Kari first talked about getting a scooter - a practical bike with automatic transmission, limited power, and built-in storage options. She initially planned on a 50cc scooter with a top speed of 35 mph or so. In my opinion, an underpowered scooter like that is a hazard on streets with a speed limit over 30 mph, since you may not be able to keep up with the traffic, so I suggested to Kari that she look at slightly larger, 150 cc scooters - generally capable of speeds of 55 mph or so. This would allow her to accelerate and cruise at the speeds generally seen on city streets.
Kari was open to that idea, and I was glad to hear that she planned to purchase safety gear and had enrolled in a Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) class. She wisely decided to purchase a bike only after completing the class and getting her motorcycle operator's endorsement on her driver's license.
As I suspected, Kari took the MSF class on a 250 cc motorcycle, and loved it. After that, she was unlikely to settle for a scooter - she'd want a "real" motorcycle! She started shopping in earnest, and quickly narrowed her list to a couple of favorites. At this point, I thought it might be fun to make the trip up to Las Vegas (actually Henderson, NV) and tag along for the search.
My bike, while certainly capable of a highway trip, isn't as large as the real "touring" motorcycles. With that in mind, I decided that before taking off, I'd talk to my mechanic (Mike, at Medusa Cycles) to see if he has any concerns about the bike making a 700 mile round trip. Mike - a nice guy who's always willing to take a quick look at something and give you his opinion - said, "the bike will handle the trip a lot better than you will." I took this to mean I'd be OK, and decided to hit the road.
Traffic in the Phoenix metro area is atrocious, so I elected to get an early start to miss the worst of it. I ended up hitting the road at 5:00 a.m. on Friday morning. My plan was to get out of Phoenix, then take my time, driving slowly and taking lots of breaks. The first part of my trip went according to plan - I got in the HOV (carpool) lane - motorcycles are always allowed in the HOV lane - and cruised the freeway for about 70 miles until I was on the outskirts of town. I admit I gave a big sigh of relief when I hit Carefree Highway and the open road!
At this point, I started to see the problem with my plan. It sounds good to "drive slowly", but you have to actually do it! The highway - speed limit 65 mph - seemed designed to make me drive much faster than that. Virtually every time I glanced at the speedometer, I was traveling between 75 and 80 mph. Clearly, I was going to need to work on my speed control!
I did find that it was easy to stick to my plan to make frequent stops. After 75 to 100 miles, I desperately needed a break. The drive from Phoenix to Las Vegas is desolate, at times, but there are good stopping points spaced at that approximate distance. I made the mistake of skipping a break on the outskirts of Phoenix, and ended up needing to go all the way to Wickenberg - roughly 125 miles from home - for my first stop. I also stopped at Wickiup, Kingman, and a restaurant about 30 miles from Henderson. At each stop, I gassed up, walked around, got a drink, and tried to waste a little time before I had to get back on the bike. At the restaurant - thoroughly sick of the motorcycle seat by this point - I decided to take a longer break and have lunch. Afterwards, refreshed and full, I finished the ride, arriving at about 1:00 p.m.
My bike performed flawlessly - easily keeping up with traffic, even when climbing mountains at altitude. While I still understand why a larger bike would be better for long-range touring, I now know that my bike would be capable of longer trips, if necessary. Some music would be a big help - lacking that, I sang every song I know on the trip. I was hoarse by the time I got to Kari and Suzie's - I'm guessing you won't find too many bikers flying down the highway singing show tunes at the top of their lungs! If I make a practice of hitting the road on this bike, I'll have to get a more comfortable seat and headphones. If you're willing to take your time and take a break every 100 miles or so, the stock seat works OK. For what it's worth, the trip back was better - it was much easier to keep my speed at a more appropriate level than on the trip out.
When I bought my V Star, I knew I wanted a "cruiser" style bike - laid back, low seat, with your feet in front of your body. Kari initially liked this style too, and started to look at a couple of nice options for starter bikes. Soon, however, she discovered that she liked "standard" motorcycles - a more upright riding position, with your feet more or less directly under your body - better than the cruisers. She did NOT like the sport bikes - more commonly known as crotch rockets. Unfortunately (and unlike in the 70's, when every manufacturer had multiple small-displacement standard bikes from 100 to 350 cc's) there are few options for new standard motorcycles. We also had problems since, unlike in the Phoenix area, used bikes are harder - and more expensive - to find. With all these factors contributing, Kari ended up choosing a new bike - a Suzuki TU 250X - a small, "retro" styled bike with fuel injection and a reputation for rock-solid dependability.
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| Kari, on her bike in the showroom. Looks like a good fit! |
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| It's Here - Kari literally dropped her sandwich and ran outside when the truck arrived. |
After some hard bargaining, Kari's bike was delivered late Saturday afternoon (you can ride your new bike home from the dealership, but - especially for a new rider - it's dangerous to ride a strange bike in traffic, so the wise person has it delivered). Now it was practice time! Kari spent a half hour or so getting used to the clutch, shifting gears, and practicing low speed turns, starts, and stops. After that came a few laps around the apartment complex before dark - then it was time to put her baby to bed and plan a short practice run on the street in the morning.
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| Looks pretty good, parked next to mine, doesn't it? |
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| About ready to take off! |
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| We're done riding, and I'm about to head back home. |
In the morning, we took a short ride before I headed home. Over the next couple of weeks, Kari rode her bike to work and around town. When she finally had to gas up, she needed a whopping 1.2 gallons (91 mpg)!
Oh, one more thing - there's very little clearance between your face and the inside of a full-face helmet, and gum sticks pretty well to everything. If you chew gum, try to resist the urge to blow bubbles at 70 miles per hour.......
