Back in the Saddle Again...

[hppants]

Loki showed up on time at my house about 7:00 am yesterday.  Weather was fantastic – about 60 as we pulled out, 85 in the afternoon, light winds, and not a cloud in the sky.  We ended up with about 425 miles for the day, with most of it being rural curvy (some twisty) back roads, with a little slab mixed in for good measure.  I finally got to check the fuel mileage on my FJR, and I was pleased to get 41 mpg on a full test tank.  Hope you enjoy the few pics I took.

This being my first decent ride since my last off, I was quite nervous at first, with a death grip on the bars I had trouble shaking.  But around mile 60, I stopped for gas and to calm down a little.  Then I started to relax, and things began to come back.

Heading for Natchez, Mississippi, we stopped at the Clark Creek Natural Area on the way.  I had been here before with Brody, but I thought Loki might like to see it too.  The naked FJR has a streetfighter look to it.



So we hike about ¼ mile down to the first water fall.



Loki is considering climbing the fall, but the sandstone looks a little slippery.



Soon we are back on the road, taking turns with the lead, enjoying the bikes and the day.  As planned, we wound up in Natchez ready to eat.  I decided to eat at the Pig Out Inn, a great place for BBQ.  Loki chose Ribs, Pulled Pork, Sausage, and trimmings



For myself, I choose ribs, brisket, and turkey with the trimmings.

[hppants]

After that meal, we walked a couple of blocks to the Mississippi River front.  The water has receded nicely by now.



There’s a nice walkway along the river.



Back at the parking lot, we were treated to some nice looking rides.  This truck looks real nice.



And this old Galaxie 500 convertible had a 4-speed and a real nice interior to go with its paint job.



We considered several choices to get home, but in the end, we decided to simply back track the same way we got there.  The roads were really smooth, with good visibility, and some nice curves as well.  We made one stop aside a river on the way home, to take a break in the shade.



That was the last picture I took.  Back at my house, Loki helped me mount my new PR2 on the rear of my bike.  Then we parted ways until the next time.

It felt good to get back on the bike.  It’s hard to imagine I ever thought about giving it up.

[drdubb]

Nice report


Time heals all wounds. 

[Burgi]

Good to have you back hp! Forum wouldn't be the same without your reports.

[cmyers]

Glad to see back in the saddle again.

[mattrowe19]

Congrats on being back in the saddle pants! Glad to see it. Looks like you and Loki had a great ride.

[hockeyhawk]

Nice Job Pants and Loki, nice to see you back on the horse pants.

[ariwhiteboy]

 


But seriously...get those plastics fixed. 

[luckylindy]

Looks like another great day for Loki and Pants.  Like the way the FJR is looking.

[JB1290]

Great news, Pants! Glad to see you are back in the saddle. 

[fortyhourdays]

Looks like a great trip.  Thanks for taking us along

[naskie18]

Good to hear you're back riding, Pants!

[DesignFlaw06]

Welcome back! I knew you wouldn't be gone for long.

Let us know when you get the FJR all patched up. Then you and I are going to meet up.

[tomb raider]

Good deal Hp, How many miles does Loki get on his fuel storage ?     That food looks damn good, I skipped lunch today....

[LOKi]

I get slightly less on MPG than the FJR. At least on this ride. For some reason I was getting upper 30's where I usually get low 30's when riding with Pants. Maybe it's because I was at the end of an oil change cycle. Went a little over the 3,000 mile mark on this little ride.

I carry almost 9.5 gallons of gas so I can still go farther than a FJR in almost all riding conditions. I can push it to more than 300 miles between fill-ups.

[cjbear11]

Woohoo! Pants is staying! Great ride report man!

[tomb raider]

300, nice, well I got almost 50 MPG on the 92. Then 85 is like 30, SUCKS gas...

[hppants]

Thanks for the replies - it's great to be back on the bike.

My parts to repair the FJR are coming in this week - I hope to have the big girl fixed by this weekend.  Just in time to be on call.  

Loki - I think by your standards, we were taking it pretty easy on Saturday.  That's prolly why your mileage was a tad better.

With 6.6 gallons, at 40 mpg, my range is about 250 miles.  My butt's range is considerably less than that.  

As an epilogue, I rode about 60 miles yesterday with Brody.  Pretty easy riding as I was scuffing in the new Michelin PR2 on the back.  Never the less, that new tire is tons more grippy.  I'm convinced that the old hard tire on my bike contributed in a small way to my accident.  I hit the rear brake 2 or 3 times yesterday at what would have locked up the old tire.  The new PR2 grabbed real well.

After I get the bike fixed, I got to come up with something for hwy pegs and a harder aftermarket seat.  Last night I had an ole fashion case of the red a$$.    In some sick way, it kind of felt good though, considering the source.  

[tomb raider]

Referring to your tire, This makes sense, I to would skid on the 92 till I replaced the tire this summer from a large staple.    O do love my 501's on the 700s.

[fishball]

Nice ride report Pants!

[edac]

Thanks for the report. Glad your back in the saddle.