Motorcycle Diaries 2006

Blogger edit performance has become abysmal - time for a new page; continued from Motorcycle Diaries.



Wednesday, 9/27, ODO 1224
To work and back (the long way) - still used less gas! ;-)
Notable: Comfortable riding a bit faster than before - but now back in sync with the bike and the speed. Absolutely perfect weather - hated to stop riding in the morning.

Thursday, 9/28, ODO 1281
To Borders for the next issue of Fast Bikes, to work, to Loudoun Motorsports and home.
Notable: Loudoun County Parkway 9x.

Sunday, 10/1, ODO 1310
To Dulles Town Center and back.
Notable: Loudoun County Parkway 1xx.

Monday, 10/2, ODO 1324
To work and back.
Notable: Another beautiful day for riding.

Tuesday, 10/3, ODO 1370
To work and back; to Countryside and back.
Notable: After reading further in a recent issue of Sport Rider, experimented with counter-steer - it really is like power steering for a bike. I've been using it intuitively / subconsciously since studying and practicing turning during Basic RiderCourse training, but to consciously use only counter-steering to turn is a fascinating experience.

Wednesday, 10/4, ODO 1422
To work, south on Rt.28 to Legend's old office, home for lunch, and then home via Fairfax County Parkway, Rt.7, and Loudoun County Parkway.
Notable: Just shy of 120.

Sunday, 10/8, ODO 1455
Out to Leesburg and back on Claiborne and Rt.7.
Notable: After three very gray and rainy days, the sun and blue sky were out again - 69 and sunny, just about perfect riding weather. Wheelies in first and second gear. (Not entirely on purpose....) And, tank in the chest. Refueling next to an SUV again -- his bill $44.38, for 20 gallons (280 miles) -- my bill $6.70, for 3.034 gallons (120 miles).

Monday, 10/9, ODO 1561
That's right - 106 miles! Longest (and most comfortable) ride yet. Perfect weather, relatively little traffic, and beautiful country (sortof) roads: Rt.7 to Winchester and back.
Notable: Travelling 106 miles in less than 80 minutes... safely.

Tuesday, 10/10, ODO 1591
To work and back, with a detour to grab my sunglasses from my car in the shop (break warning light repair and oil change).
Notable: Near head-on collision with van going straight from the right turn lane out of Home Depot. I stopped fast enough, but was close enough to wash his windows when he stopped.

Thursday, 10/12, ODO 1609
To work and back, with no detour.
Notable: In spite of a crap weather report, it was a warm sunny morning, and a beatiful day. Overcast weather in the afternoon made for a chilly ride home.

Sunday, 10/15, ODO 1659
To mom's, and Borders on the way home via Rt.7, Fairfax County Parkway, and Reston Parkway.
Notable: Chilly (61), but cloudless sunny skies. Three months, 1,600+ miles, no crashes, knock on wood.

Sunday, 10/22, ODO 1724
Three separate rides, but I lost my notes, and after a crazy week at work [10/23-10/27], they've begun to blur together a bit.
Notable: On the way to work this week, during one of the rides, noticed that I was no longer paying attention to every little detail of my riding. Good, because it meant that riding was coming naturally. Bad, because it meant that I could easily shift gears and day-dream... not a good idea on a bike!

Friday, 10/27, ODO 1726
Super-cold for riding (46 degrees)... for me. But, I had a few minutes to kill, and figured the tires and engine could use a warm up.
Notable: 46 is not so bad below 35 mph. But, two miles around the neighborhood was enough.