My own personal Polar Bear Ride

I took the bike out on Monday December 24th.  The temperature was 37 degrees!  I do not have heated gear at the moment. ( waiting for the bike show in NY in Jan)  So I just bundled up in layers.  I swapped out my riding jacket for my ski jacket and some snowmobile gloves the cover my wrists almost mid for arm.  I was snug as a bug.  I left the house and traveled toward the shore.  I had not had a chance to see the devastation of the NJ beaches from hurricane Sandy up close.  As I drove thru Red Bank on Navesink River Road   Past the huge houses on this great twisty road I continued on into Highlands over the Sea Bright Bridge and into Sea Bright NJ

In Sea Bright I got to see the after effects of the storm.  From the point just after the bridge to Monmouth Beach the area is devastated.  Almost all of the business that are on the main road are gone,  just gone.  Boarded up and gutted.  Pizza places, dry cleaners, ice cream parlors, restaurants, grocery stores, clothing stores are all gone.  Above the store fronts are apartments that are also cleaned out.  It was a tough site to see.  All of the beach clubs on the Ocean site are also destroyed.   For those of you that never have been the this part of the NJ shore it was and will be again, a beautiful place but now it is in ruins.

I continued down Ocean Boulevard towards Long Branch. As I passed thru Monmouth beach the devastation continued.   The water crested above the sea wall and the fist floor of a number of houses were flooded.  Boarded up property everywhere.  Then after I passed a traffic light and entered Long Branch everything changed and it was as if nothing happened.  There were still some effects of the storm but no major damage.  It was surreal to see.  I pulled into Pier Village  The board walk was a little torn up but still open and the shops in the center were open for business.  I stopped at the coffee shop to warm up.  Removing some of my many layers and getting something warm to drink I realized that I was cold but not freezing.  The layers worked!  I spoke to the gal at the counter about the storm and she said while they lost power for a while nothing flooded and no windows broke.  She was grateful because she could still go to work.  The folks in Sea Bright will not be returning for some time.

After warming up a bit I headed home.  I took the scenic route to Atlantic Highlands on Ocean Boulevard.  A great road with lots of twisty's!  I took a spin thru the marina and headed home.

The trip was only 45 miles or so but just being on the bike on Christmas Eve was the best!  I returned a little colder than I would have liked but it was totally worth it!

Clearwater Lights New LED's!

Insatal manual and crash bar mounts

 I don't know about you but my vision is not the same at night as it once was.  Must be something with getting older.  Anyhow.  I noticed that the stock headlight on the C50T just does not throw off enough light at night.  I have been riding with a great group of people here in Nj and I noticed a number of them added LED lights to the front of their bikes.  Some of them are really bright and make the bike very visible during the day time trips.  It is at night however that the difference is really apparent.  I looked at the various motorcycle forums and  found a number of answers.  I chose the Clearwater Lights "Glenda" model for the bike.  http://www.clearwaterlights.com  One of the main reasons that I chose these lights is the fact that you can dim the lights with a separate dimmer switch.  When riding with my friend that have theirs always on the excessive brightness is difficult to handle when they are behind you.    

The dimmer switch.

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Because I added lowers to the bike I can not mount them on the front forks.  So I will be adding them to the crash bars.  This is a separate Kit for the crash bar mount.  Also I am not technically savvy enough to perform this installation my self so I will be going to the dealer to have them put them on.  

About 2"

About 2"

Crash bar mount in back of light

I am really looking forward to having these on the bike.  Not only to improve my vision at night but also to improve my signature to the cagers on the road!


More updates follow.

Well I have finally had the Clearwater light installed on the bike.  I have yet to take it out a night but the installation went well.  They look great and now I can be seen during the day.  I have a flash to pass feature on the bike.  When you hit this switch the high beams flash.  The clearwater light are hooked up to this switch so when I hit the button the clearwater lights go to full power.  They are alos hooked up the to the high beams to go to full power.