Joined
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800 Posts
I left the office at 8:05 this morning and got home at 7 p.m. In the meantime, I visited Mountain City TN via Bristol VA.
Right at 400 miles of highway, towns, and twisties.
I am very happy with the tall Honda windshield. This is the best highway bike I've ever owned. I linked my iPhone to the audio system and found it more than adequate behind the tall shield. It doesn't sound as good as my stereo at home, but it sounds great for a bike. After 11 hours, the iPhone battery was at a bit under 40% charged.
I wore my Arai XD4 helmet without the plastic face shield. Only a couple of bugs got through to my face. I spent the day sitting up straight taking in the beauty of East Tennessee. This was one of the nicest rides I've taken in a long time. My average speed was under 40 mph. I found myself occasionally pulling over to let the locals pass so I could continue at a more relaxed pace. I stopped for nearly an hour at a nice Hardee's in Bristol VA.
The bike leaves a lot to be desired in the highly technical roads. I rode the section of US421 that the Gold Wing forum guys love. The CTX handled those twisties nicely. The section of TN63 north of Sneedville nearly got the best of me. Going uphill in the first gear switchbacks I had no issues. But the bike is not really a good descender. The really tight, steep stuff on the way down would have gone much better with the Trophy. The CTX is a bit too long for comfort on those mountains. The foot position is not great for standing up.
The weather was awesome. Highs in the low 80s, blue sky with puffy white clouds here and there. I saw steady winds in the high teens with gusts into the mid twenties. The CTX ignored the wind. Last week was full of rain and it looks like next week will be wet also. If I get the next couple of days off, I might get some serious miles on the bike this week.
Right at 400 miles of highway, towns, and twisties.
I am very happy with the tall Honda windshield. This is the best highway bike I've ever owned. I linked my iPhone to the audio system and found it more than adequate behind the tall shield. It doesn't sound as good as my stereo at home, but it sounds great for a bike. After 11 hours, the iPhone battery was at a bit under 40% charged.
I wore my Arai XD4 helmet without the plastic face shield. Only a couple of bugs got through to my face. I spent the day sitting up straight taking in the beauty of East Tennessee. This was one of the nicest rides I've taken in a long time. My average speed was under 40 mph. I found myself occasionally pulling over to let the locals pass so I could continue at a more relaxed pace. I stopped for nearly an hour at a nice Hardee's in Bristol VA.
The bike leaves a lot to be desired in the highly technical roads. I rode the section of US421 that the Gold Wing forum guys love. The CTX handled those twisties nicely. The section of TN63 north of Sneedville nearly got the best of me. Going uphill in the first gear switchbacks I had no issues. But the bike is not really a good descender. The really tight, steep stuff on the way down would have gone much better with the Trophy. The CTX is a bit too long for comfort on those mountains. The foot position is not great for standing up.
The weather was awesome. Highs in the low 80s, blue sky with puffy white clouds here and there. I saw steady winds in the high teens with gusts into the mid twenties. The CTX ignored the wind. Last week was full of rain and it looks like next week will be wet also. If I get the next couple of days off, I might get some serious miles on the bike this week.
