Another fun day, folks…we confirmed that our bikes (mine and yours) are on their way to the US on board the Hanjin Germany (see the post below), we had a great motorcycle ride, I rode an RX3 with the Tourfella aluminum bags, and, oh…did I mention we had a great motorcycle ride?
First things first…this was my first time I put some serious mileage on an RX3 with the aluminum bags. At first I thought I would stick with the stock bags, but I have to tell you that I am revisiting a couple of decisions. I thought I wanted a yellow RX3, but now I am pretty sure I’m going to get the blue one. My reasons are not what you might think…I really love the yellow RX3 (we officially call it orange), but that blue grows on me more and more every time I ride it. There’s something else that’s important to me…I think the blue photographs better. You be the judge, but I think my camera just picks up the blue much more faithfully than the yellow….
Well, maybe not. The yellow looks really good, too…
Ah, I’m right back where I started…maybe yellow.
So, back to the luggage. Before we started, Anne put her helmet in the aluminum top case to confirm it would fit. I saw the fellows do this in China, and I rode a blue RX3 with aluminum bags in Chongqing, but something about seeing that luminescent yellow full face Arai in the case just reached out and grabbed me this afternoon. Wow. Lots of room, and room to spare…I like those aluminum bags!
The next thing I did was put my tripod in the aluminum side case.
Okay, let me back up a bit. When I was spending my kids’ inheritance a couple of weeks ago on new camera gear, I mentioned to Jason (my new buddy at Samy’s Camera in Pasadena) that everything I was buying could be found for less on the Internet (and I wouldn’t have to pay the California sales tax). Jason had a solution for that (evidently, I was not the first guy to make that point). I’d have to pay the sales tax, but whatever it came up to, they would give me that much in free camera accessories. Hmmm, that sounded good. So I kind of went even a little more nuts and put more stuff in my real (not virtual) shopping cart. New camera bags, check. More SD memory cards, check. Extra camera batteries, check. And a tripod. I needed a new tripod.
Jason showed me a bunch of tripods, including one really nice one that was half the price of the other really nice ones. “What’s the deal on this one,” I asked. “Why is it half of what the others cost?”
“Well,” said Jason, “it’s every bit as good as the others. If you look at the fit, the finish, the hardware, the stability, it’s the equal of any of these others,” he said. “But it’s made in China. It’s good, but a lot of people have this hysterical schizophrenic reaction if you tell them something is made in China, even though most of the Nikon gear these guys buy is also made in China. It’s like they don’t want to think about that. I’m here to tell you there’s nothing substandard about this tripod, but some people, people who really don’t know what they are talking about, say bad things about stuff from China.”
“You don’t say,” I said. “I had no idea.”
Yep, I bought the Chinese tripod.
Back to the main attraction…that new tripod (and it really is a nice one) will fit diagonally in the stock RX3 saddlebags. But when I put it in the aluminum Tourfella side bag, it lay flat on the bottom with tons of room left over. I was impressed. I’m thinking deep thoughts about the Tourfella bags. Maybe I need them.
More to the point, and back to our ride. We left the plant headed on our standard VIP ride…a loop up Azusa Canyon, a right on East Fork Road, another right on Glendora Mountain Road, and then on to the holy of holies, Glendora Ridge Road to the Mt Baldy Lodge, and then back to the plant. It was awesome riding and we had awesome weather. The RX3s ran superbly well (as they always do). We had a great time. A really great time.
Our first stop was on the East Fork Road, where we enjoyed a cup of coffee and Trixie Lee’s hospitality. Folks, trust me on this…you need to do this ride, and you need to stop at the Camp Williams Café for some laid-back conversation and good food. The folks who run it are riders, and they always make a fuss over us when we arrive on either the CSC Mustangs or the RX3s. They’re good people.
Say hello to Trixie Lee for me when you stop in…
Before we left Trixie Lee’s place, I had to grab another photo of Anne…
From there it was onward and upward, as the saying goes. We made the climb up Glendora Mountain Road, and then we were on Glendora Ridge Road…all 12 miles and 234 curves of it!
You tell me…Anne makes the bike like good, doesn’t she?
We had a great lunch at the Mt. Baldy Lodge. I had their Italian meatball soup, and sitting in front of a roaring fire on this crisp winter day, it went down well. Fun times.
Back to the plant, and yep, Anne pulled the trigger. She signed up for a brand new white RX3. Congratulations, Anne! And for the rest of you out there…stop by and you’ll get the same ride!
One last bit of good news…my new sheepskin cover from Alaska Leathers was waiting for me when I returned to the CSC plant. It’s going on the bike next week, and I’ll have full report for you on it.
Oh, and there’s more good stuff…we’re going to be doing more maintenance tutorials next week. These will be on adjusting the chain, repairing a flat tire, adjusting the clutch, and more.
Okay, so that’s it for now. Keep an eye on the blog, because there’s lots more coming your way, my friends!
TT250 Enduro
SG250 San Gabriel Cafe Racer