let's recap what a year it has been!
Spring into April and the riding season commences with the annual meet up of the Gathering of the Nortons. A 200 mile scoot to PA to hang out with moto family and meet new buddies and chat and browse bikes before spending the remainder of the day riding around the back roads.
Into May and there were some Women Moto events to attend to. First Up the 1st Fox Run held in Holtswood, PA a total of 336 miles completed on the Yamaha Bolt. I remember it being a wet camping weekend and we bailed early !!
Kudos to those that remained and sat out the wet weather.
2nd event was the Babes Ride Out East Coast event held at the Narrowsburg camp ground. This event was super fun with a live women Guns & Roses tribute band. I won a pair of custom Van Shoes. Some great times with moto family. I particularly like this camp ground. It is excellent from a layout perspective and so well equipped. It was the last adventure on the Yamaha Bolt.
4th June, test rode FJ's brother in the morning all the way down in Felington, New Jersey. It was a bit of a hike to get there and back. Once I had actually test rode and ridden the bike then it was head straight back to the City and to NY Honda Yamaha to place the order. Order placed and I got FJ 8 days later....
3rd July - a solo ride on FJ-09 to acquaint ourselves and up to my favorite diner in Phoenicia - a total 448 miles ride around and back before dark. Maple Syrup pancakes please!!
Independence day and a day off work - my cousin Steve and I took the advantage of the day and the beautiful weather and rode to Sunken Meadow, Long Island, NY - round trip 550 miles. More miles and happy days !
Warwick out to the west of the city called for a group ride with the moto family. Still getting very much acquainted with FJ. Bruises to prove it !!
16th July - Dropped FJ - Groan.... everyone drops their bike at some point in time but as you can imagine... I was gutted. There wasn't any damage to FJ just my pride. My body ached for a couple of days afterwards given I had to pick the bike back up (440lb) solo.
The weather was super during July, so FJ got its first moto camp under the belt (so to speak). We went to the Sohi Campground which we had all been to previous year and it was a lot of fun. Plus all the new camping gear got tried and tested. It was so much easier having the side cases packed with the camping gear and a wolf man tied on to the back rack with some clothes - so easy!
Looking back there wasn't any riding in August due to vacation time with family, although I have pictures of everyone having a sit on Badass and on FJ.
The next memorable event was the annual BMW Rally at Wakins Glen the labor day weekend. The weather was good to us and the trip was an enjoyable one. Such a great crowd and so well organized. Many familiar faces were there (my third year) which meant a lot of hello's and especially as it was FJ's first event. She was placed front and centre on the last day so the moto enthusiasts got a good look.
The final weekend of September, my birthday weekend was a ride up at the lodge cabin in the Catskills. A lot of fun had by all and a lot of memories!
October and November months were well spent updating the website, planning photo shoots and reviewing gear.
The remaining part of the year has flown by!
In December, I did the Motor Maintenance class at Motorgrrl and then on New Years Eve in the afternoon I lost my keys to FJ. (it was a very stressful time indeed. The bunch of keys had the ignition, the top case, the locks, and the side bags) I looked high and low and for two days couldn't find the keys. I spent hours retracing my steps, going over and over.
As a consequence, I missed the Annual 26th Isle of Manhattan ride around town and meeting up with my friends which I was pretty gutted about.
Welcomed in the New Year and BOOM I found the keys. Wedged between the back seat and the soft saddle bags on the BOLT. Phew!!!
I am very excited about what lies ahead in 2017. The start has been amazing and the route 66 trip is fast approaching!
Finally I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year to my friends, family and followers,
safe travels, keeps x