Coast to Coast (and back?) with an Italian Supermodel

[Platinumgrit]

Originally Posted by AntiHero

Hey guys--I'm happy my adventure is resounding so well with the riding community. I've been working the past few days, so rather than bore anyone with mundane trips I've made to the grocery store, I'll address some of the questions and PMs I've had about the 1199 as a long-distance bike.

Choosing a bike for a trip isn’t unlike choosing what bike to purchase. Too many struggle with what they want vs. what they 'think' they should get. My advice has always been: "Get the f'ing bike you lust after. Write the check, max the card--you won't regret it." Not everyone follows that advice, but anyone who's ever owned a bike understands that sentiment the moment they are out cruising around and feel a pang of regret when someone goes by on the bike they really wanted. And so the same logic went into my decision on what bike I wanted to do this trip on: the bike had to get my rocks off.

Oh I was apprehensive--new model bike: strike one. New model ITALIAN bike—strike two! Cross country trip on a ‘torture rack’? Strike three! Errr....not a good idea. Actually, probably a really stupid idea. But it's the ‘stupid’ things we do that we remember the most. All too often the 'good' decisions we make we forget or regret. But the stupid ones? Ahh, those are the memory builders and the building blocks for great stories and adventures that make you smile and laugh years later.

Additionally, the logic with the 1199 was to not compromise my choice of bike and instead overcome the compromises that the Panigale would require of me. Too often people don’t factor into a decision is our outstanding abilities as humans to adapt to difficulty. The result of overcoming adversity and mastering one's ability to triumph over environmental challenges through persistence, determination and imagination produce self-efficiency and feelings of personal power luxury and security can never hope to provide. The harder the journey, the greater the cultivation of the will—and mastering one thing leads to greater proficiency on how to overcome challenges in other parts of our lives as well.
In short, adaptation is the precursor to growth and seeking out difficult, uncomfortable and challenging situations accelerates development, enriches our lives and provides us with the kind of awesome fucking memories that will sustain us until a final sleep rounds our little lives.

f'king oath!! I'm so glad you wrote this; I've been umming & ahing over which bike to get for my European stint next year, you just answered that question Thanks.

[Jacks996]

Subscribed

[DARKRYDER]

AntiHero, you are tough as nails...loving this RR! Taking a brand new Italian superbike and riding the wheels off it cross-country through inclement weather, dirt roads, whatever comes your way - amazing. I rode sportbikes for over 20 years and can't imagine how badly your wrists, back, neck and ass hurt after a few hours on that thing. Serious testicular fortitude there. This report is making me miss sportbikes, maybe an S1000RR is in my near future. Can't drag knee or peg the speedo at 186mph on a 990 Adventure, but it's the best all-around bike I've ever owned. Keep it coming and safe travels man

[AntiHero]

Originally Posted by Platinumgrit

f'king oath!! I'm so glad you wrote this; I've been umming & ahing over which bike to get for my European stint next year, you just answered that question Thanks.

:). I keep thinking about continuing on to Europe with the Panigale and now you might have just convinced me.

[AntiHero]

Originally Posted by iDave

Ditto!




And this:



is pure art AntiHero . Great stuff!

Thanks! ;)

[AntiHero]

Originally Posted by DARKRYDER

AntiHero, you are tough as nails...loving this RR! Taking a brand new Italian superbike and riding the wheels off it cross-country through inclement weather, dirt roads, whatever comes your way - amazing. I rode sportbikes for over 20 years and can't imagine how badly your wrists, back, neck and ass hurt after a few hours on that thing. Serious testicular fortitude there.

If it couldn't get worse, I broke my back (L2)...and all the bones in my left hand (destroying most of the ligaments and tendons in the process). Some injuries are just always going to hurt no matter what.





When life gives you lemons and no sugar, just add vodka. ;)

[s1000rr]

anti we havent seen anything from you in a few days. Are you just relaxing in Boulder, or are you out tearing up the mountains? Hows the lady treating you?

[AntiHero]

Getting ready for the next series of posts--LA was hectic and then I was back in Boulder, then did Pikes Peak (so awesome!), then made it through WY and am now in Nebraska. SD is next!

[Krakatoa]

I was saving my first post for my own ride report, but yours has been amazing and enjoyable to read. As others have said, you have a great writing style and your adventures on and off the bike are truly inspiring.

[AntiHero]

I'm a bit behind. LA threw me off and by the time I got back it's been a zoo on fire. Now I'm in Rapid City listening to all the hogs 'potato potato potato' into town wishing I had just gone east to avoid all the trailered-in bikers heading to Sturgis. I picked the wrong day to be here.

Anyhow, so after LA (which I'll get to later), I took Tuesday off of work and wanted to head up to Pikes Peak. Flynbulldog offered to take me there via some awesome local backroads.



We met up in I don't know where, gassed up and took off. I normally don't ride with other riders because, 1) I don't know too many; 2) someone always crashes or 3) the ride pace is off. Mr. Bulldog and I have very similar riding styles, though--meaning slow in the straights (mostly) and fast in the turns. Worked out perfectly.

The roads were smooth and mostly car-less, just like most of Colorado mountain asphalt. And the scenery still looked like what it would look like if we were riding tiny motorcycles through a giant model train diorama, complete with trees so perfect they looked fake.



Our intent was to hit up Pikes Peak, but the roads we took were some of the best I've been on anywhere. I kind of wanted to turn around and retrace our steps, but Pikes Peak was calling.

[AntiHero]

When we got to Pikes our biggest fear (no, not dying while trying to perform a highside base-jump off a parachute-less motorcycle) was realized: TRAFFIC! I had flashbacks of Yellowstone--bumper to bumper cars, miserable heat and nothing to see you wouldn't see in a parking lot in anytown USA.



I started feeling the magnetic pull back to the lonely and isolated ribbons of black we had covered on our way. We sat there in front of the entrance in about the same amount of time it would take to get to the top at race pace (if you're immortal). But fortunately after the initial section, cars spread out, pulled over and after one too many rockslide covered turns, started enjoying ourselves.



Flynbulldog rode his 1098R in and the beast just looked and sounded sinister. Was great to 'introduce' the Panigale to its older big-brother.



The road climbs quickly. There's a lot of twists and turns, but it seemed every three or four we were having to adjust and re-calibrate our wrists to deal with the lack of oxygen and power the bikes were making. None-the-less, the road is fucking epic:



Being eye-level with clouds on the edge of barrier-less cliffs has a way of instilling a sense of self-preservation that I've just not experienced on any other road ever. One mistake--which could be caused by something as innocuous as admiring the scenery for a little longer than prudence would dictate could easily end in disaster. Not only are there no barriers in most places, the shoulder is sometimes only a few inches wide, with nothing to stop a thousand foot free-fall except a bunch of jagged rocks.

[AntiHero]

"No Caption Needed" Ducati Porn:






Though pics don't do the peak justice, you can still tell how f'in high up the top is. And keep in mind that we're looking down at a landscape that's still a mile up. The air was THIN! Take 20 steps and all of a sudden you're gasping for air. It was great, but you could feel that if you spent too much time fooling around altitude sickness would set in, making for a very dangerous descent.



This barrier should do a pretty good job of stopping a lowside, though. :)

[zingo]

be safe

[gallinastrips]

Nice! and good to see a street bike report. Howz that rear tire holding up?

[AntiHero]

A little more on Pikes Peak--if you ever have the chance to go, GO! The road is simply amazing. As of October of 2011, it's been paved it all the way to the top, which makes travel to the top probably a bit safer for sportbikes, but it had me really wondering about the safety of the guys who race up it. Dirt might be a bit sketchy, but it's fairly predictable and relatively slow compared to asphalt. Now that the entire road is paved, it's the annual "Pikes Peak Hillclimb" is now an unofficial TT (and I would imagine it's going to start attracting TT heroes from all over the world). TT courses are inherently dangerous, but at least there's a chance of survival if one goes off at say, the Isle of Man. No such chance at Pikes. Parachutes, imho, should be required from here on out.

I almost decided to stay a couple more weeks in CO just to watch the race, but I need to push on and MotoGP awaits.

After pikes we headed down to the Garden of the Gods. It, too, was fairly amazing, but there were a buttload of cars, so I took in the scenery nice and slowly. If anyone is looking to make the next Jurassic Park, this would be an ideal location.