Where did you ride from/to?
May 16th 2010, I left Paxico, Kansas and rode to Colorado with my buddy Eric, and we rode 1600 miles just checking out Colorado.
Our bikes were evenly matched in ability and speed, and we had a ball just riding around in the mountains and villages all in the Southern half of the state, and everywhere we went, people wanted to talk about bikes.
I think we spent more time visiting than we did riding.
The trip was incredible and I never wanted it to end.
Neither of us cared where we were or where we were heading,
as long as there were plenty of curves.
What did you ride?
I was on my 2009 Triumph Bonneville T100
When I left it had 1785 miles on it, so I was confident that I'd have no troubles and I was right.
The beautiful Bonneville was amazing and I never felt any fatigue which is even more amazing since I'm 62 years old.
I bought the Bonnie for the looks and comfort, but to me it feels like a rocket. The more mountain roads I took, the more and more confident I became as I gradually learned that the amazing Bonnie was very capable of taking curves at speeds I'd never considered before. Eric told me to trust my tires, and I did.
We carved up the mountains and we each were mainly concerned about the others abilities because we each felt our bikes were more than capable, and they were.
On an old highway in Kansas, I noticed a disturbing trait.
When I got up to around 100 mph, my steering would pulsate back and forth, like a slow speed wobble, it made no sense, but then Eric pointed out it was only the effect of my Roadster windshield in those particular wind conditions. It only did it that one day so it isn't an issue.
Eric was on a 1993 BMW K1100RS
We both got almost identical mileage averaging in the mid 40's,
The higher elevation made the bikes run extremely well, but when we went above 9000', they got a little doggy, so I just used a lower gear. 3rd and 4th were perfect for curves anywhere from 50 to 100 mph and I felt like I was on a machine made by Ferrari.
The New Bonneville was very controllable and felt extremely firmly planted on the road at all speeds.
Eric's BMW was a perfect companion for the trip, the main difference in our bikes being that at high speeds, he could easily pull away from me, even if I down-shifted.
The Bonneville is perfect for me, just the perfect amount of power, amazing comfort, stunning looks, I've finally found the ideal bike for me.
I went through highschool in the 60's drawing pictures of Bonneville's, so when I got ready to retire in 2009, I read road tests on the new Bonnevilles, sent inquiries to the 5 dealers closest to me, then decided I'd buy from Engles in Kansas City.
They are 100 miles east of where I live, so I sent them a $1000 deposit, then my Buddy Eric took me there in his truck to pick up my bike.
Yes, I bought it without even hearing it or sitting on it.
Based on looks alone, I knew I'd love it, and I was right.
What I'd Do Differently
- Before my trip, I bought a Kuryakyn Tailgater 2 trunk.
- It is cavernous and held everything well, but I had trouble remembering where everything was stashed.
- Every time we camped, I was going through the huge bag over and over looking for things.
- My Buddy had one large bag that held everything, tent, sleeping bag, everything, and it was easy to pack and unpack.
- I also learned that riding in the hot sun without a helmet quickly gave me a bad sunburn.
- I also learned that one quality full face helmet is all that's needed. My cheap Hawk helmet was impossible to put my glasses on and it was noisy.
