I Feel the Need for Speed…

What can you do when you find yourself bike-less in beautiful San Diego over the 4th of July weekend? You can rent GoCars! Yes, I said GoCars not Go-Karts, which is something totally different.

We were heading west on Hawthorne street towards Harbor Drive on a quick drive down Sunset Cliffs in Ocean Beach when I spied little yellow cars lined up outside a rental agency. Mini New York City cabs, if you will. The tiny three wheeled contraptions were sitting under a sign that exclaimed “GoCar GPS-Guided Tours ® The Original Storytelling Car!” Never one to turn down something as simultaneously geeky and awesome as this, I convinced “S” we had to do it! Three days later and an interesting ride on the public bus and a walk through downtown San Diego; we were standing at the counter waiting on our first GoCar experience.

After some quibbling between the counter guy and his helper, a sort of Mutt and Jeff pairing if I ever saw one, we hopped in GoCar #8. It had handlebars like a motorcycle, automatic transmission, and was powered by a 50cc scooter tail section. Left lever rear brake, right lever front brake, twist throttle and go…Not a problem!

We cranked it up and all 50cc’s of ground pounding terror roared to life! I grabbed a fist full of throttle and the tail end kicked up as the automatic transmission engaged and off we went. Right out of the parking lot onto Kettner, another right on to Hawthorne toward Harbor Drive. We screamed west towards the harbor with the throttle pinned, inches off of the ground! (Now mind you the roads are rough and GoCar has no suspension to speak of, so it made crossing the train tracks a bit of a visceral experience!)
We started laughing the minute we left the rental agency and we were in tears by the time we passed the first block. I swerved left crossing two lanes of traffic to make the upcoming left, as instructed by GoCar’s onboard talking GPS tour guide, “S” shouted over the roar of the motor, “Slow down, you’re going too fast!” I looked down at the speedometer, then over at “S” and exclaimed “We’re only going 30. It won’t go any faster!” At that statement we both roared with laughter as we idled at the light. When you’re cruising about 6 inches off the ground, the little car seems deceptively quick, that combined with the direct link rear steering makes the car handle like it is on rails.

Everywhere we went pedestrians and people in cars were breaking their necks to see the little yellow car. As we scooted down the streets we were greeted with waves, thumbs up, and smiles. You would think that people behind us would get irate because we were only doing thirty in what was clearly a moving tourist attraction, but we were met with nothing but awe and exclamation as they passed us. (Not the case in the SUV that “S” borrowed from her friend.)

As we cruised along GoCar "Lady" explained historical points of interest interspersed with some obvious paid advertisements. Like the local Hooters, at which point GoCar, in her pleasant female voice, said…”I have a Hooter too!” “S” and I looked at each other…"Did GoCar just say what I thought it said?” Then she stated “It’s my horn button on the left handle bar!” (Insert appropriate lame joke rim shot here) Bad jokes aside, the tour was good and we had a blast.

After touring most of downtown we headed north up 5th Avenue and made a stop at a place called Extraordinary Desserts. This place is a sweet-o-phile’s heaven. I couldn’t focus; there were too many choices. “S” and I split a Lemon Crème Brule that was fan-fricken-tastic!

Sugared-up we got back on the road and did a quick tour of Balboa Park. We approached the fountain in the main section of the park and I had to do the roundabout several times. The people on the San Diego Trolley tour could hear our laughter as we passed them. They waved to us each time we made a rotation.

We blasted out of the park and headed back towards downtown passing several bars and restaurants in the University Heights/Hillcrest district. GoCar, who is apparently well-versed in the alternative lifestyles of University Heights/Hilcrest, pointed out several alternative bars in the area including The Flame. According to GoCar this bar is “the oldest alternative bar that caters to San Diego’s vibrant lesbian community!” I’m not sure, but I think GoCar touched “S” in a hand on the knee sort of way! (LOL)

We wheeled GoCar back towards downtown but since we had about 20 minutes left on our two hour rental we passed the agency and turned right on Harbor Drive instead of left. “S” knew where to find a couple of roundabouts which we circumnavigated a couple of times.

“S” even made a video clip. If you listen you can hear her laughing above the din of the motor.

We never figured out why there was an "Ejection Seat". I'd pressed it, if I didn't think we would of have gotten stranded.

So if you find the opportunity to ride a GoCar we highly recommend it! You might even find one in Austin one day. Wouldn't that help to keep Austin weird?!

“The mayor has more important things to worry about than a bunch of nude people at a biker rally...”

...was the quote from the Austin Mayor’s office regarding reports of lewd and lascivious behavior at the Republic of Texas Motorcycle Rally, (R.O.T.). Someone delivered a large number of pictures showing nude bikers, mobile stripper poles (with strippers), “Did I mention there were mobile strippers?” “K”. All the while, local law enforcement patrolled the area.
Want to see the whole story go to- http://www.kvue.com/video/index.html?nvid=258007

Yes, there were freewheeling breasts, yes there was lots of motorized “hot dogging”(mechanical and biological), and indeed there was some alcohol consumed at the (R.O.T). “Oh yeah, did I mention the mobile strippers?” “K”.

It was our first R.O.T.! Bikes galore! Tattoos aplenty! We joined “S’s” sister and boyfriend to take part in this gathering of motorcycle enthusiast. We drank beer, wandered around the exhibits, bought a back roads map of central Texas, listened to local bands, and all the while soaking up the intense biker atmosphere. Check out the official photos of the rally at http://www.rotrally.com/Pages/Public/Media.asp

We wandered over to the “Wall of Death” show. A large tin can of a building where motocross bikes sped up the walls, centrifugal force keeping them and riders glued to the wooden slatted walls. The audience, peering down into the pit, was asked to hold a dollar bill between their fingers. Then a guy on a go-kart raced around the pit walls gaining height with each revolution to pluck the dollars from our fingers. It’s a living.

As the sun set, we joined the carousing and cavorting crowd as they moved towards the main stage to see the Charlie Daniels Band. They were great! His voice is still sharp and crisp. We danced and sang right along.

“K” insisted on having meat on a bone, (aka turkey leg) while “S” enjoyed another version of something on a stick, a corndog!

“S” knew it was time to go when the parade of half naked men and women motorcyclist varoomed down the center of the Expo Center and she looked over at “K” and he had Mardi Gras beads hanging from his baseball cap.

“Pole strippers? Yes, there were nude 60-year old pole strippers with hanging boobs and sagging asses! Enjoy, “K” “S”.

After all was said and done, the dust and the smoke cleared, the rowdy bikers returned to being your dentists, accountants, and lawyers. While some of us remain just two geeks on a bike.

P.S. Did I mention that there were mobile strippers and not all were 60+. I think we’re getting an RV spot next year. “K”

Side note:
We have a very animated mayor in Austin, check out other stories related to Mayor Wynn. We love him! Who else would call the last round of trivia at Mother Egan’s Irish Pub on Tuesday nights!
http://www.kvue.com/news/top/stories/030508kvueMayorWynn-cb.2618c644.html

Fully Dressed!

Equipment Modifications complete:

So after much grief for spending hours upon hours searching the Internet for the best quality at the best price from “S” I finally settled on saddlebags. I purchased the Ameritex Futura bags from JC Whitney (photo from JCWhitney website). They are synthetic which is good for clean up and won’t rot like leather. I purchased the XX size so they are fairly large. Although the XXX bags have a cell phone pocket on each side, I thought they might hit the exhaust on the right side of the bike, which in itself is another issue. The XX are wide and deep enough to hold plenty of stuff to keep us going on a pretty decent trip.

They are detachable and have three quick release buckles for each side allowing for easy removal while traveling. Next on the list were Saddle bag supports to keep them from rubbing the rear swing arm and tire. It also gives you a place to tie the bags off so they don’t flap around in the wind.

Other modifications included passenger peg extensions and floorboards. The C50 passenger pegs are up high and "S's" legs were folded back at an awkward, uncomfortable angle. This cuts off blood flow to her lower legs and causes cramping on longer rides. It also causes the tailbone to support most of the passenger’s weight which fatigues the back. The extensions lower the passenger’s feet by about 3 inches and moves them forward about 2 inches. The floorboards will give her more room to move her feet around in different positions helping to eliminate the onset of cramps and fatigue. Which translates to less stops along the way.

“S” was on a solo adventure to Anaheim, CA when I installed these items so I hope the extensions and the backrest make her more comfortable. I’m really excited to have her test them out on our next ride. She’ll have to give her report after we get back from vacation.

Where I purchased the parts

Ameritex Futura Saddlebags – JC Whitney
Saddlebag Supports – JC Whitney
Floorboards (note the floorboards are actually for a 1981 Honda - Gold Wing) – JC Whitney $64.99
Peg Extensions – Waynesville Cycle
Backrest – Cruiserbackrest.com
Sissybar Bag (this was a great deal) – Wal-Mart $35.00.

A note about these stores: I’m always leery of sending money to online stores and I suggest that if you are going to make a purchase do some research on many of the online motorcycle forums. Caveat Emptor!

That said, I can’t say enough about JC Whitney, Cruiser Backrest, and Waynesville Cycle. All three of these vendors were quick to ship and I had parts in hand within 3 days of ordering.

Installation wasn’t too bad, everything lined up fairly well. I also took this opportunity to adjust the rear suspension. I noticed on our last 2-up ride that the rear end kind of wallowed around turns and just felt mushy in general. I purchased a 63mm suspension wrench. I had to remove the side panel from beneath the seat then both seats. That was not a problem because I had to remove the pillion in order to install the saddlebag mounting system anyway. Then I had to remove the batter box. I didn’t disconnect it I just removed the screws and pulled the box up high enough to clear the shock wrench. The factory ships the bike with the rear shock at mid- position #4 and I moved it up two notches to six. That should give us plenty of spring pre-load to carry the two of us plus luggage.

I can’t wait for the next trip! Which there is still debate over. We don't know if we should go on our hunt for BBQ or search for ghosts.

Can you tell me how to get...how to get to...

Sunny Day

Sweepin' the clouds away

On my way to where the air is sweet

Can you tell me how to get, How to get to Hico, Texas!


View Larger Map

TO HICO from AUSTIN:
We headed out 183 N

then 281 N to Lampasas

Just outside of Lampasas take

FM 1690 N to Izoro through Pearl to Purmela

At Purmela take FM 1241 N

You end up on 281 N just outside of Hamilton

Continue on 281 N to Hico

FROM HICO to AUSTIN:

Going home we made a little mistake, but it was the best mistake I had made in a while. We ended up at a Y sitting in the middle of cow pastures and rolling hills. Because we stopped there to take pictures of the old fence and barn, and to be honest, take a leak behind a bush, we missed a summer rain storm down the road.

We headed E on Hwy 6 towards Iredell just before you get to town take FM 1238 S to Cransfill Gap

Then we headed W on Hwy 22 back to Hamilton then because it was getting dark we headed S on 281 to 183 S in Lampasas to get home quickly.


More pics of the Hico trip coming soon!

Still NOT it...

Okay, now the scooter was not spotted in the Lone Star state, and it is still not what we are looking for.

We just thought it would be a nice diversion.

The spotting took place in Oak Hill, Providence, Rhode Island, a few blocks from my niece's former apartment.

Notice the convenient "scooter hitchin' posts"!

Hico or Bust

Our second trip was northwest to Hico were we intended to eat some serious backyard steaks cooked by some serious Backyard BBQ warriors. Ok, that may be a bit of an exaggeration...for the most part they were restaurant owners competing for the prize of top steak.

We didn't get steak, even though that's what we went to Hico for; we opted to eat dinner at the local Mexican food restaurant. The steaks wouldn't be done in time for us to leave at a decent hour.

Bovine delicacies aside, this was the longest and most enjoyable ride we've had. All 306 miles of Central Texas Hill country and rural road...and the most beautiful sunset we've seen. We were tired and sore by the time we arrived home (we left at 10:30am and arrived home at 11:30pm ) but we saw some of the best scenery and experienced a quiet that only rural America can provide...I can't even put it into words! It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words...I'll let them do the speaking for us.






Along the way we took a bypass to the town of Izoro. Well I say it was a town it was only an old Texaco station surrounded by farms. The now defunct Texaco Station is now the Izoro Post office.

"S" Kisses-up to the Locals outside the Koffee Kup in Downtown Hico.


The inside of a Historic Saddle-Maker/Blacksmith shop in downtown Hico. The log cabin was set up the same way it would've been in the 1800's.


The junction of FM 219...a brief rest before we headed to the town of Cranfils Gap. With the thunderstorms blowing through the area. "The Gap" was a windy mofo!

We stopped in the town of Evant to allow the thunderstorms ahead of us to pass. When we left we were treated to one of the most spectacular sunsets I think either of us have seen!

Our Parting Shot, "S" said we had to have a sunset photo with the bike!

This is NOT what we were thinking of...

We found our first "Truck on a Stick,"or better said, "Toy Truck on a Stick"
















Although technically it is a truck on a stick; it is clearly not what we were looking for or referring to in our first blog. Still looking for the real deal!

If you would like to take a gander at this anomaly, just drive north on 183 to Cedar Park; it is on the left hand side.