I have finally gotten around to applying for a clear title through a third-party vendor. The service costs $85.00 and I should have in some weeks a document I can take to the MVD here to get the SS registered. I may as well take advantage of the insurance I have been paying for (although Geico lists the bike as a "Venelli"). The battery I replaced is long since dead, and I need to put the motor oil in the case. Then there is the small matter of getting the headlight to work. But it should not take much to get it going again, all told.

Progress!

Much to report here from Rome, less so from Scotland. Rome is a city which has adapted its form and its habits to motorized two-wheeled transportation. In other words, it is an ideal city for riding a motorcycle around in.

Romans are quite used to adapting to their urban form, and they have discovered en masse that getting around their city is much easier with scooters and motorcycles. So they ride. The old the young the businessfolk, everyone. For travel in and around the city center, scooters are the preferred mode. They allow the rider to wear more formal clothing, and they are more maneuverable in the vicolo's and narrow streets that form the bulk of the center's roadways. Motorcycles and scooters are further favored by the cordons that arise from the street to block larger vehicles from entering the Zona Traffico Limitata Tridente and other areas in the center.

On the return to Chiesa Nuova from one of the many walks we took there, I looked in a storefront gallery and saw several vintage Italian motorcycles. I dropped Roomie off at the apartment as soon as I could and returned with the machinetta fotografica as soon as I could. By this point, Enrico was having a caffetino at the bar at the end of the block, but he promptly opened up the gallery and showed me the current exhibit of the Moto d'Epoca Roma. After I had exhausted my vocabulary, we parted. But what a collection!

• Bernalillo: Pulled over a car.
• US 285 (short stretch of divided highway between NM 599 and NM 503, goes through several pueblos): One cruiser pulled over two bikers, another cruiser sitting atop an overpass.
• NM 503: LEO pulled over an automobile.
• US 285: One LEO on the road, another parked in the median.
• Bernalillo: LEO pulled over another car.

In addition, I heard from a biker couple in Pojoacque that enforcement (especially for DWI) was extremely tight around the Red River Run. Not a bad idea, but likely to hamper enthusiasm for next year's ride among the imbibers.

We took Old Route 66 to San Felipe Pueblo's Main St and then cut over to I-25. From the casino, we continued north on I-25 to 599. We opted for a drive through Nambé Pueblo and Chimayó, and found ourselves taking the high road to Taos.

The rain continued off and on into Saturday morning. By 10am Saturday, however, I found myself wishing that I had brought the 851.

Taos was loaded with motorcycles, notwithstanding the inch of snow predicted for Red River on Friday night. Every motel had a dozen or so motorcycles (mostly but not exclusively Harley-Davidson). All the restaurants were customered in the same manner. Saturday, we trailed a pair of slow-moving bikes on a piece of the Enchanted Circle between Taos and Angel Fire, but eventually they pulled over at the crossroads and we were able to make the lower loop from Angel Fire to Mora (which I had done in the opposite direction back in November to Sipapu and then through Dixon and up Embudo Canyon back to Taos. At Ranchos de Taos, we cut over to NM 240 and then over to Upper Ranchitos Rd, where we found ourselves craving chile at El Pueblo. Bikes were everywhere along the route but the back roads around Taos, going in every direction. I cringed a little each time I saw motorcyclists "do the wave" to each other.

By Sunday, I had decided that weather permitting I would return on the Ducati and experience some of these roads properly.

Click here to see the actual route.

Old Route 66 and I have become good friends, since I take it for the NM 14 Loop and to ride up to Santa Fe. Likewise NM 503 from Pojoacque to Chimayó is becoming quite familiar. The stretch to Peñasco, however, I had done only the one time on a motorcycle, though I had just driven it in a car two days before. Between Chimayó and Peñasco, the landscape changes from high canyons of dry scrubland to lush meadows separated by forests of pine.

Truchas is pretty much the frontier between the pines on the north and the pinkish mesas on the south. For some reason, the folks in Truchas saw fit to pour their garbage off the side of the hill for some number of years. From the village, twisties invite the rider pretty much all the way to Las Trampas. Las Trampas sits among a bunch of farms at the bottom of a canyon. Just past the village is a wooden flume carrying water. The old flume has recently been replaced with a new one, made of a hollowed out log.

From Peñasco, all directions provide excellent riding opportunities. To the east, one may follow the Rio Peñasco through some delightful high-speed twisties to Sipapù; to the west one may drop down to Dixon and its apple orchards. To the north, NM 518 rises to a pass among the pines and proceeds through a long series of twisties down into Ranchos de Taos, which sits at the town's southern edge. There are some high speed sweepers as the road flattens out and follows the river.

Once arrived in civilization, I followed the traffic leaving Taos down NM 68. NM 68 is usually too crowded for my taste, but the passing ability of the Ducati and my nerve to pass platoons of vehicles allowed me my most pleasant experience in the canyon. The Rio Grande is running high and brown during the run-off, and the canyon walls loom high above one set of gorgeous curves after another. At NM 75, I got off the bike to stretch.

Dixon is an old apple farming community in a canyon near the confluence of the Rio Grande and the Rio Peñasco. From Dixon, the road does some up and down twisties through the Picuris Pueblo. There are some dramatic canyons along the way as well. Since the gas station in Picuris was closed, I would have to refuel back in Pojoacque, on the other side of Las Trampas and Truchas.

I downed a bottle of water at the gas station in Pojoacque, and took another break under I-25 at the San Felipe Casino. All told, the mileage from Google was about right (I clocked 290 miles), but I covered the distance in about 5½ hours rather than the 7¼ estimated. Still plenty of time to the mow the weeds grass.

The entire route.

Regardless, the trip to Madrid and back was spirited and scenic.

Unfortunately, Georgie (today's organizer) learned that the resort at Sipapu was closed until Labor Day. Perhaps he meant Memorial Day, but in either case Sipapu Burgers were out of season. I suggested that we stop at Leona's (whose name I had inconveniently forgotten at the time) at Santuario de Chimayó for tamales. There was some question (again due to the season) whether Leona's would be closed too, but we decided that we would give it a shot. Cinco de Mayo Weekend is the occasion for increased law-enforcement activity along the highway, and so Georgie's policy of "speed limit plus 5" seemed to be a prudent course. We got underway about a half-hour late, and already the Finance Manager was beginning to make noises about peeling off somewhere along the way and heading home early.

We took NM 313 north from US 550, the same route I took last week on the 750 as part of the Madrid Loop. On NM 313, we passed what I take to be a flock of Dusky Grouse. They looked like small grey turkeys. On this ride, we bypassed the frontage roads and stayed on I-25 another few exits past NM 14 to NM 599. Police presence was abundant. Three sets of red-and-blue flashing lights were present on 599, and several more on NM 503 near the Nambé Pueblo. One of the things I enjoy about the AMRG is that stops are prearranged and discussed in advance. That way, the group can regather and stick together. There is little to respect in a group that in effect "ditches" its members. We stopped at Hollywood Casino for this purpose, and again past the first stoplight on NM 599. We arranged to collect ourselves and fuel up in Pojoacque.

In Pojoacque, Georgie suggested that I lead the way through the twisties to Chimayó, where we would collect the cruisers. I had never continued on NM 503 to NM 76, always having taken the Santuario turn off. To say that the stretch of NM 503 between the Santuario turn off and NM 76 is twisty is something of an understatement. The road is not only narrow but strewn with fist-sized rocks. It also snakes through some neighborhoods that are positively European in their rights-of-way and building setbacks. Very scenic, however, but very challenging.

Once the group assembled at NM 76, I then led us to the Santuario, where surprisingly few of these folks had ever been before. All went according to plan, though the 1.1 miles between Chimayó and the Santuario road somehow put several minutes between the sportbikes and the cruisers. Lonche at Leona's was splendid as always, and I think next time I may try a burrito con chicharrones. At Santuario, it was decided that rather than proceed to Sipapu, we would return via NM 4. The Finance Manager split off Pojoacque while the rest of us took the scenic route.

On NM 502 (a "safety zone"), we proceeded at the speed limit plus five. While I was riding up front, a coyote ran across the road, requiring me to hit the binders in a hurry. Once we made the turn off for NM 4, we stopped in White Rock to fill our tanks. Here, I convinced the group to check out the Lookout we discovered on the last AMRG ride I attended a few weeks before. NM 4 was a total blast. I got a little ahead so I pulled over at Bandelier to let some others catch up. By the NM 501 turnoff I had pretty much caught up.

The stretch of NM 4 from the 501 turnoff to NM 126 is perhaps even better heading south than north. Once around the cages, there was much passing of motorcycles. As folks got ahead they would pull over and let others lead. Since I always had a light on in my rearview mirror I did not much worry about getting too far head. Still, it was pretty fun breaking the "ton up" on some of the larger sweepers. After a pause at NM 126 to collect the group and meet a fellow rider from Tennessee breaking in his new GS 1200, we indulged in some spirited riding until the Village of Jemez Springs. Beyond the Village it was more or less a calm ride to San Ysidro, where we collected the group for goodbyes.

All told, mileage was about 235.

Click the map to see the route

First of all, I love the power the bike makes. It does not scream away like the 851, but pulls away cleanly and nicely. The acceleration is doubtless improved by the substantially larger-than-stock headers and aftermarket cans mated with 36mm Mikuni flat-slide carbs. It is easier to use more of what the bike has to offer than on the 851, while the latter bike in comparison is a shot of adrenaline.

The notchy-shifting problem I noticed before the fluids were changed and the clutch adjusted and measured is gone, though it is still challenging to find neutral unless the bike is rolling along. I do wish the bike had a six speed gearbox; an extra gear up top would allow for higher cruising speeds, though I suspect I will rev the engine more freely once I am used to it.

I have been taking the handling slow for the most part, since I am probably overworried about hitting the brakes mid-turn. I noticed no real problems, though I confess I was trained in the old school method of getting all one's braking done before entering the turn. In all the twisties I went through the motorcycle handled flawlessly.

Every review I have read of the 750 Sport complains that the idiot lights are invisible during daylight hours and that the reserve light is more or less continuously on. I echo those criticisms, though I am used to the faults since the 851 is guilty of the same defects.

Overall, this bike is definitely a keeper until such time that I can afford an F1. Given the recent sale prices on eBay, it may take a protracted recession for that time to arrive. In the meantime, I have a nice second bike to ride while the 851 is ridden by a guest or is in the shop being serviced.

My impression of an underclothed motorcyclist turned from bad to worse when he proceeded to accelerate past everything in sight and commence weaving from lane to lane, slamming on the brakes when he arrived at a stoplight. I guess one is never too old for idiocy.

NM 14 goes up and down several hills, past the prison and the Santa Fe Adult Detention Center (located across the street from one another). A little farther down NM 14 is the Cafe San Marcos, where Roomie and I ate when we drove this loop in the Miata. There are a few curves before passing the village of Los Cerrillos. Madrid is three miles of S-curves away. Motorcycles abound.

After a quick stop to stretch and drink a cuppa Earl Grey in Madrid, I continue down NM 14 to another Old Route 66 segment, now a frontage road for I-40. Right around Carnuel, the odometer reads 100 miles so far. It is only another 2 miles to PJ's, where I am delighted to tell them how well the 750 is running.

Please see the map below for the route information, even though the map displayed does not seem to display properly in Firefox. According to the vast project that is the internet, folks are working to make GoogleMaps and Firefox play better together.

Click and zoom out 3 or 4 clicks to see the route.

I wonder the other owner is doing for tires. . .