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.
A warm but not hot summer’s eve greeted us with clouds in the west but plenty of sunshine on our roads. We headed out with a plan to cruise around and not do too much slow-speed maneuvers. We set off with the scent of magnolias, crape myrtles, and mimosas filling the air.
Our first wildlife encounter was with a crazy squirrel crossing the road in front of us. The squirrel was in the oncoming lane to us about two feet from the other side when he heard the roar of our motorcycles. He stopped as we slowed down, looked at us, and proceeded to head back the way he came with several stops to check us out on the way.
Soon after as we headed up the road, our engine roar startled a rabbit nibbling along the berm, the first rabbit I’ve seen from the motorcycle that I can remember. Usually, rabbits come out at dawn or dusk, but he must have been hungry.
The first butterfly I spotted was a zoomy great purple hairstreak zipping between the clover. A block away from him, I spotted the only cabbage white I saw during the entire ride. I spot more butterflies driving to and from the motorcycles than I do during the ride. Perhaps I am not spotting them because I am working more on my street awareness.
As we headed along the final loop before ending our ride, we saw the very unusual sight of a racoon crossing the road into someone’s backyard in front of our motorcycles. I’ve no idea what would’ve made the nocturnal creature feel the need to be out in the middle of the day, but he was, and he was large. If he was returning home, then whoever lives in that house might want to call animal control because he was a large fellow.
In all my rides, this one definitely had the most diverse wildlife. I was disappointed not to see any birds soaring aloft in the thermals, but I did spot an osprey as we headed home. I look forward to spotting more wildlife among the day lilies and hydrangeas next week.
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.
The summer heat of earlier in the week gave way to a cold front that brought rain, wind, and cooler temperatures for our ride. In fact we weren’t sure we would manage our motorcycle ride as early rain fell Saturday morning. But with a little patience, a little extra care, and a lot more attention, the ride was possible.
I tied in today’s ride with what I had been studying last week about paying attention both to traffic and to road hazards. The puddles made road hazards easy to avoid, and there was just enough traffic to allow me a good afternoon of awareness practice. I also felt that riding on slightly damp roads is a good experience in case Bill and I are ever caught in a sudden summer shower.
The gray skies gave a muted, calm beauty to the lush greenness of late spring. The hydrangeas have begun blooming along with the brightly colored day lilies. And the hot temperatures of earlier in the week brought out the gardenia blossoms and even a smattering of crape myrtle blooms. The rain allowed the clean scent of the magnolias and gardenias to drench the air with sweet perfume.
I didn’t spot a single butterfly throughout the ride, but I did spy two ospreys and a great blue heron. The heron was in someone’s front yard and, while the roar of the motorcycle engines disturbed him, he chose only to walk slowly farther into the yard, allowing me a great view of his face and crest.
We did work on slow-speed maneuvers around the puddles. I had the opportunity to wonder if my skills are as good as I think or if the R Nine T is giving me. The balance on my U-turns is spectacular, no doubt due to the balancing impact of the two-cylinder heads of the boxer engine. But I also wondered if the dry clutch gives me over-confidence in my feathering technique. At a stop, Bill stalled the Rocket, something he has done several times over the past couple of months. And I wondered if I were riding a wet clutch motorcycle, would I stall more often? It seems to me I did stall more on the 310 and the Scrambler, but I attributed that more to my lack of riding experience. And I remember struggling to get the feel for the R Nine T’s clutch when I first began riding it. But now it’s very rare for me to stall at a stop. So is that because I’ve become a better rider or because it’s easier to feather the dry clutch? An easier feathering would also explain my confidence in U-turns. It would be interesting to have more than one motorcycle to ride (I’m not strong enough for the Rocket) to see if it’s my technique or the clutch.
Now that I’ve written all that about not stalling, I’ll probably stall two or three times during next week’s ride. But that’s OK because even if I’m stalling the motorcycle, at least I’m out riding the motorcycle.
Five years and two days ago, I sat on my first ever motorcycle, an old Kawasaki Eliminator cruiser, and began my motorcycle journey. This weekend I was looking forward to an anniversary ride on Sunday since Saturday dawned gray and misty. Instead, in doing a seemingly good deed, I broke the R Nine T.
If you own a motorcycle, I recommend searching for hidden problems with the bike. On the BMW R Nine T the hidden problem is known as the disappearing rear brake. A full depression of the rear brake pedal and nothing happens, no caliper engagement. And why? That was perhaps the greatest mystery. The motorcycle has less than 3,000 miles on it, is kept in a garage, and isn’t ridden very hard. Yet on this gorgeous sunny, breezy Sunday, my motorcycle mysteriously broke.
The disappeared rear brake was discovered while Bill was bringing the bikes down the driveway. The Triumph waited patiently by the curb for my BMW to ride. The little garage cabbage white admired the Rocket from across the street. But my bike never made it to the curb. We tried adding brake fluid, but it was a no go, so no ride. And after the week I had at work, I really needed a relaxing ride full of butterflies (I’d spotted a bunch on the drive over).
Instead, we returned both bikes to the garage, packed up the gear, and headed home to do some research. That’s where we learned about the disappearing rear brake. What was really annoying was one of the potential causes of the disappearance was getting the ABS mechanism wet. Guess what we did on that dreary Saturday? Right, we washed and waxed the motorcycles. One would think the dealership would warn new owners that washing their motorcycle might damage one of the most important features of the motorcycle, but no.
Now the problem could be air in the brake line, so we’ll try bleeding the line first before trying to set up service. I really am screwed if the R Nine T does need service; the dealer’s service center doesn’t have any appointments open until September!
So I end this blog post with a cliffhanger—will the R Nine T rear brake get fixed? Will it need service months away? Will I get to ride next weekend? Will there be a sixth anniversary? Stay tuned!
Spring returned in full force for today’s ride with a beautiful sunny day right around 70 degrees and with a full-frontal assault by the pollen. I wore my neck tube up over my mouth and nose to help alleviate my allergies, and that action was mostly successful, so I could enjoy the day without sneezing all afternoon.
The azaleas are reaching peak bloom, the roses are beginning to bloom, and I even saw large pink-white peonies blossoming. I spotted two monarch butterflies out enjoying the day probably as much as I was. The Japanese maples were a spectacular red as they reflected the sunlight off their leaves, and the roads were covered in the maple seed pod “helicopters.” We called them “helicopters” as kids because we would pick them up and throw them in the air to let them spin their way to the ground. I even picked up a few as I loaded the gear after the ride to relive my childhood fun.
My motorcycle ride was wonderful. My on-street U-turns were all street with my second one being super tight. Turning my head a little more has really helped tighten my U-turns; I just need to work on reaching and being comfortable at full lock. We also did the zooming figure eights with the race braking, but there was a trailer parked in the lot and it cramped my turns.
My most successful aspect of the ride was finally being able to use engine braking to aid my sudden stops. Engine braking is when I let the downshift of the engine help to slow the motorcycle. What I have to do is let out the clutch as I downshift while braking sharply. It’s a coordination effort on my part. Out of three attempts, I was successful on two. The first stop with the engine braking was within two parking spots. The second one was a goof. And the third was the best; I stopped within a parking spot and a half. It’s always fun to make a leap in skills, and I look forward to working the stops some more next week.
Happy Pi Day! In honor of the occasion, I made some circles on my motorcycle. I also drew some figure eights, several Us, and lots of straight and wavy lines. Despite winter’s revenge on Thursday where the temperature fell over 30 degrees in a six-hour span, Pi day was a beautiful day for riding motorcycles.
My little buddy greeted me as I unloaded my gear. The little cabbage white butterfly came straight across the neighbor’s yard and passed right in front of me, excited for me I suppose that I would be riding my motorcycle. He even stopped by before I headed out to wish me a great ride.
And it was a great ride. I only spotted one other cabbage white two miles into the ride, but after the weather we had on Thursday, I was happy to see any still fluttering around. I also saw several Harley riders out and about, though I didn’t spot the one behind us that Bill said was trying to catch up to our bikes. Harleys are built for cruising not speed, so he never could catch up.
Last week’s blooming sugar magnolia fell victim to the violent weather shift, but other trees began blooming to replace it. Several pear trees were in bloom as were some early Yoshino cherry trees. I hope we are done with winter and the worst of the wind so we can enjoy the blossoms for several weeks. I also hope winter is finished because springtime rides are about the best there are.
Despite the thickening pollen in the air, the spring gives us warm but not hot riding weather, and it gives me plenty of natural beauty to enjoy. The greener grass is growing, and the trees are budding as they prepare to open. And I take all of this natural beauty in while riding through it. I suppose feeling the air on my skin and the taste of pollen on the back of my throat makes me feel closer to the landscape than I would in a car. Yet all of this enjoyment can’t be at the expense of my attention to the road and what’s going on around me. Maybe the joy comes from the super awareness one has when riding a motorcycle, everything is keener and therefore more beautiful. And I look forward to a deeper understanding on next week’s ride.
If you’re out on the road, I’m sure you’ve noticed an uptick in motorcycles out and about. Riders who winterize their motorcycles leap at the chance to get them out of storage and ride. Luckily for me, I’m a year-round rider, so I don’t have a withdrawal period. But I still love a beautiful day made for motorcycles which is what we were given this week.
The day before the weather surprised us with a wind shift that brought colder air in, but it didn’t last. We had a gorgeous day in the mid-70s and everywhere there were signs of spring taking over from winter. As we headed over for the ride, I spotted a small, brownish pink butterfly determinedly fluttering up the road. It was too far for me to guess the species, but it made me smile and confirmed a hope I had that as early as it was, the butterflies would be out.
Sure enough, half a mile into our ride, as I was watching a large Muscovy duck waddle across the road, the first cabbage white butterfly fluttered up on my right. Another mile up the road, as I looked to the left at a stop sign, I spotted another cabbage white in a frenzy of flutters. The camellias and daffodils are attractive, but additionally, the plum trees and sugar magnolias are beginning to bloom, giving the butterflies more options.
As we rode, we saw loads of people out walking, running, working in the yard, and playing because it was too beautiful of a day not to get out and enjoy it. And it was a restorative ride for me. I could feel joy spreading through me, chasing away the winter blahs. That joy translated into my ride. My on-street U-turns, while not the tightest, were both all pavement. My rear tire did slip a bit during the fast stop into turns drills, but I didn’t panic or dab; I just registered that my speed was sufficient to cause the backend to slip. I even successfully did the full U-turn inside the two parking spots on the gravel lot.
At some point during the ride, I registered that I was smiling. That feeling, that body-infusing joy one feels while cruising on two-wheels, that is what makes motorcycle riding so addictive—in a good way. I wonder if there is a study on the happiness of motorcycle riders and if, on average, we are generally happier than average folks.
The title of this week’s piece, Triple Whites, is a play on a popular BMW R1250/1300 GS color scheme—Triple Black. My triple whites are the cabbage white butterflies, and the third cabbage white made me happiest. As I rode my motorcycle up the driveway, across the yard the little guy fluttered toward me as if welcoming me home. I hope he’s the same butterfly that hung around last year, and I certainly hope I get to see him again during next week’s ride.
No fancy dress up, no heading out to a candlelit dinner, no champagne although I did get beautiful flowers that included roses. No, I got what I really wanted for Valentine’s Day—a gorgeous, sun-filled day in the upper 50s and a chance to ride.
All week long, Bill and I had been checking Saturday’s forecast, and as we got closer and closer to the weekend, the forecast kept improving with clouds disappearing Thursday and the temperature hitting over 55 by Friday night. Three weeks is a long time not to ride one’s motorcycle, and I was happy that both the weather and my health cooperated to let me out on my R Nine T.
It wasn’t just the weather suggesting that Punxsutawney Phil might have gotten it wrong. I spotted a small flock of Canadian geese as we headed over to the garage, lots of birds flitting in and out of trees, mallards in the river, and a robin zooming by. And Bill and I weren’t the only ones out taking in this spring-like day. The playground at the school was packed, some kids even wearing short sleeves and shorts in celebration of a warmer day. I was comfortable in my flannel turtleneck, leggings, and leathers, no lining needed in my Schotts. I wore my mid-weight gloves and realized I could’ve worn the light weight ones with the heated grips on, but I need more practice in the thicker gloves. And I have improved my throttle work with only one accidental roll on during the ride.
My riding skills evinced a three-week hiatus. My on-street U-turn hit the grassy berm on the first turn. And I messed up my two-parking space turn in the gravel lot, having to stop, push the motorcycle back, and regroup. I even dabbed once during a U-turn. I think in part I was a little extra zoomy during the ride having waited three weeks for the chance to zoom again.
The best part of the ride was knowing I was with my sweetheart and that he was having as much (if not more) fun as me. Looking ahead, the warm weather is planning to stick around, so hopefully I’ll stay healthy and there won’t be another hiatus in our motorcycle rides. Valentine’s Day is a day we reflect on love, and I can honestly say I absolutely love riding motorcycles!
Flutterby Biker 