Report me to the Forza Abuse Committee

[davenowherejones]

Someone should Report me to the Forza Abuse Committee. Since I got my new rear tire I have abused the poor Forza something terrible.

Yesterday I did the Duffy Lake Loop. I started in Hope, BC and rode at 110 kmph to Abbotsford for breakfast at McDonalds. The girl there up sold me on my Egg McMuffin Meal she changed the small coffee to a medium and hoped I would not notice the extra 30 cents. I noticed, I mentioned it, the manager gave me a muffin.

Back on the Forza to Vancouver at 110 kmph except where the RCMP had people pulled over. We are supposed to slow down to 70 kmph and move over a lane. Almost no one does. I hit the 4 ways and buggered up traffic for a while.

I went over the 2nd Narrows Bridge and up the long hill still at highway speeds. I even passed a few people. I was going to stop up the Sea to Sky Highway but the ferry terminal at Horseshoe Bay had some kind of magical pull on the Forza. I ate my McDonalds muffin watching the ferries and girls but I was watched very closely by a big noisy crow. The crow got some.

I got back on the Forza and headed to Squamish where I looked at the Sea to Sky Gondola. I used to be a downhill skier so gondolas are not that exciting. They wanted $45 to ride to the very expensive(?) restaurant to see the view. I also used to be a member of the Abbotsford Flying Club so I have seen this view from even higher. The Gondola was reasonably busy so I guess it appeals to some people. I suspect that most of the people riding this thing did not speak English. I ride the Hells Gate Tram a few times a year. The operator gives a speech and the Asian passengers just ignore him.

I rode completely past Whistler without even stopping. Whistler is strange in that it is spread out along the highway for about 20 km with a posted 60 kmph speed the whole two lane highway. Patience is needed on a slow bike like the Forza. There are not many overtaking zones and there might be bored RCMP officers.

Lunch was at Pemberton McDonalds. I got stuck in Pemberton about 20 years ago when my VW Sirocco blew a rad hose coming in to town late one evening. Nothing was open so I stayed a night in the one star Pemberton Hotel. The next morning the auto parts store said that it would take a few days to get a VW rad hose. I bought a Ford hose and cut a section out of the middle to get me on my way.

The road out of Pemberton eventually becomes a steep 10 kilometre climb up to a plateau. You get to smell all the overheated brakes of the people going downhill. The Forza had no problems what so ever. The Duffy is one of the premium motorcycle roads in the world. So many curves that you would go insane trying to count them. It is actually Highway 99 which starts at the USA border and goes north.

I have mentioned that I am an older guy (57) with a few medical problems. I drink too much on these trips and have to pull over often. It was threatening to rain so I had on my Olympia overpants, my Olympia rain layer, a pair of silky shorts, a pair of silky long underwear and a pair of silky long legged boxer shorts. I pulled off the road and open the Olympia jacket, the Olympia rain layer, undo the first belt, undo the second belt and start pulling down layers until I can pee. And then the girls with their cameras showed up mid-stream. And the wind was blowing the wrong way and I gotta pee!

There are very few places to pass on the Duffy. I usually pull off until a break opens up or I pull over and force people to pass me. I get on the end of the snake. I sure don't want to be on the front. I pull off at high speed onto gravel sometimes but the Forza isn't exactly like the dual sport I used to ride. It takes skill and probably luck to do this. The sport bike guys go past all the cars on the blind corners over the double yellow lines. I just pull off and relax. I could be on the end of a snake and have a drink of water. Then I am in a gap and ride at my pace. I ride a Forza so I am not fast.

I had ice cream in Lillooet and enquired if the road south was open. It had been raining and a few days ago the road was buried in mud. Riding around here I always have to plan where the next gas stop will be and where it will be if the road is closed unexpectedly. The RCMP will close a road for 12 hours to play with their CSI toys. Mountains fall down way to often. Fires make it hard to see and breathe.

The road to Lytton has lots of frost heaves and is very bumpy. The Forza seemed to take the abuse but my body was beaten up by the time I got to Lytton. I bought gas at the aboriginal reserve gas station. It was extremely windy. I bought a Rockstar berry energy drink. I drank it in the wind but it tasted wrong. Why do they even make a diet energy drink???

Back on the Forza to battle the wind. It was just gusty and slamming in to me. I have the high Forza shield but it was painful. Bang bang bang. I went down the highway like a drunk. It eventually calmed down and then the rain started. I ride a lot in the rain so I just keep everything smooth and the Forza has no problems whatsoever.

I get back into Hope and have Sushi for supper. There was only 3 people in the restaurant. They make their money when the 3 tour busses of Chinese visitors pull in for lunch. I dashed home in a thunderstorm to let the dog out.

The trip was only 530 km but it took 12 hours. I spent more on food than I did on gas. It takes me a few days to recover from such abuse and then I start planning the next extremely dangerous excursion.

[you you]

Less dangerous if you avoid maccieds

[gn2]

Surely there's better than mucky d's in Canada?

[homie]

what kind of muffin did she give you?

Oh look a troll trifecta ... what happens when you do long winded post
I made it to 'muffin'

[davenowherejones]

what kind of muffin did she give you?

Oh look a troll trifecta ... what happens when you do long winded post
I made it to 'muffin'

Yeah, that was a bit long winded. Orange something muffin, McDonalds is cheap and fast. I was out for a ride not eating.

[you you]

what kind of muffin did she give you?

Oh look a troll trifecta ... what happens when you do long winded post
I made it to 'muffin'

The troll royal flush....

[homie]

I have mentioned that I am an older guy (57) with a few medical problems. I drink too much on these trips and have to pull over often.

Hey I'm 57 too! There be no drinking and driving or you might have to blow into a breathalyzer to start your car like my neighbor. I always wondered how the technology knows who's blowing must have a camera. Anywho, I had some heath issues that threatened my heart (4 stents) in two years. Because I can't take statin drugs of any kind it was looking pretty grim. Then the other day my doctor said I could be the second recipient of a newly approved twice a month shot that will drop LDL cholesterol thus no more stents. Apparently the Brits have been using the treatment for a while with great success but FDA in America is what it is. So now I guess I live to be a hundred and my rather risky behavior isn't justified... funny how things work out. The new treatment for high LDL will eventually replace statin's and all the bad side effects of those drugs but currently the self administered injections are 1200.00 a month Good thing my insurance is excellent!

Trolls love to read a little at a time between trolling

[relic]

Made part of that trip on my cb350 way back when the section north of Pemberton - the Duffy was a gravel pot holed nightmare. Took one full day to travel between Squamish and Lillooett - not much traffic though
About the Pemby hotel- had to stay there while working out of town for extended periods of time in the 1970's
must have improved quite a bit if you are giving it a one star rating.
The road from Horseshoe Bay to Pemberton was a bikers dream back then
paved-lots of twists-and hardly any traffic
No traffic lights or police and if you were young and knew the road you owned it

[davenowherejones]

relic - I have also done the Duffy when it was not paved, it was a challenging road. I was really generous on the one star rating. To get from Vancouver to Pemberton used to be really dangerous. It is still dangerous but it is freeway a lot of the way now. Things have changed a lot over the years.