Rerouted Vista Trail

It's been a while since I hiked it, but I find it interesting how Usery Park dealt with a beehive problem at the top of the trail. They just moved the trail! The new trail is evident by the freshly worked brown dirt.

Cheap Accessories

After buying my new (to me) 2004 Shadow there were a couple of accessories I really wanted. The first was some kind of storage as the bike didn't come with saddle bags. I decided on a sissy bar bag because (1) I don't need much storage room and (2) I wanted to make mounting/dismounting the rear of the bike as easy as possible for Karen. I looked at commercially available bags ($$$) and decided on a more frugal (French for "cheap" I think) approach. So I went to a Goodwill thrift shop and found a leather backpack for $6. I sewed on (by hand) a new velcro closure strap and modified the shoulder straps to wrap around the sissy bar frame and then velcro to the back of the bag. I think it came out pretty good!

After that project I decided what I needed next was some kind of clock. I don't wear a watch anymore and pulling my iPhone out of my pocket while riding just isn't a great idea. Again I looked at what was available commercially but didn't want to spend the money. A couple of posting in the Honda Shadow forum that I frequent gave me the idea of using a cheap Walmart watch. I picked one up yesterday for $11 and used velcro to attach it below the speedometer. I like the analog watch as it goes with the classic styling of the Aero.

Bigger Motorcycle

After riding my Rebel for over 3 months and 2000+ miles I decided that I wanted a bigger motorcycle. The Rebel is a GREAT motorcycle! Being such a light weight motorcycle probably saved my butt a few times while I was getting comfortable learning to ride. It can handle freeway speeds and I got about 75 mpg. But being a 250cc class bike (the engine is actually 234cc) it definitely lacks in the acceleration department. And being as small as it is (331 lbs. wet) the ride can be pretty harsh at times. I actually seriously started considering a bigger bike several weeks ago. So I decided to bite the bullet and "move up." I sold the Rebel and bought a used Honda Shadow Aero. It's a 2004 and had about 22,000 miles on it. The engine is a 750cc class (745cc actual) and it weighs 519 lbs. dry. It can easily out accelerate most cars which comes in handy when trying to get away from trouble. And the much heavier weight translates into a much smoother and more comfortable ride. Another advantage is that Karen and I can comfortably ride "2 up" on it. Yesterday we did that and rode out to Gold Canyon on the freeway. We cruised comfortably at 65 mph. I've had the Shadow for about 1 1/2 weeks now and so far I LOVE this bike!

2004 Honda Shadow Aero Specifications

9/2/2003 10:09:18 PM

Model	VT750
Engine Type	745cc liquid-cooled 52 V-twin
Bore and Stroke	79mm x 76mm
Compression Ratio	9.6:1
Valve Train	SOHC; three valves per cylinder
Carburetion	Single 34mm CV type
Ignition	CD with electronic advance, two spark plugs per cylinder
Transmission	Wide-ratio five-speed
Final Drive	Shaft
Suspension	Front: 41mm fork; 4.6 inches travel Rear: Dual shocks with five-position spring preload adjustability; 3.5 inches travel
Brakes	Front: Single 296mm disc with twin-piston caliper Rear: 180mm Drum
Tires	Front: 120/90-17 Rear: 160/80-15
Wheelbase	64.5 inches
Seat Height	25.9 inches
Dry Weight	519.4 pounds
Fuel Capacity	3.7 gallons, including 0.9-gallon reserve
Colors	Black/Metallic Silver Black/Candy Dark Red Black/Pearl Blue Candy Dark Red Black
California version differs slightly due to emissions equipment.

Buying Motorbikes

Right after the BRC we started shopping for motorbikes. Ross ended up buying a new Honda Rebel, the same bike he rode during the BRC. Karen bought a new Sym Fiddle II scooter.

Karen on her Sym Fiddle II scooter

Ross on his Honda Rebel

Motorcycles!

I (Ross) have always wanted to ride motorcycles. It never made much sense to me when we lived in Michigan since I wouldn't ride for more than half the year. So once we moved down here to Arizona I started getting the bug again. We talked about it and started looking at various cycles. At first we were just going to buy a cheap Chinese scooter and ride "2 up" on it. After some research we decided they just aren't very durable and would be more trouble than fun. Then, after an aborted attempt to buy a used Honda Reflex scooter we decided to take the BRC (Basic Rider Course) through TEAM Arizona. Here in Arizona you can attend an approved class and, if you pass, take the certificate to the MVD (Motor Vehicle Division) and get you motorcycle endorsement.

We both attended the 2 day training class at TEAM Arizona's Gilbert location at the end of April. The class consisted of half classroom and half course (riding) work. This class was definitely the way to get our endorsements! We could have "done it ourselves" but we wouldn't have learned anywhere near as much as we did in the class. It was well worth the cost!

Karen at BRC on a Piaggio Fly 150 scooter

Ross at BRC on a Honda Rebel

We're Baaaaacccckkkkkk!

Wow, it's been quite some time since we've updated our blog. I (Ross) have been posting stuff to Facebook the last few months. But I want to update the blog because it's a much better way to "remember" than trying to sift through Facebook. Everything is here in one place. So we're going to start bringing things up to date. Soon. Promise!