this too. Maybe I should just stop being an idiot and take four wheels on those days.

Engine
I think this choice was a pretty big gamble by Honda. It was either going to be the selling point or the Achilles heel. They absolutely nailed it. I've never felt it is under powered and I love the ability to utilize all sorts of different engine speeds. It does not lock you into a narrow rpm range. Though the red-line is very low, the whole range is useful and has a purpose. Nothing is wasted. Like all Honda engines, it just feels well built. I'm hoping to maybe get 50-60k miles before cracking it open, unless curiosity gets the best of me before then The fuel efficiency of the NC almost seems unreal. Nothing in its class even comes close. For some reason it just makes me happy that there is still room for a SOHC parallel-twin in today's market.

In Conclusion:
I rode my 40 year-old Honda just waiting for someone to build a bike that appealed to me. I almost "gave up" and got a KLR650 before I saw the NC was coming to America. What a weird set of circumstances it was that lead me to get my hands on one. I have found my bike for the next decade-plus and I'm looking forward to many more adventures with Annie.

I guess that's it!

Thanks to all of you who joined me digitally on this journey. I really appreciated the words of encouragement and sound advice. This ride report kind of took on a life of its own and ended up being much more personal than I intended. I have enjoyed trying to put into words the blissful mind-meandering that can only take place on a bike. It was difficult to find time to finish this up, but I'm glad I did. If not enjoyable, I at least hope it was a thought-provoking read.

Until next time, keep the rubber side down!

 

[bigjeff]

ha! I belong to the CB750c.com forum because I have a cb900c. Your relative made a post linking back to this thread. Small world!!

The link may not work. It may be a closed forum. Not sure.

Honda 1979 to 1983 DOHC CB750/900/1000 Custom

 

[kasi]

Outstanding pics and your report are good about the road trip specially bike are great and have much comfortable seat and the engine also how much is covered within 1 litter?