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My second big motorcycle trip of the year took me down the Coastal Highway (Highway 101). Road trip #1 had already established that I enjoyed motorcycle touring, so now it was about seeing where that enjoyment would take me. I still had questions I wanted to ask myself during the ride: how far in a day is too far, are scenic roads just a little more enjoyable than “main” highways, or a lot, and is driving through unfamiliar cities on a motorbike ‘way more scary than in a car? I packed up my bike and set out on August 1 to see what new things I could learn about myself…
Continue reading Motorcycle Road Trip #2: the Coastal Highway and Computer History Museum
2011 is the year I wanted to start taking my motorcycle on some longer, multi-day trips. I had lots of questions to explore: would I figure out how to pack what I need? Would the Road Glide be comfortable for the long haul? And most important: would this kind of riding be the kind of thing I really want to do- in other words, is it “fun” for Kelly?
My first road trip of 2011 was “back home”: to Edmonton. A destination I’m familiar with, through territory I’ve experienced before in a car. I miss my friends back in Edmonton, but haven’t felt particularly like making the trip in the last half dozen years or so. I like where I live, and my friends/family come out here often enough… but the bike gave me a reason to make the trip. And so I packed up and set out on June 25…
Continue reading Motorcycle Road Trip #1: to Edmonton and back
It occurred to me shortly after I bought my first motorbike last year that video taping my rides might be kind of interesting. I started investigating the various options, ranging from duct-taping or velcro-strapping an off-the rack home video camera onto my bike, through custom-built video rigs specific to motorcycling. What I settled on was probably overkill for my needs, and turned out to have some unexpected frustrations: the Race Optics EVO-HD Camera system.
Continue reading Recording my rides: the Race Optics EVO-HD Camera System
Two weeks ago I came down with a cold, and a week ago I was diagnosed with a lung and sinus infection. The doctor said it was probably a variety of “mild” pneumonia, what is sometimes called “walking pneumonia”. So I’ve been coughing, clearing my sinuses, and generally feeling crappy.
On the plus side, the weather has been generally unpleasant as well. That sounds funny, I know, but for me there is nothing worse than being sick when it is beautiful and sunny and the birds are singing: it just feels doubly unfair. There were a couple of decent days this week, today not being one of them: however, it wasn’t raining, and I was feeling a bit better. This meant that was overwhelmed by a desire to get out on my motorbike, which I did.
Continue reading Lung infection and six months on my Harley
Earlier this year I completed a motorcycle skills training course, bought a Kawasaki Vulcan, and got my motorcycle license. I had ridden before back when I was still a teenager, but this time I actually got my license. Between May and September I rode about 10,000 kilometres- most of that was smaller rides in the 100 km or so range, but I had several 500+ kilometres days as well. During that time I learned a lot about riding, and more importantly about myself.
Continue reading My other Harley: 2011 Road Glide Ultra
The last piece has arrived, and my Vulcan landing pad is, for this year at least, complete. Behold, the Cycle Spinner:
Continue reading Motorcycle Lazy Susan arrives
I successfully passed my ICBC motorcycle road test on June 15. It was, like all tests, pretty stressful, but once I was finished the effort disappeared into my rear view mirrors surprisingly quickly. I’m planning on taking some sort of “advanced” training in a year or two: my feeling is that simply riding can improve confidence, but that there are some skills that require specialized practice and a knowledgeable instructor.
I’ve been gradually personalizing my bike since I first bought it, but with my licensing behind me the brakes are off. I’ve replaced the grips, added a license plate frame, installed chrome trim on the fenders, put a gel pad on the seat for my aching behind, and acquired a sissy bar bag for when I need to carry a ton of gear. This is only the beginning of my list, which extends to include a new saddle, an air horn, new mirrors… I’m pretty sure, though, that I won’t be adding a cup holder (and yes, they are available).
Continue reading Licensed to Ride
I’m having a parking space built for my motorbike. There isn’t any extra room in the garage for it, and my car is tired of being parked out on the road. But like a lot of things in my life, this simple change is far more complicated than I was originally hoping.
Continue reading My Vulcan landing pad under construction…
I’ve been sick with a sinus infection for the last several weeks, and am now mid-way through my second week of antibiotics. The infection was the outcome of my earlier flu that made my motorcycle lessons a bit more challenging.
The illness has somewhat impacted my “biker geek” adventures, but hasn’t halted them entirely. I’ve managed to put a bit over 600 kilometres on my Vulcan, 200 of which was accrued on my ride yesterday with my Nephew Shane and his cousin.
Continue reading Kevlar pants and motorbike GPS
I’m pretty much finished my motorcycle lessons. Action Motorcycle has really done a good job giving me the basic skills I need to ride. I’ve completed my motorcycle skill assessment and had the “supervision required” and “no faster than 60 km/h” restrictions removed from my learners. And I took my very own motorbike out for its first ride today- the picture below was taken at about the mid-way point on my ride.
But I’m not quite ready yet to take my ICBC road test…
Continue reading Not so easy riding…
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