Butterflies may seem an odd, even oxymoronic image to associate with a motorcycle. But since I began riding, I have been lucky enough to see butterflies flittering about from my bike. And there is a freedom to butterflies, a carefree nature that fits well with riders even though you can’t be carefree as you ride. You can feel free, but you need to be super aware, always riding defensively. Yet butterflies also invoke joy and that I truly do experience riding my motorcycle. During today’s ride, I saw 5 different butterflies: a cabbage white, 2 cloudless sulphurs, an atlantis fritillary, and a very close encounter with a black swallowtail.
Today started roughly with a dropped (but undamaged) helmet and issues with getting gas out of the Eagle Type II Safety gas can. Despite these bumps, I pointed out I still had a 40+ mile range left on the bike for practice, so we could still ride today and worry about the gas can later.
We decided to head over to my practice street and take the can to see if Bill could fix it. The day was a beautiful, sunny 77 degrees day but with uncomfortable humidity. Riding felt fantastic though, so while Bill troubleshot the gas can, I went cruising around half the neighborhood, getting up to speed and enjoying the cool air coursing over me.
I returned to my practice street and did some stopping drills and my U-turn practice. But there was no sign of my boyfriend, so I watched the cabbage white fly by and took off again to cool off. It was during my neighborhood solo that my thoughts turned to “squidding.” “Squid” is a term motorcycle riders use to describe any and all crazy things you might try on your bike. Wheelies, for example, or donuts would be squid moves. As I was cruising up the lane, heading back to my street, I wondered what it would take to do a wheelie. Obviously, you don’t pull up the front of the bike with nothing but brute strength, so speed is definitely a factor.
I didn’t do a wheelie of course. I just found it fascinating that after 4 ½ months of riding, my thoughts are turning to squid moves. I do feel much more confident on my bike. And I imagined what it would be like to take it up to Independence Blvd. for a short cruise. I realize that my next challenge is a higher speed road, though not necessarily in traffic. As we move more into autumn, I hope we will seek out some country roads for a ride. I’m getting comfortable in the neighborhood rides and want to ride at higher speeds. Perhaps I should warn Bill!
Flutterby Biker 