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 to work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label riding to work. Show all posts
The ‘Other’ American Made Motorcycle Joins the Fleet
This week was a crazy one. The weather was variable and sunny so I was able to commute to work twice during the week on my Vulcan. What a welcome relief that was. It sure cut into the winter doldrums and made me feel human again. It’s amazing how a couple of rides can change your whole attitude and outlook on life.
During the week I received a call from a former co-worker who had just purchased the 2008 105th Anniversary edition of the Harley Soft tail. He needed to sell his 2 year old Victory Kingpin within 2 days, or he was trading it in at the Harley dealer. Might I add that they were going to give him nearly nothing for the Victory on trade-in. My husband had been looking at the Victories, wishing he could have one for his next bike. I had known my friend bought the Victory new and had taken great care of it. He trailered it to Sturgis last year and rode all around that area with it for a few days. We got a great deal on the bike, since the Harley dealer was going to steal it anyway.
To make a long story short, we are now the proud owners of a 2005 Victory Kingpin with all the options to make it a ‘deluxe’. Alas, it was raining again yesterday, but Dave rode it to work for the first time, and rode home in a downpour. He is very happy with the ride and performance of the bike.
Now our garage has four motorcycles with no room for cars anymore. We are parking our other vehicles outside for now. We have my 2005 Suzuki S-40, my 2007 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic, Dave’s 2003 Honda Shadow A.C.E., and the 2005 Victory Kingpin. I want to sell the Suzuki and Honda, since I know we won’t be riding them much now that we have more comfortable cruisers. Dave wants to hang on to all of them, and build more garage space. What a dilemma!
During the week I received a call from a former co-worker who had just purchased the 2008 105th Anniversary edition of the Harley Soft tail. He needed to sell his 2 year old Victory Kingpin within 2 days, or he was trading it in at the Harley dealer. Might I add that they were going to give him nearly nothing for the Victory on trade-in. My husband had been looking at the Victories, wishing he could have one for his next bike. I had known my friend bought the Victory new and had taken great care of it. He trailered it to Sturgis last year and rode all around that area with it for a few days. We got a great deal on the bike, since the Harley dealer was going to steal it anyway.
To make a long story short, we are now the proud owners of a 2005 Victory Kingpin with all the options to make it a ‘deluxe’. Alas, it was raining again yesterday, but Dave rode it to work for the first time, and rode home in a downpour. He is very happy with the ride and performance of the bike.
Now our garage has four motorcycles with no room for cars anymore. We are parking our other vehicles outside for now. We have my 2005 Suzuki S-40, my 2007 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic, Dave’s 2003 Honda Shadow A.C.E., and the 2005 Victory Kingpin. I want to sell the Suzuki and Honda, since I know we won’t be riding them much now that we have more comfortable cruisers. Dave wants to hang on to all of them, and build more garage space. What a dilemma!
Happy Valentine's Day to Me
I knew the sun was going to come out today and I would be able to ride my favorite motorcycle to work. I went to sleep thinking about it last night. Since I hadn’t ridden to work lately, I had to plan what layers of warmth I would need, especially since it would be warmer coming home in the afternoon.
It was slightly above freezing when I backed my bike out of the garage and started her up. She smoked and coughed, but then began purring smoothly.
It was slightly above freezing when I backed my bike out of the garage and started her up. She smoked and coughed, but then began purring smoothly.
The ride was great, the sun was coming out, but it was pretty chilly. By the time my 20 minutes of riding was almost over, my fingers started feeling the cold. I had a few vents open in my helmet, but my face-shield kept getting fogged up on the inside. I ended up opening it slightly so it would stay clear, and soon found I actually liked the feeling of the cold air in my face.
My co-worker also rode in today, and his commute is about 35 miles each way. He has heated grips so has a small advantage against the cold. We made our own ‘motorcycle parking’ area today.
I passed many bikes out this morning doing exactly what I was. Each bike I passed waved because we were all so happy to be out again, even in the cold. The pavement was completely dry and I didn’t run into many gravelly spots. I was on well travelled roads most of the way.
The ride home was comfortable but the air was still frigid. I wanted to keep riding somewhere besides home, but it is Valentine’s Day and I wanted to be home to await my surprise (I’m dreaming) It was so refreshing to be out in the fresh air, and I had missed the rumble of my Vulcan. I’m very comfortable with the size of the bike now, but I still have to wear my highest biker boots to be able to push off the ground.
This coming weekend looks a little warmer than today (maybe will reach 50!) and partly sunny. Guess what I will be doing? I also have Presidents Day Monday off work, and it is likely to be a riding kind of day. Things are looking up!
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