Rainy Days

Here she is. I've cleaned her up (approximately 58% done with this intensive job) and replaced the rear wheel. Front wheel is inflated to correct pressure. It's a good idea to check your air pressure often. The front was down to 15lbs psi. Dangerous.

I took her out on the open road today. More about that in a moment. First, the BMRC.

The class last night was all lecture, with a test at the end basically checking to see if you were paying attention. From anagrams like FINE-C to T-CLOCS, (FINE-C standing for the pre-ignition checklist. Fuel, ignition, neutral, engine - clutch and T-CLOCS Tires and rims, controls, Lights (basically the electrical system) Oil and fluids, chassis, and finally stand as in side stand) it was a very informative class. The practice course is what we were all nervous about.


It rained most of the day and of course, class was still held. It basically drizzled the entire time, soaking me in my jacket before I remembered my rain gear I had brought with me. Donning it, I stayed fairly dry after that. We started out with basics like walking the bike back and forth the lot (shown above), then riding it for short distances, then on to the actual course stuff. There were a variety of drills for us to perform and I was doing great until my bike started wobbling horribly. I tried to figure out what I was doing wrong, and finally figured out my front tire was flat. The bike was quickly switched out for another, and I continued.

There was a poor girl who dumped her bike at least 5 times, once being trapped underneath and not being able to extricate herself. The rider coaches were very helpful and friendly, but I could tell they were becoming a little perturbed at this repeat offense. On the first day, no big deal. If you dump it on the second, they count it against you.

Here's to hoping tomorrow goes well. :)

The ride took me about 120 miles to Caledonia, a small ville west of here. It was my first time on the open road, and I loved it. I kept my speed under control, though with traffic passing me on the left continuously, I started to wonder if my speedometer wasn't off a bit. For the most part, people were pretty civil, keeping their distance and giving me a wide berth. I even passed a couple of slow moving semi trucks.

The biggest shock to me was the wind shear. I was amazed that my clothes and helmet, if not firmly attached, would have been sucked off me. As it was I had to pull over at a rest stop and tighten my helmet and close up my sleeves on my jacket. I'm sure that jacket was causing a huge drag what with my puffy sleeves and all. I was buffeted all about, but managed to keep my balance and control of the bike with ease.

The bike's performance was decent, considering it's age. At 21 years old, it kept up the pace without a problem. The heat gauge never got past the middle line and stayed on the cool side, thanks to the front facing radiator. Acceleration was excellent, and the brakes were spot on.

One of the things I like about owning a motorcycle is the camaraderie it induces among other riders. I waved or was waved at every time I passed another cyclist. There's something to the Brotherhood of the Bike. It makes me feel as if I belong to something.

One thing I didn't enjoy was the foot pegs. They seemed placed in such a way as to cause cramping in my knee's. Whether that is my fault or the fault of the bike, I don't know. I'll have to figure something out for really long trips.

I was able to start out on a hill, and it wasn't as tough as I thought it was going to be. I may have over-revved the bike even, in my worry about getting up and over the hill.

A great day, overall. My next big road trip is going to be to Lake Michigan.

Wednesday, Bill is coming over to help me out with the bike. Tune up time.

The Joys of Riding and the BMRC

What can I say? I'm breaking the law...

I've road tested the bike, sans endorsement, and so far, so good. I like the feel of this bike, the quiet whistle of the motor, the ease of shifting, the fast take off... whoops.. shouldn't have said that. It's true though. I almost lost control a couple of times due to the rapid acceleration, something I didn't really expect from a bike this size.

Speaking of that, always remember which side has the clutch, and which side has the throttle. No matter how hard you press in on the clutch, other than disengaging power to the back wheel, it does nothing to slow you down. Also, always remeber to engage both front AND rear brakes.

I had my first (of many, I'm sure) negative interactions with motorists today. Doing the speed limit (25mph) someone shouted out their window as they passed, "Hurry the hell up, jackass!" Yeah, right lady. Why not close the cell phone and focus on the road.

As I mentioned earlier, I had to get the rear wheel fixed, and how. I took it to College Motors, their link here.

The part guy, named Brent H. was very helpful in helping me choose a tire (exceeding the budget I had placed upon myself, but answered succinctly when he said, "Well, if you have a $10 ass, buy a $10 tire." Thanks Brent.) and the service department had it installed in a couple of hours. According to the service guy, the wheel was in pretty bad shape, but he was impressed overall in how the bike looked. This from a guy who, is either one hell of a schmoozer, or was telling the truth. He allowed me to watch the process, and I realized there is no way I could have removed the rear wheel myself. I probably could now, but it isn't easy. I spent some time in their showroom which is HUGE. Lots of stuff for the aspiring motorcyclist with money to burn. I saw something I would like to get, perhaps for christmas, a tank bag.

In the downtime, I walked through our bustling business district and watched a group called Group Therapy play. They were pretty good, the lead singer a female with a voice rivalling that of the ACDC vocalist in terms of scratchiness and resonating, sonorous tonality.


Things planned for the bike:
* New paint for the gas tank
* clean up of all the chrome (though I started on this using a $2 chrome polish and was amazed at the results.
* clean up (better) of the rims. I found Gojo works wonderfully to get off crap and oil.

Actually, there is a huge laundry list of things I need to do. Oil change, radiator fluid change, spark plug change....

hopefully, I'll get the chance to ride it again soon. :)

I'll post pics of it soon.

Finally...

It's in my hot little hands. I brought the bike home today and am I ever happy. Actually, since I don't have my CY endorsement yet, JR drove it for me, and all the way home I was hoping he wouldn't spill it. He did fine though. He did give me a few pointers on things I should do for the bike. I went out and bought the stuff for an oil change, spark plugs and a few other odds and ends, and, a guy from work (another cycle enthusiast) is going to show me how to do all these different things.

A labor of love. :)

So, I know I shouldn't have, but I test drove the bike today. Just on side streets and up and down our driveway several times. (The driveway isn't that big...) What I would do was get into position, set the bike in first, then zoom forward (about 25 feet), back it up and do it again, just to get a feel for things, how it handled, it's quirks, etc. As you can imagine, it was about as fun as watching the grass grow. So, I slipped on my helmet and took off! Just up and down the street at first, getting a feel for the gears and foot placement, and finally made it into 2nd. What an accomplishment! Then third! The only problem with this stretch of road are the several stop signs that taught me the value of good brakes. It was an exhilarating experience, one I wanted to repeat after the gym tonight, but considering I have had about 4 hours of sleep in the last couple of days, I opted out.

INcredible amount of pick up on this bike. I barely handled the throttle and shot forward. I imagine after this, the 250cc bikes are going to seem super slow. I am starting the class tomorrow at 5:15. Not going to ride the bike there...

Besides, there's always tomorrow before the class. :)

I stopped into the College Motors bike shop today just to check out prices on a tire. Installed is a bit more than I wanted to pay, so I am going to see if Bill will help me remove this one and help me remount the new one. It's a good tire, but costs about $90, and that's before labor.

I spent about 3 hours just cleaning the grime off the bike tires, polishing the chrome, waxing the tank... a lot of work! But the bike looks much better now, as if someone loves it. Using Goop hand cleaner worked wonders.

Tomorrow, I'll fill you all in.

At this moment...

I have $1500.00 in my hand. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. First thing in the morning, I have to run up to my insurance company and get a copy of the policy for the bike. Then, I have to race across town and make it to the SoS office and get a plate and registration for the bike. Then, I have to race out to GL to put the new plate on the bike and have JR drive it to my house for me. Then, I am going to spend an hour just staring at the bike, cleaning it, kissing it... sitting on it.

Friday is the class, but I won't be able to get my license until Monday (after the class, assuming I pass it). I can walk into the SoS and take the written, hand them my certificate/waiver for the road test, and viola, I am now a licensed motorsyclist in the great state of Michigan.

How ya like them apples? Better be watching behind you Monday. If you see a guy on a motorcyle driving in first gear the entire trip, that's me. Actually, I won't be on the road until I am more comfortable with the whole shifting idea.

I have to get ahold of Bill and see if he'll spend some time with me working on the bike. I need to get that rear tire changed (another $90.00, but a necessary part) change the oil and air filter. Probably should change the spark plug as well...

The way i came up with the money was ingenious. I called BoA and told them my current interest rate was way too high. I mean, come on! 21.4% That's crazy! So, by doing a balance transfer on another car to BoA, I was able to get a better rate (14.2%) which isn't fantastic, but beats what I was paying. The cash advance interest rate is 24%, but since I am transferring the balance to the new card, I won't be charged the higher rate!

I'll still have a staggering balance on this card, but I'll pay in down in about a month, once school starts.

I'm giddy. I've had about 2 hours sleep in the last 2 days. Not so sure I'll be able to sleep tonight either, unless it's from sheer exhaustion. I need to get the garage cleaned out tomorrow as well, so I can make room for the bike. JR is a hell of a guy, offering to ride it to my house.

I'll post pics of the bike tomorrow.

I found a great website called Cecilie's Moto Journal, and it is after her template I will be creating the rest of this blog. Thanks Cecilie (is that like Sicily?). I've never met you, but through your blog I feel like I do.

Money... that's what I want.

I called Full Throttle Motor Sports today. A new rear tire is about $90.00 installed. I assume that includes balancing and whatnot. For another 154.00 I can get a 25 point inspection (including complete tune up). I'll probably do it, just so I can say it's done and not have to worry about it for a while.

IN other news, I am taking the BMRC on Friday! They can fit me in, so by Monday, I'll have my waiver for the skills test for the SoS. Then, I need to take a written and viola, the bike is one step closer.

I keep trying to come up with ways to get that bike faster... other than advancing money on the CC I don't have any other options. Not sure if that's what I am going to do or not. If I get the convenience checks today, I'll do it.

Damn, this is a lot of work, but I know in the end it will be worth it.

$195.00 later...

I scheduled my BMRC today. Hopefully I'll be able to get in this weekend. If all goes well, I'll take my written test at the beginning of next week and have my CY endorsement in hand well before I actually get the bike.

There's a large parking lot nearby where I plan to do a lot of test driving, once I get the thing. Plus, there are a lot of slow streets around here, so I plan to practice quite a bit before hitting the open road.

Only a short wait. Hopefully I'll hear back from the instructors today on re-scheduling this class for this weekend. I had it set up for some time in Sept. But if I can get it done earlier, more power to me! I also called around about wheels today, but everyone was closed. I'll try again MOnday.