(no subject)

[pictor]

My thoughts on long distance biking.

-It’s windy. I felt like the wind was trying to punch me. This is largely something that took getting used to, on the trip back it wasn’t so unexpected and learned to trust physics and know that the bike wants to stay upright. All the same…I think I may want to get a bigger windshield. The wind made me feel buffeted, but the bike was never even fazed.
-The country side has even more smells than I ever notice in a car. Freshly mown grass, manure, bog, open air off the St. Lawrence, and at one point north of Kemptville….I could swear I smelled pumpkin.
-I am very out of touch with the layout of roads once I leave the safety of the 401 and 416. I am glad I had a map in my pocket.
-Waving to other motorcyclists really is easier if you leave your hand down low in the slipstream of the bike. I was wondering why everyone waved to me from down there.
-It’s hard to give your scalp a much needed scratch when you have a helmet on.
-My backpack straps partly cover up my jacket vents. I can still use them, but not fully. I didn’t really need them though.
-Chaps exist for a reason. The knees of my jeans are a minor mosquito graveyard.
-My knees are nothing to the carnage of my helmet visor. On a car, that poor little bug dies a few feet away, and can be cleaned with a wiper and some wash. On a bike, that bug impacts 2 inches in front of my eye, and if I’m lucky, the wind blows part of him away. A few times I had to slow down, so I could safely wipe away a bug with my glove.
-Riding for 2 hours or more leads to a sore bum. Not sore knees or back though….which I worried about. By sore bum….oh yes.
-Driving into Westport was a beautiful experience. You come over the crest of a steep hill that dives down and to the right, into a town full of docked boats along a shore, and a gently winding road past picturesque buildings.
-The wind off the St. Lawrence can get chilly.
-The end of the Thousand Islands parkway going east is sneaky and threw me onto the 401 for half a kilometer or so before I could get off and rejoin the 2.

Originally published at Mike Pictor.

Comments

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

I did my first long-distance ride to KW & back on a completely un-faired no-windscreen Suzuki GS650. Immediately after I got back, I bought a small windscreen for it. It made the world of difference on long trips, and a nice difference even on local highways.

Yes, your bum will get sore.

If you didn't do so already, you may want to consider earplugs for longer trips. They really make a difference in fatigue levels.

Yes, heads get itchy under helmets... sometimes I try rocking the helmet back and forth to try and scratch, it doesn't work very well, though.

Yeah, the hill down into Westport is quite pretty. Old Perth Road has some definite pretty bits along it, and some nice winding bits.

[mikepictor.livejournal.com]

I did the helmet rock, oh yes I did.

It's got a small windscreen, and I could tell the difference, the center of my torso was fine, it was all about the arms, shoulders, and head.

I've looked at a few replacement shields, there is one that is just taller.....that's about it, and one that is no taller, but wider, and has a spoiler along the top. Kind of weird....but it will either help, or just take the wind that would hit my upper chest, and direct it into my face. Not sure...