[alanmcorcoran]

Well, you have a much better attitude about when $hit goes wrong than I would. Actually, other than the two occasions when I managed to let my Strat become horizontal (neither of which hurt me or the bike that much) pretty much every experience I've had on the bike has been positive. I've killed the bettery on my GZ twice and the Yamaha once but all three instances were discovered with tbe bikes conveniently in my garage. I have yet (knock on wood) to be pulled over on my bike (course I make up for that with the cages!) So, to sum up:

1) Back roads sound romantic and fun but sometimes the highway is the right way.
2) Keep the keys in your pocket.
3) Wear a helmet.
4) Get gas early and often.
5) Don't blindly trust GPS (or Google or Mapquest.) I think all of us have been screwed by Google Maps at least once.

I think calling it a night and hitting the hay was the smartest thing you did. To be honest, I'm not sure about the wisdom of involving 11 year olds on motorcycle adventures, especially with newbs. But I'm sure nearly everyone on here would disagree with me. Let him learn to ride a dirt bike if he's into motorcycles. Good luck on your next adventure. Good story!