Sunday, June 12, 2011

Testing my new farkle

On my previous post I mentioned installation of my new Richland Rich Fork Brace for my V-Stom. On my quick exploratory ride around town my 'Strom feels more sure footed, I can take corners with more confidence, but the true test is to check out the wind buffeting on the highway. It is a well known fact that 'stroms suffer from instabilities created by windshield angle, high sprung weight and the huge sails of the protruding saddlebags. I seldom take the superslab but it is something that I will have to do on my tour next month, thus was my reasoning behind this purchase.

I start out taking Hwy 99 south wondering where to go and before you know it I have connected with Hwy 91 over the Alex Fraser Bridge and into the Fraser Valley via Hwy 10. I zig and zag my way down Coast Meridian, I-5 south to Fairhaven and take scenic Chuckanut Drive just south of Bellingham and end up at LA Conner, WA passing through the little communities of Edison and Bayview

laconnerroute
(revised map, with backroads route)

I tried to be fancy and drag my route to produce a map but I have failed again. Everytime I drag a line it has a mind of its own and changes everything. It is not a simple operation dragging and dropping these backroads into My Map. I wanted to show you my route but can only show you the destination

P1060661

LA Conner is a tourist town on a surge channel with restaurants overlooking the water. If you are into Art or crafts or dust catchers then this is the place for you. It can be very busy on a summer's day

P1060660

This is a view of the main street, looking North. Many bikes are here today, mainly Harleys. I passed many on the backroads leading into LA Conner. I am sort of in between the retail areas but my foot is still not right so I am refraining from walking too much.

P1060646

It was a warm and sunny T-shirt weather day. I like to grab a table in the sun overlooking the water and have a meal. This is looking south with the Rainbow Bridge in the background. The Native Centre is on the other side of this channel and operate a fish processing facility where you are able to purchase fresh "food from the sea"

I fiddle with the zoom on my camera to make the scene more interesting

P1060647

Here is a waterfront view facing North. You are able to rent the condos above the restaurants if you want a relaxing getaway

P1060648

I am always on the lookout for photos for my buddy Jack r . When I noticed the Kona Girl and the "rear" end, my camera went into action. I know he will be very pleased with this result and will gratefully thank me later

P1060651

I like this place so much I took another shot of the channel. If you have your own yacht you may be able to tie it up on one of these floats. I don't know what it is, but sunshine, water and a day out on my bike . . . feels just wonderful

P1060658

Nearly forgot to post a photo of my meal. Finely sliced prime sirloin on sourdough bread, lightly toasted, with fries. I know I should have had salad but to compensate, I didn't eat them all

P1060655

It was a super day and my 'strom ticked like a Beemer. Oh, and the ForkBrace makes a world of difference.

IMG_4426
(Historic Edison, WA: Longhorn Saloon)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Addendum: I am so honoured. I had been following Danielle's Blog for "months". If you read back to last year she sold everything she owned, hopped on her motorcycle and rode across the USA, in a loop and ended up in California. At one point Danielle was crossing paths with Gary France and it was just unlucky that they never bumped into each other. I will have more to say on a future blog entry. She now has a BMW K75 and will soon be riding across Canada to Montreal

click HERE <---

8 comments:

  1. Bob

    Have you ever considered fitting a steering damper?

    N from you know where

    ReplyDelete
  2. Any location where you can sit and watch sailboats is a good destination. The bridge outlining the hill in your shot from the dock attracted my eye. Was that deliberate?

    Just about every BMW airhead I've seen has an aftermarket fork brace. For a long time I just assumed it was a stock part.

    And isn't there supposed to be gravy on the fries?

    ReplyDelete
  3. thanks for the link to danielle, she seems interesting! im glad to see you're out riding. and its fabulous that you are meeting so many fellow bloggers!...

    ReplyDelete
  4. The fork brace is a worthy investment! Nice pics!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nikos: I don't think I need one, I don't go fast enough

    RichardM: I wanted to take a photo of the bridge, but the hill got in the way. I am not sure what that white sauce was but it probably had more calories than gravy.

    Ms M: She has recorded CDs and recently went to Nashville. It's all in her blog. I think it takes a lot of guts to do what she did

    Ken: the ForkBrace makes a big difference but doesn't fix everything on the 'Strom

    ReplyDelete
  6. All I saw was "sunny t-shirt weather". What kind of weather is that I wonder?

    La Conner looks like a fun destination and good place to wander about. I love the bridge photo.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Richard summed up everything that I wanted to say. A nice lunch next to the water is a perfect day. And I was also caught by the bridge and mountain footprint.

    But somehow, I just don't think that was quite what Jack R was looking for in a rear end. Too many clothes and not quite the correct gender... :)

    Glad the foot is feeling a little better and the farkle is an improvement.

    -Steel Cupcake

    ReplyDelete
  8. Bob,
    That is the point about a true farkle i.e. You don't actually need it!

    N

    ReplyDelete