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By William "ForceOne" Pantoja. Preparation
Excitement was in the air. My first real ride. I couldn't wait. West Coast Regional Meet 2005 - Part Deux (WCRMII 2005) was around the corner and I had a lot to do before the ride. I started riding motorcycles at the end of May 2005. I have always wanted to learn how to ride a motorcycle ever since college (about 14 years ago). After two months of riding, I was able to rack up about 1,500 miles, one wreck (read un-commanded dismount), and two 250 mile day trips on my new 2005 Kawasaki Ninja EX250. I was a bit nervous about my first 800 mile multi-day ride and I knew I had to get myself and the bike prepared. The little Ninjette was still missing its left front blinker from the wreck, needed a valve adjustment and carburetor sync, and my new gear was being made by AeroStitch. The weekend before the ride I concentrated on getting my pony up to snuff. DrainFade and I tore it apart and adjusted all 8 valves. The service manual was true to form--it read like stereo instructions and the valve adjustment guides available on the internet for this bike all had a few bits missing or were calling for drilling out welds. Drilling out welds?!? We managed to get through it and in the process put together a valve adjustment guide that I hope will be more helpful to other Ninja EX250 owners. At the same time, I cleaned and lubed my chain and tightened up the bolts and hoses. My left blinker had still not arrived from Bellevue Kawasaki but with a week left before the ride, I was sure the part would get here on time. In the mean time, we finished the remaining repairs and bending my center stand into usefulness. After realizing that the ride was going to be a hot one, I ordered UnderArmor shorts, shirt, and balaclava and picked up a CamelBak backpack from REI. In the mean time my new GPS had arrived and I started programming the route I intended to take down with the help of much input from DrainFade and Thatman. It was now two days before the ride and my blinker still hadn't arrived. I didn't really want to go on such a long trip missing a turn signal indicator, but it was looking like that was going to be the case. To top it off, my tank bag ripped my turn signal switch off. The only good news was that my Stitch finally arrived however the back pad they sent was the wrong size. It was starting to look like a bad omen but I was determined to muddle through. I sacrificed a bucket of KFC on my front fender and crossed my fingers. At last, the day before the ride, my left blinker and my GPS mount both arrived. It was looking like the Colonel's secret blend of herbs and spices were turning the tables in my favor. I mounted my blinker and my GPS. Although I didn't have the hardware to wire the GPS in to my accessory connectors, I wasn't worried--it has a 20 hour battery life and I was bringing my charger. I managed to finish tinkering with my bike, packing my gear, and putting the finishing touches on the e-commerce site I was contracted to build by 3:00am. In just 3 short hours, I would be gearing up and heading out on what promised to be the longest ride of my life. Day 1
Distance: 380 miles
Travel Time: 11 hours My alarm clock jolted me awake at 6:30 am. Holy shit it was early. I was definitely feeling the effects of only 3 hours of sleep. I jumped into the shower in the hopes that it would shock me into wakefulness. After gearing up and firing up the little Ninjette, I headed out towards the first stop of the day--Enumclaw.  | | Day 1 route. | |
In Enumclaw I met up with Thatman, DantesDame, Bizzaro, BluePoof, and several other folks. I'm horrible with names but I tried to remember as many as I could for more then 5 minutes. After a few brief introductions, a quick drag off the old cancer sticks, and topping off the gas tank, we rolled out of Enumclaw.  | | Arrival at Enumclaw. | Photo: William Pantoja |
 | | Arrival at Enumclaw. | Photo: William Pantoja |
I settled into my spot near the rear of the group hoping the chicken I had sacrificed would guard against any mishaps and it was looking like I was going to need it. Highway 410 was the bumpiest road I had ever been on. Because I am so light, my shocks are normally pretty close to the top of their travel so as I bounced down the road, I had to stand on the pegs pretty often to avoid a nut buster. As it was, I got banged in the family jewels pretty good only once. The Ninjette was humming like a wailing banshee at 9,000 to 10,000 RPMs and performing well. I managed to stay up with the group even though I was probably a little over cautious. I soon realized that my GPS could tell me when gnarly turns were coming up and I started paying a little more attention to get a preview of what was in store. Although 410 rides like a turn of the century roller coaster, the scenery was beautiful. It was cool and shady, and I noticed that my Stich was not as warm as my old gear. I would have to put on my fleece when we rolled into Randle. In Randle we met up with the rest of the Washington contingent. I discovered it was not helpful to have a group washing cars while I was waiting to use the bathroom. We waved good bye to Bizarro who had to return home and I threw on my fleece and then we headed out towards Hood River.  | | Arrival at Randle. | Photo: William Pantoja |
 | | Arrival at Randle. | Photo: William Pantoja |
As we road down Cispus road (HWY 39/FR-25) I was taking up the rear. Not a very comfortable spot for a new rider. I would have much preferred to have a couple folks behind me in the event I did something stupid. Not long after we headed out, I heard my cell phone beeping. Who would try to call me now? Everyone knew I was going to be unreachable all day--it only had to be the contract I had been working on with an emergency. I would have to check at the next stop. In the mean time, I concentrated on the ride. A short time later, I noticed several of the riders pulled over at a very scenic turn off and I decided to join them too. After all, it is sport touring. About six of us stopped to admire the view. It doesn't get better then this. I took the opportunity to shut off my cell phone instead of returning the call--there was nothing I could do for them and I was having fun a long distance away from my laptop. My Stitch was getting broken in and I was starting to get in the groove. We climbed back on our horses and continued towards Hood River.  | | We stop for a smoke by the smoking mountain. | Photo: William Pantoja |
 | | My new stitch is starting to break in. | Photo: William Pantoja |
Along the way, our pace picked up a little and we were into some serious twisties. I was no longer bringing up the rear and was feeling more comfortable. At one point, I hit a patch of moss and felt my front tire get a little squirrelly but kept my throttle steady and came through it just fine. By now, I was getting more confident in the turns and was starting to push the little Ninjette and myself harder. On one turn, I even managed to scrape a peg and ride up to the edge of my tire--not a good feeling I confess. I made a mental note not to lean that deep again. We stopped for another rest break. We were all ready for a rest after riding up a freshly seal-coated road still covered with a ton of gravel. Colleen demonstrated how she was leaning into the turns and showed us the box of doughnuts that she was using to distract any cops that might have been following us. I lit up another smoke and decided it was time to hit the portico. I was definitely living dangerously walking into the port-a-potty with a lit cigarette. The fumes from the pit didn't ignite and as I returned to the Ninjette--I felt immortal. In retrospect--I was probably just queasy from the stench. We swallowed a few muscle relaxants, and took to the road with myself and DantesDame bringing up the rear.  | | Another break to empty the bladder and demonstrate leaning skills. | Photo: William Pantoja |
 | | Colleen shows off how she took that last 15mph turn. | Photo: William Pantoja |
 | | Colleen keeps the cops off our tails by serving doughnuts off the back of her VFR. | Photo: William Pantoja |
On the way into Hood River, we crossed the Hood River Bridge. This was the first time I rode across a grated bridge. The cross winds were not helping and it was not a little unnerving. I kept my eyes up taking care not to look down (even at low speeds the grating appears to "disappear" and it looks like you are floating). All of us made it across with no incidents and we decided to stop for lunch in Hood River before BluePoof turned into Hyde from lack of food. During lunch, we decided to take the easy route the rest of the way. Most of us had very little sleep the previous night and we were all feeling a little worn out. When returned to our bikes, I found a large bug had decided to call my helmet home and had to spend a few minutes shaking the thing out. It was now getting hot--someone had turned on the heater and we were all sweating like pigs. I stripped down to just my UnderArmor and opened all the vents on my helmet. We stopped for gas just outside of Hood River, and the group took off without me. When I pulled around they must have thought I was ready to go but I was simply moving away from the pumps and still did not have my gloves and helmet on. Thankfully, I had the GPS so I took off and followed its instructions. Shortly thereafter, I discovered that I forgot to tighten the strap on my helmet so I stopped on the side of the road to quickly readjust my gear. The group must have discovered I was missing because Colleen came riding back to look for me. Reunited and gear adjusted, we took off down the road to join the rest of the group but not before I almost got myself smashed merging back onto the road. I didn't look far enough behind me to see the car come roaring up. Luckilly the second quick glance I always take saved me from becoming road kill. Colleen and I passed the rest of the group and, giving them thumbs up, I kept a sedate pace to allow the others to catch up as I was now in the lead. I am not sure if having the greenest rider leading is at all wise and I certainly didn't feel comfortable but it was not long wait before the rest of the group caught up and a couple of the guys passed me placing me in the middle of the group again. As we cruised down the road, a couple of us in the rear got separated from the group again when we got stuck behind some slow cagers. It was not too long, after having to pass almost 20 vehicles, that we caught up much to the rest of the group's delight. It was during this time, that I almost rear ended a cager when I was attempting to pass another car and I hit the rev limiter. The engine instantly lost power and, being on the wrong side of the road and next to the car I was trying to pass, opened up the throttle all the way to get past before oncoming traffic made patè out of me. The bike all of a sudden shot forward and I had to brake as I swerved back into the right lane to avoid rear-ending the car in front of me. From Colleen's point of view, it looked like I had a badger caught in my Stitch. After one last stop for gas, water, and rest, we set off on the last leg of our journey. I took the lead when we got into Bend letting the GPS guide us to VFRFan's house. Without the audio plugged in, I misread the turn and we had to make a small U-turn but otherwise got there without incident. We got to VFRFan's house to a warm reception of cold beer and hot food. ST.N had taken over the neighborhood and we had bikes lined up on both sides of the street and packed into the garage and driveway. The Austrians that we ran across on the way down also showed up and it was a real treat to have them there. Sam road in on the only other Ninja 250 and we spend some time swapping stories and talking about mods to our bikes.  | | Did someone say they had beer? | Photo: William Pantoja |
 | | If only my front yard looked like this all the time. | Photo: William Pantoja |
 | | Aprilia--because anything else is uncivilized. | Photo: William Pantoja |
 | | You don't get a sweeter hack then VFRFan's. | Photo: William Pantoja |
 | | VFRFan contemplates his next ride. | Photo: William Pantoja |
 | | Colleen considers riding home in style. | Photo: William Pantoja |
 | | Ninja EX250s--Little bikes, big egos. | Photo: William Pantoja |
 | | The Ninjettes hang with the Austrians. | Photo: William Pantoja |
After the sun went down, it was time to go check in at the hotel and get some much needed sleep. Several folks were going to meet at the Black Bear the next morning at around 7:00am for breakfast but I decided a few extra hours would be better. By the time I actually hit the sack, it was midnight. Day 2
Distance: 359 miles
Travel Time: 10 hours I awoke before my alarm clock and dragged my bones out of bed. I was up in time to meet the folks at the Black Bear after all but by the time I got myself checked out, it was 8:30 am and I was sure they had finished. Alas, I would have to start my return trip alone but I was looking forward to getting back on the bike for another great day's ride. I decided to take the direct route home, planning to stop around I-5 and HWY 6 to see if I was up for some twisties. If I was feeling up to it, I would divert down HWY 12 and HWY 7 back up through Enumclaw.  | | Day 2 route. | |
On the way back, I stopped at a turnout that I had seen on the way down where there was an RV doubling as a jerky stand. Although I didn't need a break, the scenery was too good to pass up and I had to get some pictures. After all, if the roads themselves were going to be boring, at least I could stop and smell the gasoline fumes.  | | If you got to slab home, at least take in the scenery. | Photo: William Pantoja |
 | | Full bladder, empty CamelBak, big mountain. | Photo: William Pantoja |
 | | The Ninjette rests from being pushed to 95mph! | Photo: William Pantoja |
As I was riding down HWY 26 leap-frogging with another STNer that was taking the same route home, I came around a bend and saw Mt. Rainier in all her glory. I just had to stop right there and get a photo. It turned out a little more complicated and I hiked up the road a little ways in full gear to get a better view. At least it was cool out and not a roasting oven.  | | Wish I brought my snowboard. | Photo: William Pantoja |
After I finally got onto I-5, I decided I was a little too tired to divert down HWY 6. No sooner had I passed the exit, I ran into grid lock. Some cager must have tried killing themselves up ahead. After nearly an hour I decided to take quick detour around the remaining gridlocked traffic (thanks to my GPS' detour feature). Along the way, I saw a cager who had run into a ditch. I stopped to see if they needed help or someone to call a tow truck but they had already done so. Having done my good samaritan deed for the day, I hopped back on the Ninjette. I ran into another patch of gridlocked traffic--almost literally. The cagers in front of me were not paying attention and locked up their brakes trying to stop. I was doing 70 in the left hand lane at the time and, thankfully, saw the stopped traffic before they did. Even so, I still had to grab a fist full of brakes and swerved to the right of the cager in front of me stopping beside the car. I noticed another rider a couple of cars ahead of me had done the same thing only stopping to the left of the cars on the shoulder. I took satisfaction knowing I still had enough juice in my brakes that I could have stopped without having to swerve and knowing that I made a safer choice to avoid becoming the meat in a road sandwich if the cager behind me could not stop in time. I silently gave kudos to the bucket of chicken and loudly cursed I-5. At this point I had enough of stop-and-go traffic on I-5 and programmed my GPS to avoid I-5 and plot a new way home. After taking some back roads that would have been more interesting if it weren't for all the traffic, I made my way back home via HWY 167 and I-405 wishing I had taken HWY 6 when I had the chance. I finally rolled into the driveway at DrainFade and RedVixen's place where ribs, corn, and shrimp were waiting for me for a much needed meal at around 6:30 pm. Belly full, bladder empty, I rode the 1.3 miles back home from DrainFade and RedVixen's house. As I turned off the Ninjette for the last time today, stripped off my gear, and settled into bed, I couldn't help but think about how much fun I had and anticipating the next time I would be taking the Ninjette on the road again. Aftermath
After getting up today, I thought about all the experiences that I had during the trip. There lots of good things and a few not so good things that I would be sure to remember the next time I rode--especially a long ride: - Avoid hitting the rev limiter and, if I do, take a half second "breath" before applying the throttle again.
- Make absolutely sure I am look down the road far enough before attempting to merge back into traffic.
- Although the CamelBak was a godsend, I need to get a tail bag. The CamelBak gets a little heavy after a while and it is all that much more gear I have to put on after each stop.
- Get new tires designed for twisties instead of the stock Dunlop tires I currently have that are designed more for slab.
- Turn the GPS tracking on so I can track the route I actually take instead of trying to remember it.
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