Second riding season in the books!
Just like everything I post on here, this is a bit late. By like a few months. But better late than never.
So I survived my first full riding season in 2010! I only put in 1000 miles, but that's a big deal for me ^_^;
Over the winter there wasn't much bikeyness going on, but we did go to the Motorcycle Show in DC. They had a women's section and this girl helped me try on some warmer weather jackets. She convinced me to try on an XS, and it actually fit ok. I was amazed. I usually assume I'm a Medium or Large. So later I went home and ordered a new Tourmaster Trinity II jacket in Silver. I also got a super sexy high viz vest from my Dad for Christmas, as I had requested. I look like a big neon dork with all my gear on, but I'm pretty sure it saved me from getting backed into at least once in the Oakton Park parking lot.
Drew helped me de-winterize the bike at the end of March. We changed the oil and filter again, put the battery back in and started it up. It took a couple of tries but after that it ran great. Even better than it was when I put it away. We left the bike there so I could come back and practice in my parents' neighborhood.
The following weekend I went to my parents' on my own and just practiced riding around the neighborhood for an hour or so, just to get reacquainted. It was weird seeing all the streets that I used to wander around as a little kid. They seemed so much bigger back then. It was nice having little to no traffic whatsoever, compared to what we have around the apartment in VA. I did make a stupid mistake trying to park the bike back in the garage though-- did a very slow motion drop. Not too much damage done, just a little scratch on the exhaust and one of the handlebars.
The following Thursday I rode the bike back to VA and Drew followed me. My dad tried to convince me to keep the bike with them until I moved until the house, and even bought a helmet for himself! I was like ummm, sorry, Dad! But I need it back!
The motorcycle parking at Oakton Park got more and more crowded with shitty broken scooters. Most of them were busted up and couldn't possibly run. Add some actual running sportbikes to the mix and I could hardly get in and out of my space. Sometimes it would take me like 10 mins to do a million tiny k-turns to get the bike out >_< One day I almost knocked one of the scooters over, and spent the next few mins trying to get it back on its center stand without dropping it. I should've just let it fall :p
I was happy to move into the new house. Even though we still don't have a garage or shed, I can usually grab some street parking right in front of the house where I can keep an eye on the bike. I feel bad because I parallel park the bike instead of parking it perpendicular to the curb, but I don't want anyone clipping it and knocking it over. My crazy neighbor, Karen, made some comment that it takes up more space than a car because people give it a lot of room when they park. I couldn't tell if her remark was a snide one or not. I joked that maybe they thought I was in a biker gang. Oh well, whatever, it's a public street and I know tons of the cars parked on the street are there year round and are never moved.
One time I was parking the bike and a little girl ran up to the bike and just stared. Her dad came up and said, "she LOVES your bike". I asked if he had one and he said his wife wouldn't let him. I told him that maybe his daughter can have one someday. At least *someone* likes my bike :D
I spent the next couple of weeks back in the business center parking lot doing drills with my mini-cones, and practicing the route to work. On 4/20 I finally worked up the courage to do it for real! I left at 6 AM, earlier than I usually do for work, to avoid traffic and potential disaster. Threw my gear on over my work clothes and nervously puttered off into the sunrise. Everything went fine, but I had a hell of a time grabbing my badge to show to the guards with my gloves on! Soo embarrassing. Parked in the motorcycle spot next to a Harley and then headed up to my office. Everyone was impressed with my fat Power Ranger gear. oh well, safety first! The ride home was a little trickier. I left at 2:30. There wasn't much traffic, but there was more than I felt comfortable with. Made it home ok though. I was super proud of myself. I had finally reached my first goal. And it was kind of nice being home that early! Over the course of the season I rode in 23 more times. I tried to do it once a week. I always felt kinda bad asking my team lead if I could get in early and leave early on those days, so I didn't ask more than that. For the most part it worked out, but some days I got stuck in meetings and left later, which meant getting stuck in more traffic. blehh. At some point, some old dude was busy honking at me because I didn't want to make a right on red into oncoming traffic, and then he tried to share the lane with me and run me off the road! I love people.
I had my first encounter with running out of gas one night heading home from a practice run from work. My tripmeter said 120 miles since my last gas refill. My bike is supposed to get ridiculously high mileage--some claim 80mpg. Well, apparently my bike doesn't get 80mpg. And it may hold 2.5 gallons of gas, but it doesn't utilize all 2.5 gallons down to the last drop. I had checked the tank before I left, and could hear gas sloshing around in it, so I figured it was ok. So I was on Hunter Mill heading home around 10PM, when I noticed the bike was making burbling noises. I blew it off thinking it's just a crazy thing bikes do when they feel like it. But within a mile or two I started losing power. I kept opening up the throttle to maintain speed, and finally the engine cut out. Fortunately I was able to just barely coast into some grass by the side of the road. I was extra lucky because a lot of Hunter Mill just has big ditches on the sides of the road and nowhere to pull off. The cars behind me seemed puzzled and slowed down to look, but kept going after a few moments. It was dark with no streetlights, but the moon was out, so i was able to fumble around and find the fuel petcock and switch it to reserve. I hit the starter button and nothing happened. Uhoh. Tried it again, nothing. I started thinking about calling AMA for a tow, or seeing if Drew could come out and help me. Cranked it a couple more times and revved it a whole lot, and finally it started. whew! Hopped on, managed to roll out of the grass and mud, and flew 3 miles down the road to the gas station. Was super-relieved I made it. Now I don't take any chances and always make it a point to gas up every 110 miles :p It was the one time I was kind of happy to have a carbureted bike
with a reserve.
I also had my first encounter with rain in October. I had to work a lot of overtime for a couple of weeks and had to come in on a Sunday. I figured I might as well make the best of it and rode in. Did my 5 hours and then was ready to head out. The chance of rain in the forecast was 30% so I didn't figure it'd actually happen. But naturally it was pouring and dark when I got out to the garage. Figured it'd be an adventure so I geared up and hopped on. It was not pleasant, and it got hard to see with all the rain on my visor and the glare from car headlights. Had to keep wiping off all the rain drops so I could see. Was super tense and super aware on all my turns and stops and tried to avoid any painted lines and arrows. But all and all, I made it home ok. Was grateful for my waterproof gear. It may look dorky, but I stayed dry!
Over the course of the season, I kept practicing the route to work, Manassas, and Braddock Road. Again, no major trips because I'm still scared, but I did get some good highway practice in. I finally hit 1000 miles, which is the 2nd break-in point for the bike. However, I noticed that the range on the shifter for Neutral seemed to get a lot bigger. It sucks because sometimes getting started from a complete stop gets hairy, because I'll start in 1st and get up to about 10 mph, then shift up expecting to go faster, and instead I just hear "VROOOOOOMMMM!" and the bike doesn't accelerate cause I'm in Neutral, not 2nd. I have to remind myself not to panic and just kick it up again to get it in 2nd. But despite those occasional mistakes, I got a bit better at really feeling the bike and knowing when to downshift. Got a bit better at dealing with slowing down for red lights that soon turn into green lights, without coming to a complete stop and putting my feet down.
My mechanic, Jason, moved again, this time to Manassas. So instead of being right down the street, it was a 15 mile trip on 66. It was good practice though. I even made the trip at 4PM on a weekday without dying! Unfortunately I'm not sure if I'll keep going to him. He doesn't charge a lot and gets good reviews, but he told me my chain needed to be replaced after only 1200 miles. I asked him how the heck that could happen, chains should last like 5k miles. But when i thought about it, I remembered him tightening it A LOT. To the point where there was no slack, while my manual says there needs to be a little over an inch of slack up and down. My guess is that he overtightened it, and then it got super stretched out from all the strain. ugh. You'd think he'd know not to tighten it so much, so I can't tell if he did it just to get more money out of me. blehh. Still haven't replaced the chain yet. I think it was one more tightening left in it before I need to get rid of it. I might go to Fairfax Cycles down the street and have them do it.
Around November it started getting too cold to ride without heated gear. I rode in to work one morning when the temp was 32, and decided that was my limit. Any colder and I would be shivering too hard to stay on the bike. So Thanksgiving weekend I rode the bike back to my parents' place. I forgot to write down all the winterization steps and their order from last year, so I had to research all over again :p The problem is that there are so many differing opinions on what needs to be done and what actually matters, that it's hard to tell what's right. ie- some people and my manual say that the spark plugs need to be lubed, some people say that's totally unnecessary, some people change the oil before turning the bike in for the winter, some change it before taking it out in spring, some do both, some say to drain the tank and carb of gas, others say to just fill up the gas tank and add Stabil. I follow this video pretty closely, except for some of the more annoying steps. That, and I run the bike for a min after I change the oil just cause I feel like it needs to get run through the engine so it's not dry.
Argh! I just realized I saved all my winterization steps on my iphone, and then my phone needed a re-format just a month ago, so I lost them again! I guess I'll be going through this all over again this winter :p Here's the list off the top of my head for my own reference, but I'm sure I'm forgetting something or a step is out of order.
1. Wash bike.
2. Ride it around to get the chain warm, go to gas station and fill up tires to correct pressure, and top off the gas tank.
3. Ride back home and clean and lube the chain while it's still warm.
4. Add Stabil to the tank and run bike for 5 mins. Drain the carbs.
5. Change the oil and filter while it's still warm.
6. Remove the battery and put it on the tender. Don't lose the little terminal screws!!
7. Wax all chrome.
8. Put bags over the exhaust pipes so mice don't move in.
9. Put bike on rear stand, roll front tire onto cardboard or a towel to avoid flatspots.
So that's about it for last year. I'm not nearly as skilled as I want to be, but there were some small triumphs over the season. Let's hope 2011's will be even better. If I get a new bike, it'll be like learning all over again :p But oh well.
So I survived my first full riding season in 2010! I only put in 1000 miles, but that's a big deal for me ^_^;
Over the winter there wasn't much bikeyness going on, but we did go to the Motorcycle Show in DC. They had a women's section and this girl helped me try on some warmer weather jackets. She convinced me to try on an XS, and it actually fit ok. I was amazed. I usually assume I'm a Medium or Large. So later I went home and ordered a new Tourmaster Trinity II jacket in Silver. I also got a super sexy high viz vest from my Dad for Christmas, as I had requested. I look like a big neon dork with all my gear on, but I'm pretty sure it saved me from getting backed into at least once in the Oakton Park parking lot.
Drew helped me de-winterize the bike at the end of March. We changed the oil and filter again, put the battery back in and started it up. It took a couple of tries but after that it ran great. Even better than it was when I put it away. We left the bike there so I could come back and practice in my parents' neighborhood.
The following weekend I went to my parents' on my own and just practiced riding around the neighborhood for an hour or so, just to get reacquainted. It was weird seeing all the streets that I used to wander around as a little kid. They seemed so much bigger back then. It was nice having little to no traffic whatsoever, compared to what we have around the apartment in VA. I did make a stupid mistake trying to park the bike back in the garage though-- did a very slow motion drop. Not too much damage done, just a little scratch on the exhaust and one of the handlebars.
The following Thursday I rode the bike back to VA and Drew followed me. My dad tried to convince me to keep the bike with them until I moved until the house, and even bought a helmet for himself! I was like ummm, sorry, Dad! But I need it back!
The motorcycle parking at Oakton Park got more and more crowded with shitty broken scooters. Most of them were busted up and couldn't possibly run. Add some actual running sportbikes to the mix and I could hardly get in and out of my space. Sometimes it would take me like 10 mins to do a million tiny k-turns to get the bike out >_< One day I almost knocked one of the scooters over, and spent the next few mins trying to get it back on its center stand without dropping it. I should've just let it fall :p
I was happy to move into the new house. Even though we still don't have a garage or shed, I can usually grab some street parking right in front of the house where I can keep an eye on the bike. I feel bad because I parallel park the bike instead of parking it perpendicular to the curb, but I don't want anyone clipping it and knocking it over. My crazy neighbor, Karen, made some comment that it takes up more space than a car because people give it a lot of room when they park. I couldn't tell if her remark was a snide one or not. I joked that maybe they thought I was in a biker gang. Oh well, whatever, it's a public street and I know tons of the cars parked on the street are there year round and are never moved.
One time I was parking the bike and a little girl ran up to the bike and just stared. Her dad came up and said, "she LOVES your bike". I asked if he had one and he said his wife wouldn't let him. I told him that maybe his daughter can have one someday. At least *someone* likes my bike :D
I spent the next couple of weeks back in the business center parking lot doing drills with my mini-cones, and practicing the route to work. On 4/20 I finally worked up the courage to do it for real! I left at 6 AM, earlier than I usually do for work, to avoid traffic and potential disaster. Threw my gear on over my work clothes and nervously puttered off into the sunrise. Everything went fine, but I had a hell of a time grabbing my badge to show to the guards with my gloves on! Soo embarrassing. Parked in the motorcycle spot next to a Harley and then headed up to my office. Everyone was impressed with my fat Power Ranger gear. oh well, safety first! The ride home was a little trickier. I left at 2:30. There wasn't much traffic, but there was more than I felt comfortable with. Made it home ok though. I was super proud of myself. I had finally reached my first goal. And it was kind of nice being home that early! Over the course of the season I rode in 23 more times. I tried to do it once a week. I always felt kinda bad asking my team lead if I could get in early and leave early on those days, so I didn't ask more than that. For the most part it worked out, but some days I got stuck in meetings and left later, which meant getting stuck in more traffic. blehh. At some point, some old dude was busy honking at me because I didn't want to make a right on red into oncoming traffic, and then he tried to share the lane with me and run me off the road! I love people.
I had my first encounter with running out of gas one night heading home from a practice run from work. My tripmeter said 120 miles since my last gas refill. My bike is supposed to get ridiculously high mileage--some claim 80mpg. Well, apparently my bike doesn't get 80mpg. And it may hold 2.5 gallons of gas, but it doesn't utilize all 2.5 gallons down to the last drop. I had checked the tank before I left, and could hear gas sloshing around in it, so I figured it was ok. So I was on Hunter Mill heading home around 10PM, when I noticed the bike was making burbling noises. I blew it off thinking it's just a crazy thing bikes do when they feel like it. But within a mile or two I started losing power. I kept opening up the throttle to maintain speed, and finally the engine cut out. Fortunately I was able to just barely coast into some grass by the side of the road. I was extra lucky because a lot of Hunter Mill just has big ditches on the sides of the road and nowhere to pull off. The cars behind me seemed puzzled and slowed down to look, but kept going after a few moments. It was dark with no streetlights, but the moon was out, so i was able to fumble around and find the fuel petcock and switch it to reserve. I hit the starter button and nothing happened. Uhoh. Tried it again, nothing. I started thinking about calling AMA for a tow, or seeing if Drew could come out and help me. Cranked it a couple more times and revved it a whole lot, and finally it started. whew! Hopped on, managed to roll out of the grass and mud, and flew 3 miles down the road to the gas station. Was super-relieved I made it. Now I don't take any chances and always make it a point to gas up every 110 miles :p It was the one time I was kind of happy to have a carbureted bike
with a reserve.
I also had my first encounter with rain in October. I had to work a lot of overtime for a couple of weeks and had to come in on a Sunday. I figured I might as well make the best of it and rode in. Did my 5 hours and then was ready to head out. The chance of rain in the forecast was 30% so I didn't figure it'd actually happen. But naturally it was pouring and dark when I got out to the garage. Figured it'd be an adventure so I geared up and hopped on. It was not pleasant, and it got hard to see with all the rain on my visor and the glare from car headlights. Had to keep wiping off all the rain drops so I could see. Was super tense and super aware on all my turns and stops and tried to avoid any painted lines and arrows. But all and all, I made it home ok. Was grateful for my waterproof gear. It may look dorky, but I stayed dry!
Over the course of the season, I kept practicing the route to work, Manassas, and Braddock Road. Again, no major trips because I'm still scared, but I did get some good highway practice in. I finally hit 1000 miles, which is the 2nd break-in point for the bike. However, I noticed that the range on the shifter for Neutral seemed to get a lot bigger. It sucks because sometimes getting started from a complete stop gets hairy, because I'll start in 1st and get up to about 10 mph, then shift up expecting to go faster, and instead I just hear "VROOOOOOMMMM!" and the bike doesn't accelerate cause I'm in Neutral, not 2nd. I have to remind myself not to panic and just kick it up again to get it in 2nd. But despite those occasional mistakes, I got a bit better at really feeling the bike and knowing when to downshift. Got a bit better at dealing with slowing down for red lights that soon turn into green lights, without coming to a complete stop and putting my feet down.
My mechanic, Jason, moved again, this time to Manassas. So instead of being right down the street, it was a 15 mile trip on 66. It was good practice though. I even made the trip at 4PM on a weekday without dying! Unfortunately I'm not sure if I'll keep going to him. He doesn't charge a lot and gets good reviews, but he told me my chain needed to be replaced after only 1200 miles. I asked him how the heck that could happen, chains should last like 5k miles. But when i thought about it, I remembered him tightening it A LOT. To the point where there was no slack, while my manual says there needs to be a little over an inch of slack up and down. My guess is that he overtightened it, and then it got super stretched out from all the strain. ugh. You'd think he'd know not to tighten it so much, so I can't tell if he did it just to get more money out of me. blehh. Still haven't replaced the chain yet. I think it was one more tightening left in it before I need to get rid of it. I might go to Fairfax Cycles down the street and have them do it.
Around November it started getting too cold to ride without heated gear. I rode in to work one morning when the temp was 32, and decided that was my limit. Any colder and I would be shivering too hard to stay on the bike. So Thanksgiving weekend I rode the bike back to my parents' place. I forgot to write down all the winterization steps and their order from last year, so I had to research all over again :p The problem is that there are so many differing opinions on what needs to be done and what actually matters, that it's hard to tell what's right. ie- some people and my manual say that the spark plugs need to be lubed, some people say that's totally unnecessary, some people change the oil before turning the bike in for the winter, some change it before taking it out in spring, some do both, some say to drain the tank and carb of gas, others say to just fill up the gas tank and add Stabil. I follow this video pretty closely, except for some of the more annoying steps. That, and I run the bike for a min after I change the oil just cause I feel like it needs to get run through the engine so it's not dry.
Click to viewArgh! I just realized I saved all my winterization steps on my iphone, and then my phone needed a re-format just a month ago, so I lost them again! I guess I'll be going through this all over again this winter :p Here's the list off the top of my head for my own reference, but I'm sure I'm forgetting something or a step is out of order.
1. Wash bike.
2. Ride it around to get the chain warm, go to gas station and fill up tires to correct pressure, and top off the gas tank.
3. Ride back home and clean and lube the chain while it's still warm.
4. Add Stabil to the tank and run bike for 5 mins. Drain the carbs.
5. Change the oil and filter while it's still warm.
6. Remove the battery and put it on the tender. Don't lose the little terminal screws!!
7. Wax all chrome.
8. Put bags over the exhaust pipes so mice don't move in.
9. Put bike on rear stand, roll front tire onto cardboard or a towel to avoid flatspots.
So that's about it for last year. I'm not nearly as skilled as I want to be, but there were some small triumphs over the season. Let's hope 2011's will be even better. If I get a new bike, it'll be like learning all over again :p But oh well.