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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Another Ride and Some New Pants

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Troubadour and I hopped on the bikes and rode to coffee last Saturday and by the time we got home in the early afternoon it was nice and sunny. Changed into some shorts, did a little yard work and decided to take the car and go to Premier Motogear in Albany and see what they had for ladies riding pants.

Made a quick stop at Dutch Brothers for some iced coffees and off we went. It is a short 10 mile drive and soon we were there. There were no other customers in the store so Mike provided great one-on-one service. He made a few suggestions and had me try on several pairs of riding pants. I was looking for something in a trouser fit as opposed to the usual baggy over pant.

I tried on a pair of men's Rev'it Sand pants and also an Olympia ladies pants. The Rev'it Sand pants fit better by far but still weren't right. Mike had the idea to go down to a size medium and switch styles. He had me try on a men's Rev'it Cayenne Pro. I liked the minimal velcro on the Rev'it pants. The waist was great but hips felt a little snug. He took out the very small hip padding and also had me go try them on without my shorts underneath. That made a big difference since my shorts were double cuffed and had been bunching around the hips when I pulled the pants up. This made the fit great.

(Rev'it Cayenne Pro pants)

I wore them around the shop a bit and also sat on their motorcycle simulator (i.e. - bar stool). I was worried that the standard length might be too short when riding but Mike assured me that for a 32" inseam that was the appropriate size. The price was a little more than I wanted to pay, but they are a 4 season riding pant with a waterproof liner and a quilted thermal liner. The fact that they go with my Rev'it Siren jacket is a bonus. I tried last night and they will even zip to my jacket.

I was a happy camper. Finally a pair of riding pants where I didn't feel like the Saggy Baggy Elephant when wearing them.

Saturday night we did more yard work and Troubadour gave his bike a much needed oil change.

Sunday dawned and I packed us a picnic lunch and we geared up to attend the Day to Ona (Daytona) Beach gathering. Lunch (gumbo, burgers and hotdogs) was being provided by Rod from the Triumph shop, but since we are vegetarians we are used to packing grub for ourselves.

We rode downtown and and fuelled up, stopped at the Beanery for a scone/muffin for breakfast. When we came out there was a new Tiger 800 parked by Troubadour's Lucy. We even knew the owner. He was headed to Ona Beach too and was meeting his riding buddies.

(Lucy flirting with a Tiger 800)


We then headed to the local meeting place. As we waited for any more locals to show we saw Bluekat and Ron ride by...... off for a long day in the saddle.

For some reason I didn't think to take out the camera at this point. I need to get better at grabbing it when we stop.

There were 6 of us and I wasn't the only female this time. Thanks Dani for coming along.

We rode down to Alpine where we were set to meet up with the folks riding up from Eugene and one from Monroe. Our group was the first to arrive. We had just removed our helmets when three Eugene riders showed up. We all took a bit of a break while waiting for the rider from Monroe. The sun was shining so we didn't mind the wait. We had all arrived early.

And.....I remembered to ask Troubadour for the camera. I find the Canon too big and bulky to keep in my jacket pocket. I need to find a smaller pocket sized one.

(Dani saying hello to the camera)




(Yes, this passes for sunshine in Oregon)




(Andy - aka Polar Bear - checking out Dave's Bonneville)
(That is his black Tiger in the background)


I think we had kickstands up at 11:00. I believe 10 bikes total headed along the twisty curves of Alsea Falls, into Alsea and west on Highway 34 to Waldport.

There was one near miss on highway 34 on the way to Waldport. Troubadour and I were a little behind the rest of the group due to my speed in the corners and a group of three motorcycles came up behind us. The first bike went by me no problem, but a KLR 650 decided to pass me on the outside of a blind right hand corner hugging a double solid line trying to share my lane. I held my speed and my line and out of my peripheral could see his tires weaving on the double yellow. He went by and so did the third bike.

Troubadour was on the radio cursing and I had to agree. Not a cool pass. It bothered him more than it did me, but he could see if from behind and knew how close the KLR was to me and how he was invading my space. What pissed him off most was if a truck had of come around the corner going the opposite direction the KLR rider would not have hesitated to push me into the embankment to save his own hide. Luckily it didn't go down that way. I've also had more than one person tell me I should have ran a little wide and forced him to ride in the other lane, but as a newer rider I just held my line and speed and looked through the corner and let him go.

The group stopped just before Waldport to wait and have a rest. It was spitting rain here and there but we arrived at One Beach without further incident. Turns out the KLR was headed there too for the Triumph function. Did I mention theKLR was sandwiched by two Triumphs and those two riders worked at the Triumph shop. Not sure how they knew the dude on the KLR. First thing Troubadour did was have a few choice words with him before I could even get parked and get my helmet off. He was nice about it but wanted to point out his asshat move in front of everyone at the function. The KLR rider apologized and admitted he acted poorly.

With that out of the way we had our picnic and enjoyed visiting. I even got more than one hug from Rod, owner of the Triumph shop and ring leader of the event.

We hung out for about an hour and as the rain started we headed North to Newport. The folks from Eugene headed South towards Florence for their rainy ride home.

We decided to stop in the bay front area of Newport for some salt water taffy and hot coffee. Thanks Erik for the tip of hot pepper taffy. Jalapeno taffy really is good if you've never tried it. A new favorite.

The rain didn't let up. If anything it was raining harder. We decided to book it for home. I haven't had much experience in the rain and certainly not on Max. I know - trust your tires. We took the winding road along the river and all the while I was thinking we'd see the sun as we approached the valley. That was not to be. After the road rejoined Highway 20 I asked Troubadour to lead, as I knew we'd get home faster. We did have to pull over at one point. Not only my visor was fogging up, but so were my sunglasses.

I stashed my sunglasses in my pocket, put my gloves back on (oops -gauntlet on the outside of the sleeve) and headed out again. It rained hard the entire way. Didn't let up until late that night. About half way home I felt a cold trickle in my boot. Bad words were said in my helmet when I realized my Harley Melia boots were not waterproof. By the time we got home my feet were soggy and cold. The rain had run down my jacket and into my gloves and my shirt cuffs were wet and my long hair and buff had wicked water into my collar and a bit of my shirts were wet.

I am pleased to say that although I was not expecting to rain-test my jacket and new pants on Sunday I was pleasantly surprised with the results. My legs and torso were completely warm and dry. My arms were too, even with the damp cuffs of my sleeves. I did notice that the pant legs came at least half way up my boot when riding. I don't know if that is why my boots were leaking, but Dani mentioned it may be because of the knee armour and where the pants are sitting to accommodate it. Will do a Cayenne Pro pant review after some more wear.

What did I learn from our Sunday excursion?

1) Don't believe the weatherman when he says the forecast is 78˚F in the valley and nothing but sun;

2) When it is raining, tuck your gauntlet gloves inside your jacket to keep your hands dry, otherwise not even Fieldsheer Aqua Sports will hold out;

3) When Rev'it claims their gear is waterproof with the liner in, they mean it - two thumbs up;

4) Buy a fog city for your visor;

5) Let someone else lead when your visor isn't quite clear and you want to get home quicker;

6) As soon as you can.... order the Sidi Jasmine Rain boots you have been coveting; and

7) Trust your tires.

All in all it was a good day and I am glad I had the chance to ride in the rain. It was something I needed to do but wouldn't have gone looking for it. I think I jinxed myself a few posts back when I said I wouldn't set out in the rain, but didn't mind getting caught in it. Doh! Weather gremlins must have been listening.

PS - The Canucks just lost the Stanley Cup final...... I must console myself with Umpqua vanilla fat free frozen yogurt and fresh strawberries.

- Au Revoir

" Have I mentioned how F*&#ing sick of this rain I am?" - Troubadour on a Triumph
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5 comments:

  1. Great post! Sorry about the rain, but yes, trust your tires. :) Absolutely great reason to upgrade on the footwear too.

    -Lori

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  2. Glad things worked out okay. I get nervous when riders come up behind me. Some seem to have expectations that they can just share my lane or do whatever they want (fortunately most others have better manners).

    Nice report on the pants. Always good to hear comments form other riders on gear. Seems like as soon as I buy something, I start looking for it's replacement. Oh well.

    Get the Sidi's, then do a report. They're on my short list.

    Yes, trust your tires. Sometimes I use that one like a mantra.

    Weathermen suck! especially cheerful ones

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  3. Glad no one got hurt. I have been surprised several times when bikes have come up from behind but so far none have chosen to pass in the same lane. Let alone in a blind corner.

    It has been raining everyday this week and there have been several corners that I was reluctant to "trust your tires". But that's just me...

    Nice post and hope you get some clear, sunny weekends.

    Richard

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  4. What a great day out with the exception of the KLR rider - maybe he will learn something from it.

    Glad you've got some properly fitting cordura pants. When Jennie once tried some on, the salesman commented what a great fit they were. I thought they were pretty unflattering but I was just choosing my words carefully(I wanted to go home with her, not end up in hospital)when she launched into him about not having a clue about women's clothing and style. He was suitably chastened and I was able to keep my big mouth shut for once.

    Lovely photos of all the gang!

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  5. @BeemerGirl - I've been looking into the Sidi boots but there is nowhere in this state I can try them on. I would have to order them online and hope they fit. If I order them through Revzilla I get one free exchange though so I might have to go that way.

    @Bluekat - Weathermen do suck! I agree. Still looking into the boots......

    @Richard - Not quite a sunny weekend yet. Rained most of yesterday but it is sunny today. Troubadour is out for a ride and I'm at home puttering.

    @Geoff - Good job on being prudent about fit of riding pants. Troubadour knows if I try something on and it looks that bad he needs to tell me. Sometimes it is hard to be objective and I need his input. Besides, I think he has better fashion sense than I do.

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