177 Leaves on the Porch

Well, I think I'm just about used to the fact that we're well past warm weather being the norm and just about at the half-way point of the fall season.
Sure, we can have a spat of Indian summer like we did for the past few days, but, don't count on it everyday until May gets back here.
It'll be nice when it does.

I also remember having some very warm days this past March, which now seem like they were years ago.
My, how quickly time can pass when your back is turned.
That ol' Father Time.
He's a sneaky guy. :)

At least the weather we're having now is good for riding a dirt bike.
It's warm enough so you don't start shivering as soon as you step out of the house, and when you're on the bike and getting a physical workout, it feels downright comfy.
Bring a jacket, and you'll be fine.

I imagine that when the weather gets into mid-winter and it regularly goes below freezing at night and ice forms on the ponds around here, I'll mount-up my tires with the ice screws in them and do some riding on the ice as I did last winter.
That can be fun, but, in all honesty, it's a poor replacement for riding a dirt bike on dirt (or 95% rock and 5% dirt if you're out in the rock pile).
Things feel a bit fake and artificial since the ice is relatively smooth and flat, and you just don't get the same feeling while out there doing it.
This is, after all, why we partake in physical activities that we enjoy, ain't it?
Isn't it to yet again experience feelings that you find enjoyable?
It is to me, anyway.

I want to either laugh or puke (depending on my mood) when somebody starts rambling about how they ride a motorcycle for boring reasons like (supposed) fuel economy (and if they are getting some crazy fuel mileage on their bike, they're riding like a wimp and not even opening that throttle - disgraceful, really) or having "the wind in my face", or being able to get a better view of all the pretty fall foliage.
I don't know about you, but those are definitely NOT the reasons I took-up motorcycling.
Not by a long shot.
Nope.
Thinking about doing those things makes me have a very bored and actually mildly disgusting feeling come over me.
To me, it's always been about putting the bike through it's paces in a manner like you see in a dirt bike magazine with a nice roost coming off the rear tire, front wheel in the air, and little rocks and stones flinging about as the engine makes a nice sound.
This is what it's all about, and at the end of a ride where I feel like I did a good job of it, I feel like I'm on the top of the world.
I've found nothing better.

Last night after jerk, I installed a little device onto the caps of my Phase 4 forks called fork bleeders.
Basically, since there is air held inside of each fork leg, and the fork leg will heat up and cool down depending on weather conditions and even how much the fork warms-up from normal use, the air inside the fork can become pressurized.

The current theory of dirt bike front fork action says that zero air pressure (when the front wheel is off the ground and the front fork is not being compressed) gives the best results.
Since it is normal for the fork's air to pressurize on a daily basis (and this will make the fork less able to absorb sudden bumps as well), installing these little bleeders lets you bleed-off pressure build-up by merely pushing a little button instead of using a screwdriver and turning a little bleed screw all the way out to release the air.
Now, I can do this in an instant mere seconds before I leave the truck and head for the trail.
I've used them 20 years ago when I first saw them, and I believe it's time I used them again since I do release the air pressure so often.

Off to jerk,
-John