Riding partners?

Message
Author
User avatar
faded sun
Elite
Elite
Posts: 232
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 4:19 pm
Real Name: John, but my friends call me Jock
Sex: Male
Years Riding: 46
My Motorcycle: 2012 Victory Vision Tour/Honda Stateline
Location: Toronto

Re: Riding partners?

#11 Unread post by faded sun »

JackoftheGreen wrote: Thu Jan 30, 2020 5:30 pm My goodness, there's a lot there to unpack!

On the one hand, it's wonderful that the two of you can share this hobby. The ride and the destination both are always such a reward, Carrie and I often talk about how it wouldn't be fun without one another to share all those experiences with. Or, that the shared experience is part of what makes it so much fun.

At the same time, though, there's a whole different element to riding that you just don't get to experience when you ride with a pillion. Not just the type of bike you can ride, which is a huge consideration by itself, but also the degree to which you can sorta loose yourself in the machine. It would seem to be selfish to desire some solo rides, but it would also be selfish of your SO to deny you that experience. And at the same time, at the end of they day, you may enjoy the riding less without your other half there to share a drink with and talk about the sites and sounds. My apologies if I overstep by delving this far into the subject, but it seemed appropriate to the tone.

You mentioned the Africa Twin, do you picture doing some BDR-type riding on that or using it as a highway scoot? I could imagine a scenario whereby the family, whoever else that includes besides the SO, drives a family SUV to a camp spot with an adventure bike of some kind trailered behind, and then you getting some offroad riding in in the region during the day while the fam maintains base camp. Not ideal, but at least everyone is on vacation? Just a thought.

In any case, I'll go on record as saying it's a little awkward having two large touring bikes in the stable for 2Up riding. What's the determinate factor when deciding which to take?
Well somehow I just lost my answer to this but here goes. I will try to reconstruct it.

I should perhaps have mentioned that the PCH ride was bookended by a trip across HIghway 50 from Toronto to LA, solo, and then the return from Vancouver to Toronto through the Rockies and prairies and a forest of relatives also solo. in all I did over 12,000km in a month

I was originally planning to look you up on my way through Utah to Las Vegas but then my Vegas couch-surf decided to visit Toronto while I was out there so I opted for the highly recommended Million Dollar Highway from Ouray to Durango. What I probably should have done is gone down to Durango and then turned around and gone back up as I HATED the cross-winds in the Arizona desert. (perhaps the Nevada desert is just as bad but I will have to see for myself when I come out again this year or the next)

The Africa Twin comment comes from my need to travel. I have circumnavigated the globe and done many half circles both east-west and north-south. I enjoy watching "Itchy Boots" videos as I have been to most of the places she visits. But two-up riding is not ideal in many of those locations. Not to dis my wife who has been backpacking through South America for 4 months and on safaris in Africa without complaint ( Ok, there was this time in Cartagena but I was complaining too and Guayaquil is a challenge for anyone) My kids are long gone and the days of family vacations a thing of the past but my son rides so I hope to do a tour with him some time.

I know this may sound crazy to you but after riding the Victory for a while, the ST feels like a sport bike. So if we are riding in the city it is definitely the ST but if we are going to slip the surly bonds of Toronto traffic and go riding it is the Victory.
Jock

Ride Safely. Respect nature. Always wear a helmet.

User avatar
JackoftheGreen
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 1219
Joined: Sat Apr 21, 2012 8:10 pm
Real Name: Eric
Sex: Male
Years Riding: 12
My Motorcycle: Versys 1000 LE "Gleep"
Location: Northern Utah
Contact:

Re: Riding partners?

#12 Unread post by JackoftheGreen »

faded sun wrote: Fri Jan 31, 2020 5:09 pm
Well somehow I just lost my answer to this but here goes. I will try to reconstruct it.

I should perhaps have mentioned that the PCH ride was bookended by a trip across HIghway 50 from Toronto to LA, solo, and then the return from Vancouver to Toronto through the Rockies and prairies and a forest of relatives also solo. in all I did over 12,000km in a month

I was originally planning to look you up on my way through Utah to Las Vegas but then my Vegas couch-surf decided to visit Toronto while I was out there so I opted for the highly recommended Million Dollar Highway from Ouray to Durango. What I probably should have done is gone down to Durango and then turned around and gone back up as I HATED the cross-winds in the Arizona desert. (perhaps the Nevada desert is just as bad but I will have to see for myself when I come out again this year or the next)

The Africa Twin comment comes from my need to travel. I have circumnavigated the globe and done many half circles both east-west and north-south. I enjoy watching "Itchy Boots" videos as I have been to most of the places she visits. But two-up riding is not ideal in many of those locations. Not to dis my wife who has been backpacking through South America for 4 months and on safaris in Africa without complaint ( Ok, there was this time in Cartagena but I was complaining too and Guayaquil is a challenge for anyone) My kids are long gone and the days of family vacations a thing of the past but my son rides so I hope to do a tour with him some time.

I know this may sound crazy to you but after riding the Victory for a while, the ST feels like a sport bike. So if we are riding in the city it is definitely the ST but if we are going to slip the surly bonds of Toronto traffic and go riding it is the Victory.
Definitely look us up if you come through this way again! If you can schedule a couple of days we'll show you some of our local roads, which are breathtaking. If all you've got is an afternoon, we'll go out for dinner.

We've never ridden across the AZ desert, but I can attest that the NV desert from Vegas to Mesquite is brutally windy. 10 or 15 degree list to port the whole way.

That is a LOT of travelling! I'm jealous of all the travel you may have done on a bike, and thankful to have not been subjected to any travel you did on foot. I can't imagine anything worse than backpacking across unfamiliar terrain. Put a bike under me, though, and all that goes out the window.

And it doesn't sound crazy at all that the ST feels like a sport bike. The Connie and the CTX are like cruise missiles, they're hypersports with bags. Even with the low-revving V4 in the CTX, it just wants to lean and pull.

The rest aside, at the level of exploration you're hinting at you've reached the hard outer edge of my frame of reference. You're not looking to tear up a fire road on a rainy weekend here, this is overland travel in exotic locales with passports and malaria vaccines. A little digging found THIS, but you have to promise to come back here when you're done reading, LoL. Where there's a will there's a way. Just remember, pics or it didn't happen!

blues2cruise
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 10182
Joined: Fri Apr 22, 2005 4:28 pm
Sex: Female
Years Riding: 16
My Motorcycle: 2000 Yamaha V-Star 1100
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia

Re: Riding partners?

#13 Unread post by blues2cruise »

faded sun wrote: Fri Jan 31, 2020 3:45 pm
blues2cruise wrote: Thu Jan 30, 2020 5:41 pm Due to the fact, that I don't have a significant other, I ride my own bike. I do, however, enjoy being pillion occasionally depending on who is the rider. I need to be able to trust that the rider is smooth and safe. I have ridden on the back of a couple of bikes with people I would never ride with again.
I ran out of gas when I was young an foolish (not like the time when I was old and foolish) and a guy on a Ninja stopped to help me. I had a gas can at home so he drove me there to pick up the can and then to get gas and back to the bike. On the way he was lane splitting between parked cars in the curb lane and moving traffic in the center lane well over the speed limit. I can fully appreciate how uncomfortable a pillion might feel, especially one with two gallons of gas in their hand.

I am always very happy to see lady riders. I am curious if you would prefer to ride pillion, given a smooth and safe rider or if, being a rider, it would be preferable to ride your own ride.
I suppose I prefer to ride my own now, but on occasion, I still like to be pillion. For example, a friend and I had done a road trip down the PCH from Vancouver and we were in Bend, Oregon. We secured a couple of hotel rooms and then went looking for something in town. He rode, I was passenger. It was so much easier to go together on one bike while we were looking around for something. If I was to do another road trip, I could not be pillion for long. I get too uncomfortable.
Image

Post Reply