[Ride Report] SMR NW Houston to Carlos

[Faylaricia]

Okay, let's say next time one meets up, you verify the meet-up point 100%. There was a mix up between Sam's at Fry and I-10 and Hwy6 and I-10. The meeting point was supposed to be Hwy 6 and who would know there was also a Sam's at Fry? Well, we know now because Evan waited there and we waited at the Sam's at Hwy6. Once we all found each other and exchanged ph.no's for the future, we were on our way. Ron (db), Evan (RECIT), Moe (Blackwidow), John (JasiuTLS) and me.

We took I-10 to Brookshire and hit some twisties, then I-10 again for one exit and then we missed Hwy36. Ron showed us the way ...

Once we started some twisties I quickly lost the first three guys but then Ron and I found Moe parked on the side. His seat cowl had come lose. Three of the four phillips screws were missing and of course none of us had any with us. Ron had some life saving straps ...

Well, we thought the straps saved the day but shortly after that, we lost Moe, who had switched to sweeper. We turned around and found him parked again.

His seat cowl had come lose again and (what the heck was he thinking?! ) he decided to save the seat cowl and let go of the bike when he slid in the gravel after having pulled off to the side of the road.

We tried to assess the damage and decided that the frame sliders he had just put on yesterday did their job.

The missing seat cowl:

Shortly before FM3090, the most fun part of the trip, Ron had to turn around. Our ride has taken longer than expected ... We were somewhere in Anderson (I think?) and sorta lost again. A nice gentleman on a Honda Vulcan showed us the way back to FM3090 (fyi- it is a small street right by the stock yards) and led us all the way to Carlos, Tx.

Since we had to follow a cruiser up on FM3090, we really had hoped for a clean run back but got behind two really slow cruisers this time. Average speed 45 mph. What torture! We decided to let them go ahead, then have me go after a few minutes and the guys would follow a little later to have enough distance. .. Let's just say, I caught up with the cruisers in the second curve and they were so nice to let me pass them. Then I ended up waiting at 149 and 3090 for the guys. Sure enough, they were caught up in traffic again..

In Navasota, we decided to take a different way back. We took 149 all the way to Montgomery through the National Forest. It was a nice ride again for a while until we hit more cruisers. Seemed it was that time of the day....

All in all, we made it back okay. We were in Tomball around 3 pm.
Damage to R6 is repairable. After washing it off at a gas station, the scratches didn't look quite that bad.

 

[Tourmeister]

Glad it was only scratches

 

[BlackWidow]

Funny thing is, the engine was off and bike was in neutral. I'm thinking, if some one fell from the same gravel doing say 30-45 mph, how much more damage could have been done.

Anyways,
Got the prices on the parts, i'm glad its not that much. And most likely i wont get the insurance involved in this one.

1) Engine Stator Cover - $50-60.
2) Upper Fairing Cowl (Main) - $139. (Everyone thinks i should'nt get it replaced and just rather get it buffer and repainted if that, since damage is only to the left edge - and did'nt touch lights.)
3) Frame Slider - $60 for pair, but will not replace as it is still in full form and in good condition.
4) Spool for swingarm - $25, wont be replacing, as in mint condition.

As for the stock signals, i was gonna throw them away anyways, i ordered these flushmounts a few days back, and still waiting on them.

So basically at minimum i'm just looking at replacing the Engine Cover ($50-60) and need four phillip screws to put the cowling back on. Any one think i should try and sue Yamaha for selling me a loose cowling which created this whole mess

 

[Tourmeister]

Cool. Gravel can do some major damage even at a standstill. Beth's VFR 800 fell over on a freshly chip sealed road and it did an amazing amount of damage! Still, frustrating to scratch up your new baby!

 

[BlackWidow]

Cool. Gravel can do some major damage even at a standstill. Beth's VFR 800 fell over on a freshly chip sealed road and it did an amazing amount of damage! Still, frustrating to scratch up your new baby!

Indeed it is, just glad i did'nt go down with it and scratch myself - WHAT/HOW WOULD I EXPLAIN TO MY MOM? OF WHAT HAPPENED? MAYBE THAT'S ANOTHER REASON WHY I LEAPED OFF

Haha, the day i get that out of the way, i bet my confidence level would shoot up! Haha.

Just ordered the Yamaha OEM Stator Engine Cover for $60 shipped. Just hope its an easy job to replace.

 

[Weaver]

sucks about the damage moe... coulda been worse though...

get you some boots while youre at it

 

[BlackWidow]

sucks about the damage moe... coulda been worse though...

get you some boots while youre at it

Still saving,
About to do some major mods on the bike. ($500 or so).
1) Frame Sliders
2) Spools
3) Clutch Slider
4) LED Lights
5) HID
6) Rear Seat Cowl
7) Fender Kit
8) Side Plate on Swingarm
9) Flush mounts (Smoked)
10) Rear Smoked tail lights
11) Camel Back pack
12) Knee Gaurds

So far that's the plan, and after all of that, i'm looking at leathers and boots.

As of right now, i have touring boots which i will/should use on the next ride.

 

[Tourmeister]

Moe, you raise an interesting point about your Mom. How do you think she will react if the first time she learns you are riding is because you are in the hospital after an accident? Not implying you are reckless and destined to have that happen, but you just never know...

 

[Weaver]

Still saving,
About to do some major mods on the bike. ($500 or so).
1) Frame Sliders
2) Spools
3) Clutch Slider
4) LED Lights
5) HID
6) Rear Seat Cowl
7) Fender Kit
8) Side Plate on Swingarm
9) Flush mounts (Smoked)
10) Rear Smoked tail lights
11) Camel Back pack
12) Knee Gaurds

So far that's the plan, and after all of that, i'm looking at leathers and boots.

As of right now, i have touring boots which i will/should use on the next ride.

id recommend $$ on gear first... mods are nice... but they dont mean anything if youre down for the count...


glad there wasnt more damage... its had its initial "wreck" right? so now its smooth sailin...

 

[BlackWidow]

Moe, you raise an interesting point about your Mom. How do you think she will react if the first time she learns you are riding is because you are in the hospital after an accident? Not implying you are reckless and destined to have that happen, but you just never know...

You have no idea how many times i think about this PER MILE! Yep, that's right every fricken mile - period.

I mean i've April's Fools Day Joked about me having a bike 3 years in a row, and it all ended so badly in the 1st 30 seconds that i had to let her know it's a joke - sad thing is, this last april it was'nt a joke and rather reality !

Don't know what to say, or do? I know i Love riding, and try to be as careful and safe as i can be. **** i barely get any riding done anyways.

But let's see how it goes in the future. My dad's in town for another 2 weeks, and i've been talking to him about bikes and all - he's cool with me joining a dirt bike school. But that's about it. So let's see how it goes.

As for the hospital, well my mom has already gotten a call from the hospital before about me being badly injured just a few months back - it was not related to a bike though, but she freaked out and till the end thought it was a bike, it was CRICKET! I'll post pictures. If they are too graphic, please feel free to remove em. No offense to any one.

Image One

At this point i could barely see two feet away.

Close up

Surgeon @ Work
​

 

[Chris-V65Magna-TX]

Great ride report and pics! Hate to see the damage to the black R6. OUCH!

I once dropped my ZX11 when I thought the sidestand was down all the way, which it wasn't..walked two steps away and heard a dull CRUNCH.
The sidestand was down, but not far enough forward and the bike rolled forwards and fell over.

How was the ride overall with the temps in the 90s today?

 

[Chatterbox]

GEEZ!!!! If CRICKET can do that to you, your mom should easily be able to handle you riding a bike. I've ridden with you, and you are a very good, safe rider. But then again, maybe that's because you're scared to death your mom will find out about the bike, so you are extremely careful.

If my son, Jef, had ever come home from a baseball game looking like you do in those pictures, he wouldn't have played basesball anymore!!!!

If you keep up riding the way you ride now, your mom should be proud of you and know that you do everything you can to keep yourself safe. But as a mom myself, it's "do as I say, not as I do". It's fine for Chris and I to ride, but I'm worried sick when Jeff rides - even if he's riding with us!

Chris can help you get your bike buffed out and stuff - if you want. It really doesn't look that bad. Besides, you've gotta drop her once to get it over with.

 

[Faylaricia]

How was the ride overall with the temps in the 90s today?

The morning wasn't bad at all because we had a good overcast as you can see in the first picture. It got a little hot around lunch time but by that time we were getting to Carlos for lunch. The waitress thought she did us a favor turning on the window unit next to us full blast to 69 degrees but we ended up turning it off when lunch arrived.

In the afternoon, the clouds started clearing up but we took the way through the forest which is very shady. It felt good. I don't know about the other guys but I wasn't miserable or anything. My helmet (a Scorpion EX400) has excellent ventilation and I wore my mesh Joe Rocket pants with lots of airflow.

 

[RECIT]

My mom worries too, her and the GF. They know I'm not a squid, but they still worry. Ya cricket is a killer apparently. They damage was not that bad and no one got hurt is the important thing. Sorry about not know the route very well before I led an expedition to no-where! I still had fun though and I learned a few more nice roads. The Forest is beautiful, I should have been riding there more.

 

[wonder91178]

WHAT/HOW WOULD I EXPLAIN TO MY MOM? OF WHAT HAPPENED? MAYBE THAT'S ANOTHER REASON WHY I LEAPED OFF

You really need to man-up and tell your folks....

What happens when you wreck on a ride and end up at a hospital? You've left it in the hands of a fellow TWTer to call your folks and it shouldn't be their responsibility to tell your parents that you ride, let alone that you've been in an accident, it's all you holmes....

sucks about the damage moe... coulda been worse though...

get you some boots while youre at it

+1

id recommend $$ on gear first... mods are nice... but they dont mean anything if youre down for the count...


glad there wasnt more damage... its had its initial "wreck" right? so now its smooth sailin...

++1

You can get a good pair of race boots (if that's what you're wanting) for like $150 or so....not the $500 you were thinking in another post....

...gear should come first, mods later.

Glad the damage was minimal...happens to everyone...gravel is not your friend (UGH!).

 

[Tourmeister]

Patricia, did you enjoy 3090? There is one decreasing radius curve, do any of you remember it?

 

[Faylaricia]

Patricia, did you enjoy 3090? There is one decreasing radius curve, do any of you remember it?

At the beginning of the trip, I was my typical slow-poke but by the time we got to FM3090, I was warmed up. I really liked it! I actually managed to keep the distance to my leader pretty decent. The Ninja also has trouble coming out of turns as fast as the Suzukis 1000 but they were slowing down on the straights to allow me to catch up.

I think I remember which one you are talking about. When you go north is it a right hand turn? I think it is marked 35mph and it starts smooth and all of a sudden it gets a 'bite' and the curve really decreases. It is a long curve too. Is that the one you are talking about? I remember saying to myself "whooo" and just kept putting more and more weight into the pedal.

There were several nice curves and I would have to wait for Moe to give the final comments as he was riding behind me, but I think I leaned the Ninja pretty good.

 

[Tourmeister]

If you head North, it turns left. There is an old square woodframe building on the right side, looks like an old school house or something. I have seen quite a few bikes leave the road there. It actually decreases in both directions, so you have to watch for it when heading South as well. It is a short ways South of that 15mph hard 90 degree left hander. If it did not get your attention, that means you were probably riding a good conservative pace that left you time to adjust without freaking yourself

 

[Faylaricia]

It is a short ways South of that 15mph hard 90 degree left hander.

I definitely remember that sharp 15mph turn. I think we are all fairly safe when it comes to speed. I didn't see anyone crossing the lines but me once. It was in a right turn and I could've leaned more to stay within but don't have a clue why I just let it go. There was no car coming so I relaxed and let it go out. .. but that was only one time.

I think I know what turn you are talking about now but not 100% sure. It has nicely moved grass and a few big trees? FM3090 is a nice road and I went on it once before. I don't think this was the last time ... next time I look for it.

 

[Squeaky]

If you head North, it turns left. There is an old square woodframe building on the right side, looks like an old school house or something.

Is it bright blue?
Am I the only one that can't NOT fixate on the blue house in the corner?

 

[TexasTri]

I'm missing something here. The first pic has the right eye damaged and the next 2 have the left eye damaged?? I'm not doubting that you got hurt, I just don't understand the pictures. Another thing, I think you guys should get some helmets for cricket, that looks really painful.
Glad the layover was not worse, your supposed to keep the shiny side up.

 

[Snoopster]

Glad to hear ya'll had a nice time.

Moe: Sorry to hear that the bike fell over. I definitely hate gravel & try not to pull over into it if possibly. Sounds like you didn't have much choice. Hope you get her fixed up soon. You might want to sell your other turn signal on e-bay instead of tossing it.

 

[dukey33]

:It actually decreases in both directions, so you have to watch for it when heading South as well. :

how does that work? I don't see how that is geometrically possible.
If it is a turn greater than 90deg, that's different than a decreasing radius turn.

 

[BlackWidow]

I'm missing something here. The first pic has the right eye damaged and the next 2 have the left eye damaged?? I'm not doubting that you got hurt, I just don't understand the pictures. Another thing, I think you guys should get some helmets for cricket, that looks really painful.
Glad the layover was not worse, your supposed to keep the shiny side up.

I have a Motorola Razr as a cell phone. And every time i switch on the camera mode and then shut the flip option and then take a picture the camera some how manages to switch my left and right and then take the picture.

but with the same cell phone if i opened the flip option and then switched on the camera option it would be accurate.

Sounds funny, but any body with a Razr phone please explain. Sounds like i faked my injury

Well i still have the scars and one stitch in my face to prove it !

In the end had a 3 week bed rest, a 12 lbs gain and 18 stitches of which one still remains in my face !

 

[BlackWidow]

There were several nice curves and I would have to wait for Moe to give the final comments as he was riding behind me, but I think I leaned the Ninja pretty good.

Honestly speaking, your riding the Ninja 250 as best as you can. For god's sake its a 250. Your leaning into your turns well more then 50%, your doing a constant 75-85 mph. You rode with SV1000s and an R6, and did'nt delay them one bit for a whole 250 mile + trip, cant get better then that.

Start saving up and upgrade ! Please ! Even if its just the RS250 ! But if you dont feel confident yet then dont ! But you look pretty on the bike, and your doing jus fine. A+

Only thing i think you should do is accelerate more through the turns.