Cam belt service life -- can it be so?

My Ducati has 13,000 miles. The manual says the cam belts should be replaced at 12,000. In an era where some motorcycle drive belts last at least 100,000 miles, it boggles my mind that Ducati would have belts so inferior. What gives? I've heard all of the horror stories of cam belts breaking and I know exactly what will happen. Who has had or knows first hand of such an event that could be directly attributable to broken cam belts?

Let the 2008 riding season begin!

My wife and I rode our bikes out Rte 211 for our first ride of the season. The weather was great and traffic was reasonably light. If not for the high pollen count, it would have been a perfect day.

Alas, I failed to download the track information from my GPS before clearing its memory. Our route today was essentially the same as in a previous post about Rte 211.

We're making plans for summer road trips. We will be heading to Sikeston, MO for the 1st Annual Trike Rider's Int'l Rally. The price of gas may hinder some of our plans, but we're certain to make a number of day rides and likely a few over nighters. I'll do my best not to forget to download the GPS track data and plan to post the rides here.

Safe riding!

Funny feeling leads to Iron Butt Rally on a Cosmopolitan

Since January, I've had a funny feeling in my gut about things. Today everything coalesced into a clear picture of what I had to do.

I managed to ride my Honda Valkyrie and Ducati Multistrada to a nearby Honda Motorcycle dealership and traded both on a Honda Cosmopolitan scooter. It was a tad more difficult than I anticipated straddling both bikes, especially given the differing seat heights. Working two throttles, the brakes, shifting gears presented their own set of problems. But I made it. I purchased a blue and white Cosmopolitan scooter like the one below.

I have given my two weeks notice and will be entering the next Iron Butt Rally covering 11,000 miles in 11 days. My calculus, which accounts for aerodynamic drag, Coriolis effect, and the gravitational pull of the moon, indicates I can cover the 11,000 miles with one 10-gallon tank of gas strapped to the rear luggage rack. I plan to keep Hostess Twinkies & Red Bull in the under seat storage compartment. In this way, I will not have to stop for gas or food. Presently, I am now training my body to so completely digest Twinkies that the only generated waste will be liquid. In this way, I will not have to stop for bathroom breaks.

I'm testing a satellite based Internet service provider and the not yet released iPhone 2.0 so that I can write blog posts on the road.

Give me a wave if you see me passing your home.

Musings of a motorcyclist - why I ride?

Commuting north this morning on I-395's segregated HOV lanes with an indicated 80-mph had me passing an unmarked officer with a 4- or 5-mph speed differential. For reasons I'll likely never know, that was the moment I thought of the oft heard phrase used by many motorcyclists:

If I have to explain, you won't understand.

This phrase is most often heard when non-motorcyclists ask motorcyclists why they ride. It strikes me as a cop out response. When I use it I feel inarticulate.

Why can't I explain why I ride? Why won't a non-rider understand?

I've hinted at motivations in earlier posts: Jan 25^th, Feb 6^th, and 14^th.

So, while passing the policeman on the HOV lanes I got to wondering how to answer why I ride. My head started to hurt so I quit thinking about it.

About then I noticed spring is coming. The air was crisp, the sky blue, and even in the midst of way too much traffic I spied a daffodil on the side of the road. Heading north on the George Washington Pkwy I noticed the Potomac with a wisp of fog indicating the presence of a temperature difference between water and air, albeit ever so slight. Continuing I could see buds on some trees promising to hide the expensive homes grossly in view when the trees are winter-bare. It was nice to ride and be given the promise of spring.

Why do I ride?
If I have to explain, you won't understand...

Not going to Bike Week

The 66^th annual Bike Week is in full swing.
To celebrate, I rode to work on my Valkyrie yesterday.

It wasn't quite the same thing.

The Saga of Winter Riding -- commuting Feb 14th

It was something like 22^o this morning when I left for work.
Brrrrrrrr.

I clearly should have worn my heated gloves and full face helmet. Even donning a balaclava (thin fabric face cover) my open face helmet provided little to shield my face and eyes from the cold. Initially, my eyes teared until I couldn't feel them. Tears froze as they rolled down my cheeks. It is interesting to experience freezing tears and numb eyes, especially when it's so important to scan for road hazards and errant cars. My biggest concern was patches of ice unnoticed until too late. Happily, none were encountered.

After my eyes became numb, I began to notice feeling leaving my fingers. The left hand fingers first, but in no time, fingers on both hands were painfully cold. At stoplights, I shifted to neutral and clapped, squeezed, and rubbed both hands together to get blood flowing. After about 30-minutes into the ride, nothing worked. I have no rational excuse for not wearing my heated gloves :(

When I finally arrived at work, I didn't have enough hand control to remove my gloves. I clapped until my fingers would bend a little so I could get them off. Once inside my office, my fingers slowly tingled back to life, but not subtly. Not witting of the physiology behind this, the ensuing pain was excruciating as my fingers warmed. For about 10 minutes, I had to grit my teeth until the pain subsided. Even now, about 3 hours later, my finger tips are sufficiently sensitive that I have difficulty typing.

If nothing else, riding in the winter affirms that I am alive!
Keep on riding!

Got my groove back

11 straight days of no riding prompted me to resolve getting on the bike. Luckily, despite Punxsutawney Phil's prediction of more winter, it has so far been temperate this week. And so, I've ridden every day...but at the price of riding in the rain.

Ah well...a bad day on a motorcycle is better than a good day under any circumstances.

This is killing me

Single digit wind chill this morning.
Didn't ride.
This is killing me.

Riding to work on January 8th

Another record breaking day for high temperature likely.
Just over 50^o this morning, and near 70s promised for later.
I didn't bother with my riding suit today--a leather jacket was enough.

Maybe global warming is real?

Riding to work on January 7th

Temperature at 7am: 50^o
Temperature forecast for later: mid 60s

Days like today is why I don't winterize.