Just returned from an 1800 mile Tucson to Taos Road trip.
1. The bike ran awesome! Never missed a beat. Oodles of power. Smooth as a 70's Caddy.
2. Handled the twisties fantastic. Never touched the centerstand; did touch my left heel multiple times, just like on the F6B I rented a ew months ago.
3. 40 mpg avg, with a low of 35 (blasting for hours across the desert at triple digits), and high of 42 when tooling down freeways through civilization.
4. The 125 mph speed limiter is real.
5. The batwing worked great. Almost as good as the cut down Interstate Fairing on my Legacy Valks. Might need it maybe 2" taller when winter sets in next December.
6. The aftermarket LED bulbs in the Harley Touring headlight shell worked great.
7. The Clearwater Erica LEDs literally turn night into day. Shutting them down about a mile from oncoming traffic never got me flashed.
Some pics and comments:
Just outside Alpine is a lovely Motel/Restaurant/Bar. Used to be called the TaWiWi Lodge. Now its the Steak and Stone. From $70 to $140/night. Dog friendly. We try to go there once a year for a long weekend getaway.
Lots of deferred maintenance in NM:
Some really cool bridges. This was at the end of about a 5 mile long winding mountain dirt road. No problems with the bike; although I was pretty careful about choosing a line without protruding rocks in the area of the oil filter:
And some REALLY cool bridges. This one crosses the Rio Grande just west of Taos on the 64.
IMO, the best Moto road in the world. The 191 (used to be the 666, the Devils Hiway) from The Mines of Morinci to Alpine. This 100 odd miles has over 700 curves (we have counted them, but always seem to lose track), ranging from fast 3 digit sweepers to 10 mph 180's. This pic is at what I call the Top of the World, at about milepost 195. You are on a wide mountain spine, with vistas prolly 50 miles to the left and right.
Just outside of Taos is the Earthshop Biotecture Site. I have read about this place for years; then BOOM! There it was. They have some great ideas about sustainable housing. Most of the houses do not have any power. Solar and wind only. The most recent models are quite livable. Basically, a long south facing exposure, with a specially engineered overhang which lets in winter sun, but keeps oput summer sun. Then cover the rest of the house in dirt - the best insyulator in the world.
Earlier versions are... ahem... a bit too earthy for mainstream folks. Old tires used for walls, beer and coke bottles and cans stuck in the walls to simply act as a filler; I guess rubbish is cheaper than concrete.
This one is under construction:
While the concept of zero energy housing is of great merit, this building with rubbish and being proud of it mentality may limit its appeal. But I think in time it will become more accepted; as soon as it goes more mainstream.
More "artistry" exhibited here than engineering. His walls were all cracking:
One more and I gotta get to bed. This is at "Tres Piedres", the 265/64 intersection. A couple of our group (6 guys) thought there was gas here. OOPS. The Super Tenere and the Africa Twin had to keep speeds down to make it to the next gas, about 40 miles further away. The Valk had no concerns.
Have some more pics I'll post later this weekend. But the Batwing (with a 10" re-curve windscreen), and the Legacy Valk Saddlebags, and the 2-case luggage rack all worked superb together to create a light (kind-of...
), fast, good handling, and smooth voyager. Could not be happier with the results. Now I just have to throw on some paint...
Saw several Wings, a boatload of HD's, and a few BMWs and KTM's. But not one Valk. But I did see an F6B parked at Datil, on the 60 just west of the VLA - the radio telescopes site used as a backdrop for the Jodie Foster Movie. Thats also an awesoe place to visit if anyone happens to be passing by...
