My ride yesterday

[inspiron]

Some "Internet friends" won a trip to Germany (they won tickets to see The Police in concert in Düsseldorf), and decided to extend their stay in Europe for a week. They rented a pair of BMW K75's (older bikes are cheaper to rent than new ones), and have been enjoying rides around south-central Germany (they're staying in Heidelberg).

We made plans to meet yesterday (Friday) for a ride through the northern Black Forest. The weather forecast called for partly cloudy with scattered showers, and that's exactly what we experienced.

We agreed to meet at a gas station just off the Autobahn in Rastatt, Germany. I left home just after 8:00am, filled the tank and checked the air pressure in my tires, and hit the road. There was a slight drizzle falling as I started out, which turned heavy for a few minutes before drying up. There was light to moderate traffic on the Autobahn, so my cruising speed was around 75 to 80mph, with the occasional slow-down due to trucks trying to pass each other.

I made it to Rastatt at about 10:30am (the route was just over 200 km / 125 miles) and met up with Kate and Matt. Since they were riding older bikes that they aren't really familiar with (their rented BMW K75's were somewhere between 15 and 20 years old), we decided to take a leisurely tour, sticking to main roads rather than seeking out the more "aggressive" twisties.

We left Rastatt and headed south-east towards Freudenstadt. The ride itself was uneventful - we just enjoyed the countryside and the cool temperatures. A light rain began just before we reached Freudenstadt, so we decided to stop there for lunch. We found a nice restaurant and enjoyed some fine German cuisine.

By the time we finished lunch it had stopped raining, so after filling up our gas tanks, we continued the ride south through Alpirsbach and Wolfach, then turned back to the northwest to make the loop back up towards Offenburg. We stopped in the beautiful town of Gengenbach to walk around, do some souvenir shopping and have some coffee.

As we were sitting outside the cafe, talking and relaxing, the clock on top of the city hall rang out 6pm. We were all amazed how late it was. We wandered back to the bikes and rode into Offenburg. Just before the Autobahn entrance, we pulled over and said our goodbyes. Kate and Matt were going to head north back towards their B&B in Heidelberg, and I headed back down south into Switzerland.

My total mileage was just over 500 km (310 miles). My two long Autobahn stints (125 miles up to Rastatt, and 100 miles back down from Offenburg) have reaffirmed my desire to buy a sport-touring bike. My naked Suzuki is a wonderful bike, but it's just not designed for long, high-speed stretches. Having some fairings to "hide behind" would reduce the strain on my neck, especially when I'm turning my head for a lane change.

My lesson learned - I was amazed when I checked my tire pressure. Both the front and the back were about 5 to 7 PSI too low. Even though it was not visible, and the bike didn't feel "mushy" before, the difference was immediately apparent as soon as the tires were filled properly.

My bike is due for service (oil change) next Wednesday, and it's probably time for a new chain and sprockets, too. But overall, she's still a reliable workhorse!

[donny662]

Sounds like it was a great ride. Thanks for sharing, but . . .

[themeatmanlandry]

They won tickets to see Andy Summers, Stewart Copeland and that other guy?

Coooool beans.

[KD57]

Sounds like a good ride.

[themeatmanlandry]

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[inspiron]

The only pictures I have from the ride were taken when we stopped in Gengenbach in the afternoon:

Pictures --> Picasa Web Albums - Jim - 2008_06_13 - ...

[intimid8er]

Originally Posted by themeatmanlandry

They won tickets to see Andy Summers, Stewart Copeland and that other guy?

Yes...the Tantric Sex guru....

[themeatmanlandry]

Last "police ticket" I won was for 30 over. <waaa-waaaah>