The second wave of COVID-19-like infections has been reported recently, but when I checked the day before, it seemed to be a precious sunny day during the rainy season.
With torrential rains causing damage mainly in western Japan, we went touring, though it was painful to do so. We were scheduled to leave at 8:00 a.m., but we were an hour late due to standard oversleeping.
I'm riding my Ninja 650 today. It's been a while since I've done any touring on the Ninja 650, so I went to the gas station to refuel and check the air pressure, and then I remembered I forgot something and had to go home, but I went from the Tomei to the Chuo highway via the Ken-O Expressway.
This was the first touring trip after the suspension was repaired. New tires front and rear. The oil had just been changed to Motul 300V. I'm not sure if it's the tires or the suspension, but it's a very comfortable ride. At any rate, we proceeded non-stop to Yatsugatake PA.
Long time no see. Feels good.
I've done two short tours on the GSX-S1000 recently, and the Ninja 650 felt better for the trip. The big-displacement, high-power four-cylinder bike still feels rushed to me....
So I got off the highway at the Suwa Minami Interchange as usual and headed for the Venus Line via the Yatsugatake Echo Line.
But the clouds in the mountains. It's a little disturbing....
Oh, it's not sunny.
That's why it was raining as soon as we entered the Venus Line.
Well, we didn't get soaked, so we continued on our way, but as we gained altitude, the temperature dropped and it was a bit cold... Even though it was the middle of July, we were using the grip heaters as we went....
Once there, I went to the shore of Lake Shirakaba. I checked the messenger here, and it seemed that someone I knew was in Kirigamine.
I asked him what the weather was like, and he replied that it was cloudy but raining in the middle of the mountain. Well, I thought it would be a good way to test the rain performance of the ROAD5, so I started climbing....
Poor visibility due to glasses wet from fog and rain.
Just before Kirigamine, we came out above the clouds, but it was a little scary.
I took a picture when I was above the fog and rain clouds.
The sky was blue when we reached Kirigamine. The temperature was just right, not too hot and not too cool.
My acquaintance had already left for the hot spring, so I took a break and filled my stomach with venison skewers and oyaki (takana and pumpkin).
It's been a while since I've been on a mid-distance tour and I'm a little tired from driving on the highway... It seems that the period of self-restraint has lowered the physical strength quite a bit... Today, I'm going down towards Suwa City to take it easy on the way home.
I've rarely ridden the route from Kirigamine to Suwa City, but it's not very interesting because the road surface is rough and the scenery is not good....
Encounter at a noodle shop
So, why did I go down to Suwa City, the purpose was this.
It's a ramen shop recommended by an acquaintance of mine who I just passed in Kirigamine, although there is a flood sign on Suwa Lake. It seems to be a soul food of Suwa area.
So, I ate it.
As I was having a smoke outside the store, a familiar Triumph slid in.
He said he was going to have dinner here too, so we talked for a bit and then we switched places and went inside.
I went straight out to Route 20 and thought I'd stay on Route 20 for a while, but I wandered off and took the Chuo Expressway from Suwa Interchange... At the Yatsugatake PA, I had my first soft-serve ice cream of the year....
I took the usual route home: Chuo highway, Ken-O highway, and Tomei highway. The distance traveled was a little over 400km.
I'm a bit tired even though the distance and time are not so great. I need to regain some of the strength I lost during the self-restraint.
With torrential rains causing damage mainly in western Japan, we went touring, though it was painful to do so. We were scheduled to leave at 8:00 a.m., but we were an hour late due to standard oversleeping.
I'm riding my Ninja 650 today. It's been a while since I've done any touring on the Ninja 650, so I went to the gas station to refuel and check the air pressure, and then I remembered I forgot something and had to go home, but I went from the Tomei to the Chuo highway via the Ken-O Expressway.
So I got off the highway at the Suwa Minami Interchange as usual and headed for the Venus Line via the Yatsugatake Echo Line.
But the clouds in the mountains. It's a little disturbing....
Well, we didn't get soaked, so we continued on our way, but as we gained altitude, the temperature dropped and it was a bit cold... Even though it was the middle of July, we were using the grip heaters as we went....
Once there, I went to the shore of Lake Shirakaba. I checked the messenger here, and it seemed that someone I knew was in Kirigamine.
I asked him what the weather was like, and he replied that it was cloudy but raining in the middle of the mountain. Well, I thought it would be a good way to test the rain performance of the ROAD5, so I started climbing....
The sky was blue when we reached Kirigamine. The temperature was just right, not too hot and not too cool.
My acquaintance had already left for the hot spring, so I took a break and filled my stomach with venison skewers and oyaki (takana and pumpkin).
It's been a while since I've been on a mid-distance tour and I'm a little tired from driving on the highway... It seems that the period of self-restraint has lowered the physical strength quite a bit... Today, I'm going down towards Suwa City to take it easy on the way home.
I've rarely ridden the route from Kirigamine to Suwa City, but it's not very interesting because the road surface is rough and the scenery is not good....
It's a ramen shop recommended by an acquaintance of mine who I just passed in Kirigamine, although there is a flood sign on Suwa Lake. It seems to be a soul food of Suwa area.
As I was having a smoke outside the store, a familiar Triumph slid in.
He said he was going to have dinner here too, so we talked for a bit and then we switched places and went inside.
I took the usual route home: Chuo highway, Ken-O highway, and Tomei highway. The distance traveled was a little over 400km.