Showing posts with label shelton's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shelton's. Show all posts

May 12, 2010

installing comfort…

picked up the comfort profile saddlebag guards today from shelton’s… installation was easy and went smoothly. the longest part was running out to pick up a torque wrench. normally i would just tighten the bolts until i thought there were tight enough. on something like this, i figured it was well worth the time and few extra dollars to make surer it was right.

after i i had one side installed my wife sat on the bike and immediately noticed the difference. the real test though will be taking my wife out for a ride to see how much better it is.

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May 9, 2010

gettin’ ready…

my wife and i have taken a couple rides latest in preparation for a trip we’re taking to milwaukee later this month. since she hasn’t been on a trip this long, we thought it would be a good idea to have her get some miles on the bike…

we also got her a new seat from mustang seats which we thought might make the trip more comfortable. the old seat, which is wider, was pushing her legs into the saddlebag guards and cutting the circulation off in her legs. we figured the smaller seat might alleviate that.

our first ride was to the hog meeting. half way to the destination, we saw nothing but a sea of brake lights. after about ten minutes and only moving about a half a mile the traffic just came to a standstill. we decided to pull a u-turn and take some back roads.

while it wasn’t what we wanted because we were trying to get to the meeting on time, it turned out to be a good thing. we traded the congested main road for some scenic two lane roads. we also got a longer ride – never a bad thing on a motorcycle!! the side trip reminded me of the benefits of a detour

so my wife navigated us through the back roads to our destination. if you knew how my wife is with directions you’d know this is an accomplishment. she is awesome and amazes me every day. although i was secretly thinking that even is she would have gotten us lost i wouldn’t have cared. it’d just have meant more time together on the bike!!

the ride home that night was something else. not traffic this time but the night skies. the skies were dark until the heat lightening lit up the clouds in a beautiful display of lights and shapes.  we were enjoying the openness of the bike and the light show going on around us…

until… we started getting closer to home. as we got closer to home we started seeing more and more streaks of lightening. and as the miles ticked off, the bolts were getting closer to the ground.

within ten minutes of making it home the skies opened up. note to self: be sure to pack the wife’s rain suit for the next trip…

we also took a ride this weekend to durham. we wanted to catch up with a fellow rider and firm up plans for milwaukee. it wasn’t a long ride, but it was a good ride. except for the fact that, even with the new seat, the guards were still digging into my wife’s legs.

i decided to head to shelton’s to see if i could find the comfort profile saddlebag guards. they didn’t have any at the durham store but ordered them from one of their other shops. i should have them in a day or two. of course once i get them on we’ll have to take a few more trips to determine which seat might be better. you won’t find me complaining about that!!!

these past two rides really make me look forward to the ride to milwaukee. i can’t wait for the adventure with my wife – we’re going to have so much fun…

Jul 12, 2009

‘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!!!

DSC_3013 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.

DSC_3014 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.DSC_3016

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 DSC_3019some 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.

DSC_3028 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.

DSC_3035 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…

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here's the route we took - in light blue