Suzi as the star of the show. A little motorcycle with wanderlust and an eye for the wild west.
Al as the sidekick. An old motorcyclist with wanderlust and an eye for the wild west.
Kate as the damsel in distress (christened & known as "Teri" to all but Al & his brothers, but hey they aren't writing this), alone in her castle in the setting sun, patiently awaiting the arrival of her night in shining armor - and her steed of course...
Larry as instigator, tormentor, and court jester (AKA "Harold" to his brothers and brother-in-law; silly but it does come into play later in the blog).
Loretta as Larry's life and long-distance motorcycling partner who keeps all his journeys interesting <3
Lisa as the loving Mom of little Suzi, reluctantly giving her her wings, and following the journey with affection.
Rob as Lisa's life and motorcycling partner who we are quite certain keeps all her journeys interesting (if not pokey).
Bill as the best neighbor imaginable and an all around awesome and interesting guy - and motorcycle enthusiast.
The many colorful characters on the road as themselves, making their unique cameo appearances along the way from Vermont to California, and as always, weaving the fabric of the experience.
Plot:
A young motorcycle dreams of adventure on the road and life in the west, and conspires to lure an unsuspecting sidekick and his enabling brother into her scheme. Twist: Suzi needs 7500 miles to enter the promised land, but currently sports just 3000. She makes the journey to her new home, winning hearts and minds along the way, ultimately living a fairytale life in the beautiful Sierra foothills. In the end, everyone wins. Thanks Suzi!
Meet Suzi, a sparkling 2012 Suzuki TU250X
This classic little beauty is as friendly a bike as you'll find. With spot on fuel injection, great brakes, predictable handling, and smooth shifting, it is a favorite of training programs and a natural choice for a first motorcycle. Here's a Motorcycle Consumer News evaluation from August 2009 when she first came to the US:
http://www.mcnews.com/mcn/model_eval/2009AugTU250X.pdf
A couple of my favorite quotes (note that this magazine is not funded by advertisements):
"... we found this bike the perfect embodiment of a whole range of virtues that had all but disappeared, making it a lot more fun to ride than we’d ever imagined."
"The classic bike fan in me was drawn to this little Suzuki’s 1960s-era British aesthetics from the get-go, but its rev-happy thumper motor, lithe handling and surprisingly competent suspension won me over completely on my very first ride, and neither Dave nor I wanted to give the TU back to Suzuki."
So Lisa took a training course, fell in love with motorcycling and the TU, and went out and adopted one. After a couple seasons of chasing Rob's Triumph Bonneville around Vermont, she decided to move up to a larger Honda Shadow. Alas garages are just never large enough.
Enter Al who was looking for a starter bike for his wife Teri (AKA "Kate" as she is affectionately known to Al and brothers). The TU is a 49 state bike and of course that's what Al - er Kate - wanted. Lisa's loss was Kate's gain. And coincidentally Al's who really wanted to deliver a small bike cross country via back roads. Larry paid a visit to Lisa & Rob and arrangements were made to purchase and hold the bike in Vermont pending a cross-country ride opportunity. Meanwhile, Larry had an unplanned appendectomy and really should not have been riding. Fortunately, Loretta was far away in Italy, so a pickup date was set, and neighbor Bill kindly agreed to ride over with Larry and pilot the TU to her temporary home.
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| Suzi, Lisa & Rob, and their little dog too. |
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| Bill kindly piloted Suzi home to Larry's place for safekeeping. Pay no attention to that FJR Loretta... |
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| Bill built (OK is always rebuilding) his own Brit custom and has a sweet trail bike as well. He quite enjoyed Suzi. |
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| There's always room for just one more bike, though she really was far too clean for Larry & Loretta's garage. |
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| Larry showed her around Vermont a bit. What a great way to relax and smell the roses. |
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| Wined and dined her... |
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| And even introduced her to some (domesticated) of her kind at his MSF class. She may have inspired unrest in the hearts of the captive training bikes. |
The thought had been to target next June for a brother cross-country trip on little bikes. CA requires 7500 miles on a used 49 state bike before entering the state for purchase; Suzi was 4500 miles short. No problem - Lar will just log some miles over the next few months. But in August Al learned he'd have some free time in September and decided to go for it. So plans were discussed and bits were ordered and delivered to Larry so prep work could get under way. Mirror extensions opened up the view to behind, relocated rear turn signals made room for soft panniers (broken in on a previous trip to the Arctic), a tooth up on the front sprocket dropped revs on the little thumper, wiring for heated gear (don't leave home without it) and a nice plexi shield to combat cold and fatigue. Oh and a trick clock for the road :-) Larry saved the shield install for Al's arrival; just as well as it was not an ideal fit (though apparently survived the first 4600 miles). Al & Kate arrived together for a few days in Vermont, then she headed to Michigan for a visit with her girl friends for the first week and a half of Al's journey. Al spent another day prepping the bike, packing, and perhaps playing a bit.
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| Larry felt the wheels needed balancing, but according to the shop he just has (or was that "is") a sensitive ass. |
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| Running the pigtail for heated gear. Bikes vibrate and routing and securing need to be done carefully. |
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| The windscreen install was not ideal due to the very narrow bars. Note the mirror extensions and trick clock. |
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| Here we discuss the need for a commercial wind tunnel before risking a test ride out of adjustment. |
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| We downsized the requirement to a wind BAG instead and just winged it - as usual. |
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| Sculpting the custom, antique mahogany axle jack for chain maintenance. Matches the custom mantle and old piano. |
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| Ready for the shield shakedown cruise. That thing is gonna leave a mark if it launches at 60mph. |
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| Shield turned out to be surprisingly effective AND stayed in place. Time will tell. |
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| Locked & loaded for a full shakedown cruise |
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| We got Kate & Lisa together for a delightful dinner at 158 Main and swapped motorcycle tales. |
P.S. Alternatively, I may just run this scam on an annual basis... purchase and outfit a bike with someone's money, then sit back in my comfy swivel chair and drink in the self-funded story and images, chasing them down with my beverage of choice.
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