gooch
10-10-2008, 04:09 PM
I did my first real distance ride this week, riding from Teaneck NJ to JFK airport in NYC on Wed and back again this morning. Great weather both days. I go to JFK because givent he choice I like to fly on JetBlue.
First of all - JFK HAS FREE MOTORCYCLE PARKING. Just follow signs for Long Term parking, then go to the Kiss and Ride area. There are about 20 spots, some of which seem to be used by frequent flyers/employees based on the unused chains and locks attached to a sewer grate. The spots are about 20 yards from the entrance to the AirTrain.
The ride itself, a few things:
GWB tolls read my EZ Pass attached to the windshield.
The tolls with gates on the NYC bridges did not. A cop this morning who helped me with a stuck gate told me that I need to stop at the beginning of the toll booth in order to have the EZPass read. We'll see if it works in the future.
Some of the roads on the way to and from JFK are a bit scary, not BC of traffic, because of the road surface itself. There are parts of I 678 (Whitestone and Van Wyck Exprswy) and the Grand Central that are in awful shape. The worst was a 50 MPH curve in which the pavement was all wavy and rippley.
Also, this morning for the first time I really felt how bad the seat is. I think my butt started to lose some circulation or something about 45 minutes into the ride.
At the same time, seeing the hudson river and the NYC ballbarks from the back of the bike was even a bit more majestic than seeing them form the car.
When I am flying solo with little to pack int he future, I will definitely bring the bike again. I only wish that airport lockers were still an option so I could store my gear in the airport instead of checking a bag and risking its loss.
First of all - JFK HAS FREE MOTORCYCLE PARKING. Just follow signs for Long Term parking, then go to the Kiss and Ride area. There are about 20 spots, some of which seem to be used by frequent flyers/employees based on the unused chains and locks attached to a sewer grate. The spots are about 20 yards from the entrance to the AirTrain.
The ride itself, a few things:
GWB tolls read my EZ Pass attached to the windshield.
The tolls with gates on the NYC bridges did not. A cop this morning who helped me with a stuck gate told me that I need to stop at the beginning of the toll booth in order to have the EZPass read. We'll see if it works in the future.
Some of the roads on the way to and from JFK are a bit scary, not BC of traffic, because of the road surface itself. There are parts of I 678 (Whitestone and Van Wyck Exprswy) and the Grand Central that are in awful shape. The worst was a 50 MPH curve in which the pavement was all wavy and rippley.
Also, this morning for the first time I really felt how bad the seat is. I think my butt started to lose some circulation or something about 45 minutes into the ride.
At the same time, seeing the hudson river and the NYC ballbarks from the back of the bike was even a bit more majestic than seeing them form the car.
When I am flying solo with little to pack int he future, I will definitely bring the bike again. I only wish that airport lockers were still an option so I could store my gear in the airport instead of checking a bag and risking its loss.