Last Ride of ’24

Mother nature must love motorcycle riders, for she gave us a perfect day for riding. There were some clouds, but it was mostly sunny and warm, warm enough for me to not wear my winter gear but the Klim jacket and the lightweight gloves. The temperature was around 65 degrees, and I spotted other riders out taking advantage of the gift of the day.

It is a quirk of mid-Atlantic life; earlier in the week, Bill brought the plants inside because of below freezing temperatures, and the water in the birdbath was frozen, but that same week, by Saturday, it was spring-like. These climate quirks are why we don’t have to winterize the motorcycles. Winterizing a motorcycle involves draining fluids, removing the battery, cleaning, covering, and possibly storing the bike. It makes sense if winter brings months of icy roads and unsafe riding conditions. But luckily for me, southeastern Virginia only sees large snowstorms once every few decades. And while the first ride of ’25 looks likely to be in the 30s, the weather stays moderate enough to allow for year-round riding.

And I really appreciate the opportunity to ride in all four seasons. Today’s ride brought sightings of osprey, an egret, Canadian geese in flight, and a flock of hooded mergansers on the lake. The bare branches on the trees filter the low sunlight into intricate roadway shadows, and the glimpses of pansies, roses, and the now-blooming camellias are more treasured because of the colors they add to the brown landscape. The opportunities to experience wildlife from the motorcycle might seem not dissimilar from that of a car, but in your car, can you look up to see a red-tailed hawk being harassed by two crows ten feet over your head?

I suppose I should reflect on what I’ve learned or improved this year during my rides. My stops have definitely developed the most. My understanding of engine braking expanded, and my work with the clutch has allowed me to effectively utilize engine braking to slow down the motorcycle. I have also been training my sudden stops, and I did have a chance to apply my training during one ride.

My feel for the BMW R Nine T also improved this year. I am constantly amazed at the balance of the bike on sharp turns, it revs with an old-fashioned gurgle and pop, and it has enough zip in the horsepower to keep Bill on his Triumph Rocket in sight. My only issue is with the slight forward lean in the riding position that puts some pressure on my wrists. I wouldn’t even mind that much except I think it causes numbness in my right hand.

Which reminds me to mention the BMW R1300 GS. In many ways that motorcycle would suit me better than the R Nine T—safety features and riding position to name a few. But for some reason, BMW went too conservative with the taillights; they are basically the turn signals. One thing Bill has stressed with me about being safe while riding is visibility. Motorcycles are already difficult for cars drivers to see. Why would I ride one with nearly negligible brake lights? Maybe in a few years when BMW has put that German engineering to work and perfected the 1300 I’ll get one. Until then, I’ll begin my fourth year as a rider on the R Nine T and love every minute of it.

hooded mergansers in water — Photo by James Mirakian on Pexels.com

Winter Solstice Almost No Ride

After the afternoon we had trying to ride our motorcycles, I did some research on the winter solstice wondering if it brings bad luck. I found instead beautiful thoughts on how the winter solstice marks the rebirth of the sun and the rebirth of hope. So it wasn’t the solstice working against us. Instead, we encountered a confluence of circumstances that nearly cost us our ride as the shortened day grew shorter.

The first circumstance was a seemingly simple favor for my Mom. The weather had turned colder with strong, gusty north winds knocking the temperature down into the low 40s. A piece of border siding on the house had come loose in the wind, and my mother was afraid it might blow off the house. The favor consisted of asking Bill to hammer in a couple of loose nails. The problem was the wood underneath was over fifty years old and eaten away; the nails had nothing to purchase on.

So the simple repair became a nightmare of solving the problem with inadequate tools. My Dad’s tool supply, once a respectable collection, now long depleted by my brothers “borrowing” through the years, made the task onerous. The two o’clock sun lowered as it became the three o’clock sun, and Bill was still tinkering with what he could find. He was able to locate a small piece of wood that, with some shaving down with a screwdriver instead of a chisel, allowed the nails to find purchase.

With the strip of siding secured against the wind, our next challenge was locating the motorcycle keys. The key bag was nowhere in sight. Bill was certain he had the keys getting out of the car, but after that his focus was on the repair work and the keys were forgotten. I helped search, looking around the garage, checking under the car. There was no sign of the gray bag the keys are in until, quite suddenly, the bag appeared on the floor of the garage in a spot I had walked by five minutes earlier. In fact I don’t see how the bag could have been there when I walked by and we first began searching; the bag seemingly appeared out of thin air.

It was an eerie experience and began my wondering about bad luck at the winter solstice. But the keys did reappear, so it seemed we were set. Bill, however, predicted the next mishap would be the Triumph Rocket refusing to start. His prediction came true. For a moment the light came on, but then it flickered out and would do no more than flicker at each start attempt until Bill had removed the seat and taken sandpaper to the battery cables. The sun was now at its four o’clock height which meant it was obviously beginning to set on this shortest day of the year.

However, once we took off on the motorcycles, our luck took a turn for the better. The sky was nearly cloudless so, even with a lowered sun, visibility was still good. The sun, though, was beaming right into our eyes as we headed south, so Bill led us around to avoid riding straight into the sun as much as possible. Most of the ride went extremely well and I was having fun despite my frozen fingertips (the Klim glove liners do not provide additional warmth). I did have a nerve-wracking moment during my first U-turn when my front tire slipped on a hidden pine cone, but the balance of the R Nine T is so good, that I was quickly able to recover.

The rest of the ride was smooth but short as the sun was lowering and the temperatures were falling. But the ride did put smiles on our faces and lifted our solstice spirits after the rough start. Hopefully, the last ride of 2024 will go much smoother than the solstice ride as we head into our winter riding.

white egret flying across cloudy sky — A white egret heading home for the night; I took this picture coming out of the gym, but I have been seeing a lot more egrets lately including one in the water during our ride.

Gray Skies Ride

Our weekly weather pattern is warm, wet air moving in during the week to clear out and cool down for the weekends. At least the sun comes out to ensure dry roads by the time I’m ready for my Saturday ride. But today, the clouds lingered and quickly covered up the sun at the beginning of the ride. It made for a colder ride than I was expecting, but I had finally remembered to wear my tights to keep my legs warm, and it was a good opportunity to test out my new Klim glove liners.

I ordered a size medium as that matched the size of my gloves. But I wonder if I need a small because they feel kind of loose. The liners made my gloves feel a little tighter, but I was still able to preload the front brake and roll on the throttle. However, halfway into the ride, the fingers on my right hand became numb. My thought at first was the liners don’t work and don’t bother to gift Bill a pair. But then I began thinking it through, and I compared my left hand to my right and realized that hand was fine. So I realized the numbness was the usual numbing effect I’ve been getting in my right hand since I began riding the R Nine T as my main motorcycle.

So the liners do help provide additional warmth, but I do wonder about the sizing. Usually, I would order an extra large for Bill, but I’m wondering if the large would suit better. Luckily, they aren’t too expensive, and I could order both and send one back. I managed to hide them from Bill. Putting them on was easy enough; I was geared up long before he was because he had added air to the tires. But I did worry about when I dismounted. I park my motorcycle, dismount, unhook the Helite safety vest, and move away from the bike as Bill pulls in behind me. I figured he would see the liner gloves when I took off my main gloves to unhook the vest, but the liners helpfully came off with the gloves and were hidden inside.

The ride was successful on that front. It was also our first time back on the curvy road and I was loving my time counter steering through the curves. I hoped perhaps to spot a bald eagle over the river, but all I saw was a flock of Muscovy ducks gathered in a lawn. The gray skies seemed to dampen down the wildlife as I saw only a few crows. I spotted a great blue heron in flight as we arrived at the garage, and during the ride, I spotted two snowy white egrets in flight. It was only around two in the afternoon, but with the sun blocked by the clouds, the birds may have felt the need to go home to roost. The only Canadian geese I spotted were a few in flight.

Later after the ride, Bill told me my stops were improving as I was arriving more quickly even with him. I did a better job maintaining a good distance throughout the ride. The week ahead is a replay of this week weather wise—warm and wet, then sunny and cool. I don’t mind the cool and am happy the roads are staying dry for us. Next week’s ride marks the first ride of my winter holidays, so I am really looking forward to that.

Still Not Quite Ready for Winter Riding

Most of the country has been blasted by Arctic weather pushing south this week. A warm up is coming next week with rain (so no snow—bummer), at least in the beginning of the week. Temperatures will fall again into the 40s for next week’s ride just as they were there for this week’s. Perhaps by next Saturday, I will remember my leggings, and I will be trying out liner gloves underneath my medium weight Klim’s.

The BMW R Nine T comes with heated grips and hand guards. Despite these additions, when I preload the front brake, my index and middle finger eventually become numb from cold. The heated grips do not extend to a heated brake lever. However, I’ve developed the habit of preloading the front brake, and it is a weird sensation to grip all four fingers on the throttle grip. I tend to grip briefly for warmth, but it is never long enough to fully defrost my fingers.

So I went shopping on Revzilla and found Klim glove liners. If these work to keep my fingers warm, I’ll have a Christmas gift for Bill as well. I do have the heavier Rev’It winter gloves, but those are difficult to move freely in. I much prefer the medium weight gloves. Hopefully, I’ll be able to give the liners a good review after next week’s ride.

As for my cold legs, I didn’t even think about the leggings until my Mom was asking me if I get cold when I ride. I’ve put the leggings on top of my pants in hopes I will remember. But I am very happy with the Schott’s leather jacket. My core is toasty warm.

I distracted myself from most of the cold by focusing on my ride and on the scenery. I paid attention to my engine braking, keeping the downshifts smooth. I did have to mis-shifts into neutral, but my boot kept slipping off the peg during shifts. I didn’t feel cold in my feet, but maybe my toes were getting a little numb. We even went into the hospital parking lot to practice quick stops. Bill pointed out it was good to practice sudden stops with cold, numb hands.

The scenery of late autumn was mostly shades of brown. When we turned back up the beautiful autumn road, the gumball tree with all the colors of fall last week was nearly denuded of all leaves. Most of the colorful scenery came from the Christmas decorations. My favorite decoration was Kevin the minion standing next to his minion snowman. Bill actually led us up to the decorations because he wanted to admire the blow-up Santa helicopter.

There were many birds about taking wing. I spotted an osprey as I sat on the bike waiting for Bill. And there were turkey vultures about as usual. The crows were flitting about, and two mockingbirds were tussling. There was a large flock of ducks congregating on the river, and we still passed several groups of Canadian geese mucking about. I suppose the birds were making the most of the late afternoon sun.

Bill had to be creative in our route as the low sunlight beamed through our visors. I was happy when the clouds finally drifted over the sun to block it momentarily. A few more weeks and the sun will begin its climb back up higher in the sky. Until then, I will keep riding into the winter.

Painful Ride

My entire motorcycle ride was done in pain. The pain wasn’t due to the cold; this ride was the first in the forties for the season. Many more to come before spring gets here. But I was well insulated in my lined leather jacket, lined winter riding pants, and my warm mid-weight gloves. I even managed to fully close the chin vent in my helmet to eliminate the little bit of cold air blowing in. No, my riding pain was self-inflicted and had to do with my hairstyle.

I’m sure it is evident in these blogs that I am not vain nor concerned with my appearance on the motorcycle. While I do have amazing, high-quality gear, I have an abundance of safety gear that makes me look like a barrel on top of my bike. I’m about safety first and then comfort on the motorcycle. I extend the safety and comfort to my hairstyle usually. My first care is to make sure my hair doesn’t get into my eyes. My second concern is that my hair is not a knotted mess after my ride that will take long, painful hair brushing to smooth out. I have tried different styles including using a hair wrap (these fall out on the ride), braids (fine for the length but not the short layers of my cut) and today, a segmented ponytail.

I used four hair elastics to create the ponytail. The first elastic was to hold back the shorter layers and, as I wrapped the band around my hair, I did wonder about the impact of my helmet on this top band. I figured it would be a learning experience and continued with the segments of the ponytail. And sure enough, as soon as I set my helmet on my hair, the top ponytail bump dug into the back of my scalp. I tried to adjust the helmet to relieve the downward pressure, but it was to no avail. I rode the entire ride with a non-stop chorus of “ouch” playing in my head.

I didn’t, however, let the pain ruin my ride. The sun was out with only a few wispy clouds in the sky. As we headed up the road to complete on on-street U-turns, the sunlight lit up the crimson leaves on some Japanese maples to stunning effect. I also had a second chance and a third to ride up the brilliantly lit road with the array of fall colors spectacularly laid out. Bill led us up the road twice to enjoy the stunning scenery making sure to point out the beautiful gumball tree with all of the colors of autumn on display.

Due to the cold, there were no butterflies about, and the only flutterings were from falling leaves. There were some ducks chilling in the river and some Canadian geese about. The only large birds I saw circling in the deep blue sky were turkey vultures.

My ride went really well including my emergency braking. I was noticing some small rose bushes in bloom when Bill decided to turn suddenly in front of me. Luckily, I was far enough back to brake quickly as he cut across in front of me. Funnily enough, five minutes earlier I had been pondering the best distance at which to follow Bill. If I’m too far back, cars will cut in between us; if I’m too close, I run the risk of tipping the bike as I try to avoid a collision. Clearly on this ride, I had found the ideal distance.

I’m in for more cold rides, probably for quite some time, but I don’t mind. I’ve already decided to try a barrette in my style next week for better head comfort, and I haven’t begun to add all of my layers for warmth. No matter the temperature or the hairstyle, I certainly will enjoy my ride.