373 Dykes on Horseback

Here's a typical outdoorsy girl who likes to ride her horse through state forests.
Also typically, they're dykes.
Yikes.

I did go out for another Pachaug rock n' roll pile ride today (Monday), so that makes three in a row for me this long weekend.
I felt good, I felt good on the bike, and the bike felt good as well.
Just as it should be, goddammit.
I did something different for this ride, too, and that was to start the proceedings by riding about 20 miles out to a state forest in Rhode Island.
You know, Rhode Island, the smallest state on the United States union, also known as The Ocean State.
Maybe that's because if one more fat person crosses the boarder and enters the puny little place, it will break off from the rest of the continental Unites States and fall into the Atlantic Ocean once and for all.
God, I just hope all of the politicians are there and go down with it.  :)

The forest is called the Arcadia Land Management, and is, basically, a collection of dirt roads going all around a chunk of acreage with trees all over the place.
You know, the kind of place that those air-headed types like to go to "commune with nature" (AKA environmental mental cases hugging trees while the very guys that fund environmental groups are putting up and billowing the smokestacks of all of those factory sweatshops in China and the like), kid themselves about how great it must have been to have lived back in 1801 when things were much simpler and more pure and natural and just like it still would and should be today if we all knew what was good for us and not so gaddammed selfish with the poor Earth's limited and frigile resources (as they turn the AC up to full blast and reach for the PLAY button of their CD player in their Lexus while texting a stupid message to one of their retard friends while trying to drive), and, most of all, the usual gathering spot of horse-loving and horse-riding dykes.

Being a national holiday weekend, I saw (and pulled over and stopped my engine for) about 6 groups of these lezbos and their four-legged friends, and a couple of them actually made for some minor league entertainment.
The first one, after seeing me come to a stop and wait for some kind of a signal from the slut, waved me to go by her and her homo friend, also on horseback.
As I passed along side at jogging speed and actually trying not to spook her big animal with a pea-sized brain, she gets all pissy and gives me a frantic SLOW IT DOWN type of hand gesture.
I had to laugh to myself as I just shrugged and yelled to her, "I can't go any slower!".
Goddammit, what is fuck's name am I supped to do?
Carry the bike past on my back for the little equestrian lesbian, or something?
Jesus.

Once I got into the actual Arcadia forest, I came upon another pair of his and her horse homos.
I came to a stop and shut my engine off, as usual, and asked what they wanted me to do.
(Hey, I'm there to ride, not sit there for an hour while they piss their pants gawking at the trees.)
The old dyke made a comment about she didn't see what I was going to do out in that forest on that day, and I asked her what she meant by that.
She then informed me that there were lots of horse riders out there somewhere, and I just replied that was the reason I keep my eyes peeled.
Yes, indeed - peeled for gay pride on four legs.

I spent about 25 minutes and 10 miles in that place, and quite frankly, it was boring.
I actually expected it to be boring, knowing that I was allowed to ride only the dirt roads and not any actual trails (too bad), but, I went just in case I might be wrong.
Nope.
I was right.
And a bit bored.

So, after high-tailing it out of loser paradise, I crossed back into the Constitution State (AKA Connecticut) and immediately hopped onto the ol' Pachaug enduro loop.
As luck would have it, just over the CT. boarder is where the good part of the Pachaug loop starts, and I enjoyed myself on my CRF-450X9, especially as there were no horses in sight on the real trails.

Tomorrow starts a shortened jerk week.
Hope it goes by quickly.
-John

372 Whoops in the Pine-Needled Forest

Well, well, well.
Here we are in the midst of another Memorial Day weekend, folks.
That means that I actually have Monday off from jerk, something that doesn't come around too often.
No sirree, Bob.
I'll take it.

That also means I have an extra day to ride the ol' CRF-450X9 if I so choose, and I just might do that.
It's Sunday evening as I type this wonderful bloggy post, and I've already ridden two days out of the weekend.
Should I go for three in a row?
Hmmm.
I do feel pretty good and have a good level of energy, so, we'll see in the morning on that.

Saturday's Pachaug enduro loop ride was good.
I rode my typical route for the majority of it, and it was 50 miles in total.
I felt pretty good, and (knock wood) the shitty feeling I had a couple weeks ago due to (presumably) pollen in the air seems to be long gone.
Instead, I had a good amount of energy, I could concentrate, and I made some good moves while on the bike, something that is always a great feeling, and something that never gets old.
Shit, if it did get old, I wouldn't want to ride now, would I?  ;)

Where Saturday's ride route did differ from the usual was toward the end, at about the 30-something mile mark.
I finally rode down one trail of the Pachaug loop that I'd actually never ridden on before - ever - although I did walk down it on foot once last fall as an investigation of it.
This trail contains one of the "Hero Sections", so named because it is more challenging due to the very rocky, dried-up stream bed on this trail.
It literally is all rock and no dirt on the rocky section, something that I have never enjoyed riding in my whole time on dirt bikes.
It's called a dirt bike, not a rock bike, Leroy.
So, what I did was take the (much newer) bypass trail that some clever riders have recently cut in that runs along the side of this rocky stream bed, and that was much more like real dirt bike riding to me.
All-in-all, I'll have to ride this trail a bunch more times before I have a good memory of it and feel comfortable turning the wick up into the fun zone.
This, I shall do.

Today's (Sunday's) ride was on a different route for a change of pace.
I still utilized the same actual trails, but I put them together in a different order.
What I started off doing was something I haven't done since February (I think it was February, anyway):
I rode some laps around the mini-loop that makes-up my favorite pine-needled, whooped-out sections.
Each lap around that loop is 2.8 miles, and I did that for 10 laps.
That stuff is, as I've written before, basically like a motocross track going through the woods, and it is very enjoyable.
Very physically exerting as well, but that's part of the appeal to me because I want to get a good cardio workout while riding my dirt bikes, Bucky.
Why don't you try that?
God, if only the whole Pachaug enduro loop was like that terrain.

After a water and piss break, I then rode out to the start of a trail section about 5 or 6 miles away and rode that back to where I originally started the day from.
Next, one more loop around the pine-needled section, and then I rode back to the truck.
All-in-all, it was 44.4 miles and I felt good on the bike doing it, so, chalk-up another good ride.

I'm happy to say that the CRF-450X9 felt good, too, and although I still wish I had kept the ol' warhorse WR-250FY, at least I wasn't missing it too much since I simply got with the program and rode the bike that I do still have in a decent manner.
As I realize more and more that the CRF-450X9 feels best while not in the tightest trail sections, I hope I can simply put up with that fact by riding through the tighter stuff the best I can, and then letting 'er rip in the faster stuff where the bike shines and feels very good, indeed.
Hmmmm.
Kinda' like what I did today, Lenny.  ;)

-John

371 Miles of Fun

Well, thank God that it didn't seem like tooooo long of a jerk week, and before long - POOF! - here we are at the weekend.  :)
I do think there is some truth to the old saying that time seems to pass more quickly the older you get.

I rode out on the Pachaug rock n' roll pile yesterday (Saturday) on the ol' CRF-450X9, and things felt quite good, all-in-all.
The sun was out brightly, and while that was a bother in the bright parts of the loop, I'm happy to say that was the only real pain in my ass for that ride, at least the only pain in my ass that I had no control over.
I felt good, and actually remember thinking to myself at a couple of spots well into the ride that I didn't feel tired at all, even after the pine-needled, whooped-out section that I really like but is also energy-consuming to ride fast.
The bike felt as good as it always did (with one side note) and I feel like I did a good job of riding the bike.
It was genuinely enjoyable.

The side note about the CRF-450X9 is that, in the six months I've owned and ridden this bike out on the Pachaug enduro loop, I've come to the point where I am now having the feeling of something I knew before I even bought the bike, but I still had to live through it to remind myself of this once again.
That is:
Big power isn't everything, and there are plenty of times where a bike that has a lighter feel while on the move is simply the better and more enjoyable choice, provided it has enough power so it doesn't feel like a complete dog.
Naturally, I don't want a bike that is light-feeling yet has little power, but there is a thing called balance which is basically compromising between a light feel and having enough power to satisfy.
And, folks, do any of you out there care to guess which bike I've had in the past met that balance?
Yes, indeedy-do, the ol' warhorse 2009 Yamaha WR-250FY firebreather was exactly that.
In hindsight (and another old saying says that hindsight is 20/20 vision), I feel I should have kept the WR-250FY for the day I got tired of muscling the CRF-450X9 around on the tighter portions of the Pachaug loop.
Well, folks, I do admit that that day has come, and while I do not yet feel like putting the CRF-450X9 up for sale (because it does have some fine and enjoyable traits of it's own like big power and torque, good suspension in the medium- and higher-speed sections, and excellent straight-line stability and a solid and confident feel in these sections of trail), I have reached the point, six months after purchasing the bike, that I now believe I've seen the peak of my interest in the bike and probably will either sell it within a year, or retire the bike to something like using it for back-and-forth to work and before-and-after work trail riding on the easier trails.

So, if I've reached the point to where I'm basically regretting selling the WR-250FY, and now feel that the CRF-450X9 is just a bit too heavy-feeling in the tighter stuff, what do I do now?
Well, I believe that means getting yet another bike that is around the 250cc range.
But, which one?
And when?
Well, that's the million dollar (or, at least a few thousand dollar) question.
I am very curious to see if Yamaha will be coming out with a new WR-250F for the 2013 model year.
If they do and it has the same kind of features that the new-for-2012 WR-450FB does (new frame based on the 2012 YZ-250FB motocross bike, new suspension, and new bodywork in the interest of making the bike feel better and perform better), then it would be very hard, indeed, to not consider it.
Another choice would be to keep my eyes peeled for a used WR-250F that is worth the price that the seller is asking (most of the time, these used bikes are waaaaaay over priced for the model year and condition they're in - you know, the ol' ask-way-more-than-you-really-want routine).
Lots of used bike ads feature asking prices that make me chuckle.

Then, there are the European brands like KTM, Husagerg, and Husqvarna, manufacturers that still sell two-stroke off-road bikes, something I haven't owned in 20 years because Yamaha and Honda quit making 2-stroke trail bike years ago, and the vast majority of the 1986 Yamaha IT-200S models out there have been long ago beaten into the scrap heap by some motorcycle retard.
A highly-qualified motorcycle retard, though.
A 300cc two-stroke European bike would be something I've never owned, although I am reading-up on these.
I would expect these bike to feel light with strong power.
The down side is that the motorcycle shop I work at does not sell KTM, Husaberg, or Husqvarna motorcycles, although there are other shops within a 45-minute drive that do (KTM and Husqvarna, anyway).

To be honest, it isn't as likely for me to go this European brand route, but, I can't completely rule it out, either.
One advantage about these European bikes is that, at least up until 2012, it is easier to street register one of these bikes because the manufacturer's Certificate of Origin (looks like a title, but isn't a title) doesn't say, in effect, NOT FOR HIGHWAY USE.
Because of this, I'm told that all I have to do is go down to the local DMV branch, show my papers and money, and walk out with a legit license plate WITHOUT having to go through the hassle of modifying the bike with the required parts and bringing it up to the Whethersfield main DMV office in order to pass an inspection before it can be registered, something that takes additional time and money.

Choices, choices.

Well, one choice I did make just a few days ago was buying a POS fixer-up special for $1,000:
A 1998 Honda XR-250R.
What's a 1998 Honda XR-250R?
It's basically a technological age older version of the Yamaha WR-250FY that I had.
It's air-cooled instead of liquid-cooled, the suspension tech is older, the shape of the bodywork, seat, and the overall ergonomics of the bike are from the mid-1990s (fatter and not as flat and sleek with the seat and fuel tank shape), and, overall, a bike meant for recreational trail riding.

What makes this bike a POS fix-'er-upper is that it is in poor shape - the engine and chassis need to be disassembled for an overhaul, so I have to put time and money into it before I can even ride it to see if I actually like it enough to want to keep it and ride it for a while.
Why did I spend a grand on a POS?
Because it has a Connecticut street title, and this means registering the bike to ride legally out on the Pachaug enduro loop or back-and-forth to jerk will be easy (if you want to think of doing anything at the Department of Motor Vehicles as easy).
We'll have to see if this bike is actually going to be fixed and ridden because I haven't even disassembled the engine, yet.
If things simply look to be worn out with the piston, rings, and cylinder wall, then I'll fix it.
If I find out it needs almost every part in the engine replaced, I'll scrap the project and just try to get some of the money back by selling the bike as used parts over the Internet (known as "parting the bike out").

Well, that's what's on my mind this weekend.
Not 100% sure whether or not I'll go for a second Pachaug rock 'n roll pile ride for this weekend today (Sunday), so we'll see.

-John

370 Hours of Waiting

Well, as luck (or the lack of good luck) would have it, I didn't ride at all this past weekend because I felt less than great.
I felt tired, I had some kind of a pesky ear ache that effected my balance, and I simply didn't feel up to it.
Must be some kind of allergy, eh?
That's too bad, because the weather was certainly good enough - no rain and sunny on Saturday, and no rain and mostly cloudy (yay!) on Sunday.
Guess I'll have to shoot for this coming weekend after the looooooong work week.
I mean jerk week.

369 New Motorcycles

Sometime, I feel like I've bought and paid for 369 new motorcycles.
The real total of the bikes I've paid for over the years ain't that high, but it is over 50, no doubt.
And, as I would have it, I'm wondering how long I can go before I weaken and decide to buy another one.
It's only a matter of time.
And money.  ;)

Yes, indeedy, a nice 2012 Yamaha WR-450FB would look mighty fine to me in the back of my truck heading out for an awesome ride.
Sigh.
Some day, I'll own another Yamaha dirt bike.

For now, though, my PAID FOR (that's very important) Honda CRF-450X9 is cutting the mustard.
There are times when I realize the ol' trusty Yamaha WR-250FY (remember that one?) is the better bike for me, and those times are when the going is tight and requires maneuverability instead of 450cc power.
Twisting the throttle makes me remember why I went and bought a 450, though.
That's fun, too.  :)
It's often about compromises and making your choice.

Last weekend's Pachaug rock n' roll pile rides (yes, rides, as I went both Saturday and Sunday) were mucho better than the weekend before.
This last weekend I felt much closer to my normal self, and I had a good time out there.
The bike felt good, I rode in a decent manner, and I had a reasonable feeling of satisfaction that I'd done a good job of it.

The new front tire I recently mounted (the Bridgestone M603 and the match to the rear M604) works very well.
These are probably going to be the tires I use for the foreseeable future since they cost a few bucks less than the time-honored M22/M23, yet are still excellent tires.
Great traction and a great feel from them.
I'm sold.

The CRF-450X9 is ready to go for this weekend, and the weather forecast is good.

-John

368 Dollars Better Used Somewhere Else

This past Saturday morning, I turned my cable TV box into the cable TV company, and I no longer have any cable TV access.
That's just fine and dandy with me, and I decided to do that because I no longer feel that the amount of money it takes to pay the monthly TV bill is worth it, anymore.
See, the monthly bill has been going up for what seems like every other month for the last year, and if memory serves, it's gone up $30 per month in just the past six months.
Seeing how the only time I turn the TV on is to watch some kind of motorcycle race (about 25 hours PER YEAR, I estimate), I felt the time had come to get rid of that cable box, save about $90 per month, and use my home PC to watch my motorcycle races, dammit.
Shit, now that I've done it, I only wish that I'd done it years sooner, folks, as I do not miss it one bit seeing that I had quit watching TV regularly at least 10 years ago.
It's just no good for your brain, people.  ;)

A fantastic side benefit of having no cable TV bill every month is that I can better afford keeping fresh tires on the ol' CRF-450X9 for my weekend Pachaug enduro loop rides.
In fact, I should put a new rear tire on this morning after I submit this bloggy post, as the rear tire is now worn down enough to easily tell it's due for replacement if I want to keep a good feel for the next ride.
Yes, goddammit, I'll gladly trade that stupid cable TV box in order to better afford keeping fresh tires on the bike.

This past weekend's Pachaug rock n' roll pile ride was not a great one.
This time of year, and ever since I got into my 30s, I'm effected by something that makes me feel bad, effecting my concentration, balance, mental ability, and mood.
I doubt it's PMS.
Pollen?
Good question, because whatever the cause is, it had a big effect on my feel for this past Sunday's ride.
I had no mishaps, thank God, but I couldn't get the usual amount of enjoyment out if it, either - not by a long shot.
It actually hurt my head to concentrate on my riding, and that's too bad because the ground conditions were good and the weather was fine.
We'll see what this weekend brings.

Time to change a tire.

-John