Spring Has Sprung?

Or so they tell us. Following on the heels of the 6th snowiest winter in Seattle in recorded weather history, we are having a chilly wet spring. Poor old croci are battered flat by the rains. The moss, however, is thriving.

We've had one ride since Wrex came home and I froze on that ride. But I did go out in spite of the cold. We went up to Red Line Burgers (yum, yum) in Lynnwood and got to show off the bikes to the owner, who is a biker himself. HE needs to replace tires and do some other stuff to get his bike ready and so he was jealous that we were out and about on our bikes.

Ray has ordered a new helmet, a Nolan. Nolans are very pricy, but it's got stuff he wants and it fits him well. His original helmet is now several years old and is starting to feel loose. So it's time, but goodness, biking is an expensive proposition even after you pay for the bike.

I need some heavier gloves and some warmer pants for spring and fall riding and a new mesh jacket. The fairing on my bike sends all the air right over my thighs and I get frozen thigh syndrome in no time. And because of all those fairings, I get no heat benefit from the engine, like Ray does on his Silver.

We are discussing the purchase of an enclosed trailer for the bikes so that we can go somewhere for a week and have day rides in new areas. We need to be able to take the dog and Ray never goes anywhere without excess baggage. We also have weeks at Thousand Trails parks to use up. That gives us the "base camp" but we can't drive the van full of stuff and groceries and take the dog and ride 2 bikes at the same time, so Ray wants a trailer. I'm happy to separate the two activities for a while until the whole economy thing settles down, but Ray's not so good with delayed gratification when it comes to wheeled things. The discussion goes on...

Justin continues to ready himself and bike for his own Grand Tour.

Wrex Is Coming Home!

Tuesday afternoon Ray went down to The Garage and with Jason's occasional assistance and Jason's tools, installed the new master brake cylinder and bled the lines. That was indeed the problem with the brakes. All is well again. Wrex stops the way he should. On a dime. On half a dime. Right quick.

Today, Ray will stop by The Garage after work and connect the brake light wires, which he forgot to do Tuesday, and the Wrex will come home. Ray has filled up our garage with stuff, so I don't know where Wrex is going to park, as his spot has been taken over by Ray's junk. You know how stuff expands to fill empty spaces? Yup. Especially in Ray's garage. Maybe especially around Ray. Ever see his desk?

Yesterday was a spectacular sunny day...the croci are up and blooming...a tad chilly...48 degrees at 3:15 pm when I left to drive downtown for a short visit with our hard working Financial Advisor. Bless you Sean, for guiding us so well through this crazy time. Driving around in all that sun made me eager for the riding season to start. I was jealous of every biker I saw, for the first time this year. It's been so cold and miserable that I've been grateful for the warm dry shelter of my boxy ol' beloved mini-van and felt extreme pity for the cold wet guys on bikes. Ever notice that it's alway cold, frozen, wet MEN on bikes and never cold, frozen, wet WOMEN?

But today it is supposed to be 55 degrees and as of now, it's still sunny. Ray and Wrex should have a nice ride home. Got to be today, as Saturday begins a week's worth of rain. O well, at least it's not going to snow.

Rider Education in Danger!

Here in Washington State, Rider Training is threatened by the budget shortfall. Our governor has proposed eliminating all the State Advisory Boards. It happens that our state has had an active Motorcycle Safety and Advisory Board for over 25 years. They oversee our motorcycle safety program. The rider training program itself is at risk for a year's "postponement" or total elimination.

I find this most alarming at a time more and more people are buying motorcycles and scooters. Whether or not you ride a motorcycle or scooter, if you live in Washington State, you should be alarmed too. Write your legislators and demand they do not eliminate the Motorcycle Safety and Advisory Board and the Rider Training programs. Our training programs are revenue neutral for our state, in other words, it costs our taxpayers nothing and the program is proven to save lives. Washington voters, write your legislators right away!!!

Here are the bills and relevant sections:
HB 2087: Eliminates the board in its entirety (see section 34)
HB 1497: Kills the entire motorcycle safety training program (see section 901 (12))
SB 5588: Suspends the entire program until July 1, 2011 (see section 109)

Here is a link to the legislators:
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx

Ok, off the soapbox for now.

The question for today is, What are you going to do to further your own rider education this year?

Ray is taking 2 different advanced rider courses, I'm arranging for some private cornering lessons. We're thinking seriously about attending a Rider Education Workshop in Buckley, WA the end of March. Until the weather warms and clears out, I'll break out the Proficient Motorcycling and More Proficient Motorcycling books we have and review. And I'll add nag the Motorcycle Doctor to that must-do list. Spring is coming and I need my scoot!