Category Archives: Harley-Davidson Motorcycle

Ready to Navigate

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I blogged not that long ago about the fact that I get lost in a paper bag. That is, my navigation skills while driving are not all that good. I decided not to offer to lead a ride for my club for the specific reason of being afraid that I would lose the group by taking a wrong turn. I had tried to ride the route in advance, but got lost.

My partner is a reader and a thinker. He is also a great listener. For the umpteenth time, he heard me share my concerns about getting lost while leading rides. In his considerate style, he put thoughts to action and bought me a top-of-the-line GPS unit, specifically designed for motorcycle use. He said it was an early birthday present (my b/d is six weeks from now).

That man of mine is so thoughtful. He applies what he hears to action, and makes it happen. While I am apprehensive about distracted driving, I am assured that when used properly, it will aid me in my navigation. It has a voice feature that when connected to an earphone will allow it to “tell” me the turns, so I don’t have to stare at the GPS’ screen.

I had arranged to drop off my bike for regular service on Monday evening. My partner followed me so he could take me home. That’s when he gave me the GPS, right there in the car. He suggested that I have my mechanic install it while the bike was being serviced.

When I picked up the bike, the GPS was installed and working. I punched “home” and tested it … and it took me on the precise route that I usually drive between the shop and my home. It worked great!

Isn’t my man thoughtful? Now, no complaints from me in getting lost. And no complaints about spending a lot of time on what my partner wants done: our home renovations.

Life is short: show those you love that you love them.

Best Friends Ride to Sedona

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Today my best friend and brother-in-heart, AZ, and I rode 330 miles round trip from Phoenix to Sedona, Arizona. Man, what a wonderful day! The scenery along the road was spectacular (once we got out of the city and the traffic.) The highway itself was smooth as silk. The skies were clear and riding through the mountainous areas brought new wonders of the landscape along each mile of the highway. I was in a continuous state of awe and amazement.

It was great having AZ right there with me as my passenger on this ride. As we were going further and further and higher and higher in elevation, the temperature dropped somewhat. We rounded a curve and saw snow-capped mountains in front of us. We were riding for such a long time that I shouted back to AZ at least twice, “are you sure we’re not riding up to see Clay in Calgary?” AZ would laugh and say, “not yet, we haven’t even crossed out of Maricopa County, much less Arizona!”

We met a friend of AZ’s who lives in Sedona and had lunch. The conversation was interesting, and we all regretted that we had to leave so soon. But it was another three hour drive to get back and return the Harley to the dealership from which I rented it before it closed.

I will cherish the memories of this day, and riding with my brother-in-heart, AZ. How blessed am I to share his friendship and have the opportunity to spend quality time with him and in sharing my passion of motorcycling with him.

Last Ride of the Season

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As my loyal blog followers know, I am an avid motorcyclist. I love riding my Harley. I enjoy riding in groups. It’s safer and more fun to ride with others.

Today I led a ride that went in a circular route through some untraveled, rural areas of Central Maryland. I have to be honest, if I weren’t responsible for leading the ride, I probably would not have gone on it. Yeah, call me a “wuss” but when it’s cold and really windy, then riding isn’t quite something I look forward to doing. But I made a promise to lead this ride, and I always fulfill my promises.

It was quite windy and never got any warmer from the chilly 44°F (6.7°C) ambient temperature. Add the wind at our speed, along with some strong gusts, and the wind chill temperature was at least 29°F (-1.7°C) or colder. Brrrrr! I wore my LAPD full leather breeches and my H-D Police Enforcer boots, a long-sleeved t-shirt, long-sleeved leather shirt, and my motocross jacket on top of all that. Warm gloves helped, too — though on my way home, I had to stop to put on even warmer gloves because my fingers were going numb. I had on a “throat coat” neck warmer, which when tucked inside my full-face helmet, kept me nice and toasty. My body never got cold at all.

The cold and wind didn’t deter nine others from joining me on the ride along our beautiful Maryland byways. We rode for a couple of hours, then some of us had lunch after the ride to warm up while others returned home.

When I got home, I found that my partner had mowed the front lawn, and was waiting for me to finish the sides and the back. Okay, no problem. I picked up the remainder of the fallen leaves, too.

After that, I went to the University for an hour to swim. I need to pick up on my exercise since the outdoor gardening and lawn work has also been completed for the season. I have to get my exercise somehow. Swimming works best for me, and in a heated pool, helped thoroughly re-warm my chilled body.

A nice day! But I’m sure that I will sleep soundly tonight!

Odd But Fun

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It was a beautiful day today in Maryland and nearby Delaware. I took a motorcycle ride to Bridgeville, Delaware, which was about 110 miles (177km) away, on the other side of the Chesapeake Bay. The morning started out quite chilly, so I wore my tall brown custom Wesco Harness boots, jeans, and my thick biker chaps and, of course, my warm leather jacket over a t-shirt and sweatshirt.

The reason for going to Bridgeville was to watch the World Championship “Punkin Chunkin” contest. At first I thought it was just a silly affair, but I see that lots of people take it very seriously. They spend all year manufacturing what they call “machines,” which are large air cannons. And I mean LARGE! Some of the cannons were more than 50′ (15m) long! One-at-a-time, a team would load their cannon with a pumpkin, and charge it up to fire the pumpkin across a large field. The winner, which will be announced tomorrow at the conclusion of this three-day event, is the team that fires a pumpkin the greatest distance. Today, one team fired a pumpkin over 4,200 feet! (1,280m)!

By early afternoon, the temperatures reached 75°F (24°C). That is quite unusual weather for this time of year in Maryland. It made for a delightful ride over the Bay Bridge and back, along Maryland’s uncrowded highways. A beautiful day, a beautiful ride, great friends, interesting destination. What more could you ask?

Well, today would have been perfect if my partner could have been with me, but alas, his disability prevents him from riding with me. I missed him a lot as my passenger. But when I got home, he and I sat in the forest behind our house to watch the sun drop slowly toward the horizon, and I told him all about it.

Life is short: wear your boots, ride your ride, and enjoy!

Rain on the Chippewas

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Yesterday morning, the local weather weasel said that it would cloud up, but remain dry all day, then perhaps rain a little in the evening, if it rained at all.

Considering that it was 50°F (10°C), I put on my red-piped leather chaps, favorite leather jacket, and a pair of warm gloves. I had already put on my Chippewa Hi-Shine engineer boots. Those boots are just comfy and good-looking as heck. I find I am wearing them often when I ride the Harley to Metro and then walk to work in the city.

Long about noon, the weather weasel was proved wrong, wrong, wrong. It began to rain. The wind picked up. The temperature dropped to 42°F (5.5°C). Ugggh… I hate riding in the rain.

When I left work and arrived at the Metro station where I parked my bike, there was a steady, but gentle, rain falling. It was windy and cold. I wore my Harley jacket to work, so I had it on and it was warm (enough).

I walked to where I keep my Harley locked up, shook off as much rain as I could from the cover, and put it in a saddlebag. I got my chaps out of the TourPak, and put them on, along with the gloves. Thank goodness I had the forethought to have my full-face Shoei helmet, which provides better protection in wind, rain, and cold. I put it on and adjusted it.

I brought the bike to life and slowly walked it backwards to the exit drive. I also thanked myself for having lug soles put on those Chippewa boots. They were providing excellent traction.

Using only the rear brakes when it was necessary to slow down, I rode slowly home. Made it safely. Not a problem. I just don’t like to ride in the rain, cold, and wind. But those are the risks you take when you are cheap (I don’t have to pay for parking the motorcycle), when you like to ride as much as you can, when you have the gear that provides proper protection, and when you have had training in how to handle a big, heavy, motorcycle in the rain. I reduced the risk as much as possible. That’s what the gear and the training is all about.

Keep riding as long as you can — but don’t trust those weather weasels!

The Temperature Threshold

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This time of year can be frustrating. It has been cold — almost freezing — in the morning when I leave for work, yet pleasantly cool, but not cold, during the day.

As a “civic activist biker”, I advocated strongly for a bill that passed a few years ago which provides free parking for motorcycles at any Metro subway station in our county. Being cheap, and also wanting to continue to take advantage of the bill that I joined with others to fight for, I really want to continue to ride my Harley to the Metro as long as I possibly can.

But every biker has his limits. Yesterday, when the thermometer read 32°F (0°C), I wussed out. That’s an American expression for failing to participate in something due to lack of courage. Yep, I didn’t have the courage yesterday to deal with the cold. Soon enough, I will become accustomed to the cold again, but at this time of year, such temperatures still seem to be a bit of a shock to the system.

This morning, it was a little bit warmer than yesterday. Wow, a whopping 3°F increase, making the morning temp to be 35°F (1°C). I was dithering a lot as to whether to scrape the frost off my truck and crawl into it, and just pay the cost of parking it at the garage, or steeling up my courage to leather up and ride.

Well, I chose the latter. That is, I put on thick, warm socks, my Chippewa Hi-Shine Engineer boots, which are lined and comfortable (and look good with street clothes at the office), my thickest chaps (my old Mr. S Biker Chaps were the selection), and several layers on my body. Undershirt, warm dress shirt, and a vest. On top of that, I zipped up my Taylor’s Leatherwear cop jacket, which has a very warm Thinsulate lining.

I got my full-face Shoei helmet, which blocks cold better than my 3/4 SuperSeer helmet, and adjusted the vents to ensure that the face shield wouldn’t fog. Then I picked out a pair of warm motorcycle gloves.

I do not have heated gear or heated grips as some people I know have. I mean, heck, it’s only two miles to the Metro. How cold is it, really? Guys in Minnesota or Wisconsin are probably laughing like heck at this whole thing — they ride all the time when temperatures are well below freezing (and probably in shorts and sneakers, to boot). But for us in the Mid-Atlantic, these temperatures are about the low limit of our tolerance, or what I call “the temperature threshold.”

I continue to learn that the windscreen on my Road King really performs well in blocking the cold air. Having ridden a Harley for 15 years that did not have one, I was always having to bear the full brunt of wind chill. According to the National Weather Service Wind Chill Index, the temperature today on a bike without a windscreen at the speed that I ride to the Metro would feel like 12°F (-11°C). Brrrrrrrr! But today, it was almost heavenly. I felt the cold, but it wasn’t unbearable. In fact, it was almost unnoticeable.

It’s good to have the right gear for riding in temperatures like this. Heck, with what I learned this morning, I might even challenge temperatures colder than that. As long as there is not any ice or snow on the ground, I imagine perhaps I could be riding all winter. We’ll see.

(Sorry, no photos of this get-up. It’s not possible to operate the camera with thick gloves on!)

First Time for Everything

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Here I am in my (usual) tall cop boots, leather breeches, leather shirt, and leather jacket. My cousin is visiting from California. I lent him a pair of boots (obviously, he’s not accustomed to wearing them), a leather jacket, and gloves. I invited him to join me on a motorcycle ride today.

It was a great ride, though it was a bit “crisp.” The warmest it got was 55°F (13°C), but it was bright and sunny on a cloudless day. The leathers felt great, as did the boots. We enjoyed seeing the deep blue autumn skies, as well as the patchwork of reds, oranges, yellows, greens, and browns of the leaves on the trees. The swirl of fallen leaves parting around us was thrilling to watch as we leaned into curves and on the hills on the four-county trek along Maryland’s byways and back roads.

What I enjoyed most was seeing the smile on my cousin’s face. He had never ridden on a motorcycle before, and I am honored that he placed his faith in me to take him for his first ride.

Famly: what it’s all about. As I often say, I’m showing those I love that I love them.

Here was our view, below.

Improving the Harley’s Comfort

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I have ridden my new Road King over 2,000 miles since I got it at the end of May. During that time, I have found that my back ached after riding, even for fairly short distances, and especially after a long ride. I was having to hunch over and lean forward when I rode with the stock handlebars. My wrists ached also, and my hands went numb due to the position my hands were in on the stock bars. The residual soreness in my back and my wrists lasted for days. Aspirin was becoming my “best friend.”

Working closely with the outstanding Parts Manager at my local Harley dealer, he measured my reach, height, and looked carefully at my body position on the bike. Using those measurements, he found some bars in an after-market catalog that he thought might be better. He placed the order for me. When the bars came in, he had the service department clamp them onto my bike so he could make sure the bars were right for me. They seemed to fit well. But the Service Manager at my Harley dealer said they wouldn’t install the bars because the bars were not made by the Motor Company. (Grumble, grumble… but the service dept. at my Harley dealer is known to be rather poor, anyway.) Moving on, the Parts Manager went with me to a custom motorcycle shop up the street to introduce me to them, and to discuss how to make these bars work with the “fly-by-wire” electronic throttle.

The new bars have a 1″ (2.5cm) higher “rise” and a 3-1/2″ (8.9cm) longer pull-back. I picked up the bike yesterday after the installation was complete, and rode 80 miles. I led a ride today and rode about another 80 miles. Tonight, I have a huge smile on my face because I am not sore in the least bit! I knew the fit could be made better. I now sit up straight with my arms slightly bent. My wrist angle is perfect, too. No soreness or numbness. Terrific!

You also see me in this pic with yet another new helmet. It was made by Seer, which is the helmet worn by CHP officers. It was painted to match the color of my Harley. It is a 3/4 helmet, giving me an open face, but full protection around my head. Worn with protective eyewear, this helmet works great, especially on hot days. It is cooler than a full-face helmet, which I will wear when it is colder.

I’m a happy Booted Harleydude, and much more comfortable on my bike while riding, due to the new bars, new helmet, and am always really comfortable in my Chippewa Firefighter Boots.

Life is short! Wear your boots! (and be comfortable, too!)

Crossing The Bridge

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Day One of my “Staycation” found me fulfilling a promise to someone who I befriended 25 years ago but with whom I had lost touch until she Googled my name and contacted me a few months ago. She and I had become friends at an organization where she worked and where I “cut my volunteer teeth.” We became close, but then as I got busy with a job that took me traveling around the world, and she changed jobs so I didn’t see her at the place where I had been volunteering, we drifted apart.

That’s how things go in life — you meet people, form a bond, have fun, but then as life changes, you promise to keep in touch but, alas, sometimes that doesn’t happen. Of course it’s easier today with email, but still you have to put effort into it.

She lives about 90 miles (145km) East of me, on the other side of Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay Bridge. This bridge is huge — when the first two-lane bridge opened in 1952, it was the world’s longest steel structure at 4.3 miles (6.9km). It still serves as the only major overwater connection between the two halves of Maryland, my home state, which is divided by the Chesapeake Bay. A second parallel bridge opened in 1973 and has three lanes.

Usually the “old” two-lane bridge has east-bound traffic, and the “new” three-lane bridge has west-bound traffic. Today, however, authorities had closed one lane of the two-lane bridge, so they reversed one lane of the other bridge to go east-bound as well. And that’s the lane that you get routed to if you use an electronic toll device, called “Easypass,” which I have — attached right to the front of my Harley.

It was kinda spooky to be riding my bike in one lane with two lanes of oncoming traffic immediately to my left on this large bridge. The maximum height is 186 feet (57m), which if one has a fear of heights, can be daunting. (Fortunately, as a skydiver, heights don’t really bother me — it’s the landing LOL!). As long as you look forward and where you’re going, you don’t really see that all there is below you is water.

I found my way to my friend’s business. She operates a little café in a small, rural town among corn fields and farms. She fed me lunch, we caught up about our lives, how they have changed, what we’re doing, our past dreams and current realities. I suspect we’ll be in regular communication again, as I will be doing a website for her cafe to give her business an internet presence.

A very pleasant day and a good ride. Nice weather, light traffic, warm sunshine, but most of all, the rekindling of a friendship.

Life is short: Enjoy! Oh — wear your boots! I did. (Though I can’t say the gang of retired cops I bumped into at a gas station in Stevensville were booted. It was very disheartening to see retired cops riding big motorcycles with a full-face helmet, shorts, and sneakers. Uggghhhh… just stupidity. Oh well, I don’t ride with them; it’s their skin they’ll lose when someone hits them. And of all people, they ought to know better!)

Stealth in Boots

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My partner works on a schedule where he has every other Monday off. Today was one of those days. So he can continue to sleep when I rise at 4:30am, he sleeps in our guest room. Fortunately, it’s on the opposite side of the house from our master bedroom, so he can’t hear me in the shower or while I am getting dressed.

The only problem is that boots make noise. And since he waxed the hardwood floors on our first floor, no matter what boots I wear, they make loud squeaky noises on those floors. And cowboy boots would clunk loudly. While I like the clunk sound, I don’t want it to disturb my partner while he is trying to sleep.

We resolve this situation by some advanced planning. I figure out what boots I will wear the night before. I put them out in the garage by my motorcycle. In the morning, I just pad around the house in my socks. When I come down the stairs into our wood-floored foyer, I try hard not to fall on my butt because the floors are so slippery.

I packed my lunch, using only the light above the stove. If I turned the lights on in the kitchen, the light spilling out the kitchen windows causes a reflection that can be seen from the guest room. My partner is very sensitive to light, as am I. We usually rise no later than dawn all year-round.

I gather my stuff to bring to work, pack it in my bag, grab my motorcycle helmet from the top of the ‘fridge, and then quietly and carefully tiptoe into the garage, slowly closing the door behind me. Once I am in the garage, I put my boots on. Then I carefully open the garage door using the manual release. Oh-so-slowly I lift the door so it doesn’t rattle and creak. When the door is open, I step outside and walk around a bit, determining by feel what to wear for protection and warmth as I ride the Harley to Metro. Fortunately, I keep my most regularly-worn leathers and gloves on a special rack that I built in the garage.

It was a very mild morning, so I put on what I wear most regularly in the summer, my light leather shirt/jacket that I got a long time ago. It is light enough not to be confining, but heavy enough to ward off the slight morning chill. I put on my Damascus 302 cop search gloves, which are very light, as well.

I carefully walk the bike out of the garage, then very slowly close the door and lock it. I remount my iron steed and walk it to the end of the driveway, pointing down the street in my direction of travel. Only then do I fire it up, and ride off.

I learned from an article in American Motorcyclist that by starting a motorcycle out in the street, away from where sound can reverberate such as against a garage door or the front of a house/building, reports are that few people can hear it. Thus, no complaints about motorcycle noise. I have to be careful about that, because at 5:30 in the morning when I leave, almost all of the rest of my neighbors are still asleep. I don’t want them complaining to the HOA President about noise that I make. (Well, no worries. I’m the HOA President… but nonetheless, I have a reputation to maintain). I try to be thoughtful, and don’t want to bother people if I can do something to avoid it. And that includes being stealthy inside my own house, not put on my boots until I’m in the garage, and starting up my bike while well away from walls that can reverberate that hefty rumble of my Harley.