The time is short my friends...

When the calendar says November, and the temperatures are in the twenties at night and just peak in the 40's during the day, well -- you know that things are about to wrap up for the season. I have been resisting this with every thought and action I can muster, but time is short now.

Today I began cleaning the street bikes in preparation for winter storage. I think that the ZRX is likely done for this year, with one more trip to the gas station to top off and run stabilizer through the system. Then plugged in, covered up and see you in the spring.

I'm hoping that we catch a break around here again this year as we did last season. Last year I rode through the first weekend in December, and that was the first time since perhaps the '80's. It seems that it gets harder every year to let go. When the sun is out and the air is still and you are standing in the driveway, even if it is 45 degrees before you add a 70mph windchill, riding is what you must do.

Last week we saw a 3-day warm spell where the temps got up over 70 one day and over 60 after that. I couldn't get out of work fast enough, and if I hadn't been absolutely locked in, I'd have taken a day or two off. As it was I got out for an hour on two of those evenings while the sun was still up.

A couple of us got out for a few hours this past Saturday and even though it was 50 and cloudy and we did get sprinkled on at one point, it was totally worth it. Then it got cold. A little snow as reminder of what is coming.

If we could just get ... one .... more... day...

The more things change

Like most bike owners, and certainly Ducati owners, I have a long list of modifications I'd like to make to my bike. If only I had unlimited financial resources to pull it all off at once. My ZX6 was one of the rare situations where I was able to order a bunch of parts and have them on the bike when I took delivery of it. Other times it's more of having a wish list and saying "I'm gonna do this and that" ..... someday.

So far I've only been knocking off the tiniest of mods to the S2R; real lightweight cosmetic stuph and doesn't cost much or take time to do. Mirrors, windscreen, tank pad, directional lenses and my pet peeve with this bike -- the ultra globby foot pegs. Who at Ducati thought these pegs were a good idea? Year after year, on bike after bike, they keep showing up. They are too short, way too smooth, and look like they were cast in a kid's sand box. Some day, Rizoma rearsets. Until then, it's Oberon to save the day:

A quick fix, IF you have that little pair of whatchamacallit reverse needlenose pliers to get the retaining clip off. Buddy of mine does. And 15 minutes later I'm no longer slipping off the footpegs, particularly the right one.

Next year, I'm hoping to make more substantial changes, including maybe SpeedyMoto clutch cover and sprocket cover, Rizoma pressure plate, Pazzo levers and Rizoma reservoirs, Arrow full exhaust. Yeah, next year....

Spoiler Alert !

Here's a spy shot taken by unknown sources, possibly with a cell phone, of a bike just recently acquired by an undisclosed and yet close acquaintance. Another Ducati enters the fold. Sources close to the situation indicate that it no longer even looks like this; modifications are under way. This is the way it was, check back next spring for a full disclosure:

Autumn Rides

Due to several weeks of dryness in this part of the country, leaves have begun to change on many trees a little earlier than is normal. With days warming into the high 60's or better at this time of year, it does make for some spectacular riding in the higher elevations. 7 of us made a run out to Cooperstown this past weekend and it was a great trip. Some excellent roads of every type you'd want to ride, blasting through the mountains, fantastic scenery. We stopped outside town to visit Doug's buddy who runs a cycle dealership, who has a building across the street, and in that building are some sweet premium condition semi-vintage bikes. After that we grabbed lunch and then took another route back. 234 miles for me and not a single ache. Back in time for my son's baseball game. A great day all around.

Every now and then I head out on my own for a quick solo ride. Often this occurs after 1PM weekdays as I wait for the temperature to come up and then take a late lunch break. I always feel kinda decadent doing this as it's like being independently wealthy or something; most people back at work, slave to the grind, and me out riding. It's a great freedom.

I was out a week or so back, just making boxes, trying to find some new routes to incorporate into our weekend rides, and ended up on the west and north sides of the Tomhannock Reservoir.

There are several interesting roads in that area and you have to know your way around just a little bit as all the roads are labeled County Road ## and they all sort of blend after awhile. If there is no traffic to contend with, Reservoir Rd (County Road something or other) can be a very entertaining rip.

A morning playing in the dirt

Boys were off from school today so I decided it would be a good time to head over to the riding club and get some time in on the trails. Now personally, I could live nicely at this point without dirt riding. It was awesome when I was a kid, but it was also the only game in town when you are a kid. I remember having a poster of a 250cc dual purpose bike on my bedroom wall. I used to look at that when I was a teenager and think man, that bike would take me anywhere I wanted to go; no stopping me.

Now it's my boys with posters up on their walls, though I will admit to having a few up in the garage...

Colin has always been fearless since the first day he started riding on the PW50 at age 5. Scares me constantly while I'm watching him, the way he charges after it. He is interested in tips for improving his technique and follows direction. He wants to be a better rider every time he goes out.

I think it won't be too many more years before he is outrunning me.

 

Ian hasn't had benefit of all the years of riding. He's more cautious by nature and tends to be tensing up and over-controlling the bike on the trails right now, which gets him into trouble more often than we'd all like. He is doing very well on the open areas where picking a line isn't so important and he too is working hard on technique.

Something that I've noticed over the years is that neither of my boys have the deep attachment for  motorcycles that I have. Once we are home again, they go off and I am left to unload and put everything away. They do not lavish attention on their bikes and indeed treat them as another piece of their lives; an appliance. I am saddened sometimes that we have made their lives so rich with experiences that many extraordinary things are taken for granted. Conversely, to this day I cannot walk through my garage without looking at, speaking to, sitting on or polishing one of my bikes. Perhaps I am the one with the problem. Oh well.... after I post this, I'm going to walk around my desk and sit on my office-gixxer for a while and consider this issue some more.

A great finish to a great weekend

Today is Labor Day and a couple friends and I were able to get together for a few hours of casual riding. It's become somewhat of a tradition to try and catch a ride saluting the end of summer whenever possible over the years. Weather-wise, it was another spectacular day for riding. When I left home at 08:30 aboard the Monster, the temperature was 53 degrees and warming on a bright sunny day. The plan today was just to take it easy, ride a moderate pace and maybe practice form along some twisty roads. Just get out and ride while the riding is good.

I made my way over to Scott's house and we spent some time discussing the merits of various bike modifications, both current and future. Then he selected the bike he wished to take out today -- now there's a weighty issue that we should all have to struggle with. For this mission, he selected the GB500. Sadly, it was not to be as even with a fresh battery, the bike simply did not want to fire up. So after a few attempts and a couple of very near-starts over a span of several minutes, he decided to fallback to the 750 Monster. Always a good choice.

We rode off into the mid-morning with the temp up around 60, blue sky and perhaps 20% of trees showing color now with the changing leaves of Autumn. A brisk ride of 15 miles or so of twisty backroads brought us to Luke's house where he was planning to take out his 600SRX. After some conversation we suited up and went north to retrace our general route up through Saratoga county. This encompasses a few miles of secondary roads, but mostly very rural country roads along rivers and past lakes, through the woods (didn't see Grandma's house) and a large portion out in farm country. This last area has the best roads, with tight corners and long sweepers and lots of elevation changes. And the occasional piece of farm equipment pulling out onto the road, so you have to stay sharp, and -- hope that day is NOT the day they had been out with the honey wagon...

Thankfully, along with perfect weather conditions, traffic was extremely light today, many vehicles we came upon graciously allowed us past as they seemed out for their own scenic drives, and the few trucks we encountered were for the most part passing in the opposite direction. There was one section where I was following Scott through a sharp left-hander, up a long rise and over the crest of a hill. Bright sunshine and fallen leaves swirling around in his wake as he passed through, making it seem quite magical for me as I dropped down over the hill and followed the road as it bent to the right.

I'd say that today we averaged about 65% of our normal pace, perhaps a little faster in the corners. It was a nice way to get out and focus on technique without a competitive atmosphere and just enjoy the thrill of riding. We made our usual pit stop to relax a little, grab a snack and top off the tanks, then retraced our route back down. All told, I racked up 165 miles and whiled away 7 hours with friends.

Today was another of those days where I am just grateful to be here and be able to do what I love doing. It may have been one of the best riding days I've had this season, and I'm hoping to squeeze in a few more before we are done.

First group ride with the S2R

Spectacular weather in the forecast for Sunday morning, so it's Ride On. You never know from week to week, who may show up, on what machines, and therefore what the tone of the ride will be. Destination to be determined by consensus on the spot. We gathered at the usual location at 09:00 and today we totaled 7. This was the first group ride that I've taken the Ducati S2R1000 to, so I was a little apprehensive, mostly because I'm still learning how best to ride this bike and I know the pace our group ride will take. This will be a test of my performance in the company of fast riders, judged not only by me, but by the entire group. And today, the fast guys are represented in force.

Now I am no slug, though my performance with the ZX6 this year has left a few things to be desired, but today I have to prove to myself that I can make this bike perform. I've put a couple hundred miles on it riding solo and my comfort level is pretty high, but this ride will set the bar.

It was decided that we would make a run out through northern Rensselaer county, dropping briefly into Massachusetts, and 3 different riders would take the lead depending upon our location. We snuck up on it by way of first heading up into Saratoga county. Out through Mechanicville, then continuing east at 100mph. North of Schaghticoke and then south, where the twisties start. The reverse way along Babcock Lake and Toad Point Rd. Further east, flying along Petersburg Pass until we run up on a group of cars crawling down the mountain. Turn around at the bottom in Mass. and head back up and over and into NY. Taconic Trail and Rt22 to Berlin; touched 125mph.

6 of 7 are V-Twin, 5 of 7 are Monsters

After that, up the backside of the mountain, through Taborton, and down the other side. Then I split off and headed for home while those still with the group returned to the gathering spot to disperse.

I could have ridden faster in many places, but position within the line often dictates the speed of your ride. There were also some road hazards in places and a lot of traffic in others. Overall, I think I did pretty well with the group setting. I'm still getting used to the power curve of this bike (VS say, my ZRX1200) and I was trying to keep below 7000 RPM as much as possible while I close in on 1500 total miles on the bike, so I was short shifting a lot.

Coming back down the NY side of Petersburg Pass, I downshifted setting up for a 90 degree lefthander and I'm just starting to hang off as I feed out the clutch and then I hear this loud *Bang!* and the bike shudders. I back off the throttle, and work through the curve, but I also knew that I had just found the rev limiter. It kicked in around 9200 RPM. So now I know... I knew it would be north of 8 grand somewhere, but surely not the same as 16K on the ZX6...

This wasn't the best of ride of my life on a few levels, but I'm still loving this bike. I think it was a good choice at a time when I needed a change and I'm really enjoying riding it. Now that I've got it fully broken in I can explore the full range of it's performance. And then there's the growing list of mods I'm planning...

Easy Mods

A quick online search will reveal that there are more mods available for this platform than any 10 bikes could support. So while searching forums to see what others have chosen to do, you make lists. That which is cool, and a list of things you might actually get. Then you prioritize that one.

Mirrors are not something that I normally bother to change out on a sportbike, but this is a brave new world. And these stock mirrors are not exactly flattering. You cannot go wrong ordering Rizoma parts as whatever they make is of the highest quality. For this bike I choose to go with the "Dynamic" model in a black finish. Here you can compare and contrast between Olde and New.

Now that's better. Clean lines, great attention to detail and high quality components. And a blue tint for accent.

 And yes, things were falling into place nicely as a new windscreen arrived the very same day.

There's another Monster in the garage

Well, I've gone and done it. Made the move, signed the papers and loaded up the truck. I now am the proud owner of a 2007 Ducati S2R1000.

This is a total departure from what I have owned for so many years. This is the result of deciding that regardless of past history, the ZX6 is simply not the right bike for me at this time. Turns out that there is a large difference between taking a 20 minutes ride on a prescribed course and living with a bike for 3 to 4 hours at a clip. I am simply not willing to make accommodations to my bikes.

Still in the second phase of break-in. I put another 35 miles on right after unloading and browsing the manual. It's a V-twin alright. V-twins shake like washing machines. I've decided that not only will I embrace that sensation but that I'm going to consider that part of the riding experience. However, there will be no loafing in any gear that keeps me below 5K...

Things smooth out a little above that point and at 6 grand the decent power kicks in. Compared with my other bikes, this one seems deceptively quick to me right now. I decided that's due to the sensation of vibration, which with an inline means you are bogging it, so once that started to clear up a bit, I looked at the speedo to find that I was flying right along, faster than I expected to be. It will also take some time for me to learn the engine to be able to correlate what gear I'm in based upon RPMs at speed. It's all different.

 I took Colin out for a 50 mile spin on the ZRX and then I went back out for another 30 miles or so on the S2R. Very different. The Ducati is noticeably lighter -- specs claim 100lbs! -- and more nimble. No surprise that it feels much easier to toss into corners. I'm starting to get a better feel for how to ride this bike and am really enjoying it so far.

My list of potential customizations grows daily.

Life takes a 90 degree turn

What can I say. Time passes, things change.

Over the course of the past couple months I have been concerned with my inability to ride the ZX6 to my fullest potential, let alone anywhere near that of the bike. Never gained complete confidence in the fast corners, and it didn’t matter whether I was hanging way off or not, I simply felt like I had too much body weight transferred too far forward under hard braking. A friend with similar experiences summed up the sensation best saying "I got tired of feeling like a hood ornament."

I tried several different approaches to the issue of fast cornering, and I got around ‘em, but I sometimes had to think about it, and I found that to be disconcerting. I want to be thinking about my exit line and getting on the throttle, not about weight transfer on the way into the corner and extra counter steering inputs.

I came to the decision that I was simply not enjoying the bike as much as I had planned to. And this forced a lot of reevaluations of what it is that I want to derive from motorcycling at this point in my riding career.

I decided to go in a new direction, one that had you asked me a year ago I’d have told you was preposterous, and gone into detail explaining why and the plans that I had. While I was consumed with trying to figure out my shortcomings with the ZX6 -- a great machine by the way -- I recognized a distinct trend which has been forming among the group of people that I ride with and the types of hardware they bring to the rides. Like all of those Dentists you’ve heard about on TV most of your life, they seem to be agreeing. Maybe it is time for me to try a total departure from that which has come before.

Maybe, it’s time to make a change...

Long Live the Black Monster!

I am looking to develop a greater sense of attachment to motorcycling; looking for a purer, more basic motorcycling experience. Oh, I'm not talking about hopping on something 60 years old and abandoning tech, but I want to try something .... less focussed? That may not be a correct word. Modern sportbikes are track developed, sharp-edged weapons, with silky smooth operation, ensconced in a full fairing. Beautiful to be sure and I have enjoyed them for decades. Now I want to try something one notch backed off from the track experience, more road ridable, with more tactile sensations.

So I am embarking on a new path in my motorcycling career, and I will see where it leads.

The Future Is ... NOW

Okay, this just blows me away. The next step in the evolution of the sport of motorcycling, which will be made available to John Q. Public : Electric bike manufacturer Brammo is planning to release their next vehicle, and this one promises to, well -- have promise.

MotorcycleUSA writes this about the new Empulse

Here’s a peek:

They are planning for this bike having a 100+ mile range and being able to achieve 100+ mph. It will be interesting to see how that all averages out on a standard ride where a 200lb person runs mainly in the 60 - 90mph range.

It’s still a year away, but the potential is finally here. This is the cutting edge of what may be the most important development our sport makes, transitioning into the future.

After reading various write-ups on this new motorcycle, I began to wonder what it would be like to be around in another 40 years, looking at the vintage bikes at the Rhinebeck meet or the Woodstock ride, and seeing an original 2012 Empulse sitting there. And hearing the comments like
“Wow, look at that old bike.” 
“Yeah, you remember those?”
“I can’t believe people used to ride ‘em. Man, those were the days.”

...and some guy will chuckle, pull the drip pan out from under his 1950-somthing Harley and dump the $28 worth of oil he collected back in, kick start it half a dozen times, and ride off...

Woodstock Vintage Cycle Ride 2010

For a change of pace -- well, I guess the pace was mostly the same -- or rather, a change of venue, we decided this week to meet up with a group of people heading over to Woodstock, NY for the annual Vintage Cycle Ride. 5 of us met up at a Stewart’s and then took a little trip south to C. & K.’s house, joining a group gathering for the trip. As I think of it now, I failed to count the total number of bikes, but we split into two groups, one planning to move a little quicker. Seven bikes left in that line with a couple fewer in the second wave.

The ride down was maybe 50 miles of back roads and pretty entertaining. I was thinking that today was going to be a slower, more vintage type day and was told there would be a crawl of all bikes from the assembly area in Woodstock over to the restaurant for lunch, so I brought the ZRX for it’s more moderate riding position and cushier seat. I got lucky and was in second position in the line and it was a brisk pace all the way. Luckily, I was riding fairly well for not having spent a lot of seat time on this bike lately. Even with a couple diversions, missed turns and double-backs, our group arrived about an hour early.

I can’t remember the name of the meeting place, but it looked like this:

I do not know today’s definition of a vintage motorcycle, but I’d estimate half the bikes here were less than 25 years old. Quite a few were clearly older than that, but many seemed to be from the 70’s - 90’s. About noon everyone mounted up and rode 30 miles or so to the place arranged for lunch. Traffic was blocked off for everyone to exit and parade through town. A couple miles along, our group chose to go our own way and this leg of the ride was still quite a bit slower than desired, partly due to wet roads and a few minutes of rain. We still arrived about 15 minutes early and got first shot at the way overpriced sandwich buffet!

A group of 5 of us left for home on a circuitous route, on some great roads and back on pace. That was going along very well until Ed suffered a mechanical failure. He was able to get home, but is likely facing some rebuild effort on the RZ350. Overall, a good ride day and I racked up 176 miles.

Look who’s watching now...

Here it is, another 4th of July weekend -- I hope everyone had a great holiday and was able to get out in the sun doing things they enjoy. I attended a family BBQ, scored some pool time, played some games and enjoyed a lot of conversations over a couple cold beers. Good times.

Speaking of which, our Sunday morning ride was moved forward to Saturday this week to allow for holiday activities. We met up at the usual location and our normal crew was joined by a few other riders, some who have ridden together in other groups. There was quite an eclectic mix of machines represented and we decided to introduce our new friends to the northern loop we often run.

This ride heads north along a highway and then breaks off onto some secondary roads, skirting scenic though developed areas for the first half hour or so. Eventually we move back to the east and again head north into the more rural areas. The main feature of this run is two sections of farmland featuring longer straights and plenty of corners. There is a mix of long, fast, sweeping corners, all the way down to tight near-hairpin turns. Once up at the top of the run, we turn around and double back. Same roads, different experience.

One of the guys on the ride today was trying out a new app on his phone which utilizes and records GPS data. He started it up and had it running during the first leg of our ride and later uploaded the information to a site for processing. The result is a statistical breakdown of time, speed and location, which can be plotted over satellite imagery. Here’s a zoomed-out view of this portion of our ride:

Data granularity increases as you zoom in. This reminds me of plots I’ve seen from GP races. I am, amused. Speed increase below shows a nice drive out of that corner...  :)

And appealing to my inner geek, the data keeps coming:

Switching gears... Perhaps it’s a sign of the economic times, but the list of hazards to motorcyclists is increasing rather dramatically. A major hazard we have encountered in rural areas has been the practice of oiling a stretch of road and then dumping tons of fine gravel over that, placing a sign saying “Loose Gravel” and leaving it for cars to pack down over the following 6 months. Come around a bend in the road and run into this crap and you are about to have a very bad day.

I personally have noticed that I’m having more difficulty with the increasing use of tar snakes around our area. They are far more numerous than ever before, sometimes making a stretch of road look more like a spider web. I’m finding that the issue is no longer confined to dealing with this menace in corners, but now while traveling in a straight line I can feel my front tire in particular responding as I ride over these patches.

We had some conversation about this at our rest stop and someone offered up that perhaps they are being applied a little thicker now, so that there is more noticeable “give” in them as you ride over them. Maybe it’s partly the sensitivity of my sportbike allowing me to feel the squirminess as I cross them. But there is no mystery at all when the tires jump sideways in a corner...

Be careful out there.

Indiana : “Snakes. Why’d it have to be snakes.” “I hate snakes.”

A blast from my riding past

As I look back, I now wish that I had not only taken more pictures of events in my life and the people and things I care about, but that I had the slightest clue where to find any of the pics that I may have actually taken.

This extends to the many bikes that I've ridden and owned over the years. Very few images were taken and even fewer of those can be found. I recently dug up a couple shots of bikes gone by and thought that they deserved their own place of recognition.

Okay, what do we have here. This, my friends, is a Silver 1982 Yamaha Virago 750. It is also the first motorcycle I purchased new from a dealer. It is shown here sitting in a living room which was under complete reno at the time. They were out of town for a couple weeks and I was house sitting, so I thought, maybe I'll bring my bike in from the garage...

See, at that time, this bike made sense to me. Way back when, my best friend was riding a spanking new 1981 Yamaha XS 400 Special; all black and gold trim and pretty cool. So in 1982 when I got my first real job and some pocket money, it was my intent to get a similar type of bike.

We took our 400 & 750 2-up to Maine. I used to ride around with my feet on the highway pegs, catching air like I was a barn door and thinking it would be cool to own a leather vest. I want to slap myself now when I think about that.

Thing of it was that I had another friend I began riding with at the same time, and he had just traded a 1980 Kawasaki KZ-freakin'-1300 (it's got how many cylinders?) for a 1981 GPz1100. After a month riding with him, I had scraped not only the pegs, but gouged the case on both sides. I began to ride with my feet on the passenger pegs. My eye began to wander...

My epiphany came one evening as I was in my car, headed home. I stopped at a light on a divided highway and noticed that in the second lane, ahead of me and diagonal on my left, was a guy on a Suzuki GS1100E. The light changed and we all pulled away, and I watched him riding. He was not riding a couch like I did, he was in a sporting posture like my GPz pal. His brown leather jacket did not flap in the wind; he did not move around on his seat nor did he make exaggerated motions with this arms or legs. He did not weave in his lane. He simply appeared to think "I'd like to go faster now" and moved away from us. At that moment, I was done with cruisers and ready to make a change.

In 1983, Kawasaki reworked the GPz line and introduced the new GPz1100. It was the hot bike of the year and came only in what one mag called "Arrest me red". I was immediately in lust over this bike, and in 1984 I bought this silver one. It was a huge bike: 62.5" wheelbase as I remember and weighed a ton, but most bikes did at that time. It was fuel injected and went like hell, and I had to practically sit on the tank to move it along a tight, twisty road.

I had many great rides on this bike over the years, and one particularly bad day, but maybe I'll recount that episode another time. This bike made a trip 2-up to Mystic Seaport and a few other overnight rides. These were the years when Scott and I used to meet at 7AM on Sunday morning and ride until it was dark. I ended up selling this bike after my daughter was born, as the money was needed for other things. But it was a wild ride while it lasted.

Shown above with the lowers that I added, parked next to my 1981 Turbo Trans Am, replete with screaming chicken hood decal . A happy garage indeed.

One morning in 1984, Scott gave me a ride to the dealer where I picked up my new GPz1100. That afternoon I gave Scott a ride over to the dealer where he picked up his new '84 Virago 920. Bad Ass to be sure. However, he now got to experience chasing me around on my "sportbike". The following year, the Virago was replaced with this 1985 GPz900.

Here's a pic I found of the bike when it was pretty darn new. I think he may have over 40K miles on this bike now and it still comes up occasionally in the riding rotation. Sure, you can just swing by his garage and see the bike today, since he still has it on the road, but this is a shot of history. So that's better.

Ride to Work Day, 2010

As you may be aware, today was designated Ride To Work Day. I know that this has been going on for many years now, but I have not ridden to work since 1995. I used to ride consistently prior to that whenever the weather permitted, to the tune of several thousand miles per year. I remember how every year on the first day I would walk into my building, bundled up and lips too cold to talk, and the guard would say “It must be spring....”.

Then we moved to another building and there was no reasonably secure place for motorcycle parking as cars and trucks would vie for every square inch and then play Create A Space. The past few years I’ve been working from home, so what I do is see my kids off to school or summer camp, suit up and head out on a ride for about an hour, ending up back at my house, put everything away and return to my work day.

Today I took the day off from work in celebration of my birthday. In honor of this, I decided I would go out for a 50 mile run. As it turned out, I went 100 miles.

I don’t mean about 100 miles either. I had to run around my block to pick up that last seven tenths. It’s not a perfect world.

I chose the ZX6 today as it’s partly a birthday present and it’s just so smooth to ride, though I admit I’m still getting used to it. I would not complain if the bars were a bit higher and wider in angle. Because of this tight configuration, I occasionally find I’m having to give conscience thought to counter steering, which is unnatural. It was also reinforced this past weekend while riding with friends on larger bikes, that I have to be mindful of gear selection as I now lack liter bike grunt.

I’m not complaining, just adapting. While riding today, I again thought about the pull-start, lawn mower engine, friction-plate brake mini-bikes I learned to ride 40 years ago, and all the hot summer days I spent on them. And what a blast I had. On to a QA50, then a KE100 and then an F11. Running an RD350 and then KZ400 on the street. And on and on, up to this amazing machine I was on today.

I do not know how many years I will continue to ride, but I was joking with a friend a while back that I hope to be bombing around a retirement village on a small electric motorcycle while the old guys are playing bumper cars with their golf carts   :)

ride ‘em if you got ‘em

Same as it ever was, Same as it ever was

It's been some time since I posted any pics of the new bike so here's a couple now. No new mods, but I'm looking for a definitive shot of this bike, and after trying a couple different options, well, I'm still looking for that shot....

What I had in mind was something dark. The bike is black, so I envisioned maybe a night shot. Maybe just removing the color from the background. I had thoughts of the bike sitting out in the open with a full moon rising behind it, but that'll have to wait for another location, another time.

So I'm outside at 01:30 this morning trying to find a certain look, and not having much luck as I could not make my camera do what I saw in my mind. I hate that. Most of what I got was incorrectly exposed and saturated. But, I've tried to work with a couple here.

This shot above is illuminated by one single 60 watt bulb in a yard light, 30' to the left. And way over exposed. But when I cut back on the time, I lost contrast on the black bike... Not that you can tell from this pic, but it was so dark out there I had a tough time telling if the side stand was fully down and I was scared the bike might fall over while I was positioning it.

Okay, moving 180 degrees in the other direction, I'm not happy with the white wall here, but wasn't going to paint graffiti on my fence. I like this shot, but am bummed it doesn't feature the Akra pipe.

Reflecting upon this past week

I’m taking a few minutes to acknowledge some events of the last 7 days.

A week ago Friday, I met up with Scott and Ed to try and retrace a southern route they had been led along a few days earlier, as we are always looking for another run option to add to the Sunday morning ride bag. It was a little disjointed as the other guys tried to remember which roads had been taken, but I was mostly just along for the ride. Adding just a few more needed break-in miles and enjoying the afternoon off from work.

During this past week, Lucas, Janine, Scott, Ed, Alex and I had a couple of day rides up to Americade. The event has certainly felt the effects of the down economy the past few years, and it’s very evident to see the accumulated changes over the past many years. But we all were able to catch at least a couple of demo rides and regardless of the pace and the traffic and the unknowns of those surrounding you on these rides, it's always fun to jump on someone else's brand new bikes and push them as much as you can get away with. Last year was a spectacular weather anomaly with 5 beautiful days; this year not so much. We all paid the price on the way home Wednesday in a downpour, with a half day of bike cleaning to follow. Still -- better than any day at work.

Today we went down to Rhinebeck to see, as Doug stated, where our sport came from.

Better than new, and a bit more expensive

His work here nearly done, the Man In Black prepares to ride off

Ed finds his Special Purpose

 I have little interest in hardware which predates me, but that span is getting pretty long now as it is. It was a kick to see the Hondas and Triumphs of the '60's (like the gem Doug picked up) that I remember would go by my house when I was a kid, and I'd always stop playing to look up and watch them pass. The mini-bikes and go carts of the early '70's that were my introduction into the world of Moto. The Kawasakis and Yamahas of the mid and late '70's that were the stuff of my teenage lust and indeed, eventually the first street motorcycles I rode and got my license with.

Somewhere about halfway along the ride down today, I stopped being caught up in the activities of riding where we all focus on traffic and the possible pass we may need to make soon and what's in our mirrors and the surface of the road and all the other basic survival skills. Looking across the vistas at mountains passing to the right, I realized I was doing what I enjoy most, on a bike I'm pleased to own, in the company of friends I've known for years, on a beautiful, sunny, blue-sky day: Motorcycling. I recounted how I've wanted to do this as long as I can remember, all the bikes I've ridden, and how just about three decades ago Scott and I began street riding together, and I was on a similar colored green bike back then. I will confess to having Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead Or Alive" running through my head, as I've been watching too much "Deadliest Catch" lately, and I was very grateful to be there at that moment.

Part of the enjoyment I have derived over years of riding is often from watching the person riding in front of me. You can't see yourself, but you watch that person, and you see in front of you displayed the sensations that you are feeling: the acceleration, the banking through sweeping turns, the setup and execution of tight corners. When it is working, I feel sort of like what I imagine fighter pilots may feel flying in formation. That person you ride with becomes an extension of you. Hopefully, they don't suck.  :)

I've seen this following Scott for many, many years, on many different motorcycle types. I became aware of this sensation again while following Doug home from Rhinebeck today. I was mostly lost when were weren't on Rt66, but it was some great sweeping roads in excellent condition at a pace that was brisk but no strain. It was a very good ride.

Overall, a good week of vacation. Hope to see you all out there along the way.

Street Riding with your children on board

Making the decision to introduce your children to motorcycling is a very complicated choice. DANGER! That is the most common first thought. No matter how much faith you may have in your own abilities, there are many variables that are simply beyond your control, and the question must be addressed: is this in my child's best interest?

I have been hooked on motorcycles since I was a child, but for me the opportunities were limited. I was allowed to ride around in shorts and tee shirts on the back of, and frequently ride by myself, a neighbor's Montgomery Wards mini-bike when I was 10. Looking back at that now I can see some room for tragedy there, but it was a blast and for some reason I will never understand, my mother allowed it. I was allowed to ride other friend's QA50's wearing little more than a denim jacket. I was allowed to get on the back of a HS friend's RD400 and ride off into the night with little more than a helmet and dumb faith.

I introduced my daughter to riding with me when she was 7 years old, and I was very concerned at the time that she have some basic understanding that wonderful as it could be, there were some risks to motorcycling. I could never live with myself if she had nothing more than blind faith and anything  unthinkable happened. Turns out that things went very well, so enough with the heavy, heavy topics.

Here is Joann and me with Nic on the back at age 10

The first ride I took her on was a short trip of a few miles at the end of the season as I was running fuel stabilizer through my tank in preparation for winter storage. We went out and around the lake and were back in 15 minutes. I will always remember her huge smile as I removed her helmet and she exclaimed "It's like riding in a car with your head out the window!"

I began taking my oldest son out for similar trips around the development we lived in at the time, when he was 3. He was too small to ride behind me so I put him in front. Not the safest arrangement but I kept the speed down. This would become a slippery slope.

Then the natural progression (...) was to get him his own bike, but that's another post. I had been wrestling with when, or even if, to begin taking my son out on the street for real rides. Full commitment. He certainly had the interest, but you have to decide.

He was 7, and aware that's when I started taking his older sister out. Then he was 8, and then he was 9. I talked it over with my wife this spring and said I was in favor of taking him out with me now and she concurred with that choice. I got him geared up and we went out for a 30 mile ride.

Colin's first real street ride

I guess it went pretty well. He's never actually thanked me for anything in his whole life before this, and actually meant it, so that was a first. He of course talked excitedly with his Mom of the experience the rest of the day. So now I try and get him out every few weeks as schedules permit and we'll see how it goes. I hope it will be a bond. I hope he will learn responsibility, which he has a great deal from his own dirt riding. I hope most of all that when his time comes to take to the street solo that he is better prepared.

I have unleashed the beast.

A New Addition to the ol’ garage

This past week has seen the delivery of a new motorcycle to my garage. Love that. It’s been a long time coming, when time is measured minute by minute, through endless deliberations. For the moment, I have returned again to my Kawasaki roots.

The first real motorcycle I learned to ride, one that required using a clutch and gear selection, was a 1974 KE100. The first dirtbike I bought was a 1974 F11. A couple years later I spent two years riding a 1977 KZ400, which I used on my road test. In 1984 I purchased a brand new GPz1100.

<Time passes while we insert the GSXR years here>

I’ve spent many years riding various Kawi sportbikes at Americade events, and in '08 ended up buying a lightly used 2005 ZRX1200R.

Now, Enter : The Next Phase

Fresh from the dealer. *sniff* Ah, new bike smell

The view from headquarters. Zero ( that number again is .... 0 ) miles

Kawasaki 2009 ZX-6R Monster Energy edition