5.30.2014

Rode into work again today.  Temps were in the high 80s and with the sun beating down on the ride home it was a warm one!  I've put on over 500 miles at this point and I finally feel like I am getting used to the handling characteristics of this bike compared to my ST1300.  The low center of gravity, long wheelbase and weight of the bike really make the ride smooth.  The brakes on the bike are fantastic.  Luckily I haven't had to make any emergency stops yet but with the linked braking system it really helps slow this gorilla down, it definitely adds a level of confidence knowing the stopping power is there if I really need it.  I'm picking up the spare windscreens tomorrow and want to give those a try.  In most of the forums and articles I'm reading that riders are swapping out screens and thats really making a big difference with buffeting and wind noise so I'll report back what I find out.  I did a google search on some flip screens and came up with this bike [pictured below].  Obviously there are a few other adds but I really dig the non painted wheels.  The exposed aluminum along with the other shiny covers and bits make for a really clean look.  Throw in a mid level flip clear screen and I would say that the bike pictured below (not mine) is what I would want mine to look like I had a few extra bucks to throw at it.  The forecast this weekend is spotty at best so I might be taking a weekend off...stay tuned.

5.29.2014

Rode in to work today.  I parked at the Minneapolis Parking ramp B motorcycle parking area off of 5th street [pictured below].  It is tucked away near the entrance to the car ramp...I totally missed it the first time through.  I had to loop all the way through the ramp and then back down and in again.  When I was gearing up to head home I was approached by a fellow two wheel enthusiast who told me he really was digging the F6B.  I definitely see the novelty of the bike considering its a newer model but it isn't that far off from an "old man" Goldwing.  Either way I appreciated the compliment and headed home.  Traffic was about the same coming in and going home, nothing too bad just the typical Minnesota merging issues at every exit/onramp that somehow ripples across all lanes - including the diamond lane?!  The temp was a little on the warm side clocking in somewhere in mid 80's with full on sunshine.  I'm still wearing my full face Arai helmet that I've had for the last few riding seasons and it might be time to upgrade something that'll let me breathe a little better and has a cruiser aesthetic.

5.28.2014

Tonight I took a spin through Minnesota's capital city.  St. Paul is an interesting city full of all kinds of sights but two of my favorites are the Xcel Energy Center and the Cathedral of St. Paul.  The "X" as it is affectionately known is home to the Minnesota Wild and host to lots of great concerts [pictured below].  Not too far away is the Cathedral of St. Paul [also pictured below]. I've only been inside it twice, once when I was confirmed there along with my catholic brethren, and then again for my sisters confirmation a few years later.  The size and architecture of the building are amazing and I thought it would make for a nice backdrop for the Death Star (working on nicknames for the bike, obviously paying homage to Star Wars with that one...although now that I just thought about that the Death Star was destroyed by the Jedi so I might have to work on something else, or, I suppose just avoid Jedi...).  Ok, I've harnessed my inner geek for now.  I blasted over there on crosstown (62) and then made my way up West 7th to Snelling.  My intention was to swing by my buddy Brian's place just north of the Highland Park area but when I rolled up to his house I noticed that he had texted me to meet him over at The Nook.  Brian and his wife went over there for dinner and he wanted to see the bike so I trekked down a few blocks to Hamline right across for Cretin Derham Hall.  After we chatted for a while we went outside where he got a good look at the bike and then it was back on the bike for a blast through the outskirts of downtown St. Paul.  Eventually I snaked my way back down 35E to west 7th and then back west on 62 back home.  The weather was a little warm on the ride over but had cooled to perfect cruising temps by the ride back.

5.25.2014

I just got back from a solo mission in the west metro.  I headed out west on 7, made my way up 19 (oak) towards Lord Fletchers.  After meeting up with North Shore Drive I made my way back through Navarre and stopped at the Holiday Station for gas.  As soon as I pulled up a man and a woman stopped over to check out the bike.  He was blown away by the F6B.  He really like the blacked out look and thought it looked really sinister.  He asked how big the motor was and couldn't believe that they've bumped up to 1800.  He mentioned that he had a 1200 which would mean his was an 83-87 before the 1500 was released.  He said that he used to take regular trips out to California and that he loved the bike.  He was a nice guy but his wife was a real treat, each time he would finish talking she would point out some other nice part on the bike and then ask if there was room in the saddlebags for a spare.  For example, "oooo that back seat looks nice...is there room in the back for a spare?" and "the radio looks nice...is there room in the back for a spare?"  Thankfully I was topped off and getting my helmet on after just a few minutes so we said our goodbyes and parted ways.  Instead of just meeting up with 7 and heading home I decided to extend the trip a little farther so I cruised down Smithtown Road off of 19 and snaked my way down to 5, came back up 41 to 7 and then headed home.  The picture below is at the Lake Virginia public launch off of Smithtown Road.

5.23.2014

Back to back gorgeous days which means more time on the bike.  Tonight Amanda and I rode over to Edina to grab a bite to eat at our favorite, PF Changs [picture below].  After dinner we stopped at Crate & Barrel to get a wedding gift for Jake & Michelle.  Since we were already at the Galleria we had to check out the new David Yurman store.  Luckily I didn't drop a paycheck while we were there but we got some "ideas" since the sales staff was insistent that we both try on everything in each showcase.  The sun was starting its ascent so we decided to hit the road so we could do the usual lake cruise before settling in to catch up on Game of Thrones.  I'm trying harder to train myself to take more pictures on these rides because I like when blogs have pictures so hopefully whoever reads this enjoys it as well!  The pictures below are from Lafayette Bay and then Old Channel Bay by Locke Point on Lake Minnetonka.  I'm at 360 miles on the year and counting...

5.22.2014

Today I took the bike into work for the second time this season.  I parked in the LaSalle ramp next to a nice looking Ducati and two away from a yellow Wing [pictured below].  After work I headed home to pick up Amanda to head to the first PT on the Patio at The Lookout bar in Maple Grove.  We hit some major traffic heading north of 494 so we decided to get off the highway at scoot down some side streets.  We exited at 6 and then met up with Vicksburg and just set sail north.  Lucky enough for us Vicksburg turns into West Fish Lake Road which runs right into Weaver Lake Road which is where we were going to exit off of 94.  There was a great turnout for the event and I was able to catch up with a few friends of mine that I don't get to see as often anymore - [picture of me and my good friend Corey below].  After the PT on the Patio show wrapped and we said our goodbyes it was back on the bike.  Since the weather was so nice we decided to take 101 all the way back home to extend our ride some more.

5.18.2014

Another beautiful day and another great two up ride.  The temp was in the low 70s with minimal cloud cover and a brisk wind.  Amanda and I headed west on 7 out to county road 10 just past St. Boni.  We took 10 south and met up with 5 and made the stretch back.  After meeting up with Dell and heading towards home I decided to stop at Holiday to gas up.  While we were there we got a few looks - the guy gassing up across from us gave us the old "cool bike" line.  As far as the bike goes the one thing I did notice was the radio/clock screen reflected quite a bit of glare upwards with the sun behind us.  It was manageable for the small distance but if I was taking a longer I would need to get something to cover that up.  Hopefully I'll get to take the bike to work at least one if not more times this week.

5.17.2014

Met my mom and Amanda over at Wally's for lunch.  Just a quick blast via 494 on the south end of town to Penn and then back.  I'm still really diggin' the bike but I have one issue so far - the saddlebags cannot fit my full face helmet.  The weather this weekend is great so I'll probably take it out tomorrow for a proper ride.

5.16.2014

Tonight Amanda and I took the bike to The Suburban in downtown Excelsior to grab a bite to eat.  That's me with the Mac Daddy, its mac n' cheese over a strip of bacon on top of a hot dog between a poppyseed bun.  The food was decent, Amanda really liked her burger and the cheese curds we solid.  I'm sure we'll be back again this summer.  Afterwards we decided to take a cruise around Lake Minnetonka.  From Excelsior we headed north on Oak/Manitou/Shadywood and then met up with Shoreline Dr.  We then took Shoreline to 12 and met up with 494 and headed home.  Another brisk night but the sun was shining and the roads are dry so there was no excuse not to be out!  I'm at about 160 miles on the year with just a few little trips under my belt.  The bike has performed flawlessly.  Overall I'm really impressed with the motor.  Plenty of midrange torque which means that I can keep my shifting to a minimum.  The low center of gravity and longer wheelbase make for great two up riding.  I'm looking forward to more seat time this weekend since the temps are supposed to be in the mid 60s maybe low 70s on Sunday.

**EDIT**
Amanda and I met my good friend and favorite South Dakotan Jacob Zachary (@therealmnsnake) at The Suburban.  Jake and I met in college while we were both part of the planning committee for Spring Jam, University of Minnesota's celebration of all things spring - think homecoming for the end of the year.  We were roomies our senior year at the "beta annex" on 10th AVE SE  & 6th in Dinkytown.  We were mostly known as having the best deck on campus and hosting free keg night the week before school started...oh the good ol days...

5.14.2014

Tonight Amanda and I took the bike downtown to Butcher and the Boar - for my birthday!  The weather was fantastic on the ride down.  We took 7 east to 100 then met up with 394.  We left early because we anticipated a little traffic, however, we made great time.  Our dinner reservation wasn't until 7 so we took Washington north then cruised across the Broadway bridge into NE.  We took Broadway to University then went south and came into town from the north side.  The ride home was much quicker.  We just blasted west on 394 to 494 south to 7.  The weather had cooled quite a bit and again I can't say enough good things about the heated grips.  I still need to get out on a solo ride and really shake this spaceship down but so far so good.

5.9.2014

This whole first week with the bike has proved to be frustrating considering the cold and wet weather.  I was planning on riding in to work today but with the forecasted threat of thunderstorms throughout the day I decided not to take the risk.  When I got home from work there wasn't a dark cloud in site and the sun was shining.  I really wanted to get some seat time before we start house projects this weekend so I convinced Amanda to go for a little spin.  We ended up cruising to Bloomington to look at the new development over by Dred Scott.  We were getting hungry so we decided to stop in to Chick-fil-A for some chow.  After filling up we headed home for the night.  The air temp was a little cold on the way home so the heated handgrips were a real win to keep my digits toasty.  In total I've put on about 100 miles thus far.

5.5.2014

Today was my first official day on the 2013 Honda F6B.  After meeting with Tim (seller) and finalizing the deal at my credit union I rode away on my latest Honda.  I took the bike to work and when I got home Amanda and I went out for a cruise around lake Minnetonka.  The temps were in the high 60's and the sun was shining.  It was an absolutely beautiful night and a great maiden voyage.