| Author | Message | ||
     Crusty |
Is anybody here going to the Aerostich event in New Jersey? I never did get my Darien Jacket though I love the pants. I'm also curious about the new redesigned Roadcrafter Suit. I'm thinking of maybe riding down to check it out. Is it cheaper to take the Tunnel from Manhattan, or is it cheaper to take the GW Bridge? Is there a way I can avoid paying any tolls altogether? I've learned how to avoid the tolls on the way to the Javitts Center, but I don't know about how to cross the Hudson without having to pay. Here's a link to the official ad: http://www.aerostich.com/popupnew?utm_source=Aerostich+Email+List&utm_campaign=3b53f70a78-pr04_14_14_full&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d6449189f9-3b53f70a78-49721848&mc_cid=3b53f70a78&mc_eid=67fcd74b0a (Message edited by Crusty on April 17, 2014) (Message edited by Crusty on April 17, 2014) | ||
| Jaimec |
It doesn't cost you anything to cross the Hudson west bound. Coming back, however? I'm not aware of ANY toll-free crossing. I'll be in Pennsylvania that weekend for a wedding. Maybe we can hit it on the way back... | ||
| Court |
No tolls Westbound . . . there is no escaping them Eastbound be it the Mid-Hudson (formerly Henry Hudson) Bridge, GWB, Lincoln tunnel, Holland tunnel, Bayonne Bridge, Goethals or Outerbridge Crossing. | ||
| Court |
If I were coming from Leominster . . . I'd get my ass West . . . and work my way down 9W and The Palisades. It'll be confusing as you approach Fort Lee . . . but not a big problem. Allow time. | ||
| Brumbear |
Crust come down 287 in NJ and grab 80 east and @ the split take 95 to rt 4 exit Kelby I think which turns into bruce reynolds and drops you onto river road | ||
| Crusty |
 I wonder how much it costs, and if they have short, fat guy sizes? On second thought, I still have a thing for a red Darien jacket. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
That sounds like something I would want to see but with the tiny twins and the proximity to Manhattan, I doubt I could make it. | ||
| Strokizator |
Be the first to see the Roadcrafter 3 Figures. 6 months ago I bit the bullet and spent some serious coin on the "old" Roadcrafter. Now they come out with "new and improved". I'm also considering buying last year's model computer. | ||
| Froggy |
Figures, I procrastinated sending my damaged suit in for like 4 or 5 years now, I finally sent it in last week and now they got this damn event. Oh well, I'll still check it out anyway, the R3 sounds awesome. | ||
| Crusty |
I've been wanting an Aerostich suit for years, and there's always a reason that I can't afford one. Last year, my priorities were to buy both the Darien jacket and pants, and get a Schuberth C3 helmet. I bought the pants with custom alterations (they fit perfectly), and was going to buy the jacket when Schuberth had a sale on C3s, so I bought one at $100.00 off (it fits perfectly, too) and was going to get my jacket soon after. As usual, Life got in the way of my plans, and I never did get my Jacket. Now, I'm thinking that as a reward for enduring my cancer treatments (which aren't as bad as most other cancer treatments, but they still suck), I should go and get fitted for my Darien. I'm so broke I can't pay attention, but I have a credit card that I've kept at a zero balance that has lots of room. I may or may not act on this, 'cause I really hate to carry a balance on my card, but I'd still like to get fitted, and get the measurements, even if I don't buy now. I haven't ridden anywhere this spring other than locally, and this looks like a good excuse to travel a little bit. I can also duck over to Harlem and eat at the Dinosaur BBQ. I need a Ride, and this looks like a good excuse for one. | ||
| Jaimec |
In 2011 my wife and I stopped in Duluth for a fitting. When getting off the bike, my wife got her foot caught and she tumbled off the bike to the ground, breaking her wrist in the process. Instead of going into the factory for a fitting, she went to the hospital where they plated her wrist. Maybe we can get that fitting after all! | ||
| Crusty |
That must have been a miserable ride home for her. Talk about vacations that didn't go as planned... | ||
| Jaimec |
She had a miserable FLIGHT home. A friend met her at the airport and got her home. I was going to cut my vacation short but she insisted that I "finish" the ride. Since we had an unplanned four day stop in Duluth, I had to alter my route so once I hit California I pretty much did a straight shot back home. I did alter my route a bit to see "Carhenge" in Nebraska and spend a day at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Our original plan was to hit California, then head south through Yosemite and see the Grand Canyon, ride through Texas and back up through Memphis and Nashville before taking the Blue Ridge Parkway. Oh well... | ||
| Crusty |
 I was planning on going today; the weather is almost flawless, and I'd enjoy a ride. However, I had forgotten about a commitment I'd made to be somewhere this afternoon. The weather is supposed to turn raw for the next couple of days; and Friday, I have a Cancer treatment scheduled. I guess I'll just have to ride down on Saturday. | ||
| Crusty |
It's been a crazy week. I had planned to ride down on Saturday morning. Earlier this week, Intellicast had Saturday as being the nicest day, weather wise. However, when I looked on Thursday morning, they were calling for cold and wet weather for Saturday, but nice weather for Friday. I called the hospital and they were able to move my BCD treatment to Thursday afternoon, which left Friday open to go. I took the quick way down to New York; Mass Pike, I 84, I 91 and the Parkways. For years, I thought the W Cross Pkwy was the West Cross Pky. Yesterday, I discovered it's the Wilbur Cross Parkway. It's funny how I was mistaken for so long. Anyway, being that yesterday's ride was the first long ride I've taken since last Summer, I forgot a lot of items that I normally carry. The first one that I regretted was my cane. I had to stop and walk around a couple of times to free up my ankle which was screaming at me. Not having my cane with me made the process slower and more time consuming and turned a three hour ride into a four hour ride. I also forgot my hat, so I had to walk around with Helmet Hair, which does absolutely nothing positive for my appearance. And I forgot my mapbook. I guess I'd better look through my stuff before going out for another long ride. I managed to escape nearly all tolls since the GW Bridge is free outbound. (I did have to pay $.50 on the Mass Pike). I also managed to get lost in New Jersey, but eventually found the Shopping Center at 501 River Rd. Aerostich has rented a small store in there, and after cruising the parking lot, I found it. When I went in, I discovered that I had misunderstood the purpose of the Event. I thought I could go in and buy a jacket and ride away wearing it. I was wrong. They're basically putting on a display and fitting event. I went in, put my name on a list and was told that there were three people ahead of me. While I was waiting, I looked at the new R3 which they had right beside the older Roadcrafter, then looked at all the other suits they had on display. After about 15 minutes, I had a professional fitter measure me, and she put down what alterations were necessary to insure a perfect fit. I ordered a red Darien jacket with the right modifications. Shipping is free if you order at the event. There was a steady flow of interested customers, though I wouldn't call the place slammed. Even so, I saw enough people ordering while I was there to make me realize that the events must be profitable; if not in immediate sales, then in sales to folks who'll buy in the future. I know the event caused me to get off my ass and finally order my jacket after years of excuses for waiting. I can't be the only one. After I left, I took Court's suggestion in reverse. I took back roads through the Palisades to Rt. 9W and leisurely rode up to the Bear Mountain Bridge. A toll of $1.50 is a lot easier for a cheap bastard like me to swallow than a $13.00 toll to cross over the same river downstream. There is some really beautiful riding close to New York City, which I find amazing. I had a thoroughly enjoyable ride, then stopped at the Texas BBQ for a late lunch. We stopped there at a ride a few years ago (the ride when my Uly ran out of gas on I 84 and Froggy had to rescue me), and I remembered the location. Uh, kinda. I remembered the place, I just wasn't sure where it was or even if it was still open. Anyway, I had a Chopped Brisket sandwich, with their BBQ beans and a can of Pepsi. After that, it was onto I 84 for the ride home. I 84 through Connecticut was a nightmare. There was an accident just east of Waterbury that added an hour onto my travel time. Then, I hit Rush Hour going through Hartford, which added at least another half hour to my travel time. I also didn't know that Connecticut had so many Unmarked State Police Cruisers. I saw 8 black Dodge Chargers/Challengers (I can't tell the difference between the two)that had cars pulled over on the Westbound side, and I saw 4 silver Chevy Tahoes on the eastbound side. The trooper in one had a radar gun pointed at me, but I was doing really close to the limit, and he didn't get me. I thought that was interesting, because on the ride down to New Jersey, I was running 80 MPH on the Parkways, and people were blowing by me like I was crawling. I was able to keep up with the faster traffic when I kicked it up to 90. The Norge flat loves running at 90. Unfortunately, so do Ticket writers. The cop fest didn't end at the Mass. border. I saw more Staties between CT and Home than I think I ever have. Even on I 190, where I seldom see any Troopers, there were 2 speed traps. Anyhow, I made it home. My hands, neck and butt were all sore from being out of shape, and I was pretty much exhausted. I turned on the Idiot Box, and promptly fell asleep. I woke up at midnight, shut off the TV and went to bed. It was a thoroughly enjoyable Ride, and in 6-7 weeks, I'll get my red Darien! A truly Good Day! | ||
| Cyclonedon |
Just remember John, a bad day riding a motorcycle is better than working! | ||
| Etennuly |
It is great to hear you got out there kickin' it Crusty! So much better than the stories of you in months past. Good for you, sir! | ||
| Jaimec |
Two of my club members went and got fitted (and then purchased) a screaming canary yellow Roadcrafter 3. I'm heading back home from a wedding in Wyomissing, PA and will stop there on the way. No screaming canary yellow suit is in my future, though... | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Sounds like a good ride John, I'm really chafing that I can't ride, & it's not looking good for the season at all. Hopefully I'll find the time & money to at least get the licence this year, but a bike is looking distant at the moment. Still & all, life has ways of surprising you & things may fall into place before the summer's out. | ||
| Jaimec |
As planned, we stopped yesterday on the way home from the wedding and I got my wife fitted for a Darien Jacket. We should have it in six weeks. Very nice experience, very nice people. | ||
| Crusty |
What color is she getting? | ||
| Froggy |
My girlfriend and I went yesterday, it was great. I got to see all the various suits and try on the models I've never seen before like the leather Transit suit. The little changes on the Roadcrafter like the collar and magnetic flap are nice. Those messenger bags are cool too, and I got to try on their famous combat touring boots. I didn't bother to get measured, as I won't be buying any in the near future, but at least I have an idea on what I want in the future. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
I wanted to go so bad. BTW, If you're EVEN MORE CHEAP, you can follow route 9 north til Troy, NY. No tolls there and then you can take route 2 home. | ||
| Jaimec |
Crusty, my wife and I will have matching gray Darien Jackets. I have the full suit in gray but she only wanted the jacket. She wasn't interested in the Roadcrafter (any variation) either. Now that I've seen the R3's, I'm not impressed. By removing the liner, they also removed that giant, built-in backpack that has been part of the Roadcrafter since the very first iteration in 1985. Now that back flap just hide a vent (like the Darien). I also believe (and I could be wrong) that the liner somewhat protects the Gore-Tex laminate from getting worn down every time you put on and take off the suit. I wonder how long the R3 will remain completely waterproof? By the way, the same holds true for the Darien... On the other hand, by not having a liner, it does make it a lot easier to get the temperfoam pads out for laundering purposes. That's the one thing I DON'T like about the R2. The ORIGINAL Roadcrafter had non-removable neoprene pads (not much protection compared to the modern temperfoam + shell they use now) which you just tossed into the washing machine no problem. Of course, the original Roadcrafter didn't have sealed seams, and the elbow abrasion pads were easily torn off in a slide (DAMHIK). | ||
| Crusty |
Nate; If I had gone up Route 9 to Troy, I would have waited to eat until I got there, then had dinner at the Dinosaur. The food at the Texas BBQ was good, but not as good as the Dinosaur. I wish I had thought of that. If I hadn't forgotten my map, I might have seen that and done that route. As bad as the traffic on I-84 was, I probably would have gotten home quicker. |
