Short Ride- Change of Plans

My plan was to go for a nice ride to the end of Del Puerto Canyon.  The weather was nice- a beautiful 89 degree day with blue skies.  I got dressed in leathers and headed out to Mines Road in Livermore.

Mines Road up to the Del Valle split was pretty good, as I was following a couple other motorcyclists.  After the split, I started heading up the twisty hill.  About two miles in, I was hearing weird pinging noises.  At first, I wasn't sure what the noise was, but after I looked down, I realized that it was the gravel in the road being kicked up by my tires, bouncing off my exhaust system.  There was a  LOT of loose gravel in the road.  I rode for about another mile, but after almost having the bike slip out from under me on a tight right-hand turn, I decided that the rest of the ride was going to be unenjoyable, so I doubled back.

After I popped out from Mines, I decided to just make the best of the afternoon and to take 84 back to 680, just so I could get in somewhat of a ride.  84 was nice and clear, not much traffic and no road hazards.  I got back on 680, heading toward home and jumped on the throttle a little, just to open up the carbs.  All good was restored again.

Windmills

I got up this morning, had my two wonderful cups of coffee that Emily makes with such excellent technique, then installed my new CRG levers.  I was planning on a ride this afternoon, so after the installation, I did a quickie ride around the block to see how they felt and to make sure the angles and reach were the way I like it.  Everything checked out.

Being a little short on time, I decided to do a short ride, just to get some turns in.  I haven't done Patterson Pass for about a year, so that's what I chose.

Click on image to enlarge

I got in my leathers and off I went.  This route is great for testing out changes that I've made on the Wrath, since there's a bit of everything on the ride- city streets, freeways and twisties.

The bike ran excellent and the new levers felt like I've been using them for years.

All-in-all, it was a nice ride.  Only one car got in front of me, but he waved me by.  The view of the windmills from the top of the pass is awesome.  The temperature was 82 degrees and the sun was out.  It got a little windy coming back over the pass, but not too bad.