Motorcycle Season Begins
It was so warm (35F) and sunny on Saturday that I decided to break out the Valkyrie and see about blowing some of that stale gas out the carburetors, and try to get it ready for real riding.
The only thing really holding me back is the ice that has built-up in the alley. There's some spots on the roads, too, but mostly the side streets, and even then just in some corners or near piles where the plows piled it on or the driveway mounds are. Those are easy to avoid.
Monday was only 12F degrees, so I didn't even bother. Of course, by the end of business it was mid-30s again. Tuesday I decided that the nearly 20F degrees wasn't any colder than before I put the bike away in December. In December, though, no ice had accumulated on the roads or in our alley.
Tuesday, encouraged by the warm afternoon weather, I decided to give it a whirl, figuring the likely worst thing that could happen (all other regular road accidents not considered) would be dumping the bike at really low speeds really close to home. I thought if I took it slow enough, dragging feet if need be, I could probably idle out of the alley with little or no trouble at all.
I had just received the new license plate tab (just one), and thought to "throw" it on. I pulled the bike out of the garage, into the full morning sun, and while it idled I pulled the four bolts off the plate frame and tucked the sticker back on. Part way through, I realized how foolish it was to be working over the sputtering exhaust. I eased off the choke a little bit and worked a little faster before I succomed to exhaust. Moments later the plate was back in place, with its shiny, clean new tab in place.
I cleaned up my tools, settled onto the seat and shut the garage door behind me. A deep breath and I eased out into the miniature glacier that covers the alley. The bike eased along just fine, as ready to hit the road as I did. A few spots in the alley were more worn than others, and I carefully glided between the deep, water-filled ruts, and tried my best to cruise straight through the more slick parts. In the end, it was just a slow and go careful ride. The road was clear, and after a short fishtail as my rear tire shook the accumulation of snow, I was off...to the gas station.
I wanted to be safe and check the air in my tires. A little bit of a good omen, I guess, as I bent down to begin the ritual of pushing the bike around to get the valves in view, I was delighted to find that they were both dead-center bottom! Easy to reach. Both were just shy of 40PSI, so I touched 'em up, and took off down the freeway.
Not another trouble. Well, the usual trouble, motorists who are unaware or inconsiderate of others, especially those on motorcycles. The worst are the tailgaters, amplified by the extra care I take around the wet and potential slick spots. It's hard to lean into the turns when you suspect every dark spot is a patch of ice. Other than inconveniencing the dorks, all was swell.
I got a few comments on the helmet at my desk. Nothing like learning that your new consultant is a thrill-seeking kook!
Today the ride was a little more slick out, but mostly the same. The warm weather during the day causes quite a bit of melt, and the low overnight temperatures froze what didn't wash away. The ride wasn't any more or less precarious, except some of the tire ruts did look a little more menacing.
On the way in after work, though, there was one stretch of slushy bits that grabbed the back tire just enough to skid. Cruising at 5MPH, I just thrust out my feet and turned my two-wheeler into a two-wheeler with training skids, and stopped quickly enough. There was just enough twitch to dig the tires into the slush. It was a little thrust and rock, slip and slide. In the effort, the back wheel spun and slid into one of the ruts, while the front dug into its groove even harder. Just more try and I got it going and into the garage.
I'm looking forward to the challenge tomorrow, but I might take a few minutes in the morning to see if I can shovel some of that slush off to the side. Last year I spent weeks waiting for the melt to clear enough alley to ride concrete all the way down, but not this year. I'll take my chipper and shovel all the way if I need to.
I LOVE this photo - shiny cool bike in front of a snowbank. ROFL