Ride to work

I have ridden to work for the past two days since the weather is so nice and gas is so damn high. I was comparing the difference between riding to work in a car and on a motorcycle. There's one major difference, in as opposed to on.





One of the main items is the traffic. While most of our riding is done on the weekends we avoid the rush hour traffic. Rush hour is a good word to describe what goes on in the morning but stupid hour applies to the high school "children" driving way too fast in Mom's Volvo or Dad's Mustang. They certainly impress their friends but lack the experience to handle a car and watch out for others simultaneously. In general everyone is running behind and driving fast to make up lost time. It reminds me of driving on an icy roadway: slow down and leave extra space. But if you leave extra space someone just eases right in. This is the kind of thing you really notice when you're on a bike. If you don't have the heightened sense of awareness you become part of the blacktop.


It's cooler in the morning than you realize and 58 degrees is almost cold at 60 miles an hour. The medium weight Harley Screamin' Eagle jacket works out just right and by afternoon just throw it in the tour pak and enjoy the upper 80's. One thing on shirts though, a button up Oxford flaps like crazy. T-shirts are definitely better for riding.















I stop at the light this morning, left foot goes down first and then my right. I was fiddling with something and noticed my right foot wasn't solidly planted. Instead it was resting on a painted section at the head of the lane. A little slick you ask? Very much so and it wasn't wet this morning. It hasn't rained in over 3 weeks so there is an additional buildup of oil and grease from the vehicles. My normal lace up leather shoes just don't cut it compared the my motorcycle boots. You need tread on your boots to minimize slippage. It would be best to exchange shoes on the next trip. In your cage the only thing you feel is the floor mat.



One day I will go to the drive through on the Harley. Where can I find a chrome cup holder? Until then it's breakfast at home when I ride the bike.




On a bike you are always aware of your surroundings and you only need to put your foot down to reconnect to earth. Next time you're at a stop light move your foot around and notice the texture of the roadway. You will be surprised to notice that some surfaces are fairly smooth and not what you would expect for traction.




Leaving work and being able to ride a motorcycle home is well, awesome. The traffic is not as intense as in the morning and I stop at Gold's Gym for a workout. Gold's in New Bern has a great covered area in the front that works well for bike parking and there is usually a bike or two out front. Once the workout has been accomplished it's a quick ride to my Mom's and then the cruise over the high rise bridge and on to home.







Ride to work!

Ride your motorcycle on this day to demonstrate:

• The number of motorcyclists to the general public and to politicians.
• That motorcyclists are from all occupations and all walks of life.
• That motorcyclists can reduce traffic and parking congestion in large cities.
• That motorcycles are for transportation as well as recreation.
• That motorcycling is a social good.