2,000

I've reached 2000 miles this past week. The time has just flown by, and so have the miles! As my familiarity increases, the more comfortable I feel with Midnight. She pulls strong down low and brakes well. I love how she handles, though I wish the seat was a little higher!

I dropped the bike in my driveway recently. I made the mistake of trying to ride off with a disc brake lock still attached. However, I was able to instruct a (relatively) new rider on how easy it is to lift a bike from its side by means of demonstration since what little damage the bike had would not be increased.

(Incidentally, you put your butt against the saddle, pull the lowest handlebar in towards yourself and use your legs to push up and against the bike, walking it into an upright position. If the bike is on its left side, try putting the bike in gear. If the bike is on its right side, put the kickstand down and grab the brake lever when lifting the bike. Either way, it will help prevent the bike from rolling away when lifting it!)

See also: How to Lift a Bike

Next time, I'll use a "disc reminder," a stretchy plastic cord that hooks over the handlebar on one end and through the lock on the other. (My excuse: my old one disintegrated. That's the honest truth!)

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The state of Texas and the city San Antonio wants you to know this by posting this on their electronic signs:

I positively agree. Driving safely and texting later is not worth it. I'd like to text those people slowing down on the on ramp (formally known as "acceleration lanes") to get a little less safe and a little more on the throttle! Driving like you're afraid of the road kills me!

A Week of Riding

The 2 AM ride home has been interesting this past week.

A BARREL OF FUN

I had the pleasure of watching a full-size pickup truck drive at full highway speeds through an on ramp with several construction barrels under the vehicle. I backed off - way off - and watched as one of the barrels dislodged and unpleasantly bounced across my path. Naturally, I was well prepared for this possibility - and quite safe. Moments later, a police car who was monitoring the intersection and construction zone pulled the truck over. That the truck pulled over onto the left side of the road with the driver's door against the highway barrier leads me to think - among other obvious reasons - that this individual suffered from chemically induced impaired judgement.

RIDING IN THE RAIN

I also enjoyed riding in the rain. This was a first for me and midnight, but she handled superbly. On the way to work, traffic was very slow since enough San Antonians don't know what that wet stuff on the road is or how to drive on it, which in this case suited me fine. On the way back, I got to experience 68° weather with cool rain beating down on my leather/mesh gloves. My rain gear worked wonders, but some weather-resistant gloves were definitely in order. I also remembered how wonderful hand guards work to prevent things like trees, rocks, flying squirrels and cold rain from hitting your hands. (Mental note: shop for hand guards.)

In the rain of course, a young man rolled down his passenger side window at a stop light and said, "I bet you didn't see this coming!" I guess I'm a little socially awkward. I replied, "actually I did, and I love it." (Before I left work, I checked the weather map which showed a very active storm system over 100 miles across centered over San Antonio.) The man was kind and well-intentioned. But I really enjoyed the pattering of rain, the coolness rising under the chin bar of my helmet and the sloshing of rain under my tiers.

The most difficult part of riding a dual sport in the rain is relaxing enough to allow the bike to do its job properly without pushing it beyond it's traction threshold. In a turn, a motorcycle tire has more road contact than a car tire. However, once traction is broken, then without care, other things will break in turn... But riding in the dark on a rain covered road with invisible "road snakes" will cause the handlebar to twitch as if hydroplaning, but the bike will keep itself righted so long as the rider relaxes enough to let the sensation pass and is responsible enough to not react by breaking or swerving. Which is why riding on the near desolate, well-lighted streets of San Antonio at night is actually safer than during the day whenever it is raining.

Cool

When I think of winter or when the temperatures drop, I remember of some of the best rides and adventures I've ever had took place in that kind of weather.

But here, right now a cold front drifted in and has decided to make itself comfortable for about a week. The daytime received a much welcome respite from the 100° + days that brought asphalt on the way to work at 4:00 in the afternoon a blistering 107°, with temperatures "down" to 80 or 85° at 1:30 AM when I leave work. A mesh jacket worked quite well; I used the "3 season" rain liner for keeping warm in the zealous air conditioning that descends upon my cubicle.

Tonight presented a dilemma I've not considered in some time - certainly not since I returned to two wheels. When I stepped out of work, air in the 60's shocked me as slightly cooler than my cubicle! With a mild shiver, I pulled the liner out of my tail bag and fit it under my mesh jacket. I put my vented gloves on after my helmet. I regarded the other rider leaving at the same time: she wore a sweater and a 3/4 helmet. We both knew she would get very cold on the way home. I rode much farther - so I'd get a chance to test my gear and see how much protection Midnight gave me.

The ride did chill me a little. I noticed how little protection my hands have from the cold. Wind blew all around my legs and arms. The bike protected only my belly and chest. I forced myself to relax and get used to the cool; gripping the handlebar tightly and tensing up fatigues the body and lessens the ability to concentrate and maneuver gracefully.

The 25 mile ride home took me through spots as cold as 64° and as warm as 75°! But I enjoyed the mildly crisp air and the stars shone brightly when I could see them. Has fall arrived? I hope so! I look forward to making more memories as the weather begins to cool.

50+ MPG, One Less Car

This morning, I got all the flashy Suzuki lights blinking at me. Whenever I get down to "one bar" on the fuel gauge, a tiny little fuel pump starts blinking in the corner of my instrument panel. Once the fuel has dropped below a certain point in the gas tank, that one bar starts blinking, too.

With nary over 1,300 miles on this bike, I'm wondering if the headlight is going to blink next and how hard it would be to push the V-Strom to the next gas station.

Regardless, I made it home. The mpg readout before I filled up stated I averaged 53.8 mpg this past tank of gas. Not bad! I did chuckle as I added 4.77 gallons of gas to my 5.3 gallon fuel tank. I might have made it back to work with what was left!

Not that I would try... But it's good experience for when I'm touring and a long way from home to know that I've got 25 miles to safe and 50 miles to just plain out of luck.

Which reminds me of Aerostich's infamous motorcycle license plate holders:

Aerostich: One less car