We have good friends on a lovely permaculture farm in the foothills of the Columbia River between Portland and Astoria, Oregon. We've had on the calendar some time a journey to see them, and with the arrival of heat in the PNW, we got an early start on Saturday. This would be the longest ride my wife had ever taken on her NC750X. And we knew we would have to ride gravel for a few miles to reach their house.
It was a boring but pleasant enough journey down slab interstate until reaching the mighty Columbia River at Longview, where there is a picturesque bridge that traverses high above the water into Oregon. From there, you ride two lane country roads through clear cut logged hills and along the Nehalem river for 40 miles or so.
The highlight and challenge was the gravel we faced. Obviously, my XR is poorly suited with the Road 6's and no bash plate. My wife's NC750 has been outfitted with a good bash plate and Continental TKC70's. She felt planted and confident. I found myself tense and nervous, but not psycho killer, as my front wheel wandered quite a bit more than I prefer. It's a steep road, and parts of it were in rough shape with more loose rock than I wanted. We stayed in 1st gear and rode the speed we were willing to crash and the conditions permitted, which was about 13-15.
Arrived safe and happy. Rode back today in the cool of the morning. About 250 miles round trip, with a nice blend of twisties and scenery. The XR was a dream machine, perfect in all ways. That little NC750X though must take the cake for versatility, it's so smooth and easy at low speeds and willingly cruises at 85. Too small and weak for me, but my wife loves it.
