Fly Fishing on Two Wheels

Headed out for a pre-dinner ride with my dad last night.

It was a great hour & 42 miles:

• Up Page Mill
• Out Foothill Expressway
• Up to Highway 9
• North on Skyline
• Down Page Mill home

Evening Ride

I had two favorite moments along the route.

First, while heading up to Skyline, a bike coming in the other direction threw us the motorcycle wave. Much to my surprise, my dad flashed it back. It was awesome!

Second, a van in front of us made an abrupt left turn into a driveway. Once clear of the van, my dad stiffened up and shot the guy a scowl. He stopped just short of giving him a second, one fingered, wave.

Teedles is getting comfortable on the bike folks. Look out.

Teedles

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55.8 Miles.

Up 92 to Skyline South.
84 to the beach.
Hwy 1 north to Half Moon Bay.
92 East to home.

Gorgeous.

An Evening Jaunt

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Same route as last weekend.

Hoover, Okarma, & I rode our F800 GS to Santa Cruz and back.

Hoover, Tadlock, & Geoff. Orange, Yellow, & Gray

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We went out for our first time today. Me & the new bike that is.

Went for a nice long ride. 110 miles.

1. First to Quiggle’s house in San Carlos
2. Up Edgwood to 280 South
3. Up 84 to Skyline
4. Skyline south to Highway 9 where we met my dad
5. Highway 9 to Santa Cruz
6. Lunch in Davenport
7. Up Highway 1 to Half Moon Bay
8. Back over the hill no 92 East
9. Home

110 Miles To Santa Cruz and Back

It was a beautiful day for a ride. Clear, warm, fun.

Here’s a slideshow of some photos I took along the way.

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It’s been a long week, but I’m very, very happy with my purchase today.

I put 100 miles on it today. Couldn’t get me off it.

Lot’s more details to come.

Thanks to Shawn for being a stand up guy throughout the transaction.

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Set up an appointment to test ride a used BMW F800 GS this morning @ 8:30 in S.F.

Woke up early and decided to take the long route:
* Over 92 to Half Moon Bay
* Up HWY 1 through Pacifica
* Out The Great Highway

This Morning's Route

67 miles round trip.

It was beautiful. Clear skies. Slight chill in the air. A great way to start the day.

Here’s a photo I took @ Montara State Beach along the way.

Montara State Beach

I arrived. Met Shawn. Very nice guy. Checked out the bike. It has everything I’d put on the bike were I buying it new.

* ABS
* Low seat
* Heated grips
* Hand guards
* GPS
* On-board computer
* Center stand
* 3-piece luggage set

Shawn's F800 Left Side

Shawn's F800 Right

The only missing feature I’d like is the touring windscreen. My rides on the F800 GS have been buffeting.

I gave the bike a quick test ride. It was awesome.

He’s asking $15,000.

This afternoon I stopped by the BMW dealership. I’ve always had a tough time in that shop. Never seem to get good service. Today was slightly better than before. Still did a lot of waiting.

I test rode a 2010 F800 GS. Apparently the only difference in models is color. Meh.

The model I rode at the dealership didn’t have the low seat and the difference was noticeable. Uncomfortably noticeable.

I also rode a brand new R1200 GS. I really liked it. It is a big bike, but on the freeway was super smooth. Felt like floating. Don’t want to spend that much though.

I had one of their guys price out a 2010 F800 GS as they couldn’t get a hold of a 2009. There were just a few differences with the bike I rode in the morning:

* No GPS on the 2010 from the dealer
* Touring windscreen added
* Shawn’s bike is yellow, dealer’s is the new Lava Orange
* Shawn’s bike is available now. I have to wait 3 weeks to get the bike from the dealer

Oh yeah, one other big difference.

Shawn’s bike = $15,000
Dealer’s bike = $18,500

So, I was ready to call Shawn & close the deal when another dealer called me back.

He’s got a number very close to Shawn’s for a 2010 with all the same features. And, without me pressing too hard, offered to find me some additional savings.

Count this as another black mark against the first dealer. They’re out as far as I’m concerned.

I’m going to wait to hear back from the second dealer before deciding which bike to buy.

I’m willing to pay a bit more for a new bike for these reasons:

* Shawn’s bike isn’t my first choice in color
* Shawn’s bike has been dropped – not a big deal in the grand scheme
* I’ll get to do the breaking in on a new bike which offers a little piece of mind

Just need to decide how much these bullet points are worth to me…

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Geoff got me a gift card for my birthday.

Thanks Geoff.

I used it to pick up some essentials.

• Chain cleaner
• Chain brush
• Chain lube
• Helmet cleaner (which isn’t supposed to be sold in CA according to a sticker on the can. why?)
• Tire pressure gauge
• Gravel puck for my kickstand

New Essentials

Are there other things I shouldn’t live without?

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I looked at the odometer on the bike last night. We’ve ridden 6,000 miles together since August. If you add in the 1,000 miles I rode in New Zealand, I’m up to 7,000. My goal was to have 10,000 miles under my belt before our trip in July. Looks like I can make it.

My First Day On The Bike In NZ

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When I close my eyes, & dream of a world where cost isn’t a consideration, I wonder which of these two I should use to tour Montana:

BMW F800 GS

Ducati Multistrada 1200

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I’ve been riding with music for a while now. For all the reasons you might imagine.

Tunes make traffic tolerable.

Tunes make turns tighter.

If I weren’t listening to tunes I’d have ear protection in rendering the ambulance argument moot.

I sometimes wonder if the music might distract me – though I haven’t found this to be the case yet.

I’ll admit that I haven’t perfected the headphones in my helmet thing yet. I wear ear buds that pop out from time to time. This happens most often when I’m cinching down my chinstrap. I have to start over. Also, taking off my helmet often results in the rubber ear gasket sticking in my ear.

What do you think about riding with music? Good? Bad? Safe? Any suggestions on how to avoid the frustrations of ear buds in the helmet?

Here’s my current playlist.

• Savior by Rise Against
• 1901 by Phoenix
• Kings & Queens by 30 Seconds to Mars
• Feel Good Drag by Anberlin
• Lisztomania by Phoenix
• Let It All Hang Out by Weezer
• The High Road by Broken Bells
• Sticks n’ Stones by Jamie T.
• All Babes Are Wolves by Spinnerette
• The Man’s Machine by Jamie T.
• You Did A Bad Thing by The Broken Family Band
• Dart For My Sweetheart by Archie Bronson Outfit
• Cuckoo by Archie Bronson Outfit
• Positive Tension by Bloc Party
• Banquet by Bloc Party
• True Skool by Cold Cut
• Tik Tok by Ke$ha
• In For The Kill by La Roux
• Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z
• Too Much Time by John Vanderslice
• D.i.a.l.o. by John Vanderslice
• Ain’t Nothing Like You by Blakroc
• Baptized by Fire by Spinnerette
• Ghetto Love by Spinnerette
• Sleepyhead by Passion Pit
• Kiss With A Fist by Florence & The Machine
• Dog Days Are Over by Florence & The Machine
• Bodies by Robbie Williams
• Naive by The Kooks
• Wheels by Foo Fighters
• Swim by Surfer Blood
• Pursuit of Happiness by Kid Cudi
• Forest by Number One Gun
• Substitution by Silversun Pickups
• Hell by Tegan & Sara
• Welcome To The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance
• (If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) by Weezer
• Panic Switch by Silversun Pickups

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