First ride Report
As promised, here is a first person look at this bike, it's arrival here in Orlando and my first experience with it out on the road. As most people say when they see the bike & I tell them I can get them one just like mine for $6500 delivered they wonder what's wrong with it. I mean the old adage "if it looks too good to be true it probably isn't" comes to mind but really, this bike is real, it is of a quality you cannot find-- and it works!
Go to First look and-- you can take a first look with me as my bike comes off the truck.
So now that you have seen my little bundle of joy enter my life, come with me on the first ride. Will it do the job, can Janie & I enjoy a trip on out side car CJ, heck will it start 5 times in a row, lets start there and then let me tell you about our weekend in Daytona at the races and more.
Daytona on our CJ
We live in Orlando and though there
are some fine places to ride, we found ourselves invited by some good friends
involved with the awesome "RUF" custom build Porsche racer to the Daytona
Speedway for a very special PCA vintage Porsche race held once every 3 years.
We brought "Larry" our GMC
lending to the "RUF" booth as a hospitality suite for their use. Of course
Janie & I were invited back in the pits where their booth was hey so I figured
what a great place and time for our first ride test for the CJ. So there
we were, in the pit area with Larry AND our new toy
The "RUF" driver Steve Beddor (who also happens to own a GMC)
who BTW also pitches in working on the car invited us and has really been a
great supporter of the Co-op made this opportunity possible.
So there we were in the pits at Daytona at the RUF display with Steve and his
"Yellow Bird" famed super car
taking in all that is a Porsche car owners dream race. Hey, and there I was
blowing their collective minds with something other than their beloved Porsche
,
hey, those people behind me are not looking at the race cars
they are looking at the CJ. This is how it went, people would file over to
the RUF display
,
check out the $200K and up twin turbo road rockets they custom build then at the
end of the line they saw the bike and they were on it like flies to flypaper
We stayed out of the way because of course the RUF cars were the hit of the
booth but even in the corner we drug a crowd
Even over next to the trash can
(needed to spritz up the battery a bit from all that cruising slow in the pits)
we generated traffic. It was always the same, "I can't believe this"
Even sitting on it hearing it run actually following me in the pits over to the
RUF display where I stopped people still simply could not get over how cool the
bike was
and how little it cost.
And there we were, at Daytona with actually all of my 3 loves
Yes, Janie was there too enjoying the beautiful day
probably concerned a bit about her first ride in the side car the next day but
still interested enough to give it a go. The Daytona Porsche race was the
excuse to go to Daytona for the weekend but the real event for the weekend would
be our first ride on the CJ and as exciting as it was to have everyone who saw
the bike hover like hummingbirds on sugarwater
needless to say I had a great time
Hey, thanks Steve and RUF for letting us tag along and show our stuff
What a great way to start off a weekend but now comes the REAL fun-- lets go
ride!!
Not feeling comfortable knowing the bike
yet I did not feel riding on the interstate as something I wanted to do so we
whipped up this nifty trailer to bring the bike to Daytona
Pictured here without the wiring a main component of it is the ability to load
the bike with only one person, this trailer tilts to load
.
So Sunday morning I dropped the bike off the trailer, set it up for the ride and
with Janie in the side car we took off to see "The Loop". Volusia county
has set aside a very special road for driving enjoyment and it's actually maintained in
conjunction with the BMW motorcycle club of Daytona. This road is a throw
back to a gone time in Florida 30+years ago, beautiful scenery, it's a 2 line road winding
through the brackish tidal plains just behind the sand dunes off A1A north of
Daytona-- and here we are
Can ya find the bike? This is a stop along the road, yes it is paved and a
very nice trip -- you get speed on the A1A portion of the ride
We could make close to 50 with a 20 MPH wind in our faces heading to Flagler
beach for breakfast. Pulled in parking just in front of the peir and it
was like a Hoover vacuum sucking people over to look at the bike. Thanks
to all those coming over while in Flagler, it was our first public stop with the
bike and you guys made me feel good about being involved with the CJ. Hey,
and the couple I met there interesting in getting one-- I still say as I did
then---"You gotta have one of these!" Coming back, we made
close to 55 but you really didn't want to go faster looking at the scenery
.
Riding at our speed, you could see the beauty of this place
finding another stop along the road Janie hopped off for a rest and a looksee at
the sites
I tell ya this is the face of a happy man
,
the side car CJ gives you the "whole package" --
what I mean by that is getting out on a motorcycle like this is enough in itself
to make most anyone smile from ear to ear but doing this on a vintage machine
also gives you the feel of what it was truly like way back being one of the
hardy souls braving the road on a machine
like this. Sure the transmission is a bit noisy and shifts "almost" perfect--
with a little help of the suicide shifter but hey, thats part of the package.
The suspension keeps you from giving change from that quarter but but you can
count the dimes! Again, you have the provenance that comes with the real
thing, no saddle sores but maybe a little tingle for a bit after you get off! Power was OK, all 4 gears got what they wanted but
of course being 27 or so horses you're not gonna jerk your head but ya know that
may be a great way to keep from really hurting yourself. It made the speed
I needed and I sure didn't wanna go tooo fast, I mean you want to give the
gawkers a good look! I feel for cruising like this, huge horsepower and a
silk smooth ride takes something away from actually experiencing the event- you
need to feel you are there to take it all in. I also think it should be required to wear amber goggles, a
brain bucket and a musty old leather jacket
again for the FULL affect, blowing down the road with the throttle on the post,
so I'm not pushing light speed-- I'd get a ticket doing that and we couldn't see
the ocean
AND the people couldn't get a good look at you either. What started the
motorcycle craze? It wasn't blinding speed, it wasn't smooth power
blinstering the asphalt-- no it's the whole package, the smells, the vibration,
the sound of the real thing and this is it. You can have this feeling
every day when you own one of these bikes, you can twist on it and see it go.
You can park it and watch the people hover-- so what else is there?
Whats it about? If it's getting attention--- you win on a CJ!!! This CJ is the real deal, the feel of really what it's all about. You just gotta have one of these!
I find that as a scoot around bike, the CJ is a fine ride. No, I don't see myself going up on the highway, you must remember this is real 30's technology. The only way to really get the feel of what it's all about is to have one of these bike under you. The brakes are adequate though I always maintained a safe distance on the vehicle ahead for stopping. I used the turn signals and hand signals because I usually had a couple of cars behind me. Life seems to move so fast today that people are so busy going from place to place they are not taking the time (like this bike forces you to do) to take in everything around you. I mean whats the good about cranking up to 80 on a scenic road, all the nice views are a blurr! And if you are going the speed limit, let those cars behind you stack up, maybe you will be doing the cops a favor by stacking up a pile of speeders for him to make his weekly quota!
You never see the back of someones head riding a CJ, everyone is staring, kids yank on their Dads sleeve and point, older people stop and smile as they point, give a thumbs up and ask what year it is. Other bikers twist their heads off as you pass them and the stylish below the handlebar 2 finger wave as you pass always turns into a high thumbs up, a nod and a mouthed "Cool man" as you pass on the road. Guys that have big bucks wrapped up in their bike look and look and look at the CJ-- you can't get attention like this on any other bike costing this little money.
I wanted to have a unique bike, something Janie and I could experience together, something that gave me more than just a 2 wheel motivation and something I could afford-- I found it. You can find it too, give us a call on our toll free line (1-877-275-4462) and ask for more information about getting a CJ of your own. You will not be disappointed.