RedRyder
Member
I decided to take my 125 out for its first day-long ride. I plotted out a 130-mile round trip from home to Tracy Ridge campground in the Allegany National Forest. All pretty much back roads with one exception - crossing the Allegany Reservoir on I-86/NY Rt. 17. That's about a 6-mile stretch.
Right off the bat not far from home I spotted a nice flock of turkeys young and old dashing into a cornfield. I got on some dirt, and just as I passed a populated area and into some woods, a black bear came loping across the road. He scooted into the woods. It's the closest to home I have ever seen a black bear. Came right up to a doe and fawn outside of one town who didn't realize I was even there for a bit. Had some commanding views of the region from atop the back road peaks. Very nice.
I got on the interstate at the last exit before the bridge. I thought I had a good pocket to ride in, but I misjudged a bit the speed at which cars going 72MPH will catch up to you going 52MPH. At one point I had two tractor trailers barreling down on me from each lane. One had to slow down and get in the left lane to pass me. A bit hairy. I may have to consider an alternate crossing which is a bit more out of the way next time.
I got onto a gravel road which the map indicated went into Allegany State Park, but it turned out to be a dead end. I tried another trail that went uphill, but came across a closed gate. Unfortunately I lost control of the bike, since I was facing uphill when I stopped. It started to roll downhill so I sort of dropped it gently and got off as it was going down. I picked it up again, no harm readily apparent. Found another gated trail, but Gaia also indicated this went into the park at Quaker Lake, so I took it, as the gate was easy to maneuver around. Ran into a maintenance worker in a side-by-side, so I stopped and asked if the trail was open. He said no, but he wouldn't tell anyone if I kept going. Complimented my bike, and warned me about some mud and steep hills ahead. Almost got stuck in some mud, but the Trail pulled me out. Found myself inside Allegany State Park without having to pay the gate fee!
Took NY208, which becomes PA 394, along the eastern shoreline of the Allegany Reservoir. The road has some nice twists, but unfortunately also has a lot of tar patches, and is a 55MPH speed limit. Got the Trail up to 50 on straightaways, but had 3 cars/trucks stacked up behind me when I finally turned off. I hope they enjoyed the scenery.
Took a tour of the campsite and found an open spot for water and food break. It took a bit longer to get there than I thought, so did not have much time to stay. There is an ATV recreational riding area 3 miles from where I was, but didn't have time to look. Got back on the road for the return.
Back on NY208, my final gas level indicator began blinking. Not good, as I had to get back on the interstate to get to the nearest gas station. Crossed my fingers and hoped for the best! Made it across successfully, filled the tank. No, I was not carrying any spare gas with me :-(
Began a tour of Amish country. Travelled some really nice back roads, a combination of dirt and paved, and passed many of the Amish shops in the region. Many of them were working out in the fields or in gardens. Passed about 5 buggies very slowly and carefully, because the Trail is so quiet. Beautiful countryside.
I decided I would take a final leg through a local state forest I have been through many times on foot, and recently on the Trail's very first trip. Unfortunately, I lost control on one of the dirt roads in the forest. I think I hit a rain gully wash at just the wrong angle. Dropped the bike at about 20-25MPH and went sprawling. Took a minute to get my bearings and realize nothing was broken, but I did feel a little wonky in the head. Turned the bike off, picked it up, took off some gear, and got the bike off to the side of the road. The area is remote, so no fear of traffic. Spent about 10 minutes deciding what to do. My head started clearing a bit, so given the remote location, decided to ride home (20 minutes away). Discovered the left foot peg was bent, as was the shift lever. Although the shift lever was bent, it still operated the gears, so the bike was able to move. Limped home, parked the bike by the shed, went in the house, and informed my wife she had to take me to the ER. CT scan and X-rays confirmed no breaks nor internal bleeding or damage in the head. Still some light fogginess this morning. Won't be riding until I see my MD tomorrow.
Lessons learned:
I am not one for stopping and taking pictures while riding, nor do I own a GoPro. Here's the only picture I took:
Right off the bat not far from home I spotted a nice flock of turkeys young and old dashing into a cornfield. I got on some dirt, and just as I passed a populated area and into some woods, a black bear came loping across the road. He scooted into the woods. It's the closest to home I have ever seen a black bear. Came right up to a doe and fawn outside of one town who didn't realize I was even there for a bit. Had some commanding views of the region from atop the back road peaks. Very nice.
I got on the interstate at the last exit before the bridge. I thought I had a good pocket to ride in, but I misjudged a bit the speed at which cars going 72MPH will catch up to you going 52MPH. At one point I had two tractor trailers barreling down on me from each lane. One had to slow down and get in the left lane to pass me. A bit hairy. I may have to consider an alternate crossing which is a bit more out of the way next time.
I got onto a gravel road which the map indicated went into Allegany State Park, but it turned out to be a dead end. I tried another trail that went uphill, but came across a closed gate. Unfortunately I lost control of the bike, since I was facing uphill when I stopped. It started to roll downhill so I sort of dropped it gently and got off as it was going down. I picked it up again, no harm readily apparent. Found another gated trail, but Gaia also indicated this went into the park at Quaker Lake, so I took it, as the gate was easy to maneuver around. Ran into a maintenance worker in a side-by-side, so I stopped and asked if the trail was open. He said no, but he wouldn't tell anyone if I kept going. Complimented my bike, and warned me about some mud and steep hills ahead. Almost got stuck in some mud, but the Trail pulled me out. Found myself inside Allegany State Park without having to pay the gate fee!
Took NY208, which becomes PA 394, along the eastern shoreline of the Allegany Reservoir. The road has some nice twists, but unfortunately also has a lot of tar patches, and is a 55MPH speed limit. Got the Trail up to 50 on straightaways, but had 3 cars/trucks stacked up behind me when I finally turned off. I hope they enjoyed the scenery.
Took a tour of the campsite and found an open spot for water and food break. It took a bit longer to get there than I thought, so did not have much time to stay. There is an ATV recreational riding area 3 miles from where I was, but didn't have time to look. Got back on the road for the return.
Back on NY208, my final gas level indicator began blinking. Not good, as I had to get back on the interstate to get to the nearest gas station. Crossed my fingers and hoped for the best! Made it across successfully, filled the tank. No, I was not carrying any spare gas with me :-(
Began a tour of Amish country. Travelled some really nice back roads, a combination of dirt and paved, and passed many of the Amish shops in the region. Many of them were working out in the fields or in gardens. Passed about 5 buggies very slowly and carefully, because the Trail is so quiet. Beautiful countryside.
I decided I would take a final leg through a local state forest I have been through many times on foot, and recently on the Trail's very first trip. Unfortunately, I lost control on one of the dirt roads in the forest. I think I hit a rain gully wash at just the wrong angle. Dropped the bike at about 20-25MPH and went sprawling. Took a minute to get my bearings and realize nothing was broken, but I did feel a little wonky in the head. Turned the bike off, picked it up, took off some gear, and got the bike off to the side of the road. The area is remote, so no fear of traffic. Spent about 10 minutes deciding what to do. My head started clearing a bit, so given the remote location, decided to ride home (20 minutes away). Discovered the left foot peg was bent, as was the shift lever. Although the shift lever was bent, it still operated the gears, so the bike was able to move. Limped home, parked the bike by the shed, went in the house, and informed my wife she had to take me to the ER. CT scan and X-rays confirmed no breaks nor internal bleeding or damage in the head. Still some light fogginess this morning. Won't be riding until I see my MD tomorrow.
Lessons learned:
- The Honda CT125 Trail Rider is an awesome machine! This is the kind of riding I want to do, and this bike is up for it. I gave it a beating, but it got me home. Its light weight and rugged construction meant that I could pick it up myself, and when I went down, I was able to get my leg out from underneath it.
- Don't stop a bike on an incline if you can help it. Get the bike perpendicular to the road at the very least. Careful backing down from an incline.
- Carry at least one liter of spare fuel.
- Wear all the gear, all the time.
- Carry a satcom if you're going to ride in remote areas without cell service. I actually did have a Garmin 66i with me, which has the inReach feature, but I haven't activated the service yet. Where I dropped the bike, it would have come in handy had I broken a leg.
- If you hit your head, get to the ER ASAP after the fact. Don't make any assumptions about your head condition. Concussions should not be treated lightly.
- Learn how to replace the shift lever and the footpeg(s). FWIW, I like the heel shifter, and I have to observe that the heel shifter allowed me to get through the gears, whereas the position of the toe shifter was not as conducive to upshifting as downshifting once bent out of shape.
- Get some Shinko 244s. Some people say get 2.75 front/rear, some say 2.75 front/3.0 rear. Opinions welcome. I do not want to lift the front fender.
- Install the wider engine guards.
- Upgrade riding pants, boots.
I am not one for stopping and taking pictures while riding, nor do I own a GoPro. Here's the only picture I took:
