Is 500 miles in a week a lot?

Saturday morning I got up bright and early to bring the Triumph in for it's 500 mile service. I got to the dealership a little early, and had to wait a few minutes for them to open. The guy who sold it to me was the one who opened up the shop, and he said "I knew you'd be in here for the first service in no time."

Another one of the salespeople asked what I was in for and was a little surprised I was in again so soon. The tech who worked on it said something along the lines of "Didn't you buy this like two days ago?"

I dunno, 500 miles in a week doesn't seem that much at all on a bitchin' new motorcycle.

So, as you've probably gathered, I really, really like the Triumph. The combination of power, nimble handling and powerful brakes make it feel like I'm riding solely by the power of thought. After tomorrow (maybe tonight) I should have enough miles on it to open up the throttle a bit more and take it on the freeway.

I've read a lot of comments that talk about how the Speed Four doesn't make much power in the lower revs (below 8000 rpm). Frankly, I can't wait to see what the bike is like when it's in it's powerband. I'm already pretty stoked about how much more power it has than the VX. This bike is quick.

Lady Luck commented, when I first brought it home, that it sounds like a sewing machine. That may be, but it is the sewing machine that stitched together the garment of doom. Also, after about 5,000 rpm it stops sounding so innocent, and works up a good howl. As I get closer to 6,000 rpm it's more like a swarm of angry bees.

I've been a little surprised by how much attention the bike gets. It seems like everyone has to take a second look. Of course, it is an unusual bike compared to the number of SV650s, R6s and CBRs out on the road. There's nothing wrong with any of those bikes, but they are somewhat common. The Triumph stands out quite a bit.

Anyway, this bike absolutely rules. I strongly recommend that you go and buy one, or maybe two. Do it now.

Learning the quirks of a new bike.

I don't know the exact statistic, but a disproportionate number of crashes occur shortly after the rider gets a new bike (even more disproportionate is the number who crash on the ride home from the dealer. I came out ahead on that one!). Since I'm aware of the risk, I've been somewhat cautious as I break my new ride in.

That said, I've already encountered some hilarity. As you know, there was the problem with the ol' bike not starting. Luckily for me, all I had to do was jiggle the killswitch a bit and I was on my way. Unfortunately, I missed out on a whole day of riding because I didn't know that when it happened.

This morning, I did what I always do on an unfamiliar bike: dumped the clutch and killed it in an intersection. In fact, I did it twice in the same intersection. This time it was because I didn't shift down far enough (tricky 6th gear, being all unfamiliar), and tried to take off in second gear.

Durp!

Apart from that, the hardest thing for me to get used to is the Triumph's sporty ergonomics. I repeat to myself before bed, and when I get up in the morning "I must keep my weight off my wrists. I must be able to flap my arms like a chicken." Then I hop on the bike and forget all about it until my wrists start aching again. I'm getting better though.

Another One Rides the Bus.

Last night we had a totally awesome, spectacular thunderstorm, as can only be found in Arizona. Sure they're rare, but they make up for it by being the best fireworks show you'll ever see.

And, lucky for me, I was out riding around in it. Getting the full effect, so to speak.

I got home, drenched and a little giddy (prior to the soaking, I had been enjoying the benefits of 1000 more rpms), parked the bike and watched the storm from my bedroom window. Then I went to bed.

This morning I went out to the garage and tried to start the bike.

Only something went horribly, horribly wrong.

Instead of starting immediately and burbling contentedly as I put my helmet on, the Triumph chose to do nothing. The headlights came on, and the backlight for the displays came on, but the numbers and idiot lights didn't. Pushing the starter resulted in nothing happening. The problem seemed familiar.

I checked the kill switch. I disconnected the battery for a few seconds. I pulled the fuses, checked them and reinserted them. I made sure it was in neutral. I raised and lowered the kickstand a few times. I even called it a few choice names.

Nothing.

I hustled over to the bus stop and got to work rather late (the bus ride is a little over an hour long).

Needless to say, I was a bit steamed.

I called the dealer, and the mechanic over there told me that my bike will behave in this retarded way when the killswitch in the "off" position. He suggested I try flipped it a whole bunch of times with the ignition off, and then try again.

So I guess we'll see if that works tonight. I sure hope so. This whole "buy a bike, have it break down" situation seems like it's happened before.

An amusing new problem

Last night I discovered a whole new moto-pain. Since my bike has rearsets (the VX has mid-mounted footpegs), my pants kind of hike up past my boots. Somewhat dorky-looking, but not too much of a problem, right?

Wrong. My legs got burned somehow on my way home last night. I don't think it was sunburn, because I was facing away from the sun for 98% of my ride home. Nope, I think that the combination of heat coming off the road and wind rushing by my legs cooked me convection-oven style.

It totally sucked, either way.

Today I'm wearing a taller pair of boots and hopefully it won't be a problem

In other exciting news, I should hit 300 miles tonight. That means I get an extra 1000 rpms to play with. Woo hoo!

Behold the New Hotness!

I am now the proud owner of a new, black '06 Triumph Speed Four. I went on Friday to start the paperwork, expecting to pick it up on Saturday morning. Instead, I rolled out of the dealership (Arizona Superbike) on my new bitchin' motorcycle at 6:55pm. Here's a picture of me getting ready to ride off without any gear on. Don't worry, I made it home ok, and I don't intend to make a habit of it.

I got the bike with a grand total of zero miles on the clock. Look at this blend of high-tech and retro class in the dashboard.

Since then, I've gotten 169 miles on it, and I plan to put at least 40 more on tonight. Right now I can only rev it up to 5000 rpms. As you can see from the tach, 5000 rpms is NOTHING on this bike. I've been doing a hell of a lot of shifting this weekend. I can't wait to get it broken in and let 'er rip up to redline.

This bike absolutely rocks. I'm so tickled, I barely know where to begin telling you about just how awesome it is. Let me sum it up by saying that I've got the biggest, dumbest grin in the world right now, and I jump up and down giggling when I go into the garage and see it.

Of course, I had to go and buy my bike on the hottest weekend of the year (at least, thus far). I've been out riding in the morning until I start feeling funky, and then waiting until it cools off again. Lady Luck can barely tolerate me; I'm sure she wishes the weather was nicer so I could ride off some of the excitement.

Well, if you'll excuse me, it's getting dark out and I'm going to go out and ride some more.

Big Ol' Wooden Balls

If you haven't seen this, well, you should go look.

Nobody's Fault But Mine

"Some days it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps." - Emo Phillips

On my way home today I got pulled over. Of course, the cop didn't just pull me over, he had to mess with me first. As I was exiting the freeway, I got to the bottom of the off ramp and into position to make a right turn. The light was red, and the cop pulled up next to me on my left. Since I couldn't see around/over his car, I pulled forward a bit, stopped, and turned to look for traffic. Then he pulled forward in front of me. So I rolled forward a bit more. He got his cruiser in front of me again.

At this point, I thought "dink" and gave up on trying to turn before he did. The light turned green, and he took off in front of me. And then slowed down. Way down. So I passed him, since he was going so much less than the speed limit.

Instantly, he was behind me with his lights on. I pulled into the nearest gas station and stopped.

Now, here's where knowing what to do when you're on a bike and you get pulled over comes in handy. First thing, shut off the bike. Next up, take off your helmet. It's hard(er) for the cop to be a complete dick when he/she can see your face and you look more like a normal person and less like an imperial stormtrooper. Third, be calm and polite. Use the word "sir." Move slowly when you're reaching for your wallet, etc. so the cop can see what your hands are doing. Fourth, if you're busted (and it's something minor) you might as well 'fess up. At the very least, don't lie. You're not as good at it as you think you are.

Here's how the interaction went down today. "Good afternoon. I pulled you over because your registration is expired." says the officer.

"Yes, sir. I've been having trouble getting my bike to pass emissions, and this is my only vehicle," I say in a completely reasonable tone of voice. Note that I did not lie. My bike didn't pass emissions, and it is my only vehicle.

"When was your last emissions test?" he asks.

"Hang on, I've got the results here." Whereupon I rummage through the documents in my tank bag looking for the most recent test I failed. "Here it is. June 27th."

"Why haven't you gotten it fixed yet?" he asks.

"I'm waiting for the tool I ordered to show up. I need a special tool to get the cover off of my generator cover. A regular screwdriver won't work." Here I kicked at the cover I meant, and he could see what I was talking about.

"So you're doing the work yourself?" he asks.

"Yes sir."

"What are you going to do?" He asks. Sneaky bastard, he wants me to prove I know what I'm talking about.

"Well, I'm going to adjust my valve clearances, and set the fuel-air mixture," I said. At this point, I was fairly confident that I wasn't going to get a ticket.

"Wait just a moment, I'll be right back," He said. He went back to run my license and he was back there so long I started to think that I was going to get a ticket.

He came back. No ticket, written warning, told me to try taking the bus until I got my tabs updated. I said "Will do, sir."

I got all suited up again, and rode the rest of the way home. Upon getting home, my afternoon got even better! After I got off my bike, I noticed that there was fabric showing through my rear tire. "HOLY SHIT!" I thought. That could have made my afternoon really ugly. It wasn't there this morning, at least...

I got a little steamed, briefly, at my crappy commute. Then I remembered that all of it could have been prevented, and it was indeed my fault. Sometimes, taking responsibility for your own stupid actions really sucks.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to figure out how the hell I can afford to get a new bike in time for Ride to Work day.

Check it out

So I'm going to be posting some articles over here at The Motorcycle Group site in addition to this blog. It's a new site, but they've got some great writers lined up to contribute, and there ought to be a little something for everyone (that likes motorcycles). Check it out!

Durp.

As I've mentioned before, I'm not real good with maintenance. I mean, I do it, but it's usually a little late. Or, sometimes, a lot late.

Yesterday I was turning around a corner and thought to myself "That's odd, it sounds like my tires are low."

Then I hit a stoplight and some guy at the bus stop nearby called "Hey buddy! Your back tire is low. REAL low."

I took a quick peek, and yep, it was pretty low. I found a gas station with an air compressor, but I had to pay 75 cents to use it. Man, I hate paying to use air. Anyway, tires filled, I ride on. And within 10 feet I noticed that, gosh, my bike sure does handle a lot better with air in the tires.

Durp.

Just for something completely different.

I hope you all still have most of your fingers after another exciting Fourth of July.

Now, back to important business. A tangential subject to motorcycles and pizza is suitably rockin' tunes. While you might be tempted to say that a collection of Judas Priest is all you need for both motorcycle and pizza enjoyment, you would be incorrect.

Recently, I became mildly interested in assembling a list of songs where the word "motherfucker" is sung. Now, I don't mean shouted by Axl Rose as punctuation. That's all well and good, but what I really want are songs where the word "motherfucker" is melodius on it's own. Take as an example the song "Get Your Hands Off of My Woman" by The Darkness, where the word "motherfucker" is practically it's own verse.

So, here's the part where I appeal to you to help me compile my list of songs where the word "motherfucker" is an integral part of the melody. If you know of such a song, let me know!