Things I Need to Say

So, this post is mainly addressed to my mother. I know she worries about all of us kids, but there seems to be one special piece (I think she probably has one special piece apiece for each of her kids) just for me that I would like to talk about.

When I first started riding a motorcycle (yes, another post about them. Get over it), I did not tell my mother. If I bothered to narrow down the reasons why, I invariably arrived at the conclusion that it would cause her quite a bit of worry. I mean, motorcycle accident can be a lot to deal with. However, I won't try to justify the numbers at the moment, because they do little to help allay fears. A number is just a number, they are very hard to take comfort in.

That said, my mother (indeed, my family) has been nothing but supportive of me and my decision to ride. They all know that I don't get on a bike without gear and that I do my best to ride as safe as I can whenever I am out. If there is one thing that has been made readily apparent in my life, my family (anyone I call family) has always been there for me. It makes it even better when they understand that riding makes me happy and keeps the shadows away.

So, I want to say this to mom (and all those others in my family who worry). I promise you that I will never get on one of my bikes without wearing my helmet. I will wear gear appropriate for riding. I will do everything I can to keep the rubber side down and the shiny side up.

I also found a prayer for you to say, if you feel you need to ask specifically (I have adapted it from it's original form):

Dear Lord, as Rory gets ready to get on his bike
keep him safe from harm and let
the other drivers see him as he rides by.
Keep him alert and watchful, don't let him ever fail
to stop and help out one of his own.
Keep his eyes focused in front of him,
show him the signs along the way,
and give him the wisdom to take the right road.
May the angels of his fellow bikers who
have gone before him guard his travels,
for they know the perils of the road ahead of him.

Amen.

Thank you for understanding, mom.

Why not talk about all gear? Bikes Count!

So, in the spirit of keeping a running blog, I'm going to keep writing blog posts as the ideas come to me. That, and it's good practice for me; helps keep my writing skills from getting rusty.

A few posts ago I talked about helmets. Specifically, I talked about my helmets and why I preferred it over others. I figure I stumbled upon an interesting topic that way: taking a look at the various motorcycle purchases made to support my addiction to riding.

What better to start with than with the bike itself?

A 2005 Yamaha Star Motorcycles XV1700AMTC Road Star Midnight.

A few stats (for the true gearheads, in-depth stats below):

1670cc 48° V-twin (It gets very warm if you sit in traffic. Kinda like having an open oven sitting very close to your gibbly bits)
Belt final drive
5-speed transmission (Could use one more, but she loves running at highway speeds)
hydraulic brakes (So, yes, mom, I can stop very quickly if I need to)
Softtail frame (don't let that name fool you, this bike is built to hug the road, so you feel everything)

The original Road Star motorcycle was released in 1999 and was originally the XV1600 ('cause obviously you identify motorcycles by engine displacement. It's like institutionalized pen... never mind...). Yamaha, knowing the American market, originally created Star Motorcycles specifically for the American market and the Road Star was their entry into the large cruiser field (to compete with bikes such as the HD Fat Boy). In 2004, they increased the engine displacement to its current size, but kept the rest of the bike untouched. It still uses the same brakes, suspension, electrical system, and carburetor.

What else did they change? They offered the bike with three different styling packages. The basic Road Star, the Road Star Silverado (which has more chrome than you can shake a stick at), and the Road Star Midnight (which is stripped down a little more and has blacked-out components). Now, apart from the paint and chrome, there is no change to the actual functionality of the bike.

While I enjoyed my first motorcycle, it did have one glaring drawback: it was much too small for me. Don't get me wrong, it was a fantastic bike, just not the one for me (sounds like an excuse a jerk uses to break it off with a girlfriend, "It's not you, it's me"). The first one was a Suzuki Marauder VZ800 (See, told you...) However, I was able to get a really good deal for a trade in and I was able to get a bike that was substantially better for someone my size. There were a number of different bikes I looked at the second time around.

After two hours, I had it narrowed down to the XV1700 and a Honda VTX1300. I got a better deal on the Road Star (even better, it turns out, than I thought at the time). For a brief period of time, I road it without any extras on it at all. However, I had received a lovely set of saddlebags for Christmas (thanks, ma!) and I had the tool bag from my previous bike. They got me through quite a long period of time (until a crash basically took out the saddlebags). The only other thing I needed was a windscreen to help with wind on the highway. I found a simple one online and stuck that on as well.

Ah, those were the days!

I distinctly remember that my first test of the bike was to ride around the Wachusett Reservoir. I figured it would take a fair amount of time to get used to the size difference between the Marauder and this one, but it proved to be less of an issue than I thought. In fact, the Road Star, if anything, handles just as well as the Marauder ever did.

Through the months I made various changes to her. Shifted things around, bought new parts. The next big thing was the engine guard:

It was in the first few months of owning this bike that I had my second crash. This time, unlike the crash with the Marauder, I was attempting to take a turn at 35 mph (or so) and dumped the bike. As with the first crash, if I hadn't gotten back on the bike shortly thereafter, I probably would have had a much harder time bringing myself to ride again. But, I had to get home, so I rode back from Danbury, CT to Watertown, MA with an injured knee and damaged ribs.

Let's call that a learning experience. Even now, I still get a twinge when going through corners. But, that crashed forced me to not take for granted certain riding techniques. The biggest one being to look through corners (stupid target fixation). It worked like a charm on my most recent ride, that's for damn sure.

Almost as important as having good riding gear for protection is having a bike that is comfortable enough to allow you to focus on doing things like looking through corners. So, the next thing to get an upgrade was my seat. Again, I scoured for the best deals I could get and wound up getting a Mustang touring seat:

Note the Engine-Gibbly bits proximity clearly visible here.

Then, thanks again to my mother, I was able to add a light bar to the front of the bike:

After all was said and done, most of the changes I've made are simple seat configuration changes.

The last thing I really need for the bike is a new fairing. The windscreen I have is on its last legs. I've patched it several times over. It was a cheap, readily available fix for what I needed at the time, but, going forward, I would love something more long-term.

So, here she is as of my last day ride:

There is a new set of saddlebags on her. She is in her "day trip" setup, which means that I don't have the pillion seat backrest attached, and I'm using my tank bag. I also have my iPhone holder on my RAM mount, and a set of 12-volt sockets for recharging it and my helmet headset. It makes it a lot easier to travel all day when I don't have to worry about my cellphone running out of juice towards the end of the day.

Catch you all later!





P.S. Now, for the gearheads, the specs I mentioned above.

Tech Specs:
Engine: 1670cc 48° aircooled v-twin; OHV pushrod, 4 valves per cylinder
            97mm x 113mm bore x stroke; 8.3:1 compression ratio
            Mikuni 40mm carburetor
Primary Drive: Belt
Final Drive: Belt
Transmission: Wide ratio 5-speed multiplate wet clutch
Front Brakes: Hydraulic Dual 298mm front rotors with dual 4-piston calipers
Rear Brakes: Hydraulic Single 320mm rear rotor with single 2-piston caliper
Front Suspension: 43mm Telescopic front forks with 5.5 inches of travel
Rear Suspension: Single-shock, link type rear suspension with 4.3 inches of travel
Front Tire: 130/90-16
Rear Tire: 150/80-16
Dry Weight: 679 lbs
Fuel Capacity: 5.3 gallons (includes reserve tank)
Oil Capacity: 5.3 quarts
Wet Weight: 749 lbs

Some times you just need a really long day in the saddle...

One of the problems I've become all too aware of since buying a motorcycle is that I tend to get very antsy the longer I go between long motorcycle rides. Not just antsy, either; moody, depressed, just off. The hardest part about this year was the fact that I got a very part-time job (Saturdays only) at my local motorcycle shop, helping out in the parts department. While working in a motorcycle store is awesome, it seriously cut into my riding time this year. I really started to feel it going into the beginning of August.

That said, I was also told that, as of August, I was not to assume that I should be coming in on Saturdays at the store anymore.

Which meant that, today, Saturday August 17th, there was a perfect alignment of a completely open Saturday with absolutely fantastic weather. And how did I choose to spend this day? Riding up VT Route 100.

11 hours, ~450 miles, 10 gallons of gasoline.

And what do I get in return? Stress relief, stunning views of the Green Mountains, and various sore body parts. All told, the soreness is a fair trade for everything else.

I started out by heading west on Route 2 to get to Shelburne Falls, MA to take 112 north. It runs right into VT 100 in the very bottom of the state. From there, I just followed VT 100 north. Granted, there came a point were I was having way too much fun and I completely missed the turn I needed to continue on VT 100 and found myself on VT 30. It was a mistake that was easily corrected by heading east on VT 11 towards Londonderry, VT.

It also afforded me a chance to get a snapshot:

Unfortunately, I didn't get many more pictures since I was, as I said, really enjoying the twisties.

Anyway, once I hit Waterbury, VT, I figured I had gone about as far north as I could for the day, so I headed back via I-89 and I-93. That part alone was almost 4 hours. That said, I-89 through VT is some of the prettiest Interstate in New England, if not the North East. It cuts through the mountains all the way until Lebanon, NH.

I'm definitely going to do it again, but I really want to get to the Canadian border next time. This will probably necessitate a camping trip to make it worthwhile.

Anyone up for a camping trip to northern Vermont?

Catch you later!





P.S. Because I have to do this every time I go out:

A Preferable Kind of Madness

I gave up any hope of living a "normal" life many years ago. Chance are, I never had a hope like that to begin with. So, when I talk about the random goings-on in my life, the preferable bias in any given situation is that most normal people wouldn't approach it the same way. Take, as an example, the dessert I prefer for my birthday. Cake is good, pie is good, but what I really want is the mashed sweet potato with streusel topping my mother usually reserves for Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you've ever had it, you'd agree with me.

On to the topic at hand. Over the last few weekends the weather has not been entirely conducive to going out on motorcycle rides. Given that I rely on these rides as a significant piece of the foundation of my mental health, one can readily imagine that I was close to snapping. Well, as luck would have it, the forecast for this weekend was looking OK. Not fantastic, mind you, but passable. And for reasons beyond my understanding, my brain decided that it absolutely had to watch a sunrise.

(It probably has to do with this video.)

So, I did exactly what my brain told me to do. I planned on riding out to the Cape to watch the sunrise. I picked a spot (that was not open), and set my alarm clock to wake up with enough time to get there (I overslept).

I wanted to see the sunrise from the Nauset Light Beach. It's right on the water. However, the area is closed from Midnight to 6am (curses!).

Still, despite leaving 40 minutes later than I wanted, I still made good time, so I was able to find a secondary location; Fort Hill, just down the road from the Nauset Light. I arrived around 4:30 or so to this view:

It gradually lightened over the next 45 minutes to give this view:

I stayed to watch the sunrise. Despite the haze (calling it "humid" would be a disservice. "Damp" works better), and the clouds, the view was gorgeous. I tried to take a picture or two, but because I lacked a decent camera at the moment (a digital SLR, or film for my 35mm SLR), they were horrible. Believe me, though, it was a sight, and well worth the hour-and-a-half nap I took when I got home. I left just after the sun came up. On the ride home, as I got off of the Cape, the clouds started to roll back in, so it was pretty grey when I pulled back up in front of my apartment. Still, I enjoyed the trip.

I just have to remember to plan better next time so that I do more than just see a sunrise then brow-beat myself back home to take a nap.

Anyway, here's a picture of Meliora in her "day trip" configuration in as picturesque a setting as I can get with an iPhone's camera:

Catch you on the flip side!

Ode to Helmets

It has been too long since I’ve posted something purely motorcycle related (not in terms of the number of blog posts, but just passage of time). And today, I would like to talk to you all about one of my favorite topics: Helmets. Why helmets? Because they are, hands down, one of the most visible, straightforward, and important pieces of equipment for riding (apart from the motorcycle itself). In my case, the preferred helmet is a Shoei RF-1100.

First, a little bit about the helmet. The RF-1100 is Shoei’s sport-touring helmet. Constructed of fiberglass and tested to the new Snell m2010 standard, this one clocks in at a retail of $550. That said, the old adage about “if you have a $50 head, buy a $50 helmet” springs to mind. While the two I have purchased were purchased for far less than that, I would have no problem paying the full amount for one of these. Fit-and-finish on this helmet is spot on, as one would expect from one of the top two helmet manufacturers in the world.

In typical Shoei fashion, there is a certain head shape that fits these helmets. I happen to have such a head, so there is no gripe there. For those who don’t have a “Shoei head,” but would still like the same level of protection, Arai helmets offer multiple head forms (and you will never hear me knock Arai helmets, those dudes over there know what they are doing. I just don’t fit in them as well). Apart from that, though, the rest of the manufacturing is spot on as well. Vents are easy to open while riding, the latch for the visor is easy to use.

Air flow through the vents is refreshing. Compared to the rather simple helmets I have used in the past, the vents in this helmet actually work. Noise level is another important point. While no helmet will completely shut out noise, this is, by far, one of the quietest I have used (granted, I haven’t used an enormous number of different types of helmets). Also, turning my head at highway speeds to check for traffic is not a problem; especially after I have used a supermoto helmet in the past.

After those major points, one small point I would like to make is that there is plenty of space for my mouth. This may seem a little odd, but one of the reasons I originally went with a supermoto for a time was to give my mouth a little more space. With the RF-1100, it has never been an issue.

I’ve mentioned, in the past, a preference for DOT helmets. I originally based this argument on an article I read that bashed the Snell approval as unnecessary for the average rider. That 90% of all accidents don’t require the stronger shells that are required by Snell. So, when I bought my original helmet (a Z1R Venom), I patted myself on the back for getting a good helmet at a great price ($150). Well, I often try to pride myself on my ability to change my mind when presented with the right argument, or evidence, of my faulty thinking. In this matter, I most certainly have.

The argument can be broken down into two separate points: Cost and Level of Protection.

Cost: My least favorite of the two, talking about the cost of a helmet makes my skin crawl. Really, when it comes down to it, how much do you value your head? I tend to value my head quite a bit, so I am perfectly willing to shell out big bucks for the best protection I can. Other people, not so much. The opposition likes to throw this out there sometimes, “the Snell label is used just as a reason to charge more for their helmets.” Actually, when you read up on Shoei and Arai, that is quickly laid to rest. When most helmet producers say “We need to build a $300 helmet that passes the Snell certification,” Shoei and Arai tend to say, “Let’s build the best helmet we can and price it after.” When you compare a handmade helmet (Shoei and Arai) to any of the production helmets (off an assembly line), it becomes apparent that the justification for the cost is in the production values and attention to construction and not the fact that they have a Snell sticker.

Level of Protection: I could go on for days about this topic. But, in the interests of this article, I will narrow it down to the Snell vs. DOT arguments. The supporters of the basic DOT certification rally around research done by Harry Hurt. His company, the Head Protection Research Laboratory, supported the argument that a typical DOT, polycarbonate shelled, $150 helmet was preferable for the everyday rider. The basis of this comes from a study that they did showing that the layered construction of a plastic helmet actually dissipated energy better than the hard shells of fiberglass and carbon fiber helmets. They then go on to say that the DOT helmets are more suitable for the vast majority (>90%) of motorcycle accidents, which tend to take place at lower speeds, with the impact never being more than a head hitting the ground once. There was an article in Motorcyclist magazine about it called "Blowing the Lid Off" (Here is the article, And Snell's Response).

Snell, or more properly, the Snell Memorial Foundation, tests helmets to a much more exacting set of specifications. The testing process is very comprehensive (In-depth Description Here), and I will summarize the bit that is most important to the argument at hand. If you take a standard plastic, DOT, non-Snell (there are Snell-certified plastic helmets) helmet and smash it against the ground with your head inside, the helmet will, indeed, take the impact. However, should the impact happen a second time (heads do, indeed, bounce) and hit the same area again, well, the DOT helmet won’t really help (some Icon helmets being an exception, since they don’t submit their helmets for testing).

What it boils down to, in the end, is whether you want to be protected against the worst possible scenario, or the most common ones. I would never presume to tell anyone, or force them in any way, to purchase one helmet over another. I prefer to give them the facts (as I hope I have done here) and let them make the decision for themselves.

For most people, cost is always going to be a factor. Shelling out even $350 for a Snell-approved helmet (HJC’s RPHA series, for example) can be a little hard to swallow, especially if you are aware of a much cheaper alternative staring you in the face. Truth is, as Harry Hurt once said, *any* helmet is better than no helmet at all (and, no, I don’t count those stupid novelty skid lid things as helmets, nor did Harry Hurt when he made that statement), even those stupid DOT half-helmets. Me, personally, I’m willing to pay the price, now, for the best protection I can get.
I also happen to be a helmet snob and the fit of the Shoei is perfect for me.

My to-do list for 2012

Now, before you get your hopes up that I may, in fact, be talking about something other than motorcycles, you should know that you're only half-right.  There will be some items on this list that will have absolutely nothing to do with motorcycles, motorcycling, motorcycle trips, anything vaguely motorcycle-ish, or dealing with (and I'll put this in terms Plato would have liked) the concept of "motorcycle."  Mostly, however, this post is about what I'm going to do once I actually get two wheels back on the road.

The list will mostly be fun things I want to do, but it will also include a few mundane items.  If this is supposed to be a blog about my adventures, why would I include the mundane?  Well, all things must balance out, eventually, and in order to enjoy the fun things, sometimes the mundane just need to get done.

That, and:

Generally speaking, I'm somewhat stuck at the moment.  My head is being pulled in two very strange directions.  On the one hand, I just got access to Star Wars: The Old Republic, which I've been drooling about for years; and on the other hand, I don't have a motorcycle to ride, which is causing me to go insane ("go" insane?  I probably passed that mile marker a good while back).  I suppose one could argue that neither activity is anything to get excited about, but not everyone is a video gaming motorcyclist...  I just hurt my own brain with that, I do apologize.

Anyway, the list that follows is probably going to be long-winded and meandering (like most of my conversations in general), so you'll just have to brace yourself as best you can.  Which, really, shouldn't be that hard since you are, assumedly, sitting in front of a computer and not really going anywhere at all.  Still, it is what it is (told you, and I'm not even into the list yet).

1. Clean my room: Seriously, the place is a mess.  But, unfortunately, I don't have much space available to sort everything (or do I?) the way I would like to sort it (clothes notwithstanding).  That said, I just have to knuckle down and do it; before it takes over my entire living space.

2. Visit the Northeast Motorcycle Expo: January 28th and 29th this year are the two dates that this show will be in Boston.  I missed it last year.  Granted, I wasn't quite as frothingly desperate for anything related to motorcycles then as I am now, but it should be a good time nonetheless.  There is, possibly, another, secret reason for me going to the show.  Everyone and their dog keeps telling me I need to "get out more" and "meet like-minded people" so that I'm "not so much of a crazy, loud-mouthed, obsessive shut-in" (okay, so that last part may have been the dogs in my head, but they've generally been accurate in their assessments so far).  Honestly, it would be nice to be able to have a real conversation with someone who shares my passion for motorcycles and won't roll their eyes and mutter "oh God, not again" under their breath.

3. Get back to Boxing: I'm not really sure why I stopped in the first place.  Boxing is a lot of fun, and I was able to purchase my own heavy bag for my apartment.  While I doubt it will be as efficient as going to the boxing gym, it will be a lot more convenient and I will be able to listen to my own music while I work out (seriously, who can box while contemporary pop music is playing on the radio?).  Now I just have to get the heavy bag and the correct size boxing gloves and I'll be good to go.

4. Visit family more often: I became kind of lax about this in the latter half of 2011.  It always seemed like I had other things to do.  Most often, the weekends that I wasn't busy doing something else, I generally wanted to myself.  And, while it is nice to hang out with family, sometimes I just really want time to myself.  And it seemed I needed more of that this passed year than usual.  That said, with my new motorcycle I'll be able to make the longer trips easier, as the bike will be better able to handle longer rides (I certainly hope so, at least), so I will be able to combine riding and visiting family.

5. Visit friends in far-off lands: Can I truly refer to "Virginia" as a far-off land when it's on the same coast as Massachusetts?  Certainly can!  I have some friends in Virginia I haven't seen in a while and it would be nice to visit them.  Again, it will also be a good chance to try out how the new bike will fair when it comes to slabbing it for a day.  I also know for a fact that one of my friends down there may possibly maim me if I don't show up on the bike at least once.

6. Laconia Motorcycle Rally: I wanted to go to this passed year's event, but as a newcomer to motorcycles, and having just purchased my first motorcycle less than a month and a half before the rally, I figured it wasn't such good timing to try that ride, particularly when I hadn't really been riding on a highway before.  The 2012 rally?  That should be a fun time, now that I'm a little more seasoned and can handle a bike better.  Also, it will help with that whole "crazy shut-in" thing I apparently have going on.

7. Motorcycle Road Trip: This is the big one.  My feelings on this event are so split, I am kind of surprised I can talk about it coherently (are "wild ramblings filled with gibberish" considered coherent?).  I am looking forward to this, without question.  I still have dreams about it.  However, there is another part of me that is a mixture of abject fear and anxiety about it.  Most of the anxiety is really focused around how I'm actually going to pull it off, and will probably be allayed by careful and precise planning.  Still, I would be lying if I said that the anxiety didn't add to the excitement of the whole venture.  I just hope I can find someone to go with me.  That would help a great deal. Current Route

8. Gain writing fodder around the New England Area: Actually, this is really more a continuation of what I was doing last year: riding around to various parts of New England, taking in the sites, then coming back home and blogging about it.  However, the additional piece of this is to actually try writing articles to send to publishers.  I realize that just jumping in and sending unsolicited articles to magazines and periodicals really doesn't work as much as it may have in the past, but I have to start somewhere.  I would love for this to be the first steps in beginning a career shift to something I would actually enjoy doing for a living.  Here's to hoping!

So, that's it for now.  I didn't ramble quite as much as I thought I would, but some ramblings did occur, I'm not going to lie.  All things considered, I am definitely looking forward to 2012 and what it has to offer.  And, because I want to end this on a classy note, here is a small piece of advice from yours truly:

Memento Vivere

My Scouting Trip

For the past several months I've been planning a trip to Mt. Greylock in Western Massachusetts.  It's right outside a town called North Adams, and partially forms the border between Massachusetts and New York.  It's also the highest elevation in the Commonwealth and I've heard the view is rather spectacular.  Back when I first created the meet up (thanks, Meetup.com), it was me and one other dude.  Then, about two months ago, it went from two of us, to eight of us.  Now, I will admit, I hadn't really thought through exactly what I was doing when I posted the ride.  I figured at most 3 other people would join me.

Well, such as it is, I now have to lead a group of 8 riders on a trip of some 150 miles, or so.  This, let me tell you, freaked me out to no end.  I scrambled to find someone to help me.  Enter Brenda.  She was very kind enough to lend me her expertise (she's led many rides herself), and she has offered to be the co-captain of the trip.  Whew!

As luck would have it, things didn't stop there.  This weekend, when I was hoping to ride out to Greylock, to test the trip for myself and make sure that I could plan what I needed to do (such as where it would be necessary to ride single-file as opposed to staggered), Brenda told me that the primary route I was hoping to take was closed, due to road damage caused by hurricane Irene.  On further investigation, I uncovered information that several of the routes to Mt. Greylock had also been damaged.

Rather than scrap the ride, I decided to change the route and destination.  On Brenda's suggestion, I looked at a ride to Mt. Holyoke.  With a basic map in mind and a starting route pretty much on the books, I decided that I would ride the new route, to the new destination.  Man, there were some amazing pieces of road, both in scenery and in the amount of curves involved.

Along US-202, I came across a scenic overlook, of sorts.  If offered me my first-ever glimpse of the Quabbin Reservoir.

Needless to say, I had to stop and take the above picture.

So, I continued on, taking a right at Amherst Road and continuing on.  Most of this portion was fairly unassuming.  Nothing too big, except, I ran passed lunch time again, so as I made a few mistakes, and had to search for an ATM, I was getting a little cranky.  Still, I finally made it to my destination for the day.  From the summit (a whopping 932 feet), there was a very nice view of the surrounding area, including the Connecticut River.

This is from the north "face" of Mt. Holyoke

Another north "face" picture

Last north "face" picture.  That's the Connecticut River running below.

The next pictures are all from the south "face"

Summit Cap

It was an impressive view.  I can only imagine how much better the view from Mt. Greylock is.  The cool thing about Mt. Holyoke is the access road to the summit.  It's a perfect training road for getting used to switchbacks on a bike.  I will admit, quite readily, that I have quite a way to go before I can handle the big boy switchbacks that exist elsewhere.  Still, it was a lot of fun trying them out.  I just have to learn the lines better and not be quite as scared to lean the bike over.

On a sour note, I noticed that the left front foot peg is rather damaged.  Rather than try and hobble it together for the trip next weekend, I decided I'd just order some replacement pegs (and pegs that aren't made of bad carbon steel and rubberized plastic).  When I got back, I placed and order for a new set of Arlen Ness front foot pegs.  Why Arlen Ness?  Because I really don't feel like having the foot spikes (they aren't really pegs at that point) and I wanted a set of pegs to match the passenger pegs.

Pictures of the pegs once I get them installed.

All things considered, I hope the ride next weekend goes off without too many bumps.  And, despite my earlier trepidation, I would like to see the other riders come along.  It'll be fun.

Saddlemen Seat and Install

So, my Saddlemen Profiler seat arrived yesterday.  Of course, I was at work at the time, so I was unable to install it immediately.  That said, as soon as I got home, I pretty much ripped the box open to get at the seat.

It was surprisingly light.  I figured it would be a little bit heavier, but, then again, the shipping weight was only 10 pounds.  Out of the box, it was rather a bit smaller than I figured it would be, too.  Still, it looks really cool.

I then proceeded, in much the way a crazed man pursues the voices in his head (which I tend to do anyway, but that's a different story), I went outside and began the incredibly quick job of removing the old seat and installing the new one.  It was all of ten minutes work.  I had to remove the old seat, the old pillion seat, and the "tool box" that was under the seat (truly, a laughable tool box indeed).

Installing the new seat merely required hooking the front end in place, then reinserting the screw on the back of the bike to hold the pillion portion down.  Here it is, freshly installed:

And, of course, I had to take the bike for a test ride.  It wasn't too long, only about ten minutes or so, but it did seem to make a difference, particularly on the amount of jarring I felt when going over rough roads (bumps, however, are still a bitch, but any seat would be unable to cope with those).  That said, I think this saddle will take some getting used to, as it is shaped differently and seems a little narrower.  All things considered, however, I think it will work out nicely.

Here it is, post-ride:

I must admit, I do like the look of this saddle better than the original.

New Seat Coming and Group Rides

I was finally able to get my bike from my sister's house in Danbury, CT yesterday.  Coming back was a beautiful ride.  It was a little chilly starting out, so I threw on my jacket, and near the end it started to get a little overcast, but nothing really came of it.  To top it all off, it didn't take anywhere near as long as I thought it was going to take, given the amount of time it took me to get down there.  The icing on the cake was the fact that I wasn't anywhere near as sore as I was on the trip down.

Still, I'm getting a better seat for the bike.

Or, I should say, I ordered a better seat for the bike and now I'm waiting for it to come in.  According to UPS, the new seat should arrive on Sept. 8th; which means that I will be able to break it in that weekend when I ride the route for my group ride on the 17th.  (I'll post more about the seat, and some pictures, after I've installed it.)  Hopefully I'll be able to get someone to come with me, so that I can test it out in a "group ride" situation.

Speaking of; I had a good ride today (not great, since it didn't last that long).  I met up with another member of the Wetrowest Riders group I'm a member of.  Brenda was experienced leading group rides: me not so much.  She offered to teach me the ropes so that I'd be ready for the 17th ride to Mt. Greylock.  We met up for breakfast in Arlington, then headed out Rt. 117 for a bit so I could get a feel for leading rides.  Overall, she seemed to think I did all right.

I'm still nervous about the ride, since I have to do a lot more planning (this is an object lesson in riding the route far in advance of the actual ride, several times, so as to not be as nervous about the route), but I should be ok to lead the trip, particularly if Brenda gets a friend of hers to come along who has a headset, and can ride sweep.

Note: For those who are unfamiliar, a "Sweep" is the last rider in a group, and is the one who makes sure to keep the stragglers from getting lost or separated from the group.

As I do not have communications gear yet, and I have to lead the ride, Brenda has offered to be a relay rider to communicate with the sweep rider and let me know when the sweep has everyone rounded up if we have to stop for some reason.  That alone makes me feel better.

The two last major pieces of setup I have to do:
1) Figure out all of the stops that we will need to make and communicate them, and some basic instructions, to the rest of the riders in the group
2) Prepare a small prep talk for the day of the ride so everyone is on the same page.

This should be a blast.  I can't wait.

Foot Pegs and Chain Maintenance

So, back on the first day I got my bike, I took a small tumble.  In order to fix the damage I received, I switch one of the rear foot pegs for the busted front peg.  It worked, with some slight modifications to the bike and the peg.  According to Massachusetts state law, in order to ride with a passenger, there needs to be a full set of foot pegs and an appropriate seat available for them.  My bike was lacking the one foot peg.

Last week I purchase a set of Arlen Ness rear foot pegs.  As I was away at my parents' house when they arrived, I was unable to put them on.

I got back from my parents' place today around 10am.  After ripping into the packing, I gazed upon these:

 

Installing them wasn't too bad.  Except for those damn semi-circle clips on the bolt that hold them in place.  The only other issue is the fact that the small springs designed to keep the pegs up are a little small, but the pegs seem to stay in place anyway, so I'm not too worried about finding new springs.

They look pretty cool:

I also took the time to clean and lubricate my chain for the first time, just so I could get the hang of it.  I sprayed a bit of the lubricant on my rear tire, but it turned out all right in the end.  I let it sit for a bit before taking it for a short trip.

I thought about buying a matching set of pegs for the front, but the extra length of the Arlen Ness pegs would lend to scraping in corners.

All in all, not too shabby.

Top Five's Lists, Part 1

Rather than space out a whole bunch of "Top Five" lists throughout the blog; I'm going to consolidate multiple lists at various times.  These lists may, or may not, share a theme.  Today's lists, not so much for theme-building.

Top Five Bands I would like to meet (anachronisms welcome):
1. The Beatles
2. The Who
3. Disturbed
4. Nightwish
5. Rammstein

Top Five Road Races I would have liked to have seen:
1. 2008 Rossi-Stoner duel at Laguna Seca
2. 1960 Formula 1 Grand Prix season
3. 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans
4. 1950 Formula 1 Championship
5. 1979 Paris - Dakar Rally

Top Five Greatest Beers (varying reasons):
1. Allagash Four Ale
2. Allagash White
3. Smithwick's Red Ale
4. Tsingtao Pilsner
5. Sam Adams Lager

Top Five Cars I would like to "test drive:"
1. 2007 Porsche 997 (911 Turbo)
2. 1955 Austin-Healey 100
3. 2007 Nissan GT-R
4. 1956 Porsche 550 RS Spyder
5. 2005 Renault R25

Top Five Things I want to do before I die:
1. Get Married
2. Have kids
3. Stop working in IT
4. Go into business for myself
5. Finish Mass Effect 3

There you have it; 5 top five lists to get this started.  Oh, I'm sure I've got a lot of other top five lists floating in my head ranging all over the place, but, I feel this is a pretty good start.

Gloucester Trip

Another trip down.  So far, each trip has been a learning experience.  This time, I learned that my bike, specifically the seat on my bike, is absolute trash for highway riding.  Every vibration goes straight into my behind and causes this very dull, constant ache.  I know it was the highway, because as soon as I got off on Trapelo Rd, the pain went away.  It was impressive.

Now that I have that particular TMI moment out of the way, on to the trip.  Today was a little chilly, and I definitely noticed it while on I-95 and 128 while heading up to Gloucester.  That, and it was incredibly frightening at first.  The roads, far from smooth, weren't too bad, but the constant breeze pushing my bike around meant that I spent a lot of effort keeping the bike going straight.  Still, once I hit 128, I had basically gotten the hang of riding at highway speeds, so it wasn't as bad.  The upshot of this particular fear-inducing type of riding is that riding on back roads is no longer as frightening as it once was.  You still have to be on the lookout for assholes who think you don't exist, but that's part of riding.

The impetus for this particular trip was that I was dying for good seafood.  And what better place than Gloucester?  I found this small place (that was rather hard to find, once I got there.  And I was on foot at that point) called the Halibut Point Pub.  They had this deal for a cup of chowder, a burger, and a draft beer for $17.  The burger was awesome, but the chowder was "homemade" and one of the best clam chowders I've had in a while.

Still, I couldn't go and not take a few pictures.  Walking around afforded me the following:

 That building in the distance is the City Hall.  The picture doesn't really do it justice.  It was impressive.

The Sargent House museum...  Yeah.

These pictures are of the Fitz Henry Lane house and grounds.  It overlooks Gloucester Harbor.  The view is not quite as impressive now as it would have been at his time.

Can't go to Gloucester and not see the Man at the Wheel.  There was a large group (as you can probably see) standing near it, so I didn't get too close.  But, it is on a very beautiful seascape (as you can see in the picture above it).

For the trip back I spent most of my time on Route 127.  It runs, more or less, parallel to 128, but is far more scenic and opens out into several breathtaking views of the ocean.  Unfortunately, it's difficult to get pictures from a moving motorcycle, so I will have to go back with a better camera and my car.

Still, I had a great day on my bike.  It's supposed to be crappy tomorrow, so I'm glad I got a nice long ride in.

Catch you all later!

Wachusett Reservoir and the Old Stone Church

After too many days straight of rain, and yesterday being my first chance to hop on my bike for those many days, I decided to make today a day for a motorcycle trip.  Knowing that I would probably talk myself out of actually doing anything remotely like that under normal circumstances, I decided I was just going to do it, possibility of rain be damned.

The day started out simply enough.  The part to fix my bike had arrived at the dealership, so my first stop was in Arlington, to get my bike fixed.  It took longer than I had hoped, but not quite as long as it could have taken.  I got there around 10:30 and was back on the road by 12:45 or so.

I made a swing by Sam's apartment, to see if she wanted to do anything (like I said, I was probably looking for a way out), but the fates had decreed that she be at a concert in Boston.  Ok, no big deal.  I had pretty much decided to head out by that point, so I just got back on my bike and headed for route 117.

I stopped for a bite to eat (mmmm... falafel) and looked somewhat apprehensively at the sky, but there was so much sunlight, and the clouds looked rather far off.  I munched away, sitting next to my bike, thinking about how long it would take and whether or not I would have to refuel at all.  I had just filled up the day before, so I had a full tank as I set out on my trip.

I have two things to say, right up front.  Weston needs to fix their goddamn roads, and there were a lot of other riders out today.

First off, 117 through Weston and Concord sucks ass.  I heard from the shop where I stopped in on my way back (same shop I had lunch at) that they were planning on repaving it this summer.  This is a good thing, as trying to take a curve on a shitty road on a motorcycle is *not* a good time.  Otherwise, the ride out to the Reservoir was very nice.  It was a beautiful day to ride and the sun never went anywhere the entire trip.

It was, however, a longer trip than any I had taken up to that point.  My butt was, I thought, going to fall off by the time I reached the Reservoir.  Oh boy, I hadn't felt anything yet.  Still, the first place I stopped at offered me a chance to relieve myself and treated me to this view:

It was then I talked to two very nice people who were able to direct me to the Old Stone Church (one of the entire reasons I wanted to take this particular trip).  Not more than two miles later, I came across the church. It was off the main roadway and there were quite a few people around.

After stopping just long enough to curse at my transmission for flatly refusing to enter first gear, I made it to the church.  It's quite a site from the roadway, but I couldn't get a very good shot with my camera from a distance.

So, I walked in on foot (you have to, anyway, since the path up to it is gated).  It's a very peaceful spot, I must say.

The church has been gutted (thanks to two fires and the MWRA), but has interior supports that were added to keep the walls from collapsing.  The bell tower is also empty (save for a lone pigeon):

As I looked around the area, it struck me how really beautiful the location is.

As you can see, it's a hell of a view.  That last picture, though, and the gathering dark clouds, convinced me that I should start making my way home.

I headed back to my bike and had a relatively worry-free trip home.  The only problem I encountered on my way back: if I thought my ass hurt on the way to the reservoir, the trip home made me want to kill myself more than once.  Unlike a car, there isn't a lot you can do to shift your position.  By the time I made it back into Weston, to the store I stopped at earlier, to get a sandwich, my back was hurting.  The condition of the road did nothing to help, as going over the rough pavement was hellish.

So, I picked up some ibuprofen while in the store, and another drink and a small sandwich (mmmm... falafel), I let my butt recuperate a little bit before finishing the trip.

I did come to a realization today.  First, while I was sitting in the waiting area of the service department at the dealer, I had a rather long and interesting conversation with the other guys waiting around for their bikes.  It didn't matter what kind of bikes we rode, just that we rode them.  Second, while I was having my lunch, I was sitting outside, next to my bike.  One of the other guys in the store came out and, as he was getting into his truck, complimented the bike.  Last, with very few exceptions, almost every guy I passed on a bike either waved first, or returned my wave (and they aren't your typical wave, either).  I have become one of them, a biker.  One of those guys in the "fraternity" who, just by owning a bike, has become part of that culture.  It's pretty cool.

Catch you all later!

Quick Peek

Here she is.  More pictures once I actually get her home.  Not sure what her name is, she hasn't had a chance to tell me yet.

It's Definitely Later

In my last post I mentioned posting about my personal views on motorcycle safety in a later post.  Well, today is later (technically so is anything after the last post.  Shut up, brain).  I just think it's too important a topic to not talk about.  With enough idiots out there on the road already, what we don't need are the moron "SQUIDs" who make things that much worse.

SQUID: Stupidly Quick, Underdressed, Idiotic, and Dangerous

These are the idiots you see riding around wearing a t-shirt ("It's cotton blend protection!"), shorts, sneakers, no gloves, maybe a full-face helmet ("Gotta protect my perfect face, dude."), and generally riding a sport bike of some kind (any Ducati, a Honda VFR or CBR variant, Kawaski Ninjas, and the like).  You can also readily recognize these idiots because they're weaving in-and-out of traffic ("Dude, I saw this in a movie once.  It kicks ass!  Also, No Hands! Woo!"), accelerating really hard ("Woah, look at me I'm going so fast!"), only to squeal tires to stop at the next red light ("Stupid red lights, spoiling my fun, brah!"), and more-or-less give a lot of motorcyclists a bad name (biker gangs generally don't, contrary to The Wild One).

Most people who truly call themselves "riders" are the majority.  They generally obey the rules of the road, wear a hefty compliment of protective gear, and don't ride like jackasses.  It's this latter group that I am eager to call myself part of.  At the moment I own a Tri-Tex level 3 armor jacket, Johnny Rocket armored gloves, a Z1R Venom full-face helmet, and I plan to ride wearing at least a tough pair of jeans and my steel-toed boots.

The course I took was enough to get me motivated to buy the equipment (not to mention the fact that Sam would kill me if I didn't), but there was some extra motivation.  In the late 70's a professor from USC studied over 900 motorcycle accidents in the United States and correlated the results into one of the most widely published reports on motorcycle accidents in the world.  Called the Hurt Report (after Prof. Harry Hurt), it has been called "the most comprehensive motorcycle safety study of the 20th century" by journalist David Hough.  In 2001 (so, not the 20th century, Mr. Hough's comment stands), the European Union released the COST 327 report.  This report, unlike the Hurt Report, was focused on motorcycle helmet effectiveness in crashes, but is still a valuable source of information on motorcycle accidents.

After reading the Hurt Report, and part of the COST report, I can't understand why anyone would ride around without a helmet.  The most telling piece of evidence I found was that, when a motorcyclist wears a helmet, the majority of fatal accidents were not caused by head injuries alone; indeed, in many of those cases, had it not been for other bodily injury, many of them would have survived.  If that isn't a hidden endorsement of proper body armor, I don't what is ("But, dad, chicks dig the asphalt scars!").

Part of the reason I know about these two particular reports derives from my search for the best helmet to buy.  For some reason, it's really difficult to find information on helmet comparisons.  That was until I stumbled upon an article written for Motorcyclist Magazine in 2005.  The article (called Blowing the Lid Off) all but came out and said that, for the most part, the polycarbonate DOT helmets are actually more effective in the typical crashes that motorcyclists face than the high-strength, Snell Approved, carbon fiber helmets.*  The helmet maker that won the Motorcyclist Magazine study (including a more damaging impact than the Snell requirements), was Z1R.  Guess why I bought the Z1R helmet?  ("It makes you look like an extra in some cheesy 80's sci-fi action movie?"  Well, that too.)

The jacket, that was a whole 'nother adventure.  I was shopping around Amazon.com for a decent jacket (i.e. one that contained protection of some kind.  "Bring me my armor!").  Leather jackets are way out of my price range.  The cheapest leather jacket that had armor that passed any kind of standardized regulation was over $300 (and that's with amazon's crazy price cuts.  You'll see why I say that in a second or two).  The jacket I did buy was a 5XL, Tri-Tex armor jacket that passed the highest European Union impact ratings, and was on sale.  The standard price of the jacket was around $170; shipping included, I paid $77 for it.  Granted, it's a textile jacket and not leather, so it loses a bit of the abrasion protection a good leather jacket has (particularly one designed for motorcycling: triple kevlar thread stitching, reinforced joint protection, you know, the usual), but I think I did all right.

(The jacket is what prompted me to start losing weight.  It fits through the shoulders and arms, but I can't zip it up.  I'm hoping by spring that I will have lost enough that the jacket will fit beautifully and get me all the girls.  'Cause, quite frankly, it looks pretty awesome.)

As far as leg protection goes, I'm either stuck with leather chaps (blech), or armor pants (also blech), or dealing with the consequences of crashing without leg protection (umm... what?).  I think I'll go with the chaps on this one.  There are a few companies that make armored chaps, and they aren't nearly as expensive as the jackets are.  But, I figure getting those now, before I've lost a lot of weight is probably shooting myself in the foot as far as money goes (why buy a huge pair now, which are more expensive, then have to pay to have them re-sized again when I lose the weight?), so I'm going to hold off on those.  And as far as boots are concerned, the style of motorcycle I really want means that my steel-toed boots are perfect (leather construction, over the ankle, non-slip sole).  So I guess I lucked out there.

Long story short: If you're riding a motorcycle, don't be a squishy cephalopod.


*Author's Note: I would like to add that I have nothing but respect for the Snell Foundation.  At a time when nobody was truly looking into better head protection, the Snell Foundation pushed for better manufacturing techniques and increased helmet usage.   I merely made the above point about the differences in protection based on research and an article read.

Of Motorcycles and Imaginings

I'm not sure exactly when it started.  Given that my mother and father, my father's father, and various other resources have always told me that motorcycling was a death trap (my grandfather referred to them as "organ donor machines"), I was raised to think that motorcycles were bad forms of transportation.

Some of that thinking still remains with me.  For example, a motorcycle seems a horrible way to travel cross-country.  I realize there are people who do it, successfully, and that they build motorcycles to do so (the Touring style motorcycle).  But it seems to me that they aren't a practical form of long-distance travel.  Another portion of their teachings that stick with me are the warnings about safety.  On a motorcycle you aren't surrounded by a protective shell, and in an impact, that can lead to a few problems.

So, what, then, prompted me to get a motorcycle license in the first place?

I think it was a combination of factors.  One of them is definitely fuel efficiency.  Another is, and this is a wildly romantic viewpoint, the image of motorcycling.  It seems a very impressive image in my mind, out on the open road, just you, a bike, and the clothes and gear you can stow away in the saddlebags.  It a very similar image, in my mind, to the cowboy image.  You aren't boxed into a conveyance.  You have to actively ride a motorcycle.  One of the concepts that became very clear during the training course is that you have to always  pay attention to the road, the bike, and the world around you.  It's pretty demanding, but, it pays back in spades.

By the end of the first day of riding, I was hooked.

What I found fascinating about the whole process was how easy the class made learning how to ride.  I was rather nervous at the beginning of the class; wondering whether I would have the necessary ability to ride.  The first time I put my feet up on the pegs, rather than using them like pontoons, was especially nerve wracking.  However, once I realized that the more speed the bike has, the more stable it is, it became much easier to focus on proper riding technique, rather than on actively balancing the bike.

I have to say that the part I really enjoyed the most were the weaves.  Basically a slalom, the weave terrified me at first.  Eventually, though, it was a piece of cake.  Again, it came at a time when I realized that if I kept my speed up, the bike was much easier to control.

"Wait!" I hear you say.  "You don't own a motorcycle!  How were you able to take the class!?"  That's the easy question.  The course requires some manner of control, so all the motorcycles are 250cc Honda Nighthawks (or similar.  I saw a Honda Rebel in my class as well as what I think was a Kawaski).  Let me tell you, in addition to the ever-present need to be aware of your surroundings, equally important is to have a motorcycle that is the right size for you.  By the end of the class, my hips were stiff, and they remained sore for about a week.

I knew, at the end of the first day, that I was hooked.  I began, that night, looking at motorcycles.  The problem was, I didn't really get behind the idea of a Harley.  I thought that was what I wanted, but I slowly started to realize that Harley-Davidson motorcycles are overpriced.  Instead, I started looking elsewhere.  My long trek through the online world brought me to the bike of my imaginings: The Yamaha V Star 950.

The bike has that really classic American cruiser look to it.  Long, and low, the bike also has running boards (instead of foot pegs, bonus), a wide seat, sissy bar, and it isn't as God-awfully loud as a Harley is.  I went to the dealership in Somerville to take a look at one in person.  The images online do not do that motorcycle justice.  I could wax poetic about it, but I really will just fail at describing it.  Take a look online for pictures, particularly the touring model, and it's a safe bet you'll see me with one soon.

As a last note, the dealership also had a Triumph Rocket III Touring (the largest production road bike in the world).  This beast weighs in at 1,100 pounds, has an inline 3-cylinder, 2300cc engine, and is (apparently) one of the most stable bikes, since most of the weight is low on the bike.  That thing was a monster, even next to me.

Anyway, I'm obviously not going to buy a motorcycle so close to the off-season.  I'm going to start saving my pennies, watching my weight (hopefully dropping a substantial amount) so I can fit into my motorcycle gear, and hopefully get in a good riding season next year.

Catch you all on the flip side.

P.S. I will, eventually, talk about my personal views on motorcycle safety, but in the meantime, suffice it to say that I intend to wear as much protective gear as I can while riding.