Riding the Storm

Sometimes I ride in a group. They don't like to call it a club--it's mainly made up of folks that I don't really have too much in common with. Lately much has been said about riding in the rain, riding at night, riding on the interstate and riding long distances. It's the general opinion that riding is supposed to be done between 7am and 5pm, in good weather on slow back country roads of perfect condition. You should never take your bike out in the rain on purpose, never travel where you may run into gravel or get into a situation where you'd be required to exceed 50-55 miles per hour, stop every couple hours and trailer your bike if it would be over a couple hundred miles.

I've come to learn that riding is also about risk management. I have come to know that if you manage your risk by limiting the experience, you shortchange yourself. I gear up, always wear a helmet, and I am perpetually alert and aware of my surroundings when I ride, but on the other hand, I don't let "what could happen" or "what might happen" dissuade me from this two-wheeled mode of transport I love so dearly.

So I say: "You ride the storm, you become the storm." Once you truly own the experience, it is forever part of who you are.

Marcy's...

The little round things began life as cheddar cheese cubes. They are tasty, but the breaded pork tenderloin is rockin'!

Stephenson's General Store

This little general store is in Leavenworth Indiana. They sell handmade wood and pottery items, plus old-time and odd candy. They also have a deli counter in the back. The fellow who runs the place was familiar with Louisville and used to live in the Shively area so I doubt he's a Stevenson. They have a fair amount of touristy crap so it doesn't feel real authentic but I'd bet the building and business name are.

Derby Cycle in Louisville???

A few of us in the LSG met up last week for lunch.  It was pretty cold so we didn't do a whole lot of riding.  Joan suggested we go check out the new Louisville location of Derby Cycles.

It took like four tries to find the place. All it was--a hand made posterboard sign on what looked like an office suite.  Inside (it was unlocked) nothing much was there for sale.  There was a couple people there who showed us the shop, but that was all they had and that wasn't really set up yet.  Funny thing is I got this email back several weeks ago:

"We have opened our Louisville Store. It's located in the Bluegrass Industrial Park and the address is 11214 Bluegrass Parkway, Louisville, KY 40299. The phone number is (502) 267-7770     . Stop by and see us if you're in the area."

Hah, we stopped by...WEEKS AFTER THE OPENING...and nothing was there.

Airhawk durability

I purchased my Airhawk last season and the end of the season so it didn't do much besides sit on a broken bike for months (which was inside out of the weather).  I just looked at it the other day and I noticed how miserably faded the Airhawk has gotten.  I am going to write to the company and ask them to replace it.  It is now medium gray instead of black.

Cover for my Boulevard

I bought this cover a while back and have been doing everything to keep it up off the ground.  Its a really heavy cover of good quality made for a full dress bike.  My bike is not a full dress touring (I'm working on it!) but it does have a windshield and bags.  After I put the Givi top case on the rear, the cover fits a lot better!

Storage capacity

The three things I look for in a bike are fuel economy, riding comfort for distance, and storage.  since I was used Yamaha Majesty, my new bike falls short on all three categories.  It came with saddle bags which help, but you can't really put something in a leather bag with no lock and expect it to be 100% safe....not even 80%.  I had the Givi trunk from the scooter and since Kat and I put the rack on the back, I figured I would see if the Givi mount would work on that rack.  It fits perfectly and now I have my storage back (or at least some of it).  The saddle bags expand somewhat (which the underseat storage and the Givi never did) but they are not completely waterproof or secure.  The Givi case has a lock, and I used it extensively on the scoot.  Now I have engine guards and pegs to buy (for comfort) and then I will be comparable to the scooter.  Shifting doesn't bother me, and on the highway where the scoot would get worse mpg (down to mid 40's) the bike gains mpg (up to almost 50).