I'm back home now, all safe and sound. As some here may remember, I did a Fly and Ride purchase last week on a practically new 2014 DLX w/ 1200 miles on it. The owner, Jay, picked me up at the airport, brought me to his house so I can do a visual inspection, and then we finalized transaction at a local bank where I paid him in cash. Jay is a standup guy. He made sure that, not only was his bike ready to ride anywhere, but he also gave me a windshield for free! I wasn't expecting this generous gift, but nevertheless, that accessory made all the difference in the world as I traveled on the interstate through temps as low as the chilling 20's deg F at nighttime. The windshield blocked all the cold off my entire upper body, including the arms and hands, and part of my thighs. I don't know what brand his windshield is, but Jay mentioned that he bought it initially for his 2013, but wasn't sure whether it would fit on his new 2014. We installed it in his garage, ...super easy.... and sure enough, it fits the 2014 DLX as if it was made for it.
From the pic above, you can see that I started out from Jay's house with a practically empty duffel bag. All I had in there are extra gloves, rain gear, undies & socks, assorted hand tools, tire pump, and plug. For the entire trip, I wear multiple layers, starting with a base layer using Nike's hyperwarm tights, then a layer of fleece from Aerostich, then I cover it w/ a 2nd layer of goose down jacket and pants from Patagonia. The Patagonia layer is also my daily walking around clothing for this time of the season. I wear trials boots by Gaerne. They're so incredibly comfortable and light that it is my ONLY shoe I use for the entire trip, from the airport all the way home. It has a rubber ribbed sole, so it's whisper quiet and won't scratch indoor wooden floors, yet still aggressive enough to walk up dirt hills and oily pavement. All leather sole and uppers, w/ 3 metal buckles.
Here's a pic from Gaerne...
When I'm ready to ride the bike, I'll zip into my one piece suit by Aerostich. What I like about this one piece suit is that it pulls my shoulders slightly back when seated, just enough to give me good posture, and thus provides additional support for my back. I can sit on the seat for a full 10 hrs w/o any back pain, but w/ my 2 piece suit, I'm only good for 5, 6 hrs tops.
On this trip, I took my Arai XD4 dual sport helmet over my Arai street full face b/c it has a sun block visor, which cuts out alot of the UV rays radiating onto my face on sunny days, and does a fantastic job of blocking out the sunlight when the sun sets west or rises east.
My default GPS is the Google map app that came on my Samsung phone. I use it quite alot. I also have a couple backup GPS that I use offline should I lose my cell phone reception. ONe's Maps.me (for street), the other's OSMAND app for off road tracks. Both apps, No data plan req'd.
The pic below was taken at a rest stop. I think the temp was down in the low 20s. I kept riding for another 2 hrs before I called it a night. From the night time riding done on this trip, I see how nice the headlight performs on the low beam. Has a very even rectangular light pattern distributed in front. No hot spots in the center, no dark fringes along the 4 corners. Very pleasant and comfortable to my eyes on the interstate. The high beams, however, are adequate, OK for the most part. THere were some exit signs at night that I wish the high beams could have reached farther forward so I could see sooner than later. I'll fix this problem w/ a pair of Denali LED pods.
This pic taken at one of the motels off the hwy. Nothing fancy, just a bed and a hot shower's all I need. But will you look at that candy red paint job, all that shiny chrome!
The all silver mag wheels just does it for me. I'm happy this model doesn't come w/ wire wheels. I've had a decade worth of bikes w/ wire wheels. The amount of labor involved in cleaning them is unbearable. I hate being a slave to them. OK, rant off.:celebrate:
... to be con't....
From the pic above, you can see that I started out from Jay's house with a practically empty duffel bag. All I had in there are extra gloves, rain gear, undies & socks, assorted hand tools, tire pump, and plug. For the entire trip, I wear multiple layers, starting with a base layer using Nike's hyperwarm tights, then a layer of fleece from Aerostich, then I cover it w/ a 2nd layer of goose down jacket and pants from Patagonia. The Patagonia layer is also my daily walking around clothing for this time of the season. I wear trials boots by Gaerne. They're so incredibly comfortable and light that it is my ONLY shoe I use for the entire trip, from the airport all the way home. It has a rubber ribbed sole, so it's whisper quiet and won't scratch indoor wooden floors, yet still aggressive enough to walk up dirt hills and oily pavement. All leather sole and uppers, w/ 3 metal buckles.
Here's a pic from Gaerne...
When I'm ready to ride the bike, I'll zip into my one piece suit by Aerostich. What I like about this one piece suit is that it pulls my shoulders slightly back when seated, just enough to give me good posture, and thus provides additional support for my back. I can sit on the seat for a full 10 hrs w/o any back pain, but w/ my 2 piece suit, I'm only good for 5, 6 hrs tops.
On this trip, I took my Arai XD4 dual sport helmet over my Arai street full face b/c it has a sun block visor, which cuts out alot of the UV rays radiating onto my face on sunny days, and does a fantastic job of blocking out the sunlight when the sun sets west or rises east.
My default GPS is the Google map app that came on my Samsung phone. I use it quite alot. I also have a couple backup GPS that I use offline should I lose my cell phone reception. ONe's Maps.me (for street), the other's OSMAND app for off road tracks. Both apps, No data plan req'd.
The pic below was taken at a rest stop. I think the temp was down in the low 20s. I kept riding for another 2 hrs before I called it a night. From the night time riding done on this trip, I see how nice the headlight performs on the low beam. Has a very even rectangular light pattern distributed in front. No hot spots in the center, no dark fringes along the 4 corners. Very pleasant and comfortable to my eyes on the interstate. The high beams, however, are adequate, OK for the most part. THere were some exit signs at night that I wish the high beams could have reached farther forward so I could see sooner than later. I'll fix this problem w/ a pair of Denali LED pods.
This pic taken at one of the motels off the hwy. Nothing fancy, just a bed and a hot shower's all I need. But will you look at that candy red paint job, all that shiny chrome!
The all silver mag wheels just does it for me. I'm happy this model doesn't come w/ wire wheels. I've had a decade worth of bikes w/ wire wheels. The amount of labor involved in cleaning them is unbearable. I hate being a slave to them. OK, rant off.:celebrate:
... to be con't....
