Sunday, June 7, 2009

So mom and I went for a ride to day. For several reasons. One, she had been out of town so it had been awhile. Two, it was a beautiful day for a ride. And Three, do you really need an excuse to go for a ride???? We decided that Hixon looked like a nice place to visit. My first suggestion was Hixon for ice cream, then mom suggested Hixon for PIE. A MUCH BETTER IDEA. The weather was great, the ride was great, the company was great and the pie was great. All and all, an AWESOME day.

Start: 42,435 km - End: 42,570 km - Total Distance: 135 km

Sunday, May 24, 2009

O.k. so its been a whole month since my bike has been on the road and I haven't posted anything up here. Bad Girl. That doesn't mean to say that I haven't done any riding. I haven't done a lot but I have done some. I know I've boomed around town with my mom a couple of times at least.

May 1st and 2nd was the annual mall show. A bunch of groups around town sacrifice the riding weekend to put our bikes on display in the mall. Its sort of a "Hello again, its that time of year. Please realize we are on the road again and look out for us" Of course like every year it seems, it was far too nice of a weekend to be cooped up in the mall. But we got to get our bikes out at about 4:30 pm on Saturday, so we took a trip out to Hixon for dinner. It was a beautiful ride and a great way to really kick off the season.

I haven't really done much riding since that. I was out of town from the 10th-23rd, so that has a lot to do with it. Also, I REALLY needed a new back tire and really didn't want to ride on the old one very much more.

While I was out of town, I left my bike with Reg so that he could do some work on it. And work he did. I sort of gave him a very long list, and he fulfilled them all, with the help of Kyle his son. For my records I will list everything that got done. (as you can tell I sort of use this as a maintenance log as well) So here goes, the very long list.

1) New Tires, I got both a new front and rear tire and had dyna-beads put in as well
2) Oil Change (Way over due, and I was told I need to remember to check my oil more often, oops)
3) The Crash Bar was fixed. It wasn't properly attached, which I didn't notice until the end of last season
4) A bolt for the high side saddle bag bracket was replaced
5) the low side highway peg was adjusted.

Kay so #3-5 were supposed to be easy little fixes, turns out 3 and 4 were actually a pain in the butt. Thanks again to Reg and Kyle for all the hard work you did to get that rectified.

So ya, it was kinda nice, I didn't really even have any down time with all that work because I was out of town anyway, and my bike was stored in a nice safe and warm garage while I was out of town. It was perfect.

So today my mom and I went and picked it up, all spiffed up and ready to ride. It was a beautiful day and we decided to head out to Salmon Valley for a little bit of a highway ride. On our way back we took Old Summit Lake Road back into town. It was a nice little ride.

So as for Kilometers, I don't really know exactly have good records I do know that I went about 70km today, so I'm going to say that all the work was done at 42,365 km. Other than that, I'll just but down from April 25th to May 24th and hopefully I'll get it together for the rest of the riding season.

Start: 42,194 km - End: 42,435 - Total Distance: 241 km

Friday, April 24, 2009 - ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Season Start: 42,159 km

So all the snow finally melted at my mom's place and Reg went and got my bike up the hill yesterday, and I insured it TODAY!!!! Mom drove me up to her house, and after changing out the wiring for my old heated gear to the wiring for my new heated gear, and changing my seat, I was good to go. It only took like 1/2 an hour to get dressed, but it was all worth it.

I was a little worried on how it was going to start and run after sitting all winter. I completely neglected to properly winterize it. Didn't do a darn thing, no stablizer, didn't take the battery out, nothing. (The battery was dead, but my mom had that fixed before I got there) I did do one thing right though, there was a full tank of gas in it. I worried for nothing though, it was a little hard to turn over at first but that was more due to the less than fully charged battery than anything else. Once the battery was charged, it ran fantastically.

We just rode around town a little bit but I had a blast. There is still TONS of sand and potholes everywhere, but you just have to be a little more careful.

Reg did look at my tires, and I had already ordered a new back tire, but we decided to order a new front tire as well. The one that's on there seems to have worn really funny and I didn't want to mess with it. I'll get him to replace both of them when the new front one comes in.

One bit of annoying news, after hooking up all my new heated gear, I discovered that my "new" thermostat doesn't work. Of course I bought it off of ebay so I might be out of luck. We'll see if I can find something to replace it. Widder (the brand of my heated gear) has recently gone out of business so finding replacement parts has been a bit of a chore.

Start: 42,159 km - End: 42,194 km - Total Distance: 35km

Season in Review

O.k. so I should have written this post two weeks ago but oh well, here I am now. I put my bike away for the season on October 6th. (The day before the insurance ran out) It is now safely put away for the winter. I do still need to get up to my mom's and winterize it. I should really do that soon before it gets too cold.

I had a really great season on the bike this year. It was my first season back riding in a few years and I think probably my most active. I went on three trips, the biggest being to Yellowknife, which I had never been before. I put on 10,621 km which is pretty darn good in my opinion. I was away from Hubby a lot, which is sad, but I had a lot of fun anyway.

I had no major mechanical problems which is great. (Although I probably should have changed my oil more than I did.) So in the spring I need to get a new back tire and change my oil. I also need to look at my back brake because it has started to stick. It has almost cost me a couple of times so I should get it looked at before it is the cause of anything major occurring.

So that was my season. I hope next season is just as much fun. :D

Odometer Reading for the Season:
Start: 31,538 km - End: 42,159 km - Total Distance: 10,621 km

Monday, September 15, 2008

So today Reg, my mom and I went out to my dad's accident site.


It is between Houston and Smithers. We try and get out there about once a year. And we like to go in the summer so that we can go on our bikes.


It was a gorgeous ride. Especially for being so late in the year. The above picture doesn't really show it, it was kinda cloudy at the site itself. But it was really hot and sunny most of the day.

We did a few things while we were out there. Reg cleaned up the site quite a bit. He brought out some clippers and cleared away all the weeds around the cross. Mom and I replaced the wind chimes that were out there and I brought out the tribute that I had made for my dad. We also took some pictures.


There is actually a huge ditch between the road and the site, so I had to set up the camera on my bike, hit the timer and RUN through the ditch and get into position for this picture to work. It took two tries, but it turned out pretty well. All in all a really great day with family.

Start: 41,474 km - End: 42,148 km - Total Distance: 674 km

Okanagan Stats

So we'll start with the stats for this trip:

Total Days Traveled: 4 days
Total Distance Traveled: 1643 km
Average Fuel Consumption Rate: 20.27 km/L or 47.37 miles/gallon
Average Price for Gas: $1.44/L

So I've pretty much said everything I want to say about this trip. My mom and I had a blast. I always have a great time with my mom. I find it interesting that I got almost 10 miles/gallon better gas mileage on this trip than when I was by myself or with Dan. (Think maybe I ride more aggressively by myself? The weather was a big factor in that too).

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Today was our last day on the road and it was a long one. It wasn't really that long distance wise, or even time wise, but I think both my mom and I were ready to come home. We did stop for a few pictures though.


It didn't help that we had scattered showers from Kamloops all the way until 100 mile house. It was also pretty cold all day. It did warm up quite a bit at 100 mile, so that was nice.

I pretty much spend all day putting on more clothes every time we stopped. (yes I was that cold) I had my rain gear on my the time we hit 100 mile, and then I was over hot for most of the rest of the trip.

It did try and rain on us again just outside of Prince George, but it wasn't too bad. I'm now home and unloaded. All my stuff is all over the floor again


I'll get to it tomorrow, maybe.

Start: 40,934 km - End: 41,474 km - Total Distance: 540 km

Friday, September 5, 2008

We started our day at about 8:30 am. Well, that's when we woke up. By the time we backed up, checked out and had breakfast, it was about 10:30 am. WE got stuck in a bit of construction between Summerland and Peachland.

We stopped in Kelowna to do a little shopping. We stopped at a golf store and found Ryan a jacket and a couple of shirts. And of course we had to stop at the harley shop. Mom was looking for a new helmet (like she needs another one) and a new vest. She didn't find either but we did run into a friend of my mom's (Bruce).

After Kelowna we headed to Vernon and O'keef Ranch.


(This is a picture of Vernon from a pull out before we entered it from Penticton.) The Ranch was a neat little place to visit. We got to see a victorian home (mansion) that is basically the same as it was 100 years ago.



There was also a few buildings that were musium type buildings giving some information and showing some displays of the era. We really liked this display.



Can you imagine seeing a biker riding down the road in those. :D

We then headed to Kamloops. The weather wasn't nearly as nice as it was yesturday, but it wasn't too bad. It did spit on us a couple of times and we though for sure were were driving into a down pour just outside of Kamloops but we got lucky.

We then checked into another hotel and casino. We went for dinner and then on a hunt for a highlighter and munchies for later. We ended up going across the street to London Durgs, then to Cooper Foods, and then back to London Drugs.

After that little adventure, we headed to the casino. We didn't do nearly as well tonight as we did last night. I dumped $50.00 into the slos and walked away. I plyaed my Keno ticket again and didn't win anything AGAIN.

And now we are back in the hotel room ready for bed.

Start: 40,689 km - End: 40,934 km - Total Distance: 245 km

Thrusday, September 4, 2008

We had a blast today. We got up at about 8:00 am and visited with Auntie Shirley and Uncle Bill until about ten.


Then we headed for Vernon. We had lunch in Vernon and made some plans for the rest of our trip. After a quick stop at Vernon Motor Sports (to buy a tinted visor for my helmet) we were off to Kelowna. We've decided that Kelowna is a pain. There is too much traffic and everyone's in a hurry to go no where.

The temperature today was beautiful. I was in full leathers until after kelowna, but when we filled up in West Bank, I took off both my chaps and jacket. I'm glad I did too because just after that we were stopped by construction.

Driving around Okanagan Lake is always a beautiful trip. On the bikes it is even better. We got to Penticton at about 4:00 pm.

Mom decided that we should stay at one of the nicest hotels in Pecticton: "The Pentiction Lakeside Resort" (with a lake side room).


My favourite part of the hotel was that the entire parking lot was pay parking ($5 a day) except of motorbikes. They had their own parking and it was free. Woot for being on the bikes.


We bet up with Mat at Boston Pizza at 5:00 pm. We had a really grood dinner and visit with Matt. After dinner Mom and I went for a swim at the hotel. There was no one in the pool so we had it all to ourselves. It was great.

After our swim we went for a walk along the beach. I did try and take a few pictures, but it was too dark and they came out too blurry. We decided to come back and try our luck at the cassino. (BTW: I only won $6.00 on yesturday's ticket.) We did pretty well actually. I wone enough to play my Keno ticket again (again, we havve to check tomorrow to see if we won anything) and mom walked away about $150.00 ahead.

We're now in our room nearing the end of our night. We ordered pizza and are watching T.V. Well I am, mom is putting silly things on her head. Lack of sleep can do that to a person.


Start: 40,481 km - End: 40,689 km - Total Distance: 208 km

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Today started out very very cold. We did wait until 9:00 am to leave but even then it was only 2^C. It seemed to be getting colder in Quesnel instead of warmer. (That was due to the fact that Quesnel was fogged in.) We stopped in Quesnel for some breakfast and to warm up a bit. By the time we left it was noticeably warmer. And by the time we got to Cache Creek we could take off a few layers of clothes. We stopped in Cach Creek for pie and to play some Keno. We didn't win anything while we were sitting there, but we haven't checked out tickets since. Maybe we'll get lucky.

We stopped at the Harley shop in Kamloops to do some shopping. We stopped there specifically because we knew they carried "purple slice", a new bike cleaner my mom discovered this season. My mom also bough me a seat pad. its called an Airhawk. I think I'll like it a lot once I get the air level right. We'll see what happens throughout the rest of the trip.

We are now at uncle Bill and aunt Shirley's hous in Salmon Arm. We got in at about 6:15 pm (late for dinner but they forgave us). We enjoyed a nece evening with them and now we are off to bed.

Start: 39,831 km - End: 40,481 km - Total Distance: 650 km

Mold - YUCK

So I was packing up all my stuff for my trip tomorrow, and I thought I'd make sure I've got everything I want in my saddle bags before I go. Its a good thing I did. I did not realized when I put every thing in my bag that my gloves were wet. Or if they weren't when they went in, they got wet while they were in there. To make a long story short, my electric gloves and vest were covered in mold. YUCK. I HATE MOLD. So to say "yuck" is being polite when it comes to mold. I did spray them down really well with lycol cleaning solution and washed them really well. They are now hanging to dry. I hope the electrical componants didn't get damaged. I'll be very upset if they are recked. Hopefully they will be dry for me to pack them for the trip tomorrow, but I highly doubt it. I think I'll be going without my heated gear this trip.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

So my mom and I are getting ready to head south tomorrow. One last road trip before we have to put the bikes away. :( So we had to do some shopping. My rain pants needed to be replaced desperately and I needed a decent pair of rain gloves as well. So that was pretty much my day. My mom was supposed to take her road test today, but that didn't happen. (and that's another story in and of itself). So she wanted to go for a ride. Its been raining all day, but my mom convinced me that I needed to try out my new gear. We didn't go very far, just around the outskirts of town. (long enough to get everything wet) But every thing seems to work well. My pants and hands stayed dry and warm enough anyway. So we're off tomorrow. I'll keep journalling on paper and post it when I get back.

Start: 39,801 km - End: 39,831 km - Total Distance: 30 km

Monday, August 25, 2008

Wow, so its been awhile since I've written here. That's because its been awhile since I've been on my bike. That's what happens when my riding partner leave town for almost a month. ;) Anyway, I didn't really get a ride in today either. The bike was more of a mode of transportation more than anything. My mom needed a ride home because she was dropping her bike off at Reg's for a service. Ryan had the car so I decided to take the bike. That's about all we did. It was threatening to rain so I just rode her home and came back into town right away. I did notice however (AFTER I got home) that I should really put gas in my bike. I'm glad I didn't run out on the road.

Start: 39,780 km - End: 39,801 km - Total Distance: 21 km

Monday, August 4, 2008

So Phil and I had plans to go for a ride today. We met up at Timmy's at about two and decided to pick up Nadine and take her with us.



By the time we finished that we didn't get out of town until about 3:00 pm. We headed to Quesnel for dinner. It was an awesome ride. The weather was very nice, and it was hard to decide whether or not to wear our jacket. (In actual fact, we either put them on or took them off at nearly every stop). We had a really nice ride out there and back.

There always seems to be one idiot though. So we're in a passing lane and we pass this one car, and a second car comes up behind us so I pulled back into the right lane and he passed me, but he ran out of passing lane (and I left too much space between Phil and I) and he got between us. So as I'm looking for another place to pass this car and get up with Phil, this car is riding Phil's butt BIG time. And the more I watch him, the closer he is getting. All of a sudden I realize that he's trying to pass Phil on the RIGHT. Phil realized what was going on and pulled over and let him go, but we were all pretty upset.

Once we got back into P.G. we decided we weren't quite done riding and decided to take the Old Cariboo Highway to Giscome Rd as a little detour. I think we all had a really great time. I know I did. I've been gone pretty much all day. I left the house at a little before 2:00 pm and didn't get back until almost 9:30 pm.

Start: 39,451 km - End: 39,780 km - Total Distance: 329 km

Cleaning :P

So I cleaned my bike yet again today. I'm still trying to get all the dirt from my last trip off of it. I have again failed at my task. My response yet again was "Well, its better". My dad always raved about S100 for easy cleaning. Its a spray on, spray off type of cleaner so I thought it would work great in all the little hard to reach areas. Unfortunately I was wrong. I was actually not very impressed with it at all. It seems that every time I clean the silly thing, more dirt leached out of places I have overlooked before. I was however really impressed with a cleaner that my mom brought over called Purple Slice. I had tried to clean my wheels a couple times already and could NOT get all the grime and bugs off of them. This stuff however did an awesome job. I guess there's nothing for it. I am just going to have to spend a good few hours going over every inch of the silly bike to get it really clean.

P.S. Does anyone know of a good paint cleaner/polish that will fix a hazy finish?

California 1999

So I kept a journal of my trip down to California in 1999. I had only been riding since the fall of the previous year, and I had only had my class 6 for about a month. I've decided to create a seperate blog and post my journal there. If you are at all interested in this blog, you might find my california trip an interesting read. Check it out at http://1000virago.blogspot.com/

Thursday, July 24, 2008

So today was test day. I went and picked up Phil at 12:30 and we headed down to ICBC. It was very hot and I was melting by the time he finished. He did awesome, he only put his foot down once in the u-turn, but he nailed it the second time round. So he can ride on his own now, and I don't have to feel guilty if I can't go for a ride with him. I'm sure he's very happy about that.

So because he can legally go about 60 km/h, we decided to go for a little ride. We headed out to Vanderhoof for a celebratory piece of pie.


Homemade rubarb pie and homemade strawberry pie = YUMMMMMM!!!!!! It was very good, but kind of expensive: 16 bucks for 2 pieces of pie and 2 cans of pop. Its o.k. it was a special occasion. I couldn't finish all of mine so Phil had to help.

I'm sure he was completely heart broken that he had to eat more pie. ;) I think he'll get over it.

So again I didn't wear my jacket, and again I got burnt. At least its in different spots, cause I was in different shirts. I'm going to have all sorts of funky tan lines by the end of the summer.

Start: 39,229 km - End: 39,451 km - Total Distance: 222 km

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

So today I took Phil out to practice for hopefully the last time. His test is tomorrow and I'm sure he will do just fine. I did wash my bike again, this time by hand, but I had limited time to do it so its still not very clean. It is better though. We'll see how many more times I have to wash it before I get all the Yellowknife dirt off of it.

Phil and I went for a little bit of a ride after we were done practicing. We went up and around the airport and then across town to university way. It was a nice little ride. I paid for not wearing my jacket today though. My shoulders are pretty burnt again. You'd think I'd learn. I should at least use sun screen when I don't wear my jacket. Also, you'd think I'd remember that its bloody cold down foothills and up university way without a jacket, but I always forget that too. It was refreshing though, so I won't complain too much. ;)

Start: 39,156 km - End: 39,229 km - Total Distance: 73 km

Monday, July 21, 2008

So nothing too exciting for today. After picking up my bike from my mom's, I took Phil out again for a little practice. Once I dropped him off I did attempt to wash my bike. That was a waste of time and money. I took it to a car wash and sprayed it off. It did get SOME dirt off, but it's going to take some major TLC to get it clean.

Start: 39,124 km - End: 39,156 km - Total Distance: 32 km

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Now that I'm back at home, things are back to some sort of normalcy. Phil's MST is on Thursday, so I'll be doing a lot of "teaching" in the next couple of days. I was supposed to clean my bike today to get all the road grime off, but it didn't happen. I did notice when I was getting ready to go and pick Phil up though that there was some cosmetic damage from my trip. I must have gotten a big rock in one of my lower windshield pieces, cause there's a big crack in it. :P


What is kind of hard to see in this picture is that there is a HUGE chip at the bottom edge of the crack as well.

When I was bringing Phil home we got caught in a rain storm so I rode to my mom's and she brought me home. So the bike is up at my mom's and I'll have to go and get it tomorrow.

Start: 39,092 km - End: 39,124 km - Total Distance: 32 km