‘nother first-timer…

took an awesome ride last friday. well, technically two fridays ago… couple old roads, couple new roads, nice scenery, wonderful weather. but what made this trip so great was i got to ride with my son. and he was beside me, not on the back!!!

day started out with a ride to shelton’s to pick up a buell blast. since it had been a few months since son had been on a bike, we spent a couple hours on their range before heading out on the open road.

we had an agreement that we would both have to be comfortable before hitting the road. being responsible for him, and knowing that i would have to answer to his mom should *anything* happen while we’re on the road, i figured we’d be spending a lot of time on the range.

we started out with the basics and built up from there. before leaving, i’m expecting him to practice and show proficiency in cornering, quick stops and swerves. two things really stood out while he was practicing: how quickly he would correct things he was doing wrong; how he would continue to practice a skill even after i was satisfied; and how beautiful some of his quick stops were – some of the best i’ve seen. okay, so that’s three!!!

while he was practicing his cornering, i told him that i was happy and he could move on when he was ready. i think he was really enjoying the cornering because he kept going ‘round and ‘round. i finally felt obligated to stop him and remind him that eventually we’d like to get out on the road!!!

he did happen to have one mishap… earlier in the day, i warned him about covering and applying the front brake while in a corner. i told him as a beginner, i’d prefer to see *not* use the front brake at all while in a corner – if, for whatever reason, he applied too much front brake, he would be down quicker than he knew what was going on.

sure enough, he was coming around a corner quicker than he wanted and applied too much front brake. bam!! he was down. i think the only thing, thankfully, that was hurt was his pride. we talked about what happened and why it happened. after that, he didn’t use the front brake unless his front tire was straight.

so now it was time to hit the open road. being his first time out, we stayed on mostly two lane, back roads. the plan was to leave durham  and head to virgilina via creedmore and oxford.

we’re on the road and i’m watching him in my rear view. waiting for any sign that he’s nervous or having problems. but no sign of that. he’s maintaining a good distance behind me, negotiating curves with ease – looks like he’s doing well. looks like he’s having fun.

i start to relax a little, feeling comfortable with his riding. now i realize i’m starting to get hungry. i was so wrapped up in him getting out on the road (safely), i didn’t pay attention to the time. it’s way past lunch and i’m starving.

i scrap the plans to eat in virgilina and decide to stop at milano’s in oxford. we’ve been here before and know the food is good. if you’re in oxford, in the mood for some good food at a reasonable price, this is the place!!

not long after getting seated, son is sharing the news with everyone… or at least as many people as we can think of  who would be excited about his first venture out.

after eating, we venture out again, heading up to virgilina. as we’re cruising along, i notice he trails off. i turn around and see him walking the bike to a pull-off. i pull up beside him and find out that he’s run out of gas. silly me. i asked the dealership how far the bike would go on a tank, never thinking to check how much gas was actually in the tank.

we flip the valve to reserve, chuckle at the fact that his first experience running out of gas is on his first ride and head to the nearest gas station. which, thankfully, is only a couple miles up the road.

we finally make it up to virgilina and stop for some refreshments. i explain to him that one of the problems with motorcycling is you always have to make decisions. like where to go next. i had originally planned to head west through roxoboro back to durham. but we were having an awesome ride and maybe we should head east, across the kerr dam and head back that way. it’s a beautiful day, he’s riding well and i think he’d enjoy the view across the dam. across the dam it is.

as we’re heading towards the dam, i’m watching him in the rear-view mirror, thinking how awesome it is to be riding my son. i’ve been looking forward to this day. and now it’s here. what a great feeling. i can only imagine (and hope) my father-in-law felt the same way the first time we rode together.

i’m wrapped up in the moment of riding with my son instead of watching for signs of distress from him. i realize i’m comfortable and confident in his riding. a wave of satisfaction comes over me. this is what riding is about.

we stop in boydton to stretch our legs, make a few more phone calls and take in the sights. i know he’s enjoying the day and we’re both wishing it could last forever.

we ride on, heading to the dam. we both agree that the twisty roads are a heck of a lot more fun than the straight ones. between here and the dam, we’re sure not to be disappointed.

we finally make it to the dam. a trip i’ve made many times. a trip he’s made many times on the back on my bike. as we’re crossing, i take note of the american flags hung on the dam in honor of independence day. the symbolism is not lost as i think of the independence my son’s gained learning to ride. i smile and look forward to many more rides like this…

unfortunately the day draws towards the end. we’ve had a great day, rode over a hundred fifty miles today. as the day is ending, i know we’re only at the beginning of riding together. he’s done very well today and i can’t wait to ride with him again. in fact, he’s already talking about riding the blue ridge parkway. sounds like i’ll have to arrange a trip with him and gramps…

here's the route we took - in light blue

who says harleys don't leak??

well, i'm starting to lose confidence in the service department at ray price...

after my last service and having the clutch replaced, while getting ready for the york trip, i noticed a couple things wrong with the bike. the clutch wasn't adjusted properly, one of muffler clamps bolts was loose and the rotors on the front wheel are on backwards... these are things i think the dealership should have fixed - maybe with the exception of the muffler clamp bolt...

when i got back from the smoke out, i was unpacking my bike and noticed a leak...

closer inspection found the primary drain plug was loose, almost to the point of being completely out. good thing i got home before that fell off!! so i tightened the drain plug and the other bolts around the primary...

a couple weeks later, i'm riding around and notice it leaking again... this time i take it back in to have them check it out and replace the gaskets - there's something more serious going on here than loose bolts.

while it was in, i had them do the 25000k service as well, a few hundred miles short, but close enough... while it was in, i got to tool around on a buell lightning... fun on the twisty country roads but wouldn't want it as my full-time bike...

more free stuff...

in an earlier post, i had a note to self to check the free neck gaiter link after april fifteenth because that's when the offer expired and i was curious what they might do about the link... or really the site, since the whole site was dedicated to the neck gaiter.

i can't honestly say what made me think of checking it... must have been after tax day and i needed something to cheer me up... i head over to the site and surprise, surprise, they're now giving away a hydration pack.

in order to get the hydration pack, you have to demo ride a buell. can it get any better?? i call up the dealership and schedule an demo ride. which happened to be yesterday...

the hardest part about this whole deal was choosing which bike to ride. i had to choose between the lightning, the 1125 and the ulysses. since i had ridden the ulysses before, that was out. it didn't take too long to choose the 1125, especially after all the stuff i've been reading about the redesign.

we gear up and after a few words of advise over the rev range and the touchy brakes, we head off. although the ride was short and i didn't really get a chance to wind it out, it sure was a lot of fun. very responsive, twist the throttle and it takes off. it's too bad we were behind slower traffic and i couldn't wind it through the turns. although, in hindsight it was probably a good thing - no tickets.

while i wouldn't want this bike for any longer trips, i could definitely see cruising around town and the back roads on it. it's definitely on my list if and when i can afford another bike. (i know, i know, dear, you get the next vehicle. how 'bout that screaming eagle over at shelton's??)

after the ride, i pick up my hydration pack and head home. on the ride home, i'm thinking this is great - not only does buell want to give me a ride on one of their bikes, they want to give me more free stuff. to top it off, the hydration pack is pretty nice. pretty good marketing, though, because i'm more interested than before...

i can't want to see what they give away after june...

peace...

new shoes and a hat...

took the bike in for new shoes yesterday... had planned on getting both the front and rear replaced. rear needed replaced - it was in the red zone on the depth gauge. front was getting close - still in the green, but barely.

but more important than the gauge was my comfort factor... i just didn't have the confidence riding through corners. i realize i probably still had more traction going through corners that i would use, but i wasn't confident. and since motorcycling is mostly mental, i was putting myself at a disadvantage...

checking in at the dealer, their suggestion was to only replace the rear since the front still had a little left. i suggested since i had the bike in and it was close enough, i would prefer to have both replaced, even though the front probably still had some miles left in it. check-in dood says we'll let the service-dood decide. fair enough.

the bike heads towards service and i head into the dealership to pick up my free neck gaiter from buell. (note to self: check the neck gaiter link to see if it's still valid after the offer expires.) unfortunately the weather hasn't been cold enough for me to use it riding. although i did get to use it once as a beanie - worked nicely...

i decided to check out grips for the handlebar replacement i'll be doing soon. my goal was mostly to narrow down my choices. a quick scan ruled a lot out quickly. and it didn't take long to get it down to one. guess picking them out is going to be easier than i thought.

with not much else to do in the dealership, i head back to service to read a couple motorcycle rags until the bike is ready. while i'm waiting, service-dood comes out and asks about replacing the front. i could tell he's a little hesitant to replace it. he says there are a few miles left in it. when i tell him i've already got over twenty grand on it, he strongly suggests i should wait. and since i only have two thousand before my next service - i decide to go with that. when i take it in for the next service, it will definitely be replaced. while i was mostly concerned about the rear, i'll definitely feel a lot better when both are finally replace.

after a new tire and clutch adjustment, the bike comes out and is ready to ride. it feels good. i certainly have more confidence in the bike again.