I did not get another day like last Saturday for my ride this week. The weather decided to remind me that it is August and produced a hot and humid day. As I loaded the gear in the car, my sunglasses fogged up from the humidity, and in the direct sunlight, the heat was on. The official temperature was only 92 degrees; even so, I could smell the asphalt as it softened in the heat.
There had been rain forecasted as a possibility for Saturday, but it came and went earlier in the week. I do appreciate the rain we’ve had this summer as it has kept the grass and trees lush and green and the flowers in bloom. The wildlife was sparse, though, resting from the heat. We were well into the ride before I spotted a mockingbird and some robins flitting about. No butterflies were spotted during the ride, but as I began taking my gear off after the ride, a tiger swallowtail made an appearance in the palm trees across the street.
Due to the heat, the ride was focused on movement. I continued to work on engine braking and managed to utilize it all but one time. That one time was when Bill last minute decided to turn. There was a breeze, but it was out of the southwest, so the wind was warm. I could feel sweat trickling down my back and, yes, dampening my underwear. Yet I marveled at how the reinforced Klim riding jacket really isn’t that hot. Bill even wondered at how people can ride wearing shorts as the heat from the engine and gas tank would be right up against bare skin.
I turned my head in the helmet more during this ride, and this motion may have helped keep my forehead from chafing. I had a red mark on my forehead from the helmet lining, but it wasn’t as big as it has been nor was it painful. Of course it could be that I’m developing a “scalp callus” to deal with the chafing (just kidding).
A few times during my ride, I had some missed shifts between second and third gear. Because it was here and not between second and first, I didn’t end up in neutral. Now the R Nine T doesn’t have a gear indicator because it is what is known as a retro motorcycle. But I could feel the lack of throttle response as well as hear something odd in the shift to let me know I wasn’t in gear. I’ve ridden the R Nine T the longest and it is becoming clear to me that I am learning the motorcycle in a way I never did with the 310 or the Ducati. This knowledge is a good thing as I won’t be getting a 1300 GS anytime soon—BMW has just issued a recall.
Flutterby Biker 