Chic on a Liter Bike

Ridin' Dirty

So, I think this is supposed to be a big deal. My first ride on a liter bike. Ok, in the pic to the left I'm ridin' dirty. We left the 'Ville on a friend's FZ1 because, apparently, we didn't have any other way to get home.  I'm wearing his coveralls and helmet, and her boots. They could be the only couple we know who are smaller than us, and she's definitely the only friend I have who wears the same shoe size that I do! It was a pretty good ride home, but we had to get the FZ back to the 'Ville at some point. That's where I come in.

I'm nothing if else, I am deliberate, direct, decisive. So when I woke up the following Sunday and decided I was riding this thing 120 miles south, it was a done deal. I did my run, did some work, and informed the man that I was riding the bike back. Done. Besides, when I told him, he was going out for his second ride for the day, so it was only fair.

I'm not really sure why I wasn't worried about this. Usually I'm more cautious. But it had been a hard week and I decided it was time to have some fun. So I put on my old gear (since everything else is in Phoenix), jeans and my Doc Martens, which I wore for my first 6 months of riding because I was afraid of boots that are too constrictive. (If you're a newby rider, I still think Doc M's are a great place to start).

I told myself I'd go up the street and if I hated it I'd turn around and drive my diesel. By the time I changed to second, it was done. This bike was easy as pie. I thought liter bikes were supposed to be bad-ass? This was a kitten. What was all the fuss about? It was just as tame as my 675, and didn't feel heavy or overbearing.

I cruised through the 'ripple with a cop right behind me. Thankfully the man changed the expired KY plate to one of his many now-legal IN plates, so once I made it through the first couple of turns through the 'hood and didn't get arrested, I knew it was going to be a good trip.

I had two plans for getting there--one back roads and one freeway the whole way. I decided I'd see how the bike felt on I65 and decide as I was riding, and it took me about 2 minutes to figure out that the highway was the way to go. As I65 broke from 3 lanes to 2, I did a little wrist twist to get around some traffic, and looked down to see myself doing 97. Ok...now I know what all the fuss is about.

My little Street Trip squeals at 97 (which is nice, don't get me wrong), but this was a whole other animal. It soon became my mission to do the ton on the liter bike ASAP. I found myself looking for opportunities. Car driving slow in the left lane? No problem! I could have ridden the whole way without stopping, but I did stop once in Austin, just to hydrate and get fuel.

This bike was a blast. I don't think it would be necessary for me to have one, but the liter bike was pretty sweet. So, wow, what's next? Am I becoming jaded?