Sans windshield

HERE’S a quick follow up on the GoPro learning curve I wrote about yesterday.

Iron piggy and I were in North Providence in the afternoon, no windshield this time. Here are three clips I shot on the way home, just to see what I’d get for audio. A minute of each will give you the idea.

On this first clip, I cut the volume by two-thirds on the motor and wind noise and added a track, Two Fish and an Elephant, by Khruangbin. It’s funny how a mellow track fools the eye into slowing things down.

Or does it?

This next clip picks up where the first leaves off, but with Jimi Hendrix in the ear. Is it just me or does Jimi make the same road and same speed seem faster?

Finally, here’s the raw footage, in case anyone would like to see that. The first minute is all right, but once I’m on the highway the wind noise makes it just about unwatchable.

This covers 11 miles, from the Route 44/I-295 interchange in Smithfield to Route 2 and Sockanosset Cross Road in Cranston.

Tony DePaul, November 22, 2020, Cranston, Rhode Island, USA

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About Tony

The occasional scribblings of Tony DePaul, 68, father, grandfather, husband, freelance writer in many forms, recovering journalist, long-distance motorcycle rider, blue routes wanderer, topo map bushwhacker, blah blah...
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20 Responses to Sans windshield

  1. Dennis says:

    Somehow I missed this latest video. The roads are familiar but look in much poorer shape when viewed from a motorcycle. I’ve seen some videos where they blur out the speedometer? Good to get rides in this time of year.

    • Tony says:

      We had a deluge and high winds yesterday, it would be pretty slick out there today with all the wet leaves pasted to the asphalt. I bought a foam cover for the GoPro but it’s awfully thin, I’m not sure it’ll clean up much of the wind noise. Maybe a low-speed ride next time.

  2. Bob Weeks says:

    Tony, I like Hendrix but prefer the wind and listening to your pipes.
    Good you are out ridin’. Too much ice and snow here………Bob

    • Tony says:

      Hey, Bob. I’ll bet you’ve got snow. You’re something like 13 circles of latitude north of Little Rhody. Will also bet you’ve been out on the snow sled. Motorcycling of another kind. Ride safe!

  3. Prasad Bhangale says:

    Awesome Tony!!!
    Great to see you back in the saddle, and these videos are treat to watch, I am very happy for you.
    Absolutely perfect way to start my Monday morning (by watching you riding).
    Keep on keeping on…
    RideSafe
    Prasad

    • Tony says:

      Thank you, Prasad, glad you enjoyed the ride.

      BTW, if those highway bumps look jarring it’s because they are! Unladen, the iron piggy rides like a hardtail. When I redid the suspension a few years ago I set it up to carry all the gear I haul around when I’m out on the road for months at a time.

  4. Vincent Ogutu says:

    I agree on the music effect. It’s amazing how little it takes to cheat our brain! I found the unedited one pretty cool though. It immersed me more in the experience of riding with you.

    • Tony says:

      Thanks, Vincent. I’m going to figure this out. Maybe use a separate device to record audio, stash that behind me, out of the wind. And despite the history on the windshield it might be time to replace it with a clear one.

  5. Terry Close says:

    Last Sat,3rd panel on The Phantom with the skull cap and jacket, our Ghost Who Walks looked just like Jim Bronson. Well done to you and Mike.

  6. Barbara Caniglia says:

    Hi Tony, Haven’t seen you since my days at Warwick City Hall.. Loved it when you would pop in to see Mayors Chafee and Avedisian.. I love reading about your adventures while traveling around on your iron piggy.. I was sorry when I heard of your little setback and send all good wishes for a quick recovery. Can’t wait till you are back on the road again…

    • Tony says:

      Hey! A voice from the past! It’s great to hear from you, Barbara. Scott and I are still in touch, and I hear from Linc now and again. Somewhat less often since he decamped to Wyoming.

      My eldest is 38, believe it or not. As I recall, when she was 17 you were instrumental in getting her a place on a journey to Nicaragua, where a group of high school kids helped to rebuild houses damaged in a hurricane. As we speak I’m looking at one of her Nicaragua paintings on the wall by my work desk. When she got home she painted quite a few images from photographs she had taken. Those travels made a real impression on her.

      Thanks for reading, Barbara. Please stay in touch!

  7. Michael says:

    Can’t help think about “THEN CAME BRONSON” Hypnotic footage. Very cool Tony.

    • Tony says:

      Thanks, Michael. As a kid I was glued to every episode of Then Came Bronson. Still a fan today! As a matter of fact, the title of the current daily story I’m writing for King Features is a tip of the hat to the series. I called it, “Then came Towns Ellerbee.” Ellerbee is an alter ego the Phantom adopts to accomplish this particular adventure.

  8. Great to see you’re on the road again.

  9. Claire says:

    Good to see you back in your happy place.

  10. Cynthia says:

    Fun to see/hear the difference with music attached. I think you’re right about the faster the music, the faster it appears that you go. Without the music, my attention is lost.
    Pretty slick little rig-a-jig.

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