Out the door at 0530 with the 11 year old for Rolling Thunder 2012, and the first real ride on the PR 3's. Also the first time we've played punch buggy on the bike. As usual she performed flawlessly, and I find I am very happy with the PR 3's. They seem a little more sensitive than the 2's, in that staying in my portion of the lane takes a little more attention. The tires had about 250 miles on them at the start so they may still be "new".
Hit the mountains on VA on the way home, and I find that I am really impressed with the rubber. Unlike on the flats in corners they ride as if on rails, and inspire much confidence. Felt so good I almost wanted to turn around and go back without the kid on the back so I could push a little more. On exiting a lefty we found a manhole cover in the road and the front end hopped and wobbled but came back to true with no issues at all. These are great tires, and I look forward to being able to run on them solo.
Rolling Thunder is a wonderful day. There are several places you can meet up with thousands of other riders(Dumfries, VA HD Dealer) and have a police escort the entire way to the Pentagon parking lot. If you think you HAVE to go sit in the Pentagon parking lot and ride the parade take a LOT of water and plan on a few hours of waiting. I've got several friends that do it every year and dont complain too much. The times I've gone we find parking on or near the mall grass and spend our time hitting the vendor stands and talking with other two wheel fanatics. I met one that rode from Alaska, and another from Central America! At no time did we get tied up in traffic, though we did witness a cruiser fall down at an intersection. The couple received a prompt response from emergency personnel.
We ended up with about 400 miles for the day. I found I really miss the 7.5 gallon tank on the old Connie, as we averaged about 35 mpg for the whole trip. Note the gas prices in the pic. Wasn't that painful to fill up the three times that I did... Just a great day. Kudos to my young hero for hanging in there with no complaints.
*** Forgot to add this in at first. MILITARY RIDERS PLEASE READ*** I'm in my 20th year of service in the Army. It has been a rare occasion when I've actually FELT the support of my countrymen. If you watched the news at all during the opening months of OIF/OEF, odds were good you saw negative views. I have gotten the occasional thanks for my service, but this ride was different. When you get within six or seven miles of DC, things change. There must have been a dozen overpasses and frontage roads crowded with people. People who took the time to line these roads, in the heat, to wave our flag, remembrance signs, and to cheer the riders on. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend riding to this event.
