It so happened that today’s ride fell on the 17th International Female Ride Day, and I did my part to show women enjoying motorcycles and riding. It didn’t hurt that it was a gorgeous spring day for riding.
I was also celebrating my second year as a rider. Two years ago, on May 1 and 2, I rode my first ever motorcycle, a Kawasaki Eliminator 250 small cruiser, as part of the MSF course. Soon after, we purchased the BMW G310 GS, and I was riding. A few months later, we got the BMW R Nine T Urban GS for Bill to ride. Eighteen months later, that became my motorcycle as Bill began riding the Triumph Rocket GS. In between the two BMWs, I rode a Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled Fasthouse, a bike made for cold weather riding.
On today’s ride I found myself wondering if my skills riding the dry clutch on the R Nine T would make me a better rider on the 310 or Scrambler. Or would I struggle relearning the friction zones of those motorcycles. I also wondered if I would feel as confident in my tight turning drills or would the two more top-heavy bikes give me problems. Oddly enough, I don’t feel concerned about transitioning to the R 1250 GS, and I believe that is because both the 1250 and the R Nine T have the boxer engines keeping the center of gravity lower.
These thoughts played through my head as I rode. The day was so beautiful it was sheer joy to be out riding. The roses are gorgeous, and I forgot to mention the colorful clematis I see including one bunch of deep purple, bright pink, and white. I also forgot to mention seeing my first magnolia blossoms last week with even more flowers open this week.
There were so many cabbage white butterflies flitting about, I lost count after ten. I did have one zoom across my path. I saw what I think was an American copper and for the first time one of the Sulphur butterflies; these are difficult to distinguish from the back of a motorcycle, but it was a yellow butterfly, so it fits several of the Sulphur family.
Today’s ride also marked us scaring some young goslings, the first I’ve seen this year, as they hurried across a yard with their dutiful parents. In a shady glen by a pond, I saw two large white geese hanging out with some of their Canadian cousins. And again I zoomed past a mating pair of ducks grazing too close to the side of the road.
As for my skills’ practice, I continued to work on my no look turns which are getting easier. I also worked on smooth, synchronized take-offs from stops, meaning I left the stop at the same time as Bill. But I also found myself waiting a beat longer at a few stops so I could ensure that I’m checking for clear roads and not just relying on Bill’s vision.
The neighborhood road construction gave us a new challenge. There was an actual one-foot down ditch in the road that could have been a nasty jolt if entered unprepared. I enjoyed the little bit of off-roading and look forward to my third year of riding.
Happy IFRD!
Flutterby Biker 