Posted on by markusoreallyus · 2 Comments

It’s only money

One of the more important aspects of owning a motorcycle is keeping it properly serviced. Not only does it make the bike run better, but it keeps it safer – by making sure the brakes, cables, tires, and so forth are all in good shape. This is important no matter what your riding plans are for the year, but it becomes even more vital if you’re planning a long trip, which is the case this year for me. Thus my bike is in the shop for its 60,000 km service.

In late June I will ride to Calgary, to meet up with my good friend, Scott. I’ll stop there for a day or two. Long enough to visit my old man’s grave, and probably hit Boogie’s burgers. From there, Scott and I will head through Saskatchewan and Manitoba, before crossing into the U.S., stopping in Minnesota before crossing back into Canada just west of Lake Superior. From Sault Ste. Marie, we’ll make our way to the Toronto area, and spend a few days there. From there, we’ll head to either Montreal or Quebec City, and again, spend a couple of days in La Belle Province. From Quebec, we’ll head back down across the border, through upstate New York to Erie, Pennsylvania, en route to Chicago. Apparently they have a U-boat in Chicago! And the Cubs! And great places to eat, drink, look at art, and not get shot. We’ll angle north from there, through Fargo, North Dakota, back to Canada, stopping in Moosejaw on the way to Calgary. After a day or two there – Boogies again! – I’ll make my way back to the coast.

All told, that should put approximately 10,000 km on the odometer, meaning I’ll be due for yet another service. A somewhat less expensive one than I’m getting done right now, although, I’m sure I’ll likely need tires by then.

Oh, well. It’s only money. Said no one ever.

Posted on by markusoreallyus

If the atmospheric river were whisky

It is always a happy day, the first day of the year on my motorcycle. This year, which has been abnormally cold for Vancouver – we’ve had snow since before Christmas! – the first ride was delayed a couple of weeks. This year, for a change, it wasn’t biblical amounts of rain that kept me from riding.

In fact, it was raining today, also known as First Ride Day. But that’s not so unusual. You can’t let a little rain stop you if you ride a motorcycle in Vancouver. Today, though, was not a little rain. Apparently we have been thrown overboard into what the weather folks are calling an ‘atmospheric river’. If the atmospheric river were whisky, I’d be well and truly drunk. A more sensible man would have left his bike in the garage. Only strangers have ever accused me of being sensible.

‘Waterproof’, when it comes to motorcycle gear, is more an aspiration than a reality, and my waterlogged waterproof jacket and pants are hanging to drip dry, my socks are in the dryer, and my boots and gloves are ever so slowly dehydrating.

On the plus side, it took me much less time to get to and (more importantly) from work, and my mood was noticeably more positive all day long. Something about riding a motorcycle, even a relatively short and dull ride, like commuting to work, is inherently cheering. Psychologists should probably study this, although they’d likely get it wrong.