Gearing Up for Summer

Our luck with the temperatures finally ran out; the weather was typical for Memorial Day weekend in southeast Virginia—hot and humid. Actually, for us, low 80s isn’t too hot, but the humidity was up and the sun was bright making this ride warm and sweaty. I learned a valuable lesson with my riding gear on this warm, nearing-summer day. Do not wear the leather riding pants when the temperature hits 80 or above; it can lead to chafing.

Usually when I wear my Rev’It Ignition 3 leather riding pants, I wear a pair of tights underneath for an additional layer of warmth. Knowing that the ride was going to be warm, I opted to skip the tights, wear some knee pads to protect my knees, and wear the leather pants. Not a good idea. My right inner thigh about halfway through the ride began to rub a little raw. I stood up and shifted a bit to move the pants around, but I realized that I either wear the tights and get sweatier, or it’s time to switch to the Klim riding jeans.

I did think about wearing bike shorts under the leathers, but that solution still adds another layer of cloth and more to sweat through. Today’s ride was an experiment in what constitutes too hot for the leather pants, and I’ve determined 80 degrees or higher. Switching the pants isn’t a big deal, but Bill really likes me in the leathers.

It was a warm enough day that I kept my jackets partially unzipped. And it was my first really warm ride to feel how the ventilation on my Arai helmet worked. I made sure I had opened all the vents fully, and I was comfortable enough while we cruised, though on slow-speed maneuvers, I opened up the visor some. I did have a red, angry mark across my forehead when I removed my helmet, but to prevent that much like the chafing, I would need to add more layers when I’m already toasty.

As I was gearing up in the garage, a cabbage white flew by, almost flying into the garage. I chased after her to try and get a picture, but every time I was close enough to snap the pic, she moved herself in front of something white and disappeared. She was only the first of many butterflies I saw on this bright, sunny day, including an eastern tiger swallowtail, and possibly a Juvenal’s Duskywing butterfly. It certainly was dark enough.

With the sunshine and all the flowers in bloom, of course there were lots of butterflies about. I also saw some dragonflies, a real harbinger of summer as the dragonflies means the mosquitoes are coming. I forgot to mention that a few weeks ago, I saw a small dragonfly in the garage. I wondered if the bright reds and yellows in my helmet had attracted it.

The Canadian goslings have reached the teenager stage and are almost as tall as their parents. A young child of about three was watching the gaggle in fascination. We encouraged a couple of mallards to move away from the edge of the road as we zoomed past. And I almost missed a turn when I spotted a beautiful osprey with wings full spread in the blue sky.

As we rode, I worked on trail braking. Actually, what Bill had asked me to work on was feeling the dive of the front end of the bike when I pull in the front brake and then the release as I trail off the brake. I still tried a little bit of trail braking in some of my turns, and I am getting a better understanding of the importance of having some of the front brake engaged in a turn so that if something goes wrong, I can continue my braking while straightening up the motorcycle.

Someone was having a party—graduation or Memorial Day—so our on-street U-turn road was blocked on both sides. But I did my best ever U-turn in the handicap spots on the gravel lot; I am finally learning to trust the R Nine T and my ability to accelerate on the incline. My right arm did start to go numb. I am wondering now if it is the pre-load position; however, I don’t want to give up pre-loading the front brake to find out. I do have my left fingers extended over the clutch, but I don’t pre-load that, so I am not exerting pressure until I am ready to shift gears. My gear shifts were a little odd; I didn’t miss a gear, but at least three times during the ride I felt as though I had. Of course, the R Nine T doesn’t have a gear indicator other than the neutral light, so I’m always in a little suspense as to what gear I might be in until we stop and I can shift down to first.

Another riding mystery to be solved, and the only way to solve it is with more rides which I am always ready for!

Another Cool Ride

Having grown up in southeastern Virginia, I’m accustomed to summer arriving early. Usually in May, especially by mid-May, we’re already dealing with hints of the summer heat to come. But again we were blessed with cool air in the lower 60s, perfect for riding motorcycles.

Of course the cooler air keeps the butterflies at bay. I saw a few cabbage whites flitting about as I drove over to ride. But during our ride, I didn’t see any. I did spot three more goslings out with the family toward the end of our ride, but except for the many people out walking, I didn’t spot much in the way of wildlife. Except, of course, for squirrels.

I do tend to look about as I ride enjoying the beautiful plants and flowers and trying to spot various forms of animal life. But I also work on my rider awareness. During this ride, I got extra practice on my sudden stops when a squirrel that had been safely standing in someone’s yard decided that he needed to cross the street at the exact moment Bill’s Rocket was riding past. We both got our sudden stop practice in on that one.

Later, in the gravel lot as I worked on my U-turn in the two parking spaces, I had to skip my first attempt because of a squirrel balancing on the beams that frame the parking spaces. I did not want to be mid-turn and have to come to a stop because the squirrel wanted to play chicken with the R Nine T. So I looped around the lot and gave him time to reconsider his perch. I was still cautious and looking out for the little gray furball as I went into the lot. I had one good turn and one foot dab.

I did do better following Bill in the S-turns inside the square parking lot. I’m doing a better job of judging my distance and speed and setting up my lines so that I don’t overrun his path. And I’m improving in my sudden stops and gos.

I did have an issue with the numbness again, though. I did not go to the gym Thursday or Friday due to being under the weather, so I wasn’t pumped up from the gym. The numbness wasn’t as bad as the week before, but it was enough that I do think the slight lean in the riding position coupled with my pre-loading the front brake is causing something to get pinched somewhere in my arm.

Next weekend I’ll try a different undershirt; I’m starting to think I might need something sleeveless. Also next weekend is the Memorial Day weekend. Please be on the lookout for all the motorcycle riders riding out to honor our fallen service men and women. And enjoy your holiday too!

Watch Out for Goslings!

After a brief sampling of summer heat, we were blessed with a perfect spring Saturday for our ride. The temperatures, hitting over 90 during the week, had dropped to a cool mid-60s vibe, enough that I wore my fleece shirt under my jacket. Cool enough for comfort, but warm enough for nature to put on a show.

As I was gearing up and heading down to the R Nine T, I saw an osprey hunting above the river, circling, diving, soaring up, and diving again. By chance I glanced back over my left shoulder as I headed down the driveway and caught sight of the bald eagle flying away. I hoped for another glimpse of the eagle when we headed out, but I wasn’t that lucky.

But speaking of gearing up, I was amazed to realize how easy strapping the Arai helmet has gotten for me. I’ve gotten such a good feel for the straps that I can now even snap the snap closed. The only aspect I don’t like about the helmet is putting it on, but even that’s getting a bit easier. I am curious how good the air flow will be in the summer; I think it’s probably good that I accept bad hair day Saturdays.

The skies were partly cloudy, so I knew I’d see some butterflies and I did. The air was heavy with the sweet scent of ligustrums and honeysuckle, both big draws for butterflies. The first cabbage white butterfly took off at the same time we did, and I spotted the second one half a block later. I spotted a pair of what I think were Eastern Comma butterflies; they danced right in front of me and then I zoomed by. As we came to the duck crossing between the river, we came to a stop as a family of Canadian geese crossed the road—the mama, the papa, and the gosling. I only saw the one gosling and wondered what had happened to the others.

As for my ride, my on-street U-turns were all asphalt because I trusted the balance of the bike. During the first turn as I came around to the other side of the street, I made the decision to push further into my lean and let off the clutch rather than play it safe and ride wide into the grass. And the boxer engine didn’t let me fall. Later I struggled in the two-spot turn in the gravel lot, but that struggle is due to turning and having to get the bike up an incline rather than a flat turn. I need to let on a bit more speed to compensate for the fight against gravity.

I had to take a break during the ride when we went into the hospital parking lot. My right arm became numb, and I needed to shake it out. I think the issue may be in my Friday lift at the gym. On Fridays I work my arms, and I may have some vascular swelling that causes unusual tightness leading to the numbness. I will be switching up my lifts during the week to see if that alleviates the issue. I still also believe some of the issues stem from the R Nine T riding position of a slight lean. However, since I don’t experience the numbness on my left side, most of it must be due to my lifts. And I need to work on balancing my lifts since clearly my right side is working harder than my left!

I was reminded during this ride of the time I almost dropped the 310. The magnolias are really blooming now, and I love the clean scent of them. I was off alone on the 310 taking my turn back when we only had the one motorcycle. I was in a court for a turnaround that had a huge magnolia tree to the left side. I thought how nice that I could stop the bike, lift up the helmet visor, and get a whiff of the blossom dangling across the court. What I did not know was that the pavement of the court dipped down at the edges to allow for water runoff. As I went to set my left foot down, I discovered the ground wasn’t where I expected it to be but a few inches lower. The 310 began listing heavily to the left but, because it wasn’t too heavy of a motorcycle, I was able to catch it. I never did get to smell that magnolia blossom, but I have decided to sniff what scents are blown through the breeze. It is much safer that way if a bit more boring. But with all the sights, sounds, and scents surrounding me, I’m never truly bored when riding.

May the Ride Be with You

Lots to celebrate on this Saturday’s ride. It is Star Wars Day, also International
Women’s Ride Day, and the eve of Cinco de Mayo (so Quatro de Mayo). It is also the third anniversary of my
becoming a motorcyclist.

The day was
partly cloudy, so I was hopeful of spotting some butterflies during the ride,
and I was not disappointed. I saw six
cabbage whites out flitting about and one small Atlantis Fritillary butterfly
near some deliciously scented blooming honeysuckle. One of the greatest benefits of our slow
rides through neighborhoods is the time it gives me to notice and appreciate
the beauties in nature.

As we
headed down the long straight road, I glimpsed a large bird of prey ahead of us
in the sky. I was hoping it might be the
golden eagle, and it may have been, but I never got close enough to make sure. Other than that small glimpse, I only spotted
one turkey vulture out and about in the skies during our ride. However, as I was unloading my gear from the
car, a shadow passed overhead, and I looked up to see one of the osprey
cruising by.

I’m
noticing much more variety in the flowers in bloom. In addition to the clematis, irises, and
roses, I’ve seen chunky white peonies, vibrant pink rhododendrons, a few day
lilies freshly planted, and even some magnolia blossoms opening. I spied some pretty white flowers on bushes,
almost like five-leafed dogwoods, that might have been potentilla, but I’m not
sure. My later internet search didn’t go
so well, and potentilla was the closest match.

In three
years I’ve ridden three different motorcycles—the BMW G310GS, the Ducati Desert
Sled Scrambler, and the BMW R Nine T.
For comfort I would rate the 310 the best; I rode in an upright position
on a fairly lightweight motorcycle. The
Ducati Scrambler riding position was similar, but that was a taller bike with
the weight of the engine up higher. It
was also extremely hot, which felt great in the winter but was really awful in
southeast Virginia summers. The R Nine T
is the best-balanced motorcycle of the three, but the riding position has me
leaning slightly forward which puts some pressure on my wrists.

I really
appreciated the balance of the bike during my on-street U-turn. As I came around to finish the turnaround, I
felt as though I could almost stop the motorcycle completely and remain upright
(at least for a second or two). That
doesn’t mean I don’t still have moments when I feel more of a list than I like
and start to dab or dab my feet to keep the bike upright, but I find I don’t
have to dab as much on the R Nine T as I did on the other two motorcycles. Perhaps some of this feeling is due to better
riding skills after three years practicing and riding, but I do credit the R
Nine T as being a well-balanced bike, and it creates in me a bias toward the
boxer engines of several BMW brands.

I do still
want the 1300 GS. The more I practice
with the current boxer engine, the more curious I get as to how the adventure
bike would handle. Or, more precisely,
how I would hand the adventure bike. But
I think several things would have to occur before I can own one. For one thing interest rates would need to
come way down. It would also be
helpful if the price and packaging
prices dropped some, BMW. But the final
stopping point is that Bill would have to tire of the Rocket and want to return
to the R Nine T. And right now, he’s
having too much fun playing on that motorcycle.
But that’s a good thing because I am having a ton of fun riding out with
him on the R Nine T.

author riding the BMW R Nine T Urban GS 40th anniversary edition motorcycle in yellow and black