Black Friday Ride

[BassCliff]

Hi,

A couple of friends and I had today off so we got together on one of our favorite stretches of asphalt, Glendora Mountain Road.

We met at Ian's house. Scott was on the Duc. It looks like a spaceship next to my bike. Ian was on his KLR.

We rode up and down Glendora Mountain Road, then up to Crystal Lake.

As you can see, there was a little snow on the ground up at Crystal Lake. We're up over 5000 feet.

We had a warm beverage and a snack at the little trading post.

Then we mounted up and rode back down the hill, back up Glendora Mountain Road, and over Glendora Ridge Road.

The mountain roads were a little challenging today. With the recent rains there were rock slides to watch out for. We were also moving from shadow to bright sun and from wet to dry. It all made for a fun and interesting ride, about 130 miles of twisty mountain canyon enjoyment.

Yes, I have video, about 40 minutes worth that I'm going to edit. I'll let you know when it's ready if you want to take a look.

******EDIT*******

Here's the first video, the ride down the mountain leaving Crystal Lake: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfetjDSLA7Q

Here's the second video, Black Friday Ride 2011 Part 1 - Glendora Mountain Road: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEjFr5DUMpo
And the last video, Black Friday Ride 2011 Part 2 - Glendora Ridge Road: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbkBqy-fGVo

******END EDIT****

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[oldrookie]

Good stuff, BassCliff.

Took a ride with friend today as well. Nowhere near the views you had, but still it was a good day. I need to remember to take a camera.

 

[TheCafeKid]

OldRookie,

with as close as you are to some of the other IN crew (Griffin lives in Danville, lots live in the Indy area) I dont believe ive seen or met you at a BC Rally yet??

If ya ever want to hook up for a ride, Brett and I and quite a few others hook up a few times a year for various little trips beside the big rallies...

Anyway,

Cliff, those roads look like a barrel of fun. Definitely my kind of riding. I actually got to get out for a bit today myself. Just to work and back, but it was 61 here today, will be again tomorrow and im OFF!! Plan on taking a ride. Probably the very last of the season. Temps are supposed to plummet into the 30s next week, and likely they'll stay around there the rest of the winter...

 

[gearhead13]

Looks like it was a nice ride and a nice day for it.
Your windscreen caught my eye, what make/model is it?

 

[Jedz123]

Awesome stuff!

Went for solo ride today but snow melt made for a wet gritty ride... Spent a half hour afterward cleaning off all the winter gross off my bike... I plan on ridding the bike for the rest of the weekend. If the weather keeps it up I'll be able to ride into December comfortably this year!

 

[Eli69]

three very different bikes. i wonder, did that make the ride more interesting in any way?

 

[81GS750]

The 850 is looking good! Looks like y'all had a great ride! Thanks for the pics.

Gotta say though, when I first read the thread title, I thought it said Black Friday Rule lol.......

 

[oldrookie]

OldRookie,

with as close as you are to some of the other IN crew (Griffin lives in Danville, lots live in the Indy area) I dont believe ive seen or met you at a BC Rally yet??

If ya ever want to hook up for a ride, Brett and I and quite a few others hook up a few times a year for various little trips beside the big rallies...

Not to get too far off point... I expect to meet a lot of you in the coming days. Just got the bike in June and spent most of the summer, with Brett's and Brian's help, getting it running correctly and safely.

Met a few at Brian's house before the Indy GP, but have a lousy memory for names--so not real sure who goes with what screen name.

Back on topic...hope to get one more ride in this afternoon. Nice day in Indy.

 

[barnbiketom]

Thanks SO MUCH for posting this. I love the pics.

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

three very different bikes. i wonder, did that make the ride more interesting in any way?

Ian was out in front on this ride and I was in the back to take pictures and such. Scott on his Duc is a fairly conservative rider. I didn't scrape anything and I had to use my brakes more than I normally would.

Once in a while Ian would ride on the dirt shoulder to show off his off-road chops a little. Neither Scott nor I followed suit.

While it was not exactly a leisurely pace, we had our fun and rode safely for the conditions. It was an afternoon of good, clean two-wheeled enjoyment.

I'll work on the video today.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Your windscreen caught my eye, what make/model is it?

It's a Slipstreamer Spitfire, model S-06, the "deflector" size, universal fit. A company called National Cycle makes a similar windshield that's really nice but it's a bit more money. The little Slipstreamer is just enough protection without any "barn door" complications.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[Eli69]

Once in a while Ian would ride on the dirt shoulder to show off his off-road chops a little. Neither Scott nor I followed suit.

i have a friend who's a dirt bike freak and rides a drz400 on the road. in certain traffic situations he's just as likely to pass on the grassy shoulder of the road as in the passing lane. makes me laugh to see some of the stuff he can do. it's actually easier to ride with the enduros than the damn rockets. at least i can keep up.

oh yeah, i love those termignoni pipes on the ducati.

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

oh yeah, i love those termignoni pipes on the ducati.

Yes! That Duc wasn't loud but it had a great growl to it. Scott bought that bike as a basket case and rebuilt it from various and sundry parts. It's registered as a 749 but it actually has a 996 in that frame. I didn't ask him if I could ride it. I was afraid he's say "yes"!

By the way, the first video is up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfetjDSLA7Q

It's our ride down the mountain as we left Crystal Lake.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[mothra]

That's my kind of black Friday

Looks fun. I love the red Ducati...looks mean.

That wind screen looks like a nice idea and fits your bike pretty well. Is it easy to install/remove?

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

That wind screen looks like a nice idea and fits your bike pretty well. Is it easy to install/remove?

There are two clamps that fit on the handlebars. After that it take 10 seconds to install/remove. It's a simple setup that works well.

The next video is up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEjFr5DUMpo

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

The last video from yesterday is up, Black Friday Ride 2011 - Part 2: Glendora Ridge Road: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbkBqy-fGVo


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[Redman]

Hi,

The last video from yesterday is up, Black Friday Ride 2011 - Part 2: Glendora Ridge Road: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbkBqy-fGVo


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

Thanks. Enjoyed that.

GRR. Wow!
And that was, what, only 2 cars along the way.

.

 

[7981GS]

FANTASTIC ROAD!!!
Differing radius turns, rock slides, road work patches, potholes and virtually NO traffic at all, what better place to ride is there???
Meaning no disrespect to Mr. Ian on the DOT shod knobbies and high CG KLR...
After watching all three video's and having ridden with Mr. Cliff,
I must say that the pace would have been a bit more spirited had Mr. Cliff been the lead bike.

Daniel

 

[BassCliff]

Hi Dave,

GRR. Wow!
And that was, what, only 2 cars along the way.

Yes, there was a lot of traffic up there yesterday.

But seriously, there are normally very few cars up there. The road is a lot of fun until someone goes off a cliff.

After watching all three video's and having ridden with Mr. Cliff, I must say that the pace would have been a bit more spirited had Mr. Cliff been the lead bike.

Hey Daniel, I didn't even scrape anything on that ride.

Because of the conditions we kept a "fun" pace. Plus, the camera always subtracts 10 mph. It was a good ride............

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[IanF]

Speed vs. Safety

Speed vs. Safety

If Cliff rode his normal pace he would have been alone in less than a minute! I don't know how he does it. It's not the bike, it's the rider. I think it's the size 13 curb feelers he runs just over his footpegs. I've heard it said many times by riders faster than I that a good DS or SM bike with the right tires and the right rider will spank a sportbike in the tight twisties, so to the gentleman who tried to attribute my slow pace to the high CofG and tires on my KLR, thanks, but I ain't buying it. I'm old and slow and my technique is a mix of Keith Code for street riding and the School of Pain Avoidance. In a nutshell: Don't ride faster than you can see to stop in. Even if you know the road there may be an obstacle, patch of gravel etc. so diving into a blind right hander you know you can take at 40mph is not allowed. That patch of gravel will put you right into oncoming traffic or over the cliff on the road we were on. Slow in, fast out. Enter safe and exit as quickly as you can get the power down. If you want to carry high corner speeds a track day is really the only safe way to do it. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. Haven't wadded up any of my bikes lately or put myself in the hospital. There was a story circulating a few years back about a man who tried to ride a KLR to the tip of South America, but an encounter with a Mexican burro ended the adventure and made a paraplegic out of him. I for one want to remain ambulatory for as long as possible and that tale serves to remind me when riding to keep safety first and foremost in my mind and keep my quest for adrenaline in check.

Ok, Soapbox=off. You may now enjoy the rest of your day