...In Conclusion...

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Well.  It is time to hang it up.  I didn't have an accident or anything like that, but I am well into my seventh decade, and it seemed prudent.  

I am reminded of something related to the present circumstances that happened 16 riding years ago.  Not long after I met Ryan, the fellow who gave me some tips and pointers on riding, he invited me to go on a group ride with some men he knew.  The rider I ended up following was a fellow named Don.  He rode well.  

He was 73 years old.   That was in March of 2008 when I was 58 years old and was just beginning to ride.  I thought to myself that maybe some day I would still be riding at that age.  

...and so it has been: almost 16 years of riding this bike, the only one I have ever owned besides that minibike from my teen years.  

Here is a little more of the history. 

Since I had never ridden a motorcycle, I took the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic Riders Class in late September 2007.  I did well enough to pass.  Meanwhile, I had spotted a 2006 Kawasaki Ninja 650R for sale about 38 miles from home.  It was almost new with 640 miles on it, but the owner and his wife were expecting and they needed to cut expenses.  Even better, the bike was a color scheme I liked: silver cowlings on red frame. 

I took the South Carolina licensing exam in June of 2008, and passed with room to spare.  Periodically, over all the years I rode, I would practice on the test layout at the DMV, especially the tight turns and quick stops. 

I ended up riding this same bike for just a few miles less than 77,000.  I had taken the bike out of the garage 905 times during that time.  (I am an engineer, so I had kept track of these things on a spreadsheet, of course.)  

I first started writing this blog in January of 2009.  I have written about places to visit, things to see, odd facts, routes, bike maintenance, riding skills, riding gear, occasional excursions off paved roads, and lots of other things that I was interested in or had learned, and that I thought some others might enjoy hearing about.  I made some postings to a couple of the online tag games on ADVrider. I took several Memorial Day weekend trips to the Rally to Ridgecrest in Black Mountain North Carolina -- each a thoroughly enjoyable and inspiring time. 

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I did all of the mechanical and electrical work except tire changes.  There were easy tasks like oil changes, mounting a GPS and powering it up, sprocket and chain replacement, and air filter cleaning, but also more involved things like water pump seals, fuel pump replacement, stator replacement, and valve clearance adjustment.  The bike never let me down in all those miles. 

I always rode with a full suit, helmet, gloves, boots, back, knee, hip, and shoulder armor.  I never could understand why people would ride without all that protective gear.  I felt very unsafe without any piece of it, even though I was a very conservative rider.  

I posted an ad on Facebook marketplace, and entertained a few lookers.  A young fellow came along who bought it despite the high mileage, seeing that it had been well-maintained.  I gave him all my spare parts, some tools, and extra fluids.  I think his intent was to immediately resell it -- at a profit, I'm sure he hoped. 

So I am sans bike now.  The place in the garage that it occupied is now used for access my workbench.  I am selling off the rest of my riding gear, my Hippo hands for winter comfort, some leather riding suits, rain gear, and some other small items. 

Fittingly, my last ride took place on August 8, 2023, to Whitewater Falls and the Bad Creek overlook on Lake Jocassee.  I say fittingly because I made more trips to Whitewater Falls than anywhere else.  The road, SC-130 north from SC-11, contains a nice mix of curves that are not too challenging, and are quite enjoyable. 

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I may occasionally make additional posting here, probably about current events or something new about motorcycling.  

If you are interested look over the list of topics on the left side of the screen.  

You can also search for keywords using the search box.  

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Keep in touch by leaving comments on postings.  

Good riding to you all!  

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July 4

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Read through this very important posting.  It will only take a few minutes.  

 

Today is a great day in the history of the United States, but we may not thoroughly understand its meaning.

This article, from the Heritage Foundation blog, explains: 

America, the Great Beacon of Liberty

Posted By Israel Ortega On July 2, 2011

The signing of the Declaration of Independence was a glorious day for our country’s history. With a stroke of a pen, our founders sealed an enduring document representing the triumph of liberty over tyranny. And yet, centuries after this, one of the most important events in our country’s history, it’s easy to gloss over the Fourth of July as just another holiday.

To appreciate why our independence from the British crown is not only a cause worth celebrating, but also defending, we must remember what our founding fathers fought and died for.

As the history books tell us, our country’s struggle for independence was not easy. Besides being clearly outnumbered and lacking an organized army, the world looked skeptically at our cause. In a world where kingdoms and monarchies were the norm, the idea that governments must derive their just powers from the consent of the governed was indeed revolutionary. In short, the prevailing wisdom was that mankind could not govern itself.

And yet, thousands upon thousands of American colonists joined the fight for independence despite the seemingly insurmountable odds. What compelled so many to fight, knowing that they could easily perish against the greatest naval power of the day?

Perhaps one of the most revealing answers to this question was given by Captain Levi Preston, a Revolutionary War veteran, decades after the fight for independence. In historian Matthew Spalding’s book “Why We Still Hold These Truths,” we learn that Captain Preston was not motivated to fight because of the Stamp Act or after reading the writings of John Locke. Instead, Captain Scott responded, “…What we meant in going for those redcoats was this: we always had governed ourselves, and we always meant to. They didn’t mean we should.”

This pithy but powerful sentiment conveys man’s strong, simple desire to live free — and helps explain why we have always been skeptical of being told what to do.

Of course, summoning the will to fight is one thing, but agreeing to tough it out when the surroundings are bleak is a distinctly different proposition. And yet that’s precisely what every soldier in the revolutionary army did as they faced the elements, lost limbs, shed blood and went for days without food — all for the cause of independence and freedom. As Thomas Paine so eloquently put it, “These are the times that try men’s souls.”

And in one of the most remarkable expressions of blind determination and bravery, the man who would later become our first president would lead an expedition on the choppy and icy waters of the Delaware River to capture and kill nearly 1,000 Hessians in the Battle of Trenton.

This scene was far removed from the hot and humid Assembly Room in Philadelphia where our Founding Father’s first gathered to sign the Declaration of Independence on that fourth day of July, 1776. We celebrate this day, and not other decisive days in our country’s fight for independence — and yet they are no less significant.

The ideas embodied in the Declaration of Independence are worth celebrating and defending, particularly today. All around us, we are witnessing an insidious encroachment on our liberties by an ever-more intrusive and far-reaching federal government that promises us the world.

On this Fourth of July, let’s pause to reflect on our country’s anniversary of independence, but also its struggle. And let us remember that at that heart of what makes our country is exceptional is our country’s founding, rooted in the triumph of liberty over tyranny.

Israel Ortega is the Editor of Heritage Libertad, the Spanish language page of The Heritage Foundation.

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Here is the lesson for today: 

Our current political leaders have mostly forgotten how our country was formed and why it is the very best place to live for everyone who lives here.  

Our country was founded on individual freedoms and the rule of law.  

Sadly leftists have ruined everything that they have touched.   

Free speech
Right to bear arms
Schools
Universities
Sexuality
Marriage
Sports
Religion
Legal system
Immigration
Healthcare
Medicine politicized
Television, radio
Social media
Energy
 

Well, read it here from someone who can state it far better than I. 

Fight the leftists, or we will further lose our great freedoms. 

 

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Enjoy your holiday...
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...and your precious, but dwindling freedom. 

 

 

 

 

I'm Still Around

If you have been wondering where I went, I am still alive and kicking. I just have had so much going on that I have not had nearly enough time to ride. Retirement can be like that, I'm told. It almost seems that I am busier now than when I was still working, now some eight years ago.

Mostly, I have been riding on familiar roads to favorite places not too far from home.

The South Carolina Tag Games on the ADVRider forum are fairly frequent places where I participate. It is sometimes a challenge to find the tags either in the entire state of South Carolina or just in the upstate.

If you are in the area, join in the fun. Enter -- advrider sc tag o rama -- into your search engine and you should find both SC tag games.

I hope to see you on the road soon.

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Thank a Veteran Today and Take Control of our Country Again

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Veterans Day

World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting had ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of the Great War.   

In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…"

Veterans Day continues to be observed on November 11. Every day, but especially on this day, we should be thankful to those who fought for our country.  Today is a celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

Our culture has changed dramatically over the last 100 years, but especially so in the last year.  Our federal, state, and local politicians and those who have net been elected to office, are ruining the country our military fought to establish and to perpetuate.  This is shameful.  

Our schools have not taught real history, and the Internet has become a cesspool of misinformation and removal of truth.  

So, if you value what freedom we have left, thank a vet, then relentlessly write, phone, and email those in office to let them know that we are not going to stand for any more of this destruction.  After that, vote for the most conservative people on the ballot to reverse this mess we are in. 

 

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Back in the Saddle After a Too-Long Break

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I went for a ride on my Ninja earlier this week.  

I had not been out for more than five weeks.   

What was I doing?, you might ask.  

Well, there was Christmas, putting up and taking down decorations, and having family in.  Also, having fun with the presents I gave and received (no coal in my stocking this year).  Then there was the cold and wet weather.  That usually doesn't bother me, but I must be getting old or something, 'cause I felt more like staying in than bundling up for the cold.  ...and I don't ride when it is wet, unless I am caught in it.  I also went for several hikes, with friends and without, into the mountains and foothills of the Blue Ridge Escarpment not far north of where I live.  Along this escarpment, the high Blue Ridge Mountains drop dramatically to the piedmont (foot of the mountains) areas. In some places, the drop is more than 3,000 feet and is quite a sight to see. The Escarpment is why there are so many twisty mountain roads near here. 

This past Monday, the weather was about 40 degrees in the morning, and the sky was almost devoid of clouds.  So, I ventured forth.  I dressed for the weather as I usually do.  I have this pretty much down pat these days, so I wasn't cold, for the most part. 

My bike fires right up after its hiatus, and it warms up and runs without flaw.  I like that.  It having covered almost 75,000 miles, it runs as it did when I bought it with a thousand miles on the clock.   There have only been a few mechanical issues, all able to be wrenched on by me in my garage.  Fortunately, I have been able to get home each time something went wring, though the fuel pump failing was a close one, requiring me to limp back to the paddock. 

Today, I go from home in Easley to nearby Pickens South Carolina via a neat little curvy passage called Rice Road.  It parallels SC-8, but is much more fun.  Then I go to the west end of town onto Shady Grove Road, and wind my way to SC-133.  A buddy says there is a place to hike just south of SC-11, and across the road from Keowee-Toxaway State Park, so I mark the spot in my memory as I pass by for a future time out.  

As I motor along, I find that I have lost a little of my skill in curves and in coordinating shifts.  This comes back pretty quickly, though, and feel as confident as I did before the five-week pause in the action.  I have read about and talked to some other riders who have the same problem of deteriorating skills after an interruption of a few weeks.  Those who live where winter prevents riding must surely have the most trouble with this.  Fortunately, the Upstate of South Carolina has a climate where it is possible to ride almost all winter long.  I do note that the cold makes my clutch cable a little stiffer than usual, but nothing else seems much different from the way it is in warmer weather.  

I turn left on South Carolina Route 11, which is the almost-straight road that makes it easy to go from east to west along here.  I stop for a break in the picnic area at Keowee-Toxaway State Park.  I forget to turn off my GoPro, so [almost] the whole thing is documented.  

Back out to SC-11.  You have to pay attention to the speed limit on this road, because they patrol quite frequently, sometimes on motorcycles.  I putter along toward the west to SC-130 and turn right.  This road is mostly sweepers and is one of my favorites -- not too challenging, but enough so that it is fun to ride.  There is little traffic today.  I climb a bit in elevation here, the temperature is slightly cooler, and I see that there is snow in the grass along the road in the shady places.  It was a little below freezing over night, so there could be ice on the road, but I don't see any, though I am careful just in case. 

I cross into North Carolina and almost immediately turn into the Whitewater Falls parking lot.  The falls is one of my favorite places to ride because of the nice curves, the generally good road surface, and the falls that is a nice place to look at he scenery (after a half-mile walk from the parking lot).  The falls parking lot has another place to take a break, and they have very nice motorcycle rider hand warmers in their restrooms. 

There are at least three ways to use these hand warmers: On your gloved hands, on your ungloved hands, and blowing into your gloves before you put them back on.  I use methods two and three. 

I can't resist taking a picture of my ride as I come out again.  

Note that I have installed my fleece-lined Hippo Hands for the winter, over my heated grips so my tender little hands don't get cold.  The combination of these two make it comfortable to ride down to about freezing temperatures. 

I start up and go just a short distance south and turn into the Bad Creek Pumped Storage Facility access road.  Near the end, just before the gate that keeps you from continuing down to the powerhouse (don't be riding too fast -- the gate is around a blind curve), the overlook onto Lake Jocassee provides a nice place to view Lower Whitewater Falls and a good part of the lake  

I linger for a few minutes, take a few pictures, then go.  I feel daring today, so I ride right off the curb from the sidewalk instead of going back to the ramp from the parking lot. 

Once I reach SC-130, I turn south again, then after a short distance, turn off to the right onto the Wigington Byway. This is a short road with a nice surprise -- a scenic overlook onto Lake Jocassee. 

After the requisite pictures of the bike and the view, I head back on the Byway to SC-130 again.  I turn right and again enjoy going through the sweet sweepers, again without much traffic to interfere with my ride. 

I turn left on SC-11, and go all the way to US-178.  I turn right and ride back to Pickens, then onto Rice Road again, and home.  There is one other two-wheeled soul out today -- the only one I have seen.  We pass one another on this stretch.  He gives a hearty wave to me as we pass.  

I like that.  I don't know him, and will likely never meet him, but I fancy the idea of being a part of a group who doesn't necessarily wait for perfect riding conditions to enjoy the roads.  By the way, his bike looks strange to me in the photo.  It almost looks like a naked sportbike with a chopper front fork arrangement.  Maybe it is the distortion caused by the GoPro lens.  ...or, maybe he is a motorcycle innovator! 

Before I get home, I take a few minutes to do some low speed turns in a cul-de-sac nearby, and some lane swerves on the road back home.   

I often do this to help keep my balance and maneuvering skills sharper.  The slow speed turns also help with clutch feathering and rear brake control. 

I reach home, look at my trip odometer, and find that I have ridden 111 miles today, and it feels good to have been out after so long a break.  

Here is a map of the ride from home to the furthest points of interest.   

Click on this link for the online map.

Mental note to Bucky: Don't wait so long to ride again.  It has been too long.  

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You Should Have Had the Opportunity to Decide

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Consider the following carefully:

 

 Click here to find out more about the danger cited above.  

Look also at the blog posting dated October 17, 2020.  

We are  in grave danger.  

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Important Info

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....Important reading coming up. Don’t go away without reading it....

 

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