Cruddy Weather and Getting Out of the Driveway

So I haven't been able to ride my motorcycle for a few days. Partly by choice, and partly due to several different events converging.

Bad weather made me park the motorcycle for a day or two. Then the yard was re-arranged to accommodate the dog.

That is just what I want to do, make sure that my dog has more space by taking up my driveway.

Now all I have to get out of the driveway with my motorcycle is a small gate and a question if the Rebel will even fit through.

Mom says that it's winter and I don't need to be riding anyway.

Fortunately, I have an inch on each side of the handlebars, so I am good to go.

So this is the motorcycle parking this morning at work (that's me on the right):


One other brave soul riding to work.

Well, to be honest, it is Friday on a finals week at a Community College so there is about as much action as a church on Friday evening, and there has been some pretty bad weather in the Pacific Northwest lately, so folks are reluctant to ride.

The bad weather was mostly around the northern Oregon coast and parts of Washington. Parts of the coast actually had 129 mile an hour winds.

That's hurricane force winds, folks.

So now they are all "digging out" from all that water, and places are still flooded. The valley, where I live did not escape the rain, so we have a lot of water running around, but it is right where it belongs and not running over.

So I rode.

Well, it's all relative I suppose. People will assume different amounts of risk depending on their skills and experience.

Ta!

Balisada

Smaller Bikes and Moving Up

I ride a Honda Rebel. It's a 250cc, but it gets great gas mileage and it's lightweight and agile.

The problem is that most folks think that motorcycles are large, noisy Harley Davidson's.

They sometimes want to know:

Don't you get blown around on the freeway? (Not really. I do have problems with headwinds and passing, since the Rebel is not really a powerful bike.)

Aren't you afraid on that smaller bike, being around the larger vehicles? (Only when the other vehicle is yakkng on the cell phone, reading, yelling at kids, or whatever else while they drive.)

When are you going to get a real motorcycle? (If you buy me one, I just might ride it once or twice.)

What fascinates me is that often those remarks are from folks who are not actually riding motorcycles at the time.

I wonder if they ride motorcycles at all. I have run into a few of those kind. They don't ride a motorcycle, but if they did it would be this really big, overpriced, underpowered, poorly built Harley.

Okay. Thanks for the scoop.

Don't get me wrong. Harley Davidson's can be nice looking bikes. It's just that they are not as well built as Honda's, and the Sportster looks like absolute crap and if I cannot pickup my motorcycle before people start laughing to much at me, then it's too big of a motorcycle.

I had someone remark that my motorcycle looked like a "little Harley". I found the remark fascinating because a Honda Rebel forum that I wander into had a discussion about folks insulting the Rebel. Someone stated that they got a complement and was told that it looked like a "little Harley". I suppose that it does look like a Harley, and I know that generally it's meant as a compliment.

In a later thread, someone posted a link to an article on the American Motorcyclist Association. The article is about riding smaller bikes.

Here is the link:
http://www.ama-cycle.org/news/2002/RidingSmall.asp


Rather fascinating article.

Essentially, someone else is stating the exact reasons why I don't move up to a bigger motorcycle: the smaller ones are more nimble and tend to be a funner ride.


Ta!

Greetings and Salutations

Hello.

If you are reading this, then you must be really bored.

I mean really, most sincerely bored.

Welcome to my meanderings. Here you will find ramblings about my motorcycle. Where I go, what I did when I got there, and what I saw. I am not a great writer, not terribly interesting, and I will not post about motorcycle safety (I leave that to the professionals.) If you are still interested. Read on.

So what kind of motorcycle do I ride?

I have a black 2006 Rebel and I ride it everywhere.

I used to have a screaming yellow helmet. Now it's graphics - "Voltage". Let me tell the story.

I was taking pictures of my motorcycle on a hill, and moved my motorcycle to a better position (meaning I was trying to get away from the graffiti of a mans most favorite muscle), and kicked my helmet.

I watched it roll in slow motion as I moved in even slower motion to get it. It stopped ever so briefly, so I stopped.

But then gravity kicked in, and it rolled down the mountainside.

If it just rolled down dirt, I would be sorely tempted to use it anyway, but it didn't. It rolled down rocks. Large fist sized rocks. And was stopped by a tree.

Say goodnight Gracie.

Put a fork in it.

It's done.

So I had to purchase a new helmet.

Yay.

$500 dollars later I had a helmet that couldn't decide what color it wanted to be. Why can't manufacturer's make a yellow helmet? Am I the only one that likes the color?

Here is the old one:



You're going to see that one coming a mile away. Here is the new one:



Not going to see that one a mile away. It works with the ears, but I really wish I could have had yellow.


Ta!

Balisada