Conclusion
I have mixed feelings about this trip. Although I enjoyed the ride immensely, there were a few things I thought could have been better. First was the heat. Riding in 90 - 100 degree F weather was exhausting and uncomfortable. I�m sure that if I had clothing appropriate for it I would not have been that uncomfortable. But then I would have suffered during the colder temperatures. I�d rather be hot than cold. I just didn�t have room to bring two sets of riding apparel. Perhaps next time I may invest in a good set of saddlebags. Second, to get to the good roads, there was a whole lot of droning on empty, straight, desert highways & interstates. It was fun doing that but too much of it really got a bit tiring & boring. Third, I didn�t get to see all there was to see especially during the Grand Canyon portion of the trip. We spent way too much time shopping and walking around the Grand Canyon Market Plaza instead of exploring the roads and enjoying the natural beauty of the area. Nevertheless, I had a great time. My favorite of course was the ride through Highway 89A by Sedona and State Highway 89 through Jerome and Prescott. Beautiful twisty roads and awe inspiring scenery.
The Bike
This was the first long trip I had taken on my Bandit 1200S. The bike performed flawlessly all throughout. Except for the seat, which was only good for a few hours, the bike�s ergonomics and wind protection provided me with lots of comfort over long distances all day long. In fact, I brought along some Advil to alleviate body aches and pains which never materialized any time during the trip. Thus, the Advil tablets went unused. The Bandit also proved it had more than adequate power both in the highway and at high elevation. I had no problem cruising at 90 to 110 mph. Although, fuel consumption became excessive at anything over 100 mph. The Bandit had no problems keeping up with Mat, Marty, & Chris� big bore liquid cooled bikes whenever they passed cars even at high altitude. The bike did have a problem maintaining idle speed at the higher elevations but it only occurred during early morning start up. That condition quickly disappeared once the engine warmed up, which was within a few minutes. I had to slightly adjust the idle speed and �help� it along by using the throttle during warmup and that was all it took. Finally, thanks to its centerstand, I was able to perform chain maintenance as well as engine oil check and refill easily. I am now a firm believer in these semi-naked bikes with realistic riding positions. There was just no way I could have done this ride and still walk afterwards on my Hayabusa!
My Apparel
I wore full leathers on this trip. I learned my lesson on my last trip when I wore only jeans and a jacket. My jeans got pretty grungy and yucky by the end of each day. By having my full leathers on, I never smelled myself and had plenty of protection all around my body against bugs, dirt, and debris. There was a LOT of bugs! I brought along my old Arai Signet helmet because I knew I would be sweating like crazy and I didn�t want to ruin the interior of my new Nolan N100. Now I think I would have been better served with the Nolan with all the repeated taking off and putting on the helmet on our numerous stops. In addition, the Arai full face made it quite difficult to take pictures on the go. Sometimes I just don�t understand my own reasoning for doing things!
My Bags
Once again I used my Tourmaster Deluxe Tailbag and Mini-Magnetic tank bag. Both of which provided me with lots of storage and ease of use. The tank bag�s numerous internal pockets really helped in keeping my little trinkets organized as well as putting my wallet and camera within easy reach. |
