Palm Springs to Kingman to Las Vegas, by Goldwing

Read Part 1 and Part 2 here

Loafing around in Palm Springs for a few days gave us a chance to use the ‘wing for everyday chores, like heading to 7 Eleven for dollar pizza, buying last-minute Christmas presents, and taking non-riding relatives for rides. We very nearly got comfortable riding it.

Everyone wants to know what it’s like to ride such a heavy bike (two up, with all our gear and a full tank of gas, the rig was pushing 1400lbs). Anything above walking pace and it glides along easily. Acceleration is dulled by the weight of the bike, but it can definitely get out of its own way. The brakes are adequate, and the geometry of the bike means it doesn’t take much effort to steer. At speed, the ‘wing reveals its weight on dips and on sharp bumps, where the front suspension would bottom out and send a worryingly violent shudder through the frame. Learn to ride around that, and it’s a big, comfy tourer with a big helping of power.

It may be a great bike at speed, but we never quite got used to the low speed ride. Sure, we jumped at the chance to ride it, but every slow speed corner was an exercise in concentration. If it started to topple over in a full-lock, slow-speed corner, we’d never be able to catch it; instead, slipping the clutch and blipping the throttle with pull the bike upright. It wasn’t terribly tricky, but we suspect more than a few beginners have been caught out by the ‘wing’s weight. When a passenger requested permission to climb aboard, we’d brace with both legs on the ground (rather than letting the kickstand take all the weight).

Still, we loved the big beast. As the sun rose on Christmas day and we geared up for our ride to Kingman, we were giddy with excitement. We turned up the heated seats and grips, set the cruise control way up there, and headed East over Joshua Tree National Park. The road was arrow straight for a hundred miles, and we were going too fast to communicate or to listen to the radio. We hunkered down and let the miles click off.

After Havasu City, we decided to continue on the scenic route, and chose Historic Route 66 over the predictable I-40. We knew immediately that we had made the right choice. Route 66 was here a two-lane highway with a lovely grainy surface, arrow straight and right down the middle of a huge valley. Off to the sides, some guys with pickup trucks were fooling with four-wheelers and two stroke dirtbikes. On we went; our feet hadn’t touched the ground in sixty miles.

The road started to get curvy, and the scenery got more interesting as the mountains neared. Soon we were twisting around blind corners and then, to our amazement, stumbled upon a historic town. The road was full of wild burros wandering around, and a few cowboys had blocked off the road to reenact a shootout in front of perhaps one hundred people. After each blank fired off a chorus of cries came from the toddlers and infants in the audience.

After a few days in Kingman, it was time to head back to Las Vegas and drop the bike off at Escape Eagles. What a fantastic trip it was; great to experience the cosseting ride of a Goldwing, and doubly great to be free of a rental car on such a fantastic trip.

We rented the ‘wing from Escape Eagles motorcycle rental in Las Vegas

Around the West by Goldwing

Read the first part of this story here

Stefan took us through the various features of the Goldwing, and there were many.  The key fob can lock the three panniers remotely, there are two wheels to control the temperatures of the heated seats and grips, and a little knob opens a flap by the headers to allow warm air onto your tootsies.  Our Goldwing was, in a word, lush.  It didn’t have ABS or an airbag, but it was far and away the most complicated and well-equipped motorcycle we’ve ever ridden.  We were relieved to see that it was wearing Metzeler ME880s, since riding unfamiliar roads with a passenger, full panniers, and on someone else’s $20k+ motorcycle is the last place you want to make any sort of compromise on tires.

After being shown how the reverse button works (with the bike running, select neutral, press a toggle-switch, then press the starter button to run reverse off the starter motor), we nervously stepped astride for a test-ride around the block.  The bike weighs well over 900 lbs unladen, and at a walking pace, it certainly feels like it.  The clutch takeup was quite sharp, and the first time we let it out the bike leapt forward.

We were finally off!  At the turn out of the parking lot, our excitement subsided—the ‘wing felt so big and heavy that we weren’t sure we could get it straight in the first lane, and had to wait until two lanes were clear before we were comfortable proceeding.  Once straight, the big six took over (and has some weird hum, probably from the alternator, which has to power four headlights, four brake lights, heated everything, and the stereo) and launched us down the road.

We went back to Escape Eagles, packed the rest of our gear in the panniers, and headed out onto I-15.  You feel safe at speed on a Goldwing, in the cocoon of still air behind the adjustable windshield, and able to engage warp-drive with the twist of a heated grip.  However much people joke about it being a two-wheeled car, it’s still a motorcycle, with the same lovely lean through corners, the same wind noise (though much less of it) and the same difficult communication where you can’t quite hear your passenger.  We didn’t have intercoms in our helmets, but wished we did; without them, we had to slow down to 55 if ever we wanted to chat.

The first 60 miles of our trip were spent on southbound I-15, and we wondered if maybe we’d made the wrong decision.  A rental car would have cost half as much, we would have been able to chat the whole time, and we wouldn’t be chilly at all.  But then we turned onto Cima Rd toward Cima, Ca.  It was a two-lane, rough-textured concrete road through the desert.  We saw no tumbleweeds, but plenty of tumbleweed candidates.

On the highway, there’s always a struggle to maintain enough attention.  It’s boring, frankly.  Finally free of that monotony, we blasted toward Cima, taking in the desert countryside and keeping our eyes peeled just in case a desert-dwelling beast decided it was time to bound across the road.  We were headed to Palm Springs, and out of the three hundred miles between there and Las Vegas, we spent only a third on highways.  The rest were on deserted two-lane roads through huge desert valleys.  The Goldwing never skipped a beat, and returned 37.7 mpg at our first fuel stop.  We were smitten.

We rented the ‘wing from Escape Eagles

POOF! Roll away from your next crash

This, ahem, ridiculous video comes to us courtesy of England’s Motorcycle News, which featured Rejean Neron’s “Safety Sphere.” We imagine that nearly every motorcyclist has had a friend propose an inflatable protective sphere. The idea is simple—basically, an airbag enbubbles your entire body. In practice, it would take an awfully powerful explosion to inflate such a large bag, and an accidental enbubblement would throw a rider clean off his bike.

Though the Safety Sphere is possibly tongue-in-cheek, the idea of both rider-mounted and bike-mounted airbags does have merit. In 2005, Honda rolled out the first motorcycle airbag system on the luxurious Goldwing. In a front-end collision, the airbag comes out from between the handlebars and helps slow the rider down gradually.

In the rider-mounted, partial enbubblement corner is Dainese with their relatively new D-Air suits for racers and street riders. It combines a bike-mounted accelerometer on the forks, which detects collisions, and a rider-mounted pneumatic system with an inflatable airbag. The systems are in radio contact, and in the event of a crash, the airbag deploys and helps minimize rider injury.

We love seeing these developments. Yes, they might increase the complexity and cost of motorcycling, but if a full or partial enbubbling device would mean the difference between being laid-up with injuries and being back on the bike, the extra cost could be well worth it.

Metzeler holiday gift guide: Part 1

The holidays are just around the corner and there are some great presents for motorheads. Here are a few things we think any rider would be thrilled to find under the tree.

Escape Eagles Harley and Goldwing Rental

Forget gambling and get a guaranteed return on your money with Escape Eagles’ Harley and Goldwing rentals in Vegas. Cruiser guys will obviously be excited; everyone else secretly wants a crack on a Harley. Escape Eagles provides helmets, gloves, and jackets, and prices are around $150 a day. We’re riding one of their Goldwings through Arizona and California at the end of December and couldn’t be more excited. Heated grips and seats, electric centerstand, navigation, and 1.8 liters. That’s more luxury than any car we’d have rented.   Escapeeagles.com

Icon Touch Gloves

Icon’s Touch gloves have conductive leather in the fingertips to make any touch screen dance. Now getting a phone call won’t be an exercise in frustration, and it’s easier to capture a spur-of-the-moment photograph on a camera phone as well. Of course, it’s also got knuckleguards and leather galore.
$100 at rideicon.com

Metzeler ME880 tires

The ME 880 is praised on riding forums for both its durability and ride characteristics.  Read some reviews and consider them for your next cruiser or custom tire–we think you will be pleased with their performance.    They offer 20% better mileage than OE, excellent wet and dry grip, and handle better than most OE tires.

From Amazon.com

Gerbing Heated gloves, jacket liners, and pants

December through February are the year’s coldest months, but riders with heated gear swear that it makes riding throughout the year more enjoyable. Gerbing is our favorite heated gear company, and while their current line is made in China, they’re moving the manufacturing to North Carolina as we speak. $200 and up – Gerbing.com

TT3D Closer to the Edge

Says Amazon of this amazing documentary: “The Isle of Man Tourist Trophy is the greatest motorcycle road race in the world, the ultimate challenge for rider and machine. It has always called for a commitment far beyond any other racing event, and many have made the ultimate sacrifice in their quest for victory. TT: Closer to the Edge is a story about freedom of choice, the strength of human spirit and the will to win. It’s also an examination of what motivates those rare few, this elite band of brothers who risk everything to win. “  It’s a tough one, it looks like it only works with Region 2 DVD players.  Caveat Emptor.