Goofy Ride

Part of riding a motorcycle is developing routines. There is the routine of T-CLOCS* that they teach riders in the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course. There is the routine of gearing up—in my case Daytona riding boots, Alpinestars jacket, Klim jacket (for summer), Helite turtle airbag vest, helmet, and gloves. And there is the routine at the start of the ride—mounting the motorcycle, connecting the airbag vest, unlocking the front wheel, checking that the motorcycle is in neutral, turning the front wheel to make it easier to lift off the stand, kicking in the kickstand, starting the motorcycle with right hand on the front brake just in case, and shifting into first gear ready to roll. All routine motions that at this point don’t require too much brainpower. Except when my brain skips one step in the routine.

It was a lucky summer day for riding. Some overnight rain had given us cooler temperatures in the low 80s. And while large looming storm clouds hinted at a future deluge, the sun was out and the rain left us alone for our ride. I even spotted a yellow sulphur butterfly before the ride, a good omen of more butterfly sightings during my ride.

I needed a good ride. As a teacher librarian in my grown-up life, I had spent the week prepping for the new school year, made extra exhausting by my needing to reshelve two-thirds of my book collection having gotten new windows and bookshelves over the summer. I felt lucky the weather cooperated, and I was eager to start my riding therapy. Perhaps I was a little too eager because I skipped a step in my routine.

In some ways I was also lucky that this misstep happened at the onset of the ride because that gave me an awareness of needing to stay aware during my ride. The step I skipped doesn’t seem like a big deal; I forgot to kick up the kickstand when I pulled the R Nine T up. As a safety feature, the R Nine T won’t let the rider shift into gear with the kickstand down. So when I shifted from neutral into first, my motor shut off. It took me a few beats to realize the problem was the kickstand because when the motor kicked off, I couldn’t get the R Nine T back into neutral. I’ve had some missed shifts during rides, and I’ve had instances of arriving in the garage to park and not be able to shift into neutral, but I’ve never had the problem at the start of a ride.

Of course, I’m not in the habit of forgetting to raise the kickstand. When a motorcycle resists shifting into neutral, it is helpful to reach down with the left hand and wiggle the shifter around until it finds neutral. After what seemed like five minutes but was probably only one, I found neutral, lifted the motorcycle off the kickstand, kicked up the stand, and shifted into first gear, ready to ride. One little step in the routine forgotten delayed both Bill and I.

My slip up did make me extra conscientious about checking my mirrors and looking ahead into oncoming traffic and intersections. This extra awareness helped me with an emergency stop late in the ride. But as we headed out with a cool breeze, I did enjoy the crape myrtle scent freshened by last night’s rain. I also enjoyed the fresh cut grass as people took advantage of the beautiful day to be outside doing yardwork, walking, or riding bikes.

During the ride, I had two mis-shifts, so I found myself listening for the thwunk of the gears shifting. As I listened for my shifts, I still managed to spot a black swallowtail camouflaging itself in the shadows of an azalea bush. And we passed a gaggle of geese enjoying the circle of shade provided by a magnolia tree. I managed to spot a falcon in between all the crows. And as I finished executing a beautiful two-spot U-turn in the gravel lot, a monarch butterfly flew by.

Our ride was mostly just us with some people out and about, but when we encountered traffic, it was in odd ways. The first oddity was as we approached a chokepoint in the road. We navigated around an electric Amazon deliver van to find ourselves slowing way down (footless stop almost) as we waited on a car to come through the chokepoint at the exact time two pedestrians arrived at the chokepoint. Later, as we neared the end of our ride and were zooming our last bit of zoom, I realized Bill was stopping and slammed on my brakes as oncoming traffic arrived faster than expected and prevented our left-hand turn. I managed my emergency stop without having to put my feet down because the R Nine T is so well-balanced.

*A link to the MSF page explaining the acronym.

black motorcycle with kickstand down — Photo by Baran Karakelle on Pexels.com

Earache Ride

The most important piece of safety equipment for a motorcycle rider is the helmet, of course. Riding jeans, jackets, and gloves help to prevent the need for skin grafts if a rider crashes, but the helmet protects one’s noggin, so it is the most necessary piece of equipment. Surprisingly, it is only required equipment in 17 states and Washington DC. I, of course, always ride with my helmet.

For a helmet to be effective, it must be snug. By snug, I mean tight. If one wonders how tight a helmet needs to be, look at a geared-up MotoGP rider like Marc Marquez; his cheeks are pushed into wrinkles from the tightness. I don’t tighten up that much, but I do cinch my helmet. And for today’s ride, I cinched it in such a way that my left ear folded over and was pinched, painfully so, the entire ride. Hence the earache ride.

I used the pain to help me focus on the road. It made focusing a challenge because, as most of us know, pain is quite distracting. It was helpful that two miles into the ride I spotted a cabbage white butterfly flitting among the white and pink vincas. I was surprised to see the butterfly because there were four kids seeking something among the vincas and azaleas.

During the ride, I also saw gatherings of Canadian geese. I’ve also spotted robins beginning to congregate, sure signs that autumn is approaching. And the day was pleasant for the middle of August. Muggy with some humidity, but the overnight rain gave us some relief. Additionally, there was a cool breeze blowing that kept the ride comfortable—except for my left ear.

During the week, I’ve seen several tiny butterflies, the kind that flutter up from the grass when one walks across it. I realized that these are the butterflies I never spot from the road. In fact this blog was originally going to focus on them until the earache incident. I’ve spotted two tiny white butterflies, or perhaps the same one twice. I think they are what is known as a summer azure. What amazed me was after an initial nervous flutter as I squatted down to capture him on camera, he returned one clover over and posed for the picture below.

Seeing these little guys made me realize that on those rides where I didn’t spot any of their larger kin, these guys were still down among the grass and clovers. Now on today’s ride I did spot another big brother, a black swallowtail flew over our heads across the road. And as I was loading the gear, a checkered white butterfly flew around me and the car close enough I thought it might flutter inside the car.

So despite the pain, I had a fantastic ride. I should’ve tried to fix the ear, but I actually had tried, having already taken the helmet off once. My ear seemed determined to fold over. I’m kind of proud that I didn’t opt to loosen the helmet, choosing my safety over comfort. I am hoping that this was a freak ear fold and it won’t happen again. I think I may have come down straighter with the helmet than from the front. I’ll figure out the issue so next week’s ride will be more comfortable; well, as long as the temperatures agree. We’re still a month away from official autumn, but I hope the geese and robins gathering mean autumn-like temperatures are on their way!

tiny white butterfly on white clover flower — The summer azure posing on the clover for me.

Shade and Shadows

Last week it was the humidity, this week’s ride was the heat. The sun was shining brightly around the large, fluffy cotton ball clouds. And the sun was burning hot. The garage thermostat went from 87 degrees up to 88 as we prepped to ride. When riding in heat, the goal is to keep moving to keep the air flowing over one.

As I headed out of the garage, I saw a shadow in the shape of a butterfly. When I got outside, I think I spotted the cabbage white heading into the branches of the neighbor’s magnolia tree. Otherwise, I only saw a couple of dragonflies.

I was thankful for my yellow seat as Bill pushed up off his black seat which had baked in its few minutes sitting in that sun. I braced myself for being uncomfortable during the ride and worked on forcing my focus on my road awareness and safety. As we rode, I sought out patches of shade to ride through. Physically, I’m not sure it was that much cooler, but psychologically, it helped.

Again, other than some ducks deep in the shade over the river inlet, not much wildlife was moving. People wise, I only saw two tween girls out walking and a young man returning from the store. When it’s too hot for yard work, it’s hot. I managed two beautiful all street on-street U-turns, but that was the only slow-speed drill we did. I enjoyed zooming up the fast road in one direction, but on the return trip up that road, we were stuck behind a slow-moving Ford Expedition.

I did get to work on my throttle skill as I had to park the motorcycle and open the garage. I’ve described how steep the driveway is; it doesn’t flatten out until the garage floor. So when I restarted the R Nine T, I had to keep the motorcycle from rolling backwards down the driveway. Now I could try and rely just on my leg strength, but that would mean my legs are working to stop over 500 pounds with gravity’s help. So the trick is to roll on the throttle enough to not only prevent the motorcycle from rolling backwards but to gently move into the garage. It’s not like I can zoom unless I want to go through the walls. And I’m happy to say I nailed it.

The best part of the hot day was as Bill and I were taking off our gear and chatting, a black swallowtail butterfly flew halfway into the garage before turning around and flying out. Every ride gives me something special to smile about.

Muggy Ride

As we enter August, we usually start hearing about the triple Hs—hazy, hot, and humid. There’s even a saying, “It’s not the heat; it’s the humidity.” And today’s ride was proof it’s all due to the humidity.

We hadn’t ridden half a block before I felt that uncomfortable moist sensation in my armpits. The day itself was beautiful for August—sunny, breezy, and temperatures in the upper 80s. But it was humid. I kept my visor up for the ride so I could feel some air flow. It didn’t really help.

Since the sun was out, I was hoping to see some butterflies. During the week, I’ve spotted tiger swallowtails, black swallowtails, cabbage whites, and even one sulphur. But during the ride, the wildlife was mostly absent. There were a few bees and dragonflies about, and I spotted some ducks on the river in the shade, but I didn’t see any butterflies, birds, or squirrels. Except, I did spot two raptors high aloft in the sky; too high to determine if they were vultures or something more interesting. It was only as I headed toward the garage that I managed to spot an osprey rising up for an afternoon snack hunt.

Most of the activity we encountered was in traffic. Many people were zooming by in their air conditioned cars. A few intrepid young men were out doing some yard work, and we did cross paths with a young man riding a white sports bike, a Kawasaki Ninja I think. I gave him the two-fingered motorcycle wave back and wondered briefly as he went past us again if he was going to try and join us in our parking lot drill. He didn’t. We must’ve looked odd to him. He was out riding in jeans and a short-sleeve t-shirt, his only protection his helmet. We’re geared up in thick riding boots, Kevlar jeans and jackets, safety vests, gloves and our helmets, even on a summer day. But perhaps we gave him something to think about. Jeans and t-shirts are fine as long as one stays on the motorcycle, but any kind of tumble onto the pavement, and bare arms get shredded.

I had a near tumble. I finally returned to the gravel lot for some practice, and I expected my skills to be rusty. So when a large rock caused my front wheel to slip, I was ready to dab and catch the motorcycle, but I didn’t have to. I was able to recover my balance and keep going, but I laughed to help relieve the adrenaline rush. And it made me hope for nice enough weather next week to return to the gravel for some more practice even if it has to be a muggy ride.

white sports bike Kawasaki Ninja 650 — Similar to the sports bike that passed us twice.

A Quiet Day for Riding

Due to a forgotten key fob, our usual weekend ride was postponed until Sunday. Sunday actually worked out as a better day for riding as long as the rain held off, which luckily for us, it did. The temperature hovered around 80 with the sun hidden behind large, ominous clouds. But we risked heading out and were able to ride.

The looming rain clouds provided a hush over the neighborhoods; mostly our motorcycle engines roared past dog walkers getting out ahead of any storms with very little traffic. Most of the animals seemed secreted away to wait out the impending rain, except for a rather fat dragonfly that was buzzing around the motorcycles.

My focus was much better during this week’s ride with no distracting discomfort due to the heat. I checked my mirrors before all stops and looked ahead to each intersection. Bill had set a new challenge to me. As I went to counter steer, that is apply a push on the opposite handle to turn the motorcycle, Bill challenged me to start the push at my fingertips. This challenge proved trickier than I realized because it felt very odd to apply pressure on the clutch or brake lever without actually pulling in the lever.

In between my counter steering work, I enjoyed the soft air and lush greenery the recent rain brought. The crape myrtles were heavily laden with blossoms pushing their clean scent into the air overpowered at one point by the large gardenia collection blooming along one road. Also in bloom I spotted white hibiscus flowers and will keep my eyes peeled for the bright red flowers I’ve seen in the past.

A day like today is a gift for motorcycle riders in mid-July, and we did spot many other riders taking advantage of the cooler air. The heat will return for more rides, but I can always hope for another summer day for motorcycle riding like today.

white hibiscus flower blooming — Photo by Austin Briones on Pexels.com

Happy 250th Birthday America Ride!

I’m old enough to remember America’s bicentennial, so I am thrilled to be alive for the semisesquentennial, and if I’m lucky and take care, I might be here for the tricentennial. Riding motorcycles sure helps me stay young, even riding on super-hot summer days.

We did get an earlier start to avoid the highest heat of the day, so it was only 92 degrees as we rode. I opted not to wear my Alpinestars, but Bill was a trooper and fully geared up. The plan was to cruise and keep moving, but the wind blast was of heated air and none too cooling.

I was a little distracted during the ride between the heat and all the July 4^th decorations. I really like the little gnomes yard flag that I spotted. And I love the red, white, and blue window bunting.

The heat did bring out summer scents. The gardenias perfumed the air except where the honeysuckle sweetness dominated. As we rode, we passed sprinklers desperately watering the dry grass, and I caught the metallic whiff of well water. When we were kids, July 4^th meant the sprinkler out for us to run through, and I smiled at how fun the 4^th of July has always been.

I did spot one cabbage white butterfly out during our ride. He almost crossed the road between the Rocket and R Nine T. But most critters were in the shade or near water trying to stay cool. We should be getting a break from the heat for next week’s ride, but I’ll also have to hope for a break from the predicted rain.

fireworks above American flag — Photo by Candid Flaneur on Pexels.com

Triple Blacks

What does one get with 86-degree temperatures and 80% humidity? A very sweaty motorcycle ride. Large storm clouds loomed overhead, but the sun showed up enough to keep our ride on the toasty side. But we are now officially in summer, and with July and August still to come, I should expect triple H rides from now on (hazy, hot, and humid).

Due to the summer swelter, we mostly cruised to keep cool air flowing. But I did execute two great on-street U-turns. And I worked a little bit on zooming and diving into S-turns.

The wildlife wasn’t like last week; I barely spotted a squirrel munching a nut by the side of the road. However, there were some butterflies out enjoying the cone flowers and brown-eyed Susans that are now blooming alongside the roses, day lilies, begonias, magnolias, and gardenias. For some reason all three butterflies I spotted during the ride were black which I find an interesting color for butterflies.

The first one I spotted was unmistakably a spicebush swallowtail due to the white markings at the base of the wings. The other two went past so quickly that I can only surmise that one may have been a pipevine swallowtail and one may have been a red purple admiral butterfly. While it is fun spotting butterflies from the seat of a motorcycle, sometimes it can be a little frustrating as I zoom by in one direction while the butterfly flutters off in the other. I can only hope for more sightings in future rides especially while stopped.

spicebush swallowtail butterfly black with white markings on purple flower — Photo by Brian Forsyth on Pexels.com

Fresh Air Ride

After a week of a runny nose and phlegmy cough, I wanted fresh air and sunshine in hopes it would help cleanse my sinuses. And today gave me a great day for my attempt. The excessive heat of the past few days (95 and 97 degrees) had given way to a slight cool off—85. The sun, however, hid most of the ride behind clouds that never quite developed into storms.

One of the major problems with motorcycle riding in the summer heat is stops. Early into our ride, we had a long stop as traffic was unusually busy. When one is not moving on the motorcycle so the cool air flow is non-existence, the heat from the engine, which is under one’s derriere roasts the rider. That’s why motorcycle advertisements always show riders out on open roads or riding on dirt trails; they don’t want potential buyers thinking about engine heat when selecting their motorcycles. Ducati is one brand that would suffer if riders thought through the engine heat every stop would subject them to.

Next time you’re in your car at an intersection and you see a motorcyclist stop beside you, realize that while you might be a little envious of the rider’s freedom and “coolness,” you get to be cool in your air-conditioned car. The rider is anxious for the light to change and for his motorcycle to start moving.

We mostly kept moving in our ride, though we did do some U-turns and S-turns. The on-street U-turn had an unexpected obstacle—a pile of sticks was in the road and neither of us spotted it until we were well into our turns. Luckily, all of our practice paid off; both of us kept our turns tight, no dabs, and avoided the sticks.

I did get back on the gravel during this ride and felt my rear tire slipping quite a bit. But I was able to bring the R Nine T around and even successfully complete the two-parking spots turn. The parking lot had some brown-eyed Susans blooming in the shady flower bed.

I didn’t spot as many butterflies among the roses, day lilies, and hydrangeas as I had hoped. But I did see three cabbage whites during the ride. I’ve been spotting tiger swallowtails throughout the week and even on the drive home, but I haven’t seen any during my ride as yet. The ducks were keeping cool in the muddy low tide of the river. And I thought at first there was an eastern spiny turtle in the road that might have been run over, but it was just a McDonald’s bag that had blown out of someone’s trash.

I thought about the Japanese police technique of not using the clutch just the throttle and front brake in fast turns, but I wasn’t ready to actually try it. My sinuses have fogged my brain some, and I didn’t want to risk any falls. Plus, with the heat, we didn’t do too many slow speed turns. The technique involves revving the throttle while braking, and I need more time to think through it and try rolling on the throttle while braking—intentionally. I have lots of rides where I accidentally rolled on the throttle while braking.

Unfortunately for me, the fresh air did not do much to clear out my sinuses. But it did feel good to be outside, and it always feels great to ride my motorcycle, and I can’t wait until next week’s ride.

The Waver

This week’s ride did not benefit from the lovely mid-70s we had earlier in the week. We were greeted with 90 degrees though the humidity hasn’t really kicked in. I suggested we just wear the Klim jackets and leave the Alpinestars on the hangers. And that worked; there were cloudy skies, and our plan was to keep zooming for air flow.

Soon into our ride, a girl about 7-years-old in her bathing suit, came rushing out of her garage and the sound of our engines roaring by, waving excitedly. I don’t think Bill even saw her, but I did and rewarded her with a jaunty wave. I have the luxury of being the waver because even though I work on being aware of the traffic and roads, I can rely on Bill to make sure we’re clear. He was checking ahead to make sure we had room to move over for the walker who chooses to walk in the street as opposed to the convenient sidewalks. The walker gave Bill a wave which I’m not sure he even saw. So I waved back as I passed.

We then turned up a road and had a boy on an electric bike spot us and follow. I watched in the mirror as he followed us for about a mile, noting too that Bill was going a little faster than normal. Bill explained later that he didn’t want the electric bike rider to catch up to us as that wouldn’t really be safe for him. I waved over my shoulder at him as we rode off.

I realized during this ride that I particularly enjoy waving to kids. I think of my waving role as acting as a motorcycle ambassador. As my long-time readers know, I absolutely love riding motorcycles, and I feel the more riders the better. Another reason I think waving is important is awareness. I read or saw someone once say that it would be extremely helpful if kids on road trips played “punch bike” instead of “punch bug.” His reasoning was this would make them aware of motorcycles on the road from an early age. The more awareness drivers have of motorcycles on the roads, the safer it is for the riders.

During my ride, I kept my visor up some for cool air to flow across my head. So I was treated to the delicious smell of someone grilling hamburgers for lunch. There weren’t many butterflies about, just a few cabbage whites including one that crossed Bill’s path but zoomed up overhead to safety. I had an interesting sensation that led to a discovery. As we left a stop turning to the left, I felt the lean of the bike, the near-fall so to speak, and then I felt how my rolling on the throttle brought the motorcycle upright. It is the technique used in slow-speed maneuvers usually with feathering the clutch, but applying the throttle does the same thing.

Oddly enough later that night, Bill found some YouTube videos of Japanese police women in police rodeo competition, and they use the front brake and throttle to twist between cones turn around, and make U-turns, not feathering the clutch. It’s an interesting discovery, using the throttle in first gear with the front brake to maneuver the motorcycle. Since the R Nine T is such a well-balanced motorcycle, I’ll play around with it during next week’s ride, which is also looking to be another warm one.

Toward the end of our ride, as we came around the large curve, we came across several families walking to and from the pool. One was a mother with her small son on a tricycle who had crossed the street in front of us. She was trying to get her son up the driveway lead onto the sidewalk, but he heard our motorcycles, and turned his head to watch our approach, then turned it again to follow us to our stop and our acceleration up the road. He was only about 2-years-old, but he gave the two bikes his rapt attention. I gave him a wave as we passed and thought—there’s a future motorcyclist.

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