well, it's been a while since i last posted something. that in itself should be a hint of how things have been going motorcycle-wise. in short, they haven't.
it has been continually colder, as i predicted, with nights in the 30s and they are saying we might get snow as early as friday (still november, as predicted. maybe i should be a weatherman). i'm still seeing bikes on the road, many a rider wrapped to the gills in their aerostitch suits and heated grips, but i'm just still not feeling that motivation. i haven't been riding much and, for the most part, i haven't been regretting my decision.
i did ride to work one day last week (or the week before). it wasn't quite so cold, only raining a little and i was in a bit of a funk. i thought the ride might cheer me up a bit. which it did, at first. i bundled up and went to work with the cold wind just creeping into my helmet, just enough to be refreshing on a morning commute. i had a quite shift between jobs that day and the bike certainly helped with that, but once i got there i just became absolutely loathed to deal with all my cold weather gear. storing it at work and especially putting it back on for the trip home. i have to hike up three floors to the parking garage on the way out (which is always stuffy) and, even though i didn't fully suit up until i got to the bike, i was sweating like a pig when i finally hit the street. even the crisp wind on the freeway didn't do much to help. i had an absolutely miserable ride home and had to throw all my clothes in the wash and take a shower. it's happened before, but this is the first time it made me wonder how much of all this was worth it. well, i didn't answer that question directly, but i haven't ridden to work since.
there is, however, good news on the horizon. thanks to some good turns at work (two part times turning to one full time), i will soon be moving away from the dreaded eastside and, within a couple of months, should be living and working exclusively in seattle. what does this mean for the motorcyclist in me? well, practically, there is no way i will be taking a car with me to capital hill (my destination). that's just stupid. so vixen will soon be my one and only mode of transportation. and two, more importantly, is that living and working in seattle means there are two major factors i don't have to worry about on a day-to-day basis. they would be bridges and freeways.
you wouldn't think that would make such a big deal, but they really do. first off, bridges leave you far more exposed to the elements than normal roads, so everything you deal with temp/weather-wise is multiplied. and, simply put, going 60 mph is a much bigger deal than going 30 mph. especially, again, in terms of temperature and weather. and gear. my mentality about what i wear riding changes completely if there's a bridge or freeway involved. and, as a result of that, i'm less likely to ride (given an option) if i have to take one. being completely based in seattle, i can almost completely avoid bridges and freeways, meaning commuting/living exclusively by bike is a far more viable (and appealing) proposition. stay tuned for more details about when i get to go totally car-less.
that's about it for now. as i said, not a lot going on other than external forces that apply themselves to my riding. as for the "good", "bad" and "resigned" parts, i'll let you figure that out for yourself.
until next time,
rftc,
scott
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