Paranoid much, Jim? No, just a single noid. And, surprisingly, I'm not talking about the crazy drivers here. Oh, don't get me wrong - you have to be on the lookout for them all the time. I don't have many close calls because I am hyper vigilant... not just when I'm out on the motorcycle, but also the car, the motorhome, and the bicycle.
I went for a longer ride today. Oh, I did my island crusing, but then took it out on the highways to the west. Getting close to the Laguna Atascosa Wildlife Refuge, at 60 mph, a deer bolted out from the bramble on the side of the road. It was close enough that I had to clamp down hard on the brakes, and start my evasive maneuver. Of course, you can't trust deer, because they will dart back and forth, seemingly to stay on a collision course with you. This one did not do that - when he saw me (after I saw him), he put the coals to it, looking to get to the other side of the road. Yes, it was a deer, not a chicken (that's a chicken joke).
Big difference between this deer and the one I collided with last summer while on the Vespa: this one was fully grown. Big. Obviously smarter than the one last year, to have made it to this size. Now, to be transparent, we don't often see deer crossing the road down here in the Tropical Tip. This fella was tough looking... not in the "I'm gonna kick your ass" kinda way. Deer have it tougher around here (probably why we don't see them all that often): they can't scamper through the woods, like the deer in the Black Hills... we have that bramble I mentioned before; it would be good stuff to cultivate around a prison, because it has some seriously thorny stuff. This muscly looking deer had plenty of scars. Yes, I was close enough to see that.
But, this deer was smart enough to get out of the way (still had an "Oh, shit!" look on his face), and I got the bike slowed down to give him room to do that (also, with an "Oh, shit!" look on my face). No underwear was soiled in the making of that situation.
On the way back east on that same highway (it's nice smooth road, which is the best thing I can say for any road around here), a turkey vulture flew out from the side of the road. For those not familiar with that species...
From the genus: BUFD (Big Ugly Freakin' Bird)... well, the scientific name doesn't use "freakin'," but this is sometimes a family friendly blog. Well, the Adams Family. But, I digress. I ducked my head as this big stupid bird passed way too close. The shadow moved over me like standing at the end of the runway when a B52 is making a landing! I don't know if it was pissed because I didn't leave a blob of deer road kill for him, or if he thought my white helmet was a prey's egg. Either way, making contact with this thing would not have made for a good ride. We were close enough that I could hear its wings flapping.
So, really, I'm not paranoid... but I think the animal kingdom is out to get me, too. Other than that, it was an OK ride. And by "OK," I mean it was warm and humid, but surprisingly not too windy. That was nice for a change. I have my head into getting north for some great riding roads and cooler weather. Won't happen for a while.
4 comments:
Hello Jim -
Life has been busy in the Pacific Northwest, and I fell way behind on keeping up with your adventures. Hope all is well and I am praying our friends up north finally get back to having a "normal" whale watching and sight-seeing season in the San Juans. I see you now have a Honda CTX700DCT. Sounds like it is a great choice for you. I still have my 2014 Burgman 400, which I love, but as time permits, I want to venture a bit further. The Burgman is great on the back roads and twisties, and I have had some great rides out to the ocean and around Mt. Rainier. It does great and feel stable up to about 65MPH. It can go faster, but with the smaller diameter wheels, I start feeling a bit anxious if I push it faster. I have been looking at the CTX700DCT for many months, and at some point, would like to move up to that bike. It seems perfect for my needs even though it has less storage space. I have buddies that want me to trek to Eastern Washington with them for some scenic rides, but much of it is on busy FAST I-90, and they will leave me in the dust on the Burgman. I guess my question is this.......do you feel stable, safe and able to keep up with traffic comfortably on your bike? 75-80 no problem? I am not so much looking for a huge top speed, just comfort and stability on larger wheels. How is your gas mileage? Burgman gets only about 60MPG.
Thanks for the info and I look forward to reading about your future adventures.
Greg Johnson
Hi Greg - nice to hear from you. I was intrigued by the DCT... and then hooked on it with the first ride on the CTX. The B400 is close in weight to the CTX, but the CTX has 51hp vs the 32hp on the Burgman. That said, the CTX isn't the fastest mid-size bike, but it does make good speed on the highway. It can handle 75 to 80 without feeling overworked. 80 is as fast as I've ridden it, and there was definitely more speed available. The 17" wheels make it feel planted at speed. Mine is the version with a fairing, and it does a good job; the taller windshield keeps things comfortable at speed. The DCT is different from the CVT on a scooter - you can ride it as an automatic, but having the option to move between Drive and Sport modes allows you to have the performance you want, especially for acceleration. In everyday riding, I get between 65 and 70 MPG; my worst has been 64, the best was 80. The tank holds just over 3 gallons, so I plan on fueling at around 160 miles. When the fuel gauge starts flashing, I have found that I have .9 of a gallon of fuel left.
I have a Givi top case (47L Blade) that handles my storage needs. I added Kuryakyn floorboards to it and find that more comfortable than the pegs. I also added a center stand - makes it easier for chain cleaning/lube.
I'm 2 1/2 months in with the bike and have been very pleased with it. When I started thinking of going back to a motorcycle again, it was the Honda 1100 Rebel DCT that I really wanted to like... the fit wasn't comfortable for me. I did a test-sit on an NC750X, and it was too tall for my inseam. That led me to the CTX, which has been that "Goldilocks" just right fit. If Honda still made this model, I would have bought new. I think Honda didn't know how to market this model... I consider it to be a "sport cruiser" - the ergos are more cruiser(ish), but it is light enough and carries its weight low, so it feels pretty nimble in the curves. When I was looking for one, it seemed that there were more N (naked) models out there, but I was focused on having a fairing.
Coming from a scooter with CVT, I think you will appreciate the DCT; I really like being able to drop a gear (or two) and accelerate, like you would with a manual transmission (just a push of the paddle shifters, regardless of what mode you are in). The shifts are fast and smooth. Pulling away from a stop makes me chuckle - always as smooth, no chance of stalling. And no tired left hand in stop and go riding.
Best wishes,
Jim
Thank you so much for the detailed review and your experiences so far. This is definitely at the top of my list for future considerations. I didn't realize Honda was no longer making. I will look for a used in the future that has been well taken care of. Heck, way down the road if you ever decide to sell it, let me know!! LOL - now that would be a heck of a long ride from the tropical tip back to the Pacific Northwest!
Oh, we know that long ol' trek from the Tropical Tip to the PNW, Greg, having made it numerous times. When it comes to finding a CTX, my early searches didn't turn up anything within 400 miles of us from home. When we went out to Phoenix, there were some good options. This one was a one-owner who put less than 2,000 miles on it; nice accessories. including a Corbin seat that wasn't broke in... yes, it is shaped to my form now.
You already appreciate the scooter experience - I think you would really like this.
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