My CMX 450

SOLD!!

2010-03-25T11:59:00.000-06:00

SOLD THE REBEL ON MARCH 21ST!!!

:-)

Lists of what we've done and how it came to us...

2010-03-16T08:10:00.002-06:00

For the future owner of this fabulous motorcycle, I thought I'd make a list of the things we'd done to the bike and what the previous owner(s) had already done to the bike when we bought it.

PREVIOUS OWNER(S)

Different handlebars
She called them "Nighthawk" handlebars. She said she swapped them because she was taller and liked the longer reach. She had them adjusted so they were farther from the seat and more like mini ape hangers. I adjusted them so they were closer to the seat and I could actually reach them. They are pretty close to what the stock bars looked like. But they aren't stock.

Engine guard/Crash bars
I think she also painted it black. You can see some of the paint coming off and the chrome underneath.

Back rest

Painted #13 on fender and images on the tank

Broken handlebar lock

Pre-dented gas tank

MY OWNERSHIP

Accessories:

Sliptreamer Spitfire Windshield
I still have the mounting instructions for it and will pass those on. They are also on the web site.

Hand Deflectors
National Cycle brand. We cut the mounting arm to bring the guards closer to the grips.

Spotlights and mounting bar and on/off switch
Don't run them as running lights or they'll run the battery down quickly.

New gel seat
From Jack's Rebel Warehouse - has very few miles on it. (The passenger seat was also done.)

Rear luggage rack
From Jack's Rebel Warehouse - is not actually for the 450 but for the 250. We made a few modifications to it to make it fit. It isn't designed for heavy loads but will carry small items and is a great place to attach a bungee when needed.

Hard side bags
Bought online from Mutazu. Not waterproof. Lockable. I have two keys. The built in rear signals are not very bright and are actually a bit hard to see. I tried to remember to also use hand signals after we installed them. All the stickers on the bags are reflective and probably easily removed with a heat gun or hair dryer.

Extra brake light
Purchased at Sun Honda. Fits on the bottom of the license plate. It isn't a running light so it doesn't use much extra juice from the battery. Only lights up when the brakes are applied.

Maintenance things:

Replaced the speedo cable after discovering the mount had cracked and it wasn't actually attached. Part came from Jack's Rebel Warehouse.

Replaced the chain and sprocket when we first got it. I'll have to look at how many miles are on this new set. It's going to be close to 14,000 because that was one of the first things we did. Bought the parts from RPM Motorsports in Lakewood.

Replaced the CDI box. The bike was hesitating and not getting up to speed when we first got it. After some discussion the Rebel board, Jack (of Jack's Rebel Warehouse) told all of the 450 owners we needed new CDI boxes. He's the only place that can get this part for this bike. But, now that it is changed, it shouldn't need to be replaced for another 20 years. :-)

Replaced the rear shocks - part came from one of the parts bikes.

Replaced the mirrors - also from one of the parts bikes.

Other stuff of note:

The heat shield on the outside of the exhaust pipes has fallen off. I have it and will pass it on. I think the bolts sheared off from age and wear when I tried to tighten the bolts. It doesn't affect the bike at all.

And of course, the Gremlin Bell. I'm leaving it on because it's worked very well for the bike. I bought a new one for the BMW. I didn't want any of the Rebel gremlins getting on the Beemer. :-)

I'll add more notes if I remember any but I think that's it in a nutshell.

2009 Year in Review - Looking back on the Rebel

2009-12-31T10:45:00.007-07:00

Well, 2010 may just be the year the Rebel goes to some new owner, if the plan plays out as originally created. Sigh. I'll miss that bike and I really hope it goes to some one who will appreciate it as much as I did. It's a great old bike. Those Hondas just keep on rolling. So, this seems like the appropriate time to reflect on all the good times.
The photo above is of the Rebel's speedometer and odometer on September 12, 2009. I bought the GS on September 11, 2009. I put about 15,000 miles on that bike in the 3 years that I rode it. That's pretty darn good! More than I thought I had but I'm not surprised. The commute alone is about 1,000 miles per month if I ride every day.

We didn't do any camping or overnight trips anywhere, although there was one time I left the bike were it was due to the weather. A couple more times I probably should have. We've seen Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park a couple of times, been as far south as Castle Rock and as far north as Loveland. Been as far east as that Colfax ride and as far west as the RMNP Alpine visitor's center. Been as high as 11,796 feet at that same visitor's center. Rode in the rain, and the lightning (!), fair weather and foul, dark of night and many sunny days too. Saw dirt, though only in a parking lot. Went two-up with my niece. Carried some large loads but nothing too heavy. Dropped it only twice , in the garage and the driveway, both times forgetting to put the sidestand down. Farkled it up with a windshield, hand guards, spotlights, hard side bags, and various other soft luggage bags. Changed the front and rear tires once each, the chain and sprocket once as well. I think I washed it once or twice. :-)

Looking back, I didn't really have very set goals for 2009. There were two posts but not much content to either. Some vague reference to the unfulfilled mountain pass goal, which remains unfulfilled I think. Technically we did go over a pass, just not a marked one. I was hoping to have a documented pass photo. I'm sure the GS will cover that one for me. And there was another vague reference to making a long trip, another unfulfilled goal that I plan to meet on the GS. So, I guess, 2009 was more about the ride than about the destination.

I enjoyed it for the most part. I do recall a lot of thinking about the GS and feeling as though I'd "out grown" the Rebel. But, also, at the same time, feeling as though the Rebel was the perfect bike for me in a lot of ways. It did everything I asked it to do. Never left me stranded. Didn't cost much to maintain. And, I really had fun riding it. The GS has taken that to a whole new level though. The riding style is more comfortable. It's brand new, which is fabulous. But, in general, I think it will meet all of the same requirements that the Rebel did, aside from being cheap to maintain of course. (I'll certainly miss that part!)

Here are a couple of shots from my last ride on the Rebel. This was a ride to an off site staff meeting up the canyon a bit from Boulder. For some reason I didn't even blog about it. Two weeks later, I bought the GS.

The road is calling and the Rebel is ready. In a couple of months, it may have it's own Craig's List ad out there. I'll link to it here when that happens.

Happy New Year! Keep the shiny side up!

:-)

Its (nearly) aliiiive!!!!!!

2009-10-07T10:35:00.002-06:00

Moto Photo Blog-o-Rama: Canyons, Chasms, Mountains

2009-10-05T19:49:00.002-06:00

Rocky Mountain National Park, me and my 450 Rebel, hubby's CX 500. That was a nice ride and was our longest ride at the time at a little over 100 miles. :-)

I saw this photo theme on: http://bolty.net/

Tha Dance of the Rebels

2009-10-01T07:51:00.006-06:00

My lovely hubby has been hard at work on the two parts bike Rebels. You may recall, we purchased a non-running 450 a year or more ago. The idea was it would be spare parts for the daily runner. Or, if we felt so inspired, a practice wrenching bike for me, or even better, a bike hubby could get going for us to sell. Of course, it sat for a while before any of those things came to pass. We did scavenge a few parts from it here and there though. Then, we purchased another 450 for parts. This one had been wrecked in the late 1990s but did have a running engine. No title with it but the first parts bike did come with a title. So, the new plan was to swap out all the good parts to make the titled parts bike a runner. That is where we are now. (And by we, I mean hubby.)
Above is the wrecked bike as hubby was preparing to remove the engine. The original owner (who I think bought it new) t-boned a car. The forks are mashed, the front fender was mangled (long since tossed by us), the gas tank has a massive dent in it where the rider landed on it (ouch!), and once the engine was out, we discovered a crack in the frame.

Below is the parts bike with the engine, among other things, already removed. Hubby thinks the engine is fine and that the starter might be bad. So, he is swapping out all of the keyed bits from the wrecked bike.

Both bikes came with trashed gas tanks. The parts bike had a tank from a 250 that was rusty and had many dents in it. I gave that to some one for the cost of shipping. The wrecked bike, in addition to the big dent, was also rusty inside. This bike had been stored outside since the wreck. Hubby said there was water coming from some of the parts as he removed them. All in all, the thing is in pretty good shape though. Mostly cosmetic issues aside from the wrecked issues. Between the two bikes, there is definitely a very nice running 450 in there. They both had very low miles as well. We'll need to replace the front tire but the rear was brand new when we got the parts bike. So, we'll leave that up to the next owner I think.

Below is the parts bike with the new engine in it. We plan to use the Tank brand gas tank that I bought new last year. (It's not attached yet.) They now have the console in stock so I should probably order one before they raise the prices again. I'll be glad not to need to do business with them any more. What a pain.

Oh, in the midst of this project, hubby also replaced the rear shocks on my daily runner with a pair from one of these parts bikes. He's so fabulous!

There's more completed since these photos were taken so I'll try to keep the updates coming. I'm hoping this blog will be a nice resource for anyone interested in buying one of these 450s. Hubby works faster than I can get photos documenting the job. :-)

G650GS: There and Back Again

2009-10-01T07:49:00.002-06:00

So, my new bike deserves a new blog. Plus, this blog is all about the Rebel, so I don't want to steal it's thunder. :-)
http://g650gs.blogspot.com/
Not much there yet but there will be. :-)

Got a new bike!!!!!

2009-09-23T10:52:00.004-06:00

2009 BMW G650GS

Oil Leak

2009-09-10T07:34:00.006-06:00

See the bolt to the left of center? See the drop of oil clinging to it? And the spot of oil below on the lever? It runs down the lever to the end and drips. Not a lot. That spot in the bottom image is after it sat all day. But, I think most of it comes off as I'm riding. You can see it all caked on the sides of the engine. It's also all over the front and underneath. Bummer. Should probably pay more attention to this. Especially since this isn't new. :-(

It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage.

2009-09-03T08:13:00.005-06:00

So, I've been riding now for 3 years. I bought the 450 Rebel on July 28, 2006. I saved the email from the transaction, which is also why I know I have put about 14,840 miles on the bike since I've owned it. It has occurred to me that I have a different level of comfort on the the bike this year. I've never felt very intimidated by my bike. I'd learned to ride years before so I didn't really have that anxiety about it when I got it. I knew I liked riding before I got the Rebel. It's always fit me very well too. I can flat foot it which means I can comfortably move it around without dropping it (usually). Or if I drop it, which hasn't happened since that first year, it's because I did something dumb, like forget to put the side stand down. My lovely hubby has customized it to my desired needs or wants. :-) He's the most fabulous hubby of all! :-) It has become "mine" and I feel very in control and comfortable on it.

The thing that is different for me this year is something more vague. Most of the time, after a ride, I'd come home and talk to my hubby about it. We'd basically have a debriefing to discuss the ride with each other. It could be good or bad things that happened, how we'd change what we did or didn't do, situations that we should continue to watch out for, that sort of thing. For me especially, this was part of the learning process. Riding, for me, isn't just the act itself. It is about being able to understand what's going on around you, and understand how your actions create reactions or put you in situations to make the ride better or worse. It is the ability to control your own situation to create a better one. (I think that's what I'm trying to say although that might be a bit too deep.)

This year, I haven't felt the need to debrief as much after every ride. Maybe it's because I'm riding more and after a while it all sounds the same. I think it's because, I feel more comfortable and in control of my riding than I did previously. We do have discussions about specific situations - the day I rode home in the lightning storm was one example. But, not so much after every ride. Now I just enjoy the ride and don't feel as though every day is a learning experience. Most days now, it's just fun to ride. :-)

That's not to say that I think I've learned it all. That will never happen for me. I'm not that kind of person who thinks I can't learn something every day. In fact, I think now would be the perfect time to take a more advanced motorcycle course. I'm starting to feel comfortable and that's when my mind starts to wander and I drop my guard for a second. That's when things can go wrong. I think it was the Hurt Report that mentioned the group of riders most likely to get into an accident had a smaller cc bike and had 3-5 years of experience.

So, now my challenge is to pay closer attention to myself. How do I get from point A to point B? Am I listening and looking? Am I still scanning well ahead? Did I even see that car behind me? How long has that Don't Walk sign been flashing? The bike I can control. It's all the other things around me that I can't. It is time to refocus my learning so I can continue to enjoy the ride.

PS
Name that movie quote in the title of this blog post!

New Moto Parking

2009-08-25T19:13:00.007-06:00

We have successfully petitioned for more motorcycle parking at work! Woot!

A month or two ago a bunch of us who ride to work sent emails and filled out the online comment form to ask if we could get more parking closer to our buildings. This summer has been a very active motorcycling season at work. Many more motos are parked in the two lots closest to our building. Each lot has six spaces. One is right in front of my building. The other is a bit farther away but not terribly so. But the farther lot is in the same lot where the CU buses park. Their spaces block access to some of these moto parking spaces like this:

I took this photo last week. That's mine on the end. Notice it isn't technically in a spot (no line on the outside). There was one spot left in the farther lot and I couldn't get into it because of the bus parked in it's spot. So, I took this photo with my camera phone and sent another email to parking services. That same day, I got a reply. The person I emailed is listed as the point of contact for new parking lots. She replied that after coming out to evaluate the spaces, they were going to add more spaces to this particular lot (on the end where I am in the photo). They also said they'd make an exception to the university rule of only creating moto parking on concrete lots and add a new lot on the existing car asphalt lot adjacent to this one (in the photo). AND they said they'd do it next week.

That was last week. Today on my way home I swung by this lot to see if they'd added the spaces. They did!!

They'd said they would angle the lines to make access easier so I'll follow up about that. And there is the curb to contend with. But, I think it is absolutely fabulous that they listened to our concerns, came out to assess it, created a solution, and acted on it so quickly. Awesome!

And here is the new lot:

New rear tire!

2009-08-20T09:10:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I got a new rear tire at Colorado Powersports. They have a deal that if you buy the tire there, you get free mounting and labor. My new Dunlop 404 was $123 out the door. The cost of the tire plus the disposal fee was all I paid. And it was done by 2:00. This place happens to be close to my office. I drop it off first thing in the morning (9am) and they get it done by the end of the day. Very friendly folks too. No snide remarks or turned up noses at the 86 Rebel. I have had other Honda dealerships do those things when I've mentioned the type of bike.

When I picked it up yesterday, I paid my ticket and the service guy said he'd meet me out front with the bike. So, I walked out to gate, which is a private gate so you can't see any of the bikes behind it. He fired it up and that familiar engine sound made me smile. It isn't a hum or even a whine but something in between. I've not heard other bikes sound like mine and it dawned on me that I've never heard any other Rebels running. Weird. Anyway, no matter how much I want that BMW, this Rebel sure does make me happy.

After I got home I kept looking at the bike because something seemed off some how. I walked around it, looked it over, and then it hit me. They washed it! The air filter cover and battery cover were both so shiny. It was weird. Hubby said maybe they just didn't want to get dirt on themselves. They didn't wash the whole bike just wiped down the tank, and some shiny bits.

Very cool shop if you are in the neighborhood.

Cool mornings

2009-08-18T10:31:00.003-06:00

Ah, the past few days have been very cool and great for riding. Well, except for the late evening thunder and lightning storms. Could definitely do without those. Supposed to warm back up into the 80s the rest of the week.

I have plans to get a new back tire this week. I think I need to find a twistier way to work. I've still got lots of nice tread on the sides but not much at all down the middle. Bummer. Otherwise, it's a perfectly good tire. ;-)

Getting a new helmet!

2009-08-12T16:33:00.004-06:00

I've had this great Icon Airframe helmet since Christmas. It was a gift from my father. It is a fabulous fit and quite comfy. Recently though, the snaps that hold the liner in place have been failing to do that. So, sometimes when I put it on, the back end comes undone and pokes me in the head. So, on the advice of Mary at Motogear Outlet, I called the shop where I bought it. Icon has warranty coverage for helmets. GForce Powersports in Lakewood called their Icon rep and then called me right back to say they'd order a new helmet. Julie said it should be in the shop in a week and a half and I can bring my other one in to make the trade. Sweet! What awesome customer service all around!! :-) Now I'll need a new fleur de lis reflective sticker to put on the back of the new helmet. I should also remember to take off the sunblocker from the shield.

ABQ here we come.... maybe next time...

2009-08-06T11:17:00.004-06:00

My sister-in-law emailed me yesterday and asked if I wanted to take the next two days off and ride to Albuquerque with her. She was packing for a drive down and thought it would be fun to ride instead. I didn't say no right away but my little adult on my shoulder hesitated. We discussed it back and forth and decided to wait for hubby to tell us if he could go. He couldn't. So, I said no. I learned that we don't have emergency roadside assistance for the motos, only for the cars. So that was one thing. I'm not a wrencher. Even though I am confident in my bike, it's never done a 500 mile trip before, and neither have I for that matter. It was pretty late in the evening before we got home and I hadn't had time to pack yet. It would be a 4 day adventure and I wasn't sure what else I had planned for the weekend. (My sister and I have actually made plans to run stairs at Red Rocks on Saturday.) So, I chickened out. :-(

I hope we get to do it as a group though with our husbands along as well. It is definitely on the ride to do list. Hubby needs more lead time to take time off from his job. Me, not so much. An email in the morning is usually ok, if nothing is going on. Sigh. Now I wish I were on the road.... Although, after the ride in the storm last night, I'm actually glad to be off the moto for a bit.

That reminds me, I need to look into some emergency roadside assistance insurance for the motos.

Lightning storm!!

2009-08-06T10:59:00.002-06:00

Holy smokes!! Well, fortunately, not literally, but way too close for comfort.

We had an after work bbq yesterday in Boulder. Hubby came out as well. It was a beautiful and hot day, perfect for being in the yard with a burger and cold drink. It was a 4:00 - 7:00 deal but hubby and I hung around a little later to socialize with our friends who were hosting. About 8:00 or so, I thought I saw some lightning in the distance but it was one of those deals where I wasn't sure if that's what I saw or not. It wasn't dark yet and the sky was pretty clear over head. The time came when we decided to mosey on home - about 25 miles or so.

Hubby was in the car as he'd come from work. I was on the moto. As we are standing around saying our goodbye's I was certain now that there was lightning some where around us but still over us the sky was clear. We headed out and as we make the turn out of their neighborhood and face south the sky is a dark black blue color off to the west. Still, not raining, not close and not very much lightning and none hitting the ground. But, since that's the general direction we are headed, I pull over to put my rain gear on. Hubby says, well, we shouldn't dawdle.

Before leaving we'd settled on the most direct route home which is west and then south. After putting on the rain gear, I decided that was too close to the dark ominous clouds and instead took the south-easterly route. The first route takes us through some flat open space. The second would take us into town where there are taller buildings and more cars. I didn't think being the tallest thing on the road would work to my advantage. Plus, on the highway I can go about 75 mph and actually get home faster. So, off we went on highway 36.

We take our exit for home which is about 112th and Wadsworth. We need to go south to 64th and turn west (towards the storm and home). We could go west at any point really but by this time the storm is much closer. I want to stay as far away from it as I can. Now, the lightning is definitely hitting the ground to the west, my right. I push on now as we are just a few miles from home at this point. It isn't even raining yet but I can smell it. (Not good.) Then the sky lights up to my right. Not one huge bolt but the sky turns white. I duck instinctively. Or maybe it's fear. Anyway, I sort of tuck down on the bike without realizing it. After a while I tell myself to relax and focus. There are still cars around me and Wadsworth is a very busy road. It's now raining a little but not so much to worry about. I hardly even notice the rain.

Finally we reach 64th avenue and make the right turn. From here we are about a 2 mile drive through the neighborhood from home. It's a left, then a right, then a left, another right, left again right turn, right turn, left and home. At the first left, the sky turns white again, this time with thunder. I tuck down again and hit the throttle. I make the right turn but just before the next left, a HUGE bolt of lightning followed immediately by a LOUD clap of thunder. I ducked again and swear out loud and hit the throttle. At the corner I have to wait for a couple of turning cars. At this point I'm completely freaked out. Home is a few blocks away. I make that turn, stop at the next stop sign as it is a blind intersection, hit the throttle, blow through the next stop sign (its a 3 way and nothing is around), hit the throttle again, go two blocks, slowly realize it is now actually raining, slow to the next right, make the immediate left onto our street, and look for oncoming cars as I try to hit the garage door opener in my pocket. More thunder and lightning are surrounding me. I didn't get the opener to work so I pull into the driveway between our two large trees and the dead Bronco, open the garage door and duck in under it.

I must have left hubby in my dust because he didn't pull up until I'd shut off the bike and gotten off. I stood there for a bit while he walked up to me. He says, "That last one was probably 1000 feet from us!" I think I said carp or something, but mainly just stared at him. Then he looks at me and says, "Are you alright?" I said, "Yes." Then I said the F word really loudly.

We went inside and his daughter and her boyfriend were standing in the living room waiting for us. She'd text us about the storm but we were already on the road at that point. They said the house shook with that last one. I think I just said the F word again and just stood there shaking. I took my gear off and kind of shook off the events. Then all of a sudden, the sky opened up and rain came down as if we were living in the south. I think I said the F word again as we looked out the window at it.

After I calmed down a bit, I asked hubby what we should have done differently. He thought we did the best we could under the circumstances. We had no idea how bad it was or even that the storm was out there. We were so close to home, and it wasn't really raining, that he didn't think stopping was necessary. I felt the same way as we were traveling. I kept thinking, we're almost home. The problem was, and we didn't really know it, the storm was worse directly over our house. So the closer we got to home the closer we got to danger. But, I just kept thinking, we're almost home.

Thinking about it now, if I'd known how bad it really was, I would have stayed in Boulder or left the bike there at my friends' house. That was an option but one we didn't think necessary at the time under their clear skies.

I have never ever been so terrified. Even now, recounting the story, I feel like I seriously dodged it. Or maybe I am shaking because I had too much caffeine this morning. I think it might be a little of both. I drove to work today. Afternoon storms are forecast. They weren't yesterday.

Thoughts on an ADV Rider thread

2009-08-03T12:21:00.004-06:00

I don't know what prompted me to read the posts in the "Faceplant" section of this board but... The idea behind this section of the board is to learn from the mistakes of others. The rules are you can only post things that either happened to you or some one close to you so there is a personal connection and some follow up answers to questions. Two posts caught my attention recently.

The first was about mesh pants. http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=488246

I wear mesh pants and am quite happy with them. They are comfortable in all seasons and offer armored protection in the knees and padding in the hips. They are not inexpensive either, so in the you-get-what-you-pay-for (YGWYPF) realm, I'm hoping I'm getting enough. Then I saw this post with pictures of mesh pants (of a different brand than mine) melted after a crash. The rider goes on to say what a piece of junk they are. Many folks agreed, leather is the only way to go for them. Kevlar leather being even better. In the YGWYPF scheme of things, this is the top of the line. MotoGP racers wear full suits of tight fitting leather. Others mentioned the heat factor of wearing leather and that they could never do such a thing or they'd crash from heat stroke. They put in a bid for wearing what you are most comfortable with - physically and financially comfortable. They are of the mind that any gear is better than no gear. Still others claimed that mesh gear versus leather isn't simply a matter of what the stuff looks like after the crash. Mesh gear, they say, is designed to be disposable. It is supposed to take the brunt of the crash to protect you. If your pants melted but you got up and walked away, they did their job. Racing leathers are designed to take more than one crash. It is designed to be more durable so you can get up, get back on the bike, and get back in the race. All in all it is a very interesting thread to read and quite educational. I'll have to do some follow up research on this topic for my own piece of mind.

The other post was "I very very nearly died today..." http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=481931

Why I clicked on it I don't know. But, I was glad I did. The story is by a woman who was nearly taken out by a 4x4x8 that came off a truck at the woman and her husband. He was able to swerve and avoid it. She was not and it hit her head on. She managed to stay upright and not drop the bike, coming to a safe stop. The piece of 4x4 smashed into her headlight. She, knowing she was going to get hit, tucked down with her face next to her tank bag, and held on. Bravo to her for being in control of her bike and her wits at the same time! Wow! it was quite the adrenaline rush just reading her account of the event. I can't imagine being in the situation.

I read this one after hubby and I returned from our Colfax ride and it got me thinking. We take turns being the leader on our weekend trips. I think who ever is following has the most stressful part of the journey. I'm constantly worried about traffic around us, particularly around him. It's weird actually, because we're both fairly responsible riders, have taken multiple rider courses, and are very aware of our surroundings. But, being the one behind the other makes you more aware of how close cars are to the other person because you can see them. When a car is passing me, I barely even notice, even if it seems close. I feel like I can take action if needed and I dont' stress about it. But, it is another thing entirely to watch that some situation happen to your significant other. Get away from my husband you crazy drivers!!

We all accept the responsibility of riding. We wouldn't do it if we didn't know what we were getting into. It's one thing to know those dangers and accept them for yourself. It's another thing to know those dangers and accept them for the person you love. Anything can happen on the road whether you are in your car, on the motorcycle or walking across the street. Stay aware. Stay alert. SEE - scan, evaluate, execute - and be seen. ATGATT! Do what you love. Love what you do. And kiss your loved ones every day.

Ride, have fun, and come home at the end of the day. :-)

Colfax Ride

2009-08-03T10:09:00.004-06:00

This Saturday we rode Colfax Avenue. (Check out this cool interactive link! I wish I'd seen it before we went out on our ride.) I'd always wanted to do this just to say that I had. Now, it is crossed off the list and we don't have to do it ever again. It wasn't horrible by any stretch but it wasn't one of those nice comfortable rides with lots of great scenery either. It was quite stressful at times but not too bad overall. I guess what I'm trying to say is it could have been worse. :-)

We started out from Golden where we had some Starbucks and read the paper. It was going to be a leisurely ride. Our official starting point was Heritage Road and W. Colfax Ave. We headed east from there ending up at Powhaton Road in Aurora. The weather was great. Even though we got a late start, it wasn't too hot to be in the stop and go of Colfax. The traffic was pretty light as well. The only construction was a very short bit downtown. It was fun to ride by the capitol as if we were tourists just traveling through. Maybe knowing we didn't have to try to find a parking space was what made it more relaxing. LOL! About noon we stopped at a Wendy's at Colfax and Chambers. Next time, if we do something like this again, we'll have to plan it so we can stop at one of the diners along the route.

Once we got to Powhaton, we considered whether to keep going but decided to start heading back. Hubby had a party to go to later. So, we took a route back through Aurora, Cherry Creek, downtown Denver, Highlands, and home. It was a pretty great ride actually. Not as bad as I'm making it out to be. :-) We only nearly got run over a few times on Colfax by people not paying attention or in too much of a hurry to look for motorcycles. But that's nothing new. We make up for it by paying attention for them and being hyper-aware of our surroundings.

Here's a Google map of our route.

A weekend of motorcycling!!

2009-07-13T11:00:00.005-06:00

First of all, happy birthday to my sister-in-law!! :-) We celebrated her bday on Saturday in Loveland. Hubby and I rode out on the motos making a quick stop at Colorado Euro Motorcycles in Loveland. A few days ago I stopped in Foothills BMW but they were out of the 2009 G650GS. I was hoping to sit on one with my gear on to see how it fit. Apparently, Foothills owns the store up north, so the guy called that shop to see what they had. They had a couple in the shop so I thought it would be fun to stop there on the way to sis-in-law's place. :-) They had two on the floor, both black, one lowered one stock. The stock one is too tall. I could only tippy toe it. The lowered one was perfect! I'm not totally flatfooted but very close. Certainly close enough to be comfortable. The lowered one also had heated grips and a center-stand. It was about $8500. So, I have lots of saving to do. It was so comfortable sitting on it. :-D I could so get used to that!!

When we got to sis-in-law's she said they'd left her bike out in case I wanted to take it for a spin. :-D I was thinking I shouldn't because what if I fell in love with it? That would be sad. But then I thought, if I don't, I'll certainly wish I had. So, later, after dinner, she and I traded bikes. She rode the Rebel and led me around the neighborhood, around some lakes near their place on some slow curvy roads. It was so much fun! And I did love it. The GS is (obviously) taller than the Rebel. I say obviously but riding it is really what makes the difference. It's one thing to sit in the dealership on the floor but it's another thing to see the world go by from the saddle.

The pegs are in a completely different place too - thus the difference between a cruiser and standard I suppose. It actually took me a little while to find them. Muscle memory wanted them to be some where else entirely. And they are smaller than the Rebel's too. That was a bit weird for a while. My boots felt really big. The brake and shift levers are smaller too. Sitting on it was very comfortable. The seat is comfy and just the right size. The cruiser seat on the Rebel doesn't allow for much movement but I can see where the GS would be better. My knees nestled comfortably on the "tank". The Rebel tank is quite small and I always feel like my knees are not where they are supposed to be or are flopping around.

The handlebar position is also (obviously) completely different from the Rebel. The GS has a more leaned over position, although not as dramatic as a sportbike. I think it is a bit more leaned over than hubby's CX, although, that may be because I'm shorter of torso. I definitely felt like I was leaning on my shoulders more. I'm sure that can be changed easily enough if needed. It was difficult to reach the turn signals while holding onto the clutch, or really just the grips. I remember that being something that felt abnormal in the Rebel at first too. It takes some coordination to hold the handlebars steady while working the clutch and reaching for the controls. Muscle memory again.

It was a fabulous ride! Thanks sister-in-law!

Saturday, hubby and I rode about 116 miles.

On Sunday we went out to meet some of hubby's work buddies. They were planning a group lunch ride to Estes Park, which is one of my most favorite places in Colorado. There were 13 of us in the group and 9 bikes. I was the only woman riding her own and also the smallest bike there (with hubby close behind on his CX500). There were lots of different bikes - a couple of touring Harleys, a Gold Wing, a Victory, a Suzuki TL1000, a Virago, my Rebel, and hubby's CX. It was a great group of folks, most of whom I met for the first time there. The Victory had some electrical problems that the guys were able to fix before we left. That took about 30 minutes or so. Then we were off. Here is the route:We rode about 163 miles. It was so much fun! We rode from our house to the meeting point down south in Littleton. from there we went northwest through Morrison, Red Rocks park, to Golden and highway 93, north to Coal Creek Canyon, and the Peak-to-Peak highway into Estes. We had lunch at Ed's Cantina, where I'd never eaten before. It was pretty ok. Not un-tasty. :-) Lunch is made all the better by good company. :-) After lunch, I led the group back to Boulder on highway 36. Well, most of the group. It's tough getting out of Estes on a weekend. Lots of tourists. So, we lost half the group getting out of town but were reunited between Lyons and Boulder. No worries, although I felt bad losing them since I was the leader. :-(

Here are some of the bikes we rode with.

It was a fabulous weekend spent with my hubby on the motos! We were sure tired after all that though. :-)

Weird

2009-07-06T15:19:00.003-06:00

I just posted the helmet review and this is the ad that popped up...

The internet really creeps me out some days.....

Icon Airframe Helmet review

2009-07-06T15:11:00.003-06:00

Here is a review of my helmet from the Women Riders Now web site. I really like this helmet. My father got it for me for Christmas last year. It fits me perfectly - chipmunk cheeks and all. By the way, it isn't the helmet I'm wearing in my profile photo. Maybe I'll update that one. :-)

Some updates.....

2009-06-19T09:19:00.004-06:00

Recently I purchased a recovered gel seat for the 450 from Jack's. It is fabulous! I've been riding with it for a while now and I don't know how I ever rode without it. At first it took some getting used to. The seat is slightly higher and pushes me forward more than the other. And there isn't much room to play around with in that area. But, once I got it broken in, it was great. There are no buttons on the seat either so water doesn't pool so much when it rains on the parked bike. (We've had a lot of that lately, rain that is.) I also have a seat cover that I can use for the other bike. I bought that from a member of the Rebel board. He made it himself. Maybe I'll play around with that this weekend.

I also have been wearing some SmartWool ski socks. These are the best socks ever! They don't slip down in the boot, which had been a problem for some reason with my right foot. Weird. But the SmartWool socks are so comfy. They aren't very warm unless I walk around in them. And they are warm enough in the winter or cooler morning rides. They must breathe very well otherwise. Of course, we haven't had very very hot weather yet this season either.

I also got new glasses. It is so nice not to have headaches all the time. Ha! I went with polarized lenses which at first was a bad idea. It took some getting used to for sure but now I wear them all the time. Our cloudy weather has made the polarized lenses very useful. The view of the world is much clearer when it is cloudy or even rainy. It is still difficult to see drivers' faces through their tinted windows. But, I've adjusted to that as well. Another thing I noticed is my new Icon helmet, which fits properly, makes it more difficult to get the glasses on. But, the polarized glasses fit that helmet well too. I'm quite happy with them.

And speaking of rain, which I mentioned earlier, we sure have gotten a lot of it lately! It seems every afternoon this week it has really come down. There have been tornado warnings and watches all around us. Some how though, when it is time for me to ride home from work, the sun is shining. I haven't had to ride in the rain after work yet. Knock on wood. The bike's been wet when I've come out but the sun is out as well. Not that I mind the rain, obviously, or I'd have been in the car all week long. I've got all the proper gear to keep me comfortable and dry on the bike. And since I've spent all the money on the gear I might as well use it, right? Rain I can live with. Lightning on the other hand, scares the crap out of me. So far so good though.

Been riding

2009-06-05T11:10:00.005-06:00

It is hard to blog about riding when you are riding a lot. Weird. And mostly, my rides are just commuting to work. I really enjoy those rides but there isn't much to write about them. Getting from point A to point B and back again at the end of the day. All very important to the ride, but not so interesting to blog about. Oh well.

Hubby and I took a ride last Saturday. We were hoping to meet up with his sister in Lyons for some art fair thingy but her bike wouldn't cooperate. Bummer. She ended up pushing it back home a quarter mile. :-( But, as she mentioned, at least she didn't get stranded very far from home. Hubby and I did the ride through Lyons via highway 72 from Arvada to the junction of 72 and 119. We were planning to stay on 72 all the way to 7 but the weather decided otherwise. Just before we hit the junction, it started to rain. The kind of rain you can see before you get into it. No worries though. We pulled over and put our rain jackets on and continued on. But, we went right instead of left and headed toward Nederland. It was sort of by accident but probably a good thing because when we stopped to gear up, there was actually some hail or gropple falling as well as rain. And it was pretty chilly being wet and all. Once we got to Nederland, I pulled over again to put my rain pants on since I had my mesh Olympia's on. It was like air conditioning on my legs. Anyway, that ensured the rain would stop, which it did as we headed down the hill towards Boulder. We continued on to Lyons where we were able to call sister-in-law to find out her troubles. We didn't hang around too long as the clouds were coming in there as well. So, we went back to Boulder and had some lunch. It was a very good day! (Except for missing out on our riding buddy.) Here is a map of the route (more or less).

Wednesday I took the scenic route home. I was having a not so good day, feeling sorry for myself and my lack of time to maintain my attendance in the fitness boot camp. So, after the crappy work out, I thought I'd take the slow route home. As I was riding, I thought it would be nice if it rained a little. So, I took matters into my own hands. I pulled over when the first three drops hit my visor. I put my rain pants on and wen tout in search of the rain. :-) It was quite fun actually. It never did rain very hard at all. The tank barely got wet thanks to the windshield. But, it was good enough for me. I felt a lot better although, I started to feel guilty that I hadn't told my hubby where I was. He was out of town on east coast time so by the time I got home at 8pm, he was ready to get to sleep. (He's coming home today though.)

I've put lots of miles on my moto gear. I've noticed my mesh Olympia pants are starting to show some wear. The reflective piping is starting to fray a bit. Well, not fray but sort of chip away. I really like those pants. They are so comfy and fit very well. I wonder if I should invest in another pair just in case they stop making them. Maybe I should check with Mary at MotoGear Outlet about that. My jacket is in good shape. I finally cut out the nylon thread that had been poking my in my arm. Why I hadn't done that months ago I don't know. The boots are great too. Last Saturday was the first time I'd worn them in a good rain. I didn't even think about that. They are awesome! And I was able to break in my new Joe Rocket gloves in the rain as well. I'd warmed them up in the toaster oven to help stretch out the fingers. And then being in the rain helped too. Now they fit just fine. :-)

I'm hoping hubby and I will attend the Top Gun motorcycle competition on Sunday. I've always wanted to see that. That will be so cool! I'll try to remember to blog about it if I do. And take pictures.

2009-05-08T20:08:00.004-06:00

Been riding to work almost every day this week. I drove one day because we weren't supposed to park the cars on the street for a special trash pick up in the city. I was going to ride and just pull the car out, then the moto, and then put the car back, but that seemed like a waste of time. No big deal to drive that day. The weather should get up to 80 next week. I'm psyched! Of course I have to drive that particular day. Oh well.

I've been enjoying the solitude of riding. Going to work and on the drive home. It's the only alone time I have. I like it. Wish I had more. I wish I had more riding alone time to share with my hubby too. He doesn't get to ride as much as I do. Maybe we should actually plan a trip or something.

The bike was a bit cranky getting it started on Monday. I guess it had been sitting a while and the gas tank wasn't full either. (I didn't fill it today either and I am on reserve.) After the second day of riding it seemed to be back to normal. Although, today it did seem to have less power. That could have been the wind though. It was pretty fierce on the ride home. I'm glad I didn't take highway 93! I had to pull over anyway to put my liner on. There is a front coming in tonight. The high tomorrow is only supposed to be in the 50s.

I think I'll wash my jacket and pants tonight since I won't be riding this weekend. That's a good idea. :-)

Video of me!

2009-04-08T13:40:00.009-06:00

This was from a ride hubby and I took a few weeks ago. This is a neighborhood west of C-470 on Ken Caryl. Pretty cool neighborhood with big fancy houses and some not as fancy. All were much bigger and fancier than our house, that's for sure. We'd planned to do a longer ride that day but had a couple of close calls and stopped for lunch. Then decided to just putt around this neighborhood because neither of us had been there before and it looked quite scenic. We can upon this giant red rock. There is a hiking trail and you can climb on the rock too. Hubby said he wanted a rock like that in our backyard. I agreed but as you can see, some one has already claimed it for their backyard! Nice!

Rode to work yesterday

2009-04-08T13:23:00.008-06:00

I got a late start because I thought it might be a chilly ride in. I can do a bit of work from home so that works ok usually. But then I realized that I probably wouldn't have a place to park. The snow plows push all the snow from the parking lot into the moto spaces. Grrr.

(I try not to drool on the black GS in that photo. It is new to the parking lot.)

Anyway, I had to park allllll the way over here, all by myself. :-( Actually, it isn't that far. :-)

The problem with riding to work....

2009-04-08T13:12:00.002-06:00

The problem with riding to work at this time of the year is that the best time to ride is between 10am and 3pm. This is of course when I am sitting at my desk working (or blogging as the case may be) and quite inconvenient.

the latest rides

2009-03-31T13:45:00.009-06:00

March 15th I rode out to Mother Cabrini Shrine. Hubby must have been away or something because it was just me. Here are some photos.

This is a shot of Jesus on the top of the hill. A couple of years ago he was struck by lightning and it blew his fingers off. He's all fixed now though. The line of trees is a path of steps to get to the top. The stations of the cross are along the route. People come here for Easter to trek up and pray. At the top is a rock structure Mother Cabrini built when she founded this place. To the left of this view is a small grotto where you can sit and pray or reflect and light candles. There is also the spring Mother Cabrini discovered when she came to this place. She stuck her cane in the ground and found it and it has been flowing ever since. It is one of her three miracles.

Here is the Rebel parked near the interpretive sign.

And parked near the chapel. It wasn't terribly crowded but there were more than enough folks there for my taste. I was hoping for some quiet reflection time but oh well. Maybe next time.

I have ties to Mother Cabrini through my high school in New Orleans. Her feast day is also the same day as my birthday which was nice to have that day off from school for four years. :-)

But, anyway, back to the motorcycle part. Here is a Google map of the location.

It is a bit windy and that day there was a lot of gravel on the road because we'd had a good bit of snow. I happened to fall behind someone on a Triumph so I followed their line up the hill. Turned out to be a good plan. The curves are pretty sharp 10mph ones all the way up the hill. It isn't a very long way but it is narrow and cars like to take up as much space as they can. And there is wildlife up there too. But, it was a good trip.

I did have a bit of a close call backing out of my parking space. I pulled out but had to go around the lot to make my way out again. I managed to put myself behind an SUV that was about to back out. I was also on gravel so I couldn't speed away or even stop because the ground was so loose. And I couldn't find my horn for some reason either. Fortunately they took their time backing out and I was able to pull away. It was a bit scary for a second there. But all's well that ends well, and the lesson was learned.

More later......

Blogging

2009-03-25T16:13:00.001-06:00

I sure haven't blogged in a while. We've ridden too. Maybe that's why. :-)

Ear Plugs

2009-03-03T09:38:00.003-07:00

I wear the disposable ear plugs now but they give me a headache or earache I suppose. I switched to a brand new pair because the others were getting hard. I thought maybe that was the problem. But the new ones, which are nice and soft, still hurt my ear. Mainly just my left ear. I guess I should look into a different kind. It is difficult to know how they'll fit or work since it usually isn't until the end of my ride that they start to bother me. Hmmm. Some thing to think about and research I suppose.

Yay!

2009-02-25T10:06:00.003-07:00

Rode to work yesterday and today! Supposed to snow tomorrow or Friday.

Grrrr... grumpy me

2009-02-20T10:25:00.003-07:00

So, the story in the previous post just got worse and worse and began my downward spiral into grumpiness.

The good news is there is absolutely nothing wrong with the bike. The bad news is my memory is worse than I thought and ain't getting any better. After determining that my gas tank was actually empty, I thought, ok, I was just distracted by the extra miles and forgot to fill up on the way back home. But then, I found a receipt proving that I did fill up that day. So, we wondered what could it be. I posted on the Rebel board looking for advice which was promptly given. (I am so glad I have them!) Obviously my gas tank was empty so what could have happened? What indeed.....

What happened was, I rode more after filling up. And I forgot all about it. I filled up, proved by the receipt, on 1/19. I'd forgotten about my ride to Boulder to play hooky from work to watch the inauguration on the 20th. I rode quite a bit that day. But, it must have slipped my mind. Anyway, bike problem solved.

Lately I've been quite grumpy after driving my cage to work everyday. I find myself swearing at other drivers (which is normal really) but it puts me in a not so happy mood after arriving at my destination (work or home). Sigh. I need some warm weather so I can get some good vibes and good miles on the moto! It has been warm and sunny but really windy too. Really windy. Too windy to ride. For me anyway. Grrr. Maybe Sunday I can get a good ride in.

Carb Ice? Bad gas? Filter issue? (edit with update)

2009-02-03T13:27:00.005-07:00

Took the bike out and headed to work this morning. I got about 4 or 5 miles away from home and the bike died. Ugh. That's how I felt too. It was acting as if it were out of gas even though I know I have a full tank. It was very weird. The bike started up as usual without any trouble on the third try. Had the choke on the usual amount of time for me which is when it starts to rev really high. The warm up begins when I walk out to the bike. I start it up and let it run with the choke all the way open. While it warms up, I put my duffel bag on the back, my earplugs in, my helmet on, my glasses on, my jacket on, and my glove liners and gloves on. During the gearing up, I usually have to close the choke but it continues to run and warm up. Then I close the garage and hop on, put it in gear and slowly roll down the driveway. This morning, as I was leaving the driveway, it bucked a bit as if it was losing power or running out of gas. But, as soon as I hit the street and rolled on the throttle it was all good. I double checked the petcock to make sure it was on and it was. I figured it was just cold, even though it had never done that before and it really wasn't cold because I'd warmed it up. The temperature this morning was in the 40s. I could see my breath but it wasn't at all unbearable. Just a regular cold morning. I've ridden in colder although not this season.

So, then about 4 or 5 miles later, the bike really loses power and I think, that's weird. I had the throttle open but it wasn't going anywhere and wasn't even sounding like it was trying. But the bike was still running so I thought maybe it would pass. (I don't know what I mean by that!) But, then I'm going to slow for traffic and figure I need to pull over. As I pulled in the clutch to pull over, it died right away. Just like I'd run out of gas. Crap! That's what I thought. I am out of traffic more or less, in the fairly wide bike lane. It isn't as wide as a shoulder but there is little traffic here and I'm clearly visible so I get off and take off my helmet to think about it. Nothing is leaking. Nothing fell off. The lights are on so the battery is ok. Checked the petcock again and it is still on. Shake the bike - full tank. I tried to start it and it made the out of gas noise. So, I call hubby. While I'm talking to him, telling him what's going on and where I am, I decide to switch to reserve and try to start it. He kept saying it sounded like I wasn't getting gas too. Flip to reserve, hit the button, and it starts up. It idles just fine. Weird. But, hubby says I shouldn't drive it to work so I head home and get the car.

Later he finds this article about carb icing. That sounds like it to me. Weird. The conditions didn't seem any different or cold or anything to cause ice but what do I know. The garage is pretty cold and we've had huge swings in the temperature. Maybe there was condensation on the bike. Could very well be. I hope that is what happened because that means nothing is wrong with the bike. It didn't feel or sound like anything was different or wrong aside from, you know, the dying part. :-) One thing I noticed, when I started it up and getting back on it to head back home, there was a whistling noise. That was different. I'll have to remember to tell hubby about that bit.

So, I didn't get a good ride in today after all. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice and even warmer!

Edit:
So, nothing is wrong with the bike. I need to take some ginko. Even though I thought I'd filled up my tank at the end of the last ride. Apparently, I did not. So, I'll be riding tomorrow and going straight to the gas station. I should google which is closest. D'oh!

2009 Riding Goals, cont.

2009-01-30T11:06:00.003-07:00

One idea for a trip hubby and I are batting around is to visit his folks who live near Albuquerque. That is an 8 hour drive so if we took a full week off to take our time getting there, have time to visit and also have time to ride, that would be really fun. His father rides a Harley Fatboy. That would be really fun to ride with him and even more fun if his sister and brother in law went with us. I should send them an email to put the bug in their ear.

This morning I thought a trip to Telluride, CO could be fun too. It is really pretty there and a good destination town.

2009 Riding Goals

2009-01-28T08:41:00.005-07:00

I like creating goals for myself. It gives me something to plan for and look forward to and also helps keep those plans fresh in my mind if I think of them often enough or write them down. The memory just ain't what it used to be. Now that it is nearly February, I'm starting to think of what goals I want to set for myself this season. Last year was a mountain pass, which was unsuccessful. So, that is still on the list. I want to do the same ride we attempted last year through Rocky Mountain National Park. This time we should attempt it earlier in the season and earlier in the day. And we can make the loop from Estes Park, over Trail Ridge Road (one pass) to Grand Lake, down to Granby, over Berthoud Pass (#2) on Hwy 40, to Hwy 6 back home. After the attempt into Rocky last time, hubby mentioned this plan might be better so we don't backtrack and can cover more ground. I like it.

Other goals? I'm still working on them. Probably something to do with the parts bike. I should start that process before the season starts up again. Perhaps after football season is officially over on Sunday. :-) We bought a small lift table so I'd at least like to get one of the engines out of one of the frames so I can start working on it. I think we decided to go with the 86 parts bike first because we don't know if that engine runs and it already has the carbs and most other parts already off of it. That bike is titled too so it will be the runner eventually.

I'd also like to do an overnight longish trip this season. Not sure where or when yet. I'll have to work on that idea a bit. Maybe camping, maybe not. I'm open to suggestions.

Inconspicuous rider

2009-01-22T19:59:00.006-07:00

On the way home tonight, I was behind this guy on, I think, a dirt bike who was nearly invisible. So, I took some video of him. Coincidentally, I was listening to the Long Way Down soundtrack and I don't know how to turn off the audio on my camera so, there is some nicely timed music in the background.

I have never seen video of myself on the bike at night but folks have told me I am very reflecty and clearly seen. I've got an extra brake light, light colored reflective clothing, white helmet, and lots of reflective stickers on my helmet, saddle bags, and the bike. Some day I'll have hubby film me so I can see myself.

Motorcycle Parking pass

2009-01-22T14:19:00.004-07:00

So, I bought a 3 month parking pass for my car since it is January and because the two snowiest months in Colorado are March and February. I thought it might be a good idea to just cough up the cash (or plastic) and not have to worry about parking off campus for the next few months. (I should be riding the bus, but whatever.) Anyway, of course, secretly my plan was to jinx the weather and have some good riding days. It worked! I rode the past two days (when temps were in the 70s) and even on the MLK holiday with hubby. (Yay!) It is supposed to snow by Friday and go back to normal temps in the 40s. So because I rode to work, I had to park on campus so I ended up buying a motorcycle parking pass earlier than planned. It expires in August. It isn't any cheaper to buy more months, the monthly price is the same. But the thing that rubs me the wrong way is now I have shelled out lots of cash (or plastic) to park two different vehicles. With the car, I have the option to buy a day pass or week pass or by the month or however many multiple months I want. With the moto it is not as varied. My options are basically three months or 6 months or the whole year. That's it. I can't ride every now and then because I can't park without a sticker. Now, if I was paying to park my car through the whole year, and they were making automatic deductions from my bank account for it, I could get a free moto parking pass. But, that doesn't help me. I don't drive often enough during moto season to feel inclined to spend the $40 per month. Especially when the moto is only $14 per month (although I think it goes up a dollar or so every July).

But, now I've got the moto pass so I can take advantage of the warm days as they come. And I should really just ride the bus on other days anyway. I'm just too lazy to do it.

Wrenching continued...

2009-01-12T09:23:00.004-07:00

So, I removed a few parts from the bike on Saturday. In addition to the tank, we removed the exhaust pipes and were able to take a better look at them. Not too bad all things considered. I few smallish dents and some rust but no holes of pinching or anything that would prevent them from being useful. That's good because I needed them. The 86 parts bike didn't have useful pipes. They were cut by the PO. I also removed the battery and the battery box and cover. I took off the broken rear signal stems and threw them away. We tried to remove the tool box but it looks like you have to remove the air filter case before you can do that. I think that was it. Maybe next time I'll see about removing the headlight and some of the front end bits.

I'll still need to get new handlebars but that's ok because I want to put straighter ones on the "new" bike and the grip heaters. The stock bars on this 87 parts bike are bent from the accident. The 86 parts bike had the style of bars I want but those are bent as well. I think I'll need risers with this new Tank gas tank too. It is much wider than the 450 tank.

This morning...

2009-01-12T09:15:00.003-07:00

we woke up to this:

And it is still coming down.

Wrenching

2009-01-10T16:04:00.006-07:00

Today we took the tank off the wrecked 450 parts bike to see how the new Tank gas tank would fit and look on it. It is hard to say since the wrecked bike is quite bent. But, I think hubby wasn't discouraged about it fitting so that's a good thing. He's the one who will be modifying it to make it work. Here are some shots I took of the two tanks. I didn't take any shots of it on the bike. The Rebel gas cap fits. That's convenient.

more Tank parts

2009-01-09T08:22:00.001-07:00

This is becoming quite annoying. So, when I last talked to the parts person at Tank, I asked about the cover that goes over the speedo and attaches to the tank. She apparently thought I meant the clear cover that goes over the speedo to cover the numbers and gauges. So, when she said that was being sold as one piece, I thought she meant the cover (or dash) and she thought I meant the little glass or plastic cover on the speedo itself. So, I still don't have the part I need. I'm beginning to wonder if I ever will because she didn't seem to know which part I was talking about. She is supposed to be checking into it this morning and calling me back. We shall see.

This is so frustrating. But I do have the speedo now. All I am missing is the dash cover to attach it to the tank.

New Tank Pics

2009-01-07T08:27:00.004-07:00

The new tank is here! The new tank is here! Had a bit of a scare at first. See the hole in the box? Well it turned out to be ok. That was the crappiest packing job I've ever seen. The tank was wrapped in one sheet of foam and put in the box. The box was barely even taped closed. Yikes. But, it turned out to be ok thank goodness. I guess that's how they keep prices down. And you really do get what you pay for.

There is a bit of rust on the bottom which is quite annoying. But, the plans are to paint it so c'est la vie. Anyway, here it is in all of its glory. :-) Not bad for a brand new $90 tank. I'm very happy with it and am looking forward to getting it painted.

Yay!!

Delivered!

2009-01-06T13:19:00.004-07:00

The new tank shows as delivered when I track the package. Woo hoo! The speedo and cover hasn't shipped yet but that's ok. I wasn't planning to hook everything up right away anyway. Still have to do some maintenance to the rest of the bike. I did get an estimate for the paint job via email. That's the first one I've looked into so we'll see.

New Tank on the way

2009-01-02T10:29:00.003-07:00

So, I ordered the Tank brand gas tank for my Rebel. A few folks on the Rebel Board have said this tank is a perfect fit for the 250 Rebel. And there is a tutorial on how to adapt the 250 tank to the 450. So, that's the plan. The Tank gas tank (I know, very confusing) is slightly bigger than the Rebel gas tank. Not by much (0.5 gal) but every little bit helps. :-)

When I first ordered the tank, I wanted to get the one with the built in speedo. But when I looked for the speedo parts it was showing out of stock. So, I ordered a gas gauge cover from a different model bike hoping it would fit. When I called to check (you have to order online but have to call to get questions answered) I was told they were not compatible so I told them to cancel the gas gauge. Turns out they didn't because I got an email saying both had shipped. So, I called again this morning and they are sending me a return label so I can send it right back. But, the very helpful parts lady informed me that they were not getting in more speedo covers because they are going to sell the complete set - speedo and cover. So, I ordered one of those.

The price for the brand new gas tank - $102.08 with shipping. The price for the speedo and cover - $29.58 with shipping. :-) That's not bad for brand new stuff. Stay tuned for more!

Got a short ride in yesterday with my new helmet!

2008-12-29T08:45:00.004-07:00

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

2008-12-12T08:18:00.003-07:00

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!

2008-12-03T09:57:00.004-07:00

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

2008-12-03T09:40:00.005-07:00

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

2008-11-26T13:27:00.003-07:00

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......

2008-11-25T15:40:00.003-07:00

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?

2008-11-19T12:54:00.007-07:00

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

2008-11-17T09:15:00.003-07:00

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

2008-11-14T09:11:00.003-07:00

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!

2008-11-05T21:59:00.005-07:00

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

2008-11-05T11:32:00.004-07:00

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

2008-10-30T16:37:00.005-06:00

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

2008-10-22T08:16:00.003-06:00

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!

2008-10-17T10:47:00.005-06:00

Aargh! Winter temps?!!

2008-10-15T13:13:00.003-06:00

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

2008-10-08T10:50:00.002-06:00

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

2008-09-26T11:12:00.004-06:00

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

2008-09-25T16:24:00.009-06:00

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

2008-09-23T10:41:00.002-06:00

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

2008-09-23T10:08:00.007-06:00

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?

2008-09-23T09:43:00.002-06:00

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

2008-09-23T09:32:00.003-06:00

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...

2008-09-18T13:01:00.003-06:00

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...

2008-09-17T10:40:00.002-06:00

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

2008-09-06T14:06:00.001-06:00

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

2008-08-22T09:39:00.003-06:00

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

2008-08-20T10:23:00.003-06:00

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

2008-08-19T08:26:00.004-06:00

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...

2008-08-19T08:10:00.002-06:00

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

2008-08-13T16:04:00.006-06:00

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

2008-08-12T13:51:00.003-06:00

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!

2008-08-11T16:45:00.003-06:00

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!

2008-08-10T20:20:00.002-06:00

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!!

2008-08-08T08:10:00.007-06:00

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

Not Motorcycle Related but....

2008-08-07T15:23:00.006-06:00

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

2008-08-07T09:53:00.001-06:00

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

2008-08-05T13:32:00.004-06:00

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

:-)

Post rain ride....

2008-08-05T12:59:00.003-06:00

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

2008-08-04T15:09:00.005-06:00

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!

2008-08-01T12:32:00.002-06:00

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

2008-08-01T12:10:00.004-06:00

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

2008-07-29T12:03:00.003-06:00

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!

2008-07-28T11:30:00.003-06:00

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

2008-07-23T11:19:00.002-06:00

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!!!!!

2008-07-15T10:50:00.003-06:00

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

2008-07-14T12:10:00.002-06:00

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?

2008-07-08T13:13:00.003-06:00

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

2008-07-08T12:08:00.003-06:00

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!

2008-06-12T18:30:00.002-06:00

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

2008-06-11T14:00:00.003-06:00

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?

2008-06-04T10:21:00.003-06:00

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

2008-05-30T11:38:00.003-06:00

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!!

2008-05-22T22:18:00.005-06:00

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

2008-05-14T08:46:00.002-06:00

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)

2008-04-30T11:24:00.002-06:00

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

2008-04-29T14:48:00.002-06:00

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.