On A Mission, with a bit of twisty fun sprinkled in

Mon June 17

Today's ride was more about finding out about what (and how much) it was going to cost to get my motorcycle more comfortable on longer rides.

I knew the day I bought my Rebel that there were going to be a couple of things that would have to be changed or at least modified. The rock-hard seat and the uncomfortable position that my arms are stretched out on the handle bars are my major issues. The more I go on longer rides I realized it was time to look into what I could do to alleviate these issues.

Aspdin Road

My first stop was at Muskoka Upholstery in Hunstville off of Aspdin Road. I spoke with Curt and he recommended getting a gel insert. This also wouldn’t affect the seat height which was very important. I want a comfy tushy but not at the expense of loosing my perfect flat foot position. So, it was settled, he would order me the gel and I would bring the seat back (on a rainy day of course, which probably would be soon as sunny days are few and far between this year) for him to install it. Although that brought me to my next little problem and explained that the bolts were super tight and I couldn’t get the seat off. He was very helpful and worked on loosening the screws for me.


I also mentioned that the passenger seat was just as bad and pointed out to him how the dealer installed the saddle bags over the seat. He agreed that they did look odd that way. Well I have to give him credit, he had a hard time loosening that screw and broke one of his Allen wrenches in the process! But he did it and to my surprise he went ahead and adjusted the strap over the fender. He had to cut the flaps a touch for it to fit better and then put the seat back on. I couldn’t thank Curt enough. That had been bugging me since the day I got it.  Now I can hardly wait to get that gel installed. I left Curt and headed onto the next stop on my mission.

 

before                                              after

On such a beauty day I took advantage of taking the scenic route and long way to get there.  I continued on Aspdin Road which is full of curves and it is just an awesome road to cruise down. There was very little traffic, at least there wasn’t any at the time I motored down it this morning. It brought me into Rosseau where I stopped at this cute little restaurant called Crossroads. 

I didn’t go in and just chugged down some of my water in the parking lot and snapped a quick picture. I think this would be a fun spot to stop at with some other riders for lunch sometime. There was a really nice outdoor patio area with some really comfy looking Muskoka chairs. After my short break I turned left onto Hwy 141 to head back towards Huntsville. 

Hwy 141 is a very twisty road with lots of sweeping curves, a must for any biker. It is on my bike-it list this summer to go from one end of it to the other. It starts from Hwy 11 (Port Sydney/Utterson) and will take you all the way to Parry Sound. Again, I lucked out and had no traffic. When I came to a little place called Bent River, I stopped at the quaint general store/gas station. I topped up my tank and continued on my way.

As I got to Utterson my next stop was in my sites. Flybyu motorsports. I had looked for a motorcycle shop as close to me as I could find and believe me that is an extremely limited list where I live. This seemed to fit the bill when I first found it on Facebook. 




I spoke with Derek to see what he suggested for the issue I had with my handle bars. He suggested the cheaper route was to get 1” risers and bring the bars forward. I was all for the cheaper option. I still have many, many payments on my two wheels of bliss and would like to be able to still afford to ride it after I fork over the bucks to modify it for my comfort. He assured me that if there would be a problem with the ABS break lines that he would just return the risers. He seemed confident that this would work though. So, I told him to go ahead and order them. I was also happy when he told me when the part came in that I could wait while he installed them. Bonus another road trip! I am super stoked about how well my little mission turned out today. Now I just have to be patient until the parts come in. I took off from there with a huge smile and connected onto MD 10 that would bring me through Port Sydney. 

I stopped at the Jamieson's General Store for a water break and a little photo op. I love those cute country stores. There is so much charm to them. I continued on my way along MD 10 and headed towards Huntsville via Brunell Rd and the downtown core. It was the perfect twisty way home. 

As I turned off on the Novar exit to connect with the 592, I took the opportunity to snap this pic. I have always loved this scenic view.  A perfect end to a perfect day while I accomplished what I had set out to do with the added bonus of an awesome ride.

Until next time keep

Cruising Through Life & Enjoying The Ride....



Route: Aspdin Rd to Hwy 141/Huntsville

Do not try this at home… at least one road in particular

June 1

My tour had more than its share of rough roads this time around. I am all for exploring the road less traveled, but I think I went a tad overboard especially on one of my choices. 

I was intrigued by a road called Yearly Road off the 518 because it is also a back way into Huntsville. Naturally, this was a hard-packed gravel road. As I ventured down it there were plenty of twisties and hills to make it fun, although because of the surface I kept a slower pace. Eventually it became pavement, although parts were covered with a lot of sand so I had to be very careful in the turns. 

I crossed a little bridge with an amazing view and quickly took a few pictures. The blackflies are still in full force so any length of time you are stopped will have them swarming.
(Those things might be small but have a mighty bite to them)

I turned onto Aspdin Road and it became fairly decent and was a pleasant ride. Even as I turned down Domtar Road and followed the railway tracks the road surface was good. That is until I made my turn onto Stephenson Rd W 8. On the map it is called Concession Rd 7W, but I knew that my turn was before the railway tracks and turned down it. The road was very gravelly which made it extremely slippery. I just kept it slow. It didn’t matter that I may have been travelling slower than a car would because on these roads there isn’t any.

I crossed hwy 11 to Greer Road and hooked onto Muskoka District 10. This was an awesome road and brought me through the quaint town of Port Sydney. The place was just buzzing with people. I have no idea what was going on, maybe because it was a Saturday and everyone was out and about. I didn’t stop, maybe next time when it is not so busy. Once I passed by the town MD 10 was a really fun road with twists and turns, ups and downs. I had a blast riding this road, especially seeing I was the only one on it. MD 10 ends at Brunel Road [MD 2] 

Brunel Road will lead into downtown Huntsville (by turning left). This road is just as fun, however the speed limit drops to 50km the closer you get to town. I went through town to connect with Ravenscliff Road [MD 2]. My last tour  had me travelling the length of this road but this time around I wanted to check out Old Novar Road.

Old Novar Road was not one of my better decisions on roads to go down. It started pretty much like most of the back roads that I have been on so far. I was only a mile or so when I seen a couple of ATV’s in my mirror and decided to pull over to let them pass. They stopped to see if I was okay. (That was very nice of them) I explained I was just pulling over to let them pass as I (obviously) couldn’t ride as fast as them. We chatted a bit, and I told them I just like going down roads I have never been before. They probably thought I was a nutcase attempting this road (or should I say soon to be trail) on a motorcycle. One of them offered me some bug spray, which I declined and said I wasn’t planning on stopping again. We wished each other happy travels and they disappeared around the next curve. It wasn’t long before the road narrowed and became more of trail of hard packed dirt than a road. As I proceeded this road was the biggest challenge I had ever faced since I started riding. I barely got out of 1st gear and some sections the hard dirt became huge rocks to cross over, this was in the low-lying areas where it appeared that at certain times washes out the trail. In some places the hills were steep and the corners were sharp.  I will say this road tested every bit of my skill I had as a motorcyclist. This is one road I will never again ride down.

Eventually it connected to Boundary Road, (a hard-packed gravel road that will eventually become paved) I was so glad to see just a normal gravel road. I continued on Boundary to my ole familiar 592 and headed home. 

Until next time keep

Cruising Through Life & Enjoying The Ride...

Full Route: I don’t recommend going down Old Novar Road, unless you have an adventure bike, even then this road is not for the faint of heart.

Exploring back roads… Sprucedale to Huntsville

May 27

May has been a cold, soggy month here in cottage country. Since getting my new motorcycle I have been able to squeeze in a couple of rides between the rain drops. Before the next predicated rainfall (that by the way came right on schedule this morning) I took full advantage of the rare dry day to explore a few back roads that would lead me to Huntsville.  

View the route from Sprucedale to Huntsville  

The ON-518 is a fun twisty road that cuts through the country side and spans from Hwy 11 to the 400 near Parry Sound. However, todays ride had me venturing off the 518 onto Sisted Road when I came to Sprucedale. (There won’t be any gas stations for 33 km when you take this route, so if need be fill up your tank in Sprucedale).  Sisted road starts off in fairly good condition, but I warn you that eventually the road surface degrades into tar and chip. 

As I was motoring along a unique looking sculpture caught my eye at the entrance to someone’s driveway. I just had to stop and snap a pic. Must be a motorcycle enthusiast. The moment I stopped I realized how bad the black flies are at this time of year. Uugh, those pesky things started swarming and I couldn’t get back on my bike fast enough. 

Sisted Road ends and turns into Ravenscliff Rd. that will lead into Huntsville. The beginning of Ravenscliff is a little dicey to say the least. There were even places where parts of the road almost looked like it had been washed away and there was still a lot of sand on it. There was also huge pot holes to dodge, luckily there wasn’t any traffic so riding this obstacle course was easier than I thought. If you don’t mind putting up with the less than favorable condition of this road at the beginning it will be well worth it once the road becomes a smooth paved surface and there is nothing but fun twisties, sweeping curves and hills, not to mention some awesome views. 

There was a little pull off along Ravenscliff to take in the view of Buck Lake. But the blackflies had me take a quick pic and quickly get moving again.

Ravenscliff will bring you directly into Huntsville and you can stay on this road to explore the downtown area. I opted to head up Hanes Road  and crossed highway 60. I turned onto Golf Course Rd just because I was curious about this road. That is the beauty of riding, I love to just explore roads that I would never venture down if I were in my car. It just led back out onto Muskoka District 3 but it was a twisty little road that I was glad I went down. 

I continued along Muskoka District 3, opting to go along Old North Road instead of heading back on Highway 11. 

This road too is not in the greatest shape the further you go, but it was fun to explore none the less. It brought me to a little burg known as Melissa where I had no choice but to but get onto Hwy 11. It was just a short jaunt to Novar where I exited to Hwy 592 and headed home. 

Until next time keep

Cruising Through Life & Enjoying The Ride...




Full Route. Some stretches on this route are pretty sketchy, but oh there are tons of twisties that will make suffering through the less appealing parts worth it.

1st Rebel Ride

Well I must say my first ride on my new Rebel 500 was far from epic, but it sure was nice to finally go for a ride, even a short one. 

The early morning was iffy to say the least, it had obviously rained overnight (again) and the air was still quite cold. As I watched the sun come up or should I say the gloomy sky just brighten a tad. I had my doubts whether I was going to get a chance today to make it out for even a short ride. 

As the morning progressed, I caught a slight sliver of sunlight and figured this might be my only chance to finally see how my new Rebel handled on the road. It was about 10 am when I geared up. It was only about 14C/57F so I made sure to bundle up. I wrapped my bandana around my face because I have a half helmet and knew I would need to cut the wind. (I caught a glimpse of myself in the door window and I looked like a gangster) I also opted to wear my gauntlet gloves to cut down on any wind that might work its way up my jacket sleeves. I put on a heavy hoodie under my jacket and my thickest jeans. (Seriously, I probably could have put on my long johns, but I had an inkling that I wouldn’t get a chance to ride for too long) 

When I pulled my Rebel out of the garage it was a challenge to find a somewhat level place in the driveway so that I could park it and gather the rest of my things before taking off. It wasn’t easy but I found a spot, I never realized how unlevel the driveway is. The sun was very encouraging as I mounted my motorcycle and slowly made my way down my gravel drive. 

I am lucky to live in an area where there really isn’t much traffic, especially on a Sunday morning. I am glad because I admit even though I have been riding for 10 years I did have a few butterflies bumbling about in my stomach. They quickly faded as I opened the Rebel up and headed down the road. I was impressed how smooth and easy it handled. A completely different ride from my Harley Sportster. It also took to the curves with ease. I admit it certainly isn’t top heavy like my Sportster and even making tight turns were effortless. I think what I like the most is the weight. It is so much lighter than what I am used to. I honestly don’t even have to struggle to back it up. Although, I found it strange having a sixth gear, but I quickly adapted to it.

Still my only complaint is those damn handle bars. My arms are straight out and spread to an uncomfortable position. I am not so sure if I were to go on a lengthy tour that I wouldn’t run into problems. For now, I will just have to see how it goes. My other concern when I bought the bike was the seat. There certainly isn’t much cushion to it. I will have to wait and see if this also becomes an issue.



If the dark clouds hadn’t moved in as I was touring around my “neighbourhood” I would have took a little ride to Burk’s Falls or even Magnetawan. But the darkening sky kept threatening my little excursion and I thought it best to cut my ride short. I managed to put on 42km, actually 33km – if I minus the 9km that were on it when I got it. 



Thunderstorms are predicted for today, and I really don’t trust the weather, so a short ride was better than no ride. I hope in the coming weeks our weather eventually gets better and I can plan for a proper tour. Until then at least I know that this is the starting of a beautiful friendship.  

Until next time keep

Cruising Through Life & Enjoying The Ride...

Do Resolutions ever turn out, maybe

So far 2019 has started off as a slow riding season for me. My New Year’s Resolution to ride more isn’t going exactly as planned. I have been in Florida since December 27th and believe it or not I have only been on ONE ride! It certainly wasn’t from lack of trying.

We had company as soon as we got to Florida just after Christmas. Our friend and his wife from Germany stayed with us for the first fourteen days. At least they rented a motorcycle on Sunday Jan 6th  so that we could get in some riding. 

I highly recommend Haus of Trikes in Fort Myers. (Our friends rented a Harley for the day and it was much cheaper than anywhere else). When they brought the bike back, I was browsing around the store when I came across a leather vest. Wow, super soft leather and it was $79.99. I even picked up a sweet leather pouch for $20 (I had recently purchased a material Harley vest for the same price, ya always pay for the name) Suffice to say, my shopping spree is maxed out for the season now. 

Anyway, we had a wonderful ride down to Goodland Florida. 

Gassing up for the ride, the morning started off chilly but warmed up nicely.
(At least I thought it was chilly – note the additional hoodie under my jacket) 

We stopped at Gator’s Crossroads Bar & Grill. They had a live band playing outside. We stayed for a drink, and listened to a few sets. Don’t worry, I don’t drink alcohol and ride, but when I get home I certainly indulge in a glass of wine or two or three…

I don’t know what the name of the band was, but they were good. Our friends were enjoying the place too.

Then we made our way to Stan’s Idle Hour. That is one hoping place with live music and it seems to always be packed when we go there. They always give bikers the best spots to park too (and bike parking is free). We even managed to find a table to sit at and enjoyed an afternoon of music and good times. 

The guys goofing around at Stan’s Idle Hour

We made it back home just as the sun was setting, I was glad, my night vision isn’t as good as it used to be.  

I had the biggest smile on my face that day, even our friends said that was the first time they seen me smile so much the entire week. 
The saying is true, “I am a just happier person when I ride”. 

Our friends left to go back to Germany on Jan 9th.  It was awesome to have them here but having the house to ourselves again… do I really need to say more. 

The first few weeks after getting here the weather had been into the mid 80’s (26+C), but now we keep getting cold fronts and it is barley getting to 70 (21C) by late afternoon. The nights are really cold too, most hovering around the 40s (about 6-10C). It just has been a weather rollercoaster lately. I know, I shouldn’t complain, but I will anyway. I have to admit, it is still way better than the negative digits and mounds of snow back home. Even with the cooler temperatures we still could have gotten out on the bikes, but then my BF got sick with one of those “man colds”. I just don’t have the heart to take off on my motorcycle without him, at least not yet. Today is Saturday Jan 19 and it is going to be the nicest day before the weather turns to crap again. It is predicted to be that way into the middle of next week. The BF is still not well and with my luck by the time he feels better I will probably catch whatever the hell he has. Although I have it on good authority that the “female cold” is not as severe.

And yet I am optimistic, it is still early in the new year, so maybe I will be able to stick to my resolution after all. At least I sure will make that extra effort to. 

This was the route we took to get there. Went through Immokalee, along Corkscrew to Collier Rd, then onto 41. It is a fairly nice ride, although it can get busy on Collier through Naples.

 

Cruising through Life & Enjoying the Ride...