[hotshoetom]

It had been two weeks since I had ridden anywhere except to work and back...about a 10 minute ride...and I was going through withdrawal....the weather was awful...rain all last night and today until about 11:30 this morning...the weather map showed a break in the weather for probably maybe 2 or 3 hours coming. So I got my honeydew projects done and waited for the break. It finally came and I took off for the Parkway. All the rain had raised the humidity but it was low 80's in town so I knew the parkway would be nice, when I got there, I found a pleasant 72 degrees, lots of shade, and cool clean smelling air...what a joy that was. If I hadnt been tired, I might have ridden more than I did. As it was I got in a good 100 miles today with some relaxed curves...just what I needed. I hit two sprinkles on the way back neither of which got me appreciably wet. Then I filled up and registered 65 mpg for the ride...I decided to go to the car wash and clean it up but I got about 1/4 of the way there, and it started raining seriously, I turned around and hightailed it for the house. Well, the bike is still dirty, but I got my riding fix. All is well with my soul.

 

[hanfordglow]

Tom,

I'm glad you enjoyed the ride! Ain't it fun on the Maj? I'm thinking about doing a 600-mile round trip from here in the desert over to Puget Sound next weekend.

Dee Willis
1964 Cushman Eagle
1973 Vespa 150
2006 Cherry Red Maj

 

[hotshoetom]

Hi Dee,

yeah it is great fun on 2 wheels and I really like the combination of performance, ease of operation, economy and comfort the Majesty has...but the latter point bears additional discussion...about 2 1/2 hours in the saddle is about my limit so far...and after a ride like that, the last thing I want to do is sit down on the bike again. If I can find a reasonable low cost solution to that problem, I have a few long road trips I want to take. You might want to test the waters so to speak on a shorter trip to see how the bum holds up under the load er, ah, well you know what I mean.... :wink:

 

[WildBillPurdue]

I love to read the ride reports! By far my most favorite forum here or at BUSA! Thank you for letting me in on your ride! I had fun, and cannot wait for the next Tom!!

 

[hotshoetom]

Glad you enjoyed the story Bill, I'll have more to tell soon I am sure. Today's excerpt is short, sort of like my commute... I have about 4 miles to go to get to work and that is just enough time for the bike to get warmed up good. All of that is in city stop and go traffic most of it through 25 and 30 mph zones...as a result, there isnt the satisfaction to be had that others have with longer commutes. But it does allow me to practice dodging manhole covers like they were rabid dogs and to practice my vigilance...with the number of side streets, business parking lots and so on throughout my route, I stay busy checking for errant cages and watching my six. The trip home is bumper to bumper and takes twice as long as going to work, the dreaded 5 pm crawl...but at least a 1/3 of it is downhill and sometimes, like today, I can coast that whole distance allowing the engine to just idle...and save fuel over having the clutch engaged and the engine revving up....it makes up for the last part of the ride where I can blast past a number of slow cages going up a long hill...sometimes at speeds over 50 mph in a 35 zone...there are no side streets there and very little parking on the side of the road, so it is an open invitation to crank in some throttle...Wheeee!

 

[pamb]

Great story. Seems I get antsy when I don't ride everyday. In two weeks, I would be climbing the walls.

 

[WildBillPurdue]

Great story. Seems I get antsy when I don't ride everyday. In two weeks, I would be climbing the walls.

2 WEEKS NO RIDING!? HOW DARE YOU CUSS LIKE THAT!!!!

 

[hotshoetom]

well, sometimes it goes like that. The bike I had before the Majesty lunched it's engine during a spirited trip with Betsy on the back...Can you imagine riding 400 lbs on a 150cc scoot on the Blue Ridge Parkway???? Well, I know better now...we managed to blow the head gasket on that trip and it started leaking oil...I bought another engine and installed it, and 2 weeks later the final drive went out in it...6 weeks later it was back on the road and I was well into the research for a new bike...well the Majesty is the new one. and the 150cc is gone, and I am glad of it...getting the correct parts to fix the final drive turned me into a very unhappy camper for a while...the wife was happy to have me buy the Majesty just to see my mood improve. Anyway, that 6 weeks was pure unadulterated torture...I hope I never have to go through that long a period again without riding. The part I like the best about the Majesty is that I dont spend every spare minute working on it to keep it running. I own the bike and it does not own me. the old bike was the other way around.