CB1100 Sidecar Experiment

[deltamark]

Rudi and I returned from our first trip in one piece and it was a success! : ) Covered approximately 650 miles and Rudi did incredibly well considering the conditions, which were extremely hot. He also finally chose to lie down in the tub for the first times. He pretty much would lie down whenever I exceeded 45 mph, which made me a lot more relaxed and willing to increase speed. Whenever I'd slow down, he'd then sit up.



Rudi is quite the rock star. There was someone who wanted to take his picture at just about every gas station and road rest we took.


Even with the sidecar and bike loaded, the CB performed very well. Didn't notice any unusual handling. It was a real workout once I got down to the twisty roads of southern Indiana, though. Pretty exhausting after a long hot day of riding.

And yes, it was hot! Temps in the 90's. I did carry a small spray bottle and would occasionally give Rudi a misting. I realized though at the dog daycare he goes to, they will use spray bottles to disrupt dogs who are aggressive or misbehaving. I think Rudi thought he was in trouble whenever I misted him ... poor boy!

The ride home was so hot and sunny that I soaked a white t-shirt in water and laid it on Rudi's back under his harness.

He didn't say whether or not it helped, but he didn't show any signs of heat distress on the way home ; ) I also carried a small cooler filled with ice so we could both have cold water at every stop.

Planning another road trip for next week. Was going to go south to an outdoor music festival, but the preliminary forecast looks so hot that I think Rudi and I will head to a northern beach campground instead!