Ten months ago I purchased Apollo, my 2009 Yamaha FJR1300A.

Ten thousand miles later, I have a few thoughts on what has been an almost perfect motorcycle for me.
Read the rest of this entry »

It’s an odd time of the year to commute on a motorcycle. The temperature changes so much between the morning and the evening that it’s hard to dress appropriately. It was 53°F when I left the house this morning, and 77 when I came home. Wind chill put the ride in at 42°F – 50°F, which was too warm to run my heated gloves, but too cold to just use my grips.

Luckily I have some silk glove liners from Tour Master, and they are an inexpensive, if fragile, way to bridge the temperature gap.
Read the rest of this entry »

I rode my motorcycle to work for eight consecutive months last year. I was hoping to ride a little later into the season last year and start a little earlier this year. My 2009 Yamaha FJR1300A is more suited for all-year riding, thanks to its full faring and tall, adjustable windshield.

Unfortunately we had some unusually heavy snowfall this year, and that combined with the threat of ice kept me on four wheels (or even working from home as the city shut down). I hope to start riding full-time again now that the temperatures are heating up and the days are longer.

Even though I only took a few months off and rode in every now and then, I can still tell my riding is rusty.
Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been an unseasonably snowy winter out here in Virginia. While there have been a few days colder than my riding comfort threshold (25°F ambient), there has been snow and/or ice on the ground for the majority of the month. When the snow melts there is sand on the streets, so that makes motorcycling a bit more challenging. When the conditions are right, I jump on the bike and make a run for it.

I don’t see many other riders this time of year, but as I entered the freeway on the trip home I saw a single bright headlight in my side mirror. I got up to freeway speed, and he followed respectfully close behind.

This guy had jeans on, armored gloves, a big puffy down jacket, full face helmet, and white sport-style protective boots. He was a total mish-mash of gear, and this may have been the first time he was ever out in the cold. His coat inflated like a giant black down-stuffed Death Star. He crouched down as low as he could so that his tiny ass sportbike windscreen would offer as much protection as possible. His beat-up, late 90s Ninja 500 smelled and sounded grossly out of tune.

As I made my way to the right-most lane, my wingman reminded me of one of the reasons we ride in the first place. Here he was, only partially protected, in somewhat cold riding conditions (especially given his loadout), and uncomfortable. He seemed nervous making his way through freeway traffic and followed behind me as I made gentle transitions between cars.

Despite all that, Ninja Wingman was out on the slab today. He knew that he didn’t have the right gear, or really the right bike, but he rode anyway. He could have left his bike and drove a nice comfy car wherever he was headed. Instead he loved riding so much that took his bike out instead.

So from within the comfortable, highly protective top-dollar gear and aboard my special purpose long distance sport commuter, I salute you. I salute you, Ninja Wingman, for reminding me that the joy of riding conquers mild discomfort and shaky confidence. Keep the shiny side up, buddy, and I hope to see you more often on the ride home.

The more reviews I’ve written for Gibberish, the longer I’ve taken to waiting before issuing an opinion. Sometimes I label early write-ups as “first impressions” and leave the review for later days. In the case of the Synergy heated motorcycle gloves by Tourmaster, I waited almost sixteen months to write this up.

I try to ride my motorcycle to work as often as possible. I commuted on a motorcycle for almost eight straight months in 2009. There are two things that can disrupt your average motorcyclist: cold and rain. I tried a variety of insulated waterproof gloves but most weren’t up for the task of commuting at highway speeds. Gloves that kept my hands warm were often so bulky I had a hard time articulating the clutch and front brake levers. All waterproof gloves I tried lost most of their insulating properties once the non-waterproof outer layer became saturated with water.

I tried just about everything before turning to electric heated gloves. I had handguards on my Yamaha FZ6 and BMW R1150R. I had heated grips on the FZ6, R1150R, and BMW K1200LTE. I even have thin silk glove liners to help retain my body heat. If you’re on the bike at 25°F ambient and ride 70MPH that’s 2°F adjusted for wind chill. My commute is at least 40 minutes each way. I needed something else to keep my hands warm, so I turned to the Synergy electric heated gloves made by Tourmaster.
Read the rest of this entry »

Last weekend and tonight were important for one big reason: I’m getting back on schedule. I rode my motorcycles for the first time since Christmas break, and I did P90 for the first time in well over a week.

Laziness has been my downfall. I could have ridden a few times during the weekends between Christmas and now, but I was too tired, too lazy, too busy playing on the computer, or too cowardly. I bought a fair amount of cold weather riding gear and have been reluctant to use it. For example, I bought some TourMaster heated gloves and a heated fleece jacket, but after fighting with the cords on the gloves I’ve left them both in their packaging.

However, it was in the 50s on Saturday, and I didn’t need any specialized gear. I rode Adama, my Honda CB400T, over to see Starbuck at work. I took the back way there, as the 400cc sewing machine doesn’t really have the power I long for on the main drag in town. I laughed the whole time, throwing the tiny bike around turns and pinning the throttle back. Its dual exhaust sang the note of an angry goblin child and we motored through suburbia. That bike is such a hoot.

The weather was even better on Sunday — 60! I fired up Raptor, my BMW R1150R, and got reacquainted with the pleasures of cruising at highway speed. I had forgotten how it feels to be free of the “cage” of a car. I had forgotten what it is like to be nimble and free to use as much or as little as the road as I see fit to get from point A to point B. I felt so much safer on my motorcycle than in my Mazda. Even though space was limited, I had at least somewhere to go if something bad happened in my lane. The simple act of moving from the center of the lane to the left or right side has made the difference a few times between a wreck and an angry horn.

I guess the motorcycling gave me an ego boost, because I was back in front of the television tonight with Tony Horton and P90. I did the Hawaii edition, and will do Phase 1 tomorrow, followed by Phase 2 on Wednesday. I just finished workout #80, there are only ten left. I can fucking do this!

The weather is going to be crappy again starting tomorrow (30% chance of snow), but the light is at the end of the tunnel. February is the worst month for riding in Richmond, but it’s a short month. I’ll be back in the saddle full-time very very soon.

Ride the shit out of it!!

My step-father was in town for part of the holiday, and we got a chance to ride in the 70°F weather. He rode Cylon, my 2005 Yamaha FZ6 for awhile, I was on Raider, my 2004 BMW R1150R. We switched later in the day, and he definitely preferred the FZ6.

The first half of my ride home from Georgia was great. I was moving along at a good clip, and the sun was bright and shining.

That is, until I got to Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Fayetteville seems to be the tipping point for bad motorcycle weather. On my trip down, my route south of Fayetteville was completely covered by rain. I guess the northern part of my return trip got jealous and wanted to get in on the “fun.”

It rained non-stop, and hard, all the way home. It wasn’t as bad as my trip down, but it was a soaking rain. Paranoid (and hopefully wiser) from my gear problems on the way down, I adjusted my waterproofing strategy slightly.
Read the rest of this entry »

As mentioned earlier, I spent four days on a motorcycle trip to see two of my friends outside of Savannah, Georgia. It’s almost five hundred highway miles, which winds up being between eight to nine hours depending on traffic, weather conditions, and the bike I’m on. My best time was on my first trip on my FZ6 because I had great weather and a very comfortable saddle.

This time I took Raider, my BMW R1150R. In theory, it should have been the best of both of my trips: the comfort of my old K1200LTE touring bike, and the mobility of Cylon. Thanks to the weather and an extremely hard seat, it was really the worst of both worlds.

But I still had a kick ass time. ;)
Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday I rode Raider, my BMW R1150R down to Savannah, Georgia to hang out with some friends of mine. I took I-95 for most of the way. Eventually I will take a less-traveled route and enjoy myself, but I like making this trip all in one day.

I have been pleasantly surprised at how courteous cars are on the highway. I think it’s because the majority of drivers this time of year are elderly snowbirds, driving south for the winter. They tend to stick to the right hand lane, and I pass them with ease. Every once in awhile, though, you get an asshole behind the wheel.
Read the rest of this entry »