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.