When we got to sis-in-law's she said they'd left her bike out in case I wanted to take it for a spin. :-D I was thinking I shouldn't because what if I fell in love with it? That would be sad. But then I thought, if I don't, I'll certainly wish I had. So, later, after dinner, she and I traded bikes. She rode the Rebel and led me around the neighborhood, around some lakes near their place on some slow curvy roads. It was so much fun! And I did love it. The GS is (obviously) taller than the Rebel. I say obviously but riding it is really what makes the difference. It's one thing to sit in the dealership on the floor but it's another thing to see the world go by from the saddle.
The pegs are in a completely different place too - thus the difference between a cruiser and standard I suppose. It actually took me a little while to find them. Muscle memory wanted them to be some where else entirely. And they are smaller than the Rebel's too. That was a bit weird for a while. My boots felt really big. The brake and shift levers are smaller too. Sitting on it was very comfortable. The seat is comfy and just the right size. The cruiser seat on the Rebel doesn't allow for much movement but I can see where the GS would be better. My knees nestled comfortably on the "tank". The Rebel tank is quite small and I always feel like my knees are not where they are supposed to be or are flopping around.
The handlebar position is also (obviously) completely different from the Rebel. The GS has a more leaned over position, although not as dramatic as a sportbike. I think it is a bit more leaned over than hubby's CX, although, that may be because I'm shorter of torso. I definitely felt like I was leaning on my shoulders more. I'm sure that can be changed easily enough if needed. It was difficult to reach the turn signals while holding onto the clutch, or really just the grips. I remember that being something that felt abnormal in the Rebel at first too. It takes some coordination to hold the handlebars steady while working the clutch and reaching for the controls. Muscle memory again.
It was a fabulous ride! Thanks sister-in-law!
Saturday, hubby and I rode about 116 miles.
On Sunday we went out to meet some of hubby's work buddies. They were planning a group lunch ride to Estes Park, which is one of my most favorite places in Colorado. There were 13 of us in the group and 9 bikes. I was the only woman riding her own and also the smallest bike there (with hubby close behind on his CX500). There were lots of different bikes - a couple of touring Harleys, a Gold Wing, a Victory, a Suzuki TL1000, a Virago, my Rebel, and hubby's CX. It was a great group of folks, most of whom I met for the first time there. The Victory had some electrical problems that the guys were able to fix before we left. That took about 30 minutes or so. Then we were off. Here is the route:
We rode about 163 miles. It was so much fun! We rode from our house to the meeting point down south in Littleton. from there we went northwest through Morrison, Red Rocks park, to Golden and highway 93, north to Coal Creek Canyon, and the Peak-to-Peak highway into Estes. We had lunch at Ed's Cantina, where I'd never eaten before. It was pretty ok. Not un-tasty. :-) Lunch is made all the better by good company. :-) After lunch, I led the group back to Boulder on highway 36. Well, most of the group. It's tough getting out of Estes on a weekend. Lots of tourists. So, we lost half the group getting out of town but were reunited between Lyons and Boulder. No worries, although I felt bad losing them since I was the leader. :-(Here are some of the bikes we rode with.
It was a fabulous weekend spent with my hubby on the motos! We were sure tired after all that though. :-)
