Long, Slow Burn

I got out riding yesterday. It was a sunny day and around 50 degrees.

I was leaving our neighborhood and one of the trailer houses across the side street were burning off their grass. Nice. NOT! I decided that it wasn’t a threat to my safety so I turned right and rode through the smoke.

I got up to about 30 miles per hour and realized that I hadn’t fastened my chin strap on my helmet. If I was in an accident, the helmet may have popped off my melon. I had just passed a good stopping point too. I rode on and found a safe place to pull over and get it fastened up.

I rode though a neighborhood that has a private road. At one point it narrows to one lane that’s kinda beat up. Wouldn’t you know it, but I met a big truck on that part of the road and squeezed my front brakes a bit too hard and locked up the front tire. Not good. I quickly released it and regained control. The truck had come to a full stop and waved me by. Must practice not panicking.

I rode this loop one more time without major incident. I’m having a bit of a problem when downshifting into first that it is stopping at neutral. Perhaps I’m not being forceful enough. I’ve got to be more mindful of this because if I start driving in traffic, it sucks being in neutral and not being able to get it in first gear when the light turns green.
One of my goals today was to drive over to the Publix grocery store. It was going to rain on Monday (today) so I knew I wouldn’t get any riding in and I wanted to accomplish this goal. I came to a full stop at the four way stop and went straight onto Birmingham Rd. No problem. I came up to the right hand turn to 372 and there was a car waiting on me to turn right so it could turn left onto 372. Crap. I downshifted and made the turn easy enough and the car pulled in behind me. I then saw that the speed limit on 372 was 55. Crap again.

I didn’t do so good the day before in going above 50 mph so I turned right into the first neighborhood to let the car go past. Inside the neighborhood there was a dog barking at me but it didn’t chase me. Good. I looped back to the entrance and was going to take a right. All was clear from the left and when I looked to the right, there was a pack of motorcycles coming. I decided to wait on them to pass before turning right. Motorcycle wave! I turned right and moved up through the gears.

45 and I’m doing good. 50 and my knuckles are starting to turn white inside of my gloves. Wind pressure in the chest and the noise is building around my helmet. 55 and I’m starting to get that rising panicing feeling. I come over a rise and a car has just turned left onto 372 in front of me. I slow down gratefully while that car is gaining speed ahead of me. Another car has caught up with us and is behind me but not tailgating.

I turn on my turn signal and downshift and turn into the area behind Publix. I’ve made it! I practice a slow speed turn shifting my weight and turning the bars.

The way is clear to the left in turning back onto 372 and I start off from first gear and gain speed. A car appears behind me and I turn off on the next right to let the car go by. I don’t want a car behind me while I’m struggling at 55 mph while most people drive over 65 mph on this road.

I turn around on the side road. I find myself in neutral instead of first and I’m having trouble popping it into first. I roll the bike a little bit and I finally get it into first. I’m thinking I might have to have this looked at.

I get going and turn right onto 372 again. Back up to speed. 52 and I’m white knuckling it again. Motorcycles are coming the other way and they give me the “cool” wave and I give them the “barely above newbie but still panicing wave”. I make it back to Birmingham Hwy and find I’m in neutral again. More trouble getting it to first. I get it into first and get up to speed. I reach the four-way stop and then continue on through, cut through on Lummus Rd, back to Howard Rd and back into the neighborhood. No problems with neutral when in first.

I’ve got to see about getting a windshield. It’s not the speed or the instability of the bike. It’s the wind pressure on my chest and around my helmet.