We both had a great ride, even though the weather conditions were not quite ideal. I ran the whole Grade at the posted speed limit of 45 MPH, even through the corners I used to take at 25-30 on the Heritage. Alissa pushed a little harder than she used to on her V-Star, and even commented "Wow, it is actually windy" when we parked the bikes in town. The handling is great, and I think the fairings and weight do a great job of negating the effect of the wind. The new bikes are AMAZING!
Running back down the Grade was a similar experience, with minimal traffic, and a couple of wild Mustangs (wild horses) thrown in. While the ride is beautiful, there are some thing to be wary of. The Mustangs, falling rocks, and car wrecks are among the potential hazards we have seen over the years. As always when traveling, caution and prudence are the order of the day. Ride safe, rubber side down, and we will be back soon with more tales from the road.
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| The Twins in Virginia City, NV, with Sugarloaf mountain in the background |
Alissa Adds:
ReplyDeleteI tend to get a bit hung up going downhill; I expect I will go ass-over-teakettle. Geiger Grade has a number of tight turns with signs posted to remind you to take those turns at 25-35 MPH with additional signs stating those tight turns will extend for the remainder of your ride to Virginia City. There's a flat spot at the top and then the road goes downhill with some big, sweeping turns... Three of these turns have given me pause consistently: all three sweep to the left (making me feel like I am leaning my bike into oncoming traffic) and all three look innocuous but have a slight diminishing radius (which means they get a bit tighter at the end). The first turn I used my brakes into the turn, something I have always done but which felt like I was doing too much; the second turn I shifted into a lower gear to slow me down, something I also do regularly, but it still felt like too much; the third turn I just leaned into and was completely comfortable. It's as though I have to remind myself the bike can make these corners, all I have to do is think it through and Lady Illyria follows my thoughts. It's hard to explain, but I am hoping as I continue riding and thinking about it, I will come up with the language to describe the ride. I am sure Floyd, the VStar, could have made these same maneuvers but it FEELS very different on the UltraGlide.