For millennia the human race has greeted the changing of the seasons with celebrations, festivals, and mythological explanations. For gearheads the signs of fall means the end of another riding season.
Fall time in New York is an odd blend of inspiration and depression as far as motorcycling is concerned. Having experienced this annual phenomenon countless times throughout the years, one would expect that I would begin to become accustomed to the highs and lows of the riding season's end. At last check, nope, still riding the emotional roller coaster and probably always will.
Blame it on Mother Nature and her bipolar antics, but the weather in October is certainly cause for suspicion. Clear early mornings can transform into rain (or worse yet, snow) showers by lunch time. Cold crisp nights can turn into perfect mornings, and rainy evenings into clear warm nights. Dressing for normal occasions (such as work) is hard enough, but selecting the proper gear for a motorcycle ride is next to impossible. If ever the benefits of luggage were apparent through a season's instability, it's during fall.
Like so many other foolish sportbike riders out there, I'm pretty much limited to carrying whatever goods can be folded, crammed, and smashed into a backpack. To further complicate things, my day job is of the office persuasion which requires a batch of necessary items to transport regardless of the weather outside. Among them of course are dress shoes, lunch, a tie, and a tube of hair gel (laugh if you must, but attending meetings with helmet-head is a no go when one's salary is commission based). Naturally, nobody in their right mind feels cool pulling into the parking lot at 9am tucked behind the tiny windscreen of a GSX with dress slacks on, and so we encounter another item that must be carefully folded into the backpack. Needless to say, since most of us don't have backs like Paul Bunyan, the pack is just about filled at this point. Luxuries such as rain suits, leather jackets, an extra pair of socks, or heavier gloves are forced to be left behind in their respective nooks and closets.
The simple solution of course would be to dress warmer initially, to wear the leather and the winter gloves in the morning: "Prepare for the worst" kind of logic. However, there is no surer way to bring about a sunny 85-degree afternoon for the ride home in traffic than to be bundled up like the Red Baron going into battle.
Sure Jason could solve his backpack luggage dilemma by purchasing a Road King, but it just ain't our Rambling man's scene.
As a result of this uncertainty, I find myself resorting to a most disappointing alternative to selecting clothes to wear and pack: I drive my Blazer to work. Fuel economy worth crying about and excitement rivaled only by cleaning a fish bowl, I look on in envy as a pack of sportbikes howl past me in the passing lane. My only pacification is silently assuring myself that I'll strap on the lid and go blast some corners after work, which of course is the most effective way to ensure a good rain storm at exactly 5pm.
I suppose another feasible alternative would be to consider a bike with luggage capabilities. My uncle and longtime riding partner, Dan, just grins and reaches into his Road King's side bags for his rain suit when the weather takes an unexpected twist. I'm almost convinced he's got it all figured out until the following summer arrives and the only thing keeping my knee off the ground in the twisties is fear and a mortgage payment to make. Besides, we all know going in to purchase a super-sport bike that comfort isn't priority one. We make trade-offs to look cool and go fast, something's got to give.
There is a bright side to all of this fall downtime however, and that is what we in the industry call "deferred maintenance," as in maintenance that is performed only because there is nothing else to do. Just today, for example, I picked up a few oil filters from the local Suzuki dealer and plan to spend the weekend spilling oil from the side of my new yellow funnel.
When nature deals a bad hand, sometimes you just have to play it out, make the most of the situation. While the eerily purple clouds swirl high above in the cool autumn breeze, I can't think of a better time to change the fluids, grease the chain, and tighten the bolts.
Of course, maybe tomorrow will be sunny.
Share your thoughts on this Backroad Ramblings in the MCUSA Forum.
Click Here
