lhendrick
Nov 7th, 2005, 7:41 am
Took a trip down to my Mom's house in Vero Beach last week on the LT. The LT ran like a top, no issues. It was my first long trip with the Rick Mayer seat, Jpegs, Suburban lowering pegs and Bakup backrest. This combination yielded the best comfort I have experienced to date. Now I need to remember to wear my no seam comfort underwear and NO jeans, as the pressure points on my posterior were the only 'sore spots'
Now to the point of this report: Road Hazards
In the course of 24 hours (and about 1400 miles) I encountered no less than three examples of the kind of hazards that can ruin a ride.
In the first case I was tooling along at 70-75mph at night (with stock 05 LT headlight) and fooling with the GPS, looking for a place to stop for the night, when I looked up to the road and right there, as in RIGHT THERE, was a perfectly good bale of hay, all square and neat like someone had just placed it there, lying an the dotted line on the this two lane road in South Carolina. A reflexive twitch of the handlebars was my only reaction and I missed the bale by a foot or so. I wonder what it would have been like hitting it. My chief learning from this is to install the HID kit that I had on my last LT before riding at night again, and not to fool with the GPS while in high speed motion.
Second experience next day while zooming past Washington DC towards Baltimore on I 95. Traffic and me doing about 75 mph,, small pickup with a ton of furniture in back, about 5 cars ahead of me, hits a bump and the wind gets under his mattress and it sails out of the truck and way up in the air. Cars in front commence demolition derby style evasion manuevers, and with no one behind me, I clamped down on the LT's heretofore untested emergency stopping power. The bike, from 75, slows down like an anchor was thrown out and once down to 25 or so, I am able to steer around the mattress which is lying in the left lane, waiting for someone to run it over. Major learning for me was, watch out for anything carrying a load, and don't be afraid to use the brakes in a straight line, as the LT can really stop, even at 1000+ lbs loaded with me.
Finally, later that same day North of Richmond Va, on I 95, I'm in the left lane with a pack of folks driving 15 over the limit and I'm thinking I don't feel good with us all bunched up like this, as there is no place to go if someone screws up, when sure enough the car directly in front of me has his front right tire blow out, as in explosively, with rubber scrapnel blasted back to me, hitting my feet, legs and the bike lowers like an IED in Tikrit. The car slows, in control and veers off to the left breakdown lane, and I continue on with the smell and taste of rubber forcing me to exit at the next off, for a coffee and time to regroup for the final Gran Prix de New Jersey Turnpike and on into New York state for the final trip to Westchester. Learning: don't ride in a pack of cars, as some of them may explode.
Now to the point of this report: Road Hazards
In the course of 24 hours (and about 1400 miles) I encountered no less than three examples of the kind of hazards that can ruin a ride.
In the first case I was tooling along at 70-75mph at night (with stock 05 LT headlight) and fooling with the GPS, looking for a place to stop for the night, when I looked up to the road and right there, as in RIGHT THERE, was a perfectly good bale of hay, all square and neat like someone had just placed it there, lying an the dotted line on the this two lane road in South Carolina. A reflexive twitch of the handlebars was my only reaction and I missed the bale by a foot or so. I wonder what it would have been like hitting it. My chief learning from this is to install the HID kit that I had on my last LT before riding at night again, and not to fool with the GPS while in high speed motion.
Second experience next day while zooming past Washington DC towards Baltimore on I 95. Traffic and me doing about 75 mph,, small pickup with a ton of furniture in back, about 5 cars ahead of me, hits a bump and the wind gets under his mattress and it sails out of the truck and way up in the air. Cars in front commence demolition derby style evasion manuevers, and with no one behind me, I clamped down on the LT's heretofore untested emergency stopping power. The bike, from 75, slows down like an anchor was thrown out and once down to 25 or so, I am able to steer around the mattress which is lying in the left lane, waiting for someone to run it over. Major learning for me was, watch out for anything carrying a load, and don't be afraid to use the brakes in a straight line, as the LT can really stop, even at 1000+ lbs loaded with me.
Finally, later that same day North of Richmond Va, on I 95, I'm in the left lane with a pack of folks driving 15 over the limit and I'm thinking I don't feel good with us all bunched up like this, as there is no place to go if someone screws up, when sure enough the car directly in front of me has his front right tire blow out, as in explosively, with rubber scrapnel blasted back to me, hitting my feet, legs and the bike lowers like an IED in Tikrit. The car slows, in control and veers off to the left breakdown lane, and I continue on with the smell and taste of rubber forcing me to exit at the next off, for a coffee and time to regroup for the final Gran Prix de New Jersey Turnpike and on into New York state for the final trip to Westchester. Learning: don't ride in a pack of cars, as some of them may explode.