Tuesday afternoon ride report: 11 Dec. 2007

Right, so I'm back in West Lafayette IN after a summer at sea. I used
to live in Bloomington, IN but am staying with my mother until I get
on the next boat in March. Why is this important? Because WL and
Bloomington are about 120 miles apart. But first, the setup:

I changed my oil a couple of weeks ago. It's always amazing what 3 qt
of fresh Rotella, a new filter, and new crush washer do for the VFR.
The guy at Rohrman's Honda even gave me the crush washer for free
(many thanks; I was willing to pay, but he probably didn't want to do
the paperwork). Great, fresh oil! Unfortunately, it was stone dark by
the time I was done, so the first ride had to wait a little bit. A
couple of days ago I re-synchronized my carburetors. Now, it's only
been about 1500 miles since the last one, which isn't much. However,
not only has my bike been sitting for 4 months (with carbs full of
gas even), I've run a couple of ounces of Berryman's B-12 chemtool
through it. This solvent mixture starts out with Xylene and Toluene,
with some other things in there for fun. It made a noticeable
difference in the engine's running, which makes me think that it's
removed gum and stuff. Unfortunately, that means re-synchronization.
Even worse, after synchronizing the carbs, I got distracted with
other things, and didn't get to ride that day. Then we had 3 days of
freezing rain and snow!

Just when I thought I'd better drain the carbs, yank the battery, and
toss the cover over the bike, I get a call: can I house-sit in
Bloomington? Weather down there looks to be in the 50s for a couple
of days...hmmm. Why yes, yes I can!

So, Tuesday's the day I head down. It dawns grey and cloudy. I'm
packing my gear, and generally getting ready, when it starts to rain.
The temperature is about 38F. My mother doesn't really want me to
ride the bike down. I'm starting to wonder myself: it's rainy, I've
not ridden much recently, what's the weather going to be like when I
come back north? Screw it, I'm going.

I get my gear loaded. Then it's my waterproof boots, rainpants and
jacket, over my winter kit. I'm ready to go. Start the VFR, and the
battery's a bit weak. That's not encouraging. But she fires up, and
I'm on my way out of town, in a light rain, and battling fog in the
visor. It's not raining hard, but there's enough to be wiping the
visor off every minute or two. Spray and some turbulence makes travel
a bit rough, but man!

I. AM. ON. MY. VFR!!!!

I don't care about the rain; I'm warm and dry inside my gear. Fog on
the visor is a drag, but the purr of that V4 is amazing. I apparently
got the synch right. Tires feel good, and steering is surprisingly
neutral for having a buncha crap thrown over the back of the bike.
That Wilbers is surely helping out. Roads are nothing much up here.
Straight, and mostly flat with some gentle curves. Scenery is
similarly unexciting. Fields of stubble and mud, with the occasional
splash of dirty snow in a corner somewhere. Cars loom up out of the
mist and fog, either hitting me with their headlamps or just shoosing
by. Most of them, I'm happy to say, had headlights on.

There's a particularly exposed portion of the ride just by
Carwfordsville, about 30 miles out. The road jogs left, and arcs back
to the right, while going up over a double section of railroad track.
As it comes back down, you turn left. Of course, as you come up onto
the overpass, the wind picks right up. Ordinarily it's a bit of a
thrill, lean the bike over, brace for a bit of wind, and roll on some
throttle for stability. It's one long sweeper on each side,
encouraging smoothness (except when some minivan is braking in the
middle of the curve...). Today, it's no less exhilirating, if
somewhat less enjoyable. I'm paying lots of attention to lane
position, and staying further from the double yellow today. The wind
isn't helping, and I can't tell how much of the fog is inside my
visor and how much is in the atmosphere. I pull over in
Crawfordsville and smear some anti-fog paste on the visor. This is my
emergency-lives-on-the-bike stuff. It was cheap at a SCUBA shop, and
it seems to work fine.

The other thing that happened in Crawfordsville is that my chin
stopped getting cold. That's right, in the space of a mile or two,
the wind hitting my chin went from chilly winter rain to warm spring
wet. It's 50F in Crawfordsville! I'm changing to the uninsulated
gloves! Back on the road, and more farm fields. The Detro trailer
lot, which is about two miles long, single axle, double. flat-bed,
boxes, self-tipping. They're all there, sitting on the gravel. Past
the graveyard at Carp, and that place with the lonely-looking 40-
something car with the for sale sign in the window.

The road's starting to get interesting, and it's getting warmer!
Rain's quit, leaving damp roads behind. I'm grooving. I mean that.
I'm just in the road groove. Grey horizons don't bother me, they just
conceal more road. Me and my VFR, rolling south, away from ice and
snow, and towards hot coffee and a chocolate Croissant (The City
Bakery in Bloomington has the best pastries I've ever had; Rob's the
owner, and makes it all himself, all in back, all fresh each morning;
stop in if you swing by). But right now, it's just me and the road.

I'm a bit nervous about the last section, as it's pretty twisty, and
wet tires...screw it. I'm taking that road (IN 43 from Spencer to
Bloomington). It starts out pretty straight, a bit of up and down,
like it's lulling you to sleep. Then you turn right, then some esses.
Now it's down to 3rd for some sharper curves with elevation change.
The VFR is rock-solid. One corner, marked 20mph; a sharp right-hand,
almost 90degree bend with a steep rise coming past the apex, makes
the bike feel upset. It's like I dragged the rear wheel reluctantly
around the corner. Good to know. I back off a little bit.

It's smooth and flowing all the rest of the way to Whitehall, where I
stop to get out of my raingear and fleece jacket. It's 60F now.
There's road construction ahead, and the trip's almost done. 10 miles
later, 20 stoplights later, I'm sitting in the City Bakery drinking
my coffee, and chatting with Rob and Chris, meeting the new barista
and hanging out.

Lemmee tell you guys. That was a great ride; not an epic, not a
technical tour de force of first-gear switchbacks, just some good
roads on a grey day. What made the ride good was that it was a ride.
I. WAS. ON. MY VFR! In December!

I love to ride motorcycles, and that's why I had to tell this story.
Thanks for listening.

later,
Johnj
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I enjoyed your story. Thanks for sharing!

On 12/12/2007, John Johnson wrote:
>
> Right, so I'm back in West Lafayette IN after a summer at sea. I used
> to live in Bloomington, IN but am staying with my mother until I get
> on the next boat in March. Why is this important? Because WL and
> Bloomington are about 120 miles apart. But first, the setup:
>
> I changed my oil a couple of weeks ago. It's always amazing what 3 qt
> of fresh Rotella, a new filter, and new crush washer do for the VFR.
> The guy at Rohrman's Honda even gave me the crush washer for free
> (many thanks; I was willing to pay, but he probably didn't want to do
> the paperwork). Great, fresh oil! Unfortunately, it was stone dark by
> the time I was done, so the first ride had to wait a little bit. A
> couple of days ago I re-synchronized my carburetors. Now, it's only
> been about 1500 miles since the last one, which isn't much. However,
> not only has my bike been sitting for 4 months (with carbs full of
> gas even), I've run a couple of ounces of Berryman's B-12 chemtool
> through it. This solvent mixture starts out with Xylene and Toluene,
> with some other things in there for fun. It made a noticeable
> difference in the engine's running, which makes me think that it's
> removed gum and stuff. Unfortunately, that means re-synchronization.
> Even worse, after synchronizing the carbs, I got distracted with
> other things, and didn't get to ride that day. Then we had 3 days of
> freezing rain and snow!
>
> Just when I thought I'd better drain the carbs, yank the battery, and
> toss the cover over the bike, I get a call: can I house-sit in
> Bloomington? Weather down there looks to be in the 50s for a couple
> of days...hmmm. Why yes, yes I can!
>
> So, Tuesday's the day I head down. It dawns grey and cloudy. I'm
> packing my gear, and generally getting ready, when it starts to rain.
> The temperature is about 38F. My mother doesn't really want me to
> ride the bike down. I'm starting to wonder myself: it's rainy, I've
> not ridden much recently, what's the weather going to be like when I
> come back north? Screw it, I'm going.
>
> I get my gear loaded. Then it's my waterproof boots, rainpants and
> jacket, over my winter kit. I'm ready to go. Start the VFR, and the
> battery's a bit weak. That's not encouraging. But she fires up, and
> I'm on my way out of town, in a light rain, and battling fog in the
> visor. It's not raining hard, but there's enough to be wiping the
> visor off every minute or two. Spray and some turbulence makes travel
> a bit rough, but man!
>
> I. AM. ON. MY. VFR!!!!
>
> I don't care about the rain; I'm warm and dry inside my gear. Fog on
> the visor is a drag, but the purr of that V4 is amazing. I apparently
> got the synch right. Tires feel good, and steering is surprisingly
> neutral for having a buncha crap thrown over the back of the bike.
> That Wilbers is surely helping out. Roads are nothing much up here.
> Straight, and mostly flat with some gentle curves. Scenery is
> similarly unexciting. Fields of stubble and mud, with the occasional
> splash of dirty snow in a corner somewhere. Cars loom up out of the
> mist and fog, either hitting me with their headlamps or just shoosing
> by. Most of them, I'm happy to say, had headlights on.
>
> There's a particularly exposed portion of the ride just by
> Carwfordsville, about 30 miles out. The road jogs left, and arcs back
> to the right, while going up over a double section of railroad track.
> As it comes back down, you turn left. Of course, as you come up onto
> the overpass, the wind picks right up. Ordinarily it's a bit of a
> thrill, lean the bike over, brace for a bit of wind, and roll on some
> throttle for stability. It's one long sweeper on each side,
> encouraging smoothness (except when some minivan is braking in the
> middle of the curve...). Today, it's no less exhilirating, if
> somewhat less enjoyable. I'm paying lots of attention to lane
> position, and staying further from the double yellow today. The wind
> isn't helping, and I can't tell how much of the fog is inside my
> visor and how much is in the atmosphere. I pull over in
> Crawfordsville and smear some anti-fog paste on the visor. This is my
> emergency-lives-on-the-bike stuff. It was cheap at a SCUBA shop, and
> it seems to work fine.
>
> The other thing that happened in Crawfordsville is that my chin
> stopped getting cold. That's right, in the space of a mile or two,
> the wind hitting my chin went from chilly winter rain to warm spring
> wet. It's 50F in Crawfordsville! I'm changing to the uninsulated
> gloves! Back on the road, and more farm fields. The Detro trailer
> lot, which is about two miles long, single axle, double. flat-bed,
> boxes, self-tipping. They're all there, sitting on the gravel. Past
> the graveyard at Carp, and that place with the lonely-looking 40-
> something car with the for sale sign in the window.
>
> The road's starting to get interesting, and it's getting warmer!
> Rain's quit, leaving damp roads behind. I'm grooving. I mean that.
> I'm just in the road groove. Grey horizons don't bother me, they just
> conceal more road. Me and my VFR, rolling south, away from ice and
> snow, and towards hot coffee and a chocolate Croissant (The City
> Bakery in Bloomington has the best pastries I've ever had; Rob's the
> owner, and makes it all himself, all in back, all fresh each morning;
> stop in if you swing by). But right now, it's just me and the road.
>
> I'm a bit nervous about the last section, as it's pretty twisty, and
> wet tires...screw it. I'm taking that road (IN 43 from Spencer to
> Bloomington). It starts out pretty straight, a bit of up and down,
> like it's lulling you to sleep. Then you turn right, then some esses.
> Now it's down to 3rd for some sharper curves with elevation change.
> The VFR is rock-solid. One corner, marked 20mph; a sharp right-hand,
> almost 90degree bend with a steep rise coming past the apex, makes
> the bike feel upset. It's like I dragged the rear wheel reluctantly
> around the corner. Good to know. I back off a little bit.
>
> It's smooth and flowing all the rest of the way to Whitehall, where I
> stop to get out of my raingear and fleece jacket. It's 60F now.
> There's road construction ahead, and the trip's almost done. 10 miles
> later, 20 stoplights later, I'm sitting in the City Bakery drinking
> my coffee, and chatting with Rob and Chris, meeting the new barista
> and hanging out.
>
> Lemmee tell you guys. That was a great ride; not an epic, not a
> technical tour de force of first-gear switchbacks, just some good
> roads on a grey day. What made the ride good was that it was a ride.
> I. WAS. ON. MY VFR! In December!
>
> I love to ride motorcycles, and that's why I had to tell this story.
> Thanks for listening.
>
> later,
> Johnj
> _______________________________________________
> vfr mailing list
> vfr@xxxxxx
> For subscription and delivery options:
> https://lists.cs.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/vfr
>

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vfr@xxxxxx
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John,
A very enjoyable tale and just the antidote to strings
of irritable posts beating the same oiled dead horses,
electronics threads that are of no interest to me, and
taunts back and forth over the ether.
Now I have to get busy on my WDGAH 11 writeup to help
with the fight against PMS and find a source of
chocolate croissants.

Cheers,
Greg



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