riding with company

i've taken passengers on vixen before, with varying degrees of success. she's a sporty broad, with a relatively high center of gravity and her rear is just large enough for someone to ride it, without much wiggle room. i've never ridden on the back of vixen personally, so i can only speak to what it's like as the rider with a passenger and, for the most part, it really depends on the passenger. yesterday, as my good friend catherine and i rode out to my dad's on the eastside to collect a car to go hiking (follow all that?), i definitely had one of the best two-person riding experiences in my riding history.

i attribute this to several factors. one, my good friend catherine is rather tiny or, as i like to say, pocket-sized. her light frame doesn't affect vixen's weight distribution as much as 99% of the population would, and i could (for the most part) ride normally. the other primary factor that made for a good riding experience was the fact that i am not dating catherine. now, this may seem like a weird qualifier to make, but hear me out.

at least two of the passengers i've taken in the past (not all on vixen) have been significant others and, because of this, i have no problem with them being nice and tight up against me. some people are more comfortable this way, some are less, but if you're taking your sweetie for a ride, then i'd say they usually fall into the "more" category. catherine sits a little ways back on the seat, so much so that, again partially due to her minuscule proportions, i actually had to check if she was still there a few times. creating this gap between rider and passenger is quite comfortable for several reasons. one, it allows both persons to adjust their own body position exclusive of the other. as i learned on my trip, even the slightest adjustment forward or back on the saddle can create a world of difference to one's back, neck and knees. two, the gap also means that any sudden changes in velocity due to shifting, braking or unexpected circumstances means i don't get slammed into my tank. this is not fun. trust me. you don't want me getting slammed into my tank (especially if we're dating. irony?)

anyway, it was a nice ride out to bellevue, except for one moment coming back on I-90. we were cruising along in the slow lane (for reasons i will expand on in a minute) when i noticed a fellow rider on a red sportsbike (didn't notice the make) coming up behind in another lane. two seconds later, he nearly clipped us shooting by, suddenly in our lane, going at least 15 mph faster than us. we were to the right side of the lane and he had enough space to get by, but i had no idea he was there, or planning on sharing the lane with me. without so much as a how-do-you-do he was already gone, weaving through traffic like a world class jackass. now i understand that when riding sometimes the safe play is to be aggressive, but you can do it without being stupid, and without being a jerk. i call it assertive riding. this guy was not assertive. this guy was a jerk.

we were cruising in the slow lane, going right around 60, for several reasons. mainly because i always take extra caution when riding with passengers (especially those without a lot of riding experience), but also because of my helmet. i have two helmets: a full face and a half-helmet. the half is usually used for riding around town, or on quick errands. the full face is my standard headgear. again, though, with a passenger, things change a bit. i always give my passenger the full face and use the half for myself. this is mostly a safety thing, but i also know that i will always have eye protection (one benefit of glasses) and, if i'm the less-protected of the two, i know i will always ride within my comfort level. and, when you're riding on the freeway in a half helmet, that means going in the slow lane. i could never understand how harley riders could go cruising along in 50 degree weather going 85 mph wearing nothing more than a skullcap and sunglasses. my face would either be a) numb, b) covered in bugs or c) numb and covered with bugs which i don't notice because i can't feel anything above the neck. also, it's really loud! on longer rides i use earplugs or music under my full face, but i had neither yesterday. especially going through the tunnels, it was just constant cacophony, almost to distraction. in the future, if i can help it, i will always wear a full face on the freeway.

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in other thoughts, today is september 15th. exactly one year ago i was just over halfway through with my trip. i had woken up in orlando after almost two full days off the bike and was making my way to savannah, georgia.

it's weird to think about. i was in such a different place in my life, and not just geographically. while i was on the road, my entire life was reduced to very few, extremely simple objectives. find gas. get food. get to where i was staying that night. even those two days in orlando was a mental strain, and i was eager to get back on the road, and be by myself. i really learned to appreciate solitude during my trip, and that may be the one thing that has stuck with me more than anything. there are times when i want nothing more than to go home, turn up some music and just read. or cook. or do nothing. but these seemingly routine tasks suddenly seem far more daunting when someone else enters the picture.

there are certain aspects of my life that i like to compartmentalize. and certain things i enjoy far more on my own. riding is one of those things for me. on trips, i like being with people at the end of the day, socializing, talking about the miles or our progress or any difficulties. but on the road i don't like to have to worry about another person. am i going too fast? too slow? are they getting hungry? do they need gas? these thoughts work their way into my brain until i can't concentrate on anything else. the same goes for passengers. are they comfortable enough? was that braking too hard? even just shifting gears becomes a little cause of worry. i'm sure one day i will find the joy in sharing these things with others, but not at the moment. this is not to say i don't like riding with people, or taking passengers, but it's a different mindset. a different kind of enjoyment. it's not that same freedom i had on the road a year ago.

people often ask me why i don't combine different aspects of my life. i have several different passions that occasionally, but not frequently, overlap. i write for the theatre, i play hurling, i ride bikes. people are always asking when i'm going to write a play about hurling, or what type of inspiration i've gotten on my motorcycle trips. but they are different parts of my life, and i like keeping them separate. they have different energies, different attitudes. i find different aspects of my personality coming out depending on what i'm doing. and that's ok. they all create a (mostly) complete picture, clear and in focus. and i like that picture. i don't want it running together, getting messy, blurry. i like clean lines. i like the distinction.

ok, we got a little philosophical there for a minute. more flashbacks from my trip. it happens occasionally.

until next time,

rftc,

scott