Baffled

Today was another perfect day for riding, and we saw other motorcyclists everywhere. In fact our first stop was at Sunrise Cycles which is the local Triumph dealership, and we saw eight other riders. According to Cycletrader, an online motorcycle sales site, there were four Triumph Rocket 3s in stock. Since we hadn’t visited for several months, we decided to stop by on our way over to ride.

Inside we saw the same Rocket in Cranberry red that has been on the showroom floor for a year at least. But I was still hopeful that the Triumph dealer showroom might have the other three. No luck, though we did see the pretty Baja Orange Scrambler was still there. We did get to see the new Triumph Tiger 1200 adventure bike series. They had four of the five bikes in the series: the GT Pro, GT Explorer, Rally Pro, and Rally Explorer. These are designed to compete with BMW’s R 1250 GS and GSA motorcycles. Bill got on the Rally Explorer, the large competition for the GSA and wasn’t able to flatfoot the super tall motorcycle. I played it safer and sat on the GT Pro which I could flatfoot. I immediately felt the weight of the bike, all 540 pounds of it because the weight sits up high. I liked it better than the KTM Super Adventure, but I didn’t like it better than the GS.

We had fun with the little Triumph Speed Triples. These small motorcycles carry a large punch—1160 cc engine with 177 HP at a weight of 437 pounds. Talk about a zippy little bike! But we were disappointed not to see more Rockets. Heading back into the main showroom, we were meandering toward the door when I saw Duck, the Triumph salesman. I decided to check with him on the arrival timeframe for the 2023 models and confirm that my name was still at the top of the contact list. It was lucky I did so for two reasons: 1. My name had been accidentally erased from the top of the board during a misguided cleanup session and 2. There was a 2023 Triumph Rocket 3 GT in Carnival Red/Sapphire Black that had arrived a week ago.

I told Bill to follow us because there was a surprise. Duck took us back to the arrivals garage where the motorcycles are unboxed and assembled. Hiding in the corner like a naughty child was the glorious motorcycle. It was love at first sight for Bill. He has been admiring the Rocket for almost three years, but it was the Carnival Red/Sapphire Black color combination that pushed him over the edge into possible ownership. Duck kindly allowed Bill to sit on the motorcycle, and he even pushed it outside into the glorious sunshine where the motorcycle looked truly spectacular.

We asked Duck to work up a quote for us as we headed over to ride. Bill has told me several times that sometimes when you see a motorcycle, you just know that it’s what you want. I hoped the quote would be to Bill’s liking and laughed a little inside thinking on the irony. We’ve been discussing and looking at possibles for my next motorcycle, but it looked like the next bike purchase would be for Bill.

The day was glorious. I had on my longer motorcycle socks, so the wind chill didn’t ride up my pants leg. Before we headed out, Bill installed the baffle inside the LeoVince LV10 exhaust to tame the volume. The baffle slipped right in, but the exhaust would not slip back onto the pipe. Instead of being perfectly round, either the baffle or the exhaust pipe has a slight elliptical to it which blocked part of the pipe. Eventually, Bill was able to jerry-rig a setup using a shoelace that allowed me to ride the Ducati, but the frustration of the assembly took a little shine off the Rocket glow.

But once the Scrambler was up and running, the glorious exhaust sound soon returned the smiles to our faces. With the baffle in, the engine noise was now tolerable, and I could truly enjoy the rumble, grumble, pops, and roar from the exhaust. I found myself particularly enjoying the downshifts as the grumbles and pops are at their acoustical best. I don’t think the Canadian Geese care for my new exhaust, but the sound does help get them out of our way.

We rode most of our usual route though there was a lot more traffic we had to navigate around. Bill led us into a new parking lot that I liked a lot because there was lots of shade. I was fine cruising and doing our U-turns and figure 8s in the courts, but when we hit the hospital overflow lot for our straightening and stopping drills, I finally felt the engine heat and became uncomfortably warm.

So we didn’t stay long in that parking lot. As we headed over to the field for my R Nine T practice, we ran into traffic trying to turn onto the school’s road. So Bill led us up a little further and we turned into the office park and rode through the parking lot to get to our route. I had a glorious ride on the R Nine T with no stutters or stalls. I was having such a good time, I found myself hoping the deal on the Rocket worked out because then the R Nine T would become my next motorcycle.

We finished the ride and headed home. The quote came and it was over what Bill is willing to pay. But now that we know what he wants, we can keep looking until we hopefully find the right deal on the beautiful bike.

2023 Triumph Rocket 3 GT in Carnival Red/Sapphire Black

4 Bikes in One Weekend

It was a weekend of riding as I had the opportunity to ride four different motorcycles. From these rides I solidified my choice for my next motorcycle.

Bill surprised me Saturday morning by asking me if I wanted to go to Adventure BMW first then ride or vice versa. Our trip to the motorcycle dealership was purposeful; the R Nine T is due for its first service, and Bill wanted to set up an appointment. We also wanted to see the on-site inventory. We’ve been checking their website regularly for new inventory, but the list has been rather sparse. So we figured that maybe bikes were coming in that weren’t getting posted onto the web page. And we were right.

Meeting Clayton again, who now is a sales associate but was a mechanic when we went to buy the G310, we learned that they have had motorcycles come in and sell without making it to the web site. But they did have some inventory including three 1250 GS Adventure bikes. Now I have had my eye on the BMW 1250 GS since before I could ride. It is regarded by some as the best motorcycle out there, allowing for both on and off-road riding. The Adventure version has a higher suspension and a larger gas tank—7.3 vs. 5.3. It also adds about 40 more pounds to the weight of the bike. My preference has always been for the smaller GS, but since the only bikes there were the GSAs, that was what I sat on.

Now Clayton, being fairly new to sales, was eager to make a sale. When we first met him 18 months ago, he was a mechanic at the dealership, but he knows the motorcycles and rides them himself, so he was very helpful. I benefitted greatly from his eagerness. He offered me a test ride, so I took it.

My G310 GS, Ducati Scrambler, and the R Nine T were all test ridden by Bill. The GSA would be my first ever test ride. And it would be on a motorcycle that weighs 591 pounds! But one of the reasons the 1250 GS/GSA is such a popular motorcycle is that it is easy to ride. I was about to find out the truth of this myself.

Next to the BMW dealership is a large parking lot that is not in use on weekends. That’s where I rode the GSA. It rode like a dream. Just starting off, I expected some jiggering as I learned the friction zone, but there was none. Off I went, marveling at how nimble such a large bike was. My ride was mostly large circles where I managed to generate enough speed to shift into second with twice racing up enough to try third gear. Because the motorcycle was new, I didn’t do any tight turns, but I did practice straightening up and coming to a stop.

One aspect of the motorcycle I didn’t like was the seat height. Because this was the Adventure, the seat was 35 inches which resulted in only the balls of my feet reaching the ground. Now there is a lower seat height available, but I already know I can flat foot the GS version. On the GSA I couldn’t stop with my heel reaching out first as I have become habituated to, but my stops went well even on the balls of my feet.

I also practiced sudden stops. The 1250 GS comes with what is known as a telelever suspension. This suspension prevents the front forks from diving when the front brake is squeezed. On most motorcycles a sudden stop will cause the front end to dive as the suspension tries to absorb the energy of the moving motorcycle. I enjoyed testing out the telelever suspension on my stops; it is reassuring to feel the motorcycle staying upright as it comes to a stop. I also enjoyed the feel of a very well-balanced motorcycle. With the almost 600-pound bike, the balance adds another level of reassurance and let me feel confident in my test ride.

I don’t know how long I was out riding, and I could have stayed out longer, but I felt a little bad for Bill and wanted him to have a chance to ride. He refused to test ride the 1250 because, as he pointed out, he test rode two other bikes at Adventure and wound up buying them both. As it was nearing noon, we decided to put off our regular ride to Sunday. However, later that same afternoon, we took out the G310 and rode around in the backyard. That was my second motorcycle of the weekend.

Sunday came with rain forecasted, but we headed out anyway under the looming gray skies. We raced the rain and rode quickly; I didn’t mind as that helped mitigate the heat of the Ducati. We passed a little boy riding in his yard in a toy John Deere tractor with trailer who waved enthusiastically at us as we zoomed by. I gave him a wave and horn honk. And I finally saw my first mums out in someone’s yard, another herald of fall. No butterflies in sight though we were moving along so swiftly it would’ve been hard for me to spot any. I did see what seemed to be a lone goose, but I found out he was on the other side of a hedge from the rest of the gaggle, scoping out the next grazing area.

We were heading back to the garage when a golf cart turned in front of us. In order to let her clear our route, we went up the road and turned into a cul de sac where Bill stopped and dismounted the R Nine T. I was surprised as I knew we were nearing the end of the ride. Happily, Bill wanted us to switch motorcycles, letting me ride the R Nine T the three blocks back and for the first time on the road. Just as I mounted the black and yellow bike, the skies opened up on us. So not only did I get to ride a fourth motorcycle, I had my first ride in the rain. What a wonderful weekend of riding.

BMW 1250 GS Adventure in Triple Black from Adventure BMW motorcycle — BMW 1250 GS Adventure in Triple Black from Adventure BMW

First Hints of Fall

Officially the start of fall is September 22 when the autumnal equinox occurs, but already signs of its approach are evident. Fall and spring are the best seasons for motorcycle riding, though on my hot Ducati, winter is also pretty good. I love the colors of autumn, and saw the first shades on this ride.

The temperatures have not shifted into autumn mode, though our ride was in the low 80s. We kept to cruising mostly to help keep me cool. As I began the ride, I noted some magnolia blooms high up in a nearby tree, marveling at how these trees have flowered all summer. Heading out onto our long road, a Japanese beetle didn’t quite get out of my way and bonked against my right shoulder. I checked my jacket expecting a smear stain of what was left of the bug, but I was pleased to see no marks and assumed he bounced off and continued on his way.

I was concerned about not getting the slow speed practice in for a second week. But Bill led us into the large gravel lot and we did some figure 8s and U-turn practice. I did fine on all but one tight turn where my thoughts were more on my burning thighs than my navigation. For that I had to dab my left foot to complete the turn.

We rode by one of the houses that had been under construction and I noted that it was complete. Someone was hanging a basketball net for kids to play with. I noted among the cherry trees in particular some of the leaves had turned yellow. And as we headed into one court, leaves fell down upon us. I only saw one gaggle of Canadian geese, which surprised me, though perhaps they are migrating further south for winter. And I noticed several yards with sprinklers running to water the fall grass seeds.

A few butterflies are still about. The first one I saw was a bright yellow Canadian tiger swallowtail fluttering among some crape myrtles. Soon after I saw a black swallowtail, and I caught sight of some kind of duskywing, but it and I were moving too fast for me to figure out which one. I was pleasantly surprised to see a lone clematis blossom. But I’m still not seeing any fall mums; maybe next week as people take advantage of the Labor Day sales.

No R Nine T practice this week. School starts Tuesday for the kids, so the parking lot was full of cars as teachers worked to get their classrooms ready. I noticed during the ride how comfortable I’ve gotten with using the rear brake for stops. I’m doing OK with checking the mirrors as I come to a stop, but I am not consistent yet. I worked on turning the wheel at stops in the direction of travel. This week’s ride was almost all right turns; I only got to practice once to the left, but I remembered to dab my feet longer to maintain the turn.

As we returned the motorcycles to the garage, I looked out to see a cabbage white butterfly flitting about. I smiled even as I realized the butterfly sightings will become fewer and far between before stopping for the winter. As an experiment, I touched the seat of my Ducati and then of the R Nine T. Mine felt as warm as a heating pad; Bill’s was cool to the touch. So as the weather turns cooler, I have heated seats to look forward to. And as the seasons change again, the riding doesn’t stop but keeps getting better and better.

Ducati Scrambler Fasthaus edition. — See how my seat is right above the engine? Hence my hot rides on the Ducati.

Racing the Rain

At 6:00 AM the roads were wet and it seemed our ride wouldn’t happen. But three hours later, the roads were drying off and the sun was peeking here and there through the large storm clouds. We decided to race the rain and work our ride in before the storm arrived.

The temperatures were in the mid 80s but, with the gathering storm, the humidity was way up making for a sticky ride. Some of the neighborhood construction had been completed, so we headed off into a small neighborhood that we hadn’t ridden in for over a month. The road was newly paved and nice and twisty. One of the skills I was working on this week was counter steering or, as Jerry Palladino of Ride Like a Pro calls it, pushing.

With counter steering the concept is more confusing than the action. Counter steering is how a rider leans the bike into curves on the road. In a car the driver turns the steering wheel along the path of the curve. On a motorcycle the rider counter steers the bike into a lean because turning the handlebars at speed would cause the bike to fall (and, most likely, the rider too). The reason it is called counter steering is because as I push forward on either the left or right side of the handlebars, the front wheel seems to steer (just slightly) to the opposite side. This counter steer guides the motorcycle into a lean to follow the curve of the road. As I said, the application is easier than the concept because counter steering and leaning the bike, to a non-rider, might seem likely to lead to a crash. But in reality, the counter steering allows the rider to follow the curves of the road and is quite enjoyable.

So I had success and fun with that skill practice. Another skill we were working on this week is turning from a stop. In the case of turning right or left from a complete stop, the rider should turn the handlebars. By turning the handlebars first and then heading into the turn, I can maximize the available roadway for the turn and avoid going into the opposite lane (right turns especially). The challenge here is once the motorcycle starts moving, the front wheel tries to straighten out. I was better able to keep the handlebars turned when going to the right and found myself straightening the handlebars on left turns. It wasn’t until the second to last left turn that I was able to keep the handlebars turned.

This week I again had trouble remembering to watch my mirrors when stopping. Not until we were halfway through the ride did I begin to incorporate the mirror checks. I did better at checking them as I approached the stop rather than as I stopped, but I need to development my stop awareness at the get go. Then all of my stopping skills will be going well.

I had a few moments riding the Ducati where the heat nearly overwhelmed me. I think the bike’s heat coupled with the humidity makes for a challenging ride. This unpleasant warmth made our slow circles and S-turn practices a challenge. I found myself almost target fixating in the gravel lot and narrowly avoided the wooden beams laid down to form the parking lot. But I managed to squeak by and opened up my visor fully to allow more cool air inside.

Not too many animals about as they were probably already sheltering from the impending storm. I did have a dragonfly zoom into my path flying straight at me before lifting himself up and over my helmet.

When we went to our stand up and stop practice lot, we felt the first drops of rain. I could hear the rain hitting my helmet and saw the drops on the gas tank. It was an early warning as the skies did not open up, but we proceeded to the school field so I could practice on the R Nine T some. I seem to be in an on/off pattern with the R Nine T. Last week went smoothly, so this week I stalled constantly. And this week was when I added coming to a stop and restarting. I did not have one successful restart from the stop. On the bright side, next week’s practice should be another on week.

We returned the motorcycles to my parents’ garage and headed home. The storm began just as we pulled into the driveway, so the motorcycles let us outride the rain. Next Saturday is showing clear skies, so let’s hope it stays that way.

Storm clouds — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Ride, White, and Blue

We had a lovely day for a ride having made the effort to get up and out of the house a little earlier. This early start was to take advantage of the cooler temps before the day hit its high of 93. The 85 degrees was preferable, especially since there was a strong wind to keep a cooling breeze blowing.

Today’s lesson was to work on using my mirrors at stops. On a motorcycle this extra awareness of what’s coming up behind is necessary as I may have to get out of the way. A fender bender for a car is annoying; getting hit from behind on a motorcycle can be tragic.

I had started practicing checking my mirrors at stops when I’m in the car. But I found it was not as easy on the motorcycle. Stops take a lot of mental gymnastics on a motorcycle. As we all know, when we arrive at the stop, we check both ways for cross traffic to safely cross or turn onto the roadway. On a motorcycle I am also focused on how I am stopping, getting my left foot down, making sure the motorcycle doesn’t fall, switching from the rear brake to the front brake, and checking my mirrors for unaware drivers from behind. I have the additional mental check of paying attention to which direction Bill is going and when he takes off and keeping up. So I was well into the ride before I remembered I was supposed to be checking my mirrors as I stopped. Part of my delayed thinking was that I had some hair blow into my left eye and needed to find a stop to get it out. Bill, being in the lead, takes off, and we don’t have a communications system in the helmets. I rode along patiently until we got to the court at the end of the long road. There I stopped and brushed the remaining hairs out of my left eye.

This being the 4^th of July weekend, we rode past many houses flying Old Glory. I also saw a cute stars and stripes pinwheel, and we passed one large white house with red, white, and blue bunting under two upstairs windows—very impressive. It was fun and refreshing to see so many people getting into this holiday’s spirit.

The heat did get to me a bit. As we were doing S-turns in the second church lot, my mind drifted a bit to wishing I was cruising in a long straight line for the cooling breeze. But I quickly refocused on my riding and shrugged off the sweat.

The dragonflies were back, not in as large a number as a few weeks ago, but I enjoyed watching several fly beside me as I rode. No butterflies in sight. I had hoped our earlier start would allow me a glimpse of a few but no luck. My luck was back on the R Nine T as I was able to start it up, find first gear, and take right off. This week I did shift into second and back into first as I cruised along in the shade of the woodland trees. My next challenge for the R Nine T is to stop the bike and restart as I cruise the little field.

As we left the school grounds and arrived at the stop sign, my wish was to see Bill’s left indicator come on not his right. And I got my wish, extending our ride. We cruised the arch twice as there were patches of gravel in the roadway due to construction we could ride across. All in all, a lovely Independence Day weekend ride; I can’t wait for the next one. Happy Fourth of July!

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.

Finally! (Sort of)

I finally got to ride the BMW R Nine T Urban GS—sort of. But since that came at the end of the ride, I’ll explain in a bit.

As I sat on my Ducati waiting for Bill to mount the R Nine T, my Mom’s neighbor walked by. She immediately was drawn to the R Nine T, appreciating the beauty of the motorcycle. She asked if it was my brother’s bike and said she used to ride the pillion on her old boyfriend’s motorcycle when she lived in Canada. After walking around admiring the R Nine T, she politely asked me what I was perched on, but it was clear the BMW motorcycle was the big draw.

A lovely 80-degree day with lots of sunshine for our ride greeted us this Saturday. Gearing up was quite warm, but once the ride started, I felt almost chilly from the cool breeze washing over me. We rode again straight down the long road, letting the cool air waft over us and enjoying the lovely day. Yardmen were loading up their riding mower with lovely rose bushes at the end of the road as they continued their month-long landscaping project.

The magnolia blooms scented the air as we headed on our usual neighborhood ride, checking in on the progress on the two houses under construction. We stopped the bikes in one court as Bill noticed some plastic barriers up leading down to the water and posited a boat ramp may soon be under construction. As we checked out the water which was conspicuously missing all waterfowl this week (usually we see some ducks and an egret), a duskywing butterfly fluttered right between us right at eye level. It fluttered too fast for me to get a clearer look to know which kind of duskywing it was; I did see the grayish/brown body and new this was a new butterfly.

Our ride continued with lazy loops in the churches’ parking lots and on the gravel lot. My tires slipped again on the gravel, so I have begun to wonder if the softer ground makes the tires slip more. The R Nine T has 50/50 tires, meaning 50% for on road and 50% for off road, so it has a better grip.

As we rode, there wasn’t much traffic. But whenever we were at a stop sign, we had to wait for several cars to pass. At one stop we waited as 7 cars went by, very unusual. But I didn’t mind as I could practice my stops and my looks. It was at once such stop that spied a spicebush swallowtail dancing along in the air.

One MSF skill we’ve added back to our practice is the swerve. On some of the streets, there’s some leftover yard debris on the side of the road—sticks, leaf piles, pinecones. We ride straight at the debris and then apply pressure to the left handlebar to swerve the bike around the obstacle. This is great practice for swerving to the left, but it doesn’t give us the chance to swerve to the right. So when we were in the large church parking lot, I aimed at the parking space stripes to swerve right.

This week we did remember to practice riding while standing and then stopping suddenly. I need to work on my right foot position so I can start braking with the rear brake while still standing. Otherwise, it went really well.

We also continued our straightening up out of the curve and stopping practice and the straight-line quick stops. I had one bauble where I put my right foot down on one of my quick stops. I need to work on a quicker reaction time so I can use my head shift to help me use the correct foot. More work for next week.

Now we did not start the ride by letting me putter on the R Nine T on the grass because as we drove into the neighborhood, we saw cars in front of and to the side of the school. These weren’t the cricket players, so we felt constrained in using the field. Our thinking was we’d do our neighborhood cruising and swing by the school to see if the cars were gone at the end of the ride. No such luck. I feared my R Nine T ride was going to again be postponed. But as Bill signaled his turn, I began to hope we were heading to the back of the school field. Sure enough, at my dead-end practice street, we turned left and rode up past the Armco onto the grass.

Now the R Nine T has what is called a dry clutch. This means the clutch is similar to that on a manual transmission automobile. My Ducati Scrambler and BMW G310 GS both have multi-plate wet clutches. In terms of riding, this means my two bikes have a more forgiving friction zone. But that was what Bill wanted me to practice—getting a feel for the dry clutch and friction zone. So I began my ride dabbing my feet and stalled almost immediately. I restarted, got moving very slowly, hit a depression in the ground and stalled the bike again trying to give it enough with just the clutch to get out. I realized I needed to add a bit of throttle but carefully as Bill always talks about how the bike just wants to go.

After the second restart, I found the sweet spot in the dry clutch’s friction zone, put my feet up on the pegs, and began my slow circle cruise around the young magnolias. I loved riding the R Nine T and was really tempted to roll on the throttle and ride up the field. But I was the good student and did as my instructor asked. Plus, with people in the school, we didn’t want to overstay our welcome. And that just gives me something to look forward to with next week’s ride.

Me puttering on the gorgeous BMW R Nine T Urban GS.

Roasting

We made our earliest start ever, getting over to ride by 10:00 AM. Why? Because the forecast was for a high of 97. As it was, the temps were already in the mid-80s with a heat index flirting with 90. This was more like a ride in August than May; however, we still geared up and headed out.

It was community yard sale weekend in my parents’ neighborhood, so we rode straight over to the ritzy neighborhood to avoid the extra traffic the yard sales brought. Of course, I noted that several homes in the ritzy neighborhood were piggybacking on the community sale to host their own yard sales. But traffic wasn’t too bad despite being busier, except the truck U-turner turning around his truck full of bikes while looking at his phone and the minivan lady with her phone in one hand and a map in the other. Scary, but we were aware and avoided them.

As we headed out on our ride, we headed into a bevy of dragonflies. Clearly the hot weather agrees with them or their eggs hatch in May because they were everywhere throughout our ride. One little guy was zooming right into my path but deftly lifted and swerved to avoid both the motorcycle and me. I saw a beautiful blue one and marveled how fantastic it is to be on a motorcycle and be able to see the dragonflies so clearly as to distinguish their colors.

The cabbage white butterflies were out, too, but not in as large a number. I managed to see 8 throughout the ride, but I also got to see a black swallowtail which gave me an extra smile. Almost everyone was staying in the shade even during this earlier warmth of the day. A great egret was stalking its breakfast in the river, two Canadian geese were canoodling in the grass, and some ducks were waddling across the street.

The air was full of the scent of honeysuckle and Ligustrum. There was a cooling breeze out of the west, but it was a day when I preferred the straight rides letting the wind chill cool us off. Whenever we entered a court to work on our slow circles, I could feel the exhaust heat against my right inner thigh. When we were working on straightening up out of circles, I felt as though my leg was roasting on a spit. I found myself thinking longingly of the BMW 1250 GS with its boxer twin engine (just like the R Nine T). With the cylinders down in front of my feet and an exhaust pipe down and back by the rear tire, it won’t be as toasty roasty as the Desert Sled.

Due to the heat, I opted not to take the R Nine T into the field. I didn’t want Bill having to stand around all geared up in the sun and heat. I regretted that decision a little bit as the heat emanated up my body from the exhaust. After our ride, I was sweatier than Bill! I am praying for no rain next Friday so the field will be dry. Part of moving up to the 1250 GS is being able to handle the boxer engine, so I need some experience with the R Nine T to develop my competence and comfort.

And if you were wondering whether we still gear up in the heat, the answer is yes. I still put on the Alpinestars jacket under the Klim which is under the Helite vest. I noticed that with the Barkbusters hand guards, my hands in their summer gloves don’t get the full effect of the wind. I found myself holding up my left hand to let the wind run through all my venting holes.

As for skills practice, we worked on straightening up out of curves, both doing much better than last week. We also added something else to our stopping practice. This week on Youtube, Bill found Boots and Jeans, and Boots was going over how to stop his large Honda Goldwing. Now remember from last week, I use the front brake to slow the bike, but for the full stop, I only use the rear brake so that if the bike is not completely straight and it starts to wobble, I can straighten it out. Boots showed us how, as he releases the front brake, he sticks his left leg out straight and, as the bike comes to a stop, lets his heel touch down first and then the rest of the foot. This foot technique helps prevent the jump that can be experienced from stopping the bike and setting the foot flat down. As I practiced it, I noted it was an interesting sensation and did make me feel more stable in my stops.

I did more slowing circles and then letting the clutch out to help straighten the bike. And I was very conscientious about making sure the kickstand was down the two times the bike was parked. Another successful week finding neutral, too. Other than roasted thigh, it was a fantastic ride. I can’t wait for next weekend when the temps will be a much more delightful 77 degrees. I wonder who I’ll see more of—the dragonflies or the butterflies? And will I finally get to ride the R Nine T?

Return to Riding

Gray skies and wet roads greeted us Saturday morning. So we jumped in the car and took a road trip to Richmond to visit Moto Richmond, a dealership that carries Triumph, KTM, and Moto Guzzi. It was a rainy drive with a brief downpour that caused stoppage on the interstate. But with only one wrong turn, we made it to the dealership. One reason we went was to allow Bill to compare the Triumph Rocket III R and GT models directly, so he could decide which model he prefers (the GT). We also were able to see the carnival red color which the 2023 Rocket will come out in; this color was on the gold line Bobber and is a beautiful shade of red. We also got to see the Scrambler XE in the Baja Orange again, but this time it was next to the Cobalt Blue Jet Black, so we could discern which color we preferred (the blue).

Another reason we went was to see the Triumph Tiger 1200 Rally Pro which, unfortunately for us, had been sold that week. They had the Rally in the 900 version, so I could compare the feel of that motorcycle to the BMW GS 1250. The Triumph is a bit top heavy. I was also able to sit on the KTM 1200 Adventure for a further comparison, and I felt that bike was far too heavy for me to control. So I left feeling more confident in my choice of the GS.

The drive home was drier as the showers passed through. We took this as a hopeful sign we would be able to ride on Sunday. And we were.

Sunday was on the warm side for our ride, but it was sunny and dry and the driveway was fixed. I told Bill I felt giddy about our impending ride as we drove over to get the bikes. I would not, however, be able to try out the R Nine T as the field was still too wet. We hadn’t gone more than a block in our ride before I saw my first cabbage white butterfly. Half a block later, I saw the second. In all I saw 16 cabbage whites on our ride and saw 4 more on the drive back home. Clearly, these little butterflies enjoy the warmer weather.

They must also like roses and honeysuckle and these were in full bloom. I saw several clematis blooming still, a few late dogwoods, and even a pink peony. Only a pair of Canada geese were out, though we saw a drake as we stopped to take in a view of the lake. Lots of people and dogs were out today, probably making up for the rainy days we’ve had over the past week.

As for my riding skills, I was able to work on letting out the clutch as I felt the bike tipping while doing slow circles. Another skill I worked on is coming to a stop using only the rear brake. This is an essential skill because if I am using the front brake and the bike is not dead on straight, the bike can tip over. By using the rear brake, I can quickly adjust the direction of the bike if it is tipping or let out the clutch to keep the bike moving which will help straighten up the motorcycle.

We also worked on straightening up and coming to a stop from a curve, something we hadn’t really worked on since the MSF class. The best parts of the ride were when we rode with some speed to create a cool breeze; the Ducati engine is a lot warmer than the BMW 310. Overall, I had a great ride, easily found neutral every time, then I almost dropped the bike at the end of the ride. As I shifted into neutral and cut the bike off, I noted the fuel light was on; I began to lean the bike to the left to dismount when I realized I didn’t have the kickstand down. The worst part is that to the left was the R Nine T, so had I dropped the bike, it would’ve landed on Bill’s with me sandwiched in the middle. Since my one drop of the Ducati was from getting off the bike without ensuring the kickstand was down, I clearly have an issue. Bill suggested I recite an “end of the ride” checklist to help me fix this problem.

Other than this serious gaffe, the butterflies joined me and Bill for a fantastic ride. The week looks a lot drier, so let’s hope I get the chance to ride the R Nine T in the field next weekend.

Ready for our ride; the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled (background) and the BMW R NineT (foreground).

Riding and Riding Some More

The rain held off this Easter weekend and afforded me two beautiful days for riding. On Saturday the temps were perfect; I felt cool the entire ride without ever getting cold. In fact I kept my visor up on my helmet which, considering the height of spring and current pollen levels, was not that great an idea—achoo!

I realized that this is my first spring riding season ever. I’m two weeks away from my one-year MSF course anniversary, so my first rides were more summer-like (temps in the 80s and above). We’ve been graced with a true spring season this year and, if you’ve been reading my blogs, you know I’ve been loving these spring rides. I hope the season stretches out well into May even if it means more sneezing.

The butterflies weren’t too keen on the weather yesterday. I did see my first Eastern Tiger Swallowtail midway through our ride, but only one little cabbage white came out toward the end of the ride. I think the spring has the gorgeous flowers while the summer has the beautiful butterflies and as the weather warms, I will see more of the colorful insects. The birds were also scarce; I only saw one pair of mating geese resting beside the road and one osprey being chased by a mockingbird. There was a strong wind Saturday, so that may have kept the flying creatures at bay.

During the week we watched a YouTube video with two tips for handling curves. One was braking into the curve, pretty standard and taught in the MSF course. The other was to put your head on the side of the bike where you want the bike to go in the curve. In other words look where you want to go and by look, that’s look with your whole head. This seemingly simplistic idea was amazing in practice. In the MSF riders learn about target fixation; target fixation is when you’re moving toward a curb and you fixate on it so that you end up running into it. It’s a neat thing to play with on your bicycle; fixate on something until you realize you’re riding toward it. Of course on your bike you’re slow enough to veer away before any collision. And on a motorcycle, as long as you don’t fixate, you can use your vision to get you to put the motorcycle where you want it. Look where you want to go.

So when we came to curves, I practiced putting my head to the left or right depending on where I wanted the Ducati to go. This is helpful because if I were going wide into the curve (too close to the middle lines and the other lane), I can move my head to help guide my bike further into my lane. It was fun to practice and, riding our usual neighborhood routes, I was riding familiar curves to practice in, but I could see how helpful this technique can be when riding into an unknown curve.

Oddly enough we didn’t see many people out, not like last weekend when there were yard workers and dogwalkers everywhere. It’s probably because it is a holiday weekend. We did see a trio of people in an orange classic VW beetle cruising the ritzy neighborhood, passing them several times. As a testament to how gorgeous the day was, they had the top down as they drove about.

I did have a frustrating experience on my ride, though as Bill explained later, it is part and parcel of being a motorcyclist. We were heading out of one neighborhood toward the fast road. Bill was out in front and I was my usual two car lengths or so behind. As we neared the stop sign, we passed a road on our left where a white SUV was quickly stopping and had two cars passing by in the opposite direction. Something about the way the white SUV stopped set off my “spidey” sense. It may be that the driver started then stopped quickly as she realized Bill was passing on his motorcycle. He passed her stop just after the two cars coming the opposite way passed, but she was not going to stay stopped and let me ride past (as she should have). So I came to a full stop as she pulled out in front of me, but it wasn’t a sudden stop as I had started braking because of that “spidey” sense. So I had the experience many riders encounter when approaching an intersection where a car driver does not see them. In my case I was seen (I wear that neon bright Helite vest after all), but I was still cut off. At least that impatient driver gave me a lesson from which to learn.

I caught up to Bill and we finished our ride with some S-turns as reflected on my lessons from the day. Because of the holiday and the beautiful weekend, I also took out my BMW G310 GS for a short ride on Easter. I worked a lot with feathering the clutch to help move the bike in and out of the garage. Plus, I wanted to try my new Daytona boots on that shifter—still too stiff to get them under the shifter. I actually was making my left foot sore as I tried to work it under the shifter. I found it easier to transition to the BMW from the Ducati this time, only stalling the bike once while on my ride. I am really starting to feel on both motorcycles how beneficial my practice is.