Roads of note: 289S from Quebec City to Fort Kent, Maine and 11S from Fort Kent to Bangor, Maine. Lovely active motorcycle roads. Scenic and practically car free. Lots of logging trucks, but that's quite interesting. Long, long sweeping turns, pretty trees, big rolling hills.
A contemplative ride. Soothing. Engaging enough to be engaging, interesting enough to be interesting.
And the constant threat of hitting a moose keeps you on your toes.
-- ECG
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Bell Vortex Helmet -- 2010 Model
Brand new helmet out with me this year -- the new Bell Vortex. History? Bell made the best helmets in the business back in 1970. Then the company became a big conglomerate and got out of the motorcycle helmet business entirely. Sunk all the attention into helicopters, I suppose. And bicycle helmets to sell at Wal-Mart.
Now they're making motorcycle helmets again. I love mine.
Extremely comfortable. High quality. Great venting -- including a vent that dumps air down onto your sweaty brow. Handles fast air brilliantly -- no buffeting, no turbulence. And very quiet.
Definitely a major road comfort, and a safe one at that.
-- ECG
Now they're making motorcycle helmets again. I love mine.
Extremely comfortable. High quality. Great venting -- including a vent that dumps air down onto your sweaty brow. Handles fast air brilliantly -- no buffeting, no turbulence. And very quiet.
Definitely a major road comfort, and a safe one at that.
-- ECG
Day 5 Stats
Fort Kent, ME to Bangor, ME
| Day 5 | RP | EG |
| Time out on bikes | 6h56m | 6h52m |
| Moving time | 4h42m | 4h42m |
| Miles (GPS) | 240 | 232 |
| Miles (Odometer) | 252 | -- |
| Overall average speed | 34.5 | 33.7 |
| Moving average speed | 51.0 | 49.4 |
| Max Speed | 101 | 106 |
| Totals | ||
| Time out on bikes | 31h55m | 25h18m |
| Moving time | 23h47m | 17h46m |
| Miles (GPS) | 1232 | 936 |
| Miles (Odometer) | 1293 | -- |
| Guaranteed miles (GPS) | 1915 | 1765 |
People we like: Kyle
on the street. Super nice, great with recommendations. Hooked us up
with free fresh raw scallops and some PEI oysters. Good sense of
humor. A foody who works the New York restaurant. We like Kyle.
Day 4 Recap
After limping around montreal, looking for a coffee shop with free wifi, doing a little route planning and hotel finding and checking out of the Delta, it was off to Fort Kent, ME.
Not a lot to say about most of the ride. 300 miles of interstate is hard to talk about. It doesn't mean the ride wasn't great, it's just that the things that make it great don't translate. The road is flat, straight and kind of unremarkable. But that doesn't mean it was boring. It's hard to explain. We spent 10 minutes last night rte-hashing a single pass of a tractor trailer. And 5 talking helmet air flow. And in their own way, these things are as exciting as a twisty road, or a cool fort, or a casino.
One thing we rehashed, which I want to bring up, is how the Canadians always ride in the right lane unless they are passing. People who camp out in the passing lane and block it up are one of my biggest pet peeves. It's a uniquely American thing. Everywhere else, people understand the concept of a "passing lane". It was so nice to do 300 miles and not see some jerk clogging up the left lane once.
Quebec, north of Maine, is some pretty country. Logging towns, mostly. Beautiful woods, pretty lakes. 289 Sud is a fine road. The north end is pretty remote. The gas station up there feels like the kind of place you'd come across in the desert, with a sign that says "Last gas for 400 miles".
We fixed Connie's fairing at a little service station in Nowhere, QC. The place was manned by a cute little girl who couldn't have been more than 16, named Sabatina. She didn't speak english, ECG and I only speak restaurant French (and not much of it). But we managed to gesture our way through it and get the right parts.
The border at Fort Kent was manned by the nicest border agent I've ever come across. We talked for about 5 minutes about road recommendations, places to go, things to do. I don't remember his name, but he was a great guy.
The Swamp Buck wasn't much to speak of. Average steaks, decent vegetables. Still waiting for the salad to show up. Bee-Jays was fine enough, until the sad old broken guy busted into our conversation to talk about being sad and old and broken.
Once we figure out how much we have to pay for using the hotel towels to wipe down the motorbikes, we're off to Bangor.
Not a lot to say about most of the ride. 300 miles of interstate is hard to talk about. It doesn't mean the ride wasn't great, it's just that the things that make it great don't translate. The road is flat, straight and kind of unremarkable. But that doesn't mean it was boring. It's hard to explain. We spent 10 minutes last night rte-hashing a single pass of a tractor trailer. And 5 talking helmet air flow. And in their own way, these things are as exciting as a twisty road, or a cool fort, or a casino.
One thing we rehashed, which I want to bring up, is how the Canadians always ride in the right lane unless they are passing. People who camp out in the passing lane and block it up are one of my biggest pet peeves. It's a uniquely American thing. Everywhere else, people understand the concept of a "passing lane". It was so nice to do 300 miles and not see some jerk clogging up the left lane once.
Quebec, north of Maine, is some pretty country. Logging towns, mostly. Beautiful woods, pretty lakes. 289 Sud is a fine road. The north end is pretty remote. The gas station up there feels like the kind of place you'd come across in the desert, with a sign that says "Last gas for 400 miles".
We fixed Connie's fairing at a little service station in Nowhere, QC. The place was manned by a cute little girl who couldn't have been more than 16, named Sabatina. She didn't speak english, ECG and I only speak restaurant French (and not much of it). But we managed to gesture our way through it and get the right parts.
The border at Fort Kent was manned by the nicest border agent I've ever come across. We talked for about 5 minutes about road recommendations, places to go, things to do. I don't remember his name, but he was a great guy.
The Swamp Buck wasn't much to speak of. Average steaks, decent vegetables. Still waiting for the salad to show up. Bee-Jays was fine enough, until the sad old broken guy busted into our conversation to talk about being sad and old and broken.
Once we figure out how much we have to pay for using the hotel towels to wipe down the motorbikes, we're off to Bangor.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Mileage
Karl does best, mileage wise, on the highway. Today was a total mileage day. 330 miles, almost all on Canadia interstate. Karl pulled close to 50 MPG. 48.2 MPG, to be exact. Connie came in lower, at about 41. We're still analyzing why. It should have been more like 45.
At any rate, When Canadia gas is super expensive (almost $5.00 per gallon) it's really nice to see Karl pulling through with the big mileage numbers.
At any rate, When Canadia gas is super expensive (almost $5.00 per gallon) it's really nice to see Karl pulling through with the big mileage numbers.
Day 4 Stats
Hopewell Junction, NY to Montréal, QC, CA
| Day 3 | RP | EG |
| Time out on bikes | 7h41m | 7h37m |
| Moving time | 5h51m | 5h31m |
| Miles (GPS) | 332 | 330 |
| Miles (Odometer) | 351 | -- |
| Overall average speed | 43.1 | 43.3 |
| Moving average speed | 56.6 | 59.8 |
| Max Speed | 104 | 96.6 |
| Totals | ||
| Time on bikes | 24h59m | 18h26m |
| Moving time | 19h05m | 13h04m |
| Miles (GPS) | 992 | 704 |
| Miles (Odometer) | 1041 | -- |
| Guaranteed miles (GPS) | 1888 | 1343 |
Day 3 Stats
Hopewell Junction, NY to Montréal, QC, CA
| Day 3 | RP | EG |
| Time out on bikes | 9h19m | 9h19m |
| Moving time | 6h43m | 6h43m |
| Miles (GPS) | 344 | 344 |
| Miles (Odometer) | 361 | -- |
| Overall average speed | -- | -- |
| Moving average speed | -- | -- |
| Max Speed | 101 | 84 |
| Totals | ||
| Time on bikes | 17h18m | 10h49m |
| Moving time | 13h14m | 7h33m |
| Miles (GPS) | 660 | 374 |
| Miles (Odometer) | 693 | -- |
| Guaranteed miles (GPS) | 1188 | 718 |
Day 3 Recap - Niagara Falls
A (relatively) low drama, fun day of riding. Lots to cover, and little time to do it, so this is going to be a little rapid-fire today.
LP was off early to catch the train (I missed saying goodbye by inches!) and we got right to it. Early start.
80% chance of rain was no problem at all. Never saw a drop, much less any clouds that looked like they even knew ho to rain. Weather was fantastic. A little chilly in the morning, a little warm at the end. But not too extreme on either of those ends.
Out of 344 miles, about 300 of it was on the same road, NY-22. That rarely happens if it's not interstate, but 22 is an awesome road. scenic, some twisties, cute little town. A pleasure to ride from end to end.
Best business name spotted all day by both of us. "Associated Lightning Rods". Nice little squat building not far from Amenia, NY.
The foot hurts. No way to sugar coat it. Shifting hurts, just having it in boots hurts. It's tolerable, and not threatening the tour or anything. But it's definitely a thing. And it looks gruesome.
Last time we came to Montreal, we did it from Brooklyn. That ride took almost 14 hours (thanks to major traffic). We got that down to 9:22 this time. Pretty good with all the stops and slow speeds through the little towns.
We did this route before in 2008. And it was very familiar. You see a gas station and remember stopping there for gas. And which pump you used. And what the bathroom was like. Lots of memories and deja-vu along the way along the way.
Fort Ticonderoga was neat, until we learned that we didn't actually win it. We got beaten down there. And only got it after the British abandoned it later. If you go, avoid the "Michigan Dog" in the restaurant. It seems like it's going to be a chili dog, but the "meat sauce" is super sweet.
The BMW RA rally was in Bennington VT, and ended in the morning. The first half of the trip we saw hundreds of BMW bikes heading south on 22. Everybody was going home. I'm used to seeing a BMW for every 15 other bikes I see. Today it was 15 BMWs for every one of something else. Pretty great to see.
Mechanical issues: My tail light and brake light weren't working all morning. Some bulb jiggling in Peru cleared that up. ECG lost the main bolt that holds his fairing on, and it fell down in Plattsburgh. It's being held on with zip ties until we get a bolt in Bangor, ME.
The border crossing was a breeze. Last time through, it took over an hour of sitting in line. This time we had trouble even getting our helmets off and papers out in time.
Dinner at Garde Manger started out fantastic, the food took a slide toward the end. But the people were great. Look for a "people we like" about Kyle soon.
No winners at the casino. Casino de Montreal is a major affair. Huge casino. But oddly, no alcohol allowed on the gaming floors. I've never seen such a thing. Coffee is the only drink allowed while gaming.
Day 4 will be a haul. Same distance, all highway. Montreal to Fort Kent, ME.
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