My buddy Erik and I went for a nice long ride today with me on Betty the Bonnie Black and Erik on his 1980 Honda 250 dual-sport, which probably made us an interesting pair. We rode for a bit more than 60 miles all told, putting my milage up to 276. That means I’m only 24 miles away from the end of the “break-in” period for the engine, which means I can stop worrying about varying the RPMs and just ride the thing.
We even ended up on some gravel roads and the Bonnie did just fine, though I certainly didn’t test it. I just kept the speed down and did my best to go straight. 
We made a gas stop near Longmont and a couple Harley guys (Christian Riders, I think…) gave the Bonneville a long hard - and seemingly approving - look. But then one of them came in the store to remind me I had left the key in the ON position and my light was on, so I lost all my cool there…
Then after stopping by Erik’s house, I ended up at the Huron/120th light with a couple of Harley dudes and they loved the bike:
Harley Guy #1 to Harley Guy #2: “Hey, check it out… Triumph!”
HG1 to me: “How do you like that?” Me: “I love it!”
HG2 to me: “What year is it?” Me: “Brand new - 2006.” HG2: “Noooo SHIT?! Cool!”
Though certainly not a long ride by any stretch of the imagination, it’s the longest one I’ve had so far. My back’s a bit stiff, I have a blister on my throttle hand under my Order of the Engineer ring, and the arid Colorado air has dried me right up. My new schmancy Triumph gear did alright: my jacket was well vented and comfy and my gloves were nice and cool, though they pressed on my knuckles quite a bit. Just a little breaking in due there, I hope.
If you come across a pair of the Held kangaroo gloves (~$100, new) your ringer fingers will thank you. Always had a pretty tough time with the Engineer and wedding rings until i switched. How did your butt make out? First couple of lengthy rides usually test a couple of under-used muscles. Not to have you nutty with changes, but the Corbin saddle was a blessing on my ‘86 VFR. So glad to see your having fun. It really is a ball if you have the time and the twisties.
keep the pavement under you!
The butt did OK, though I had a few twinges in the hips (especially when walking the bike).
Good tip on the gloves, but they look awfully racy.
Yup. I would get freaky hip cramps when riding more than 25-30 miles.
the Held gloves I bought were plain-jane. Black with tan palms. I’ll send a pic next time i have a chance. Jessie has a pair of Dainese that are straight black that she loved. both companies have good product. take a peek @ mawonline.com to see what they have.