Another Trip with the Honda NC750X

I just returned from a 3,468-mile, two-week trip east to Rhode Island, then Maine. My main purpose was to see my daughter, Tess, who just completed her qualifying exams in preparation for her dissertation in natural-resource economics. But like on all my long trips, I, too, got an education about riding my motorcycle.

With my daughter, Tess, after eating seafood
in sight of the beach in Rhode Island.

Starting from Dubuque, Iowa, I couldn't get out of town without my first construction-related detour. The bridge to Illinois, crossing the Mississippi River, was closed, forcing me to take the other Dubuque bridge into Wisconsin. An auspicious start.

I had left home early on a Saturday, and traffic wasn't bad for the first couple of hours. Then I hit Chicago and stop-and-go traffic. From there, I took the I-90 toll-road for a couple of days. Later, I rode through Providence, RI, and Boston, MA, again hitting stop-and-go on my way to Maine's Acadia National Park. Then I headed home through a massive heat dome and 4th of July traffic.  

Here are the main lessons:

• I greatly prefer riding the West over the East. The heat, humidity, traffic, and construction would have overwhelmed me back when I had less experience and different motorcycles.
• The Honda NC750X suited me well. I can flat-foot, which when stopped on the road is a great comfort.  
• The low center of gravity made driving near a huge number of trucks far less anxiety-inducing. And doing U-turns in the middle of nowhere left me pissed at Google Maps, not the motorcycle.
• The NC750X has plenty of power for merging onto interstates and for overtaking the "slow" cars and trucks that dared drop below 75 m.p.h. It has a top speed of 105 m.p.h. and a 0-60 m.p.h. time of 4.5 seconds.  
• With panniers on the back plus a waterproof bag for my camping gear, I carried everything I needed with space to spare.
• Before I left, I purchased a new mesh riding jacket from Sindt Motors, the source of my bike, encouragement, and knowledge. I love both the jacket and the guys at the shop. Riding through that heat dome in my old jacket wasn't possible.

In summary, this trip was about being comfortable with unpleasant riding conditions.

I'm now ready to take the bike in for its 16,000-mile maintenance. Not bad for two years of riding—and it's still early in the season!

Oh, one last thing.  Because of the low seat height and stability of the NC750X, I stopped and got off it a lot more.  Riding the Loop Road at Acadia National Park, it was easy to stop for photos or the famous popovers at the Jordan Pond House. Here are some of the photos:

The view from the back patio of the Jordan Pond House.

The creatively named Sand Beach.

Time to get back on the road!

Riding Tips for the Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES DCT

I've ridden motorcycles for many years, but when I purchased the 2022 Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports DCT, I still had a steep learning curve ahead of me. This video was particularly helpful. 

I picked the Africa Twin DCT for several reasons:

1. I have developed arthritis in my left hip, and the DCT means I don't have to shift gears with my left foot.
2. My hands cramp after a short while on a traditional motorcycle, such as the Kawaski I owned previously.  The DCT means there is no clutch lever to worry about.  In addition, the Honda ES model comes standard with both cruise control and grip warmers.  Last fall, I rode over 5000 miles on a 6.5 week trip, and my hands handled it fine.
3. I mostly ride alone, including on my trip West, and Honda dependability means a lot to me.

Mounting the Africa Twin

But riding it took practice:

1. It's taller than any bike I owned previously.  Just getting on it with my arthritic hip, especially when it was loaded for traveling, was a chore.  However, my dealer, Randy Sindt of Sindt Motors in Dubuque, showed me how to step up on the peg while the kickstand is still down, as shown in the video above.  It was a huge benefit.  I've seen online videos of short riders trying to throw their legs over the saddle from the ground.  What a struggle.  An unnecessary one, too.
2. I've dropped bikes multiple times, always at slow speeds.  Several things helped prevent new falls:
• Never lock the front brake when the wheel isn't straight.  Never.  To keep myself from grabbing a handful of brake, I put a single finger on the front brake lever.  That's enough for slowing the bike quickly, but it also has so far kept me from locking it up.  When I dropped the bike (twice) out West, I snapped the front brake lever short.  That turned out to be a blessing, and I rode several thousand miles before getting back to Dubuque to replace it.  I couldn't grab a handful of brake if I had wanted to!
• Since the DCT doesn't have a clutch, you can't ride the friction zone.  I finally learned to both give the bike a bit of throttle at the same time that I stepped solidly on the rear brake.  The DCT will then feather the clutch for you.  I can creep along below walking speed, using the rear brake to control speed as one would a traditional clutch.  This is a game-changer.  And the bike simply won't stall, a huge additional benefit of the DCT.
• Practice slow-speed maneuvers.  In pretty weather, I still practice figure-8s, weaves, and other slow-speed maneuvers at a nearby parking lot. An extra 10 minutes in the parking lot before a ride reacquaints my body with the bike at slow speeds.
3. Starting off on an uphill slope or, worse, a side slope was always tough.  But with the DCT and a single finger over the front brake lever, I can twist the throttle and get going while still having both feet on the ground.
4. Before I began preparing for my trip West (photos here), I had never been on overnight camping trips by motorcycle.  Everything for six weeks except food had to fit on the bike.  I'll write more soon about my packing list.
5. The wind out West was fierce, with 60+ mph winds on a section of I-80 near Laramie, Wyoming.  The Africa Twin had the weight and stability to get through it.  I just had to learn to trust it.

Overall, a lot of the practice was about gaining confidence without getting complacent.  I once heard John Wooden, the famous UCLA basketball coach, speak at a basketball camp I attended in middle school.  He said, "Be quick, but don't hurry."  

It's all about the attitude you bring to what you do.