We headed out earlier for our ride, around 10:00, as the forecast called for chance of showers around 1:00. As we unloaded our gear, I remarked how it was the perfect day for a ride—sunshine and cool temperatures in the low 70s. But the beautiful morning for riding didn’t last.
By the time we mounted the motorcycles, the sun had disappeared. I didn’t think much of it as the rain was supposedly still hours away. We took off and I accelerated a little too quickly, feeling the torque pull the bike away from me and myself slide back on the seat. It’s a thrilling sensation but also a reminder of how much power the bike has.
I had seen several butterflies on the drive over—a pair of Sulphurs dancing (or fighting?), another lone Sulphur, and even a Black Swallowtail. As we rode, however, with the skies overcast, I figured I had seen all the butterflies I would. There were a bunch of Canadian geese about, and one squirrel making a dash in front of Bill on the Rocket before deciding better of it.
Several times during the ride, Bill took off leaving me in his dust. I was wondering about his speed when I realized we were on the 35-mph road and I was lollygagging at 25. As we headed toward the shady lot, I thought the skies looked dark enough for it to be dusk. Shortly thereafter, I heard the “plunk, plunk” of raindrops falling on my helmet. We were about two miles from the garage, and the rain came down fast and hard. So we inadvertently wound up riding in the rain which is something Bill had never thought to do.
When I got back into the garage, I couldn’t shift into neutral. I got off the bike and tried to shift with my hand, but the gears wouldn’t budge. I called on Bill to fix the situation, and he finally got the bike in neutral by shifting the gears without pulling in the clutch. It was an odd occurrence and I wondered if that’s what the service light was for. We are going to have to get both bikes in for service soon which will impact our weekend ride at some point.
Flutterby Biker 