I’ve been riding a lot lately. I am turning more and more to my motorcycle for my mode of transportation to work, going for errands, visiting friends, etc. The weather has been perfect for riding for several weeks now, so there has been no excuse not to ride.
I find my mind shifting as I ride more often. Now I am beginning to think of my bike as my main vehicle, and only drive the 4-wheeled variety when I need to shop for groceries for the week, or will need to carry other people for some reason.
Daily, I get ready for work with the thought of what motorcycle boots I’ll wear. As I’m fixing my hair in the morning there is always an elastic band to pull my hair into a ponytail for riding purposes. Pulling the bike out of the garage has become a morning ritual that gets my motor running. Once it’s out, I can’t wait to get going. I always make a lunch and put it in a bag that will fit into my saddlebags.
Riding daily has become something to look forward to. I am not happy in my current job, so work is not something I am looking forward to each morning. Riding makes it a little more bearable. Soon I will be living where there are more riding months out of the year. When the cold and rainy seasons come back here, I’m not sure if I will be motivated to brave them.
I’ve noticed my riding attitude changing lately. I feel calmer while riding, as it has become commonplace. I used to feel aggressive while I rode. Each shift of the gears was done with a little rage behind it. Each day I take a different route to work, depending on how many ‘metal plates in the road’ or other road construction that I feel like encountering. I get angry when I see people talking on the cell phone in their cars, but have been trying to get over that. There are a lot of idiots out on the road during commute times, and if I can just be the sane one, calmly making my way through the mobs of bad drivers on my bike, then I have won.
I’ve been riding a lot on the weekends too. I haven’t been taking too many photos, but just riding. There haven’t been any exciting destinations, but many lovely roads have been covered.
Showing posts with label riding motorcycles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label riding motorcycles. Show all posts
A Whirl Up Whidbey Island
Saturday we woke up early and were ready to ride. With us, it is always a hard decision as to where to go. There are so many choices, and we’ve exhausted all the routes and places that we’ve already been to previously. The choices that seemed to come up were a route over on the peninsula near the Hood Canal. I have been told there are fun, scenic roads over there. The other choice was to take our first WS Ferry ride with the motorcycles, and go ride up the entire length of Whidbey Island. Since the day was already beginning to cloud up, we went for the Ferry ride and decided to explore the Island.
We left home, expecting the day to warm up and the sun to come out in the afternoon. Neither of those things happened. When we started out, it was 52 degrees.
The ride to the Mukilteo Ferry is only about 25 minutes from home and very familiar to us. When you arrive at the holding area for the next Ferry, motorcyclists are allowed to pull into the first lane and wait.
We left home, expecting the day to warm up and the sun to come out in the afternoon. Neither of those things happened. When we started out, it was 52 degrees.
The ride to the Mukilteo Ferry is only about 25 minutes from home and very familiar to us. When you arrive at the holding area for the next Ferry, motorcyclists are allowed to pull into the first lane and wait.
We were the first loaded, right up in the front of the vessel, and the first off. Only the walk-on passengers have more clout. They get first on and off privileges before the motorcyclists.
As soon as we arrived in Clinton, across the Puget Sound, it began to rain. We hadn’t heard that in the forecast. It was OK. I was happy for the windshield that I keep on the bike all the time. It shielded my face from the stinging rain, since I had the half-shell on. Throughout the day it rained several times. I never got wet and didn’t have raingear on specifically. My saddlebags also stayed dry inside.
We rode up the length of Whidbey Island, first stopping in Langley for lunch. It was a wonderful and exhilarating ride. The roads were smooth and looked newly paved in most areas. There are lots of easy curves with long straight stretches thrown in. The roads are either wooded on both sides or open fields and farmland. You really don’t know you are on an island except when you catch a glimpse of the water in the distance once in a while. We caught a quick look at a giant wild turkey on the side of the road, which was totally unexpected. We rode north until we stopped at Deception Pass, which eventually connects the Island back to the mainland near Anacortes.
The bridge is high enough to allow ships and tall sailboats to go underneath. Down below the water is treacherous and very ‘deceiving’. Thus, Deception Pass. There have historically been many vessels capsized and loss of life in this area.
We decided to take a turn towards La Connor and ride through the farmland and fields of the Skagit Valley where they grow all the tulips. Instead we found a lovely field of iris, which are in bloom right now.
I love that road! We kept heading south towards home and found an Old Pioneer Highway that was new to us, but followed parallel to the Interstate. Finally, we had to take I-5 out of Silvana and had a nice freeway ride home in the rain.
It was a very fun day and I love riding those types of roads. Of course, there were hundreds of other bikes we passed throughout the day. All were waving and smiling. We were gone for 5-1/2 hours and rode 154 miles. …… What a great life we have!
My New Melon Cover
I’ve been on a shopping spree lately. As a female, I am a little unusual in that I don’t like to shop! In fact, I despise it. If I need clothing for a certain occasion I will go looking, but it isn’t enjoyable in any way to me. Then Al Gore invented the internet (he says) and a wonderful thing happened. I could go online and browse to my heart’s content for items that I need. It saves a lot of gas and I love receiving packages!So I’ve ordered a set of saddlebags, which I have and will talk about later. There are also the Harley boots that I ordered from Zappos and love them almost as much as my bike (that is saying a lot). Once I ordered the saddlebags I was on a roll. The next day I ordered a Drifter Half Helmet from Motorcycle Superstore. It came 2 days later and I wore it around the house for a couple of hours until it felt formed to my head. The neighbors already know that I’m crazy. At least I didn’t do the ‘chicken dance’ while I had it on.
Saturday morning I drove Dave to the airport for a 4 day trip. The temps were promising to be in the 80’s and it was already very warm by 7:30 a.m. when I got back home. This called for a ride. I needed to try out my new melon cover and this was the perfect day for it.
I rode north up Hi-way 9 to Marysville to visit my son for a while. The first thing I noticed was the freedom that I felt. Not because my husband was gone for a few days, but because the air was flowing across my face and it felt great! It was hot and the little beads of perspiration were building up on my nose. I had a slight itch on my upper lip, so I reached up and scratched it. I felt a joy riding that I hadn’t felt before. All this from a different style of helmet. I wore dark glasses for eye protection, and the visibility was much improved from that of wearing a full-face helmet. I love the protection of an FFH, but the feeling of warm air and sun on your face is worth the risk. Dave doesn’t like the idea of the half-helmet, but I assured him that not only would it be my face that would be disfigured if I crashed, but the rest of me would probably have more damage. He was not convinced by that argument.
I plan to wear the shorty when it’s really hot, and I’m not on the freeway for long distances. I would want the full protection in that case.
For those of you who might be into purchasing a new half-helmet, the one that I got is the Bell Drifter Skullz a Poppin’ helmet. Motorcycle-superstore.com has them for $10.00 less than other websites, and there was free ground shipping as well if the purchase is over $75.00. I am very pleased with the quality and fit of my Drifter. It looks like many happy summer rides in my future.
On a Mission for Barns
Each weekend lately we have had at least one good day for riding the motorcycles. On a previous ride to Snoqualmie Falls, I had noticed the beautiful old barns we passed along the way. I was intending to go back and photograph some of them, since I had a better idea of where they were.My co-worker told me about a road he knew of to ride where his father-in-law owned land and had a cool barn. We set out on Sunday in search of that road to see if there were barns to be photographed.
It was a lovely, sunny day with temps in the 60’s. It was perfect riding weather for us. Not too hot, and not too cold. Everyone else was out on the roads that day too. We rode up to Monroe, which is a town at the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. On the way there, we came across a nice barn that had been left intact and had an overpass and freeway surrounding it. Funny, there was a sign on the barn telling motorcyclists to keep the noise level down (the sign showed a dirt bike). But it was right next to the freeway!
I was leading and usually get lost and turned around, so I failed to find the road I was looking for to turn on. In a round about way I finally found it, after we had stopped to eat and get gas. We headed down a road called Ben Howard road out of Monroe. What a beauty!
The road was a never ending, scenic array of beauty. It followed along a river on your left, and on your right was farmland and homes scattered along the foothills and beautiful mountainous greenery. It was an idyllic setting that took me back in time and made me think I was riding the back roads of East Tennessee. I loved every mile of it. The road wound up and down and got a little curvy at times. Then it would straighten out to green meadows. The smells were fresh and clean.
There were barns, lots of barns. Some of them were old, some new. It was a narrow, 2 lane road with not even a hint of a shoulder. Grassy edges, then a ditch! I was so frustrated to see lovely barns and scenes I would have shot, and no way to get them. There was a little traffic and I didn’t feel safe just stopping in the road.We came back home through the town of Snohomish, which opens into a valley where there are many, many old Scandinavian, and Dutch style barns. One road we were on passed 4 historic barns in a ½ mile. Once again there was a lot of traffic and no shoulder. These darn country roads are just meant for riding, not stopping.
I finally decided to enjoy the ride, and the scenery. I took it all in, and plan to go back somehow and get some barn shots. They are so unique and beautiful. I wonder if others like them as much as I do.
Destination: Snoqualmie Falls
Saturday was another lucky day in the Seattle area. Every weekend we hold our breath to see if it will actually be nice enough to get out on the bikes for a while. The sun came out on Saturday, as promised, and it was Spring riding weather once again.
As usual, we got a late start and left around 1pm. By then the temps had warmed to about 60 and it felt pretty good to us. We couldn’t decide where to go. I like to have a goal in mind, but we came up with nothing. Not growing up in this area, we don’t know a lot of the scenic back roads. We decided to head east to Duvall, and then take 203 south until we came to Snoqualmie Falls.
The Falls are beautiful anytime of year and are somewhat of an International tourist attraction. We have been there many times, mostly with visitors from out of town. It is always fascinating.
We both filled up with gas and headed out to Duvall. It was a great riding day, with warm breezes and the smell of bugs and wetlands as we rode along the country roads. I noticed many barns along the way that went by too fast to catch a photo. The area is covered with old barns, some still in use. Most are an unusual Scandinavian design, which were some of the first people to settle this part of the land. I plan to go back and do a photo-shoot of scenic barns. They were very cool.
As usual, we got a late start and left around 1pm. By then the temps had warmed to about 60 and it felt pretty good to us. We couldn’t decide where to go. I like to have a goal in mind, but we came up with nothing. Not growing up in this area, we don’t know a lot of the scenic back roads. We decided to head east to Duvall, and then take 203 south until we came to Snoqualmie Falls.
The Falls are beautiful anytime of year and are somewhat of an International tourist attraction. We have been there many times, mostly with visitors from out of town. It is always fascinating.
We both filled up with gas and headed out to Duvall. It was a great riding day, with warm breezes and the smell of bugs and wetlands as we rode along the country roads. I noticed many barns along the way that went by too fast to catch a photo. The area is covered with old barns, some still in use. Most are an unusual Scandinavian design, which were some of the first people to settle this part of the land. I plan to go back and do a photo-shoot of scenic barns. They were very cool.
We headed down 203, which is Duvall-Fall City Road (they’re creative here). We rode on through Fall City, and then turned down a back road that led to a fish hatchery. We ended up in a small gravel parking lot that is the back way to view the Falls.
It was lovely, warm, and we had a nice walk down a trail and boardwalk following the Tolt River. The water supplies energy to Seattle City Lights Power Company.
By the time we started walking I was very warm and had to carry my heavy leather jacket. It was the first time I’d been in short sleeves this year! It felt good.
We headed back the same way we had come. It is a nice 2 lane road that is not heavily congested. I decided I would love to live in the small towns we went through. They are in some idyllic settings. I love to ride that particular road 203.
There were wetland aromas, river scents, plowed field odors, and the occasional dairy farm smells, wafting in the wind. We rode right through the town of Carnation , which is where the actual Dairy Farms are. All I could think of were the contented cows.
It was a very enjoyable ride. My windshield got full of splatted bugs. They are juicy right now near the river. It gave us a taste of what the warm summer riding will be like. We’ve forgotten. I can’t wait to get out earlier next time and take a real long ride. All in all, the day was a beautiful memory that I hope to repeat many times.
Footnote:
I have submitted this article to the Motorcycle Blog Carnival at Raven's Rides. Head on over there on May 7 when it goes live and see a variety of motorcycle related articles. Linda will be holding the Carnival every month, so be sure and submit your entries.
What Season Is This?
I haven’t ridden my motorcycle since we went looking for tulip fields. That day was our only warm day so far this year.
The weather has not cooperated this spring and can’t make up its mind what season it is. It has rained non-stop for, it seems like, forever. We also have had much cooler than normal temperatures for this time of year.
Totally out of character, last Friday Mother Nature played a trick on Seattle. At my house it did this:
No chance of riding on the weekend!
Today, Tuesday, the sun came out, the roads were dry and the temps were near 50. I decided my little Suzuki needed to get out of the garage. I filled her up with new gas, and rode to work. The Suzuki seems small to me now, but very familiar. It is the bike I learned to ride on and gain my confidence. Now when I ride her, I want to pick up speed, tear up hills and toss the cycle around the corners. The Boulevard S-40 is so light and responsive that I can see why people have a lot of fun riding her. My husband got her out a few weeks ago on the freeway and was proud he had her up to 80mph. She will go faster, but not with me on the seat!
It is starting to cloud up again, but today the roads are dry and I am happy to be out. If we could only get more than a day at a time of good weather, I would be even happier.
Now I must go watch NBA Playoffs………
Searching For The Elusive Tulip Fields
Today promised to be one of the warmest and driest days we’ve had this year. I was ready to take a good long motorcycle ride after so many continuous days of rain and cold temperatures.
This time of year in Washington’s Skagit Valley is the annual Tulip Festival. More tulips are grown here than any other U.S. location. There are also daffodils and other bulbs blooming for a continuous 3 weeks or so. It is a giant tourist attraction, attracting bus loads full of people. The area is quite large with fields of various colors so striking it takes your breath away. Or so they say……..
The Victory and the Vulcan decided to take a ride up North to see just what we’ve always heard about. After all, it is the warmest and sunniest and best riding day this year. We expected to see other motorcyclists out in droves. They were.
We left home and started up I-5 until we got near Mt. Vernon, where you could take side roads and go out towards the fields. The traffic going north was slow from the time we entered the highway. It took us an hour to get through Everett, which should have been 15 minutes. It was hot, and creeping/stopping at about 5-10 mph for many miles. My left hand got very sore manipulating the clutch constantly.
We finally made our way further north and into Mt. Vernon, where we decided to catch a bite to eat. We found a great little Mexican restaurant where there were lots of Spanish speaking families eating there and very friendly waitresses. The food was very good with a homemade quality to it.
The town of Mt. Vernon was packed with traffic. Every street we tried to take was gridlocked with traffic. It was not fun anymore. It was also hot with our jacket liners still in from the cooler weather. We could see off in the distance that there was a bridge we needed to cross and still couldn’t see the tulip fields. Traffic was not moving at all and I decided that was it.
We turned around, headed towards the interstate, and cruised home at 70 mph most of the way. It felt good to be moving. The whole interstate heading north was creeping along for 50 miles or so almost at a standstill.
I was worn out when I got home, just from fighting the wind, bumpy freeway under construction, and the weight of the bike. We rode a total of 114 miles, which took us 4 hours. It was a nice ride partly through side roads and farmland, but no tulips to be seen. I know now why I haven’t tried to go up there all these years I’ve lived in Washington.
Yesterday’s Ride Is A Passing Memory
There have been few days lately that I would call days that were pleasant to ride a motorcycle. I have gotten out a little in between storms but the air is always chilly and the sun, if it’s out, doesn’t add much warmth. On Saturday it did not rain, as promised, and the temps were getting up over 50 degrees! A ride was in order, but with all the craziness lately I hadn’t thought much about where I would ride.
The day turned out to be overcast, but dry. Dave and I got a slow start, and around 1:30pm finally got the bikes out and decided we would ride to West Seattle and visit an old friend. It’s about a 40 minute ride, all on I-5 until you are actually in West Seattle. Downtown Seattle is across the water from West Seattle, which is a separate city with a small downtown and quaint views of the whole southwestern Puget Sound.
We saddled up and rode on I-5 a while. Since it was Saturday of a holiday weekend, the traffic wasn’t kind. We sat in stop-and-go traffic once we neared north Seattle, until we got through the city. For the first time that I can remember, I was actually too warm in the sun on the bike. The freeway opened up then and we flew ahead and onto the West Seattle Bridge. The views were awesome of the Seattle waterfront and the shipping barges, while on the other side Mount Rainier was ‘out’. Since it was all interstate riding I couldn’t stop to take photos. I wish I could share every ride with my readers.
We visited our friend for a while and then headed back home. As we rode on the interstate I started getting into the rhythm of the road. We rode across the 520 floating bridge which goes East/West across the southern end of Lake Washington, back over to the 405 going north. Every once in a while the wind was gusty and I would feel it fighting against the bike. It took a lot of work and concentration to overcome it.
It was a short but fun ride and I got a good stretch of fast freeway driving in. I could see getting into the smooth rhythm of the interstate, but it is still a lot more work than going on the side roads at a more leisurely speed. I like to see the sights as I ride. Today the rain is back and cooler temps too. The weather people are promising rain every day for the near future. It was a wonderful day ride while it lasted.
The day turned out to be overcast, but dry. Dave and I got a slow start, and around 1:30pm finally got the bikes out and decided we would ride to West Seattle and visit an old friend. It’s about a 40 minute ride, all on I-5 until you are actually in West Seattle. Downtown Seattle is across the water from West Seattle, which is a separate city with a small downtown and quaint views of the whole southwestern Puget Sound.
We saddled up and rode on I-5 a while. Since it was Saturday of a holiday weekend, the traffic wasn’t kind. We sat in stop-and-go traffic once we neared north Seattle, until we got through the city. For the first time that I can remember, I was actually too warm in the sun on the bike. The freeway opened up then and we flew ahead and onto the West Seattle Bridge. The views were awesome of the Seattle waterfront and the shipping barges, while on the other side Mount Rainier was ‘out’. Since it was all interstate riding I couldn’t stop to take photos. I wish I could share every ride with my readers.
We visited our friend for a while and then headed back home. As we rode on the interstate I started getting into the rhythm of the road. We rode across the 520 floating bridge which goes East/West across the southern end of Lake Washington, back over to the 405 going north. Every once in a while the wind was gusty and I would feel it fighting against the bike. It took a lot of work and concentration to overcome it.
It was a short but fun ride and I got a good stretch of fast freeway driving in. I could see getting into the smooth rhythm of the interstate, but it is still a lot more work than going on the side roads at a more leisurely speed. I like to see the sights as I ride. Today the rain is back and cooler temps too. The weather people are promising rain every day for the near future. It was a wonderful day ride while it lasted.
My Vulcan and I Are One
I knew it would happen eventually. As I ride my Vulcan more and more I notice something great happening. It is really quite amazing.
When I first got the bike it fit well. That is one of the reasons for choosing the Vulcan 900 Classic. As a woman, it is hard to find a bike that feels right and fits all parts of the body. The Vulcan fit like a glove from the very beginning.
The first time I actually rode the bike anywhere, I had trouble finding first gear, had it in neutral instead, and it tipped over. Not all the way, but it seemed so huge at the time that I couldn’t get it back upright. It was a helpless feeling, but I knew it would just take time to get used to the size of the motorcycle.
Lately when I have ridden this wonderful thing is happening. I am turning easily and almost instinctively. Backing up is getting much easier. My feet go automatically to the floorboards after taking off, and shifting is a breeze (always was). I can feel myself becoming one with the motorcycle. We have bonded. The Vulcan wanted to do its own thing for a while, but now it responds to my every whim.
What a pleasure it is to ride. Spring may be here officially this week, but hasn’t happened yet here in Seattle. When the weather warms past 50 degrees I will be out on the road non-stop. Well, maybe in between making a living.
When I first got the bike it fit well. That is one of the reasons for choosing the Vulcan 900 Classic. As a woman, it is hard to find a bike that feels right and fits all parts of the body. The Vulcan fit like a glove from the very beginning.
The first time I actually rode the bike anywhere, I had trouble finding first gear, had it in neutral instead, and it tipped over. Not all the way, but it seemed so huge at the time that I couldn’t get it back upright. It was a helpless feeling, but I knew it would just take time to get used to the size of the motorcycle.
Lately when I have ridden this wonderful thing is happening. I am turning easily and almost instinctively. Backing up is getting much easier. My feet go automatically to the floorboards after taking off, and shifting is a breeze (always was). I can feel myself becoming one with the motorcycle. We have bonded. The Vulcan wanted to do its own thing for a while, but now it responds to my every whim.
What a pleasure it is to ride. Spring may be here officially this week, but hasn’t happened yet here in Seattle. When the weather warms past 50 degrees I will be out on the road non-stop. Well, maybe in between making a living.
Birthday Memories '08
This weekend was my birthday and I celebrated, of course, by taking a motorcycle ride. The sun was out but it was cool, in the 40’s. As each year goes by, I become closer to the person I really want to be. This year was a milestone for me, one I wish I could have avoided. The reality was that I was going to enjoy my life from here on out, which means taking chances and doing things that are difficult, so I can be a better person for it.
Motorcycling has become the go-to activity for solving all of my anxieties. I was having a hard time just a couple of weeks ago with my mood and winter being so awfully long. But since then the sun has come out every few days and my mood and life in general is looking pretty good right now. This also ties in with the fact that I’ve ridden my motorcycle on every one of those nice days. It’s still been almost too cool to enjoy the ride, but once I get out it is all forgotten and worth enduring the elements.
With Dave on the Victory and myself on the Vulcan, we headed out towards Fall City where we had gone before and enjoyed the scenic ride. We got as far as Issaquah, a town near the base of the Snoqualmie pass and I-90. We stopped at one of the last XXX Root Beer drive-ins left in the states, and the only one left in the Northwest. We both had a big icy mug of the creamiest root beer and some fried mushrooms dipped in ranch dressing. I said I was living dangerously!
We had a nice ride back routing around Lake Sammamish. The water had shiny ripples moving smoothly across, reflecting the blue and gray clouds above. My idiot gas light went on for the first time and I panicked. I wasn’t sure how far I could go after the light went on, and I didn’t really know where we were. It was kind of out in the country. I signaled to Dave and we eventually found a gas station. The calm that came over me once I gassed up was amazing. I am finding myself to be really high strung while riding my motorcycle. I worry a lot. I’m learning things about myself I never have experienced before. Once I had a full tank, the Zen calm came back to my ride.
When we got home there was just enough time to clean up and get ready to go out for a birthday dinner with my son and daughter-in-law. I made sure we didn’t go anywhere with a ‘senior’ menu.
Motorcycling has become the go-to activity for solving all of my anxieties. I was having a hard time just a couple of weeks ago with my mood and winter being so awfully long. But since then the sun has come out every few days and my mood and life in general is looking pretty good right now. This also ties in with the fact that I’ve ridden my motorcycle on every one of those nice days. It’s still been almost too cool to enjoy the ride, but once I get out it is all forgotten and worth enduring the elements.
With Dave on the Victory and myself on the Vulcan, we headed out towards Fall City where we had gone before and enjoyed the scenic ride. We got as far as Issaquah, a town near the base of the Snoqualmie pass and I-90. We stopped at one of the last XXX Root Beer drive-ins left in the states, and the only one left in the Northwest. We both had a big icy mug of the creamiest root beer and some fried mushrooms dipped in ranch dressing. I said I was living dangerously!
We had a nice ride back routing around Lake Sammamish. The water had shiny ripples moving smoothly across, reflecting the blue and gray clouds above. My idiot gas light went on for the first time and I panicked. I wasn’t sure how far I could go after the light went on, and I didn’t really know where we were. It was kind of out in the country. I signaled to Dave and we eventually found a gas station. The calm that came over me once I gassed up was amazing. I am finding myself to be really high strung while riding my motorcycle. I worry a lot. I’m learning things about myself I never have experienced before. Once I had a full tank, the Zen calm came back to my ride.
When we got home there was just enough time to clean up and get ready to go out for a birthday dinner with my son and daughter-in-law. I made sure we didn’t go anywhere with a ‘senior’ menu.
Is It Just Me?
I am a worrier. Ever since I began riding motorcycles I have been very concerned with cornering. Usually a turn to the right is not much problem. It feels natural, as I am right handed, so my brain seems to go toward the right easier. When a sharp turn to the left comes in view, I usually panic for a split second and then maneuver through the turn. I have swung too wide on a few occasions turning left and have come a hairline away from going off the road. I corrected, in any event, and never went down.
I don’t know why it still alarms me when I approach an upcoming turn. The adrenaline pumps instantly and I instinctively guide the motorcycle safely through the corner. I am usually riding where there are a lot of cars and traffic to maneuver as well. The rules start going through my head all at once. “Look toward the direction you want to go”, “Shift down before you take the turn”, “Lean”, “Push on the left handgrip to go left, the right handgrip to go right”.
I am always more relaxed when I ride out in the rural areas, unless it gets very hilly. All you have to think about might be an animal jumping out in front of you along the way, and you can always slow down as you need to take a sharp corner in either direction.
I’ve decided that maybe everyone has a slight dread of one type of road condition, or type of route, or kind of weather to ride in. Practice is the answer so I’ve been trying to take routes that require me to corner and turn a lot.
I also have a tiny dread of riding on steep mountain roads, downhill. It’s the feeling of being out of control and can’t slow down enough. I have nightmares about it from time to time. I’ve avoided the mountains until now but will challenge myself this summer with those things I am most unsure of. That is the only way to grow as a motorcyclist, and I think you never stop learning. There are new challenges on your ride every day. That’s also what makes it fun.
I don’t know why it still alarms me when I approach an upcoming turn. The adrenaline pumps instantly and I instinctively guide the motorcycle safely through the corner. I am usually riding where there are a lot of cars and traffic to maneuver as well. The rules start going through my head all at once. “Look toward the direction you want to go”, “Shift down before you take the turn”, “Lean”, “Push on the left handgrip to go left, the right handgrip to go right”.
I am always more relaxed when I ride out in the rural areas, unless it gets very hilly. All you have to think about might be an animal jumping out in front of you along the way, and you can always slow down as you need to take a sharp corner in either direction.
I’ve decided that maybe everyone has a slight dread of one type of road condition, or type of route, or kind of weather to ride in. Practice is the answer so I’ve been trying to take routes that require me to corner and turn a lot.
I also have a tiny dread of riding on steep mountain roads, downhill. It’s the feeling of being out of control and can’t slow down enough. I have nightmares about it from time to time. I’ve avoided the mountains until now but will challenge myself this summer with those things I am most unsure of. That is the only way to grow as a motorcyclist, and I think you never stop learning. There are new challenges on your ride every day. That’s also what makes it fun.
Took a Nice Sunday Ride
This past Sunday was the first sunny day we’ve had since I can remember. It’s funny how the memory goes when the sun never shines. I knew it was going to be a great day to ride, but when we woke up it was freezing outside. We had a waffle breakfast, and then waited until noon until it looked like the temps were going to reach the mid-40s.
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We got ready and decided to ride north to Marysville, take a left and follow Marine Drive north to Stanwood. Then we would go over to Camano Island and stop for lunch. That is exactly what we did. It required some freeway riding up through Everett and once we got off in Marysville, it became scenic vistas of green, grassy fields and farms, and above them in the far distance were the rugged, snow-capped Cascade Mountains. The sky was azure blue which brightened up everything below it.
View Larger Map
We got ready and decided to ride north to Marysville, take a left and follow Marine Drive north to Stanwood. Then we would go over to Camano Island and stop for lunch. That is exactly what we did. It required some freeway riding up through Everett and once we got off in Marysville, it became scenic vistas of green, grassy fields and farms, and above them in the far distance were the rugged, snow-capped Cascade Mountains. The sky was azure blue which brightened up everything below it.
Although the sun was out, and by then the temps had reached around 50 degrees, it was chilly while riding. My guess is about 40 degrees with the wind chill. So we stopped and had lunch at a little place on Camano Island. It turned out to have good Mexican food, but we felt like we had been their only customer that day. I think it was a new place. I had a hot bowl of pozolé soup, and coffee to warm up. That did the trick.
We headed back the same way we had come, and this time saw fields of snow geese that were solid white from a distance. Their long necks were sticking up and it was a sea of white. It was awesome, but I couldn’t stop to take a photo! We went through Lakewood and passed the top of Lake Goodwin on the way back to the freeway. The area was very rural, green and scenic with great riding roads. By the time we got back on the freeway it was crowded with Sunday evening traffic. There is always a rush of traffic heading south from Canada and northern ski areas on Sunday night. We had a good ride home and were glad to get home because the sun was heading down and it was getting colder fast. We logged 100 miles round trip for the day.
It was a great Sunday ride. Monday was also a warm day but I didn’t ride because of other commitments. I plan to ride to work Thursday morning and play it by ear after that. Looks like rain is coming back, but we might have a chance to ride this coming weekend. I can sure taste the oncoming of riding season, and am planning accordingly.
A Fun Read: Lois On The Loose by Lois Pryce
To alleviate my frustration of not being able to ride my motorcycle lately, I decided to do the next best thing. Read about it. I love books and owning books, so I went online to see what was there. I had a gift card for Barnes & Noble. For those of you who haven’t heard of, ‘Lois On The Loose’ you are really missing out. I thought the description sounded fun so I bought it. Was I in for a surprise?
I can’t put the book down! It is written by a gutsy British lady who decides to ride a motorcycle solo from the Alaskan wilderness to the very tip of South America; as far as the roads would go. She does this on a Yamaha 250cc Serow dirt bike. The trip is remarkably thrilling to hear about, and her writing is such that you follow along as if you are riding along with her. She has a sense of humor which really comes through in the book. I’ve fully enjoyed the read, which I don’t do much of, by the way.
The book only seems to come in hardback in the US, but I’ve enjoyed that feature as I’ve held it and read it. I will be reading it again and sharing it with others, so I’m glad now that it’s a hardback. Lois has inspired me immensely, and now I am planning a longer ride than I’ve ever done. She makes you realize that anything is possible with the right attitude and a sense of humor.
You can see photos and learn more at her website- Lois on the Loose.com. Since writing this book she has done another ride through the African Continent on a similar small motorcycle. She has another book coming out in June, ’08 about the African trip. You can find out more about what Lois Pryce is up to at her website.
I can’t put the book down! It is written by a gutsy British lady who decides to ride a motorcycle solo from the Alaskan wilderness to the very tip of South America; as far as the roads would go. She does this on a Yamaha 250cc Serow dirt bike. The trip is remarkably thrilling to hear about, and her writing is such that you follow along as if you are riding along with her. She has a sense of humor which really comes through in the book. I’ve fully enjoyed the read, which I don’t do much of, by the way.
The book only seems to come in hardback in the US, but I’ve enjoyed that feature as I’ve held it and read it. I will be reading it again and sharing it with others, so I’m glad now that it’s a hardback. Lois has inspired me immensely, and now I am planning a longer ride than I’ve ever done. She makes you realize that anything is possible with the right attitude and a sense of humor.
You can see photos and learn more at her website- Lois on the Loose.com. Since writing this book she has done another ride through the African Continent on a similar small motorcycle. She has another book coming out in June, ’08 about the African trip. You can find out more about what Lois Pryce is up to at her website.
All Motorcyclists Were Out Today
Today was an unusual day for being Jan.13. The sun came out and dried up the roads for the first time in a couple of weeks. The temps eventually got up in the low 50’s in the sun. Western Washington has been very cold and wet lately, which makes it difficult to ride a lot. This was the day I’d been waiting for.
I first got out my little Suzuki which hadn’t been ridden in a month. She turned over after the 4th try, and then had to be warmed up for nearly 10 minutes. I took off and did a loop that I sometimes do when I am just getting the bikes out for a while. I was 2/3 of the way home and the bike started sputtering and jerking. I had filled the gas tank quite a while back, but it had only been ridden 3 short times since then. So I thought that it probably didn’t need to go to reserve just quite yet. I came down to a stop sign on a 2 lane curvy wooded road. The bike died. So I put it on reserve, started it back up, and took off again. This time it rode like charm. I decided that I needed gas, so stopped on the way home and filled up. By then the bike was warm, full, and ready to hide in the back of the garage until another sunny day.
I came home and got out the Vulcan for a real ride. Once I got my husband rounded up and ready, we took off on a ride to Fall City. We rode into Woodinville, took the road to Duvall, and followed Fall City road all the way through Carnation, and into Fall City. These are all very small towns with rural areas in between, and there are little Pubs and Cafes in every town that bikers like to stop for a meal and a break. I think it would be safe to say that today every motorcycle owner living in Western Washington was out on the roads. Literally every 4th car was followed by one or more motorcycles. There were lots of groups out riding and everyone was waving and giving the biker ‘high five’. It was such a joy to be out and a beautiful day at that.
All along the ride I am passing up lovely photogenic scenes of rivers, farmland, snow-capped mountains, and Mount Rainier in all her glory. Could I get the husband to stop? Could I pull over along the gravel shoulder of the road in a split second while cars were following me? I saw about 20 shots and places in my mind that I will go back to and take photos. Today it was really all about the riding, so I didn’t mind not stopping. I did get a couple of shots from the roadside in Fall City, which happened to be across from a great little Bar & Grill that served a hamburger on a bun as big as your head! I know where we’ll be riding next summer when we get the urge for a great burger.
I first got out my little Suzuki which hadn’t been ridden in a month. She turned over after the 4th try, and then had to be warmed up for nearly 10 minutes. I took off and did a loop that I sometimes do when I am just getting the bikes out for a while. I was 2/3 of the way home and the bike started sputtering and jerking. I had filled the gas tank quite a while back, but it had only been ridden 3 short times since then. So I thought that it probably didn’t need to go to reserve just quite yet. I came down to a stop sign on a 2 lane curvy wooded road. The bike died. So I put it on reserve, started it back up, and took off again. This time it rode like charm. I decided that I needed gas, so stopped on the way home and filled up. By then the bike was warm, full, and ready to hide in the back of the garage until another sunny day.
I came home and got out the Vulcan for a real ride. Once I got my husband rounded up and ready, we took off on a ride to Fall City. We rode into Woodinville, took the road to Duvall, and followed Fall City road all the way through Carnation, and into Fall City. These are all very small towns with rural areas in between, and there are little Pubs and Cafes in every town that bikers like to stop for a meal and a break. I think it would be safe to say that today every motorcycle owner living in Western Washington was out on the roads. Literally every 4th car was followed by one or more motorcycles. There were lots of groups out riding and everyone was waving and giving the biker ‘high five’. It was such a joy to be out and a beautiful day at that.
All along the ride I am passing up lovely photogenic scenes of rivers, farmland, snow-capped mountains, and Mount Rainier in all her glory. Could I get the husband to stop? Could I pull over along the gravel shoulder of the road in a split second while cars were following me? I saw about 20 shots and places in my mind that I will go back to and take photos. Today it was really all about the riding, so I didn’t mind not stopping. I did get a couple of shots from the roadside in Fall City, which happened to be across from a great little Bar & Grill that served a hamburger on a bun as big as your head! I know where we’ll be riding next summer when we get the urge for a great burger.
The round trip was about 100 miles. There were lovely, smooth and gently curving roads. Plenty of cars out on them, but we didn’t care. It was good just to be out and actually feel the warmth of the sun, and my face shield didn’t fog up once!
Winter Depression and Motorcyclists
I’ve been reading a lot of motorcycling blogs lately. In doing so, I have discovered a few new ones that I didn’t previously know about. That has been exciting to find new people in different parts of the country who love to ride motorcycles and blog about it, so others of us can come along for the ride.
The sad thing that I have noticed is the winter depression that starts to invade the motorcycling blogs. I have noticed people talking about selling their bikes! And there are several blogs who are closing their doors and folding. It is sad to see a good blog go. There are many who have not updated for months, or even years, and are still on people’s blogrolls. I can imagine that if you aren’t riding and you begin to let other interests take priority, then blogging about motorcycles can become a chore.
I am still trying to ride on the warm (?) and dry days(!) and it still depresses me to think about how long it is until Spring. The days here are getting longer (yay) and soon it will be light for a while after I get home from work. That is when I try to sneak in a ride in the evenings. Soon we’ll be getting more dry days and temps should start to creep up in the daytime. Then the weekend rides become a reality again.
It is frustrating not being able to ride enough in the winter. I find that as I go to sleep at night, I start imagining myself getting on my motorcycle. I think about what it’s like to take hold of the handgrips, and taking off down the street. I shift gears, dream about the wind whistling through my helmet, and the feeling of whizzing down the road to freedom. In my mind I can go there, take a ride, and come back home safely and satisfied. I dream about where I may go next summer. The maps are poured over and the imaginary routes are pondered.
As you sit in your warm home and wish you could ride to parts unknown, remember that you can be there in your mind. Spring will be here before we know it, and then we’ll all forget the winter blahs and hit the roads once again. And those of you thinking about getting rid of your bikes………think long and hard. If you really don’t enjoy riding, that’s one thing. If someone (a spouse, for instance) is ‘making’ you get rid of your motorcycle……you have bigger problems!
The sad thing that I have noticed is the winter depression that starts to invade the motorcycling blogs. I have noticed people talking about selling their bikes! And there are several blogs who are closing their doors and folding. It is sad to see a good blog go. There are many who have not updated for months, or even years, and are still on people’s blogrolls. I can imagine that if you aren’t riding and you begin to let other interests take priority, then blogging about motorcycles can become a chore.
I am still trying to ride on the warm (?) and dry days(!) and it still depresses me to think about how long it is until Spring. The days here are getting longer (yay) and soon it will be light for a while after I get home from work. That is when I try to sneak in a ride in the evenings. Soon we’ll be getting more dry days and temps should start to creep up in the daytime. Then the weekend rides become a reality again.
It is frustrating not being able to ride enough in the winter. I find that as I go to sleep at night, I start imagining myself getting on my motorcycle. I think about what it’s like to take hold of the handgrips, and taking off down the street. I shift gears, dream about the wind whistling through my helmet, and the feeling of whizzing down the road to freedom. In my mind I can go there, take a ride, and come back home safely and satisfied. I dream about where I may go next summer. The maps are poured over and the imaginary routes are pondered.
As you sit in your warm home and wish you could ride to parts unknown, remember that you can be there in your mind. Spring will be here before we know it, and then we’ll all forget the winter blahs and hit the roads once again. And those of you thinking about getting rid of your bikes………think long and hard. If you really don’t enjoy riding, that’s one thing. If someone (a spouse, for instance) is ‘making’ you get rid of your motorcycle……you have bigger problems!
Happy New Year’s Day Ride 2008 and All Is Well
For the last 2 weeks I have had a virus that laid me out and made me want my mommy. It began with a fever, then a weird rash, and then I was stricken with viral arthritis. If anyone has ever had it you can relate. It affected my hands and arms mostly, and for a few days I was in agonizing pain and could not straighten my curled hands or move my arms much. The virus eventually passed and now I am slowly getting back the use of my hands and building up my energy and strength.
Needless to say, with the sickness and the rain/snow we’ve had lately, I haven’t been able to ride my motorcycle. I had made a commitment to ride on Christmas Day, as it is a personal tradition of mine. That didn’t happen……..
On New Year’s Day, I always try to ride as a tradition to start the New Year out right. I hope this will continue my riding good luck throughout the year. The weather cooperated for once and it turned out to be a warm 47 degrees with overcast skies. I grabbed my new camera, which I couldn’t wait to try out, and my husband and I went for a ride. My starting mileage on the Vulcan for 2008 was 381 miles. That's sick!
Needless to say, with the sickness and the rain/snow we’ve had lately, I haven’t been able to ride my motorcycle. I had made a commitment to ride on Christmas Day, as it is a personal tradition of mine. That didn’t happen……..
On New Year’s Day, I always try to ride as a tradition to start the New Year out right. I hope this will continue my riding good luck throughout the year. The weather cooperated for once and it turned out to be a warm 47 degrees with overcast skies. I grabbed my new camera, which I couldn’t wait to try out, and my husband and I went for a ride. My starting mileage on the Vulcan for 2008 was 381 miles. That's sick!
We cruised down the eastern shore of Lake Washington to a park on Juanita Beach.
There were mass quantities of ducks.
You can see the Seattle skyline across the Lake.
The ride was wonderful, as it was so exhilarating to be out on the bike. The cool air was clean and I made sure to open a few vents in my helmet. I didn’t even need to wear my thermal layer under my jeans. The traffic was light and I guessed it was because there were lots of football games on all day, and others were recuperating from the night before.On the way home we took the freeway I-405. On my new bike I love to take the freeway and go fast, and challenge the on and off-ramps. The windshield keeps the wind from whipping my head around, so eases the pressure on my neck. As I was riding I felt that moment of Zen when you know you are at peace and harmony with the earth. The ride was so fun and I came home with a new attitude and a few ideas for some longer rides that I want to do in 2008.
So as I look back on New Year’s Day I have a sense of well-being and hope for the future and good things happening in 2008. The day’s ride was much needed and left me with a feeling of peace and calm. Ohmmmmmm………..
Still Riding in December
As a motorcycle rider living in the Northwest, I try to keep my rides in working order all year around. The last few weeks Mother Nature has been throwing some weather challenges at us and winter has just begun.
First, we’ve had lots of rain, more than usual for the Seattle region. This makes riding a little less attractive on those days. Second, it has been cold. I mean COLD. The temps have only dipped into the 20’s at night, but the days have been barely reaching 40 degrees if we are lucky. No matter how I try to bundle up, I always get down the road and have qualms whether I should continue or go back home to get the forgotten item that would make my ride more comfortable. Third, we’ve had a few snow showers that were unexpected, with many more to come. I, for one, don’t ride in the snow. I witnessed a few people around downtown Seattle last week who ride through rain, snow, sleet, etc.
I was able to get out and ride my Vulcan on Saturday. The sun was out, and it was cold. As I started out, my chin and neck felt the cold air hitting them. It was almost painful. I had forgotten my neck gaiter. I decided my chin would go numb soon enough, and then I wouldn’t notice it. I continued on.
The roads had been littered with gravel and debris from overflowing streams and water run-off from the floods we had last week. I knew there were a lot of places where I would need to be careful. I decided just to get the bike out and run it around town awhile, to keep everything circulating and the battery charged. I did a large loop around Lynnwood, took a stretch of I-5 and came back home another way. It felt good to be out.
The roads were remarkably clean. I had seen a few street-sweepers near my business park, and apparently they were working all over town to get the debris cleaned up. It was actually great for the motorcyclists, except for the potholes here and there where the road had given way.
I came back home and felt that I hadn’t ridden nearly enough. I worked my older bike, the Suzuki S-40, out of the garage from behind the other bikes. It hadn’t been ridden in a few weeks, so I started it up. She took a few tries, and then I had to let it warm up quite a while. Since I have the Vulcan, I am spoiled with no warm up time or choke to deal with. I finally was able to take off without the darn thing dying. I took a short ride around some hilly areas nearby, enough to get it warmed up and running smoothly. I had a happy Suzuki by the time I got back home.
It is a conscious chore to keep both of my bikes running smoothly over the winter, since I don’t use a trickle charger either. If I get them out at least every two weeks, and more often than that if the weather cooperates, they seem to run great. I usually try to do a Christmas Day ride and a New Year’s Day ride, however short. I’m looking forward to that this year too. Hope Santa brings more warm riding gear……..
First, we’ve had lots of rain, more than usual for the Seattle region. This makes riding a little less attractive on those days. Second, it has been cold. I mean COLD. The temps have only dipped into the 20’s at night, but the days have been barely reaching 40 degrees if we are lucky. No matter how I try to bundle up, I always get down the road and have qualms whether I should continue or go back home to get the forgotten item that would make my ride more comfortable. Third, we’ve had a few snow showers that were unexpected, with many more to come. I, for one, don’t ride in the snow. I witnessed a few people around downtown Seattle last week who ride through rain, snow, sleet, etc.
I was able to get out and ride my Vulcan on Saturday. The sun was out, and it was cold. As I started out, my chin and neck felt the cold air hitting them. It was almost painful. I had forgotten my neck gaiter. I decided my chin would go numb soon enough, and then I wouldn’t notice it. I continued on.
The roads had been littered with gravel and debris from overflowing streams and water run-off from the floods we had last week. I knew there were a lot of places where I would need to be careful. I decided just to get the bike out and run it around town awhile, to keep everything circulating and the battery charged. I did a large loop around Lynnwood, took a stretch of I-5 and came back home another way. It felt good to be out.
The roads were remarkably clean. I had seen a few street-sweepers near my business park, and apparently they were working all over town to get the debris cleaned up. It was actually great for the motorcyclists, except for the potholes here and there where the road had given way.
I came back home and felt that I hadn’t ridden nearly enough. I worked my older bike, the Suzuki S-40, out of the garage from behind the other bikes. It hadn’t been ridden in a few weeks, so I started it up. She took a few tries, and then I had to let it warm up quite a while. Since I have the Vulcan, I am spoiled with no warm up time or choke to deal with. I finally was able to take off without the darn thing dying. I took a short ride around some hilly areas nearby, enough to get it warmed up and running smoothly. I had a happy Suzuki by the time I got back home.
It is a conscious chore to keep both of my bikes running smoothly over the winter, since I don’t use a trickle charger either. If I get them out at least every two weeks, and more often than that if the weather cooperates, they seem to run great. I usually try to do a Christmas Day ride and a New Year’s Day ride, however short. I’m looking forward to that this year too. Hope Santa brings more warm riding gear……..
Thanksgiving Day Ride
I was alone on Thanksgiving Day this year. My better half had gone to Phoenix to visit his family and I had stayed home to prepare to cook my holiday meal for family and friends on Friday.
The sun was out and since I had no commitments, I had planned to take a long ride on my Vulcan. It was below freezing in the morning, so I kept watching the temps and waited until it got somewhere over 40 degrees before I would venture out on my ride.
Something came over me that has happened previously. As I watched the day warm and the frosty white rooftops in the neighborhood started to melt away, a feeling of doom and inner fear began to come over me. I could have easily not ridden that day, but I had looked forward to it. This time of year you have to take advantage of any dry days to get the motorcycles out and keep them running through the winter. I forced myself to go.
I put on my thermal bottoms under my heaviest riding jeans. I wore 2 heavy layers on top as well as my leather jacket with the winter lining in it. I had on my heaviest winter riding gloves, and a neck wrap tucked up over my chin and held there by my helmet strap. It was fine as I headed out.
As soon as I left home the feeling of dread left. I am getting more comfortable all the time with my new motorcycle, but still have to be careful with the handling on tight turns and the weight of the bike if I get it off balance. I headed north towards Lake Stevens off of Highway 9.
Traffic was lighter than usual by mid-day on Thanksgiving. I was comfortably warm for about 45 minutes into the ride. As I neared Lake Stevens I knew there were 3 or 4 turn-offs to get to the actual lake. There is a lovely road that encircles the lake and I thought that would be a beautiful place to ride that day and take pictures. Before I left home I had looked for my camera so I could take some photos of the lake with the snow-covered Cascade Mountains in the background. Apparently the camera had gone to Phoenix for the Holiday. I need a camera phone……..
I decided to take a particular road that turned off the highway and should have taken me somewhere in view of the lake. It didn’t. The road was scenic and headed due east and out into the countryside. I had no idea where I was or where it would take me. All of a sudden a state of panic started setting in. I came up to a stop sign and, not having a clue, I decided to go left. The road I was turning onto had a blind curve going both left and right, and I was taking a left onto a sharp incline up a hill. As I turned, I swung a little too wide and started to run off the road onto the gravel shoulder. I did keep the bike upright, kept going and corrected it back onto the roadway. During the whole thing I am muttering into my helmet, “Oh sh*t, oh sh*t, oh sh*t!” By then I continued on down that road, still not knowing where I was. I finally circled back and reached the highway I had originally been on, but had to take a right turn only which caused me to continue north. I wanted to go home…..
There was another exit a couple minutes up the road, so I turned off, got turned around and headed back home. By this time I was beginning to freeze. The cold had worked through my gloves and the fear and dread were taking the fun out of my ride.
I got home safely after riding about 1-1/2 hours. I think the fear I had was because my husband was out of town, and I was totally and completely on my own. Being out on a motorcycle puts you in a very vulnerable position. There would have been no one to call if I had had a problem. As it was, I was fine. I went home and had a stiff drink to warm up.
The sun was out and since I had no commitments, I had planned to take a long ride on my Vulcan. It was below freezing in the morning, so I kept watching the temps and waited until it got somewhere over 40 degrees before I would venture out on my ride.
Something came over me that has happened previously. As I watched the day warm and the frosty white rooftops in the neighborhood started to melt away, a feeling of doom and inner fear began to come over me. I could have easily not ridden that day, but I had looked forward to it. This time of year you have to take advantage of any dry days to get the motorcycles out and keep them running through the winter. I forced myself to go.
I put on my thermal bottoms under my heaviest riding jeans. I wore 2 heavy layers on top as well as my leather jacket with the winter lining in it. I had on my heaviest winter riding gloves, and a neck wrap tucked up over my chin and held there by my helmet strap. It was fine as I headed out.
As soon as I left home the feeling of dread left. I am getting more comfortable all the time with my new motorcycle, but still have to be careful with the handling on tight turns and the weight of the bike if I get it off balance. I headed north towards Lake Stevens off of Highway 9.
Traffic was lighter than usual by mid-day on Thanksgiving. I was comfortably warm for about 45 minutes into the ride. As I neared Lake Stevens I knew there were 3 or 4 turn-offs to get to the actual lake. There is a lovely road that encircles the lake and I thought that would be a beautiful place to ride that day and take pictures. Before I left home I had looked for my camera so I could take some photos of the lake with the snow-covered Cascade Mountains in the background. Apparently the camera had gone to Phoenix for the Holiday. I need a camera phone……..
I decided to take a particular road that turned off the highway and should have taken me somewhere in view of the lake. It didn’t. The road was scenic and headed due east and out into the countryside. I had no idea where I was or where it would take me. All of a sudden a state of panic started setting in. I came up to a stop sign and, not having a clue, I decided to go left. The road I was turning onto had a blind curve going both left and right, and I was taking a left onto a sharp incline up a hill. As I turned, I swung a little too wide and started to run off the road onto the gravel shoulder. I did keep the bike upright, kept going and corrected it back onto the roadway. During the whole thing I am muttering into my helmet, “Oh sh*t, oh sh*t, oh sh*t!” By then I continued on down that road, still not knowing where I was. I finally circled back and reached the highway I had originally been on, but had to take a right turn only which caused me to continue north. I wanted to go home…..
There was another exit a couple minutes up the road, so I turned off, got turned around and headed back home. By this time I was beginning to freeze. The cold had worked through my gloves and the fear and dread were taking the fun out of my ride.
I got home safely after riding about 1-1/2 hours. I think the fear I had was because my husband was out of town, and I was totally and completely on my own. Being out on a motorcycle puts you in a very vulnerable position. There would have been no one to call if I had had a problem. As it was, I was fine. I went home and had a stiff drink to warm up.
Windshield Weekend
My Vulcan windshield came in that I had ordered the day of the motorcycle purchase. It was very large and I was worried that it might be too big for me to see the road clearly.Not to worry……I assembled the windshield and put it on a few days ago. It has rained here constantly since then so I was waiting for a window of opportunity to ride with the windshield and see if it made a difference in handling, etc.
I was also a little concerned that if I rode on a cold, foggy morning that the windshield would fog up and I would be blind to the road. One of my fans (I think it was my brother) suggested that I use Rain-X glass treatment to help the water bead off and hopefully the fog wouldn’t collect. I bought the ‘wipes’ and treated the windshield inside and out, the mirrors, and all of our other bikes mirrors with one ‘wipe’. It was easy and didn’t hurt the plastic that the windshield is made of. I’m going to try it on my face shield for the same reasons.
The windshield is optically correct.....you can hardly tell it's there!
I took the bike out for a ride after its treatment, and ‘dude’! I really love this motorcycle. The windshield is great, with no distortion. At 5'3" I am looking through the area about 8" from the top of the shield. It was overcast and around 40 degrees. I didn’t dress warm enough and wore my favorite leather gloves. The ride was awesome, but my hands got so cold I decided to head back home because it was getting painful. I never learn that I need to overdress on the bike, just to be comfortable. It was a wonderful ride anyway, and there should be a couple of dry days this week when I plan to ride to work.
My ride looks pretty good with its new windshield……
First few days with the new Vulcan 900 Classic
Tuesday I brought the new motorcycle home. We bought it at a dealership that was about 40 miles south of our home. Since it was such a large bike I was a little hesitant to ride it home in traffic for the first time. My husband decided to ride it home, taking any roads except the freeway. For the first 500 miles we have to take it easy and a long stretch of freeway riding was frowned upon by the dealer. It took Dave 2 hours to get it home, and by then I was sitting on my front porch along with the cats – waiting……..
He loved the ride but said his hand hurt from the stiff clutch in lots of stop-and-go traffic. So as soon as he arrived I hopped on the Vulcan for the first time. I was more comfortable riding around my neighborhood at first, where I knew the roads. I took off and rode around for about 30 minutes, stopping, shifting, turning etc. It handled great and I love the floorboards which allow a very comfortable riding position. The shifting was easy and smooth.
Yesterday I decided to ride the new bike to work and show it off. It was dark when I left home and pretty cold out (40 degrees). I rode down to the end of my street and at the stop sign promptly tipped it over. It landed propped up by the left floorboard so there was no damage. I couldn’t get it upright no matter what I tried. Cars were passing by and no one stopped to help. Finally a neighbor came down the street, stopped and helped me lift it upright again. I realized then that I am very vulnerable on this bike, and must plan every move ahead of time. I think I had been in neutral when trying to take off from the stop, instead of first gear. I turned, gunned the engine, and nothing happened except it tipped over. Once it began there was nothing I could do to stop it.
I rode on to work, and parked in a level space, I thought. At lunchtime I decided to ride a couple of miles to my old workplace to show the Vulcan off to friends there. The sun had not yet hit the space I was in, so it was wet, piled up with slippery leaves, and there was a slight hump in the back of the space that I had to roll over to get out. I found that I couldn’t roll it out of the space! My feet were slipping and sliding and the weight of the bike wouldn’t allow me to roll over the hump. I finally finessed my way out, eventually. Then I rode to see my friends and had no trouble. Later in the day I had an uneventful ride to a doctor appointment and then home safely.
I feel like I am learning all over again. The weight of the Vulcan is twice that of my Suzuki S-40. I think it will just take a little practice. I am finding my confidence is not what it was and I am hesitant to go certain places again. Hopefully it is just a matter of time until I ‘become one’ with my beautiful 2007 Kawasaki Candy Cardinal Red Vulcan 900 Classic. I’ll have pictures next time….
He loved the ride but said his hand hurt from the stiff clutch in lots of stop-and-go traffic. So as soon as he arrived I hopped on the Vulcan for the first time. I was more comfortable riding around my neighborhood at first, where I knew the roads. I took off and rode around for about 30 minutes, stopping, shifting, turning etc. It handled great and I love the floorboards which allow a very comfortable riding position. The shifting was easy and smooth.
Yesterday I decided to ride the new bike to work and show it off. It was dark when I left home and pretty cold out (40 degrees). I rode down to the end of my street and at the stop sign promptly tipped it over. It landed propped up by the left floorboard so there was no damage. I couldn’t get it upright no matter what I tried. Cars were passing by and no one stopped to help. Finally a neighbor came down the street, stopped and helped me lift it upright again. I realized then that I am very vulnerable on this bike, and must plan every move ahead of time. I think I had been in neutral when trying to take off from the stop, instead of first gear. I turned, gunned the engine, and nothing happened except it tipped over. Once it began there was nothing I could do to stop it.
I rode on to work, and parked in a level space, I thought. At lunchtime I decided to ride a couple of miles to my old workplace to show the Vulcan off to friends there. The sun had not yet hit the space I was in, so it was wet, piled up with slippery leaves, and there was a slight hump in the back of the space that I had to roll over to get out. I found that I couldn’t roll it out of the space! My feet were slipping and sliding and the weight of the bike wouldn’t allow me to roll over the hump. I finally finessed my way out, eventually. Then I rode to see my friends and had no trouble. Later in the day I had an uneventful ride to a doctor appointment and then home safely.
I feel like I am learning all over again. The weight of the Vulcan is twice that of my Suzuki S-40. I think it will just take a little practice. I am finding my confidence is not what it was and I am hesitant to go certain places again. Hopefully it is just a matter of time until I ‘become one’ with my beautiful 2007 Kawasaki Candy Cardinal Red Vulcan 900 Classic. I’ll have pictures next time….
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