Wrightwood, CA

[mr. softie]

Alan your ride report reminded me of some of the rides I've had where you just gotta keep on truckin' till you get home. The "what the hell am I doing" kind of ride. I still would rather ride than drive though. I think you might try my seat mod for a more comfy butt. It's good for 8 hours of pain free cruising for me. By the way I am still riding every day here in South East Pennsylvania. Coldest so far was 23 degrees one morning last week. Plus the sleet and freezing rain are a challenge.

[alanmcorcoran]

I'll look up your mod, softie, but don't hold your breath. Unless it is something real simple (like adding a windshield) I shy away from messing with my toys. Typically, I am less happy with my stuff after I messed with it than before, often owing to poor workmanship, impatience or stupidity on my part.

I also like to keep my options open if I ever want to sell the thing (to keep it in as close to original condition as I can.)

Your assessment of my sentiments when I was leaving Mountain High was spot on. Fortunately, had the benefit of having experienced similarly overly ambitious or otherwise poorly planned adventures on my road bicycle, and, comparatively, hauling ass on the GZ is a *lot* easier. On a positive note, I seem to have gotten past most of my fear of the freeway.

I've seen various replacement seat "kits" reference on here, but don't recall if anyone actually bought one and was happy with it.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

I've seen various replacement seat "kits" reference on here, but don't recall if anyone actually bought one and was happy with it.

Well, now that we have dragged you kicking and screaming into the world of windshield users...... :poked: :biggrin: , maybe it's time to work on the seat. :roll:

Given your overall situation, you might want to consider a gel pad like I've got; easy on, easy off; just a little expensive though. With an ass that is 12 years younger and your bike riding history, hopefully the one small one would be enough to give some significant relief.

[alanmcorcoran]

I'll keep it in mind. I'm not sure what my riding habits are going to evolve into. I've kind of backed off from totally pointless rides, but, at the same time, the bike has become my primary means of getting around. Last week we had a few days of steady rain and I took the Camry into work on Wednesday. Felt a little strange driving a car again!

I gotta get out with Moe on some more fun rides. I think I could do that Ortega a lot more aggressively with more practice and rideing time.

I've got to give some thought to my original (fantasy) idea of cruising the West (like the chick in Resident Evil.) Not totally ruled out, but now I have some more of the downside to think about. I think the key, as you and others have said, is to schedule some sensible breaks. The big question for me is, "Am I going to buy a bigger bike?" If so, I'll probably keep the GZ for commuting and around town and the seat on it is fine for that.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

I think the key, as you and others have said, is to schedule some sensible breaks. The big question for me is, "Am I going to buy a bigger bike?"

"I've kind of backed off from totally pointless rides," :skull: BLASPHEMY :skull: :biggrin:

Here's my take:
Bigger is not always better.
Riding on the Interstates is NOT a pleasure ride, no matter what you are on.
SO......
If you can arrange the GZ so it is comfortable AND resist the urge to pack too much, it will do just as good at 55-60 on the US two-lane highways as anything. You DO give up the option to get back home in a hurry if you need to but there are ways around that too if it REALLY is necessary........and maybe better options too than racing home on a big bike while distracted by a family emergency or similar.

3-400 miles a day is easily do-able......that's 6-8 hours. More than that is too much for a variety of reasons. On my ride down US 41, there were times that I went an hour and met maybe 10 cars; hard for a California guy to grasp, I know. :cool:

[Moedad]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

On my ride down US 41, there were times that I went an hour and met maybe 10 cars; hard for a California guy to grasp, I know. :cool:

Go ahead, :poked: the California guys. We're not THAT gullible. Only 10 cars in an hour? Ha! That's a good one.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by Moedad

Go ahead, :poked: the California guys. We're not THAT gullible. Only 10 cars in an hour? Ha! That's a good one.

And you can see for miles and miles and MILES..... :crackup

[music man]

I have to agree with Easy on this one, I just made a road trip on a 1200cc goldwing, and even though 70mph on it was way more comfy than the GZ even at 60 is, it still is not a fun ride HAVING to go 70-75 just to keep up, and I don't think that it would have mattered if the bike would have been a 3000cc, it still would not have been the highlight of my day to do it (I also despise getting on the interstate in a car).

[alanmcorcoran]

Well, believe it or not, in Southern California there are:

1) Places where the *only* way to get there involves significant freeway. I don't mean the only *fast* way, I mean the *only way, period*.

2) Quite a few more where you must decide "Do I want to spend 3 and a half hours going 35 miles, traffic light to traffic light, a block at a time or do I want to travel the same (totally uninteresting) distance in 35 minutes?" (The answer for me is the latter.)

Being somewhat newer (and far more crowded) than most states, we don't have the city/country/city deal out here. A very, very large chunk of the state is densely populated urban and suburban contiguous areas that go on seemingly forever. Traffic light to traffic light, Starbucks to Starbucks, McDonald's to Wendy's. The only thing that cuts through them is the freeway. In addition, the coastal portion of Southern California is a basin surrounded by mountain ranges. To get through the mountain passes, the freeway is the only option.

Yes, there are extreme detours you could take (like riding to Las Vegas by way of Arizona) but we're talking about reroutes that triple or quadruple your mileage (or worse), not mere inconveniences.

[mr. softie]

I am saving up for a goldwing or an ST1100 for slab work. I will keep GZ for sure.