For all you folks who may not know what it is like to not be able to ride for most of the winter or maybe if you have just forgotten, let me tell you about one of those rare January days when the warm West winds have melted the snow and ice from the roads up here in the usually frozen north. Given a forecast of balmy 12 degree temperatures I decided to blow off a free lunch and an afternoon's work and drag the Venture out of the shed and onto the road. Now for the most part I haven't touched the bike since last fall. Yes it had Seafoam mixed with the gas and a battery tender hooked up to the battery but that's about it. In fact it still has a healthy coating of bug splatter from the trip to Moab last fall. Even with that neglect she fired right up. After navigating my way through the patchy ice in the alley and past the three traffic lights to the outskirts of the city and I am on my way. It didn't take long before I passed the first of many motorcycles. It was a grey haired old codger like me riding a cruiser and he gave me a healthy wave. Obviously, like me, he was damn happy to be able to squeeze a day's ride in before that cold arctic air swallows us again. I've got to tell ya my riding skills have atrophied over the last few idle months. Cornering was less precise than I recall, gear shifts used to just snick into place and those slow speed maneuvers were not as comfortable, but what the hell I was back on two wheels. While heading west out of Calgary on my way to Cochrane I was reminded why we are enjoying a taste of summer in the middle of winter, Chinook Winds. And let me tell you they were strong this afternoon. Probably blowing a steady 60 kph and gusting to 90. The first leg had me riding directly into the wind. That's not so bad the Venture has terrific wind protection and a head wind won't blow the bike around too much. What I had forgotten about riding is that it seems every second cowboy in a pick up truck seems to think they have to race road barges like mine. Today was no different. Stopped at a light on one of the secondary highways this white GMC pulls up beside me. Sure enough when the light turns green the cowboy pushed the pedal to the floor. I wonder just how much skill that takes. Well by the time I am dropping the bike into fourth the indicated speed is nudging 150kph and the GMC is but a spec in the mirror. Thinking my work is done and I am not wanting a really expensive speedometer validation certificate, I back off the throttle and shift into overdrive to enjoy the scenery. Seconds later the GMC blows by me. I guess he thought we were still racing. Lol At Cochrane the road to Bragg Creek takes me South and now the vigorous head wind is a gusting blowing cross wind. Yup this is a little more challenging. But the sun is still shining, the V-4 is singing and I am riding. Ummm in other words that means who gives a shit about a cross wind. Before too long the road to Bragg Creek takes me through a heavily treed area which breaks down the vicious cross wind to something more bearable. After stopping in Bragg Creek for gas and a bite to eat it's time to begin the ride home. This time with a tailwind. Much better. By now my shifting is slicker, corners are smoother and the parking lot maneuvers are beginning to feel much more comfortable. Hey I can Ride! As I get closer to home the Sarcee Trail kinda bends to the left as it comes over a bluff and gets exposed to the wind again. I knew to expect a big gust when I got halfway around the bend. What made it even more interesting is I was navigating my way through the canyons of a bunch of big rigs at the same time. Hang on this is gonna get dirty. When that big wind combined with all the dirty air off those semis it made for an interesting few seconds. The Venture is surprisingly steady under those conditions and aside from almost having my sunglasses blown off my face I got through the maze fairly easily. Rolling back onto my street I had a similar feeling to returning after being out on the road for a week or so. I didn't want the ride to end. I wanted to turn around and do it all over again. But the sun was setting and the thermometer was dropping and it was time to put the bike back in the shed. With the forecast calling for more winter weather I am going to have to wait for the next Chinook or spring before I can ride again. You folks who can ride all year round probably can't relate to having a window, however short, that allows for even a short ride. Let me tell you it was exhilarating. -- 24 hours in a day & 24 beer in a case Coincidence? I think not
Heh, heh, heh, try four months! But to be fair I have done the kill switch thing during the middle of riding season. <g> -- 24 hours in a day & 24 beer in a case Coincidence? I think not
Say Cal-gary, I enjoyed your Ride Essay, very much. I feel sorry for ya, good buddy, but living up there, is your choice, I say. Below is a quote from your well wrttten essay about riding your motorBike: -quote-‘‘Given a forecast of balmy 12 degree temperatures I decided to blow off a free lunch and an afternoon's work and drag the Venture out of the shed and onto the road.’’ Cal-gary. Now,tell us good folks, waaaaayy down here, in Tejas, what does 12 degrees, translates to, in our manner of weather measure-ments? Because you often use your manner of MPH calculation, of which is a whole bunch different than our MPH calculation? Right? For instance, I imagine your 12 degrees waaaay up there is like 28 degrees waaaay down here. Am I close, give or take 5*? Unner'stand? (just'a messing with ya, pardner) Seriously, I wanna tell you how tickled we are that you got to ride, for the first time in months. I imagine it wont be long, that you will be riding circles around some folks. (regards, Bjay) B. Jay Kana-- NETexas 03Valk-&-98 Magna Have a Dandy Day--
Well, if Calgary is quoting Celcius, then the Fahrenheit equivalent is a little over 53. I recall reading the story and thinking - "that's damn cold". But, I'd forgotten/ignored, or maybe assumed about the conversion. So, I say that 53 degrees is quite respect- able for Canada in January. In fact, I suspect it was about the same reading here in Dallas. Say Cal-gary, I enjoyed your Ride Essay, very much. I feel sorry for ya, good buddy, but living up there, is your choice, I say. Below is a quote from your well wrttten essay about riding your motorBike: -quote-''Given a forecast of balmy 12 degree temperatures I decided to blow off a free lunch and an afternoon's work and drag the Venture out of the shed and onto the road.'' Cal-gary. Now,tell us good folks, waaaaayy down here, in Tejas, what does 12 degrees, translates to, in our manner of weather measure-ments? Because you often use your manner of MPH calculation, of which is a whole bunch different than our MPH calculation? Right? For instance, I imagine your 12 degrees waaaay up there is like 28 degrees waaaay down here. Am I close, give or take 5*? Unner'stand? (just'a messing with ya, pardner) Seriously, I wanna tell you how tickled we are that you got to ride, for the first time in months. I imagine it wont be long, that you will be riding circles around some folks. (regards, Bjay) B. Jay Kana-- NETexas 03Valk-&-98 Magna Have a Dandy Day--
(Gary Walker) Bjay--Well, if Calgary is quoting Celcius, then the Fahrenheit equivalent is a little over 53. I recall reading the story and thinking - "that's damn cold". But, I'd forgotten/ignored, or maybe assumed about the conversion. So, I say that 53 degrees is quite respect- able for Canada in January. In fact, I suspect it was about the same reading here in Dallas. Yeah, that's what I was a trying to say. I had doubts Cal-gary, or any dummy, would purposely ride in ''regular 12 degrees''. <?> Hail, I rode about 60 miles last week around here, and the high was 39*. When I cranked 'er up, and let 'er warm up, and it was about 31*. And our buddy, Harold Gailey down in Houston.rr, rides in that cold stuff, every day plus the darn rain alot lately, and to top it off, no dern Windshield, or electric gloves or nothing fancy like that! heh-heh-heh Thanks, Gary. B. Jay Kana-- NETexas 03Valk-&-98 Magna Have a Dandy Day--
