My first Memorial Day holiday off in five years presented an opportunity for me to return to sport-touring. I took the preceding Thursday and Friday off to get a jump-start on the weekend and to get the Bandit ready to travel. The plan was to meander up to western Massachusetts near the Connecticut border, and spend Saturday touring with old riding buddy Matty (on his new 2008 Bandit1250S), and new riding buddy Greg (on his new-to-him 2005 1200S). Matty is a local and volunteered to serve as our tour guide, and Greg rode up from the Atlanta area to go riding with complete strangers.
Because this was my first trip in about two years, I planned a familar route out of Philadelphia: 611 north to 209 to 55/44, then find my way to a hotel somewhere in NW Connecticut or SW Massachusetts. I left the house around 6:30am, and found breakfast at a nice little diner on 611 in Portland, PA; the pancakes really hit the spot. After heading up Rt 209 a ways, I turned east onto Rt 55, which has a nice little mountain pass with a scenic overlook. I usually end up stopping there, if only to stretch my legs for a moment. This time, however, it was littered with some car parts, possibly the remains of a recent wreck. Down the other side of the pass leads to a 5mph hairpin, which is usually littered with gravel. Onward across the Mid-Hudson Bridge and into Connceticut. I passed through Torrington, then headed north on Rt 8 to Lee, Massachusetts, where I found decent lodging at the Super-8 Motel for the night. I arrived around 3pm, checked in, and took a short nap before heading out to eat and scout the next morning’s meeting spot.
Saturday morning, I met up with Matty and Greg in Sheffield, Massachusetts; a nice central spot for the three of us. We headed north on Rt 7, past a beautiful view Matty describes as “God’s front porch” after hearing another biker call it that once. Then we headed over to the Taconic State Parkway for a nice view of the Catskills. Heading north, we had lunch in Bennington, Vermont, but only after visiting the Revolutionary War Memorial there, complete with a statue memorial of Brigadier General John Stark, “the hero of Bennington”, for his exemplary service at the Battle of Bennington in 1777.
After lunch, we made our way to Mount Equinox, the highest peak of the Taconic Range, and the second highest peak in southern Vermont. We paid our six-dollar toll at the gift shop, and headed up the steep winding road to the summit. Steep tight switchbacks always spooked me a little, and this road was no different. But, the view from the top was definitely worth the climb. After a nice rest and bathroom break at the peak (yes, there are facilities there), we scooted back down Rt 7, said our farewells, and went our seperate ways.
I had packed my bags and checked out of the hotel in Lee, but since the ride went well past 7pm, I found myself back there again that night. After dropping the bags in my new room and changing into jeans (from the armored leather pants), I headed out for dinner. Matty (and others) had recommended Joe’s Diner in Lee, but it apparently closes early. I ended up at Athena’s, which was advertising pizza and Italian cuisine. I ordered the fettuccini alfredo, and my first bite met with a small sharp piece of plastic. I tried to continue eating, as I was quite hungry, but the fettucini didn’t have any more taste than that first piece of plastic. 
I ate about half of it, and gave up before the waiter bothered to ask me if everything was ok. I handed him the piece of plastic, and after examining it for a moment, he asked “Well, what do you want to do..?” What I really wanted to do was to forget the last ten minutes of my life so I could one day enjoy pasta again. I told him I wanted him to alert the kitchen staff to be more careful because something like that could hurt someone, especially small children (which there were several at the next table). The waiter took it upon himself and paid for my iced tea out of his tip, which I had a problem with since it wasn’t his fault, so I left a larger tip to cover the drink. I was too tired and was getting too angry to go so far as to talk to a manager about the situation, so I just zipped back to the hotel and relaxed in front of the tv until I fell asleep.
I woke up Sunday morning with the intent on hitting the Mohawk Trail, then over to the southern tip of Maine for lunch before heading home. I started with breakfast at Joe’s, which was incredible, and very reasonably priced (read: cheap!). Checking the maps, I decided Maine was a bit too far to still get home that night at a reasonable time without having to hit the interstate the whole way. So, I meandered across Rt 2, the Mohawk Trail, then south on 63, east on 9, and north on 32 looking to take a picture of a sign to Gilbertsville (Gilbert being my last name). Gilbertsville must be pretty small, because I never saw it.
By then, it was nearly 2pm, and I realized I needed to be on my way home, or else I’d be spending another night in a hotel. I ended up going down 122 to 12, then trying to use the GPS to get me home on the back roads, towards the Rt 55 pass in NY. Somewhere on Rt 12, while sipping a lemonade at a gas stop, I witnessed about a dozen Harley riders pull in to fuel up, all wearing the colors of the Rhode Island chapter of Hell’s Angels! In the same area, I ran across a closed motorcycle shop with a bright yellow Can-Am Spyder parked out front. That thing looks like a wheeled snowmobile, and is probably crazy fun to drive, even if its not the same thrill as riding a bike.
Following the GPS’ directions, I ended up on and off Rt 44 going west, I-84 through Hartford, Connecticut, back onto Rt 7 south, back onto 44 west across the Hudson. I decided I’d take the Rt 6 pass west this time, so I headed south on 9W to the Bear Mountain area, then west on 6 to I-84. In hindsight, I should have just stayed on I-84 from Hartford. I picked up I-81 south near Scranton, PA, then refueled, grabbed a snack, and switched to my cold/nighttime gear (clear faceshield, jacket liner, reflective vest) before hitting the PA Turnpike NE Extension south to Philadelphia. All in all, Sunday was about 14 hours of riding. I went to sleep in my own bed without setting the alarm clock, and woke up 10 hours later.
The Bandit performed pretty well. It still has a very slight headshake between 25 and 60mph, but it smooths out above 60 and ran great on the highway. I’ll be spooning on new tires and balancing the wheels, and see if that helps at all. I had just installed new front brake pads, and while they worked well for stopping, they squeaked loudly just before coming to a complete stop. I guess that’s what I get for buying cheap pads on eBay. I’ll be putting quality pads on there soon. For touring, I could really use the Superbike handlebar on there, with its wider grip and straighter reach to alleviate my aching wrists, so I’ll be mounting that soon. I’ll also need some kind of windscreen or flyscreen, not just to deflect the wind off my chest and neck, but to keep the bugs off me as well. The Aztec8 headlights performed well, once I adjusted the aim. Just a few tweaks, and the Bandit will be ready for the next trip!
