Who hasn’t had “one of those days”? A day where everything is just off. Maybe you oversleep and are late for work. You’re wearing two different colored socks. Perhaps you spill your coffee down the front of your shirt after you’ve arrived at work. I had one of those days on my ride.
Weatherwise we lucked out. The roads had dried off and, despite the accu-weather forecast for a mostly cloudy day, we had bright sunshine throughout our ride. The temperatures were in the low 50s, so I was wearing my Rev’It gloves. I also chose to again wear my Daytona boots; I figure I should get used to them in preparation for the GS.
The ride didn’t begin right away as I again struggled to find first gear. I remained calm and remembered what Bill had told me about playing with the clutch lever until it shifted. I found first much more quickly than last time and was off. But I wasn’t the only thing off. I couldn’t find the sweet spot on the foot peg where I needed to be so the front of my boot would slip under the shifter. I struggled through several miles of the ride before I found that if I have the middle of my foot arch on the peg, I can readily slip my toe under the shifter.
Additionally, I could not comfortably preload the front brake for trail braking practice. Last week, I was surprised how easy the preload was, but this week every time I tried, it was awkward. Preload is when the rider has one to two fingers on the front brake lever pulling in the slack so the brake is “preloaded.” Preloading is a safe riding technique, and it is a skill I work on. But I am beginning to believe the design of the grips and distance to the brake lever and clutch are adapted to men’s hands. I am a tall woman with long fingers, but I can’t comfortably ride with a preloaded grip even with the levers adjusted to the closest position. Perhaps motorcycle companies should consider a female-friendly handlebar option.
After the ride as Bill and I were debriefing, he asked me if I learned anything on today’s ride. My response was “no.” But I realized later that wasn’t entirely true. I learned that even as I was unable to work on the skills I wanted to, I was able to enjoy the ride because I could work around the issues. Even though I couldn’t trail brake in the curves, I could still enjoy the feel of the bike as I leaned it side to side.
As for my boot, I knew I could place it where I needed to shift correctly, so I just kept working at it until I found the spot. But I was able to shift with the only issue being a mis-shift into neutral when my boot brushed the shifter as I adjusted it on the peg. But I have enough riding experience to stay calm and ride through what I am discovering are minor problems for me to solve.
I did think some of the discomforts were due to the very tough week I had at work. I was physically tired, my left-hand cramping on the clutch lever, but I adjusted and adapted. At one point I stayed in first gear during my slow U-turn drills, clutch out, making larger circles so I could rest my hand. But I made it through the ride, enjoying the sunny day, the glimpses of roses stubbornly blooming, the geese scattering away from the roar of our motorcycles.
In the hospital practice lot, we dismounted to take pictures of the motorcycles in the bright sunshine. Looking over, Bill spotted a yellow-leafed tree and asked me to move the R Nine T in front of it for a photo (see below). The bare branches show as well as winter approaches. I will need warmer leggings to wear under my jeans and see if I can find a flannel turtle neck, but with my heated grips, I find myself looking forward to our winter rides. And this is a good thing as next Saturday we’ll see a high of 48, assuming the accu-weather is more accurate.
Flutterby Biker 