Black Seduction and the Night

Raining all afternoon didn't mean it would stain the night. In fact, the humidity cooled the summer air as you entered second gear. It was just the kind of night to entice a ride, especially after several days of rain and travel that took me away from the bike. As I left, it was so nice that I forgot to put on eye protection and had to turn around after a half-mile reminded me. The night was almost bug free and the clean air just felt incredible. I returned and left in minutes with night glasses on my face. My black bike had just had a couple hundred dollars of chrome added to it and a bit a leather. But I barely noticed as the ride took on that hypnotic relaxation mode that makes you want to keep going and never turn back. I rode with the traffic lights taking the path with as few stops as possible. The motorcycle didn't seem to want to stop and neither did I. I rode to the next town and circled back. I was supposed to stop to pick up ice cream, but I just could manage it as I passed grocery stores repeatedly. The idea of pausing the ride; of leaving the cool wind behind seemed ludicrous. But eventually I had to face reality and begin the process to return home. I stopped to pick up the chocolate Hagen Das. Coming out of the store I noticed my bike for the first time from a distance since installing the chrome pieces and studded leather bra. Sitting there under the parking lot light with reflections bouncing from the studs and chrome, the black bike just seemed to want to be ridden. It was a short trip home from the store with only one true obstacle: stopping. You can't beat a late night ride. Traffic is low. The air is cool. It's peaceful except for the sound of the motor. The solitude of the night and the soft air passing over you defines the feeling of freedom you get riding a motorcycle. In October, we're organizing 360-Full-Moon rides. Let us know if you'd like help coordinating one in your area. It's a great ride with the moon, the wind, and the seduction of the night.

A Little Respect

The next time you see a motorcycle with those little visors on the headlight, passing lights, or turn signals give the rider a little respect. If he or she installed them it was not an easy task. (Click photo for close up) The little lights aren't too bad. Just remove the turn signal lens and bevel, add the visor, reassemble and tighten up. 10 minutes per side is lots of time. The passing lights are more challenging. Not only are they hard to work around, but there's a rubber seal in there that can make the challenge even more cumbersome. One lesson you can learn here before you try it on your own is to do the turn signals last. This leaves more room to get at the screws for the passing lights. Finally, the headlight presents a task of hidden parts you never imagined were in there. Removing the light from the bike was easy enough with the two side screws. I took it inside to the table to dissect the rest of the way. Next, you remove the two adjustment screws which are spring mounted. You're going to have to readjust your headlight when you reassemble the light on the bike. There's another side spring (wire type) that also has to come out. Then, there are three more screws holding the bevel to the light. Once you remove those it's time to attach the visor (make sure it's straight because you don't get a second chance to adjust this) and put those three screws back in. This gives you the illusion that the hard part is over because the visor is now securely fastened to the light. Now, you have to re-attach the wire spring and thread the adjustment screws through springs that no longer easily fit the space they fell out of. This is the hard part. After several minutes I finally got everything aligned and ready to put back on the bike. The light has to line up perfectly to fit back in and add the last two screws. Hopefully, you marked the light level on the wall before you started so you can adjust it back to the original settings. Once the headlight is adjusted, take it for a ride to make sure it's focused correctly. I didn't get to do that yet due to rain. Those little visors consumed a couple hours tonight. So, give those bikers that pay attention to little details some respect. The motorcycle looks better, too.

Leather and Chrome and Help

There nothing like dressing up a bike to take it out with other bikers. The bike I bought already have a lot of nice accessories on it, but there were a few more things I wanted to do for finishing touches. The first four of these were chrome tips on the fenders (3) and a studded leather tank bra. I also intended to put visors on all five front lights, but these were all sent for the wrong model motorcycle and are on their way back west for replacements. All parts were standard issue Yamaha parts for the Roadstar. My daughter, Karyn, was over so I engaged her assistance in added the accessories I had purchased. It turned out that I couldn't have done the job without her assistance. She makes a great assistant when working on the bike and loves to go for a ride when the work is done. First, we tackled what I thought would be the easiest thing to do: the front fender tip. As it turned out it was the most difficult of the tips. It wasn't difficult, but it did take smaller hands than mine to reach under the fender with the lock washer and nut. The front fender back piece was easier and the back fender tip was the easiest of all. We had all three pieces on in a matter of about 15 minutes. Now, we had the tank bra. I thought this was going to be easy but in the first frustrating attempt it was apparent that there was more to this task than just laying leather over the tank. The added thickness under the instrument section made it nearly impossible to move the package down to where the screws aligned. This one simple piece took us over 20 minutes and 3 tries. We started from scratch on each try. This meant keeping the bra, instruments, and screw holes aligned. This became the most difficult task of the evening. Of course, when we finished, we wanted to ride. So, in spite of darkness, we took a ride and gathered a few bugs on the bike. On the way back I turned on the green underlighting and we had some fun. Unfortunately, I didn't get to detail the bike before taking these pictures, but I'll have more as the project is completed. The night would not have succeeded without Karyn's help. Thanks, Kiddo!

Getting Stuck with Shipping

Some retailers really stick it to you with shipping. I recently purchased a Corbin seat online from Rick Roush. The site, www.rickroushaccessories.com, showed some of the best prices you could imagine on the web. The drawback was they have the highest shipping prices I've seen. Some of it is even puzzling enough that I ended up buying my chrome accessories elsewhere. I'm wishing I'd done the same for the seat. I got the seat finally and was really anxious to get home and install it. I don't get off work until 6:30 or so. It made for a long day on Thursday. I eventually got home and was puzzled. I asked my wife if she had taken the seat out of the shipping bag in the box. No. She had opened the box to inspect it as I asked, but that's all. So, there's nothing in this box (which is crunched in a couple places and the bottom has been unfolded on one side) except an upside down seat, the backrest, a bag holding 4 hex screws and a warranty, and packing material. There's no receipt, packing slip or installation instructions. I looked at the bike and the seat and immediately realize there's no way to secure the seat to the back of the bike. The front locks into the Roadstar mechanism, but there's nothing for the back, which isn't secure in any legal fashion. So, I go to the Corbin site and look for installation instructions. They are not easily found or clearly defined. It seems there is a bracket that should ship attached to the seat that replaces the fender bracket. I don't have one of those! I write a letter to Corbin and attach a photo of the area where the bracket is supposed to be. It appears to be damaged as if it has been broken off. Either way, it isn't going to work. While taking photos, I notice the seat also has been scuffed and torn in two small spots on the edge. This isn't right. I send an email to the retailer and call the next day. The "accessories" person isn't in so I leave detailed voicemail. The next day she called me back. She couldn't make out the photo real well, but it turns out the seat was returned and restocked. The guy said it was the wrong part for his VStar 1100. Whoever inspected it wasn't familiar with the seat and didn't know it was damaged. Now, I honestly can't determine when/where the damage occurred. It could have been before the first purchase of the seat. It could have been in shipping to me. Either way, I received damaged goods from a retailer. My punishment for this? I am now charged an additional $50 to ship it back to the retailer for a new order. I'm not happy. A retailer sends me damaged goods and I suffer an additional cost? That isn't right. That isn't doing right by the customer. My choices are slim and none and Slim just left town. As a person that both purchases a lot and influences the purchases of many others, I cannot in good conscious recommend places like this in spite of great prices. It gets down to the old phrase: Buyer Beware. I am awaiting the final process here. If it all works out favorably I'll definitely make comment here so you know. If not, I'll undoubtedly remove the link to their site. Let me know what you think.

South Florida & Summer

All across the country bikes come out in the summer. The warmer temperatures and summer's dense foliage make riding the perfect activity, especially in the northern states where other seasons progressively remove the opportunities to ride. Florida, however, has a different state of mind... or weather. Alberto, the first named tropical storm 2006, just made its early June ride across northern Florida. Once anticipated to reach category 1 hurricane level, it has broken up enough to prevent growth past tropical storm. However, its effects reach almost all of the state and well into Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. I live hundreds of miles from where the storm will make landfall, but even here in south Florida heavy rains and high winds keep all but the desperate off the road. Northern Florida is getting extremely heavy rains and winds in excess of 50 MPH. The rainy season is the winter of Florida. Riding days are great, but often challenged with random thunderstorms that populate the state in higher numbers during the afternoon. Tropical storms and hurricanes eliminate days at a time. Our riding season is upside down from the rest of the country. As the rainy season passes in October bike season typically ramps up in a big way (except last year with hurricane Wilma). The winter months bring beautiful moderate temperatures luring bikers from all over the country.

Google Earth Your Bike Trip

If you're reading this odds are you're part geek and part biker. Both attributes will be satisfied in this entry. Recently, I took a 4-leg ride from Colorado to Florida. Thanks to Google Earth you can now take the ride with me. The first thing you'll need is Google Earth. It's a free download and incredible program. It was more valuable than any map program in planning this 2,400 mile trip. Download and install it. You can use the link above. Once installed you'll find a great resource for tons of things, but I want to show you my trip. You can download each leg of the trip below. Once downloaded, you open it in Google Earth, click "route" at the bottom of one of the legs, and then click the play button. You'll drive along as if you're there. Click the directions tab at the top and you can create your own trip. It's easy and it's very cool. Here are the legs of my trip. The files are small and will download in a second or two.... literally! INSTRUCTIONS: Right click the link and use Save Target As. Save it somewhere you can remember where to find it. Open it with Google Earth. Leg One - From Castle Rock, CO to Amarillo, TX Leg Two - From Amarillo, TX to Little Rock, AR Leg Three - From Little Rock, AR to Tallahassee, FL Leg Four - From Tallahassee, FL to Wellington, FL

My Butt

The ride from Colorado to Florida had a few injuries. Some were material things like my watch and the loosened passing light (which I repaired last night). Others resulted in numbness that just never seemed to go away. Two weeks later my left thumb is still slightly numb and my butt is still numb. I would think that after 14 days the blood would return and the nerve endings would be nourished. I shouldn't still have that dead-butt feeling, but I do. It's not as bad as it was on the ride, but I just don't understand the duration. So, among the items I had decided to purchase to enhance the bike is a seat. The bike was advertised with a custom Mustang seat. It turned out that it didn't have it and the seller agreed to push a couple hundred back to me to cover half the cost of the seat. He's a great guy and his honesty is greatly appreciated. I did some research on common seats purchased for the Roadstar and got a lot of mixed reviews. I actually found many that didn't like the Mustang for long rides (over 200 miles) and several that recommended other seats. In the industry there are a couple companies that have always risen above others in their catagory. In motorcycle seats it has to be Corbin. But Corbin seats do not come with low prices. Most of these seats don't come with low prices. A serious thought in my consideration was the backrest. I looked at seats with backrests (Mustang makes a good 3 piece system for about $600 that includes a backrest) and separate rider backrests. The separates looked like an afterthought and were quickly dismissed. I looked at Saddlemen and Granucci, too. There were several brands, but my money came down to the Mustang and the Corbin made for Yamaha. Mustang systems require that you replace your Yamaha pillion seat (passenger) to one of theirs. I didn't like that as much, but it was tolerable. The Corbin included stitching and lines that followed the contours of the bike. It also sinks back another inch and has good back support without the backrest. I'd include the backrest for additional support on those 600 to 800 mile days. I think I've made my decision, but there's time to change my mind. I'll upload photos of the final product. I'm coming up on a year soon when I'd like to ride the four corners. The seat I get may be the one that has to take me on this journey around the country for up to 3 weeks. This and many other factors are considered when looking at the comfort of My Butt.

One of the Three Pleasures

There are three pleasures in owning a bike. Not all bikers take part in all three with the same fervor, but they all seem to do them all to some degree. The three things that bring pleasure are riding (we would only hope), buying accessories, and working on the bike. Working on a bike has several perspectives and levels of talent. I find myself in the middle area somewhere with enough tools to make me dangerous and enough fear to compensate for the potential risks. For example, tonight I fixed my passing light which had come loose. It was also loose inside the light which forced me to tear it down a lot further than I wanted to do. There are about 10 parts in the setup for a simple light. Anyway, I triumphed and, like most men, felt good about the conquest. Tomorrow I'll finish the oil change and polish the chrome. Another thing bikers do.... polish chrome. The point is that there are a lot of forums out there to help you with simple tasks. You don't have to take away the job of your mechanic, but simple things can be done. Explore your bike. Enjoy the simple pleasures of fixing it yourself when it's within your capabilities. Just watch the line and don't cross it.

The Trip - Day Four

I apologize. I have no photo for this section and actually took very few. I was so intent on riding (and it's hard to take pictures while riding a motorcycle) that I just didn't take them. The next ride I'll try to do more.

The last leg of the journey had a few unpleasant surprises, but nothing unexpected when I think back on it. The trip yesterday turned out to be closer to 800 miles in total. It was a long day of riding. If it hadn’t been for my back and butt being in pain from these first 2,000 miles I could have gone further last night. It’s nice and cool riding at night. The traffic is lighter. It’s quiet. When you stop along deserted highway you can see the millions of stars.

I had fallen asleep in less than ten seconds last night, literally. I woke early and gave up on additional sleep without attempting it. I showered and got ready for the remaining ride segments. Based on the temperatures when we rolled in I dressed for a cool morning ride. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

I had a donut and orange juice at the continental breakfast and then we got ready to get on the road. It had already warmed up into the 70’s by 9:00. I was reminded we were back in Florida where heat combined with humidity to make the highway a blast furnace. I only hoped the early morning would be tolerable. Our total trip today would be just over 400 miles to get home.

In other states we had seen few police patrolling the Memorial Day weekend. From Colorado through Alabama I had seen no speed traps looking for hurried vacationers. The few instances I had seen troopers had been on normal highway patrols. But now we were back in Florida. Within 30 minutes of Tallahassee we passed no less than 12 patrolmen either in speed-trap position or with motorists pulled over. Between Tallahassee and I-75 we must have seen 30 different patrol cars involved in some aspect of speed control for the holidays. I found it interesting that suddenly there were more police visible in a 120-mile stretch of I-10 than I saw in the other 2,000 plus miles of my journey. I found relief that none of them expressed interest in us as we cruised towards Gainesville.

Once on I-75 traffic picked up in volume and speed. The slow lane moved at the 70MPH speed limit and the faster lanes ranged from 85MPH to 95MPH. I kept towards the happy medium as much as possible. Gainesville was a planned stop to visit my daughter and get some breakfast. It was good to see the recent graduate (yes, I’m proud of my kids and take every opportunity to brag about them) and see how life was progressing. We went to a “deli” for breakfast around 11:30 and had great food with our conversation.

Back at Katherine’s apartment I took my watch off to lather up with the dreaded sunscreen. Even though I had been blinded by it before, I wanted to go with my new half helmet for the remainder of the trip. I covered up thoroughly and before long we were on our way. It was over 100 miles later that I realized I had forgotten to put my watch back on my wrist. I called Katherine later to ask her to look for it, knowing there was little chance of survival. She found the crushed remains of my Skagen in the parking lot. It was the last big negative of the trip. The watch was great for the last four years, but it could be replaced.

The ride started with fueling and then we were headed south. Within 30 miles I noticed the heat was far more intense than any other part of the ride had been. By the time we had traveled 70 miles I could feel the sun sucking the life from my skin. We stopped at a hospitality center to get gas and refreshments. We took our time in the air-conditioned comfort knowing the hell that waited outside. Even the three patrolmen we saw inside seemed reluctant to begin their shift.

Back on the road we found more traffic than before. Passing cars and groups often separated Andre and me. He was in a hurry to get home to his pregnant wife (due the end of July) and his Gold Wing provided the power to get there quickly. I lagged behind and within 40 minutes we were in far different sections of the turnpike.

As I approached West Palm Beach I noticed threatening clouds in the distance. Fifteen miles away it was accompanied by the traditional drop in temperature as the road dropped from the high 90’s to the low 70’s. I wasn’t sure I would make the last 20 miles of a nearly perfect trip before dawning my rain suit. Somehow, it worked. I had a few drops on the exit and a few in the first several hundred yards. Then, I was away from the storm cloud and driving with sunny skies.

The bike was filthy with bugs. I had cleaned the windshield several times, but had never washed the bike of the now 2,400 miles of highway grunge. I stopped in Royal Palm Beach at a car wash and pressure washed the motorcycle. I was amazed at the places bugs had managed to end their lives.

Once cleaned, I drove her home. The total miles came to 2,417. My actual time driving was about.33 hours including rest stops. The journey from Castle Rock, CO to Wellington, FL had lasted a total of 74 hours. I was tired, but felt good about the ride and the new bike. I called the people that needed to know that I made it safely. I unpacked a few things. I showered. I lay down. I slept.

I recommend an adventure like this for everyone at least once every five years. Whether you ride motorcycle, hike, ski, dive… whatever you do, do it big occasionally. It shows you what you can do; that you still have it in you. It restores confidence. And best of all, it’s great fun. It’s good to be home, but I’m ready to ride anytime.

The Trip - Day Three

Morning came right on time and I slept in until 7:00. A full night's sleep sure felt good and I was energized for the day ahead. We got ready and were checked out by 8:30. We stopped across the street for fuel and cleaned more bugs from the motorcycle's windshield before leaving Little Rock. The temperature was very moderate. We were looking at a perfect day for riding. Andre had loaned me his full helmet for the ride to keep the air off my eyes. While they were still stinging a bit, the full helmet made all the difference. It was ironic when he later had something in his eye from the highway. While riding in Arkansas we saw a crop duster making his circles and dives. Riding motorcycle is a close to flying as you can get without leaving the ground. We felt akin to the pilot as he rolled his figure 8's dropping chemicals on the fields along I-40. It looked like fun. We rode on about 130 miles to Memphis, Tennessee where we stopped at the Iron Skillet for breakfast. The Iron Skillet is a truck stop with preferred seating for drivers. We entered the store and immediately smelled breakfast aromas that let us know we were in the right place. Soon, a few waitresses walked by with iron skillets loaded with eggs, sausages, bacon, hash browns, home fries, pancakes, and all the things we love at this kind of place. After a quick study we ordered. When the food came it was accompanied by two of the best tasting, steaming, flaky biscuits you ever tasted. I'm not much on the bread groups, but this was fantastic. Another great meal. We talked a bit longer than we should have and ended up leaving about 45 minutes later. We got on I-55 south and were in Mississippi in no time at all. I'm not sure what misconceptions I had of this state, but they were quickly dismissed. I-55 was a beautiful highway through rolling hills surrounded by hardwoods growing close to the road. Unlike other states, Mississippi seemed to have decided to let the trees stand instead of stripping the land for 100 feet or more on each side. The result was a peaceful, cool ride that left us relax all the way to the next fuel stop. There was noticed the increase in temperature until we were on the road again. In Jackson we found someone had lost a sofa in the fast lane of the highway. On the bikes it was a quick swerve to avoid the debri as the owners looked on wondering how they could remove it before there was a major accident. It would not be so easily avoided with a car or truck and I wondered how long before someone slammed into it. We took I-55 to Hattiesburg where we shifted to US 49. This took us through the middle of town and past some great looking restaurants. We saw one place that we still regret passing by. It looked like a small house had been added to a few times. The last section looked like it was on fire; smoke billowing out as they were obviously smoking some of the best barbecue we would have a chance to witness. The multitude of cars outside were testimony to the quality of the food inside. This is something worth going back for someday. Riding onward we stopped once more for gas and drinks as the evening started to approach. It seemed like storm clouds off to the east, but it didn't look like anything to threaten us. We started off looking for our next turn onto US98. We finally stopped before the new road and had dinner at a barbecue place. It paled by comparison to our imaginations of the other place. The homemade cole slaw was excellent, but the ribs and chicken didn't make it to fair. It was a lesson on seizing the moment that we missed. As we were about to leave we talked with a couple about the ride. They asked where we were stopping next and we answered our goal of the Pensacola, FL area. I had not been able to get a hotel reservation there and we were planning on trying when we arrived. They told us to forget it as all the hotels would be taken by the gay & lesbian event that was there for the Memorial Day weekend. We decided we would extend this part of the trip from 595 miles to over 725 miles by reaching for Tallahassee, FL. We drove south looking for US98 and after several miles Andre felt we had missed something. We stopped and sure enough hurricane Katrina had blown over the sign that we should have seen headed south. We got directions and found the northbound sign still in tact. With only 15 minutes lost on the missed turn we moved onto US98 and cooler temperatures. The roads were wet with recent rains as we found the areas where the distant storms had been. It was drying off quickly and we never really got wet at all, but we enjoyed the temperature drop as we drove into Alabama. US98 leads south to Mobile, though we barely grazed the city. A few turns and our short stay in Alabama was pointing us towards Florida on I-10. We entered Florida as darkness set. Coming out of a tunnel onto a bridge that led across estuaries presented a spectacular view. It was unfortunate that we were riding into darkness as the Gulf of Mexico slipped into the night. What could have been a spectacular view of water, beaches, and natural habitat turned to ink. With the loss of light our focus was turned to the additional miles we had committed to drive. Riding about 80 miles more we were cruising past some 18-wheelers when I tried to signal Andre I had to stop for gas. He missed it and I pulled off at the exit to refuel. After exchanging cellphone calls and locations we finally met at a stop about 10 miles down the road. From there it was on to Tallahassee as temperatures continued to drop. By the time we arrived at about 11:00 that night I was freezing cold and very tired. We had been on the road for 14 hours and covered a lot of territory. We found a "Sleep Inn" where Andre had to fight the caffeine he had consumed before falling asleep. I, on the other hand, took seconds to find relief from the trip. I didn't hear a thing until early the next morning where I'll tell you about the last part of the trip.