Nice day for my first motorcycle commute of the year. (Somewhat later than usual, and not because of the weather.)
Dry-ish roads, and I had to use the tinted visor because of the big bright ball in the sky. Still glad of the thermal lining and heated things on the dual carriageway, but once I got into town and traffic I was a bit too warm.
It would be better if I could park (safely) nearer the office, but at least it's free and fairly secure.
The unseasonably pleasant weather triggered a memory of a motorcycle in the garage that hadn't been ridden for two months, for various reasons.
Seemed like a good excuse for coffee and cake somewhere. Mostly dry roads, with the occasional slimy muddy section. Then the odd stretch with so much grass down the middle that there wasn't much tarmac left. And a bit that was definitely just a muddy trail, resulting in a loud 'nope' and a U-turn.
I used to love #bicycle touring, but after years of doing routes most riding wouldn't even consider, having various kinds of "type 2 fun" times, and then COVID hit, I just can't get myself to do it. That even applies to supported tours like #BikeSTP! Being a "sitting duck" in a sea of drivers of all personalities scares the everliving shit out of me. :blobfoxscared:
During the pandemic and motivated by the psychological pressures of quarantine, I learned how to ride a #motorcycle, and went through various scooters and larger bikes to get to where I am now. I spent so much time riding street (really rural highways to or through natural landmarks) that I got bored of that, too, so I bought a dual-sport so I could, well, honestly ride gravel roads to places farther off that allow OHV and/or larger use. That dual-sport was a CRF450RL and was sprung custom for a much heavier guy than me, which made it super tall for me. :blobfoxsweating: As you can guess, I traded it in for a #Tenere 700, which I will be riding this weekend on a rural gravel highway that I've ridden before on a much heavier street bike. :blobfoxhappy:
If you ride, your brain knows how motorcycles work intuitively, but we bet you’ll struggle to explain it accurately. We’re trading opinions for science in a pursuit to understand how motorcycles really steer.
These dynamics also apply to #bicycle riding, obviously.