Moto Maturity

In the past, I’d ride aggressively right away in the spring. I’d be so anxious to ride after a long winter that I’d ignore the fact that I was out of practice and that I was unsure of road conditions. You’d catch me trying to drag my knee on every corner. Although I never crashed because of this, I did have some close calls. I’ve slid on loose gravel and sand, swerved around dirt piles, and braked in the middle of a turn to avoid obstructions.

 

This year seems different. I recently rode my favorite route that is full of beautiful twists and turns. I found myself taking it easy instead of going all out. It wasn’t something that I consciously decided to do, but as I approached corners I’d tell myself to hold back in case of any danger that may lie ahead. I still had a blast and probably enjoyed myself just as much as I would’ve riding aggressively. I’m absolutely going to ride this route plenty of times this year and now I know which corners still have dirt or gravel on them.

 

I guess it’s a sign of maturity which I’m bound to get with age. However, on the last corner of the ride, I decided to say, “The hell with it.” I approached this corner with some extra speed and leaned very hard through it. I didn’t drag my knee, but I leaned far enough that the toe of my boot dragged. This startled me, but I still rode through. My wife, who was on the back, berated me a little for this. Oh well, I’m not all THAT mature yet.

 

“Maturity is a high price to pay for growing up.” Tom Stoppard

Ice Cold Battery

The weather has been getting warmer. I have been working a lot and bouncing around on shifts (night shift lately), so I have not had much time to ride. We hit 80 degrees for the first time the other day, so I decided to ride into work. It is hard for me to ride to work because of everything I need to take with me, especially night shift because I need to take all my coffee and food. Being as warm as it was, I decided that I won’t need much for cold weather gear.

As the night went on, I noticed the temp dropping rapidly. I considered going back to the shop to to put my bike inside (I have a 1989 Harley Davidson FXR). The battery is 12 years old and it is a matter of stupid pride that it’s still in the bike. It works just fine as long as it’s not too cold. Well, I never made it back. When the 6 am quitting time came it was 38 degrees. Who would have guessed? The bike didn’t start.

I dug around in the mechanics shop and found a booster, and since all I needed was a little more juice, it started pretty quickly. Once I got moving, I realized that it was 38 degrees and that is a little cold to be riding without proper gear. I rode 15 miles with my hand as a face mask,  having a deer and a turkey run out in front of me along the way.

In my prior life (and most of my adult life) I was a mechanic. A Harley-Davidson mechanic at that. I always preached to customers the importance of a good battery, but I was so proud of my 12 year old battery. If a customer would have told me this, I would have thought they were a moron. Who’s the moron now? I now have a battery on order. I will try to plan ahead a little better and maybe even wear a helmet for those late rides zigzagging around the wildlife. And yes mom, I know I should wear one all the time.

"We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid." - Benjamin Franklin

The Work You Want to Do

This past weekend was perfect spring weather. It was sunny and above 70 degrees. Great riding weather. Did I ride? Nope. The other thing that comes with beautiful spring weather is yard work. The leaves need to be raked, bare patches on the lawn need to be filled, and the trees need pruning. This is what I was doing on Saturday. Hey, at least I was outdoors!

 

When I got to the tree pruning part, I was using my chainsaw to cut dead branches from a couple of trees. While I was doing this, I glanced at the wooded area behind our house (we own a bit of property). I decided to take a look at what it would take to clear a trail for my son’s dirt bike. Two hours later, I was still in the woods cutting fallen trees and clearing brush. I really wanted that trail.

 

In my defense, my wife was just complaining how much the dirt bike was tearing up our yard, so I needed to make a trail so that would no longer happen. Needless to say, I didn’t finish the yard work I needed to do. Oh well! At least I was accomplishing something! I have heard that you do the work that you want to do before the work you need to do.

 

“A day can really slip by when you're deliberately avoiding what you're supposed to do.” - Bill Watterson

Electric Boogaloo

Image from https://ridecake.com

 

I’ve discussed electric motorcycles multiple times in this blog, but I really haven’t thought about them that much lately. Then, I ran across a few articles about electric dirt bikes. I know that Zero Motorcycles have been making them for a while, but I haven’t heard or read about any others. Now, Yamaha created an electric trials bike concept and a company called Cake is developing an electric bike that is kind of a hybrid motocross / mountain bike. I think that the dirt is where electric motorcycles can shine in the near future.

 

My biggest concern with electric street motorcycles is the lack of range between charges. With the current technology, 100 miles is definitely pushing it. If you were on any lengthy ride, needing to stop every 80-100 miles to recharge (charging can take more than an hour) would get annoying. I think that riding range won't be as much an issue with a dirt bike. Spending 90 minutes riding hard in the dirt between charges is more than enough. With my kids getting into off road riding, I will be in the market for a dirt bike in the near future, so an electric one could be an option.

 

My fear would be getting stranded in the woods with an electric bike that ran out of charge. However, this has happened to me on dirt bikes I’ve owned in the past, so it can definitely happen with an internal combustion engine as well. I think with some planning ahead, someone could avoid getting stranded barring some sort of breakdown. In my opinion, off road should be the market electric motorcycle manufacturers target.

 

“I really do encourage other manufacturers to bring electric cars to market. It's a good thing, and they need to bring it to market and keep iterating and improving and make better and better electric cars, and that's what going to result in humanity achieving a sustainable transport future. I wish it was growing faster than it is.” - Elon Musk

Wednesday Evening Rides

 

 

Two weeks ago I hoped that a mid-April ride might happen. The weather says otherwise. Another winter storm is in the forecast for this weekend. Snow accumulation predictions vary, but we will definitely get snow. In years past, I’d be pulling out my hair in frustration and looking at real estate and jobs in the south. Oddly enough, I’m not that stressed about it this year. Actually, I’m pretty sure I’m too busy to worry about it. I’m absolutely slammed at work and between that and family obligations, I barely have time to write this blog let alone worry about a snowstorm. I think that it’s a good thing to be busy, especially this time of year. My fear is that I’ll also be this busy when riding season actually does come and I’ll have a repeat of last year, which I rode WAY less than I’d like.

 

With that being said, I’m going to prioritize riding this year. In years past, I’ve gone on weekly rides on Wednesday evenings. I think I’m going to be sure that happens again this year. My mom usually stops by every Thursday evening to spend time with my kids. I think I’m going to politely ask her if she can switch to a Wednesday visit. Thursday is far too busy for my family to be able to ride.

 

I think I might even start posting rides on the KLK Facebook page to let local riders know. Actually, a local group of riders have a Wednesday meet up throughout the riding season, so maybe we’ll periodically stop and say hello to those guys (and ladies). Hopefully, getting others involved will keep me from getting “too busy” to ride. I’m actually getting excited even writing about it.

 

Shit! Now I actually am pissed about this snowstorm!!

 

“Beware the barrenness of a busy life.” - Socrates



Motorcycle Hauling Advice

Early spring is the time of year that many motorcyclists who live in an area that still has snow will haul their motorcycle somewhere that they can ride. As a person that’s loaded and hauled a motorcycle dozens of times, I might have some advice for someone who doesn’t have this experience. I’ve loaded motorcycles into vans, pickup trucks, and trailers. I’ve loaded them by myself and with others. I’ve even ridden a Sportster up a makeshift ramp made from an old door into a pickup truck (I don’t recommend doing that). I’ve hauled motorcycles 1/2 mile, 2000 miles, and any anywhere in between. Here are my tips.

 

Get a proper ramp. The aforementioned door was a bad idea. Use a metal grated ramp that is both structurally sound and allows for some traction.

 

Someone should be helping you. Don’t be a hero, get assistance. I’ve learned from a couple of close calls that loading a motorcycle by yourself will drastically increase your chance of injury or damage to your motorcycle.

 

The front brake is your friend...Use it! If you need to adjust your position or rest, clamp on the front brake to hold the bike in place.

 

Use ratchet strap tie downs to anchor the motorcycle. There are also cambuckle straps that tighten by simply pulling the loose end. However, in my experience, these tend to loosen over time.

 

Put the kickstand down and strap that side of the motorcycle first. This will hold the bike in place as you install the other straps.

 

Squat the front suspension slightly and increase the tension in the straps. This will keep the straps tight when you drive over a bump.

 

Fasten at least one strap to the rear of the motorcycle. On occasion, a large bump could allow the rear end to move.

 

Make sure to periodically check the tension of your straps on your trip. A shift in the strap hooks is possible, which could cause slack in the straps.

 

Finally, use the same tips when you’re unloading as when you're loading. Use the front brake when needed and ask for help! Then, the hard part is over. Enjoy your ride!

 

“Wise men don't need advice. Fools won't take it.” - Benjamin Franklin

Spring and Riding Season

 

My dreams of an early riding season have been dashed. The earliest I have ever ridden was mid February, which may be a once in a lifetime thing (unless I move). The next best was early March, which has come and gone. My new hope was to be riding by early April.

 

Actually, the way this spring has been going, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility to ride sometime in the near future. Lake Superior is essentially covered in ice and, when it is, we no longer get lake effect snow. The bulk of our snow accumulation comes in the form of lake effect, so if and when the lake freezes the snow all but stops. We’ve been almost snow free for weeks and the temperatures have been above freezing (barely above, but still above freezing), so a nice rain shower could bring the beginning of motorcycle season.

 

This morning, I took a look at the weather forecast. 4-8 inches of snow is predicted to accumulate in a few days. So much for riding anytime in the next week....Oh well, let’s hope for mid April riding!

 

“Remember, Red, hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of things and no good thing ever dies.” - Andy Dufresne from the Motion Picture, The Shawshank Redemption