Maiden Voyage
2001

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After having had only vintage bikes since I started riding, I finally got the newest bike I’d ever owned in my life: fast (very), reliable (sort of), brakes that actually worked, etc., etc.  I promptly took her (Coco, my 1998 Superhawk 996) on an 8-day solo spring road trip to test her out.

Had I paid better attention to weather reports, I wouldn’t have gotten caught in rain, frighteningly heavy winds and two high-desert snowstorms. As usual, I found the best dive motels money has to offer, and still romped through  the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and Joshua Trees before staggering home on shattered wheel bearings. 

I didn’t plan on an endurance test to this extent, but somehow, I’m grateful for it.