So yesterday we did a pretty big ride. Two hundred miles total. And it was good. The thing I worry about most on my Scout Bobber is leaning forward so far to reach the bars. We’ve talked about this. You lean forward, that means you crank your neck up to look at the road. So your neck and delts get really sore. Like burning pain after a couple of hours. Well, I guess the human body can adapt to anything. I guess I’ve adapted to this. Because after a half-day of riding, I didn’t feel any of that. I call that a Victory. Wait. Not capitalized like the motorcycle.
I do love a long ride, though. I just thought I needed to get a bigger, more comfortable bike to do them on. Mine is more of a cruise around town or run up to a friend’s house bike. But if I can comfortably ride it on long trips, then I’m extremely happy about that. But now I’ve found a new problem: I seriously need a windshield. I’m not terribly excited by this prospect, because I think it’s going to totally change the aggressive look of my bike. I know, I know, that shouldn’t be what it’s about. And it’s mostly not. I promise. But it is a little bit. I mean, when it comes down to a non-safety item, and you have a choice, add this and make it look a little less cool, or leave it off and it looks cooler… Well, why would you add it?
Alas, I will just have to swallow my pride about the way the bike looks and get one anyway. Because while we’re riding 40-50 miles per hour, and even maybe 50-60, it’s fine. But we had a long stretch yesterday where we were trying to chew up a lot of miles before the heat completely blossomed. We were so far up north that the only way to do that was straight up highway. 70 and 75 mile-per-hour speed limits are not comfortable on that bike with no windshield. Have you ever experienced this – the wind feels like it’s trying to rip your helmet off? It was constantly pulling the strap against my neck, rising however far that strap allows it to rise, moving my goggles up, allowing shit to blow into my eyes, and all the while pounding my ears with hard wind. It was deafening. So now I need earplugs too?
Part of this problem can probably be solved by a full-face – and therefore, more aerodynamic – helmet. Which I have. I just don’t like wearing it as much because it’s bigger and heavier. But I will be trying it tomorrow when the group goes on a Labor Day ride. But either way I still think I’ll benefit from a windshield. Anyway, take a look at this route map. I left my house at 0630 and didn’t get back until 1345. Whew!
I was a tired boy when I got home. I had just enough time to hop in the shower and throw some shorts on before my gaming group arrived. Yes, I had a game day scheduled. So then we spent the next five to six hours playing tabletop games. And I was exhausted. I could have been a lot better host and player, had I had time for a little nap before they got there. Lesson learned. No more tackling multiple hobbies on the same day.
The ride itself was good. Lots of good experience on a ton of twisty roads – and a lot of them were of the same route we took on my last ride with the group. We drove, in fact, right by that curve where dude laid his bike down in the grass last time. No accidents this time, thank God. And a lot of different riders I hadn’t met yet. It was great.