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Rain, Wind, and Riding

The forecasted rain arrived Friday evening and stayed past noon on Saturday. I was bummed even though I was sure we’d be able to ride on Sunday. So in order to mitigate the wait time from Saturday to Sunday, I decided to go check out the 2024 BMW R1300 GS. As luck would have it, by the time we headed over to the BMW dealership, the roads had mostly dried out. But I had set my sights on seeing the new motorcycle, so we headed over.

When we arrived at Adventure, they had over 15 motorcycles outside on display including the 1300 in the GS Trophy edition. This edition is in a red, white, and royal blue color pattern that looked good on Youtube, but for me the colors didn’t quite fit on the motorcycle that well. Because they had a large inventory of bikes, I was able to sit on the 1300 and then sit on a 1250 to compare. On both bikes I was on my toes, but when we went inside, I was able to sit on a Triple Black edition that featured the adjustable seat height. I was happy to see I could flat foot the bike and have a bend in my knees, close to my position on the R Nine T. The adjustable seat height is a feature that automatically lowers the motorcycle’s suspension as the rider slows down to stop. Harley-Davidson introduced this feature with their adventure bike, the Pan America, and it is a very smart feature that, should it gain increasing popularity, will make motorcycling open to more riders.

When I expressed disappointment at not seeing the 1300 in the Aurelius green metallic, Rick, the sales manager, told us he had one in the back and led us back there to see it. I’m glad he did because between the Trophy colors and the green, I much prefer the green. The lines on the tank are smoother and Bill likes that the frame is black not white.

Because of the recent rain, and because Rick was helping us not Clayton, there was no offer of a test ride. I would like to go back and test ride the green one, but I have to come to grips with reality. The green bike, known as the Option 719, is an upspec motorcycle with a ton of features and would cost, before dealer fees and taxes, $28, 545, so over $30,000 once the additional fees are added. It is amazing how much the motorcycle has increased in price. The 1250 GS would have run around $23,000 with added features. I may have to wait for some used 1300s to show up on CycleTrader to make it a reasonable dream.

Of course I really can’t complain. I have the beautiful R Nine T to ride, and ride I did on another windy Sunday. I remembered to check the wind chill, so I was dressed appropriately in my full leather jacket with the liner, warmest shirt, and Rev’It Factor 4 pants with the liner. Because of the chill, I wasn’t expecting to see any butterflies never mind as many as I saw last week. But I was surprised; there was one cabbage white fluttering around before we left, and I did spot one brave little guy as we rode.

As we turned around on at the end of the curvy road, I was watching a pair of Canadian geese in someone’s yard when my eye was caught by movement in the sky. High aloft the bald eagle was cruising on the strong winds. I stopped to watch, but Bill, who hadn’t seen the eagle, had ridden ahead. It was one of the few times I’ve wished we had a communication system.

Leaving the curvy road, I continued looking up in hopes of seeing the eagle again, but half a mile away and he was gone. Shortly after, though, Bill and I spied two osprey fighting over a fish in the sky. I was happy Bill got in on these raptors, and I began to have a hope of maybe seeing the golden eagle again. I didn’t, but I did see lots of crows.

I also saw more azaleas beginning to bloom and more tulips flowering. The cherry trees had reached full bloom but, due to the heavy rain and strong winds, their blossoms were not as full as they could have been. But the cherry blossoms in their transience remind me of my rides; the rides are wonderful while they last, but they are over all too soon. Of course, like the cherry blossoms, they return.

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Better Late Than Never

Friday and Saturday brought us rain, and I despaired of a Saturday ride. Bill was more optimistic; the rain was supposed to stop around 1 and the sun came out to dry the roads. When showers fell at noon, I figured our Saturday ride was out, but the forecast was right, the sun came out, and the roads, mostly, dried off. Temperatures were in the 60s, so in that regard it was perfect riding weather. But this ride had to be one of our latest as we headed out around four in the afternoon.

It was warm enough to bring out a cabbage white butterfly which I spotted on the drive over to get the motorcycles. I hoped I would see more as we rode, but perhaps the lateness of the afternoon or the rain or the early March date kept other butterflies at bay. The rain drops gave a sparkle to the daffodils, camellias, and the sugar magnolias I saw in bloom. And the green grass shone under the sunlight.

As we headed out, we did have to dodge some puddles here and there. Yet I found out early it was going to be a great ride as we hit the cul de sac at the end of the curvy road, and I did two of my tightest U-turns ever.

Unfortunately, the sun didn’t stay with us throughout the whole ride. While the sun was shining, I was comfortable in my Klim lightweight jacket, but when the clouds blocked the sunlight, I got chilly enough to turn on my heated grips.

Of course I kept my eyes peeled for large birds. The Canadian geese were out in their mating pairs here and there, and I even startled some ducks by the river. An eastern bluebird flew across our path, a few feet in front of Bill’s helmet. And I did spot a large bird, but it was too far away to be certain that it was the golden eagle.

I was finally able to complete both on-street U-turns successfully. The first one was berm to berm, but the second one left me a good foot away from the berm. We stopped at the gravel parking lot outside the historic house, but as I rode into it, I noticed the mud and puddles and felt I should give it a pass. I think part of me just didn’t want to have to wash the motorcycle later.

My emergency stops and restarts went better than before, but I feel like I’m stopped longer than I should be. I did better at scanning the mirrors as I came to a stop. I have to develop comfort with just putting my left toe down and trusting that my acceleration will keep the R Nine T upright.

I’m lucky that Bill was right to have us ride Saturday. I became quite ill Sunday and have been sick all week. I’m working on getting healthy for the weekend because I don’t want to miss my chance to ride. Of course, I need the weather to cooperate and push the rain off until Sunday.

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Golden Ride

Sometimes not having a roof over one’s head is a good thing, and it’s one of the many aspects I love about riding motorcycles. Having the freedom to look up unencumbered by a car roof gave us a spectacular view of a golden eagle.

I remembered this week to check the wind chill though I only checked it for my city and not my parents’, so it was a little chillier than expected but no where near as cold as last week. I only felt the wind through my helmet; I need to check my ventilation because I may have extra open vents. I was wearing the same outfit as last week, but the temperature was at 50 and that made a big difference in my comfort.

We headed out with a detour due to road construction down the block from the garage. Because of the torn-up roads, we didn’t go down the curvy road. I was a little disappointed, but I let the squirrels running about and the Canadian geese distract me. I even spotted some robins, the birds of spring. The skies were cloudy, but yesterday’s rain was on hold and the roadways were dry enough for our ride though we had to dodge a few large puddles.

Since we bypassed the curvy road, it didn’t take us long to reach the cul de sac where we practice on-street U-turns. With last week’s disastrous turns still fresh in my mind, I was a little trepidatious, and that trepidation affected my first turn. Wide into the grass I went; one thing I have improved on is not shaking my head when I make a mistake or goof. I tightened up as I started the second turn and managed to stay on the street. It’s definitely a feel thing and a need for more practice because when I was turning in the gravel lot, I performed my tightest U-turns ever.

Bill led us on a meandering path for our ride, but this was a good thing. We headed up the road to the footless stop Yield later in our ride than usual, and that allowed us to witness the magnificent sight of the golden eagle landing in a tree. The movement of its wings caught both of our attention because it was only about 30 feet up from us on the road. Unfortunately for us, the motorcycle noise disturbed it; the eagle flitted to another tree and, even though we had stopped the bikes, then decided to head off. Our arrival was probably a lucky happenstance for one of the four Canadian geese grazing by the roadside as the eagle most likely was planning on making one of the geese its lunch.

The benefit to startling the golden eagle was we got to see it launch in the air and fly away. Outside of an ostrich at the zoo, this golden eagle is the largest bird I have ever seen. What a spectacular sight; that golden eagle makes me even happier about riding my motorcycle and, while the odds are I won’t get to see that beautiful bird again, I will keep my eyes peeled as I keep riding.

golden eagle in flight — Photo by Andrew Patrick on Pexels.com

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Admirable Ride

Cool, windy, and wet Memorial Day weekend for us, but the wind kept the rain at bay long enough for us to ride. Because we ride neighborhood streets, the wind isn’t much of a factor, but it would’ve been had we tried to ride on the highway. As it was, the wind kept the butterflies away, all except one determined little cabbage white fighting his way to the clover that I spotted near the end of our ride.

As we headed out toward the curvy road, we have a yield sign where we make a left turn. Approaching the intersection, there was a white pick up coming up the road we were going to turn on. He indicated he would turn left at our street, but as he did so, he slowly took the turn and I realized he was looking over our motorcycles. They are two of the best-looking motorcycles on the road. Before the looks of admiration were reserved for Bill when he rode the R Nine T; the 310 and the Fasthouse never drew many looks. But now that I’m on the R Nine T, I draw looks but so does the Triumph Rocket. I think the two bikes complement each other quite nicely.

Later in the ride, as we waited at a stop sign to turn, a driver in a blue Toyota SUV slowly rode by again admiring the beautiful motorcycles. It is fun to know I’m riding a great bike that handles well and looks amazing.

I didn’t focus on any particular skill on this ride. Instead, I let myself enjoy the ride and enjoy how my riding skills have progressed to keep the ride safe. Halfway through the ride, I realized I was leaving the stops in sync with Bill without consciously focusing on doing so. My riding skills have improved so much that I found myself trying the tight turns from a stop and having little trouble–at least at first.

A tight turn from a stop means there isn’t much road to turn onto so the arc of the turn is constrained. In order to navigate this tight turn, I need to turn the wheel to full lock, lean the motorcycle in the direction of the turn, counterbalance with my opposite foot applying pressure on the outside peg, and go. My first few attempts were very successful even though I forgot to load the opposite foot peg. I judged my success on whether I stayed within two feet of the parking space line I was using as my marker. After my successful tries, I had several that didn’t go so well; I kept straightening the wheel too soon. So that just means more to work on.

While I didn’t get to see too many butterflies on this ride, I did get a lovely surprise. Bill led us into a small parking lot beside one of the churches to another tight U-turn. We had a bit of traffic to wait through to turn back onto the main road. As we waited, I saw some rustling in the ligustrum bushes across the street, a large rustling caused by what I thought might be a crow. But instead, an upset kestrel flew out and right past me. Seeing that kestrel made up for the missing butterflies. But I do hope to see many butterflies during next week’s ride.

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International Female Ride Day 2023

It so happened that today’s ride fell on the 17^th International Female Ride Day, and I did my part to show women enjoying motorcycles and riding. It didn’t hurt that it was a gorgeous spring day for riding.

I was also celebrating my second year as a rider. Two years ago, on May 1 and 2, I rode my first ever motorcycle, a Kawasaki Eliminator 250 small cruiser, as part of the MSF course. Soon after, we purchased the BMW G310 GS, and I was riding. A few months later, we got the BMW R Nine T Urban GS for Bill to ride. Eighteen months later, that became my motorcycle as Bill began riding the Triumph Rocket GS. In between the two BMWs, I rode a Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled Fasthouse, a bike made for cold weather riding.

On today’s ride I found myself wondering if my skills riding the dry clutch on the R Nine T would make me a better rider on the 310 or Scrambler. Or would I struggle relearning the friction zones of those motorcycles. I also wondered if I would feel as confident in my tight turning drills or would the two more top-heavy bikes give me problems. Oddly enough, I don’t feel concerned about transitioning to the R 1250 GS, and I believe that is because both the 1250 and the R Nine T have the boxer engines keeping the center of gravity lower.

These thoughts played through my head as I rode. The day was so beautiful it was sheer joy to be out riding. The roses are gorgeous, and I forgot to mention the colorful clematis I see including one bunch of deep purple, bright pink, and white. I also forgot to mention seeing my first magnolia blossoms last week with even more flowers open this week.

There were so many cabbage white butterflies flitting about, I lost count after ten. I did have one zoom across my path. I saw what I think was an American copper and for the first time one of the Sulphur butterflies; these are difficult to distinguish from the back of a motorcycle, but it was a yellow butterfly, so it fits several of the Sulphur family.

Today’s ride also marked us scaring some young goslings, the first I’ve seen this year, as they hurried across a yard with their dutiful parents. In a shady glen by a pond, I saw two large white geese hanging out with some of their Canadian cousins. And again I zoomed past a mating pair of ducks grazing too close to the side of the road.

As for my skills’ practice, I continued to work on my no look turns which are getting easier. I also worked on smooth, synchronized take-offs from stops, meaning I left the stop at the same time as Bill. But I also found myself waiting a beat longer at a few stops so I could ensure that I’m checking for clear roads and not just relying on Bill’s vision.

The neighborhood road construction gave us a new challenge. There was an actual one-foot down ditch in the road that could have been a nasty jolt if entered unprepared. I enjoyed the little bit of off-roading and look forward to my third year of riding.

Happy IFRD!

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A Short but Eventful Ride

Why does it seem that weekly weather patterns are such that the bright, sunny days are all during the week, and the rain comes for the weekend? We’ve had rain forecasted for Friday and Saturday for the past two weekends and have rain forecasted for next Saturday as well. Our luck has held, and we’ve been able to work in a ride, though today’s ride was shortened by falling rain.

Despite two summery days of temperatures in the mid-80s, by Saturday more winter-like weather had returned with highs supposedly In the low 50s but with the strong northeast wind, staying in the low to mid-40s. I returned to wearing my Rev’It Factor 4 Trousers with my lined leather jacket for warmth. I was excited for today’s ride as the R Nine T would hit the 1000-mile mark (and beyond), at least I was hoping it would if we could ride. As I walked down the driveway to the motorcycle, I saw small rain drops on the gas tank and looked over at Bill. We decided to head out and see if these were just random sprinkles and, for a while, they were.

I realized we were racing against the impending rain, but even with that realization, I was not prepared for how fast Bill took off from the first stop. Now his Triumph Rocket has much greater torque than the R Nine T (221 ft. lbs. compared to 85 ft. lbs.), but he hasn’t really laid it down until this ride. I let him take off and stayed in my comfort zone as I accelerated out of that first stop and several more on the ride. One mistake Bill has warned me about repeatedly is trying to keep up when riding with others. The more experienced rider should keep the pace at what the less experienced rider is comfortable with. Usually, Bill does this, but I think he had the urgency of the coming rain adding impetus to his throttle. I stayed true to my riding skills and let him head off. Since we are riding through neighborhoods, he isn’t going to go too fast, and there are enough stops for me to catch up. And I knew he would check his mirrors for me and realize I was lagging.

I did have time to appreciate the lushness of the greens now more evident as the leaves on the trees open and fill in. The gray skies gave a muted beauty to the dogwoods and azaleas, the whites, pinks, and purples of their flowers beautifully contrasted against the lush greenery. I was lucky enough to spot a bright pink peony bush with gorgeous large flowers in bloom, but I didn’t see any butterflies.

I hit the 1000-mile mark at the end of the long road, and we stopped and took a picture of the odometer. I’m only responsible for 300 of those miles but, had I continued riding my 310 or the Scrambler, I would’ve made it to 1000 on my own. Soon after the photo op, I heard rain drops hitting my helmet. Because I could hear the drops, I realized that this was the beginning of harder rain, the rain we would have to stop riding for. So we started to head to the garage.

During our return ride, I almost crashed during a turn. Now I’ve discussed trail braking and how I’ve been working on this skill, and it was this skill and keeping my head that helped me avoid the crash. As I turn, I downshift and use engine braking as well as the brakes to help slow the motorcycle. Entering the left-handed turn, I realized I was turning with more speed than I wanted. In rapid succession my brain registered too much speed, the curb my fast turn was taking me on a collision course with, and the fact that the bike did not engine brake. I continued applying the front and rear brake with more pressure on the rear brake as I worked to straighten up the bike while I also glance down and saw that I had over shifted down into neutral instead of second gear. I believe I was able to recover the turn and control the too-fast motorcycle because of my trail braking practice and because I focused on correcting the motorcycle and did not focus on what had gone wrong. Instead of crashing the front tire into the curb and possibly flying off the motorcycle, I turned wide into the gutter but recovered and safely brought the R Nine T back to the garage.

Later after our ride as we debriefed, Bill said he had forgotten to mention mis-shifting in a turn. This was a lesson experience taught me, and this lesson reinforces just how important training basic skills is. More training means more riding, and I am very happy about that.

Raindrops on visor of white motorcycle helmet.

Patience Rewarded

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Late Friday the dreaded rain arrived continuing into the early hours of Saturday. So I slept in late hoping I would wake up to dry roads. They weren’t quite all the way dry, but they were well on there way, so that by the time we got going, we’d have ridable roads.

The clouds were hanging around with the sun making glimpses. As I started out on my ride, I thought I may have made a bad choice in wearing the Rev’It Ignition 3 leather pants with tights. My core was warm, but my legs were chilly, almost chilly enough for me to miss the Ducati. But as I rode, the sun made its breakthrough and brought the warmth I needed for a comfortable ride.

I did much better on this day’s ride. Most of my stops were spot on; I just had one kerfuffle where as I released the clutch from the stop I rolled a little too aggressively on the throttle and shot back for a moment on the bike. After that I paid better attention to my glove against the throttle to make sure I wasn’t “sticking.”

I haven’t mentioned the footless stops in a while, so I wanted to give an update. I enjoy footless stops more on an old-fashioned motorcycle with an analog dial because I can watch the needle hover over the 0 even if it’s only for a fraction of a second. So I have managed a few footless stops based on this criteria. Now Bill, riding the Rocket with its digital dial, has only gotten it down to 1 on his footless stops. I think both of us aren’t quite comfortable with the large lurch to one side the motorcycles might take as they teeter out of balance. Quite often when we watch Zack Courts on The Daily Rider he flops to one side or the other as he reaches 0 on his stops. What’s the point of footless stops? Well for me they teach me about the balance on the motorcycle. I also think it’s a fun challenge. But Bill and I only practice footless stops at Yield signs; we make full stops at the real deal red octagons.

We saw quite a number of young kids out with their mothers enjoying the sunshine. Kids are fun because the boys especially are fascinated by the motorcycles, and they are fun to wave to. We also encountered a lot of cars in unusual places. The little winding road that is only one and a half car-widths wide was especially busy. We had to navigate around 4 cars where we normally don’t encounter any.

But we are almost officially into spring, so more and more people will be out and about. The geese are almost back in full force, so the goslings should be appearing in a few weeks. More azaleas are blooming and more trees are flowering. The cherry blossoms, my particular favorite, are nearing peak blossom possibly as soon as next week. And I saw more tulips. I was careful this ride to make sure I had my neck tube over my mouth and nose to keep the pollen out. I do enjoy seeing the vivid greens of the growing grass; we ran into several early birds mowing their lawns already. I believe it is better to let the early spring grass grow long and get established. I hold this belief in part because it allows me to enjoy riding my motorcycle on a beautiful spring day and not feel guilty for not doing my own yard work. Not that I do feel guilty; riding is fantastic for relieving my stress and placing me in a wonderful mood.

Cherry blossoms against the sun and blue sky

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Pre-Load Ride

As evident in the picture of the motorcycles, we had a bright, sunny Saturday for our ride. The temperatures were a little on the chilly side, a high of 48 with a cold north wind, but the rain was going to wait until Sunday. With my heated grips, I was able to wear my new Klim Adventure GTX short gloves. And because I was able to wear these smaller gloves, I was able to ride with the front brake pre-loaded for nearly the entire ride.

As mentioned in earlier blog entries, pre-load means to have a one or two fingers on the front brake lever, pulling in the slack of the brake. I’ve been using pre-load as I work on my trail braking in curves and corners, but pre-load is an important safe riding skill. There’s a YouTube vlogger, a retired NY motorcycle policeman, who refers to his supporters as “Preloaders” (Be the Boss of Your Motorcycle). So what makes pre-loading so important?

One dangerous motorcycle crash is called a “high side.” This crash involves the rider being launched over the top of the handlebars. Slamming on the front brake suddenly is a leading cause of high sides as the motorcycle may stop, but there is no front brake on the acceleration of the rider’s body, so that keeps going.

Now when leaning into a corner and suddenly slamming on the front brake, the rider may have a “low side” crash. This crash occurs when the rider applies the front brake while in the leaned position and the front tire loses traction causing the rider to fall sideways off the bike, on the low side. My trail braking practice is to prevent a sudden stoppage on the front tire which would cause the loss of traction.

So the purpose of pre-loading the front brake is to prevent a sudden loss of traction in the front tire because it allows me to gradually increase the braking pressure. How so? Well with the slack already pulled in on the brake, any pressure I apply to the front brake lever is activating the brake, so I don’t have to yank in the brake.

I have tried to ride pre-loaded on all of my motorcycles, but it is only on the BMW R Nine T that I have been successful. My grip must be stronger now too as I was able to ride in the pre-load position for almost the entire ride without my hand hurting. My only discomfort came again from the new winter pants, though it wasn’t as bad as last week. The motorcycle fought me a little with the gear shifting. When we were ready to set off, it wouldn’t drop into first. I let the clutch out and back in and was able to shift into first. But later when we were in the hospital lot, I couldn’t shift into neutral. Bill had to come over and manipulate the shifter. While there, he took a quick spin on the R Nine T and marveled at how small the 1200 cc motorcycle is compared to his 2500 cc Triumph Rocket.

I worked on trail braking, stops, pre-loads, and U-turns. When we did our in-street U-turn, Bill rode off onto the berm. He later explained that he wanted to practice the sensation of going off-road so that should he be forced off, it won’t be a weird experience. So I will add that to my practice next week.

I was happy to be able to ride in the gravel lot again; the lack of rain made that possible. I’m almost ready to try my turn around inside the wooden borders. As I worked in the hospital lot, I marveled at how well-balanced the R Nine T is. I need to be careful not to get too comfortable with this balance and forget that I can drop the bike.

We were lucky with little traffic as we rode, but there were a lot of people out and about enjoying the sunny day. We did see lots of dogs, even three new ones who came out to bark at us. Only one squirrel made a crazy dash across the road in front of Bill, but far enough away he didn’t have to stop. I found myself missing the nature sights on the ride. I’ll have to get used to it as spring is still quite a ways away. There is one yard that has Valentine’s Day decorations out, so I try and make the most out of that. Of course, I can always enjoy the sight of Bill riding on his beautiful Rocket.

2023 Triumph Rocket GT and 2022 BMW R Nine T Urban GS

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Riding While Hungry

Our ride was late today, after 1:30. In part we delayed a bit waiting for the day to get as warm as it could. But we also ran a few errands beforehand. By the time we mounted the bikes and headed out for our ride, my stomach was rumbling louder than my motorcycle.

One reason for the delay was our stop at CycleGear. I asked for some kind of insulated pant to wear for my winter rides, and we were hoping the Rev’It style Bill found online would be available at CycleGear for a try on. No such luck; in fact we couldn’t find any Rev’It gear in the store.

However, the trip was still beneficial. Our route to our next stop was roundabout, but it allowed us to scope a future riding route. In particular we wanted to see if the new Lesner Bridge had a large grate. The bridge only has two small expansion grates, so less chance of slippage. This route would be my first out into real traffic, so we are being careful in our approach.

After delivering some Christmas cards to a friend, we finally headed over to my parents’ garage to ride. The sun was mostly out with a chilly wind blowing. I had prepared by wearing my fleece lounge pants under my riding jeans. I also had on a wool blended thermal, so I was comfortably warm on the bike. I again had a struggle to shift into first, but I may have found a solution as later in the ride I had another struggle for first. Instead of playing the clutch in and out and shifting as I do, I simply let the clutch all the way out slowly then pulled back in before shifting. That worked on the second struggle, so I will experiment next ride to see if it is the solution.

Once I caught up to Bill, we headed onto our twisty road. I was better able to use trail braking on the twists. It may simply be a matter of training my grip to become comfortable with the preload position. I also took breaks to let my hand rest, and these breaks allowed me to work on the preload throughout my ride.

I was able to focus on some training objectives, but I wasn’t able to really enjoy the Christmas decorations as my mind was on my rumbling tummy. Usually on our ride days, I eat a slice of peanut butter toast and that holds me through the ride until we head home for our delicious brunch of blueberry French toast. But since we didn’t head straight over for our ride, my PB toast had to keep me full longer, and it was not up to the task. At several points during the ride, I had to refocus away from my hunger. At one turn, I came in too fast but, because I had been working on preloading the brakes, I was able to slow my speed and straighten the motorcycle, preventing me from going too wide.

That wider than I wanted turn shook most of my thoughts of food out, and I was better able to focus on my ride. I didn’t have any full locks on my turn practice, but I had fun doing some first gear turns without the friction zone. On my other motorcycles with the more typical wet clutches, I have to keep feathering the clutch in the slow speed practices or the bike will stall. With the dry clutch much like a manual transmission car, once it’s running in first, it will stay running in first. I like this as it allows me to rest my left hand which tires more easily on the R Nine T’s clutch.

Since the R Nine T only has an analog dial showing speed, I have no idea how long we are out on our ride. It was probably only an hour or so as we didn’t ride through all of our usual route. Even so, next week I’ll hope we don’t have any errands to run. Next week my thoughts will be on the cold—the high for Saturday is supposed to only reach 33 degrees—yikes! I’ll find out just how good my heated grips really are.

French toast with berries — Photo by ZNu2019s Food&NatureArt on Pexels.com

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Making Lemonade

Crackle and crunch went the leaves underfoot as we loaded up the car to head out for our ride. With temps in the low 60s, the day promised to be a perfect fall ride.

The ride was delayed but for an excellent reason. Bill wanted to install my brand new LeoVince LV10 carbon fiber slip on exhaust. That’s the lemonade making; last week’s drop gave Bill the idea to go ahead and replace the scratched up stock exhaust (the lemons) with the delicious sounding LeoVince (you can hear what the exhaust sounds like here: https://youtu.be/BndvfPF-Nl0). Now my Ducati Scrambler rumbles and grumbles with a deep-throated roar.

The install took 15-20 minutes, so we were soon heading out. I rode the whole time with a smile on my face enjoying the engine roar even while I acknowledged that I would need to wear ear plugs on future rides. The best sound was when I downshifted; at those times, the exhaust popped and rumbled wonderfully.

I did make one mistake with this ride. I forgot to wear my motorcycle socks. My motorcycle socks are knee high and would have kept my lower legs warm from the wind chill shooting up my jeans’ cuffs. It was chilly enough to make me close my helmet vent and keep my visor down. I was also able to enjoy the slow speed maneuvers as the engine heat warmed up my chilly shins. One such drill was to turn the motorcycle to full lock and dab the feet while completing a circle. I was able to complete two full circles and was a little full of myself. After the ride when we were doing our ride reviews, Bill pointed out that in that exercise, I was supposed to be looking in the opposite direction. Oh well. Something to practice next week.

When I was practicing on the R Nine T, Bill took out the Ducati to enjoy the new exhaust himself. While on the R Nine T, I did have one stall, but I recovered quickly. The city had some digging flags out that I was able to use as cones for slalom practice. I was having such a good ride on the R Nine T, I half-hoped Bill would want to ride the Ducati home so I could stay on the BMW. No luck, but I did tell Bill I feel ready to ride the R Nine T on some pavement.

The roar of the exhaust helped to move along some Canadian geese who were determined to cross the road in front of us. After Bill’s turn on the Ducati, he said we would order the baffle to help mute the sound some. I managed to spot an Atlantis Fritillary butterfly, but there are more Halloween decorations out than butterflies now.

One aspect of this week’s ride with the new exhaust was the realization that just like that, I was having fun on the Ducati again. No doubt the cooler temperatures help but, after last week’s drop, I was questioning my choice in motorcycles. The new exhaust took about ten pounds of weight off the bike, and the deep roar gave me a new sense of fun and adventure on the Scrambler. Next weekend promises the same lovely weather; with the right socks, I’ll be all set to really enjoy my ride.

LeoVince LV10 carbon fiber exhaust. — The LeoVince exhaust on my Ducati Scrambler.

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Keeping Cool

How do I ride a hot motorcycle in July on a 95+ degrees day? And how do I do it wearing three layers of safety gear? By following some simple strategies to keep cool.

For one thing it’s all about the zippers. The way to keep cool is air flow, letting the wind cool me down. So I don’t zip my Alpinestars armored shirt but halfway, and I do the same with my Klim jacket. By keeping the zippers lowered, more air reaches to my core. We tend to think of the core temperature in the cold, but it also works in the heat. Enough air flows through the gear to keep me cool while the motorcycle is moving.

With my helmet I open the air vents, built in to allow for air flow, and I only shut the visor part way. The downside to this is pollen and leaf bits can fly into my eyes. Today in fact a bug pinged off my cheek. But I don’t mind as it does cool me down.

A final cooling strategy is to get out early before the full heat of the day, which we did. Despite our early start, the sun was already burning down. My Mom gave us a fan to put in the garage to help the air circulate as we geared up.

Now many riders can be seen out in short sleeves and some even ride in their shorts. Yes, they are way more comfortable on a hot day, but they are also way less protected. As Motojitsu said, “Better to sweat than bleed.” So our gear is more important than our discomfort.

And I did get uncomfortable. As we cruised the roads, I was fine, but I didn’t do the straightening up from a curve to stop. This drill is towards the end of our ride, so I was really feeling the heat by then. I kept riding in S-turns just to keep moving.

Today’s ride brought a new experience. Last week we brought the gas cans but forgot to fill them up. Today we forgot the cans entirely, distracted by the construction crews arriving on our street. My fuel light has been on for three weeks. When I checked the range on the remaining fuel, the bike told me thirteen miles. Of course, the computer is trying to figure out the range based on how I’m riding. Since I go back and forth between cruising at 25 mph to slow speed (6-9 mph) maneuvering, the gauge got confused. It quickly dropped to 8 miles left where it stayed for a good 10 minutes. Then it quickly dropped down to 4 miles left. At that point, I signaled Bill as we were stopped. He led us from the gravel lot to another church lot to work on S-turns before we headed down the road to the gas station.

We pumped 2.5 gallons in each bike which enabled us to extend our ride as I no longer had to fret about running out of gas and having to push a 400+ pound bike home in the heat. I did much better on my stops, remembering to check the mirrors on almost all of them. The curves were great, but I didn’t enjoy them fully as I was worried about running out of gas. I added swerving the bike with my legs as in an emergency, the arms and legs may be needed to get out of the way. My turns went very well too. I figured out that if I turned the wheel in the direction of the turn (from the stop), and looked in the opposite direction as I first began moving then quickly brought my head around, I was able to make tighter turns without sacrificing my traffic check.

I did get to ride the R Nine T. Bill asked me what kind of day I would have since I didn’t get to ride last week. Last week should’ve been an “on” week making this week an “off” one. As I set off, it looked to be an “on” day after all. I got the bike moving with no stall and drove down the field. On my way back, I remembered I was supposed to stop and restart to practice with the dry clutch. Now I started to have the “off” day. I stalled on most of the stops, but I avoided getting frustrated. Instead, I tried to focus on the feel between the clutch and the throttle. Because it is a dry clutch, it acts like the clutch in a manual transmission car. So I stretched my memory back to driving manual transmissions, and it seemed to me I let up on the clutch some before giving it the gas. I tried this method with the R Nine T and began to see some improvement. This week I’ll look for tips on riding motorcycles with dry clutches, though it really is about the feel on the bike itself.

The bright sun highlighted the crepe myrtles, brown-eyed susans, vincas, and the begonias which have all benefited from the good rain we’ve had lately. I even saw some blooms still on some magnolias. No butterflies about though there were some dragonflies lazily zipping about in the heat. I found it ironic to note a whole gaggle of Canadian geese scampering about in someone’s yard. These birds are flying south for the winter even as we are deep into the heat of summer.

As for keeping cool, when we peeled ourselves out of our safety gear (Bill had to help me out of the Alpinestars shirt as the sleeves were stuck), we compared our large sweat spots on our t-shirts. Bill’s taken to bringing a spare shirt to change into; after this week, I’ll start doing the same. Though looking ahead, next Saturday’s highs are only in the 80s–yay!

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Solo Ride

Last week’s ride was more motorcycling badassery. We were lawbreakers, unintentionally but, as Thomas Jefferson said, “Ignorance of the law is no excuse in any country.” So this week I rode alone to keep us on the right side of “Johnny Law.”

I’m having fun, but we did inadvertently break the law last week. Our beautiful riding Saturday this week came to an abrupt end when, as I was moving around the R Nine T so Bill could check the oil level, I spotted the annual safety inspection sticker—5/22. The state inspection was past due which meant no riding until we get it inspected for this year. The oversight came because we got the R Nine T last June and the registration renews in June, so we thought the safety inspection would be June too. However, our beautiful bike had sat in the dealership for a month before our purchase. Had we bought both BMW bikes at the same time, we’d have been better aware of our deadlines.

We left my parent’s house with the thought that riding was out for this weekend. But by a happy twist of fate, Bill left his glasses in my folks’ garage and didn’t realize it until we had arrived home. This slight mishap led to a new plan for me to ride solo on Sunday as we had to go back over and get the glasses anyway. I offered to let Bill cruise first, but he chose to let me have all the riding fun.

The late morning was hot and humid and wit the Ducati I sit on top of part of the motor, so it was uncomfortably warm when stopped or doing slow-speed maneuvers. I chose to do long stretches of cruising to maximize the cool air washing over me. I didn’t speed, but I did ride down several roads to their end just to stretch out the cooling sensation.

Because this was a solo ride, I mostly was able to work on my rider awareness. I always try and work on awareness of the road and other drivers, but riding behind Bill makes it easy to rely on his awareness a little too much. Everything went well, though I noted a lot of people roll through stops. I did have to watch out for one car’s wacko turn around, but otherwise traffic was light. I avoided the church parking lots as church was still in session and there were cars in the lots. I did get to practice in the gravel lot and had one slip that almost caused me to put my left foot down. I look forward to riding the R Nine T on the gravel and feeling how it handles.

I did take the time to practice my standing and stopping and surprised myself by how well that went. But the hospital lot was out for straightening and stopping drills as that lot doubles as overflow parking for the church across the road. I didn’t mind much, though, as I got overly warm doing my drills.

It seems it was too hot and humid for both the butterflies and the dragonflies as I didn’t see either during my ride. That or I was paying closer attention to the road and missed seeing them. I did see some critters though. A small rabbit leapt across a driveway as I roared into a court. And I spotted an osprey delivering building materials for a nest. I had the most fun when I entered our quiet little viewing court and saw a small Eastern Box Turtle making his lethargic way across the court. He stopped as I rode into the court and kept an eye on me as I circled around. I stopped to get a picture of him as he resumed his slow trudge, enjoying the fact that a motorcycle makes it easier to stop on the side of the road and take nature photos.

I headed home in perfect time as large, dark clouds rolled in. I was able to finish up my ride and get home before the storm hit. Next weekend marks the start of my summer vacation and I’m looking forward to the new riding adventures that await!

Eastern Box Turtle crossing the viewing court.

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The Butterflies Are Back!

Yep, half a dozen cabbage white butterflies flitting about, including a pair either fighting or hooking up who zoomed about like a golden snitch from Harry Potter, accentuated our ride on this gorgeous spring day. While tomorrow is the official start to spring, today was a huge head start, with even a hint of summer as the temperatures rose toward the 80s. We wore our summer gear, the Klim jackets and gloves; I had to adjust to the feel of the much lighter weight gloves on both the throttle and the clutch. I found myself rolling on the throttle unintentionally and, when I stopped to think about it, I realized I was moving my hand as though I was in the larger, heavier Rev’It gloves. In the Klim gloves, this meant my hand was closer to and on the throttle whereas in the Rev’It gloves, I would still need to close my grip further. But I did adjust and enjoyed the solid feel of the grips.

Just a quarter mile into our ride and the first butterfly fluttered by in front of me and I knew we were in for a super fun ride. Even as we started on our usual route, I knew we were in for a treat. For one thing despite the gorgeous day, there were not too many cars out on our route. As we left one neighborhood and entered the ritzier one, I saw the second butterfly. Perhaps it was the thought of flying, but seeing that little white guy made me realize that I hadn’t attached my Helite vest to the connector on the bike. I pulled over and remedied this, easily shifting into neutral, while Bill began looping around in the court. By the time he noticed I had pulled over, I was shifting back into first and joining him in the loops. We had been making circles in the courts, but today Bill led us into S-turns, and I somehow felt the little bit extra was more of the fun of the day. I also enjoyed the bigger challenge of finessing the friction zone as we weaved around the court.

As we left that court, I saw another butterfly, but then I thought it might be the same little guy having made some progress. Need I admit it was a day for lots of silly smiles? We continued our route, pulling into the court where a house is under construction. I noticed two ospreys battling for territory (or mates) up in the sky. Then I noticed one of the construction workers leaning his head out as he walked out from behind his work vehicle to watch Bill ride away on the gorgeous BMW R Nine T Urban GS—it is a very good-looking motorcycle.

We stretched our ride out, heading into the other ritzy neighborhood, and discovering another house under construction. Bill then took me up a road that leads to the busy main thoroughfare. He pulled into a deserted parking lot and led me up to the closed office building where there was a large window out front or, in our case, a large mirror. It was yet more fun to see the two of us geared up and on our bikes together.

What a glorious riding day this was, a perfect distraction, and more finessing with the clutch. I hope today is a harbinger of more good riding days to come and of the butterflies to come.

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Trying to Get a Grip

Today was a beautiful day for the mental escape riding a motorcycle provides. Sunshine and fifties for our temps with gusty wind that didn’t affect our ride. We headed out for our neighborhood cruise, and I found myself cracking my helmet visor as I had overdone the clothes and was actually a bit warm. I had on my Rev’It Taurus GTX gloves for the colder temperatures, and I spent a good part of the ride analyzing the feel, grip, and comfort of these top-of-the-line gloves.
Because these gloves are insulated for warmth and have Goretex for weather protection, the fit is bulky. I have to push down between the fingers when I put them on to tighten the fit, but even then, there is a lot of fabric between me and the throttle. This is my fifth ride wearing these gloves, so they are new and naturally stiff. Today I wondered if I could wear the gloves around the house to try and loosen them up some as I do with my boots. I’m not sure, but it is worth a try.
I have established, after getting to wear my Klim summer gloves last week, that the gloves do affect my pull on the clutch and brake and my roll on with the throttle. In fact I had several excessive roll ons due to the gloves, so I have to work on getting a better feel on my right hand between the glove and throttle. I had no difficulty shifting with my left, perhaps because these thicker gloves cause me to pull harder on the clutch.
Where the gloves shine is the warmth they provide. Today was only slightly chilly, but I’ve worn the gloves while riding on 30-degree days with no chill to my fingers. I look forward to discovering whether with more use the gloves do loosen up and flex better; I certainly hope so.
As for our ride, every court we entered we circled three times, and I worked on watching over my shoulder for any potential cars. Last week Bill pointed out that as we enter a court to turn around, a car might be entering behind us but heading straight into a driveway, not realizing that we are circling. So I worked on checking my mirrors and checking over my shoulder during all of the circles.
We did S turns on the gravel parking lot, and I had two heart pumping moments when I felt the back tire slip. One day I’ll train using that slippage to help bring the bike around (backing in), but that will have to wait until we are on a softer surface than even the gravel. We did some more S turns in the hospital overflow parking. I was being cocky and doing tighter turns than Bill, so I had to dab my foot as I did too tight a turn.
Other than crows and a few gulls, I only saw one sole Canadian goose. Seeing that, and someone in the neighborhood flying a Canadian flag, brought my escaping thoughts to the terrible events happening in Ottawa today. I don’t want to be political, but I do want to say I support the Freedom Truckers. Motorcycle riding is freedom in motion; I’m glad I get weekly reminders of what it means to be free.

All Geared Out

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July 4^th weekend and we had a day that started in the 60s! For those of you who know coastal Virginia summers, July is known for hazy, hot, and humid, not beautiful, spring-like weather. But thanks to a lovely cold front, we had a gorgeous day for riding. Which was a good thing as it was my first ride wearing our new Klim gear.

I say “our” gear as opposed to mine as we weren’t sure of the sizing, so my boyfriend ordered for himself with me being the back up if the sizes ran small. He got the Klim K Fifty 1 jeans, the Klim Induction gloves, the Gaerne SG12 Enduro boots, and the Klim Induction Pro jacket. He liked the jeans, gloves, and boots which all fit well. And the jacket was nice but a little snug. So I tried on the jacket which just happens to match my bike (the jacket is the Cool Gray color). Because of the cool front, there was some wind creating my coolest ride yet. I actually needed the jacket for some warmth. The air was so cool I rode with my helmet visor down for the first time as well.

As far as the ride itself, it was a little on the short side as we needed to get the bike back and parked by 11:00. I worked on cruising, slaloming, quick stopping, straightening up from a curve, and stopping in a curve. We used the KamelKones again for some slow speed slaloming most of which I stayed in second gear for. One new thing I worked on was a tip I heard in one of Fortnine’s videos we watched this week. The tip was when stopping, in order to help ensure the left leg goes down first, tilt your head to the left.

I worked with this strategy on several sections of the parking lot that slope down to the right and where I have found myself at best putting both feet down simultaneously, but more often setting my right foot down first. I was successful 5 out of 6 tries, and the one unsuccessful try was both feet going down. It amazes me how a seemingly innocuous movement of the head can help with correct body position. But that is one of the fascinating aspects of training on a motorcycle—learning how subtle body movements influence your movement, control, and balance on the motorcycle. It makes me appreciate what a skill riding a motorcycle is, and it helps me understand why my boyfriend is so insistent on my practicing. Today, I realized how much more comfortable I am on my bike, how tight turning is a skill to continue improving, not the nightmare of the MSF test that I thought could fail me. So I realize I need to be careful of hubris, of feeling overly confident on the bike. I have not fallen yet, and I hope I don’t until I’m off-roading (and even then, I really don’t want to fall; I just accept it as an inevitability).

But even knowing there’s an inevitable fall in my future does nothing to diminish the exuberant joy riding brings me. And as I gather more safety equipment for riding, my concern in that looming fall becomes more and more about possible damage to the bike and less and less about possible damage to me.

Author wearing motorcycle helmet and gray Klim jacket. — Wearing my new Klim jacket.

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.

Chilly Cheeks Ride

No, not those cheeks! But it does make a great hook. We had a chilly 43-degree day for our ride in bright sunshine, and I layered up. I made sure to close the vents in my helmet and to add the lining to my leather pants. I was pleased, also, that I was finally able to wear the Klim thermal sweater Bill gave me for Christmas four years ago over the Alpinestar’s safety jacket. That’s a concrete sign I’ve slimmed down.

One of the benefits of this pullover sweater is that it has a zipper at the top and a collar, so I could add an extra layer of neck protection. But I forgot to bring my thermal neck tube, so I had nothing to warm my cheeks from the cold air entering at the bottom of my helmet. The chill on my cheeks, however, was not enough to ruin my fun ride.

As we headed out, I glanced up in hopes of spotting an eagle, but no raptors were in sight. Nor was I going to see any butterflies in the colder air. But the squirrels were lively, and we had two cross our paths during the ride.

I was wearing my Klim medium-weight gloves with the heated grips on. However, I was also pre-loading the front brake, which meant my index and middle fingers were not on the grip and got quite cold. I focused during the ride on being careful with the throttle. These thicker gloves tend to block my feel some, so I will accidentally roll on the throttle. I had a few roll-ons as I was braking, but I did control the throttle better.

My U-turns were better this week than last week. I only brushed the edge of the grass on the berm as I did the first on-street U-turn. And my two-parking spot turn in the gravel lot was going great until I spotted a thick branch right at my exit point and had to go wider to avoid it. I missed that branch even thought I rode around the lot first to check for obstacles, which shows me that even when I think I’m aware, I need to be extra aware.

I did get to enjoy Christmas decorations as many people took advantage of the Thanksgiving holiday time off to decorate. I even spotted some people out hanging their lights. I will enjoy these decorations for the next four weeks, but I also know I will feel a little sad when I see the decorations taken down right after Christmas. Someone once explained to me that their family undecorates right after Christmas because they have the time off. But I look for those that hold onto the twelve days of Christmas and keep their décor through to the Epiphany. I will see a few people do this on my upcoming holiday rides.

bright yellow leaves on a tulip poplar tree — Tulip poplar in autumn

Three Eagles Ride

I was going to call this blog What a Difference a Day Makes as today’s weather was opposite Saturday’s dreary, warm rain. Today was cool and sunny, with hardly a cloud in the sky. But then I spotted the first eagle circling in the clear blue, and the ride became more about the sights.

I layered exactly right for the 60-degree day, but I forgot to close the vents in my helmet. It wasn’t cold, but I did have cool air blowing across my head. I realized, however, that I might not want to prematurely close the vents; we could still get some warm riding days. On today’s ride the bright sunshine almost became an issue. Luckily, we headed out early enough in the day before the sun hit that direct-into-the-eye angle.

I was enjoying the beautiful foliage still vibrant though many trees are bare. The beautiful elm tree from last week still had its leaves, but they had faded into a paper bag brown. The Japanese maples that have their leaves are a stunning deep red, and I saw enough color to remind me it’s still autumn and not quite winter. The smell of pine needles struck me as I went wide on the on-street U-turn having entered the turn too quickly. I improved on the second turn, and I did great on the gravel turns later.

I spotted the first bald eagle as we passed the neighborhood water tower. At first I had thought it was another buzzard, but then I noticed the white tail feathers and, as the raptor swung about, the tell-tale white head. I pointed upward in hopes Bill would look into his rearview mirror and then up. Instead, I was able to tell him on our stop.

After I spotted the eagle, we headed into a turn. I saw the front end of the Rocket slip and Bill pulled over and parked. I parked alongside him and watched as he walked back to the corner. He rooted around in the leaves along the roadside, and then he came back and showed me three chunks of asphalt that had been lurking under the leaves. It was a reminder that the leaves on the roadway can hide dangers. But it did give me the chance to mention the eagle to Bill. We rode into the cul-de-sac and when we came out and were stopped at a stop sign, Bill took the moment to remind me of the one time he dropped the R Nine T was at this stop. After he made the reminder and started to head off, I called after him because the eagle had made a reappearance. It was, however, soaring up in the thermals and difficult for Bill to spot. But he eventually did spot it.

I also spotted a cabbage white butterfly toward the end of our ride. It came darting out of a clump of yellow mums to make sure I got a look. The other two eagles were over the river, and I saw them as I was loading my gear back into the car. They were circling around each other and soaring higher and higher as they headed down the river. So a beautiful day with a beautiful ride was capped off with another beautiful sighting of bald eagles. I’m hoping for some more sightings on next week’s ride; I certainly will be thankful!

Getting Back to the Gravel

It was a day for motorcycles. I spotted almost ten motorcycles of various models as we headed over for our own ride, and I spotted even more on the way home. Tuesday, Veterans Day, had given us a taste of the coming winter, and I think motorcycle riders wanted to grab the great riding weather while they could. The skies were cloudy but no rain was forecasted, and the temperatures were in the upper 60s.

The sun did peak out every now and then as we rode, conveniently as I snapped a photo of one of my favorite autumn trees (see picture). But it was cloudy enough I didn’t wear my sunglasses under my tinted visor. The gray light softened the autumn colors and would’ve made for a peaceful, calm ride, except we had a quick stop not even a half mile into our ride when a cat darted in front of the Rocket’s front tire. That cat kept one of its lives thanks to Bill’s quick reaction.

The squirrels, for the most part, kept themselves in the yards except near the end of our ride when one felt extra daring. Again, it’s a good thing we practice fast stops and swerves. I spotted one tiny cabbage white butterfly determinedly working its way across road. I remarked last year that it seems the cabbage whites are the first and last butterflies of the season.

We headed into the gravel lot to give me more practice, and I felt more comfortable and confident. The small slips of the rear tire were not as nerve-racking as last week, and I even tried my U-turn inside the two parking spots. I had a large smile on my face as gave Bill the thumbs up to signal an end to my gravel practice. I’m glad I get the opportunity to put the 50/50 tires on a surface other than the asphalt. (50/50 tires are half for road and half for off-road.)

As we headed back to the garage, I glanced out over the water and spotted several egrets sitting atop the pylons on a pier. I realize that as we ease into winter, the wildlife views will become even sparser, but then maybe there will be less fast-stop drama too!

shades of gold on tree leaves — Elm tree with golden leaves

Happy Fall Y’All!

After a tough week at work, I was eager to ride, and I was given a gorgeous day of partly cloudy skies and 70 degrees. I was back in the Klim jacket, and I enjoyed a cool and comfortable therapeutic ride.

The squirrels were a little less squirrelly today; they crossed the roads in progressive leaps well out in front of us. I had fun creating wakes in the leaves along the roadway, and the autumn colors are nearing peak, so the sun was glinting of gorgeous burgundies, greens, golds, and umbers. Next week may actually be peak colors, though some of the Japanese maples are already there.

We did encounter three golf carts out on the roads during our ride, and Mr. Recumbent Bicycle was out again, but this ride he had the sense to have someone in front on a regular bike to help with visibility. I’m not sure what’s going on with the golf carts. There are plenty of neighborhood sidewalks for walking, and the day was perfect for taking a stroll. But when I thought about it, aren’t the golf carters doing what Bill and I are but in their own fashion? Aren’t they out riding in the elements, enjoying the feel of the cool air blowing across them, the lack of barriers between them and nature? So while the carts’ puttering speeds are a little annoying, I didn’t mind them so much. I recognized them as fellow riders of a sort.

Of course in a golf cart one can’t do cool U-turns with a lean or feel the slosh of the rear tire riding on gravel. I went in the gravel lot and have noticed a loss of confidence on that surface. I mentioned that to Bill after our ride, and he suggested we include the gravel lot more often. I still managed some tight U-turns on the gravel, but I didn’t try the two parking spots because there were some large branches down and the gravel was obstacle enough.

The only butterfly I spotted was a little cabbage white darting over the fence as I put on my riding boots. We have some mid-40 degree days forecasted for the upcoming week, so my butterfly spotting is just about over for this year. But that just makes me look forward to my upcoming rides.

Squirrelly Ride

It felt so good to be back on the R Nine T after missing last weekend. And the weather gave us a perfect day for the ride—sunny skies and highs of 62. I broke out my leather jacket without the lining and leather pants and had a super enjoyable albeit squirrelly ride.

Traffic was the main squirrelly part; there were cars everywhere. No one did anything to cause alarm but we had a few slow-movers that caused us to check up. It didn’t help that I was checking out my odometer because I was approaching 2500 miles and I wanted to snap a picture.

I spotted one intrepid cabbage white fluttering across the road in front of us. But he was the only one. I spotted a few vultures up in the blue sky, but the squirrels were the dominant fauna I spotted on my ride. They are mostly at work collecting food for the winter, but we had to watch for them in the roadway. One extremely lucky fellow benefited from our quick stopping practice; I am still wondering how he escaped Bill’s front tire. The reason the squirrel darted brazenly in front of the Rocket was because he was in a dispute with another squirrel, and the other squirrel chased him into the roadway. From my perspective that guy was roadkill. But then I spotted him to the left of the Rocket’s front tire, less than an inch away. We stayed stopped until the squirrel finished crossing the road.

I had a squirrelly incident early in my ride. I hit a dip in the road and my left foot depressed the shifter down a gear. At my speed, the engine braking didn’t disrupt my ride too much, but it gave me something to think about when out on the highway to be aware of how a bump can cause unintentional actions.

We encountered more squirrels as we looped around for the finish of the ride, including a confident fellow who ambled across the road assured we would stop for him—which of course we did. We also encountered a squirrelly individual riding a recumbent bicycle. He did have a tall flag attached to his bike, but he was low to the ground and riding in a very shady part of the road, weaving between both lanes. He did have a flashing headlight, but it is low to the ground and wasn’t very brightly lit. It made me realize that my motorcycle headlight—a safety feature—is probably not as bright as I think.

As we head deeper into autumn and closer to winter, the squirrellyness will settle down. The leaves are more colorful but not yet at peak; I will be out next Saturday to enjoy the fall colors.

odometer of motorcycle showing 2500 miles

Making the Most of Today’s Ride

We’ve been blessed with some fantastic weather this fall. Today was another perfect day for motorcycle riding—sunny skies and 72 degrees. We were eager to get started despite noting lots of extra parked cars around perhaps gathered to watch a big game.

I really appreciate how much stronger my legs feel in controlling the nearly 500 pounds of the motorcycle especially on the steep camber of the road. But I’m wondering if it wasn’t just mental. I was struggling against the weight of the motorcycle, trying to come up with braking tricks to help me control it on street cambers. When I discussed my tricks with Bill, he told me I needed to have the strength to control the motorcycle with my legs. And it seems just like that I was controlling my bike with my legs.

I wasn’t lifting heavier at the gym, so I hadn’t made strength gains. So I do think it was a mental issue. I thought the R Nine T was heavy, so it was heavy. I thought I need to control the R Nine T with my legs, and now I can control the weight with my legs. It is both a great feeling of strength but also a reassuring feeling of control over the motorcycle. And controlling the motorcycle with my legs is extra important now that it is autumn and the leaves are clumping onto the roads. We had one stop where I noted the leaves pasted against the asphalt and was careful to make sure of my footing as I braked.

It was a wonderful ride. My on-street U-turn left a yard of pavement free on the side. And my footless stop was spot on. I did manage to spot a monarch butterfly that I first thought was a falling leaf as it was just drifting before opening and flapping her wings. Another monarch may have been warming herself on the roadway until the Rocket zoomed by and disturbed him.

I also spotted two cabbage whites—both as we unloaded our gear at the garage and at home. I had to make the most of today’s ride because I will be out of town next week with no opportunity to ride. Bill will get his ride in as the Rocket is due for inspection, but I will have to wait two weeks before I can get the R Nine T to 2500 miles—1800 of those miles ridden by me.

black and orange monarch butterfly on green plant with small flowers with lake behind — Photo by Chris F on Pexels.com

Riding a Retro

Every motorcycle is not built equally. Motorcycles, like automobiles, fit into various categories that appeal to what kind of riding the motorcyclist wants to do or how the rider wants to look upon a motorcycle. They also can appeal to a rider aesthetically as in the case of the R Nine T for Bill. The R Nine T is a retro motorcycle, designed to look more like an old-fashioned motorcycle than a modern one. Sometimes, though, the retro motorcycles go a little too far in channeling the past.

I have mentioned before that the R Nine T lacks a fuel gauge on its one clock. Luckily for me, I ride it alongside Bill on the Triumph Rocket which is a bit of a gas guzzler but as a modern cruiser motorcycle, has a gas gauge. We learned before today’s ride that the R Nine T also does not have a low-oil warning light reminding us of the earliest days of motorcycle riding.

On some instinct Bill wanted to check the oil in my bike. This involved laying on the garage floor to check the little oil level window. According to the little window, there was no oil. We had a half a quart of motorcycle oil left from the last oil fill up, so Bill added that into the right cylinder head hoping the oil level would at least register. When he checked, we discovered that there was plenty of oil, so Bill deduced that the oil level indicated empty when it was getting low but not low enough to blow out the engine.

Now we’re left with the question as to why BMW would leave off an oil-warning light. The motorcycle is not completely old-fashioned. I have ABS (anti-lock brake system), traction control, ride modes, a digital odometer, and cruise control. Why are these features included but not safety measures such as a low oil warning light and a gas gauge? I do wonder what the engineers were thinking. Motorcycles mostly appeal to young men who are not the most conscientious riders. But then I remembered the MSF course.

During the book-learning portion of the MSF course, we reviewed “T-CLOCS.” T-CLOCS stands for: T—tires and wheels, C—controls, L—lights and engine, O—oil and other fluids, C—chassis, and S—stands. Back in that classroom, I was brand new to motorcycles, so much of T-CLOCS went in and out of my ears. And I suppose owners of more modern designed motorcycles can rely on the features of that bike to do most of T-CLOCS for them. But in owning a retro motorcycle, I realize now how important T-CLOCS is. And I also understand that while I’ve been slack, Bill hasn’t. Bill has owned motorcycles for a long time, so he learned to ride when the only way to check everything was by checking everything. His first Harley-Davidson didn’t even have turn indicators.

Speaking of turn indicators, one quirky design of the R Nine T is that the turn signals are self-cancelling whereas on most other motorcycles, including the 310 and Scrambler I’ve owned, the rider has to cancel the signals. Again BMW engineers-why that feature and not a low-oil warning light? At least we solved the mystery of how to check the oil and, luckily, there was plenty to allow me to ride and to keep me riding in this lovely, cool autumn weather.

black and yellow motorcycle parked on fallen leaves — My lovely retro R Nine T.