Itchy Nose Ride

Today’s ride was wintry for sure. The sky was gray and the wind was bitterly cold bringing the temperature down to below 40 degrees. But I was bundled up well and my heated grips were working, so I was mostly comfortable except for chilly fingertips.

Even under the gray skies, I managed to spot a white egret flying overhead as we started off and two more in the low tidal waters at the park. I also spotted two ospreys, one in each neighborhood, as we rode, and the squirrels were busy in the yards but keeping off the roads. Yet there seemed a quietness as we rode, that winter stillness that seems to settle over the land.

I noted that despite spotting a few pink winter roses and some newly planted purple pansies, there was a brown hue to the landscape as we rode by. The pines and other evergreens and grass are greens muted by the winter brown. One of the joys of riding my motorcycle is experiencing the seasons from the saddle and enjoying their unique features.

About midway through the ride my nose started itching. Now while riding a motorcycle, it is possible to take a hand off the handlebars. With cruise control some riders even take both hands off the handlebars. So theoretically I could take my left hand off the bars, lift my visor, and bump my nose with my gloved fingers. But I didn’t want to open my visor in the cold air.

To distract myself from the itch, my mind went to how in today’s society, so many needs are immediately met. Are you hungry? Uber eats will deliver nearly anything you want. Feeling ill? Medicine is on its way, or you can get a virtual appointment and a prescription without getting out of your pajamas. But riding my R Nine T, dressed in my safety gear with its extra layering for the cold, scratching my nose was not a simple task. And what if I just endured the inconvenience of an itchy nose? Would the delayed gratification feel better? Or, as did happen, would the itchy nose cease to itch? And am I better person for having endured it?

I realize how silly this is, but my ride did distract me from the itchy nose. During a U-turn in a cul-de-sac, I was letting out the clutch to increase my speed a little. I was , in the full bars to the left, front wheel turned, and the bike wasn’t accelerating. I tried a little throttle, and I only got engine revving. I had mis-shifted into neutral and had to quickly shift into first and accelerate to maintain the motorcycle in an upright position. Luckily, the boxer engine saved my balance and let me save the turn. And I soon forgot about my itchy nose.

As the ride ended, I had a new focus as I dismounted—the bathroom. Eventually, due to my recovering from a cold, I did get to scratch my itchy nose.

And, in the immortal words of Monty Python, “now for something completely different,” my motorcycle Christmas gift. Bill surprised me with Dream Apparel’s motorcycle bell. The bell says, “Never ride faster than your angel can fly.” It is a guardian angel bell to protect me from road gremlins. Next week, we’ll get it affixed to my motorcycle. I don’t know if it will protect me from itchy noses though, but I’m willing to keep riding to find out.

All Is Calm, All Is Bright

All was certainly bright as we headed out on our solstice eve ride. Yesterday’s rain had cleared away, leaving behind cloudless skies and lots of sunshine. In fact there were several times the sun was a little too much due to the lowered angle in the sky, but Bill quickly led us off those roads. The calm was the animals. I didn’t see any squirrels and only two crows and one buzzard. The only excited animal was a dog aggressively barking at a flock of geese. But even the geese calmly went about munching their lunch.

My ride was much smoother than last week. No mis-shifts during this ride and a smooth start. My on-street U-turns were all pavement. And I really enjoyed the acceleration into trail braking drill. I think Bill was having fun too because he led us into a second parking lot to do some more.

As we head toward Christmas, I want to wish everyone taking time to read this a very merry Christmas and please know I appreciate your time—and your likes! One more ride for 2025!

Mis-Shift Bookends

When I start the motorcycle, I hold the front brake. Today I experienced why. Ever since I fell off the Ducati Scrambler taking it out of the garage, Bill has put both motorcycles down at the street. He usually shifts it back into neutral before turning off the engine. But we all have moments of distraction, and for whatever reason, the R Nine T was left in first.

Now when I turn the key in the ignition, the clock lights up, so I saw the green “N” light up for neutral. However, later I realized that once the bike was started, the “N” was not lit up. The reason I hold onto the front brake is for just this mis-shift as I found out. Without realizing the motorcycle was in gear, I let off the front brake as I situated myself and the bike leapt forward before stalling. If I hadn’t had my fingers on the front brake when I started the bike, the motorcycle would’ve leapt out from under me. Luckily, because I hadn’t engaged the clutch, the motorcycle stalled, cutting off the engine.

It took me a while to collect all my thoughts as to what had happened. I’m not trying to throw Bill under the bus because I should be ensuring the motorcycle is in neutral as I start it. My mishap was a minor one, but the feel of the 500 plus pound motorcycle lurching forward away from me was quite a wake up, and I will add checking for neutral to my start up just as pulling in the front brake is part of the routine.

The ride itself was wonderful. We were blessed with a day of sunshine and mid-50s, and I was almost too warm wearing my leather jacket. But there was enough wind to keep me comfortable. We added a new skill to work on, something MotoGP racers do at a phenomenal level. The skill is to downshift and apply the brakes going into a curve then accelerate out of it. Now I’m doing this downshift from second to first and slow speeds, but it is a skill that teaches me a greater feel for the brake. In fact the first part of the drill was practiced in the garage where I sat on the R Nine T pushing it forward with my legs and slowly applying the front brake. So I was pushing against the brake until I had pulled it in enough to stop the bike.

Due to road construction, we were rerouted for our ride, so I was able to see different Christmas decorations including my new favorite—the Deercraft Carrier. That one just edged out the Grinch in his Christmas PJs. I also spotted a few maples showing off their autumn colors—one a gorgeous golden brown and the other still a bright yellow. But mostly I see the bare tree branches against the pale blue sky. The crows were busy flitting everywhere as were the squirrels, but the latter at least were flitting in the grass.

Again, due to the road work, we rerouted our return to the garage. As I pulled in the driveway, I lost acceleration and looked down to see I had shifted into neutral. Luckily, I found out my legs were strong enough to hold the motorcycle in place even in my parents’ steep driveway as I corrected the shift into first and rode into the garage. One of the fun aspects of riding motorcycles is that the bikes always have new challenges and new lessons to teach, and I can’t wait for next week’s learning.

Santa's sleigh blow up with three reindeer on gray "Deercraft Carrier" platform.

Gearing Up for Winter Riding

I am amazed at people’s ingenuity, and one place that ingenuity is on display is in motorcycle gear. In the early days of motorcycle riding, smart riders figured out to wear goggles to protect their eyes and leather to protect their skin. Bill will tell me how in his earliest days of motorcycle riding, the only gear he had was a Bell helmet, but he knew to wear a leather jacket, jeans, and boots.

Now some people in the summer can be seen on their motorcycles in shorts and t-shirts, but that is a choice. In the MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) course, they teach riders to dress for the slide. Leather is still one of the best skin protection for the slide, but thanks to the invention of Kevlar, riding jeans can be substantive enough to protect the skin.

But in addition to the safety features of motorcycle gear, there is also the weather adaptability. My leather riding pants have a detachable lining, so I can add a layer for warmth when needed, like on today’s 42-degree ride under gray skies. My leather jacket also has a removable lining for warmth adjustability. I also have three different sets of riding gloves that offer differing degrees of warmth, but all offer protection should I take a tumble.

Luckily (knock on wood) I have not needed the slide protection of my gear. I have needed the warmth protection, though, and it seems I will be needing it for quite a while now as winter seems to have arrived early this year. Next week, I’ll start wearing my balaclava under my helmet to keep my chin and cheeks warm.

We shortened our ride some because the roads still had wet spots from the cold rain that fell on Friday. I didn’t go on the gravel because of the damp, and the skies were dark enough I could see the beams from our headlights. The squirrels were busy, but they stayed out of our way. I spotted a large vulture in the air at the beginning of the ride, and I saw the birds flying away from the water, but I didn’t see any white-feathered heads. Of course, in our shortened ride, we didn’t ride as close to the water.

The best part of the ride was that I was mostly comfortable with just a little bit of cold fingers due to pre-loading, but it wasn’t as bad as last week. And I know I’ll be fine for next week’s ride too.

zipper on black pants — Zipping the lining up at the ankles of my leather riding pants.