Re: ToyMaker's Cafe, Falls Village, CT

Travelling, Friends, and Trips

ToyMaker's Cafe, Falls Village, CT

RichNCT 06-27-2008, 2:01 PM

A couple of us will probably be there for breakfast from 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM or a little later Saturday morning. We have a 1-1/2 hr ride to get there from the shoreline area east of New Haven. Meriden, Waterbury, Torrington route. Always interesting bikes in the parking lot, good breakfasts too. Won't go if it's raining though.

ToyMaker's Cafe, Main Street, Falls Village, Connecticut It's worth the ride!

Born to be relatively wild

Re: ToyMaker's Cafe, Falls Village, CT

Jumpsuitsteve 06-27-2008, 5:18 PM
Hey Rich,

I'll take a ride and introduce myself! I hear 44 is nice? I've been looking forward to an early riser for a while...gotta love that morning mist.

1983 GL650
1982 GL500I

Re: ToyMaker's Cafe, Falls Village, CT

instructorpilot 06-28-2008, 2:28 PM
where abouts in western mass, I grew up in East Longmeadow.
Al

2 CB350F's, 1 CX500, 1 GL500, CB750F, XV500, 2 GL1100's, DL1000

Re: ToyMaker's Cafe, Falls Village, CT

Jumpsuitsteve 06-28-2008, 4:58 PM
I'm trying to think of the teachers still kicking around at ELHS that we might've shared, ha!

I live on Tracey lane in EL - up between prospect and rte 83- what a large and fascinating world!

ahh the cx/gl family, bringing together like minds for three decades. we will have to kick the peanut around sometime about how much EL has changed since your days (eesh - if you even want to know about it)

1983 GL650
1982 GL500I

Re: ToyMaker's Cafe, Falls Village, CT

RichNCT 06-28-2008, 6:32 PM
JumpsuitSteve was in the parking lot when we arrived this morning. Nice to meet you JSS! Today there was a '66 BMW 250 and a '56 BSA 500 single, set up for go fast with drop bars and a no-nonsense muffler, along with a few other bikes, including two Eurosports, a '74 Norton Commando, and JSS' GL650. Sunday is really "ride the strange stuff to Toymaker's Cafe" I guess, it was a meager showing today.

Born to be relatively wild

Re: ToyMaker's Cafe, Falls Village, CT

Jumpsuitsteve 07-02-2008, 12:20 AM
Thanks Rich & the gang for getting me out on one of the best days I've ridden this year!

My alarm didn't even go off, so I had to scramble a bit to make up for 15 minutes of nap-time. But, I got on the road while the sun was coming up and snaked through some backroads in Enfield to get to 20 West, picked up 219 and headed for 44. The ride was beautiful and nearly deserted, quite foggy though, especially passing over Barkhamsted Reservoir - I stopped to wipe down and hydrate, ironically enough. I got to Toymaker's just in time to greet the empty lot and take off my gear when I heard a swarm of familiar sounds and saw the CX650E's roll up along with the Norton.

Breakfast was top-notch, got the Banger Plate, which filled me up over the great conversion between the guys. Some parking lot oogling later, we headed East toward 8, where I would split North. (BTW guys, I misread the sign and dogged left a little early

but got right on track once i noticed my mistake) Somewhere along this leg of the trip, I came out of a hill with a brand new bike! I was a little intimidated at first because there was a significant difference in the performance of my GL650 - and i hadn't yet determined if it was a good thing or a bad thing...

After 100 miles of such a great feeling ride, I think I decided. The engine used to feel like it was almost in too high a gear, clunkchattering a bit at the low rpm's on gear change and feeling like it was trying to catch up to itself. Now, the bike shifts gracefully and powers through each gear with no hesitation. I felt WAY more comfortable punching it, and definitely climbed hills with much more ease. There is less of a surge when dropping the throttle off, and is smoother in higher gears at lower speeds. I have a much harder time going the speed limit now

Needless to say I had a huge smile on my face all the way up route 8 to the top of MA where I caught route 2 East into Shelburne Falls. A little swimming at the glacial potholes finished off my afternoon!

Pretty weird to think that I was riding like that for a long time - knowing that something didn't feel the best, but not knowing if there was a problem or if it was my riding style or what, and all of a sudden feeling like I am getting some extra oomph.

It might have something to do with that banger i slipped into the tank a la Burt Munro...

1983 GL650
1982 GL500I