The -06 Over Racing FZ1 that won its class at the 06 Suzuka Hr is being retired and the parts have come up in local auction.

Ridden by Makoto Suzuki and Hiroshi Toyoda, and running in the XF1 Formula Extreme class against R1s, Fireblades, etc.

Before

At the 8hr

It’s final sad incarnation

The Ghost of the Legend

Some interesting facts from miscellaneous parts :
1. 07-08R1 CDI igniter
2. Can see an 07-08 R1 Speedo/meter in the pics
3. R1 stem and top-bridge?
4. Radiator piping?
5. Unfortunately, it’s lost the brakes, wheels, rear fender and who knows what else in old age
5. But of course, the standard rear shock is in ‘like new’ condition

Farewell old Warrior!

Credit http://www.race24.com/

Ready for the road trip? .. . . let’s roll.

Signing on - 0km

800km of speed restrictive twisties needs a decent chunk of time to complete. Even without stops and running an average speed of 50km/h, you’re locked in for 16hrs. So, we needed to be on the road early.

Luckily, we were doin this around the summer solstice and starting around 4am so would have plenty of time with a 4:30 sunrise and 6:45 sunset. So we had at least a good 14hrs of light.

Right, let’s get this thing on the road.
Woke up a little late and had to hustle to make the 4am meet up at Ebina SA on the Tomei. Suited up and swung a leg over old faithful FZ1 and thumbed the ignition. The straight thru pressure wave barreled out the can, boomed back off the concrete wall behind and resonated around the carpark. Yep, time to ride!

Watching the temp gauge flashing a ‘not ready yet!’ signal, decided to give another local contender, LOCO, a buzz. Riing, riing, click then some unmentionable but inspiring expletives He was way ahead and not waiting around by the sound of his LeoVince howling in the background. I had some catch up to do and 15minutes later pulled into Ebina next to Kiwi’s ride(F800), the JAVAsaurus(XR1200X) and the LOCOmotive(FZ1N).

Not long after, SCORPION rolled in on a retarded sorry motarded Honda XR with a true jack-in-the-box surprise in tow. TWINRIDER on the TDMsuperstead! Seriously, I’ve never seen him out and about before breakfast before. Good job TR and better job for draggin him out Scorpion.

So, that made 1-2-3-4-5-6. Where was lucky 7? A few false alerts and then the the bellow of twin blue-flame mufflers at revs rippled through the carpark, a forewarning of the power of the sun about to flood the joint. Yep, JamesK on the USS-FJR was docking at Ebina and then we were 7!

Some map loading and gas tanks to top off then we were on the road.
4:40am.
First turn, Atsugi exit off of the Tomei and looping around onto the 129 northbound before some cut and chop to the 603 out to the jump over the river and immediate right then right onto 64 for the fun run upto & through Douzaka touge and then alongside Miyagase dam. Following the 64 all the way to the 413 and the glide down the Doushimichi we were on a roll. But the Doushi decided to run us through a dusky wringer. Fog, mist, dew and wind misleading some of us in and out of the ghostly shadows through the tunnels and twisty bits.

We all made it to the 24. JamesK, JAV, LOCO and myself in first with TR and Scorpion escorting a navi-less KIWI to our 1st stop. Somewhere along the way, in the excitement and confounding fog and even after stopping at the entrance to the 24 not 50 metres from the Doushi, we missed our first pic. All of us! Sign of a good ride?

Well, we had a few things on our minds with LOCO’s tail light on the blink, literally. And the tail of the pack not sure how to manage the naviless Kiwi. LOCO jumped into the repairs with JamesK in the wings. The tail of the train settled on a work around involving a Kiwi sandwich.

Back on the road for leg 2 starting with the great little 24 then onto the 139 wriggling through some earlier morning suburban streets before it opening up for the winding delight north of Otsuki. Somewhere around Kuzunogawa dam my navi did its 100 point screw around and put us on the white road side of the dam headed south. Mmmm…. while second guessing the navi and recalling the route we rounded the corner to see TR in his tennis ball stitch coming straight at us with Kiwi and Scorpion in hot pursuit. So, first I did a U turn while TR’s crew started U turning and before we started a ring-a-ring a rosy I bumbled on by and out of the way for JamesK to lead. I needed a map reload anyway.
The FJR charged off and stepped it up a little with Jav passing me while I settled into the tail.
Fantastic view across the dam from north up there above the clouds. Great to follow the rumbling 1200 and see Jav weave his magic through the tight stuff up to Kosuge too.
Around Kosuge, things get a little tricky as the jump to the 18 doesn’t look like the right way to go. James, Jav and myself pulled in to bunch up the group on the 18 but I got worried that the hard white line of the 139 might steer lonesome LOCO astray as he was running naviless and midriff between the packs. No probs though, he was right on us and soon we were jabbering on about the great roads, weather and the symphony the machines were singing out through the canyons. A thundering torquey inline 4, A tooth rattling big Vtwin bass drum and another inline 4 but higher strung and raspier. While LOCO was singing, or screaming his own solo in the background.
Just then, a nice little Lotus went whistling by as the tail of our group came soldiering in. Not wanting to let that rabbit go with Imagawa touge ahead I spurred JamesK into the chase. That little Lotus was hustling and looked like a ton of fun with a wiggle here and a slide there but was struggling on the steep climb compared to the pack of torque monsters behind. After a while JK shooed me by and a little while later the Lotus amber flashed me by too with a few bike lights in my wake. Yep, bikes 4 cage 0
10 or so kms later and having had our fun over the touge we missed the next photo at the 18/411 junction even though we got stuck at the signal for a good few minutes. Did give us a chance to give the little Lotus pilot a good thumbs up though. And the pack came back together.
Well, we’d missed the photos but not the fun on the twisties and as the light turned green and we swung left on to Omekaido(411) the morning was fresh and bright and twisties awaited. The charge was on again! We sailed up the twisties until the forest parted and the climbing road fell away and we were headed down into Enzan.
On the way up the climb we snaked thru an S section that brought me back to 2006 and a ride that changed my life and seemed to be a very important stepping stone to where I was right then in 2011.

*Nostalgia warning! Back in 2006 I’d met JamesK, the Dude and Solo for a great day of twisties through Miyagase, Okutama, Fuji and Hakone. Solo was the GUN and imparted a copious amount of ride technique and criticism in his usual catch me if you can style. He had JamesK starting bushfires digging peg trenches on every corner. The Dude was really getting out of the saddle and spinning up some high rpm symphonies on the Agusta F4. Me? Well, I’d been riding the rear tyre, dirt style, and he got me chinning the bars and hanging off forward of the tank to get that front tyre working. It worked! I rode the absolute snot out of my tricked cb400 that day. Seriously, I got home with warped rotors, pointy tyres, scuffed toes and a twisty addiction! Thinking back on it, that was my 1st twistybutt!
Well, top of the mountain looking down over Enzan, Solo had us cut our engines and attempt to maintain our speed by running smooth wide lines, with minimum braking and maximizing contact patches. The silence was captivating and took me back to my bicycle road racing days. Thanx Solo. So, I did the same thing again this time. JamesK motored off and Jav roared on by while I glided down the mountain until LOCO’s pipe came into earshot. A glance at the gas fuel meter showed the reserve flashing and knowing LOCO on his similarly equipped FZ1 was seeing the same thing, it was time for fuel and food. We missed the 1st little fuel station where JamesK and Jav had pulled in but were soon dropping stands at a 7/11 just down the strip. The rest of the train soon pulled in and we had some breakfast and our first decent yarn and walk around. Some fussing and fixing was given to a weeping Harley and a BMW’s tyres.

The rides - Kiwi - Loco - I - Twinrider - JamesK - Jav - Scorpion

Back on the road we were headed south west for the run through the vineyards then up and over Misaka Michi before running down to and over Kawaguchiko before the glorious Subaru-Line Climb to the north west 5th station of Fuji.

The FZ1s needed juice so LOCO and I branched off for the nearest juice stand south of the vineyards. Then we were back on the road chasing down our hairs up and over Masaki Michi Pass. Coming out of the leaky old tunnel the view of Fuji was too good to pass up so .. . .

LOCO looking out over Kawaguchiko to Fuji

Next stop was Mt.Fuji’s northwest 5th station and after missing a turn we made it onto the only toll road for the northern part ofthe route. The Fuji-Subaru-line. Very fast hillclimb with a nice surface and great views.

Fazers at Mt.Fuji

Arriving at the top, we were surprised to be the 1st ones there and more than a little .. . cool, for summer. At 2100m, we had climbed near on 1 and 1/2 vertical kilometres and the temps had dropped accordingly. It was a refreshing relief from the heat and humidity below and made a hot coffee all the more enjoyable. But, after 2 coffees and some chilled shrinking bladders, we began to wonder. Where the hell are the rest of the guys?

Sorry guys, we aaahh….. . didn’t really worry about you as LOCO and I were busily engaged in some very important public duties. We were proudly representing bikers at the ‘UN of Titties ‘! Yep, we’d stumbled across our true calling up there in the clouds. Trying to look our coolest, the camera clad tourist girls from China, Taiwan, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, somewhere in Europe and wherever else, they came for their photos with the embassadors of bikes. Of course, we did our part to …ahh.. .placate the hordes of hunnies and fend off the trolls

After the tourist buses rolled out, we came to from our delirium and realized we were friggin cold and the others were still not there. So, on the horn and they were lost, or their navis had lead them to dead ends. They’d continued on the route. Fine but we’d lost an hour and a half on ambassador duties. Yep, the Fazers soon felt the lash of our delay.

Back down into the heat and humidity, we scouted around the south side of Kawaguchiko lake, glided along the Tohoku View Line north and west of Saiko lake(yep, real name), ran a short stint on the Panorama line then hit the Shoji Blueline north. Nice road that one! But we were really seeking rt36 for the run west to Ashigawa and then a couple of lefts and south down the 409 to the next photo stop.

Again, no one there but a quick buzz told us JamesK and Jav had been thru there a while ago and were already at Mt.Fuji’s southern 5th station. Way ahead! And the remaining 3 were in our wake. Was a pretty remote place where we had stopped and after fighting off some monster insects, we decided to hit the road. But… LOCO just had to get his Olivia NewtonJohn on.

LOCO stretching out the road knots.. . and attracting locals

Blasting into the tunnel we fired out onto the 409 and 414 twisties. Tricky but fun, the Fazers rubber was working on reeling in JK and Jav. Loco stepped up and the Fazers cut a symphony of synchronized blips and roll-ons through the mountain foilage, across the valleys and down the ravines that will be with me for some time to come. Then we hit the Motosu-michi and lapped up all that magic road had to offer. When you roll by a pack of parked up bosozoku and they have come to the roadside to nod you by, you know you’re pumpin out a tune that crosses genres and even the deaf can appreciate 

Banking right at the T, we were back on the Panorama line, south bound this time. Before long, a left then right and the 71 was rolling out the red carpet for a fair stint through rolling fields to the 72. At the corner of the 72 we pulled in to quiet our tummy rumbles at a corner convenience store. Settling on a small wall outside we downed a small village’s annual harvest. Truth be told, small children fled, old ladies crinjed and men grinned and gave our ravenous maulings a wide berth.

Time for a bike check and .. ahh . . oops! That 1500km of front PilotPower I thought I had was looking pretty sad. Playing catch-up will do that. Past the wear markers is fine but if things got wet, that could be entertaining. Other than the lack of rubber, the bikes were popping and crackling on cool down as they should have been and all was fine in Fazer land.

Then the horn rang and Twinrider called in lost. Seemed their lead navi had lead them astray. They had gone west on Mutosu-michi instead of east and then they’d decided to straight-leg it to the next stop near us. Promised to wait a while but as we were still behind schedule from our embassador duties, we couldn’t wait indefinitely. Besides, rain was starting to spit down and we had the southern Fuji hillclimb ahead. Waaaaay too enjoyable to waste that on wet roads especially with fingerprints for rain grooves on the tyres.

We pulled in to juice up at the little Ma&Pa Eneos on the corner of 72 and the Fuji Skyline. The spitting had eased but the hills ahead were  cloaked in thick daerk clouds. Hitting the road, a 350z roared off to clear the way for us. Cool! But moist areas became more and more common the higher we went which was annoying with the sweeet long climbing sweepers ahead. But we made do and caught our hare just at the turn off for the run to the peak. The silver z continued on while we turned off and disappeared into the pea soup.

Cool thing about that road in fog/cloud is because it climbs so fast and so far(1000m in 4km), it is rarely a constant run in pea soup. That day was the same and the pea soup was relatively low on the slopes but it was wet! We climbed out of the soup and scrabbled around the switchbacks to the carpark at the peak.

LOCO at Mt.Fuji 5th station & it's DRY!

Views admired, aching knees sympathized and photos taken, we moved onto the wrist and inner thigh busting decent   Loco donned some wet weather gear but I.. . .well, I’m not as sharp as my naked FZ1 riding compadre at the best of times.

Fuji being the most of what a mountain is meant to be, it wasn’t going to let us go without experiencing a good shower. Halfway down the hillclimb, it started. A sprinkle to a drizzle to a steady rain and all in the fog. The antifog visor turned to a blur and then the trickle started running in from the corners. So, it was time to pop the lid and we all know how that goes in those conditions. Like leaving a windy beach and waddling to a shower with sand in your crack

Well, we soldiered on and swung back onto the lower Fuji-skyline westbound. Some foggy sweepers later and then a right onto the Green line and the rain picked up again. Usually love this road downhill and even in the rain it wasn’t too bad. The water started seeping in here and there and the gloves were soaked but warmer conditions in the lowlands had me thinking it wasn’t a problem.

Left onto the 46o, headed south-west, and the rain shifted up a gear. Stay on target I voiced ‘Stay on target’! How many times can you say that before you finally throw in the towel? A weak 15km in my case!

We pulled off into a side road with tree overhangs that I’ve pitstopped at before. There was NO rain cover in them parts and some overhang was the best we were goingto get. It sufficed. Just then the rain eased to a drizzle and we could enjoy a stop, make some calls and take stock.

Wet and dirty Fazers hiding out

Making calls in the fog

Jav and JamesK were smokin and waaaaaay ahead! Maybe an hour or so, two ridge tops away, and there was no rain there. So, with the promise of dry roads ahead we fired up the Fazers and 300horses gingerly made their way down the damp Susono roads looking for some dry tarmac to get a gallop up. We finally found some cresting the 337 onto the Ashinoko-skyline around the north end of Ashinoko lake and the throttles were wound on. But it was still cool up there and the rain evaporating from my pants was chilly. Thankfully the gortex boots were doing what they were supposed to do.

Through some of Hakone’s(rt75) twisties, onto rt1 and under the big red Torii, the traffic was light for a Sunday. Next left turn was the Tsubaki-line and then left again onto Hakone Shindo for the glide down onto the Kanto plain. By now, we were over 400km in and the Shindo was a welcome respite from tight turns and blind corners. Of course, the big sweepers are the real attraction though

We made it to the bottom and pulled in for what was supposed to be the .. . ?photo stop at the Hakone Shindo PA.

Hakone Shindo PA - RIP

Don’t bother looking for it now though and the road is now toll free

We thawed and touched base again with the others. Jav and JamesK were still waiting and getting toey to hit the road again. Twinrider, Scorpion and Kiwi were on route and not far out. So, the Fazer riders thought long and hard. Do we make haste for the meet with the others or stay on course and enjoy the rest of the run? . . . mmmm. . we thought, we pondered and then 300horses went twisty hunting! That’s what we were there for, right?

8km of expressway and then we were seaside and following the coast south on the eastside of Izu. Destination, Yugawara. 135-740-135 and right onto the 75 for the run up through Yugawara for a return to the Tsubaki-line. This time from the east end. The Fazers had run this 135-740-75 combo together several times before. After the days adventures, we really felt back on home ground and super-cruised to the PA half way up the Tsubaki-line hillclimb.

Tsubaki-line PA above the clouds - Loco's in heaven!

Yep, the clothes were dry and the hearts warm but man, we were feeling raggard. The view over the clouds, from the PA, was fantastic but the shadows were getting longer, we were still behind schedule and the faster part of the Tsubaki-line was still ahead. So, throwing a leg over, dropping it into 1st and trundling out of the PA, Loco was filling the mirrors and we got down to business.

55 corners later, we pulled into the PA at the top-o-the Hakone-turnpike just as the rest of the crew was sailing out. JamesK swung it around and came back to give us the heads up. They were headed south for a feed and more riding. No more of the twistybutt route though. Loco and I needed a rest and some thinking time  so we sent JamesK on his merry way and off roared the mighty FJR!

We watered, rested and had a bit of a chat. With over 500km on the odos, that was a fair effort and the next leg was a 4hour loop at best. With around 2hours of sunlight, no one else on course and 500 being a nice round number, a return to Ebina was our next goal. So, off we went down the Hakone turnpike, up the Atsugi-Odawar road and onto the Tomei for our final landing together at Ebina.

return to Ebina - 550km done

Pulling into the parking area, it was loaded with bikes.  Can honestly say I got off with my chin held high wondering howmany others there had even come close to doing what we’d done that day? Not many would be a good guess.

One thing for certain, Loco and I had shadowed each other the whole day! Through the slow stuff, the tight stuff, the dirty stuff, the wet stuff, the stressful stuff and spuring each other on, we’d done 550km of Kanto’s finest! Cheers Loco. See you on the road someday Champ!

Signing off - 545km in 13 hours

But, 545km is not 800km, is it? Next summer

[i]*No photos from the orphanage due to event requests and no qualms about it either*[/i]

Well the Tokyo leg for this year’s Tokyo Toy Run was a success.

Donned the big merry fellas red over suit and with temps around 5°, the wired heat underneath. Then fired up the steed for a day of merriment.

Starting in Odaiba at @8:30am we floated down the expressway to the big Daikukofuto PA and enjoyed a nice long break there that gave us enough time to eat, check out the cool cars and generally be merry. We had about 30 santas, several reindeer and gaggle of xmas clad riders. I think we stole the attention away from the Lamboghinis and Porsches   :cool_sunglasses: and by the number of cameras and size of the crowd on our departure, we should turn up somewhere on the net  :later:
Then, made our way down the bayside and exited the expressway at Sachiura for the run thru Kanazawa and over the ridge into the back of Kamakura. Plenty of waves and ‘HoHoHo! Merry Xmas!’ going ons. Plenty of waves back and cameras flashing too.
The sun was shining and warm, the traffic was light and surf was up so the ride along the coast was sweet! Great day to be riding the beachside strip! Things got a little merry for us when a white night riding an MT01 tried to out-do the Santa brigade so we broke formation and brought some high rpm xmas cheer to all of our hearts. ‘HoHoHo’

From Daikoku, I led the crew headed to the Elizabeth Sanders Home in Oiso. Another crew went to The Chigasaki Farm.
At the orphanage, the kids were stoked to see us and there seemed to be more of them than last year. All was good, the principal sang some Karaoke style jinglebells with his own vocal/instrumental accompaniment and dance. Video to come!
The dodge ball was brutal, the playground fun and the priceless smiles a plenty.
Big bonus for this year was the pizza. Yep, a collection at Daikokufuto funded a forty-loaves like serve of delivery pizzas for the little ones and they LOVED it! We all had a bite and some oshiruko bean soup which was delivered ever so politely by the littlies.
Then it was on to the present giving and this time it went both ways.  :thumbs_up:  We gave some designated gifts to each room and they gave back 10 big Xmas cards with a bike motif on the front and varying degrees of english and thank you notes etched all over. Fantastic!
Finally, the ride around with 4 bikes doing slow laps and the kids crawling all over each other for a go. Things started cordially enough but once they got a taste of it .. .. not even Santa could keep them back as they forded their way to the nearest bike! Fear not! Japan has a new, if small, wave of would be riders on the grow  :cool_sunglasses:
We tied things up and with another performance from the all singing, dancing and generally jovial Principal, the kids made a heart warming speech to us that had our rag tag bunch of leather clad road warriors all red faced and wet eyed. It was awesome  :yo:

Heading out, we made our way to Kuaiana in Kamakura for a burger with LOCO. This year was his last TTR for the near future he’ll and will be sorely missed. Champ, what are we gonna do without you? There was talk of leaking some particularly scandalis photos to speed his demotion back to the land of the rising sun and needy TTR. . . ..

All in all, that was a fantastic day!

Hope to see more of us there next year  :hat_hi:

btw: The Yamanashi orphanage run is set for the 17th of December

Being chilly out with winter creeping in and sub 10°C showing for the hills, decided to don some heat. Yep, time to drag the Powerlet heated liner and gloves out of summer hibernation. Dig how easy this gear is. No maintenance and always ready.

Heated Liner

SPEC: wired-line heating style jacket liner with heat all over, including sleeves and collar. Collar has a nice plush sued look collar lining. Wouldn’t be the same without the collar.

Pros: Low maintenance, easy fitting, good quality of stitching and seems, heated glove extension wires from wrist pockets.

Cons: needs a shirt underneath, the wires can give a roast ham look to your skin if worn for toooo long in very cold conditions where you need it wicked up, the heating wire can move and especially around the shoulders bind a little. Hand cleaning is a PITA

Rating: 4 out of 5

Paired with the core heating liner are the waterproof leather sport-gloves.

Heated Gloves

SPEC: floating carbon knucle and carbon outer wrist gaurd, goat skin palm, porella breathable/water repelling shell between the thinsulate liner and leather outer and reflective piping and fingers. They are certainly well eqipped and feel nice on. These are the 2nd set of gloves after the left hand of the 1st set had a wiring problem after riding 8hrs in typhoon rain To their credit they’d already covered about 15,000kms before the typhoon test.

Funny thing about the heated gloves is that when you they get wet and you’re running the heat, they shape to your hand on the grip .. . like a glove The little finger was a little tight and awkward but has since developed a tonne of free room.

Pros: Qaulity, feature and function rich, true 3 season ALL weather gloves.

Cons: spongy screen wiper breaks down prematurely, shape change when heated and wet could go wrong. Seems to be no recommended way to clean them.

Rating: 4 out of 5

VITAL

The controller. Am currently running the wired dual controller which allows seperate operation of the gloves and liner. Real handy! On the expressway the gloves needed a little less than the chest on the upright FZ1 where wind speed cuts the effectiveness of the screen. In the twisties, the gloves needed a bit more.

Can’t wait to try a wireless controller!

Ok, on with the ride. Basic route: Ebina-Atsugi-Kendo64sen-412-413Doushimichi-138Hakoneurasen-FujiAzamiLine-138-Tomei back! Dry and good, if dark, visibility. Some fauna!!

Lifted the cover and the FZ1 was ready as always

The run up the 64 was the warm up and it was a bit slick here and there. The pocket racers at the combini 1/2 way up were all eyes as the FZ1’s Graves exhaust growled by. Sagamiko had a couple of drifter trucks with cars loaded in the parking area.

Stopped in at the 7/11 by the 412/413 crossover for a bite to eat and met a cool local guy who was into modding cars. Check out this ￥1000 special. Seriously, he bought it for a green one and chopped and beat it in 40 minute.

Continued down the Doushi seeing a few bikes here and some tuned cars there. Was really worried about deer so took it easy and just enjoyed running lines. Besides, the FZ1 had a fresh shoe on the rear so a little caution was in order.

Doushi was great, as was the Hakoneura with almost no cars on the road, the heat dialled up and a crescent of moon overhead. Down by Yamanakako, got to see the 1st air temp sign, 9°. Not too bad.

From the Hakoneurasen, swung west onto the Fuji-Azmino line (rt150) for the hillclimb upto the 5th station on the east side of Fuji at 2000m above sea level.

That is a nice road, well the first 5km is near on perfect and the rest is nice but in need of a new layer of blacktop. On the straight run up, another temp sign showed 7° at around 500m. Around the 4th big sweeper a big buck and some doe where grazing on the verge. Turned the pace down and proceeded up through the drift marks and several more deer. Boy, the buck have magnificient horns this time of the year.

Had to wick up the heat a few times on the climb but it managed. At the top, the bike was reading 9° in the airbox which translates to @3-4° in the free world. With just a leather jacket on the outside, a heat-tech skivvy underneath and the heated liner sandwiched in between, the core was still plenty toasty.

At the top, the lights looking out over Goemba were spectacular.

But, a new app on the android was telling me what I felt was true. It was .. . .

Looking at time and with quickly freezing paws, it was time to head back. So, mounted up and rolled down cautiously seeing only 1 big buck on the way down. Then back on the 138 to Gotemba. From Gotemba, a quick flight down the Tomei and home had the FZ back on the stand at 1:45am.

All in, just over 250km, less than 4 and 1/2 hours and a smooth night on the road

Been waiting on all this for a loooooooong time. So long I’d given up on it but it’s finally here and because I waited so long they threw in some extras. All these rides were done in 2008 and they are the full set of available basic rides for Japan.

• 1600k/24hr is for the run to the northernmost tip of Hokkaido

• 2000k/24hr is for the long way to Kyushu Goldenbutt

• 2500k/36hr – as yet, I think I’m the only one to make this run in Japan and have to say a BIG thanx to Rental819 for the GTR1400

1600k - 2000k - 2500k

Last weekend I performed my first oil change in my 2011 FZ1S (with only 50km). I checked the old oil in the pan and cut the oil filter to see how the things was in there.
Here are the pictures.

open oil filter & oil pan

oil Filter (see big metal particles stuck in)

Oil pan Backlighted (full of metal particles)

Oil pan normal view (pictures with flash)

* All KUDOS go to Maxchobi of Argentina and his recently acquired FZ1. Thanx Max

Don’t really have words to describe what we saw so will skip the rambling on this one.

FZ1 in the post Tsunami tidal zone in Ofunato

The riding was great but the destruction was overwhelming at times…..

Cars on roofs

The cleanup was amazing and the dump zones even more so. Well organized and clean juxtaposed with the mayhem that caused it all

For many of the small towns they seem to be just working around the destruction

Some towns, like this one near Todogasaki, are just . . . gone.

as was what we found at the most eastern road on Honshu
Omoe
Even though a lot of the infrastucture has been destroyed or abandoned, we had no trouble finding food or gas.

Was glad to be riding with two cool Amigos. The Js

Some images will stay with me a long time. This is one of the better ones

DAY/Night? 1
JamesK had left early Saturday morning to rack up several hundred kms on his way to Niigata where we were to meet up. He’ll patch in with his day’s riding soon I guess. I couldn’t get outa town till late so had planned to meet him at the end of his twisty session.
I was waiting on a tyre and it arrived just in the nick of time. As I was opening the front door on my way to reluctantly get a tyre from the local Naps when the buzzer rang and I could see the delivery guy with a big box in the monitor. Yippee, tyre delivery! So, 5pm, darted to the tyre fitter and while the bike was off the road went for a big dinner. Was gonna need it for the 400odd km run to Nigatta. Tyre on, gas up, load navi and stagger through the traffic out the 16 to Hachioji and the Chuo. Then Chuo, Keno, Kanetsu. So far so good.
Was lovin the cooling temps on the rise outa Kanto and looking forward to that loooong tunnel just north of the Gunma – Niigata border. What is it, 10-12km of dead straight tailwind assisted tarmac. Entered the warp hole expecting to come barreling out into Niigata but even before halfway in the engine warning light came on. Damn! clutch in, switch off, find nuetral, clutch out, toggle starter to on, fire it up and the warning light is still there. Error Code 24. Temp OK, rpms OK, engine/exhaust pulse OK, throttle response OK. Mmm
Pitstopped at the snowchain change area outside the tunnel and called Lugnuts for some online sloothing. Seems it was an O2 sensor thing experienced at extended high velocity. Who me? No.. .. . Anyway, word on the web said it was harmless and to continue. So, off I trundled down the slopes into Niigata. A few km down the road, alone and in an unlit tunnel, and cough, lights out, thrown against the tank, splutter and somewhere between ‘What the’ and ‘f##k?’ she’s running again but without lights! I’d gone from HID heaven to the bowls of Haedes. Looking down for the white line to the left I crawled down the expressway, hazards saving my tail, desperately in need of the overhead lights in the distance.
Blown fuse! wtf! 2 hiccups in row at the start of a tour. Not good. But, always believed in better out than in and maybe this was just clearing the throat and getting the BS out of the way.
Anyways, lights back on and engine warning light still brighter than the sun, JK talked me into a smooth but late landing in Shibata, northern Niigata. A bowl of Ramen and bottle of beer later we decided not to torture the FZ and instead leave the troubleshooting for the morning. Who would’ve been electrocuted first if we hadn’t anyway? :silly:

Day 2

Woke up at 6 feeling a little crusty and bloated after the nail biting crawl into Shibata and then the ramen and beer the night before. Actually, word of caution: when ordering beer in the sticks after midnight, make sure to specify size. That old ramen den master had 2 bottles, uncapped, saddle with glasses & in our faces seemingly before we had even ordered em. We must’ve looked parched

Anyway, we’d agreed on a 6:30 meet the following morning and I got started on the bike a little early. Took a little bodywork off, lifted the tank and checked all the connections related to aftermarket gizmos and the o2 sensor connections. All looked as it should be so entered the diagnostic mode in the instrument cluster. With JamesK on point, we fumbled around trying to work it all out and found that pesky error code 24 and erased it, along with a few other remnants in the error code history. Then the moment of truth… . fired it up and left it to warm itself. No error codes, warning lights or blown fuses so the game was on.

Rolling out of Shibatta we had a good run along the 290 in the fresh morning air under a blue as blue sky. That 290 is a smooth and fast pastoral valley byway with nice views and little traffic. Next was the Asahi Super Line. I’d been looking forward to this for a while and on getting there and starting up the ex-super-rindo, it was looking to be as technical and scenic as I’d hoped. So we stopped soon on for the mandatory bridge pic as neither of us likes to ease up on great roads

and deep jungle tarmac

and on we went. The road climbing, snaking, weaving. Cliffs here, bridges there, a bit of debris and rockfall as is o be expected plus the odd unexpected cyclist and bird watcher. Don’t think the bird watchers appreciated JamesK’s blueflame muffler followed by my graves rasp though.
Well, the honeymoon didn’t last long as we met a closed gate and had to go back along the 30something kms we’d just enjoyed. Yep, those bird watchers enjoyed us even more the 2nd time round.
JamesK showing what he thinks of road closures. Returning some Asahi Super Dry to the Asahi Super Line

So we took the long way round back down to the 7 and then jumped some links across to a very quick and quiet 345. That was a fun road and where J’s tyre nursing started. It was so fun that by the time we stopped in Tsuruoka, we were almost back on schedule.
But it was hot, we were hungry and we happened upon an anime freaks wet dream with a countryside combini full to overflowing with an endless stream of super-short skirted highschool girls running around everywhere. :shocker: So we had no choice but to stop. Trying to figure out where they’d come from as it seemed we were still fair square in the middle of farmers’ country and they were all on bicycles, I reminded J that they’re pitch fork swingin fathers were probably not far off. . . . Well, saddling up and high tailing it outa jailbait country, digestive furnaces stoked and a fine sky overhead, rt47 lured us east into Miyagi.
Nice smooth rollin road the 47 and we took it as far as the 457 where we met our 1st earthquake carnage. The 457 is a great strip of smooth arcing twisties and at about 3-4km in we met a road block with big red, black & yellow signs everywhere. But J was in the lead and there was enough room between gates to drive a car through, so he didn’t even think twice. Ahead we found a big landslide with a few smaller ones and a pretty cracked up road, luckily with a lot of chalk or paint around the deeper and more disturbing stuff. So, we picked our way along that road, unscathed, to the 398.
Now, I like to write about roads and how long, sweet, twisty, delectible, entrancing or whatever befitting description I can throw at it but for the next 3 roads I have no photos or words to match what we found there. So this will have to suffice:

The 398 – 282 -342 combo is . .. . YES

Go there and ride it and see. It is in great condition with widened cambered hairpins for buses servicing the onsen at the top somewhere and almost no one on it. It snakes along skylines, climbs and falls without hazard and is well.. . just go there when you have the chance. Southwest to nor-east was great. Wish I had time to spend the day there.
While I enjoyed, J was lookin a little blue havin to nurse his tyre through such heavenly temptation but he’s a patient man – when he HAS to be.
So on we sailed around some more mantle rattled carnage until finding ourselves at the newly minted World Heritage Site tagged Hiraizumi. Wanted to get a pic at Chuson-ji but one look at the hordes of tourists and we were on our way.
Onto the expressway and figuring whether to run for Miyako as planned or not, the sun was on the downhill slide to China. Pulled into the 1st PA and started doing serious calcs. Ok, 150km to Miyako which means a 7pmish landing which means no photos..hmmm. . . or.. . loiter around here a bit, drink, snack and then slab it 200km straight to Hachinohe? Gotta tell ya, I was startin to feel exactly how outa road worthy shape I was/am.

Well, best to live to fight another day or atleast be ready to fight, so Hachinohe it was.
Around 8, after 200km of bug culling, we pulled into Hachinohe to find Tanabata in full swing and the navi working overtime to get around the procession of floats and yukatas. We made it to our distaster cheapened hotel ￥3250 by 8.30 encrusted in bugs and ravenous. So we just parked out front, checked in and freshened up.

Then went looking for local delicacies :toothless:

Roll on Day 3

Waking up in the shitty park hotel to fury gums and an alarm clock that had been ringing for . .. I don’t know how long, looked over toward the starwars-era control centre for the time

J was ready to ride downstairs. Just checking his rear tyre was still there

We hit the road around 7 and put on around 80km before breakfast. Running the 338 at or near sea level no more than a few kilometres from the coast most of the way provided the incentive not to stop. Running the gauntlet between Rokkasho and Higashi-dori nuclear facilities did nothing to slow our pace either.
We were headed for Shimokita-hanto (the big axe head looking peninsula off the north east corner of Honshu) and this was our final day on the road. We ate, chatted about the route and wondered wtf people did to afford such monstrous houses in the middle of seemingly nowhere.
Next stop Lake Usori and the stinky sulphur springs west of Mutsu. Rt 4 was a fun run along ribbons off fantastically planned and kept tarmac cutting a passage through big, heavy trunked woods. Magic!
Lake Usori

Yep, J definitely wanted to ride the mighty FJR up on top that delicate little bridge but was worried about ground clearance

Back on rt4 and the fun continued up to the coast where we swung nor-west for Ooma and the northernmost point of Honshu.

Then JamesK mounted the tuna, as you saw in the 1st post, and we were shown the door

Anyways we headed over to the Kamoshika Line (Japanese Serrow) rt46 and encountered our first rain, pea soup fog and slick conditions :nonono: Conditions eased on the south side and we proceded on south around the bay and stumbled into the Michinoku Toll Road. What a fricken gem! Feigning a leaky earphone I sent JamesK on ahead to see how fast I could catch him up. I’ll be back!
Then onto the expressway around to Hirosaki and through the old castle town on route to the wonder of the north

Iwaki Skyline

How many corners in under 10km?

At the top

Looking down

Looking out

From there we found J a rear tyre and then took the loooong slab home. Man, that was a torturous ride with the uneven road surface all the way back 7pm-3am badump-bzzzzzzzzzzzzzz-bdump-bzzzzzzzzzzzzz-bdump-bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
But we made it. Here’s the log for day 3. Stopped isn’t right as I was switching off most times when stopped, like on the tyre change

What are we talking about here?

C2C = coast to coast = Pacific Ocean to Japan Sea

Touge = A pass between two adjacent territories traversing some sort of natural geographical barrier = 峠

Grenade = a small package with a big punch!

So, a relatively short ride (compared to an ironbutt) from the Pacific Ocean to Japan Sea via as many twisty bits as can be strung together. All in a day!

Where?

Starting on the coast of Sagami Bay, down by the Seisho-bypass in Kanagawa, we shot up through Yamanashi, Nagano and Gifu before sailing down to the coast in Joetsu, Niigata.

Let’s Roll

The alarm sounded at 3:10am with a favorite inspirational song of mine which only comes on alarm duty if I’m going to do something that really pushes my buttons but have to wake up uncomfortably early to do it. It did its job! I was out of bed, kitted up, relatively wide eyed and ready to roll 20minutes later. Helped that the prep had been done the night before and was able to drift off to la-la land by 9pm.

Had to get my finger out if I was to meet the first rider of the day, my favorite wingman, JamesK. Of course he was waiting at the local 7-11 having foregone his usual lap of the Shuto in light of the challenge ahead. We had a bite to eat with a side serve of light ride banter. I knew his mighty steed, the USS-FJR-Equipped, would be stocked with anything and everything an endurance rider could want on such an adventure, in total contrast to my FZ1’s current minimalist setup. But, the day before he’d discovered a nasty looking crack in the rear shock mount and luckily his bush-mechanic reinforcing was holding for now. I had never before doubted he’d make it to the end of any ride and the FJR like-wise, so left it at that. Good luck JK!

20minutes later we rolled in to Oiso port to find Andreas and John waiting. John on a Harley XR and Andreas the giant on a BMW GS. A quick peruse of both steeds showed a pair of well equipped bikes ready for a good ride. But I winced when I saw how pristine John’s Harley was, knowing the roads it was going to face and the grime it was going to collect. Never fear, it wasn’t dipped in the standard tractor chrome but was almost completely bathed in sinister black. The BMW wasn’t dressed in shipping containers, space shuttle navigation aids, wind deflectors or anything else big elephants usually get adorned with. But it was sporting an Ohlins rear which in Andreas’ hands could mean some surprises ahead. Actually, both bikes were being ridden by capable riders with more than a little experience.

Right, two more to come and 5am had just ticked over. We heard them coming before we saw them. First in was Tony on the green-machine Ninja 636 closely followed by Volker on the classic red Fireblade. Tony is a long time ride buddy and not lacking in experience or wingman skills. He’s ridden all 47 prefectures of Japan and is somewhat of a walking, talking, riding human navi! With James and Tony in your pack, you’ve got the two best wingman any road warrior could want. Volker is somewhat of a legend to me and his current ride, borrowed from a friend while he was here for the fortnight, was quite a legend also. While his riding style is simple, smooth and a pleasure to follow that fireblade is a friggin smack you in the face Frankenstein! I found myself marveling and wiping away the drool more than a few times. The easy to see Ohlins front and back and Arrows system were the smack in the face and then the aftermarket ‘anything that could be bolted on’ and missing anything that didn’t add to mechanical performance drew out the drool factor. Oh yeah, he happened to be able to ride it, too.

Well, we made our way to the water’s edge for the obligatory photos. This time by the waters of the Pacific under a rising sun, by the day’s end we hoped to be by the water’s of the Japan Sea to the North on the opposite coast of Japan’s main island, Honshu. Only 5 of us would be there at the end!

LtoR: Volker-Tony-Andreas-meself-John-James

After the LeMans style start, which I dominated , James, John and Andreas rolled out with myself, Volker and Tony close behind.

Andreas lead us out of town and off to Hadano via the winding river road to where we fed our furnaces some breakfast and then topped off the tanks for the first challenge of the day, Yabitsu Touge.

Well, I managed to be the last one fueling up and waved the pack on ahead and then proceeded to drop my change from the self-serve change machine. Yep, the ground wasn’t flat but I was lucky there was no one around at 6am to laugh at a grown man hobbling down the slope after accelerating yennies. By the time I got in the saddle, I couldn’t hear that sweet arrows of Volker’s. Alone, I faced the daunting task of riding a road that had taken me out before. Not to mention it took me out on my last attempt at a twistybutt. It freaked me out a bit and I questioned and cursed the ride Gods but.. . .. in the end.. .. . this is how I balanced the scales enough to ride it out: Last time I’d ruined everyone’s ride(Sorry and thank you sooo much Tony, Andreas and Pete) when I crashed out and the ride was cancelled. This time they could ride on oblivious for some time and I’d be able to coax them into continuing if I crashed out again if I was conscious. Actually, I had avoided this road until now and wanted to face it and dominate it. With no one tailing me, I could face it with grace and respect and get back on equal footing with this particular piece of challenging licorice strip. It used to be my favorite place to tune the suspension and power-commander for hillclimbs and I needed to be back there. And finally, I was the route planner! Yep, no one to blame but myself, right?! However, I’d been hoping to sit mid-pack and skulk through. . .coward. Not anymore!

Well, taking it easy, running a gear high and staying away from the rear brake(suspicious culprit in last crash), I caught John and Tony about 2/3 of the way along that dastardly road and the Harley was playing a sweet tune that just reeled me in. But it seemed like John was working a little to keep it moving at a reasonable pace through the tight stuff. Kudos for the decent pace though.

James, Andreas and Volker were nowhere to be seen. We caught up to them chatting at the end of that road and everybody shuffled out together again. I dropped back to plug in the heat and switch on the navi log. Took me a while longer to catch them this time as the route was a lot more open and meandering. Had to pass a ZX14, 1098 and an African-Twin to get to them, too. Yep, it was an interesting morning out. Finally caught the tail of the pack on the Doushi-michi where again Tony and John were making good time on super-cruise with the other 3 out of sight.

Next stop was the turn off for the 24 and James, Andreas and Volker were already waiting again. We marveled at the quiet roads, beautiful weather and that Doushi. Always a good ride that one. Then we were on the road again. I lead us for a run at a favorite mountain pass of mine, Douzaka Touge. A short time later I realized I’d forgotten the heat again(it wasn’t warm) so pulled over to plug in as the pack sailed by. By the end of the 24, I was back in the lead. I like that road and was feeling the rhythm of the road. Kind of helped that James and Andreas had pulled over to wait for the tail

Next stop was Sasago Touge 25rolling kms away. And in between? Yep our first problem, some sort of Navi glitch that got all the units having a redirecting-fit. I’d experienced something similar near the Linear Motor Car track(experimental Mag-lev line) before and we were near there again so.. Well, it sorted itself as we had a little fun making our way up and over Sasago Touge. Then it was over the Tomei Expressway by bridge and up into the narrow winding Daibosatsu Line.

Man, that road has a killer hillclimb when running from north to south but when running south to north, like we were, it is a wrist killer and a fair sphincter workout. On the downhill we encountered our first oddity, the lady driving a car in the opposite direction on a hairpin with a rabid sausage-dog on her lap that was trying to bark and claw its way through the side window to get a bite of us. Amazing what is legal. . . Should have been called the Daibutsu Line!

We stopped as the road levelled out for a breather and were making good time. Beautiful place to stop as the cherry blossoms were still blooming up there in the mountains.

Everyone was jovial but already feeling the torturous twisties. Well, everyone except Andreas who boasted that life was GREAT! on the ambling elephant. Back on the road, we all took a little respite from the super tight stuff as we made our way to the 2nd fuel stop then a dawdle along the Fruits Line and into the Yamanashi Hills before getting back into it on the Crystal Line.

The Fruits Line was nice, The Crystal Line bumpy, dirty, broken and exhausting. In between was the KofuGaijinBikers test-track which always puts a smile on the dial. But seriously that Crystal line was a shocker!  Rock falls, crevices you could lose a front wheel in, sandy crap and tree debris everywhere. It was a friggin nightmare! Not to mention the super bumpy stuff that kept JamesK, who was nursing a sick rear shock, on tender hooks. I think we were all glad to get off that road, everyone except Andreas!

They say that battling through the tough stuff makes everything else all the more sweeter. The top of the Radium Line and the 610 through Shinshu Touge and Okura Touge through the 68 were a treat.

That put us on the 141 and our second navi blunder. Mine and the Garmin 2610’s 2nd that is. See the 2610 can only log 100 points on a route before it gives up and makes a beeline for the goal. Lame, I know but we make do by reloading the map and running the next 100 points. The trick is knowing when the last 100 points are up and reloading on a straight or when stopped before that happens. Not many straights on this run so.. .a lapse on my part and we ended up a fair way further up the 141 than intended. By we, I mean Volker and Tony who were navi-less following me. Yep, the blind leading the blind. Actually, should have switched on the Tony navi instead!

Always looking to make a minus a plus, we had some hares to hunt and the 480 to the Meruhen Line(299) is always fun. Climbing out of the 480 and up to crest the 299, we stopped for a freezing photo at the top of Mugikusa Touge – Japan’s 2^nd highest national road at 2127m (didn’t dare tell em it was only 3℃ up there) then got back in the chase.

The dirt short cut between the Meruhen and the Venus Lines drew some incredulous looks from my wingmen but we soldiered through to get a taste of the Venus Line before stopping in at the combini by the lake for some lunch. It was around 12:30pm and we hadn’t eaten for more than 6hours or had a decent rest for about two and a half. Pit-stop time. I called James and discovered they were about 15km ahead stopped for fuel. Not too far off.

It was a windy lunch. We ate warm food and emptied/filled our depleted fluid tanks. Tony lost some lunch-plastic to the blustering wind roaring off the lake and we all got the chills and some, a new hair-do to boot. Luckily, I had the heat to go back to.

It was windy, overcast and cold in them there hills. But we had the Venus Line’s sweet spot to look forward to. But first, our third fuel stop of the day at the corner of the 194 & 40. We were filling up around every 150km which may seem early but when your average speed is under 50km/h that’s at least 3 hours between fuel stops. Anyhow, friendly staff there! Or were they just happy to be making a killing on their fuel?

The second oddity of the day: how fuel on the Expressways is heavily regulated, no matter where they are, but places like this, that aren’t so distant or require an expensive infrastructure but have a monopoly can charge the max rate. Both have a monopoly, right?

So, tanks full, with possibly Japan’s best piece of tarmac ahead, we headed up the 194/460 to lighten the hearts. I’d followed Volker a couple of times before and wanted a glimpse of his magic on this road. Besides, he had been tailing me for hours, I was tired and the road ended in a T-junction where he HAD to wait for us. So, settled in for the show and a lesson or two. He still didn’t seem to move the body much. No out of the saddle antics or knee dragging but the feet were definitely dancing. Great rhythm in the gear change, brake and bank for corners, every time. Smooth lines and always with the Arrows exhaust at a purr to growl. He knew and loved the 194/460 and the quote of it being one of the best roads in Japan is all his. Thanx Volker, you taught me some smoothness again and made my riding less stressful from there.

Finishing up the Venus Line with the sharp hillclimb and winding downhill, we swung west headed for a scenic series of goatish ridgerunners that had me thinking back to the Daibosatsu Line. We made our way into the thick of it and were soon dodging crap and bumps on the climb to Takeishi Touge, our eleventh touge for the day. Maybe 10 minutes before that though, Oh HELL NO! It was NOT supposed to rain and this was a bad place for it to start. It was always going to be a tough stretch and one of the reasons I had warned everyone the schedule would change if rain was likely. But,yep, the spits started to appear on the screen. And the spits turned into spats and then it was a drizzle and getting worse. Pulling over with falling spirits to don the rain gear, something was laughing at me from the depths of the woods to my left.

Man that road was tough and the rain ruined the Utsukushigahara Skyline which is usually a nice slow ridgetop winding scenic glide. A little wet under rain gear in cold windy conditions, the wind and rain made an interesting road just a PITA! I began to wonder how the pack ahead and the crotch rockets behind were fairing.

Coming down the 254 I saw a newish looking tunnel and thought, Yes! Here’s our chance to catch up! Not even 10 metres past the point of no return, I realized this wasn’t a new tunnel and I’d screwed up. We were headed into a warp hole that would spit us out way off course too far away. Yeah, some nasty expletives roared down that tunnel with Volker’s Arrows, Tony’s Akra and my Graves.

The belch of three pissed riders passing out the ass end of that tunnel to find a toll gate and more rain was more than I could take. I already felt like I had a cold coming on, I’d just added 40 minutes to the ride and then the toll machine ate my yennies without lifting the gate. The pressure relief valve blew and I started roaring and kicking the toll machine. I’d been misled, spat on and fallen through a black hole! There was no way I was going to be robbed by a friggin robot! My antics drew the attention of the toll trolls and they came running to the rescue of the robotic co-worker that would soon be seeing them discarded to the too talented and expensive pile. So I roared a bit at them too, poor guys, and they soon apologized and lifted the gate for us to sail through. Right, time for a stop and stock take. Riding like that is not benefitial to one’s survival. Tony, looking frightening inside his lid, needed it too. He lead us to a combini and we pulled in for a much needed rest.

Miserable!

It went something like this:

Me to Tony: ‘You alright?’

Tony: ‘I’m MISERABLE’

Me: (ok…took the words right out of my mouth)

Me to Volker: ‘You alright?’

Volker: ‘Are we going to the hotel?’

Me: ‘Not me!’

Volker: (looks miserable)

Then, a while of silence as we collected ourselves, drained bladders, fed, watered, and generally wound down. About a half hour later we were on plan B, bypassing a couple of touges, trying to cut 40 minutes from the ride and NOT headed directly to the hotel at the goal. The guys were relying on me to get them back in the game and I was trying but I’d burnt off more BT016 than I’d realized on the 480/194/460 playing catchup and having fun with Volker. Now it was struggling with wet fast sweepers. Unnerving? Yes. Impossile? No. Fight on!

Reaching the Panorama Line was a relief as we all knew it and loved it! It rolls, flows and lightens the heart. It is rarely straight and a real roller coaster through fields and over blind crests. Tony said to look out for tractors and he was right! We came across a biggun trundling up the road in the opposite direction.

Nursing the tyre, we were a little ahead of our augmented schedule and pulled in for our 3^rd fuel stop on the 59 in Gifu. The rain had stopped and we were feeling a little more optimistic being about 2/3 of the way done and just looking at our bikes showed we’d done the hard yards to get where we were and they looked the better for it. 100% street ridden!

James called to say the 502 was closed and they were back-tracking to the 292. We were back in the game!

Swinging onto the 292, we got our first wafts of Kusatsu and its odorous onsens. Now, I detest sulphur onsens and my skin seems to dislike them even more but I like the 292 and am always caught in a conundrum climbing to or descending from the peak of the Shibu and Yamada Touges(Japan’s highest national road at 2172m). But this run settled it! That is, for me, one of the most magnificent roads in Japan in Late April. It had only opened a few days before and climbing through the barren sulphur-steaming wastelands of rock and gravel to find growing walls of white snow lining the roads the higher we went was marvelous.

Add to that the switchbacks, sweepers and grand vistas and it quickly jumps to the top of the must ride pile!

About 3/4 of the way up the sun was falling and dimming and I remember rounding one turn and only seeing the glow of the setting sun, no longer viewable, over the craggy horizon and a sign on the side of the road saying something about snow chains in red and thinking, no sun equals black-ice and.. . oh hell no! Get me the hell off this freezing peak. But the beauty and smooth lines kept me truckin. Gotta say that is the first time I’ve ridden next to a snow-caterpillar, though. I hope you’ll forgive my reluctance to stop for a pic but here’s a few from Tony.

With a growing relief we gingerly weaved our way down the north side of the peak in the deepening dark, headlights brightening on 1-2 metre snow walls guarding the roadside. Then, hauling ass in the opposite direction on the climb, I could see bike lights approaching. That’s a brave pair I thought. Then the mighty FJR roared past with the GS close in its wake. They’d made a left instead of a right which had bought them back toward us. Hahaha! I was wagging the tail in our train and got to see all of us wave a cheerio to our misguided amigos who were soon melting rotors to get the hell off that peak with us.

We glided along together until the next turn-off and a red light where we touched knuckles for the first time since the morning. But where was John? Maybe he was ahead. 2 minutes later we were stopped at a 7-11 getting the lowdown on each other’s adventures. Seemed John had made been terminally lead astray by his navi and was so far off course he’d decided to jump an expressway and take the long haul home instead. Too bad, he was closer to the end than the start and it was smooth sailing ahead. Well, he’ll just have to do it again sometime J

We enjoyed being back together, marveled at the roads and conditions we’d run and I prostrated myself before the brave riders who’d suffered my route in the treacherous conditions. They didn’t burn me at the stake or even berate me a little. Volker was quiet, Tony just laughed, Andreas said it was a real ride and had enjoyed it and James said it was awesome! So, that settled, we got down to figuring our route to the hotel. We couldn’t take the 502 which was set to be a good one but would have to wait. So we figured a twisty enough route around that road and set off in the dark for our final touge. Soonish, Volker and I pulled in for our 4^th fuel stop while the slightly lagging train missed our turn off and trundled on by. We soon caught up, though.

After a little meandering and miss direction, with the rest of the train still needing fuel, we started up the Gifu side of Sekita Touge. From the top, we’d be able to look out over the lights of Joetsu city to the Japan Sea and our goal. But alas, it wasn’t to be. The weather had stumped us again.

The run up there was fun as the snow walls grew higher and higher with each hairpin and to see the road abruptly end, covered in snow but still running on up under that yet to melt blanket of frostiness, in a way, reflected many people’s attitude to what we do. There were 5 riders standing on that road that night and every one of us knew it was possible! Just not yet.

Everyone seemed excited by the obstruction and it was quite a fitting final touge, really.

Tony and James soon found us another twistyish way around and we were off again to the hotel. Tired and lacking stamina, I settled into the tail of the train for the run around and down to Joetsu. James set a smooth pace in the dark moonless night under a starry sky. Gliding down out of the mountains, the air grew thicker and warmer with the scent of the closing Japan Sea. I could finally wind down the heat and settled into tail of the train, just as we’d started all those hours ago and we edged closer and closer to the goal, racing against the clock.

We decided to skip the coast stop as our hotel was almost on the coast and we had to check in before 10pm. The coast photo could wait for the morning when it could be seen J.

That’s right, haven’t had a time update in a while have we? Well, let’s just fast forward to the end then. We arrived at the hotel at 9:40pm after leaving the Pacific at 5:10am. So that meant we had been on the road 16.5 hours and were in desperate need of a feed, beer and a soak. The hotel’s restaurant also closed at 10pm so we had to hustle through check-in, uncloaking and for some face-scrubbing, to be fed and watered before soaking out the road stress in the onsen. Luckily, the onsen didn’t close till midnight.

Just before midnight, fed, watered and warmed from the soak, we coalesced on the hotel porch. Most drank beer, some smoked cigars and all recalled the day, spun tales and bathed in the afterglow of achieving our 1^st Coast to Coast Twistybutt. Little did we know we’d actually actually checked into James’ ARRD clinic

All-in-all a fantastic challenge! A few times there I felt to be riding and struggling alone until I looked ahead or in a mirror and saw my compadres doing it hard right there with me. One of the peaks was hooking up together again at that 7-11 on the 403 and finding we were actually doin pretty well and this was a pack of riders worth doing it with!

Cheers Gents

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The next day Andreas went west, headed for gale-force winds and Kyoto, the rest of ran an interesting route east to the Kanetsu Expressway where Tony and Volker slabbed it back to big smoke while James and I took the longer way home. Another tale, another time ..  . ..   .

There were plenty of bikes out and most of the regular haunts along the run had a fair number of bikers about. JamesK spotted a pack of fellow FJRs and gave chase. He now has an invite to the May FJR owners club meeting in Karuizawa. Other than bikes, the roads are still reasonably quiet, thankfully.

Well, managed to hit 8touges in around 250km and had a great ride doing it. The weather was overcast and cold all morning. But the roads were dry and relativley ice free. Here’s a vid for the Miyoujin – Mikuni Touge route. Miyoujin – Mikuni Touge, NW Kanagawa This is the mountainpass running north-south just east of Fuji Speedway - the biannual home to the Japan F1 Grandprix.