I’m sure everyone knows that the older you get the thinner your skin becomes and mine must be really thin today because I’m freezing. My brother told me that the Almanac says this will be the worst Winter ever or did he say the last 10 years? At any rate I certainly dread it, but last year was pretty mild so I guess we’re due. I may be turning my heat on at any time.

We missed York bike night because of our vacation and that’s always something we do every year. From all reports there was only 800 bikes in the parade this year and usually it’s closer to a couple thousand, but it was also a rainy weekend so that didn’t help much either. I’m sure many people checked the weather reports for our area before they made their decision to make the long trip.

I know I don’t like riding in the rain Bill and I have been caught in it a couple times without rain gear and I can tell you it’s no fun. Besides when it rains all those oils come to the surface and make it that much more dangerous for bikers. I guess we might get a few more rides in before we put them up for the Winter at least I hope so, but I know with my thin skin I will be bundled up like a bear this year.

With a lot of different things going on with us right now I have put my gear shifting lessons off till Spring. I did manage to shift up to 3rd gear, but I’ll need lots of practise till I feel safe enough on the rode and I’m quite sure you will not see me taking my hands off to give the motorcyclist hand signals to each other. I will probably nod or lift a finger until I feel comfortable.

I have had 1 lesson on my Suzuki and that was the weekend before I had to go to Kentucky. I haven’t felt much like learning lately, but tomorrow all that changes. I am now willing to try and concentrate on my new learning adventure and I’m a little concerned that I may have burned up too many brain cells of late to comprehend everything I’ll need to know to be able to shift properly.

My first lesson left me a little shook up because I have never been very coordinated and could never multitask in my life. When letting the clutch out slowly and trying to give a little gas at the same time I managed to almost do a wheelie, but that was after the thing just out and out kept dying on me my first few attempts.

I told Bill if I couldn’t even manage to get the thing rolling at least a few feet I would never learn to shift anything. After about 20 minutes trying over and over I finally managed to ride around the school parking lot in first gear and keep the dang thing balanced, now that part was fun, but since I’ve been gone I will need a refresher lesson on the first part I learned.

I keep telling myself that I can do anything that I put my mind to and I know I can because I want that satisfaction of knowing I did it. I told Bill that I need training wheels so I can learn the gears easier, but I don’t know if they make anything like that. If I feel like I wont be able to grasp the technique of shifting then I’ll simply get an automatic.

Of course if I take the safety course on a scooter then I will only be able to operate an automatic motorcycle or scooter and I so want to learn to ride a real motorcycle so I can be a “real” biker. I would still be able to follow Bill on the freeway or highway at speeds up to 65 with an automatic and for me it’s all about feeling free and enjoying the ride.

Bill says it’s fun with all the shifting, but I’m starting to wonder if I want to burn up the few brain cells I have left with all the concentration and alertness I will be expected to exhibit to stay safe and keep others around me safe at the same time. Maybe I should just leave the learning of gear shifting to the younger real biker chicks and settle for an automatic so I can just enjoy my ride.

I haven’t felt like posting for several days, but since I feel semi human today I guess I should post something new so people wont think I shot myself with my handgun.

I’ve been looking for a used Rebel, but every time we thought we found one it was already sold. We did find a used Suzuki 125 that was used in a safety course and has a lot of dings and nicks, but Bill now has it running great so all I need is an inspection.

I really don’t care if it’s pretty yet because that will come in time after I learn to ride a real motorcycle and change gears. I’m quite sure I may drop it a few times myself before I get the hang of things.

It was missing mirrors and front and back turn signals because that’s the first things they remove at the safety course. We bought second hand ones for now and even at second hand prices that was 80 dollars.

The bike cost 700 dollars so at that price I can still keep my scooter and if I want to upgrade to a sportster I guess we will just trade in both at that time because the garage space is getting a lot smaller now.

Bill is going to make it a bobber even though I will still keep my mirrors and blinkers almost everything else will be stripped. I want a trike seat that’s on springs instead of the original seat it has now.

I was worried about the weight of a motorcycle, but this one is only a 125 and it doesn’t intimidate me so I think it should do nicely to learn on. After Bill gets it prettied up I may not want to trade it in, but it is a 91 so who knows?

Below is the before photo and after I learn how to ride and he paints it and all the other cool personal stuff to make it mine I’ll post the after.

When Bill and I go on vacation we always look for Harley shops because we like to get different t-shirts from the different states, but we also like to ride. We don’t tow ours so we normally look for a place to rent one for a couple days. I found EagleRiders online and they have locations all over the USA and in many other countries. Maybe one day we can try a vacation on the bike, but it gets kind of tiring at our age. Maybe a trike.

Since this is a well established chain I was looking to see if they have a franchise in Kentucky, but they don’t, bummer. We’re going down there when my Grandson is born in August so we’ll be looking for a bike to ride. My son rides, but he said he was going to sell his so we’ll have to call around. I was really hoping EagleRider was located there because we get lost easily.

They even set up motorcycle tours and that would have been perfect for us to ride in a group ( Bill likes a gang ) and not get lost in an area we don’t know, but we could have enjoyed the sights knowing we’d get back to see our Grandbaby all in one piece. I know different cities give guided tours on buses, but I had no idea that anyone actually did Motorcycle Tours. Now that’s a cool idea.

I’ve been looking for a small bike so Bill can teach me to shift gears and use a clutch because as much as I love my scooter I want more power and I would feel safer with a bigger wheel base. My scooter doesn’t take corners like a real bike so I have to be extra careful. I was just checking the different routes they offer and the package deals.

Motorcycles are our thing so this would be perfect for us when Bill retires, some people take cruises we like to ride and someday unless I die unexpectedly I’ll be an EagleRider. I did see that they also sell preowned bikes so I’ll check into that and see if they have a little Rebel. I’m getting anxious to learn now and if I knew how to change gears I could ride along with Bill and not have to worry about the traffic being too fast or me too slow.

 Besides renting motorcycles they have ATVs, dirt bikes, scooters, snowmobiles, and watercrafts. So that’s handy to know encase we visit someplace like Branson where they do have a shop and I have been wanting to go there for a long time. I rather doubt that we could afford a franchise, but that would be cool to open up in our hometown. I see they have one in DC, but that’s one city I have a hard time getting around in.

They even have one way rental specials where you can pick one up and drop it off in another state. Okay that’s enough from me I need some sleep.

I spent the weekend riding my scooter and checking out all the local yard sales. I found lots of infant clothes and most of them look brand new. I’m quite sure if I had bought all that stuff new it would have cost between 300. and 400. dollars and I got it all for 50 bucks. I spent last night washing everything even though it was already clean and I’m sure my daughter-in-law will wash it again when I take it to Kentucky in August.

I of course asked my son first before I went looking because some people are funny when it comes to second hand clothes for their brand new baby, but I’m frugal and I love finding a bargain and I guess my Son is more like me than I knew. I personally love thrift stores, you can find all kinds of great deals. I love second hand clothes and it matters not to me that they aren’t brand spanking new. I wont buy someone else’s shoes or underwear though.

Yesterday Bill’s Son took us for a biker breakfast in Lebanon for Father’s Day. I bet there was at least 1,000 bikes there or more and it benefited the fire company. It was $10. per adult all you can eat and believe me there were lots of adults. So I’m quite sure they made a bundle not to much all the extra donations. Both Bill and I were queasy so I felt bad that we didn’t eat 20.00’s worth, but it was for a good cause.

For Bill the best part was getting to ride with his Son again. Since the birth of his 2 Grandbabies his Son doesn’t ride much any more and Bill really misses that, so that was a great Father’s Day present for him. It was a really nice ride and I got to see a lot of new scenery because we don’t normally travel that route. It was chilly so we got to wear our new Harley jackets down, of course we didn’t need them coming back.

When we got home I decided I wanted more practise on my scooter in traffic and Bill let me pick the route, boy was that dumb not him, ME. I decided I wanted to try going to Red Lion and boy was that a mistake, all the hills and that little scooter was straining so hard, but I had to pull over several times because I was too slow so cars could go around me. I now realize that this scooter is only good for getting around town and it’s great for that.

I have decided to look for a Honda Rebel because it’s small and Bill swears up and down that he can teach me to shift gears. I have never been very coordinated so I have my doubts, but at least now I’m willing to try learning because I want more power and bigger wheels than the 10 inch on the scooter. I found out yesterday that with the small wheel base that it’s difficult to maneuver around curbs and take turns correctly and forget about stopping in gravels.

I am very grateful that I made it back all in one piece without wrecking and hurting myself or someone else. I will stick to flat roads and low speed limits until I get something with better speed and manageability. At least I got a lot more confidence even if my nerves were bad the rest of the night. At least I now know what I can and can’t do with this little scooter. If we find a good deal on a Rebel we will probably keep the scooter because Bill likes it and it’s great on gas.

When I ride the scooter my jeans pull on my knees and restrict my mobility and that makes it very uncomfortable and draws my attention away from what I should be focusing on. So the other day I had to go searching for special jeans just for riding my scooter. It took me forever to find the right ones and I hate to shop and apparently so does Bill unless we’re at a swap meet.

Since riding on the regular streets with automobiles and trucks all around I need all my concentration focused on traffic since I’m still a novice. I visited the Motorcycle Safety Foundation and was reading their tips for all car and truck drivers and things they need to know which I am going to list below because it’s important.

I realize that more than ever since a truck pulling into the fairgrounds didn’t even stop and almost caused me to crash into him. People that are use to riding bikes and scooters are always more alert when driving a car or truck because they know how inconsiderate drivers are toward bikers and that they just don’t think especially the ones on their cell phones.

I think you’re going to find a lot more people turning to bikes and scooters for transportation because of the soaring fuel prices. I know the dealer we bought my scooter from said his sales were way up. I am seriously thinking about selling mine and getting a 150 cc because I think I will be safer with a bigger tire and more power when I pull out.

These are very good tips and should be read by everyone just so you will be more aware. Please take a moment to read, you could save a life and it might even be yours.

QUICK TIPS:
Ten Things All Car & Truck Drivers Should Know About Motorcycles
1. There are a lot more cars and trucks than motorcycles on the road, and some drivers don’t “recognize” a motorcycle; they ignore it (usually unintentionally). Look for motorcycles, especially when checking traffic at an intersection.

2. Because of its small size, a motorcycle may look farther away than it is. It may also be difficult to judge a motorcycle’s speed. When checking traffic to turn at an intersection or into (or out of) a driveway, predict a motorcycle is closer than it looks.

3. Because of its small size, a motorcycle can be easily hidden in a car’s blind spots (door/roof pillars) or masked by objects or backgrounds outside a car (bushes, fences, bridges, etc). Take an extra moment to thoroughly check traffic, whether you’re changing lanes or turning at intersections.

4. Because of its small size a motorcycle may seem to be moving faster than it really is. Don’t assume all motorcyclists are speed demons.

5. Motorcyclists often slow by downshifting or merely rolling off the throttle, thus not activating the brake light. Allow more following distance, say 3 or 4 seconds. At intersections, predict a motorcyclist may slow down without visual warning.

(That’s why we bought the backoff light module, if you just touch the brake it will flash 3 times stay on then start flashing all over again and believe me that will get your attention)

6. Turn signals on a motorcycle usually are not self-canceling, thus some riders, (especially beginners) sometimes forget to turn them off after a turn or lane change. Make sure a motorcycle’s signal is for real.

(That would be me, because I do forget sometimes, but I do my best to remember)