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May 31, 2009
Mountainair Loop
How far we've come! Since Roomie chose not not to come along last week, she asked if we might go for a ride. Our so-called monsoon season has arrived early this year, so we did not want to get too far afield. Roomie suggested Mountainair for breakfast at Pop Shafer's.
The ride from Tijeras down NM 337 was better than I recalled. Perhaps the ST is more comfortable for long straights than the 851. It certainly soaks them up faster! In any case, once we were past the congestion immediately below Tijeras (unfortunately the location of the finest twisties of the ride), there were plenty of places to pass cages.
Breakfast was a delight. The ratio of motorcyclists to non-motorcyclists there was 7 to 1, including a pair on Kawasaki Vulcans that we passed on the way into town. I hope they manage to stay open.
The ride from Mountainair to Belen was fine, though NM 47 is rather congested on a weekend. Probably congested on a weekday too. But Roomie enjoyed riding up Broadway and Edith. Within a few hours of arriving back at home, the thunderstorms began. The rain was paltry, but it felt good to be home.
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May 10, 2009
By the Numbers
It being a lovely spring day, and having done a weekend's worth of chores yesterday, Roomie and I decided to go for a ride. Things were looking dodgy—her helmet has not arrived from Cycle Gear, and the gloves we ordered from newenough.com were backordered, then too small. A third pair will be ordered once the small Fargo's are returned. But mostly I think the hesitancy was in the thinking about going for a ride. The temptation to try out the new gear (her new jacket) won out. We set her up with my old full-face HJC helmet and layered fingerless gloves over some woolies and we set off.
NM 14 north of Cedar Crest is no man's land: one leaves the northern reaches of Bernalillo County, passes through a portion of Sandoval County that has no road connection to any other part of the county, and then continues into Santa Fe County. Above Madrid, the congestion is palpable. We stopped at the Mad Hatter and discussed how she felt about going really fast.
After tea, we stopped next at the Shell at 599. There we had to decide to go home via El Camino Real or to proceed to Harry's Roadhouse Bistro. Assuming Harry's was going to be packed on account of Mother's Day, I made a daring suggestion: we could head north and west over to NM 4 and have lunch in Jemez Springs. To my surprise, she took me up on the offer without hesitation.
I rode with restraint from Madrid all the way to White Rock. Beyond White Rock I was able to open the bike from time to time. From the NM 4 / NM 503 split to Jemez Springs is my favorite part of NM 4; the traffic is relatively light before Hwy 126 and the twisties are among the best in the state. We ate as planned in Jemez Springs, where Roomie posed the question I have asked so many times, "Where is the hot tub?"
Roomie's favorite stretch of NM 4 is from Jemez Springs to the Jemez Pueblo. Red rocks, the Jemez River, and roller-coaster hills. From the Pueblo home, congestion and slab-riding was the norm, though US 550 provided some high-speed straights. As a consolation for putting her through US 550, I took us home via 313 and the Sandia Pueblo, which conveniently ends where 2nd St begins.
While filling up at Jemez Pueblo, I noted the mileage: 46.6 mpg. Not bad for two-up mileage in the mountains, with some high-speed stretches thrown in for giggles. All told, 221 miles covered in about 6 hours, with stops for lunch, tea, gas, and potty breaks. Welcome to the ton-up club, Roomie!
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May 9, 2009
Matching Luggage
Roomie got all misty-eyed when she saw the embroidering on our TLC bag liners. But the ST4s is special, because I purchased it with her in mind. Roomie even gets a little jealous when I take it out without her. In any case, I am looking forward to taking some day trips (and perhaps beyond, once our housesitter arrives) later this summer. For the time being, an occasional toot up to Madrid or Leona's will have to do. 
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May 2, 2009
It's Never Just the Motorcycle
With the new (to me) motorcycle, comes new purchases. The stock headlights on the ST's are pretty poor, and aftermarket replacements are available from Ducati Designs for the tidy sum of $500. When I feel a little more flush, I will pursue one. As it stands, I do not ride much during night hours, and even less when riding two-up. Another useful accessory for the ST are saddlebag liners. These are custom-made for the ST bags, and everyone at the ST forum swear by them. Nice thing about these is that they will allow Roomie and I to quickly and easily pack for overnight trips, each with our own bag making full use of the ST's carrying capacity.
And I have not been alone in keeping the economy stimulated. Roomie has ordered a replacement for the inexpensive helmet I bought for her last year, and she purchased for herself a new fabric jacket. Here's what she has to say about it.
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