September!

So, it's the loveliest day in September, and I had to get away from my evil homework. I rode through the refuge to enjoy the strong smell of burnt cedar and out to Cache. The Wichita Mtn Wildlife Refuge is under construction (at least the roads are) so the speed limit is 35. And, there are like a million extra stop signs (okay,okay only 4).

 

My dorky self.

Procrastinating

It's the day before my business strategy paper on Dr. Pepper is due, and, of course, I found something better to do than actually sit down and write my paper. I had the opportunity to meet up with another rider who was staying in the area for a week. Paper Schmaper, I thought. I can start, write,and finish that 4-5 page paper in the wee hours of tomorrow morning. As I left the house, I'll be damned if I didn't see what appeared to be rain clouds rolling in over the Wichita Mountains. We met up at the gas station, and rode up Mt. Scott to feel the wind kick up and the rain clouds draw nearer.

It looks so cold in the pictures that you'd never believe it was 108 degrees. Yes, it was a tad bit warm and sweat began rolling down one's face just from the exertion of breathing. We rode back down Mount Scott and parked in the picnic area so we could check out the boulder field near the bottom of Mt. Scott. I finally was able to convince someone to jump through those boulders with me. Sure, a day with a temperature of 108 degrees may not have been the brightest idea, but I never claimed to be the brightest crayon in the box. My riding buddy even took some pictures of me riding. Impromptu rides sure do rock!

About 5 raindrops fell from the sky. Oklahoma is a weather tease. On a side note, I haven't seen Mt.Scott's Parking lot empty in a long time.

More picture on the Facebook album!

I feel like riding out to visit Nowhere again. It seems like it would be therapeutic at this moment in my life. What a better place to ponder life's funny jokes than Nowhere?

No, you can't have my number

So, as my you-need-gas-soon-light came on, I decided I'd fill up before heading home. I pull into the gas station, and find myself in a conversation with a stranger. Don't get me wrong now, I'm all for random conversations with strangers and even a little flirting, but if you're 15 years my senior and do not ride AND you start the convo with "Where's your man at?" then there is no way in hell you're getting my number. As a matter of fact, a snowball stands a better chance surviving hell and maintaining its snowball-iness than you stand a chance of getting my number.

Also, mentioning your income level is not a selling point. In fact, I find it kind of vain.

Pervert dude: "Where's your man at?"
Me: *looks around.* *shrugs* "Hmph. Guess he must've fallen off..."

That reminds me of that shirt which reads "If you can read this then the bitch fell off" on the back. I really ought to buy that shirt.

She thought I was a guy

So I was riding through town on my way home from a ride through the refuge, and as I'm approaching a light that ought to turn green, this chick and two guys were crossing the street between my bike and the light. I guess sportbike to most people evokes the notion that the rider must be a guy because she tried to flag me down.

She ought to know what happens when one assumes. You find yourself flagging down a pink-bootlace rocking female rider.

The Ride That Never Was

Yeah, I totally stole that from a book. In this crazy heat wave we currently have, I was pleased to find that there are enough crazy people who are still riding. I think, I'll take this moment to define riding. Riding = at least 25 miles of being on a bike moving in a certain direction (preferably not down). Riding does not mean riding the streets of town (riding the cruise) or "riding" to a car wash. Unfortunately, most riders who ride (as defined) have cruisers (no offense intended). Looks like I need to find some cruisers to ride with because finding someone with a sportbike who rides and doesn't belong to a club is a challenge which I am tired of. Guess I'll be riding solo for the most part.

I found a couple of riders who were interested in going to Lake Altus with me. You know what they say about the best laid plans. We got off to a late start and after the boys were happily fed, there wasn't really the time. So a 200 mile ride turned into an 80 mile ride. It was a little warm, and my face received a free sauna from the brainbucket. Speaking of motorcycle apparel and heat, the Red Route Kevlar jeans I invested in are awesome. I was worried that they might be unbearable in the heat, but they're no worse than my regular jeans. I had to take out the knee guard, though. The knee guards never sit right, but there's Kevlar where the guards were.
Almost makes me want to test my jeans:

The Longest Tune-Up Ever

That's what Blueberry's tune-up has become. I've been tinkering around here and there. Okay, I've also been putting it off since I've never changed the spark plugs on a newer bike before. So I pried off the lower, middle, and upper fairings on both sides. A note on the upper fairings: they suck. Not really, but watch out for those annoying "clips" There are 4 under the nose that need to be removed before it can pop off. It's extremely sad that something so simple can make me feel so stupid. (In the mean time, I have mastered those simple clips. Yay for Blondie!) After reading on some forums (mainly this Godsend), I determined that I ought to be fine with the tools I have. I drained the coolant (for the flush I plan on doing) and lowered the radiator in order to get to the spark plugs a little better. I've learned a couple of things:
1. It's a good idea to take off the radiator.
2. Ignition coils annoy me.
It's a tight fit. It took me a while to determine the proper combination of extensions as well as convince the ignition coils they were going to behave. Since all the fairings are off, I think I'll go ahead give 'em a good wash and wax.

I haven't terrorized the streets in forever! Hoping to get the flush and plugs done before the weekend is over. Looking for some good riding locations. Suggestions???

So...

It helps if one takes the silencer out. Good to know.

Leo Vince Exhaust

Stock Exhaust

It's been forever since I've posted. Hell, it's been forever since I've left my house. My battery totally died last Sunday (RIP you crappy battery), and I went a little crazy shopping for parts.
Let's see. Blueberry's 2 year anniversary tune-up will include:

• A new battery (Yay for power!)
• A coolant flush (Did you know that flies love Engine Ice?)
• NGK spark plugs
• Chain tightening
• A new pulse generator (Only because the current one's leak is starting to gush rather than trickle)
• And a Leo Vince slip-on exhaust. 

 The exhaust was here before my pulse generator and battery made it, so I put it on right away. No amusing anecdotes from that adventure. However, it wasn't until I was totally psyched and tried pushing the start button, that I realized no battery = no power.

So, I impatiently waited on my battery...

Crawds N Rods 2011

Blueberry and I headed out to Elgin, OK for their annual car show.

Another year of Crawds N Rods gone by. If you missed it, make sure to check it out next year. It's an awesome fundraiser for the Elgin Fire Department, which happened to be raffling off this custom built bike:

 

More pictures are on the Facebook album!

There were many newer models (mustangs, corvettes, challengers, etc), but I'll spare you my opinion on those.