Ok, it may not be that drastic.  I know there are plenty of people out there in milder climates that are still riding.  One smart rider commented to me how cold it was riding in 60 degree weather now (this as I was preparing for snow, and my fire was lit). 

Looking back, it looks like As The Throttle Turns was pretty dry this year– partly due to my bike really enjoying the comfort of my garage–  unfortunately, I just never rode as much as I would have liked to.  Plenty of opportunity, and a few great rides out there!!  Motivation can be elusive sometimes.  Mostly, riding is the type of thing that breeds its own motivation.  The more I ride, the more I want to.  However, as was mentioned here a year or more ago, it can get easy to decide to take the cage to the store instead of the bike.  It can be simpler to take the kids somewhere in the car and not come after the bike.  Lots of ‘good’ excuses, but none valid!  Riding is more than just a physical accomplishment; more than just throwing a leg over and rolling out of the garage.  It is a mental status.  That encompasses more than just a state of mind, but it builds on the ego as well.  It’s been said many places, but by riding a bike, you join a select crowd.  Here in the USA, less than 2% of all on road vehicles are motorcycles– small group indeed!  However, it is easy to look at that bike in the garage, figure you still fit in, and jump in the car.  I’m a prime example.  I’ve had years where I rode 10k miles a year– and that is where it isn’t warm all year ’round (yeay, i’m looking at you in the south and west!).  Some years not as many, and down to less than 2,000 miles this year.  And I love bikes– I live and breathe them.  I work in a bike shop, I have helmets as decoration on my bookshelves, I have more jackets for riding, than I do for any other weather.   Right now, there are 2 running motorcycles, 3 not running motorycles, 1 ATC, and one ATV in my garage– I have my kids riding, and I love to.  But I still didn’t put any miles on this year.  My best friend has been working in the motorcycle industry for the last 4-5 years.  Opened up his own shop for used parts, and did pretty well with it.  Before he opened up the shop, he rode thousands of miles a year.  He told me that last summer he rode 600 miles.  There is something about working in a shop that seems to suck the riding out of you.  I know I read an article about a shop out in Colorado, where the owner forced himself to set up rides during the beginning of the year, so they would actually get some riding in.  Interesting mental set-up, it seems.

But, as to the ego– that is where it lies.  I know a friend of mine told me that whenever I left the motorcycle industry, I would still need some type of bike, or my ego would take a monster motorcycle hit– and he was right.  A year of selling insurance, and it was a good thing I had a bike at my disposal!  That month the poor girl was down with broken pieces and parts was one of the longest of my life!

So, I guess the moral of the story is: if you have a bike, ride it.  Realize why you got it, enjoy it, and savor every moment you have.   Jumping in the F150, and heading down the highway is no where near the same as riding your bike!!

Anyway, there was one really fun ride that I attended this summer:  We rode down 79 from Hannibal to Louisanna.  Great time– the Burlington area guys met up at my pad, we rode to Quincy to meet up with 600 mile a year D, and headed through Palmyra to Hannibal (which is a pretty fun ride all by itself).  Taught Randy and his boys what the hills in Missouri were like — they enjoyed some of the good front wheel in the air action off those hills!  Then we got our start on 79.  I tell you what– that road may be nothing compared to the southern US or Colorado or out west, but for here, that thing is awesome!  Good curves, hills, and some fun straights.  D gave a school in wheelies, I think I carved up the corners pretty well.  It was pretty fun on the way down.  When we hit the Shell station on the south end of the road, the normal stories ensued– drastically enhanced from reality, of course.  However, while the 10 or so of us sat there, a group of riders from St. Louis rolled through.  The made a day trip from St. Louis to Hannibal, and were on the way back through.  There were some nice rides in that pack;  a few Ducati’s, an Aprillia RSV Mille, a couple Triumphs, some good looking R1 and R6’s.. a few other Yamahas (one GP style race replica), a couple Honda 600RR’s and a 1000RR.  Was a parking lot full of fuel and testosterone!!  The nice thing was that every one was pretty cool… some of them came over to our crowd and asked some questions, while I ran around with my camera phone to get pics of the more exotic looking bikes.  Now, we thought we were pretty done up, in our helmets and jackets (ok, about half of us had jackets)– those guys were set up for the ride!!  Either full leathers or a jacket that zipped to pants, boots, and gloves; all sorts of high-end stuff!!  Nice guys, good looking bikes, and they were serious. 

After a while, Danny joined; he gave some more wheelie seminars on the way back.  I think most of the other guys decided that they weren’t really the ‘wheelie’ type of rider.  After a few worm burners, we pretty much settled in to a good ride back north.

Well, enough soap boxes and weak riding stories for now.  The Moviestar RR is sitting the garage with a pile of dust on her.  I may hafta clean that and put a mile on her.

Til next time, don’t let your chicken strips show!!