Motorcycle Diaries displaced?

Since I started riding, I've been tracking (and blogging) about every day I've ridden, religiously. With only a very few exceptions, every mile of nearly 10,000 miles is accounted for in my daily "motorcycle diary" updates, until my March 16, 2009 update capturing updates through 3/6/09....

As noted in that post, I started writing for Examiner.com as their DC Motorcycle Travel Examiner. Now, with 85 articles since 12/31/08, I'm confronted with the question of whether I should continue to maintain my blog log.... My ODO now reads 9003, with many days of exciting riding included. The thing is, much of it is now captured here:
http://www.examiner.com/x-2294-DC-Motorcycle-Travel-Examiner

Let me know what you think!

Meanwhile, since my first Examiner.com article, the number of Motorcycle Examiners has exploded from just three of us, to 20 of us today! Check them out:

Atlanta Motorcycle Examinerhttp://www.examiner.com/x-7874-Atlanta-Motorcycle-Examiner

Atlanta Motorcycle Lifestyle Examinerhttp://www.examiner.com/x-8023-Atlanta-Motorcycle-Lifestyle-Examiner

Atlanta Sport Bike Examinerhttp://www.examiner.com/x-7271-Atlanta-Sport-Bike-Examiner

Boomer Biker Examiner (Florida)http://www.examiner.com/x-1197-Boomer-Biker-Examiner

Chicago Motorcycle Examinerhttp://www.examiner.com/x-2313-Chicago-Motorcycle-Examiner

DC Motorcycle Examinerhttp://www.examiner.com/x-8018-DC-Motorcycle-Examiner

DC Motorcycle Travel Examinerhttp://www.examiner.com/x-2294-DC-Motorcycle-Travel-Examiner

Denver Motorcycle Examinerhttp://wwww.examiner.com/x-378-Denver-Motorcycle-Examiner

Detroit Scooter Examinerhttp://www.examiner.com/x-3223-Detroit-Scooter-Examiner

Kansas City Motorcycle Examinerhttp://wwww.examiner.com/x-3640-Kansas-City-Motorcycle-Examiner

LA Motorcycle Examinerhttp://wwww.examiner.com/x-7872-LA-Motorcycle-Examiner

LA Motorcycle Travel Examinerhttp://wwww.examiner.com/x-7101-LA-Motorcycle-Travel-Examiner

Louisville Motorcycle Travel Examinerhttp://wwww.examiner.com/x-4702-Louisville-Motorcycle-Travel-Examiner

Houston Motorcycle Examinerhttp://www.examiner.com/x-9191-Houston-Motorcycle-Examiner

Manchester Motorcycle Examinerhttp://www.examiner.com/x-6367-Manchester-Motorcycle-Examiner

Miami Motorcycle Examinerhttp://www.examiner.com/x-8272-Miami-Motorcycle-Examiner

Phoenix Motorcycle Travel Examinerhttp://www.examiner.com/x-9204-Phoenix-Motorcycle-Travel-Examiner

Seattle Alternative Transportation Examinerhttp://www.examiner.com/x-3227-Seattle-Motorcycle-Examiner

Seattle Motorcycle Examinerhttp://www.examiner.com/x-5822-Seattle-Motorcycle-Examiner

Tampa Motorcycle Lifestyle Examinerhttp://www.examiner.com/x-8142-Tampa-Motorcyle-Lifestyle-Examiner

Motorcycle Diaries 2009.03.09

If you aren't following religiously already, check out the (near) daily updates here:
http://www.examiner.com/x-2294-DC-Motorcycle-Travel-Examiner

In particular, check out the latest series, starting with:
Motorcycling is a religious experience

3/9 GSX ODO 8269
To work and back, twice.
Notable: This was a good day to ride! Not only did the weather cooperate, but drywall finishing work on the new home theater required a lunch-hour trip home. Twice the fun, half the gas!

3/8 GSX ODO 8236
Around.
Notable: Still exhausted from the previous day's ride, didn't have a whole lot of motivation until just before sundown; just a quick ride to clear the cobwebs.

3/7 GSX ODO 8225
Georgetown.
Notable: DC rides: Algonkian Parkway to Georgetown Pike to George Washington Parkway

3/6 GSX ODO 8149
Loudoun Motorsports and back.
Notable: Perfect weather for riding. Talked with Clay Davidson for the first time in too long. In 2006, Clay got me started on the SV650-S and was there when I was ready to make the jump to the gixer.

Motorcycle Diaries 2009.02.25

2/25 GSX ODO 8119
Around.
Notable: 50 really is too cold to ride. I missed my first real turn when I felt the rear breaking loose and wasn't sure the front-end was going to turn-in properly. I've skidded the rear a couple of times on the same downhill run when braking, but this is the first time I felt like I might not make the turn. I rode on straight (in spite of my turn-signal) rather than risk it, glad that no one else was at the intersection. ...but tomorrow is supposed to be 60+!!! woohoo!!

If you aren't following religiously already, check out the (near) daily updates here:
http://www.examiner.com/x-2294-DC-Motorcycle-Travel-Examiner

Motorcycle Diaries 2009.02.11

Happy New Year! And, yes, I have been riding around Virginia in the middle of winter!

2/11 GSX ODO 8114
To work and back.
Notable: After a visit to the eye doctor, the weather (68 and partly sunny) was just too good to pass up. So, after swapping the car for the bike, returned to work, wrapped everything up, and then headed back home. It's necessary.

2/8 GSX ODO 8099
Woohoo! Waxpool, 50, Snickersville Turnpike, 7, lunch at Nick's, and then home!
Notable: Riding the sweepers on Northern Virginia’s historic Snickersville Turnpike
Meeting up with 14 other sport-bike riders at noon, then hitting the road with the group. Heavy Metal Thunder! The pace was quick, and mostly legal, most of the time. It was well after noon, so it's unlikely that we woke any of the Snickersville residents, and passing rapidly, it's unlikely they were troubled by the roar of the bikes for too long. We may have seen 116 briefly on the way back on 7, but for the most part, kept the pace with the traffic. A fantastic ride, with a great new group of friends as a bonus! Oh, most notable of all: nearly 70 at 11:30AM and warming; still comfortable when I finally headed home at 5:30PM. This is the way winter is supposed to be!

2/7 GSX ODO 8017
Out to enjoy the weather for just a bit before heading to the Washington Auto Show.
Notable: In the high fifty's and sunny, it's good enough for a quick run around the block. (It's a big block.) Passed a couple riders going the other way, and then caught them again arriving home.

2/1, GSX ODO 8006
To pick up Joe's truck and back.
Notable: How different a Ford F150 and a Suzuki GSX-R1000 handle. And yet, the Ford's massive V8 and four giant tires their share of work to handle all that mass. But, nothing beats a bike and a rider weighing in under 600 lbs! 168 HP can handle that weight nicely.

Hauling lumber with the F150, I missed the apex of the temperature -- into the mid 60s. But, it was warm enough to enjoy the ride out and only a little chilly on the way back after 5PM.

Mark's a professional writer...??

It's for real -- combining my love for motorcycles with my love of traveling, I'm now writing for the DC Examiner as the DC Motorcycle Travel Examiner!

Articles posted so far include:
- Welcome and Farewell
- Motorcycle Training in the DC Area - How to Get Started
- President-Elect Obama's New Ride (Motorcycle, that is!)
- Riding with Your Sixth Sense, Part 1
- Riding with Your Sixth Sense, Part 2
- Riding with Your Sixth Sense, Part 3
- A brief summary of what you'll see at the DC Cycle World International Motorcycle Show

Check out http://www.examiner.com/x-2294-DC-Motorcycle-Travel-Examiner for all the latest!

And don't worry, I haven't quit my day job! ;-)

Motorcycle Diaries 2008.12.30

AKA, 50 Degrees is Too Cold for Regular Riding Gear

Tuesday, 12/30, GSX ODO 7954
Out.
Notable: Safe to say that this is the last good riding day of 2008 in this part of town. At 50 and sunny, it was too tempting to stay in... but without cold-weather gear, it's too chilly to stay out for long. An uneventful wrapup to a good riding season.

Sunday, 12/28, GSX ODO 7947
Fosters for lunch, and Starbucks for coffee.
Notable: Overcast but "warm" (mid to high 60s), with clearing clouds and a beautiful sunset. One more "last day" of the season.

Saturday, 12/27, GSX ODO 7932
Out - gas from Shell and back.
Notable: Late afternoon, but the sun is out and it's still just above 60 degrees (my "minimum" comfortable riding temp). After nearly two months away, I'd forgotten how light the handling of the bike really is... the rumble of the inline-4 pulling down the road really is something to hear; not as loud as a Harley, but much easier for anyone to appreciate (i.e., enjoy)... like the sound of a slowly passing Ferarri... on two wheels. :-) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEe5N12L1Us perhaps? My laptop is nearly dead, so I can't hear the clip....)

Update: [New computer...] Yep! The clip above is just about right.

This clip isn't like any sound I've heard from my bike (really!) but it's pretty awesome: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_t038mHs_M. Maxing out the RPMs in 1st gear will put the bike at 100 MPH, so to hear these sounds while moving, in any other gear than first, you'd have to be traveling between 120 and 180 MPH!

Motorcycle Diaries 2008.11.08

OK. A bit of a backlog, here... September, October, and the last few riding days in November! But this update is even more boring than most... nothing particularly notable in my notes.

November, 11/8, GSX ODO 7921
Out - to the library and work for sunglasses.
Notable: Clearly, any excuse to ride will do.

November, 11/7, GSX ODO 7895
Work and back.
Notable: My notes are a bit thin.

November, 11/1, GSX ODO 7880
Football and back.

October, 10/31, GSX ODO 7855
Work and back... just in time for Halloween!

October, 10/25, GSX ODO 7833
Work and back? Approx date...

October, 10/17, GSX ODO 7818
Work and back.

October, 10/15, GSX ODO 7802
Work and back.

October, 10/14, GSX ODO 7787
Work and back.

October, 10/12, GSX ODO 7774
Out.

October, 10/11, GSX ODO 7747
Gym and back.

October, 10/7, GSX ODO 7698
Work and back. Approx. date.

October, 10/3, GSX ODO 7658
Work and back.

October, 10/2, GSX ODO 7642
Work and back.

September, 9/30, GSX ODO 7616
Work and back.

September, 9/27, GSX ODO 7601
Out - gas and gym.
Notable: Nice to be out after a couple of days of rain... not bad after nearly two months of good riding days.

September, 9/23, GSX ODO 7568
Work and Reston Town Center for lunch!
Notable: A bit chilly - but with bright sun and great company, a great day to be out!

September, 9/22, GSX ODO 7525
Chicken?
Notable: No idea what my notes mean....

September, 9/21, GSX ODO 7521
Loudoun Motorsports and football.
Notable: 7,500 mile checkup complete.

September, 9/19, GSX ODO 7489
Gym and back, work and Loudoun Motorsports for service.

September, 9/18, GSX ODO 7452
Work and back.
Notable: A perfect day for riding!

September, 9/17, GSX ODO 7436
Work, lunch(?) and back.
Notable: Chilly!

September, 9/16, GSX ODO 7398
Work and back.

September, 9/15, GSX ODO 7382
Work and back.

September, 9/13, GSX ODO 7362
Football and back. (The long way? 41 miles!?)

September, 9/12, GSX ODO 7321
Work and back?

September, 9/10, GSX ODO 7308
Work and back.

September, 9/7, GSX ODO 7286
Football and back.
Notable: Rain on Thursday (4th) and Saturday (6th).

September, 9/5, GSX ODO 7253
Work and back.

September, 9/3, GSX ODO 7225
Work and back?

September, 9/2, GSX ODO 7194
Work and back.

September, 9/1, GSX ODO 7178
Rt.28 South to West Ox(?)

Motorcycle Diaries 2008.08.31

Sunday, 8/31, GSX ODO 7137
Target
Notable: The indignity of it all.... OK, any ride is a good ride, but carrying goods from Target stuffed into your leather jacket is a less than glorious finish to the day's ride. Still, I did spend a few moments with a Sport Bike crowd on Waxpool when their tail rider was stranded at a light. What a great month of perfect weather. No complaints!

Saturday, 8/30, GSX ODO 7116
Football and back.
Notable: It has been raining for the past two days, so it's good to be riding again -- even if it was super-humid at 8AM! We lost the first game, but the team played well and the coaching is good -- just a matter of practice. Not much notable on the bike these days (that's generally a good thing).

Wednesday, 8/27, GSX ODO 7096
Work and back.

Tuesday, 8/26, GSX ODO 7078
Work early and back.
Notable: Early traffic -- commuting next week is going to suck.

Monday, 8/25, GSX ODO 7056
Work and back.
Notable: No riding yesterday... beautiful day!? What's up with that?? (Too tired after working out on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, for the first time in several weeks.)

Saturday, 8/23, GSX ODO 7040
Gym and back.
Notable: Gotta love it -- exercise and riding!

Friday, 8/22, GSX ODO 7021
Work, and gym in the afternoon.
Notable: Enjoy the summer hours, while they last... this is just about it. Good workout.

Thursday, 8/21, GSX ODO 6990
Work and back.
Notable: Amazing, it just seems like the perfect Spring-like days are endless. Three weeks (or more!?) and counting... in August!

Wednesday, 8/20, GSX ODO 6973
Work and back -- taking the long way home north on 28, and west on 7.

Tuesday, 8/19, GSX ODO 6955
Work and back.

Monday, 8/18, GSX ODO 6939
Work and back.
Notable: Cool in the morning, but warm in the afternoon... a hint of summer. But, only for a day.

Sunday, 8/17, GSX ODO 6924
Sky Line Drive.... and back!
Notable: What a ride! 160+ miles, with great twisties for the last two miles approaching the middle entrance. Posted speed limit was dropped from 50(!) to 35 MPH, with warnings signs stating "High Motorcycle Crash Area" and rumble strips at the turn-in for the tightest of the turns. Fantastic! The reduced limit is perfect, as it hold some of the crazier drivers at bay, and set a good pace for me. 40 to 45 MPH the whole way up was just about perfect. Leaning hard into the turns, it pays to stay calm -- hit sand, and you'll low-side under adjacent traffic, but hit the breaks or ease up on the turn, and you'll ride out of your lane and go straight into the canyon wall. Fortunately the sand was all in the oncoming traffic lane -- watch out on the way down the hill!

Saturday, 8/16, GSX ODO 6758
Morning and evening rides, with crystal clear skies and crisp-low humidity temps in the morning.
Notable: Perfect day!

Friday, 8/15, GSX ODO 6715
Work / shuttle.
Notable: What shuttle?

Thursday, 8/14, GSX ODO 6686
Work and a quick round-trip for Spicy Pickle carry-out lunch.

Wednesday, 8/13, GSX ODO 6667
Work and home for lunch.
Notable: No burning Ferraris.

Tuesday, 8/12, GSX ODO 6628
Long way to work, and home for lunch.
Notable: Holy shit!! Long way to work yielded a crazy sight -- Ferrari stopped on a back road at the stop sign. Driver and passanger hop out. Pop the back hatch. Poof! Flames shoot out two feet high from the front-left side of the engine!! Riding by, not much I could do to help. But, damn! "No, I don't think I'll buy this one after all. How 'bout a test-drive in the lambo?" Seems that this isn't unheard of: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovAbr44pqzE

Monday, 8/11, GSX ODO 6585
Work and lunch after work.
Notable: 75 and breezy... is this August!?

Sunday, 8/10, GSX ODO 6571
Summit Point (aborted).
Notable: Trying to get back to Summit Point for the WERA motorcycle races, and a few bonus laps in the Audi A5. Thwarted by rain! But, for the ride back, I had the company of two other sportsbikers.

Saturday, 8/9, GSX ODO 6482
Haircut in the morning, and bank in the afternoon.
Notable: Any excuse to ride, right!?

Friday, 8/8, GSX ODO 6454
Work and Sweetwater for lunch.
Notable: Rushed following lunch, to get home to swap for the 550i for the trip to Summit Point for the Audi Driving Experience.

Thursday, 8/7, GSX ODO 6427
Work and back.

Wednesday, 8/6, GSX ODO 6413
Work and back.

Tuesday, 8/5, GSX ODO 6399
Post office / bank on the way to work.

Monday, 8/4, GSX ODO 6377
Work and home for lunch.

Sunday, 8/3, GSX ODO 6349
Morning run out to the Dulles Town Center and around Algonkian Parkway.
Notable: Beautiful morning.

Saturday, 8/2, GSX ODO 6314
Best Buy and back.
Notable: Quick trip -- bikes and games; game with bikes: Civalization Revolutions and MotoGP '07.

Friday, 8/1, GSX ODO 6292
Work and back.

Motorcycle Diaries 2008.07.31

Well... that's nearly three months without a post. Blame GTA4... it's over now.

Lots of riding, but not too much notable... here's the raw tally:

Thursday, 7/31, GSX ODO 6261
To work and back.
Notable: Wanted to ride to The Long Way Down, but the BWE was along for the ride, and time was running short, and the return trip would have been in the dark... so decided not to push our luck.

Wednesday, 7/30, GSX ODO 6246
To work and back, then LCBD for building permits. Home Theater, here we come!

Tuesday, 7/29, GSX ODO 6205
To work, home for lunch, and back.

Monday, 7/28, GSX ODO 6169
To work and back.

Saturday, 7/26, GSX ODO 6155
To Target and back for Wolftrap supplies.

Friday, 7/25, GSX ODO 6141
To LCBD for building permits. No joy. Wait till next week....

Tuesday, 7/22, GSX ODO 6055
To work and back.
Notable: Light morning rain canceled plans for the 495/395 commute. Too bad, the afternoon was beautiful.

Monday, 7/21, GSX ODO 6040
To work and back.

Friday, 7/18, GSX ODO 6025
To gym, work, Target and home.

Thursday, 7/17, GSX ODO 5996
To work and back.

Wednesday, 7/16, GSX ODO 5982
To work and back.

Monday, 7/14, GSX ODO 5968
To gym and back.

Saturday, 7/12, GSX ODO 5938
Haircut, Sportsplex for soccer, and home.

Friday, 7/11, GSX ODO 5869
To gym, work, INOVA, Best Buy and home.

Thursday, 7/10, GSX ODO 5852
To Safeway and back.

Wednesday, 7/9, GSX ODO 5849
To work and back.

Tuesday, 7/8, GSX ODO 5834
To work and back.

Wednesday, 6/25, GSX ODO 5820
To work, CostCo, and Best Buy. Aloha!

Monday, 6/23, GSX ODO 5780
To work and back.
Notable: Home in the rain... again.

Sunday, 6/22, GSX ODO 5764
To Best Buy and back.
Notable: Best Buy fix. No particular reason.

Saturday, 6/21, GSX ODO 5737
To Eastern Mountain Sports for grand opening.
Notable: Bought lots of socks. And enjoyed a bit of rock-wall climbing.

Friday, 6/20, GSX ODO 5723
To gym and back. California Tortilla to pick up dinner.

Thursday, 6/19, GSX ODO 5691
To work and back.

Wednesday, 6/18, GSX ODO 5677
To gym and back.

Tuesday, 6/17, GSX ODO 5660
To work and back.

Sunday, 6/15, GSX ODO 5646
To Borders, the long way round.
Notable: An early morning ride to grab the latest Fast Bikes

Friday, 6/13, GSX ODO 5591
To gym, and Loudoun County Motorsports for a new tire, and back in the evening.
Notable: An auspicious day for riding. Uneventful, fortunately!

Wednesday, 6/4, GSX ODO 5547
To work and back.
Notable: Time for a new tire... why risk a blowout?

Tuesday, 6/3, GSX ODO 5533
To work and back.
Notable: Rear tire still holding... but for how long?

Monday, 6/2, GSX ODO 5519
To work and back.
Notable: Riding on a repaired rear tire... hmmm.

Friday, 5/30, GSX ODO 5504
To gym and back.
Notable: Rear tire nailed! 4" screw in my brand new MAXXIS tire.

Thursday, 5/29, GSX ODO 5485
To work and back.

Wednesday, 5/28, GSX ODO 5471
Evening ride to TLC and back.
Notable: Cat tails and slamming doors do not mix!

Monday, 5/26, GSX ODO 5447
Sears and HD in the early morning!

Sunday, 5/25, GSX ODO 5423
Best Buy and HD in the afternoon.

Saturday, 5/24, GSX ODO 5402
Gas and INOVA for times.

Friday, 5/23, GSX ODO 5377
To work, Dave's for GTA4, and home.

Thursday, 5/22, GSX ODO 5322
To work and back.
Notable: Rain: for the 15 minutes it took for me to ride home!

Wednesday, 5/21, GSX ODO 5307
To work and back, twice?

Monday, 5/19, GSX ODO 5279
To work and back.

Friday, 5/16, GSX ODO 5268
To work and back.

Thursday, 5/15, GSX ODO 5254
To work, the long way.

Tuesday, 5/13, GSX ODO 5234
To work and back.

Friday, 5/9, GSX ODO 5220
To work and back.

The Long Way Down

Well that was brilliant, wasn't it!?

Fans of The Long Way Round had to get out tonight... Ewan and Charlie did it again in 2007. This time, from Scotland to South Africa. If you missed tonight's premier in the theaters, you can still catch The Long Way Down on the Fox Reality Channel at 9PM, Saturday 8/2.

Check out the site here: http://www.longwaydown.com/

A great start to my birthday marathon!

Motorcycle Diaries 2008.05.07

Wednesday, 5/7, GSX ODO 5208
To work and home for lunch, and after dinner, to Wal-Mart for Quixx Paint Scratch Remover.
Notable: Mostly good riding, with a very sloppy ride home/back for lunch... too warm!? The scratches on the 550i bumper (from the garage door) are horrible, but this Quixx stuff seems to work reasonably well.

Monday, 5/5, GSX ODO 5161
To work and back.
Notable: The weather in May rocks! (for now)

Motorcycle Diaries 2008.05.04

Sunday, 5/4, GSX ODO 5148
To Best Buy and back
Notable: Chilly in the morning, but crystal clear blue skies and sun all day. Perfect motorcycle weather all day long. Yard work and projects occupied the morning, followed by soccer after noon. But after seeing a 5-star review for GTA4 on G4, we had to make the run to Best Buy -- with a pillion rider.

Saturday, 5/3, GSX ODO 5125
To Reston Town Center for brunch, Fairfax for soccer, and GWU for football.
Notable: A great day to be out! Sunny and warm.

Motorcycle Diaries 2008.05.03

Friday, 5/2, GSX ODO 5071
To the gym and back, and work and back.
Notable: Perfect weather! Chilly at 8AM, but warming into the low 80s by Noon. Sunny all day!

Thursday, 5/1, GSX ODO 5049
To work and back.
Notable: Chillier than forecasted, with rain in the middle of the day. But the ride into work and back home was on dry roads. Managed to get the rear tire to skid a bit while breaking (not a goal, just the result of breaking more rapidly while the tire was still cold) -- felt "slick" but still very controllable.

Motorcycle Diaries 2008.04.30

Wednesday, 4/30, GSX ODO 5024
To work and back, twice.
Notable: Home for lunch. Chilly weather (50s) but some hope that spring really is around the corner. The new tires have been great -- no slippage at all, even when cold. 0-60 still rocks! And, it's great to feel more and more at home on the bike. Soon, I'll be desperate for Summit Point. Not desperate for the repair or medical bills though, so I may have to make due with living vicariously through the MotoGP action. The MotoGP 2007 Official Review was fantastic -- the whole season in about two hours, with a travel-log of countries around the world as a bonus.

New goal: Follow the MotoGP season around the world, visiting every country and watching every race. 2008 is Hawaii, 2009 is South America (Argentina and the Galapagos Islands), and 2010 is Japan.... maybe 2011!?

Motorcycle Diaries 2008.04.26

Saturday, 4/26, GSX ODO 4998
To Borders for the May issue of Fast Bikes, and a quick run to Fosters to pick up burgers.
Notable: 8:45AM the sun is out, low humidity and perfect temps. Was thinking about the gym, but opted for the bookstore instead. Had to leave the drink cups behind at Fosters -- pickup on a motorcycle, not such a good plan. Wanted to ride to the game at 4:30PM, but the downpour at 5:30PM would have left me looking like a drowned rat... worse, visibility dropped to 10-20 yards at times, standing water probably would have made me dump the bike, and every turn would have taken ten years off my life. The 550i, on the other hand, loves playing in the water. It has spent a good 1,000 to 2,000 miles of its life in the rain on highways around the world, and I can count the times when I noticed the water (momentary hydroplaning) on one hand... I've never driven a car that is so rock solid in the rain. (A good thing, since she's like an elephant on ice skates when we get over half an inch of snow!)

Friday, 4/25, GSX ODO 4965
To the gym and work.
Notable: Everyone looks at me funny as I work out in boots and jeans -- but I have more fun getting to / from my workout! Saves gas, too!

Thursday, 4/24, GSX ODO 2933
To GW and back.
Notable: Couldn't ride to work, but after getting home, it was a beautiful day for a quick ride.

Wednesday, 4/23, GSX ODO 4915
To Loudoun Motorsports and back.
Notable: New tires at 4,905 miles!

Tuesday, 4/22, GSX ODO 4890
To work and back.
Notable: Cool in the morning, and warm on the way home.

Saturday, 4/19, GSX ODO 4875
To the gym!
Notable: Incentive to work out, or an excuse to ride!? Does it matter?? A perfect cool Spring morning -- back to the gym after far too many weeks off (travel, followed by illness, followed by recovery, followed by laziness).

Friday, 4/18, GSX ODO 4857
To Loudoun Motorsports, Best Buy, and home.
Notable: Time for new tires, and $150 for a front and rear MAXXIS is a deal that's worth a close look! Not a whole lot of coverage on the web, but what is out about the Presa Sport looks good. If nothing else, they're certainly better than the thrashed rubber that's clinging to the wheels, now.

Wednesday, 4/16, GSX ODO 4833
To work and back (twice!)
Notable: A beautiful spring day, with time to zip home for lunch.

Motorcycle Diaries 2008.04.10

Thursday, 4/10, GSX ODO 4804
To work and back, home for lunch.
Notable: What a perfect beautiful day -- clear skies, perfect temps all day long. It doesn't get much better than this for riding. Most of the sand is washed away. Morning and lunch riding was perfect -- the ride home in rush-hour traffic was a bit twitchy, and I was tailed by a cop on Loudoun County Parkway... maybe coincidence, or maybe he was waiting for me to take off once I cleared the traffic. Can't we all just get along!?

Saturday, 4/5, GSX ODO 4774
To GW and back.
Notable: A surprise beautiful day... mouthguard delivery services, with better gas mileage.

Sometime... 4760... 52 miles lost in time...
One commute to work, and a couple brief rides on weekends when the weather was nice in late February and March.

Motorcycle Diaries 2008.02.03

Sunday, 2/3, GSX ODO 4706
Wendy's and back for lunch.
Notable: Chilly at speed, but great to get out with the sun and temps in the high 50s. A wrong turn onto Belmont Ridge (at the Loudoun County Parkway detour) turned a quick trip to Wendy's into a 30 mile excursion to 50 and up 28. 0 to 60 in 3 - 4 seconds still feels great.

Monday, 1/7, GSX ODO 4676
To work and back.
Notable: A beautiful day to get out -- sunny with a high of 74, according to Weather.com. Great to get out! As I recall, the weather over the next couple of days wasn't bad either, but circumstances and a certain paranoia about 1/10 kept me off the bike.

Motorcycle Diaries 2007.12.29

Saturday, 12/29, GSX ODO 4661
Around.
Notable: The front tire does have a slow leak... down to 31 psi since the last ride. Looks like this was last ride of the year since the weather just gets colder from here for the next few days. Good to be out. Temps at 50 with wind chill at 50+ mph was pretty chilly, but not too much for a quick 11 mile run.

Motorcycle Diaries 2007.11.21

Wednesday, 11/21, GSX ODO 4650
To Brambleton Plaza and back.
Notable: New 12V portable air compressor from Sears, and air in the tire: 36 PSI and holding. Weather today is 72 and sunny! Heavy Thanksgiving traffic, so I kept it short. And, kept the speed down ...just in case.

Sunday, 11/18, GSX ODO 4637
Err... nowhere.
Notable: Front tire 0.0 PSI. I noticed that turning in was particularly hard on the 11/10 return home, but figured that it was just my imagination. A flat!? ...or maybe my 11/10 trip to get air had the opposite effect! Bizarre.

Saturday, 11/10, GSX ODO 4637
To gas station for air, and back.
Notable: A chilly ride, but it was good to get out for a bit.

Motorcycle Diaries 2007.10.21

Sunday, 10/21, GSX ODO 4632
To pickup hacksaw.
Notable: Hacksaw on a bike… not the smartest combination. But, it was a good ride. Beautiful sunny, pure blue skies with temps in the high 70s!

Saturday, 10/20, GSX ODO 4592
To Loudoun Motorsports for state inspection.
Notable: A sunny cool (low 60s) morning after a rainy night led to a hair-raising trip in, with cold wet/slick roads out of the neighborhood. Once on the dry, much better. Just impossible to get the feel for wet traction…

Beautiful weather on Thursday, but I drove in to work. Friday, I had hoped to take the bike in for its state inspection, but the weather said "no."