Got My Goat

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The other day, I went out on a quick ride of only sixty or so miles to break in a set of new brake linings and a new rear tire.  It had been raining for several days and it threatened rain in the morning, but I went out anyway, taking my rainsuit, glove covers, and boot covers along just in case.

I wanted to go on a route that would not put too much braking stress on the new linings until they have around 250 miles on them.  That new rear tire could also be a bit slick.

I laid out a tentative route that was augmented by some wandering around on roads near Pickens South Carolina.  I wanted a few mostly sweeping curves and quite a few places to apply the brakes to get them accustomed to the old disks.

To my surprise, at an intersection stop sign, I came across a man and two goats.  One goat was within a fenced field near the road, but the other was loose and became very interested in me as I came to a stop.  He came across the road and happily ambled up to me, almost as though he had a smile on his face, having just spotted an old friend. 

I was concerned that I was about to witness goaticide aided by a fast car coming on the cross road.  Fortunately, that didn't take place. 

Well, I am not the old goat's old friend, but I must have looked enough like one to suit him.  The farmer came across the road toward me, grabbed his errant charge by a horn, and led him back to his pen.

I didn't think to get the camera out to record this momentous event, and I went on my way.  

A few miles further, I was putting along on Old Saluda Dam Road, and was rounding a gentle right hander, when I spotted something: 

More goats.  This time, congregated in the road in front of me! 

I wasn't going fast, and I was rounding the curve near the centerline, as I should have been for best sight distance.  This little herd had come from a dirt driveway on the right beyond the curve a short ways.  Of course, I was startled to see this sight, and had to take action.

I didn't think too much about it, but I applied the front and rear brakes, gently at first, then straightened up the bike and headed into the opposite lane before I braked the bike a bit more aggressively.  Fortunately, I could see far enough ahead, and there was nothing coming the other way, so there was little drama. 

The point is, though, that anything can turn up on the road just around the next curve or over the next rise.  Today, it was some errant and curious goats.  Tomorrow it could be a pile of sand washed across the road, or a pile of -- well -- excrement, wet leaves, a bird lacking navigational skills, or one of many other hazards. 

Worse, it could be another vehicle or a downed tree.  You just never know. 

So, even though it was not a close call, I am glad I pulled on my best crash costume this morning, and was riding within my sight distance.  I might have needed that crash gear today, what will all these things potentially trying to get my goat. 

Happy riding, and ATGATT rules!  See the difference here. 
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Time to Re-Tire and Take a Brake

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No, I am not yet old enough to retire, and I'm not going into a hiatus from the bike, but my front tire wore out and my back tire was close behind it. 

Most of you know that I am not a very aggressive rider.  My last two front tires, Michelin Pilot Road 2s, lasted 15,000 and 12,000 miles, while the rear average about 11,000, not including one that got punctured during my trip down the gravel Musterground Road at 8,500 miles.

Don't you sportbiker hoodlums make fun of my tire life that's three times what yours is.  I like to make things last a long time, you know.  [Now, if I could get some wear on the sides of the tires, too....]

I noticed something I had not previously seen on that last front tire.  It was slightly more worn on the left side than on the right.  I attribute this to higher speeds and lean angles on left-hand curves than on right.  I suppose this is because of the greater sight distance on left handers.
Edit: One of my blog readers, rc5695, pointed out in his comment below what should have been obvious to me: That the wear is caused more by the crown of the roads.  That makes sense. 


I sent away for a new Michelin Pilot Road 3 front at Jake Wilson, and had it put on at the Powersports dealer on Wade Hampton Boulevard in Greenville.  They almost always have time to do it while you wait, and they use the proper clip-on balance weights.  Some other places use stick on weights that are functional, but leave a sticky mess when removed.

Oh, by the way, the Cycle Gear store is right next to the Powersports dealer, so you can kill two birds with one stone, drooling over all manner of bikes and accessories.

I have noticed that there is a surprising contrast between these two stores.   The sales people in the Powersports dealer have never asked if they could help me, despite my milling around the showroom while waiting for tire changes.  By contrast, the Cycle Gear store clerks always ask, but don't push.  I would think that with such rotten sales over the last few years, the Powersports personnel would at least ask.  Who knows, maybe I could be persuaded to buy some of their two-wheeled wares.  (Don't tell my wife that I could be tempted, though.) 

My last rear tire finally wore out, too after a little over 9000 miles, so I looked around and found that STG had the lowest price on a Pilot Road 2.  That previous tire, a Pilot Road 3, lasted about 2000 miles less than the Pilot Road 2 before it, so I went back to a 2.  Powersports also mounted this one. 

Look here.  Nice and shiny.  Hasn't touched the road yet. 

By the way, do you know where the phrase "Time to Re-Tire" in my title comes from?  It is the slogan of the Fisk Tire Company.  Actually, the entirety of the slogan is "Time to Re-Tire. Get a Fisk."

1951 Fisk Tires original vintage advertisement.
It features the Big Boy tire with white sidewall protected with scuff guard.
Manufactured by United States Rubber Company.

The little Fisk Tire boy first appeared in 1907 when Burr Giffen, a young commercial artist working for Fisk Tire Company, sketched a figure of a yawning boy wearing pajamas. His right arm encircled a tire, and his left hand held a candle. Fisk management was enthusiastic about the sketch, and the clever slogan "Time to Re-Tire" was inked in below the figure. The drawing was copyrighted in 1910 and was registered as a trademark in the U.S. Patent Office in 1914.

While I was changing the tires, I noticed that the brake linings were getting a little thin -- not worn to the indicator grooves, but probably worthwhile replacing.  I looked at OEM replacements, but they are quite expensive.  Then I looked at Blue Ridge Performance, a shop that caters to the Ninja 650R. They sell EBC brand HH linings.  Being the miser I am, I continued to search for a low price.  Ebay to the rescue.  I found a complete set of four front pads for $50, and a set of two rear for $25.  I hit Buy It Now, and had all of them in my hands within three days.

The pretty new ones, and the dirty originals:

I have the bike's service manual, so installing the brakes was straightforward.  I am always careful to adhere to the proper installation torque of fasteners on my bike, so the torque wrench comes out frequently during servicing. 

How many of you recognize the bending beam style torque wrench I am using here? 

I decided to flush the brake lines while I was at it, so I got out my very sophisticated bleeding rig -- a hose submerged in some brake fluid in a jar.  Brake fluid is hygroscopic, so it pays to flush out the old occasionally, say every 30,000 miles or so. 

The procedure is simple, if a little tedious.  Just apply light brake pressure on the lever, open the bleeder screw, squeeze slowly not quite to the end of stroke, close the bleeder, then release the lever.  Do this over and over until new fluid comes out of the hose.  Keep the brake master cylinder reservoir full, though, or you will introduce air into the lines that is very difficult to purge.  Keep the brake fluid off the paint and plastic too.  It tends to eat them up. 

You can see that I have also removed the Hippo Hands for the summer.  I hope it stays warm now. 

Now this is something you don't see very often these days, on the back of the new linings:

Here are the new rear linings snuggled into their proper places. 

Hmmmm.  New tires and new brakes.  Pretty soon, this will be like a new bike: I've replaced the chain, adjusted the valve clearance, cleaned and spruced up the outside, and changed the oil and filter. 

I'll report on the brake performance difference once the new linings are well worn in.  Rain is predicted this weekend, so it may be a while.

So, if you see me on the road, it'll look like I'm riding a new scoot that goes, stops, and turns almost like it just rolled off the showroom floor.  Wave when you see me!  I'll do the same. 
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Harrangue: The Skinny on Sassafras

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A couple of weeks ago, I meandered around the countryside on my trusty Ninja, and one of the places I stopped was at the top of Sassafras Mountain.  This is the highest point in South Carolina, at 3,554 feet above sea level. 

Back in 2011, I went there too, and was pleased to find an attractive wooden deck constructed so that the view to the south and west was finally visible from the top. Before that, there wasn't a good place to see into the distance in any direction that I could find. 

I thought that was great.  The area was still off the beaten path, but rather easily accessible by way of a potholed road ending in a gravel parking lot. There were usually fewer than six cars there at one time, and always a quiet place. 

The Foothills Trail runs nearby, and there are lots of people who traipse either from here or through here as they enjoy the scenery.  They recently paved the road, so it isn't potholed any more. 

Not elaborate, but a nice, simple place to get away from it all, I thought. 

Well, when I visited there the last time, that fine platform was gone, replaced by an ugly structure with a foot-high step to get onto it from the ground.  

A little research provided some additional information.  It turns out that the new platform was designed by Clemson University graduate students in architecture and landscape architecture.  They have good intentions to make a path up to it, but this thing's been there for several months with nothing else done yet. 

Dan Harding, associate professor of architecture and director of the Clemson Community Research and Design Center said, “The concept hinged on an idea that used a primary wood structure with a light, sky-blue-painted steel railing designed to leave visitors feeling as if they are floating over a wonderful rock out-cropping while remaining safely contained by the railing, which disappears into the expanding horizon.” 

Oh.  Makes me get all goose bumpy -- really touchy feely sounding, isn't it.  

I think the old structure did that just fine, and had the added benefit that it was already paid for.   

The article says that the new platform “employ[s] best practices associated with sustainable construction and resource management.”  I don't think so: The pretty blue steel railing has already begun to rust, and it provides no better view of the valleys and lakes below than the platform that was scrapped. ...and that one didn't look like a circus prop -- maybe for the human cannonball spectacle. 

I wonder what they thought was wrong with the old platform?  I also wonder whether any of the engineering students -- Masters Degree students, remember, not beginners -- had also studied economics to determine whether there had been any payback on the previous simple structure, seeing as how it was only about two years old at the time it was demolished, was perfectly functional, was unobtrusive, and was in good condition. 

I doubt it. Seems to me better that they determine that this would be a waste of money and go design something really useful. 

The funding for this unnecessary eyesore was provided by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources – in other words by your tax dollars.  Darn, that topics comes up a lot these days. 

Even more distressing, I found that there are plans for a tall observation tower to be built on the site. 

From the SCDNR webpage

This will be an even worse eyesore. 

They are attempting to get private funding, but you can bet that your tax dollars will be taken, too.

My vote: Let's keep it simple. Let's not make this a top tourist attraction, lest it be spoiled further ...and maybe not spend more money at all!
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Bikes Galore

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Yesterday, I went out for a ride as usual.  I picked a route that is similar to one I rode last year with a buddy.  Up US-178 and NC-215, onto the Blue Ridge Parkway, to the visitor center just north of Asheville North Carolina, then wandered back on too-busy roads through Fletcher, and back down US-276 through Caesars Head and back to Easley.

Like this:

View Larger Map

It was a great day to ride.  A little cool -- 41 degrees -- to start, but warming up nicely to around 77 later in the day, with low humidity.  Of course, the temperatures are lower at the higher elevation of the Parkway, so it was just about perfect weather to ride in God's country. 

There were some spots where gravel had washed across the road, and another place where matted leaves had washed across the road and created what looked like little brown mounds stuck to the road.

I managed to negotiate all these with minimal problems.  Once, on NC-215, two touring bikes coming the other way were on my side of the road as I came up on them.  They had crossed the center line to avoid some gravel, but the way they did it was not good: They should have steered a straight path through the gravel, staying in their own lane, as it was a straight section of road. 

There was something else in evidence on my ride, too.  Bikers.  Lots of them.  Dozens, no hundreds.  Maybe thousands coming south on 178 at I was headed north.  You will recall that in my last post, Wiggly Roads Nearby, I referenced the number of maniacal and not so maniacal bikers of all kinds who enjoy this section of US-178. 

They are certainly out in spades today!  More than I have ever seen through here. 

The bikers today were clad somewhat differently than the way I dress for a ride. 

Take a look: 

Yep.  Bicycles.

This is on an uphill section for them.  Their spandex-clad bodies looking fit, but struggling to get up the grade.  Earlier, I had encountered the leaders of the pack going downhill, south of here.

Courageous, they.  As they coasted and sometimes pedaled to go even faster downhill, they were rounding the curves faster than I can ride comfortably on the Ninja.  And they were in packs.  If any of them had faltered, many of them would have crashed.  What a mess of injuries would result!  That spandex doesn't have any cushion and wouldn't last more than a foot or two sliding along the tarmac. 

Makes me feel much more comfortable in my ATGATT. 

Those tiny bicycle tires were certainly doing their best to keep some 200 pounds of bike and rider on the right track.  I didn't get any pictures of their downhill plunge.  I'm not sure my shutter speed is fast enough to capture their passage at speed. 

Whatever the occasion, there were certainly a bunch of cyclists participating.  As a result, traffic had to go slow while passing them, for their safety and ours.

Later in the day, I encountered another group on US-276 as I passed Caesars Head.  Might have been the same group or another one, but it was an organized ride, too.  I didn't see nearly as many of them on this road.

They must have some significant stamina to take on the hills in this neck of the woods.

I might add, that I a saw a surprising number of people with gray hair sticking wildly out of their helmets.  Wow.  I get tired riding the motorcycle up and down these hills at my advanced age!

Anyway, they sure did have a nice day for their ride.

Edit: I later determined that I had encountered the Assault on the Carolinas rides, an annual fundraiser for the Rotary Club of Pisgah Forest.  The AOTC includes three route options--100k, 60k, and 40k. The 100k route goes through North Carolina and South Carolina mountains and valleys and up a challenging 6 mile climb to Ceasar's Head State Park. The 40k and 60k routes go through the river valleys of Scenic Transylvania County.  The ride starts and finishes in downtown Brevard North Carolina.  The longest ride is 65.6 miles, with an elevation gain of 5,567ft. 

My motorcycle ride was also very pleasant.  I didn't stop very often, just enjoyed the roads.  A total of 174 miles, racked up pretty quickly.  It seemed like only a hundred or so when I got home.  I must have been enjoying it! 

On the way home, I snapped this shot at Edens Garden, the little rest stop I wrote about at the corner of SC-8 and SC-135. 

 

Pretty, don't you think?  And patriotic. 

You bicyclists, a tip of my helmet to you, tackling the challenge of these hilly roads. 
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Wiggly Roads Nearby

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Well, I'd just finished doing my taxes, so I went out for a ride Saturday.  I needed something to get my mind off of other people spending my heard-earned money!

Some of the motorcycle forum posters have been posting of late about a couple of roads in the nearby mountains, so I decided to renew my acquaintance with a few of these roads.

I start out in temperatures in the mid-30s, from home in Easley South Carolina, and go over to Pickens via. a nice but featureless road.  I pick up US-178 in Pickens, and the curves start in.  First some sweepers, that include a perfect curve.  A few of the sweepers are back to back the closer you get to SC-11 near the Holly Springs Country Store, a place where bikers of all shapes and sizes stop to link up for rides in the area.  It is also a place to gas up and grab a breakfast or snack.  I reach the store there are no others there, so I move along, across SC-11, and get to the curvier section of this highway.

 This is a favorite section for maniacal and not so maniacal bikers ranging from bicycles, to scooters and giant cruisers.  The road surface is in pretty good shape -- and clean today, but watch the advisory signs, as there are a couple of tight bends -- for me down to 2nd or 3rd gear.  The road straightens out about half way to the North Carolina state line, but tightens up again further north. 

Lets look at the map. 

View a larger map of these wiggly roads
 
We've been talking about the sections between Pickens at the bottom, and Pushpin B near the top. 

Click the link to see a larger version of the map, and move around by holding down your mouse button.  Zoom in by selecting the + box.

Just after Pushpin B, lies Rosman North Carolina.  You can get gas there to continue your journey if you need it. You can continue north on NC-215 and reach the Blue Ridge Parkway (as we did on this ride) and beyond.  

Today, I seek out a gentle road I have not been on for a while.  I make my way on it over to Pushpin D, at US-276.  If you follow 276 toward the south, you pass Dupont Forest and Caesars Head before descending the Blue Ridge Escarpment.  If you go north, you find some almost straight roads to Brevard North Carolina, then some nice twists and turns and great scenery further north, to the Blue Ridge Parkway, passing Looking Glass Falls and the Cradle of Forestry on the way. 

Be certain to keep your eyes peeled at Pushpin C.  Watch especially for some wildlife advisory signs on the north side of the road.  I don't think you will ever have seen such signs anywhere else. 

Also, watch for two very tight right handers just before Pushpin D.  Neither is marked. 

Just a mile down US-276, stop at Pushpin E, Connestee Falls.  There is a small parking lot and a picnic table.

A two minute walkway lads to an overlook where you can see two falls converging from almost right below your feet and from across the valley.  On the map:


View Larger Map

Picturesque.

 

I eat a snack and drink some water here.  After another mile and half, I turn onto East Fork Road, at Pushpin F.  Except for a few tight bends, this is mostly sweepers, and the road surface is a nice, mostly uniform color and surface texture.  ...and there are not very many driveways along here.  Watch for some part-lane patching, though there are no major edge traps. 

The tightest turns come at Big Hill, marked at an advisory 10 MPH.  Of course, you can go faster than that on the bike.  Unfortunately I am coming down the hill, so it is not as much fun as going up.  I use a little of the downhill rear brake technique I learned a while back.  I helps you feel more in control, but don't forget that it works safely only when you are also applying power. 

Just below Big Hill are the bears and the yellow arthropod with a very hard exoskeleton. 

We will follow East Fork past the point where we will eventually turn sharply left onto Glady Fork Road to head toward home.  This stretch, toward Pushpin G, intersects with US-178 just below Rosman.  I travel there, then back to Glady Fork Road.  Be very careful along here, as the turns are tighter than on the previous part of the road, and there are several sharp 90-degree turns that are unmarked.  East Fork Road follows the East Fork (surprise!) of the French Broad River most of the way.  For a sedate change of pace, there is good fly fishing in this stream. 

I turn around and go back the other way on East Fork.  It is a different ride, but watch for the tight turns again.  This time, I bear right onto Glady Fork Road.  This has a good surface and not many driveways, too.  There is a series of small waterfalls on the left side along here. 

Soon enough, I reach the stop sign where the road to the highest point in South Carolina, Sassafras Mountain, is easily accessible.  I turn left and find the newly-paved road to the top.  There is no center line, so watch for slaloming cars coming the other way.

At the top, Pushpin H, I park and note that the new observation platform they erected in 2010 is gone, replaced by an ugly, expensive, out-of-place monstrosity.  This is the old new one: 

 This is the new new one. 

I'll bet your hard earned tax dollars went to tear out the old new one and put this in.  What a waste.  Oh, by the way, it isn't for handicap accessibility either.  The old new overlook was at ground level for smooth wheeling.  The new new one is about a foot off the ground at the start.  Convenient, eh? 

My just-finished tax returns flash to mind again.  Darn, I was just starting to get over that.  Why does our government do this to us?

I spend a few minutes looking at the scenery, then head back down.   Except for one hairpin, the road is pretty mild.

I turn left onto F. Van Clayton Highway and wend my way back to US-178 at Rocky Bottom, Pushpin I.  From there, I head back down the hill toward SC-11, and then to Pickens and home. 

I have only traveled about a hundred miles, but almost every mile was enjoyable. The temperature has warmed up to about seventy, and the sun has made God's creation scenic. 

Come along next time, and see these sights with me.

....and see if you can spot those interesting signs I mentioned.


Edit: find an update on Sassafras Mountain here.  

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Big Bird

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Last Saturday I went for a ride, as is my usual habit.  It was predicted by the weather guessers that it would be in the seventy degree ballpark in the afternoon.  Can't miss a day like that! 

I ended up going just a little over 130 miles, and I'll write about the details of the ride later, but I had one encounter early in the day that was striking.

When there is an animal that has met its demise along our roadways, there are some times when the cleanup crew doesn't get there to scoop it up right away.  In fact, if there is a deer strike for example, and the carcass is still warm, there may be bunches of people who stop to pick it up for processing into tasty venison -- providing a service without taxpayer cost -- and providing some family with a feast.  . 

When the deceased is smaller, nature takes over nicely.

And that is where big bird comes in.

You see, there were several of them feeding on some carrion in a wooded area by the road on the early part of my route.  As usual, they had one eye on the prey, and one on the road scanning for approaching traffic.  These three fellows had the timing just right as I approached.  They took flight at about the same time and flew off to some safe and convenient nearby perch.

Common Raven -- photo by David Hofmann, Santa Rosa, CA

Except for one of them.  He took his flight, but right at me.  The next thing I knew, there was a disheveled mess of black feathers heading right for my face.  I ducked as best I could.  A split second after that black feather boa spread over my face shield, came a thump of significant magnitude, despite my attempt to duck down to avoid it.

Smack!

I heard my neck bones crackling as the back of my helmet hit the collar of my suit.  I estimate that the weight of this bird was somewhere between that of a flatiron and a locomotive.

Fortunately, I recovered quickly from the impact, and my state of amazement at what he did.  When I again opened my eyes, I found that I was still upright, and mostly in my own lane.  I motored on a little further, when it dawned on me that maybe I ought to go back and snap a picture of evidence for you, kind readers.  I turned around at the next intersection, and went back, scouting carefully for the unfortunate feathered creature with underdeveloped navigational skills.

Alas, he must have survived to feed on the road kill another day.  Either that or he fluttered off into the forest to die in peace.  Either way, I couldn't find him.

A little while later, after my heart rate had slowed down a bit more, I stopped to take a look at my trusty protective helmet.  There was a greasy streak on the shield, but no forfeited feathers, and no gooey excreta. Surprising, that.  I think my errant feathered friend(?) might have been no worse for wear than before our little encounter. 

So, I don't have the evidence, but it was sure a real encounter for me.  My neck doesn't hurt, and the crackling I heard was probably just some breaking loose of a few calcium deposits that accumulate with old age. Saves me a trip to the quack chiropractor. Great, huh? 

No harm, no foul.

Or is that no fowl? 

Good lesson here.  No matter what type of close encounter with a road hazard you have, ATGATT is an important watchword.  It was for me that day. 

How about you?  What close encounters have you had?  
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Clean as a Whistle, Inside and Out!

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I's time to change the oil and filter again, so I gather my tools and supplies to get it done. You can't neglect this on any engine, and even though I am no speed demon, sending the RPMs to the redline; this little engine still takes a beating, especially in extremes of weather. 

A few oil changes back, I switched to synthetic oil, for no particular reason, except that it is said to be better.  I use Mobil 1, but I find that I don't have any in my hoard.  A quick on-line search yields the local Advance Auto Parts -- nearby, and the stuff is on sale for $8.99 a quart.  That's a good deal.  I ride over there to pick up a couple of quarts.  After all, I have to get the engine warm to do a proper oil change.  Right? 

I already have a Kawasaki OEM filter I got with some other parts from Ron Ayers when I did the valve clearance adjustment, so I am good to go.

I remove the lower cowling to get to the drain plug, and see that the cowling is pretty crudded up with road soil.  I decide to pull off both lower cowlings to clean them up.  Then, I see that the coolant could use a little topping, so I pull off the frame slider and the right center cowling, too.  Can't get to the filler cap any other way

I get busy draining the oil, and spinning off the filter.  I let it all drain for a few minutes, then put on the new filter, put in the plug with a new sealing washer, and refill the crankcase.  That is pretty easy.  I top off the coolant, too, and look for any leaks.  None obvious.  That's good. 


The bike hasn't had a bath in a while, so I get out the hose, a bucket of mild detergent, and some brushes and sponges. 

(Not me.)

It is tough to get into all the nooks and crannies to get them clean, but I keep at it.  I haul out the leaf blower to dry everything off, and put the bike on the rear stand to clean and lube the chain. I ask my bride to help, as I don't want to dump the bike right here in the driveway while balancing it and lifting it with the stand. 

This chain cleaning is one of the things I really don't like to do.  It is messy, and you can never get it really clean, then it is easy to squirt the lube on the muffler and elsewhere.  I use the Kawasaki-recommended kerosene to clean the chain and sprockets, and I use a piece of corrugated to keep it off the rear tire.  That solvent does not attack the O-rings in the chain like a more aggressive solvent might.  Maybe a shaft-drive bike would be better, but I am not going to trade any time soon, so, I am slave to the chain gang. 

Now, to clean up the lower bodywork.  I again set to work with some more detergent and a sponge.  It takes some elbow grease to get them back to looking good.

Hmm.  Those center cowlings on both sides have a few scratches on them.  I have another set.  Why not?  I pull off the other frame slider, and the left cowling, then dig out the spare parts and put them on.  You have to take off the windscreen and the instrument surround, and find all the fasteners they so carefully hide, so it takes an hour or so to get them all positioned and properly screwed into place. 

Well, while I am at it, that seat cover is smudged up.  I have another seat, too, so I get it out and pop it on. 

Now we're cooking.  The bike looks almost new!  I break out the auto body polish and set to work putting the final sheen on the plastic.

Clean as a whistle, I'd say.  Inside and out, as a matter of fact. Take a look:

A little vinyl conditioner on the Hippo Hands. 

 

All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-ups.

A thing of mechanical beauty, yes?

That was three weeks ago,
and I have not ridden it since.  It is not that I have not wanted to.  It has been the weather.  Rain, rain, rain.  And time.  None, none, none. 

Now, all I need is for the rain to stop and an afternoon off so I can ride this purdy machine! 

Correction: I got out to ride for a couple of hours yesterday!  I usually don't go riding on Sunday, but I asked my loving wife if I could since I was having withdrawal symptoms for all the rain and lack of time.  The bike seemed to run better now that it is clean, and I had a nice run up US-178 to Table Rock Road, up into the park, then back down SC-135 to home. 

[Bucky, that "running better" stuff is all in your head.]  

I know. But it was nice getting back to it on an almost new looking, clean bike. 
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