sunday afternoon...out for a ride!!!

And so it is time to move on and I get back on the 41 in Naples going south towards the Key Largo.

Sunday was the warmest day so far and it was hot! There were hundreds of bikes out and about....as you can see from one gas station that I pulled into.

These guys were coming from all directions and weren't one big group....they were all in small groups of half-a-dozen or so and there were bikes everywhere...the bikers had their digital cameras out...the car drivers had their digital cameras out....even the staff in the gas station were taking pictures!

So Route 41 takes you south-east through the everglades towards Miami....also known as the Tamiami Trail (as it runs from Tampa-Miami).

..the everglades.

Before Miami I cut down the 997 to Key Largo where I am pitching up for the night in Popps Motel which backs onto the shore....well I guess most things here do back onto the shore (the Keys are not exactly big). The owner of the motel (Mrs Popps?) reckons last week was the coldest it had been down there since 1959!

...what you see when you step out of your motel room (or shed as I like to call it) at Popps!

Week 1 ends with 8278 miles on the clock which means I covered 834 miles since Tuesday.

Saturday 7th: And onto Naples......

I have made it to Naples on Florida's west coast for the weekend. For those of you following my route.....I came down from Brandon on the 301 to Sarasota and then the 41 South and then jumped on I – 75 as time was getting on and I needed to get a move on.

The 301....more to come of what has gone before!!!

The weather has improved as forecast (long may it continue)....had all the inner layers of the jacket strapped to the bike today and all the air vents in the jacket and on the helmet wide open to get some cool air circulating. I'm sitting here at the side of a pool, looking out over a golf course in the afternoon sunshine (5pm) and waiting for a beer (does it get any better?).

See....a pool overlooking a golfcourse....told you!!!!!

I am the very grateful house-guest of Jeni who quickly decided that I was sane enough to invite to stay in her home. (ok ok sane as in not an axe-wielding loon......anyway.....I couldn't fit another Australian hitchhiker under that patio in my back garden so what is the point???) So after Jeni and Jeni's friend Pam between them try to blow me up with a gas oven (don't ask......lucky to still have my eyebrows!) while making us dinner we all headed off to Marco Island for the evening to see a comedy show and have a few drinks. Pam does the most wonderful Scottish accent.....it is just too bad that she is trying to do an Irish accent at the time!! Happy 50th Birthday Pam....enjoy the cocktails in Michigan!

Sunday morning saw Jeni jump on the back of the bike and we headed down to Vanderbilt Road beach to have a look at the ocean. It was lovely and the sun was nice and hot...plenty of people milling about on the sand but not a soul brave enough for the cold water!!

On the way back we stopped to look at the Alpaca farm that Pam helps out at from time to time. Alpacas are a non-hooved camel from Peru (no they are not Llamas) and are highly prized for their wool (so there you go.....).

not as cute as the Alpacas I grant you....

Jeni & Halo...

Thank you Jeni for your kindness and your company.

How's My Driving? Call 1-800-555-555

At some point on Friday afternoon it dawned on me that I was becoming pretty comfortable with the driving over here......I think it was when I started shouting (in the safety of my bike helmet of course!) at the locals for not being in the correct place on the road!

Of course turning up at a crossroads to be faced with 2 flashing red lights and stopped cars at every entrance to the junction was a complete puzzle for me......turns out the lights were just saying take caution and I was supposed to treat it like a 4-way stop without lights (which basically means you have to stop on the line and first to arrive is first to proceed) which even the locals get confused about. Oh and it seems that if 2 cars arrive at the junction at the same time then you should give way to the car on your right!

Turning right on a red light is another one that you have to get used to or suffer the wrath (and the horn honking...which is very popular in Florida it seems....and no, not just in my vicinity) of those behind you.

You have to pre-pay for fuel at gas stations before filling up which is a pain. You can use a credit card at the pump but most of them then ask you to input the Zip Code the card is registered to so us johnny-foreigners are unable to proceed. One of the attendants assured me that whatever I have pre-paid and not used at the pump gets refunded back to my card but haven't checked on that one yet.

And I found out today that the classic 'school bus' that we all know from tv has a stop sign on the front and back of the bus which when active means that nothing is allowed pass the bus from behind or from in front coming from the opposite direction......(must admit that lesson was learned this morning as I had to stand on the brakes to try and get the bike stopped)

Generally the driving has been ok so far.....not enough people indicate but that is common everywhere and they do hop lanes with the barest of gaps to squeeze into but it all seems to work. I got onto the Interstate (I-75) today and it took a while to see a sign with the speed limit (Max 70, Min 50) but I had to do 80+mph just to keep up with the slowest guys out there.......and I was still being passed and left for dust by the majority on the road (including the State Troopers!). I will be using the Interstates only as a last resort on the rest of the trip......not exactly relaxing!

Drinking and driving is pretty common over here so something to watch out for when you are out and about....particularly at night!

Oh and my first U-turn on a cruiser was an experience to behold.....especially on a 3 lane highway..........must practice some more......lets just say I used all the lanes available to me!!!!!

Load 'em up and move 'em out!

Well I spent a fair while this morning trying to figure out the best way to pack the bags to get them on the bike but in the end decided that a few days of trial and error was the only way forward.....so long as everything was strapped down well enough we couldn't go too far wrong!









You can certainly feel the extra weight when you are trying to move the bike on your own steam but it isn't a problem once you are up and running......even helps when there are cross-winds!


I've gone a couple of hours southwest of Orlando to Brandon which is just outside Tampa and from there I shall head south to Naples tomorrow. I got here ok (one wrong turn which meant an alternative route.....turns out I took the correct turn......second guessed myself.....turned round and went back a couple of miles to take the wrong turn........shouldn't be let me out by myself!).


The only problem is that when I got here it took me 2 hours to find the hotel.....nobody I asked could say for sure where it was......ended up in a bike shop and they went on the internet to find it for me and show me a map.....2 minutes from their location!


Oh and just to prove that I do take some pics which do not include a bike I would like to present the view from my hotel room window:



Now I think it is time for me to find a bar.....

Am not a Sissy......THAT is a Sissy!

So the Sissy Bar and Luggage Rack arrived and I got them fitted this lunchtime.

Managed to get it all done for about $200 less than the shop where I bought the bike wanted so can't be bad!

So tomorrow morning I shall load up the bike and head off on my travels......time to leave Winter Garden.

Nanoo Nanoo...Mork calling Orson...come in Orson

Well I took the bike out yesterday for an extended run.....just to get some hours in, get used to riding her and see what a few hours on the thing would feel like.

Took myself off on Route 50 due East to Titusville on the coast and then north to Daytona Beach. The sun was shining but the temperature stayed quite low.....about 11 - 12 C.....so it got a bit chilly after a couple of hours.

I even found myself in some 65 mph speed limits which were a little windy but the bike handles fine......you do get some buffetting but nothing too bad and the weight of the bike helps to keep her steady in cross winds.

I was happy enough on the seat for 3 hours before my ass started telling me to pull over and stretch my legs.......which brought me to Daytona Beach.

Daytona Beach is where they did a lot of speed trials and motor races before they found the salt flats and they have little toll booths every half mile or so to allow you bring your car or truck onto the sands and drive along......10mph speed limit and there are lanes identified.....and it is a 2-way system.......so watch out if you are ever walking your dog or going for a paddle on the beach there!

Daytona Beach:

The beach did look great but it was bloody freezing with the wind coming in off the Atlantic so I made a quick exit.....will see the Atlantic again next week further south and hopefully it will be a little warmer then.

So I spent the day on the bike and had no real problems.....was glad to get back to the hotel though. My hand is aching (my left hand people.....keep it clean!!) from the heavy/stiff clutch....it is a real effort after a couple of hours to pull the lever so I might see if I can adjust it.....or my fingers and hand will simply get used to it and I'll never struggle to open the jar of peanut butter again!

It is meant to stay cool here again today and tomorrow and then warm up (22 - 24C) over the weekend so I think I shall break out the all weather gear today and resort back to the jeans and light jacket on Saturday.

p.s. A guy in a gas station came up to me, stared at the bike and said "That is one mean-ass goodlooking bike! You have a great day sir." before hopping into his truck and leaving.

Now where is my suncream....?

Hi Guys,

Well I just had to come in from the blazing sunshine here to let you all know that I made it to Florida without incident.....even managed to get here on time to watch the Superbowl in a local bar.....it was being held in Tampa which is only an hour away so the Floridians were very into it!

You will be glad to hear it rained all day yesterday but today was the day I picked up my bike from the dealership so the sun came out and it is lovely t-shirt weather.......I obviously picked the right week to ship out given the snows at home!

So........here she is:

I took these shots at the dealership while the paperwork was being sorted out. Mileage was 7444 when I took ownership so we shall have to see how many miles I clock up in the next few weeks.

She sounds GREAT!!

The guys I bought her from couldn't have been nicer or more helpful....the bike is being registered to the dealership address as I don't have a Florida address and I have a temporary plate which is good for a month while the real plates and registration get sorted out. The real plates will be sent to them in the next week or so which means I should be able to pass back this way on my way out of Florida and get them put on.......give the local sherriffs across the country one less thing to ask about!

So off I wobbled onto Route 50 and back towards Orlando.......she is very heavy....really noticed the weight when first took her off the stand but the weight is real low down so is fine once you are up and running. Every time I set off I try and put my feet where I am used to putting them on a sportsbike only to find the pegs are about 12" - 15" further forward........have already started getting used to it though. Other than that she is quite comfortable.....of course I am used to the piece of wood they call a seat on a sportsbike!

I went to another bike shop about 18 miles away to order my accessories.....they reckon they should have them Thursday or Friday at the latest and can fit them while I wait so hopefully I should be on the road for real as planned by the weekend.

Right time for some lunch and then maybe an afternoon ride in the sunshine.........