Late Afternoon Ride

A sushi dinner delayed our ride to late afternoon. We wanted to ride then grab our takeout, so we didn’t start until after 4:00, very late for us. The day was much like last Saturday with cloudy skies and temperatures in the upper 60s. I need to make the most of these cool, comfortable rides as they will be ending soon; the week ahead has 80+ degree days.

I set off not expecting to see any butterflies, and there were no surprises. The later afternoon gave a muted softness to the green leaves and colorful flowers. The irises are enjoying their heyday, and I saw some gorgeous roses that I wished I could stop and smell. I also spotted large clematis blooms climbing up mailbox posts, and one clematis forming a small bush. I love clematis because they are such happy-looking flowers with their bold center stamens and four tepals (which I normally call petals but I learned the term tepals in my research). Bill bought me a clematis a few years back, and it blooms every year, but I have more shade than it likes. So I really love seeing the abundance of flowers on clematis in full sunshine.

We had to stop a few times during our ride because of indecisive squirrels. Twice a squirrel sat on the curb wavering between safety and leaping out in front of the Rocket. Luckily, both times, safety prevailed. Because of the late afternoon, I didn’t spot any raptors. However, I did get to watch a snowy white egret sail across the road on its way to the river.

As I rode, I practiced steering with my knees some. On today’s ride I particularly felt how much of my muscles are at work steering the motorcycle in tight U-turns and circles. I overdid my triceps at the gym, and I felt the use of them as I steered the bike. My on-street U-turn strategy worked; I delayed some to let Bill get his turn started, and I was able to complete both street turns on the street—no grass.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about torque and horsepower. The torque is the immediate pull of the motorcycle, and the horsepower is the speed. My R Nine T has less of both than Bill’s Rocket, so if he wanted to, he could leave me in his proverbial dust. I feel the 85.5-foot pounds of torque sometimes when I accelerate very quickly. It gives me the feeling of being thrown back on the motorcycle. Bu that torque isn’t even half of the Rocket’s 221-foot lbs. or torque. It is close to a roller coaster thrill to feel that torque kick in and the motorcycle try and pull away so that I have to hang on tight.

As for the horsepower, I don’t have a rev limiter which would enable me to see if I reach maximum horsepower at peak, but I don’t travel on roads or tracks where I should be reaching the speeds to let loose the 109 horses. But I find it interesting that I have been riding now almost four years and I feel like I could push the R Nine T in the speed if I were to do a track day.

However, I will enjoy my little speed burst on the “fast” road and keep enjoying all the beauties of nature I can clearly see on my slower rides.

purple iris — Photo by Delfina Baj on Pexels.com

Cloudy Skies Means No Butterflies

A short morning shower nearly derailed our riding plans, but after a few hours delay, the roads had dried off and we were able to ride under cloudy skies. The day was warm like last Saturday, so it was a surprise to me when I realized halfway through the ride that I hadn’t seen any butterflies out. They must prefer the sunshine.

We did get to see an osprey with a fresh catch fending off some crows as we headed onto the curvy road. The road construction throughout the neighborhood had abated some and allowed some roads to open up. I kept my eyes peeled for the bald eagle too, but I didn’t spot him. I did get to see some beautiful, tall, yellow Japanese irises in bloom. And I did see a pair of ducks probably scoping out nesting sites.

On this particular ride, I noted how easily I can shift gears with the R Nine T. I wonder if it’s because it is a dry clutch or if it is because I first learned to drive on a manual transmission, so I am used to shifting gears. Whatever it is, I don’t miss the sputters of the 310 or Ducati, nor the stalls I often had on both of those motorcycles.

As we rode, I noted that the azaleas are past peak bloom, but the roses are filling in to replace them. I did spy black tulips at least super dark purple tulips, which I thought was an interesting shade. And it’s good to see the tree leaves coming in; hopefully, my allergies will soon disappear. I did figure out a different way to keep my neck tube up over my mouth when I put on my helmet. Usually, I try and hold the neck tube in my mouth as I pull on the Arai helmet, but that results in the neck tube down at my chin. I need my nose covered while my allergies are still so active, so for today’s ride, I pulled the tube up over my eyes before putting my helmet on. My nose stayed covered, but I had to do some awkward adjustments to keep a piece from sticking up over my right eye. Never let it be said that I look super cool gearing up for my ride.

Most of my ride went terrific. I did go wide on the first on-street U-turn, but I believe that had more to do with a last second adjustment when it looked as though Bill had pulled up. Next ride, I’m going to hang back a little more so if he does adjust, I don’t have to over adjust to recover. My footless stops went really well, and I feel as though I am restarting more quickly.

As we headed home from the ride, we had the phenomenal sight of a bald eagle swooping down on the road in front of us to snag a dead squirrel. It was only about 20 feet away which allows me to appreciate just how large a raptor it truly is. This fellow was pestered by several angry crows trying to get the squirrel for themselves, but he was able to soar away from them with his prize. At least the clouds don’t keep the raptors at bay, but I do hope the forecasted sunshine will allow for some butterfly sightings on my next ride.

Attunement

I was back out of the leather and wearing the Klim summer jacket for this week’s ride. It was a Saturday made for riding motorcycles with temperatures hovering around 70 degrees and bright sunshine. There was wind, quite a bit as we had a violent storm pass through overnight Thursday. But the roads were dry and the wind didn’t make it too chilly, though I did wear a thermal shirt under my jacket to stay warm.

What I noticed during this ride was how important it is to learn the motorcycle. When I get in my car, I might think about features like the window controls or heated seats and I develop a feel for the steering wheel, the acceleration, and the brakes. But I don’t have to develop a feel for if I’m balanced in the seat, and I don’t consciously develop my grip on the steering wheel. Perhaps if I drove a more high-performance car or drove as though I was starring in the next Fast and Furious film, I might develop a finer attunement with my car. And even though I don’t take my R Nine T to a track to zip along as though I was in MotoGP, in order to ride successfully and safely, I do need to be attuned to the handling of the motorcycle far more than with my car.

As we headed out on this day meant for motorcycles, I actually was preoccupied with thoughts about house and yard work. I had spotted what I think was a Monarch butterfly as I was loading the gear in the car, so I should have been focused on possible butterfly sightings. What brought me out of my chores reverie wasn’t the cabbage whites I saw flitting here and there nor the gorgeous azaleas at peak bloom. No, I left the thoughts on bathroom scouring and weeding behind when I realized that I had been turning, stopping, leaning into curves, trail braking, and counter steering without any conscious thought to do any of it. I was riding my motorcycle naturally, comfortably, and confidently.

Well, not entirely comfortably. My right arm did get tingly and need some shaking out. But as far as steering and maneuvering went, I was mostly comfortable. I did go wide on the first on street turn because I didn’t turn my head far enough around. But now when I do make a mistake, I am much better at identifying what I did wrong and make the correction. My quick stop-starts went really well. Near the end of our ride, Bill led us into my old practice street, the one I had to use when the school didn’t want us using the parking lot. I flashbacked to how nerve wracking it was to do my U-turns between the curbs on the little 310 even as I easily navigated the turn on the larger R Nine T. As Bill explained after our ride, he could really tell how much his skill has developed on the Rocket by completing the U-turn on the practice street. That led me to realize how important our practices are for learning the handling of the motorcycles. I have nearly put 1,000 miles on the R Nine T, not much by most people’s standards, but much more than I ever rode on either the BMW G310GS or the Ducati Scrambler. So it is no wonder that I feel more attuned to the R Nine T, and I look forward to more fine tuning next weekend!

Road through trees from the cockpit of a motorcycle — Photo by Kelly on Pexels.com

Two Rides Week

I had Thursday off this week, so we were able to work in a bonus ride. The weather was cooler with highs in the mid to upper 50s, but on a motorcycle that’s perfect riding weather. Though there was some building clouds on Thursday, the skies stayed dry and let us finish our rides.

On Thursday I spotted a butterfly, not a cabbage white, as I sat on my bike waiting for Bill to gear up. It stayed too far away for me to make out what kind of butterfly, but it still made me smile because it means more butterflies are coming out. I also spotted on my Thursday ride some kind of hawk, but I have not been able to identify it. When I first saw it circling, I thought it was just a turkey buzzard. But a few moments later, I saw the raptor diving toward the ground about 30 feet away, and it had the head of a hawk. It has dark brown feathers, and I’ve seen a similar one around my home.

Saturday, however, I didn’t spot any raptors and only saw one cabbage white butterfly who was five feet from my right shoulder. I did get to enjoy the blooming azaleas in their pinks, fuchsias, soft purple, and whites, and the dogwoods contrasting with the leafing Japanese maples. Some horticulturist with a great eye must’ve realized how complementary the white leaves of the dogwood blooms are against the rich burgundy of the Japanese maple leaves.

Of course as I ride and admire the beautiful sights of nature, I am also keeping my eyes on the road and checking my surroundings. This awareness allows me to see the kids waving to us as we ride by and, this week, the middle-aged lady walking her dog and giving us a thumbs up. It’s great to see such average Americans living in a very middle class, suburban neighborhood enjoying the sight and sound of our motorcycles.

During Thursday’s ride I did another super tight U-turn on the gravel lot. However, on Saturday the lot had several cars in it, so I didn’t get another chance to practice. Bill did take us by the neighborhood pool’s gravel lot, but I wasn’t comfortable riding in it. I’m not sure if it was because of dampness or because it was early in our ride and my mind wasn’t ready for the gravel.

I did note on Saturday’s ride how much physical effort my turns take. I think I was sore from my gym lift, but I really felt my arms and chest muscles working to manipulate the handlebars. No wonder I’m so hungry after our rides; it is quite a workout.

I also noted the location of the beehive—just one, but I’ll keep my eyes open to see if they start selling fresh honey.

I’ll have to enjoy this two rides week; it’ll be months before I get the opportunity for another one. Of course with summer approaching, the heat my keep us at only one ride but I hope not.