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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.

Lovely Winter? Ride

            All week long the forecast held shifting rain chances for Saturday, but we were pretty sure we were in for rain.  In fact we did get some rain on Friday, so it was a wonderful surprise to wake up to sunny skies and dry roads Saturday morning with spring-like temperatures—a day made for riding.

            We were up earlier than usual because we needed to pick up the Rocket from the dealership.  On Tuesday the dealership sent over a tow to collect the bike which couldn’t be safely ridden due to the front brake caliper’s missing bolt.  Sunrise Cycles repaired the Triumph, and we hoped for nice enough weather on Saturday to pick up the motorcycle.  So Bill got an early ride as we headed over to my parents’ garage.  He took the scenic route up Shore Drive so he could look out over Lake Whitehurst.  There was a light haze at tree level but bright sunshine everywhere else.

            Last weekend my mind must have been as numb as my fingers because I made no note of the odometer passing 1500 miles.  I’ve now ridden the R Nine T roughly equal if not slightly more than Bill.  There was road work underway, so we had to head behind the shopping center where we rode over seven speed bumps.  These bumps are good practice; one of the learning experiences in the MSF course is to ride the bike over a 2×4.  Some of these speed bumps are a few inches higher than a 2×4.  To get over the 2×4 in the class, we were told to lift up on the handlebars as we approached and stand up on the pegs.  I hadn’t really worked on this skill since the class, so I was having fun with the practice.  But I did mess up one speed bump; I was going over it slower than I realized, so I started to sit back down too soon and got a bump in the bottom by the seat.

            As we rode, I noticed the muted greens of the shrubs, holly, and pine trees.  Either the winter light softens the green, or the other trees that leaf in the spring have a brighter sheen.  The more muted color reminded me that it was winter and nature is at rest since the near 60 degrees high definitely felt like spring.  I did see the strength of the winter light as it scattered sparkling light across the river.

            I enjoyed today’s ride very much even though my right hand went numb.  I hadn’t had the numb feeling for several rides, so I don’t know why the numbness came today.  I shook my right arm out as I approached stops and that helped shake off the numbness.  It didn’t affect my ride; my turns were really tight.  I find myself enjoying the balance of the motorcycle as I play with increasing the speed.  No handlebar lock but both my left and right turns in the hospital lot were within the lines.  My first on street U-turn I rode up on the grass but had a better second one.  My no-look turns are almost second nature, and my gravel lot turns are getting more consistently tight.  I even felt the bike come to a complete stop on the footless stop as the odometer hit 0.

            Because of the road work, Bill led us into some traffic to head back to the garage.  The day was so pleasant that I actually began to feel hot sitting at the stop lights.  We sat at one light so long my left hand on the clutch started to tire.  Some riders will shift into neutral at lights and rest the left hand.  But Bill has explained the danger in that.  If I’m in neutral and a car comes up too quickly or even possibly running into the back of the bike, being in first gear will allow me to move into one of my escape paths.  Motorcycle riders who ride in traffic should always scope out their escape routes when stopped at intersections.  I need to work on this skill more.  And any time I need more skill work, that means more riding which I am always up for!

Haze over Lake Whitehurst and a happy boater enjoying the spring-like weather.