An early cabbage white butterfly danced along in front of us on a gorgeous spring ride marking my first motorcycle butterfly for this year.  I had seen one as I was gearing up in the garage flutter across the street, so I began the ride in hopes of seeing at least one more.  My hope was not in vain though it was near the end of the ride that I saw it.

            It was a day made for riding; warm but not hot, intermittent sunshine, with a strong southerly wind.  I took the lining out of my Rev’It Ignition 3 pants which was a wise decision.  I was able to wear just a t-shirt under my Alpinestars and Klim jackets.  While we were cruising, I was comfortable, but during my slow speed drills, I had to lower the zippers to allow more air flow to keep cool.

            The curvy road was wonderful fun; I enjoyed my leans feeling my thighs pushing the bike side to side and the gentle pressure on the handlebar for my counter steers.  The wasn’t any traffic on the curvy road, but I made a point of looking as far ahead into the curve as I could.  This practice is basic motorcycle safety from the MSF course, but I have to remind myself to do it because I can easily get into the routine of blindly following Bill, relying on him to look ahead into the curves.

            Following Bill called for roll on the throttle as he let the 221 foot pounds of torque launch his Rocket far out in front of me.  We zoomed several times up and down the 35-mph road, and I could tell the gorgeous riding weather was inspiring Bill.  I’m hoping, as spring settles more solidly in place, that he’ll get an itch to try out a slightly faster road.

            As our ride continued, I noted how free of traffic the roads were.  I still checked my mirrors at stops for cars coming up from behind, but it made for a more pleasant ride to know we could stop and go at our own pace.  When taking off from a stop, I work on having the front wheel turned in the direction I will turn and maintaining that turn even as I look back to check for oncoming traffic in the opposite direction.  I do better turning to the right than the left, but I still tend to straighten out the wheel as my head turns.

            The lack of traffic let me really enjoy the spring blossoms.  I saw even more tulips in bloom, even more azaleas, mounds of colorful phlox, maple trees in leaf, and even the first flowers on some dogwoods.  The cherry trees were an interesting mix of some a peak bloom while others were surrendering their petals to the strong wind as they were past their peak.  Soon our riding landscape will be mostly green, so I am enjoying the flowery variety while I can.

            As we headed toward the hospital lot for our tight turns and stop from a turn practice, the cabbage white sailed across our path.  I smiled broadly knowing that this little guy is the promise of more to come.

Today’s ride felt a bit like a fight.  I had some issues with the motorcycle that I had not experienced in a while.  So I wondered if the R Nine T somehow knew that my mind was on riding the R 1250 GS.

            The day before I received a phone call from Clayton at Adventure BMW.  A new rebate special is launching that offers $2,445 cash back on the purchase of a 2023 R 1250 GS.  I suspect this great offer is because the new R 1300 GS is soon to launch, so BMW wants to make it attractive to buy the 1250.  And it is a great offer but, as I explained to Clayton, I still have two motorcycles to sell before I can think of buying a new one.

            Now there may be a question as to why I don’t wait and buy the 1300.  Bill and I have discussed that option, but we determined that while the 1300 is probably a fantastic motorcycle, it doesn’t have the 40-year heritage of the 1250 .  With the 1250 all the bugs have been worked out, and it is arguably the best adventure motorcycle there is.

            However, none of this really matters as we have to sell the Ducati and the 310.  Plus, Bill has some reservations about me on a taller motorcycle.  As he has rightly pointed out, I did have some struggles with the Ducati Scrambler.  Now the Scrambler has a .5 inch higher seat than the standard 1250 seat height.  And we have already decided to purchase the lower seat, which drops the seat another 2 inches making it lower than the R Nine T.  I also believe that the boxer engine on the 1250 helps keep the weight low, and I do know that I struggled with the higher center of gravity on the Scrambler. 

            I have noticed with the boxer engine that I seem to have better balance as well as more of a chance to recover when I feel the bike tip.  This balance came in handy during my ride as at one stop I felt enough of a wobble, I had to throw both feet down.  I haven’t had to stop with both feet in months having gotten good at stopping with the rear brake (right foot) and placing my left foot down.  But on this stop I slipped up and turned the front wheel to the right, over-balancing the bike and necessitating the placement of the right foot as well as the left.

            A few stops later, I overshot my stop and had to add the front brake.  At this point I began to think the motorcycle was not working with me, and I realized that I wasn’t in harmony with the R Nine T because I was thinking about how much I want the R 1250 GS.  I know last week I said I could live with the R Nine T is the 1250  wasn’t possible, and I could; it is a fantastic motorcycle.  But I remember my test ride on the 1250 GSA and how it felt like the ideal motorcycle.  I loved the riding position, the feel of the clutch, the roll of the throttle.

            But what I learned on this blustery March day was I need to focus on the motorcycle I’m riding.  The wind may have played a part in some of the struggles; before we even left the driveway, the force of the wind against my motorcycle trying to tip me over.  Bill felt it on the Rocket as well.  Winter was making a stand and we felt it in the cold wind, but spring dug in its heels refusing to leave.  I had on my winter riding pants and jacket, but I didn’t need the balaclava nor the large Rev’It gloves.  We even had a chubby bumblebee buzzing around the garage before we left, drawn out by the sun, the bright blossoms, and the warmer weather we had enjoyed last week.  Seeing her made me keep an eye out for any early butterflies, but no luck yet.  I did see my first tulips of the spring and a fully bloomed cherry tree (bit early).  The large azaleas are waiting for their chance to bloom, so I hope the warmer weather will return to stay.  Perhaps, with a lot of luck, I’ll be riding my dream bike, the R 1250 GS, by the time summer has arrived.

            All week I had been looking forward to my ride.  The weather was forecasted as sunny and 64 degrees—perfect motorcycle riding conditions.  The rain would arrive on Thursday and, hopefully, leave by Friday.  And while there was some late rain on Friday, the wind picked up, the temperatures rose, and the roads were dry.  As promised, the sun was brightly shiny, there were no clouds the sea of blue, and some gusty wind was the only less than ideal condition.  But since I don’t ride on the interstate, the wind was not a factor other than keeping me cool.

            The day was so lovely, I opted to wear my Klim summer jacket for the ride and a short sleeve t-shirt underneath.  The jacket was fine, but I was a little too optimistic with the short sleeves.  My arms were a little chilled, so I turned on my heated grips on the low setting, and that was enough to keep the ride pleasant.

            I spent some time focusing on how my legs can steer the motorcycle, marveling at how well the R Nine T leans into corners.  It occurred to me during this ride that the R Nine T is my favorite motorcycle to ride.  Now this is in comparison to the BMW G310 GS and the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled.  I don’t think I can fairly compare the R Nine T to the 1250 GS as I only did a test ride on the latter bike.  I think the 1250 GS will ultimately prove to be my favorite motorcycle, but right now I am totally loving the performance on the R Nine T.  I can’t believe how nervous the dry clutch made me because I realized on today’s ride that the dry clutch, at least for me, is much easier to work with.  Perhaps this ease of use is because I grew up driving manual transmission cars, and I have a better feel for that kind of clutch.  I find myself not stalling at stops anywhere near as much as I did on the 310 or the Scrambler.

            Now some of the improvement is due to my growth as a rider and development of skills.  The 310 was my first motorcycle, so I spent much of the time on that bike getting used to riding and perhaps not as much time as getting a feel for the motorcycle.  With the Ducati I was riding a more powerful engine on a taller bike, and I still only had six months experience riding motorcycles.  But with the R Nine T, I started riding this bike with 18 months’ experience, and I developed my feel for the dry clutch on the grassy field.  There I stalled usually more often than not, but Bill would always tell me afterward that a large part of the problem was being on dirt and grass, that it would be easier on the pavement.  And yet again, he was right.

            I love my comfort level on the R Nine T.  It is allowing me to really focus on my skills.  When I started her up, I didn’t fully pull in the clutch, so I knew I wouldn’t shift out of neutral.  I released the clutch, then pulled it in slowly and fully, and I felt the motorcycle drop into first gear.  I love the way the motorcycle leans into the curves and corners something I noticed on the other two motorcycles but didn’t fully appreciate.  I love the balance on the R Nine T; it is so well-balanced that even when I feel the first bauble during tight turn practice, I am confident in correcting.  I like too that on this motorcycle, I can easily pre-load the front brake, something I struggled with on the Ducati and was too inexperienced a rider to attempt on the 310.

            On this beautiful ride, I found myself wondering if I did want the BMW R 1250 GS, or did I just want to continue riding the R Nine T.  I gave this quite a lot of thought as I looked out at the bright sunshine on the blooming trees, camellias, daffodils, and even a few dwarf azaleas.  I realized that if I had to keep the R Nine T because circumstances didn’t allow for the purchase of a new motorcycle (for one thing, we have to sell the other two), I would be fine.  I would even be happy because it is such a wonderful motorcycle.  But I would always wonder and wish I had the chance to ride the 1250 GS and make it my own.  So ultimately, I do one day want to own the adventure motorcycle.  Until that day, however, I will quite happily continue riding my R Nine T, happier still when I am given such wondrously gorgeous days for riding.

(This post is for last weekend, February 26, 2023. My apologies for the delay.)

I spent the week worried.  All week long the forecast was for a rainy Saturday.  The percentage chances went up and down, but never disappeared.  During the week, nearly every weekday was perfect for riding; we even had a summery Thursday as temperatures climbed into the low 80s.  But the winter storm blitzing across the country wasn’t going to bypass my little corner of the world.  So we made a plan.

            The plan was simple; get up early and try to get the ride in before the rain arrived.  As we headed over to my parents’ garage, the sun was out, teasing me with a sunny, cool day.  However, by the time I was geared up and mounting the bike, the rain clouds were gathering and blocking out the sun.  Nevertheless, the meteorologist inside my phone’s weather app claimed the rain wouldn’t start until 10:00 AM.  We headed out to test how accurate that forecast was.

            As I moved along the curvy road, I found myself paying attention to my counter steering.  I realized that on most of my rides, I don’t give conscious thought to my counter steering; I just do it.  I began wondering what else I do as I ride without conscious thought that is a habit of a good rider.

            When coming to a stop, I automatically use only the rear brake and place my left foot down to secure the stop then pull in the front brake.  Remember, this method of stopping ensures a safe stop should the front wheel not be completely straight.  As I am stopping, I also find myself checking my mirrors more out of habit than direct thought.

            Another riding habit I have developed is using the rear brake in slow turns.  I used to have to think about applying the rear brake to aid in my speed adjustments as I completed U-turns and S-turns.  On today’s ride I found myself realizing that I am applying it automatically.

            My thoughts then turned to the realization that I am approaching my second year of riding.  So it should be no surprise to me to realize I have developed some very good, safe, automatic riding habits.  But I have more to develop.  As we headed down the long straightaway, Bill was weaving back and forth.  I started weaving too to avoid overtaking him on the road.  When we took a short break, Bill told me he had been practicing steering the Rocket with just his knees.  I then incorporated knee steering at points during the remainder of my ride.

            I also need a lot more practice with the trail braking.  It is getting easier to do; I am able to keep two fingers on the front brake throughout my ride, but I do still have to think about it.  But I know that with a few more months of riding, that too will become automatic. 

And it will be easy to get that practice as we are very much enjoying spring-like weather as we enter into March next week.  More and more Canadian geese are about; Bill shepherded two of them out of the road as a large flatbed truck approached from the other direction.  The camellia bushes are in full, glorious bloom, and I even saw the first buds opening on a Japanese weeping cherry.  Pretty soon the azaleas will blossom and spring will have officially arrived—the perfect riding season.