I've come to realize that I am not much of a blogger. My life is filled with stuff that I feel is so boring or banal that it doesn't even interest me, OR, some things are really fun and fascinating, but personal. Perhaps I am just not narcissistic enough to really be passionate about blogging.
At any rate, when it comes to riding 2012 was pretty much a big fat goose egg. I was really tied down with chores, and some health issues affected my desire to get out and ride.
2013 seems like it is going to be a better year. So I am going to do some more motorcycle related posts as I actually have something to post about.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Travels of a Well Dressed Man Pt.II
When there is a ride out, there is a ride back.
I woke up surprisingly early in the morning, and quietly packed up and got ready to head out. I decided to go ahead and put my fleece on and wear the slacks I had taken under my Road Crafter pants - it was cool and overcast. Just as I was about ready to leave, my friend had woken up and we talked a bit. He is in fact interested in some sort of bike or scooter mostly for his short commute, but a section of it is a fairly high speed highway (less than a mile I think). We had a good talk, and he has his head on his shoulders about it, and I figure he will have me on tap for advice.
I fueled up at about 10:40 in the morning, and found out I had only used about 3 gallons for the ride up. The gas mileage calculated out to just a fraction less then 70 mpg. Not bad considering I didn't "ride for economy" on the way up to Salem.
I decided to bypass I5 and take the longer, but much more sedate 99W south to Eugene. I planned to drink more water, and make more rest stops. The slower speeds, and less hectic route made for a MUCH more enjoyable ride. A lot of lovely fields and flowering plants and trees was much nicer than the attention-demanding high speed ribbon of highway that is I5.
I actually rode through Eugene, having decided to stop by Sunrise Market, an Asian store on the south side of Eugene. I pulled in and saw a newgen 250. I ended up just buying a bottle of Pokari Sweat - think Gatorade without artificial colors. As I was leaving the other rider came out, and we talked a bit. His was a black 2008. He had apparently bought it, learned to ride and was looking for something with more hp. He commented he rode I5 a fair deal, I understood that a bit more power would be nice. He looked at my bike and commented "Wow, that looks big for a 250". Maybe it was the more solid fairings and my tail bag adding apparent size to the bike? He also seemed impressed that I was riding to Klamath Falls.
I left Eugene and got onto Hwy 58 and it was just a nice ride. I stopped at a DQ just outside of Eugene and had a chocolate dipped vanilla cone. The ride up into the mountains was pretty calm, but the "snow zone, watch for icy spots" sign with flashing lights caused me a little concern, and further up the mountains I did get the "Benediction of the Cascades" in misty rain...but not too much, not too hard. Just crossing the pass, it went from a bit drizzly to nearly dry. Hwy 97 was as it usually is, flat and boring, but it's the road home.
I got home a few minutes after 5 pm. Even though the day was longer, with more stops, I did not feel as tired. Dede was having a visit with a gal she has known since before grade school at a coffee shop not too far from our house, so I pulled in and we all hung out a while.
Epilogue- The following day I fueled up and I was again surprised by my fuel efficiency. On the leg home I found I got just shy of 75 mpg. I really can't explain this, as my bike typically gets in the upper 50s or lower 60's.
View Larger Map
And I picked up Polk and Benton Counties.
I woke up surprisingly early in the morning, and quietly packed up and got ready to head out. I decided to go ahead and put my fleece on and wear the slacks I had taken under my Road Crafter pants - it was cool and overcast. Just as I was about ready to leave, my friend had woken up and we talked a bit. He is in fact interested in some sort of bike or scooter mostly for his short commute, but a section of it is a fairly high speed highway (less than a mile I think). We had a good talk, and he has his head on his shoulders about it, and I figure he will have me on tap for advice.
I fueled up at about 10:40 in the morning, and found out I had only used about 3 gallons for the ride up. The gas mileage calculated out to just a fraction less then 70 mpg. Not bad considering I didn't "ride for economy" on the way up to Salem.
I decided to bypass I5 and take the longer, but much more sedate 99W south to Eugene. I planned to drink more water, and make more rest stops. The slower speeds, and less hectic route made for a MUCH more enjoyable ride. A lot of lovely fields and flowering plants and trees was much nicer than the attention-demanding high speed ribbon of highway that is I5.
I actually rode through Eugene, having decided to stop by Sunrise Market, an Asian store on the south side of Eugene. I pulled in and saw a newgen 250. I ended up just buying a bottle of Pokari Sweat - think Gatorade without artificial colors. As I was leaving the other rider came out, and we talked a bit. His was a black 2008. He had apparently bought it, learned to ride and was looking for something with more hp. He commented he rode I5 a fair deal, I understood that a bit more power would be nice. He looked at my bike and commented "Wow, that looks big for a 250". Maybe it was the more solid fairings and my tail bag adding apparent size to the bike? He also seemed impressed that I was riding to Klamath Falls.
I left Eugene and got onto Hwy 58 and it was just a nice ride. I stopped at a DQ just outside of Eugene and had a chocolate dipped vanilla cone. The ride up into the mountains was pretty calm, but the "snow zone, watch for icy spots" sign with flashing lights caused me a little concern, and further up the mountains I did get the "Benediction of the Cascades" in misty rain...but not too much, not too hard. Just crossing the pass, it went from a bit drizzly to nearly dry. Hwy 97 was as it usually is, flat and boring, but it's the road home.
I got home a few minutes after 5 pm. Even though the day was longer, with more stops, I did not feel as tired. Dede was having a visit with a gal she has known since before grade school at a coffee shop not too far from our house, so I pulled in and we all hung out a while.
Epilogue- The following day I fueled up and I was again surprised by my fuel efficiency. On the leg home I found I got just shy of 75 mpg. I really can't explain this, as my bike typically gets in the upper 50s or lower 60's.
View Larger Map
And I picked up Polk and Benton Counties.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Travels of a Well Dressed Man
Okay, this is going to require a bit of a backstory: Our son Kenneth's Jr. High math team won a slot to compete at the state level, so on March 9th we drove to Corvallis, and decided to visit some friends in Salem. While in Salem we decided Deidre should use the Nordstrom's gift card I had found a number of years before, and on the spur of the moment we decided that it would be good to check at Kohl's for wedding clothes for both boys. I wandered over to the men's section and on a whim tried on a suit jacket and amazingly it fit. No, it really fit, right off the rack, and that NEVER happens. I didn't have the money at the moment, so we noted size and other information and planned to order it online. A couple of weeks later we found the same jacket on the Kohl's website for less than a third of the in-store cost. So we went ahead and ordered the suit jacket. When I finally had a chance to try it on, the fit was just dreadful. tight across the chest, odd folds running diagonally over the shoulders, a bad wrinkle that was below the collar across the back. I was really disappointed. We called the Kohl's and the particular suit jacket I had tried was still there. We put it on hold, and I wanted to be able to try both jackets on, side by side, to make sure the one in the store did in fact fit like we had remembered.
So on Saturday March 20th I started gearing up having packed the ill fitting suit jacket in my tail bag. I topped up my fuel tank and added a bit of oil and was ready to get on the road about 2 pm. I expected it would be about a four hour ride. My planned route was to take Hwy 97 north to Hwy 58 and take Hwy 58 to I5 and ride right up to Salem.
Riding up 97 was...as it usually is...too long, too boring, too monotonous. A bike passed me and I decided to "tag along" and was soon up to an indicated 80 mph which I ended up holding for most of an hour. The other rider pulled into a rest stop which I passed, I think he might have signaled with a leg "pull off", but he may have been stretching? I stopped in the next little town to add a layer, and they rode past me, stopped about a block further, then rode off as I was putting my helmet on.
Highway 58...I had never ridden on Hwy 58 before, except in the small community of Oakridge which I had approached from a side road. I had dreamt of riding it for years...ever since the housemates we had when we lived in Eugene took me and Dede up to Eugene one time as pillions on their bikes. I was glad to have added a layer as there was still some snow off the sides of the road, and I actually started shivering. But fairly quickly I was descending down the west side of the Cascades and warmed up a bit, or rather, the cold lessened. I loved the rich loamy forest smells. Best part of the ride!
I got to I5 just S. of Eugene, and I rather dreaded the bit that runs along Eugene and Springfield. Lots of traffic, too many on ramps, too many off ramps. I was tired, having slept poorly all week. A lot of concentration focused on situational awareness which sadly just compounded my fatigue. I was pleased that my bike did keep up with the traffic okay, but it did NOT feel as confident or as inspiring as that Ducati I rode (hahahaha)! But, overall I5 was tiring to the point I prayed nothing would happen as I doubted my ability to react properly or quickly to anything.
But I made it to Salem and my friends' apartment safe and sound. I arrived a bit after 6:00 pm...so not a bad trip time.
The suit jacket exchange went super well, no snags no problems and YES, the suit in the store, same style but a different cut, fit as well as we had remembered.
View Larger Map
And I picked up Linn and Marion Counties:
So on Saturday March 20th I started gearing up having packed the ill fitting suit jacket in my tail bag. I topped up my fuel tank and added a bit of oil and was ready to get on the road about 2 pm. I expected it would be about a four hour ride. My planned route was to take Hwy 97 north to Hwy 58 and take Hwy 58 to I5 and ride right up to Salem.
Riding up 97 was...as it usually is...too long, too boring, too monotonous. A bike passed me and I decided to "tag along" and was soon up to an indicated 80 mph which I ended up holding for most of an hour. The other rider pulled into a rest stop which I passed, I think he might have signaled with a leg "pull off", but he may have been stretching? I stopped in the next little town to add a layer, and they rode past me, stopped about a block further, then rode off as I was putting my helmet on.
Highway 58...I had never ridden on Hwy 58 before, except in the small community of Oakridge which I had approached from a side road. I had dreamt of riding it for years...ever since the housemates we had when we lived in Eugene took me and Dede up to Eugene one time as pillions on their bikes. I was glad to have added a layer as there was still some snow off the sides of the road, and I actually started shivering. But fairly quickly I was descending down the west side of the Cascades and warmed up a bit, or rather, the cold lessened. I loved the rich loamy forest smells. Best part of the ride!
I got to I5 just S. of Eugene, and I rather dreaded the bit that runs along Eugene and Springfield. Lots of traffic, too many on ramps, too many off ramps. I was tired, having slept poorly all week. A lot of concentration focused on situational awareness which sadly just compounded my fatigue. I was pleased that my bike did keep up with the traffic okay, but it did NOT feel as confident or as inspiring as that Ducati I rode (hahahaha)! But, overall I5 was tiring to the point I prayed nothing would happen as I doubted my ability to react properly or quickly to anything.
But I made it to Salem and my friends' apartment safe and sound. I arrived a bit after 6:00 pm...so not a bad trip time.
The suit jacket exchange went super well, no snags no problems and YES, the suit in the store, same style but a different cut, fit as well as we had remembered.
View Larger Map
And I picked up Linn and Marion Counties:
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Ducati in Hawaii - Finding Paradise in the Fast Lane
March 10th, 2013
My soon to be brother-in-law made the mistake a few months ago of saying, "when you come to Maui, you'll have to bring your helmet and some gear and you can ride my Ducati 748". Oh my......
So when we flew to Hawaii for my sister-in-law's wedding, I carried a small duffel bag with my riding gear...I was amused to think how few people go to Hawaii with a motorcycle helmet in their luggage...and wore motorcycle boots on the flight.
After a week that included the wedding, and being tourists, we finally visited my "new" brother-in-law, and eventually the discussion turned to "riding the bike". Now it was my turn to uncomfortably consider, "what have I gotten myself into"?
So Mike started to take the covers off the bike...
Who knew Ducatis came in blue?
No, like any fine dinner, there is an appetizer course, in this case a neat little CPI two stroke scooter.
and any bike looks better with a lovely lady...
But this was the main event:
It was very worthy of an "Ohhh Myyyy". Mike went over some of the basics with me, it has to warm up to 140F or it won't hold an idle. Only one or two fingers on the brake. Back brake is pretty much nearly useless. It was good I brought riding pants, Mike told me the heat off the header would burn the hair off your right leg. There was a quite tricky little choke set up...at least I didn't have to think of what I wanted it to do in Italian...
The throttle was 'sensitive'...but it didn't take too long to get a feel for it. The dry clutch did sound "horrible", but I knew to expect that. I could barely tip toe on one foot if I slid my butt over on the seat...okay, riding the taller Sherpa recently, turned out to help. Mike said something that with my helmet on, and the relative roar of the engine I didn't quite make out. I eased it out of the driveway. Dede later told me he said, "make sure to get out on the freeway and take it to 100".
Yeah, I know, no riding jacket. I had taken one. With Hawaii being a helmet optional state I was more fully geared than many riders we saw. But I did see a fully geared riders as well. I rode carefully through the neighborhood, getting a feel for the clutch and brakes. Once I had a very basic feel for the bike I quickly realize "this is not where this bike lives. Let's get to the highway". That was a couple blocks away.
This was the most powerful bike I had ever ridden, but the power was not unmanageable. In fact it felt incredibly stable and planted on the highway. I looked at the speedometer and saw and indicated 80 mph....and it felt like I was traveling perhaps at 50 mph...okay, so this is how all the stories of, "I was riding my bike and got pulled over for speeding without even realizing I was over the speed limit", come to pass. The suspension just soaked up pavement imperfections and the lane divider bumps. It felt very stable at higher speeds. I rolled on the throttle and saw over an indicated 100 mph for a few moments. The bike wasn't working hard, it wasn't breaking a sweat, at this pace it was humming "It's a great art to saunter". It could have gone so much faster.
But my time on the bike was drawing short, my family indulged my motorcycle madness, and I knew I needed to get this bike back home.
The bike was amazing. The ride was amazing. What many riders may also find amazing was as fun and as confident the bike was, I realized I didn't need such a bike. But I sure wish I could have had half a day on that bike! Maybe next time?
AND while it wasn't "my bike", I am going to say this counts at riding in Hawaii !
create your own personalized map of the USA or check out our California travel guide
My soon to be brother-in-law made the mistake a few months ago of saying, "when you come to Maui, you'll have to bring your helmet and some gear and you can ride my Ducati 748". Oh my......
So when we flew to Hawaii for my sister-in-law's wedding, I carried a small duffel bag with my riding gear...I was amused to think how few people go to Hawaii with a motorcycle helmet in their luggage...and wore motorcycle boots on the flight.
After a week that included the wedding, and being tourists, we finally visited my "new" brother-in-law, and eventually the discussion turned to "riding the bike". Now it was my turn to uncomfortably consider, "what have I gotten myself into"?
So Mike started to take the covers off the bike...
Who knew Ducatis came in blue?
No, like any fine dinner, there is an appetizer course, in this case a neat little CPI two stroke scooter.
and any bike looks better with a lovely lady...
But this was the main event:
It was very worthy of an "Ohhh Myyyy". Mike went over some of the basics with me, it has to warm up to 140F or it won't hold an idle. Only one or two fingers on the brake. Back brake is pretty much nearly useless. It was good I brought riding pants, Mike told me the heat off the header would burn the hair off your right leg. There was a quite tricky little choke set up...at least I didn't have to think of what I wanted it to do in Italian...
The throttle was 'sensitive'...but it didn't take too long to get a feel for it. The dry clutch did sound "horrible", but I knew to expect that. I could barely tip toe on one foot if I slid my butt over on the seat...okay, riding the taller Sherpa recently, turned out to help. Mike said something that with my helmet on, and the relative roar of the engine I didn't quite make out. I eased it out of the driveway. Dede later told me he said, "make sure to get out on the freeway and take it to 100".
Yeah, I know, no riding jacket. I had taken one. With Hawaii being a helmet optional state I was more fully geared than many riders we saw. But I did see a fully geared riders as well. I rode carefully through the neighborhood, getting a feel for the clutch and brakes. Once I had a very basic feel for the bike I quickly realize "this is not where this bike lives. Let's get to the highway". That was a couple blocks away.
This was the most powerful bike I had ever ridden, but the power was not unmanageable. In fact it felt incredibly stable and planted on the highway. I looked at the speedometer and saw and indicated 80 mph....and it felt like I was traveling perhaps at 50 mph...okay, so this is how all the stories of, "I was riding my bike and got pulled over for speeding without even realizing I was over the speed limit", come to pass. The suspension just soaked up pavement imperfections and the lane divider bumps. It felt very stable at higher speeds. I rolled on the throttle and saw over an indicated 100 mph for a few moments. The bike wasn't working hard, it wasn't breaking a sweat, at this pace it was humming "It's a great art to saunter". It could have gone so much faster.
But my time on the bike was drawing short, my family indulged my motorcycle madness, and I knew I needed to get this bike back home.
The bike was amazing. The ride was amazing. What many riders may also find amazing was as fun and as confident the bike was, I realized I didn't need such a bike. But I sure wish I could have had half a day on that bike! Maybe next time?
AND while it wasn't "my bike", I am going to say this counts at riding in Hawaii !
create your own personalized map of the USA or check out our California travel guide
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