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.
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 4th 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 4th meant the sprinkler out for us to run through, and I smiled at how fun the 4th 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Spring is winning out over winter. While we did have some snowfall Sunday, the weather warmed back up and we had a near 60 degree day for our ride. The sun was out, the clouds were thin and stretched out, and it was another perfect day for riding motorcycles.
On our way over to the garage, we saw a young man zooming over 80 mph on his sport bike on the interstate. I realize the new MotoGP season has started, but zooming through heavy traffic is never a smart idea. And this young man only had his helmet on. His white hoodie was standard cotton, not Kevlar lined like my Klim jacket.
I risked my lightweight jacket and thought I might have made a mistake. As I geared up, I thought about the Velcro straps at my cuffs and cinching them up. But I don’t normally do that with the Klim, so I didn’t, but I very quickly came to regret that decision. The cool air slid right up my sleeves and gave me a chill. I turned on the heated grips, but I wasn’t comfortable until I reached over and cinched up the sleeves. Most jackets have this cinching feature, but since walking around doesn’t cause the air to flow up our arms, I am not in the habit of cinching except with the Schott’s leather. Those sleeves have zippers to cinch in the cuffs, and I always zip those after I’ve put on my gloves. I learned another lesson in appreciating my motorcycle gear.
Our beautiful ride, however, was thwarted a bit by unusual traffic. Three times during the ride we found ourselves edging past cars that had just stopped in the roadway. Apparently it was random stop in the road day and no one told us. The worry was these stopped cars might abruptly start again and pull out without looking. I was worried about one mini-van that almost started but stopped for Bill because I wasn’t sure they would realize I was behind him. Luckily they did, but the odd traffic did put a damper on the ride and Bill cut it short.
But before it was over, I did two beautiful on-street U-turns and managed not to let my tire slip on all the little broken off branches littering one of the parking lots. The Rocket’s front tire did slip and Bill had to dab.
I thought I would see more daffodils blooming, but I think they took a beating by the arrival of second winter and are keeping their heads down. I did see my first spray of bright pink phlox blooming and more camellias are flowering. Heading over I spotted a great blue heron, but nothing but crows and buzzards during our ride. And squirrels, lots of squirrels, lots of excited squirrels out enjoying the early signs of spring. Next weekend looks to be a full-on spring day with temperatures forecasted for the mid-70s; the squirrels and I will be out loving it!
Our weekend is mix and match weather—partly sunny skies and 60 degrees followed by rain and highs in the mid-40s. Luckily, the sun was out enough to let us ride, and I had both my warm and cold weather riding gear. I had my Klim summer jacket and summer gloves on, but I wore my long sleeves and Klim wool jacket underneath. And I was perfectly comfortable throughout the ride.
The buzzards and crows were acting up with the weather, flitting and circling about. The day was warm enough that I wondered if it might confuse a butterfly into making an appearance. It didn’t, or course, but the nice day brought the kids out and the dog walkers. The impending storm, with snow forecasted, caused people to be out, and we encountered traffic everywhere.
My ride went really well. I was glad to have the light weight gloves on as they give me the best feel for the throttle, clutch, and front brake. I figured if my hands got chilly, I could turn on the heated grips. But with the sun shining down on us for most of the ride, my hands were fine. I made an interesting emergency stop. As Bill was leading us around on the on-street U-turns, he stalled the Rocket in front of me. I saw Bill dab his left foot and realized I would need to stop in the midst of my turn. So I straightened my wheel quickly and stopped with no wobble or need to dab. I was a little disappointed because my turns were set up really sharply, but then I realized that I had the opportunity to practice a rare skill.
I also had good U-turns on the gravel lot. I’m almost ready to go inside the wooden board two parking spot section and see if I can stay inside the wood. During the fast shift-down turn drills, I wanted more roadway to accelerate because I really enjoy that drill.
When we started the ride, I looked for clouds and saw some building in from the north. About halfway through our ride, the clouds quickly overtook the sun, so much so I wondered about rain. The forecast hadn’t shown any rain for today, but I thought maybe the storm might have arrived early. No rain came, but the temperature began to fall as we ended our ride. As we headed home, the temperature had already fallen 10 degrees, so I was glad I had my mix and match layers.
Of course, the big question in my mind was what would next week’s ride be like? Will winter return? Or will we be gifted another spring-like day to air out our motorcycles? I can’t wait to find out.
Flutterby Biker 