Northwest End of Winter Ride

While much of the United States is dealing with difficult weather here in the Northwest we've been blessed with favorable conditions. This Saturday is the annual End of Winter ride to Mount Saint Helens. I've never been so pretty excited.

Since the Harley is in the shop I'll be taking my VTX 1800. It will be a great chance to connect with many of the riding groups around Washington.

Check out the route.

Happy Riding!

Crazy Month

Ok, this month has been crazy and so I haven't been able to post here.

To start out with I was in a motorcycle accident. I slammed my Harley into a truck who made a left in front of me. Luckily for the most part I am ok. My bike however sustained $4000 in damages. Yes I am very sad. I visited it at the repair shop. The bike won't be finished for 8 weeks from the time they get the money in their bank account.

Now the other person was ticketed and deemed at fault for not failing to yield. So I am fighting with the other driver's insurance, Pemco. They of course are trying to pay as little as possible. We will see.

One interesting fact I've learned is that my motorycle insurance does not have Personal Injury Protection. It seems Washington State does not mandate it. So if I was to run off the road, cause the accident, hit a deer, etc... I would have to rely on my work insurance. This troubles me so I am looking for something that would suppliment what I have. I'll keep you updated.

This month I am also purchasing a condo in a trendy Seattle neighborhood. I'm pretty excited as it will be new and a change. And frankly I'm tired of weeding at my house. I've neglected my yard for motorcycling during the spring and summer months. What is very cool about this condo complex si they have designated underground motorcycle parking. This was implemented by the Home Owners Associations and the spots painted after the building went up. I'm very impressed.

This past weekend I got on my other bike and did a ride with my group. Gotta get back on the horse as they say.

Felt good!

Getting Back to Basics

I'm a big believer that no matter what level rider you are, we can all benefit from a refresher of the basics. I often forget those tenants that make up good riding; like moving your head to look where you want to go, proper use of your "Friction Zone", and an understanding of how to use your brakes and when.

So I have been trying to have twice a year practice classes for my Meetup group. This past weekend I had one scheduled. Thankfully the weather was amazing.

We first met up and had a bg potluck and watched a video. This was a great time to bond, talk about what we are seeing and ask questions of each other. Afterwards we rode over to a local large parking lot I often use when I want to practice because motorcycle classes used to be given there and the paint markings for course work are still visible.

We had an amzing turnout, around 45 people of varying degrees of experience. This proved to us that there is a large interest in safety and judging from the sessions even experienced riders have issues with some of the course work and so can always learn and improve. Unfortunatly it's the ones that think they are too experienced and not humble enough to admit they could learn that worry me.

I had multiple coaches to help me set up and guide the riders. It was a big group effort. We all worked out what we wanted to practice and helped each other do it better. There were lessons to be learned by me.

First, make sure you have enough cones. I expected one member to bring 30 cones as promised but he never showed up. I had 5 cones but this limited the amount of practice areas down to one. Second, set up your frame work prior to getting there. I had some guides but really took a cowboy approach, I will change that next time. And make sure you set some rules ahead of time. Many of the riders started riding without helmets. The last thing we want is someone hurt.

Eveyone had a great time and the group went off on a big ride afterwards. Check out the pictures below.