Posted by ls400 on March 01, 2002 at 12:13:45:
Had a great ride last week: This was called the Revenge Ride as two previous attempts were rained out. A group of riders from our base in Japan (mostly Harleys, one RoadStar, one BMW 1100R, and my Savage) joined the Tama Chapter of the Tokyo Harley Owners Group. We met the group in Hachioji and rode to the coast. We started off at 9:00 and went down Route 16 to Route 129 and stopped at the Samukawa Shrine in Ebina city. At the coast we turned east on Route 134 to Enoshima ( a small Island off the coast: http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~QM9T-KNDU/enoshimmd.htm ) where we ate lunch (sushi or tempura). On the return trip we took the Odawara-Atsugi bypass (like an Expressway - passengers on motorcycles are not allowed) back to Hachioji. The expressway was fairly fast (for the Tokyo area) –speeds up to 125Kph. I found that my helmet acted as a parachute at that speed and had to tighten up the strap to keep it from lifting off my head –even though it has a full-face shield. I could keep up, but not easily, as my Savage is an LS400 (400cc). None of the Harleys were Sportsters. The lead and tail riders had GoldWing looking Harleys with two-way radio communications and decked out with electronics. Several Harleys had fancy paint jobs and all chromed out, some with Ape hangers or ratted-out with exposed wide belt drives and blacked out engines/pipes extending way up and anything in between. One was a police ElectraGlide looking Harley complete with blue lights (legal in Japan). We were 20 bikes all in all. The group collected money for tolls and parking before the ride to smooth the efficiency of the tour. They even made lunch reservations at the restaurant. The ride lasted till 5:00 and totaled about 150Km. The lead rider would drop back occasionally to take some digital pictures. He showed me a few he took of me on the Savage and if he emails them to me I will try and post them somewhere.
Cheers - spring is around the corner!