Joan and I got out on the bikes today. It was warm(ish) and sunny, with an afternoon high of 82º predicted. We took off to do some "urban cruising." No destination, just riding around the northwestern part of the Valley of the Sun. Mostly roads we are familiar with: Citrus, Northern, Waddell, Bell Road, then west where it turns into the Sun Valley Parkway. That's the road that runs along the north and west side of the White Tank Mountains.
We didn't do the loop around the White Tanks, just rode it as far as Sun City Festival. As we are seeing everywhere we go here, new homes are going up at an incredible pace. I know there are a lot of people moving to the Phoenix area, but I am stunned that there are so many new homes going up. And, if you can believe the ads you see on the local TV stations, home prices are sky-rocketing here.
We missed coming out here last year, thanks to Covid and that pesky cancer thing I dealt with - a lot has changed since we were here last. It seems like all the roads we are familiar with in the West Valley have way more traffic than I remember. Sun City Festival sit out there by itself, miles from other civilization - that road was delightfully light for traffic. Seems that someone, and I am not mentioning her name, wanted a re-match on bike acceleration.
Real world acceleration on a bike means "roll-on" to me: how it moves out from a predetermined speed. In Sport mode, the CTX easily pulls away from Joan's Xmax. Faster than how the Xmax pulls away from the Vespa. Someone wanted to run them from a stop. That someone did the count and we pulled away. Quickly. The Xmax is a strong performing mid-size scooter. It was, again, no match for the CTX in Sport mode. I am pretty sure Joan was not holding back to make me feel good about my motorcycle purchase... since after trouncing, she said, "I am not racing with you anymore." I guess she only wants to race when she knows she will win. ;-) Hey, I spent the last 9 years in the "being trounced" category, but I still raced whenever she wanted to. For full disclosure, this is all for the fun of it, and always has been. We are not reckless in our riding.
In the grand scheme of things, the CTX is not considered a "high performance" motorcycle. In fact, some reviewers have called it "doggy." I have to say that I am delighted with the performance and comfort of the CTX. It is not as nimble as the Vespa or her Xmax, but it is a lot of fun to ride. The Dual Clutch Transmission (the thing that attracted me to this model originally) has been even better than I hoped. I think those reviewers just didn't know how to use this bike/transmission for the best performance.
One area where the Xmax will not be beat: the fuel mileage. Yamaha has come up with a great combination of performance and economy with the Blue Core engine technology in that bike. I needed to fuel up today; she still had half a tank left, but decided to go ahead and top off her tank. Our riding had been on secondary roads (mostly 45 mph) and highway (55+ mph). I couldn't believe I got 77 miles per gallon on the CTX - I am very satisfied with that. Joan blew me away with an even 100 miles per gallon on the Xmax. Incredible.
When we got back to the motorhome, it was time for one more new experience with the CTX: seeing how it will fit in the cargo trailer. Considering the CTX weighs 150 pounds more than my Vespa and 100 pounds more than Joan's Xmax, I was hoping it wouldn't be a beast to move around and fit into the cargo trailer. Oh, sure, we have measured it, and the numbers work out... if I use the side of the trailer where the Xmax goes. There is also that "no hand brake on the left handlebar grip" thing that I am used to with the scooters; the CTX has a foot brake with your right foot.
Moving the scoots in, I can easily give it gas with the right hand, while using the brake on the left hand to keep it under control as I walk the bike into the trailer. With the CTX, I have to use the right hand on the throttle and keep the front brake (also on the right hand) covered. It turned out to be easier than I thought.
For now, I won't be making any changes to the chock positions (it's what keeps the bike in place) in the trailer. But, something is probably going to have to give if/when we decide it is the Xmax and the CTX we want to haul in the trailer. That means drilling some new holes and crawling under the trailer to repostion a chock, and add some additional tie-downs (also through-bolted in the floor). I have some time to think about it. But, realistically, two bikes will be MUCH easier to deal with. Decisions.
This afternoon, Joan said something to me that I haven't heard in a long time... what? No, that's none of your business... she said, "I really feel like a hot dog." I suggested Wienerschnitzel. I was pleasantly surprised when she agreed. We did, and it was good. I am pretty sure they put crack in their chili-cheese dog. It has been a couple years since I had Wienerschnitzel, and I think I have whimpered as we have passed them in our travels, being too long with the motorhome and tow to easily stop. I think she may have suggested a hot dog for me... what a woman!
No comments:
Post a Comment