hood@aieio.DEC (State o'Mind Inn-keeper) (10/12/85)
First, helmets:
I've gotten sort of a made-in-America fettish lately. (in everything except
motorcycles)
The Bell TourStar-II helmet I just got is SNELL and DOT approved, made in
USA, and cost $160 at my local motorcycle shop. It's quiet, comfortable,
and comes with a neat little all-purpose helmet book.
According to Bell, the helmet should be tight enough to grab your scull a little
if you try to move it around on your head.
Beware of buying a helmet that feels very snug. After you wear it for an
hour or so you may find that it is compressing your scull, rather than
grabbing it. The correct size for the TourStar series will be a little bit
snug at first, but not too much (the inside liner is soft foam).
A too-big helmet may feel OK at first, but at highway speeds will have a
tendency to rotate around an axis roughly at your ears so that you end up
trying to look thru the chin protector. Not a lot of fun on your
neighborhood interstate!
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About those nifty back roads...
Do not exceed the posted speed limits inside town limits! Even if there's
no houses in sight and no other vehicles on the road!
I have been escorted by police cars at least half a dozen times through
small towns in northeastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. I
don't look like some freaked-out Hell's Angel or anything. (I ride a blue
Honda Nighthawk-s and am usually wearing corduroys, a flannel shirt, and
sneakers.) If the speed limit signs say "5mph", I'll do 5 mph.
However, on the roads that parallel major highways, or on roads with speed
limits of 45 or greater, you're usually golden. There's never (NEVER!) a
speed trap (apparently, state police assume people will only do 57 on the
highway) and you'll always an interesting, low-traffic trip, with plenty
of stores, motels, and scenery.
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Someone mentioned camping in Maine. If it's not between the 4th of July
and Labor Day, you can always get a campsite at Acadia National Park, on
Maine Rte 3 (about a half hour east of US rte 1) in Bar Harbor. If you're
planning on spending any amount of time in New England, you *gotta* include
Acadia on your route! Even during the peak summer season, Seawall
Campgrounds usually has a vacancy (although Blackwoods, a nicer campground,
will usually be full). Both Seawall and Blackwoods are run by the National
Park Service and reservations (very cheap!) may be made through Ticketron.
If both are full, there are at least 4 or 5 other private campgrounds on
Mount Desert Island, (all within a few minutes of the National Park)
which are available.
Maine has a lot of state parks which offer camping, scattered throughout
the state. Additionally, I don't think I've ever driven for more than an
hour or two on almost any state road without coming across a private
campground. Maine, northern New Hampshire, and Vermont all strongly depend
on tourism, so if you find a mom'n'pop store along your trip, they'll be
more than happy to direct you to the nearest campground or inexpensive
motel.
Just a word of warning about northern New England. It's very, very pretty
with more back roads made for motorcycling than you can count, but it seems
to rain almost every day! As long as you've got either a full fairing or a
few changes of clothes, you'll be all set. Also, the weather is VERY
changeable, with temperatures (even during the summer) fluctuating between
100 and 40 degrees on any given day. Pack a woolen sweater and some long
johns.
There are a lot of bikes along the back roads throughout New England, so
nobody gets upset when they see you coming. Assuming you're well-behaved
in the towns, you'll have a fine trip.
And don't forget to read "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance".
Tom Hood,
DEC, Littleton, Mass.
PS: The population density in New England is such that no matter where the
hell you are, you're always less than an hour away from a motorcycle shop.