ope...a life andare.1
Went for a 200 mile ride today - up 101, over the Coastal Range, up through the Coastal Range, back over the Coastal Range, then down the coast to home. Lots of fun riding and pretty scenery.
Up over Oregon Route 6 is one of my favorite rides over the Coastal Range. Well, I lie a little here, they're all my favorite, but they're all favorites for different reasons. Hwy 6 is my favorite because I can hustle through the twists and uneven roads better than most anything on four wheels, so when I ride it on a weekend during the summer with all the tourists heading to and from the coast there's lots of passing to be had.
Vroom.
Today I caught up to a loaded down (lots of luggage on the pillion seat and sissy bar)Harley Softail (not sure which). Woo! They were hustling that cruiser through the curves and around cars like nobody's business.
I used to have a Victory Boardwalk, so I have an appreciation for how they were handling their bike.
I was enjoying their riding so much I tucked in behind them and watched the show. They'd stand (must've had mid-controls, not forwards) over the worst of the uneven broken pavement and around curves without slowing; all the more impressive knowing they must've had only three(ish) inches of suspension travel (to my eight). And their lean angle? On a Harley like that? Almost nonexistent, and it slowed them down very little.
Eventually I had to get off 6 to continue my little trip. I caught up with them, threw a shaka, and went on my way.
And Mabel? Continues to impress. Oodles of ground clearance. Gobs of lean angle. Cruises around politely and hustles with a flick of the throttle.