Father and Son Trail Ride

I did exactly what I set out to do in my last blog post. Last Saturday, I loaded my son’s XR 70R into my pickup and drove to my dad’s lake property for some riding. It was an awesome time and we are definitely going to have to do it again.

My initial plan was to ride the trail that I rode hundreds of times as a kid that leads to a local dam and fish ladder. My plan was derailed as we got about halfway there. A huge storm washed out a portion of the trail this summer. If I had a larger bike, was by myself, or felt like getting wet, I would have chanced crossing this washout, but I wasn’t about to do it with my son. So, instead we rode on some of the side trails that broke away from the main one.

These trails weren’t without obstacles either. Some small trees had fallen across in some spots, but we were able to ride over them fairly easily. Then we had to drop into a ravine on a steep decline. Loose rocks and sticks littered the trail and it was pretty difficult to maintain control, but we rode it out without incident. Then, we had to ride over a large berm. As I reached the peak, I unexpectedly wheelied. I was still in control, but it was a bit of a surprise. My son shrieked! Then, after the front wheel returned to the ground he shouted, “This is the greatest time of my life!” I decided that was our cue to head back to the truck. Our ride couldn’t get much better than that.

Like I said before, it was a pretty awesome experience. I hope we get to have some more rides before winter.

“I don't think quantity time is as special as quality time with your family.” - Reba McEntire

Fall Fun for All Ages

The first day of Autumn is very near. I was about to write about the fact that Autumn is probably my favorite season until I looked back at my blog posts in the past. For three years straight I posted a blog about my love for the season and how I need to get some extra riding time before Winter.

 

While these posts weren’t exactly the same, they were similar enough. After reading these, I guess I was reassured that the fall is my favorite time of year. However, I don’t want to repeat these past posts, so I’ll try to put a little different spin on this one.

 

If I think back to when I was 11 or 12, all I had was a dirt bike. This time in my life is where I think I got my love of riding in the fall. I can remember riding through the woods seeing all of the Autumn colors and smelling the cool crisp air. The great thing about back then was that time didn’t seem to go by so quickly. The Autumn season didn’t seem short at all.

 

In that spirit, I think I’m going to try to spend some extra time riding trails with my kids. I just bought a truck (I know I said I was going to wait a while to get a new vehicle, but I found a good deal), so I can hall their dirt bike to trails that they’ve never been on. This, hopefully, will make a memorable season for me and them.

 

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” - Albert Camus

Cyber Apocalypse

It’s here! BMW Motorrad has created a motorcycle that rides itself. Oh, you don’t believe me? Check this video out. All I have to say is, leave it to BMW to bring on the start of the cyber apocalypse! Cue the terminator music.

All kidding aside, while this is awesome and has huge implications for rider safety, seeing a riderless bike is kinda creepy. I doubt many of you have seen them, but a long time ago some freestyle moto guys would make videos “ghost riding” an old street bike. This meant jumping off of a moving motorcycle and letting it coast by itself. This looks a lot like that, without the crash at the end. It just has an eerie feel.

Even with the creepy factor, the engineers at BMW deserve tons of credit for advancing this technology. This has some serious implications for the future of motorcycles. I’ve stated before that an uptick in safety regulations could derail the industry, but advancements like this could definitely help us continue to ride far into the future.

“Listen and understand. That terminator is out there. It can't be bargained with, it can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear, and it absolutely will not stop. Ever. Until you are dead.” - Kyle Reese in The Terminator

Self Inflicted Wet Ass

 

Earlier this year I mentioned that, even though I made myself ride to work everyday, I had not needed to use my rain gear. Fast forward to this week. I sold my car over the Labor Day weekend, so I am literally forced to use my motorcycle for the commute. It has rained every morning since then. Let’s just say that I’m sick of using my rain gear!

On top of this, my gear, especially the pants, is starting to lose its waterproofing. My bike tends to shoot a giant rooster tail of water behind it on wet roads and doesn’t have the largest of rear fenders, so I’ve arrived at work with a wet ass. This is the fourth year of using this rain gear and I use it fairly often, so I think I got my money’s worth.

I know I shouldn’t be bitching, since I put myself in this situation. The only reason I am is because it’s been multiple days in a row that I’ve had a wet butt and I’m growing tired of it. I just needed a bit of a venting session. With that being said, I think I’m going to delay buying a new car so I can continue this forced riding situation.

“Self-inflicted pain has a calming effect; it clears the head, diminishes one's fascination with the ego, and most important, gives one the sense of having taken some real action against the everyday foolishness of the body and of the vagrant, willful, heedless imagination.” - Valerie Martin