A few Mondays ago I had the day off so I decided to take my first extended daytrip on the new bike:
Learned a couple of things that will definitely come in handy later on this year.
First thing: Highway 58 from Bakersfield to Santa Margarita is incredible! Got a few tight twisties and some sweepers and wide-open straights that have "CHP Impound" written all over them!
And if you're not careful you can get airborne on a few of the longer straights (For the SoCal folks think 60 miles of "Banner Rd" PLUS 5-10 miles of the "airborne" section of 138). I'm sure it must be busy on the weekends but yesterday I counted 8 bikes the entire highway and no more than 10 cars!
I also learned that:
1) I am horribly out of riding shape. 690 miles and I was really wiped. I think having to split lanes from Santa Monica all the way home after another 30-40 miles of splitting lanes did it.
2) The 101 between Santa Barbara and Ventura is now officially my second most hated freeway in L.A.
3) These Oxtar boots are OK for short rides but I will be getting a pair of waterproof AStars S-MX 3 as soon as humanly possible. The balls of my feet were killing me.
4) Long distance riding, leathers, and I, do not get along very well. I'll be wearing my textile Akito all-weather suit. Leather pants bunched too much behind the knees and I couldn't get into a comfortable position all day.
5) Figured out how to make a backpack more comfortable. Made a cinch belt for the waist, dropped the pack all the way down to my lower back, then tightened the strap across my chest. It felt like five pounds of nothing.
Next month I'll try and give Phoenix a shot.
Learned a couple of things that will definitely come in handy later on this year.
First thing: Highway 58 from Bakersfield to Santa Margarita is incredible! Got a few tight twisties and some sweepers and wide-open straights that have "CHP Impound" written all over them!
I also learned that:
1) I am horribly out of riding shape. 690 miles and I was really wiped. I think having to split lanes from Santa Monica all the way home after another 30-40 miles of splitting lanes did it.
2) The 101 between Santa Barbara and Ventura is now officially my second most hated freeway in L.A.
3) These Oxtar boots are OK for short rides but I will be getting a pair of waterproof AStars S-MX 3 as soon as humanly possible. The balls of my feet were killing me.
4) Long distance riding, leathers, and I, do not get along very well. I'll be wearing my textile Akito all-weather suit. Leather pants bunched too much behind the knees and I couldn't get into a comfortable position all day.
5) Figured out how to make a backpack more comfortable. Made a cinch belt for the waist, dropped the pack all the way down to my lower back, then tightened the strap across my chest. It felt like five pounds of nothing.
Next month I'll try and give Phoenix a shot.
)...be careful because traveling on the Busa is addicting, the trips just keep getting longer and longer 
