We ate breakfast at the Boulogerie and then rode the Yamaha to Laval to pick up a rental bike. On the way, I decided the front tire must be low on air and that was messing with the handling. At the bike shop, they pumped it up and it was much better. That shop is Ducati, BMW, and Triumph only, but the were able to recommend a Yamaha shop a couple of miles away. We took the FJ1200 there and gave them a list of things to do including rebuilding the steering head bearings and replacing the battery. They will keep the bike until late August when Nicky can pick it back up. That also solves her storage problem.
We were able to rent a Ducati 696 (what I had reserved) and a 796 which is the only other bike they had left. Perfect! Nicky rode the 696 and tried out the 796 for about 50 miles. They are nice bikes, but not really super great for city traffic as they are kind of aggressive off the line compared to something sedate like the FJ1200 :-)
We had a great couple of days riding. Weather was hot but not unbearable. We got a patch of very heavy rain on the way back, soaked in 10 seconds. But the we had another 100 miles or so to dry out. The country north of Vermont is very much like McMinnville. Lots of dairy farms, some wineries, maple syrup groves, etc. The speeds are low and the twists and turns are very mild compared to a typical FUZ-moto, but it was perfect for Nicky.
We got back about 5:30pm, went out to eat, filed flight plans and eAPIS, and now Nicky is off saying goodby to Eivand.
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