California by NT

[Igo]

I take allot of photographs. They mean very much to me.
Some of the hundreds of pictures I took on my recent motorcycle ride through California are pretty interesting and I want to share them with you. There are many so I broke my report into 6 albums so I wouldn't bombard you with bandwidth issues. Please give them a chance. I think you may enjoy some of them.

Day 1 - I left Las Vegas at 6AM. I went through Death Valley where I encountered my warmest temperature of the trip which was 94 degrees but only lasted a very short while. I also saw 36 degrees this day. Paralleling the Sierra Nevada up to Lake Tahoe, I traveled 486 miles of my 2314 miles this first day.
Photos and captions for day 1 are here:
http://www.nt-owners.org/forums/album.php?albumid=93

Day 2 - I woke at 4AM in my hotel in South Lake Tahoe. It was 36 degrees and snowing. I was very disappointed that yet again I was going to miss seeing Lake Tahoe for fog, rain or snow which was the same case 30 years ago when I was here last. It didn't actually turn out that way and I got a few good photos. Later I pushed on the Lassen Volcanic where I found the park closed. In places, the snow drifts were 15 feet high beside the road. No matter, there was more to see elsewhere.
Photos of Day 2 are here:
http://www.nt-owners.org/forums/album.php?albumid=94

Day 3 - After all that ice and snow it was time fore a reprieve and a short reprieve there was. On day 3 I woke in my hotel room in Red Bluff at the foot of 140 mile long twist-to-the-sea, California Route 36. One of the greatest sport rides in the country. A 140 mile workout and I was on the coast. It's been a long time away from an old friend. On to Gold Beach via the Pacific Coast Highway.
Photos of day 3 are here:
http://www.nt-owners.org/forums/album.php?albumid=95

Day 4 - I headed back down the coast in rain and fog for much of the day. But the coast has its own personality in the low light and it was not a wasted day altogether.
Photos of day 4 are here:
http://www.nt-owners.org/forums/album.php?albumid=96

Day 5 - Finally, some sunshine. The Northern California Coast is absolutely stunning and the riding is top notch as well. There are many photographs to you might get a kick out of; not only depicting beautiful scenery but images of great swoops and turns for some of the best riding in the world.
Pictures for Day 5 can be found here:
http://www.nt-owners.org/forums/album.php?albumid=97 and here:
http://www.nt-owners.org/forums/album.php?albumid=99

Day 6 - The final day. I turned east from Monterrey and took a short cut through to Route 25. This was an inland jem and the first pasture land I've ever photographed. Once I dropped into the Central Valley, everything turned brown and it was apparent that Spring was over. But I love the desert too and a 50 mph tale wind all the way into Las Vegas made for a freakishly smooth 90 mph ride back in with some surprises to boot.
Pictures of day 6 can be found here:
http://www.nt-owners.org/forums/album.php?albumid=100

I hope you enjoyed the ride at least half as much as I did.

 

[karl]

You take very nice pictures Igo. They are a real joy to look at, thanks for sharing them with us.

 

[elizilla]

It's beautiful out there. Thanks for the pictures!

 

[Phil Tarman]

Man! What great pix! Thanks.

 

[vacanefan]

Fantastic pictures! Thanks for sharing. I'll get there one day...

 

[Bloodthune]

Great pics and words! You ever thought of sending them in to one of the moto-mag publishers? This stuff is as good as any story I read in any of them.

 

[Igo]

Thank you all. It was a real pleasure to take them.

 

[Igo]

Great pictures, thanks for letting us go along. What camera? One of these days.....
Frank

On this trip I used a Pentax K100D Super dSLR and a Pentax 18-250 zoom with either a polarizing filter or a UV filter.

 

[Igo]

Great pics and words! You ever thought of sending them in to one of the moto-mag publishers? This stuff is as good as any story I read in any of them.

I've been asked that many times but I've never been compelled to do so. I am pleased you think they would qualify.

 

[MAC]

Very nice Igo, thanks for taking us along.

 

[Desert Dan]

Nice trip and the pictures are fantastic. Sometimes I forget why I moved from NorCal to the desert. Then it rains forever up there like it did this winter and I remember.

 

[vc_slim]

Great ride report Igo. That sidecar picture is a hoot. Like his "Don't Mess With Texas" decal.

 

[Pick]

Outstanding, Igo! You've made me realize that I MUST ride California some day.

Thank you.

 

[Igo]

You guys are very kind.
I'm already missing the ride but we've got another coming up in a couple weeks so stay tuned.

 

[Peace2U_2]

Heart be still viewing these photos.....fantastic.....thanks for sharing

 

[bicyclist]

Igo, Thanks for sharing.

So, what's your assessment of the NT for long distance touring after spending several days in the saddle? Are the ergonomics and comfort level adequate enough for several long days?

Regards,

Ix.

Igo, you started to address this in another post. It's a subject I'm also interested in.

Very nice ride report and beautiful pictures. I'm glad you had a chance to meet Ara and Spirit in their sidecar rig. He's a very interesting guy and a truly gentle soul.

edit: And Spirit's a good dog.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Obviously, my experience is just my experience, but...

I had 165,000 miles on two '99 Kawasaki Concours before buying my NT a bit over a year ago. I've got 20,000+ miles on the NT now and I've farkled it to within an inch of its life. But I knew I was going to do that when I bought it. I wanted to downsize to a smaller and lighter sport-touring bike with a shaft drive. That does not leave many options. So, I wasn't bothered by doing the things I wanted to do to make it the perfect bike for me.

Those farkles have included: +2" CeeBailey windscreen, MC Larry's bar risers and peg lowerers, a Russell DayLong Saddle, the Honda wind deflectors, heated grips, an assortment of tank bags before settling on two, the Bags Connection City and Daypack 2 (the Daypack for around town riding, the City for longer trips), big pannier lids, Denali driving lights, and a Throttlemeister.

It has been comfortable for me on a 1000-mile day and on a 4100 mile, 12-day trip. I've got several 7-800 mile days on it and I'm in better shape when I get off the NT than I would be getting out of either of our cars at the end of 500-mile days.

I've ridden in winds gusting above 50mph, and in temps ranging from about 17F - 106F. It was cold at 17 and hot at 106, but with the right gear and an awareness of hydration issues, it's worked fine.

Feel free to ask any questions. We'll give you answers; they just may not be terribly objective!

 

[Igo]

Igo, Thanks for sharing.

So, what's your assessment of the NT for long distance touring after spending several days in the saddle? Are the ergonomics and comfort level adequate enough for several long days?

Regards,

Ix.

I have to find a way to get my sadle back moved up an inch or so. After that, the NT is the sleeper of the century and a bucket of surprises for a touring bike. It does exceptionally well. My 2300 miles brought me plenty snow and rain and the NT kept me safe and dry and was a joy to ride. I've had more comfortable bikes but none all around generally suited for lightweight touring.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Igo,

You said, "I have to find a way to get my sadle back moved up an inch or so."

I'm not clear about what you mean: Do mean the back of the seating are on your saddle? the step up to the passenger part of the saddle? What?

 

[Igo]

The back of my saddle. The pan has me sitting too far back by about an inch and a half. Moving it up 1.5 inches would add 250 miles to my days. I'm afraid to call Corbin after this amount of time as I am afraid they won't help me now but I asked for a closer to the bars pan but they sent me a copy of the oem position. Sitting another 1.5 closer to the tank would turn this into the perfect ergo cycle.