Some Rare, Cool Weather

While the rest of the country is suffering through a heat wave, somehow those of us in Phoenix got a respite from the summer temperatures on July 4.  The previous day had been cloudy, and on the Fourth it did something unusual: it rained.

If it rains enough, it has a dramatic impact on the temperature here in the urban desert.  So instead of sweltering in triple digit heat, we only had to deal with temperatures in the mid-nineties (never mind the sudden humidity).

Since cool temperatures in July are excessively rare here in Phoenix, Lady Luck and I decided the best thing to do was take advantage of the relief by taking the bikes out to watch fireworks.

We've got a favorite spot on a hill in Tempe that gives a pretty good view of Tempe's firework show.  Tempe throws a big party every year for the Fourth, and their annual fireworks display is impressive.

The two of us haven't been over there in a while, however, and we got a bit turned around.  The mistake wound up being a happy accident, however.  We ended up finding a quiet spot along the road  on reservation land where we could see no fewer than eight fireworks displays.

The heat has returned, so the chances are that the Vespa won't be getting out again for a couple of months.  I'm glad we were both able to get out riding.  Unfortunately, I had to work the following day, so we weren't able to continue the ride much longer after the fireworks shows had ended.

Here's hoping for some more rainy days this summer!

Happy Independence Day!

Hey there!  Today would be a lovely day to go out and celebrate our nation's day of independence with a motorcycle ride.

Hop to it.

Seventh Birthday!

As of yesterday, The Great Motorcycle Pizza Tour is seven years old.  I kind of can't believe it.  On the other hand, I can totally believe it.  I was re-reading some of my old posts, and cringing at the writing in some of them.  On the other hand, I felt pretty proud of a few of them.  Several of the posts from five years ago I could swear I'd just written last year.  

So, summer has arrived, and although I haven't been posting a lot recently, I haven't thrown in the towel on this blog yet either.  I hope you'll bear with me as I try to come up with ideas for more content.  Now that it's hot here in the desert, I may have to start doing pizza reviews for places in higher altitudes.  Or providing recipes for post-ride beverages.  Or something.

Anyway, thanks so much for reading along for the last several years!

Great Video Featuring Urals in Washington

I don't really have much to add, except that I'm mildly jealous of these guys.  Enjoy!

The Five Deadly Attitudes

I probably don't need to tell you this, but I'm going to anyway, just in case you've gotten cozy and complacent in your motorcycling habits: riding a motorcycle is risky.  Most bikers will tell you, if they're being honest, that the risk is part of thrill.  But those same bikers, assuming they aren't raging idiots, will also tell you that risk management is a major part of living to become an old biker.

Speaking of attitude...

I've borrowed a bit of wisdom from aviation in the past, since aviation is as much, if not more, about risk management as motorcycling.  In my curiosity, I've come across a bit more wisdom that is just as valid for those of us flying at low altitudes: The Five Deadly Attitudes.

Deadly Attitude Number One: Resignation

"What's the use? I give up," or, "I'd better lay the bike down."  Resignation is giving in like a whiny little jerk.  There's no place for resignation on a motorcycle.  You've got to stay in control, or if you discover you're not in control, get it back.  If you're going to go down, at least go down trying your best not to.  Don't just watch it happen.  

Deadly Attitude Number Two: Anti-Authority

"Why should I listen to you?"  Note that this is not the same thing as questioning authority.  This is refusing to do something just because someone else told you to do it, and vice versa.  Maybe you've been sitting at a red light that won't change for five minutes and you get a bit frustrated, and decide you know what's best, so you take a quick glance to see if anyone is coming and just go.

Deadly Attitude Number Three: Impulsiveness

"Do it now."  This is the belief that doing something is better than doing nothing.  I think this comes along when one has already made a mess of other bad choices.  If you're keeping SIPDE (Scan, Identify, Predict, Decide, Execute) in mind, you should rarely if ever have to do anything without a seconds thought.

Deadly Attitude Number Four: Invulnerability

"It won't happen to me."  The belief that only other guys crash when doing an 80 MPH wheelie down the freeway.  Or that you don't need to wear protective gear because you're not going to crash.  It can happen to you, so take care that it doesn't.  Every now and then, you need to take a second and remember that riding a motorcycle is still risky, and stupidity is frequently rewarded with lots of pain.

Deadly Attitude Number Five: Macho

"I can do this!"  For example, declaring you can make it home despite the tornado warning and hard rain reducing the visibility down to twenty feet.  Or that you can ride across Death Valley in the mid-day heat in July, no problem.  Maybe you can.  Maybe it's still stupid to do it.  If you find yourself wanting to prove how tough you are, that should set off a little alarm in your head telling you to think for a minute.

I suspect we've all been guilty of one or two of these.  Sometimes, we've got to step back and ask ourselves if we're sure we're being rational and safe.  It is, after all, possible to ride hard and ride safely at the same time.

What are your thoughts?

Shaking Off The Dust

Hi there.  Sorry for the dearth of posts lately.  Blame it on too much thinking about the existential nature of motorcycles and not enough writing about hooning around town on them.  I've got a nice post in the works that should be up soon - I just have to shine it up a bit.

In the meantime, I've just got to say that, wow, was the weather ever perfect this morning.  I very seriously considered calling in and going to work late today just so I could buzz around a little more.  As I mentioned in my previous post, The Heat has returned to Phoenix, so it's important to enjoy every little bit of tolerable fresh air while I can.

Return of The Heat

Those of us living in the desert wastes just got to enjoy a final, glorious weekend with perfect temperatures.  Of course, now we're hosed.

Yes, the Heat* is returning to the desert.  While those of you in colder climates are celebrating the thawing of lakes and such, please toast the poor souls here in the southwest doing our parts to keep you guys warm.

As for me, I'm going to have to admit that it's actually time to start wearing my summer gear.  It looks like we're going to hit three digit temperatures next weekend - which says to me that next weekend will be an excellent weekend to get out of town. 

Anyway, to make the best of the upcoming Heat, here's a post from last summer for your enjoyment:  Five Tips For Riding In Oppressive Summer Heat.


* The summer weather in Phoenix is a proper noun

The VX800 is Gone



Trailer queen?

 On Friday night the VX800 shipped off to its new home.  The new owner apparently didn't waste any time getting to work on it, and had it running again the following morning.  He's promised photos when the bike is roadworthy again.

Suddenly, there is a lot of room in my garage.  Kind of gets the old brain churning a bit.  Kind of makes a fella feel like undertaking a new project.

Maybe a sailboat.

Nah.

Did You Know About This?

Apparently, Honda builds choppers now, and has been doing so for a while.  I guess I'm not paying enough attention to current motorcycle news - particularly motorcycle news related to choppers.

So, if you want an inexpensive chopper that looks reasonably good, maybe the Honda Fury is for you.  Do people still like choppers?  I get the impression that the chopper fad has passed, again, at least until it comes back around in 10 years.

VX800 Headed For A New Home



Still a sweet bike.

 After several years of not working on the VX800, I have had to admit to myself that it's a project I'm just not going to finish.  As such, I listed it for sale on the VX800 forum, and someone right here in Phoenix took interest immediately.

A gentleman who owns another VX800 stopped by on Sunday to check it out, and unless things change, will be back later this week to pick it up.  As I understand it, his plan is to fix it up and then give it to his brother.

I'm glad it's going to someone who has a passion for the VX800.  I still think it's a really, really cool bike.  Of course, I think every bike is a really, really cool bike, so I guess maybe I'm not the best judge.  All the same, I'm going to be sad to see it go.

Can Good Pizza Be Made In The Back Of A Truck?

Say, that's a sweet bike.

It was recently brought to my attention that right here in Phoenix there is a weekly gathering of food trucks just a few short blocks from my place of employment.  Food trucks that have, you know, good food.  I didn't see anyone dishing up nachos with cheese that comes from a can.*

Lady Luck and I made plans to meet up at this food truck rally, along with a few friends.  It only seemed proper to ride the Vespa to such an occasion, and I was glad I did.  Parking was slightly confusing (but ample), and I wouldn't have been able to pull off some of the maneuvers I did if I'd been on the Triumph instead of the scooter.

There were roughly ten trucks in attendance.  Among our group we tried a decent Indian Fry Bread, some killer corn dogs and bratwurst, excellent jambalya and totally excellent ice cream.

But enough about those inferior foods.  I hear you asking, "What about the damn pizza?"



If I had to drive a truck...

The Pizza People truck was in attendance.  I couldn't see all of the inner workings, but based on their menu options, I suspect they make each pizza to order.  It took about 10 minutes between ordering and getting my pie.

I ordered the "Testosteroni," which is a dumb name**, in my always humble opinion, but a good pizza.  As you might imagine, it was meaty.  If I recall correctly, pepperoni, sausage and hamburger, along with black olives and mushrooms.  The real star was the crust, which was chewy and crunchy in exactly the right ways, and far too good to come out of a truck.  I would gladly eat it again, so to answer the question in the title, yes, good pizza can be made in a truck.

Adding to the festive food truck atmosphere was one of the local classic rock stations.  They were pumping the greatest hits of the 80's as we ate.  One of the DJs came by our table and tried to get us to record one of those "Hi, I'm Joe Smith and you're listening to Morning Breath with Micky Mac and The Nibblin, on 99.5 KLMN!" station identifiers they always insist on playing over the intro or outro to your favorite song.  Since we wouldn't do that, they asked us if we had a story we could tell about something that happened while listening to a song by one of the bands on a list.

What an adorable little pizza

I was sorely tempted to make up a story about blasting "Don't Stop Believin'," by Journey, on the stereo of my Ford Escort station wagon back in 1989 when I killed a man in Reno just to watch him die, and how I then buried him in the desert to the strains of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," by U2.  And then mention what good timing that was, since the body has yet to be found.

However, that's hardly appropriate lunch-time conversation, so I decided a simple "No thanks," would be the most appropriate response.

In all, a fun lunch-time expedition.  The rise of high class food trucks seems like a good thing to me.  I hope it continues.  Word on the street, though, is that chain restaurants are muscling in on the food truck action, and soon we'll have to contend with an Applebee's food truck instead of one run by a few passionate people.  Sad.

* Not that there's anything wrong with cheap nachos, you understand.  If I had my day, my four basic food groups would be pizza, burgers, cheap nachos and hot wings. 

** Were you able to figure out how to say "Testosteroni" right away?  It took me a couple tries before I got up the nerve to actually order it.  But maybe I'm just special.

I Had No Idea Triumph Made These



Inspiration Just Waiting For Your Fingers

 So there I was digging around in the interesting section (read: crap only I would want) of an antique store in Bisbee, Arizona, when I just about broke my toe tripping over this 50 pound hunk of iron desktop righteousness. 

Yep, that's a typewriter made by Triumph.

Being something of a typewriter enthusiast, the only reason I didn't buy it is because I just don't have room in my garage for an enormous, dirty, mostly-ornamental typewriter.

...That's not strictly true.  I could find room.  The real reason was because I didn't want to lug this sucker around Bisbee. 

Here's An Awesome Photo

I don't have much to add, except to say that this kid knows the score.  Look at his righteous, stompy boots.

"This afternoon, I'll explain how to get your knee down."

 

Swiped from Dinosaurs and Robots.

Further Scooter Mischief

It seemed like a good idea to ride the Vespa to work this morning instead of the Triumph, so I did.  The first third of my ride was entirely conventional, but then I arrived at a stoplight next to a pair of chopped hawgs.  They had the requisite loud exhaust and goofy beanie helmets and looked like a couple of bad motherfuckers, so I assume they were dentists.

The three of us were turning left.  The intersection we were at had two left turn lanes, and I was in the inside lane, while they were in the other.  I had stopped somewhat behind them, as I wasn't in the mood for conversation.

The light changed, and I paused before taking off, wanting to give them a chance to get moving.  I assumed they would roar ahead and be out of hearing range within a couple minutes.  Only they didn't.  It looked to me like they just didn't know which of the two of them should go first. 

So I grabbed a big handful of throttle (relatively speaking.  It's a Vespa, after all) and sped through the turn, whizzing past the two of them and leaning over pretty hard.  As it worked out, I ended up leading the pack for a couple miles, which entertained me to no end.  It's hard to look tough when you're following a dude on a Vespa - even if that dude is me.

The problem with the Vespa, though it's a good problem, is that the thing is so zippy, and so maneuverable, it ends up being really, really difficult to ride responsibly.  Why be responsible when it's so much fun to cause a ruckus?

Watch This Guy Riding On Top of a Mountain

This is pretty nuts.  Watching it doesn't make me half as nervous, though, as watching this video about climbing an antenna tower...

A Bit of Eye Candy

No idea what all the cups are about.

It's always fun to see what's lurking around the periphery at car shows.  In my always humble opinion, the "big deal" cars are usually the least interesting.  I'm sure your brand-new Lamborghini is a wonder, but I'm more interested in the details of the Locost hiding off in an unvisited corner of the show. 

Anyway, Lady Luck and I were at a car show this weekend and nearly tripped over this cafe racer.  This bike makes me want to misbehave in traffic.  Didn't see the owner around, unfortunately, so we weren't able to talk shop.

Triumph Gently Introduced To The Ground

Here's a rough way to start the day: realizing far too late that the kickstand is not up, and trying desperately to keep the bike from falling over all the way.

I tried to catch the bike in time, which I'm paying for now that the adrenaline has worn off.  Instead of keeping the bike upright, however, I fell hard into the side of a truck parked next to me.  At least my efforts slowed the Triumph's descent a bit.

Lifting the bike proved to be a problem, as there wasn't enough room between the Triumph and the neighboring truck to squat down and lift the bike the proper way.  Luckily for me, a guy was walking by and I was able to convince him he wanted to help me pick my bike up off the ground.

It looks like there wasn't any damage to the bike, or the truck I fell on.  I keep discovering new little pains as the morning progresses, but I hope a bit of soreness and embarrassment will be the worst of it.

No pics of the bike on the ground because, hey, the Triumph doesn't need that kind of humiliation.  Also, my first thought was, "get the bike back up," not, "take a photo."   I'm sure you can dig it.

A Thought About Running Late, As A Motorcycle Commuter

Well before being labeled a Viking (a label I am totally OK with, by the way), I was just a guy who knew he liked motorcycles.  A lot.  If I were to list all the motorcycle-related things I read and watched and purchased prior to actually getting a motorcycle, you might think I had a bit of an obsession.

I know that no one would make that mistake now, of course,

Way back in those long-gone days, I read an article about motorcycle commuting that said one should not ride if sick, angry, depressed, etc. etc.  And I suppose that's pretty good advice, assuming that you've got a car to get around with.

I don't.  I've got my choice of motorcycle or scooter.* 

According to that article, one of the many, many conditions for not riding is, "if you are running late."  The reasoning being that you'll be all distracted and panicky and will end up ground into hamburger underneath an 18-wheeler and then your family will be all sad and your important projects at work won't get finished.

Well, this morning I was running late.  My choice was Vespa or Triumph.  I considered the 15 minutes I'd save by riding the Triumph vs. the safety of a sedate scooter ride.  A wiser biker than me once said that when he had to make a decision about riding, he'd ask himself, what would Beowulf do?

And I figured Beowulf wouldn't be much for tooling along surface streets when he could be blazing a fiery trail down the HOV lane.

So I took the Triumph.  Arrived early.





*OK, I can carpool with Lady Luck, but it's a hassle for her to navigate through downtown Phoenix and I'd really rather ride on most days.  I could also take public transportation, which I've done a few times and again, I'd rather ride.

Smell Like a Bad Ass

Embarassing disclosure: I used to wear this cologne back in high school. I totally felt like a bad ass. I was justified in feeling that way, though, since I was a bad ass.

Also, for what it's worth, the ladies loved it. It was actually a pretty decent scent.

How Cold Is It Where You're Riding?

I got an email from Noam Sayin', sometimes commenter, always scholar and gentleman, mentioning that he's been enjoying some unseasonably warm weather (40 degrees F in Minnesota??) and has made the most of it by breaking out the bikes for a little winter mayhem. 

40 degrees is about as cold as it gets here, though we have had a couple days below freezing.  I know some of you guys ride in much colder weather.

So, if you're still riding right now... what kind of temperatures are you dealing with?

Fantastic Motorcycle Photos



Been there.

I stumbled across a blog chock full of fantastic biker-y photos and just had to throw out a link.  The image to the left is but a sample of the wonders and surprises that await you.

So, get yourself on over to The World Is Flat and check it out.

(Photo swiped from http://aproposfoto.blogspot.com/. I presume Michael Schmidt holds the copyright.)

Getting Used To A Slower Pace

For about a month, I rode the Vespa in to work instead of the Triumph.  The Vespa, since it has a 250cc motor, is technically freeway legal, but I take surface roads instead.  80 miles per hour on a scooter, even a big scooter like the GTS, is a bit too thrilling for me.  Especially because that's the upper limit of it's speed, and traffic here generally moves slightly faster than that.

Rather than be a sitting duck on the freeway, I buzz along the city streets to work, and just enjoy the extra torque of the big motor (as compared to a 150cc scooter) on quieter roads.  Slow is fun, especially when there are interesting things to see along the way.

The Triumph, however, let me know it was getting a bit lonely and jealous of the Vespa, so I decided I'd resume riding the freeways on the Speed Four and let the Vespa chill in the garage for a bit.

Apparently, my traffic and speed tolerance went way, way down over the last month.  I read a journal of a bicycle tourer recently, who said that riding in a car, experiencing the speed and peril of fast traffic, after several months on a bicycle was absolutely terrifying.  My experience was similar. 

It was hard to keep my speed up, because it just seemed too dang fast.  I had to keep a close eye on the speedometer to keep from holding up traffic.  And other drivers are maniacs, swerving from lane to lane and invading my personal bubble too often.  The ride home was the same.

This morning's ride in wasn't as bad, but still a bit too thrilling.  Makes me think I might start riding the back way on the Triumph, at least while it's cool outside.  A bit of tranquility while riding is a good thing.

Or, maybe I'll keep riding the freeway and get my nerve back.

How Wrenching On Your Own Bike Makes You More Awesome



That's one sexy rotor

This was going to be a post about how to change the stator on a Triumph Speed Four.  Then I remembered that there are about five other Speed Fours on the road, so it wouldn't be especially useful for very many people.  Also, as repairs go, it's pretty darned simple.  The most challenging issue is finding the cause of the problem.  The rest is spinning a wrench, which you can probably find a video about on YouTube if you need a little extra help on the Righty-Tighty, Lefty-Loosey concept.

Cost savings aside - which were substantial in this case, a few hundred dollars at least - there is a great deal of value in pulling your bike apart, fixing the problem and then putting it all back together the right way.

For one thing, it takes a good deal of courage just to start the job if you don't already have experience working on mechanical things.  I pulled a lawn mower engine apart and put it back together back in high school and I still get nervous before tackling a new repair.  And the idea of checking the valve clearances on this bike makes me break into a cold sweat.

Next up, it forces you to be persistent.  Especially when the bike is your main mode of transportation.  Nothing ever goes smoothly, there's always a challenge of some sort.  For example, rare is the repair that doesn't require removing other critical parts - hoses, the gas tank, a carburetor, etc. - in order to get to the broken one.  After the troubleshooting, removing those bits is usually the most difficult part of the job.  And then you've got to get them all back into place.  A lack of persistence means a non-running bike (case in point, the VX800 languishing in my garage...).

Taking a closer look at the issue of parts you have to remove in order to get to the part you're interested: working on a motorcycle forces you to be careful and methodical.  It's best to learn this lesson before you find yourself staring at a Ziploc bag containing a couple different springs, several bolts in varied sizes and a note that says "carb and fuel pump."  You'll have a chance to learn this lesson again when you drop one of those bolts into some inaccessible part of the bike and spend an hour trying to fish it out with a flashlight and a wire clothes hanger. 

Along the way, you'll get plenty of opportunities to practice your troubleshooting skills.  Motorcycles are reasonably simple machines, but they're still made up of several systems that have to work together correctly in order to deliver the necessary air, fuel and spark the motor needs in order to run.  Every system added increases the complexity a bit, and modern bikes have quite a few systems. 

Which leads into the final point.  To the uninitiated, a motorcycle may as well be a kitchen appliance, just like cars.  It's a hunk of metal that does a particular thing.  When it stops doing its particular thing, call a repair shop.  For those of us in the know, a motorcycle is far more than an appliance, and deserves personal care and respect.  Working on your own bike lets you get to know each system, and see how they work together.  Ultimately, you end up with a much better understanding of how your bike works, which is a very good thing.

Especially when you finally run into something you can't/don't want to do and the mechanic tries to tell you the problem is that you're low on blinker fluid.

As in every situation, knowledge is power, and doing your own wrenching will increase your level of knowledge in a hurry.  When you use the skills you developed (while trying to get your own infernal machine on the road again) to solve a problem for someone else, they will be impressed.  Beers and high fives will be forthcoming, and you'll be glad for the bloody knuckles and frustration you endured trying to get that confounded oil filter loose.