Fri, June 24, 2005

Went and picked up my bike on Tues night. I was officially seperated from my bike for almost 4 full days. Brutal. I think ultimately it did me good though. The first turn out of the parking lot at the dealer was really bad, however after that I was a lot smoother with everything I did. It's really kind of hard to explain. I felt more comfortable because of the time off I guess. I've been a lot more relaxed since I picked it up and things are really starting to fall into place. In fact since I picked it up I haven't had some of the "rookie" mistakes I had been having. Jerky starts, or jerky shifts, etc..... Maybe I just needed the time away to let the excitement of it wear off a bit. Whatever the cause, the time away did me good.

The wife got her helmet on Tues as well. We did go out for about 1 mile Tues night. Very different having someone on the back. I noticed we turned/leaned a lot easier. At the same time, I found myself going wider on my turns. I don't know if this was fear on my part because I had a passenger, or maybe I was being gentle trying not to scare her or what. We're going this weekend to the parking lot to practice though.

She received her jacket and pants in the mail tonight. Not bad, just have to get her a pair of boots and gloves and we're all set gear wise. This gives me 2 weeks to practice with her before our trip for our anniversary. I'm excited about it. We usually don't get much time to ourselves, what with having 3 kids, not to mention spending that time doing something I love.

The weather has been awesome here lately. It's been hot an humid during the day, but the evenings, have been absolute gorgeous. I've had some nice rides just as the sun starts setting. I would like to find some nicer roads, but I've got plenty of time to explore. My gear isn't too bad in the heat. I'm a little dissapointed in the airflow with my jacket, but it's not bad as long as you're moving. All in all I'm really starting to relax and enjoy my rides a lot more.

Tues, June 28th,, 2005

Well, it's been 5 days since I've ridden. 5 days!!! WTF!! I rode the bike to work last thurs. I close on Thurs nights so I'm not usually home until 11 p.m. However, I have to be back at work by 0730 on Fri. Most of the time the turnaround isn't bad, but last week it was brutal on me. I was so tired on Fri I took the truck. I'm glad I had the sense to recognize when I shouldn't be riding.

Sat, we took the family to the lake. Thought about taking the bike, it's about a 90 mniute ride. In the end though, the drive didn't really excite me all that much and I didn't think it made sense for the wife to follow me with the kids. We spent a good portion of Sat afternoon on the lake tubing. It was a great time. It was my kids first time on a tube so they had a blast. Just an interesting side note, why is it people will have absolutely no problem wearing a life jacket when on the water, but people won't wear a leather jacket on a motorcycle? Just seems odd to me. Anyways, of course being the dumba## that I am, I didn't put sunscreen on. That afternoon of fun cost me some really severe sunburn on my arms and shoulders. I've spent the past 3 days recovering. I feel good enough I could go for a ride tonight, but I'm waiting one more day. My arms are still tender enough I think my jacket would cause me more discomfort than it's worth.

It's weird now that I've had my bike for over 6 weeks the newness of it has worn off and I'm not compelled as much to just ride it for the sake of riding it. I'm starting to look into short trips now and finding particular places to go. My grandfolks offered to watch the kids for a weekend so me and the wife could take a trip up north into duluth. They have some great hills and roads around the lake. Think I'm going to try to do that this fall.


If it stays dry, I'm goind to take the bike out the next couple of days, it's a great commuter. Then this weekend, going back to the lake. Think I'll remember to wear sunscreen? Probably not. Dumba##!!!

Fri, July 01, 2005

Today was absolutely friggin gorgeous outside. No wind, no clouds, plenty of sun and a mile 75 degrees. It was awesome. Took the bike out for a cruise tonight, a little after 8 just as the sun was going down. That's my favorite time of a summer day. Absolutely beautiful. I didn't wander far, explored some local roads and came up a bit dissapointed. I just can't find any nice twisty roads by my place. Still had a great time just chilling and enjoying the weather though.

On Weds I took the wife out for another 10 minute jaunt. We went a little further and a little longer at higher speeds. Both of us were more comfortable after this go around. A few more times and I'll think she'll start relaxing and enjoying it a bit. I was in better control this time. We practiced some quick stops and I got a feel for that. Another week until our trip, I think we'll be good to go.

Had another 1st yesterday. It was overcast and windy, gusts of 15-30mph. I wanted to give it a shot and see what it was like riding in the wind. Taking the highways up to the freeway wasn't bad. Some decent gusts, but I handled it fine. It wasn't until I got on the freeway doing 70 that I realized the highway had a natural buffer with the trees. The freeway didn't. At first I was tossed around like a rag doll. I was originally going to go about 4 miles, see what it was like, then hit an exit and continue on rural highways. Because I adjusted so quick I decided to go to the next exit, 9 miles past where I originally planned on exiting. I almost regretted my decision. After the point of no return the landscape opened up even more and there was plenty more wind. I was able to keep it at posted for the most part, occasionally having to drop down to 65 or so. It's amazing how much that 5mph difference helped. After awhile I adjusted to the wind and it wasn't so bad, however I think I'll steer clear of the freeway when I get a chance during those conditions. I didn't really enjoy the sensation, plus I hate the other people on the road. They didn't understand what I was going through and all I got were dirty looks. Morons. Normally, I don't care if people go faster than me, or pass me. I try to stay out of the way both in my truck and on my bike, however, when they give me dirty looks because I'm not doing 20 over the limit, that bugs me. Overall I was out for about an hour and a half. I learned to control the bike and the wind doesn't bother me really.

I find my skills progressing each and every time I'm out. I'm in better control of the bike and what's going on around me. It's exciting.

Tonight I gave my kids a ride around the parking lot, at least 2 of the kids anyways. My boy is too little to reach the pegs, so he doesn't go. He's none to happy about it either. The girls both borrowed mom's helmet and their winter jackets and off we went at a whopping 10mph around the parking lot. My oldest told my middle on to hold on tight, especially through the first turn since it can be a little "freaky". I got a kick out of that. They both loved and did well, following the rules. If I can get a decent jacket for them I think next time we can venture around the block. Hopefully if things progress well enough I'll get them a helmet to share and we can take some short trips around.

I have had some great memories over the past 6 weeks and don't know how I got along so long without a bike.

Tues, July 5th 2005

Just a quick update, nothing really spectacular. The weekend was good and the weather was nice. Got a little bit of riding in, but not much considering I had to work. Had a couple experiences over the weekend with some less than stellar riders. If you're curious I did my venting here http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/BBS/viewtopic.php?t=3857

This friday is our trip up to the gambling for our 10th anniversary. I plan on going out with the wife again tonight to get her more comfortable. I think things will be good, however I'd still like to get some more practice in with her before we go. Besides, this gives me an excuse to go riding

Thurs, July 14th, 2005

Man, been awhile since I posted in here. Well, the big weekend of our anniversary came and went. We ended up taking the truck to the concert. The wife didn't want to ride back after dark and I didn't really want to stay at the hotel, especially being so close to home. It was still a fantastic evening though. Checked out the concert Fri night, did some gambling on Sat and ended up $135 richer. Can't complain.

It's been really hot and humid here lately. Mostly just commuting with the bike because of this. Granted when you're going it's fine, but still the thought of putting on all the leather to go for a ride in this heat is just unappealing.

I did go for a nice run last night though. Went back up to the gambling, it's about 40 miles north of my house. Left around 8pm, jumped on the freeway and a 1/2 hour later was there. It was the first time I've ever gone on a trip both that long and that monotonous I guess. It was a great ride though, weather was gorgeous, the scenary was nice. I enjoyed it, although just as I was getting there my rump was getting a little numb. Gonna have to build up some endurance. Spent a couple hours there, won another $60 bucks and came back around midnight.

I'm glad I took the bike for this trip. Not only did it give me a chance to work on my freeway riding (read: working on my observation) it also gave me plenty of practice riding at night. I'm going to go up again this morning and try my luck again.

As I was at the grocery store this morning I saw a notice for a benefit ride on Sat July 23rd. Man, that sounds cool, where do I sign up. Oh wait, that's the day I leave for vacation. Bummer. I will have to take a look when I get back and see if I can find another ride later in the year, that sounds like a lot of fun.

Well, that's it outta me, I'm off to gamble.

Fri, Dec 30th, 2005

Wow, didn't realize how long it's been since I posted in here. well, despite that length of time, not much to say. I rode as often as I could and tried to get as much experience possible. Managed to get some rides in the rain as well as some longer distance rides in. It was nice to get some of those under my belt, especially the rain. It freaked me out the first time, but after awhile I realized that if I just took my time and payed attention it would be just fine.

I finally parked the bike in late Oct, early Nov. Once it got below 50 during the overnight then it was time for me to park it. That's just a little too cold for me, I'm a baby. Not to mention I usually used it to commute and it didn't justify bundling up for a 5 minute ride to work.

It got really cold in Dec so I didn't miss the bike too much. Not to mention how busy I became once the Holidays rolled around. It snowed 6 inches today. As I grabbed the shovel to hit the driveway I was looking at my bike and longing for summer again. I caught myself driving a rural backroad on the way home today and thinking about how fun it is on my bike. Here's hoping for a quick end to winter.