367 Broken Electrons

Howdy.
It's been a couple of weeks since my last bloggy post, ain't it?
Much of that is because 12 days ago, my ol' trusty home PC took a dump and was acting in such a way that it would not reboot itself.
So, being the layman that I am with personal computers, I unplugged it and took it to a nice guy I know that runs his own computer shop for a check-up.

Well, this time, it was more than just a debugging of some stupid virus or such because he told me that the mother board inside my PC was fried, and since my computer was 8 years old (and that's a long time for a PC he says), he doubted that he could even get a new one to replace it with.
His recommendation to me was to shit can the old one and just buy a new one, and I took his advice.
I had him build me a brandy-new one, so here I am typing this on my new PC at home on Sunday afternoon.
It's a nice unit, and I'm just about familiar with the new (to me) Windows 7 operating system (my old one used Windows XP).
Oooohh, Stone Age, huh?
Eh, it's only money.  ;)

Earlier today, I went out for a ride on the ol' Pachaug enduro loop on the ol' CRF-450X9.
The ride was good and the weather and ground conditions were good as well.
It was completely cloudy and threatening to rain, but that's just fine and dandy with me because since bright sunshine reflecting off the light-colored ground makes me squint all day, I can see much better when the clouds cover the sun, Lenny.

I felt good, rode well enough to be satisfied with my riding, and even took a trail that I haven't done in it's entirety in about 6 months due to it being a flooded mess at the half-way point.
The last time I did this trail all the way through was on the ol' Yamaha WR-250FY, and doing it on the bigger CRF-450X9 sure gave me a workout (especially since I don't know it from memory all the well), but I completed it without incident.
I'm glad that the mini lake at the middle is dried-up, so now I can add this to my usual loop.
Until we get some quagmire-producing rain storm that floods it out, that is.  ;)

I need to change both tires, again, as I could easily feel a distinct loss of traction at both ends due to worn tires.
It really does suck big balls that I have to change tires so often if I want to have the best tire performance, but, that's how it goes when you have to ride on pavement a few miles each loop - the road wears the tires down a lot faster than the dirt and rocks do.
How fast and how often?
After 4 rides out there, the tires are worn enough to effect traction noticeably and start thinking about new ones.
The 5th ride is more so.
By the 6th ride, they're a liability and should be replaced if you expect anything like what a new tire can deliver off-road, and they really feel loose and less-than-solid when leaning the bike over and trying to use the brakes and throttle in a spirited manner, Bucky.
You really should have known.  :)

So, during this week, I'll be installing two new Bridgestones:
An M604 on the rear, and instead of my tried-and-true M23 front (which I hope I don't regret), I'll go with an M603 front tire, one I haven't used since my 2008 Yamaha WR-250R (not F, but R. Read this shit right, would you?), which was the dual-purpose bike I rode for a year, and which was the bike I used to get back into off-road riding in the summer of 2009, something I hadn't done regularly at that point for about 15 years.
The front M603 is the match for the rear M604, and since I do like the M604 rear, and since I just couldn't resist being a dork and straying from my old standby M23, well, I just hope it works and gives me a good feeling.
We'll see next weekend.
In fact, since I've already got the CRF-450X9 washed after today's ride, and there's almost two hours before FIM World Superbike comes on TV, I'll change that front tire right now.

-John

I Saw 366 Pieces of Horse Crap

I'd bet that these two lovebirds don't have to clean up after ol' Bessy and Velvet.
Yes, folks, a pile of horse shit on the ground, left behind from when a horse went by, is the less glamorous part of riding a big animal with a pea-sized brain.
Just like back in the olden days.

Well, the weather this past weekend was rain on Saturday, but Sunday was good.
The ground was damp from the previous day's rain, but enough water had dried-up so things weren't sloppy wet, the dust was held down, and aside from being a bit cautious in the shady areas looking for damp (and slippery) tree roots, traction was very good, indeed.
As it turned out, my Sunday Pachaug rock pile ride was not too bad, even though I didn't feel as good as I usually do.
At least the bike felt as good as it usually does.

One of the prime reasons (actually, THE reason) the bike felt good was because i was using my favorite Bridgestone M23/M604 tires.
These tires feel so much better than the cheap junk I tried last weekend, there is simply no comparison.
It's like trying to compare eating a meal prepared by a famous chef versus one prepared by some drunk slob who can't see straight.
Wait.
It's even more obvious than that.
It's like comparing the quality of life of a guy who is in perfect health versus a guy who just took a trip to the electric chair.
Yeah, that's it.

The tires performed just as they always did and should do, absorbing all of those sharp hits and jolts littering the ground, as well as gripping the ground in excellent fashion at the same time.
It is easy to forget (or not even put any thought into) how important tires are for the feel of your motorcycle, and I often see guys with bikes that have completely shit tires mounted.
Hmm.
They must like that kind of stuff.

So, although the bike worked well, I wasn't feeling too well.
It seems that every year around this time, I feel effected by something that makes me feel noticeably down both physically and mentally.
On Sunday's ride, I got tired sooner and I didn't have the usual concentration and coordination that I typically would out there.
That's too bad, because the bike and conditions of the ground and weather and visibility were good.
I didn't crash, but I did screw-up a rocky hill climb while on the way back toward the gravel lot where the Pachaug enduro loop starts and ends, closing the throttle when I should keep it open, coming to a jolting halt, and having to collect my wits and start the climb again from a stop (not always fun).
That was because I just couldn't think and concentrate on that I was doing and needed to do in the usual manner.
I think that's often called an "off day".
With any luck, this weekend will be better.

Now that April is here, the dirt roads leading through the heart of the Pachaug state forest are open to cars and trucks, and that means big pickup truck towing big horse trailers.
These folks will drive out the the spot in the forest where they park their rigs, unload their horses, and ride down the dirt roads and certain trails.
Even though I'll always be courteous and pull over if I'm approaching a horse rider head-on (or slow or stop and wait for them to pull over if I'm approaching them from the rear), it is a drag because the dirt bike I'm riding isn't something the big animal with the little brain likes.
These horses get spooked easily, and I'm always wondering if the guy or girl riding it will get bucked around by a horse getting all frisky because it's scared by the sight and sound and smell of my CRF-450X9, not to mention the big possibility of the rider copping an attitude because I'm suddenly there spoiling his or her (usually it's her) serenity on National Velvet.
It's just another reason why I personally think horses suck.
I couldn't imagine a more boring way to spend the day, folks, and I've tried it.
Gim'me a dirt bike any day, please.

Off to jerk,
-John