It was a long day. I finally got to do a 400 mile road test on the scooter. The Scooter Cannonball route averages about 400 miles a day -all on back roads. I wanted to know what those 400 mile days would feel like.
With that in mind I programmed a round trip in the Garmin that simulated probable Cannonball conditions. The route had dirt roads, rural back roads, city and town navigation, and large elevation changes. A lot of the roads were ones I’d never traveled before. Since they didn’t directly go anywhere I had few reasons to drive them before.
I hit the road at 8 a. m.. The temperature started out at 50 degrees and it was extremely foggy. Before long my helmet shields and goggles were too fogged and I had to do without. I started out on rough dirt roads so I wasn’t going very fast. For long sections my speed was mostly 5 – 10 mph. Baseball sized rocks and massive washouts slowed me right down.
By the time the tires hit pavement once more the fog had lifted. Eventually temperatures rose into the low 80s.
It was 7 in the evening when I finally pulled into the driveway. The scooter ran well, even loaded up. The memory foam seat cover really really helped. By the end of the day I was still enjoying myself. Sure, I was a bit sore, but not crippled up and suffering.
All in all it was a good test and loads of fun.
-Sixbears
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