Picture: Richard's newest ride?
The sky had dark and ominous appearance when I left the house at 9:20am. A half mile and ten minutes later when Neil pulled up on his bright yellow 1000cc V-Strom to join Pat and I, the sky was clearing and the sun shinning. So goes the weather in Kansas.
A pleasant ride down old 81 to Lindsborg brought us to the Viking motel where we joined Richard and Gary for the ride to Whitewater. After a quick stop in McPherson for Richard's glasses we set out for Moundridge to met Paul with his "78 CB750. The Kansas weather struck again with light rain between Mac and Moridge. It was the kind of rain that wasn't heavy enough to make you stop and pull on the rain gear but light enough to make you stick it out and get wet.
As we pulled in the Victory motorsports we could see two riders leaving in the distance. Sure enough Paul had gotten antsy and left with someone else. We finally caught up with Paul before turning South onto hwy 15. He and Dale had happened onto each other at the shop.
The seven of us must have made quite a sight, 2 V-Stroms, 2 scooters, 1 V-twin cruiser, an antique Honda and an antique looking thumper. Thankfully they held the speed to 55-60 so I could keep up on the REB.
We were some of the last to arrive but before I went I visited with the Whitewater fire chief who had been checking out the REB. He told me he had visited India 3 years ago and was familiar with Royal Enfields. India, he said was overrun with small displacement bikes made in China and the Bullet was the king of the road there. The "Harley of India" he called them. He also told me he had a Norton 850 Commando and a healthy appreciation for Birt iron.
The Whitewater cafe is a nice little place with a friendly staff and varied menu. Of course the 32 ROMEOs packed the place much to the consternation of some of the locals who turned away after seeing the crowd. The service was quick though and I got the pan fried chicken dinner ($5.95) quickly. And no, I didn't leave room for dessert.
On the way home Neil, Pat and I stopped at Dan's cycle in Hesston. I'd heard a lot about the place and wasn't disappointed. I even bought their last flat, snap-on face shield but I passed on the free kittens.
You might have noticed that the REB was dressed for travel. I was testing out my packing skill in preparation for the Royal Enfield "Rally on the River" in Steelville, MO the first weekend in October. This will be my first camping experience in years so I need the practice. I'm sure this topic will come up in future blogs.
Another 180 carefree REB miles.
A little funny: H-D rider- "This beer is flat, let's wreck the joint."
BMW rider- "This cappuccino is cold, let's only tip 10%."
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