Chester highlights- post 'em here!

[Viffer Vern]

I don't think there's anything better than the anticipation leading up to a big motorcycle trip.

+1 on that.  I so enjoy drooling over the maps looking for the most twisty and potentially adverse  roads and setting lofty mileage goals.  The anticipation of being out on the open road is so exciting.

[ejh]

what a great meet.  

even on sat.: the turn back for gas/ notice to appear/ ride into oroville w/o the buddies/ ride over 19; tires on glass asphalt, death grip on bars.

big thanks to mr. sunshine for showing me the lines into baker city.  and mister smooth for the back road tour sunday and monday. ( anybody else snap an apex on a 25 mph corner so hard you scream for hardy joy?  this shit is fun.)  

pics soon.

[Mr Sunshine]

you are welcome ejh...lets just not do that particular run again at that time of night.  

[miles]

Although my favorite was Eric's "Don't taze me, bro!" after getting his ticket.

[Viffer Vern]

Too damn funny

[atypical1]

 

[Dr Gil]

Too Good!

Thanks to all for the wonderful pics and comments!

...makes me wish all over again that I could have made it.  

ST.N WUZ HERE...indeed.  

[XLR8]

what a great meet.  

even on sat.: the turn back for gas/ notice to appear/ ride into oroville w/o the buddies/ ride over 19; tires on glass asphalt, death grip on bars.

big thanks to mr. sunshine for showing me the lines into baker city.  and mister smooth for the back road tour sunday and monday. ( anybody else snap an apex on a 25 mph corner so hard you scream for hardy joy?  this shit is fun.)  

pics soon.

ejh when we were coming back into Chester you were off on the side taking a picture of a water tower thingy next to a lake. There were low clouds over the lake and maybe even fog. I'm dying to know how that one turned out?  

[BigBlock]

Thought I'd post a few pics.

Chillin' on 395

Goofing off  

Chester


Mistersmooth, Moxie, greench440

[DogBoy]

Looks like a great time. Thanks for posting all the pics for us wannabes.  

[MisterSmooth]

Ok, so here we go.  Remember, when I'm behind the camera expectations are low.

Chili, Greench440, ejh, me, and Mr Sunshine were well met in Walla Walla, but by the time we got to Lewiston we'd been riding straight roads for so long we attacked the Spiral Highway like Picts storming a castle stocked with barrels of scotch whiskey.

Obligatory Spiral Highway shot.




Funny how after just a few hours together our true personalities began to emerge.  Erik pulled out a camera with a lens the size of a grain silo...




Lewis and Clark must have been damn surprised when they were coming across the US and came across these two cities with names so similar to their own.




Chris, usually shy and reserved, started coming out of his shell.




Ladies and Gentlemen, after you've ridden the Spiral Highway, this is the man you need to raise that post-ride pint to.  No, no, God no, not me.  C.C. Van Arsdol.




Which rider here has fallen victim to the classic "poison ivy in the helmet" gag?




Here's Sunshine, XLR8, moxie, Smoothie, Greench, and ejh.  Don't wear reflective gear indoors, kids.




Breakfast shot!  Eggs, fresh scones still warm from the oven, condiments, and a cup of warm used motor oil.




That new 'stich of Ron's is still a little tight in spots.




Who's got the bigger lens...Ron or Erik?  If they didn't take such damn good photos it would be easier to make fun of their huge cameras.  I'll let Ron write the caption for this one.




I'm concerned about Chili.  He's been hitting the booze pretty hard and now he's traveling in some sort of bondage apparatus and carrying a big stick.




One obligatory "Tuono on the road" shot.  I'm enjoying the hell out of that silly bike.    It's surprisingly competent as a tourer.




The zombie bikes invade Chester.  They're staying at the Rose Quartz Inn.




We had a great rip down Highway 70.  Other people took actual photos of it, but I waited until we found the world's smallest covered bridge.

Was it wise of Kent to put his tank bag on the windowsill?




The covered bridge was a regular motorcycle conduit.  While we hung, this airhead stunta guy showed up--only the X-man got the shot, though.




And this classic Duc.




I hope that Jim's girlfriend doesn't see him looking at his bike like this.




Every time I started talking Erik did this.  No surprise to you all, of course.




Erik at the Sundial Bridge in Redding.  The stunned look?  Well, you should have seen the women from the front.





I end with this, perhaps the most amazing thing that I saw in five days:  The sport-touring 996S.  Here are aTypical1 and VifferVern fascinated by the details and mildly agog at the concept.  Late Saturday night this guy roars up with the thunder of Termignonis and the rattle of a dry clutch, sopping in his perforated leathers, with his gear neatly stowed in the bag on that Ventura rack.

So the next day, I've gotta go say hi.  Turns out he's about 60 (!).  Every year he visits his cousin in San Francisco, where he stores the bike, goes for a track day with his cuz and then hits the road for a little tour.

Tour on a 996?  There went a man, my friends, a man as hard as a granite anvil.

[miles]

Smoothie, did you see the Chester Poll?

[GTS_Rider]

Just a few of the priceless pictures....

And then the road turned on us...

Yikes, that shit looks slippery as snot. Hey, I'll admit it, mud scares the crap out of me. My a-hole clinches just looking at the pic. Kudos to ya'll sprot-bikers that made it through that unscathed. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm thinking whoever it was in the viffer was already calculating cracked fairing replacement prices as you scooted down that ice-rink of a road.  

[miles]

Yes, sir, it was as slippery as snot.  Steep, too, and as a bonus, off-camber big-time.  A true joy to ride.


Or, in some people's case, lay your bike down on repeatedly.

[Viffer Vern]

It's been two days since I've been back and I'm still intoxicated from all of the fun we had this weekend.

[Mr Sunshine]

Yes, sir, it was as slippery as snot.  Steep, too, and as a bonus, off-camber big-time.  A true joy to ride.

Or, in some people's case, lay your bike down on repeatedly.

When you almost came past me on the left while going up that hill and then I suddenly slid towards you I thought "Oh great....just what I need"  

[GTS_Rider]

...Or, in some people's case, lay your bike down on repeatedly.

Hmmm, Miles???...my limited memory says you're the the Triumph dude and I believe I've ridden with you before. Also, I thought you moved back east or something, but this is all off the top of my head....I'll just let it fly unchecked by searches and see how far off base I am.

Anyways, I just knew ya'll were holding back on the 'had to lay 'er down' pics'. Come on people fess up. There's no shame. Fook, if I got a look of that road on my C-14 bagger I would have just turned around and went back the way I came. That shit is just a recipe for crashing. On the V-strom I would have gone for it and not been happy. At least I have crash-bars on the 'Strom...


 

[Viffer Vern]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm thinking whoever it was in the viffer was already calculating cracked fairing replacement prices as you scooted down that ice-rink of a road.  

You are correct!  Surprisingly the VFR did pretty well in the mud.  My throttle response at 5 mph is very controlable.  I just slogged along and NEVER touched the front brake.  When we turned around things did get a little more sketchy though.  We were coming down a pretty steep grade and I had to feather the clutch to keep the ass end from sliding out from behind me.

I was thinking all sorts of things like, "I can't believe I'm doing this again" (did this last year on our Monterrey ride), and "this is crazy but oh so fun", and "don't drop the bike, don't drop the bike".

[GTS_Rider]

.. When we turned around things did get a little more sketchy though.  We were coming down a pretty steep grade and I had to feather the clutch to keep the ass end from sliding out from behind me...

Gnarly! Still, probably a good rush....AFTER... you made it through the whole ordeal unscathed. Though, if you wreck, it's probably more like you're wanting to kick the asses of those that peer-pressured you into going forth to begin with...

[GTS_Rider]

...I just slogged along and NEVER touched the front brake.

Oh yeah, just another thought that came to mind. Say, doesn't that bike have linked-brakes? More kudos to you for not crashing...