Rain Riding

 



It has rained for about 6 days straight and I'm growing pretty tired of it. However, I view this as an opportunity to test my rain gear and hone in my wet conditions riding skills.

I've mentioned before (here) that I only recently started using quality rain gear after decades of avoiding the rain or being miserable in it. Let me tell you, quality motorcycle rain suits work! It's a bit of a pain in the ass to get the suit on and off (especially getting the pants over your boots), but I stay dry even in torrential rain.

Every rider is going to have to ride in the rain, it's impossible to completely avoid. So, like anything, practice is important! Of course you'll need to slow down, but beyond that it is important to experience cornering and braking on a wet road.

So instead of keeping my bike in the garage for the last few days, I view it as an opportunity to get some more experience. If you're prepared, riding can be fun in almost any condition. Ride safe and often!

“It’s all nonsense. It’s only nonsense. I’m not afraid of the rain. I am not afraid of the rain. Oh, oh, I wish I wasn’t.” – Ernest Hemingway

Buggin Out

Lately, I've been pretty interested in a YouTube series from a fellow named CycleCruza (see here for his channel). If you haven't watched this guy's videos, I really recommend you check them out. He has the same love and respect for all things with 2 wheels and an engine that I do. The series details out the building of his bug out van.

Now, a real bug out vehicle is used to live "off the grid" or to be prepared for society's proverbial shit-hits-the-fan moment when we would be on our own to feed and defend ourselves. His van is really more of an inconspicuous camper that also has the ability to haul his motorcycle. The benefit to using a van instead of buying a camper is twofold. First, it's cheaper and second, you can park your van and "camp" in places not necessarily designated for camping (i.e. parking lots and streets).

Now I'm trying to talk my wife into buying a van and converting it into our own bug out vehicle (of course with room for my motorcycle, just like CycleCruza). A "nomadic" lifestyle has always kind of appealed to me and I think it really fits in the spirit of motorcycling. However, this would not be the greatest for children and we have two very young ones. I guess this gives me a decade or two to convince my wife, right?!!

“I’ll catch you guys later. Deuces!” – CycleCruza

 

Picking up Chicks...Biker Style

 

This post is for all you single bikers. If you didn't already know, motorcycles can be a great tool to pick up some dates. I'm going to write this in the perspective of a guy picking up girls because that's what I'm experienced with.

I know I've mentioned it before (here) that one of the reasons my wife had anything to do with me was that I rode a cool motorcycle. She will adamantly deny this, but we both know deep down that it was at least part of her attraction to me (I'm really not that good looking). Honestly, I was so terrible with girls that motorcycles were about the only thing I had going for me.

Now, I'm going to disclaim this by stating that no one should start riding motorcycles to attract girls. It is just one of the benefits of riding. So, this is geared more toward the guys who already have decided that motorcycles are their passion.

First off, no matter what kind of motorcycle you ride, you are out there putting yourself in more danger than all other motorists. This makes you look dangerous and tough; girls love this. Bikers are the bad boys that girls' parents warn them about.

Now, let’s talk about the riding part. If a girl asks you to take her for a ride on your bike, you already have a huge opportunity to at least get her number. First of all, if she found you completely revolting, she wouldn't ask for a ride. Second, she's putting herself in a situation that is frightening and exciting while placing her life in your hands. Finally, the thing that will keep her the safest is to hold onto you very tight and physical contact is always awesome. This is a hell of a lot better than a dinner and a movie!

There you have it. Live, ride, love, pick up chicks, repeat.

"I couldn't help but notice that you look a lot like my next girlfriend." – Will Smith in Hitch



Busted on a Bike



 



It's been a while since I wrote about one of my past motorcycle experiences, so here's one that recently came up in a conversation.

A friend of mine had just purchased a brand new Yamaha R1. For those that don't know, this is a bike that was (and still is) near the pinnacle of performance and handling. He bought it in the winter and I ran into him in April. He mentioned that he had just got the bike back from its break-in service, which meant that it could be ridden to its limit. He asked if I'd like to take it for a ride.

It was around dusk, and I had missed a huge part of the previous riding season after having a run in with a deer at dusk (a story I’ll probably share at some point). Knowing that I would not have the restraint to take it easy, I turned him down. He persisted and with just a little more convincing, I accepted his offer.

I had a plan - there was a nearby straight stretch of road that I would test out the speed of the R1. I’d spend the rest of the ride obeying all traffic laws.

I did just that, I didn't speed until I was at my specific location. I won't say exactly how fast I went, but let's say it was way faster than most humans should ever go on a motorcycle. I neared the place where I was going to turn around to head back. There was a car pulling out of the side road I was turning into and the guy driving was focused on something behind me. It was the police with the lights flashing. Oh shit!!!

Now, the first thing a lot of douchebags say at this point in the story is, "You should've taken off! There's no way they could catch you!" That is the dumbest thing anyone could do! It wasn’t as if I robbed a bank or killed anyone! A police chase would make a bad situation catastrophic!

After I pulled over, the officer walked up to me and asked, "Do you know why I pulled you over?" Normally I say that I don't know (no sense in confessing to something the officer didn't notice). In this case I absolutely knew what it was; I was definitely going too fast. He asked how fast I thought I was going. Not wanting to incriminate myself, I replied that I wasn't sure.

He said he clocked me at 90 mph. An overwhelming relief came over me. He must've noticed me while I was slowing down. I remained as respectful and polite as I could, but he said that he had to write me a ticket. He wrote it for only 20 mph over the limit (still a few points against my license, but nothing that'd get it taken away). He was actually pretty cool; we had a little conversation about motorcycles before he let me go.

I returned to meet my friend and he immediately asked how I liked the ride. I responded by pulling the ticket out of my pocket. Everyone had a good laugh at my expense and I think I learned my lesson. Remember…cops are everywhere!

“There’s a lot of things blamed on me that never happened. But then, there’s a lot of things that I did that I never got caught at.” – Johnny Cash

Support Your Local Wrenches

A friend of mine recently moved back to our hometown after living elsewhere for the past decade. He was working as a motorcycle technician during this time and enjoyed his career, but ultimately wanted to move back home. He is slowly testing the waters to see how plausible his own small motorcycle repair shop will be. He is getting his name out in the motorcycle community as a guy that can help you out if you need it.

Recently a guy showed up with a squealing sound coming from his bike. My friend quickly diagnosed the issue, sprayed the drive belt, and the noise went away. He told this gentleman that there was really nothing wrong with the belt and the noise should be gone for quite a while. This service was done free of charge.

My point in telling this story is that we all should support our small bike shops because this is the type of stuff that you will almost always see. If you are courteous and polite, chances are you'll be getting one hell of a deal on your service and a good relationship with your mechanic. It would be damn near impossible to find a large dealership that would do any service free of charge.

 

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Review of Viking Cycle Overlord Textile Jacket

 

My fear with any armored textile jacket is always the same, it can make you look like a storm trooper in Star Wars! Honestly, with the outer shoulder armor on this jacket, it does kind of have that look, but it pulls it off! I can say I'm pretty happy with the overall look and let's be honest, that's what's really most important to almost anyone. We just expect riding jackets to protect us if we wipe out and hope we never have to find out.

As far as material and stitch quality goes, I have owned a few other textile jackets and this one matches all of them for less than half the price. It has the same amount of armor and it fits just as well. I followed the online measurements and the jacket fits just as it's noted.

My favorite features of the jacket are the adjustable waist and the pocket space. It has a big interior pocket that is supposed to be used for a tablet, but it also works great for a baseball cap. As a guy who wears a cap pretty often, it's always a struggle to find a good place for it while I'm riding.

My complaint about the jacket is the collar. I wish it fastened with a button instead of Velcro. I have a pretty big neck, so the collar doesn't close all the way, leaving a portion of the Velcro tag to scratch against my neck. I probably should've ordered a size larger, knowing that I have a bigger neck. My advice to those of you who have a large neck is to order a size bigger.

As far as what temperature this jacket works well in, I'd say it's comfortable anywhere from 65 to 85 degrees. Any cooler and I'd recommend at least a sweatshirt underneath. It's a great summer/early fall jacket.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this jacket, especially for the price. You won't find very many (if any) motorcycle jackets this inexpensive anywhere else.

Please also see the video review of this jacket. Ride safe!

See the Jacket here
https://www.motorcyclehouse.com/vikingcycle-over-lord-textile-motorcycle-jacket-for-men
More from motorcyclehouse.com
https://www.motorcyclehouse.com/motorcycle-jackets.htm
https://www.motorcyclehouse.com/motorcycle-jackets-for-men.htm

Close Call

Last week I had a very close call on my way to work. It was a bit of a relaxed work week because of the July 4th holiday, so I was about fifteen minutes later than usual leaving my house. I found out that there is a whole lot more traffic at this time. Before I pulled out of my yard, a group of three cars drove past. These cars were not going very fast, so I caught up very quickly.

We were on a long straight stretch of road and I could see no oncoming traffic, so I decided to pass all three cars at once. Just as I got into the blind spot of the center car, it pulled out to pass the lead one. Shit!!!! I swerved away from this car to the only place I could, the left shoulder of the road. This is a country road, so the shoulders are gravel and I was probably going over 70 miles per hour at the time, so I was trying my hardest to keep the bike from washing out. Just when I thought I had it steady, I looked up ahead and a mailbox was right in front of me. Double shit!!! I just tried to make myself as skinny as possible, so I could squeeze in between the passing car and mailbox (this all happened in a matter of seconds). Somehow I managed to clear all of this and let the car get ahead of me, so I could get back in the left lane. I passed both the lead car and the car that had driven me off the road.

The driver was a younger woman smoking a cigarette. I don't think she ever realized what had happened. In my younger, more aggressive days, I may have tried to kick her door or at least give her the middle finger, but calmer heads prevailed this time...I was just happy to be ok.

I've had quite a few close calls while riding and even one crash, but I can't remember a time I was more shaken up. So many things could've gone wrong, that I'm really lucky that it worked out. So, I'm sorry to say that I'm hanging it up. I'm going to sell my bike and give up motorcycling.

Nah!!! Just kidding! I would never do that. But I’d like to use this as a reminder to all you riders to be safe!

"Try not to die." - Betty White