SeaCat
Hey, my Halo is smoking
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2003
- Posts
- 15,378
The other day in work one of the M.D.'s told me he had a problem. He had bought a bike in northern Florida but had no way to get it home. I asked him a couple of questions and found out it was a newer Harley in good condition. In other words it ran.
I thought about it and told him I could help him out.
This morning early I kissed my wife goodby and told her I would be home this afternoon. I climbed into his late model Mercedes after tossing my Helmet and other ride gear into the trunk. We drove north for several hours before he dropped me off at the Bike Dealer and headed back south.
I checked out the bike then climbed into the saddle. This was a nice looking bike, a 2009 Harley Soft Tail. I kicked it over and rode it down the street to a Gas Station. As I topped off the tank it started pouring. Great, that's just what I needed. I'm riding a bike I havent ridden before, it's 70° and raining and I don't happen to have any rain gear. All I have are my Leathers, my Helmet, Jeans, Boots, Chaps and Gloves. Oh well it'll have to do. As I pay for my gas I check the weather on my cell. Great, it's supposed to be like this for the rest of the day. I ask the guy behind the counter if he has any Ziplocs and he hands me one with a look of curiousity. He just shakes his head as I drop my walllet and Cell Phone in the baggie.
It's not going to do any good to wait around for a break in the weather. I have a 400+ mile ride on a naked bike and the weather isn't going to get any better. I tuck the Ziploc into my inside pocket and snug my helmet down while sliding my sunglasses on my face. I climb into the saddle and kick the bike over again. I'm loving the grumble of the engine beneath me as I sit beneath the cover of the gas stations roof. The ride isn't going to get any shorter by my sitting there so I toe the bike into first and move to the side of the road. I wait for a break in traffic and pull out heading for the highway.
The roads aren't that busy so it doesn't take me long to get back to the highway. I roll through the onramp and roll on the throttle as I speed up to match the light traffic. I'm happy I've worn my heavy leather jacket and zipped it up as I feel the rain pelting against me. I can feel it even through the thick leather of my jacket. I reach cruising speed quickly and merge into the light traffic on I-95 heading south. I'm not pushing it, I'm moving right at the speed limit of 70 MPH in the right hand lane even as cars and truck blow past me on the left. I have my face shield lifted slightly so I can see under it even though this exposes my neck and lower face to the full force of the rain hitting me at speed. It feels like BB's hitting my skin. It hurts but at least I can see.
It takes only a couple of minutes before I'm soaked even through my leathers. It's cold, damned cold if you're used to Florida weather. Under my helmet and visor my glasses are getting splattered. AS the cars and trucks rumble past me I'm getting the spray off them as well as getting hit by the splatter when they hit standing water. BY the time I hit 50 miles I'm soaked, cold and can barely see. I spot an underpass and pull over for a few minutes. I take the time to wipe my glasses off on my sweatshirt and jump around a bit to get the blood flowing again. Back on the bike I climb and off I go. I'm getting used to how the bike handles.
By the time I reach 75 miles I'm half frozen but I'm cruising. The bike is doing what I want it to when I want it to and I have everything set up just right. I have my legs tucked in close to the engine so they aren't quite as cold as they could be. My left hand is tucked against my body so I can still feel my hand. At 200 miles I pull off at a rest stop and refill the tank. I take the time to hit the bathroom and suck down a couple of cups of terrible coffee as I inhale a couple of cheeseburgers. (Or should I say Greaseburgers with cheese?) I'm more than half frozen as I buy a heavy bandana and wrap it around my neck.
Have I mentioned I don't deal well with the cold? I can deal with it okay for so long then my body tries to go into a full body cramp. I'm at this point now but I have another couple of hundred miles to go. I'm soaked and chilled not to mention my neck and lower face are getting beaten to hell by the rain.
I stay at the rest stop for a bit soaking up some heat while tourists are looking at me like I'm something from a horror movie. I just have to smile. I call my wife and tell her where I'm at. After an hour there I have no choice but to get back on the road. I climb back into the saddle and light a cigar while pulling down my visor. The road winds will keep the smoke out of my eyes. Back onto the highway I go.
Now I'm tucked down with my legs close to the engine and my left hand tucked against my body. I'm suffering but I'm also in that place that few others have ever been. I'm cruising. The bike is rumbling nicely beneath me and I'm one with the road. I can sense what the cars and trucks around me are going to do before they do it. When the wind shifts I'm adjusting to it before I can even think about it. The cold goes away even as my body protests. I can feel my braid beating against my leathers in the wind and even that tells me things. It tells me when the winds shift. My mind settles into that zone where no thought is allowed. I'm pure instinct, I'm part of the bike and the road.
Before I know it I'm pulling off the highway at my exit. I rumble down the ramp and make the left turn in a pouring rain. I pull into the gas station just down the street from me and refill the tank again. The bike starts when I hit the button without hesitation. (Oh if only my bike did that.) I pull out of the gas station and ride the last half mile to my place and park the bike under the car port. I walk the last couple of feet in an absolute downpour.
I'm chilled to the bone, I can barely open the screen door to the patio. AS I stand on the patio I skin out of my leathers, jeans and sweatshirt as my wife holds a towel for me. I stumble to the shower and stand under the hot water until I drain down the Hot Water Tank. I'm starting to feel human again. My wife has set out a pair of Sweat Pants, my Robe and a steaming cup of coffee for me. I get dressed and walk into the living room where I call my co-worker and tell him his bike is safely under my carport. He thanks me while telling me I'm insane. I just smile.
So now I'm sitting here still slightly chilled and thinking about this ride. It was cold and nasty but it was something most people would never think of doing. It was fun.
Cat
I thought about it and told him I could help him out.
This morning early I kissed my wife goodby and told her I would be home this afternoon. I climbed into his late model Mercedes after tossing my Helmet and other ride gear into the trunk. We drove north for several hours before he dropped me off at the Bike Dealer and headed back south.
I checked out the bike then climbed into the saddle. This was a nice looking bike, a 2009 Harley Soft Tail. I kicked it over and rode it down the street to a Gas Station. As I topped off the tank it started pouring. Great, that's just what I needed. I'm riding a bike I havent ridden before, it's 70° and raining and I don't happen to have any rain gear. All I have are my Leathers, my Helmet, Jeans, Boots, Chaps and Gloves. Oh well it'll have to do. As I pay for my gas I check the weather on my cell. Great, it's supposed to be like this for the rest of the day. I ask the guy behind the counter if he has any Ziplocs and he hands me one with a look of curiousity. He just shakes his head as I drop my walllet and Cell Phone in the baggie.
It's not going to do any good to wait around for a break in the weather. I have a 400+ mile ride on a naked bike and the weather isn't going to get any better. I tuck the Ziploc into my inside pocket and snug my helmet down while sliding my sunglasses on my face. I climb into the saddle and kick the bike over again. I'm loving the grumble of the engine beneath me as I sit beneath the cover of the gas stations roof. The ride isn't going to get any shorter by my sitting there so I toe the bike into first and move to the side of the road. I wait for a break in traffic and pull out heading for the highway.
The roads aren't that busy so it doesn't take me long to get back to the highway. I roll through the onramp and roll on the throttle as I speed up to match the light traffic. I'm happy I've worn my heavy leather jacket and zipped it up as I feel the rain pelting against me. I can feel it even through the thick leather of my jacket. I reach cruising speed quickly and merge into the light traffic on I-95 heading south. I'm not pushing it, I'm moving right at the speed limit of 70 MPH in the right hand lane even as cars and truck blow past me on the left. I have my face shield lifted slightly so I can see under it even though this exposes my neck and lower face to the full force of the rain hitting me at speed. It feels like BB's hitting my skin. It hurts but at least I can see.
It takes only a couple of minutes before I'm soaked even through my leathers. It's cold, damned cold if you're used to Florida weather. Under my helmet and visor my glasses are getting splattered. AS the cars and trucks rumble past me I'm getting the spray off them as well as getting hit by the splatter when they hit standing water. BY the time I hit 50 miles I'm soaked, cold and can barely see. I spot an underpass and pull over for a few minutes. I take the time to wipe my glasses off on my sweatshirt and jump around a bit to get the blood flowing again. Back on the bike I climb and off I go. I'm getting used to how the bike handles.
By the time I reach 75 miles I'm half frozen but I'm cruising. The bike is doing what I want it to when I want it to and I have everything set up just right. I have my legs tucked in close to the engine so they aren't quite as cold as they could be. My left hand is tucked against my body so I can still feel my hand. At 200 miles I pull off at a rest stop and refill the tank. I take the time to hit the bathroom and suck down a couple of cups of terrible coffee as I inhale a couple of cheeseburgers. (Or should I say Greaseburgers with cheese?) I'm more than half frozen as I buy a heavy bandana and wrap it around my neck.
Have I mentioned I don't deal well with the cold? I can deal with it okay for so long then my body tries to go into a full body cramp. I'm at this point now but I have another couple of hundred miles to go. I'm soaked and chilled not to mention my neck and lower face are getting beaten to hell by the rain.
I stay at the rest stop for a bit soaking up some heat while tourists are looking at me like I'm something from a horror movie. I just have to smile. I call my wife and tell her where I'm at. After an hour there I have no choice but to get back on the road. I climb back into the saddle and light a cigar while pulling down my visor. The road winds will keep the smoke out of my eyes. Back onto the highway I go.
Now I'm tucked down with my legs close to the engine and my left hand tucked against my body. I'm suffering but I'm also in that place that few others have ever been. I'm cruising. The bike is rumbling nicely beneath me and I'm one with the road. I can sense what the cars and trucks around me are going to do before they do it. When the wind shifts I'm adjusting to it before I can even think about it. The cold goes away even as my body protests. I can feel my braid beating against my leathers in the wind and even that tells me things. It tells me when the winds shift. My mind settles into that zone where no thought is allowed. I'm pure instinct, I'm part of the bike and the road.
Before I know it I'm pulling off the highway at my exit. I rumble down the ramp and make the left turn in a pouring rain. I pull into the gas station just down the street from me and refill the tank again. The bike starts when I hit the button without hesitation. (Oh if only my bike did that.) I pull out of the gas station and ride the last half mile to my place and park the bike under the car port. I walk the last couple of feet in an absolute downpour.
I'm chilled to the bone, I can barely open the screen door to the patio. AS I stand on the patio I skin out of my leathers, jeans and sweatshirt as my wife holds a towel for me. I stumble to the shower and stand under the hot water until I drain down the Hot Water Tank. I'm starting to feel human again. My wife has set out a pair of Sweat Pants, my Robe and a steaming cup of coffee for me. I get dressed and walk into the living room where I call my co-worker and tell him his bike is safely under my carport. He thanks me while telling me I'm insane. I just smile.
So now I'm sitting here still slightly chilled and thinking about this ride. It was cold and nasty but it was something most people would never think of doing. It was fun.
Cat
