Do you ever watch the flight of a butterfly? How it seems to bounce along in the air in seeming randomness? Yet it flits between flowers and moves purposefully along the blossoms as it feeds. I have always enjoyed watching a butterfly bounce along especially from the car as the winds buffet it about. On my motorcycle the flight of the butterfly is magnified because on a motorcycle, you are out in the air with the butterfly. A part of me imagines a collision with the helmet, but the larger part of me enjoys the feeling of freedom I’m sharing with the butterfly, out moving in the wind.
A monarch butterfly breezed past me on my very first ride on my G310 GS. Today it was a swallowtail butterfly. I love seeing the butterflies flitting about as I circle around my parking lot. They’ve made such an impression on me, that I thought of naming this Butterflies and Bikes. They are a fitting symbol for how I picture my riding—a carefree adventure out in nature.
I’m not there yet, but today I felt a confidence on the bike greater than any I had felt before. I breezed through my “box turns” and my “S turns,” not once feeling a near loss of control of the bike. It was rather warm out especially with me wearing my jeans and Klim jacket, so I was cruising up to third gear and hitting 20 mph to stay cool. My boyfriend set out the slalom for me and I had near perfect runs sitting and standing. So we upped the ante and did the offset slalom.
This week we’ve been watching videos of the BMW GS trophy qualifying rounds, amazed at the challenges the bikers face and get through. Their balance and control of the bike is amazing. And watching them turn on the offset slaloms inspired me to give it a try this week. I started off OK turning through the first 3 cones well. But my downfall was the last 3 cones; I couldn’t set up my entry well. So I drove by them and circled back around to try again.
About my fifth attempt, I realized that I was not using my body in the turns and that I was using too much front brake. I told myself to relax, focus on using my body, and let the friction zone help. I made it through all 6 cones, set up again, did it again, and went for the third time which was the charm and I was successful. Bill even commented on how I shouldn’t use the front brake, just the clutch and rear brake.
What I especially enjoyed realizing was that even as I fought the bike to get through the offset, I did not have any fear of falling. As I moved through the offset, I was moving freely, just as the butterfly moves freely in the wind.
I dreamed I was a butterfly, flitting around in the sky; then I awoke. Now I wonder: Am I a man who dreamt of being a butterfly, or am I a butterfly dreaming that I am a man?
Zhuangzi
“Zhuangzi Quotes.” BrainyQuote, Xplore, https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/zhuangzi_393083.
Flutterby Biker 