Ohhh - I Remember This...

 

I hadn't ridden the Honda CTX (motorcycle) since before we left to go to North Carolina this summer.  I took care of that this morning.  And, yes, the first ride since struggling to get the oil filter off the bike (Joan got it off - it's in an earlier post).  I have put plenty of miles on the Burgman scooter, but the CTX has had to patiently wait its turn.

It is just as good as I remembered!  Certainly not a "performance" bike, but it felt like a rocketship after all that time on the scoot.  This bike has great torque - in Sport Mode, you twist the throttle and it gets right with the program.  Assuming you have a program.  I don't.  Have a program, that is.  Damn, digressing again.

I am a big fan of the DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission) on this bike - but there are differences between this bike, other motorcycles, and scooters.  One of the first things you notice is what's missing...

 No clutch lever on that left grip.  Or, in the case of a scooter: no rear brake lever on the left grip.  It isn't like your left hand has nothing to do - you can manually up or downshift with the paddle shifters on that left grip.  It is (in my opinion) a brilliant bit of motorcycle technology.  I wrote "in my opinion." because some riders can't imagine the riding experience is good without pulling in a clutch lever and using your left toes to up or downshift on a shift lever.  It IS good... you can let the intelligent transmission decide when to shift, based on what you are doing with the throttle, OR you can put the bike in Manual Mode and absolutely control each shift with the paddle shifters.  It shifts faster than most humans can shift and can do it without backing off on the throttle.  Like a Formula 1 racecar.

I took a break at the parking up on the mountain; here's a look back at a small part of the road along the way...

And, a look at the bike...

Not typical motorcycle styling, but I like it.  The front fairing and windshield give decent wind protection.  It was cool this morning (yes, that is a big change), and I could feel that through my mesh armored gear.

I have this bike set up perfectly comfortable for me.  I added the floorboards, which brought that "feet forward" riding position (Honda couldn't decide if this bike should be a cruiser or a sport touring bike) back a bit.  The Corbin seat is formed to my form... like a cowboy and his saddle.  I'm just guessing at that as I am not a horse-riding kinda guy.  The riding position feels very similar to the last Harley Ultra dresser I had, with significantly less weight.

It was a great ride.

Back home, there was a plan for the afternoon: lunch out, get the car washed, go to storage and get another load of stuff out of the cargo trailer (keep - give to Goodwill - toss), things that we carried around for years with the Aspect.

Yes, I did take an admiring look at the van while we were there...

I can't wait to get it out again and take it somewhere.  Nothing planned at this point.  I'll see what I can do about that.

For the first time, we bought a "package" at the car wash.  My new friend Albert was pushing it when you pulled up to pay.  I enjoyed his patter; I asked, "I assume you are getting a commission on this?" and he assured me he was.  If you only go to the car wash a couple times a month, it isn't worth getting; but by the time you pay for 3 washes, you have paid for the package.  This place is reasonably close to our house and they have other outlets around the Valley.

Joan asked, "Is there an expiration time on this?"

Albert told us, "It will renew every month unless you go to the website on this card (handing her a card) and cancel it.  But, you can use it up to 60 times."

"So, up to 60 times... in a month?" I asked, laughing.

"Yeah, if it rains right after you go through the wash, come back and get it washed again right away."

"60 times a month?  I have a life - I won't be spending my days at the car wash."

So, we'll see how often we use it, and re-evaluate.  We like this place, though - they have slightly damp, clean towels that you can use to wipe down inside or outside on your car.  And strong vacuums on either side of your vehicle, for keeping the floors and cargo area nice and clean.  Pull into a parking space at the vacuums, each of you get out and grab a hose and have at it.

Damn, I sound like I'm promoting it.  ;-)  The Equinox sure looks good, though.