Abrupt Transitions

Holy erratic seasons, Batman!

What in the world happened to Fall?  We literally went from mid to upper 90°F temps one week, to barely topping out the 50's for the highs the next.

I've had to drag out the insulated and windproof gear, including the pants.  Ugh.  Those pants are super warm, but can be a serious burden when commuting.  They mean that I have to change clothes when I get to work.  They are more protective than just jeans, though, with padding and armor all over the place.

If the roads dry up, I'm out at 4:30AM in the morning to head to the gym.

I've Got Blisters on Me Fingers

Wow.  Two days of pulling carpet, screwing down subflooring, and laying laminate take a toll on your hands.  Clutching and throttling are going to be quite interesting when Wednesday rolls around and the rain stops.

Oh, and the hard bags mentioned below?  I can just forget that.  Once the couches had been outside for a while and aired out some, it became apparent how terribly bad they smelled, and I'm going to need some new ones.  Maybe next year.

Baggage

I'm trying desperately hard to talk myself into a set of these:

Without spending a ton of these:  $$$$

It appears like Twisted Throttle is my best bet at the moment, as I can get the bags, hardware, and mounting brackets for under $400.  Assuming I pull this off, there'll be no more damn tail bags or backpacks for me!

Misty Eyed

This is not the sort of forecast that I like to see, especially at the end of a long, super hot Summer. The riding season is winding down, and opportunities will be few and far between from about November until the end of March. Days-long rain events can be a real drag, especially when the temperatures are practically perfect!

I took the opportunity to clean up the Red Devil and lube the chain before the liquid buzzkill fell from the sky. She's waiting for Wednesday with baited breath.

Inaugural Address

In the world of motorcycling, among sportbike riders at least, there is a fascination with the proportion of used to unused rubber on your rear tire. Near the edges, if there are virgin and shiny strips of rubber, you are labeled as a "chicken:" one who is afraid to lean your motorcycle. Thus, these circular tracks of unused tire are called "chicken strips."

Is this a fair connotation? I think not. While it's true if you're tooling around on your machine with unused rubber that you couldn't cover with your palm, you're probably holding up traffic, and you might consider what's holding you up as well. However, if you've got a strip about the size of your thumb back there you're probably riding at a pretty good, and fairly safe pace most of the time. Did you catch that? Safe.

Just about any subset of motorcycle riders outside of cruisers or dedicated tourers will fret a bit that they are riding too slow. To me, this is totally ridiculous. A motorcycle is an impractical machine for travel, despite the arguments of the dedicated and hardcore commuter. What matters on a motorcycle is the fun you are having. The proper speed is one that you are comfortable with, and maybe just a bit more.

It's this "bit more" that makes motorcycling worth it. For me, motorcycling is as much about learning as it is about riding. It's a skill that must be developed and improved constantly. By tacking on this "bit more" to your speed, your reactions and skills have a chance to force an improvement upon themselves.

Practicing proper techniques while motorcycling has a tendency to produce less than stellar "chicken strips." This is due to the fact that a proficient motorcyclist is a smooth motorcyclist. He or she counter steers the motorcycle. They shift their weight in turns. They look about twelve seconds ahead, and take a delayed apex line through turns. They err on the side of caution. None of these things reduce the size of your chicken strips, because all of these things are designed, in one way or another, to conserve traction.

In truth, the only way to get rid of your "chicken strips" is to increase your speed. Higher speeds require exceptional lean angles when turning, and this requirement is exacerbated when practicing proper cornering techniques. You WILL be traveling at ludicrous, extra-legal speeds on public highways if you are riding correctly and you clean up your tire. While it's true you can temporarily get rid of them with slow speed parking lot maneuvers, they will return quite quickly with a few miles of highway riding.

The next time you see a bike sitting in a parking lot with some modest 'strips on it's tires, don't automatically scoff at the rider. They may be far more skilled, and far speedier than you assume.