Mix and Match Ride

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.

large cloud overtaking the sun — Photo by Samir Smier on Pexels.com

If You Don’t Like the Weather, Wait a Week

One reason we don’t winterize the motorcycles is the precariousness of the mid-Atlantic coastal weather. Last week we were bundled up against the cold with our motorcycles warning us of icy conditions. Today’s ride was 74 degrees, so the summer gear was on and my R Nine T was smiling (well, I was smiling on the R Nine T). The rain had passed by earlier and, while there were a few damp patches of road in the shady spots, most of the roads had dried out. The sun even peeked out enough to require sunglasses. I can already sense the days are beginning to lengthen as the sun is higher in the sky and not shining right into my eyes.

I was grateful for my 50/50 tires. There had been some roadwork during the week, and I rode over several patches of gravel. I had my guardian angel bell attached under the chassis, and I hoped since I had my helmet vents open and the visor cracked, I might hear a jingle. But no such luck; I only heard the roar of the boxer cylinders. But I felt its protection as I worked on my turns in the gravel lot. The slight slips of the tires as I came around did not cause me worry as I balanced the motorcycle.

My turns went extremely well during today’s ride. My on-street U-turns were all pavement. And I really enjoyed our fast braking into turns drill, feeling the acceleration and then the dive as I hauled on the brakes then let up. I can understand why people love to race motorcycles.

Bill and I weren’t the only riders out enjoying the day. As we were conducting our fast-braking drill, a rider on a bright yellow Harley-Davidson Pan America rode by giving us the motorcycle salute. That was the first Pan America I’ve seen on the road, and I liked the color as the bright yellow nearly matched the bright yellow on my R Nine T.

It was still winter as far as the animals were concerned. I spotted some vultures up riding the thermals, and we had one squirrel crossing. But other than the ubiquitous crows, there was not much wildlife about. The camellias are blooming, adding their reds and pinks to the browns and greens.

Unbeknownst to me, as we were heading back to the garage, Bill put me to a test. We have a left turn out of the fancy neighborhood into my parents’. There was a car ahead turning the opposite left from us and Bill turned in front of that. But by the time I came to the left turn, there was another car coming up from behind and moving around the left-turning car. If I were crazy, I would’ve accelerated and zoomed into the turn in front of the car, but instead I slowed down into first gear and waited for the car to pass. Afterwards, as we were taking off our gear, Bill told me I had done what he had hoped I would do—deal with the intersection on my own and not just follow him blindly.

It can be a danger when riding with another or others to fall into trailing mode and just do what the leader does. Luckily for me, I have a leader who’s very conscientious of my limited riding experience. However, I am practicing my riding skills every week, and I will be out next week, when winter returns, working on my motorcycle skills.

Itchy Nose Ride

Today’s ride was wintry for sure. The sky was gray and the wind was bitterly cold bringing the temperature down to below 40 degrees. But I was bundled up well and my heated grips were working, so I was mostly comfortable except for chilly fingertips.

Even under the gray skies, I managed to spot a white egret flying overhead as we started off and two more in the low tidal waters at the park. I also spotted two ospreys, one in each neighborhood, as we rode, and the squirrels were busy in the yards but keeping off the roads. Yet there seemed a quietness as we rode, that winter stillness that seems to settle over the land.

I noted that despite spotting a few pink winter roses and some newly planted purple pansies, there was a brown hue to the landscape as we rode by. The pines and other evergreens and grass are greens muted by the winter brown. One of the joys of riding my motorcycle is experiencing the seasons from the saddle and enjoying their unique features.

About midway through the ride my nose started itching. Now while riding a motorcycle, it is possible to take a hand off the handlebars. With cruise control some riders even take both hands off the handlebars. So theoretically I could take my left hand off the bars, lift my visor, and bump my nose with my gloved fingers. But I didn’t want to open my visor in the cold air.

To distract myself from the itch, my mind went to how in today’s society, so many needs are immediately met. Are you hungry? Uber eats will deliver nearly anything you want. Feeling ill? Medicine is on its way, or you can get a virtual appointment and a prescription without getting out of your pajamas. But riding my R Nine T, dressed in my safety gear with its extra layering for the cold, scratching my nose was not a simple task. And what if I just endured the inconvenience of an itchy nose? Would the delayed gratification feel better? Or, as did happen, would the itchy nose cease to itch? And am I better person for having endured it?

I realize how silly this is, but my ride did distract me from the itchy nose. During a U-turn in a cul-de-sac, I was letting out the clutch to increase my speed a little. I was , in the full bars to the left, front wheel turned, and the bike wasn’t accelerating. I tried a little throttle, and I only got engine revving. I had mis-shifted into neutral and had to quickly shift into first and accelerate to maintain the motorcycle in an upright position. Luckily, the boxer engine saved my balance and let me save the turn. And I soon forgot about my itchy nose.

As the ride ended, I had a new focus as I dismounted—the bathroom. Eventually, due to my recovering from a cold, I did get to scratch my itchy nose.

And, in the immortal words of Monty Python, “now for something completely different,” my motorcycle Christmas gift. Bill surprised me with Dream Apparel’s motorcycle bell. The bell says, “Never ride faster than your angel can fly.” It is a guardian angel bell to protect me from road gremlins. Next week, we’ll get it affixed to my motorcycle. I don’t know if it will protect me from itchy noses though, but I’m willing to keep riding to find out.

Gearing Up for Winter Riding

I am amazed at people’s ingenuity, and one place that ingenuity is on display is in motorcycle gear. In the early days of motorcycle riding, smart riders figured out to wear goggles to protect their eyes and leather to protect their skin. Bill will tell me how in his earliest days of motorcycle riding, the only gear he had was a Bell helmet, but he knew to wear a leather jacket, jeans, and boots.

Now some people in the summer can be seen on their motorcycles in shorts and t-shirts, but that is a choice. In the MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) course, they teach riders to dress for the slide. Leather is still one of the best skin protection for the slide, but thanks to the invention of Kevlar, riding jeans can be substantive enough to protect the skin.

But in addition to the safety features of motorcycle gear, there is also the weather adaptability. My leather riding pants have a detachable lining, so I can add a layer for warmth when needed, like on today’s 42-degree ride under gray skies. My leather jacket also has a removable lining for warmth adjustability. I also have three different sets of riding gloves that offer differing degrees of warmth, but all offer protection should I take a tumble.

Luckily (knock on wood) I have not needed the slide protection of my gear. I have needed the warmth protection, though, and it seems I will be needing it for quite a while now as winter seems to have arrived early this year. Next week, I’ll start wearing my balaclava under my helmet to keep my chin and cheeks warm.

We shortened our ride some because the roads still had wet spots from the cold rain that fell on Friday. I didn’t go on the gravel because of the damp, and the skies were dark enough I could see the beams from our headlights. The squirrels were busy, but they stayed out of our way. I spotted a large vulture in the air at the beginning of the ride, and I saw the birds flying away from the water, but I didn’t see any white-feathered heads. Of course, in our shortened ride, we didn’t ride as close to the water.

The best part of the ride was that I was mostly comfortable with just a little bit of cold fingers due to pre-loading, but it wasn’t as bad as last week. And I know I’ll be fine for next week’s ride too.

zipper on black pants — Zipping the lining up at the ankles of my leather riding pants.

Chilly Cheeks Ride

No, not those cheeks! But it does make a great hook. We had a chilly 43-degree day for our ride in bright sunshine, and I layered up. I made sure to close the vents in my helmet and to add the lining to my leather pants. I was pleased, also, that I was finally able to wear the Klim thermal sweater Bill gave me for Christmas four years ago over the Alpinestar’s safety jacket. That’s a concrete sign I’ve slimmed down.

One of the benefits of this pullover sweater is that it has a zipper at the top and a collar, so I could add an extra layer of neck protection. But I forgot to bring my thermal neck tube, so I had nothing to warm my cheeks from the cold air entering at the bottom of my helmet. The chill on my cheeks, however, was not enough to ruin my fun ride.

As we headed out, I glanced up in hopes of spotting an eagle, but no raptors were in sight. Nor was I going to see any butterflies in the colder air. But the squirrels were lively, and we had two cross our paths during the ride.

I was wearing my Klim medium-weight gloves with the heated grips on. However, I was also pre-loading the front brake, which meant my index and middle fingers were not on the grip and got quite cold. I focused during the ride on being careful with the throttle. These thicker gloves tend to block my feel some, so I will accidentally roll on the throttle. I had a few roll-ons as I was braking, but I did control the throttle better.

My U-turns were better this week than last week. I only brushed the edge of the grass on the berm as I did the first on-street U-turn. And my two-parking spot turn in the gravel lot was going great until I spotted a thick branch right at my exit point and had to go wider to avoid it. I missed that branch even thought I rode around the lot first to check for obstacles, which shows me that even when I think I’m aware, I need to be extra aware.

I did get to enjoy Christmas decorations as many people took advantage of the Thanksgiving holiday time off to decorate. I even spotted some people out hanging their lights. I will enjoy these decorations for the next four weeks, but I also know I will feel a little sad when I see the decorations taken down right after Christmas. Someone once explained to me that their family undecorates right after Christmas because they have the time off. But I look for those that hold onto the twelve days of Christmas and keep their décor through to the Epiphany. I will see a few people do this on my upcoming holiday rides.

bright yellow leaves on a tulip poplar tree — Tulip poplar in autumn

Three Eagles Ride

I was going to call this blog What a Difference a Day Makes as today’s weather was opposite Saturday’s dreary, warm rain. Today was cool and sunny, with hardly a cloud in the sky. But then I spotted the first eagle circling in the clear blue, and the ride became more about the sights.

I layered exactly right for the 60-degree day, but I forgot to close the vents in my helmet. It wasn’t cold, but I did have cool air blowing across my head. I realized, however, that I might not want to prematurely close the vents; we could still get some warm riding days. On today’s ride the bright sunshine almost became an issue. Luckily, we headed out early enough in the day before the sun hit that direct-into-the-eye angle.

I was enjoying the beautiful foliage still vibrant though many trees are bare. The beautiful elm tree from last week still had its leaves, but they had faded into a paper bag brown. The Japanese maples that have their leaves are a stunning deep red, and I saw enough color to remind me it’s still autumn and not quite winter. The smell of pine needles struck me as I went wide on the on-street U-turn having entered the turn too quickly. I improved on the second turn, and I did great on the gravel turns later.

I spotted the first bald eagle as we passed the neighborhood water tower. At first I had thought it was another buzzard, but then I noticed the white tail feathers and, as the raptor swung about, the tell-tale white head. I pointed upward in hopes Bill would look into his rearview mirror and then up. Instead, I was able to tell him on our stop.

After I spotted the eagle, we headed into a turn. I saw the front end of the Rocket slip and Bill pulled over and parked. I parked alongside him and watched as he walked back to the corner. He rooted around in the leaves along the roadside, and then he came back and showed me three chunks of asphalt that had been lurking under the leaves. It was a reminder that the leaves on the roadway can hide dangers. But it did give me the chance to mention the eagle to Bill. We rode into the cul-de-sac and when we came out and were stopped at a stop sign, Bill took the moment to remind me of the one time he dropped the R Nine T was at this stop. After he made the reminder and started to head off, I called after him because the eagle had made a reappearance. It was, however, soaring up in the thermals and difficult for Bill to spot. But he eventually did spot it.

I also spotted a cabbage white butterfly toward the end of our ride. It came darting out of a clump of yellow mums to make sure I got a look. The other two eagles were over the river, and I saw them as I was loading my gear back into the car. They were circling around each other and soaring higher and higher as they headed down the river. So a beautiful day with a beautiful ride was capped off with another beautiful sighting of bald eagles. I’m hoping for some more sightings on next week’s ride; I certainly will be thankful!

Happy Fall Y’All!

After a tough week at work, I was eager to ride, and I was given a gorgeous day of partly cloudy skies and 70 degrees. I was back in the Klim jacket, and I enjoyed a cool and comfortable therapeutic ride.

The squirrels were a little less squirrelly today; they crossed the roads in progressive leaps well out in front of us. I had fun creating wakes in the leaves along the roadway, and the autumn colors are nearing peak, so the sun was glinting of gorgeous burgundies, greens, golds, and umbers. Next week may actually be peak colors, though some of the Japanese maples are already there.

We did encounter three golf carts out on the roads during our ride, and Mr. Recumbent Bicycle was out again, but this ride he had the sense to have someone in front on a regular bike to help with visibility. I’m not sure what’s going on with the golf carts. There are plenty of neighborhood sidewalks for walking, and the day was perfect for taking a stroll. But when I thought about it, aren’t the golf carters doing what Bill and I are but in their own fashion? Aren’t they out riding in the elements, enjoying the feel of the cool air blowing across them, the lack of barriers between them and nature? So while the carts’ puttering speeds are a little annoying, I didn’t mind them so much. I recognized them as fellow riders of a sort.

Of course in a golf cart one can’t do cool U-turns with a lean or feel the slosh of the rear tire riding on gravel. I went in the gravel lot and have noticed a loss of confidence on that surface. I mentioned that to Bill after our ride, and he suggested we include the gravel lot more often. I still managed some tight U-turns on the gravel, but I didn’t try the two parking spots because there were some large branches down and the gravel was obstacle enough.

The only butterfly I spotted was a little cabbage white darting over the fence as I put on my riding boots. We have some mid-40 degree days forecasted for the upcoming week, so my butterfly spotting is just about over for this year. But that just makes me look forward to my upcoming rides.

Squirrelly Ride

It felt so good to be back on the R Nine T after missing last weekend. And the weather gave us a perfect day for the ride—sunny skies and highs of 62. I broke out my leather jacket without the lining and leather pants and had a super enjoyable albeit squirrelly ride.

Traffic was the main squirrelly part; there were cars everywhere. No one did anything to cause alarm but we had a few slow-movers that caused us to check up. It didn’t help that I was checking out my odometer because I was approaching 2500 miles and I wanted to snap a picture.

I spotted one intrepid cabbage white fluttering across the road in front of us. But he was the only one. I spotted a few vultures up in the blue sky, but the squirrels were the dominant fauna I spotted on my ride. They are mostly at work collecting food for the winter, but we had to watch for them in the roadway. One extremely lucky fellow benefited from our quick stopping practice; I am still wondering how he escaped Bill’s front tire. The reason the squirrel darted brazenly in front of the Rocket was because he was in a dispute with another squirrel, and the other squirrel chased him into the roadway. From my perspective that guy was roadkill. But then I spotted him to the left of the Rocket’s front tire, less than an inch away. We stayed stopped until the squirrel finished crossing the road.

I had a squirrelly incident early in my ride. I hit a dip in the road and my left foot depressed the shifter down a gear. At my speed, the engine braking didn’t disrupt my ride too much, but it gave me something to think about when out on the highway to be aware of how a bump can cause unintentional actions.

We encountered more squirrels as we looped around for the finish of the ride, including a confident fellow who ambled across the road assured we would stop for him—which of course we did. We also encountered a squirrelly individual riding a recumbent bicycle. He did have a tall flag attached to his bike, but he was low to the ground and riding in a very shady part of the road, weaving between both lanes. He did have a flashing headlight, but it is low to the ground and wasn’t very brightly lit. It made me realize that my motorcycle headlight—a safety feature—is probably not as bright as I think.

As we head deeper into autumn and closer to winter, the squirrellyness will settle down. The leaves are more colorful but not yet at peak; I will be out next Saturday to enjoy the fall colors.

odometer of motorcycle showing 2500 miles

Making the Most of Today’s Ride

We’ve been blessed with some fantastic weather this fall. Today was another perfect day for motorcycle riding—sunny skies and 72 degrees. We were eager to get started despite noting lots of extra parked cars around perhaps gathered to watch a big game.

I really appreciate how much stronger my legs feel in controlling the nearly 500 pounds of the motorcycle especially on the steep camber of the road. But I’m wondering if it wasn’t just mental. I was struggling against the weight of the motorcycle, trying to come up with braking tricks to help me control it on street cambers. When I discussed my tricks with Bill, he told me I needed to have the strength to control the motorcycle with my legs. And it seems just like that I was controlling my bike with my legs.

I wasn’t lifting heavier at the gym, so I hadn’t made strength gains. So I do think it was a mental issue. I thought the R Nine T was heavy, so it was heavy. I thought I need to control the R Nine T with my legs, and now I can control the weight with my legs. It is both a great feeling of strength but also a reassuring feeling of control over the motorcycle. And controlling the motorcycle with my legs is extra important now that it is autumn and the leaves are clumping onto the roads. We had one stop where I noted the leaves pasted against the asphalt and was careful to make sure of my footing as I braked.

It was a wonderful ride. My on-street U-turn left a yard of pavement free on the side. And my footless stop was spot on. I did manage to spot a monarch butterfly that I first thought was a falling leaf as it was just drifting before opening and flapping her wings. Another monarch may have been warming herself on the roadway until the Rocket zoomed by and disturbed him.

I also spotted two cabbage whites—both as we unloaded our gear at the garage and at home. I had to make the most of today’s ride because I will be out of town next week with no opportunity to ride. Bill will get his ride in as the Rocket is due for inspection, but I will have to wait two weeks before I can get the R Nine T to 2500 miles—1800 of those miles ridden by me.

black and orange monarch butterfly on green plant with small flowers with lake behind — Photo by Chris F on Pexels.com

Riding a Retro

Every motorcycle is not built equally. Motorcycles, like automobiles, fit into various categories that appeal to what kind of riding the motorcyclist wants to do or how the rider wants to look upon a motorcycle. They also can appeal to a rider aesthetically as in the case of the R Nine T for Bill. The R Nine T is a retro motorcycle, designed to look more like an old-fashioned motorcycle than a modern one. Sometimes, though, the retro motorcycles go a little too far in channeling the past.

I have mentioned before that the R Nine T lacks a fuel gauge on its one clock. Luckily for me, I ride it alongside Bill on the Triumph Rocket which is a bit of a gas guzzler but as a modern cruiser motorcycle, has a gas gauge. We learned before today’s ride that the R Nine T also does not have a low-oil warning light reminding us of the earliest days of motorcycle riding.

On some instinct Bill wanted to check the oil in my bike. This involved laying on the garage floor to check the little oil level window. According to the little window, there was no oil. We had a half a quart of motorcycle oil left from the last oil fill up, so Bill added that into the right cylinder head hoping the oil level would at least register. When he checked, we discovered that there was plenty of oil, so Bill deduced that the oil level indicated empty when it was getting low but not low enough to blow out the engine.

Now we’re left with the question as to why BMW would leave off an oil-warning light. The motorcycle is not completely old-fashioned. I have ABS (anti-lock brake system), traction control, ride modes, a digital odometer, and cruise control. Why are these features included but not safety measures such as a low oil warning light and a gas gauge? I do wonder what the engineers were thinking. Motorcycles mostly appeal to young men who are not the most conscientious riders. But then I remembered the MSF course.

During the book-learning portion of the MSF course, we reviewed “T-CLOCS.” T-CLOCS stands for: T—tires and wheels, C—controls, L—lights and engine, O—oil and other fluids, C—chassis, and S—stands. Back in that classroom, I was brand new to motorcycles, so much of T-CLOCS went in and out of my ears. And I suppose owners of more modern designed motorcycles can rely on the features of that bike to do most of T-CLOCS for them. But in owning a retro motorcycle, I realize now how important T-CLOCS is. And I also understand that while I’ve been slack, Bill hasn’t. Bill has owned motorcycles for a long time, so he learned to ride when the only way to check everything was by checking everything. His first Harley-Davidson didn’t even have turn indicators.

Speaking of turn indicators, one quirky design of the R Nine T is that the turn signals are self-cancelling whereas on most other motorcycles, including the 310 and Scrambler I’ve owned, the rider has to cancel the signals. Again BMW engineers-why that feature and not a low-oil warning light? At least we solved the mystery of how to check the oil and, luckily, there was plenty to allow me to ride and to keep me riding in this lovely, cool autumn weather.

black and yellow motorcycle parked on fallen leaves — My lovely retro R Nine T.