Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Beating the Blues in All Black

i've been in a bit of a slump recently. chalk it up to too much work, not enough social contact and not enough riding. the end of riding season looms, and while i fully intend to get out whenever i can, i don't expect to always put on a brave face for the cold and rain this winter. i am realistic.

so, it was nice to a) actually have a day off today, and b) have nice weather for riding. always one for taking advantage of an opportunity, i present to you dr. herman's patented cure for depression:

1 part motorcycle
1 part good music (today, the killers)
1 part may valley road

mix thoroughly.

it was a bit on the cold side, but even so the briskness felt nice. i took a shortened route similar to my last ride, instead of taking the long way around tiger mountain and up highway 18, i went the other way on issaquah-hobart road (to issaquah instead of hobart) and caught up with newport way. just what i needed. some nice twisty roads, pretty scenery and the proper disrespect of speed limits.

it was nice to ride the same way on my own. i get a bit stressed riding with someone else, especially when i'm leading. always worrying about going too slow or too fast. maybe they're judging my speed, or my technique through that last corner. i'm a bit self-conscious sometimes (you think?), and it comes out when i'm on my bike.

this may be for a few different reasons, but one of the biggest is that i think no matter what your intentions are when it comes to motorcycling, it's always a bit of an asthetic statement. i don't care if you ride a harley fat-boy, a ducati supersport or a beat-up duelie, you present an image on a bike and, at some level, you are aware of this image. and, in addition, the way you ride is a continuation of this image. if you see a honda cbr, you don't expect him to cautiously take a turn at the recommended speed limit. likewise you don't expect a goldwing rider to be beating everyone down the coast on highway one (though i've seen some that take those turns at hair-raising speeds). so even though it's technically designated as a standard, when i'm on my sv i have expectations of myself. i'm positioned more aggressively than my dad's cruiser or pat's funduro. i have great acceleration, and vixen is highly flickable. going into turns, even when by myself, i feel pressured into allowing her to perform to her utmost capacity, right or wrong. the same goes for speed limits, waiting for lights, being aggressive in traffic, i push myself when on my bike because, when i'm on a sleek gun-metal bike in all black, that's the image being put forward. the gear you wear, the color of your helmet, it's all a part of it. it's all an asthetic.

perhaps i think about this more than the average joe, but i've always been super detail-oriented, as well as guilty of over-analyzing everything. sue me, i'm a writer. i don't think of myself as "fashion conscious" in the traditional sense of the word, but i am conscious of the image i am projecting, especially on a bike. and i like it. it's one of the reasons i ride. not the only, by any means, but definitely a factor. i feel different when i'm wearing my leather jacket, and moreso when i'm in full leathers, with chaps and boots. you can't walk around in public dressed head to toe in black leather and not feel a little different than you would in jeans and a t-shirt. and that's ok. i have a flat-black helmet for a reason. pat seeks out gear with yellow accents for a reason. it's a look.

as an offshoot of this, i've been thinking recently about asthetic modifications i'd like to eventually make to my bike. right now, of course, my money and time is reserved for outfitting vixen for travel, but the way i see it, i will be doing more city and urban riding than long distance with her, and she is obviously not going to take me around the world (no offense, baby, but you just aren't built for it). so i've been thinking about making her a little sleeker, a little sexier (and no, i'm not calling her fat). nothing too fancy, but maybe a fender eliminator and rear seat cowl, cleaning up the lines a bit. i've been toying with the idea of clip-ons and bar end mirrors, but we'll have to see on that one. either way, she's already a looker, and with a few minor modifications, she could really turn some heads.

well, this is not the post i thought i would write when i started. not by a long shot. but that's ok, too. sometimes you just have to let the ride take you. and with that, i'll sign off until next time.

ride fast, take chances, and look damn good doing it.

scott