Got a short ride in yesterday with my new helmet!

I don't even remember the last time I was out on the bike. Sure felt good to be out yesterday evening. The first biker I saw had a huge grin on his face and gave me a big wave. Yep, sure felt good. :-) I was planning to ride to work this morning but didn't. Wind gusts up to 80mph were being forecast for the evening. And as hubby pointed out, those winds tend to knock over parked bikes. And since I'd be the only bike parked, I wouldn't have the bigger bikes to buffet the wind, I decided to drive. Sucks. It is supposed to be 60 today. 40 tomorrow. Snow coming later in the week.

I got a new helmet for Christmas! I got to try it out yesterday so that was cool. I promptly adorned it with a reflective fleur de lis of course. :-)

Grumpy

Not being able to ride this week sure has made me grumpy. It was bitterly cold and snowy and icy at the start of the week. The ice stuck around on some of the roads all week long. The temps today are supposed to be close to 50, plenty warm enough to ride, but the sand and patches of ice here and there have kept my bike in the garage. And it is bumming me out big time. :-(

And the Saints lost in Chicago again.

Not a good week.

Snow and temperatures well below freezing are coming back on Sunday too.

Harrumph.

New accessories! Yay!

New over gloves from Aerostich! Got them from their clearance sale page. They are supposed to be for rainy or cold riding to keep your gloves and hands warm and dry. I haven't had a chance to test them out yet. Our cold weather came with snow and ice so no riding for me. And the warm day yesterday was too warm even for a jacket liner!



My sister-in-law and her hubby gave me this neat helmet liner to keep my visor from fogging up. Also very cool!! And I also haven't had a chance to test it yet. It attaches by velcro to the inside of the helmet. It comes with a sticky backed pad for the inside chin part. But, I discovered that my HJC already has velcro-like stuff built in there! Cool! The sides are attached by velcro to the cheek pads and also held in place by the chin straps that go over the top of them. It seemed to work well when I tried to breathe really hard to fog up the visor in the house. It doesn't work with the modular helmet though. But that's ok. I'm planning to get this new helmet maybe next season.

Earplugs

I finally started wearing earplugs while I ride, mostly on the advice of folks on the Rebel Board. Some one mentioned that a prolonged ride has adverse effects, which makes sense. But, they mentioned that a prolonged ride was over 30 minutes. My commute is that at the least and usually a bit longer, one way. They also talked about being able to hear certain things better with earplugs in, such as emergency vehicles and other cars around you, because the earplugs will block out the high engine noises. I was not convinced that was true until I could test it out for myself, and it was. I've also noticed I can hear other things about the bike now. For example, the spotlight rattle is much more clear! And there is some other little rattle that I haven't figured out yet where it is coming from. (It might be the exhaust down tube or pipe that we'd already listened to but now I can hear it better with the earplugs in.)

I think I'd like to try out some different kinds of earplugs. I've got the cheap disposable ones from Target and hubby has some similar ones from Lowes. But, I wonder if others might be more comfortable and longer lasting.

Sunny day

So, of course, today is nice and sunny, the way yesterday was supposed to be. And I drove the car to work. Sigh. I was so cold all day yesterday, even had to run the space heater under my desk to warm up. I felt like I never did warm up from the ride in the morning. So, I drove today. And now I wish I had the moto. Oh well. Maybe I can leave work a bit early and take it Costco to gas up. That would be a nice quick run.

As hubby said, "Woulda, coulda, shoulda."

Getting colder......

I took yesterday off from work to clean before Turkey Day arrives. Today I rode to work as it was supposed to be warmer than yesterday, which was a nice day. The high was supposed to be near 60 degrees. I think they were mistaken. It was also supposed to be sunny. Not so. I'm thinking it won't be any colder than it was on the ride in, so I should be just fine. But, I was kind of hoping for some sunshine. I guess those days are numbered. Should be snowy (maybe) by Thanksgiving. :-(

Might be time to begin the wrenching projects. :-)

Paying attention - acting or reacting?

So, the other day, on the way home from work, I had this experience where I correctly evaluated a situation but chose not to take evasive action. Turned out fine, no problem at all but it was a situation that given again, I would have done differently. Here is a crudely drawn map showing the situation.

I am the yellow motorcycle following a safe distance behind the red car. Following a safe distance behind me is the purple car. There is no other traffic behind it. The red car signaled its intention to turn right. I travel this route every day and am usually in this lane and am anticipating cars making this turn, either onto the street or into the parking lot of the vet on the corner. As I scanned in anticipation, I noticed the blue car wishing to leave the parking lot and make the right turn onto Broadway. What I've determined is that the red car will probably also see the blue one and might make the turn more slowly into the parking lot and that I would have enough time to slow down. I've also determined that there is no traffic in the lane to my left and that it would be safe to change lanes should the red car decide to stop. I've also determined that the purple car is also slowing and is also far enough behind me to not pose a problem should I change lanes.

All of those deductions were accurate and indeed the red car did slow a lot and nearly came to a stop wishing to allow the blue car to leave the parking lot before it entered.

However, despite the fact that I made the proper evaluation, I maintained my position and did not slow nearly enough in time for all of it to play out. I didn't have to slam on the brakes and didn't even almost rear end the red car, but I put myself in a position that I should not have been in. I didn't react to my own correct interpretation of the situation.

Was I distracted? Not really listening to myself? Was I simply not really paying attention? Thinking about it shortly after the event played out, and it was hardly an event, I think I was just thinking of too many other things. I was not yet out of town but was still processing my day while on the bike. What I should have been doing was processing my ride as it was happening.

And it wasn't a close call by any stretch but just something that made me realize that I wasn't listening or paying attention. I was too comfortable in the predictability of the route perhaps. I need to not just pay attention but be fully engaged and ready to act and not just react.

A good lesson and not a painful one.

Commute & new parts bike

Rode to work today. Haven't done that in a while. I got all bundled up because the TV said it was 41 degrees when I left. It sure didn't feel that cold. Not that I'm complaining, but I definitely had on more layers than I needed. Oh well. I should enjoy it while it lasts. :-) It was pretty windy too. The high today is supposed to be close to 70. Tomorrow is supposed to be over 70 a bit. Yay!

Hubby and I took to the new parts bike yesterday. I had been calling the other bike the "parts bike" so we've decided to call this one the "wrecked bike" so we can differentiate between them. They were both black so we couldn't use their color to distinguish them. Although, the newest one is an 87 and the other an 86 so maybe we can call them 87 parts bike and 86 parts bike.

I keep staring at the 87 parts bike and imagining the wreck it was in. Yikes.

I've got a few of the easy parts off that I plan to sell on the Rebel board. Maybe I'll post that tonight if I get more photos ready. I need to double check one of the parts to make sure I have it on the 86 parts bike. I'm not really sure what prices I should ask for but we'll see what happens there.

Birthday & snow

Yesterday was the big 4-0 for me! I took the day off and considered riding but decided instead to shop. Gotta have the car when you are birthday shopping!

This morning we got our first bit of snow in the metro area. It was still falling when I arrived at work. Should be back in the 70s by Sunday, or so I hear them say. We shall see.

I'm looking at getting a new helmet. I've been wearing the HJC helmets because they are the only ones that seem to fit. The Scorpion, which hubby wears, is too tight (for a small) and too big (for the medium). The Shoei , which my brother wears, fits too weirdly. The Arai, that comes in different shapes, pinches my ears. But, I tried on an Icon, and it seemed juuust right. But, now that the season is about over, I think I'll wait to buy it later on. Or try to find a closeout model around Christmas or something. Hubby is sad about my helmet situation I think because he bought me the HJC modular that I asked for last Christmas. The problem with the helmets I own is that the pads stretch out and make the helmet too big after I wear them for about a year. And I'm already wearing an XS and can't get them any smaller. Icon's XS seems to fit just fine but they also make an XXS. I never thought my head was so tiny but I guess it is. Oh well, it is properly proportioned to the rest of my body. :-) Well, we'll see how long those proportions last now that I am 40!

Anyway.......

Happy (early) Birthday to me!

Hehehe. I can't stop...buying Rebel 450s! We could not pass this one up!





Just bought it from Craig's List from a very nice guy who even delivered it. He bought it from the original owner who'd wrecked it pretty good in 1996. So, it had been sitting outside ever since. Amazingly enough, the engine fires more or less right up! Very cool. I think it may even sound better than my perfectly good bike. Weird. I can't believe how excited I am to have this banged up thing.

The bad, aside from the obvious, is that the tank is rusty. But the good is the engine and some of the parts I'm missing from the other parts bike like a headlight, pipes, and a few other things. Yay! I'm looking at it as an investment really. I know lots of folks who will need parts from this bike or the other. So, yay me!

Thank you Super Cool Husband of mine for the early birthday present!!

Behind the Water Truck

On my commute home last night I ended up behind a water truck that of course was leaking water behind it. I tried to stay back from it but it really didn't matter as the trail of wet pavement was there no matter my position. At first I tried to ride to the extreme right of the lane. (This was on hwy 128.) It seemed drier there but I couldn't then see the oncoming traffic and they couldn't see me. It was a fairly large truck that I also didn't have an opportunity to pass. Sigh. Eventually, it stayed on 128 when I turned onto Indiana so that was good. But, it got me thinking about what the dangers really were in that situation. I maintained what I thought was a safe speed but I'm not really sure how I could have or should have approached that situation. Something to think about for sure.

Handguards

Hubby added the National Cycle hand guards to my bike. I really like the look of them and so far they work ok. I think we still need to tweak them a bit although I'm not sure how we can. Here are some pics of them.






There is a gap on the right one because of the brake fluid box. I can't move it any closer to close that gap. You can sort of see the difference when you compare how close the inside edge is to the grip. They look awesome I think. They are also easy to install. Well, they did need some modification. Hubby had to cut the ends to make them shorter. I don't think we took any before pics. These were supposed to be the model for the 250 Rebel but when I got the package it said it was for a different bike. It was the right number so there wasn't an error on the part of the ebay seller. It seems to be marked wrong in the National Cycle catalog or something. At any rate, I figured we'd have to modify them somehow. So, it wasn't a big deal really.

Cage

I got in my car yesterday to get ready to go home after work, looked at my odometer and it said 92 miles. I thought to myself, I'd better stop to get gas. Then I remembered I was in my car not on the bike.

I need to get back on the bike and quit driving so much.

Looks like fall!

Aargh! Winter temps?!!

Well, I've been a wuss and haven't ridden at all this week! It was soooo cold on Monday; I actually had to scrape ice off my car windshield. Black ice on the roads too! Sigh. I am so not ready for cold temps yet. This morning it was still in the low 30s but the high temps are creeping back up the rest of the week. I'm planning to ride tomorrow. It isn't like I haven't ridden in the cold before. It's just that I wasn't ready for it right now. I've got these fancy new hand guards for my bike too. Maybe hubby will put them on this weekend if he doesn't have to work. That would be very nice. I wonder where that really warm balaclava might be.....

I've got some new gloves to try out as well. Got them at my favorite motorcycle gear store - Motogear Outlet in Arvada. I guess, I'll be trying out my new boots as well since I haven't ridden in the cold with them yet.

Windy Ride to Work

I rode in to work via highway 93. Wee-ee it was windy! I was leaning over into the wind and fighting to stay on the rode. And when cars and trucks went by I tucked behind the windshield. That especially helped with the larger trucks like semis. It was fun though nerve wracking. I think it is supposed to be windier as the day goes on. We'll see. Yay!

Road Kill

A car ran over a squirrel right in front of me today. (shiver) There is nothing that creeps me out more! Good thing I was almost to work. (See also)

what a crappy crappy day at work

It all started yesterday. I won't bore you with the non-motorcycle related details but I went home in a bad mood. I had to find some one to vent to before even getting on the bike to go home. That took about half an hour but luckily I felt much better after venting. (Thanks boss for lending an ear!) Got home, had a nice dinner, but after spewing about my day again (just couldn't let it go) I was all wound up. So, I went to bed early. This morning, I was not moving with any sense of urgency to get to work. So, I decided to go to FedEx to pick up my package. That would make me feel better. I'd called them last night to make sure they'd hold it for me. I was told to call in the morning before going just in case. So, I called but it was too early for them to say definitively if it was still there. So, I thought, this is a good excuse to go to work late. So, I checked in with my officemate, who once again covered for my absence. (High five GH!) Not that there is anything so urgent that we do at work that I can't be a slacker once in a while. And anyway, she knew the saga of my bad day.

So, I made it to FedEx about 9:00 and was on the rode to work by 9:20.

I get to work after riding on I-70 from FedEx and then US36 into Boulder, ready to tackle the day. Well, not so much. A little more drama than I was ready for and then the servers go down. So, I actually couldn't do any work. This must be a sign. I'm outta there I tell GH. She agrees and tells me to ride safely.

My mood immediately lightens. I think I'll do that lunch ride I've been putting off. A scenic and slow ride from Boulder to Nederland and home again. That should clear my mind. I shut down the computer, grab my gear, say see ya tomorrow to GH and head out the door...

Only to see this! Will this crappiness never end!!??!!


I know from experience that the FedEx guy will be out shortly but it just summed up the past 24 hours so well I had to take a picture. And I had time because I certainly wasn't going anywhere.

A couple of minutes later I was on my way. I thought about stopping for gas as I had about half a tank. But, there were no gas stations conveniently located so I figured I'd fill up in Nederland (about 20 miles away).

The leaves are changing here so the view was awesome. I didn't stop for many photos though as it is a windy road with lots of gravel pull outs. I just didn't feel like tackling gravel on a slope. I got behind a speed limit driving car which was just fine by me. I wasn't in a hurry and hadn't been on this road before on the bike, so taking it slow was the way to go. Many other cars and bikes were not feeling the same and a few made some passes on double yellow curvy bits. Yikes. That made me uncomfortable to say the least. But, I went on without any trouble.

The bike started bucking a bit as if I was running out of gas so I switched to reserve. I'm not sure that was actually the reason and need to talk to hubby about that. Anyway, I got to town, filled up, and kept on to Hwy 72 which heads back to Arvada and home.

It was a very quick and sharp left onto 72! Took me by surprise a bit. This road is much curvier than 119. And I did manage to find a safe spot to pull over for some photos. It was a decent ride, more challenging than I anticipated. But, I was able to cross that off the to do list! Yay! I think I'll try to do the ride to Nederland and back to Boulder on lunch from now on. It will get me out of the office and clear my head. There are some nice photo ops on that road too but they were all on the opposite side from me today.

Next Season's Riding Goal

Before I forget to post it, my goal for next riding season is to attend Dirt Bike School, preferably with my niece. I've already told her we'd do it for her birthday. Now we just have to figure out where it will be and when we can attend. :-)

Riding goal - a mountain pass

Should have planned to do this earlier in the season but I think there may still be time. We'll have to get up early and get on the road to beat the afternoon (or noon) storms over the passes. And the potential rain. Google maps says it is about 4 hours and 200 miles. :-) This would give us two passes to go over. Of course if the weather looked iffy, we could just turn around and go back the way we came without going over both. So much to do, do little time. Well, hubby? What say you? ;-)

What's this noise?

On the way to work yesterday I kept hearing this rattling noise. It sounds like it is right in my ears or in my helmet. Now, my helmet does rattle a little but this wasn't that noise. I kept tilting my head to try to figure out where it was coming from, looking in the mirror to see if there was something tapping me on the head some where. And then on the way home, it sounded worse, well louder anyway. It had me worried that I should pull over because something might be wrong with the bike. I couldn't figure out where it was coming from and it was really driving me to distraction. I did notice when I tucked my head behind the windshield I couldn't hear it. (That made me think earlier that it was my helmet and the wind.) But, when I put my head down and to the left, I couldn't hear it. When I put my head down and to the right I could hear it. It also seemed to only be there above 45 miles per hour. It definitely sounds like it is coming form the front of the bike.

One thought was that it is my spotlight. The left one is loose. But, when I shake it I can't recreate the noise. I'll try tightening it tonight (I drove today) to see if that changes anything. I'll also try wearing my other helmet to see if that changes anything. I also need to check my spokes. Would they make a noise??

There are other things that vibrate and rattle on the bike when it is idling in neutral that I can't figure out. (It is 22 years old.) But, this is something new and different. Hubby noticed a weird humming noise as well.

Oh, the other thing it could be is the rear shock. The damper (is that what it's called) or some piece inside the shock is loose. I also have those hard saddle bags with things in them that bounce around. That makes noises as well but I can usually tell what those noises are. I need to get my shocks replaced, front and rear. Winter projects hear we come....

catching up

It sure has been busy since I've gotten back to work and gotten over my cold. Riding takes a bite out of the stress though. Riding to work gets me there in a relaxed state and gives me something to look forward to at the end of the work day as well. The leaves are changing here so my scenic views have changed as well. It is a nice cool ride in the mornings and not so hot and sunny in the evenings. Of course, all of that means the season is getting shorter as well which makes me sad. I wonder if there is still time to reach my riding goal for this season. The longer I put it off, the less likely I'll be getting over any passes. Trail Ridge Road is still open for the season but it has closed a couple of times already. I'm thinking this weekend might be my best bet. I've got plans for the first two weekends in October and after that, who knows what the weather will be like. Berthoud Pass is also showing dry roads. Today's high is supposed to be in the upper 70s and the rest of the week should be in the 80s. I'll have to talk to hubby about this... [Hello love! Wanna ride this weekend?]

drove to work today...

I decided to drive the car to work today. I was so tired when I got home yesterday, I thought maybe I still need to rest and recover more before tackling the added pressure of today's nationally televised football game at CU. We've been getting emails at work from the campus telling us how much more traffic there will be due to this football game. We've even been told to leave early if we feel we need to. So, with that in mind, I decided it would be better to fight the cagers while in the comfort of my own cage. And wouldn't you know it, on the way to work this morning I was almost crunched twice! Grrr. And that didn't even have anything to do with the extra football traffic yet to come.

On a side note.... why is it that there are lots of Honda Magnas out there and none of them belong to me? Sigh.

Back in the saddle again...

It has been about 3 weeks since I've ridden and only because I've been out of town, then sick and then out of town again. I really missed riding. :-( But, I'm almost feeling better now, definitely well enough to commute, so I'm back on the bike and back at work. Yee haw!

A guy on a BMW passed me at a red light yesterday. Jackass. He didn't even stop for the light, which is what I was doing. No one likes to stop at that light for some reason. As if it is exempt. That makes me so mad. But, what can you do?

no news

So, I went out of town for work and have been sick since then and am going out of town again. Haven't ridden in a couple of weeks. :-(

Hubby has been working on the blinker situation.

turn signals in the new saddle bags

Hubby met me in Boulder for dinner yesterday. He followed me home and when I asked him about the turn signals in the new saddle bags, he said they are insufficient, maybe dangerously so. He says they are not very bright and they are very small. I think maybe he'll play around with them when I am out of town this coming week. I don't think we can make them bigger but maybe we can make them brighter. Stay tuned...

Fleur de lis reflectivity

The new saddle bags have some added reflectivity! I got these fabulous fleur de lis stickers on ebay. Yay! I really like how they look on the bags. They are the perfect size and seem fairly sturdy as well. Yay! Now I need something on the sides. I've got some sheets of black reflective stickers and also the pinstripe tape. Maybe I'll just frame the bags in the black. Or just add the sheets on the side as a full panel. Can't be too reflective I think. :-) Conspicuity is my friend.

Lunch break

I'm considering doing this for lunch. We'll see how the day goes. I've been pretty busy lately so I may not get to break away. Sigh. I can feel the end of the season coming. It's been in the 50s in the mornings. But, it is supposed to be hot again this week.

I just remembered...I have a telecon over lunch.... Dang it.

Shocks, stickers, cabinets...

Hubby adjusted my shocks yesterday morning. What a difference! I hadn't really realized how soft they were. They've always been that way and I guess I just never thought about it. That reminded me how little riding experience I really have. But, now, when I am leaving or returning to the driveway, that huge bump where the street meets the sidewalk isn't so horrible. I think this winter we'll have to change the front and rear. The right front and the left rear have leaks.

I also got my fleur de lis reflective stickers in the mail yesterday! I was hoping one would fit on my helmet but they are a bit too large. I've already got other stickers on their anyway so that's ok. I bought these with the intention of putting them on the saddle bags. I haven't sat down with them yet to see what they'll look like. They are silvery so they won't blend in like the sheets of black that I also bought. But, we'll see. Maybe they'll fit on the back and I can put the black sheets on the sides.

On Sunday, hubby hung the last of the cabinets in the garage. I now have my own! I promptly filled them with the parts from the black rebel parts bike. Yay! :-) I've got other spare parts as well, oil filters, air filters, spark plugs, and some other random accessories like my Saints license plate frame and my grip warmers. I really hope we add those this season. I'll have to get new grips, which I want to do anyway, some fatter ones would be nice. These sport bike ones are too skinny and hurt my hands. I feel like I have to hold them too tightly. I may need to get some risers as well if I switch out the handle bars.

New Boots

I bought these new boots from MotoGear Outlet last Friday. I really like them so far. I think they are a half size too big but with some inserts and hiking socks they work just fine. I didn't realize how much my foot slides forward in them when I was wearing them around the store. But, a couple of trips on the bike and putting my foot down at stops made me realize that. Something to keep in mind when I try on my next pair. They are TCX Oxtar Sun Ray women's boots. Italian made, waterproof (haven't tested that yet), leather, gore-tex lined, CE certified, shift pad on both, and very comfy. Didn't take anything to break them in either. No velcro, only one inside zipper. Very nice!

work parking lot

This was the day before Ride to Work Day I think. I got the last spot on the end! It's been almost this full everyday this summer.

P-U!

Yuck! I washed my gear last night and put way too much spray and wash on them. I even did an extra rinse cycle and I can still smell it. Maybe I put too much soap. A few days on the road should clear it up though. :-)

New Bags Installed!

Yippey! Hubby comes through again. :-) He installed these today. It was a nice cool day to be working on the bike too. Didn't get out to ride today but we did ride with his sister and her husband yesterday. It was really fun to hang with them all day. Nice to have a hobby we can all share.

They're heeere!!

The saddle bags have arrived in the mail! Woo hoo!!!!!! :-D

Not Motorcycle Related but....

That bumper sticker is on my car. I'll never sell that car. Who dat!! I stole the other image from the Saints web site. :-) Go Saints!!

Park-n-Ride

It rained a lot last night. And since hubby came out in the car to meet some friends of ours for dinner, and it was really late, and I decided it wasn't so fun riding in a down pour on the highway with cars passing me at even faster speeds, we parked the bike for the night and drove home in the car. It'll get picked up hopefully today. Seems safe enough (fingers crossed) and definitely dryer. It is supposed to rain again this evening. I was very sad leaving it there. Still am. Guess I will be until it is home. I miss it. :-(

Rainbow

I found this photo that I took last year (Aug 15, 2007).

:-)

Post rain ride....

I've been pondering what steps I should take now that I've ridden in a down pour. I'll buy some chain wax on the way home I think. Aside from the chain, I'm not sure there is anything else I really need to worry about. I should probably check my mileage as it should be close to time for an oil change again. Hubby's windshield adjusted itself in the rain on the ride. He said he was going to pull over to fix it but since it was even he left it alone. Water must have gotten in and lubricated the mount or something.

I've also noticed, not that this has anything to do with the rain, my MPG have been pretty consistently at 57 or so. I also have been filling it up more closely to the top of the tank lately. Seems like I got much more gas in when I last filled up.

Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Trail Ridge Road

Estes Park is one of my most favorite places in Colorado!

Here are our bikes warming up for the ride! Hubby's is a green CX500, mine is the silver Rebel 450. We packed lunch, beverages and rain gear.


So, the plan was to meet up with my sister-in-law and her husband (on their Beemers) at the Beaver Meadows visitor's center at 10:30 where we would then head up Trail Ridge Road.

We, hubby and our friend on her Ninja250, got there amazingly enough right at 10:30. Here are the bikes at the visitor's center...

and with Long's Peak in the background...


The Beemers were a little late, running on dog time and also into some traffic on the way. For some reason, maybe because it is so dang hot in the big city, the place was really crowded. Took us a while just to get through the entrance gate. But, it was nice and sunny and not even close to the 100 degree temps we'd left behind. So, no worries! We were off!

I was the leader of our pack since it was my personal riding goal to go over a mountain pass that put us on this path in the first place. We start heading up the road - so beautiful in the park - and I start seeing cars with their wipers on. Then the drops start. I find a nice wide pull out and we all put our rain jackets on. We pass a sign that says be prepared for rapidly changing weather, and I swear as soon as we pass that sign it starts to hail. Holy smokes! Not really big hail but big enough that I can see it landing on my tank bag. The speed limit in the park is 35mph and we are probably going between 25 - 30 depending on the road conditions and surrounding traffic. So, it isn't painful enough that any of us want to stop.

We then come to a larger scenic pull out where I pull over again. I had my mesh pants on and needed to put on my liners. Our Ninja friend did the same. This area was pretty crowded with lots of cars, vans, campers, motorcycles and people walking through the lot to get to the restrooms. While I was changing I heard this honking and some people talking but by the time I came out I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Later hubby told me a guy on a Harley was moving slowly through the parking lot and a car backed right into him and knocked him over. I guess he and the bike were ok and they made their peace with each other about it.

So, we head up the road again, riding through rain, hail and sunshine all the way. Fortunately it wasn't windy. That would have probably been the end of it for me. I was warm enough even though I'd forgotten my warmer gloves. We were traveling slowly enough that I could rest my left hand out of the wind and keep it warm.

Up above treeline it got a bit clearer so that was good. But it also got more crowded. People seem to think it is ok to drive on the tundra to take pictures of the animals. There was a traffic jam because of a few elk near the road. Cars stopped just anywhere blocking the road, causing dangerous situations for everyone else. But, we did ok and got through it.

And then beyond the bend was the Alpine Visitor's Center. Yay! We could finally stop and warm up and eat our lunch. But wait, where in the heck are we going to park? It was a crazy mad house in the parking lot! Unbelievable. And yet, there is was and there we were in the midst of it. People were about to throw down over parking spaces it was so crowded. Brother-in-law grabbed a spot at the end of the row with the stripped lines for no parking. We all clambered into that same area but it wasn't flat enough for all of us to fit and lean the bikes on the side stands. So, sister-in-law and I, being at the head of the bunch, were planning to scoot up to the end of the row ahead when we saw that the truck in the end parking space was leaving. We managed to scoot between the traffic and pull right in behind him as he pulled out. That was much better and much safer for all of us.

So, with the sun shining we put our helmets and jackets on the bikes, grabbed our lunch and walked to the visitor's center.


While we were sitting outside we felt a few drops and decided to head it. The sun had gone behind the clouds too so it was getting chilly. At some point, while we were eating inside, someone looked out the window at the sunshine and said, "Is it raining?" And it was. It was pouring. That good old southern kind of rain that comes straight down and drenches you, except it was much colder. We sat around a bit pondering how wet our gear might be, how wet we'd get walking over to the bikes, and how long it might go on.

Sister-in-law then says, "We still have to go further down the road to meet your goal." We hadn't crossed the divide yet. But, we eventually decided that the weather was bad enough and the park close enough that we could try again another day. Really it was my call. I didn't think going on only to have to come back was worth it. And I was getting cold. And then we saw the lightning. That sealed it. Time to head back down.

The entire way down we rode in this down pour. Ugh. Hubby led us down. He has more discipline to go slowly than I do. We queued up and took our place in the line of traffic heading down the road. But wait! Another traffic jam! Grrr. This time we are stopped in a line of cars, in the rain and lightning, trying to keep our bikes from shutting off. We were all thinking (or trying not to think) about the same thing - who knows CPR when one of us gets struck by lightning? But, what can you do. Eventually, we saw the reason for the traffic jam, elk, on the side of the road, and cars strewn about trying to get photos. Grrr.

It rained the entire way down, all the way back to the visitor’s center where we started at the entrance to the park. We were all completely drenched all the way down to our toes. Squishy boots and all. Sigh. Should have sealed them a long time ago. Oh well. We then drove into Estes for some hot beverages and of course by the time we parked the bikes it had stopped raining. And by the time we crossed the street, the sun was out. Sigh.


The Givi bags on sister-in-law's bike were vacuum sealed from being nearly 12,000 feet up and they had a heck of a time getting them open. And here is a shot of the Rebel and the CX.


A good time was had by all in spite of the traffic, the weather, and the unmet goal of going over the pass. We all had smiles on our faces for sure. This was the longest ride yet for our Ninja friend who told us the longest ride she’d done so far was 30 miles.

We traveled about 184 miles or so. Our highest point was the Alpine Visitor’s center or perhaps somewhere along the road to the center. First time riding in a group for me and hubby. First time riding in a down pour for us. First time riding in hail. It is also the highest we’ve ever been on the bikes. It was tons of fun!!

I drove to work today though. I was so tired this morning and my boots weren’t dry yet. We have already begun discussing our next attempt at the pass. Maybe Saturday since our passes will still be good and we won't have to pay the entrance fee. And the next time we think we'll go all the way over so we don't get stuck on the top again. If we do that we'll have to cross another pass to get back home! That'll be fun!



The Rebel did just fine at altitude. I think the slow going was hard, traveling at 20mph at 11,000 feet as opposed to going at higher speeds and higher RPMs. It did die once but fired right up as I was rolling along. Well, it died twice if you count the time I accidentally hit the kill switch.

The Willie and Max bags are NOT waterproof in a down pour. Neither are the rain jackets and liners of my mesh pants. I was soaked through.

We hadn't ever waterproofed our shoes either. In Colorado we use waterproofing stuff for snow. It just doesn't rain enough to worry about it in the summer. So, getting soaked yesterday certainly wasn't very fun. Our feet were dyed blue from the leather.

We did well riding together through the park even though we'd never done that before. Our friend's Ninja was having a little trouble staying running. She's had problems with it dying when she pulls the clutch in but she seemed to manage it ok. It is under warranty so I hope she can get it taken care of soon and wants to ride with us again. Yay!

I was too tired and cold, and too busy concentrating on riding safely in the weather, to notice if my butt got tired. My back was tired from leaning over so much in the weather.

There were tons of motorcycles on the road and they all waved. Well, except in the really bad rain, nobody was taking their hands off the handlebars at that point.

Pay day! Woo hoo!

I just ordered some of these! Hehehe. I've been wanting some and thought, what the hell. If I keep waiting until there aren't any bills or other pressing things, well, I'll never get them.

Quick Stops

After bragging yesterday to my hubby how well I executed a quick stop at a light, this morning on the way to work, I wasn't so successful. :-( It was quite dramatic actually, squealing tires and lots of smoke and a big ol' pick up truck behind me who fortunately was paying attention. I wasn't. That's why I had to quick stop. It was basically the same scenario as yesterday's successful one - I'd turned my head to look at something and when I looked back the light was yellow. Yesterday was very smooth and no witnesses. There wasn't any traffic behind me or around me. No squealing tires. No locked brakes. This morning, well, it was my own fault really. I did several things that I shouldn't have. I was behind a large delivery truck although not too close behind or so I thought. I was starting to think about backing off more because the lanes went from two to one. I knew there was a vehicle behind me but I wasn't paying very close attention to it. We were also coming to an intersection were there has been some construction and the lights are positioned differently because of that. Right when I was thinking I was too close to the truck in front to see the lights clearly, I also looked away, probably at some bird or something, and when I looked back the truck was already passing through the intersection cleanly giving me a clear view of the yellow light. I couldn't really tell where I was in the intersection, because of the construction there are no lines painted there at the moment. There was a car in the on coming turning lane and another preparing to move through from my right side. I had enough time to see them but not enough to see if they were all stopping so I just hit the brakes. And I hit them much too hard. Rear tire locked, loud squealing, lots of smoke, a little sliding, but I remained under control and didn't drop it. And I managed to stop before entering the intersection. It wasn't until I stopped completely that I looked in my mirror (at the smoke) and saw the pick up behind me. Yikes! Thank you pick up truck driver for paying attention to me.

I need to practice those quick stops.

Sigh. Gotta stay focused too and pay attention to everything. I find that I fixate on a problem instead of scanning for everything. For example, the other day, well ahead of me, a fox ran across the road. So, I've been scanning the grass for foxes and in the process not seeing all the cars around me. I'm not sure how to correct that. I'll have to check the Proficient Motorcycling books and maybe do some of the practice exercises in there. Maybe I should vary my route to work more too. I'm starting to get too comfortable and anticipating good rides (instead of preparing for the unexpected) since I've been so fortunate in my riding. If I take a different route it will make me look for those unexpected things.

Shifting the Rebel

Folks on the Rebel Board are always discussing how to get the most speed out of the Rebel - mostly in reference to the 250 since there are more of those around than the 450. Everyone says the bike likes to be wound up, sort of like a sport bike, before shifting into higher gears. So, I've listened intently to the discussions and put it in the back of my mind. I've never felt the need for speed, mostly I am on surface roads even on my 25 mile commute to work. But, I can occasionally venture onto the highway as well. And I've never had trouble getting the bike up to 65mph when needed. But, I still wonder, how much speed is there in this bike?

So, over the past few weeks I've been practicing the late shifting thing. It is pretty amazing the difference it makes. I get up to speed in lower gears and have so much left. I don't have to go wide open throttle (WOT) to get up to speed. Not that I didn't before but, now I can get up to speed with much less effort. And I can adjust my speed better as well.

And then, last night, hubby adjusted the idle. (Thanks Love!) The ride into work this morning seemed effortless. I was worried because I'm so used to the high revs but now it feels and sounds so much better. Of course that was just on the way to work this morning and it was a pretty cool morning. But, I also got on highway 36 at Superior (because of all the construction) and that was quite fun. We'll see how the hot ride home turns out. That had been the problem. Once the bike is hot it stays hot and the idle was twice what it was supposed to be.

So, once again, I must say, I love this bike. I've been looking at other bikes just to have something different, but this Rebel keeps me happy.

Still, a Magna would be nice. :-)

New Bikes in the Family!

My sister in law and her husband just got these spiffy new bikes! I am so envious but excited to have more riding buddies! In fact we are planning to ride this weekend. My riding goal for this season was to ride over a mountain pass. So, the plan is to ride to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park to ride over Trail Ridge Road. I was hoping that would be my first pass since I do love that part of Colorado. :-)

Night ride

After work yesterday I had a meeting down south with a colleague. It was a fairly long and hot trek during evening rush hour. It has been really hot here lately. Anyway, we were there at the restaurant until about 9:00pm. That made for a very nice, cool and relaxing evening ride home. It was about 35 miles from work to the restaurant and then about 12 miles home from there. Got to use my spotlights again. They are so super bright. But that made me think about my current headlight. Maybe it isn't bright enough?? So, along those lines, this morning on the way to work, it was sort of cloudy so I turned on the spotlights again. At a stop light, I noticed in my reflection on the back of an SUV that I could only see the two spotlights and not the headlight. So, I double checked it when I parked and it was on but very dim. So, I'll ride with my high beams on until I can get that replaced.

All of these little things are starting to add up now. But, the bike is over 20 years old...

Grrrrr!!!!!

Some jackass nearly ran me out of my lane on the way to work this morning! Grrr! I was turning left from Baseline onto 30th, which is a double left. I was in the right left turning lane and he was in the left left turning lane. We both waited for the bus to go by and for the all clear but he decided he had to swing all the way out and make a wide turn and push me out of the way. I laid on the horn which did nothing at all. He didn't turn to look, didn't slow down, didn't even drift back to the proper lane. He wasn't actually drifting at all into my lane but purposefully changing lanes while turning. Jackass! Fortunately I saw this and got out of the way. I laid on the horn through the turn and got no reaction from him! Crazy! Time to upgrade the horn I guess. I'm sure he saw me too. I was right next to him with my hi-viz yellow jacket on before he even started moving. Grrrrrr!!!!

Just had to vent. I was so mad. I swear the most dangerous part of my commute is between 30th and Baseline and the driveway into the parking lot. I always almost get crushed along that last part of my route. I do look for it though so have never ever really had any close calls. I believe in scanning, evaluating, executing, and also anticipating. I'd much rather give myself time to not be in an accident, even if I have the right of way, in any situation.

Jackass!! Grrr!

Regular maintenance

Well, it seems as though my bike was back firing more than usual so we did a spark plug and air filter check. They were all fine - nice and clean plugs and the filter isn't terribly dirty yet. It was good to remember that I need to check those things periodically. I also realized, in the process of pulling my tools out of my saddle bags, that I didn't have my CruzTool in the bag. I eventually found it in my other tool bag. Gotta remember to put my toys away properly. I asked hubby if he'd put up a cabinet in the garage for my stuff. He said sure. :-) He's been working on getting the garage organized since we moved into the house. It is looking very nice so far. We found some used cabinets at the Habitat for Humanity store in Denver and they look great! I don't think the plan is to get any more vehicles in the garage but that's ok. The motos (the ones that run) are already in there.

I haven't yet taken my torn seat in for repair although I did remove it and put the "spare" one on for now. Of course, it hasn't rained since I did that. Oh well. I want to take it to Twin Peaks Leather in Arvada and begin the customization process. :-) Maybe I should get some how to paint your motorcycle books from the library too.

Leaking forks?

I think this means (and hubby concurs) I need to replace my fork seals. He says it will be a winter project. That sounds like it will take a long time. :-(

Scenic route

I can't believe it has been almost a month since my last post! I took some time off from riding when I got my new tattoo. It is on my calf so I didn't want to wear my boots. But now that it's healed a bit more I feel better about it. The boots aren't that high anyway but I like to pull my socks up to my knee.

Speaking of boots, I'd really like to get some new ones.


Took this on the way to work this morning. :-)

My usual route is under construction. The road is being repaved so it is not fun to ride on or drive on for that matter. So, I've been taking the scenic route which isn't really very much longer but can be a bit more congested. I usually come home this way and have always wanted to stop at this trailhead for a photo-op. But, the light is usually not great at 5pm. This morning is was nice and clear so I stopped.

Downtown!

I rode downtown today for a workshop. I haven't ridden downtown very often and never during business hours. I left early enough though that I didn't have much stop and go at all. But, driving east in the morning and west in the afternoon sure ain't fun. But, it was fun to have that experience. It is a different kind of awareness for that ride. My normal scanning heading to work is for prairie dogs, deer, coyote, elk, and that sort of stuff. In the city, it is bikes, scooters, pedestrians, drivers in a huge hurry, and that sort of stuff. No worries though. It was a nice ride. :-)

I was able to stop in at MotoGear Outlet on the way home and pick up my chin curtain for my helmet. Yay! Now maybe I won't get so much stuff in my eyes.

The other day I stopped at a place on the way home that turned out to be closed. But, in the time it took me to park, get my helmet and gloves off, walk to the door, turn around and walk back to the bike, a bee had decided to attack my left hand grip. I didn't see it until I after I'd put the key in the ignition. Then I jumped back and did the fear of bee thing that most of us do. I wasn't sure what to do really so I just put my gear on quickly and closed my helmet just in case it decided my hi-viz yellow jacket would be attractive. I really didn't have to do anything though. It is just that irrational fear of bees that most of us have that kicked in. I'm not even allergic so it wasn't critical or anything. Anyway, it did just fly away shortly after I got all my gear on. So, I jumped on the bike and drove off.... as if it might chase me or something. Pretty silly but, oh well. :-) All the way home I felt like I had bugs in my jacket.

Spring/Summer

So, today it is back to feeling like spring. Yesterday it was a hot summer day. I should have pulled over and bought something cool to drink on my way home. Towards the end of the day I started feeling icky. I had an earache and some popping going on which had me worried that I was getting sick. So, I was a bit tired by the time I got on the bike to head home. My first stoplight puts me facing into the sun for what seems like a long time. I have to sit with my head down just to keep from over heating. That's the first problem. (I need to research my route out of Boulder again.) Then I kept talking myself out of stopping to get something to drink. That's usually a good indication that I am tired or over heated. At any rate I made it home without stopping. Hubby looked at me and said I looked over heated. I felt it too. I took my boots off, and drank two glasses of ice water. Then we went to dinner in my car with the a/c on and sat in an air conditioned restaurant. By the time we were home again I felt much better. Still tired but not over heated.

That is not a good way to ride.... Note to self.

And it isn't even summer yet.

Road kill practice?

So, the other day, riding to work, I passed quite a few road killed prairie dogs and I had this thought. How soon will it be before I hit one of those living prairie dogs? They are everywhere along my routes to work. They dart out unpredictably all the time. Not long ago I was behind a car that nearly hit one as it darted out then back and the right rear tire of the car barely missed it. But the dumb thing stood up at the edge of the road. Fortunately it didn't run back out in front of me and all was well. But.... my thought later progressed to, with all the road killed ones out there, should I practice riding over a couple??

I know, that's pretty gross and all that, but maybe it is worth it just to get some practice about how the bike might handle it. It creeps me out just thinking about it really but if it is me or the prairie dog, well... And I know it wouldn't be a real world type of experience but there could be some benefit. But, I also worry about creating a habit of target fixation on the critters. That would be bad. Ideally, it would be best to avoid them all together.

Nothing creeps me out more than driving over an animal. I do the whole freaked out screaming girl thing when I hit a squirrel. That's what worries me the most really. I'm sure the bike would be fine but mentally, I cannot prepare for it.

Should I practice??

Ew.

Morning ride

The moving is done. Now begins the putting away. But, in the meantime, I can ride to work again. The garage is crammed full of stuff but hubby has left enough space for me to get my moto out of the garage. He's such a sweetie!! So, I rode this morning and it was such a nice relaxing change of pace. Filling up my car has been so sad lately. It'll be nice to not have to do that for the rest of the summer.

No trips or anything planned at the moment. My goal to ride over a mountain pass is still on the table. We'll see where we end up. I'm thinking Trail Ridge Road would be just fine for me. But, we'll see. Maybe we'll head south instead. There are many possibilities. :-)

2-up!!

In the process of moving to our new place, I gave my niece a ride on the back of the moto. It was so much fun! We only traveled about 2 miles and never got over 40 mph (maybe not even over 35mph) which made for a nice first 2-up ride for me and good first ride for her. I can't wait to do it again!

Here we are all geared up and posing for the camera. Her mom took a few photos. Maybe next time we can get some of us on the road too. :-)


She's 15 so I haven't been cool since she was about 8. But, on this day, she listened intently to everything I told her. We went over looking into the turns, not taking her feet off the pegs, adjusting the visor on the helmet, where to hold on, how to put on the helmet, when to get on and off the bike. After the ride, she wanted to know about the MSF class. That was cool to chat motorcycles with her. :-) I miss being the cool aunt. :-) But, maybe I still am, she just doesn't say it out loud anymore.

Here we are on the bike ready to go! It was a nice ride. I think long enough for me. I was a bit nervous with this precious cargo. I do hope we get to ride together more.

And, of course, a side benefit for her was that she can brag about it to her brother, who has not yet ridden on the moto. Maybe hubby will take him for a ride one day. Or maybe I will. We'll see. This just happened to work out for her on that day.

And, as soon as all this moving is done, I'll get to ride around myself as well. The weather has been beautiful, good for moving, better for riding. We'll get to ride this weekend for sure. We're meeting some friends for breakfast. That'll be nice. And a nice break from moving too. :-)

Rebel vs. Civic

The weather has been up and down, very spring-like, go figure. I've ridden when I can and the bike has been running very smoothly. Each time I've ridden, when I get home, the ride has been so smooth I have to smile. Who knew that this old bike would serve me as well as it has. Gotta love the Honda!

And speaking of, I think I'll add a side bar about my Civic. That car has served me well too, but I expected that to happen. I bought it new in 1997 and have had absolutely no trouble with it (knock on wood). Went in for an oil change yesterday and there are starting to be some problems that need attention but it is over 10 years old. And, it has over 220,000 miles on it! Wow. Great car! I'm going to add a side bar to reflect the gas mileage to compare it to my Rebel. The Civic doesn't get the mpg that it used to. That may be my fault. I've taken care of it but I'm not sure what the difference is aside from the age of the car. Anywho, it will be good to keep track of that too.

Great morning (before the snow flies)

What a great day to ride. The sun is shinning and it is in the 70s with a nice breeze. That makes it so hard to go to work. I worked a few hours from home this morning so I could enjoy the warm ride in. Then I lost a screw from my glasses on the way to work, so I had to ride to get that fixed. So, hard to come back to my desk. It is probably a good thing we don't have windows in my office.

Supposed to snow tomorrow and be quite cold. I think I said that already.

Anyway, I am not sure if we'll get out for a ride this weekend either. We'll have to see what the weather does and decide if we'll have the garage sale too. I'm not sure we have gone through enough of our stuff to have it yet. I'll have to ask hubby about that. I want to go through my closet and get rid of some clothes. But, I can always take those to Goodwill too. Well, now that I really think about it, maybe we have gone through just about everything. Hmmm. That would be good. Maybe I can sell some of my moto gear that I'm not using anymore. I wore my Joe Rocket jacket the other day and it didn't feel as comfortable as the 3/4 jackets that I've been wearing. That will make it easier to part with.

Oil Change

Hubby changed my oil yesterday. Thanks love!

It had been a while, and I can't even remember how long, but it was long over due. My fault really for letting it go so long. But, now it is done. And I wrote it in my Clymers manual so I can keep track better. In theory, when I start riding to work full time, I'll need to change it every 2 weeks. That seems like a lot. But, I guess that could also mean I'll become quite adept at changing it myself.

I also need to remember to spray my chain when I get home.

It is supposed to snow on Thursday.

Sigh.

Fortune Cookie

My fortune said,"You are a traveler at heart. There will be many journeys."

The weather is slowly warming up. There is still snow in the forecast for the metro area although they are calling it trace amounts. It won't stick or keep for very long. That's a good thing. But, it still makes for a cold morning ride some times.

We've been packing in anticipation of moving into our first home we'll own. So, I've been quite tired since I'm in such wonderful shape (not). This morning I decided to drive to work. I was debating my options - is 35 degrees too cold for my new jacket? - should I wait an hour and then go? - stuff like that. Then it dawned on me that I was trying to convince myself to ride and that isn't a good thing. The moto didn't have my full attention which is not the best way to ride.

I drove yesterday too because I was running late and thought I'd have boxes to bring home from work. The day before, during my ride, I felt a bit off. My stops were not so graceful, my mind was wandering, and it was just not my best day I guess. Nothing too terrible but I think I was just tired. So, maybe I don't have my riding muscles back yet.

Maybe I should sign up for the Experienced Rider Course to get the bugs out.

Maybe I just need the weekend to rest. A really warm day would be nice too.

I'm also debating about keeping my miles per gallon updated on the blog. I did well last year but so far this season I haven't done it. Weird. I was thinking about buying one of the moto maintenance log books from Aerostich to carry on the bike. Then I can keep track of stuff there and later transfer it to the blog. Or just a summary to the blog. That way I don't have to log on every other day when I get gas.

Maybe things will settle down again after the move too. And I'll have my routine back.

Happy Friday! TGIF!

Airglide Hi-Viz Yellow

Just wanted to post a photo of my new to me jacket and do a quick review. I have worn it only once and I love it! There is a pretty substantial inner jacket liner that can be worn alone and is water proof. (I haven't tested that part out yet.) I wore it on a morning when the temps were in the low 40s with the liner and it was quite comfy.

The jacket can be adjusted in the arms and hips and waist. That is a nice feature when you remove the liner which, I did on the ride home when temps were in the upper 70s. Wow! So, comfy to have the mesh jacket.

The only thing I have to get used to is the collar. It isn't bad, just different. And the back padding is pretty high so when I'm sitting on the bike I can't tip my head back. Not something I'll probably need to do on the bike anyway really. I wonder if it is designed that way for more crash protection?

It also seemed that people could see me better. I could actually see them look at me, much the same as they do when I have my highway lights on. Without the hi-viz or extra lights, they seemed to look past me as they rolled through the intersection and suddenly stop. With the extra conspicuity, they actually stop first.

Anyway, so far, two thumbs up for this jacket!