mjames and the 'Busa pay a visit to Palm Springs, CA! (PICTURES)

[TonyM315]

Hello all-

 

On his way back East, Michael (mjames) and his 'Busa made a pit stop at the last minute in Palm Springs (my neighborhood) on Saturday 1/11!

 

The meeting place for this last-minute event was simple. The Starbucks in Downtown Palm Springs and we'd go from there.

 

Myself and girlfriend Kim arrived a bit late, but were overjoyed to see mjames, Dave Eisner (onedae), Russell & Lisa Bynum (90% Angel), and Daryll! They all rode to town to help celebrate Michael's journey.

 

We had a great lunch at the Hamburger Hamlet, great conversation, and a really nice time. It was so awesome to meet up with everyone in person.

 

From 'The Hamlet', time was running tight, and Dave (onedae) had to head back to L.A. Not a big deal on the beautiful Capri Blue K-RS. Beautiful bike, Dave - love it.

 

The rest of us headed over to the outskirts of town where Russell B. got to test ride the 'Busa.

 

I tried to give Russell a decent route to take on it - some good straights and nice sweepers (hope it worked Russell!) and judging by the look on his face when he returned I think it did! I'll let him tell you all about it.

 

After hanging out awhile longer, mjames had to hit the road, and the folks who rode into town had to head back. An all too early end to what was a really really fun (and spontaneous) afternoon.

 

Thanks again to all of you for a great spontaneous get together. And Michael - it was GREAT to finally meet you. Have a GREAT and safe journey home! No doubt we'll meet up again.

 

While I hope Michael (mjames) will post another addendum to the tale of his cross-country journey with his account of the 'Palm Springs Pit Stop' - I snapped some photos and they can be viewed at the link below.

 

Enjoy!

 

http://homepage.mac.com/tonym315/mjamesvisit/PhotoAlbum19.html

[russell_bynum]

Another great day brought to you by BMWRT.COM.

 

Lisa (90%Angel) and I set out this morning bound for Palm Spings.

 

Weather was mostly sunny and probably 50 degrees on the coastal side of the mountains. As we cross the mountains and descend towards Riverside and the desert, it warms up quite a bit. The heated grips are turned off and my BMW Airflow gloves are nice and comfortable. As we zipped down 111 towards Palm Springs, we spotted a K12RS...turned out to be rt.comer 'onedae' on his new Capri Blue K1200RS. Sweet. We rode together into Palm Springs and spoted mjames' black Hayabusa totally loaded with STUFF. After we said our Hello's we were standing around and "Big D" rolled in...making his RT look like a minibike. We all stood around chatting for a while until Tony and Kim rolled in. Then we all headed walked down the street for lunch.

 

After Lunch, onedae headed back to LA while Tony and Kim led Daryll, mjames, and Lisa and I out to a good spot for me to test ride the 'busa.

 

We arrived and Tony gave me a simple route that covered some good long straights and some nice sweepers that I've done before on the RT (62 from I10 to 29 Palms). mjames gave me a quick rundown on the bike...wheelies in 1st and 2nd, so watch out, etc. Then he said...take it up to 50mph in 3rd, whack the throttle open and count to three. OK, sounds like fun.

 

The riding position wasn't too bad. I think I could get used to it for full-day rides. It doesn't fit me as well as the K12, but it's really not too bad at all.

 

I set out and it took a few miles to get around the traffic. What an awesome bike. Wheelies in 1st gear are easy, but come on gently, unlike my friends CBR954 that wants to snap up and smack your face on the tank. I fidgeted with the riding position, trying to get balanced. Eventually, I found a good position...it was farther forward than I thought, but had me balanced well with no weight on the bars. 2nd gear wheelies happen at about 120mph.

 

OK, so here we go...3rd gear...slow to 50mph...check ahead (no cars) check behind (no cars), check the sky (no CHP airplanes). WHACK. ONE, TWO THREE. OK, that's just nuts. By the time I got to three, my eyeballs were smashed back into the back of my head and the b*st*rd was rapidly accelerating THROUGH 130mph. I grabbed 4th and stayed on the gas...wondering if it was ever going to let up. At ONE HUNDRED SIXTY miles per hour, I decided that I was starting to run out of road, so I backed off. I decided to brake hard from that speed and see what happened. Nothing much...it just slows down with no drama. Sweet.

 

I started up 62 into the sweepers. This would be a 100mph climb on an RT if the RT had the power to do it. It doesn't, so it winds up being about an 85-90mph climb. On the Hayabusa, I wasn't even paying attention...I was "taking it easy". Turning consisted of dropping my inside cheek off the seat with my head still on the centerline of the bike, and giving the bars a slight nudge. It felt like I hardly leaned the bike at all and everything seemed so totally effortless. The bike transitioned through the turns easily. Really, it felt very much like the KRS does. The K handles the bumps a bit better thanks to the telelever/paralever, but the 'busa suspension feels very well done and the resulting ride is smooth and planted, but still very solid.

 

At one point, I glanced down at the speedo. Mind you, I was taking it easy because I'm not familiar with the bike. 120mph. Awesome. A rider familiar with this bike could probably do 140 though here.

 

At the top, I turned around and did a repeat performance down the hill. The ride back on the straights was much more sedate because there were lots of cars. So I played with the riding position some more. If I slid back, I could rest on the tank...nice for a long ride. Slid forward, I'm perfectly balanced over the pegs. My only complaint was that it felt like the rear brake pedal was too high and I was affraid of hitting it while hanging off on the right side of the bike. It never happened, but I would have liked the pedal lower.

 

My verdict upon returning the bike to mjames: HOLY SH*T! By the way, mjames...sorry about that big dent in the back of the fuel tank...that's from the BIG WOOD! SPROING!!!!!

 

The ride home was pretty nice...zipping off towards the orange horizon just after sunset. We hit some pretty heavy traffic and did 20 or so miles of lane splitting, then finished the last few miles with no traffic...a perfect end to a great day.

 

We rolled into the garage and I set to work on the RT...drained the tranny, final drive,and engine oil, pulling the tupperware, draining the fuel tank, and removing the front fender and valve covers. No, this isn't my normal "end of ride" routine...I'm just getting a head start on my 48K service. I'll finish it up this week, and get a new front tire, and everything should be ready to rock and roll for DVD.

 

mjames is a real rider's rider...a hardcore adventurer who's also funny as h*ll and a really nice guy too. I'm glad to have been a part of his amazing journey (yeah...riding the 'busa was a nice bonus too ) and I look forward to riding with him in the future.

 

If anyone sees an Eastbound Black Hayabusa loaded for the long haul somewhere between CA and NYC ( ) be sure to wave...but you'd better wave fast...this guy doesn't stay in one place for very long.

[Ralph]

Nice report.

[ChrisNYC]

Nice pictures and stories! I found myself smiling and laughing reading Russell's ride on the 'busa.

 

mjames... this is all quite entertaining stuff to read about ... any way we can take up a collection to keep you out on the road for a while longer?!

 

------------------

Chris (aka Tender Vittles),

Little '77 KZ400 in the Big Apple

Black '99 RT for Everywhere Else, such as...color=green>

[Mjames]

any way we can take up a collection to keep you out on the road for a while longer?

 

Well...if anyone knows any hotties along the way...they have been known to slow down my forward progress.

[Mjames]

Tony,

 

The Palm Springs stop was definitely a highlight. Thanks for hosting our little party. And what a terrific area you live in.

 

So great to meet everyone in person! I'll post more, including some pics, later from Phoenix, or when I'm back in NYC.

 

One story about the ride from Palm Springs to Phoenix. As I might have posted earlier, a long-time ago girlfriend now lives in the Carmel area of CA.

 

I tried to reach her when I was in Santa Cruz but her machine said she was out of town for a few days. And since Murphy's law never fails, I get the call back from her just as I'm crossing the Arizona State line. "Oh-*&^%, it's gonna be long, long, ride tonight back up the CA coast to Carmel, I'm thinking." Fortuantley (or unfortunately) she got married a couple of years ago, so we exchanged pleasantries, made plans to meet in NYC when she visits her parents, and I kept the Busa pointed East toward Phoenix. Nice night for a ride -- beautiful stars when I stole a look up.

[Mjames]

(mjames said) take it up to 50mph in 3rd, whack the throttle open and count to three. OK, sounds like fun.

 

Russell, I would have said count to "four" but I wanted a clean seat for the ride home. Nice finally meeting you and Lisa.

 

 

[russell_bynum]

Russell, I would have said count to "four" but I wanted a clean seat for the ride home

 

Unreal. I was amazed at how easy the bike was to ride, especially compared to the liter-class sportbikes. Handling was crisp but not twitchy, acceleration was mind-boggling but the front wheel didn't try to come up every time my right wrist moved, and it was just a hoot to ride. I was totally blown away by how easy speed comes on that bike.

 

One question though...what the heck are 5th and 6th gear for?

[mcoyote]

Fasssster than my precccioussss it isssss.Fassssterrr. Musssstt buy

a 'Buuusssssaaa, it sayyssss it my litttle eeaaarrr! Waaannnttss it,

my precccciouss! Waanntttss iiit!!!

[Voodoo]

How does he keep that Busa so clean????????

[Bert]

In reply to:

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How does he keep that Busa so clean????????

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That Busa is faster than dirt.