Where 5 o'clock does not matter.

It's 5:00PM on a weekday.

The sun is out, it's about 78 degrees.

I need to ride.

I set out, camera around my neck, in search of my favorite
roads, where 5 o'clock doesn't matter.

Ahhh, I love my neighborhood


A pretty little house I've had my eye on.


Back streets of Hollis, NH


The apple crates are out, it's almost picking season


No traffic here


I borrowed this driveway for a quick photoshoot...till the owner came out.

An Ordinary Ride

Most of my riding is not extrodinary. Much of it is mundane, but enjoyable. I was inspired by a fellow Rounder, to write a report that showed the ordinary things that I experience while riding in my area. I hope that people from others areas will enjoy seeing my rideable world.

There was a Yankee Beemer breakfast Sunday morning in Westminster, MA. Breakfast broke up around 1:00, I had about 4 hours for riding. I headed west with the camera around my neck and took lots of pictures. Most of the following were taken while riding.

Self Portrait


Rte 2 is a major East West Route accross Northern MA. It becomes an undivided highway in the western part of the state.




People that think all of Massachusetts is like Boston, would be suprised to learn that much the western part of the state is rural.


Hey look I'm doing the speed limit, due to the state trooper in my mirror


Heath Center Road. Heading north off of Rte 2 leads to many pretty small towns.




There is a lot of this to look at. Green fields and cows




North on MA 112 heading toward Vermont. Lot's of bridge construction around.


What's not to like about riding in Vermont? This sunshine thing is great!


I wonder how many coffee shops there are in Brattlboro, VT? I almost feel guilty that this is the one I always stop at.


Connecticut River Bridge Rte 9 from Vermont back into New Hampshire.


Heading west on Rte9 toward Keene, NH. What a perfect day for a ride, temps around 80 after a long stretch of rainy days.


I stopped short of the red light to snap this picture. Thankfully he was busy with someone else.


It's fun to hit this corner with no car in front of you. Although I'd probably want to put the camera down.


Someday I'll stop and take a proper picture of Dublin, NH center. The flag pole is smack dab in the middle of the road. The building on the left, where you can see Yankee, is where the Old Farmer's Almanac is published.


More bridge work. The roads in New Hampshire are in very nice riding shape.


Getting closer to home, the corn is high in Milford


And that is what I have to put up with riding in NH, MA & VT.

Dear SheRidesABeemer:

As a result of my blog and participation in various motorcycle forums, I get my fair share of letters. Many times the questions repeat. I've answered this one many ways and many times and decided it's time I add it to the blog.

Hi Gail –
The reason I am contacting you is about your K75—I have my eye on a 1992 K75 with a K1 fairing and was wondering if you wouldn’t mind offering up your opinion(s) on the bike.

I am 5’7” and come from 2 previous Harleys (1995 883 Sportster Hugger and a 1997 1340 FLSTF Fat Boy) and am wondering about fit and handling of the K75…

Any thoughts/advice/suggestions you could relay would be most appreciated…

Amy from Maryland



Dear Amy,
Thank you for writing. I am glad to hear that you are interested in a K75. It's a great bike. It is good to hear that you are not a novice ride, I could not recommend the K75 to a novice, it's a very top heavy bike. The difference between standing and sitting on that bike is about 2 inches.

Riding a bike with your feet on pegs under you is an entirely different world from the laid back cruiser position you are used to. The K75 is rather top heavy, if you've never ridden an older K bike, you may not know what I mean. A big handful of brakes and you feel vulnerable, like the bike is going to be off balance in a hurry.

5'7" is probably tall enough for the K bike. I'm 5'10, but I carry my height in my torso, I have a 32.5 inch inseam, I can easily flat foot the bike. There are many people out there to advise you on ways to pick up an inch here and there on a K bike.
Again, I am reminded that you are coming from a cruiser where your knees are bent to almost 45 degrees when you are sitting on your bike, not so here.

I'm partial to the K75C model that I have. The K75S has sportier handle bars, I found it to be too "squirrely", too touchy. The K75RT is a whole different animal, it has the heavy fairing, meaning extra top heavy, not enough power. You say you are looking at a bike that someone has put a K1 fairing on? Hmmm, I wouldn't go there (where is the rest of the K1?!) K75C's with 40K miles can still be found in the $3,500 range. Just bring them to a trusted mechanic to have the splines checked out. Many owners bail out on their's if they have not properly maintained the splines.

Good luck with your decision. My K75 was my first bike 10 years ago, and still my favorite. It only took me 3 or 4 years to stop dropping it in parking lots.

Gail

Heading to Canada, eh?

We Heart Rain?


You'd think that after 10 years of riding, I'd have the hang of being prepared for a trip; but it seems that each and every outing this season, I've forgotten something. For this trip, I forgot that it can be 52 degrees in August. What's up with that? There is just something about packing when it's almost 90 that causes you to forget this.

Friday we did well to roll out of the garage at 7:30AM. Our rain gear was taking up half of a hard case and I had our stuff packed in a dry bag, this turned out to be a good decision. We enjoyed glimses of the sun for about an hour. Then solid clouds...then rain by about 12:30. This kept up in various intensity for about 3 hours.

Gas Break in Maine


Moods were drooping as we headed toward Lubec, I was concerned that we'd get washed out of our West Quoddy Lighthouse visit, which was the whole point of the Lubec detour. But the weather gods cooperated and the skys lightened up an hour outside of the Eastern most town in the USA and we were able to shoot away at the light house.







We enjoyed a nice room, yummy drinks and a hearty dinner at the Cohill's Inn in Lubec. This 9 room Inn is very motorcycle friendly. The owner helped cover the seat of my bike and shared pictures of his bike projects. Canada is so close (you could see the bridge to Campobello Island), our cell phones put us on Atlantic time and the radio broadcasts where from Canada.

Morning Fog in Lubec






We crossed the bridge, breezed through customs and caught the Campobello Island Ferry to Deer Island. The ferry rides to the mainland NB saved us about 100 miles. It was a fun adventure, albeit a little wet. It was $23 for the two bikes, the fee is published as $8 apeice but a fuel surcharge has been implemented.

Another Headlight Reflection Shot from the Ferry


Waiting for the free ferry from Deer Island to the mainland


A couple hours later we rolled into our friends driveway just north of Muncton, NB

Getting Goofy in the Garage


Our Little Rounder's Gang - Cheers


It was a short but fun visit, there were 5 of us up from Mass & NH. Kevin left with two of them at dawn on Sunday morning. Lisa and I slept in; leaving at 10:00. We "enjoyed" the heavy overcast (no rain) until almost 3:00. Shortly after a rest break, where we optomistically shed some of our rain gear, it of course...started to rain. And rain hard. We were in line at customs at Holton, ME, putting our rain pants back on.

We were ok riding in the rain, but it became not ok when lightening started showing up in the dark clouds. I decided that was reason enough to bail off the Maine Turnpike when I saw the Best Western sign in Orono, ME.

A warmed up Lisa enjoys her fast food feast



Monday morning was more clouds, more rain and basically a 4 hours ride we just endured. I make one stop in Augusta to get a new picture of the capitol.

Lisa took the opportunity to text her friends



We were home before 3:00, dirty and tired, another adventure under our belt.