Got a chance last weekend to try out my GoPro and thought I would share the first attempt.
Ed on a V-Strom and Mike on a GS were headed to Buffalo, Texas Saturday morning so I decided to tag along to hopefully take a few of the dirt roads between here and there. Only one problem, Mike doesn't do dirt roads so we stayed on the paved paths to the east of the Interstate 45 and Texas 75. I won't complain because the roads weren't too bad, ok they could have been a little better but what can I say, I didn't head up this ride. We had a couple detours due to road construction and a bridge that was out but that was no problem.
After breakfast we decided to head back south on the west side of the Interstate to see some different scenery. This part of Texas is transitioning from the Piney Woods of East Texas to the Hardwoods and Plains of Central Texas a little east of the Hill Country and Interstate 45 in the Madisonville/Leona/Centerville/Buffalo/Fairfield area is pretty much the dividing line of the regions. When we left the restaurant I didn't press the on button completely and missed recording any of the route from Buffalo back down to Madisonville. Let's just say you didn't miss much of that ride but there was a couple three good sections between Normangee and Madisonville I would have liked to had on film.
One of those sections I would have liked was in a left hand curve where Ed hit a slick spot and dang near went down, I'm not sure how he saved it. Seeing what had happened to Ed, I looked at the road surface an saw just in time what he hit and was able to miss most of the oil/grease or whatever it was. Like I said, I missed most of it but did get a bit squirrelly myself ass my front tire tried to washout but I just barely clipped it and the tire grabbed some traction for another eye opening experience.
Other than the slick spot the ride was pretty much uneventful, that is until we got into Madisonville. Ed wasn't sure of where the highway intersection was that he was looking for so we pulled over into an abandoned gas station to await on Mike and I to make it thru the traffic we had been stopped by as we entered Madisonville. We pulled in under the shade and since Ed had his bike shutoff and was taking a short break I did the same, that was my mistake which we would find out about shortly. After discussing the location of the intersection and double checking it on my GPS, we head out or at least we try to head out... Black Betty won't start!
She makes have a turn on the starter and then nothing Mike reaches in his storehouse of tools and pulls out what we hope will be just the ticket to get us back on the road, his Battery Tender cables which we plug into my Battery Tender lead. So we are pretty sure this will take care of the issue but that won't revive the Ol' Girlie. After letting the battery have a little longer to take a charge we try it again... She's dead. Well the only thing left to do in the striving Metropolis of Madisonville is attempt a push start in 103 DegF weather. Being the owner of a none starting bike does have it's advantages... Ed and Mike have to push my big butt down the road in the sun to get her started. Well she fires right up and we decide the best course of action is to head back the most direct route not involving the Interstate and I will lead the way since I have the sick ride. The ride to Huntsville is uneventful and Black Betty is feeling as strong as ever so I pull over into a gas station just as we get to Huntsville. I know what you are thinking..."He killed the engine and she wouldn't start again and couldn't even be push started this time." Well I'm happy to report, I may have been born at night but it wasn't last night. I left her running and told Ed and Mike I was going to head down the Interstate and they should go ahead and hit FM 1791 to finish their ride by taking it thru the forest.
So with all the drama over with, I head down the Interstate and they take off thru the forest. All in all, we had a great day, it just didn't go the way we had planned it.
So here's the first video. I'm going to try and get the HD version edited and will post it later...
[video=vimeo;24886645]http://www.vimeo.com/24886645[/video]
Just noticed, the video has the wrong date, should read 6/4/2011 instead of 5/4/2011
Ed on a V-Strom and Mike on a GS were headed to Buffalo, Texas Saturday morning so I decided to tag along to hopefully take a few of the dirt roads between here and there. Only one problem, Mike doesn't do dirt roads so we stayed on the paved paths to the east of the Interstate 45 and Texas 75. I won't complain because the roads weren't too bad, ok they could have been a little better but what can I say, I didn't head up this ride. We had a couple detours due to road construction and a bridge that was out but that was no problem.
After breakfast we decided to head back south on the west side of the Interstate to see some different scenery. This part of Texas is transitioning from the Piney Woods of East Texas to the Hardwoods and Plains of Central Texas a little east of the Hill Country and Interstate 45 in the Madisonville/Leona/Centerville/Buffalo/Fairfield area is pretty much the dividing line of the regions. When we left the restaurant I didn't press the on button completely and missed recording any of the route from Buffalo back down to Madisonville. Let's just say you didn't miss much of that ride but there was a couple three good sections between Normangee and Madisonville I would have liked to had on film.
One of those sections I would have liked was in a left hand curve where Ed hit a slick spot and dang near went down, I'm not sure how he saved it. Seeing what had happened to Ed, I looked at the road surface an saw just in time what he hit and was able to miss most of the oil/grease or whatever it was. Like I said, I missed most of it but did get a bit squirrelly myself ass my front tire tried to washout but I just barely clipped it and the tire grabbed some traction for another eye opening experience.
Other than the slick spot the ride was pretty much uneventful, that is until we got into Madisonville. Ed wasn't sure of where the highway intersection was that he was looking for so we pulled over into an abandoned gas station to await on Mike and I to make it thru the traffic we had been stopped by as we entered Madisonville. We pulled in under the shade and since Ed had his bike shutoff and was taking a short break I did the same, that was my mistake which we would find out about shortly. After discussing the location of the intersection and double checking it on my GPS, we head out or at least we try to head out... Black Betty won't start!
She makes have a turn on the starter and then nothing Mike reaches in his storehouse of tools and pulls out what we hope will be just the ticket to get us back on the road, his Battery Tender cables which we plug into my Battery Tender lead. So we are pretty sure this will take care of the issue but that won't revive the Ol' Girlie. After letting the battery have a little longer to take a charge we try it again... She's dead. Well the only thing left to do in the striving Metropolis of Madisonville is attempt a push start in 103 DegF weather. Being the owner of a none starting bike does have it's advantages... Ed and Mike have to push my big butt down the road in the sun to get her started. Well she fires right up and we decide the best course of action is to head back the most direct route not involving the Interstate and I will lead the way since I have the sick ride. The ride to Huntsville is uneventful and Black Betty is feeling as strong as ever so I pull over into a gas station just as we get to Huntsville. I know what you are thinking..."He killed the engine and she wouldn't start again and couldn't even be push started this time." Well I'm happy to report, I may have been born at night but it wasn't last night. I left her running and told Ed and Mike I was going to head down the Interstate and they should go ahead and hit FM 1791 to finish their ride by taking it thru the forest.So with all the drama over with, I head down the Interstate and they take off thru the forest. All in all, we had a great day, it just didn't go the way we had planned it.
So here's the first video. I'm going to try and get the HD version edited and will post it later...
[video=vimeo;24886645]http://www.vimeo.com/24886645[/video]
Just noticed, the video has the wrong date, should read 6/4/2011 instead of 5/4/2011
