The Great Motorcycle Pizza Tour

Pretty Pretty Things

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:14:00 +0000

I really don't have much time for cars any more. I mean, I like some cars, but overall my interest level is only slightly higher than my level of interest in, say, eliminating ring around the collar on my favorite shirt.

That said, Coop has taken some mighty pretty pictures of some mighty pretty cars while he was participating in La Carrera Panamericana 2009. If you haven't seen them already, I suggest you go and check them out. Like, now.

Gosh Darn Rolling Roadblocks

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:06:00 +0000

I can't stand Prius drivers.

I have some serious issues with the concept of buying a new car in order to be green or to save money (ostensibly on gas), but my dislike of Prius drivers has nothing to do with their poor grasp of rudimentary math.

It has to do with the fact that they block traffic.

See, I'm all for fuel-efficient vehicles getting to use the HOV lanes. And I'm OK with fuel-efficient vehicles being slow. Designers have to make compromises for high gas mileage. No problem.

I am not OK, however, with these jackholes sitting in the HOV lane going slower than the traffic to the right. If you are slow in traffic, then get to the right. I don't think it's too much to ask. Of course, you WILL probably have to stop yapping on your cell phone for a minute in order to notice that traffic is whizzing past you on the right. And you will have to deal with the blow to your self-esteem that is driving in the slow lane.

But then, you can still be all smug and superior knowing that your car is half electric. See? So it'll all work out. Now stop impeding traffic and get out of my way, because I can get the same gas mileage as you at 80 MPH.

Nanowrimo begins...

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:50:00 +0000

Hey folks!

I've started the annual month of novel writing madness. For those of you who care to follow along, you'll be able to read each (unedited) chapter as I complete them over here: http://holyrollers-immortals.blogspot.com/

November Approaches

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 06:19:00 +0000

...And with November comes another Holy Rollers novel. As always, I'll be blogging this year's novel attempt for your reading pleasure.

The basic story goes as follows: When Death becomes too depressed to get out of bed and do his job, people stop dying. Chaos and creation erupt as humanity's fear of death vanishes. Accountants become daredevils. Repressed geniuses unleash their great works. And certain gods get pissed off by mankind's newfound cheekiness and refusal to die when properly killed. Our favorite unemployed biker deities return to restore the natural order until Death cheers up enough to resume his work.

Stay tuned!

My Motorcycle Made Me Do It...

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:02:00 +0000

Have you ever noticed how your motor sounds kind of annoying at 8,000 RPM when you're just maintaining a certain speed, but it sounds awfully good when you're passing 8,000 RPM on the way 13,000 RPM?

...Yeah. This morning was kind of a fast morning, if you get my drift. Actually, it was so easy to ride fast today that I decided it might be best if I just stayed behind the Buick travelling at a totally sane and reasonable 75 MPH.

So, cruising along at a prudent and safe 75 MPH keeping a reasonable distance between me and the Buick, I was a little surprised when the Buick's pilot suddenly darted into the next lane to the right for no apparent reason. There was nothing on the road. I hadn't been tailgating. And they weren't moving to exit. Odd.

Then I saw the bright, flashy, red and blue lights of a police patrol vehicle approaching rapidly in my rear view mirrors. The adrenaline rush made my lips and nose tingle in an unpleasant way. I moved to the right, and expected the officer to follow me - in which case I would have moved left again to the nearest breakdown lane.

Instead, unbelievably, he sped by on my left. The Buick darted right back into the HOV lane, and I resumed following the great grey whale, with a close eye on my mirrors for more officers.

I felt pretty lucky, and I did my best to ride a little more conservatively. I really did.

It didn't work. I arrived at the office shortly after unintentionally racing another guy on a CBR between stoplights. I was just trying to stay out of his way. I really was. Maybe he just really wanted to check out my bike. It happens...

I'll tell you what, the Speed Four gets me into all kinds of trouble.

Just a couple things

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:49:00 +0000

So, I hear (via Bolty.net's twitter feed) that Buell is halting production of new motorcycles. While I had no intention of ever getting one, I'm mildly bummed all the same. It's frustrating that the choices of American motorcycle are essentially Harley or Just-Like-Harley. I know Buell was also Harley-based, but at least he did something new with it.

And in other news, I just learned the other day that a major one-percenter club's clubhouse is within three blocks of my home. My immediate reaction was amazement, because in the four years I've lived in my current neighborhood, I've seen ONE member of that club, and it wasn't especially close to home. Once I got done being amazed, I started singing "These Are The People In My Neighborhood." I love diversity!

Dragging Up The Sun, and Stuff.

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:28:00 +0000

My morning commute is a pretty straight shot from East to West. As such, around this time of year, the sun rises behind me as I ride to work. If Arizona has anything beautiful, it would be the sunrises and sunsets.

Add to that the certain cool something that is casting a 100 foot long shadow in front of you and you've got the makings of a fine morning.

The temperature seems to have cooled off during the last week and a half, and I was darn glad I wore my winter gloves and a warm shirt this morning. Hopefully the weather will stay cool today, and I'll enjoy a comfortable ride home.

It seems the snowbirds are coming back, which must mean the economy is reviving. This is a good thing and a bad thing. Good because, hey, a good economy means jobs and people who want to buy a sweet Vespa ET4. Bad because, as far as I can tell, all the snowbirds do is drive around all day.

All the same, prime riding season is just cranking up here. I understand it's winding down elsewhere, and I'll do my best to have plenty of moto-adventures for y'all this winter so you can make it through the chilly season without going insane from the lack of riding.

Fun Over the Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:13:00 +0000

I am extremely excited about the return of decent weather. Yesterday morning. I managed to get out for a quick 70 mile ride. It was good.

You might notice the grin. What can I say? Nice weather inspires expeditious riding.

Weekend Full of Building Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:23:00 +0000

This past weekend, I attended a forge-building workshop at the Mesa Community Arts Center. It was most righteous. It took about a day and a half to build the forges. I think it could be an quick, one-afternoon job if you have the right tools and are just working on your own.

We built a forge for each of us, and one for the art center. They've got a pretty sweet workspace for blacksmithing. I expect they'll probably get more people interested in taking the classes when it isn't 105 degrees outside...

I learned a bunch of new stuff, including how to tap a hole (wow, was that easy...) and how to forge a bottle opener. Somehow, I forgot to take a picture of the bottle opener, but I do have a picture of my shiny new forge. I have, for reasons I think are obvious, decided to name it Dante.

Now I just need to rustle up a stand for it, and some kind of large piece of anvil-like metal to beat on, and I'll be set!

If You Don't Like Talking To People, Don't Ride.

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:31:00 +0000

This morning as I stomped my way from the parking garage to my office, some dude riding his bicycle said "Man, you look like the Terminator in all that gear!" as he went past.

So, I replied like anyone would, "Fock yo, ahsshole."

No, not really. Here in real life I just smiled and kept walking. Now, don't tell anyone or I'll lose all my righteous biker cred, but I kind of like talking to strangers. At least, until they prove annoying. Sometimes they'll tell me a good story, other times, I get a good story out of having talked to them. Like the time a very drunk guy staggered diagonally towards me as I was putting my gloves on and talked about his old Suzuki Ninja and how he remembered the turn signals.

I like getting dumb questions from people I work with. Yes, I get hot in the summer. Yes, I get wet in the rain. Yes, some people drive like idiots. That's too bad about your uncle that rode straight into a tree, I guess he'll know not to do that again, eh?

I like talking to other bikers at stoplights and at gas stations. I'm always mildly surprised when another biker doesn't want to talk. I mean, dude, the day can't be THAT bad, you're on a motorcycle!

Now, I have heard some cynical biker-types complaining about waving and saying "hi" at stoplights as ridiculous attention getting: "Hi, hey, hey, we're both on motorcycles, isn't that great? Hey. Hey!"

I say, yeah, it's pretty great. Why aren't YOU more excited about it?

I don't mean to say that everyone needs to be outgoing and friendly. Believe it or not, I'm pretty reserved (except when it comes to motorcycles. You just try and shut me up about motorcycles...). I don't think you have to be nice to annoying or rude people, though I personally try to be cordial and polite until it's no longer possible.

But on a motorcycle, a person kind of stands out. Other people are going to notice you. Other people are going to attempt communication. People will yell from the sidewalks. People will roll down their windows to chat about gas mileage and top speed. People are going to tell you about friends of friends who've been mangled. Other bikers are going to ask where you've been today and where you're headed and what you think about this crazy weather.

So if that bugs you, you might want to reconsider your transportation choice.

Why I Like the Speed Four So Very Much

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:25:00 +0000

So the weather is finally cooling down a little bit here in the desert. Yesterday for my ride home it was a cool 103 degrees outside. I thoroughly enjoyed the brisk fall weather, as you can imagine.

This morning, the temperature was GLORIOUS.

Anyway, I rolled the bike out of the garage as usual, hit the starter and I swear the bike went "WOOHOO!" before settling into it's idle.

I love the Speed Four.

Some Random Stuff for Thursday Night

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 02:49:00 +0000

So, I got to see where the cop disappeared to the other night. There's some construction going on right around the location of the disappearance the other day. I was behind another motor-cop on my way home yesterday and saw him sneak into a little spot in the construction. I'm thinking that's where my ninja cop went.

In other news, we just got the car out of the shop on Tuesday after having a bunch of transmission seals replaced, and now the A/C compressor crapped out. Yay for everything breaking at once!

In other other news, the Mesa Arts Center is having a blacksmithing forge building workshop in the next couple of weeks. You KNOW I'm all up on that scene. Once I've got that sucker, I'll just need to find a section of railroad track to use as an anvil and I'll be able to do some more smithin' this fall.

And that's about it. I've got to get back to novel revision...

Incredible Disappearing Motor Cop

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:34:00 +0000

I think I've mentioned it before, but police officers unnerve me. Fact is, there's a lot of laws out there, and if they feel like busting me, I'm sure there's something I'm doing that isn't strictly legal.

Also, I've been informed on several occasions that I look suspicious.

Motorcycle-riding police unnerve me extra because, for one, they don't wave back and for two, they're better at being invisible than I am.

This afternoon as I rode home from work, I took advantage of a lull in traffic and opened up the throttle a touch. Not much at all, compared to traffic. Of course, 75 in a 55 is still 20mph over the speed limit. If you're counting.

There was another rider behind me, and he actually passed me as I moved over. I gave him a wave as he went by, and noticed another biker out of the corner of my eye. I gave that fellow an up-nod, and then noticed he was a cop.

So I gracefully slowed to a more prudent speed. Which is to say, I dropped anchor and wondered if traffic school might be fun.

I sort of expected the cop to pass me. Usually, they do.

This one didn't. I moved over another lane and continued decelerating until I was moving at a totally legal 56 mph. Except for in Wisconsin, going exactly the speed limit seems to be like a big flashing light screaming "I'm up to something! Follow me for days."

He didn't pass. I got a little more nervous.

He continued his "not passing" ways.

I checked my mirrors to see if there were any pretty red and blue lights back there. There weren't.

And there was no cop.

Where the Hell did he go, I wondered. And how did I get out of being pulled over?

I see four possibilities:

1. He was in a good mood and let it slide.

2. He felt a certain bond with another motorcyclist stupid... er... rugged enough to be out in this kind of weather.

3. He was messing with me.

4. It was too hot out, and there was no cop, just me losing my mind as my skull-fluids boiled.

But seriously, do they give those guys ninja-vanishing lessons? Irondad?

Ask and Receive

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:16:00 +0000

Hey, looky here! A place to work on your motorcycle, including tools you probably don't own. They even have motorcycle lifts. It's even sort-of close to home!

U-Fix-It Center

I still think it'd rock to get a group of like-minded nuts together to rent out a warehouse space and set up a motorcycles-only space to work on bikes, hang out and watch people working on their bikes, and so on. It'd be the Dust Devils WC (Wrenchin' Club), complete with (shoulder) patch.

That might be a little too hippie for Arizona, though.

It Is Not Possible to Ride A Vespa Reasonably

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:43:00 +0000

Hey there, been a while. Sorry for the huge gap in posts but I've been in a bit of a creative slump. On to today's moto-ponderment.

The speed limit in downtown Phoenix is 25 miles per hour. Everyone drives at least 35 mph, but that's another issue.

Yesterday I took the Vespa GTS to work, partly to give it a bit of exercise, and partly because that thing is just so much darned fun. I could take the Vespa on the freeway if I wanted, but I usually don't. Scooters were meant for surface streets.

Anyway, on my way home last night, I stopped to wait for a red light fairly close to my office. An officer of the law stopped immediately behind me. This was a bad spot for me to be in.

You see, the Vespa is crazy fast off the line. It does 0 - 30 in no time flat. I can, and frequently do, find myself going 50 mph without realizing it.

I did my level best to roll easily away from the stop light, I really did. I still wound up going 35 in a 25. I assume the police weren't interested in me, but just in case I backed it down to 25.

25 is an impossible speed to maintain on the Vespa. Seriously.

Eventually, the officers took pity on me and passed so I could resume puttering along at 35. Then I noticed the second police car behind the first. Argh.

Anyway, no ticket, but a whole lot of struggling to control a high-strung scooter around the police. That bike was made for hooliganism. It's fast, it's has incredible handling, and I can't really feel the speed the way I can on the Speed Four.

I strongly recommend you get one, if you're able.

Enforced Simplicity

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 04:11:00 +0000

Have you noticed how much stuff people carry around day to day? Coffees, cellphones, mp3 players, maybe a folder of compact disks for the car, wallet, keys, lunch, maybe a book, notebooks, clean underwear and on and on...

What is all that stuff?

I get annoyed with my courier bag with a couple notebooks, pens, lunch, a sunglasses case and a cellphone. Seriously, it feels like a friggin' anchor on my back and it's not really that much stuff. If I drove a car every day, I imagine I'd find more shit to bring with. I used to do things like stop for a smoothie on the way to work, which was one more thing to carry around. The trunk of the Rat-Buick, back in the day, was a veritable storage locker with every possible item I could ever need (except, you know, the thing I needed right away).

Luckily, I don't drive a car anymore, except in dire circumstances. I ride my motorcycle instead. Which kind of makes carrying superfluous items impossible. The motorcycle suits me because I prefer to travel very light. I've got a tank bag for traveling, which can be combined with my courier bag bungeed to the back seat if I feel like pretending I'm a truck. Under the seat is my tool kit and a tire repair kit. So equipped, I'm ready to conquer the world - or at least the world within a twenty-four hour riding range of home.

There have been several times in my life when I've lived out of my suitcase, essentially, for prolonged periods. The curious thing I've found is that I rarely miss the stuff I don't have with me. In fact, it's pretty liberating not having to deal with all that junk. While all the suckers with a doodad for every possible contingency are still packing, I'm having a cup of coffee and ready to roll - if I haven't already left.

So it's not that having stuff is bad, exactly. More that if you've got something, it better be something you'll really miss if you don't have it. Something you don't really mind carrying. If you look around, you'll probably notice a whole bunch of stuff you haven't even touched for years, except maybe to move it to a different spot. Seems kind of silly, doesn't it?

This is why I'm all for having a small house. And small transportation. If there's not room to stash it or carry it, then I probably don't need it. Enforced simplicity, for me, anyhow, is a good thing.

It was... Pleasant?

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:12:00 +0000

I think I may have mentioned the crushing, oppressive heat we've been having this week. I got into my gear this morning (around 6:15) expecting more heat.

Instead, it was surprisingly pleasant all the way to work. It couldn't have been above 80. Hell, it felt kind of cool, really. Back to school weather.

Doubtless it was a fluke, and the heat will be back with a vengeance by noon, but I'll take whatever respite I can get.

One Hundred and Too Many Degrees

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 04:28:00 +0000

I am very spoiled when it comes to my parking situation for work. I've got a nice, covered, mostly-secured garage where the Triumph can comfortably wait for me to get out of the office and back to the more important task of carving up the roads in Phoenix.

Well, this week I'm out of the office and instead spending my time at a training facility in order to be the best nerd I can be. Overall, this is pretty sweet.

However, the parking situation at the training facility, to put it kindly, sucks. Outdoors, wide open, no shade to be found. I'll tell you what, although I'd rather ride than be stuck in a cage, hopping on a black Triumph that's been sitting in the August sun in Phoenix is not comfortable.

Apart from the odd heat making me wonder if I've somehow wet my pants, the tank is hot enough to burn my legs through my pants.

I can deal with all of this, of course, but I'd really rather not.

Tomorrow I'm bringing a towel to cover the more important contact points on the bike...

Triumph-ant Return

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:46:00 +0000

The other night I installed the new battery in the Triumph. Last night, I actually took it out for a test ride. Currently, the "Check Engine" light is on. I believe this is just because the battery died, and I've got to do 3 heat cycles before it will shut off. I've got two out of the way.

If it's still on tomorrow morning, I'm going to freak the hell out.

Incidentally, old school mileage counters are superior to the new computerized displays because if the battery dies, the trip odometer doesn't get cleared...

Update 7/30: The check engine light is off again. Hooray for engineers and their curious solutions to simple problems - without them the world would be significantly less interesting.

Stopping to Help

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 19:15:00 +0000

I don't know if I've mentioned it recently, but the temperature in Phoenix right now is currently hovering around hotter-than-hell. By the time I walk to the garage I'm generally covered in sweat.

Now, I realize having an over-enthusiastic cooling system is better than not having one at all. All the same, trips outside are carefully considered right now in order to minimize the amount of heat I have to deal with. Otherwise I've got to change my clothes three times every day.

So this is the time of year when I'm extra gracious to pedestrians while driving or riding. I mean, those poor bastards need to get into some air conditioning as soon as possible!

Yesterday I went to a cigar lounge to work on rewriting last year's Nanowrimo novel some more (it's coming along quite well, if you care). Ordinarily I'd go to a coffee shop, but it's just too hot for that kind of thing. The new battery for the Triumph was still charging, so I took the cage. I did some writing and enjoyed a gigantic cigar in air conditioned comfort. It was nice.

Of course, eventually I had to go home again, which meant getting into the oven-hot car. In addition to putting up a sunscreen in the windshield, we now cover the steering wheel and other controls which require handling with a towel. This is so we don't have to put on oven mitts to drive.

So, as I drove home (waiting for the A/C to really get working), I ended up stopped at a red light, waiting to turn left. As I watched traffic go by, I noticed a beat up old car roll to a stop in the middle of the intersection. The passenger hopped out and started pushing the car, but didn't make a whole lot of progress.

The light changed, and I made my turn. I parked as soon as I safely could and ran back to help push the car.

A guy in a van pulled in right behind me, and as I took off to help, I heard him say something. I'd reached the stalled car before I realized he'd asked me if I was going to help those guys.

I helped the guy already pushing the car, and a couple minutes later the other fellow who'd stopped reached us and helped push as well. The car's exterior was hot enough to toast bread, so pushing the darn thing was a little uncomfortable. The three of us got the car safely out of the road and into a gas station's parking lot. From there, I pretty much just wished them good luck and hopped back into the Mustang.

As I drove away, I considered the oddity of the other guy asking me if I was going to help. It bothered me that he felt had to ask. Did he expect me to go back there and yell at them to get their damn car out of the intersection? Tell them to stop obstructing traffic before I called the cops? Of course I'd stopped to help. That's what people do, right?

Right?

Because we're in the desert, where the weather and nature are actively conspiring to kill everyone foolish enough to live here. Pushing a car in the afternoon heat is the kind of thing that kills people.

I don't know if people are afraid of getting robbed, or lazy, or what, but I'd venture to say that most stranded vehicles are just that - stranded. In the friggin' desert! If I wanted to rob someone, I wouldn't do it by parking my car in the desert heat.

So it bothers me that stopping to help someone is so unusual that people have to ask if that's what you're doing. Maybe I expect too much.

Gremlins Caught, Being Held for Observation

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:10:00 +0000

Well, I'm happy to say the problem with the Triumph appears to simply be a dead battery. I discovered this when I went out to try and get it running, and noticed that the headlights were pretty dim.

Yay for the scientific method.

Anyway, I charged up the battery and the bike started right up. However, the "Check Engine" light is on. In the interest of not ending up twenty miles from home with a dead battery, I rode the Vespa again today. Tonight I'll put my voltage meter on the battery and see what happens.

The Triumph still has the original battery, so it's about due for a new one. This weekend I'll have to go and get a new one.

Vexing Gremlins

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:26:00 +0000

There were two reasons I didn't go ahead and get the Ducati I wanted three years ago.

The first reason was the maintenance costs. $70 oil changes? Granted, I'd take care of that myself, but if an oil change is $70, how much is the bi-monthly major service? I understand those costs have been significantly reduced, but I'm going to wait a while longer to see what owners of the new, cheap maintenance Ducatis have to say before I commit to keeping an Italian exotic alive.

The second reason is Ducati motorcycles kind of have a reputation for breaking down or bursting into flames while parked in the garage overnight. I ride every day, and dealing with breakdowns is not my idea of a good time. I understand that motorcycles are not appliances. I also understand most people use them as toys, so performance takes precedence over reliability during the design process. All the same, I'd rather have a bike known for running and running and running, considering my intended use.

So when that glorious day arrived, and I bought my new motorcycle, it was a Triumph instead of a Ducati. After all, every indication pointed towards modern Triumph motorcycles being bullet-proof. Word on the street was that quality control took precedence over everything else, and the new bikes ran every day without a hitch.

And that's been, mostly, my experience. Until last night. When the Triumph broke down while parked in the garage.

This morning I hauled the Speed Four out of the garage, locked up the garage, got my gear on, put the key in, turned it on and... nothing. The lights came on. The display lit up but did not actually display anything.

I've experienced this glitch after rain before, so I just turned the ignition off and flipped the kill switch a bunch of times. Previously, this eliminated the problem and I was on my way five seconds later.

But this morning, it didn't work. Instead of saying "excuse me, guv'nor" and starting right up, the damned thing persisted in it's refusal to run.

This is most annoying. Especially because a British bike - you know, from the land of rain and damp - shouldn't stop running just because it got a little wet. How on Earth am I supposed to trust this machine in the rainy climes of Oregon if it can't handle an occasional shower in the desert?

The good news for today is that I was able to ride Lady Luck's Vespa in to work. Tonight, I'm going to have to deal with the heat in the garage as I try to get my infernal machine running again.

It's Raining, It's Pouring

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:57:00 +0000

At 4:10 this morning Lady Luck and I woke to a massive thunderclap. I believe my thought process went something like this: What the hell?? Ahh! Zombie Apocalypse!! Wait. Thunder? YAY!!!

I love storms. Here in the desert they're spectacular for a couple of reasons. First, the lightning here is always amazing. Second, any variant on "hot and sunny" is a welcome change.

So at approximately 4:11 this morning, Lady Luck asked me if I was going to need a ride to work today. If I'd stayed awake long enough to answer, I would have said "Certainly not! Storms and motorcycles go together like peanut butter and bacon!"

I got out of bed a few minutes earlier than usual in order to get my rain gear out of storage. For the second time ever, it actually rained while I was wearing my gear. I've mentioned before that getting my rain suit on pretty much guarantees dry weather for the duration of my ride. Well, today I got thoroughly soaked. That is to say, my rain suit did. I was dry, comfy and rather tickled with the novelty of rain.

There was only one other rider out on my route to work this morning. Frankly, I was a bit disappointed. I thought for sure the friendly Goldwing rider I wave to on the freeway every morning would be out. The guy I did see was on what looked like a GSX-R. Apparently, Arizona's hardcore riders are all on sportbikes...

Of course, in my excitement, I also got rolling about fifteen minutes earlier than usual, so perhaps the regulars were all out and I was simply too early to see them.

When I reached the office, I got to enjoy the battery of questions and funny stares I always get when I ride in the rain, as well as some new questions I haven't heard before.

One which particularly stuck out was, "Doesn't the lightning bother you?"

I'm a polite sort of guy, at work, so I just said "No, I like to watch the lightning, really." What I wanted to say was, "Not unless it hits me."

The apparent amazement some folks have when I ride in the rain amuses me quite a bit. I mean, why would I avoid riding just because of a little water? After all, the temperature isn't going to be this nice again for the rest of the summer. Darn right I'm going to ride! I'd have to be crazy not to.

Of course, that's probably what it comes down to. I'm the crazy one. Everyone else goes for the safe and rational choice and drives to work in their cozy little automobiles. I'm the one foolishly enjoying two-wheeled pleasures that mainstream society will never know and, frankly, don't care to. The folks who see me clomping along the sidewalk in my rain gear, dripping water and grinning ear to ear don't understand. They don't realize that by seven in the morning, my day has already kicked ass and, in fact, the rest of the workday is likely to be a let down.

And between you and me, when it comes to the drudgery of rational choices such as staying dry and avoiding discomfort, I'm happy to stay here in my crazy little motorcycle world where it's always a perfect day for a ride.

You're invited.

Oh This Burning Beard

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:51:00 +0000

On Saturday I went to the barber. I got my hair cut short because it's too hot here to tolerate excess insulation on my noggin.

Unfortunately, the barber misunderstood my instructions concerning beard length. He removed almost all of my beard and I feel kind of like a scruffy homeless guy.

That's bad enough, but this morning I discovered he'd cut my beard short enough that it gets caught in my helmet lining and chin strap, which itches like crazy.

I was awfully happy to get my helmet off today. Now I remember why I quit shaving...

More Required Moto-Gear

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:20:00 +0000

You know what's great after a ride? Bacon.

But if you're in the middle of nowhere, and didn't bring your favorite skillet, how can you enjoy that real bacon flavor you crave?

Well, in the past you might have been dependent on canned bacon.

But now, straight from Sweden, the ultimate processed meat product: Squeezable Bacon.

Bring that and a tube of coffee, and you're good to go! Bring a tube of peanut butter as well for PB & Bacon sandwiches with your coffee.