Number Three!!

March 17, 2013 by LB

I did it! I bought my third bike (and my first new one)!

Meet the 2013 Softail Slim!

I took these last 2 pictures with my cell phone, and since I’m one of the few people left on the earth who doesn’t use an iPhone, the photography isn’t the greatest … but the bike totally is!!

Can you tell I’m happy?

The dealer is having to add a riser to bring the handlebars closer to me (short arms), is moving the brake closer to me (short legs), and is changing out the grips (small hands). Because I like to travel, I am also adding a windshield, saddle bags, and engine guard. I hope to bring the bike home in a week.

I CAN’T WAIT!!

I sure am going to miss my sweet little Sportster though …

The Third and Final: What Will it Be?

February 22, 2013 by LB

I’ll never forget the thrill I felt after purchasing my first motorcycle!

I was just out of the motorcycle safety course, had a brand new, crisp license in my wallet and I needed a bike! I didn’t know much, but I did know that I wanted something small, used and practice worthy. I did not want to make the mistake of many new riders, who purchase a brand new “big” bike and, many drops and near accidents later, either sell or leave it sitting there, rarely to be ridden.

Enter my sweet little Honda Rebel, 28 years old with a $1000 price tag. The perfect starter bike for me! Three months later, I had learned much and was ready to move on up to a bigger, more powerful bike. I was a bit sad when I sold that purple rebel and hope it treated another newbie as well as it treated me. Read a bit more about that here: https://lifeonthebikeandotherfabthings.wordpress.com/2012/06/18/learning-to-ride-part-1/

A tinge of sadness was soon replaced with tremendous excitement after the purchase of my 2008 HD Sportster 883L. It too came to me used, although I was only the second owner and the odometer read just 3oo miles. The goal for this second bike was to grow in confidence, comfort, and skill. I’ve put almost 15,000 miles on my Sportster, taken week long solo rides each August these past 3 years, and ridden many, many miles with friends. What an amazing time I have had on this bike!

Last week, my bike went into the shop for the annual oil change and check up in preparation for the riding season. (It needs to be said that I’ll ride all year long despite colder temps, but the snow this year has kept me to only a few rides since November). As is not uncommon with “adult toys”, there are things to be done to this bike … some tweaks and some upgrades … and all of that costs MONEY!

What to do?

Spend a good chunk of change to get this lovely little bike ready for the year, and to upgrade it a bit?

Trade it in and get the third and final bike?

If you’ve read Learning to Ride, Part 2, you’ll know that my goal all along has been to eventually sell the Sportster, the bike I have called my intermediate or “middle bike”, and to then purchase the bike of my dreams. The biggest obstacle to that, of course is financial. A new bike means a monthly payment … ugh!

But I can feel a new one calling my name. Just the thought of it is seductive. In fact, tomorrow I will pick up the Sportster from the shop and bring it home. Next week, I’ll be visiting my friend Jay and start talking about a new bike. I don’t know what that bike will be (and I may not be able to work out the financial side of things) but in the meantime …

Isn’t this one a beauty?

The 2013 Fat Boy Lo.

Just add some saddle bags and a windshield and I’ll be ready for the road.

I’ll keep you posted …

Blogging Time

January 6, 2013 by LB

Blogging Time … is that something you budget into your daily schedule? I haven’t been, but may just have to start doing so.

After waking at 3:30 am, and unable to get back to sleep, I found myself in front of the computer. Which of course led to WordPress. Two and a half hours later, I wandered back to bed. Now, at 8:30 am, I am pondering Time and just how much of it I have been devoting to writing, and working on my own blog and to reading yours.

I never understood it when people would say they got lost in Facebook and spend hours there. I usually check it, read a few posts, and move on to other things fairly quickly. I may check FB several times a day and comment each time, but I never get lost in it.

Blogging? Now that’s a whole ‘nother thing!

I will read or view one of your posts, which leads me to make a comment, which causes me to read the other comments, which then leads me to check out several other blogs.

Phew!

Next thing I know, hours have gone by.

My Book Group discussion of Gone Girl is in just 2 weeks and I have only read a fraction of the book!

Thank goodness it is January and it’s a good time to be watching sports – NCAA Football (Hokies – yeah, not our greatest year), NFL Playoffs (Redskins – HTTR!) and NCAA Basketball (Go Zags!). I can watch a game and explore the blog world to my hearts content.

The blog will NOT get in the way of time on the bike or time with the camera, but I do need to figure out a more efficient way of managing this new addiction in my life.

How do you all do it?

Seriously … how do you manage time and blogging?

My Guys

October 12, 2012 by LB

Well, that’s what I call them, anyway.

Becoming a biker has introduced me to many things – pure joy and lots of thrills, little towns and bigger cities, curvy country roads and long straight interstates, and some really great folks. I’ve met and gotten to ride with many people, several that I now hold dear. Life would not be near as much fun or as meaningful without them.

Dave and Michael are two of my favorites.

I call them my guys, but they haven’t given me permission to call them that. I call them that because they’ve been my mentors and my companions on many rides in my short history of riding. They’ve each been riding for over 30 years; I’ve been riding on my own for 3; they’ve each got well over 100,000 miles under their belts; I’ve got 15,000.

They may not actually LIKE to be called my guys (I haven’t even asked them), but in my heart and in my mind, that is what they are. They teach me and are patient with me; they laugh with me and tease the hell out of me. I would follow them just about anywhere, knowing that all will be well and as safe as can be, and we’ll always have a whole lot of fun.

Michael introduced me to riding in December of 2007, and I met Dave and his wonderful wife Martha, another biker and a woman I adore, soon after.

Many of the miles I’ve ridden have been accumulated when following these guys, and the order is almost always Dave, then Michael, then me. Sure we ride with others, and they ride a whole helluva lot without me, but I can usually count on them wanting to ride when I do. They are used to getting an “I want to ride” text from me on any given weekend morning … even on a beautiful, 40 degree winter day.

I get to see beautiful parts of Southwest Virginia, as Dave knows every road and never gets lost …

… and Michael knows every biker and has never met a stranger.

They put up with requests for group photos and then they laugh at me as I race to get into the picture before the timer goes off.

A friend gave me a special camera strap (it has been dubbed the “magic strap”) so that I can wear the camera while riding and can quickly stop to take pictures without getting off the bike. I focus on the shot while the guys ride out of view but I never have to worry as they are always waiting at the next intersection. Thankfully, those waits having gotten shorter as I have gained confidence and nowadays they don’t have to wait as long because I’m usually right there with them … then again, maybe they’re just being nice.

Can you see their expressions? “Come on LD, hurry up and take the picture”.

I can and do ride with others. I enjoy a big group ride and solo rides as well. But I just love riding with these guys and I am so glad that they’ve welcomed such a novice rider into their biker world.

I never miss out on a chance to hit the road and love it when I get to do it with them.

The Beauty of Bikes

September 23, 2012 by LB

Motorcycles and photography … a combination of two of my favorite things. Motorcycles have been in my life for almost 5 years, and photography for about 1. I’ve taken pictures for years but am just now putting some effort into it. It’s a natural to combine the two and I’m sure I’ll be taking pictures of bikes for years to come. This is just the beginning.

Most bikers work hard to make their bikes look good and ride well. A walk out to my carport right now will reveal the fact that my bike needs some attention to detail. It takes some time and elbow grease to bring out the beauty and shine in a bike and the time I’ve had with the bike lately has been spent riding it, not cleaning it.

Yikes!

Others have done better than I and I’ve had fun taking pictures of bikes the last couple weeks. Billy has been riding this 2003 Road King for 9 years.

Not all of my friends ride HDs but many of them do.

Another friend recently bought this bike and he finally has it back on the road after some repairs and upgrades. Check out the Sharkey’s sign reflected in the pipe.

Sharkey’s is a locally owned restaurant and bar, and at any given time, especially in the evening and on weekends, a line of bikes can usually be seen. http://www.sharkeyswingandribjoint.com/

A couple of the pictures that follow were taken with my cell phone camera and while they are not great photos, they do show how bikers work to make their machines look unique.