Commuting

I just read a blog entry at Road Runner Magazine (a great magazine by the way) about commuting on the bike.  I've thought about posting something similar but haven't gotten around to it.  I thought I might take the time to do it now.

I got a late start on the riding season this year for some reason.  It was July before I took my first real, good ride.  I've been making up for it since.  Aside from the Labor Day ride I've ridden up to Denver a few times and just cruised around town for the heck of it quite a bit.  I like riding around town to get to know it.  Even though I've lived in Colorado Springs since '09 this town is a hard place to get to know.  It's always a lot more fun to explore a place on a bike.

On top of all the leisure riding I've done I've also been commuting a lot more.  The commute is a mile to the interstate and then about 15 miles down I-25 with another 3 mile jaunt on surface roads.  The roads are all pretty hectic and traffic usually flows fast.

I had a hard time getting myself to ride to work because I think I've gotten lazy and spoiled.  I like not fighting wind blast.  I like being able to drink coffee and listen to Bob & Tom on the radio.  And I like not worrying about putting my feet down when I stop.  The more I ride though the less I miss that stuff.  I'm sure I'll get tired of the wind blast again and go back to driving the truck for a while.  I'm okay with that.  I used to be one of those guys that would pride myself on riding everyday, rain or shine, hardcore style.  Now not so much.  I'm kind of old and more concerned about comfort and pleasing myself than some guy on a message board.  This was a comment to the blog post I was referring to
  

"I guess your really not a hard core motorcyclist but a fair weather rider. I ride daily, most everywhere, taking my daughter to school and back to work, to clients, shopping, every where. I do just over 100,000 a year."  

Harsh!  Well whatever.

I myself have really been into the commute because the weather has been perfect for riding most days.  It's rained on me the last two days but like I've mentioned before, I like riding in the rain.  The temperature has been just perfect so that I'm warm but don't sweat in my rain suit.  That's ideal to me.  As a matter of fact it was so beautiful out I was tempted to just call off sick and head for the mountains (which looked just like the Misty Mountains from The Lord of the Rings this morning.  It's a good thing I didn't though, CO 24 was closed due to flash flooding.   I stayed off the interstate though.  I don't like riding the freeway in the rain.

So, you have the weather but the other element is the, I hesitate to say it, Zen state I get into.  I don't think a lot about outside things when riding.  I focus on the road and the guy with the gauge, tattoos and sideways trucker cap in the WRX about to cut me off.  Even when it's not that hectic I'm scanning the road for deer or just checking the rearview mirror.  I just don't have time to think about stressful things.  If someone pulls into my lane I get mad but don't (or can't) stay mad.  I have to move on to the next threat.  I don't want to make it sound like a round of Death Race 2000 or Thunderdome.  There isn't that constant challenge, you just have to constantly watch for it.

By the time I get to work I'm relaxed and happy and ready for the day.

Location Is Everything

I both love and hate checking out the European and Japanese websites of motorcycle builders.  Love it because it's fascinating to see what other countries are offered and hate it because it's painful to see what we don't get offered.  Take for example my old trusty FZ1.  I have the first generation bike but when the second generation or "Gen II" bike came out Europe got a beautiful naked bike with no fairing.  The US FZ1 with the mini-fairing is known over seas as the Fazer.  Not only do they get a non-faired version they get better paint schemes in my opinion.

Europe's FZ1

It also has a lower chin spoiler.

 The FZ1 is a little long in the tooth however but the trend continues with the smaller sibling to the Fazer, the FZ8 Touring.  Sure you can buy the bags and brackets after market or even through Yamaha's accessory catalog but how nifty is that?

 And lastly here's one I don't even know!  The XJ6 Diversion.  A half-faired variant of the FZ6R I believe.  There is also a 660 Ténéré where only the 1200 Super Ténéré is offered in the states.  Check out the UK site here.

As for the other bike companies you'll just have to check them out for yourself.  I don't know enough about Suzuki or Kawasaki to tell you the differences.  I can tell you that they have a lot of bikes though.  Check out Suzuki UK and Kawasaki UK, if nothing else they give the bikes different names.  Apparently you still have to settle for green on your Kawi in London.

So what's the deal?  I'm as patriotic as the next guy if that guy is patriotic but it seems to me we get stuck with less variety because we have less imagination.  Somewhere along the way through the decades of motorcycle design we all decided we wanted either a Harley or a GSX-R1000.  And they all have to have every cubic inch available.  Don't misunderstand, there are niche markets.  Niche may be too restrictive a word.  I see plenty of sport and adventure tourers but they're all very similar too.  It wasn't that long ago that the V-Strom was a one bike market on the affordable adventure bike scene.

I do think that things are turning around, Honda likes to make fun, interesting bikes but again, they like to make more fun interesting bikes for Europe.

This is not a photo from the early 80's, it's a Cb1300s.  Click the photo for more info

To sum it up, Europe in general and the UK in particular have some sweet bikes we don't but they also have a 20% VAT tax and crazy congestion and traffic laws.  I think I'll keep my small selection (you can only ride one at a time right?) and my big open spaces.

Gunnison Ride - Labor Day Weekend 2013

I took a Labor Day ride with my brother-in-law this weekend.  I left the Springs yesterday morning at 0930, met Chris in Buena Vista and arrived in Gunnison at 1500 or so after 201 miles.  We stayed at the Inn at Tomichi Village over night.  It is a pretty nice motel.  I like staying at motels on motorcycle rides better than hotels.  Hotels might be more secure but I like being able to open the door and see the bike parked right out front.  If it's raining and I have a couple of beers to drink that's all the better.

The motel was the cheapest listed on Hotels.com.  It had a two out of five star rating but a 4.1 of 5 on the number scale.  Not sure what the difference is but it is definitely a 4.5 out of 5 in my book.  So once we got settled in we headed 30 minutes north on Colorado Route 135 to Crested Butte for dinner.  We got there in the middle of a festival and the downtown was blocked off to traffic.  The last time Lisa and I were there there was also a festival and the street was blocked.  It made me wonder if the street is blocked off every weekend.  So we walked around looking for a steak house and found a pub that served steak, close enough. The West End Public House has a great 12 oz. New York strip. Chris had chicken and waffles which made me envious but it's not in my diet plan.

West End Public House

Afterward we rode a few miles up to the ski resort and took some photos.  In a state lousy with scenery this was some of the most scenic.  We got there at an optimal photo time.  It was sunset and thunderstorms had just passed through.  Everything was fresh and pinkish-orange.

View Larger MapDriving Directions

It was just turning dark on the way back to the hotel and it was getting a little chilly.  We made a stop for a 6 pack of my favorite beer, Paulaner Hefe-Weizen and got back to the room for some local news.  I was out by 9 o'clock with a well earned sleep.

I got up at seven the next morning and realized that I had forgotten my toothbrush so it was off to the local Walmart for that and toothpaste.  This was one of the older Walmarts like you don't see anymore.  It was very small with a little electronics section in the middle of the store.  Anyone remember that lay out?

We rode west to the Blue Mesa Reservoir for a few more scenic shots then turned the bikes back east.  While stopped at a rest stop an older guy on a V-Strom pulled in and said hello.  I noticed the Oregon plates and talked to him for a little bit.  He had just come through Grand Junction visiting his son and was on his way to Texas to visit his other son.  I thought "There's one lucky guy" but then so am I.

We made one last stop in Gunnison on the way back through for gas.  I got to talking with a guy on a Harley with New Mexico plates.  The bike had the same dirty look form rain that our had.  The guy had rode up Saturday from Albuquerque and was on his way home.  On the way to Monarch Pass I questioned why I love to ride so much.  I mean it's really nothing more than a mode of transportation, one in which you're exposed to the elements and vulnerable to careless drivers and wild animals.  I couldn't come up with an answer that satisfied.  All I know is that I spend a lot of time laughing or singing out loud when I ride.  I know the guy on the Harley, the older gentleman on the V-Strom and Chris could identify.

Poor Man's GPS

Chris and I made it up over Monarch and got rained on (again) briefly.  Traffic was light Sunday afternoon going west but was pretty busy on Labor Day headed back east.  I drove way to fast up the mountain but took it slow down the other side.  Chris and I parted ways at Poncha Springs (I love these old west town names).  He headed for Silverthorn via Beuna Vista and Leadville and I decided to try a different way than I had come and headed for Salida and on to Canon City.  It's a great ride through a twisty canyon.  The road runs alongside the Arkansas River.  The headwaters for the river are just north of Leadville and the river is still narrow enough to walk across in spots in Colorado.

The traffic was heavier through here but a lot better than it would have been had I come through Woodland Park and across route 24.  I stopped for a little water break in Canon City.  Canon City's chief industry appears to be prisons by the way.

I finally pulled in around 4 o'clock.  I got in and was met with the greeting I always look forward to from Moon, Dash and Ruby the three wonder dogs.  The wife was still at work unfortunately.  It was a great ride.

Influences

This month's issue of Motorcyclist Magazine had a series of articles on first motorcycles. The special section was called "Roots" and it looked was an interesting trip through some of the staff's first riding experiences. It detailed who influenced them and how they came to be involved in our great sport.

It got me thinking about my first bike. I'm not exactly sure who influenced me into my interest in bikes. My earliest memories of motorcycles are of my Dad's cousin Jack and Evil Knievel. Jack had been in the Air Force and travelled all over the word, which is obviously very exotic to a four year old. I remember one summer he road into town on a bike and how much of an impression it left on me. I never saw him on a bike again and he never really came around much as it was. I don't know what brand of bike it was it it didn't matter. It was the epitome of two wheeled freedom and adventure.

The other formative influence was probably Evil Knievel. My dad was never a motorcyclist but he loved watching Evil jump. I have the image of Knievel's unsuccessful landing at Cesar's Palace burned into my memory. Every Saturday I saw it at the beginning of Wide World of Sports.

Of course there was the t.v. showThen Came Bronson. I think it was on two seasons when I was a kid but it's impact went on long after that. Or there was the Batcycle Adam West piloted, you know, the one with Robin's rocket sidecar.

Who knows where my love of motorcycles first started. It seems like all children have an instinctual fascination with motorcycles. I remember being stopped at a red light in Salinas, California a few years ago. I looked over and there on the sidewalk I saw a mother leading her daughter along by the hand. The little girl looked to be three years old and about the tiniest little thing I've ever seen. She looked over and saw my Vmax and stopped right in her tracks. Her mom started tugging her along but she stood there, pulling back, mouth agape and eyes wide. It made me laugh out loud and I remember thinking even then, "There goes a future motorcycle rider".

Retro Bikes

From an article on CycleWorld.com