Biker Meditation

I was in sort of a mood this morning, for a variety of reasons I won’t go into here, except to say that one of them was probably that I haven’t had a good ride in a while. So, when your thoughts are all tangled and your mood is dark, the best thing to do to unfuck yourself is meditation. Specifically biker meditation, also known as wind therapy. Besides, I just oiled all the leathers yesterday – they needed to be aired out.

I was pretty proud to still be able to zip my chaps down my legs. There were a couple winters recently I couldn’t, due to “middle age spread”. I’ve had this same pair since 1989, so I really want to see how long I can make them last. So far, they’ve outlasted four leather jackets, four ol’ ladies, and about ten bikes. Who knows how many miles they’ve seen?

I digress. I put Lucy on a charger while I ate breakfast, because A) it’s been a while since I really rode her, B) we’ve had some cold nights lately, which can drain a battery left unused and outside, and C) due to finances of the moment, I was forced to buy a low quality, cheap-ass battery a few months ago.

Aaaaaanyhow, I got her all fired up and warmed up and myself suited up. Huh, look at that sentence – my day was already looking up….. (see what I did there?)

Sunday Rd on Sunday afternoon

Off I went. I started down some familiar territory, but chose some different roads branching off the state highways I’ve gotten used to. When you see a side road named Sunday Rd and you’re riding with no destination or schedule on a Sunday, you just kinda HAVE to try it, right? It turned out to be mainly residential, but had some hills and curves, so it wasn’t completely disappointing. A weird thing about today was that I kept taking these random turns onto roads I’d never ridden before, and somehow I kept riding circles and coming back to places I’d already been today. I’m not gonna lie, it felt like a metaphor for life, especially with the way my mind had been working earlier in the day.









But I just rolled with it, and let the engine vibration, the chilly air and the wind brush the stress away. After a couple of hours of crisp air, rolling through some semi-rural roads lined with a mix of Georgia pine and half barren trees still hanging onto some leaves that varied between red, brown, and gold, my mental load felt a lot lighter. Even when I found myself on an unfamiliar road heading toward downtown, with long lines at red lights, I didn’t stress it.

Autumn foliage in the metro ATL

Well, until I got stuck behind a bus doing 30 in a 45, holding up traffic, with no clear sight line to be able to pass safely. And me with a full bladder! By the time I was able to stop somewhere, I was doing the pee pee dance. Ah well, a couple drinks later and I was back to being relaxed.

So, the cure for an overthinking day in November appears to be wind and gin. In that order, mind you: be safe out there.

Winterizing Your Motorcycle (Southern Style)

You can find all kinds of articles in print and online containing information on how to “winterize” your motorcycle. From what I can tell, the final step involves actually ignoring the poor machine, possibly for months, afterwards.

But whyyyyyyy?????

Speaking from my own experience, having lived as far north as the Baltimore suburbs for two winters, I can tell you all you really need to know to winterize your bike.

1. Make sure your tires have good tread and keep them inflated to the proper psi. Or whatever the metric equivalent is, if you live in one of those places.
2. Be sure to change your oil and filter every 3,000 miles or so. Again, or the metric equivalent. You do the math, because I don’t feel like it.
3. This one is very important, and can save you a LOT of trouble. As soon as possible after switching to reserve or seeing the fuel light come on, refill your gas tank.
These are the basic steps to winterizing a motorcycle, and should keep you running through the winter. Also, for the rest of the year, for that matter.

Advanced steps might include things like installing a windshield/fairing, a wiring accessory to plug an electric jacket/vest liner into, or memorizing the locations of the Waffle House locations in your area that tend to have the freshest coffee.


Ride ‘em, don’t hide ‘em, folks!