[ST] How to make your ST feel really fast

[Matt Knowles <matt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

As mentioned yesterday, I took off the afternoon to celebrate the fact that
the sun showed itself for the first time this year. I decided to go check
out some more routes in case the rallye will be held up here. (So what's
the decision folks? Blake? Anyone?)

The route was 36 to 3 to 299, covering 250 miles of pure twisties. Riding
these roads on a winter weekday, I pretty much had them to myself which
always makes it more fun. Even with a fairly brisk pace, I think I only had
to pass about a dozen cars, most of which kindly pulled over. Pure bliss.

At a stop in Dinsmore I got the usual "That's a Triumph? Back in ... I used
to own a Triumph." stories from the small crowd of onlookers. My favorite
though went sort of like this:

Him: Nice Triumph. Is that a 2 stroke?

Me (aloud) No it's a four stoke. (to myself) When has Triumph ever been
known to make 2 strokes? This guy hasn't been around bikes for a long time
if he thinks 2 strokes are available in the US anymore.

Him: Yeah I had me a (I forget what year and model, but something from the
mid seventies) triple.

Me: This bike's a triple.

Him: I guess it's the same motor then, huh?

After departing Dinsmore I continued on down 36. I've raved about this road
before so I won't bore you again. I turned north on 3 to find that it is
just as fun, and less traveled than 36 is. It took me up and down some
passes where I could see the snow covered peaks, and in several spots there
were still traces of snow on the ground. Kept a fairly moderate pace due to
lots of wet areas, but overall I was impressed with the cleanliness of the
roads. Very little gravel to deal with.

By the time I got to Weaverville it was about 5:00pm and getting dark. And
cold. I take my helmet off to you folks who can ride in sub 30 (f) degree
temps. My body and hands stayed warm due to electrics but my feet
absolutely froze. The temps were only in the low forties. The new Sidi
boots don't seem to be any warmer than my pair of old Alpines. If I did
this on a regular basis, I would definitely be looking for some electric
socks.

But cold and dark aside, it was a great boost to my spirit.

So how do you make your Sprint feel really fast? Park it and ride a KLR for
a few weeks, then go back to the Sprint. Instant major horsepower boost.

Matt Knowles
Aesthetic Design & Photography - www.aestheticdesign.com - (707) 786-4643



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