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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.

Suicidal Butterflies?

As we set out for our motorcycle ride on this warm but not too hot day, I had a goal in mind—work on scanning my environment for potential hazards and pathways of avoidance. During the week, Bill and I watched some YouTube videos on motorcycle safety. One was on what the Japanese version of the MSF teaches, and one was from a British instructor for their version of the MSF. I discovered I have a lot of work ahead.

One of the aspects of riding safety I have not been paying careful attention to is hidden roadway obstacles. For example when I approach an intersection, I know to scan for oncoming traffic, seek an escape route should I need to swerve, and slow down slightly. What I had not been thinking about is the road itself. Is the road smooth? Gravelly? Bumpy? What might be on the road that would cause me to lose control, even briefly, of my steering or braking. It was quite enlightening, and I worked on adding a scan of the road’s surface to my usual scans.

Also during the week, I had watched a YouTube video “What Motorcycling Really Does to Your Brain (Tokyo University Study)” which explained the neuroscientific benefits of riding motorcycles including the brain development and cognitive skills riding builds and maintains. I’ve explained how my motorcycle rides help me deal with stress, and there are studies showing a reduction in cortisol levels from riding and endorphin release, but I didn’t realize it would help keep my brain sharper as I age. I’ve been out having fun while I ride. But I am constantly figuring things out during the ride—where is the road smoother, obstacle free, hiding a potential crash. I also develop my brain while working on my slow-speed drills such as U-turns and fast stops.

And I gain the endorphin benefit of spending time in nature. In addition to the scent of honeysuckle, ligustrum, and magnolia blooms, I love that constant scanning allows me to also enjoy natural sights. I spotted the first cabbage white butterfly several miles into our ride. But the suicidal cabbage white was the fifth one I spotted during the ride. The first cabbage white went fluttering across Bill’s path, and so did the fifth. However, I watched Bill swerve sharply to the left and then flick his left hand in the air as the sixth cabbage white approached his motorcycle. After the ride, he explained that the butterfly was trying its best to collide with Bill’s right mirror. Luckily, Bill’s riding skills kept number five alive.

Traffic was odd during the ride because of neighborhood yard sales. But one benefit to a bad driver backing out of their driveway into our path was the sudden stop gave me a second look at the low-tide river and allowed me to spot the well-camouflaged great blue heron. I also spotted a bedraggled-looking osprey overhead perhaps just waking up for breakfast. We had gone out earlier for our ride in part due to the warmer temperatures but also to avoid the crazy traffic around my neighborhood for the nearby festival.

We have some summer weather heading our way this week complete with the daily chance of thunderstorms. But hopefully we’ll have a sunny day for next week’s ride, and the butterflies will have worked out their issues and just flutter pleasantly by.

white butterfly — Photo by Tu00f4n Thanh Chiu1ebfn on Pexels.com

Sixth Year Start But a Collision!

A day made for riding dawned, and we headed over to the garage with fingers crossed that the easy fix to the R Nine T’s rear brake would work. A short rain shower earlier in the morning left a few curb side puddles, but the bright sunshine dried the roads, so it was clearly a day for motorcycle riding.

The easy fix for the R Nine T was to bleed the brakes. So I left Bill to do the work while I visited with my Mom for Mother’s Day. Everything seemed to be going smoothly as I checked in on Bill’s progress. After about twenty minutes, I went out to help with clean up as Bill said the brake fluid was obviously corrupted (see image). Usually, brake fluid is golden in color, but water must have leaked in when we washed the motorcycles and, a week later, changed the color of the fluid.

Bill sat in the saddle and rolled the bike giving the rear brake a test—the bike jolted to a stop. The rear brake was back. I took a turn and felt the drag on the rear tire as the brake engaged. The R Nine T cooperated, let itself get fixed, and we were off to ride on this beautiful day.

We had finally gotten some much needed rain during the week and the plants and cabbage white butterflies were very happy. As we prepared to leave, the little garage cabbage white fluttered between us, blessing our return to riding and the beginning of my sixth year. The honeysuckle is blooming, and I soon caught a delicious whiff from the blossoms. The ligustrum is also flowering and sending out its fresh scent. I even managed to smell the magnolia blooms now opening before the acrid odor of burning wood took over.

I spotted twelve cabbage white butterflies throughout our ride, and I saw a family of Canadian geese—the parents with four little goslings. We just cruised on this ride, so I spent time checking my rear brake when I could. I had a weird moment when we came to a stop and my left foot had to reach further for the ground than I thought. The only reason I could come up with was I may have had the motorcycle leaning a bit to the right because it wasn’t a stop I hadn’t made hundreds of times before.

Other than that little blip, I had a great ride until the collision. As we turned onto the last loop before heading back to the garage, I spotted cabbage white number nine. It fluttered suddenly on my left and continued forward into my path. He flew right in front of my visor, and I tried to lean my head back, but I heard the “plink” as the little guy made impact. I didn’t see a butterfly dropping to the street, and I didn’t have any butterfly parts stuck to my helmet, so I think he survived the encounter. I sure hope so; next week I’ll keep a sharper eye out for him and his fellow butterflies.

plastic bottle with hose and dark liquid at the bottom with crumpled paper towels to the right

Not a Happy Anniversary

Five years and two days ago, I sat on my first ever motorcycle, an old Kawasaki Eliminator cruiser, and began my motorcycle journey. This weekend I was looking forward to an anniversary ride on Sunday since Saturday dawned gray and misty. Instead, in doing a seemingly good deed, I broke the R Nine T.

If you own a motorcycle, I recommend searching for hidden problems with the bike. On the BMW R Nine T the hidden problem is known as the disappearing rear brake. A full depression of the rear brake pedal and nothing happens, no caliper engagement. And why? That was perhaps the greatest mystery. The motorcycle has less than 3,000 miles on it, is kept in a garage, and isn’t ridden very hard. Yet on this gorgeous sunny, breezy Sunday, my motorcycle mysteriously broke.

The disappeared rear brake was discovered while Bill was bringing the bikes down the driveway. The Triumph waited patiently by the curb for my BMW to ride. The little garage cabbage white admired the Rocket from across the street. But my bike never made it to the curb. We tried adding brake fluid, but it was a no go, so no ride. And after the week I had at work, I really needed a relaxing ride full of butterflies (I’d spotted a bunch on the drive over).

Instead, we returned both bikes to the garage, packed up the gear, and headed home to do some research. That’s where we learned about the disappearing rear brake. What was really annoying was one of the potential causes of the disappearance was getting the ABS mechanism wet. Guess what we did on that dreary Saturday? Right, we washed and waxed the motorcycles. One would think the dealership would warn new owners that washing their motorcycle might damage one of the most important features of the motorcycle, but no.

Now the problem could be air in the brake line, so we’ll try bleeding the line first before trying to set up service. I really am screwed if the R Nine T does need service; the dealer’s service center doesn’t have any appointments open until September!

So I end this blog post with a cliffhanger—will the R Nine T rear brake get fixed? Will it need service months away? Will I get to ride next weekend? Will there be a sixth anniversary? Stay tuned!

soap bubble on front tire of motorcycle — Happy bubble on a happy motorcycle

Did You Miss Us?

Overhead as we unloaded our riding gear, we spotted three ospreys and an eagle soaring high in the thermals and probably fighting over territory. It was a spectacular sight. The garage cabbage white fluttered by followed by a young tiger swallowtail enjoying the warm day, and it gave me hope of some butterfly spottings as we rode.

We again lucked out with the weather. Some much needed rain had fallen the night before but had dried on the roads by the time we headed out on our motorcycles. We have been in quite a dry spell, and the rain-refreshed irises, roses, peonies, rhododendrons, azaleas, and buttercups clearly brought the butterflies back. All in all I spotted twenty butterflies during the ride, mostly cabbage whites, but beautiful sights on a beautiful day.

With the temperature at 80 degrees, I kept my jackets partially unzipped to let in the cool air. A mile into our ride, I spotted the first two cabbage whites flittering among the buttercups. I did make three mistakes at the first three stops, forgetting to check my rearview mirrors. That realization helped me refocus, and I did my mirror check at all remaining stops. But it did rattle me to realize my focus was perhaps too much on the butterflies and not enough on my skills.

Once I refocused on my riding skills, I let the butterfly spotting be my secondary focus. I made sure to check directions at all intersections and check my mirrors at all stops. I also remembered not to look at the berm during my on street U-turns, and they were both plenty of road. Most of my U-turns were pretty tight, but I did mess up and have to dab my left foot in the gravel lot parking spaces.

Most of my ride went well. I waved to a lot of people who had waved to us first. And I kept spotting butterflies everywhere. Mostly I saw cabbage whites including one that fluttered right across my path as I finished up my fast stop figure eights. During the ride I also spotted what I believe was a juvenile black swallowtail and what may have been an American copper. They zoomed across my line of sight, so I didn’t get the best look at the wings.

I was happier with this ride because the butterflies were back. We’re expecting a lot of rain during a much cooler week. Hopefully, it will dry up by next Saturday for my ride and give me a cool day for riding. Next week is pretty special for me as it will be my fifth anniversary of motorcycle riding—five years of fun.

white butterfly on blue flowers — Photo by thorl5 on Pexels.com

Birds of Prey

As I approached my BMW R Nine T motorcycle for the day’s ride, I watched as an osprey coasted overhead. Osprey are also known as seahawks, and they return each year to the same nesting grounds. Since Bill had already told me our ride wouldn’t have much in the way of slow-speed drills due to the warm air—85 degrees, I looked up at the osprey and thought about how cruising on my motorcycle perhaps feels like soaring aloft in the skies.

My mind was a bit out of proper focus as we headed out. I missed my mirrors on not just the first but also the second stop. I had let my mind wander to the realization that in just a few weeks, I will be celebrating five years as a motorcyclist. And while I loved that realization, having it while out riding and not paying proper attention signaled to me that I still have plenty to learn.

Two miles in to the ride, I spotted the one and only cabbage white butterfly of the ride. It is still early into spring, and I’m hoping the now blooming roses will be a bigger attraction for them. The azaleas aren’t as attractive, but now the clematis are blooming as well as the irises, so there should be enough nectar to lure out more butterflies. I did spot several tiny flutterers among the clover and dandelions in my front yard, but I was a little disappointed not to see more butterflies as we rode.

We did, however, get to see the spectacular sight of a red shouldered hawk zooming down in pursuit of prey. I think our motorcycles startled the raptor mid-zoom because as we came up the road, he zoomed in front, pivoted to give us a full view of his wingspan, and then plopped a little ungracefully either on the ground or on its prey. I never saw the prey, for which I am glad. But I did see a magnificent bird of prey hunting up close which I am thrilled.

While we mostly zoomed about in our ride, we did execute the on-street U-turns. I had an epiphany during my first turn; because I am trying not to go onto the berm during the on-street turn, I focus too much on the berm. I’m not target focused on the berm, but I tend to cut my eyes toward it which interrupts the focus of the U-turn and widens it. So now that I’m aware of what I’ve been doing, I can work more on fixing it.

I also only got to do one sudden stop toward the end of the ride. But I did focus on using engine braking to help stop the bike, so I did get some skill practice.

At the end of our ride, as I was packing up my gear, I spotted another osprey. It might have been the same one, but I thought it was different because it was circling over a different section of the river. The end of the ride also brought out the little cabbage white butterfly that hovers around the garage. As he fluttered by, I smiled and thought I can’t wait for next week’s ride.

red shouldered hawk perched on tree branch — Photo by Jesus Ontiveros on Pexels.com

Sudden Stops on a Spectacular Spring Ride

Spring returned in full force for today’s ride with a beautiful sunny day right around 70 degrees and with a full-frontal assault by the pollen. I wore my neck tube up over my mouth and nose to help alleviate my allergies, and that action was mostly successful, so I could enjoy the day without sneezing all afternoon.

The azaleas are reaching peak bloom, the roses are beginning to bloom, and I even saw large pink-white peonies blossoming. I spotted two monarch butterflies out enjoying the day probably as much as I was. The Japanese maples were a spectacular red as they reflected the sunlight off their leaves, and the roads were covered in the maple seed pod “helicopters.” We called them “helicopters” as kids because we would pick them up and throw them in the air to let them spin their way to the ground. I even picked up a few as I loaded the gear after the ride to relive my childhood fun.

My motorcycle ride was wonderful. My on-street U-turns were all street with my second one being super tight. Turning my head a little more has really helped tighten my U-turns; I just need to work on reaching and being comfortable at full lock. We also did the zooming figure eights with the race braking, but there was a trailer parked in the lot and it cramped my turns.

My most successful aspect of the ride was finally being able to use engine braking to aid my sudden stops. Engine braking is when I let the downshift of the engine help to slow the motorcycle. What I have to do is let out the clutch as I downshift while braking sharply. It’s a coordination effort on my part. Out of three attempts, I was successful on two. The first stop with the engine braking was within two parking spots. The second one was a goof. And the third was the best; I stopped within a parking spot and a half. It’s always fun to make a leap in skills, and I look forward to working the stops some more next week.

burgundy leaves in sunlight on a Japanese maples

Taste of Summer Ride

Hard to believe that last week I was riding in my leather and thermal jackets with the heated grips on. For today’s ride, I kept zippers open and my visor partway up to maximize air flow. The wind shifted this week and came up from the south; the fun of Virginia’s mercurial weather patterns. But for a motorcyclist, 83 degrees is a lovely day for a ride. There was a cool breeze and clouds moving, evidence of the cold front heading our way.

With the sunny skies, I expected to see lots of butterflies, but no such luck. My garage cabbage white was fluttering across some lawns before we headed out, but during the ride I didn’t see any. I did see a number of ducks, including one drake hovering on the berm of the road who got an encouraging boost from Bill to fly across the road instead of meandering into the oncoming car’s path.

Instead, I enjoyed the fully blooming dogwoods and the azaleas beginning to burst. I love the contrast of the white dogwood flowers against the burgundy leaves of a Japanese maple. Most of the dogwoods are the white flowering kind, though I did spot a few pink flowers. I also enjoyed the bursting Sakura cherry trees with their heavy pink blossoms. And I spotted some irises opening up alongside the tulips.

Even while I enjoyed the springtime beauty, I remembered to work on my riding skills. After forgetting to check my mirrors at the very first stop, I diligently remembered to check my mirrors for the rest. We mostly cruised along to keep cool, but my U-turns were tight, and we did get a chance to work on the fast braking U-turns.

One of the many fun aspects of riding a motorcycle is watching the boys’ reactions to the bikes. We passed several groups of boys out walking, riding, or playing, and they all followed our motorcycles with their eyes as we rode by. Sometimes, one of them will wave and I, as the designated waver, will wave back or toot my horn. But there is something magical and intriguing about the roar of an engine and beauty of the mechanics. I know I fell in love with motorcycles because they intrigued me. How did they work? What did it feel like to be out exposed in the air while zooming along. Luckily for me, I’ve had the opportunity to find out, and I can’t wait to enjoy the magic on next week’s ride.

pink cherry blossoms, green leaves, white clouds, and blue sky

Springtime Treats Ride

We’ve officially entered spring and happy motorcyclists are popping up everywhere. Riders who winterize their motorcycles have dusted them off, fueled them up, and are in the saddle again. We saw a group of six (or more) young people out on their sports bikes as well as too many Harley riders to count. The day was perfect for motorcycles; sunny skies and temperatures hovering around 70 degrees. At that temperature, as long as one isn’t sitting at traffic lights, the ride is quite comfortable with enough breeze generated to keep riders comfortable.

But motorcyclists like myself weren’t the only creatures out to enjoy the day. Before we headed out, I saw an osprey circling high above the river. A mile into our ride I spotted a young bald eagle diving toward the river. A few blocks later, I spotted a young cabbage white butterfly thrilled at the blooming trees and flowers, including the first bright red tulips of the spring. And yes, my little cabbage white garage friend was hanging around as we unloaded the gear.

The cherry blossoms are on full display, and I spotted white budding on the dogwoods. The azaleas will be blooming soon, and the pollen will thicken the air. I also spotted the first Canadian tiger swallowtail making its way across the road, promising more varied butterfly spotting on future rides.

Before we set out on the ride, Bill challenged me to work on turning my head even farther during a U-turn than usual and to focus on the lean out as the motorcycle turns around. By doing this, my two on-street U-turns were beautiful—a foot of tarmac between my tire and the berm. But it was a challenge, and I struggled on the gravel and had to dab on one of my turns. Even so, I managed two turns inside the two parking spaces.

I also remembered to check my rearview mirrors more through the ride, my own personal challenge. Next week my goal is to check my rearview mirror before all stops, something I should be doing but have gotten lazy about. Bill’s head turn challenge was also to make sure we aren’t getting lazy as our skills improve. As we finished our ride, our last springtime treat was a squirrel playing chicken with the Rocket. He only won because Bill came to a stop and beeped him off the road. A funny end to what was a beautiful ride—hooray for spring!

Yoshino cherry tree in full bloom with pinkish white flowers against a blue sky

Just a Ride Yet So Much More

Happy Pi Day! In honor of the occasion, I made some circles on my motorcycle. I also drew some figure eights, several Us, and lots of straight and wavy lines. Despite winter’s revenge on Thursday where the temperature fell over 30 degrees in a six-hour span, Pi day was a beautiful day for riding motorcycles.

My little buddy greeted me as I unloaded my gear. The little cabbage white butterfly came straight across the neighbor’s yard and passed right in front of me, excited for me I suppose that I would be riding my motorcycle. He even stopped by before I headed out to wish me a great ride.

And it was a great ride. I only spotted one other cabbage white two miles into the ride, but after the weather we had on Thursday, I was happy to see any still fluttering around. I also saw several Harley riders out and about, though I didn’t spot the one behind us that Bill said was trying to catch up to our bikes. Harleys are built for cruising not speed, so he never could catch up.

Last week’s blooming sugar magnolia fell victim to the violent weather shift, but other trees began blooming to replace it. Several pear trees were in bloom as were some early Yoshino cherry trees. I hope we are done with winter and the worst of the wind so we can enjoy the blossoms for several weeks. I also hope winter is finished because springtime rides are about the best there are.

Despite the thickening pollen in the air, the spring gives us warm but not hot riding weather, and it gives me plenty of natural beauty to enjoy. The greener grass is growing, and the trees are budding as they prepare to open. And I take all of this natural beauty in while riding through it. I suppose feeling the air on my skin and the taste of pollen on the back of my throat makes me feel closer to the landscape than I would in a car. Yet all of this enjoyment can’t be at the expense of my attention to the road and what’s going on around me. Maybe the joy comes from the super awareness one has when riding a motorcycle, everything is keener and therefore more beautiful. And I look forward to a deeper understanding on next week’s ride.

Triple Whites

If you’re out on the road, I’m sure you’ve noticed an uptick in motorcycles out and about. Riders who winterize their motorcycles leap at the chance to get them out of storage and ride. Luckily for me, I’m a year-round rider, so I don’t have a withdrawal period. But I still love a beautiful day made for motorcycles which is what we were given this week.

The day before the weather surprised us with a wind shift that brought colder air in, but it didn’t last. We had a gorgeous day in the mid-70s and everywhere there were signs of spring taking over from winter. As we headed over for the ride, I spotted a small, brownish pink butterfly determinedly fluttering up the road. It was too far for me to guess the species, but it made me smile and confirmed a hope I had that as early as it was, the butterflies would be out.

Sure enough, half a mile into our ride, as I was watching a large Muscovy duck waddle across the road, the first cabbage white butterfly fluttered up on my right. Another mile up the road, as I looked to the left at a stop sign, I spotted another cabbage white in a frenzy of flutters. The camellias and daffodils are attractive, but additionally, the plum trees and sugar magnolias are beginning to bloom, giving the butterflies more options.

As we rode, we saw loads of people out walking, running, working in the yard, and playing because it was too beautiful of a day not to get out and enjoy it. And it was a restorative ride for me. I could feel joy spreading through me, chasing away the winter blahs. That joy translated into my ride. My on-street U-turns, while not the tightest, were both all pavement. My rear tire did slip a bit during the fast stop into turns drills, but I didn’t panic or dab; I just registered that my speed was sufficient to cause the backend to slip. I even successfully did the full U-turn inside the two parking spots on the gravel lot.

At some point during the ride, I registered that I was smiling. That feeling, that body-infusing joy one feels while cruising on two-wheels, that is what makes motorcycle riding so addictive—in a good way. I wonder if there is a study on the happiness of motorcycle riders and if, on average, we are generally happier than average folks.

The title of this week’s piece, Triple Whites, is a play on a popular BMW R1250/1300 GS color scheme—Triple Black. My triple whites are the cabbage white butterflies, and the third cabbage white made me happiest. As I rode my motorcycle up the driveway, across the yard the little guy fluttered toward me as if welcoming me home. I hope he’s the same butterfly that hung around last year, and I certainly hope I get to see him again during next week’s ride.