Friday, October 28, 2011

A No Fall Color Ride

I was feeling a little down today after yesterday's, not so enjoyable, trip to the dentist. What better way to lift my spirits and clear my head than four hours of therapy on the big Kawasaki.

This afternoon it was a cool 50 degrees, with a partly cloudy sky. While I geared up, I started the bike in the garage and let it warm up. I skipped the liners in both the Venture pants and Cortech jacket. When it gets another few degrees colder, I'll be needing those. I stopped in town for some no ethanol premium and headed east.

I noticed that the fall colors that were so brilliant the last week of September, have really faded. Only a few Birch trees still have color, and most of the Oak trees are hanging on to dry, brown leaves. Most of the other leaves are gone. The fields around here have been harvested, and almost all the corn and beans are gone. The only green things are the evergreen trees and a few grass fields.

No color!

This would be a nicer picture if I knew what I was doing and got the depth of field right...

On the way home, I stopped at a road side plaque and checked out the back side. That was almost 10 years ago, from one of the first motorcycle rides I brought Nancy on. I love you dear....

A little more color along the Mississippi River.

I got home just as the sun was hitting the horizon. The temps were falling fast!

Last Thursday, I put the Super Sherpa on craigslist. There is someone coming over Saturday morning to look at it. He's pretty sure he'll drive it home. Update Saturday...... He came here in a car with a friend. They test drove it around the block. He drove it home for $100 less than my asking price! I'm happy.... He's happy. He called me a few hours after he rode it away. He drove it home, an hour and a half away, in 40 degree temps. He said it was cold but worth it!!! I say, enjoy!!!!

Now, do I try and sell the FJR????? It's a great bike, but since I got the Zx-14, I just don't ride it as often as I should.

3 comments:

  1. Erik,

    I'm sad to see that your leaves are all but gone already. Fall is the prettiest time of year, but then it leads to... well, you grew up in Minnesota, you know exactly what I mean, I'll bet. I had a sense of dread when those leaves started to come down.

    I've got a connie14. It isn't as powerful as that ZX of yours, but you seem to like it quite a bit, how's it treat you?

    By the way, I'll add you to my destinations list on my blog.

    Brady
    Behind Bars - Motorcycles and Life

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  2. The fall can be a great time to ride. I ride a FJR and it is great. I bet that is a difficult decision for you to sell or not. I would think there would be plenty of interested buyers.

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  3. Brady, Yes, sadly I know what will be here soon. The first time they salt/sand the roads around here, it's over. If I'm lucky, they'll hold off on sand and just let things melt. I rode until 12-24 one year.

    Motoroz, I still haven't made up my mind about selling. And yes, the FJR is a great bike! It's easy on tires, no chain to lube, great aftermarket seat and accessories. But do I need 2 same purpose bikes? If the Zx-14 weren't so darn nice to ride long distance, it would be easy to justify keeping both.

    Thanks guys for the comments!
    Erik.

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