Weekend ride to Suzhou and Taihu

[felix]

Having just got my driving license back, the only way i was going to spend my weekend was on my bike. It's still pretty cold up here so it wasn't going to be 500km a day, but an easy ride to taihu seemed perfect. I also picked up a riding buddy at friday night's bike meet, Wrangler decided he was up for some out of town biking too!

Getting out of shanghai by the back roads is no fun, but i don't have plates and therefore no choice either. We took a breather at dianshan lake, which is on the border between shanghai and jiangsu.



Some lanzhou lamian just before we hit taihu...



And then on our way to the dongshan peninsula. The road has been repaved since the last time i went, it’s now beautiful black top that winds its way between the lake and the mountain. So good to be back on a bike!





I really to fix my sidestand.



After getting our fix (and a nice scenic shit) we head back to Suzhou to go catch up with some old beers. The next day it’s off to Mr. Wang’s shop to go pick up my CJ750. Though it’s a CJ building shop, Mr. Wang’s is always full of lots of exotic bikes that I can only dream of one day licking.





I leave the XTR at the shop, I’ll have to go back for it next week. I dearly missed my CJ!



For the ride back to shanghai we take lots more little countryside back roads. The quick way is just a never ending river of factories and trucks, to be avoided at all costs. The route I’d planned takes us through the ancient water town of Zhouzhuang, what I’d forgotten is that it can only be done on two wheels. We tried to lift the fucker on its side to wheel it through but it was still too big and all I accomplished was to put a big scratch on my tank.





The detour was enjoyable too, more tree-lined country roads. These roads do always come with their share of idiots who overtake on blind bridges however. On the way I stop to siphon some petrol into my spare can and stock up on as much as I can before we enter the city and they refuse to sell me some. This also gives us a chance to locate and extract a big piece of china out of Wrangler’s front tire and get that patched up!




We also have a few videos from wrangler's headcam. Very nice setup!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DwRsWvc_ts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YFz4t1C_94

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRtIcQCDQQY


That's all folks, thanks for reading!

[Wrangler]

Riding with Felix was a pleasure. He's knowledgeable and gracious. Despite him riding a bit fast (ok, I mean I was riding slow), he would wait up for me and keep checking behind to see if I was there. But I guess they don't have mirrors on dirtbikes. Haha.

We also got to meet some of Felix's buddies. Overall, for such a short trip it was great. It was my first trip out and I loved it. Hope to ride with Felix again or with some of you other guys. It's unbelievable how many memorable events can happen in just a short trip!

-Wrangler

[ChinaV]

Boys, I commend your spirit for cranking out some late winter miles. Being a hater of the cold (and Shanghai), I feel you guys deserve some major applause.

Wrangler, that was a serious sphincter tightening moment in the last video , shit man, must have only been a few millimeters to spare.

Felix, yes, you really do need to fix you sidestand

Cheers!
ChinaV

[euphonius]

Wrangler, that was a serious sphincter tightening moment in the last video , shit man, must have only been a few millimeters to spare.

Wrangler, I am very glad you were able to spare the old man in a wheelchair! (But who the hell does he think he is driving his rig out there in traffic!)

It goes without saying that your bike and Felix's Galaxy, not to mention your respective experience and skills, were very mismatched for this ride, which to be honest is a recipe for disaster. Looking over your shoulder, I could feel your anxiety, and that's not supposed to be what riding is about. Set your own pace, enjoy the ride, and live to tell the tale!

thanks for sharing!

cheers

[Wrangler]

ChinaV, after that ride, I commented on Felix's pace. His reply: You think I'm fast? ChinaV rides faster than me! :)

Euphonius, I appreciate your comment and agree. So now you see how I ride and what I ride I hope we can all take a ride together and I can keep up. (Probably not though).

-Wrangler

[euphonius]

No need to keep up. I'm a total newb, and will not push myself beyond what I'm okay with. I've ridden with some amazing guys, on amazing bikes -- imagine the best riding club in Northern California -- and I never felt rushed. Someone was always willing to keep me in his mirror, and work with my pace. That's the great joy of a group ride. Riders caring for riders. You yourself noted that Felix never dropped you altogether, and was always there waiting. That's excellent decorum, good riding manners. You needn't ever feel you have to keep up when it's not comfortable. There's a vast difference in maneuverability between your bike and Felix's.

Enjoy the ride. Enjoy the ride.

cheers

[ChinaV]

ChinaV, after that ride, I commented on Felix's pace. His reply: You think I'm fast? ChinaV rides faster than me! :)

I also crash faster than him

I think the last helmet cam shots we have of Felix ended with my bike sliding off a bridge.

Cheers!
ChinaV

[Lao Jia Hou]

Wrangler, I am very glad you were able to spare the old man in a wheelchair! (But who the hell does he think he is driving his rig out there in traffic!)

Hey! That was ME in the chair!!!! It was the only wheels I could get in Shanghai.

You damn young whippersnappers! Scaring us old folks! You're lucky I didn't whack you with my cane!

Set your own pace, enjoy the ride, and live to tell the tale!

We come into life, and leave life ... chubby, with no hair, in diapers, and being spoon fed ... the stuff in the middle is, at first, unknown; and thereafter, forgotten.

But I do remember a few things ...

Back in my wild days (early 1970s), one of my first bikes was a 2-stroke Kawasaki 750 triple, aka the "widow-maker". I was a completely insane rider with gallons of testosterone pumping through my body (and perhaps a few illegal substances), and unlike the misfortune of some people I rode with, managed to live to tell the tale. I then upgraded to one of the first superbikes - a Kawasaki Z1-900 - and rode it tip to tip, North / South America, learning "adventure riding" as I went (we used to call it "hippy discovery").

Dozens of bikes later, still alive, and with only Viagra pumping through my veins, I've learned the one truth that Mr Euph espouses ...

"set your own pace & enjoy the ride" and always ride with buddies who keep an eye out for each other. So true, so true, so true! That is really soooooo damn true!

These days, I'm certainly the slowest rider in my group (damn hard to get a wheelchair through the mountains), but I'm always smiling when I get wherever I end up. Yeah, I could probably still blow many riders off the road, but I'd be risking my dentures flying out of my mouth ... and then I wouldn't have such a charming smile!

If you ain't smiling, you ain't riding.

If you're ever in Beijing, we'll go for a nice leisurely ride.

[lookslikeyou]

Wow if I would drive like that in The Netherlands as that you would surly die. The cars here dont expect 2 wheelers (only bicycles but we got sepperate lanes for those) Even when I ride the same as the rest of the traffic. Also when you ride 500km in Holland you are in Germany of France :) But such a cool way to spend your weekend, with a nice landscape!

[jape]

Hey! That was ME in the chair!!!! It was the only wheels I could get in Shanghai.snip

but I'd be risking my dentures flying out of my mouth ... and then I wouldn't have such a charming smile!

snipIf you're ever in Beijing, we'll go for a nice leisurely ride.

be careful youngsters, they say old pansies with no teeth make the BEST of friends ...