It's been a few days since I got home. It was a very exciting last 2 days ride to Denver.
Friday (day 2) was the longest day. 600 miles. It was great temps and pretty uneventful EXCEPT when I got to within 30 miles of the stop for the night (Junction City KS). I decided to stop and stretch my legs. I was getting tired. I pulled off the highway then back on to the on-ramp to stop. It was pitch black and getting windy. No traffic to speak of. I stopped the bike, turned on the flashers, then put the kick stand down. Then I got off the bike. I didn't realize how steep the on-ramp was because just after I climbed off it started to roll down hill and off the kickstand. Because I was standing on the left side it started to slowly fall onto the tip over bars. No biggie really except my right foot was under the rear bar when it rolled downhill. I tried to stop it but as I tried to lift it, it laid on my foot. Crushing as it slid down hill. No matter how hard I tried, the pain (and the awkward angle i was standing and trapped) was keeping me from lifting it off. Split decision later, I decided to lift it enough to get my foot out then let it lay on the ground instead. Then I put it in gear to keep the forward momentum at bay. Cursed a while as I tried to shake off the pain. Holy crap I think I broke my foot. It laid just aft of the "reinforced toe" on my brand new Tourmaster boots.
30 minutes later I hit the road, throbbing foot and all. Man did it hurt. I got to the hotel and limped to my room. Off the boot went to reveal my 3 right toes and middle of the foot black, blue, and swollen. What did I do.
Day 3, the last stretch.
A long night later, I got up to get ready to hit the last 500 miles. I could barely walk without the boot on. It was pure torture to get the boot on but when I did, it clamped down so as to result in a constant throbbing pain. If I walked so as to not bend the toes it was bearable. Barely.
A quick look at the forecast for the day was the last thing I did. It was still 70 degrees at 8 am there. I couldn't believe it. I was going to have 70's until I would get to within 120 miles of home. Them it would drop fast.
What really surprised me was how windy it was. Nothing unusual for Kansas but this was ridiculous. An extreme wind out of the south made the ride physically difficult. The bike did wonderful though. I'm sure everyone I went by thought I was nuts. The bike was leaning left probably 10-15 degrees all day. Every once in a whole I'd get a gust and it would grab my helmet and push it rearward. It was so bad it reminded me of the movies in the desert during a sand storm. Dirt off the fields were keeping visibility down but when you look up you'd see blue sky. I could taste the dirt inside the helmet. Tumbleweeds galore. I'd hit one on occasion. It made me laugh because it was like the bike was a grinder. The tumbleweed would disappear under the front of the bike only to reappear being spit out up through the handle bar hole in the faring in small pieces up through the hole over my head. My description can't do it justice.
The winds were so bad (didn't slow me down though) that the average MPG went from 42 to 25, all at 75MPH.
Along I went, stopping a little more than before (gas and breaks). This continued for about 380 miles until I crossed the border to Colorado.
The strangest thing happened. I'm no stranger to fronts as I deal with them daily controlling aircraft at DIA but all of a sudden, the winds stopped. The bike stood straight up. Then the temps started to drop then WHAM! The winds turned 180 degrees and were now coming out of the north. When I say the temps started to drop, I say this with ZERO embellishment, it dropped 12 degrees in 2 (TWO) miles. 70 to 58. I immediately stopped and bundled up. I had to!
Now I'm winter riding the rest of the trip. The temps continued to drop to the upper 30's. About 100 miles from home I was getting snowed on. Damn!! I was hoping to beat the snow. That first snow didn't last long and it was 37 with just wet roads.
I called my wife. She said its sticking on the ground at home. Again, DAMN!!
Long story ending short, I made it to within 20 miles of home. I stopped by a friends house. He was going to trailer the bike home for me the rest of the way. Just after I pulled in to his place it started sleeting, snowing hard, and accumulating on the ground. I stopped at the very last minute. I kid you not.
The bike when I stopped.
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A couple hours later we are on the highway heading to my place with bike in tow. 25 MPH in a 75. Snow probably 4" thick on the ground. What a blessing it was to be able to stop when I did. It was a challenge in and of itself to get the bike on the trailer. Aluminum covered with snow and ice is not an ideal surface to ride a bike onto.
After getting home, putting the bike in its heated garage, and laying back on the couch, my wife noticed my toes. All I have seen is the tops. She commented on the bottom. The whole bottom right side of my foot was black.
Two days later it still hurts but not as bad. Limp is almost gone and the swelling and color is returning to normal.
I haven't touched the bike since I got home. It's filthy with road/rain/snow grime. I have no idea why it didn't occur to me just to leave the bike at my friends house. Oh well.
Now I'm shopping for accessories. My weekend is Fri and Sat so I will clean her up and give her some well deserved TLC after she treated me so well.
Got to get a bigger screen. The Ness is too short even when all the way up.
Some misc chrome pieces, a battery tender, run some wires for my radar detector, mount the phone cradle, and just get to know her is on the docket for the near future. I've order a service manual.
V92TC
Linear Mode
