(no subject)
New Bike
Our first trip to the gas station. 60 m.p.g. - cool. Lost in Elgin: "Can you point me East - towards Chicago?"
Home: in the shop, smiling and safe. I did not die; not dying is good. The storm: an ill omen - or, a trial by fire, followed by a baptism? River Road rain gear rules. September 15, 2005: I bought the bike. The sky grew dark. In what was the driest season on record in Chicago, the rain began to fall.
I bought another set of rain gear - and I put the rain gear on. The wind increased.
I was 25 miles from home. The sun set. It turned into a 36 mile ride.
The bike took care of me: no slips, no falls - despite the new tires on the wet-oily industrial road. She is a girl bike. And her name is Ursula (the she-bear).
I thank God for every bit of reflective tape that I wear, and the safety classes that I have taken.
2006 Kawasaki
KLR 650 Dual-Sport 651cc, 4-stroke, 4-valve, DOHC, liquid-cooled single
trans: 5-speed
dry: ~325 lbs.
wet: ~400 lbs.
saddle height: ~35"
tank: ~6.1 gallons
brakes: front/rear disc The motorcycle of the U.S. Army & Marine Corps. I can't begin to describe how well this bike fits me. My own joke with myself is that I am helped to ride by the Hun, Arab and Mongol genes that I carry. The great dialogue in Western history involves the periodic invasion of the peninsula of Europe by groups of people from other parts of Asia. And the riding position on the KLR is upright - like being on horseback. Because of my genes, I have very long arms and legs. This is a good bike for someone with such a build. That's what it's about: finding what fits you. I'm not really interested in going fast; I want to go well. And I want to go a long way. Riding across the continent touches something that is buried deeply in my brain - in my consciousness.
Our first trip to the gas station. 60 m.p.g. - cool. Lost in Elgin: "Can you point me East - towards Chicago?"
Home: in the shop, smiling and safe. I did not die; not dying is good. The storm: an ill omen - or, a trial by fire, followed by a baptism? River Road rain gear rules. September 15, 2005: I bought the bike. The sky grew dark. In what was the driest season on record in Chicago, the rain began to fall.
I bought another set of rain gear - and I put the rain gear on. The wind increased.
I was 25 miles from home. The sun set. It turned into a 36 mile ride.
The bike took care of me: no slips, no falls - despite the new tires on the wet-oily industrial road. She is a girl bike. And her name is Ursula (the she-bear).
I thank God for every bit of reflective tape that I wear, and the safety classes that I have taken.
2006 Kawasaki
KLR 650 Dual-Sport 651cc, 4-stroke, 4-valve, DOHC, liquid-cooled single
trans: 5-speed
dry: ~325 lbs.
wet: ~400 lbs.
saddle height: ~35"
tank: ~6.1 gallons
brakes: front/rear disc The motorcycle of the U.S. Army & Marine Corps. I can't begin to describe how well this bike fits me. My own joke with myself is that I am helped to ride by the Hun, Arab and Mongol genes that I carry. The great dialogue in Western history involves the periodic invasion of the peninsula of Europe by groups of people from other parts of Asia. And the riding position on the KLR is upright - like being on horseback. Because of my genes, I have very long arms and legs. This is a good bike for someone with such a build. That's what it's about: finding what fits you. I'm not really interested in going fast; I want to go well. And I want to go a long way. Riding across the continent touches something that is buried deeply in my brain - in my consciousness.