Ride reports: 15 Year Anniversary Pie run in Hico, 01/25/2020

[Jbay]

 

[budzrex]

A few bald spots?!?!?! That’s why I wear a cap.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

yep I forgot a hat thought about it on the way up but after looking at the majority of the crowd my sad little patch of hair that is left put me in the Hippie haircut category at this meet

 

[Multisurface Rider]

It was nice visiting with you yesterday.

It was good to visit with you also.

 

[Elder Rogue]

 

[Elder Rogue]

 

[Tourmeister]

COLD... That is how the day started. Leaving Huntsville at 7:00am with Joe fink and Jeff Hansen, the lowest I saw was 31 F and it did not get over 34 F until after the first 90 miles or so, only then creeping up to the low 40s until after we passed Waco. It was in the low 50s when we arrived in Hico and warmed up to 64 by the time I left a little after 1:00pm. It stayed right around that temp all the way home. The wind really picked up once we passed Waco and it stayed that way for me all the way home. I didn't get any pics, but there was a lot of fog in the low areas and different layers floating around. North of Huntsville as we were coming up on the Ferguson Unit on FM 247, the lowlands near the Trinity River bottoms were covered in thick fog to our East and the sun was coming up, hitting it and the layers, lighting it all up with a cool glow. I should have stopped, but my fingers were already frozen to the grips We did stop in Centerville at Woody's for some snacks and to warm up. I had some of those chemical hand warmers in the breast pockets of my mid layer jacket. They barely got luke warm. Very disappointing! Then I noticed that they expired in Nov 2017 It wasn't so bad after we left Woody's.

I never counted bikes. Some folks show up early, eat, and leave. They just don't hang around to kick tires and shoot the breeze with folks By the time I got back out to the parking lot, some of them were already heading home. I left around 1:00pm and had a nice meandering ride home that included some fun dirt roads here and there. I only took one pic at a low water crossing that wasn't much this time. Last time it was flowing pretty good and I had Sarah on the back of my GS. Anywho, just over 450 miles for me. I can REALLY tell I don't do days like that much anymore because I was SORE when I got home!

LOTS of pics! (will be attached momentarily as they are on my phone...)

 

[jfink]

COLD... That is how the day started. Leaving Huntsville at 7:00am with Joe fink and Jeff Hansen, the lowest I saw was 31 F and it did not get over 34 F until after the first 90 miles or so, only then creeping up to the low 40s until after we passed Waco. It was in the low 50s when we arrived in Hico and warmed up to 64 by the time I left a little after 1:00pm. It stayed right around that temp all the way home. The wind really picked up once we passed Waco and it stayed that way for me all the way home. I didn't get any pics, but there was a lot of fog in the low areas and different layers floating around. North of Huntsville as we were coming up on the Ferguson Unit on FM 247, the lowlands near the Trinity River bottoms were covered in thick fog to our East and the sun was coming up, hitting it and the layers, lighting it all up with a cool glow. I should have stopped, but my fingers were already frozen to the grips We did stop in Centerville at Woody's for some snacks and to warm up. I had some of those chemical hand warmers in the breast pockets of my mid layer jacket. They barely got luke warm. Very disappointing! Then I noticed that they expired in Nov 2017 It wasn't so bad after we left Woody's.

I never counted bikes. Some folks show up early, eat, and leave. They just don't hang around to kick tires and shoot the breeze with folks By the time I got back out to the parking lot, some of them were already heading home. I left around 1:00pm and had a nice meandering ride home that included some fun dirt roads here and there. I only took one pic at a low water crossing that wasn't much this time. Last time it was flowing pretty good and I had Sarah on the back of my GS. Anywho, just over 450 miles for me. I can REALLY tell I don't do days like that much anymore because I was SORE when I got home!

LOTS of pics! (will be attached momentarily as they are on my phone...)

Thanks for leading us up from Huntsville, Scott! You must have caught Jeff and me right after you told us, "there's no more pie!"

I wanted to try a few roads that I have never been, down from Iredell through Cranfills Gap, Mosheim to Moody. Turned out there were some very interesting roads. I wasn't sure how long it was going to take, so, hopefully, I can be forgiven for leaving a little early.

 

[tshelfer]

I did have this pucker moment while coming into Hico. I was looking for the parking lot turn-in, and was fixated ahead. Suddenly from my left..... And that's why I replaced my meep-meep horn with a Chevy car horn.

 

[Tourmeister]

I think you need to fix the date on your camera

 

[tshelfer]

Dead battery caused that. But the incident was definitely yesterday.

 

[budzrex]

Observation from not attending Pie runs in about 10 years

1. Shift in bike styles- 15 years ago it was mostly sport bikes and a few Touring and Sport Touring mounts it was the odd ADV bike we saw ( admittedly I did ride my FJR while the ZRX with the small fairing stayed warm in the garage)

2. Age, I saw very few guys I would guess were under 45years old. Is the younger crowd not riding or just smart enough to stay home on a cold morning?? Wasnt there some saying about age and wisdom if that was the case it should have been mostly 20-35 year olds there

3. The friendship of Motorcyclist I love seeing all the different brands and style bikes with owners all getting along that is one thing I have always liked about TWT it is for motorcyclists not just those that love one style of bike and think everything else is substandard

I need to get out and attend more Pie Runs, its been too long. I will admit my focus on riding has been more on my offroad bikes the past few years and the street bikes dont get the mileage they used to. I am fairly sure I rode more miles of single track in 2019 than I did road miles

 

[Tourmeister]

3. The friendship of Motorcyclist I love seeing all the different brands and style bikes with owners all getting along that is one thing I have always liked about TWT it is for motorcyclists not just those that love one style of bike and think everything else is substandard

Totally agree, and that was my intention from the beginning, so it is nice to see it happen.

 

[MCRyder]

I hated having to stay home nursing the case of flu I had. But the ride reports and photos helped ease my disappointment. Thanks for posting them up!

 

[Ocho]

2. Age, I saw very few guys I would guess were under 45years old. Is the younger crowd not riding or just smart enough to stay home on a cold morning?? Wasnt there some saying about age and wisdom if that was the case it should have been mostly 20-35 year olds there

It’s like that for most TWT events. I believe most guys my age are either in sport bike groups (not forums) or very dirt oriented (dirt bikes and stuff).

 

[Jarrett]

I've noticed the same. Unless Ocho is there, many times I'm the youngest person at various motorcycle rides and gatherings. And I'm old.

At track days, I'm the old guy usually though.

 

[Tourmeister]

We had a LOT more sport touring people when I was in my 30's because those were the types of people I tended to chase down and tell about the site. Many of those people are still here, but like me, they don't bend as well as they used to and they've moved away from the sportier riding position bikes that young guys seem to be attracted to. I think it may also have a lot to do with the site rules regarding profanity, vulgarity, civility, etc,... Some of the sites I go to that have younger people tend to be a bit more... raw? Interestingly, the few times I did track days, it was mostly older guys and a few young guys.

I think there tends to be a middle aged 25-35 gap because that is when a lot of people are dealing with student debt, starting families, building a career, paying for cars, paying rent or for a house, etc,... and they just can't spend the money on bikes. So you have the younger crowd that is likely still single and without kids, maybe have decent jobs, and can afford a sport bike. Then on the other side of that gap are people that are starting to get their feet on solid ground after busting their butts for 10-15 years and they can finally think about spending money on something fun, which often puts them at 40+. Had it not been for TWT from around 2005 to about 2010 or so, I would have stopped riding once we started having kids because there's no way I could have justified spending the money on bikes, tires, trips, gear, etc,...

 

[tshelfer]

Raising kids has a lot to do with it. When my daughter was born, two things happened:

1. Every time I started to go somewhere on the bike, my wife would yell "Bring back a case of formula," so I'd sigh and take the Datsun instead.
2. With a baby at home, I started having these uncontrollable attacks of responsibility. For the first time ever, riding made me nervous. So the Honda CB400 sat for a week, which became a month, which became a year.....

So I eventually sold the Honda and concentrated on child raising and an accelerating IT career. When I took early retirement in 2008, I started planning my reentry to riding.

 

[TLRam1]

Scott, thanks for all the photos and anyone else who took them.

 

[budzrex]

I guess I consider myself lucky, as when we had our daughter my activities never changed, yes we spent much more family time but never once was it suggested that I curtail something that I had done since age 4 be put aside. I still rode a few times a month. Riding never made me nervous about injury or mortality as it was just so much a part of who I was it was never a conscious thought.

I will admit that when I started back offroad, it has indeed curtailed my street riding considerably, I was almost beginning to think it was because I no longer enjoyed riding on the street, as when I would walk out to the garage Saturday or Sunday morning I would gravitate to a dirt bike and go play.

This Saturday confirmed to me that I just enjoy motorcycles and motorcyclists, I made the ride up to Hico and back by myself, just a straight shot up 281 which honestly I had almost talked myself out of to go ride single track that morning. But I needed to see if the road bug still bit.

Happy to admit it does, enjoyed a great ride up even if 281 or any mostly straight road is not my preferred 2 wheeled path, but took a meandering trip home on some
roads I have traveled over the years and can say I enjoyed the entire day.

I should have stuck around Hico longer but honestly I was too enthused to get back out on the road.

I hope to see and meet many of you, at future Pie Runs or TWT events be they dirt or street.

And yes the big ADV bikes do appeal to me, but I have put a self imposed limit of 4 bikes max at one time in the garage but I could definitely see a GS1200 ADV taking place of the FJR or that BMW K1600GT

 

[Tourmeister]

You should go test ride a 2017-1/2 or up GS/A..., especially if they have the "Pro" plug installed

 

[woodsguy]

You should go test ride a 2017-1/2 or up GS/A..., especially if they have the "Pro" plug installed

What's the pro plug?

 

[Rudy]

I would have loved to have gone, but I work every other weekend and this was my weekend to work. Had I gone, I probably would've brought the median age down quite a bit (I'm 31).

I think there tends to be a middle aged 25-35 gap because that is when a lot of people are dealing with student debt, starting families, building a career, paying for cars, paying rent or for a house, etc,... and they just can't spend the money on bikes. So you have the younger crowd that is likely still single and without kids, maybe have decent jobs, and can afford a sport bike. Then on the other side of that gap are people that are starting to get their feet on solid ground after busting their butts for 10-15 years and they can finally think about spending money on something fun, which often puts them at 40+. Had it not been for TWT from around 2005 to about 2010 or so, I would have stopped riding once we started having kids because there's no way I could have justified spending the money on bikes, tires, trips, gear, etc,...

I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that, growing up, we have been hammered with 'motorcycles are dangerous'. I didn't get into motorcycling until October 2016 when I was 28. I had always had something of an interest in it growing up, but I heard that same mantra every time. 'Motorcycles are dangerous', 'it's not a matter of if you crash, but when', 'motorcyclists are nothing but organ donors', 'you either walk away from a crash with no injuries or you are seriously injured or killed, with no in-between', etc etc. Most of the people my age that I have talked to about it, say the same thing. They may have flirted with the idea from time to time, but when it was time for the rubber to meet the road, they dismiss it.

 

[M38A1]

Thanks TM and Leon for fifteen years of calories and friendships. Great seeing a lot of familiar faces even though they might not have recognized mine this time around.

~m

 

[cheez]

Wish I could have made it, looks like a great gathering. I'd considered riding out for it but we have a big holiday planned and I couldn't afford the time off work.

 

[Kidder]

What's the pro plug?

Enables a mode that is supposed to be used with dirt/knobbies only. It disables the rear ABS and changes throttle position and suspension settings. Mode is selectable when the plug is installed.