Just a brief note!

Seat's arrived.  Belt is ordered.  I may have someone lined up to help me wrench the bike.   Everything in the world would be good....

except for it's raining.  Very, very hard.

I can't wait.

I've done some riding since picking up Proficient Motorcycling  and have been trying to apply many of the technique's that are mentioned in the book  I realize that my basic licensing class I took so long ago applies nearly everything this book does.  With one glaring exception; using the front brake in curves.  I was taught to always roll off the throttle and apply just the brake.  To apply both seems strange to me and has taken a little getting used to.  Sadly most of the turns I ride are gentle sweepers and I've not had the chance yet to apply this technique to sharper turning back roads yet.

The other thing I find interesting is my perception that the author wants us to cover the front brake at all times?  Something I was doing before and was told it's a bad habit....so I made myself brake that habit.  Now am I supposed to do that?  Again I see the logic, but it just seems a little odd that I have recieved conflicting advice.

Such is life, such is riding.

Improvements.....Some I wanted to make, and others forced upon me.

One of the wonderful things about nature is it's ability to evolve.  Life is anything but static, it's a jumbled mess of parts each somehow fitting together to make a whole.   It's a 1001 piece jigsaw puzzle where your trying to match the picture on the box but your not quite sure if all the pieces are there or even if it's the right box.

So we try...and we try....but we can't get no satisfaction.   OK, let's put the Devo away for a moment.  Truth be told I am rather happy in my life.  However that happiness may be short lived.   It's time to do maintenance on and make some general improvements to the bike.  Some of this needed done and I simply could not put it off any longer, other things I have been wanting to do but it was always low priority.  Now that the bike is my main means of transport...I did some things.

First I ordered a beaded seat from Cycle Crafts.  I have a 35 mile one way commute most days and that generally does not bother me...then some days I can't seem to find a comfortable location to park my skinny a** and that bother's me.   I'm hoping that getting some air flow in those affected areas will help with my comfort.  If not then I am only out $30 which is not really that bad.  I expect to have that in within the next day or two.  Frankly I'm not to sure about the hooks and can't help but wonder if the seat will slide on me.  I guess we will see.

Somehow something happened to one of my grips, I noticed that it was starting to slip off the bike a few days ago and that the handlebar weight holding it on was coming loose.   I tried to tighten it with a screwdriver and found that didn't work  So I put off fixing it, put off fixing it, put off fixing and then.....
I drove home last night and noticed this in the morning.  Yep, completely gone. I'm not sure where, or even if, I could get a replacement but can't imagine it being that difficult (famous last words I'm sure).  This however does give me an excuse to replace the grips.  **update - I found the handlebar weights at a local cycle shop for under $12.  They went on easy and are nice and tight now.  

I've been wanting to get some Grip Puppies for a while but haven't really bothered.  Now it seems I might be in the market for some new grips as well.  I might just get some grip glue from the good people over at Scooter West.  Speaking of Scoot West I finally got me a CVT belt.  I paid about $40 less through them than the best cost elsewhere although I still have no way to put it on my bike.   At 20K + the belt has got to be wearing thin.  I'm hoping to find a mentor to help with this project.

I may also have to redo the brakes soon as well.

Here's hoping that someone in the area is willing to help me out.  I would be glad to buy them a beer, lunch, or even a lobster dinner to assist me.  It's not that I lack the knowledge, I've watched the video's and read the instructions and feel pretty grounded in the basics of bike repair.  I just lack the tools and experience; nor am I mechanically inclined despite the fact I've a background in engineering.  Moving forward however if the bike is going to be my main ride then I need to know at least the basics.  I need to understand what is happening if I hear BANG!   CLANK!

Considering how I ride some very empty roads in the middle of the night...this is a survival strategy. 

Random roads my thoughts go down.

It's been raining pretty steadily here in West Central Florida.  Every day it seems I need to pull out the rain gear on my way to work, it's not been a problem for the most part although I do need a new pair of waterproof riding gloves.  I have three pairs, one that actually slips over the jacket sleeve and should protect me from getting wet. However I don't care for them, they don't feel right on my hands and seem "a bit much."  The other pair I wear is lighter and more form fitting but is not as padded or protective as I would like.    Lately it seems that water is wick-ing it's way up my sleeves and coming to rest in my elbows and sleeves.  No matter how tight I think I have my zippers zipped.   A minor issue but an issue none the less.  The third pair I have only worn a few times and they are actually gloves designed for hunting in the middle of winter and are not really motorcycle gloves at all.

The gloves I have now are just not working for me.

So I need to find new gloves.

I am actually rather proud of myself.  For the last week or so I've been riding the bike to work and for errands daily.  Up until the other night that is.  I reviewed Weather.com and saw a 50% chance of riding home in a storm.  At 1 AM in the morning on a super slab I wondered if that was a good idea.  I am trusting myself more in the rain, feeling a little more comfortable in less than ideal situations.  Still though, riding home in the dark is a challenge in it's own right.   Riding home in the dark in rain pushed that risk factor up more than I was willing to take.

Random thought # 2:  I've been giving some thought to upgrading my phone.  I am due for an upgrade and my company has a program in place where I can actually get a "Smart phone" for free.  While I don't really NEED a new phone the idea of having some apps for GPS and Crash Detection appeal to me.  Considering how my Burgie is now my main ride.   A cheap Bluetooth device might even allow me access to music and make phone calls while riding the bike, although I don't feel like that's a good idea at this stage in my riding career.  So my question to you gentle reader is do you use your Smart Phone in a similar manner?  Does it make sense to do so.  What type of mount do you use for it?

Some more random stuff:  I picked up a copy of David L. Hough's Proficient Motorcycling the other day.  So far I've only read about  70 pages of it and already learned one or two things.  For me at least owning any sort of two wheeled transport is about "smoothness."  I'm not out to beat land speed records, or jump over buses.   I want to learn how to ride safely and effortlessly.  I'm not sure if this book would help, and after only 70 pages I can't review it.  Maybe later.

Finally, I'm approaching 20K on my bike and will need to change out my drive belt soon.  My lack of mechanical skills is really starting to bother me, so much so that I see little ads on the sides of various sites I read to "learn how to be a motorcycle mechanic" I am very tempted to call them and learn more.  I have always been more of a theory guy than an actually nuts and bolts guy.  Now if I could only find a mentor around here that is willing to teach me how to do even the simplest of fixes I would be happy.

Finally - part two:  My Green Swamp ride is still planned.  I just need some time to do it.  Soon my friends.  Soon.