Despite waiting until early afternoon, the temperatures stayed in the mid-40s and the sun stayed behind the clouds.  The winter gear was brought out though I did chose to wear the leather pants not my winter britches, the Rev’It Trousers Factor 4.  I thought with some leggings underneath, I’d be alright, but my legs were the only part of me chilly on the ride.

            The sun made some peeks through the clouds, but throughout the ride I worried there might be showers.  The rain held off, however, leaving only the wind to deal with.  I felt the wind pressure from the moment we took off, pushing against me on the motorcycle.  Thanks to my flannel turtleneck, leather jacket, and the heated grips, I was warm enough against the wind (except my thighs), but I felt the first hints of winter’s chill slipping in with the wind.

            I was lucky to be able to ride.  During the past week, I was dealing with bursitis in my hip causing me pain when I stood up from sitting as well as at times as I moved about.  Bill worried my pain might cause a spasm at a stop leading to a bike drop.  The pain never got that intense, but I rode with discomfort and fully aware that the pain that had mitigated during the was still very much present.

            I noticed more bare branches among the leaves though there was still plenty of spectacular foliage color.  The newly planted grass has set up enough to be mown, so we had the pleasant fresh cut grass smell mixing in with the smell of burning wood as fires were lit against the chill.  I saw a freshly planted hedge of roses with several blooms, but the newest sites were the Christmas decorations with sparkly deer and many inflatables including penguins, snowmen, and Santa of course.

            We rode without much slow speed work.  Several times I had to adjust as Bill took a quick turn off the road without signaling to avoid the extra holiday weekend traffic.  I used the circumstances as extra awareness training.  I did venture into the gravel lot at the historic house for some practice, but I kept it short.  Every slip I felt of the tires made me think about the pain in my hip and how I might hesitate to put my foot down to catch the motorcycle.  So I did a few turns but didn’t work on being super tight.

            I wasn’t too disappointed with our shorter ride.  My leg was starting to ache more and part of me worried that I might be aggravating the situation.  The bursitis diagnosis is mine not official, but it seems to fit as I’m the right age and I tend to be repetitive in my exercise.  The rest of the weekend will be spent resting the hip and bracing myself for the winter rides that will be here before I know it.

A beautiful fall day with no ride.  After last week’s ride, I woke up Sunday feeling miserable.  My sinus infection had returned, and the week was a struggle with coughing and congestion.  Midway through the week, Bill caught the bug, so by Saturday, we weren’t in a condition to handle motorcycles.

            We did visit the bikes so Bill could patch the hole in the Rocket’s rear tire.  Patching a hole in a tire involves inserting a rubber tube with adhesive that fills the hole and expands to prevent air leakage.  There’s an interesting tool, like a giant sewing needle, that is threaded with the rubber and inserted into the hole.  Then a piece comes down to release the rubber and allow for the tool to be retracted.  With the Thanksgiving holiday coming, we’ll be able to check if the patch is working before we try to ride on Saturday.

            A benefit of the repair kit is that it comes with 20 plugs, so we’ll be OK against nail punctures for some time.  At the very least, the plug holds enough that Bill will be able to ride the Rocket to the dealership for a proper tire repair.  But I’m hopeful the patch holds enough we’ll get to ride for which I will be quite grateful.

            Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Veterans Day was cool and cloudy, so I brought out the leather.  It was cool enough to make riding in the leather jacket and pants comfortable.  Even Bill wore his leather jacket.  But we didn’t get to ride together.  Instead, we took turns cruising on the R Nine T.

            Toward the end of last week’s ride, Bill picked up a nail in his rear tire.  The tire was down to 3.5 psi from 42.  This was incredibly frustrating because the nail made the Rocket unrideable.  It seemed as though I would have to ride solo, and Bill wouldn’t get to ride at all.  But circumstances worked a little bit in our favor. 

            When we arrived at my parents’ house, my mom’s car wasn’t there.  I thought she was out, but she was home.  Her car was getting serviced.  While we were dealing with the frustration and disappointment in the garage, my mom came to tell me the service shop called, and her car was ready.  That offered the best solution we could hope for that day.  While I took my mom to get her car, Bill could ride the R Nine T, and I would ride when I got back.

            I had a bit of a wait once I returned to the house, but I didn’t mind.  I knew Bill needed the fun of riding the R Nine T to help lift his mood.  He was much happier after his ride, and I took off looking forward to my turn.

            It was later in the day than we usually ride, so I stuck mostly to cruising and left off the slow speed maneuvers.  I did ride into the pool parking lot since the rope was down which is where I took the lovely autumn picture.  I worked on my awareness as I wasn’t following especially paying attention to the squirrels—only one crazy enough to run around in front of me.  I brought my ride to an end as I noticed the cars beginning to turn on their headlights.  With the end of daylight savings and our delayed start, it was approaching dusk.

            While I was out having my riding fun, Bill was working on the flat tire.  He managed to lift the nail up enough to remove it and plug the hole.  So with some repair work, we’ll be able to ride together again next weekend.

            A sunny day in the mid-60s is about as perfect a day for a ride as we can get.  Soon after leaving the house, we spotted a Little Yellow Sulfur butterfly which I almost mistook for a yellow leaf.  We had a morning in the low 30s, so I was happy to see some butterflies still about.  During the ride, I spotted four more Cabbage White butterflies still soaking up the autumn sunshine.

            The squirrels were also busy dashing across Bill’s path five times during the ride.  It was a great day for stashing acorns, and the furry critters kept me focused on a gorgeous day where it would have been easy to let my mind wander.

            I did muse on how wonderful riding motorcycles is.  As I weaved along the curvy road, I was marveling at how lucky I am to be able to head out and ride on a lovely Saturday afternoon.  I also spent some time thinking about how beneficial motorcycle riding is.  It is a perfect way to leave the stresses of the week behind and lose oneself in the moment.

            Along the curvy road, I had hoped the bald eagle would be up, but no luck.  However, half a mile away, Bill pointed up to the sky.  I looked upward but my view was blocked by the visor on my helmet.  So Bill pulled over to ask me if I saw the bald eagle.  I told him, “No, my visor blocked it,” then looked up as the bald eagle soared into my line of vision.  I continued my ride with a huge grin.

            My motorcycle knowledge is improving.  We were approaching the yield sign where we try to get to a footless stop; a footless stop is where the speedometer reads 0 and my feet stay on the pegs.  I was watching my speedometer get to 0 when peripherally, I noticed the Rocket lurch forward then stop.  Bill had stalled on his footless attempt.  It is one of the advantages of the R Nine T and the dry clutch that I feel it is easier to catch the bike before the engine stalls.

            Another advantage of the boxer engine is the balance it gives to the motorcycle.  My turns are tightening up because I trust the bike’s balance.  As I rode in the gravel lot, it felt like my rear tire was spinning a bit underneath me, but I was smiling and enjoying the sensation, not fearful of falling.  This confident feeling makes me want to get the R1300 GS another boxer engine.  I can’t wait to ride that in the gravel lot.

            But I will have to wait.  The 1300s won’t hit these shores until early 2024.  I do have a birthday in January, so perhaps I can get a spectacular birthday gift.  Not that I mind continuing on the R Nine T, but I think I’ll be happier on the GS.