Went over to visit my first born at start of spring break. Wanted to explore some of the twisty roads in the Michigan Upper Peninsula.
First Lesson: Get a better route mapper. Any Suggestions?
I routed using Google maps by using my computer and forcing routing by adding stops. Without the stops, I'd send the route to my phone and it would immediately re-route for current traffic and other AI decided unknowns. With enough stops, it had to keep the route I wanted. Well, mostly.
The Goole maps app in my phone still tries to give route choices between the points, even if the choices are stupid. But, good enough, let's ride!
Nope, didn't work. Unless I actually got to the exact spot, a stop wouldn't register as accomplished. I'd pass a "stop" and then Google would start trying to re-route me back to that spot. Took me 10 miles once before I realized, oh, she (the sexy voice in my head) is trying to get me back to my mom's house because I didn't "stop" at the intersection I marked.
Lesson Two: Don't trust 2 day old forecasts, duh.
This I knew but I also knew I'm fine riding in any weather above 40F. I don't care about rain, I just care about traction. I can handle wet. Frozen, not so much.
Well I didn't hit frozen on the ride home but gale-force winds, driving rain, patches of dense fog, not as fun as wanted. Decided to abort the Northern route originally planned for the ride back and try to head mostly South to get out of the weather.
Lesson Three: Wait for spring street sweeping before looking for twisted fun.
No finding twisty paths on this excursion. The ride out was route aborted because of Google Maps AI. Route back was aborted for weather. Both directions included piles (PILES!) of sand all over the corners. No knee dragging this trip. (BTW, get to the race track if you want to drag knees, idiot!)
Lesson Four: Not all deer hunker down or sleep in crappy weather.
About 2 hours into the ride back, going well above "fatal if suddenly decelerated to zero", I was still in driving rain and fog. Started to relax my crossing-critters radar thinking nobody is moving in this crap when "eep!" a doe runs out of the fog and crosses right in front of me, left to right. Missed it by under a meter (yard).
Later I passed a slow (slower than I wanted to ride) car and merged back just before squad car materialized out of the fog parked in the emergency u-turn median slot. Gave them a sheepish wave and prayed. They didn't seem to care or at least didn't care to come chase me down and stand in the rain to write me up.
The police car made my heart race more than the deer. What's that say about me?
Lesson Last: Love the FJR1300.
Used the in-bar heat, the windscreen adjust and the cruise-control when needed. Nice features. Handled great but couldn't explore limits, yet.
Next time I'll tape a detailed map to the tank, wait for clean and warm roads and explore. I suspect a really fun 500 miles can be found.
Later,
Kent Larson in Minnesota
First Lesson: Get a better route mapper. Any Suggestions?
I routed using Google maps by using my computer and forcing routing by adding stops. Without the stops, I'd send the route to my phone and it would immediately re-route for current traffic and other AI decided unknowns. With enough stops, it had to keep the route I wanted. Well, mostly.
The Goole maps app in my phone still tries to give route choices between the points, even if the choices are stupid. But, good enough, let's ride!
Nope, didn't work. Unless I actually got to the exact spot, a stop wouldn't register as accomplished. I'd pass a "stop" and then Google would start trying to re-route me back to that spot. Took me 10 miles once before I realized, oh, she (the sexy voice in my head) is trying to get me back to my mom's house because I didn't "stop" at the intersection I marked.
Lesson Two: Don't trust 2 day old forecasts, duh.
This I knew but I also knew I'm fine riding in any weather above 40F. I don't care about rain, I just care about traction. I can handle wet. Frozen, not so much.
Well I didn't hit frozen on the ride home but gale-force winds, driving rain, patches of dense fog, not as fun as wanted. Decided to abort the Northern route originally planned for the ride back and try to head mostly South to get out of the weather.
Lesson Three: Wait for spring street sweeping before looking for twisted fun.
No finding twisty paths on this excursion. The ride out was route aborted because of Google Maps AI. Route back was aborted for weather. Both directions included piles (PILES!) of sand all over the corners. No knee dragging this trip. (BTW, get to the race track if you want to drag knees, idiot!)
Lesson Four: Not all deer hunker down or sleep in crappy weather.
About 2 hours into the ride back, going well above "fatal if suddenly decelerated to zero", I was still in driving rain and fog. Started to relax my crossing-critters radar thinking nobody is moving in this crap when "eep!" a doe runs out of the fog and crosses right in front of me, left to right. Missed it by under a meter (yard).
Later I passed a slow (slower than I wanted to ride) car and merged back just before squad car materialized out of the fog parked in the emergency u-turn median slot. Gave them a sheepish wave and prayed. They didn't seem to care or at least didn't care to come chase me down and stand in the rain to write me up.
The police car made my heart race more than the deer. What's that say about me?
Lesson Last: Love the FJR1300.
Used the in-bar heat, the windscreen adjust and the cruise-control when needed. Nice features. Handled great but couldn't explore limits, yet.
Next time I'll tape a detailed map to the tank, wait for clean and warm roads and explore. I suspect a really fun 500 miles can be found.
Later,
Kent Larson in Minnesota
