A beautiful fall day with no ride. After last week’s ride, I woke up Sunday feeling miserable. My sinus infection had returned, and the week was a struggle with coughing and congestion. Midway through the week, Bill caught the bug, so by Saturday, we weren’t in a condition to handle motorcycles.
We did visit the bikes so Bill could patch the hole in the Rocket’s rear tire. Patching a hole in a tire involves inserting a rubber tube with adhesive that fills the hole and expands to prevent air leakage. There’s an interesting tool, like a giant sewing needle, that is threaded with the rubber and inserted into the hole. Then a piece comes down to release the rubber and allow for the tool to be retracted. With the Thanksgiving holiday coming, we’ll be able to check if the patch is working before we try to ride on Saturday.
A benefit of the repair kit is that it comes with 20 plugs, so we’ll be OK against nail punctures for some time. At the very least, the plug holds enough that Bill will be able to ride the Rocket to the dealership for a proper tire repair. But I’m hopeful the patch holds enough we’ll get to ride for which I will be quite grateful.
Veterans Day was cool and cloudy, so I brought out the leather. It was cool enough to make riding in the leather jacket and pants comfortable. Even Bill wore his leather jacket. But we didn’t get to ride together. Instead, we took turns cruising on the R Nine T.
Toward the end of last week’s ride, Bill picked up a nail in his rear tire. The tire was down to 3.5 psi from 42. This was incredibly frustrating because the nail made the Rocket unrideable. It seemed as though I would have to ride solo, and Bill wouldn’t get to ride at all. But circumstances worked a little bit in our favor.
When we arrived at my parents’ house, my mom’s car wasn’t there. I thought she was out, but she was home. Her car was getting serviced. While we were dealing with the frustration and disappointment in the garage, my mom came to tell me the service shop called, and her car was ready. That offered the best solution we could hope for that day. While I took my mom to get her car, Bill could ride the R Nine T, and I would ride when I got back.
I had a bit of a wait once I returned to the house, but I didn’t mind. I knew Bill needed the fun of riding the R Nine T to help lift his mood. He was much happier after his ride, and I took off looking forward to my turn.
It was later in the day than we usually ride, so I stuck mostly to cruising and left off the slow speed maneuvers. I did ride into the pool parking lot since the rope was down which is where I took the lovely autumn picture. I worked on my awareness as I wasn’t following especially paying attention to the squirrels—only one crazy enough to run around in front of me. I brought my ride to an end as I noticed the cars beginning to turn on their headlights. With the end of daylight savings and our delayed start, it was approaching dusk.
While I was out having my riding fun, Bill was working on the flat tire. He managed to lift the nail up enough to remove it and plug the hole. So with some repair work, we’ll be able to ride together again next weekend.
I love how the yellow leaves match the yellow on the bike.
A sunny day in the mid-60s is about as perfect a day for a ride as we can get. Soon after leaving the house, we spotted a Little Yellow Sulfur butterfly which I almost mistook for a yellow leaf. We had a morning in the low 30s, so I was happy to see some butterflies still about. During the ride, I spotted four more Cabbage White butterflies still soaking up the autumn sunshine.
The squirrels were also busy dashing across Bill’s path five times during the ride. It was a great day for stashing acorns, and the furry critters kept me focused on a gorgeous day where it would have been easy to let my mind wander.
I did muse on how wonderful riding motorcycles is. As I weaved along the curvy road, I was marveling at how lucky I am to be able to head out and ride on a lovely Saturday afternoon. I also spent some time thinking about how beneficial motorcycle riding is. It is a perfect way to leave the stresses of the week behind and lose oneself in the moment.
Along the curvy road, I had hoped the bald eagle would be up, but no luck. However, half a mile away, Bill pointed up to the sky. I looked upward but my view was blocked by the visor on my helmet. So Bill pulled over to ask me if I saw the bald eagle. I told him, “No, my visor blocked it,” then looked up as the bald eagle soared into my line of vision. I continued my ride with a huge grin.
My motorcycle knowledge is improving. We were approaching the yield sign where we try to get to a footless stop; a footless stop is where the speedometer reads 0 and my feet stay on the pegs. I was watching my speedometer get to 0 when peripherally, I noticed the Rocket lurch forward then stop. Bill had stalled on his footless attempt. It is one of the advantages of the R Nine T and the dry clutch that I feel it is easier to catch the bike before the engine stalls.
Another advantage of the boxer engine is the balance it gives to the motorcycle. My turns are tightening up because I trust the bike’s balance. As I rode in the gravel lot, it felt like my rear tire was spinning a bit underneath me, but I was smiling and enjoying the sensation, not fearful of falling. This confident feeling makes me want to get the R1300 GS another boxer engine. I can’t wait to ride that in the gravel lot.
But I will have to wait. The 1300s won’t hit these shores until early 2024. I do have a birthday in January, so perhaps I can get a spectacular birthday gift. Not that I mind continuing on the R Nine T, but I think I’ll be happier on the GS.
Considering how much threat of rain we’ve had on the past several Saturdays, it was wonderful to wake up to bright sunshine and not a cloud in the sky. The temperatures were on the high side—upper 70s when we rode and heading north to the mid-80s for the day. But I had no complaints.
I missed the 310 today. While I appreciate the power and handling on the R Nine T very much, I had an acute awareness of the uncomfortable pressure on my wrists. On the 310 I am riding sitting straight up with no weight forward on my wrists. The R Nine T riding position has me leaning a little bit forward which creates pressure on my wrists and causes my right hand to become numb during the ride.
I noticed this slight lean forward position when I sat on the BMW R1250 R. I don’t like it and would never be able to cruise for any distance on the R Nine T. I also should stay away from sports bikes. If you’ve ever seen a MotoGP race, they ride sports bikes, sometimes on the street referred to as “crotch rockets.” That riding position involves being hunched down over the gas tank, leaning forward with even more pressure on the wrists. I note this discomfort because it means the R Nine T isn’t my dream bike. The BMW R1250 GSA I test rode a while ago has a similar upright riding position to the 310. I’m hoping the new 1300 is the same because I really do like that bike and could see that as my dream bike.
But even riding on a not-dream bike was wonderful on this beautiful day. The dry air made the leaves on the road crisp and they fluttered in our riding wake making me smile. The leaf colors are about half changed over, and I noted the contrast of the russets, yellows, and burgundies against the bright green of newly seeded lawns.
The squirrels were out busily collecting and squirreling away nuts for the winter. We had several road encounters including one oblivious squirrel sitting in the road as the Rocket bore down on him. He finally woke up when the looming shadow of the large front tire hit him and decided to ruminate in someone’s yard.
The yards also had a lot more Halloween decorations out including a towering, rather frightful white witch, and a cute little purple dragon. I did not expect to see many butterflies, but I was pleasantly surprised to see nine, including one who fluttered in blessing over top of our motorcycles before we rode. They were all Cabbage White butterflies, though on the drive home I did see what I think might have been a Columbine Duskywing butterfly.
Next week’s forecast is for cooler, more seasonal temperatures. Bill joked about getting up to ride early when the temperatures are in the 40s, but I don’t think that will happen. However, we are almost in November, so the cooler and colder rides are on their way which made today’s ride that much more precious.
Just a look at the different bikes and the different riding positions. Note how much farther back the R Nine T seat is from the 310 leading to the leaned forward riding position.
One thousand, two hundred and ninety-nine days ago I rode my first ever motorcycle. One thousand, two hundred and ninety-two days ago, we bought my first ever motorcycle, the 2021 BMW G310 GS in Polar Ice (white and gray). It was a wonderful little bike, absolutely perfect for getting a feel for riding a motorcycle and gaining confidence as a rider. I’m bittersweet about letting it go, but today we sold it, and I had my final ride on my first ever motorcycle.
It’s been an interesting selling experience with the 310. I had 53 interested buyers in it, but it took more than three months to sell it. Some of the selling issues may have been due to our methods—cash or cashier’s check from one bank, not much negotiation on the price, and the expectation that the buyer would arrange for any shipping. But I also think the bike was waiting for the right buyer. We sold it to a gentleman from North Carolina who wanted a beginner bike for his teenage daughter and wife, and he is familiar enough with BMW motorcycles and the 310 to know it was the perfect bike for learning.
Knowing we had a buyer has led me to reminisce about my experiences on the 310. I’ve written about those rides, so right now I’m going to focus on how different my beginner bike feels now that I’ve ridden the Ducati Scrambler, the BMW R1250 GSA, and the BMW R Nine T. For one thing there is no pickup on the 310. It accelerates so slow-smoothly that it wasn’t until I was on the Ducati that I experienced the sensation of being “thrown from the bike.” This feeling is when as you roll on the throttle, the acceleration is forceful enough that you feel yourself moved back on the seat as though to fly off the back. It’s a neat sensation—as long as you don’t actually fly off the bike!
I rode onto the curvy road and noted that the 310 doesn’t handle the curves anywhere near as effectively as the R Nine T. I did, however, have a super tight U-turn in the court without really trying. The poor 310 is so short in gears that just accelerating up to 25 mph necessitated shifting into fourth gear. Often with the R Nine T, I can ride along smoothly in second gear.
My one concern on this final ride was stalling the motorcycle. As I was learning, I often stalled the 310 trying to learn the friction zone. But despite my trepidation, I handled every acceleration from a stop smoothly. I came to recognize that I have truly outgrown the 310, my beginner motorcycle. And this realization made parting with the motorcycle a bit easier.
As Bill and the new owner were loading the 310 into the trailer, I noticed a bald eagle soaring overhead. I took this as a good omen on the sale. I chased after the eagle attempting to get a photo (my phone is too old to take a good picture), I saw a red-tailed hawk being harassed by a crow crossing paths with the eagle. The eagle coasted on the thermals farther and farther away much like the BMW G310 GS was leaving. It was a beautiful autumn day to let go of my beginner biker status and hope that it serves its new owners as good if not better than it served me.
Well the rain finally won. It was aided and abetted by a sinus infection that wiped me out for the week. The end result was no motorcycle ride which really depressed me.
Because I was ill, we didn’t go out and look at new motorcycles at any dealerships on this rainy Saturday. We did, however, check out videos on the brand new 2024 BMW R1300 GS, and I have to admit I’m surprised by how much I really like the look and features of this new version. I have begun to hope that Bill decides to sell the Rocket—a dream bike, but one that is not always reliable—and return to riding the R Nine T. That would mean I would have to return to riding the G310 GS which we have still not managed to sell despite all sorts of interest.
But I don’t think I would be riding my first motorcycle for long. I have advanced my skills as a rider in the two and a half years of riding, and I think Bill likes me riding a more sophisticated bike. So I will hold out some hope that instead of my dream R1250 GS, that one day I can upgrade to a beautiful green and gold R1300 GS—fingers crossed!
We headed out earlier for our ride, around 10:00, as the forecast called for chance of showers around 1:00. As we unloaded our gear, I remarked how it was the perfect day for a ride—sunshine and cool temperatures in the low 70s. But the beautiful morning for riding didn’t last.
By the time we mounted the motorcycles, the sun had disappeared. I didn’t think much of it as the rain was supposedly still hours away. We took off and I accelerated a little too quickly, feeling the torque pull the bike away from me and myself slide back on the seat. It’s a thrilling sensation but also a reminder of how much power the bike has.
I had seen several butterflies on the drive over—a pair of Sulphurs dancing (or fighting?), another lone Sulphur, and even a Black Swallowtail. As we rode, however, with the skies overcast, I figured I had seen all the butterflies I would. There were a bunch of Canadian geese about, and one squirrel making a dash in front of Bill on the Rocket before deciding better of it.
Several times during the ride, Bill took off leaving me in his dust. I was wondering about his speed when I realized we were on the 35-mph road and I was lollygagging at 25. As we headed toward the shady lot, I thought the skies looked dark enough for it to be dusk. Shortly thereafter, I heard the “plunk, plunk” of raindrops falling on my helmet. We were about two miles from the garage, and the rain came down fast and hard. So we inadvertently wound up riding in the rain which is something Bill had never thought to do.
When I got back into the garage, I couldn’t shift into neutral. I got off the bike and tried to shift with my hand, but the gears wouldn’t budge. I called on Bill to fix the situation, and he finally got the bike in neutral by shifting the gears without pulling in the clutch. It was an odd occurrence and I wondered if that’s what the service light was for. We are going to have to get both bikes in for service soon which will impact our weekend ride at some point.
Gray skies again hung over us for our Saturday ride. I lost track of time trying to figure out why my Mom’s phone was silent on incoming text messages. My Mom actually had to tell me to give up as she saw Bill all geared up and getting on his motorcycle. I threw on my gear and headed out to find my R Nine T parked alone at the bottom of the driveway. I waited a few minutes to see if Bill rode back by then took off. I met him riding back toward me a few seconds later, and we were off.
I didn’t expect to see any butterflies on the ride, and I didn’t, but I did see flowers still in bloom. Something about the milder summer and the generous rain has azaleas blooming again. I even saw a few day lilies flowering again. I smiled at the spring-like blooms even as more trees showed some yellowing on the leaves.
The ride was going well; I was focusing on my stops after seeing that poor stop last week. The stops have really smoothed out. My U-turns also went well; both on street turns were a foot inside the berm. And I was doing great in the gravel lot, more confident after practicing last week.
But then the ride went south, deep south. As I left the gravel lot and rode over to rejoin Bill, I heard the weird clicking sound of the Triumph’s engine not turning over. This stall during our ride was a first; it had happened before but while we were still in the garage. Bill checked the battery connections which were still tight, but I rode home to get the screwdriver and sandpaper just in case. Still no go and then the key fob light went red meaning the battery was dying (hard to believe as we had changed the battery a few months ago and have only used it 8-10 times since). So we needed a new battery.
Now I asked my Mom if she had the needed battery, but no luck. I needed to go to the store. So without real planning, I made my first ride through traffic. I had to go through one intersection at a light. I was careful and competent and had no cars around me as I traversed the intersection going and coming. I navigated the parking lot well with all my U-turn practice, but I bought the wrong batteries.
Bill had just recently replaced the battery in my car key fob, so we tried that in the Triumph’s fob. But the light stayed red. Eventually, Bill had the notion to reset the key fob. Since he had disconnected the battery earlier, he thought a reset on the fob might be in order. That finally worked, but it had taken over an hour, and our ride was ruined. I’m sorry to say but the Triumph Rocket has been more trouble than it’s worth. As Bill pointed out, 50 years ago, Triumph had a reputation for lousy electrical work, and in the ensuing years, they’ve done nothing to repair it.
We still have the BMW G 310; I suggested we put the Rocket on CycleTrader, and I go back to riding the 310 while Bill rides the R Nine T. I can make this offer rather easily as I’ve seen the new R1300 GS models from BMW, and I’ve fallen in love with the Option 719 edition. I’m not sure I could give up the R Nine T for anything less.
Technically, the roads were dry enough for a Saturday ride. But as Tropical Storm Ophelia passed over our area, the winds were still quite gusty, and the skies looked ready to open at any moment. So we waited until Sunday and were rewarded with a fantastic ride.
The skies still looked ready to open up on us, but we trusted the forecast which called only for cloudy skies and headed out. As I went to mount my bike, a tiny Fritillary butterfly stopped by to dance around the handlebars. Outside of the Cabbage White I saw as we drove over to my parents’ house, that little guy was the only butterfly I saw.
The storm knocked down a lot of branches and left a damp scent in the air. The greens were all dark, the flowers muted. I did spot a blooming clematis crawling up a mailbox. I keep expecting to see mums, but I haven’t yet. We had to change direction as we headed down the long road because power crews were working on the lines; another remnant from the storm.
I worked on my left turns as I was still not satisfied with my angle of approach. They got better toward the end of my ride. I had a warning light on the motorcycle; it’s due for another service at 1300 miles. Bill stopped because he heard a rattling noise every time he hit a bump. We later learned that the noise was coming from his helmet; he’ll have to figure that one out.
Today, Bill signaled for me to head over into the gravel lot of the historic house. I had fun working on my U-turns and just riding on the gravel. He sat and watched me practice, so on the drive home, I suggested he work in the church lot while I work in the gravel. But he said he enjoys watching me work the bike.
I had one mis-shift into neutral but caught it in time to correct. My on-street U-turns were a little wider than last week, but I realized I wasn’t focused. I’ve become a decent enough rider that earlier in the week, I spotted a rider with poor technique. He was coming to a stop. I noticed the bike jerk a little and the rider throw both legs out to put both feet down. The reason he had to throw both legs out was he was stopping with the front brake. By using the front brake, the rider needs to make sure the bike is straight on. Even so, the front brake causes the motorcycle to dive a bit in the front meaning the steering is not where one would expect. Having watched this poor stop, I consciously worked on my stops; rear brake, left foot out and down before adding the right foot. At one stop the bike lurched a bit to the right, but because I was using the rear brake to stop, I had control over the steering.
It was a ride of scents. In addition to the dampness left by the storm, we rode through someone grilling hamburgers outside, making my mouth water. We also rode into a new parking lot that had just been resurfaced, so the bitter tar smell overwhelmed me. We didn’t stay there long.
I miss seeing the butterflies, but as the weather keeps cooling, I’ll have to enjoy the more comfortable rides with less beauty to look at. I’m happy the storm left us Sunday for our ride; I even chose riding over watching the NFL. This choice was a good one as my team, the Washington Commanders, didn’t show up to play against Buffalo. As I told Bill, motorcycle riding always takes precedence over football; I have my priorities straight.
Last week as we neared my parents’ house, the skies opened up and drenched us. We finished the drive over on roads rapidly getting slick with the rainwater. It was quite depressing, and it kept us from riding. I still planned to write about the day, but I came to the realization that not riding put me in funk where writing about not riding was rubbing salt on the wound. As the days passed, guilt crept in over top of the funk, but since I had a week off from riding, I accepted a week off from writing too. But this week I was back in the saddle.
The weather gods were appeasing us for the rained out weekend; the day was spectacularly sunny and comfortable with temperatures in the upper 70s. Fully geared up, I was comfortable the whole ride, at least in my attire. Half a minute into the ride, I had an uncomfortable left turn where I had a momentary fear of falling as I leaned the bike over to tighten up my turn. I didn’t fall; I did realize I needed to analyze what I was doing wrong.
I had noticed over the past few rides that in my left turns I had to lean the bike over more to manage the turn. What I came to understand on today’s ride was that I am taking too wide an entry angle into my left turns, so I began working on beginning my left turns closer to the middle of the land I’m leaving. Now the reason I was too wide on my left turn entries was to avoid cars in the opposite lane. But that wide entry left me little room on my right for maneuvering. The bad entry is part of why I almost crashed that day I mis-shifted into neutral on my left turn. During today’s ride, I stayed near the center line of my exiting lane which kept me closer to the center line of my entry lane. This position left me with plenty of lane to my right for corrections. However, I was lucky there was no oncoming traffic as I practiced my left turns.
I had a great second street U-turn, clearly two feet away from the berm. But when we went into the library’s parking lot, I could only manage three spaces for my turns (two is considered primo). I do need to get more comfortable with full lock on U-turns. When I can manage that, then I might make the U-turn in two spaces.
I was surprised early in our ride by a Monarch butterfly—my first of this year. During the ride, I saw either one very busy other one, or two more. At one point we entered a cul de sac and I saw about ten small butterflies wildly flitting about a Matgold bush. There were Sulphurs and Fritillarys. As we returned down the long straightaway, I saw two small Fritillarys seemingly dancing around each other. I wondered, though, if they weren’t engaged in a violent struggle that to my eyes looks like a dance.
Signs of autumn were evident as a few leaves fell, and I saw yellowing leaves on a small maple. The crape myrtles have more leaves than blossoms now, though I am still seeing buds and blooms on the magnolias. I would love for autumn to get here but only if it lasts a good long while. I won’t miss the summer storms; there are more storms predicted for next weekend. I hope I don’t have to stretch the joy from this ride over two weeks. Let’s all cross our fingers and hope the storms arrive early or are delayed for next Saturday’s ride.
Flutterby Biker 