The Shakedown Run. My first miles on the XJR!

The day that I had dreamed of since landing in Japan was finally here. My legality, my bike and my gear were all in order and I had nothing to do, but to do it. I finally saddled up and got out for my first miles on the XJR. The roads I took were mostly familiar ones in order to get a feel for the bike without worrying about navigating at the same time. Follow along as I go through this glorious day.

The weather has been chilly for the last few weeks. I can take chilly as long as it is dry. Well the morning of my ride I got my lucky. My gear is what you could call three season gear at best. It is ventilated mesh with liners. Thankfully I have had a few cold weather rides while living in California and know how to layer up. The Navy has issued me enough gear that I won’t die of cold when in the field and I use that under my motorcycle gear. The only thing lacking are my gloves. I really need to get some winter rated gloves. Mine are summer leather short gloves with plenty of ventilation. I tried out some heated gloves at a bike shop the other day. That might be the way to go if this is my winter normal. Since there is a good amount of rain as well, I need to find something with good water protection. Gear shopping is going to be fun!

Starting the bike on a cold morning is a bit rough. Since the bike is air cooled, the big engine fins just pull heat from the combustion chamber. Great when the bike is hot, but after a cold night sitting in my driveway it means getting her started takes a bit of time. Its definitely not a morning bike. Once you get it to idle properly, it starts to come alive. All that cold air starts working in your favor making great power and the bike runs a treat. Out on the road she was howling and sounding good. Throttle response and acceleration were right on point. The bike felt alive. The suspension feels just about right for me and my body weight. The tires are not too old, but the front looks a bit cold torn with some interesting wrinkle patterns. I took it easy as I went, gradually pushing deeper into the turns. Except for the ergonomics I mentioned last week, this bike fits me perfectly. I can't wait until I get a few more small projects done and a bunch more saddle time getting to know the bike. I just know we will be start fitting each other's style in no time.

The route I took brought me down to one of my favorite places. Kanonzaki Park is a beautiful beach and park with a lighthouse and a ton of walking paths. It also happens to be a good intermediate point for taking a couple of quick loops through the local twisty hills. Nothing too technical or even all that long. It is only a few kilometers of road all together, but a good way to get to know how the bike feels when going through the curves. The loops around the area provided me a view of the full glory of Mt. Fuji in the distance. Even as far away as we are from that mountain it still looms big on the horizon. I wasn't in a spot to stop and take a picture, but I know the camera wouldn't have done it any justice.

I mentioned the inadequate-ness of my gloves to deal with the temps of the ride I was on. I stopped at the park's parking lot and grabbed a can of my favorite Japanese vending machine coffee. There were a plethora of choices, but somehow the one I chose did the trick better than the others. The cans come out of the machine very hot. My hands were so chilled that I nearly crushed the can just trying to get some feeling back into my fingers. Once the tingling stopped I opened it up and swallowed it almost on one shot warming me from within. Not bad for just a $1. I snapped the shots you see above, reset my phone's maps and planned a few more trips around the hills. I was getting a bit peckish and my thoughts were turning from curvy roads to bacon and eggs. Time to head out for some chow!

When in Rome do as the Japanese do! Something to that effect anyway. I swung into search mode for something that would fill the growing hole in my middle. A local fast food place sprang into view. For the sum total of about $3.50 American I got a hardy, traditional Japanese breakfast of salmon, rice and miso soup. This food in this picture only lasted about 10 minutes and that was because I was taking my time enjoying the food. Washing this feast down with some cold tea felt just right. I was finally motorcycling Japanese style. Once I get more familiar with the bike and the roads, I'm going to start planning some longer overnight rides. The Yamanashi area near Mount Fuji is a popular place. Lots of mountain roads and great food. There are also some inexpensive bed and breakfast places there too. If I'm lucky there will be a rider house in the area. A rider house is a B & B specifically for motorcyclists. 

The ride ended as good as it started and I made my way home safe and sound. There was one small casualty however. One of the brand new foot pegs I just installed fell apart. The stock peg rubber is screwed into the peg with inserts in the rubber. The reproduction ones I bought used rivets. Big fat rivets that don't go far enough into the rubber to hold apparently. I fixed this one by driving the rivets out from the top side and installing the old OEM rubber using the old peg's screws. The screws have remnants of blue Loctite on them. I'll have to pick some up and make sure I don't lose this one too.

Well this ride was at the start of my winter vacation for the New Year's holiday. There looks to be more dry weather in the coming days. You can be sure I will do my best to get back out and ride while I can. I am also planning on tackling my list of projects for the bike as well. As always I will throw up a post or too about it when I can. In the meantime, ride safe friends!

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