Ok, so it looks like I'm actually starting to make some things happen, in no small part due to Duncan's prodding.

Yesterday, Duncan and I took our first real ride of the season. Unfortunately, I didn't sleep much the night before so we ended up hitting the road well past 13:30.

I took the K100RS. Duncan was on his K1300S.

The K100 is running better than it ever has. I'm not sure what they did but I swear the bike has significantly more power. It also feels completely different. I kept thinking I was running in a higher gear than I thought I was. Where I would normally ride along in fifth, more times than not I found myself riding in fourth.

We headed north on 216 to 10 Oaks road and wound our way to 97 heading well north of route 70 up through Westminster at which point we started heading west out Uniontown Road. There are some seriously nice roads out that way. We eventually bailed on Uniontown road because it was getting late and Duncan needed to get back, so we turned southwards on UnionBridge road and stopped for a snack and cup of coffee at the 7/11 in Union Bridge. There's a huge cement factory there.

The weather was cool, but sunny. Temperatures ranged from just under 60 down to the lower 40's. Between the new heated handlebar grips, my electric vest and this awesome fleece neckwarmer thing we picked up from Bob's BMW I hardly noticed the cold.

Normally I have really good luck finding awesome roads, but on this ride they were at best passable. I think next weekend we'll have to take some more time up in that area. As is always the case we never stop enough to take pictures. Taking pictures always seems like such an interruption and you feel like you're over-doing it but then by the end of the day you realize you hardly took any at all.

From Union Bridge we wanted to find "Sam's Creek Road" that we had ridden before. This incredible little windy road that follows Sams' creek. Unfortunately I missed the turn somehow and we ended up on this muddy dirt/gravel road. I was impressed that Duncan went ahead and rode it. We stopped to take some pictures documenting the fact (see below) and pushed on.

We came across route 75 and decided to hightail it back south. We took 26 East to 97 South. For some reason from that point on it seemed that every idiot from the tri-state area was on the road preventing us from making any progress.

But once we got through infuriatingly bad driver traffic, we ended the day as we always do at a Starbucks.

All told a short day ride of about 150 miles.

The K100RS ran beautifully. Given that it was the first day of the season, of course, everything took longer and by the end hurt more. At first I didn't feel right on the bike, as is always the case when I haven't ridden for quite a while, but by the end of the day I was feeling much better.








So this afternoon Duncan calls and says "It's 61 degrees outside". So in the late afternoon we headed out to do a short little ride around the local area, basically just exploring to see what we might have missed closed to home. I decided to take the R1100S. It needs a good shake down run before Bruce shows up in May. I want to make sure the bike is as right as I can make it.

And it is more right than it's ever been. It's smooth, powerful and the new clutch is working well. We clicked off about 50 some miles this afternoon heading out around the reservoir up 216. It was a route that Matt had shown me years and years ago on the seca. Fun roads hidden between subdivisions. I think the R1100S is probably good for the trip now.

It was pretty warm today and the weather was just beautiful. My tendency to travel west was hampered by a low and intense sun. Quite the conundrum.

We stopped for a break at Brighton Dam and then, of course, headed to starbucks.

Glad to hear the bikes are in top form!



Sounds like you've got less buzzing as a result of the exhaust fix.

Excellent. Glad to hear that you had some good rides and that the bikes are working well.

I'm sure that the K100 does make more power with a properly functioning exhaust. The cracks in it were certainly robbing you of power.

Regarding traffic . . . there is never anything holding you up except your right wrist at a track day.

It really was yet another most excellent riding day.

Watch this space; if all goes well, it'll be far from the last one this season

Meanwhile with nearly 350 miles on the K13, I'm gradually getting accustomed to it's quirks and nature; I'm liking it more with every ride I take...