My first solo 50+ mile ride. Shruti & Anushka were out for the afternoon, so I had a couple of free hours of riding.
I started out from home in Fremont towards Mission and then took 84 through Sunol. There was mild traffic, but I kept good pace behind a Corvette doing 50-60 mph. Once I got to 680, I took Calaveras all the way to Milpitas. That was one amazing ride. Lots of twists and turns and absolutely no traffic. I must have passed 1 or 2 cars at the most, everyone else was on a motorcycle or a bicycle. I actually saw a couple of DR650s and a KLR650 even. Definitely learning the motorcyclist’s wave.
Some of the turns on the Calaveras are sharp and blind. I had to come down to 10-20 mph many times and used the horn liberally. I’m just starting to get the hang of the motorcycle and I’m still not comfortable bending more than 20-25 degrees. Maybe it’s a dual sport thing (soft suspension), or the worn out knobbies (replacing this week), but I definitely need more time to get comfortable cornering. Going downhill and turning sharply was especially tough.
Coming back I used Paseo Padre for the most as I wanted to stay off the
freeway. The traffic lights were actually a welcome relief to my arms
and wrists.
The bike did very well and I’m impressed with it’s peppy little engine. My butt did not do as well.
Sujit Kirpekar 