Sunday Morning Ride in Marin - 10/6/2013

Discussion in 'Ride Reports' started by Alex, Oct 6, 2013.

  1. Alex

    Alex crf250l.org dude

    Messages:
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    I finally got around to putting some real miles on the CRF. Got up early this morning, and headed north for its first official SMR.

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    It was chilly on the freeway, but the heated gear worked exactly as it was supposed to, and kept my whole torso quite toasty. The way this bike is geared, I ended up at pretty much full throttle all the way up to Marin. On flat areas with no wind, this ranged from 74 - 78 mph on the dash, which corresponded to 72 - 76 or so on the GPS. Fast enough to keep up with traffic, but not much faster. It was also sucking down fuel at an alarming rate. This bike has a tiny tank, something like 1.9 gallons. It has a gas gauge, so you can watch it draining. By the time I got nearer to the planned gas station in San Rafael, I was getting a little concerned, but it seemed like I'd probably make it. When I pulled in and filled up, it took 1.7 gallons, so I only had .2 gallons left in the tank. My bike was only getting 36 mpg! Not quite the 70+ that Honda advertises.

    I filled up the tank, and headed for the ride start. I rode past at about 8:15, knowing that the group probably left about 10 minutes prior. Oops. :) Once on Lucas Valley Road, it got very cold, and I turned the heat all the way up to stay comfortable. The bike finally felt more at home, in the twisty bits rather than bombing down the highway. The bike doesn't have much acceleration compared to most street bikes, but it lets you get to a comfortable speed; and it handles so easily that the aim is keep all of that momentum through corners. I stopped at the top of Wilson Hill for some pictures:

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    Occasionally I'd get caught behind a car, and it took some patience to find a good spot to pass, or to wait until they turned off. Again, the bike has plenty of oomph to maintain a decent speed, but it just doesn't have the extra passing power that allows many bikes to zip around traffic with ease. I pulled into Howard's Cafe in Occidental around 9:15, and saw several familiar bikes in the lot. My MSMC buds had even saved me a seat! It's been months since my last Salmon Benedict order at this place, and it was worth the wait.

    The bike had made it to Howard's, though it only had 1 bar left on its fuel gauge. I knew there was a gas station just about 10 miles away in Bodega Bay, so that's where I headed after breakfast. Going out Coleman Valley Road was fun as always, and it's even more fun on a bike with 8+ inches of suspension travel. I found myself aiming for the bumps, as it's a different world compared to bounding over them with sportbikes. When the ocean came into view, I took a few pics near the top:

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    I was following Randy Logan out on this road, and it was fun doing my best to keep up with his comparatively huge F800 with a bike of this size. Once at the water, I made a left and then stopped at the Coleman Beach overlook:

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    I headed south on Highway 1 toward Bodega Bay, and the weather was just about perfect. Filling up the bike there, I was somewhat pleased that the bike pulled 43 mpg with this second fillup, just a bit better than the first. The bike did feel like it was loosening up a bit, and the mileage confirmed it, as I was not going easy on it at any point. I followed the standard route back, out through Dillon Beach, Tomales, and all the way back to Lucas Valley Road in San Rafael. It was quite warm, and I no longer needed any help from the heated jacket. Bike felt great, other than the seat starting to wear on me a bit. The aftermarket Corbin was definitely an improvement from the stock saddle, but it's still not an all-day solution. I stood up for a good portion of Lucas Valley, and that helped quite a bit. When I pulled into the San Rafael gas station after another 60 miles of fun, I was surprised and pleased once again; the bike had made it up to 51 mpg. Now we're talking!

    The run back down the freeway to home was uneventful, but the bike felt just a little zippier. Higher speeds were easier to obtain, and it was more natural to travel in the fast lane than it was earlier that morning. I was back home by 1, with one last fillup of 60 miles near the house, and for the last tank the bike registered 47 mpg. Fully 10 mpg better than the same exact trip that morning. It looks like I can count on about 85 - 90 miles of range on the bike. Not great, but probably enough to do these fun rides from time to time. All of these relatively high speed miles seemed to do a good job of breaking in the motor, and nicely balance out the 1st and 2nd gear adventures in the dirt park. I hope to take it up again next Sunday, and the bike should then be ready for its 600 mile service.

    All of my pics are available in full resolution up in this gallery.