Well, the weather gods smiled on the folks in the Midwest this past weekend, and while I was not able to put on a ton of miles, I was able to get in a bit over 200 miles worth of 'smiles'
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Friday, I gave my buddy Brutus (from the Chicago burbs) a call, and asked if he'd be interested in carving up the sweet roads in Wisconsin's Kettle Moraine Southern Unit. As usual, Steve was up for it, and we made our plans. We hooked up at Starbucks, in Lake Geneva WI. Lake Geneva is a small town in south central WI that, in the summer, is one of the most popular tourist traps in the state. Saturday, the Starbucks had a line, almost out the door. The temps were almost 60, by 10:00 in the morning. We soon departed Lake Geneva, and head out to our usual route, through the beautiful twisties.
Now some of you know Brutus. He's been a long time VRCC member, and had his share of miles in the saddle of the Valk. What you may not know, is that he is one of the few members that can say they have had a violent encounter with 'Bambi', and lived to tell about it… Not just once, but twice. A few months ago, as fate would have it, he wadded up his third Valkyrie in a construction zone accident :'( . He survived, but the Valk didn't. So, one other reason I was looking forward to seeing Steve, was to check out his new (to him) '08 Kawasaki Concurs 14…
What a sweet ride! A few times during the ride, he offered up the keys, and told me to give her a try. I declined, as I'm not much in to the 'pseudo crotch rocket' style that seemed to define the Concours. After lunch, and at our second smoke break, I finally relented and gave it a spin… All I can say is WOW MOM!!!! Power? You betcha (140 hp at the rear wheel)… Smooth? Again, a big thumbs up… It is bigger than it looks, and handles like it's on rails. Steve weighs in at about 100lbs less than yours truly (150 vs. 260+), and stands about the same height (6'2"). I don't care for the forward leaning seating position, and the feet back peg location, but the bike fits Steve to a 'T'. It's a very nice bike, and to compare it to the Valk would be like trying to compare a sports car to a luxury car… Both nice in their own ways, but very different. I'll stick with my Valk, thank you
Time for lunch
Rest stop and where I tried his bike
After buzzing the roads for a bit more, I had chores waiting for me at home, and we parted ways… Always good to out run a few 'Clown Voices' with my buddy Steve…
Sunday morning, Jim C and I hooked up and headed over to Daryl's place. Daryl is the guy that runs XF6 Customs and VTXtreem (makes triple trees for Valks and VTX's along with lots of other very cool 'Bling' for motorcycles). Jim is mounting a Memphis Shades fairing on his bike, and Daryl makes headlight relocation brackets and gauge relocation kits that make the job a bit easier.
Daryl, showing Jim some parts in progress...
VTX Triple Trees, in various stages of work...
Jim and Daryl did their business, and I just enjoyed another unexpected sunny and warm November day. Soon, Jim and I headed back towards our neck of the woods, knowing this could quite possibly be our last fair weather ride of the season.
Thanks for taking the time to share my 200 miles of smiles with me
Black Dog
