SeaCat
Hey, my Halo is smoking
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2003
- Posts
- 15,378
So I went for another ride today. I'm having fun on my bike and I'm not ashamed to admit it.
I pull out of the park onto the main road heading west. I'm only going a short way when I pull to the left into the left turn lane for the local college. I wait for a break in traffic and ease out the clutch aas I look to the left, (where I'm going by the way,) and make the U-Turn. I was thinking I was needing the entire two lanes of roadway and instead I stayed in my lane. Hey I'm getting better at this.
Off I go to the next traffic light. I stop easily and watch in my mirrors as traffic comes up behind me. When I have two cars stopped behind me I start to relax. I watch as the left turn signal goes green and I slip the bike into gear. When my light goes green I ease out the clutch as the car ahead of me starts moving. I'm watching him though and because of this I'm ready when he checks up. When he finally gets on the gas again we're off to the races. I'm upshifting and watching the lights ahead of me. I have to make a left turn to run north. This light turns red and I ease off the throttle and tap my back brake pedal a couple of times to signal the car behind me I'm going to slow down.
When this light turns green I'm quite a ways back in the lane. This is good news bad news as far as I'm concerned. The good news is I have a bit of run up to the intersection, the bad news is I have a bit of a run up to the intersection. The cars around me are charging for the turn and I'm trying to keep my speed down a bit. I hit the intersection and set myself up for the turn. I make the turn in heavy traffic without a bobble and I'm heading down the road. This road has plenty of lights but is still a fast one. The speed limit on it is 50 MPH. I'm lucking out today though, every light I hit is green and traffic is moving smoothly. It even thins out quite a bit as people peel off to head for their homes or the stores. I'm smiling in my helmet.
I come up to my turn off and push my right bar slightly which banks the bike into the turn without effort. Now I have to grab my brakes though. I hit the turn at 50 MPH and have to slow down to 35 MPH. Theres a hill here though so I use that to scrub off some speed as I down shift and coast. At the top of the hill I'm at 40 MPH and use the engine to slow me the rest of the way. Now I'm cruising along the beach road and having an absolute blast. All I can see to the right is wide open beaches and water. All I can see along the road side are the pretty rich people coming up off the beach to head home. Oh such pretty people in their Bikinis and Board Shorts. Granted I could have gone without seeing the old guys in their shorts and fur. Their trophy wives and daughters on the other hand,,,,,,
I make it to the end of this stretch of Beach Road and head for home. It's a 20 mile run down a higher speed road and I'm looking forward to it. This road has some nice sweeping turns and absolutely no lights. (Turns are made from turning lanes.) The speed on this road is once again 50 MPH.
Once again I watch for a break in traffic and ease out the clutch. I crank open the throttle and keep shifting. Yes the speed limit here is 50 MPH but traffic thunders along at 60+. The bike is handling like a damned dream and I'm having absolutely no problems. I reach out with my feet and drop the highway pegs and just stretch out my legs.
I know this road well, I drive it often. I know I'm coming up on the first sweeper, a right hander that leads immediatly into a reducing radius left hander. I shift into the left sode of my lane and start the right hand turn. As I come through it I make sure I'm on the right side of the lane and ready for the left hander. I push left and start into the turn even as I keep pushing and rolling on the throttle. I'm watching the curve as well as the traffic around me. As I come out of the turn a Lexus in the left lane decides he just has to shift lanes. I can see the guys head swiveling a bit even as he holds his phone to his ear. When I see him creeping in my direction I check my mirrors then check up a bit. Sure enough the ass changes lanes without using his blinkeer. No sweat. I'm invisible to the assholes who have better things to do than drive and I know it. I ride accordingly.
As I'm coming up to my turn off I once again check mirrors. (This is pretty much what I'm doing as I ride. I look as far ahead as I can to see what's going on up there then I check my mirrors so I can see what's going on around and behind me.) The turn off is empty and the lane behind me is fairly calm. I hit my signals and pull into the righ turn lane. I'm downshifting as I peel off and loving the way the bike is just carving into the turns.
Me and the bike are pieces of one mobile sculpture. I think of where I want to go and the bike goes there. The bike leans into the turns and I lean with it. I'm learning the skills I need and I'm learning to trust the bike.
I hit the end of the ramp and push the right bar. The bike leans into the turn and I'm off and running again. It takes me another half hour of riding to get home and I'm smiling as I pull into my parking area. I am so enjoying this.
I had a member of another forum give me some ideas on how to mount my digital video camera on my bike. Maybe I'll be able to do this and let you see what I see as I ride. Maybe then you'll get a hint as to why I love it so.
Cat
I pull out of the park onto the main road heading west. I'm only going a short way when I pull to the left into the left turn lane for the local college. I wait for a break in traffic and ease out the clutch aas I look to the left, (where I'm going by the way,) and make the U-Turn. I was thinking I was needing the entire two lanes of roadway and instead I stayed in my lane. Hey I'm getting better at this.
Off I go to the next traffic light. I stop easily and watch in my mirrors as traffic comes up behind me. When I have two cars stopped behind me I start to relax. I watch as the left turn signal goes green and I slip the bike into gear. When my light goes green I ease out the clutch as the car ahead of me starts moving. I'm watching him though and because of this I'm ready when he checks up. When he finally gets on the gas again we're off to the races. I'm upshifting and watching the lights ahead of me. I have to make a left turn to run north. This light turns red and I ease off the throttle and tap my back brake pedal a couple of times to signal the car behind me I'm going to slow down.
When this light turns green I'm quite a ways back in the lane. This is good news bad news as far as I'm concerned. The good news is I have a bit of run up to the intersection, the bad news is I have a bit of a run up to the intersection. The cars around me are charging for the turn and I'm trying to keep my speed down a bit. I hit the intersection and set myself up for the turn. I make the turn in heavy traffic without a bobble and I'm heading down the road. This road has plenty of lights but is still a fast one. The speed limit on it is 50 MPH. I'm lucking out today though, every light I hit is green and traffic is moving smoothly. It even thins out quite a bit as people peel off to head for their homes or the stores. I'm smiling in my helmet.
I come up to my turn off and push my right bar slightly which banks the bike into the turn without effort. Now I have to grab my brakes though. I hit the turn at 50 MPH and have to slow down to 35 MPH. Theres a hill here though so I use that to scrub off some speed as I down shift and coast. At the top of the hill I'm at 40 MPH and use the engine to slow me the rest of the way. Now I'm cruising along the beach road and having an absolute blast. All I can see to the right is wide open beaches and water. All I can see along the road side are the pretty rich people coming up off the beach to head home. Oh such pretty people in their Bikinis and Board Shorts. Granted I could have gone without seeing the old guys in their shorts and fur. Their trophy wives and daughters on the other hand,,,,,,
I make it to the end of this stretch of Beach Road and head for home. It's a 20 mile run down a higher speed road and I'm looking forward to it. This road has some nice sweeping turns and absolutely no lights. (Turns are made from turning lanes.) The speed on this road is once again 50 MPH.
Once again I watch for a break in traffic and ease out the clutch. I crank open the throttle and keep shifting. Yes the speed limit here is 50 MPH but traffic thunders along at 60+. The bike is handling like a damned dream and I'm having absolutely no problems. I reach out with my feet and drop the highway pegs and just stretch out my legs.
I know this road well, I drive it often. I know I'm coming up on the first sweeper, a right hander that leads immediatly into a reducing radius left hander. I shift into the left sode of my lane and start the right hand turn. As I come through it I make sure I'm on the right side of the lane and ready for the left hander. I push left and start into the turn even as I keep pushing and rolling on the throttle. I'm watching the curve as well as the traffic around me. As I come out of the turn a Lexus in the left lane decides he just has to shift lanes. I can see the guys head swiveling a bit even as he holds his phone to his ear. When I see him creeping in my direction I check my mirrors then check up a bit. Sure enough the ass changes lanes without using his blinkeer. No sweat. I'm invisible to the assholes who have better things to do than drive and I know it. I ride accordingly.
As I'm coming up to my turn off I once again check mirrors. (This is pretty much what I'm doing as I ride. I look as far ahead as I can to see what's going on up there then I check my mirrors so I can see what's going on around and behind me.) The turn off is empty and the lane behind me is fairly calm. I hit my signals and pull into the righ turn lane. I'm downshifting as I peel off and loving the way the bike is just carving into the turns.
Me and the bike are pieces of one mobile sculpture. I think of where I want to go and the bike goes there. The bike leans into the turns and I lean with it. I'm learning the skills I need and I'm learning to trust the bike.
I hit the end of the ramp and push the right bar. The bike leans into the turn and I'm off and running again. It takes me another half hour of riding to get home and I'm smiling as I pull into my parking area. I am so enjoying this.
I had a member of another forum give me some ideas on how to mount my digital video camera on my bike. Maybe I'll be able to do this and let you see what I see as I ride. Maybe then you'll get a hint as to why I love it so.
Cat
).
