First Day Trip

Kim and I took off yesterday on our first long ride. We could not have asked for better weather. As you can see from the speedo, our total mileage was 201.3 for the day. Considering I had only 147 miles on the Road King...that’s a pretty big deal! We took off just before noon and rode back roads to Muenster, TX where we ate “lunch” at Central Restaurant. Since it’s a German town, we decided to eat German food. Gotta stick with the local flavor you know. Chicken schnitzel, bratwurst, Kraut and German Potato salad...a carbohydrate lovers dream. We saw a lot of bikers along the way and in Muenster. It must be a popular trip for N Texas riders. We had a great ride!

The bike handled like a dream. I had just installed the Sundowner Deep Bucket seat http://www.harley-davidson.com/dwp/gma/dwp_gma_product.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441988711&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374309294690&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374309294690&dwp_dealerid=51156&bmUID=1225653093162&bmLocale=en_US While I don’t care for the looks of the seat (back pillion is huge!), it was extremely comfortable on the ride. We were on the bikes for about 5 1/2 hours. I had zero numbness. The only issue was my lower back, which is to be expected since I did have a fusion in 2001 and my lower back gets achy and tired easily. I need to get and wear a Kidney belt for longer rides. Plus, I’m going to get the driver backrest. Other than my back, I was completely comfortable. Kim rides a beautiful ’03 Fatboy (100 year Anniversary). Her butt & hands got numb from the vibration. She was riding with a Badlander seat, which is not ideal for touring.

Since Kim and I are both new riders (although Kim grew up riding dirt bikes and is more comfortable), I planned a route that kept us off Major Highways as much as possible. We both were most comfortable at 55 - 60 mph, but did get around 65 - 70 a few times. I didn’t like the wind percussion at that speed. The wind did something different at 65...I don’t know if the windshield height makes a difference, but at that speed, the wind really pelted my head...sorta staccato. Once we got out of the Dallas Metro area, I was able to relax more and enjoy the ride. The roads were in great condition with very little traffic. The leaves on the trees are changing, so we got to enjoy some Texas fall color.

Being new to this “touring” stuff, we did pretty well. I had printed our route from Google Maps and we each had a set. Kim had the great idea to roll it up and put it in her windshield bag. That way, we just had open the bag and roll it to see the next line. At every major turn, we’d stop and figure out our next turn and off we’d go. Of course, I have a bladder the size of a pea and drink gallons of liquid, so we made plenty of “comfort” stops.

Oh, I had a different horn installed when I got the bike and the horn cover has always vibrated like crazy. Our dealer ended up removing a rubber gasket that’s intended to buffer the vibration. After that, it was even worse, so I asked them to re-install the gasket the other day. I think they forgot. Anyway, when we got to Muenster, I discovered the horn cover dangling from the wires. Apparently the vibration was so intense, it just snapped the mounting bracket. Fortunately, we met a guy on a Road Glide in Muenster who had tools, so he just took it off.

What we learned:

• Face shields are a “life saver”. A bug the size of a nickel slammed into my shield right above my right eye at the velocity of a speeding bullet. I was extremely grateful I had face protection!
• Riding that many hours and in unfamiliar territory is very intense and tiring. I suspect we will be able to relax more with more experience. But for now, we are so “on” during our rides, we were wiped out when we got home.
• We should have started earlier. Because it took us longer to ride 200 miles on our bikes than we’d anticipated, we ended up having to ride at dusk (shadows and glare) and in the dark.
• Both of us don’t much like riding over 60 mph. It’s the wind, more than the speed that bothers us.
• I really "need" a Garmin Zumo GPS so we don’t have to stop so much and depend on maps for our long rides. https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=135&pID=414 Already planning on it with my Xmas money!
• Discovered the bikers “wave”. The left arm held out to say hello when passing another rider along the way. Also, figured out that you gotta keep the arm low so wind doesn’t knock it back.
• Need to wear a back support on long rides.
• The Harley Road King Classic is a GREAT bike...especially on the road!
• Carry tools! You never know when they’ll be needed. I figured that since I have a new bike and I know nothing, nada, zero, zilch about bike mechanics, that I wouldn’t need them. Know I know it’s a good idea to have tools, even if they are for someone else to use. Fortunately, they guy who removed my dangling horn cover had them.
• Don’t trust the fuel gauge. Kim thought her bike was empty, when it was just under half full.
• The Sundowner seat is very comfortable.
• Lady bikers get a lot of attention ;-)
• Riding is a HECK of a lot of Fun!