MAIDEN VOYAGE
2001
After having had only vintage bikes since I began riding, I finally got a fast, fun, new-ish bike in 2001. I promptly took her (“Coco”, my 1998 Superhawk 996) on an 8-day solo road trip that spring to test her out. I didn’t plan on it being an endurance test, but somehow, I’m grateful for it.
Had I paid better attention to weather reports, I wouldn’t have gotten caught in heavy rain, frighteningly heavy winds and two high-desert snow storms. Add a little more drama with shattered wheel bearings making the bike shudder ominously at times, and it was one nail-biter of a trip. But, as usual, I found the best dive motels the west has to offer, and still had a great romp through the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and Joshua Trees before staggering home.
