Local ride, Wilmington VT
Fri Sep 9, 2022
(~337 miles)

After sleeping late on the morning following our rescue from the Taconic backwoods, I spent most  of the  day resting, researching, and ordering parts for the busted clutch. I’d known the clutch job was coming up at some point soon, with all the miles on the bike, so I was already somewhat familiar with the parts I’d be needing. I still spent time re-reviewing articles and videos from the ST-owners forum so as not to  forget anything important.

I pulled the plastic off the ST to get a look at things and really, besides the normal amount of baked in road grime, it didn’t look as bad as I’d feared. Of course, the coolant reservoir was completely empty after puking its content all over the road back in New York. I tracked down all the part numbers and fired off an order to partzilla.com, which would probably take 2 weeks to arrive.

Once I’d set all that in motion, I turned my attention to prepping ST #2 (the 2010 model I’d bought earlier this year) for some 2-up day-riding. Since purchasing the second bike a few months ago, I’d been stockpiling parts and making plans, but hadn’t had time to get started on anything, besides changing out those crappy Dunlop tires for some good Michelin PRs. So the next order of business was changing the oil and final drive fluid for the first time since purchase, starting the motorcycle on what will now be a strict diet of Mobil 1 lubrication from here on out. Didn’t look like the final drive fluid had been changed for a while.

I mounted a new Heli-bar RAM mount cover and attached a Zumo XT GPS cradle. There wasn’t time to do any proper internal wiring right now, but with the GPS mounted, I was able to connect a USB cable for power. That came from a 12V charger connected to the battery tender cable and stuffed into the tank bag. Wasn’t pretty with wires draped down the right side of the bike, but it would get the job done and allow us to get out riding local for a couple days.

Next was mounting a Hondaline top box that I’d purchased used online, so Char would have her backrest, and installing the passenger peg lowering extensions. The bike didn’t have all my creature comforts, but it was ready to ride. And the clutch of course worked just like new, allowing me to begin the mental healing after the trauma of hobbling so far with barely any power! 😅

Since we were missing out on the great riding with NER down in Pennsylvania this week, we wanted to make a long day out of it. We decided to head west, away from our home area, and back into the Berkshire hills for our first outing together on ST #2. I plotted out a ride that included NER’s Northwest MA VT Loop, with a lunch stop in Vermont. The bad weather from earlier in the week was long gone by now, and we had a clear sunny day ahead of us, leaving the house at 08:30 after a leisurely morning.

We made quick time up I-495 and then west on MA 2 to the town of Orange, MA, where the fun would really begin. After a quick pitstop, we headed out on local roads leading us on a short leg across Millers River and through downtown Orange. Crossing back over route 2 in Wendell Depot, we embarked on the familiar and fun series of back roads leading us over the hills, down into the Pioneer Valley, and crossing the big Connecticut River in Montague. The intended bridge was closed, so we had to detour a couple miles north on Turner Falls Road to cross, and then pick our way through a busier section of Greenfield via route 2A.

We crossed I-91 and joined route 2 for a couple miles before finally reaching the curvy Colrain Road to MA 112, and up into Vermont, tracing along the east branch of North River. We ran into a bit of paving work along this stretch, but things kept moving.

Lunch was at Dot’s Restaurant in the charming wayside village of Wilmington VT. I’d heard good things about the place, but this was the first opportunity we’d taken to stop in for ourselves. The restaurant is located right on the main avenue running through town, which where VT 100 and VT 9 coincide for a short distance. The building is perched right next to (and partially over) a small branch of the Deerfield River. A pretty little scene.

There is isn’t much parking available around back, so we had to park on the main street just a short walk away. We were greeted warmly by the staff and seated promptly in a bright and pleasant dining area overlooking the river. Our waitress was friendly and chatty, and you got the feeling she’d been working here for years.

I was feeling in a club sandwich kind of mood, and couldn’t resist the sound of the onion strings as a side. Char got a tuna melt with fries. Everything was fresh-tasting and fantastic! The onion strings definitely the best I’ve had, somehow crisp and tasty without falling all apart. That lunch really hit the spot and we reflected on how much difference a couple of days and a working motorcycle can make in salvaging the mood of our vacation.

After our delicious meal, we continued west on VT 9, entering the Green Mountain National Forest for a short while. In Searsburg, we turned south onto the smaller and more isolated VT 8. We veered onto VT 100 for several miles down to Readsboro, then continued on Tunnel Street, riding briskly along the scenic branches of the Deerfield River.

Back in Massachusetts, we swooped along curvy River Road down into the town of Florida, picking up MA 2 again for a short jaunt west to the hairpin turn.

After riding down around the famous turn behind several slow vehicles, I pulled a uey and headed back uphill. We were able to enjoy one ascent through the sharp bend without any cars or holdups.

At the top of the hill we pulled into the lot of the little store alongside some bikers on a trip out from Michigan. We took in the view and chatted a bit with them while stretching our legs a bit and drinking water.

After our little break, we headed back east through Florida and down the wonderful fast sweepers of the Mohawk Trail section of route 2.

 

We crossed the Deerfield River near Charlemont on Hawley Road down into Ashfield, snapping a couple shots as we crested Bug Hill.

Then came a nice run for several miles of curvy MA 116, all the way back into the Connecticut River valley, through Deerfield and into Leverett. We came up behind a slow moving school bus, as it was that time of day, and I didn’t have the patience to stay behind it on a fun street like Leverett Road all the way to US 202. So on a whim, I said “Let’s try a shortcut!” and proceeded to drift us southeast towards Atkins Reservoir. We ended up exploring some very local roads, not all of them paved, as we zigzagged through these heavily wooded sections of  Shutesbury and Pelham. Eventually, we ended up hitting 202 at Packardville Road and proceeded south at a faster clip from there.

It was time to head towards home now, so we took it easy cruising east on MA 9 as far as Brookfield, where we jogged south to Charlton for our penultimate destination of the day.

Our friend Marc is a craft beer aficionado and appreciates any beer coming from the famous Tree House brewery. Our plan for tomorrow is to make a longer ride out to New York to make a special delivery as a token of our thanks for his assistance in getting us back home the other night. Char had been shopping here before but this was my first visit. they have quite a nice spread here, with food trucks and a big outdoor fireplace, and chairs and tables set up all over the several acres of lawn and woods that make up their property.

The lines weren’t long at all at this time of day/week, so we were able to pick up a couple of four-packs for Marc and a little something for ourselves as well. After making our purchases, we continued homeward, following a nice series of back roads I’d cobbled together for exploration purposes, some familiar and some new, taking us south of Oxford before connecting to the Central Turnpike out to Sutton, and then the slab to get home.

ST #2 had done well today, though things felt just a bit weird without all the gadgets and farkles that I’m used to having at hand. No cruise control, no TPMS, no radar detection, etc. Certainly it was quite a noticeable difference riding on two motorcycle tires again, and very pleasant. While I have no trouble leaning and having fun on the car tire, the bike just “slots” into the curve so much more easily with the Pilot Roads. I’ve always said I’d go back to MC tires with no regrets, if someone would pay a pit crew to follow me on long trips with free fresh tires to swap out! It will be nice to be able to enjoy that sportier side of ST riding again on local roads with this bike. We’d had a great day together, putting in the miles to help put memories of our ruined trip further out of mind.