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| State 8 in Cayahoga Falls, Ohio had what I was looking for. |
I've retrieved bikes in the past, and always used a trailer to retrieve them. This time,I decided not to retrieve by trailer.
My reasoning was that if I end up dragging a trailer all the way there, and don't buy a bike, I'll consider it a wasted 10 hour drive. On the other hand, if I ride my ST1300 all the way to Cleveland and back, at least I'll have gotten a good ride in!
I arranged with a friend who lives in Cleveland to store the ST for me, assuming I did in fact complete the purchase.
Eggs and coffee at home in Indianapolis before hitting the road by 7:15 a.m. Forecast called for highs in the 70's and a 60% chance of scattered thunderstorms. I opted for my mesh gear as opposed to leather, which I would later regret. Hoping that the operative word in the forecast was "scattered", I brought rain gear but hoped not to need it.
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| The ST1300 is extremely road ready |
With the map showing 307 miles taking 4 hours 37 minutes without stops, I targeted a 1:00 p.m. arrival which would give me time to strike a deal and claim the bike before the dealership closed at 4:00 pm.
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| I mapped out my trip the night before. |
Come to think of it, I've never really taken the ST on a 300 mile slab run like this. I've taken trips of that length, but they were slow wandering journeys through back roads with a focus on the journey rather than the destination. This would be a day of watching the odometer and the clock.
Though the ST will go 250 miles on a tank or more, I set a goal of stopping every 100 miles. This works best for my back, to walk about and stretch my back after sitting for 90 minutes on the ST.
My first stop was the McDonalds at Brookville, Ohio, 97 miles from home. Temperature at home was 57 degrees, it dropped to 55 somewhere in the wide open spaces of eastern Indiana.
At McDonalds I ordered a large coffee and tried to thaw my fingers. I didn't realize how chilled I had become until I attempted to send a text message to my wife. My fingers hardly worked.
"Arrived Brookville, Ohio," I told her, "No issues except stiff fingers now trying to type. Coffee at McDonalds, gas and go."
I ordered a large coffee at McDonalds and drank it as fast as I could.
8:53 a.m. "I forgot that mesh is okay for a commute to work at 57 degrees, but not for 90 minutes at freeway speeds. Good thing I brought a sweater." I told her.
Donning the sweater, chugging the coffee, I gas up and head back out on the road.
Made my way through and around Columbus, heading north on I-71, and stopping at Sunbury, Ohio. 104 miles.
10:50 a.m. "Diet coke and stretching my legs at Sunbury. Sweater makes a difference as done the sun. Temps are now in the mid-60's." I reported to my wife.
Amazingly, at this point I'm still 111 miles from my destination.
12:40 p.m. 104 miles. "Arrived Peninsula, now I need to find the dealership. 7 miles from here."
I had no idea how picturesque this part of Ohio was. I make a mental note to return with the family and hike Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio some day.
Arrived dealership at 1:00, and negotiated the purchase.
2:32 pm. "It's a go! They're getting it prepped for me to ride home."
Waiting for the bike to be prepped, I looked outside the dealership and saw the rain falling. I don't enjoy riding in the rain, but I don't mind doing it either. I've got rain gear. But I'm not thrilled about riding an unfamiliar bike 300 miles home in the rain at interstate speeds.
Thankfully, the rain stopped after only 20 minutes.
The dealership was closed by the time the bike was prepped. They held open the cashier station to accept my check.
The sky was clear and the pavement was dry.
I went over the ST1300 with my friend who would be riding it to Cleveland and storing it for a few weeks til I could retrieve it.
I pulled away from the dealership and headed down the road. I decided to take it down city streets for a while before venturing onto the freeway.
4:32 p.m. "Like a Harley at idle, like a sport bike in the corners and like a dirt bike going down the road. Seating position is very natural."
5:45 p.m. Arrived Ashland, Ohio. 59 miles. "Doing good and feeling good about my purchase. The bike is more visceral, which is what I needed. Not as tame as the ST1300. I'm having bugs hit my face shield for this first time since I rode the Magna. The windshield is minimal; I feel plenty of wind. Larger windshields are available which would be nice for a road trip. But the smaller shield would be ideal for my commute. Or for riding on the twisties. It's adequate for the highway, certainly better than having no shield at all."
I headed back down I-71, then around Columbus onto westbound I-70. The low fuel light came on just five miles east of London, Ohio.
8:33 p.m. Arrived London, Ohio. 108 miles. First fill up. That awkward moment when I realized that I never opened or inspected the tank when purchasing the bike. That's foolish of me; one should always inspect the tank of a used motorcycle. Then this moment of fear when the tank didn't open at first. Is it stuck? I can't go on without gas. It only took a moment to apply the right force to open the tank and fill it up. Smaller tank than the ST1300 with a shorter range.
"I'll need better earplugs," I observed. The bike has a RT-One aftermarket exhaust system which seemed fine for my short test drive. I was wearing foam earplugs, which I always do at highway speeds, but this bike was loud enough to push past the earplugs and leave me with a ringing in my ears.
"My neck hurts!" It could be from the wind buffeting me as I ride along at 70 mph. It could be from the seating position. Or it could be the cool air.
"155 miles since I left the dealership, and 157 miles til I get home."
The sun is setting fast and it's getting colder.
Back on the road heading west of London the cold seeped in and for the first time I questioned my decision to push on home. I remember the advice of an experienced rider who suggested donning a rain gear if caught in cold weather - they do a good job of blocking the breeze and will help keep you warm. I pulled into a rest stop and donned my rain gear.
10:45 p.m. Arrived Richmond, Indiana. 84 miles. As the temperatures drop, I stop more frequently to warm up. Also, without the full wind protection of the ST1300, I'm not travelling as fast. I'll stop more frequently if necessary.
"I need to warm up my fingers and look for some coffee. For warmth. Because cold."
The bike is a lot of fun!
So cold now, I wondered what the temperature was. Reflexively, I glanced at the dash.
I chuckled. The Buell dash has a speedometer and a tachometer, and a single odometer. This is all you need, but far less than what the ST provides:
- Trip meter
- Fuel Consumption Calculator - shows MPG
- Gas Guage
- Clock
- Thermometer
I convince myself that this juncture it's probably best that I don't know how cold it is. Probably 45 degrees, or less.
Amazingly despite the 60% chance of scattered thunderstorms, I had made it all this way without getting wet. Now, as the bike rumbled toward home, I noticed a beautiful display of distance horizontal lightning, illuminating large swaths of the horizon to my south and west. It's south of my route, but if it's moving northward, our paths may collide. I don't like the idea of being soaking wet in 40 degree weather.
Thankfully the lightning never gets closer, and the storm never crosses my path.
Familiar landmarks greet me as I approach town.
The low fuel light came on again less than ten miles from home. I stopped and filled up again near my house. When stopped, after this 300 mile run, I realized just how much the bike and its loud pipes had hurt my hearing. I've never ridden such a loud bike, and certainly not for so long. The normal sounds of the street seemed oddly echoing.
I tiptoe into my neighborhood at midnight, mindful of the loud pipes threatening to waken my neighbors. My wife hears the bike arriving and opens the garage door to let me in.
What an opportunity to ride two bikes each for over 300 miles in one day.
7:15 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. 614 miles round trip.
And a story to tell.
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