[MDairheads] Ride Report New XT225

[Will Andalora]

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Hedz,

I thought I'd put together a ride report from my first outing on the new XT225 last weekend for the amusement of all. It's not a beemer but it does have an air cooled head...

I was a bachelor last weekend, and it only takes about fifteen minutes for a full reversion on my part after house empties and I am back to my old ways...

I had initially planned to spend Friday, Saturday, and Sunday on the new bike- but my riding partner could not get free from obligations before about noon Saturday, so we decided to meet up with another friend for a few beers and some food Friday evening. In typical bachelor fashion happy hour somehow turned into closing down the bar...

Sadly and with much personal frustration my riding partner fully bailed on the weekend by about 10:00 PM Friday evening. Great timing eh?..

Saturday morning I was still up fairly early and deciding what to do with the weekend of freedom.

I decided to make the initial excursion alone and packed my drybag with a warm sleeping bag, tarp, rope, and some random gear and strapped it to the new rack along with a sleeping pad. Then I checked the oil and since I had no real agenda headed initially south to Bob's BMW for their open house.

I was there on the late side of things and missed most airheads, but did spend some time hanging out with Tom Longobardi and Bill Lambert.  Kudos to those guys who stepped up and set up a Maryland Airheads tent there along with the trailer and a cutaway bike. I hung out for about an hour and half, had a crab cake from the food truck and talked up the club to passersby...  Then I tried to buy a few spare cylinder stud helicoil repair inserts and discovered that BMW is no longer making them according to the parts microfiche. I was surprised by this and will have to do some more research on the subject. Sometime around 3:00 PM or so we packed everything up with the sliced cycle heading to Tom's place for a soon to be announced tech day, and then I hit the road for Western Maryland...

I mostly traveled west on RT 144 and RT 40.

The bike performed as well as I expected. It is really a 50-60mph back road motorcycle, but anyone who has ridden west on RT 40 knows there a few places it has been swallowed by I70 and I68.  With some measure of pucker factor I hit the on ramps to both of these major roads at what I believed was top speed for the venerable 223cc powerplant- approximately 68mph... I rode tight to the white line and managed to hold a respectable 65mph for most the highway runs and even broke 70mph on a downhill on the other side of Sideling Hill!  I was pleasantly surprised at how well the bike handled at speed and on 50/50 dirt tires.

I made it to Hancock by 6:30 PM and picked up a big NY strip and some liquid refreshment. Then I rode the rest of the way out to Green Ridge State Forest, picked a site off the map at the ranger station and rode south into the forest.  I was glad to be off the big road and in a place the bike was built for.

A few miles into the forest I found my site and it was well isolated. I built a fire and pitched my tarp low to the ground as the site was on a ridge with steady wind from the west. When the sky grew dark, the full moon rose and was so brilliant that the trees cast shadows onto the clearing. I got into the rum and cut the NY strip into smaller strips and roasted them over the fire on an improvised spit. It was a beautiful night and I really had the place to myself. I could see one distant campfire, but nary a sound from any other campers who may have been there.

I slept OK , but not as soundly as I normally would as it is spring and a sign at the ranger station noted the bears have been emerging from their dens. There was also a warning about a food storage and to generally be alert as they are hungry after the long rest. I hung a bear bag before heading to bed, but  suspect thoughts of a bear poking it's head under my tarp must have had something to do with the light sleep.... When it grew light my mind eased a bit and I slept in a little later than I normally would. I awoke to sound of yelping Turkeys. I heard them calling from a few directions and remembered that it is Turkey season and there were likely hunters in the woods.

When I crawled out of my bag I realized I did not have near enough warm weather gear with me. The morning temperature was in the high 30s according to a waitress at the restaurant I frequented later that morning.

I put everything I had on, packed the bike, checked the oil, and headed out for a tour of the forest on the new bike. I found some new roads and realized that the XT225 is absolutely perfect for this type of riding. I even risked a stream crossing which nearly went sideways when the bike found a false neutral and slowed in the middle of the stream. It was close, but I kept the bike moving and rode out of it! Being wet would have really sucked...

The ride back was as cold as I can remember being for a long time on a bike. Western Maryland is in bloom now with flowering trees, but the wind chill on the bike had to be in the teens or lower. All I had was my Aerostich Darien jacket and pants, a wool base layer shirt, and an insulated vest. It was not enough really, but I made it. I stopped for an extended lunch to warm up and then kept on all of my riding gear for about forty-five minutes after I got off the bike. It took about an hour to feel warm again...

All in all, it was a great short trip and first weekend excursion. I managed to miss all but a little rain Saturday afternoon. Yesterday was overcast, but without rain. If I'd had another base layer or wool sweater with me it still would have been a brisk ride, but a far more enjoyable return trip.

Looking forward to warming weather and more riding.

All the Best,

Will